Chapter 36
"No! Morgana! MORGANA!"
Merlin couldn't believe it. It was happening. Morgana's vision was coming true. How was that possible? He was almost sure that Ilko hadn't cast any spells before dying, but he must have been wrong. It was obvious something was happening to her. He tried Kilgharrah's spell once more, but it didn't do a thing. Kilgharrah had told him that this might happen. Merlin wondered if maybe the dragon had tricked him. Maybe he didn't give him the right spell. It was no secret that he wanted Morgana dead. Not that she was dead. She wasn't. He would heal her. Kilgharrah's spell was probably the real one; it felt the same way as it did all those years ago.
Arthur was asking him what was going on, but Merlin didn't know what to answer. He didn't know the answer. She was just standing there and the next second she... No! Wait! She wasn't standing there. She was creating a wall of light. He was going to ask her what was she doing but then her face changed as if she were in pain. Why was she doing that? She must have sensed something he didn't. What had it been? He had to find out. That might be his only hope of helping her.
He gave another look at Morgana. Her breathing was so faint that he had trouble being sure that he wasn't just imagining it. Maybe he was. No, he wasn't. He had to help her. He tried another spell. In theory it was weaker than the one Kilgharrah gave him, but he had nothing to lose. Nothing happened. Nothing... Maybe if he had asked Morgana to teach him more about healing... Maybe if he had practiced more...
"Kid!"
Merlin turned around as fast as he could. It was the first time he was glad of hearing Dragoon calling him that. He was running towards them. He looked exhausted and he had a lot of blood on him, but it didn't seem to be his. Merlin supposed it was Roth's, but he didn't care about that right now.
"Dragoon! Help! I don't know what happened to Morgana, she just fell to the ground and now she—"
"It's a deadly curse," Dragoon said, interrupting him. "Ilko had placed one in Roth and another one in himself." He looked at Morgana while catching his breath. "I got here the fast as I could. I wanted to warn you, but..."
"Did you know!?" Merlin asked in an accusatory tone.
"Not until I killed Roth," Dragoon explained. "The only reason I'm still alive is that I had a pair of twin gems."
"Then you can do the same with her?" Merlin asked.
"Sorry kid," Dragoon replied, shaking his head, "the gems can redirect the curse when it's cast, but they can't do anything once the curse has found its host."
Merlin looked at Morgana and then back at Dragoon.
"What it's happening to her? What is a deadly curse?" he asked him.
"It's the ultimate revenge," Dragoon said. "A curse that lies dormant in your body until you die. Then, it jumps to the one who killed you and drags their soul to the spirit world along with yours. However, the price to cast one—"
"But Morgana didn't kill Ilko, Arthur did," Merlin said.
"Really?" Dragoon asked, visible surprised.
Another time Arthur would have addressed the man's surprise, but he just nodded.
Dragoon was still thinking when Merlin spoke.
"She tried to stop it," Merlin realized, looking at her. "That's why she casted the wall of light," he added, stroking her hair gently.
"It was a good try, but these things are incredible powerful," Dragoon said with a solemn voice.
"She risked her life for me?" Arthur asked. "I can't believe she did that..."
Merlin looked at him accusingly. "Of course she did, Arthur! She loved you!" Merlin exclaimed. "Loves you," he quickly corrected.
Arthur looked down and made a small nod. "But... there has to be some kind of spell that can help her," he said, his eyes shifting between Merlin and Dragoon.
"It's not that simple," Dragoon said. "Deadly curses are supposed to be unstoppable. In all my years I've never heard of anyone who survived one."
"And what about the Cup of Life?" Arthur asked.
"Are you crazy!?" Dragoon asked. "Don't you know the price of using it?"
"Arthur's right!" Merlin exclaimed. "I don't care about dying. If I can cure her, I don't care."
"And then she will use it to bring you back and we'll be back here again," Dragoon pointed out. "Besides, what if the one who dies is Arthur? or Gwen?" Dragoon asked and then shook his head. "You can't use the Cup."
"So are you saying she's going to die?" Merlin asked him with wide eyes.
Dragoon took a second before answering. "I don't know kid. There are a few things I can try but I can't promise you anything. Maybe if—"
"NO!" Merlin yelled. The air around him exploded and Dragoon and Arthur were blasted backwards. "SHE WON'T DIE!" His voice sounded like it was made of a thousand echoes. He looked at her and his face filled with sorrow. With his right hand Merlin carefully removed a strand of hair from Morgana's face as a tear ran down his cheek. "I WON'T LOSE HER! NOT AGAIN!"
In the Impenetrable Forest, Queen Mab looked up when all the birds suddenly stopped singing at once.
Merlin looked at Morgana with golden eyes. Now that he knew what was wrong he could try to fix it. He would fix it. He concentrated on her. He tried to sense her soul. He had no idea how to do that, but he tried anyway. There was no sign of it or the curse. He didn't know if that meant that it was already too late or that he just couldn't find it. He had to keep trying. He had to. He just needed more power.
