Title: He Is Mine

Chapter Twenty One:

...

Merlin's eyes narrow at Morgause, though his attention is fixed on the vial in her hand. "What do you want with her?"

Morgause shrugs, "I know you think I have alternative motives here. But all I want is to be reunited with my sister."

Arthur scoffs, "Morgana doesn't even know you."

"And forgive us if we just don't take your word for whatever it is you're trying to do." Merlin adds.

"I don't care if you believe me." Morgause deflects. She waves a hand dismissively at the two. "Let's not pretend like you have the upper hand here. I have the cure for my sister, and you do not. Let me save her." Merlin goes to say something, but Morgause cuts him off. "There is only one cure... it took me hours to make it. It was much easier to make the poison."

Merlin's eyes widen into a glare. "So you were the one I met in the Crystal Cave. You gave me the poison!"

Morgause grins. "Yes."

"Why?!" Merlin shouts. "You claim to be her sister, but you made a poison for her!"

"A poison you administered to her." Morgause points out.

Arthur stares disbelievingly between the two. Merlin boils with rage as he glares at Morgause. "What do you want with her?" He shakes his head. "You don't care about her. You don't care that she lives!"

"I care more about her than her own father ever did!" Morgause argues. "All he does is deceive and delude himself into believing his own lies!"

Both Merlin and Arthur stare confusedly at the woman. Arthur steps forward, tightly gripping his sword as he says, "Morgana's father was an honorable man who died fighting for his Kingdom."

Morgause cackles, shaking her head in wonder. "You really have no clue, do you?"

Merlin stares from Morgause to Arthur and back, his brain quickly connecting the very few dots. After several moments, it clicks. "Morgana... she's— she's Uther's—".

"Daughter? Yes. By blood she is. But to him, she is just a mistake he made and won't be held responsible for."

Arthur blinks rapidly, repeatedly as he stares in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Morgause raises an eyebrow at him. "Isn't it obvious?" She asks wickedly. "Your father had an affair with a married woman. And Morgana is the bitter fruit of that affair."

Arthur's breath shallows quickly, and he tries his best to swallow the bile rising up in his throat. His father, who stood for honesty, truth, trust, dignity, and loyalty— the King of Camelot, had an affair with his best friends wife... and Morgana— Morgana, who spent most of her life feeling alone, afraid, foreign... fatherless, even motherless, is his blood. His sister. He shakes his head, still in utter disbelief. "It can't— that can't be true." He manages through a dry mouth. "My father wouldn't touch another man's wife."

"Oh, but he did." Morgause smirks.

Arthur continues to shake his head, even as Merlin presses a firm hand over his shoulder. "No... my father would've told me that Morgana was my sister. He would've told her that she was his daughter."

"Arthur." Merlin says softly. He can see the pain in the Prince's eyes. "We don't have time for this."

Arthur looks up at Morgause, noting the confident look in her eyes. She is not to be trusted, he doesn't know her. And yet, something about the look in her eyes tells him that she's not lying about this. It doesn't mean he accepts it though.

Merlin looks at Morgause and squares his shoulders. "Please." He says hoarsely. "Morgana does not have long... if you really care about her, you'll give me the cure."

Morgause chuckles as she shakes her head at the young warlock. "I've told you already, Merlin. Let me give her the cure, or she dies."

"And then what?! You would take her with you?" The warlock bellows angrily.

"That is the plan, yes."

Merlin's hands form into fists.

Morgause smirks at him. "And don't even think of taking it by force." She looks pointedly at Merlin's fists. "You see, I've already cast a spell on it. If this," She holds up the vial. "...leaves my hands without my permission, it will become ineffective. You might as well be giving Morgana water."

Arthur looks at Merlin and shakes his head. "We can't let her take Morgana." He murmurs. "She's— she's important to Camelot."

Merlin stares at Morgause as his mind frantically searches for a way out of this. But he knows there is no other way. If Morgana doesn't get that cure, she will die, and he won't be able to live with himself if that happens. He gives Arthur an apologetic look and shakes his head at the Prince. "I can't let her die, Arthur."

Morgause grins and raises her hands as if to ask, Well?

With a heavy heart, Merlin finally nods. "Fine."

...

As soon as they leave the area, Arthur calls forward to Merlin anger. "How could you agree to let her take Morgana?! What if we never see her again?"

Merlin tightens his grip on Aithusa's scaled back. "We will!" He calls back.

"How can you be so sure?!"

Merlin smirks over his shoulder. "Because I'm not letting her take Morgana."

Arthur blinks confusedly. "What?"

"Just trust me."

As per Merlin's command, Aithusa rides like hell, shooting across the sky at breakneck speed. Merlin and Arthur actually have to keep their heads down, for fear of accidentally swallowing something, or being blown clean off of the dragon's back. Morgause had refused to let them escort her, insisting that she has her own way of getting there, and on time.

Merlin's heart is in his throat, despite what he said to Arthur. The only hope he has of Morgause actually being in Camelot with the cure, is the fact that she insisted she be the one to give Morgana the cure. He knows it's dangerous, but he's desperate.

