Camlann. How much did he fear that place... How could he have prevented Arthur, in the council meeting, from deciding to receive the enemy army there? Thanks to Aithusa, they now knew how quickly the hostile great power had reached Camelot's borders after all, and haste was needed. Arthur wanted to avoid more lands being invaded and devastated by the enemy. The king was also not dissuaded from his intention that it could become dangerous, as the allied armies could not advance as quickly as Camelot's army. This probably meant that Arthur and his knights had to withstand the initial assault alone. Merlin knew that Arthur saw this as his duty and the wizard simply could not think of any meaningful counter-argument, other than his fear for Arthur's life and knowledge of the prophecy.
Merlin should have been happy. So many kingdoms had allied themselves with Camelot and recognised Arthur, Arthur of all people, as the leader of that alliance. Not to mention that magic was finally allowed in Camelot and that the Druids... the Druids openly supported Arthur. He should have been dancing with happiness and yet a dark foreboding tightened his heart in his chest. He had tried to stop a prophecy many times before and he had failed miserably. He could not fail here, no way. And again he blamed himself for not being able to save Morgana from the darkness, or for saving her life too many times.
Besides, there was Mordred. The druid had always been loyal to Arthur and he had always protected the king. But what if Merlin missed something, so that Mordred's loyalty turned to hatred, just as Morgana's love had once turned to darkness. Why had he only stopped Mordred from taking his own life when he learned of the prophecy? But if Merlin listened within, he did not regret that act at all, though he might regret it in the future.
Tea crept into his thoughts. Merlin remembered her face, rimmed with golden curls and all wet with little tears. When she opened her eyes, he could see so much pain and despair in it that he just had to reassure her that everything would be all right. But could he promise this so lightly? Was it even within his power to keep this promise? There were so many questions burning on his tongue, but he had given her the chance to recover a little from the vision. He himself still knew too well how he had been when he himself had received terrible visions. Iseldir too remained silent and silently assisted her. Both of them actually wanted Tea to continue resting, but she insisted on attending the council meeting. Who could have denied her? Iseldir and Merlin both came to the silent understanding that this girl in particular had every right to attend this meeting. Even if they both wanted to shield her from the events of the war, they could not shield Tea from the cruel and distressing visions. These possible futures were clearly worse than any council meeting could ever be.
Merlin still wasn't sure whether he shouldn't seek Tea out. By now it was late evening and it was likely that the army of Camelot would leave tomorrow. And yet he couldn't say exactly why, but he had to talk to her. He was just discussing with himself whether this need was only due to his curiosity, when suddenly this very figure appeared in front of him. He had to blink several times to really notice her. But it was unmistakably Tea who was standing in front of him. But her face was unrecognisable. She was more than pale and there was no smile in her eyes or on her lips. Her eyes were still red from crying, but they and her mouth showed pure determination.
"Merlin. We need to talk!" exclaimed Tea.
"Yes, I was just on my way to see you," he said.
"Good, come quickly to my room. There we can talk undisturbed since Bronwen is back with Gaius," she clarified, pulling the bewildered Merlin behind her.
When they arrived in the small room, Tea locked the door and turned to Merlin.
The latter could only stare at the girl. His head was completely empty. Every now and then the word 'Camlann' came up in his head, but he tried to shoo it away. He did not notice that he was completely beside himself. He noticed his hands suddenly being gripped and looked into icy blue eyes.
"Tea," he merely whispered.
"We're going to make it, Merlin. We will survive this battle. I'm sure of it," she tried to encourage him.
"Perhaps, but can I prevent Arthur from losing his life in this battle?" he put his greatest fear into words. As there were already tears in his eyes and he continued to look at his and Tea's hands, he did not see her pain. Tea quietly took a deep breath and collected herself.
"Of course. After all, he is the once and future king," she said, wishing so much that she was telling the truth after all. "I will tell you in detail the vision I just had. Believe me that I know what knowing this vision of the future may cost you, but you must know!" pleaded Tea.
Merlin could not suppress a chill and let go of her hands. "Tell me," he finally said.
"In my vision, you and I were facing an overwhelming force. We were on the front line. It was frightening. Behind us were our allies, but the sheer size of the enemy army was not the worst of it. While I couldn't make out Morgana anywhere, there was no mistaking that wizards were also trying to fight us. What could a sword do against magic? It was all such a blur. I couldn't really make out which vision was more likely. I had the feeling that different possibilities were mixed together. Your shape kept flickering and you would disappear, only to reappear suddenly. I know the vision went on but I think my mind blocked the memory as the amount of death and destruction which followed may have been too much."
