Merlin Myriads: Emrys Revealed

by the stargate time traveller

AU What if Morgana discovered Merlin's secret identity at the end of season 4?

My thanks to chev1991 for their idea of Morgana revealing Merlin's identity in front of Arthur in season 4.

I don't own Merlin, just to remind you. Oh, these are short stories, and depending on if the idea has merit then I will write more of the Merlin of that reality's adventures at a later date.

Please let me know what you think.

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Merlin Myriads: Emrys Revealed.

Why did it always turn out like this?

Why was there always a fight to the death? As he had gone with the others to the doors of the council chamber where they'd likely find Morgana while Arthur and the others fought a group of Morgana's men who were nothing more than mercenary thugs which proved how desperate his old friend had become - he remembered the alliance Morgana and Morgause had enjoyed with Cenred and how the King of that rival kingdom had provided his army for Morgause and Morgana - so she'd needed to make do, Merlin couldn't help but be grateful things had turned out as they had despite how difficult everything had been at first.

Yes, Camelot falling so quickly, and Arthur losing hope following Agravaine's betrayal had brought the King's hopes and spirits down, although Merlin had known it would since the treacherous Agravaine was the last of Arthur's blood family left, although Merlin wondered how someone so kind as Ygraine Pendragon had been was even related to somebody who was so self-serving.

From what Merlin had discovered about her, Ygraine Pendragon had been a fierce but loving woman, a far cry from the scheming, slimy, manipulative man who claimed to Arthur's uncle, who hadn't even seen his nephew for twenty years, but even he had to admit that was only Gaius' description of the woman whose death sparked off a genocidal campaign against magic. But Arthur had valued the older man's flawed advice, which had more than once nearly brought ruin to him, and to his rule over Camelot. The betrayal, combined with the knowledge Morgana had taken over the city, to say nothing of being reunited with Gwen, had shattered the normally confident Arthur.

Merlin had never liked how Arthur valued Agravaine's advice more than others. The King had dozens of advisors, people who had been with him and whom he had known for years, and yet Arthur chose to confide in a man he barely knew.

Discovering Agravaine was Morgana's spy in Camelot hadn't been too much of a shock for Merlin, but it had shattered Arthur and his ability to trust others.

It had been up to Merlin to try to bring Arthur back to sanity. The King needed to be strong enough to retake the city, to fight off Morgana, and to prove to everyone he was a worthwhile ruler. A part of Merlin knew a large reason for his actions, going to all the trouble of transforming Arthur into a simpleton (he still could not understand how Arthur had not even questioned either Tristan or Isolde about the state he had been, and not realise magic had been used to subdue him, and luckily for him the two smugglers had been dragged into the monumental mess they were in now to ask questions either, otherwise Arthur would have been suspicious), telling the fraudulent story about a sword in a stone to rally Arthur's spirits, had more to do for his own agenda.

Without Arthur in power, and Morgana instead in charge, Albion would never be born and magic would never be free. Merlin had never let it up, but when he had first come to Camelot, learning from Kilgharrah about his destiny as protector and guide to the Once and Future King, all he had wanted was for magic to be free. At the time he hadn't been concerned at all about some future king, or union of the land. All he had wanted was for peace between both the magical and the non-magical communities to take place, so Merlin and others like him would never have to live in fear again.

His hopes had almost died when Uther had died, courtesy of Morgana and her little lackey. As soon as he saw his father die because of magic, Arthur's hatred of it was rekindled, and Merlin had lost hope. It had been reignited when Arthur had sworn to that druid boy who'd possessed Elyan when the knight had stupidly disturbed the Druid shrine the druids would be respected, but nothing had come of it so far.

So now, all Merlin could do was to live in hope.

It was all he had.

But now Merlin was outside the heart of the power of Camelot, where one of the biggest blows to Arthur was waiting. Merlin's heart ached as he thought of just how far Morgana had fallen. The warlock had always regretted his handling of the witch who was now Camelot's greatest enemy. He wished he could go back in time, and urge his younger self to not listen to Gaius or to the Great Dragon Kilgharrah, and reveal his magic to Morgana as he'd originally intended; he might have come to agree with Kilgharrah, giving the dragon a basic apology and agreement, that he should never have trusted her, but Merlin had also wished he had done something different.

In the end, that was what it bottled down to.

His regrets with Morgana, starting when she had begun to discover her magic, and when she had been so terrified, trusting Kilgharrah and Gaius and saying nothing to the desperate young woman.

He had wanted nothing more than to tell Morgana who and what he really was, to have somebody else who was like him. Merlin had been alone, figuratively speaking, because nobody else he had known was born with magic, and experienced the same fears as his mother. To discover that Uther's own daughter - talk about irony - had also been born with magic had been a shock.

He had wanted nothing more than to reach out and take Morgana and tell her the truth. He had wanted to teach her how magic worked, and what it could do.

He had wanted somebody else who was like him and would understand the fear which came for any sane magic-user in Camelot. He had wanted to undo years and years of conditioning Morgana had likely gone through, telling her that magic was evil and should be stamped out or shunned while he taught Morgana how to control her magic. For a glorious moment, Merlin had thought that perhaps with Morgana on his side, Albion would have a greater chance to be born. In turn, he had wanted to be with somebody and comfort them whenever the Pendragon family demonstrated their never-ceasing ability to commit mass murder.

But Merlin hadn't. He had listened too much to the counsel of Gaius, and to Kilgharrah; the dragon hadn't wanted Morgana to know anything about magic, since she was destined to become an enemy, and Gaius had likely been more scared. And like an awful self-fulfilling prophecy, Morgana had fallen.

Because of Merlin. When he had poisoned her during that mess with the Knights of Medhir, and how Morgause had turned her into a vessel for that sleeping spell, Merlin had been heartbroken and panic-stricken by what he needed to do. He wished he had told Morgana about the spell Morgause was using, revealed his magic. Maybe if he had done, Morgana wouldn't have been so twisted she would have turned to her half-sister who was already twisted due to the actions of Uther.

It was something he had come to genuinely regret.

