Hey! Sorry for the late update, but I was extremely busy this week...Hopefully I did okay with this chapter:)
Thank you to all those people who have reviewed, favourited and story-alerted, it means so much to me.
x ENjoy!
oOo
The Great Dragon, in Merlynn's opinion, was much wiser than any gave him credit for. As a creature of the Old Religion, he had witnessed and done many things of the past. He knew all, the past, present and future, even when dwelling in the cavern since the Purge.
She was glad to have him on her side, despite his slight altercations in what she should do. "I need your help," were the first words which escaped her mouth when she stepped on the platform in front of the Great Dragon.
"I'm sure you do, young warlock, but first you must honour your promise," he returned, golden eyes shining down upon her, pointed and dark.
Merlynn shut her eyes for a moment, then nodded. She was always one to keep her promises. "I said I would set you free, and I will," she said.
He was acting like an impatient little child. "When?" he barked.
"When I know that Camelot is safe," Merlynn told him. "Will you please trust me?" Her voice was filled with a resigned sigh.
"Why should I?" he retorted heatedly.
She pursed her lips angrily. "Because you don't have a choice," she reminded him.
For a few moments, he just kept his hard golden orbs on hers, teeth bared toward her, then he said submissively, "What is it that you wish to know?"
"What is the Crystal of Neahtid?" she called up to him.
The Great Dragon quirked a brow. "To those who know how to use it, the Crystal holds great knowledge."
"What kind of knowledge?" she asked.
"The knowledge of what is, what has been, and what is yet to come," he told her, and Merlynn's eyes widened in realisation.
She almost dropped the torch in her hands, out of astonishment and worry. "Do you mean it can show you the future?" she asked, bewildered.
"Amongst other things, yes," he replied.
Merlynn almost didn't tell him but she had found that hiding things from the oversized dragon was a decidedly unscrupulous thing to do. "The Crystal has been stolen," she stated hesitantly.
"By who?" he questioned, eyes glinting dangerously. His eyes were his most outstanding and terrifying features, so old and wise, but dark and wicked at the same time.
"Morgana," she answered with a twist of the mouth.
His reply was an outlandish, deep chuckle that reverberated through the room like a resounding harmony. "That Witch does not have the power to wield the Crystal," he laughed.
Merlynn cocked her head curiously. "Does the druid boy?"
"Mordred? It is possible," he said. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I heard him directing someone to Morgana's room, and the next day the Crystal was stolen. So, I believe that they're involved in this together," she rabbled on.
Impossibly, the dragon's eyes narrowed done upon her, shaking her body to the core. She ducked her head to stop the horrid feeling that shot through her as those eyes seemed to stare straight into her mind. "Once before I warned you of the druid boy," he snapped. "It is his destiny to bring about Arthur's doom! It may be that time is upon you."
She gulped. "What do you mean?"
He sighed and settled down on his haunches, head leaning down closer to her. "The ancient prophecies speak of an alliance of Mordred and Morgana united in evil, but this union must be stopped, whatever the cost," he relayed.
Merlynn nodded slightly. "Whatever the cost," she agreed.
oOo
The thought was such a plausible, obvious one now that she thought of it. Merlynn had known Morgana's alliance with Camelot was weakened the moment she tried to kill Uther that fateful day. But, it seemed that then, Morgana had some sort of heart and backed out of it. Now, it wasn't the case. Uther had made that trust completely break over the past year or so, and now it seemed that Morgana finally broke. The sweet, kind Morgana who she had befriended and bonded with since meeting her; the same woman that was within her destiny to destroy.
But there was lingering hope, Merlynn would admit, that there was some chance that Morgana was not evil at all. Despite this, the young girl still followed after Morgana as she snuck out of the castle and into the forest. Merlynn kept a few feet behind her on Firefoot, lingering behind the thick willow trees toward whatever destination she was heading to.
Mid-morning, Merlynn dismounted Firefoot and tied her to a tree a good deal's away from Morgana's notice, slipping through the trees on foot until she discovered Mordred's camp.
"Morgana!" the small druid-boy exclaimed happily, capturing Morgana into a deep embrace. Merlynn had felt something fond for the boy a while ago when they had first met, but her faith in him had weaned since their last meeting. Mordred was followed after a handsome, older man with a spraying of dark-golden stubble and blonde shaggy hair.
