XX.

The dining room, if it could be called that, was much better lit than the dungeon. Merlin was seated at the head of the table (which was rather large considering Tirius didn't eat). His hands were folded in his lap and he was digging his nails into his palms in an effort to keep himself under control. Tirius was across the room, pouring wine from a jug that had clearly been set out for guests. It had been stupid of Merlin to think for even a second that Tirius wouldn't have been expecting him. The boy was humming to himself; the cheerful melody sounded strange and wrong coming from him and it made Merlin's skin crawl.

"I must congratulate you, Emrys." Tirius spoke conversationally as he placed one of the goblets on the table by Merlin's elbow. "Your timing is impeccable."

Merlin fought the urge to grind his teeth. His left leg was jumping up and down beneath the table and he couldn't seem to stop it. Every instinct was screaming for him to get out. The predatory grin on the boy-demon's face wasn't helping any. It was all Merlin could do to try to restrain his magic as it responded to the clamouring of alarm bells inside his head. Starting a fight now would most definitely work against him; he still had no idea where Mordred was and if he tried to force his captor's hand Tirius would no doubt use Mordred to turn the tables in his favour. As it was, Merlin had little choice but to appear as non-threatening as possible whilst trying to come up with a plan before it was too late.

"I apologise for the delay," Tirius was saying. Either he was oblivious to Merlin's discomfort or he was revelling in it. Merlin strongly suspected the latter. "We would have gotten all of this over with weeks ago if you hadn't made things exceedingly difficult for me." The boy was leaning on the table, too close to Merlin for comfort. His hands were like white spiders, one curled around his goblet and the other splayed on the table. Merlin's gut twisted just to look at them – he had experienced the awful things those hands were capable of. The scars criss-crossing his back seemed to burn at the memory.

"You don't seem very talkative," Tirius pouted.

"I have nothing to say to you," Merlin hissed back.

"Just a couple of minutes ago you came barging in here demanding to see your little Druid. You mean to tell me you've lost all that passion in such a short time? How disappointing. I much prefer your spirited side. Much more entertaining."

Merlin folded his arms. Though it pained him to do so, he forced himself to look up into the sneering, ghoul-like face. The eyes were as black and dead as the eyes of a skull, yet somehow Tirius was still managing to leer at him.

"I suppose you've grown tired of this little game we've been playing," he said, leaning closer still. He smelled of smoke and charcoal, as though he'd walked through fire and somehow emerged unscathed. The stench made Merlin want to recoil, but he knew it would do him no good to show any sign of backing down. "Don't worry. It will all be over soon. We can finally stop going in circles. Because you knew this had to happen, didn't you? You knew that despite all of your heroism and determination to make me chase you would all be for nothing. You knew there was no way you could win."

At that moment, Merlin heard someone shuffle into the room behind his chair. His heart leapt into his throat and he almost toppled the chair in his eagerness to stand. Two figures had come to a halt a few feet away; one was slight and fair, the other dark-haired and struggling to stand.

Merlin barely heard Mordred's name fall from his own lips as he lurched forward to gather the boy into his arms. Aliana took a step back; as soon as she let Mordred go he sagged like a ragdoll, almost dragging Merlin with him. His skin was icy cold, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused. He appeared more dead than alive.

"Mordred, come on, look at me," Merlin pleaded as he struggled to angle his head so he could see the Druid's face as well as prop him upright. The boy stirred, lifting his head a fraction. For a moment he did nothing but blink dazedly, and then his half-closed eyes found Merlin's.

"You… came." The words rasped up a parched throat, more breath than sound.

"Of course, you idiot," Merlin said, forcing the muscles of his face into a smile rather than allowing his expression to crumple.

Mordred shook his head, teetering as the movement threw him off balance. Merlin clutched him tighter. "You need… to get out… He's going to…"

The Druid's eyes rolled back in his head and his body sagged against Merlin. Caught off guard by the awkwardness of having to support his full weight, Merlin gently lowered Mordred to the ground, keeping his head cradled in his lap. His breathing was scarily shallow and the skin around his lips was tainted blue. Merlin pushed dark curls back from Mordred's pale face and just held him for a moment, hoping the closeness would transfer some heat from his body to Mordred's. He lowered his head, squeezed his eyes shut and took a slow, deep breath through his nose.

This ends now.

