"Morgana, please understand why I must do this," Accolon said. "Surely, if I mean anything to you…"

She looked pained, and pulled her hand away. "It is exactly my affection for you, Accolon, why I do not wish for you to take this path. Evaine is not worthy of your love. She is not worth your dishonor and the consequences that will befall our kingdoms, even if you were to survive this duel, and we both know the chances of that."

Accolon winced. "I don't care to live if I cannot have her. You must know that, without Evaine, I would rather die. I know how much you love Merlin, surely you would feel the same if you could not be with him, if he were wed to another instead."

She looked at him with tired sympathy. "Of course, I can understand your grief. But she is not yours to have, and she never was. I implore you, stop this madness now."

"I cannot! But you can! You can still convince Arthur! Please, Morgana!" he begged, falling to his knees before her.

"Accolon, you are a king! Get off of your knees!" Morgana snapped at him. "How can you let yourself be undone by pursuing another man's wife? A woman who rejected you when you didn't have enough money to quench her greed!"

"I wasn't worthy of her then…" he said, staring at the floor.

"She wasn't worthy of you! She still doesn't know your worth, and nor do you that you would debase yourself in such a way!" Morgana shouted, then composed herself. "Accolon. My dear friend. Your worth isn't because you're a king, it's because despite this sudden madness, you are a good man. She could have had you when you were merely a knight, a minor noble serving another king, a fine man who loved her. Instead, she chose a man who could provide her with more wealth. Please, Accolon. I beg of you, if you have any love for me. For your love of my brother, who was your king! Do not throw your life away to be with a woman who wouldn't even sacrifice finery for you!"

"I'm sorry, Morgana," he said, finally rising to look at her. He took her hand and kissed it. "I wish I wasn't in love with her. I often wished to be in love with you instead, during the lonely nights we spent together. So help me, I do feel love for you and I did try. But it wasn't enough then. It isn't enough now. I can't help how I feel."

She shook her head. "I love a man who was born a peasant, and I would still have wed him even if he had remained so. If it meant living in a hovel with him at the ends of the earth, I would still choose him. So please don't throw your life away for someone who didn't choose you."

"A choice you didn't have to make, because your brother gifted him your father's title. Evaine did not have such a luxury."

"That's not true! You weren't a peasant. She didn't have to choose a hovel to have you. You were a fine match for her, she would have wanted for no necessity or comfort, but it wasn't enough. She does not love you, Accolon, or she would not encourage you to fight Arthur for her hand. She only wants to be queen. Even if you have no love for yourself, please do not make me endure this. Do not put me in a position where I either lose you or my brother. Either outcome will poison my love for the survivor and then where shall I be, having lost both my brother and my friend?"

A knock came at the door. "Princess Morgana, King Accolon, it is time," Mordred said, gesturing outward. Morgana sighed and helped Accolon fasten his armor, kissing his cheek. Accolon's resolve faltered for only a moment, and Morgana hoped he had finally come to his senses. But he pulled away and walked out first, gripping his sword tightly.

Morgana fought back tears and took a deep breath to compose herself, preparing to watch a man she loved die, feeling an immense betrayal that it would be her brother to slay her former lover. She did not know if she spoke it truly or if it was in the heat of the moment. How would she feel about her brother after he killed Accolon, and doomed them all for the honor of an honorless woman?

Morgana could feel Mordred's magic soothing her, and she looked up at him in gratitude. She took his arm and he squeezed her hand comfortingly, as he escorted her to watch from a safe distance.

Arthur stood facing Accolon. "Final chance to settle this amicably, Accolon. Make no further advances on Lord Ector's wife, make apologies to them both, and we can restore our friendship. You're a man of honor, I know your worth. We can let this go and be allies."

"I wish it didn't have to be this way, Arthur. But I'm leaving here either with Evaine or covered in a shroud."

Arthur exchanged a sad look with Morgana. "Very well. For the honor of Lady Evaine and Camelot."

The two men began to parry, their swords meeting armor and shield. Morgana could hardly watch, and gripped Gwen's hand tightly. Arthur was a fierce fighter with a great deal of stamina but Accolon was also a gifted swordsman, and quite savvy. He knew how to wear out an opponent quickly. Arthur's blows were landing without effect, failing to pierce Accolon's armor. Accolon, however, had landed several smaller blows that drew blood, having broken through places in Arthur's chain mail. Arthur had become dizzy with pain. He raised his sword again against Accolon, and in a rage, hit him so hard his sword broke at the hilt.