All because of me, because I listened to bad advice. I could have helped her, and yet at the same time I might have made things worse than they are now, Merlin thought to himself bitingly as the drew closer to the Throne Room, now, not only is Morgana in control, she has become insane, twisted with rage and hatred. All because of me, so many people have died because I listened to the worst advice possible, and cared more for my own tunnel vision that I didn't bother thinking that if I told her the truth, things might have never turned out like this. All because of me, because I was more scared for myself and this stupid destiny. There are times I wish I hadn't been chosen for this, but as the dragon says, few men can escape their destinies; I just wish I had chosen better.

Isolde's voice brought Merlin's mind back to the present. The blonde smuggler's back was pressed against Tristan's, a smile on her face as she asked her partner, "Whatever happened to the idea of finding a bit of land and settling down?"

Arthur, meanwhile walked over toward Merlin, looking at Excalibur with an impressed expression on his face so Merlin couldn't hear what Tristan had to say to Isolde. "You know, this thing's not bad," Arthur commented. "Thought you might like it," Merlin smiled, although he hoped Arthur never discovered the truth behind the blade. His smile faded as Arthur and the others leaned on the doors leading into the chamber, tensing as they prepared for the fight to the death; Morgana's soldiers were bad enough, but the witch herself was another story, but Merlin had confidence in his hasty plan to put a stop to Morgana's magic for a bit. The poppet would not work for long, but it should work long enough on his old friend to make her escape quickly and end this senseless campaign.

As the group prepared to enter the council chamber, Arthur looked at everyone to make sure they were prepared. "Ready?" He asked before he stood back so he could throw himself at the doors. "For the love of Camelot!" Merlin's voice was drowned out by the others. The warlock was not sure what he or the others had been expecting, but as they charged into the council chamber, they stopped in astonishment when they found Morgana herself with Helios, her second in command, or something like that, standing nearby. They were alone. No soldiers, no massive army. There weren't even other sorcerers allied with Morgana.

Merlin tensed, wondering why Morgana was on her own with Helios.

"Welcome, dear brother. It's been far too long," Morgana smirked in her usual teasing manner, although now it had become more twisted after Merlin's betrayal and a year being twisted by Morgause.

The witch didn't even bother to wait for a reply. She merely stood up and walked towards them. The party tensed. Merlin followed suit, hoping his spell worked. If not… none of these people were a match for a witch who'd had a lot of time on her hands to study magic. Merlin knew he was more powerful than she was, but Morgana was near the height of her own power, and she'd had plenty of time on her hands to study up on all the most powerful and evil spells she could get her hands on.

Him?

It was rare for him to fulfil his promise to Gaius after the elderly physician had given him that grimoire shortly after he'd arrived in Camelot and saved Arthur that first time around, and because of the way the people in Camelot viewed magic, it was even harder to practice it. He only hoped if there was a battle between himself and Morgana, he could use his superior power over her own.

He just hoped it wouldn't come to that. "I apologise if you had a difficult reception," Morgana went on as she walked towards them, "It's hard to know who to trust these days."

Morgana stopped in the middle and Arthur approached her slowly, more than aware he was not dealing with the woman he had grown up with, a woman whom he had loved for so long. Now he knew she was a powerful and dangerous sorceress, and she had proven she was a lethal enemy. He raised Excalibur with an open hand to show he had no intention of attacking her, but Merlin saw her watching his approach warily until he placed the sword in his belt. The two siblings even if they hadn't known it until things were going horribly wrong stopped in the middle, and although he couldn't see his face, Merlin could tell this was hurting Arthur as much as it hurt Morgana, deep down.

The sight of the witch who had been Camelot's worst enemy since her return from her year-long disappearance where she was tutored by Morgause looking sad gave Merlin hope; if there was some way they could get through to her, to make her think…. "What happened to you, Morgana?" Arthur asked softly.

Morgana looked her half-brother straight in the eye almost regretfully, the hurt plain on both their faces and in their voices clear. "I thought we were friends," Arthur said.

That more than anything hurt Merlin than anything else. He had known, despite their chaotic bickering, Arthur and Morgana had been close, and that was even before the truth of Morgana's paternity came out. "As did I," Morgana's soft reply broke Merlin out of his thoughts, and he saw her expression, it was so sad, regretful as if the Morgana of old wanted nothing more than to escape and rush into the arms of her brother, so he could reassure her…and then her expression turned hard and cold, "But alas, we were both wrong."

"You can't blame me for my father's sins."

"It's a little late for that," Morgana argued, chuckling slightly while she stared bitterly back into her half brother's eyes with her glassy green eyes which showed how much she despised the Pendragon legacy of genocide, not that Merlin could blame her; while he had grown to like Arthur, even without the other man's feelings towards magic clear, Merlin had never liked how the Pendragon family seemed to have this condition where they would attack, attack, and attack anything and anyone who angered them to the point of insanity. Morgana was the latest example. "You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind. You're not as different from Uther as you'd like to think."

Merlin closed his eyes. Yes, that was what it all bubbled down to, wasn't it?

Uther.

He wasn't surprised. "Nor are you," Arthur said, his own voice bitter.

Morgana's expression turned even angrier, and she backed up slowly. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, Arthur Pendragon," Morgana was saying as she backed away. "Not even Emrys can save you now."

Merlin stiffened as he heard the name the druids had given him. Ever since that mess with Fomorrah, Merlin had frequently wondered how Morgana had discovered it. When he had gone in his Dragoon guise, Morgana had looked shaken and terrified, which pointed out she must have found another reason to hate Emrys. And it had not stopped since. Morgana had gone to a lot of trouble making sure her little puppet Agravaine planted evidence against Gaius and having him tortured to know more.

But how had she found out?

At first, Merlin had speculated with Gaius if Morgana knew about Emrys thanks to Morgause, who would have learnt of such prophecies at length after she'd gotten away from Camelot when the Purge was in full effect, but that made no sense.

Why was she focusing on such a prophecy now when she'd had numerous chances to worry about it before she'd revealed her true colours during that unholy mess when she'd taken over Camelot with Morgause?

But what was it? Morgana was not a stupid woman, not in the least. She was highly intelligent, so whatever it had been which had alerted her about him as Emrys must have been stronger than a few scraps of knowledge, and how she had recognised him as an old man was more telling. But how had it happened?