In the next few seconds, Merlin's body moved entirely on impulse. He laid Mordred's body on the floor, wincing slightly as his head connected with the stone, then lunged for the girl. His arm locked around her throat and he pulled her back against him before she had time to struggle. A series of choked whimpers escaped her and Merlin's insides twisted. He forced himself to ignore them and glared at Tirius over her shoulder, taking pleasure in the look of shock on his face.

"You're right, I'm tired of playing your games. I'm only going to say this once. If you don't let Mordred go, I swear I'll kill her."

Tirius scoffed. "Please. We both know you won't hurt her. Honestly, Emrys, did you really think pulling a cheap trick like that would make me change my mind? I expected so much better from you." He pushed himself away from the table and stalked towards Merlin, stepping carelessly over Mordred's body. "You shouldn't make empty threats. You don't want people to see your ugly side, now do you?"

He stepped closer, crowding into Merlin's personal space. Aliana's heart hammered under Merlin's arm; he could feel her magic roiling under her skin, responding like a survival instinct. Her muscles rippled, like something was trying to break out of her small body.

"Emrys," she said quietly, in a voice that was more of a growl than actual speech, "let me go. I don't want to hurt you."

Merlin tensed, remembering the huge white she-wolf facing down Camelot's guards in the castle gardens. If he held on to her for much longer, she would doubtless rip him apart as soon as she turned.

The girl shuddered violently, almost bending double and effectively wrenching herself out of Merlin's grasp, which had gone slack. She stumbled towards Tirius, who caught her and pushed her roughly off to the side.

"What will you do now?" asked the boy, eyes glinting unnervingly. When Merlin didn't respond, Tirius turned and poked Mordred with his foot. "Despite your rather pathetic display, I'm afraid I can't let this one go. He's an essential part of what's about to happen, as your determination to save him. Tell me, Emrys, didn't you wonder why I didn't just kill the boy as soon as he wandered onto my territory all those weeks ago? I wouldn't have kept him alive if I didn't need him. The smart thing for you to do would have been to push him away. Instead you drew him closer, and now he's going to help me to take your magic. Or, if you prefer, your heart."

The aforementioned organ began to jackhammer inside Merlin's ribcage. Blood pounded in his temples and for a second he was sure he was going to pass out. A small sound came from the direction of Mordred's body; the almost inaudible moan of pain was enough to bring Merlin back to reality.

"What are you going to do to him?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Tirius looked down at the Druid's form and shrugged. "He's already very weak. I doubt he'll survive the ceremony. A waste, really. But then again, his powers are pathetic by comparison. You should have seen how willing he was to give himself up for you. The pair of you have made this ridiculously easy for me."

A snapping sound made Merlin whirl around to look behind him. A man Merlin recognised as one of Tirius' human lackeys stood there, a sly smirk on his face as he tightened the cuffs around Merlin's wrists. The metal was ice-cold and burned his skin where it touched.

As the enchantment on the handcuffs began to take hold, Merlin felt his power diminish like a dying flame; he tried to summon it back to the surface, but there was no response.

"Those will prevent you from trying to sabotage the ceremony using your magic," Tirius said conversationally as he started to head out of the room.

Three more men materialised out of the shadows. Two of them grabbed Merlin's arms and started to drag him after Tirius. Twisting to look over his shoulder, Merlin saw the man who had cuffed him throw Mordred's body over his shoulder as though he weighed little more than a sack of flour. The fourth guard tapped a large, heavy object against his palm; Merlin felt sick when he realised it was a club. The man holding it caught Merlin's eyes and gave him a grin that revealed several missing teeth.

The air grew gradually colder as they went further underground. The cave was a lot bigger than Merlin had first realised; after about five minutes of walking he had completely lost track of the way they had come. The hope of finding an escape route vanished and the full reality of their situation hit him like a punch to the gut.

Sometime during their journey, Aliana had reappeared and was walking slightly behind Tirius. She held a small object gingerly in both hands, as though she was afraid of dropping it and yet wasn't thrilled about carrying it either. She glanced back at him with a look of overwhelming guilt on her face. Merlin wished his brain would switch itself off so he wouldn't have to bear the endless torrent of panic and emotional turmoil that was trying to tear him apart from the inside.

This is what happens when you try to save everyone.

Tirius led the way through the maze of dank passageways until they emerged into a large cavern. Merlin guessed they must be quite far underground from the damp state of the walls and the sound of dripping water somewhere in the distance. Tirius swept his arm in a wide circle as if to welcome them, and several torches in brackets along the walls ignited at once.

The sight of what they illuminated filled Merlin's mouth with bile.