The man took the Crystal out of Morgana's hand and held it up gloriously, both he and Mordred's eyes shining with some sort of deep satisfaction. Merlynn smacked her forehead against the trunk of the tree next to her sadly; whatever sort of assurance she had in Morgana tearing at the seams.
Merlynn crept through the underbrush and weaved in the trees, following after the Lady until she finally stopped. Morgana took a comfortable seat on the log nearby, but her eyes flickered left and right nervously. She was obviously still quite hesitant about her motives, still not completely transferred to darkness just yet.
"It's my hope that with time Mordred will master the Crystal. And when he does, we will strike Uther down," the man announced splendidly. Then, he added in a dark tone, "Uther and all who serve him."
Her head shot up. "All who serve him?" she repeated shakily, a disbelieving tone to her voice.
"If we are to win this war, there can be no half-measures," he explained. "I see this troubles you."
"Yes. Yes, it does, Alvarr."
"My Lady, we fight for our very survival, as do you," the man – Alvarr - said. Noting her panicked expression, he continued, "The boy. He told me you have magic." He put a warm hand on her arm. "You need not be afraid."
Morgana smiled slightly, and looked utterly convinced by his words. "I know. I'm sorry. I've become so used to concealing the truth," she confessed.
"Believe me, I understand what that feels like," he agreed softly.
"Every day I must look Uther in the eye knowing that if he were to discover who I really am, he'd have me killed," she told him sadly, eyes shutting with a shaky breath.
Alvarr shifted his hand to her shoulder. "You have been very brave."
"I don't want to be brave," she cried. "I just want to be myself. I don't want to be alone anymore."
He smiled. "You are not alone. You're here with us. You need never be alone again." After a brief moment, the two leaned in, as if to bring their lips together, but Morgana suddenly pulled back reluctantly.
She stood. "I must be heading back. The castle will be waking soon," she announced.
Alvarr brought his eyes to hers, his hand slipping down her shoulder, squeezing her hand, which made her smile. "Farewell then, My Lady Morgana."
As Morgana left, Merlynn too left the man's camp to head back to Camelot. It would be such a fatal thing to remain, for Mordred was quite a clever, young boy.
oOo
Merlynn was quick to relay the information to Gaius, who was insightful enough to understand her babbles. "Alvarr has a fearsome reputation," he said as she finished.
"You know of him?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The whole situation didn't sound as though it could be plausiable but from what Merlynn had seen, she didn't truly believe anything anymore.
He nodded slightly. "I know he's a sorcerer, and that he and his band of renegades have threatened to overthrow the King."
"He sounded pretty determined," Merlynn told him.
"He's a fanatic," he agreed, "and his supporters follow him unthinkingly, blinded by his charisma."
She scoffed at those words. "Well, it sure worked on Morgana. They were rather close to each other, but I'm sure she feels more than he does."
"So it would seem," Gaius mused.
"And the druid boy. Alvarr's using him too. He seems to think the boy can harness the power of the Crystal," she admitted.
He sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder, gently thumbing the fabric there. "We can't let this happen, Merlynn."
"But if we can't go to Uther, what can we do?" she cried helplessly.
There was the smallest hint of knowing in his eyes. "We can bend the truth a little."
oOo
Morgana was utterly frazzled by the thought of Mordred and Alvarr being discovered. She didn't know who had told Gaius, but she was worried. Arthur was a determined man, she knew, who, once presented with a lead, would go after it until something or nothing was discovered in the findings.
Merlynn hurried out of the Council Chamber and into Arthur's chambers, where she waited for him to enter. As he did so, he had a slight smirk on his lips, which widened when he caught sight of her.
"So, I'm guessing I'm going with you on this venture?" she announced immediately.
He chuckled. "Of course. It wouldn't be fun without you alongside me, now would it?" he returned, putting a hand over her head from where it rested on the bedpost. Arthur smiled bitterly. "Once again, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."
Merlynn rolled her eyes. "It's no matter. I've gotten used to your prat-tish attitude through the time I've known you."
"It's why you're so perfect for me," he hummed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
A scoff left her mouth, but it then quirked into a slight smile. "But, if you think that an apology will get my forgiveness, then surely you are dumber than I thought you were," she interrupted.
