I don't own Merlin.

The scene on the hilltop was one of commotion. Gwen began marshalling those who wanted to leave away from the newly arrived forces to where Gaius was waiting to lead them away. Arthur jumped into action, moving swiftly forward and shouting directions to the knights. Merlin spun around. He was sure now that there was something else present, something coming from the complete opposite direction as the threat before them. He started moving purposefully away from where he'd been standing. Arthur turned when he noticed Merlin was gone.

"Where the hell are you going?!", he bellowed after him.

Merlin barely turned around to answer. "There's something I have to do, trust me!"

Arthur stared after him for a moment, then he launched himself back into organising their defence. Merlin kept moving away from the rest of the crowd. As he reached an empty space, he flung his arm out in front of him, knowing without thinking what he needed to do. In another step he was gone, vanished from the hill. He appeared in a forest. It was quiet and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck.

"Hello Emrys."

Slowly, Merlin turned around to look at the mouth of the Crystal Cave. A dark haired woman in a black dress was sitting languidly on a rock. Merlin didn't say anything.

"What, don't you recognize an old friend?", she smiled. "Perhaps like this?"

Her form shifted. The hair grew smoother, the dress brighter and finer. Merlin's expression didn't change.

"You're not Morgana", he said in a level voice.

"No, I suppose I'm not", the image of Morgana said, standing up. "I can be anyone I like, really."

The form shift again and quickly flicked through Mordred, Freya, Nimueh, Uthur, Lancelot, and Morgause. It rested briefly on Balinor before returning to its original depiction of Morgana.

"No, I think I'll stay like this. There's history for you like this. Guilt."

Merlin didn't visibly react. Instead he spoke levelly. "What are you?"

"Oh come now, Emrys", Morgana's image laughed. "You should be able to tell that."

Back on the hill, the remaining people were being organized by Arthur. Children and the elderly had followed Gaius, along with some others; but most of those who were fit enough had stayed to help fight. Below, the soldiers were spreading out, making the most of their smaller forces. Arthur had their people split apart too. Gwaine and Leon were each put in charge of a group, with Arthur leading the other. They readied themselves at the top of the slope and stood, waiting for Arthur's signal.

Merlin watched the figure before him warily. "You're Magic. There's been a resurgence of Magic here."

"Very good."

"It's started to weave itself back into the world, changing things. But something's gone wrong, the world isn't the same and it's changed how the Magic's worked. It's been penned up in the cave, it's created you." Merlin's mind was racing as he spoke. "It needs to be dispersed."

The image before him just scoffed. "You won't destroy me. The Magic is much more powerful concentrated like this. You are a being of Magic, you have more power if I stay. Besides, think of all it's done for you. Your youth, your friends..." A smile twisted Mogana's mouth. "Arthur."

Merlin felt his stomach drop and his heart beat harder.

"How long do you think your king would last if I were - how did you put it - dispersed?"

Gwaine and Leon were now charging down the hill, leading their forces to sweep into opposite sides of the group below. In reaction, the soldiers pushed back, trying to stop themselves being pinned together from either side. Arthur rushed down the hill straight on, bring people sweeping in to the centre. The two sides met and people collided around him on all sides.

Merlin began walking in a slow semi circle before the mouth of the cave, trying not to let his concern show in his voice. "So that's why I'm young? Why I was able to bring back the others' spirits, why the Wildeoren are alive again." He didn't give Morgana's image time to answer. "But it started before that. Not everything you've done has been good. The people in this time aren't used to magic, they didn't know what to do with such concentrated amounts leaking from this cave. It preyed on their confusion, on their worst traits."

His voice was shaking now, trembling with power. "Myths and magical ideas should be starting to gain more credence. There should be children being born with magic, or adults finding they can use it, but instead there's a war. A war that no one understands, even the people behind it, they just know that they want to be fighting!"

Merlin was aware of a lot happening. He could feel the air around him growing thick and powerful; he could hear, so far off, the sounds of people fighting in a large moving mass; he could sense the group who avoided the battle; as well as each of the friends who he thought he'd lost centuries ago. Merlin felt something tearing at his throat. Flinging back his head he shouted into the air above him.

"Draca, eom, ala, sece findam metan, teosu hus anbid! Ærne!"

From behind him, came the beating of wings and a gaunt, white dragon flew into view and landed heavily behind him. Aithusa had grown stronger since Merlin saw her last, the affects of her imprisonment hardly noticeable. The image of Morgana began to react, but before it could Merlin's eyes flashed. A surge of power shot forward and crashed into the figure before him. Just as it did, Aithusa reared her head and sent forth a long flame. Morgana's image vanished, and Merlin heard deafening cracks from the ancient crystals inside the cave. He braced himself as a powerful gust of wind swept from the cave, passing over him and swaying the trees around him. Arthur felt a wind rush down from over the hill. As it did, every person around him fell as one, sinking to the ground unconscious. The knights and Gwen did not fall, but they all flickered for a moment and reappeared, looking paler and more faded. Gaius, where he was leading the group to a hiding place, flickered too, and those behind him sunk to the ground. Across the country people slumped and fell to the floor, each passing out as the wave of Magic swept over them.

Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying this. Please review, and stick with me until the end. It's only a few chapters away...