Taking advantage of Arthur's shock, Accolon knocked him to the ground, the broken sword clutched in his hand. Gwen gasped and covered her face, shaking with fear.

Accolon shouted, "Yield, Arthur! Don't make me kill you to have what's rightfully mine!"

Arthur gasped for breath. "I can't do that, Accolon. I've sworn to fight you to the death, and would die a hundred times rather than break my oath."

"Then die you shall," Accolon said, rushing at him, just as Arthur stood back up.

He took another blow to the head from Accolon that made his vision blur. Stumbling forward, Arthur pressed his shield against Accolon's body, and stabbed him with his broken sword through a spot of vulnerability he had just noticed in his armor, puncturing his lung.

Accolon fell backwards, dropping his sword, gasping for breath.

"Accolon!" Morgana rushed to him, breaking free of Mordred's grip as he tried to hold her back.

She cradled his head in her lap, as he coughed up blood, quickly losing consciousness. "Arthur, please! It's enough! He yields!"

Since Accolon was in no condition to protest, Arthur threw down his sword. "This is done! King Accolon yields and I shall spare his life!" He turned to Morgana and gestured to Mordred to assist, "You may take him to be healed."

"Healed?!" Lord Ector sputtered. "This man wanted a duel to the death, he should get what he asked for!"

Morgana looked at Arthur pleadingly. "No," Arthur said. "The King of Gaul shall be healed, and peace restored between our kingdoms. This conflict has ended."

Beside him, Lady Evaine looked unhappy but kept her face even, knowing all eyes were on her. Either Arthur's death or Accolon's would have improved her status, but her failed lover's continued alliance with Camelot would do her no favors, merely a reminder of her unhappy match and a continued scandal in Camelot's Court.

Mordred assisted Morgana to take him back to Gaius's laboratory. If they could heal him physically, perhaps they could heal his mind as well if Merlin was correct.

"Anything?" Morgana asked, as Mordred carried him in. Kara and Merlin were working diligently at a cauldron.

"His chambers came up empty, every object we took and examined has come back clear of magical influence. If it is indeed magic impairing his judgment, it is complex and unusual, and may not have been implemented by a magical object," Gaius said, removing Accolon's personal affects and handing them to Alice, then he examined Accolon's wounds. "But we will now test the objects on his person."

"I closed the wound in his chest, but he still has difficulty breathing and I cannot get the bleeding to stop internally. Merlin, I need your help," Morgana said, washing Accolon's blood from her hands. Merlin nodded and came to assist her. He kissed the top of her head gently and then went to examine Accolon, who was still unconscious.

"This will be incredibly difficult to heal, his lung has been pierced, and… did the sword break?" Merlin asked, looking closely at the wound.

"Yes, I can't even imagine how that happened. But the sword Arthur used was already broken before Arthur ran him through with it. Shards are likely remaining in his chest."

Merlin exhaled. "This isn't a simple wound, it's going to take some time. I suggest we get comfortable. Morgana…" he said, preparing to tell her to not get her hopes up about their success.

I know. Morgana nodded, blinking away her tears furiously as they sat on stools on either side of Accolon, and put their hands on his chest and began working.

Meanwhile, Gaius, Alice and Kara filled Mordred in on the object they believe was enchanted, the ring on his finger.

"This is what we've been looking for, but it's worse than we expected. If it was a normal magical object, it would have been easy to negate its effects. But this one is some sort of, oh, what did you call it, Gaius?" Kara asked, showing Mordred through the glass enclosure.

"Diffuser," Gaius said.

"Basically, it's putting off a magical scent," Kara said. "Likely, since the King was already in love with the Lady Evaine, it didn't take much to impair his judgment. This object puts off only a very small amount of magic and builds over time."

"Small enough too that it would only affect Accolon. It would be obvious if everyone around him started acting desperately in love, I suppose," Mordred said, examining the object.

"Exactly. We will need to pull the contents and avoid inhaling the mixture ourselves. Once we have identified the ingredients, we'll need to find a way to counteract it," Alice said.

"What was the purpose? An attempt to kill Arthur?" Mordred frowned.

"I think that was one possible outcome. Poison the King's mind and he causes trouble in Camelot to get his lady love. His lady's husband is an older man, and would need a champion," Gaius said.

"And Arthur's never one to let others fight for him. He wouldn't let any of us fight Accolon on his behalf, despite our protests," Mordred said.