Two large stone slabs dominated the centre of the room. The stone was faded and weeds erupted from the cracks in the surface. Metal cuffs had been embedded in the stone, two on either side. Thinking about what would happen if he allowed them to be fastened to the slabs temporarily spurred Merlin into action; he twisted in his captors' grasp and kicked out at them with his legs. His bound hands threw him off balance and the two men quickly overpowered him again. One of the guards pinned his shoulders whilst the other snapped the thick metal bands closed around his ankles. Merlin was no match for their combined physical strength in his weakened state; he cursed himself for letting things go this far without at least trying to use his magic against Tirius. His concern and fear for Mordred's safety had paralysed him, made him weak, and now it was too late for both of them.

To Merlin's left, the other two guards were having a much easier time strapping Mordred to the other table. The boy's body was still limp and lifeless. The rise and fall of his chest was barely visible even from only two feet away. Merlin craned his neck to try to see where Tirius was; he stood with Aliana as she helped him to remove his heavy cloak. A wooden box rested on what looked like an altar off to their right. Merlin didn't want to think about what was inside. He let his head thump painfully down and stared up at the stalactites that hung down from the ceiling like sharp, menacing teeth.

Was this how my destiny was supposed to end?

Suddenly, Tirius' hateful face filled his vision. His dark eyes and sallow skin transformed his face into that of a grinning skull.

"I hope you're not too uncomfortable, Emrys. I tried so hard to make sure everything would be perfect. Now, you're probably wondering how all of this is going to work. Don't worry, it won't hurt. Well, not after a few seconds." Delight coated his poisonous words as his grin stretched wider. "The process will actually cause you unbearable agony, but you won't be able to stay conscious enough to experience it for very long."

"Please." Merlin felt tears well in his eyes and he hated himself for it. "Please, don't do this."

A hideous, barking laugh erupted from Tirius' throat. "Oh stop, this is too much. The great Emrys is begging for his life. Really, I'm so disappointed in you. You're not half the god the stories say you are. You're pathetic. You practically threw yourself at my feet and now you want me to spare you?" He shook his head. "I'm almost tempted to just kill you since you've let me down so tremendously. This has been such an anti-climax. I expected you to at least try to fight back."

He pulled a dagger from his belt and held it above Merlin's face, letting the wicked edge glint in the light before slashing it across his skin. Merlin felt the blood trickle slowly down his cheek, but the pain was dull, too far away to be real.

"You bleed just like an ordinary human. Some god." He walked away, calling for Aliana to bring him the box. Merlin closed his eyes as the tears spilled over and mixed with the blood. He heard a click and the rustling of silk. Smug triumph rolled off the scrawny body standing beside him.

"You aren't even going to watch?" Tirius asked curiously. "This Druid has sacrificed so much for you and you won't even watch him die?"

Merlin's hands clenched into fists, straining against the metal that bound him. He felt a small flicker of warmth inside his mind: Mordred. Even with the Druid's magic drained away, Merlin could somehow still feel him. He didn't know whether that made things better or worse, but the one thing he knew for certain was that he didn't want to watch the life drain out of Mordred's bright eyes or feel his life snuff out like a candle.

Tirius heaved a long-suffering sigh. "You're no fun, Emrys."

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the end.

It didn't come.

A commotion like the end of the world reached Merlin's ears and his eyes flew open to witness a sight he had never been so glad to see: a swirl of silver and red and a cacophony of clashing metal signalled the arrival of the knights of Camelot. Merlin's heart felt like it would burst when the leader of the group came into view; Arthur's face was caked in dirt and his hair was matted to his head, yet he was the most beautiful sight Merlin thought he had ever laid eyes on. The king was shouting for his men to restrain Tirius; Merlin couldn't hear the exact words but a moment later a figure appeared at his elbow and suddenly he could move his limbs. He twisted sideways, catching Gwaine's grin before his friend bounded off to re-join the fight. Percival was helping Mordred to sit up, supporting most of his weight as the smaller man clung to him. Mordred raised his head and smiled at Merlin, and Merlin was astonished that such a small gesture could bring him so much joy.

By now Tirius' men had heard the racket and arrived to even the odds; the knights were struggling to fend them off at the same time as holding Tirius down. The boy-demon was screaming and thrashing like a wild animal, his face almost purple with rage, shouting for Aliana to do something. The girl seemed frozen in place, her frightened eyes moving from her master to the men in armour and back again. Merlin pushed himself to his feet, wavered as his blood pressure caught up, and fought his way over to her. Before he could reach her, however, her expression switched to one of grim determination and she sprinted in the direction of the altar, ducking and weaving as some of the knights made a grab for her.