He drew of his magic like he never did before. He went past anything that felt safe or comfortable. It was like his skin was on fire, like if magic was coming out of his every pore. He tried the healing spell one more time, but it didn't have any effect. He wasn't powerful enough. Not yet.
In the Golden Gardens, all the sunflowers looked away from the sun and turned their faces towards Camelot.
He found himself thinking of all he and Morgana had been through. He could remember the shame of not helping her when he had the chance and the relief of learning she was still alive after Morgause took her away. The anger of fighting against her and the joy of dancing with her. The pain of poisoning her and the bliss of kissing her. How unfair it was that after all those years of fighting against each other they had only a few months together... But then again, this world wasn't fair. It had never been. It never would be.
He couldn't stop trying. He just couldn't. There was nothing else but bringing her back. He lost sense of exactly what he was doing and only focused on his objective. He started using magic that he didn't even know about, and spells that no one had ever heard.
In Avalon, all the spirits went quiet when the waters around them simply turned still.
Dragoon was trying to reach Merlin, but every step became harder and harder, as if an invisible barrier was pushing him back. He wasn't sure what the kid was doing, but whatever it was he didn't like it. It just didn't feel right. He tried to yell at him, warn him, but he showed no sign of hearing him. He was about to take another step, when something called his attention.
Arthur moved towards Merlin. Still walking, he glanced at Dragoon and wondered what exactly was he doing. He was walking really slow for some reason. Had Merlin casted some kind of spell on him? His hand automatically moved towards Excalibur's grip. Since Merlin had blasted him away just next to it, Arthur had pulled it out of the ground and placed it back into its scabbard. He wasn't going to use it, of course, but having the sword with him made him feel better.
When Arthur reached him, Merlin looked up quickly, startled. Arthur took a step back when he saw his eyes. They were pitch black. What was it with sorcerers and changing eyes? The only good part about it is that it gives you an idea of what the sorcerer is about to do; however, Arthur didn't like what that meant in this case. After a few seconds, Merlin focused back on Morgana without saying a word. Arthur kneeled next to him and looked at her. Her face was pale and her chest was completely still. Arthur had seen enough people die to know that she wasn't in this world anymore. He looked away and clenched his teeth. He had just gotten his sister back a few weeks ago and now he had lost her once again. He turned towards Merlin who was still casting spells, one after another. Arthur couldn't even begin to think how hard this was for him. He placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder.
"Merlin, I think that's enough," he told him, in a calm voice.
Merlin shook his head intensely. "No... I can save her... I know it."
"You have to let her go."
"How can you say that!?" he asked, staring angrily at him with dark eyes. "She sacrificed herself for you! How can you not care!?"
"I care! I do!" Arthur exclaimed back. "That's why I'm asking you to stop." He made a pause. "She made me promise that whatever happened to her I wouldn't let you lost yourself," Arthur said. "I didn't understand it at the time, but I now think that she might have known this would happen."
"Yes, she had a vision," Merlin told him. "And even knowing about it I couldn't help her..."
"This is not your fault," Arthur replied, quickly. "Merlin, listen to me," he added, making Merlin look at him. "This, is not, your fault. She chose to come here. To fight for freedom. For Camelot. For magic. That was her wish."
"It doesn't matter," Merlin replied after a little while. "I can't let her go. I have to do this," he said, in a monotonous voice.
Merlin moved her hands to Morgana and continued with his spells. Arthur could swear that his eyes turned somewhat darker.
In the Crystal Cave, thousands of glowing crystals slowly dimed, until the cave was dark for the first time.
"Arthur Pendragon, you must stop him," Arthur heard in his head. "What Emrys is doing is dangerous. He must not continue."
Arthur wanted to ask the sword exactly what it meant, but something in its words denoted that there was no time to lose.
"Look, Merlin, Excalibur tells me that you have to stop using your magic like this. That what you are doing is dangerous."
"Excalibur?" Merlin asked, without stopping.
"Oh, right, I talk with my sword now," Arthur said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Merlin didn't react. He just glanced at Arthur's sword and then looked back at Morgana.
"Merlin, you have to stop—"
"Why!? Because your sword told you to!?" Merlin asked. "You really think I'm going to let her die just like that!?"
Arthur didn't know how to say it. "Merlin... she's already dead."
"No, she's not!" Merlin exclaimed back. Arthur was still looking at him. "She... she can't be!"
"I'm sorry," Arthur said. "I really am."
Merlin stopped casting spells for a second and looked at Morgana. Nothing he had done had seemed to help her. Actually, she looked worse. She was pale and she didn't move... Was she really dead? The mere thought of it being true made him impossible to breathe. How could have this happened? Why did it happen? Hadn't they suffered enough? Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of balance in life? He started wishing Ilko was alive so he could killed him again. Very slowly. It was all Ilko's fault. All of it. He felt the anger fuel inside of him. They had killed her. The Saxons had killed Morgana. They had to pay.