Arthur drew Excalibur while Morgana smirked. "Your blades cannot stop me," Morgana gloated while Helios walked over to stand next to his mistress, while on the other side the others, including Merlin braced himself….

"However, I want to ask you, Arthur. Where is Emrys, and why isn't he with you when he seems to go to enormous effort to protect you and the whole of Camelot?" Morgana asked, throwing them off at the same time with the mention of the name.

"Who?" Arthur asked. "You said that name before. Who is he?"

Morgana sneered cruelly, making Merlin's heartache while he tried to appear as unassuming as ever; he had no idea what would make Morgana ask something so out of the blue, but he could understand why since she could see he was a threat, and she would want to stamp it out. Quickly. But the sight of her sneer….

Camelot's favourite daughter, the ward of Uther, the once compassionate, kind-hearted and loving woman was gone forever, twisted, not by magic, but by her own fears and how everyone had betrayed her even if they hadn't intended to. Morgana had become their enemy, and now more than ever Merlin… was beginning to give up hope she could ever be reached.

"Don't tell me you don't know, dear brother," Morgana replied mocking Arthur, although her eyes were crinkled curiously. "Emrys… is the sorcerer who, for reasons defying understanding, decides to protect you, Arthur Pendragon," she spat out the surname in disgust; Merlin found her disgust rather hypocritical, not only because of her relation to Arthur but also because she had acted more like Uther than Arthur had.

It was ironic, but for all of Morgana's loathing for her father, she was a lot like him.

Meanwhile, Arthur was confused. He had half expected to come in here for a battle, instead, he was talking with Morgana; it was strange, despite knowing what she was now, Arthur did not want her to be harmed. But he had not expected this. Why would a sorcerer want to protect him, the son of a king determined to exterminate all sorcerers of all kinds and other magical creatures? Surely he knew what would happen if he were caught?

At first, Arthur refused to believe it out of reflex, but then he remembered the last few years spent fighting against creatures, bandits, but most especially sorcerers, and Arthur remembered those moments where something happened at the last minute.

Swords flying from hands. Branches from trees choosing just the right minute to fall. His mind also went back to that mess with Valiant, and how the once careful knight had an enchanted sword with magical snakes on it. He had heard Valiant asking why they had appeared so suddenly when they had been so discreet before, and that he hadn't summoned them; Arthur had heard the man clearly since they were close together despite Valiant's attempts to keep it quiet, and he had been shocked and curious about why it had happened.

Now he knew.

Another sorcerer had summoned them, but who was Emrys? Why was he risking his life for a former prince, now king, who hated magic and everything about it even though occasionally little sparks lit up in Arthur's mind, that magic was not evil as his father had told him, but when his father had died because of magic, it had hardened Arthur despite little moments where he was convinced Uther was wrong.

But the young king berated himself for being so blind, so ignorant. The evidence was right in front of him, the entire time, but he had not seen it!

Morgana had been watching Arthur the entire time, and she came to the conclusion this sorcerer had been hiding in the shadows. She didn't blame him despite her fear and terror of him for what he would soon do to her, although she was a long way off understanding how Emrys would be a threat to her in future. That was one of the reasons she had dedicated so many of her resources to getting Alator to torture Gaius; the elderly physician was one of the most knowledgeable men she knew.

Granted, Morgana had known it would be slim, Gaius knowing anything, but if he did, it would have been a great help although the plan had failed quickly, although she had no idea why Alator had turned on her.

"You truly did not know?" Morgana said softly, her eyes fixed on Arthur, who still looked confused but there was understanding there at the same time, although she didn't know why. For a moment she thought he was faking his confusion, but then she realised Arthur's surprise was genuine. No matter. It was time for her to use the Sorcerer's Eye. She took a small amber-red orb from a concealed pouch from her dress belt. The moment he laid eyes on it and he saw it was wrapped in a dull silvery net, Merlin knew it was nothing good; most of the objects Morgana handled these days always had a sinister use when it was utilised by her, and he had little doubt this one would be the same.

Arthur stared at the orb curiously and with more than a little apprehension. "What is that?" He asked, pointing Excalibur at the orb for emphasis, his tone making it clear he wasn't just asking out of politeness. He wanted a clear cut answer, and his tone concealed the wariness of somebody who recognised a magical artefact and was afraid of it due to the hard experience of seeing such things cause nothing but destruction.

Morgana had no problems revealing what it did. "Oh, this?" She spoke as if the orb in question was just a piece of jewellery she had found and lost interest in quickly, but nobody was fooled, even the ones in the hall who didn't really know the witch heard the reverence in her tone. "You'll see in a moment, Arthur," she smiled teasingly, much like she had done when Morgause hadn't twisted her and Merlin had poisoned her.

She removed the netting from the orb with a reverence which told Merlin whatever this was it was magical and very powerful, and he cursed his lack of knowledge of magical artefacts without Gaius or Kilgharrah telling him about them without giving him an insight into others. Sure at the times, he had learnt of the Crystal of Neahtid and the Cup of Life, Merlin had only wanted to discover what they were and why they were so important, but the lack of general knowledge was damning.

Morgana wasn't helping either. She knew of the orb and he knew she wouldn't have it without a good reason. The fear and concern he felt and knew were visible on his face was identical to that of the others he could see. The moment the netting was off, the orb began to glow brightly before a pulse of rose-red magical light radiated from the orb, travelling through the room. Merlin's eyes narrowed curiously when the light reached Arthur, who tried to step back in reflex borne out of fear of magical artefacts, but the magic made the effort futile. It passed over Arthur like a gust of icy wind without it hurting him.

But the light had a visible effect on the sword Arthur was carrying. Excalibur began vibrating, glowing a bright golden light which reminded Merlin of when he had taken the sword to be burnished by Kilgharrah.

"What is this?" Arthur demanded, but Morgana was silent. She was staring at the sword with shock before a smirk crossed her face.

"An enchanted sword, Arthur? How like Uther you are-!" Morgana suddenly went silent because two things happened which shut her and everybody in the hall. The first was Merlin realised this orb, whatever it was, was capable of detecting magic and the waves coming from the orb were radiating outwards much faster, and Merlin had no idea how he could stop the waves from revealing his secret.

