Please, please, please forgive me for not updating. I feel really bad about it but I'm having a huge writers-block right now and really don't know where I want to go with this story. Though I feel really bad and will try my absolute best to update next sunday again.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I do really own Merlin -.-

Without further ado, here's the story.

21 He isn't dead

Arthur putted his finger to his mouth in a gesture of silence towards Percival. They had knocked out the guards standing the outside of the door to the throne room, and where now glaring in.

On the other side of the door Gwaine was bound to a big table in the middle of the room, but he seemed forgotten at the moment. Arthur and Percival couldn't hear what was said, but they could see Morgana uttering some kind of spell towards Merlin, looking outraged. She held the crystal above her head and with a jolt Arthur realized what she was doing.

"We must stop her from what she is doing, quickly!" He whispered to Percival before he entered the room. Morgana didn't even look at them, probably she didn't even notice them, so caught-up in her spell. There were no guards in the room, a fact that was surprising both Arthur and Percival. Slowly they crept towards Morgana, trying to not catch her attention.

Arthur quickly motioned with his hands that Percival should untie Gwaine while he attacked his half-sister. But as he slowly walked towards her, sword in hand, he saw that Merlin had collapsed in his chains and Morgana was swaying, apparently tired from the spell she had performed. Arthur was outraged at the site.

"What have you done to him?!" He shouted at his sister as he started to run towards her.

Morgana turned around, a tired look in her eyes, but yet so incredibly smug.

"It is over dear Arthur, Emrys is gone." She said with a tired smirk. Suddenly Arthur stopped running, standing dead still. Merlin was gone, it was really over.

He didn't know how she had figured out that it was Merlin and not Gwaine who was Emrys, and as much as he was glad for Gwaine being safe, he could not help but wish that Morgana hadn't found out. Merlin, Merlin, his best friend Merlin, his secret protector and useless servant Merlin was gone. Trapped in a crystal forever and eternally. He would never see his beloved friend again.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. Of them both, Arthur had always thought that he would die first. But, he reminded himself, Merlin wasn't dead, he had to face a fate much worse. He was trapped forever, alone in his crystal prison.

"You evil witch!" He shouted, "How could you?!"

"Oh, you think that I'm the bad and Merlin was all good, don't you?! Why don't you ask him about that time with the poison? Oh, wait, you can't…because he is gone." She looked so incredibly smug, and that was straw that broke the camel's back. Arthur didn't think at all, and what he did was totally unexpected, even to himself.

It was unexpected from Morganas side too, apparently. One second he just stood there, like he had given up and the next he launched himself forward and before Morgana could react he had given her a blow to the side with his sword.

It wasn't like a deadly blow or anything, but Morgana was tired from the spell she had performed only minutes before. She held her hands at her side, grasping at the sudden pain and for a second she looked surprised and angry but then she looked up at the eyes of her brother, smirking through the pain.

"No matter what you do, he will always be gone." She said, before she uttered a transportation spell and was gone before anybody could even blink. Arthur felt down to his knees, dejected.

-oOo-

Gwaine struggled to stand up. He had seen when Percival and Arthur came through the door, and when the king gave Morgana a blow in her side with his sword. And now Arthur was kneeling on the floor, Morgana long gone. Percival had freed him from the ropes around his wrist and feet. Luckily for them Morgana hadn't used chains this time, but simple ropes. Gwaine slowly walked towards Arthur, afraid that he would fall.

That was before he laid his eyes on Merlin's lifeless body. Merlin was still bruised and had blood in his face from when Alcyr had hit him. Gwaine wondered to where the guy had sneaked off. He wasn't in the room anymore.

Merlin was paler than ever before, and his eyelids where shut. Gwaine moved towards Merlin as quickly as he could, which was way too slowly in his own opinion. When he finally reached the lifeless body of his friend he didn't know what to do. Merlin was breathing, but it was shallow and he made no sign of further life.