As if answering his prayers, he saw a group of Saxons' soldiers moving towards their position. Merlin recognized Alvarr in the front lines. The enemy probably thought that they were vulnerable. That they were tired after fighting the kings. That they were distracted trying to save their friends. The enemy probably thought that since they had numeric superiority there was no chance they would lose.
Alvarr had a crazed look on his face. "You deal with the rest of them!" he commanded his followers. "Emrys is m—"
Merlin wished them away and they disintegrated.
No. That hadn't been what he wanted. They were supposed to suffer. To feel what he was feeling. That hadn't been enough. He knew that he could destroy all of them. That wasn't the point. Still, that wasn't an issue. There were more Saxons in the battle nearby. Hundredths. Thousands. That should do it. That should take away the pain.
"Kid, don't go there!"
Merlin looked at the voice. It was Dragoon. He was crouching right in front of him. Where had he been all this time? He was looking at him as if he knew what he was thinking. Wasn't he supposed to be all powerful? Why couldn't he help Morgana then?
"You have to control yourself. Remember what you are fighting for. You are not like this."
Dragoon was right, he was losing his focus. This wasn't over. What if Morgana was dead? All he had to is bring her back. He would just open the veil between worlds, grab her spirit and put it back into her body. That shouldn't be too hard. He looked past this world, trying to find the places where spirits rested.
He filled with hope when he felt a connection to another world. He had found it! Now all he had to do was... He felt another connection, and another, and another. Many worlds revolved around him, and he had to find the right one. Merlin tried to count them, but it was pointless. They just kept appearing in his head. More and more. A number so big that he didn't know what to call it. More than the stars in the sky. More than the leaves in a forest. He knew that even if he looked for all eternity he wouldn't be likely to find what he was looking for.
No! He wouldn't give up just like that. Morgana and Morgause had been able to do it. He would do it too. He moved his magic through those worlds, trying to find the right one.
In Camelot, all around Merlin the space itself fractured, leaving behind huge cracks that just floated in the middle of the air.
"Oh... that's really bad," Dragoon said, looking at the cracks around him. "Kid, you have to stop! What you are doing is breaking reality itself!"
"Merlin, you have to listen to him!" Arthur added.
Merlin didn't pay attention to any of them; he was far too concentrated in his task. One crack near him opened and he was able to see through it. Morgana! Morgana was there! But... she looked different. She was wearing her black dress, not the green one, and she looked as if she had been through hell. Merlin was going to say something, but he then noticed that she was talking to someone standing next to her. It was him. Morgana was talking to another Merlin. How was that possible? Suddenly, the other Merlin moved forward and stabbed Morgana with his sword.
"No!" Merlin screamed, reaching towards the crack. He wanted to help her, but before he could do or say something else the crack had closed. He didn't have the time to think about what he had just seen, because just a second later another crack opened.
Morgana was there once again, but this time she was sitting on the throne of Camelot with that smirk of hers on her face. Morgause was sitting next to her. Around them, the throne room was filled with people bowing. Merlin could see most of the knights, but he couldn't find himself, nor Arthur. His attention was drawn to Mordred, who was dressing as a knight of Camelot and was in front of the rest as if he were some kind of leader. The crack closed before he could see any more.
The next crack showed Cornelius Sigan standing on top of the castle of Camelot, his eyes studying everything around him. The entire kingdom was covered in an unnatural darkness. The people walked from one point to the other in complete silence, always looking down. All over Camelot, skeletons stood guard, making sure everyone behaved as they supposed. Merlin saw that the people were building something in the middle of the town. Some kind of blue pyramid. The crack closed.
Merlin wasn't sure what was he seeing at the other side of those cracks. It looked like a glimpse of what the world might have been had some things been different, but that didn't make any sense. He was trying to find the spirit world. Why was he seeing these things instead? Did that mean that those other words were real as well? Was that even possible?
A new crack opened. It was him again, and he was in Ealdor. The other Merlin had just left his home when his mother told him to wait. She ran towards him and handed him a book. A spell book. A man came out of the house and moved towards them. It was his father! He told the other him that he shouldn't be nervous, that Camelot's Academy of Magic wasn't something to be scared of. The other Merlin nodded and he hugged their parents goodbye once more he walked away. Merlin looked at his parents hugging each other as they watched the other him go. In their faces there was a mix of sadness and pride.
Merlin would have given anything to keep seeing that world just a bit longer, but the crack closed. Growing up with his whole family in a world that didn't fear magic. How many times had he dreamt with that? For a few seconds he had forgotten about the pain, about the anger, but now it was all back. That was good. That reminded him what he was trying to do. He had to find Morgana. His Morgana.
The next crack showed the throne room one more time, but it wasn't like before. There were corpses everywhere. Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, all of them, lying on the floor. They showed no obvious wounds, but Merlin knew they were dead. The image was getting closer and closer to the throne. Merlin saw Gaius' corpse and next to him was Gwen's. Arthur was kneeling next to her, crying. He looked up to the throne.