The second was it was too late, and the waves from the orb hit him. If Arthur had been stunned that he was carrying a magical sword, it was nothing compared to how Merlin was brightly glowing. Merlin felt the orb's foreign magic wash over him, and despite his best efforts of fighting back, he still glowed.

"What-?" Gwen's voice was a disbelieving whisper.

"What in God's name-?" Isolde asked, gazing at Merlin as if she knew what was happening but was in denial.

"Merlin, why did you glow?" Arthur's voice barely hinted at the gut-punch of hurt and confusion the King was feeling right at that moment, and Merlin could see the hurt in Arthur's face which reminded Merlin of how Arthur had appeared when he had learnt his uncle had really been on Morgana's side the whole year. "You betrayed me?!"

Merlin didn't get the chance to reply to Arthur's accusations because the other person in the throne room with Pendragon blood was also shaken and shocked by what she had discovered.

"You're a sorcerer!? You have magic…all this time, you've had magic?!" Morgana's voice rose into a shriek that sounded too loud to be created by a normal human throat, and Merlin guessed the witch's own magic was magnifying her voice in her fury.

Merlin sighed. "Yes," he replied softly. There was no way he could deny the truth now, especially since Morgana had revealed it in front of witnesses. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he knew nothing would be the same again.

Morgana's face was a mask of rage, and the room became oppressive as her magic rippled through the throne room with massive cracks spreading through the stonework like enormous spider webs. "You just cannot help but betray me, can you Merlin?"

Suddenly Merlin had had enough. Two could play at this game, and he was tired of being accused of things out of his control. Relying on his greater control over his powers he sent Morgana flying backwards, deciding that enough was enough. The sudden violence and Morgana being propelled so far startled everyone in the hall.

"Don't flatter yourself!" He snapped at her as she finally slid to a halt at the far end of the throne room, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Helios, Morgana's sad excuse for an ally (she was really scraping the barrel for them if he was the best she could manage) tense like he was planning on attacking Merlin.

But the warlock dismissed him. As far as he was concerned the mercenary was no more harmless than a cat sitting in a chair. In the meantime, he had a message to get through to Morgana, and he could feel years worth of anger and frustration towards the woman he had loved and still had affection for.

If she thought it gave him a sadistic pleasure to poison her, she was going to receive a shock.

"Do you really think it gave me any pleasure to poison you during that mess when the entire kingdom fell asleep? Do you truly have no idea how I felt when I learnt you had magic? I was excited; I could have taught you so much, but I listened to the opinion of two very old people who are set in their ways! I've regretted it ever since, Morgana. Do you really think it made me happy to send you flying down that flight of steps until you nearly died? Oh yes, that was me," he added when he noticed the look of stunned rage on Morgana's face and the shock in Arthur and Gwen's faces. "You'd turned against us by that point. You planted mandrake roots around Uther and drove him to the point of madness. Later I saw you in a crystal murdering him with a dagger. I tried to change the future, but it didn't work. I thought sending you down a flight of stairs would do the job…but we both know how that turned out. I had hoped the experience would wake you up, but I didn't tell you about my secrets because I was afraid Morgana.

"You and I were both sorcerers living in a kingdom which hates what we can do. The first day I walked into Camelot, I watched as Uther had Mary Collin's son executed. You're not the only one who was frightened, so don't you bloody well dare tell me I'm a traitor to magic by not telling you about your powers. I made a mistake by listening to the Great Dragon and to Gaius. They told me you would become evil, or there was a possibility of it happening and it was something not to involve myself in. I didn't know what else to do, but I was too young, too stupid, and too cowardly to do anything other than listening to the terrible advice. And this is the result. I have to live with the mistakes I've made."

"Your mistakes?" Morgana scoffed, her emerald green eyes as hard as the real thing.

"Yes, my mistakes. I should have told you about magic, believe me I know that and if I had the chance to go back in time and change anything, I would without hesitation. I would have ignored the shoddy advice I was given and helped you, and hope for the best. I should have helped you when I had the chance, and I hated seeing what you had become, although I'm surprised it happened so quickly," Merlin added, gazing at Morgana curiously.

He had always wondered what had happened to Morgana in the year she had been under Morgause's tutelage. He knew people could change over time, depending on what was happening around them, but Morgana's personality had completely shifted.

Oh, he knew she had a temper, and a vengeful streak a mile wide, but her attitude when they found her… it was almost identical to Morgause.

Just what in the name of all that was holy had Morgause done?

What the hell had Merlin done to her to make it easy for Morgana to be twisted like this?

"You're right. You should have told me about magic," Morgana gazed at him with a blank solemnity which made it hard for Merlin to gauge what Morgana was currently thinking. "Just like you should have trusted me, but you didn't, did you? You trusted secondhand advice instead of trusting your instincts. Deep down, you're nothing more than a coward. You don't have what it takes to make the big decisions. In fact, I doubt very much if you found yourself in the past you would change anything. No, you would make the same mistakes all over again, facing the consequences all over again. I don't think you have ever learnt from your mistakes, ever. That is your weakness, and it will get you killed."

Somehow that final statement haunted Merlin the most because he had been going over his own decisions and choices ever since he had found himself in Camelot. He had never originally planned on getting himself as involved as he had. No, all he had wanted to do was learn magic from Gaius, and then travel around for a bit to learn more.

Staying for so much time in one place like Camelot was asking for trouble, but he had, for his destiny, to ensure Albion was created and magic was free. But there were moments like this where he wondered if it would ever happen. What upset him the most was the very idea Morgana might have a point about him. How many times had he made mistakes, only for others to pay the price?

The time he had cured Gwen's father and she was accused of sorcery.

The mess with the Questing Beast and how he hadn't taken the trouble to make sure Nimueh didn't manipulate the deal for her own ends, and how his mother and Gaius had nearly died.

Creating a smoke horse when he was desperate to have some fun… only for Uther to summon a Witchfinder, and being forced to watch as both Morgana and Gaius paid the price for his nonchalance while others had been drugged into pointing the finger Gaius' way, and reinforcing the need for him to be careful.

Releasing Kilgharrah was perhaps one of the worst things he had ever done; on top of the mess Morgana had gotten mixed up with, that was perhaps even worse.