"If Accolon wins, Arthur dies, Morgana becomes Queen. If Arthur wins, Accolon dies, and Camelot loses a valuable ally in the war to come," Kara said. "Very convenient for our enemies."

"The duel was certainly rigged against our King. His sword broke, a sword I personally inspected before the duel. That cannot have been mere coincidence," George said, entering Gaius's laboratory, carrying the broken shards of Arthur's sword.

Mordred took the sword from him and examined it. "I would say Lady Gwen can tell us best, but I imagine the steel had been weakened through some method. Did you sharpen it today, George?"

"Yes, Sir Mordred. As His Majesty directed," he said, frowning at the pieces.

"We should examine the sharpening stone and take both to Lady Gwen for her opinion," Mordred said. "We cannot chance that our weapons will be compromised again in the future."

"Arthur, you should have Gaius take a look, you're injured," Gwen fussed, cleaning the blood off of his face.

"I'm fine, they need to devote all of their attention to Accolon, he is much more seriously injured. I will check in later when I know Accolon is improved," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"You gave me quite a fright when your sword broke," Gwen said, applying a clean bandage to his head. "I have never been so frightened, in fact."

Arthur felt a twinge of shame in his chest, a strange sensation since he had fought admirably for a lady's honor and therefore would have nothing to feel shame for.

There was a knock on the door.

"Sire, we're here to see Lady Gwen," Mordred said, with George beside him. "We need her opinion."

"Of course, come in. She is at your disposal. George can assist me," Arthur said, as George helped remove his shirt to bandage the wounds on his side.

Gwen frowned at the sight of her love's battered body, but turned her attention back to Mordred. Examining the sword and the sharpening stone, they determined it had, in fact, been sabotaged.

"This is some of the finest steel in all of Albion, it never should have broken. It was certainly sabotaged. See here, the weakening of the steel provided a flaw that was likely to produce breakage," Gwen said.

"My Lady, could you please assist us in an inspection of the armory? I fear the sabotage will become more widespread if we have another saboteur among us."

"Of course," she said. "Sire, please go see Gaius soon."

"I will, My Lady," Arthur said, grimacing as George cleaned his wounds.

. . .

"It's similar to other enchantments I've seen, Gaius, and yet still unique," Alice said, writing down the ingredients they had identified. "I am at a loss on how to counteract this concoction. I think it's safe to say that Morgause is the one who created it. We will need to ask Morgana if she might recognize the spell."

"She did once speak of an enchantment she dreamed she had used on Gwen. An enchanted bracelet to make old feelings resurface. But that spell was easily broken. This is more sinister. I can feel the magic in it, it is dark and twisted," Gaius said.

"Perhaps the Druids can help?" Kara suggested. "I could ride to the village."

"I think that is an excellent idea, my dear girl," Alice agreed. "This spell certainly has similarities with Druid magic."

"Make sure you have an escort, and ride swiftly. There's no time to lose. Should Accolon recover physically, we must heal his mind as well."

Kara sprinted down the hall to find Sir Leon. His eyes were wide when she appeared before him panting. "I have to get to the Druid village immediately. Urgent medical matter, I'll explain on the way."

Leon nodded. "Then we must leave now. Sir Iain! We have a mission!"

. . .

Aglain examined the magical object and reviewed Alice's notes before rejoining Leon, Iain and Kara at the camp fire. "Kara, I have identified the spell, it is one used by the high priestesses, although I've not seen it used in quite this way or this potent. Most alarmingly, it has been corrupted by dark magic."

"Is there a way to break the enchantment? My Lady fights to save this King's body, but his mind is maddened by this spell," Kara asked.

"I do not know of a way to break the enchantment, merely to redirect the magic, so to speak. The spell was designed to rekindle a lost romance by one who longs for its return, as a way of channeling one's own feelings, not a spell to be used on others. But it was corrupted to be used against this man's will. It can be redirected with another concoction, by rekindling another romance. The ingredients are not rare and should be in Gaius's possession already. A mixture can then be applied to the lips of a former lover, and the original spell broken with a kiss between the two of them. But the kiss will bind the afflicted to this former lover, although not to the extent of madness that he is currently experiencing. He should regain his faculties."

Leon paled. "What do you mean by binding him and the former lover?"

"Assuming there was some level of affection between them, it will rekindle it, just as the original spell. Diluted, not to the point of mania as the original spell, but they will be in love and bound to one another."

"What if… what if the former lover is already in love with someone else?" Leon asked.