"You are a monster!" he exclaimed. Those were his last words. A dark tendril pierced his hearth and he fell to the ground, next to his wife.
Seeing those tendrils Merlin knew that he was seeing a reality where Ilko had won. He had thought a few times of what might have happened if they hadn't been able to defeat him, but actually seeing it was another thing entirely. The image moved until he could see the man sitting on the throne. Merlin almost screamed when he saw his own face staring down at Arthur's corpse, his eyes black as night, a wicked grin on his lips, a crown on his head. Suddenly, the other Merlin turned and looked through the crack, focusing his dark eyes directly at Merlin.
"This is your true destiny, Emrys," his other self said, pointing at the corpses on the ground. "Embrace it! Only then will you be able to be truly free!"
With that words the crack closed.
"You are lying!" Merlin yelled at the place where the crack had been. "That's not true! I would never do that!" He looked at Dragoon and Arthur, as if making sure they knew that he was telling the truth.
"Merlin..." Arthur said.
"You are doing it right now, kid..." Dragoon finished.
Merlin looked around. The cracks were spreading. All he could see was covered with them. Had he caused all that? He remembered Dragoon telling him about the time he lost control of his magic. Was he really doing the same?
"But... but I have to save her," Merlin said, looking down at Morgana and then back at Dragoon. "I have to..."
"And what if you can't?" Dragoon asked. "If you keep using magic like this then everyone and everything you know will disappear. Don't you care about that? Do you think that Morgana would have approved you putting all of Camelot in deadly danger just for a slim chance of saving her? I heard what Arthur told you before. She made me promise her that too. That you wouldn't lost yourself. That you would keep being the man she loved. That was her wish. If you truly love her, you have to honor that."
Merlin stared at Dragoon for a while, and then he closed his eyes. His magic came rushing towards him all at once. It was even more painful than before. He felt as he was drowning and burning at the same time. One by one the other worlds disappeared from his mind, until only his own remained. Around him, the cracks started to disappear. In the Crystal Cave, the light started to return to the countless crystals. In Avalon, the water started to flow again. In the Golden Gardens, the sunflowers looked at the Sun once more. In the Impenetrable Forest, the birds started singing a new tune. One second Merlin was feeling an excruciating pain, and the next it all stopped. He opened his eyes, and two blue irises looked at Morgana.
"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. Tears started to fall from his eyes. "I'm so sorry." His hand caressed Morgana's cheek.
Dragoon stood up and looked around. "Good work, kid," he said, "I knew you could do it." He took a deep breath. "Now, if you don't mind stepping back a little bit."
"Why? What are you going to do?" Merlin asked him with red eyes.
"Well, I'm going to save her, of course," he replied, with a smile on his lips.
.
.
Morgana was sinking deeper and deeper. She didn't remember exactly how she got there, nor she knew why she wasn't drowning. Crystalline water danced all around her, pushing her downwards. She couldn't see where she was going, but she was deep enough that she couldn't see the surface either. She tried to recall what had happened, but it was all too hazy. She was with Merlin and they were fighting against someone. Someone really strong. What had happened then?
Then it hit her. The reason she hadn't drown was simply because she wasn't breathing. She was dead. Everything else came back to her as well. Excalibur killing Ilko. The deadly curse hitting her. Merlin trying to heal her. Had the rest of the prophecy come true as well? Had Merlin lost control of his magic? She hoped not. She knew that he would never forgive himself if he hurt an innocent, not to mention thousands. And, of course, she also didn't want those innocents to die. With any luck, Arthur and Dragoon were able to help him control himself. If not, she would make sure to go back as a ghost and haunt those two for breaking their promise.
Lost in all her thinking, she didn't realize she was getting closer to a building. It looked like some kind of temple and it was just floating still in the middle of the water. Suddenly, she stopped moving and then she fell on an invisible floor, just outside the temple. For some reason she could move around as if the water wasn't there. She was still testing this when a figure started coming out of the temple. It was a young woman with dark, long hair and she was wearing a blue dress that seemed to be made of water itself.
"Hello Morgana, I've been waiting for you," she said, in a warm tone.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Morgana asked, taking a step back.
"I'm a friend of Merlin's..." the woman said, looking down slightly.
"Freya?"
The woman smiled at the sound of her own name. "Has Merlin told you about me?"
Morgana had once asked Merlin if he had had any other relationships besides her. He had told her the story of how he met Freya and how he tried to helped with her with her curse. He tried his best, but in the end he hadn't been able to lift the curse and Arthur was forced to kill her while she was in Bastet form. It was a sad story, but it had a silver lining. In the end, Freya became the guardian of Avalon, and in that she found peace. Morgana thought about Merlin. She hated that he had to go through all this again because of her.
"Yes, he did," Morgana replied. "You are the Lady of the Lake."
"That's what some call me, but please, Freya is fine."
"Alright, Freya, why were you waiting for me? How did you know I would come?"
"A friend of yours told me that there was a good chance that I was going to see you today," Freya said. "Dragoon."