"Can you then be sure that this vision can really come to pass tomorrow?" asked Merlin, tempted.
"Yes. My vision consisted of several scenes. The first situation, was your assurance that I was not alone. This was followed by others, which I experienced again in the council meeting. My clapping and the supposedly quietly asked question to the Queen was no coincidence. It is unlikely to be another full day and we are face to face with hostile wizards. The problem that now arises is, are you really needed at Arthur's side or is your place where you can best use your magic?"
"You are not only asking me to act as a magical shield or worse in front of everyone in plain sight, but also to leave Arthur completely alone?" asked Merlin, completely beside himself. The wizard had unconsciously increased the distance between him and Tea.
Tea gave him an equally pained look and said softly, "I am not asking anything in front of you. I am merely telling you what I have seen. Do not hold me personally responsible for the content of the visions."
Merlin looked into Tea's distressed face and was about to apologise when she had already opened the door and asked him to leave.
Just as Merlin was out the door, he heard Tea's words, "Consider, how will Arthur react if, while you will not leave his side, he may survive, but hundreds or even thousands will lose their lives in any case?"
Merlin turned quickly to Tea, but only saw the door slam shut with a final sound. He stood paralysed in the hallway for quite a while, unable to form a clear thought or even a decision. What should he do now? How should he decide? Was it even his decision? It was strange to have the opportunity to talk about something like this with Arthur. In the past, he had always had to seek solutions and avert approaching threats on his own. But wouldn't it be better if he didn't tell Arthur about this vision? Merlin could already guess what the king's reaction would be. Suddenly he remembered the words of the great dragon: Trust and honesty are the best protection. He sighed dejectedly, knowing now how he had to act.
Merlin made his way to the king. Still debating with himself in his mind, he used the turmoil in his head to bring the royal dinner to the king and queen. True to his habit, he entered the chamber without knocking, interrupting an intimate embrace.
"Excuse me," Merlin said, "but I thought a little something to eat wouldn't be bad."
"I don't think I can get anything down," Gwen said glumly.
"You've got to eat something though, Gwen!" said Merlin insistently.
"Yes, I know," she replied perceptively. She looked at Merlin with a critical eye as she did so. She noticed that he looked extremely pale and slight. "Sit down with us. I will only eat something if you eat something too."
Merlin was about to object when he heard Arthur's voice, "No arguments, Merlin. I bet you've skipped a meal or two in the last few days because of all the excitement."
The wizard stumbled, realising that the assumption was only too true. It felt strange for him to sit at the table of the royal couple and dine with them. Gwen filled his cup and Arthur loaded a good portion onto a plate for him. All three ate slowly and in silence. The silence was not oppressive, but neither was it relaxed. Rather, it was the calm before a storm.
When everyone had eaten at least a snack, Arthur asked, "Why did Tea look so pale at the council meeting today?"
Merlin froze at this question and both Gwen and Arthur were alarmed.
"Merlin?" the Queen inquired.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to ride with you, not this time. I am sorry," Merlin said in anguish.
The king looked surprised and simply asked, "Why?"
Merlin had already formed the lie in his head that he had to get some things for Gaius - essentials that were not available here, but he heard himself say, "Tea just had a vision," and he haltingly told them both about the conversation with the seer.
"If you don't actively use your magic right up front, thousands of allies will die," Arthur summarised.
"Yes, that's how Tea described it," Merlin confirmed.
"I don't see much problem with that. You're actually always by my side and I'm always on the front line, so it's really business as usual," the king tried to wring something good out of the report.
"No," Arthur merely heard Merlin contradict. "I am just not at your side. I don't know the exact circumstances, but apparently I have the choice of either staying by your side or thwarting a deadly, large-scale magical attack," Merlin explained in exasperation.
"But I don't see the problem," Arthur said tactlessly.
"Oh, Arthur. Understanding other people's emotions has never suited you. Even if Merlin doesn't want to say it, but he's reluctant to leave you alone and defenceless," Gwen explained.
"Pah! I'm not an effeminate coward who can't defend himself," Arthur said, aggrieved.