"No!"

The shout was accompanied by a pulse of power that blasted through Merlin's head like an explosion. Aliana crumpled to the floor and lay there, unmoving. Tirius had kicked himself free and was standing, arm stretched out in front of his body, black eyes blazing. The knights that had held him lay in a heap at his feet.

Eyes like black fire met Merlin's across the space. The flickers of madness in them had flared into an inferno. Magic surged around Tirius' body, leaping and crackling in time with the heaving of his chest. His outstretched hand curled into a pointing finger directed straight at Merlin's heart.

Heat flared in Merlin's core, flooding his veins and chasing pleasant tingles throughout his body. His magic had returned, and now it looked as though he would have no choice but to use it.

The power surrounding the scrawny boy across from him felt dull, subdued, and that filled Merlin with hope. The human body Tirius wore would not be able to withstand his full power, which meant that Merlin had a fighting chance.

You're either extremely arrogant or very sadly misguided, Tirius' voice taunted him.

The sensation of his consciousness pressing against Merlin's was very like being submerged in hot oil. Merlin glanced down at his hands, half-expecting the skin to erupt in blisters. The dark poison of the demon's mind began to envelope him, and it was all Merlin could do to keep it from swallowing him completely. He discovered he had raised his own hand, but the burning was fogging his thoughts and squashing down his magic. He flexed his fingers, glancing over to where Arthur was trying to fight off two men at once. His stomach gave a lurch, as though it wanted to pull the rest of him across the room to his master. The burning sensation intensified and Merlin grit his teeth; he couldn't afford to take his eyes off Tirius for a second.

The sultry, hissing voice whispered inside his head. Are you really going to use magic here? In front of all these people? In front of Arthur?

Merlin could feel the words as though they had physical form, crawling and slithering over the skin of his neck like tentacles. It felt as though hours had passed with Tirius' inhuman eyes burning into his, when really it could have only been a few seconds. The rest of the room, full of knights and swords and yells, faded into an incomprehensible blur. All except for Arthur, who stood out like a beacon surrounded by grey.

If he fought Tirius here and now, everything would change. There was a chance Arthur would reject him and he would lose everything. But if he didn't, he stood to lose something even greater than that. Besides…

Merlin reached out with an incorporeal hand, searching the room for the one person he knew he wouldn't lose. He felt Mordred as a weak, ill-defined presence somewhere behind him, but he was there. He felt the Druid's response as a surge of warmth and a sensation like something was pinching him.

What are you just standing there for? The Druid's voice was fuzzy and faraway, but the tone of panic was loud and clear. If you don't do this now, he'll kill us all!

"Merlin!"

The sound of a familiar voice calling his name threw Merlin off balance. The spell he'd been about to incant died on his lips as Arthur came barrelling out of nowhere, straight into Tirius. The impact knocked both of them to the ground, freeing Merlin from the dark mist twining itself around his consciousness. His surroundings once again came into sharp focus so that he saw the exact moment Tirius lifted his hand towards Arthur.

This time Merlin didn't hesitate.

The violence of the power that exploded out of him shocked even Merlin. He staggered backwards, barely managing to keep his footing as Tirius' body was hurled into the air. He collided with the wall with enough force to shatter every bone and sagged to the floor in a bundle of black cloth, limp and unconscious.

The walls around them shivered alarmingly from the impact and small chunks of stone rained down on their heads. For a few moments everything was still as the rumbling subsided, and every pair of eyes moved as one from the ceiling to the crumpled body in the corner. This included Arthur, who looked as though he was struggling to wake himself from a nightmare. The king had managed to push himself onto his knees and reclaim his sword, which had been knocked from his grasp when he'd slammed into Tirius. He now held the blade as though he'd completely forgotten about it.

Gradually, the knights and Tirius' men remembered where they were and what was happening. The fighting resumed, but now it was perfectly clear which side had the upper hand. A few of the men turned and fled, stumbling over the bodies of their comrades as they ran. Rather than giving chase, the knights turned on the few men that still remained. Arthur slowly got to his feet, looking around in bewilderment as though he couldn't quite remember where he was. He seemed to be wondering if anyone else had just seen what had happened; he started to turn towards Merlin, but was quickly distracted by one of the guards charging at him with a sword.

