A/N: Wow! Here we are! Thanks so much for your patience guys. Finals are over, I got this done, and then decided to throw a hissy fit with the formatting. But, anyways, thanks so much for all your kind comments! I went a little different way than some of you were hoping, but I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!
To his credit, Uther looked horrified as he watched the blood, the same color of Camelot's flag, pool around his son's body. He barely had time to look up before he was knocked back into the throne and slumped to the floor. Merlin growled and charged forward, but was held back by the two knights.
"Merlin! Arthur needs you more right now. We'll take care of him."
He held back another growl and had to admit they were right. He ran to Arthur's side, sliding to his knees and pulling Arthur onto his lap, just in time to feel his friend's last breath rattle out of him. Merlin's eyes blurred with tears. No, no, no. Not Arthur. Not his king. Not his best friend.
The wound was bad, large and deep. Nothing worked. Merlin's magic was useless. He tried everything, but nothing was bringing Arthur back.
At some point one of the knights had gotten Gaius and the girls. Merlin startled as the old physician touched his hand, and he stopped pouring raw magic into the wound at last. Gaius' lip quivered as he pointed to the sword that Uther had dropped. Except it wasn't Uther's sword. It was Arthur's- Excalibur.
The implications were clear. Dragon forged blades dealt mortal wounds. There would be no way to bring Arthur back.
Gwen and Morgana approached on either side of him and sunk to their knees. Gaius backed up, giving them the three of them some space. The three friends held each other and cried for what felt like an eternity, but, in reality, was only a few minutes.
There was a muttered conversation at the door and then the sound of someone leaving.
"What's the news?" Merlin finally croaked, scrubbing his face with the palm of his hand. "Is the castle ours?"
Gwaine nodded. "Percival just came to tell us." The sorcerer nodded and, as if lifting an impossible load, gently moved Arthur's head and stood, followed by the others./p
He tried to compose himself, he really did, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. Morgana placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he turned into her and clung to her shoulders. She extended the other arm and Gwen joined the hug.
"Time to mourn later," Morgana whispered hoarsely. "We have a kingdom to run now."
"You'll have to be queen," Gwen whispered. "Now that Arthur…" Morgana shook her head vehemently.
"We do this together. We can make it all official later. What are we going to do about him?" she snarled. No need to ask who she was talking about.
"I'm sure Aithusa would be happy to take care of him," Merlin muttered. Gwen smacked him gently.
"No. We want a better Camelot. That does not start by throwing Uther to the dragons. What would Arthur do?"
The others hated to admit it, but despite the king's misplaced prejudices, Arthur had cared for his father.
"Not execute him," Merlin finally admitted. "And we all know how easy the dungeons are to escape from."
"Banishment then," Morgana said. The others agreed. "We should also celebrate." The words felt like ash on her tongue. "We banish Uther, have a moment of mourning, and then a banquet, all down in the lower town."
The others nodded tiredly and after one more squeeze, separated and went to join the others, filling them in on what they had decided before splitting up to take care of their various responsibilities, still feeling like they were in a haze. Leon helped Merlin and Gaius carry Arthur's body to the physician's quarters. They would have a funeral tomorrow. On a whim, Merlin had grabbed Excalibur and brought it with them, propping it in the corner of the room as the cleaned Arthur's body./p
"I can take care of the rest," Gaius eventually said. "You go check on the others and I'll see you down there.
Merlin glanced at the sword as they left and grabbed it on impulse. Leon glanced at him.
"I have an extra scabbard and belt if you'd like it."
"I… I would like that. Thank you Leon."
They made a quick detour to the knight's quarters and then down to the lower town, Merlin now toting Excalibur on his back, hilt poking over the shoulder.
The townspeople who were still in the plaza cheered as Merlin and Leon came out the door. The sorcerer managed a weak smile and wave before he was nearly tackled by Aithusa in a dragon-ish hug. Merlin felt the tears welling up again and buried his face in the dragon's neck, taking some comfort in the warmth there.
"I'm so sorry," Aithusa rumbled.
"So am I."
Merlin pulled back and, with a hand on Aithusa's shoulder, went to go find the others.
::::::::::::
The evening was a success in every way. Uther was escorted by the knights out of the palace with only the clothes on his back, through the lower town, and to the city gate. The townspeople lined the streets and watched him go, tiredness and anger etched in every line on their faces. It was silent as he passed. Finally, right before the gate, he turned around.
"Do you have nothing to say?" he yelled. There was a slight stirring, but no one said anything.
"Haven't you figured it out?" Leon said. Uther looked at him, confused. "You aren't worth it."
And with that, Percival pushed him through the city gates and the doors were pulled shut. It was only then that the people began to cheer.
Food was brought out along with tables from every house. Lanterns were lit and wine poured liberally. Over it all hung a sense of peace and relief; yes, there would be struggles to come, but for this moment, on this day, they were free.