Camelot comes into view, and the Prince makes a strangled sound. Smoke and fire rises from the city, half the castle is demolished, and the Nimueh in the Great Dragon's body couldn't be missed, sending streams of fire towards the southern towers. Not even a full day and Camelot is almost entirely destroyed. Merlin calls over his shoulder at the Prince. "Be ready!"

Arthur nods as the dragon begins to descend towards Camelot. Merlin leans forward, running one of his hands over the side of Aithusa's large, scaly neck. "Take us to that window." He points to the window where he knows Morgana's chambers are, and the dragon immediately goes to it.

It hovers just under the window, letting the two men climb off her back and inside the tower. Merlin turns to smile at the dragon. He can't let her go after Nimueh. Kilgharrah's body is much too big and strong for the small white dragon to defeat. He nods as he tells her to go. The dragon whines before taking back off towards the sky.

"To Morgana's chambers." Merlin tells Arthur, who nods and leads the way. The two men sprint their way up the staircase until they finally reach Morgana's chambers. Merlin is unsure of what to expect as he barges through the door, hands at the ready and eyes frantically searching the expanse of the chambers. His heart sinks when he sees two people in the corner, and neither of them is Morgana. His heart then drops when he focuses back on the two in the corner.

"Gaius!" he runs to the elderly mans side, dropping to his knees as his eyes search the elderly man for any wounds. Princess Ophelia is kneeling beside him on the other side with a worried expression on her face. Merlin can hear Arthur running into the bath chambers, calling out Morgana's name, but there's no answer and Merlin knows there won't be one. "What happened? Where's Morgana?" he asks the Princess who shakes her head profusely as she cries.

"There was a woman! I tried to stop her. She came out of nowhere and blasted Gaius against the wall. When I tried to help Morgana away from her, she used magic and threw me against the wall as well. I gained consciousness just as you two came in."

Merlin feels around Gaius' wrist for a pulse. He finds it almost immediately, steady and strong. He breathes a temporary sigh of relief as he gets up and goes to the open window. "She can't have gotten far."

Arthur comes back, shaking his head. "She got here before us and we travelled via a dragon, Merlin. She could be anywhere by now."

Merlin turns, shaking his head in disagreement. "Magic, no matter how strong and powerful someone is, is draining. Traveling here by magic would've made her weak. Princess Ophelia says that she used magic on Gaius and her as well. I'll bet my life she didn't leave with Morgana by magic. Maybe they travelled out of the castle, but that's about as far as she can get."

"So what now?" Arthur queries.

Merlin crosses back to the corner where his mentor lays, kneeling back down beside him. He raises his hand, letting it hover over Gaius' head as he whispers a spell. His eyes glow gold for a moment before fading. He looks up at Arthur who's staring down at Gaius expectantly. "In a few moments, Gaius will awake. He'll be a little woozy, but he should be fine. Take him and the Princess down to the dungeons. Get your father and Gwen out of there, and take them somewhere safe."

Arthur blinks rapidly at his manservant. "Somewhere safe? There's a bloody dragon destroying the castle out there, among an army of invisible, winged beasts!"

Merlin sighs as he gets up. "We have no choice, Arthur!" he snaps. "This entire castle is going to collapse soon, and you do not want the people most important to you to be in the dungeons when that happens!"

"Where will you be going?" Princess Ophelia queries from across the unconscious Physician.

"I'm going to find Morgana and bring her back."

Princess Ophelia sighs and offers a small nod. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help her."

Merlin reaches forward and closes a hand over hers. "You did plenty, Princess. Now please," he looks up at Arthur. "You must move fast."

Arthur opens his mouth to point out that Gaius is still unconscious, when the very man himself suddenly gasps, springing up into a sitting position. He blinks rapidly as he looks wildly around. "What happened?"

Merlin grins and pats him on the back. "We'll explain later." he helps the elderly man to his feet. "For now, we must move."

As Arthur helps Gaius out the door, Merlin pulls back and goes back to Morgana's open window. He notices the Princess still standing in the corner when Arthur turns back to look expectantly at her.

"Princess." Merlin begins, but Princess Ophelia shakes her head at him.

"I can't go with them."

"Why not?" Arthur pipes up.

The Princess looks at Merlin. "My fathers army should be about halfway here. I'm sure they will arrive by tomorrow evening at the earliest."

Merlin blinks at her. "I'm not following."

The Princess smiles at the warlock. "I don't know if we'll survive this. But I know that you'll be with the Lady Morgana when everything goes to hell… I want to be by my fathers side when that happens."

Merlin sighs softly as he crosses the room and takes her hands in his. "I'm so sorry you're caught up in all this."

"No." she shakes her head and releases a breathless, humorless laugh. "None of this would be happening if it weren't for me. It's my fault."

"No it's not." Merlin smiles at her and squeezes her hands gently. "In the end, you told the truth and did your best to help us… you're still doing your best to help us. I think you've more than redeemed yourself."

"But—".