A hand on Merlin's arm wrenched him out of his daze. He turned and was shocked to see Mordred. The Druid was pale and a film of sweat shone on his skin but he appeared perfectly steady on his feet. There was something in his right hand - he held it out as though expecting Merlin to take it. It was several moments before Merlin realised what he was looking at.

"Is that…?"

Mordred nodded. A soft smile was on his face, seeming completely out of context considering the madness that still surrounded them. "It was behind the altar. I think Aliana might have hidden it there, ready to use when the time came."

Merlin glanced over to the spot where the girl had fallen. He saw her pick herself up and watched the multitude of emotions that crossed her face when she looked around the room and saw her master. Her entire body went rigid, then her head tilted in confusion. She slowly turned to meet Merlin's gaze, eyes going wide when she spotted the object in Mordred's hand. She made her way over to them unsteadily, dividing her gaze between Mordred's hand and the men dressed in red and gold.

"It's alright," Mordred said when she reached them. "You don't have to do this."

Aliana shook her head slowly, a barely-there smile curving her lips. "I was ready to. I made my decision as soon as I saw what he had done to you."

Mordred placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Thank you, but there's no need for that now."

"What are you two talking about?" Merlin asked, feeling like he was missing out on some big secret.

Mordred gently took his wrist and placed the box in his hand. "I'll explain later. Right now, we need to finish this."

Since the fight was now over, a group of knights were hovering near Tirius' body. They appeared reluctant to get too close, but were quick to block the trio's path as they attempted to approach.

"Careful," Leon warned. "He isn't dead."

"Stand down, Sir Leon."

The voice caused Merlin's stomach to launch into a series of queasy flips. Arthur stood at Leon's shoulder, his eyes fixed on his servant. Merlin could read nothing in those eyes – no emotion, not a single indication of what Arthur was thinking.

"You seem to know a lot more about what's going on here than I do," he said to Merlin. His voice was serious and warranted no arguments. "I think it's best if you take it from here." He shook his head slightly, as though he couldn't quite believe what he was saying.

Merlin nodded. What else could he do? Arthur stared at him for a few more seconds before nodding back. He motioned to Leon and then walked away, clearly not wanting to witness whatever was about to happen. The knights, particularly Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan, glanced back over their shoulders questioningly as Arthur began to herd them towards the exit. Soon, the only ones left were Merlin, Mordred, Aliana and Tirius.

Mordred took a deep breath. He still looked very white; Merlin was both surprised and impressed that he was managing to stay on his feet. Sensing Merlin was looking at him, Mordred offered him a wan smile.

Go ahead.

With jerky movements, Merlin held the box out in front of him. It hummed in his palm, sending small vibrations right the way up his arm. It was a very unremarkable thing, really; cubic in shape, its surface was lacklustre and smooth. It was no heavier than an apple - Merlin was having some trouble believing it would succeed in trapping a demon, but the looks on Aliana and Mordred's faces forced him to push his doubts aside. He focused on the broken body before him, knowing he should feel anger, victory, satisfaction, something, but any sort of emotion seemed determined to evade him. He lifted his left hand and moved it in a circle above the box. The thrumming grew more intense and he almost dropped it in shock. A glowing green mist seeped out and spread outwards, creeping ominously towards the body on the floor. It engulfed Tirius in one fluid movement, then began to retract towards Merlin's hand. The three of them watched open-mouthed as the mist was sucked back into the box and, with it, the body of the demon that had tormented them all for so long.

And that was it. It was over.

Merlin placed the box gingerly on the floor, not wanting to touch it with his bare skin knowing what it contained. "So, what do we do with it now?"

"I'll take it," Aliana said. She was smiling wider than either Merlin or Mordred had thought she was capable. "I imagine my family will want to see it, and I'd like to keep it as a reminder of what we've achieved."

"Of course. You deserve it more than anyone," Mordred said. He eyed the box cautiously. "And you're absolutely sure he won't ever be able to escape?"

Aliana nodded. "Nothing except death can release him now."

Mordred exhaled slowly, looking up at Merlin. Something in Merlin's expression made him frown and he slipped his hand into the warlock's. Merlin started; Mordred's hand was cold and a little clammy, but rather than snatching his hand away he gave Mordred a grateful smile and squeezed his hand.

"Come on," Mordred said, barely managing to contain his grin. "I think it's time we all went home."

A/N: Sorry that ending was lame.

So this was the second to last chapter of this story. The last chapter will be up soon and we'll finally be able to put this thing to bed after almost three years.