hullo! yes, ok, stop mock feinting because i am actually posting when i said i would. this may look like a filler chapter but there are little nuggets of hints as to what lies ahead in the next couple chapters and the sequal.

i don't own merlin, if i did, the kights wouldn't wear tops, ever. gwen would wear her battle clothes all the time (they are pretty feirce you have to admit. katie would get her wish "smaler waist, bigger boobs" or was it clevage oh also merlin would be givien a day off occasionally to relax and practice magic, topless. but then merlin wouldn't be as awesome as it is under the control of those who do own it, people who arent me.

wow that was a long disclaimer, hope you enjoy reading...

plots and advice.

Morganna looked out into the distance while her sister used a bowl of water to watch over the battle. "I'm tired of waiting I want to take my rightful place on Camelot's throne" she said tiredly to morgouse who dipped a hand into the water removing a crystal form the bottom of the bowl. "Patience sister, soon, soon we will attack and Camelot will be yours." Morganna turned towards her sister and smiled, "sister I can not say how much it means to me the lengths you have gone through in supporting my move to take Camelot's throne." Morgouse laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It is yours by right, and once you have the throne you will be the once and future queen," Morganna laughed, "and you sister will have our pet king, Cenred, as a play thing" they smiled at each other.

"Arthur is distracted by the beasts and my men, I say you make your move soon." Cenred said as he walked into the room with a majestic swagger. "of course, you are quite right Cenred" Morganna said, as much as she found the man to be a coward she respected that the reason he was still alive was because he was a king of tactics. If anyone knew when to take advantage of a distraction it was Cenred. "We should head out, as soon as we can." Morgouse said to her sister who nodded. "Today a dynasty falls and a new one takes its rightful place" Morganna said as she walked towards the door. "I look forward to it princess Morganna" Cenred added as he followed the sisters.

Gwen was tired, her arm ached, but that made her smile, a few minuets ago it had been broken but Bellanor had healed it completely, and then transferred the injury onto the man who had inflicted it. The two women were currently standing side by side Gwen wielding an axe and Bellanor holding a peculiar looking sword. "Fashioned from crystals. It cuts clean and swift." The enchantress commented at Gwen's quizzical look, Gwen nodded. "How did you end up with it?" Bellanor's eyes darkened and she was silent for a few moments, "a sorcerer made unwelcomed advances towards me" was all she said. Gwen nodded in sympathy, she got the feeling there was more to the story that Bellanor didn't want to dwell on. So Gwen changed the tone. "Practical and pretty, the perfect weapon for any lady." She said with a hint of laughter Bella smiled. "Oh yes absolutely, although it is a little heavier than my other sword so I only use it." She paused to cut a mans arm off, "when I really need to." They started fighting their way towards the rest of the round table. Gwen gravitated towards her brother while Bellanor fought her way across to Tristain. "you need to forgive Arthur soon, the way he went about things was wrong his reasoning was wrong as well, I did turn up." Tristain started to smile but Bellanor shot him down again. "but his theory was sound, Merlin and I will not always be there. It makes sense for Arthur to be able to utilise all of his knight's skills. I know the damage magic has done to your family. It has done similar to Arthur, worse in someway, and yet he was the one willing to accept it."

Tristain growled as he defected an arrow. "you are lucky you are a lady, and I love your brother or I would be hitting you right now" she giggled at his words. "damn your logic, why is it you and your brother are always so logical, it's infuriating" "or endearing" she answered as she deflected another arrow. "no I'm sticking with" he stabbed a knight slightly harder than necessary and his sword cut clean through the armour "infuriating." Ash he finished his sentence he removed his sword from the dead man and it glowed as the blood disappeared. Bellanor felt a quiver of magic as Tristain shivered and gasped. She knew the sword had just given him the dead mans strength.