"Why would he tell you that?" Morgana asked, confused.
"Because he wanted my help bringing you back to the world of the living."
Morgana opened wide her eyes. "Can you do that?"
"Not really, but he didn't seem to care about that," Freya answered with a small smile.
"Yes, that's Dragoon," Morgana said, nodding. "So... I'm really dead?"
"Well... sort of," Freya answered, tilting her head.
"What does that mean?"
"This is The Between," Freya said, spreading her arms wide. "You are not alive, but you aren't truly dead either. Not yet, at least."
"So there's a chance of me going back?" Morgana asked.
Freya looked at her and smiled.
.
.
"But, you said you couldn't save her!" Merlin protested, confused.
"Actually, I said there was something I could try and you blasted me away and started to destroy the world," Dragoon pointed out. "Not the best way to thank me by the way."
"So, it's not sure?" Merlin asked.
"It's never sure kid; you should know that by now," Dragoon said. "However, I think there is a good chance of this working."
Merlin stood up and shook his head. "You could have told me that you had an actual plan," he told Dragoon. "You made it sound like it was hopeless."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did!" Merlin insisted with anger in his voice. "Why?"
Dragoon opened his mouth as to say something but then he quickly closed it. He looked at Merlin and his face turned serious. "Alright, kid," he conceded. "Try to access your powers."
"Are you crazy!?" Merlin asked. "After what I just did?"
"Just do it."
Merlin was fed up of Dragoon's games. Would it kill him to just once say things as they are? Merlin knew that he meant well, but that didn't make it any more bearable. If it wasn't for the fact that he said he would help Morgana, Merlin would have thrown a fireball to his head. He would do what he asked, but he better had a really good reason to...
"What!?" Merlin asked, surprised. He could feel his power, and it was incredible. He hadn't had as much as he had used to access other worlds, he still had no idea how he did that, but he felt as if he was in 'Emrys mode', only that now he was in full control of it. "How is this possible?" Merlin asked, looking at Dragoon.
"That's the one good thing of losing control of your magic. Not only now you can now access more of it, but it's a lot harder for you to lose control of it again."
Merlin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait... so, this was a test?" Merlin asked him, incredulous. "You made me think she was dead as a test!?"
"I didn't plan for this!" Dragoon exclaimed back. He made a pause and took a deep breath. "Listen, you were getting stronger faster than any other sorcerer before you, and more importantly, faster than you could learn to control your powers. You would have lost control of them eventually, the only question was when." He looked at Morgana and then back at Merlin. "When she told me about her vision I knew what it meant. I knew that there was a chance that you would lose control today. Still, I hoped she was wrong, that what she saw was a future that wouldn't come true, because that would have also meant that she would die, and I knew what that would do to you."
Dragoon shook his head. "When I got here and I saw you, I knew. I knew that I was too late," he said. "I could feel your magic trying to get out, screaming to get out. You were in the edge of losing control... so I pushed you." Dragoon made a pause but Merlin didn't say anything. "I pushed you because at least now you were surrounded with people who could help you. Because the more powerful your got, the worse it would be." He made another pause. "Look kid, I know that this is probably unforgivable, but you can kill me later. Right now I have to save her. Besides, I wasn't lying when I said this isn't a sure thing. I'm not the only one who this depends on."
Merlin was still thinking about all he had said, but only one thing was important right now.
"Who else does it depend on?" he asked.
.
.
"I have to choose?" Morgana asked.
"Yes," Freya answered, nodding. "Dragoon told me that he could use powerful magic to bring you back, but that it would only work if I let you leave this place." Morgana's face showed that she didn't like those words. "You have to understand," Freya said, noticing that, "traveling to the living world is a traumatic event for a spirit. Even if they mean well, they usually end up doing more harm than good, and many of them don't even mean well. If I had a silver coin for every time a spirit asked me to let them go back to avenge their death, I would probably have more money than you. Well... than Camelot. So, as I was saying, that's why I have to make sure that the spirits stay in the spirit world... with a few exceptions. After all you and Merlin had done for magic, of course I would make an exception for you. However, I do have one condition." Freya made a small pause. "I will only let you go back if you want me to."
Morgana looked at Freya in silence for a bit. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, but... why wouldn't I want to go back?" she asked her.
Freya made a big smile. "This place, Morgana. This place is peace. No more fight, no more death. Some of us find that is a lot better of what we had in the other world." Morgana was about to talk again, but Freya raised her hand, stopping her. "Before you decide anything there are a few people you should talk to."
Morgana saw as two figures appeared behind Freya. She recognized the left one immediately.
"Morgause!" she exclaimed in surprise. She looked as she remembered her, if not a little younger, and her scars were all gone. Looking at her, Morgana realized what Freya was talking about. She could see a peace on her sister's face that she had never seen before.
"My sister," Morgause said, with a smile on her lips. "It's been a long time."
Morgana couldn't believe she was talking with her again. She looked at the man standing next to her trying to figure out who he was. It had been more than fifteen years since she saw him last, but she would never forget him.