Morgana was only one of the victims who bore the scars of his stupidity. More than once, in fact; the mess with the Witchfinder, not even trying to change his stupid destiny, resulting in this mess because he could have ensured Morgana was on his side instead of being seduced by Morgause's lies.

"You might be right. But you're no better yourself. Be honest, Morgana. Put yourself in my place; if you came to a kingdom who had a king who hated magic, who lashed out at the slightest hint of it, would you advertise that you could perform a spell?"

"Of course I would-."

"Before or after you were twisted by someone who had their own agenda?" Merlin pointed out, glaring at the woman whom he'd once adored. "Because if you say the answer is a resounding yes, then bear something in mind; you were Uther's ward, and I didn't even know you were his daughter. I didn't know what would happen if I had told you about magic."

"So you decided to betray me," Morgana's face was set with rage and pain.

"And Morgause didn't? Did you never once think, not ever, why everyone was falling asleep during that attack?" Merlin fixed her with a dark look that forbade even the hint of an argument. "The Great Dragon told me the spell that put everyone to sleep needed a vessel, a living being, to renew the enchantment. Did you know Morgause used you as that vessel-?"

"ENOUGH!" Morgana's screech hurt everyone's ears, magnified by the power of her magic. "Enough! I won't let you defile the memory of my sister! You will pay, traitor!"

As he listened to Morgana's insults, Merlin felt angrier than ever and he suddenly let loose some of his growing rage. Out of the corner of his eye and in front, he saw everyone staggered by the visible display and sensation of his power. What startled the warlock the most was how good it felt, and the look of sudden fear in Helios' face was - as much as he wished to deny it - good.

It was long past the time Morgana understood the depths of her mistake, just as it was his own chance.

He was tired of it, he was tired of being accused of being a traitor to a cause that truly wasn't his, to begin with. He had never joined up with other sorcerers, particularly ones who harmed others as Morgause had. But what he was tired of the most was how he was forced to fight a woman whom he had always loved.

This was it, his damn destiny. When he had learnt from Kilgharrah what Morgana would become with Mordred, he had been terrified because he had known from the moment he learnt of it this was inevitable. A fight to the death with a woman who had as special a place within his heart as Freya did herself.

And he had given in to his fear.

When Morgana had come to him and told him about her magic, he could have revealed the truth and accepted the long-term consequences of what came from it as a result, but he hadn't. He had listened to Gaius and Kilgharrah, both old, both set in their ways, one too old and sure of destiny and the other too passive and worried about the cost to think of the possibilities of change.

And this was the result.

If he had trusted Morgana, if he had not given into his terror… this might not be happening. If he had ignored the prophecy, ignored the dragon and Gaius, perhaps so much would be happening and Albion would be close to its birth instead of him feeling that it was so far off.

But he had had enough! Merlin let loose his anger-fuelled magic and commanded it to do what he wanted the most.

To shut Morgana up.

He was tired of her diatribe, her inability to keep silent. It was long past the time she discovered whom she was dealing with.

"Shut up," he said softly but he pushed his magic outwards, making everyone stagger back.

Morgana staggered back in shock - she was already wide-eyed with shock at his release of power, but being told to be quiet so forcefully and yet so quietly had stunned her, and out of the corner of her eyes, she noted how the others were just as stunned by what Merlin had just said. The power bleeding out from Merlin was staggering as he glared at her with growing anger, but what made the whole thing so insulting for her after everything Merlin had done to her.

"Just. Shut. Up! You are hardly innocent," Merlin glared at her. "I know you had that pathetic lackey you'd placed in Camelot put the charm on Uther, so when I tried to heal him-."

"WHAT?!" Morgana and Arthur yelled at the same time, for different reasons.

"Y-you…tried to heal my father? But the old man…" Arthur stuttered in shock, the usually headstrong and sometimes arrogant King of Camelot was so startled by the revelations being laid bare at his feet he was having a hard time taking it all in.

"I came up with the disguise of Dragoon the Great when Morgana framed Gwen by putting that poultice in your bed," Merlin interrupted without taking his eyes off of Morgana while the witch glared at him maliciously. "I knew she'd done it, but I couldn't prove it, so I came up with a disguise to take the blame."

"What?" Gwen whispered in horror, the horror that her suspicions Morgana had something to do with that mess when she had seen the smug expression on her former best friend's face returning with the speed of an arrow to the chest, and horror Merlin had nearly died because of it, because of his bravery in saving her life. "Why would she do that?"

Merlin turned his face to his old friend, a look of sad sympathy on his face. "I honestly don't know, Gwen." He turned back to Morgana, his expression darkening. "When Uther was dying, and you wanted to heal him with magic, I saw a precious opportunity to change everything and finally prove to Arthur magic was neither good nor evil. I saw a chance for our kind to be free again…and then this bitch only caused more destruction for magic by planting a charm on him to reverse my healing spell!"

This was too much for Morgana. "He was a tyrant! He deserved to die for his crimes against magic-!"

"And what about your crimes?" Merlin shouted back.

He was tired of this, he was tired of Morgana shouting and screaming about how the world was cruel to her without her taking into account she was hardly innocent herself. His shout, coupled with a fresh magical outburst from him had the effect of startling everyone, including Morgana who staggered back in shock when she felt the waves of magic slamming into her, forcing her knees to bend as if in supplication to him. She growled under her breath as she fought against the sheer power overwhelming her, refusing to kneel before this traitor, this.…servant.

"Do you know how many people have died for possessing magic since Arthur rose to become King of Camelot? Did you even take stock of the people who were judged? Do you even know how many people suffered? Did you even care, or were you just dreaming of becoming Queen of Camelot, sitting on that thrice-damned throne? You are as much an arrogant hypocrite as Uther was, and you're as selfish as that bitch Morgause!"

Despite her rage, Morgana also felt terror and she stepped back from Merlin. "That old man, that sorcerer…. He's Emrys! You are Emrys! You're my doom!"

Rejuvenated by the rage she was feeling, and the anger towards the slight against her sister, Morgana lifted her hands while her eyes flashed a golden light. Merlin let out a startled cry as he was thrown towards the wall.