Arthur grinned fondly. "Oh, that wasn't all I was going to do." He leaned down and kissed her soundly, releasing her shortly afterwards. "That was also on the agenda."
"Then of course you're forgiven," Merlynn teased, and sighed afterwards. "Sleep. I'll come and dress you in the morning."
He put his lips to her forehead softly. "Good night, Merlynn."
oOo
The next morning, Arthur, Merlynn and the rest of his party rode out of Camelot toward the Valley of Chemray, where Alvarr's camp lay in the depths of the forest. As they reached the hillside that overlooked the valley, Arthur paused.
"Gaius'd better be right about this," Arthur muttered to himself. Merlynn shot a quick look at him, apprehensive, but followed after him as he continued on through the valley.
Minutes seemed to pass, and soon the party was within the depths of the forest, heading toward the renegade camp. Arthur turned his eyes to Merlynn, who was glancing around fearfully as if the rebels would jump out at any given moment. "I don't know why I bring you on these expeditions," he announced lightly, trying to make her smile. "You spend the whole time terrified."
Merlynn straightened. "Oh, I – I'm not terrified. What would give you that idea, Arthur?"
"Because I know you, Merlynn," he sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I can tell you are."
"No, you can't," she denied. "You're just obviously trying to make yourself feel better, so you're shoving the emotions on to me."
He scoffed, "If you weren't scared, you'd be talking rubbish as usual."
"No! I wouldn't be. I'm talking as I usually am, which not rubbish for your information, so clearly I'm not scared," she retorted.
Arthur snorted in amusement and trekked on until they hit a fork in the road, which lead in two very different directions. He turned to the 'scared' girl. "Where now?" he asked with a quirked brow.
"No idea," Merlynn shrugged.
He pursed his lips. "I thought you said Gaius gave you directions?"
"He did. He, er...he just didn't tell me about this part," she told him, dismounting Firefoot and stepping further onto the forked road, closing her eyes in search of telepathy.
Every other sound drowned out into that of muffled words from Arthur, who decided to shout angrily at her. It was like a distant hum, and all she could hear was Mordred.
"Merlynn…your fault…!" Arthur shouted, broken and dimmed.
"They're coming!" Mordred screamed out telepathically to whomever was in the camp; he sounded terrified.
"… we wouldn't … in the first place!"
"Warn the others."
"Merlynn, I am talking to you!" Arthur roared.
"…the Crystal. Warn the others!" Mordred continued worriedly.
"Morgana…" she heard Alvarr's voice enter her thoughts, and cocked her head slightly toward the sound, which lead into one of the two roads.
Arthur dismounted and headed toward the servant, cocking his brow at her as he watched her face twitch and morph about as she seemingly listened to her own thoughts.
"…the Crystal," Mordred was screaming. "Warn the others! They're coming."
Merlynn was suddenly shot out of her mind by Arthur, who tapped her shoulder wearily. As her eyes opened, she focused on the path in front of her with wide, bleary eyes that focused and unfocused on nothing and everything in particular.
"Are you alright?" he asked in concern. "What are you doing?"
"The renegade camp…" she breathed.
'They're coming,' Mordred announced. 'Hurry.'
"It's that way," Merlynn told him, pointing in front of her with a shaky hand. The voices running through her mind was painful and gave her a deep throb in the back of her mind, and it made her quite precarious and a bit apprehensive.
"And you just suddenly know this?" Arthur asked.
"Yes," she said. "I know it."
"Because…" he encouraged.
Merlynn bit her lip. "Because…I know it because of…"
"I give up," Arthur growled, throwing his hands up in defeat, turning back to his horse. How he ever fell in love with her, he'd never know. She was the most infuriating human being alive.
While his back was turned, Merlynn gained an idea and suddenly created a footprint in the mud with the help of her magic. "Because of this!" she cried, rushing over to the magically formed print.
He scoffed, heading toward her. "So? It's a…footprint. Who says it belongs to a renegade?" Arthur once again turned back to his horse.
Then she announced, "There's more!"
Arthur returned his attention back to her and his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of countless more footprints in the mud, heading down the winding path. He turned those eyes to Merlynn, who gave him a smug, smarmy look. "Hm?" she giggled. "Just a footprint in the mud, Artie?"