Merlin cuts her off with a shake of his head. "I understand why you did it… all of it."

Arthur looks at Gaius, who gives him a look as if to say, 'I think we should go'. The Prince takes the hint and starts leading Gaius down the staircase.

Princess Ophelia stares at Merlin with wide, tearful eyes. "You don't resent me?"

Merlin shakes his head. "No… if it weren't for you, I never would've felt what it's like to be loved."

"But Morgana—".

"Didn't notice me until you did… even if you only pretended to notice me."

The Princess sighs softly and shakes her head at him. "I wasn't pretending… at first I did, but then I got to know you better." she looks down sheepishly. "But of course, you only had eyes for her." she peeks back up at him through her lashes.

Merlin offers her a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

A loud crash from somewhere on the other side of the castle startles them. Merlin looks at her and sighs. "I guess I'll see you later?"

The Princess nods and smiles at him. "I guess so."

Merlin nods and goes to the window. He stops when the Princess calls his name again. He turns to find her walking towards him as she fidgets nervously with her hands. "I just… I need to know."

"Know what?"

The Princess stares up into his eyes as she comes to a stop in front of him. "If things were different, and— and you met me before Morgana…" she trails off and looks down at her feet. She shakes her head and looks up at him. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." she turns to go, but Merlin stops her with a hand on her arm. She turns back expectantly.

"If things were different," Merlin smiles at her. "I would've chosen you in a heartbeat."

The Princess' face immediately lights up with a wide smile. She lets out a small laugh as she steps forward and pulls Merlin to her, hugging him tightly. She turns her head to whisper into his ear. "Find her and never let her go."

Merlin nods. "Okay."

When they pull away, Princess Ophelia says nothing as she leans up on her toes and kisses him chastely on the lips. "She's lucky to have you." With those parting words, she turns away from the only man she has ever loved besides her father, and she makes her way to the door with tears in her eyes.

Merlin turns, looking out the window once more. He calls on Aithusa, waiting only a few moments before the white dragon swoops up below the window sill. He mounts the dragon's back, silently commanding her to scour the castle surroundings, and the forest.

…

"She can't have gotten far." Merlin mutters to himself as his eyes stay peeled for anything out of the ordinary on the ground. The first place he'd thought to look was the stables, but he didn't even have to go there to know that Morgause wouldn't be there. The stables were completely obliterated by Nimueh. Thinking of which, Merlin is really glad Aithusa isn't very big. She's not even half Kilgharrah's size. Thanks to the white dragons small size, they were able to stay out of Nimueh's line of sight.

Just as Merlin is about to command Aithusa to move further up the forest, something in the corner of his eye-line catches his attention. He turns his head just in time to see a billowing cloak disappear beneath the branches of a large tree. "There!" Merlin shouts.

Aithusa dives towards the direction he points at, her wings folding behind her just below Merlin's feet before they unfold rapidly, letting the wind catch on them to slow her descend. Merlin dismounts as soon as Aithusa touches the ground, sprinting towards the movement just beyond their landing place.

He sees Morgause on a horse, and Morgana slouched in front of her onto the back of the horse's mane. "MORGAUSE!" Merlin calls thunderously. The witch's head snaps in his direction and her eyes widen. She glares as she continues riding, but Merlin is not going to let her get away again. With all the power surging inside him, he extends his hands towards her letting out a roar of anger as magic shoots out of his fingertips and towards the blonde woman.

Morgause only has a second to react before she's being knocked off her horse by the force of the warlocks magic. Merlin is ready for Morgana's inevitable fall, pushing his magic out further to catch her body just before she hits the ground.

Morgause screams in a fit of rage, getting to her feet and sending a blind blast of her own magic at Merlin.

Merlin dives out of the way, Morgause's spell just missing him by an inch and a half. He quickly rolls back onto his feet and takes off at a sprint towards Morgause. His arms are already swinging up and forward, sending spell after spell at the witch. He's not even sure if he's hitting anything. All he knows is that he cannot afford to stop, as it will give Morgause time to flee with Morgana again.

Morgause's piercing scream causes him to stop. He jogs over to where she lays, unconscious and bleeding from he head. Merlin's eyebrows furrow for a second as he looks around. He sees a rather large rock sticking out of the ground and covered in Morgause's blood.

"Merlin?"

Merlin's heart flips twice in his chest as he whirls around. A long sigh of relief escapes him at the sight of a very confused Morgana, blinking up at him from a few feet away. "Morgana—". He doesn't get to finish saying what he was thinking, because in the next moment, he's being blasted off his feet.

"MERLIN!" Morgana screams in horror, her eyes darting towards the blonde woman who's getting up from the ground with a large grin on her face. The woman looks at her, and she glares. "Who the hell are you?!"

The woman's grin widens. "I am Morgause... your sister."

...

A/N: Heyyy! So sorry for the late update. As some of you know, I'm also working on other fics on top of this one. However that is not an excuse. I apologize. Anyways, this fic has just a few chapters left. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know in a review!

-McDiggin'It