"Dad!" she exclaimed and she rushed to hug him. She took three steps and she stopped cold. "This is real, right?" she asked, looking at Freya. "Not some kind of trick?"
"I'm real, pumpkin," Gorlois said, moving towards her.
Morgana let out a small laugh. How much had she missed hearing him calling her that... She moved towards him and put her arms around him.
"I missed you so much," Morgana said, trying hard not to cry.
"I missed you too," Gorlois replied, hugging her back. "I can't believe how much you grew up!"he said, once the hug was over.
Morgana smiled, but then her face changed to worry. "Had Morgause told you... Do you know what I did?" she asked, looking away.
"Yes, I know," he replied. He put one hand over her shoulder. "Morgana, everyone makes mistakes, everyone. Still, it takes courage to admit you were wrong, and even more courage to try to make emends for it. I'm proud of you."
"We weren't wrong," Morgause said. "We were fighting against those who wanted to exterminate our kind! How could we have known that Arthur was destined to lift the ban on magic?"
"We already talked about this, Morgause," Gorlois said in a scolding tone. "Even if your what you wanted to accomplish was good, the things you did to get there weren't."
"Maybe so, but if we hadn't stopped Emrys from healing Uther, that tyrant would still rule. Not only that would mean that the ban on magic would still go on, but he would have never asked the druids for help against the Saxons, and without them Camelot would have been destroyed."
"Still, killing innocent people..."
Morgana laughed, making the other two look at her.
"I'm sorry," she said, making a dismissive gesture. "Seeing you two arguing with each other it's just too surreal."
Gorlois made a small smile. "I guess we can continue this talk later," he said. "The point is that you are trying to make things better, and that's all I could ask of you."
"Thank you," Morgana answered. Having her father telling her those words was a dream come true. Another thought appeared in her mind. "Do you also know...? Do you know that you are not my real...? I mean... That you are not my birth—?"
"That I'm not your birth father?" Gorlois completed, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Yes, I know. I always knew." Morgana looked at him surprised. Gorlois grabbed Morgana's hand. "But that doesn't change anything," he said, in a firm tone. "I'm still your father, Morgana, and you're still my daughter, no matter what."
Morgana smiled and nodded a few times. She moved forward and hugged her father once more.
"How did you find out?" she asked him.
"You mother told me," he replied.
"Is she here?" Morgana asked. She had never known her mother, and while her father had told her a few things about her when she was a child, more and more she was finding out that she didn't know about her at all.
Gorlois and Morgause shared a look. "We... we don't know," Gorlois said.
"What does that mean?" Morgana asked.
"This place in impossible big," Morgause explained. "If you don't want to be found then you won't."
"Of course, there is another explanation," Gorlois pointed out.
Morgana knew what he meant. "Are you saying that mother is alive?" she asked, incredulous.
"I'm saying it's possible", Gorlois replied.
"Don't you know if she's here?" Morgana asked, looking at Freya.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't. I'm mostly in charge of the limits and the organization of this realm, but I can't be aware of every spirit in here."
Morgana nodded in resignation. She looked at her father. "Would you tell me about her?"
.
.
"But... why wouldn't she want to go back?" Merlin asked.
"I think she wants to, that's why I said there is a good chance of this working," Dragoon said. He grabbed his swords and placed them on the ground.
"But what are you going to do? I tried healing her and it didn't work."
"You just threw magic at her and hoped that that would bring her back; that's not healing," Dragoon pointed out, while he removed his chainmail. "Still, you are correct. My magic isn't powerful enough to heal her. Probably no sorcerer is powerful enough to do that. Like I said, deadly curses are terrible things. Lucky for us, there are things more powerful than sorcerers."
"Like what?" Merlin asked.
"Dragons," said Dragoon with a smile, as he rolled up his sleeve.
Merlin looked at the dragon tattoo that went all around Dragoon's arm. It looked even more alive than the last time he had seen it.
"Wait... you don't mean...?" Merlin said, guessing where Dragoon was going with this.
Dragoon gave him one nod.
"Are you sure that will work? Kilgharrah's spell didn't help at all."
"It's her best chance," Dragoon replied.
"But, what about you? What will happen to you?" Merlin asked.
"I'll be fine, kid. Don't worry," Dragoon said with confidence in his voice.
Merlin looked at him and nodded. If this could help Morgana, then there was nothing to think about.
Dragoon took a deep breath. "Alright then, let's do this."
.
.
Morgana was still listening to his father telling her stories about her mother. It was incredible all the things she didn't know about her. He was telling her about the time they first met, when Freya moved towards her and taped her shoulder.
"Morgana, I'm sorry, but it's time for you to make a decision," she said.
Morgana wished she could speak with them some more. There was so much she wanted to ask them, so much she wanted to tell them. And she could, if she truly wanted to. She could stay there for all eternity. But she wouldn't. Of course she wouldn't. There was still so much she wanted to do in the world above. So much she wanted to see. Still, if it hadn't been for Merlin and Aithusa she might had considered staying there, but they were waiting for her, and she would give anything to be with them again.