Gawain, Percival, Lancelot and sir Leon were fanned out beside each other fighting the enemy, Leon was wearing his mask, not because he needed to anymore since Merlin healed him, but because he knew it disorientated the enemy. He swung his shield to the left and Lancelot parried to the right causing the enemy soldier to loose his footing and trip onto the tip of Lancelot's sword, Lancelot smiled and Leon tilted his head in acknowledgement before they continued fighting Gwaine and Percival had given up using their swords and instead were using fist and shield, Percival was cut on the arm by a sword and in anger used the edge of his shield to break his opponents neck. Gwaine kicked a sorcerer on the stomach before raising his shield to deflect a spell the shield went cold and he knew had he not had it he would be an ice sculpture right now.

"sister you can be mad at him all you like but you know his tactic was sound" Elyan said with a hint of laughter as his sister deflected an arrow with the side of her axe. "well I am mad, he had no right to be so bullish about it, you saw what Tristain's reaction to it was, he isn't ready to use his inheritance yet, he isn't like Merlin or Bellanor, their magic comes from purity of soul in their parents, his was corrupted from the start, he has to work twice as hard as everyone else to keep things in control and that's just his magic, you heard what Arthur said he felt about Merlin's magic imagine holing that in through force of will all your life." While she had said all this she had gradually got more aggressive in her dealing with the enemy ironically as she finished on the word life, she took one. Messily.

Elyan glanced across at his sister. "I thought you were scary before. now though," she regained her composure. "Odin is a tough man his court is a ruthless place, they left me alone because they know what the plan is" her expression turned sad. "if not for the fact that I am to be married off to Arthur to forge an unbreakable alliance between the two kingdoms I have no doubt one of the other ladies of the court would have killed me." She said it in such a calm manner that her brother nearly missed the full implications of what she had just said. "the strong survive the weak don't. it's as simple as that. No doubt it's why his son Lochie decided to challenge Arthur." She tore the cape of an enemy knight, he wouldn't need it any more and she used it to clear some of the blood off her armour. "his younger son is still but a boy, Thor. He will take over the ruling of the kingdom when he is of age and either Odin is killed in battle or Thor gets bored and kills him. As his ward I am exempt from the scheming and subterfuge, even once Thor is king my arranged marriage to Arthur will protect me." Elyan nodded before laughing. "it really is a wonderfully underhand tactic of uthurs, placing you as Odin's ward allows him access to his armies and weapon smiths and trade, effectively you have allowed Camelot to invade valhaland while giving you and Arthur the chance to marry legitimately. Something you both clearly wish to happen" the young knights words sunk in and Gwen found her self frowning then smiling. "damn it brother, why must you always speak such sense, its very irksome. You are right, no matter how frustrated I get with Arthur, I will have to marry him eventually and that thought is not entirely ghastly" Elyan laughed before swinging his sword out to protect Gwen's flank.

Hew was scuttling after Merlin while he strode thorough the castle, hew was trying very hard not to grumble as he struggled to carry the pile of scrolls Merlin was making him carry. "M'lord is it really necessary for me to carry these? Would I not be better use tidying your room or something." Merlin turned and glared at his new servant. "hew, I don't need a servant but uthur has clearly lost the plot and decided that as an heir to the throne I should have one anyway, now those scrolls are written orders from the king, I cannot hope to deliver all of them efficiently with out the use of magic and why would I waste time doing that when I have a servant who can deliver some in my stead" hew went to ask something else when a piece of wall fell towards him, Merlin waved a hand reducing it to dust with out breaking his stride hew flinched at the reminder of just how powerful his new master was, didn't mean he wouldn't do what Merlin used to do. "of course sire, as you wish, far be it for me to dispute your obvious attempts at avoiding boring duties" Merlin's lips twitched into a slight smile" "hew?" "yes Merlin" "shut up" "yes sire." the sounds of Merlin's laughter filled the corridor, while his servant desperately tried to keep hold of his burdensome load.

man thats depressing another poopy title sorry :(

poor gwen, leaves camelot whhere her best friend in the world want to kill her, and ends up in the castle with the highest mortality rate in albion. i didn't mention it in the chapter but hopefully you got the hint that valhalland is a place where servants will kill other servants if they get in their way.

hehe, i'm liking making bellanor and elyan the voices of reason. thogh bellanor is slightly odd :D and hew's impresssion of merlin bwahahahah! next chapter up tomorrow...