"Merlin? Merlin, are you okay, mate? Please wake up, please!" Gwaine said, holding Merlin's numb body in his arms.

"Is he alright?" Percival asked, standing beside and watching Gwaine and Merlin with concern.

"What do you think?! Help me with these chains!" Gwaine snapped, to upset to care about how rude he had just been to Percival. However, the other knight understood that fact and picked up his sword to try to cut lose Merlin's lifeless body from the chains it was attached to.

As expected, he couldn't cut through them with his sword, and after thinking for a moment he walked back towards his king, who still sat paralyzed in the middle of the room, his head in his hands.

"It's okay Arthur" Percival said "Merlin's alive. You have to help us cut him free before there comes any guards."

"No, it is NOT okay. You have no idea what she has done…no idea. And I couldn't do anything to stop her!"

"What are you talking about? We need to get out of here sire!" Percival exclaimed, before glaring at Arthurs sword, now laying on the ground, Morganas blood still on it.

"You have to use your sword and cut Merlin free!" When Arthur didn't respond Percival decided that he had to do something, quick. And he wasn't a sorcerer, so he couldn't just crack the chains open like Merlin had.

The thought sent chills down his spine. He still couldn't quite believe that he was trying to rescue a sorcerer, and less that that the sorcerer was Merlin. The goofy, clumsy manservant Merlin.

Percival pushed the thoughts aside. The guards could be here in any minute. Morgana could be here in any minute. God knew what she could be doing right now, with those powers she possessed he wouldn't put it past her to find a way to heal herself.

Percival made a decision. He looked at his king who was still kneeling on the floor, and then he looked at his fellow knight who was holding Merlin's lifeless body in his arms. Then sheeted his own sword back into its hilt and picked up the bloody sword from the floor.

He hated to use the sword of his king, especially a magical sword that belonged to his king, but since Arthur wasn't in the state to help them he had to. Determined he walked towards the chains and without another word he cut them off. It was like cutting through butter, not the compact metal chains he was actually cutting through. It was eerie and unnatural and Percival had to resist the urge to throw the thing away.

He wondered if Arthur, who was the one most hostile to magic, had ever noticed this. Probably he hadn't, he wasn't the most attentive person after all. Not tha Percival would ever tell his king that.

The chains fell down and before he could do anything more Gwaine had taken Merlin's limp body in his arms, lifting him up. Though the manservant didn't weigh much, especially not since he had grown even thinner in his captivity, Gwaine was having a hard time lifting him up, he swayed this way and that.

Percival though that he might had gotten a light conclusion or something, and decided to do something.

"Gwaine, I think I should carry him." He said "You should see if you can talk to Arthur, we need to get out of here." Unwillingly and very careful Gwaine handed Merlin over to Percival and walked towards the place where the king sat.

"We don't have time to play any games now princess, we need to get the hell out of here!" He said to Arthur, and when there was no response he continued "Merlin's life can depend on it!"

That did raise a reaction, but not the one Gwaine had expected and hoped for. Arthur suddenly rose, looking incredibly tired and said:

"You don't get it…Merlin is already dead…or worse" He said before trailing off, his eyes unfocused. Gwaine went cold at Arthurs statement. Gwaine wanted to ask him what he meant, more than anything, but now wasn't the time for questions.

Arthur seemed to be so dejected, and Gwaine knew that his king was not one to give up easily. He looked around and saw Percival waiting already at the door, his face anxiously. He occasionally looked out the door to see if there were any guards coming toward them, but yet they had been lucky.

Without further thoughts Gwaine put his arm around Arthur and helped him up. He was swaying, and Gwaine helped him walk towards the door where Percival waited anxiously with Merlin in his arms and Arthurs sword in his hand.

There you have it. Please leave a review and tell me that you haven't abandoned me, and please leave any idea that you might have, thing you want to happen in the futer etc. I really need some insperation. And so sorry that I haven't answered to any reviews last chapter, I promes I will now.