He bristled at the nickname and pursed his lips. "Follow me!" he barked at his knights and trekked through the mud, tracking the footsteps. "Stay behind me, Merlynn."
The party crouched through the trees toward the renegade camp; Merlynn remained behind Arthur, hand hovering over his shoulder blades as she always did. Suddenly, they discovered Alvarr's camp and Merlynn couldn't help but smile haughtily at Arthur from over his shoulder.
"I told you, didn't I?" she whispered in his ear. "Who's the idiot now?" He brushed her up and hurried off closer toward the camp. "Obviously you. What are you doing?"
The other knights followed after their leader, entering the camp, still crouched and weary of their surroundings, but waiting for Arthur's orders. Arthur straightened and dug his sword into the ground as he noticed that the camp was, in fact, empty.
"Well, whoever was here, they're not here anymore," he commented, checking the campfire which was dimmed but still smoking.
She shook her head. Merlynn could feel their presence upon her; Alvarr had a very strong aura about him, and the air was tense and dark. "Yes they are."
Arrows suddenly shot through the air, whizzing past Merlynn and hitting the guards on either side of her. A breath of air left her mouth in shock as battle cries sounded through the camp, the renegades shooting from the trees toward them.
"Take cover!" Arthur roared. He was more than likely directing this at Merlynn mostly, considering she had no weapon in hand for that moment. But, she stole the one that rested absently against a tree and shot into battle.
She had never been gladder to keep watch on Arthur during training, and take in his movements and skill, as it came in handy at this day. The renegades had much more experience than her, but she took them out with whatever expertise she did have, and added a bit of magic to the mix as assistance.
Suddenly, she heard, "Run, Mordred!" from Alvarr.
Merlynn paused, gaining a slice across the arm from the distraction. Quickly taking out her current opponent with a grunt, she whirled to face the familiar blue cloak which hurried off away from the battle. Her eyes flashed gold, and a branch extended in front of Mordred's feet, tripping him over into the dirt.
But, the young druid was not fazed, only angered as he stood, turning to face the two guards that were pursuing him. Merlynn was frozen with shock as she witnessed Mordred magically slaughtered the men with spears, and felt herself become paralysed as his hypnotising blue eyes focused upon her.
"I shall never forgive this, Emrys, and I shall never forget," he said to her directly, and then rushed off.
Merlynn quickly shook of the sense of cold fear that washed over her body and turned just in time to face a renegade female, who gave her a wicked smirk. "Look here, a girl," the woman taunted with a chuckle.
"So what are you, then? A horse?" she retorted easily. "You sure look like one."
The woman bristled. "How dare you!" In seconds, she displayed much skill and expertise, almost un-handing and decapitating her. But, Merlynn ducked, using her shin to slam into the back of her knees, knocking her down. As the girl fell, her sword lashed out and cut into her shin.
Merlynn cried out in pain as the injury shot up her body with agonizing tremors, and stumbled to the ground. Arthur's eyes shot to her, watching as her eyes closed and hands gripped at the bark underneath her fingers. However, she clenched her jaw and stood up, wielding her sword bravely. He was concerned for her injury, especially the one which had turned her purple tunic into a murky black near her arm, but kept on fighting.
The woman stood also, growling out of rage. "Oh, you're going to get it now, girl," she hissed.
"So confident," she snorted. "Arrogance gets you nowhere, renegade."
"It's Enmyria," she said. "And you will die."
Merlynn knew her bravado was lacking, but tried to remain stoic and confident like Arthur was during these situations. Instead of replying, she lashed out to Enmyria, striking her in the side with a slash, cutting through her skin deep. The red-head roared in pain, and began a fierce attack that forced Merlynn against one of the trees.
Alvarr regarded his love with pride.
Enmyria prepared a death blow, slicing at her ribcage lightly as a taunt, but Merlynn raised her knee and knocked the blade, sending it away from her chest just in time for it to bury itself into the tree instead. As the red-head stumbled toward her, the other girl stepped out of the way and kicked at her stomach.
As Enmyria fell, Merlynn grabbed her sword and reluctantly stabbed the girl straight through the belly. She died choking on her own blood. Merlynn straightened and turned to see that every renegade was dead except for Alvarr, the last man standing. The wounds were painful, she would admit, but bearable for the time-being until she got back to Gaius.