"MERLIN!" Arthur cried out reflexively, although he was currently unsure how he should be feeling since he had just learnt Merlin had been a secret sorcerer this entire time. He stepped closer to see if he could help the sorcerer, but before he could Merlin quickly got over the attack and somehow he managed to get back on his feet without clumsily clambering onto his legs. Arthur was left staggered by the sudden change in his now visibly imperfect world. It was bad enough Agravaine had betrayed him, and how easily and quickly Camelot had fallen for a second time to Morgana in her insane quest to become Queen of the kingdom, but finding out Merlin was a sorcerer…

How long had he been practicing magic? The King had been startled by the oppressive feeling which had nearly sent him and the others to the floor, and Morgana herself had seemed shaken by the effect.

Had Merlin done something? It scarcely seemed believable, but it was the only explanation…

Any further theories were immediately thrown out when the air itself seemed to crackle around Merlin. Arthur watched as his…friend's eyes glowed gold. And then…

The duel started.

X

As he was mentally preparing to fight the duel with Morgana in the throne room of the kingdom of Camelot, Merlin tried hard not to think about the repercussions should he fail. He had fought Morgana off before, but that was a limited fight while Morgana had not used all of the skills she had learnt and picked up ever since Morgause took her from the city while he had been disguised as an old man way past his prime.

But no longer.

Now they were fighting each other as they really were.

But at the same time, Merlin had been confused by why Morgana was not fighting at her full strength then.

At the time he had tried to work out why she hadn't used all of her skills against him during that duel, but the more Merlin thought about it when he had returned to Camelot when that wretched thing the damn witch had pushed into his body to take over and control his mind, he had realised why Morgana hadn't used all the spells in her arsenal.

She had been trying to learn more about him while she worked out her fear of him. But that was unlikely to happen now. Merlin didn't know what Morgana had picked up in her time with Morgause, to say nothing of what she might have learnt since but she was effortlessly able to use magic thanks to being able to freely practice. For a second Merlin envied the witch for that; it was unfair really that sorcerers like Morgana, Morgause and Nimueh, Edwin, Sigan and Mary had the means and the experience to learn magic without needing to perform ridiculous chores every day, and yet he couldn't even when he was supposedly the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the Earth. Merlin had always been sceptical about that, but now he was even more scornful towards that myth, especially since the line between winning and losing was so faint he could barely see it.

It was painful knowledge.

Nimueh had the power of life and death and was a skilled and experienced sorceress who had skills with fire magic. Edwin was a genius with healing spells and knew magic that could inflict terrible injuries. Sigan could animate rock. Gilli could channel his own magic into strength. What could Merlin do? Play little games with bandits to throw them off and stunning spells were hardly anything to marvel over, to say nothing of disguising himself as an old man. His dragonlord powers were hereditary and were not unique to him. The real irony was Emrys, the so-called greatest sorcerer in the world, couldn't perform basic spells because he hadn't mastered them.

And there was plenty of blame to go around.

His mother should have tried to find out if there were druid camps near the village where he could have learnt some of the basics of magic and potion making before he had headed towards Camelot to learn under Gaius.

The stupid chores he'd had shoved into his hands from Arthur hadn't helped because nine times out of eleven, he would be too tired to properly read through the grimoire Gaius had given him. And the chores were numerous, but what made them laughable was how Arthur believed he could do them in a few minutes and not in a matter of hours.

Gaius also had to share some of the blame. While Merlin loved the man, the old court physician had always been terrified because the law forbade the study and use of magic, and Gaius had never taken the trouble to take Merlin out of the city or send him somewhere where he could learn and practice his powers freely; even a few days would make a great deal of difference given Merlin's talent for picking up spells relatively easily. If he had been caught Merlin knew he would have been killed instantly and he had made too many mistakes in his time here at Camelot not to know that. Gaius, Gwen, Morgana, and even his mother had paid the price for his stupidity, and he had sworn never to let it happen again.

But the blame largely rested on his own shoulders.

He should have confronted Gaius and had him come up with an excuse to send him out of the city on occasion, so when he left he could travel somewhere and learn magic, or uncover some of the libraries and enclaves which had survived the Great Purge. A few days later he could return with a greater proficiency with spell casting.

He was starting to see for himself the scale of the mistakes he had made in his time. He should have found ways of studying magic freely instead of picking up little tidbits over the years. He should have demanded holidays so he could visit his mother, or at least organised little trips to the Isle of the Blessed since he knew nobody was there now Nimueh was gone and Morgause and Morgana had lost interest in the place now their little attempts to rip open the veil was thwarted. There might have been something there he could have made use of. He could have visited old and abandoned castles or forts - the land was full of them, and he could have made his way to one and practiced magic freely - or he could have spent time with the druids and learnt from them.

But no. He had spent all of his time in Camelot, afraid to even move. Merlin knew this was not going to be an easy duel. Morgana didn't have the same limitations he had when it came to learning magic, and ever since that unpleasant mess with the Fomorrah, he knew her knowledge of practical magic dwarfed his own. It was the story of his life, really. But Merlin hoped his own control over his magic which he'd had since he was old enough to know what he wanted proved to be a godsend.

The attacks came swiftly after that. Morgana was testing his defences, and with each spell she used, she came at him harder and more viciously than before. After the sixth attack, where Merlin defended himself using magical shields, Morgana snarled and prepared an overpowered fire spell. Merlin retaliated by manipulating her magic with his own, causing the ball of magical fire to grow out of control. Through the bright fiery glow of the inferno, Merlin could see the look of surprise on Morgana's face, and she instantly tried to put it out, cancel it, but it was too late. The spell exploded, the magic rippling through the throne room, causing extreme damage to the throne room in the process. Merlin didn't care about that, although he cared enough to prevent Arthur and Gwen and the others from being hurt by Morgana's attacks.

Frustrated and angry when her attacks became more and more brutal, Merlin lashed out and hurled the witch against the far wall. Helios, who had been cowering in the background while the two powerful sorcerers clashed, drew his sword and rushed Merlin, but the warlock waved a hand and Helios didn't have time to do anything more than gasp as his head was twisted and a terrible crack filled the air.