"It's alright," Gorlois said, guessing what she was thinking. "We understand."
Morgana gave him a warm smile. "I am really glad of seeing the two of you again."
"As are we, my sister," Morgause replied. "Do you have to go back with Merlin, though?" she asked her. "I think you could do much better."
Morgana let out a laugh at receiving relationship advice from her dead big sister. "He is the most powerful sorcerer that would ever live," she pointed out.
"Alright, he has that to his favour," Morgause conceded, "but his ears..."
"I love him," Morgana said.
"I know," Morgause replied, with a hint of a smile. "I don't understand it, but I know."
Behind her, a portion of the water started to glow and something that looked like a portal made out of light appeared. Morgana looked at her father and her sister and hugged both of them goodbye. She turned around and moved next to Freya, who was standing by the portal.
Morgana took a deep breath. "Alright then, let's do this."
.
.
Merlin saw as Dragoon stretched his arm over Morgana.
"Ouroboros, today our partnership ends," he said, in dragon-tongue. "Today a new partnership begins. I thank you for everything you have given me. I thank you for everything you will give her." He made a pause. "Goodbye, my friend."
Suddenly, the tattoo started to glow. The dragon opened its mouth and stopped biting its tail. It started to move around Dragoon's arm, slowly at first, but getting faster by the second. Dragoon eyes glowed gold, and he spoke the words Merlin had said so many times before.
"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!"
The dragon moved towards Dragoon's stretched hand and then some more. It flew around in the air a bit and then stopped, looking at Dragoon. To Merlin's surprise, the flying dragon tattoo started speaking.
"It's been an honor fighting along you, Drake," it said. "I hope we meet again someday."
Before anyone could say anything, the tattoo started to move again and flew as an arrow towards Morgana's chest. Even when she was still wearing her armor, the dragoon tattoo shone right through it as it wasn't there. Merlin could see how it moved around Morgana, heading towards her arm. When it got there, it made a circle all around it and it closed its mouth on its tail. The second its mouth closed, Morgana started to convulse. Merlin moved towards her but Dragoon stopped him.
"No, don't touch her!" Dragoon exclaimed. "It's working."
Merlin watched where Dragoon was pointing. The light of the tattoo was spreading all over Morgana's body. He wanted to at least hold her hand, but he wouldn't do anything that risk the healing. The light took a minute or two to cover Morgana completely, but for Merlin that felt like an eternity. When the light finished covering her, the convulsions stopped, and the light started to dim. The only thing still glowing was the tattoo itself. Merlin kneeled next to her. He was expecting her to wake up, to open her eyes, but nothing happened.
Merlin looked at Dragoon to ask him about it, when Morgana suddenly sat up and took a long gasp for air, stopping just a few inches away from Merlin's shocked face. Morgana let out a cough and then she gasped a few times more, trying to catch her breath. Once she could breathe normally she turned towards Merlin who still hadn't moved. She looked at his eyes. Green looking at Blue. Blue looking at Green. For a second there was no reaction, but then both of them burst into happy laughter.
"I was so afraid," Merlin said, placing his hand on her cheek. "I believed I had lost you. I tried to help you, but I couldn't and I thought that—"
"Merlin, shut up," Morgana interrupted him. She drew him near and pressed her lips to his.
Merlin had been so afraid of not feeling those lips on his anymore. Of not looking at those eyes. Of not feeling the touch of her hand. He kissed her with all his being, with all his happiness, with all his love. He kissed her for all the kisses he thought he would never give her, for all the moments he thought they would never have. His world was whole again.
Arthur and Dragoon looked at each other with the feeling that the other two forgot they were there too, but they let them be.
When Merlin and Morgana finally drew apart, they each saw that the other one was crying.
"I'm just really happy you are alive," Merlin said, cleaning his tears.
"I'm really happy that you didn't blow up the world," Morgana replied, smiling.
"Well, I kind of started to, but they stopped me."
Morgana looked at Dragoon and at Arthur. "Thank you," she told them. She looked back at Merlin. "Incidentally, how am I alive?"
Merlin pointed to her arm, where the tattoo was still glowing. When Morgana saw it she opened wide her eyes.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, looking at Dragoon.
He nodded. "Yes, it will stop glowing when the healing is complete, but you are already safe."
"But doesn't that mean you are no longer immortal?" she asked him.
"Exactly," he replied.
"And you are alright with that?" Morgana asked, a bit confused.
"I am," Dragoon said.
Morgana didn't understand Dragoon. One second he was playing games and the next he was sacrificing his own immortality to save her life. It was like he was two different people inside the same body. What if that was actually the case? Maybe he had been cursed and he didn't remember it.
"Besides, I know a place where I can get two just like that," he added, smiling.
Never mind...
"You mean the king's tattoos?" Merlin asked. "And how exactly are you going to make the placeholders give you the tattoo?"