Arthur approached Alvarr with sheer determination, disarming the man as he attacked quickly. "Give me the Crystal," he ordered.
"Why should you care?" Alvarr scoffed. The prince nodded for the guards to hold the renegade tight while he patted him down. "What use is it to you? You're a fool. How many lives have been lost this day? And for what?" Arthur simply ignored him and slid the Crystal from his pocket with a tight smile his way. "You cannot wield the Crystal."
As Arthur walked away, Alvarr called out desperately, "You do not have the power! None of you do!"
Merlynn watched as Arthur pulled out the Crystal when passing her, and found that the beautiful object transfixed, enamoured her. It called to her mind; she wished to hold it for some odd reason. Shaking out of her thoughts, she gripped her head and blinked a few times.
What was that?
oOo
They set up camp later in the afternoon, and Merlynn took a seat in front of the fire, glancing back to see that Arthur was checking on his other knights. By this time, the injuries still hadn't become painful yet, too caught up in the adrenaline of the battle.
What Mordred had said to her seconds before he ran out was still running through her mind: 'I will never forgive this, Emrys. I will never forget.' It was so terrifying, those words. They were spoken so coldly, so angrily that it shook her to the very being. She raised a hand to her head and clutched at her temple, trying to will those words away.
As she did so, Arthur strode over and lay down in front of her, luxuriously almost with a roguish grin her way. "Merlynn?" he asked, and she raised hesitant eyes to him. Then, he noticed the dark patches of fabric on her arm, shin and chest and shot up, rising to his knees to take in the wounds. "Gods, Merlynn, why didn't you say anything?"
"I, er, forgot about them momentarily," she explained in a tired voice.
"Are you bonkers?" he hissed worriedly. "Who knows how much blood you've lost? I'll be right back." Arthur hurried off to grab some gauze, water, his cloak and cloth from the knights in the other side of their make-shift camp, and rushed back to her in haste. "You really are the most infuriating girl I have ever met."
Merlynn smiled crookedly. "But you love me, right?"
"Unfortunately," he mused. Then, he hesitated. "I'm going to either have to rip your tunic, or you'll need to take it off."
"I'll take it off. Hand me your cloak, please?" she said, offering a bloodied hand out of him.
Arthur handed her the cloak and helped wrap it around her; the deep red cloak covered her body very well while she stripped her bloodied tunic and under-tunic off, hiding her from the prying eyes of his knights. He knew they were right perverts most of the time, crude, but honoured men, and didn't want them looking at Merlynn. Arthur kept an eye on his men as she undressed, noting that they glanced over for a moment, but realised the reason behind it soon and turned away.
"Are they looking at me?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "No. Take your arm out of the cloak." She did as she was told, keeping the cloak around her body, in which the upper part was naked except for the wrap she had around her breasts. Arthur took in the wound at her arm; it wasn't very long, or all that deep, but it was still bleeding just a little bit. "Oh, Merlynn…"
"I'm sorry, alright?" Merlynn sighed. "I wasn't focusing on that. It wasn't important. I was trying to not die; it's just a - a minor set back."
"If your health is on the line, then it is important," he told her firmly, dipping the cloth in to the water pale filled with fresh water from the river which was re-filled minutes ago by a knight who was cleaning the wounds of the other men.
Merlynn hissed in pain as the cloth wiped away the blood from the scratch. "Ow bloody ow!" she cried out, gripping the cloak tighter.
"Well, on the brightside it is your first battle-wound," he said with a bitter smile.
"Lucky me," Merlynn groaned, whimpering as the pain struck down her arm, paralysing almost.
After a moment of silence of Arthur cleaning the wound, he suddenly spoke, eyes glinted with pride, "I saw you fighting today. You and that woman. I don't think I've ever seen you fight like that."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess intuition kicked in, as well as adrenaline and I just struck out."
"I'm proud of you, Merlynn," he mumbled, "and so surprised. I never thought you could wield a sword like that."
"I have to watch your prat-tish arse every day when you train, so I learn a few things," she explained.
"Well, at least you pay attention," Arthur commented.
Merlynn sighed. "She was so fierce, and very skilled. I didn't want to kill her, but it had to happen."
