Chapter Fourteen: An Unswerving Destiny

Camelot #2

(Four years after Emrys left)

The further the young warlock moved through the alternative time line, the more it began to resemble his own world. In fact on this one occasion, what he saw was so familiar that he genuinely started to worry that he'd simply gone back in time to view his own Camelot.

Emrys appeared in the Great Hall to find Leon telling Arthur about the quest he and Percival had just returned from. Merlin and Gaius were in attendance looking serious, and it was only the absence of Elyan that convinced the watching sorcerer that he was in the correct world after all.

Even Agravaine was there, a shadowy figure in black moving forward with a smile to reassure Arthur when the young man seemed uncertain what to do.

Where were Uther and Morgana? Emrys wondered. In his world the latter had taken Camelot twice and driven the King half mad in the process. Surely that couldn't have happened again, not after all they'd been through with the Purge?

"Where was Morgause heading?" Agravaine asked and Emrys did a double take as he heard the unexpected name.

"To the Seas of Meredor," Sir Leon replied.

"Isle of the Blessed," Gaius interjected.

"I'll send out patrols at first light."

"Thank you, Agravaine," the prince replied.

"Sire, you should know that she used magic," Leon said. "There was no doubt about it. Sir Bertrand and Sir Montague are both dead."

"Understood," Arthur said with a wince. "I agree that we can no longer deny the fact any more. Keep me informed of any developments."

Emrys shook his head, baffled by the conversation. So much was the same but there were significant differences here too.

"For months, nothing. Why now?" Arthur asked his uncle.

"We knew she couldn't stay hidden forever. Today, tomorrow, what does it matter? We mustn't live in fear, Arthur. Camelot is strong. If Morgause were to act, we'd be ready for her."

"You're right, of course. I don't know how I'd've got through these last few months without you. Thank you, Uncle."

"I made a promise to your mother. I'll always be there for you."

Unseen, Emrys glared at the man, knowing what he was, despite the different situation. Was Agravaine now in league with Morgause in this version of events? Were they still going to release the Dorocha?

He followed Arthur as he made his way back down the corridor and it wasn't long before the prince was joined by Morgana, her face dark.

"Where were you?" Arthur asked her.

"You know where. Avoiding Agravaine and his accusations."

"He said he saw you with her, Morgana."

"I know what he said," she replied crossly.

Arthur stopped in his tracks and turned to her with a glare. "Well, are you going to deny it?"

"No," she said, lifting her chin haughtily. "I met with Morgause. You know about last year and I've already apologised for that but how does he know, Arthur? Did you tell him?"

"No, of course not."

"Neither did anyone else. I'm sorry, but I don't trust him. He's never forgiven Uther for your mother's death and he's been … weird around both me and Gwen ever since he arrived."

"Don't be ridiculous." Both Morgana and the watching sorcerer raised their eyes to the ceiling at Arthur's hurry to dismiss the idea.

Emrys wasn't quite sure what he'd missed. Obviously Morgana and Morgause had met up at some point as they had in his world, but it seemed that here she had remained on Arthur's side, which was good news. Well, if he didn't find out today, he'd just have to go back a year or two and see for himself.

"I'm going to visit Father," Arthur said then. "He's asking for you again, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I know you love him and I know this is difficult for you but I can't face him yet. Not after that lie."

"I wish you'd forgive him, Morgana, this tension between you is not helping his recovery."

"Don't put this all onto me, Arthur," she complained. "This is about his Purge and how he refused to accept the obvious. Everyone knows that magic has returned to our world but still he won't see it. The birth rate is practically back to normal levels, we've sorceresses like Morgause flaunting magic tricks in front of everyone on a daily basis and yet still he denies it? It wasn't my disowning him that tipped him over the edge, you know that."

"No, it was Morgause, coming here with her lies about my mother and about magic."

"Lies, Arthur? Are you sure? Take care you don't make the same mistake as Uther. Or do you think she was lying about us being brother and sister too?" Arthur winced and Emrys nodded to himself, starting to put it all together, beginning to see how this time line was attempting to drag itself back into line with his own.

"Who knows what that witch will say to achieve her goals." Arthur sighed. "Let me say goodnight to the boys before they go to bed and then I'll go and visit Father afterwards."

Emrys eagerly followed the pair as they walked towards the prince's chambers, now fascinated by both the similarities and the differences between the two worlds and how these latest story developments would play out.

When they entered the chambers it was to find Gwen kneeling on the floor in-between two small boys, apparently trying to negotiate a dispute over a wooden knight. The pair looked up and Emrys gasped as the younger one's eyes widened in delight before he clambered to his feet and appeared to run straight towards him. Of course he'd forgotten for a moment that he was not really here and that the child had, in fact, been heading towards his mother. He felt his heart leap when he saw the boy though – a mixture of excitement mingled with a strange familiarity. He'd seen it when he was a tiny baby, but now their shared relationship seemed even more obvious; the child's hair only very slightly lighter than his parents', his eyes light and expressive, and a number of other small, subtle features that the warlock could easily relate to either himself or Morgana.

His mother picked him up, hoisting him onto a shoulder and suddenly the boy called out, pointing a finger straight at Emrys' position. The warlock instinctively turned around to see what he was looking at and then, as he turned back, the child giggled and pointd right at him again.