Merlin, Morgana, and Gwen sat with Gwen's family near their house. They hardly had a moment to themselves as people came and went, thanking them, giving them little gifts, and offering their condolences. By now, word had spread about what had happened to Arthur.
Finally, the three of them stood. With a whispered spell, Merlin's voice grew louder.
"Excuse me?" Everyone immediately stopped talking and looked around, startled. "Hi, sorry, it's Merlin. Or the Blue Knight. Whichever.
"Today has been a day of victory, but also of loss. By now most of you have heard that Prince Arthur was- was killed by his father. There will be a funeral tomorrow." This all sounded so wrong to say. "Morgana will be crowned queen regent and Gwenivere and I will be at her side.
Gwen stepped up. "You have all been so gracious tonight with your thanks, but now we want to thank you. Truly, truly, we would not have been able to do this without your help."
"Uther's ideas were outdated and prejudiced," Morgana said. "We want peace and prosperity for all in Camelot. No one should be persecuted for what they believe. I promise you we will rule with mercy and wisdom- if you'll have us."
She barely finished before the crowd was cheering. It took a moment for words to be made out, but before they could believe it they were hearing it, ringing out throughout the city-
"Long live the Dragon Knights! Long live the Dragon Knights!"
:::::::::::::
The next morning, the knights, Gaius, Aithusa, and the three remaining Dragon Knights, carried Arthur through the streets and to the Lake of Avalon. The villagers were also awake and lined the streets in a different silence than there was yesterday. This one was broken by the occasional sob or sniffle as they respectfully watched their would-be king pass by.
At the lake, it was just their close entourage that remained. A boat was waiting there, though none of them had brought it and Merlin suspected Freya might have had something to do with it.
With loving hands, Gaius and Leon arranged Arthur's cape around his body. Merlin came forward, holding Excalibur, and went to place it in Arthur's hands. His foot brushed the water and he heard a gentle voice say, "Keep it. Just for now."
Merlin paused and took a deep breath, holding back more tears. "I-I can't."
"That's alright," Gaius said and, with a gentle hand, Morgana pulled him back to stand next to her.
The knights stepped forward and, as one, launched the boat into the lake. Not an eye was dry as they watched it go.
"He was the greatest man I ever knew," Leon whispered hoarsely.
"He would have been a great king," Gaius said.
"The best."
They each took a moment paying their respects and, at last, all eyes turned to Merlin. He sighed and stepped forward, still clutching the sword in his hand.
"You were a prat. And a clot pole. And-" his voice broke, chin quivering. "My best friend. And you better rest well because if- when- you get back you won't get any rest from me. Forbaerne," he whispered and the boat caught flame.
It was unclear how long they all stood there, until the morning mist had long since evaporated, and a warm summer breeze rippled the now still water. They finally came to as a different wind rippled the water and surrounding trees. Casting their eyes to the sky, only a few of them were surprised to see the large, golden dragon descending.
Kilgarrah landed in the field behind them and the group turned to face him, half the knights wondering if they should be panicking or not.
Merlin met Kilgarrah's gaze unwaveringly. "Say it," he dared."Say that this is my fault and you'll be right. Go on."
"I-" The dragon started and paused. "I am sorry for your loss," he said quietly. "Arthur was a great knight and prince of Albion. He will be missed.
"But dry your tears," Kilgarrah reprimanded. "Merlin has heard the prophecy, though I don't know who else of you has." He sat up straighter and recited, "In Albion's time of greatest need, the Once and Future King will rise again. With Emrys at his side," he added, nodding at Merlin and the sorcerer couldn't help but smile, just a little. "And of course, their loyal companions and knights.
"Albion's greatest time of need is not yet, but I sense it coming. Have faith, be patient, and in due time, Arthur will return." He cast his gaze on the three remaining Dragon Knights. "And until then the three of you have your work cut out for you. You will rule well."
Finally, his gaze landed on Aithusa. "You've grown little one."
Aithusa self-consciously ruffled his wings, standing about a third as tall as Kilgarrah. "Thank you."
Kilgarrah chuckled. "And you will continue to grow. I will leave you now. Farewell."
"Farewell Kilgarrah," Merlin answered as the great dragon took off, buffeting them with the downdraft.
"Okay, so," Gwaine began. "There are two dragons?"
And as they laughed, Merlin suspected that things would be alright.
::::::::::::
Five Months Later
A crossbow bolt thudded into the tree next to Merlin's head as he sprinted through the woods. He could hear the pursuers gaining behind him. He hadn't tried this spell yet, but it might be the only thing that could save his life. It was hard to wave his hands in the correct way while sprinting, but somehow he managed it because a moment later he was invisible.
He heard the cries of shock and confusion and chuckled to himself. He kept running, now having the advantage, and a moment later ducked behind an outcropping of rocks and jumped down the tunnel that was hidden there.