"It was either you or her," he reminded her. "I'm glad you did what did. But you're an idiot for not telling me about this earlier – you should know how easy an untreated wound can get infected."
"I know. I - it - I'm sorry."
Arthur glanced back to his men for a moment and, at seeing that they weren't paying attention to them, leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied honestly with a small smile.
After cleaning up the wound, he wrapped it up with a piece of the gauze tightly. "I'll clean up your leg now." Softly, he lifted the cloak from her left leg and took off her shoe, then raised her trousers to the knee to check the wound. It was much deeper than her arm, and he sighed.
"When we entered the camp…it was a trap, wasn't it?" she brought up suddenly in a quiet, solemn tone. "They knew we were coming."
He sniffed. "Yes, they did."
"How did they know?"
"Well, they're sorcerer's aren't they? Probably used magic or something," he reasoned, re-dipping the cloth in the water and wiping away at her wound. "What did she do?"
"I tripped her and, before she fell, sliced me with her sword," she explained. "It was painful, and still – ow – is."
He put a hand on her cloak-covered knee. "It'll be alright. We'll wrap all this up, and Gaius can tend to you when we return to Camelot. Properly."
"I cannot wait to get back home," Merlynn groaned.
"Me neither," he agreed. "Sleep in my warm bed and wake up to you giving me food every morning."
She rolled her eyes. "Mm. Fun, indeed. I meant just so I can go to sleep in my own bed and get Gaius to treat me."
"Sorry I'm not up to the expertise of a physician," he taunted.
"It's not something you can learn," she shrugged. "You're just not good enough."
Arthur narrowed his eyes onto Merlynn's. "Oh, if we were not in the public of my men, I would…"
"What?" she teased.
"Kiss you senseless," he muttered right near her face with a smug smile as she leaned in slightly. "Uh huh, no."
Merlynn snorted. "Just clean up my wounds, Arthur." When he was finished with her leg, he glanced up at her expectantly. "There's another at my ribcage."
Arthur looked almost nervous as he said, "I'll need you to, uh -" He cut off with a cough.
She flushed but leaned back slightly and lifted the cloak up her belly, revealing her pale, smooth abdomen to Arthur and the thin gash beneath her ribcage. One hand gripped her bare hip while the other washed away the wound, his thumb absently running over the skin next to her hipbone. Merlynn took an uneasy glance back at the knights and was relieved to see that none were paying attention to them. She enjoyed the feeling of Arthur's hands on her skin; they were warm, slightly calloused, but comforting against her own. It was tense, as she had never had a person alive touch her skin so intimately before.
When he had finished, she had the entire gauze wrapped around her hips (which involved Arthur's arms basically either side of her while she gripped the cloak around the rest of her body) and her wounds were clean. She threw on her purple tunic, the white under-tunic stained thoroughly with her blood (which Arthur now held in his hands) and took the cloak away.
"Thank you," she whispered, pressing a fond kiss to his cheek. "Are you going to sleep now?"
He nodded, returning the gesture on her forehead instead. "You should too." Arthur smiled slightly, pulling the Crystal from his pocket. "While you do, I need you to guard this with your life."
"Why me?" Merlynn asked, fingering the bag apprehensively.
"Because you're the one I trust most," he told her, settling into his blanket. "Go to sleep, Merlynn."
As night settled over the trees, Merlynn found that sleep could not overcome her. So, she sat, leaning against the log that she had previously sat against and stared at the Crystal that rested against the bark in front of the fire.
Time passed. Merlynn noticed that the other knights had fallen asleep, leaving her alone in the dark by herself. The fire had gone out; there was no other lighting for her except for the moon, which shined down on the party with an eerie glow. Her temptation was growing, the fiery need to touch the Crystal was becoming stronger until she couldn't fight it any longer. Quickly, she retrieved the stone bag from the floor and stripped the material away to stare into the Crystal.
She saw the Great Dragon flying through the sky, quickly followed by herself, surrounded by fire, walking amongst what looked like Square. Merlynn saw Camelot smoking in destruction, fire burning through every window, billowing up into the sky. The Great Dragon breathed fire straight toward her with an angry roar, then it flickered to her once again, crying heavily.
In a flash Merlynn had dropped the Crystal and gripped her head, trying to ignore the hollow feeling that welled within. She wrapped the cloak around her body and settled her head against the log to sleep.