Emrys remembered that he had briefly believed that Morgana had heard him when she was younger and that Merlin had also seemed to react to him when he'd spoken on a previous visit. Was it true? Could he interact with people here through his visions? Did this mean that their son had magic too? He supposed that was perfectly logical.

"Merlin," the little boy gurgled and Morgana turned to the door with a frown.

"Where?" she asked.

"Merlin!" the child insisted, pointing again at Emrys.

"Great!" Arthur complained. "Seeing things obviously runs in the family."

"He's three, Arthur," Morgana grumbled. "He's just got an over active imagination, that's all." Emrys raised his eyes to the ceiling, blew a kiss at his son and quickly pulled himself out of the vision.

Camelot #1

Emrys came out of his trance with a huge grin on his face. He was not just excited that his son had obviously seen and reacted to him, but also thrilled about what that actually meant for his own plan. He had suspected that the seventeen year old Morgana had heard him once before, and that had been at a time where there hadn't been much magic in the world at all. Then Merlin had also responded during a later vision and now his son, which not only made it very likely that the boy had magic too but also meant that there was a chance that he would be able to manage some level of communication with his friends in the other world. Whether trying to talk to Morgana was a good idea or not he didn't know but that wasn't especially important at the moment. First, he needed to try his theory out on the most powerful sorcerer in Camelot.

He needed to see if he could communicate with Merlin.

Camelot #2

(Two weeks after Emrys left)

"Is it getting any easier?" Gaius asked Merlin as he came back from his rounds that evening.

"I think so but … I'm still having a bit of trouble with the very subtle pieces of magic or rather..." The young warlock frowned as he tried to explain what was happening. "It just seems a little inconsistent at the moment; depending on how tired I'm feeling." He sighed. "I wish Emrys was here. He'd know how to help me."

"I wouldn't count on it," the watching sorcerer replied.

How would he even start to teach someone that had all of his power but had never used it until he was an adult? Emrys was beginning to understand why his own talent had manifested itself when he was quite so young; the magic had needed time to grow with him and he needed to become accustomed to it. He had to admit that he really had no idea what Merlin was experiencing, but he supposed the closest scenario was what Morgana had gone through in his world, what his Morgana would now have to go through in this world. Well, at least Merlin could help her in a way that he had never been able to.

"Show me," Gaius said to the young man and Merlin aimed a hand toward the nearest candle in order to light it, only to reduce it to a puddle of wax in seconds.

"I try and reach for just a little bit," he complained, "but it feels as it if all just rams into me at once.

"You don't need to do that," Emrys commented quietly, "It's not like it was before when you had to reach towards the cave. Nowadays it's inside you already."

"Inside what?" Merlin asked Gaius.

"What? I didn't say anything." The two men at the table looked confused whilst Emrys went wide eyed at the implication.

"It's … inside … you … already," he said slowly – projecting all this telepathic thoughts directly at Merlin. At the table the young warlock shook his head.

"I heard this voice … in my head."

"What sort of voice?" Gaius asked suspiciously, whilst Emrys grinned broadly at his success.

"I'm not sure."

"Use the magic that's already inside you," Emrys repeated.

"Inside me?" Merlin grabbed a new candle and whispered the spell. A small flame suddenly flickered to life on the wick.

"You did it!" Gaius exclaimed.

"Yes, the voice told me how." Merlin's eyes suddenly went wide and he started to look around the room wildly.

"Can you hear me? Can you see me?" the watching warlock asked.

"I can't see you but I can hear you." Merlin's eyes widened further. "Emrys?"

"Yes."

"What are you talking about, Merlin?" Gaius asked.

"It's Emrys … I've no idea how but I can hear him."

"You can't see me?" he asked, drifting forwards so he was just inches from Merlin's face.

"No. How are you doing this?"

"A few more years have passed since I left. I'm practising," Emrys replied.

"It's only been two weeks."

"For you. For me it's been four years."

"What is it, Merlin? What's he saying?" Gaius asked.

"It's an even older version of Emrys. He said he's practising." Merlin explained and then turned back to look vaguely in his direction. "Practising what?"

"How to view this world from where I am. Perhaps eventually to return."

"When will you be coming back?"

"I don't know. Not for a while yet I shouldn't think."

"He can't come back to this time," Gaius said, obviously guessing the gist of the one sided conversation. "If he comes back now looking … however many years older, then..."

"Four he said," Merlin explained, "and I don't think he knows enough to do that quite yet."

"So, it might be several more years. He can't come back to this time looking thirty or forty – how would we explain that?"

It was true, Emrys realised and his heart sunk at the news. Even his much older self had been unable to change the five year rule and so, when he did manage to return, it would have to be exactly the same number of years after he'd left. If he could work it out now then his son would be four already. If it took him another four he'd be eight. He felt his eyes sting with tears as he wondered just how old he would be before he could see his Morgana properly again.

~o~0~o~

A/N: Well, looks like I was right about Christmas Eve for 5.13, which is good for this fic as it means less of a delay between chapters 15 and 16. I admit that I'm both nervous and excited about what is to happen in the last few episodes of the show, especially as that will dictate the exact direction that this fic takes.

10/12/12