Hello,

Merlin is a new fandom for me to be writing in so here is a little one-shot to dip my toe in.

This story is an AU from the beginning of the battle of Camlann.

Also, I watched Merlin ages ago and I haven't done any background research to this story so apologies if something is out of place.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 1: Regrets

Battle of Camlann

"For the love of Camelot," Arthur shouted as he led his men into the fray.

Swords and bodies clashed against each other as men's painful screams echoed around the rocky valley.

Merlin's eyes never wandered far from his friend's lethal rampage through the Saxon men who opposed him.

Merlin morphed into Emrys and climbed on top of the rocky vantage point to observe the battle below. It was chaos with men on both sides falling here and there. Scratched and bloodied shields and swords were useless in their dead owner's hands.

He couldn't help feeling that all this bloodshed could have been avoided if he had been wiser, if he had made the right choice, if he had helped her rather than tried to kill her.

Merlin started to feel more nervous with each passing moment that Morgana and Mordred were absent from the battle field.

What are they up to? Merlin pondered as he sent a lightning strike down onto the battlefield clearing a path for Arthur and the Knights of Camelot to advance into.

Although Merlin didn't doubt Arthur's ability a knot of worry sat in his stomach and it only grew in size the longer the battle raged on. He knew what the prophecy had said and he knew that the only way to make sure it didn't come true was to kill Mordred before he killed Arthur but to do that, he needed to locate the young man.

Merlin saw Arthur about to be surrounded by Saxon men and lifted his staff to strike them down. He sent a bolt of lightning towards the bloodthirsty men running at the King of Camelot.

But it never reached its intended target.

Instead Morgana stood in front of the running men, having deflected the bolt so that it had smashed into the wall of rock to her side, leaving a smouldering hole in its wake.

Merlin locked eyes with the heavily panting sorceress, clearly deflecting his bolt had taken some effort but she had managed it nevertheless.

In her eyes there was excitement, power and pure rage behind those beautiful dark orbs; and somewhere behind all that destructive instinct and the need to lash out was his friend, the Lady Morgana.

Merlin tried to push away the image of how Morgana had been because the Morgana who stood below him now was no longer that person. Where there had been love, there was only hate now, where there had been fairness, there was only sadistic intent and where there had been hope there was only despair.

Morgana threw a wave of magical force at the Emrys disguised Merlin before teleporting herself to stand on the same rock surface as Merlin was.

"Emrys," Morgana screamed, "We end this now."

Morgana continued her assault by throwing everything she had had Merlin. She put in all her negative emotion and destructive drive into each attack, forcing Merlin to take a few steps back.

Merlin in turn sent a few lightning bolts directly at her when an opening presented itself. Morgana barely managed to avoid them, no longer able to deflect Merlin's attack and return fire with her own.

She was on the defensive.

Morgana felt the power radiating from the old man in front of her.

But she had power too.

She pushed back with everything she had, with every bad memory, with every dark impulse and the air around her turned to fire and expanded.

The fire surrounded Merlin and ate at his magical defences.

She has gotten stronger, Merlin cursed as he felt his energy being drained with this onslaught of heat snapping at his ankles and elbows.

He held firm though and thought he had successfully repelled the fiery attack until he looked to Morgana.

She was standing there breathing heavily but with a shocked look on her face.

What is she doing? Merlin wondered as he kept his positioning a few metres away from her, ready to react to anything she might do next.

Morgana, after a few moments of uncharacteristic silence spluttered, "M .. Merlin? It was you this whole time? You are Emrys?"

Merlin's mind exploded.

He looked down at his hand. It was supple and smooth, not veiny and dry.

"Oh no," Merlin muttered to himself.

In his concentration to avoid being burnt but Morgana's earlier attack he had dropped the effort of maintaining his façade. He now unequivocally looked like himself.

"Yes, I have magic," Merlin confirmed while still eyeing his old friend cautiously.

"Why have you been fighting me this while time?" Morgana exclaimed.

"Because what you use magic for is wrong. You hurt people," Merlin said with conviction evident in his voice.

"And what you think Uther and Arthur's decisions don't hurt people," Morgana said sarcastically, "or result in hundreds of deaths?"

"I am not disputing that but we have gifts. Gifts that can be used to improve lives not take them away," Merlin implored.

"I never had the chance to use my gifts for good Merlin," Morgana glowered, "I was too busy being scared of them and feeling alone. And you know why I was scared of them because my father was killing anyone who had magic and my brother was carrying out his orders like a faithful dog."

Merlin shot Morgana a sad look, "I know you are angry but please there is another way instead of this destructive path you are on."

Morgana laughed and pointed to the battle below, "You think I can stop this now? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop this."

"No but we could," Merlin tried.

"What do you mean?" Morgana said behind suspicious eyes.

"We could stop this together," Merlin reiterated.

"How?" Morgana said taking a step towards Merlin.

"There is a spell that could reverse all this chaos and madness. We could transport one of us back in time to stop all of this from happening," Merlin said as he watched Morgana take another step towards him.

"If such a spell existed why haven't you already used it to send yourself back and kill me?" Morgana asked.

"Because the spell requires a life so that a new life maybe forged in the past," Merlin explained while remaining still, not wanting to scare or rile Morgana's currently calm demeanour.

"Let me guess you want to be the one sent back?" Morgana guessed with anger lacing her words, "And I will die."

"No, I am saying that you should be the one to go back in time." At Morgana's stunned look Merlin elaborated, "I once abandoned you Morgana but I won't do that again. I know there is still a good person inside of you and this time I am willing to give you the chance to show it. If we do this spell you will be the one to go back and change the past to suit the future you want."

"The future …. I want," Morgana said slowly.

"Yes, I don't believe you want to rule Camelot or lead a war that costs thousands of people their lives." At Morgana's silence Merlin continued, "You want to be yourself, free of fear, to not have to hide who you are and be alone."

"And if I go back how will I accomplish that?"

"When you go back, find me and tell me that you have magic and that you know who I am."

"You are trusting me not to instantly kill you?"

"I know you never wanted this. Go back and this time choose love over hate and I will choose trust over suspicion. I will choose you; this time Morgana just give me a chance like I am giving you now."

"Okay," Morgana said eliminating the remaining distance between them.

They looked into each other's eyes and it was like the surrounding chaos and fighting below them didn't exist, it wouldn't exist if Merlin knew his friend in the way he thought he did.

Merlin held out his hand for Morgana, "We can do this together, like we always should have."

Morgana stared at Merlin's open hand then to the small encouraging smile in his lips and finally to his warm dark brown eyes, "I …. I just felt so alone."

"I know, I felt the same until I met Gaius. I should have been your Gaius but I failed you … I am sorry Morgana," Merlin said quietly with deep sadness twinging his words as he looked down to the floor, not able to hold her gaze anymore.

He only looked back up when he felt Morgana's hand curl into his own.

"I will find you Merlin and we will start again," Morgana said and Merlin swore he saw the light of his Morgana flicker in those dark eyes once more.

Merlin looked to her hand in his. He gulped then nodded at Morgana.

She was beautiful, she deserved saving, she was worth dying for.

Merlin started to chant.

Author Notes:

I came at this one-shot from the Morgana and Merlin acted stupid in the TV series and they just needed to talk it all out angle. This was basically a reset.

I imagine the time travel working here by supplanting consciences, so there wouldn't be two Morganas but the old Morgana's memories in the younger Morgana's body.

This was harder than I thought to write and took way longer as I am not super familiar with the source material but I tried my best. This was intended as a learning experience and a bit of a treat for a friend.

I wrote this for NCVII, hope you liked it buddy!

Thanks for reading,

R.M