Morgana gaped at the rapidly cooling corpse before she looked up into Merlin's face speculatively. "I didn't know you had it in you, Merlin. I always pictured you as a coward, cowering away on the ground whenever Arthur took you out on those stupid quests of his."

Merlin did not rise to the bait. "Tell that to Nimueh, one of your own High Priestess predecessor's, Morgana. She was more powerful and experienced than I was at the time. But I killed her by summoning a bolt of lightning. In case you weren't aware of what's going on, I'm not trapped in here with you. Its the other way around. Nimueh was not the only one I've killed. I killed that bastard Witchfinder, I set up the troll stepmother who enchanted Uther even if the bastard deserved the humiliation of being married to that disgusting thing. Or Mary Collins. I even killed your little lackey Agravaine. Do you really think I'm going to bat an eyelid to a pathetic little mercenary like him? If I were you, I wouldn't get cocky."

While Morgana and the others were staggered by the knowledge of what he had done and what he was capable of, Merlin decided to get on with the duel. He clicked his fingers and a ball of fire appeared in his hand, and he let it grow larger and larger before he threw it at Morgana. The witch tried to quickly put up more defences, but she was forced to throw herself to the ground when the spell hit her own shields and she had to throw herself down to the ground to avoid being burnt to death.

Morgana shrieked with rage as he was able to silently push up defences, and she lashed out at him when she let her magic explode all around the throne room, causing further damage to the throne room. Merlin only just managed to defend himself in time while he tried to work out what he could do to stop Morgana and prevent this fight get out of hand.

Merlin quickly came to the realisation his greater experience with raw magic driven and controlled by his thoughts was his greatest weapon against Morgana.

It was all he had, sadly enough. Tendrils of magic shot out of his body, beating back her attacks. Cracks appeared on the stonework while he was dimly aware that he and Morgana were circling the Throne Room and she was leaving and rushing out into the corridor, leaving Arthur and the others behind. Merlin only spared them a thought and was worried they might be attacked by Helios and his men, but he had to hope Arthur could handle it on his own.

Helios and his men were more than a match for Arthur and whatever knights were still alive, but Morgana was the real problem.

There was no doubt in Merlin's mind Helios and his men saw the witch as their key to winning this mess. Her power and her magical proficiency would easily make her more than a match for any army while they only did the bare minimum. If Morgana knew that, Merlin did not know and frankly he didn't particularly care.

Well, they'd have to deal with that mistake; Morgana was currently too busy with him.

Merlin followed, keeping up his own attacks, batting away her own attacks with nothing but thought of what he wanted to do without using any particular skill before they reached the courtyard. With only a thought, Merlin blasted away the knights and whatever mercenaries were in their way before he returned his focus on the witch.

How had things come to this?

He blamed himself for what had happened to Morgana; he had poisoned her and for a whole year he had been terrified of what Morgause was doing to her.

But he couldn't focus on that now.

Merlin took a deep breath and dug deeply into the magic inside of him, and he gasped at the sheer power he was discovering inside of him. His body glowed as his magical power surged out of his body in tendrils, wrapping themselves around Morgana and holding the witch where he wanted her.

Morgana was staring at him in fear and terror as she realised picking a fight with him was not a smart thing to do. Her eyes were wide with her terror, but she quickly gave in to her own natural stubbornness and fought back.

The moment his magic touched her, Merlin realised he had pushed too far.

At that moment, his control slipped.

And Morgana realised it. She was lashing out with all of her might against what he was doing, and while she lacked the power to be completely free, her magic was still capable of helping her get out of the way.

"How are you able to do that?" Morgana demanded, trying to mask her fear but failing miserably. "I've never heard of anyone who can do that?"

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" Merlin countered, resolving never to use his magic like that again, at least until he had gained better control over himself and his powers. It had been going ahead so well but in the end, he hadn't had the control he had needed to really entrap the witch and stop her from attacking him.

Morgana's face twisted as she glared at him with hatred. "I'll make you pay for this, Merlin. Even if you win this battle today, do you really think Arthur will be grateful? His kind hate and fear magic."

As much as Merlin would like to deny it, he had to accept Morgana had a point. He had no idea what the consequences of what he really was being revealed, it was far from the ideal way he had hoped to reveal to Arthur and the whole of Camelot. If there was one truth he had learnt from Gaius after that mess with the Witchfinder, it was many people had embraced the Purge because of their fear and hatred towards magic, and over the years the fear had festered.

There was a chance the knights would try to kill him, but he hoped to be prepared by that point…

"Something you haven't helped," Merlin pointed out, gesturing around him. "Your actions have caused more harm than good for magic."

"This would not have happened if you hadn't interfered with my plans to become Queen!" Morgana shrieked, unwilling to take all of the blame for her actions.

"None of the people in the kingdom would have accepted you, Morgana. That's the point!" Merlin shouted while he dodged another spell chain from the witch. "You could have threatened and cajoled them all you wanted, you could have changed your tactics slightly, but everyone here knows what you are; a tyrant worse than Uther. What would happen then, what would happen when you got hold of the kingdom? Would you orchestrate a purge even worse than the one Uther thought up, only aimed towards those who can't use magic? That's the reality of the whole mess, Morgana. You could spend your entire life as the Queen of Camelot, and it would never have made any difference. Nobody would accept you, why can't you see that? Was this really what you wanted, Morgana? Was it all worth it?"

Morgana took a deep breath and looked at Merlin with sudden fear. Merlin didn't understand why she was suddenly more terrified of him now she knew who he was to her, but he pushed it aside.

The witch snarled and she conjured a ball of magic with her hands.

Merlin would never be entirely clear of what happened after that despite his best efforts later; his best guess later was Morgana set off a number of spells designed to cover her escape, which they did spectacularly when a loud explosion shook the ground and sent Merlin staggering backwards before another spell exploded outwards in a blast of light. When it was lifted - surprise, surprise - Morgana had escaped.

Merlin sighed and fought the urge to scream with frustration when he saw the witch had escaped, but when he saw she had fled, leaving behind her allies whom she'd just discarded as if they were nothing, he knew she was going to come back. But she knew who he was now, and that made her more dangerous than ever.

"Surround him!"