Merlin slid down the dirt tunnel, crouched low, and then ran the last few feet of it into the hidden chamber attached to it. He quickly conjured a small ball of light so he could see in the pitch dark room. Weapons and barrels of explosives lined the walls, but he paid them little mind, continuing on his way through another tunnel.
He knew the way well by now. Gwaine had stumbled upon these secret tunnels a couple months ago and since then they had been stockpiling weapons and food, not knowing when they would need it, just that they would.
It had turned out to be a good idea because two months later Cenred's army decided to invade with Uther at his side. None of them said it, but they all kind of wished they had just killed him.
Now, three months later they were still at war. After realizing they couldn't take the city by force they had started a siege that now had lasted two months. The tunnels had provided them access to the outside world and allowed them to commit quite a few acts of sabotage, but it was slow going to get them to leave, as most sieges were.
Merlin took a left and slid down another tunnel, landing in the middle of a large, lit chamber, the Round Table set up in the middle where all the knights, plus Morgana, Gwen, and Gaius surrounded it.
"Sorry I'm late," Merlin apologized. "On the bright side, I know for sure I can turn invisible now."
"That's great," Morgana said as Merlin took his place at her side. "But what about teleporting their food supplies."
"Went off without a hitch. Joanna confirmed they appeared right where they were supposed to. What have I missed?"
"Nothing yet," Gwen said. "We were just about to discuss our next attack."
"So we're really doing it then?" Elyan asked. "We're going after Uther."
Morgana nodded. "Yes. From the information we've gathered, we can guess that if Uther goes, Cenred will retreat, especially after the damage we've done elsewhere." She laid a map out on the table, spreading it out so everyone could see. "We've mapped most of the tunnels and there's a small one that exits out about a kilometer away from Cenred's command tent. We'll send a team of four. Our main problem is that the tunnel is… very small." She glanced up. "Percival, you're out."
Percival pouted slightly and Gwaine patted him consolingly on the shoulder.
"Any volunteers? Suggestions?" Merlin asked. Elyan raised his hand.
"I'll go. I'm short."
"Count me in," said Gwaine.
"And Morgana and I will be the other two," Gwen said. Merlin was about to protest, but she continued, "We'll be able to blend in as servants and Morgana is more than skilled enough to handle the magic aspect."
"Fine," Merlin relented. He supposed it did make sense. "The rest of us will split into two groups and attack other areas of the camp, hopefully keeping their attention away from the others. Specific assignments will be given out over the next two days and then we'll strike Sunday night. Any questions?"
There weren't any and the Round Table was dismissed.
"You will be careful though, won't you?" Merlin asked, turning to the two girls. Morgana hugged him.
"Why do you think we're going and not you?"
:::::::::::::
Getting through the cave had been the trickiest part of the evening so far. It had been a tight squeeze and the tunnels had been wet, a small stream forming due to a recent rainfall. Now they had changed clothes and were making their way through Cenred's camp. Gwen and Morgana carried baskets filled with fruit while the other two carried bundles of firewood towards the command pavilion and surrounding tents. Morgana looked down, appearing to readjust her basket, but really using it to obscure the flash of gold in her eyes as she sought out where Uther was. She found him asleep in one of the more opulent tents to the north of the pavilion, but before she pulled out of the vision, something else caught her eye. There was another tent near the pavilion and inside was a woman tied to a post, looking rather worse for the wear. But what caught her eye was the magic restraining cuffs she was chained with.
"There's another prisoner here," she whispered to the others. "A magic user. She's in a tent on the far side of the pavilion. We have to help her. She looks in bad shape."
"What about Uther?" Gwen asked.
"Asleep, in that tent over there," she said with a nod. "We should have time to get both. Merlin hasn't even started his attack y-"
Of course she was cut off right as Merlin started his attack and Aithusa shot a fireball somewhere down the line.
Gwen made the decision. "Elyan, with me. Gwaine, go with Morgana and free whoever she's talking about. Meet us when you're done."
The two pairs split off. Morgana and Gwaine sprinted to the captive's tent and flung the flap open. It was much darker inside, but with a flick of her finger, a ball of light appeared over Morgana's head. The woman looked up in surprise which morphed to relief when she saw the small display of magic. She had a large bruise on the side of her face, was gagged, and her long, blonde hair was tangled.
"Hang on. We're getting you out of here," Morgana whispered, kneeling down next to her. She and Merlin had spent a good while learning some lock picking spells, knowing they would come in handy (who had time for keys these days anyway). A few sparks later and the manacles fell off.
"Thank you. Thank you!" the woman whispered as she tore the gag off. Morgana helped her to her feet while Gwaine watched the door.
"Let's get you out of here. What's your name?"
The woman smiled taking a deep breath and sighing. "Morgause."