Sleep never found her. Only shocking nightmares from what she had witnessed in the depths of the Crystal.
oOo
When they returned to Camelot, Alvarr confessed to stealing the Crystal and acting alone. Merlynn had to commend him for his bravery and defiance. He was tried for treason and sentenced to death. Even though he was evil, he was one of her kind, and it was a solemn day to see another one of her rare breed die.
Now, she sat in her chambers, wounds cleaned, staring at her soup. But it was as though she wasn't really looking at the soup; instead, she was focused on the things that had happened only a night ago. That Crystal – there was something about it. The Great Dragon had said that it revealed the past, present and future and was scared about it.
Would that happen once she released the dragon from the cavern?
Merlynn blinked, rubbing at her left eye with her thumbnail. Gaius looked her over worriedly. "Merlynn? What's the matter?"
She sighed. "It's the Crystal. It harbours a terrible power, Gaius," she told him.
"It's locked away now. It can do no harm. Unless the damage has already been done," he said, eyes narrowed in concern.
"I held it," Merlynn admitted. Gaius' eyes widened. "I knew I shouldn't. I knew no good would come of it, but it compelled me to look. I couldn't resist it. I saw things, terrible things, Gaius. There was so much destruction, anarchy."
Gaius frowned, putting a hand over hers in a comforting gesture. "Then you've already paid the price," he said.
"But – Gaius, I – I saw what – I saw what will happen, and I'm terrified of that. I'm terrified of what the future may hold for Camelot," Merlynn trembled.
His mouth was set in a firm line; she had seen a path in the future, and that was the worst gift any could possess. "There is nothing on this earth that can know all possible futures, even the Crystal."
"It was so real," she breathed.
"It was real, but it was just one reality," he comforted. "The future is as yet unshaped. It is we that shape it. It is you, Merlynn." Gaius stood and pressed a fatherly kiss to her temple. "The decisions you make. The actions you take. Remember that. Eat your soup before it gets cold."
oOo
Alvarr had escaped, and Merlynn had a sneaking suspicion that the culprit was Morgana. She hadn't arrived in the Council Chambers yet; it added to that thought, and Merlynn's trust in Morgana had definitely ripped.
"We've searched the citadel, the town, and every corner of Camelot," Arthur relayed to Uther.
"But he's gone?" he questioned with an irritated finger running across her brow.
Arthur nodded reluctantly. "Yes, Father."
"How?" Uther interrogated. "How has he escaped?"
"It appears that the guards were drugged," he answered.
"That means he had help. Someone..." Uther froze, eyes narrowing upon Morgana who had walked in at that moment. He, too, had a lingering belief that it was her, but it was his love for her that overwhelmed the suspicion. "...here in Camelot."
Arthur was oblivious. "Afraid it looks that way."
Merlynn locked eyes with the girl, and watched as her head inclined in a way that confirmed her belief. Uther would never understand that look, but Merlynn did. She understood perfectly. She bit her lip and glanced away slowly, maintaining her focus on Uther.
He released a shuttering breath before announcing in his regal, booming voice, "Let this be understood, whoever has done this, they have betrayed me. They have betrayed the kingdom. If I ever discover who it was, they will rue the day they were born."
Morgana had the briefest of smirks on her face, but mellowed it down to a calm indifference.
Something was amiss in the King's Ward and soon, it would escape, revealing her true nature to Uther and Camelot alike.
oOo
Merlynn was asleep in her bed. For the first time in a while, she was able to finally settle down to sleep. Well, that was until the croaked, raspy voice of the Great Dragon shot through her head.
"Merlynn," he called. Merlynn shifted and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to maintain her slumber. "I am waiting, Merlynn. You gave your word. Now set me free, Merlynn."
Her hands slid up to her ears and covered them to block out the deep, reverberating voice that rocked through her mind. Merlynn curled up into a ball and winced as the back of her skull began to throb, the power of the dragon's magic affecting her head.
"Merlynn!" The Great Dragon roared, and Merlynn shot up in bed, blinking furiously as sleep left her.
The next chapter will be up - I'm not sure. Either the weekend or Monday, because I have assignments and i'm not going to be home...But, I hope you liked this chapter and do tell me your feelings.
As always, I love you guys so much:D