"I am a very persuasive person," Dragoon replied. "And besides, I think they won't dare to oppose to the man who killed their gods."
Merlin clear his throat.
"Alright, one of their gods," Dragoon clarified.
"That's better."
"Morgana, I'm really glad you are alright," Arthur said, "but now we have to go back to help the men against the rest of the Saxons."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Arthur," Dragoon said. "When I realized that you have defeated Ilko I told Kilgharrah about it. I would be surprised if the Saxons hadn't started the retreat by now."
"Arthur is right," Morgana said, making an effort to stand up. "We have to go."
Merlin helped her up and they started making their way towards the others.
"So," Merlin said, looking at Dragoon, "what's up with Ouroboros calling you Drake?"
Dragoon made a grin. "I was hoping you missed that," he said. "Let's just say that you seem to be very good at choosing my names when you create aliases."
"Wait, are you telling me...?"
"Drake was my name before I got the mark," Dragoon said.
"You are kidding me," Merlin said, incredulous.
Dragoon looked at him and shrugged.
.
.
When they reached the main battle, it turned out that Dragoon had been right. Together, Kilgharrah and Aithusa had decimated the enemy army, and Albion's men had done the rest. The Saxons were either defeated or running to their ships. The victors were helping their wounded allies, and slowly going back to Camelot. Victory cheers and songs filled the air.
When the soldiers saw Arthur and the others, they stopped and made a salute taking their fists to their hearts. They knew seeing them meant they defeated the kings. Arthur returned the salute, and kept walking, trying to find those from Camelot. Every step he made, another soldier took his fist to his heart, no matter what kingdom he was from. After a while it became impossible for him to return them all.
"There," Dragoon said, pointing ahead.
Merlin saw the knights of Camelot walking towards the city. Percival had two arrows sticking out of his arm and it seemed that Gwaine had injured his leg, but it looked like they would be fine. Merlin knew that it was selfish of him to be glad that his friends were fine when many, many other had died in the battle, but he couldn't help it.
When the knights saw Arthur, they all cheered. The next minutes went by with all of them hugging him, and then hugging Merlin. Morgana and Dragoon decided to stay at a safe distance as to avoid the hugging madness that was taking place.
They kept moving towards Camelot. Even when many soldiers had perished in the battle, Arthur had expected a lot worse. It seemed that all you need to win a battle was a handful of impossible powerful sorcerers and a couple of dragons. He would keep that in mind. Up above, he could see the two dragons flying around the battlefield. It was really weird to see that and not having to run away.
They were almost at Camelot's gates when Dragoon just halted. He looked directly at the city and a melancholic smile appeared on his face.
"Something wrong?" Merlin asked him.
"I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye," Dragoon replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Like I've said, I have to make sure the other tattoos don't fall into bad hands, and besides, after losing the two kings they would need someone to keep things in order."
"But right now? Can't you stay a bit longer?"
"Sorry, kid. I have to get there before the army to have any chance of fixing things peacefully."
"Are you telling me that you are going to be their king?"
"Me? A king? Are you crazy?" Dragoon asked, smiling. He shook his head. "No... I was thinking more along the lines of the citizens getting to decide who leads them."
"It sounds weird, but it might work," Arthur conceded.
Dragoon looked at Merlin. "I just... I just wanted to say I'm sorry one more time for lying to you. Believe me, I hated doing that, but I still think that it was the best option in the long run."
"You really suck at apologies," Merlin told him. "Dragoon, you brought her back," he said, hugging Morgana, "I don't care about the rest."
"Glad to hear it," Dragoon replied. He took a deep breath and moved towards the two of them. "Merlin... Morgana..." he said, placing one hand on Merlin's shoulder and one on Morgana's. "I'm very glad I've met you two. I know we had our ups and downs, but all in all it's been fun." He made a pause. "I know you will become legends, and who knows? You might even become more famous than me," he said, with a smile.
"Arthur," he said, moving towards him, "I hate kings, but for some reason I like you. That probably means you are doing something right. Keep ruling as you are and you might just bring peace to this land." He started to move away but then quickly turned around "Also," he said, "you do know that you will reincarnate in the future, right?"
"Wait, what?" Arthur asked.
"So, my friends, that's it for now," Dragoon said, ignoring Arthur's question. "I have no doubt that we'll see each other again, but in the meantime remember that you were one of the lucky few who got to see the astonishing, the amazing..."
"DRAGOON THE GREAT!"
Letters made out of fire appeared in the sky forming his name as Dragoon was saying it. Then, they merged together becoming a whirlwind of fire which surrounded him and when it went Dragoon had disappeared.
"I have to give it to him, he really knows how to make an exit," Merlin said.
"Never mind that," Arthur said, "what did he meant when he said I will reincarnate?"
"Come on Arthur, we have work to do," Merlin replied and started to run towards Camelot, Morgana following him closely.
"Merlin, answer me!" Arthur exclaimed, running behind them. "MERLIN!..."
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A/N: I hope you liked it!
(comments after the Epilogue)