"No one said you were, but what about your sister? Not only is she excellent with a sword, but she is a high priestess. You can't do much against her magic," the queen called into Arthur's mind.
"Even if I don't want to admit it, I know that. But even if Merlin were at my side at the moment of the enemy attack, he would also conjure a shield to defend us. So can't you do both?" asked Arthur naively.
"No. I probably can't. The further away I am from a place, the more magic is needed to activate a shield or perform other spells there. If I'm too far away, miscalculate the magic, I might only save people near me or fail completely," the wizard clarified.
"So the only difference is where and when this spell is performed, accordingly the shield has power and range and how many people are saved by it. So why are we still talking about this? According to this, you must be where the magical attack meets our allies," Arthur decided.
"I understand your dilemma, but perhaps we can find a solution. How about Sir Mordred? After all, this one possesses not only fighting skills, but magic as well. And have you written to your friend who also possesses those skills? What was his name?" the queen inquired.
"You mean Gilli," Merlin said, half-pleased. "Yes, I wrote to him. I don't know if or when he will visit me, though." He didn't know how to deal with the suggestion regarding Mordred. Did Merlin really trust him? Arthur had not yet made up his mind as to what fate would befall the sorceress Kara. Would Mordred perhaps want to escape with her? Merlin had hardly noticed how the knight was doing over the last few days, let alone had any idea what he was thinking. He was abruptly interrupted in his thoughts as he heard the alarm bell. Those present stared at each other in irritated silence as the door was already opened and Sir Elyan entered.
"My King, I regret to report that the prisoner has escaped. Some guards have been seriously injured. The exact circumstances are still unclear. All indications were that she forcibly made her way out and then disappeared without a trace," Sir Elyan reported.
Again the door opened and Sir Mordred appeared. "Kara? Has she really escaped?" he said without formality.
Sir Elyan nodded.
"Was anyone injured, or even killed?" inquired Mordred with an expressionless mask.
"Injured, yes, but no one has died from their wounds. Still, Merlin, you should give Gaius a hand. The stricken guards are not a pretty sight and the court physician will probably need more hands to tend to the cuts," Sir Elyan suggested.
"Cuts?" asked Sir Mordred, fumbling for his dagger and turning white as a sheet. "I did not notice. I was too distracted by her hitting me full force in the face that I didn't notice the absence of the weapon."
Arthur walked over to his knight and put a hand on his shoulder. A slight shiver went through the latter's body at the touch. "I know only too well how much you can be distracted by being attacked by someone close to you - decades of combat experience often don't help. The situation cannot be undone and it is probably pointless to send guards after her. Besides, it is quite possible that we will see her again on the battlefield. I am sorry that your childhood friend has changed so much. If it is also your wish, then I would be pleased if you would leave for battle with me tomorrow," the king announced proudly.
Mordred looked surprised at first and could not hide a small smile. "I would be honoured," the knight simply replied and took his leave.
Merlin had been watching the scene intently. He couldn't quite grasp his feeling, but something about Mordred's behaviour displeased him. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was. Had the brief smile been more joyful, sad or yet mischievous? He decided that he would send Gilli another message. The idea of having him by Arthur's side would at least put Merlin at ease a little. It was only when Gwen cleared her throat that he broke out of his stupor and quickly made his way to Gaius.
When Sir Elyan had also left, Gwen looked closely at Arthur. She could clearly see his doubts.
"What is troubling you?" she inquired cautiously.
"If Morgana wants to get to Camelot, she must cross the White Mountains. The only pass suitable for such a large army is the pass road, which is bordered on both sides by cliffs. The point is to hold the position until we have gathered our entire army. We will be clearly outnumbered at the beginning, which is why we will take up a position in Camlann, at the narrowest point of the pass road. I know from experience how fatal it can be if reinforcements arrive late. This circumstance can not only cost many lives, but be decisive for the battle."
"Your plan is bold and daring and the only chance to defeat Morgana for good. Yes, we could have held out in the fortress, but for how long and at what cost to the kingdom? I never doubted for a moment that this decision was brave and wise," Gwen declared with conviction.
"If you do not doubt me, Guinevere, then neither will I. That gives me more strength than any weapon," Arthur replied, giving his wife a grateful kiss.
"Come, you must rest, Arthur," his queen urged him.
Thereupon the king carried his wife to the bed they shared.
Its been quite a while since I updated here, I´m sorry but I don´t really had the time for it. Hope you understand and love this story update