Merlin turned and sighed when he saw a number of Camelot knights running towards him, weapons already drawn. He stiffened, hoping he didn't need to use magic; things were delicate enough as it was, the last thing he wanted was to make things potentially worse.

And then he saw something that worried him even more. Helios's men were running away, terrified Morgana had fled and yet he knew they were more terrified of him, and they were taking advantage of the knights coming for him to get away…and the Camelot knights didn't care. They had seen him perform magic and they were more scared of him than they were of them.

Merlin stood very still, but he kept his mind on the shield spells he had learnt. He didn't want to harm any of the knights, but that didn't mean he would not defend himself if he needed to.

"Stop!"

Arthur came running out of the castle, followed closely by Gwen, and the others.

"Sire!" One of the knights whom Merlin didn't know turned, clearly puffing out his chest proudly. "We have caught the sorcerer!"

"I can see that. But where is the witch, Morgana?" Arthur asked pointedly.

The knight deflated. "S-she's escaped, sire!"

"I know," Arthur sighed, clearly wondering if all knights had it in them to point out the obvious. Privately he recalled the cheeky remarks aimed at them by Merlin… Ah, Merlin. "Take him to the Throne Room, I need to speak to him-."

"Sire?!"

Arthur glared at the knight. "Do as you are told-?"

A woman screaming caught their attention and they turned in the direction of the woman and found her cradling an injured child on the ground.

"What happened?"

"Somebody, quick, get Gaius-!"

"Gaius is too weak."

"Sire," Merlin had been getting an idea in his head for the last few moments as he'd stared at the woman and her injured child; addressing Arthur formally wasn't really in their dynamic, but it was the only way Arthur was likely to listen to him if he was formal and attract his attention.

The King turned to him in surprise.

"Let me help," Merlin said.

Arthur bit his lip, remembering the last time Merlin had attempted to heal someone. But he remembered that Morgana had been responsible for the actual death itself. But could they trust the sorcerer now?

But then he remembered, this was Merlin.

After seeing for himself the sheer power contained and wielded by this man, his manservant, who was clearly hiding more than a few secrets, Arthur wanted and needed to know more about all of the things the sorcerer had been doing over the years he had been in Camelot - what frightened him the most was he wasn't sure if he wanted to know all of them. But did he really trust him well enough to heal the injured? Arthur hated to admit it, but his trust in Merlin had been shaken by the revelation the manservant had been lying to him all of these years.

Over the years Arthur had been let down by so many people - Gwen, Lancelot, his father even, most painfully of all, Agravaine since his uncle was the only living blood relative of his mother. He wasn't sure how much more pain he could take. But his old fears of magic ingrained by his father and his tutors, and not helped by his own experiences made it hard for him to trust Merlin with something this critical. Despite knowing now it was Morgana aided by Agravaine who'd been responsible for Uther's demise and what he had just witnessed, Arthur still wasn't entirely sure.

"Can you save her?" The woman interrupted his musings, and he turned and saw her looking at Merlin was a cross between fear, suspicion, but mostly hope.

"I can do my best."

Arthur felt someone touching his arm, and he turned and found Gwen behind him, nodding at him hopefully. She might have betrayed him for Lancelot, but he knew from just one look the young woman was telling him to give Merlin a chance.

"Alright," Arthur surprised himself. "You can heal her."

This was too much for some of the knights and for the local people. But Arthur waved their protests down. "That's enough. I've made my decision, and I have not been enchanted. We should give him a chance. Please, Merlin."

Merlin was already kneeling down by the child, examining her for himself. He saw quickly an arrow had pierced through her chest and it was likely she was bleeding internally. Gripping onto the arrow gently, Merlin waved his hand casually and a shield appeared around him - after the last time he had tried to heal somebody with magic, and how badly that had gone, the last thing he wanted was for it to happen again - and he ignored the protests and cries of magic being evil ringing in his ears before he slowly began to chant the language of the Old Religion, letting it roll around in his mouth before he removed the arrow and healed the injury.

"He's done it."

"It's still evil, how do we know he hasn't possessed her or something?"

Merlin sighed even as the girl coughed and spluttered. When he saw her looking around, he smiled down at her. "Hello there."

The girl blinked at him in surprise. "H-hello, what's going on?" She asked looking around, her eyes widening with surprise and more than a little worry when she spotted Arthur himself. But Merlin answered her before she could ask any other questions.

"You were injured, but you're alright now," Merlin said and he flicked his fingers and brought down the shield before he passed her over to her mother and he turned to Arthur.

For the next few hours Merlin told Arthur, Gwen, Tristan, Isolde, the knights and several other nobles about what he had been doing all these years. Gaius had been brought in, and while the old physician was weak, he had heard what had happened and was desperate to help his ward. For several long hours, Merlin related to them everything from his first instances of magic, to his mother's decision to send him off to Camelot, to the early messes before the fight against Morgause began which culminated in Morgana's rise.

He told them everything, and while Merlin could tell Arthur was far from happy about the Great Dragon or Aithusa, he had quickly explained the reasons behind Kilgharrah's attacks. The Great Dragon had been forced to watch as Uther turned the lands red with the blood of thousands of innocent people, some of whom had merely wished to live peacefully while more dangerous sorcerers roamed around freely, drunk with power and the desire to cause harm.

The biggest boost to his story was Sir Geoffrey's awe at the mention of the Once and Future King prophecy and how Arthur was that figure who would usher in a new age. Sir Geoffrey was an important and respected figure in Camelot and his word carried a lot of weight, and he very quickly began to support Merlin.

The questioning took hours and hours as more and more of the people wanted clarification on Merlin's actions over the years. In Merlin's mind, some of them were determined to find something they could use to either exile him or justify his execution under the stupid laws pioneered by Uther's vengeance against magic following his wife's death. To say the king was far from happy with the news that Merlin had covered up the lie over his own birth was an understatement, but Merlin pointed out if Arthur had killed Uther then the kingdom would likely have rejected him and he himself would have been thrown into turmoil.

It took a long time after that, but Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes. "Thank you."

And with those words, the steps to begin repealing the ban on magic had begun. But at the same time many of the nobles, with Merlin's backing, suggested they make it clear to the magical community while they were accepted they would react against hostile magicians. But it was a start.

The start of a new era.

Of Albion.