"I can't be certain the exact effect," he said. "Although done consensually, this is still dark magic, one with uncertain consequences. I only know what the spell commands, and that's to bind the couple."

"Is there no other way than spreading the curse of this enchantment to another?"

"None that I know of, other than perhaps Morgause reversing the spell herself."

"Thank you for your help," Leon said, extending his hand.

"We look forward to seeing you at the Princess's wedding," Aglain said, shaking Leon's hand.

Hopefully, Leon thought.

"How are we supposed to find a former lover? What if he hasn't any?" Kara asked.

Leon frowned. "He does, and she is accessible to us."

"But will she help?" Kara asked.

"I believe so, yes," Leon said, with a sad smile.

. . .

"Thank you for your help, Kara. Get some rest," Merlin said to the exhausted girl. She nodded sleepily and Iain offered her an arm and escorted her to her chambers.

"Surely this is a cruel jest," Merlin said in a whisper, glaring at Leon. He clutched the incantation in his fist.

Leon raised his hands in surrender. "I tell you only what the Druid told me."

Merlin looked over at Morgana as she tenderly washed Accolon's forehead and tended to his more minor wounds with her exhausted magic, and closed his eyes with a sudden blaring headache.

"So, in order to save him, to save Camelot, I will lose her," he said, defeated, slumping into a chair, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. "I should have known it was all too good to last. I'm going to lose her to Accolon."

"He wasn't certain exactly what effect it would have, since she already loves you. He'd never cast the counter-spell before, just that it would have a binding effect on the two of them."

"The incantation makes it pretty clear what it means." Merlin suddenly frowned.

"Merlin, there must be another way," Leon insisted.

"If there is, we're out of time to find it. Once Accolon is recovered, he'll renew his attempts at making Evaine his queen." He groaned in frustration. "No. Accolon be damned, I should just burn the parchment. I'd rather suffer her wrath than lose her."

Leon gripped his shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "My friend, do you think you wouldn't lose her if she finds out you kept the antidote from her? She isn't one to easily forgive betrayals of trust."

"It isn't an antidote, it's a curse," Merlin muttered. "But you're right, I don't have the luxury of being selfish, too much is at stake, including her own life."

Merlin looked so forlorn, Leon frowned and sighed. "I'll keep your confidence for now and instruct Kara and Iain to do the same. To give you the chance to tell her yourself."

"Thank you," he said, looking back at Morgana, the sound of his own heart breaking audibly in his ears. "Would you please update Accolon's guard and send someone in to watch him overnight? Morgana needs to rest."

Leon left and Merlin joined Morgana beside the unconscious Accolon.

"Any change?" he asked her, kissing the top of her head and massaging her shoulders.

She hummed appreciatively. "Not really. He's still very pale, and hasn't stirred at all. His breathing does seem improved, so I'm feeling optimistic."

"I've sent for his guard to monitor him overnight. You need your rest, we both do. The magic we did today was incredibly taxing. I don't think I could light a candle right now."

She nodded. "You're probably right. We should sleep in your chambers though, so we will be close by if anything happens."

Merlin closed the door to his room and unlaced her blood-stained gown. They slid under the covers of his small bed, with her half-way laying on him to both fit.

"How are you holding up, my love?" he asked her, as he stroked her hair.

She sighed. "I need to tell you something. Something terrible I did." He felt her warm tears on his chest. "I thought Accolon was going to kill Arthur and so I…" she trailed off.

"So you…?" he prompted, confused.

"I broke through his chain mail with my magic. Where Arthur hit him, that vulnerable spot was because of me. If Accolon dies, it's because of me," she whispered.

"Oh, my love, no. This is not your fault. You protected Arthur, you had no choice."

"Arthur would be furious if he knew. I swore I wouldn't interfere. And it would certainly mean war with Gaul."

"We don't think you're the only one who interfered. Mordred thinks Arthur's sword was tampered with, which is why it broke."

"I just… I don't know how to feel. It's an impossible situation. I also thought in the moment, if I intervened, if I caused Accolon's death instead of Arthur, maybe I wouldn't hate Arthur afterwards. I would just hate…"

"Hate yourself? Morgana, you have nothing to be ashamed about. This isn't your fault. And it seems it isn't even Accolon's fault, since he was enchanted."

"Even if he lives, if we can't break the enchantment, he'll just try again, and we'll be back in the same situation. My visions… Arthur will die. I will die. Even Morgause will die. Camelot will fall."

Merlin sighed. "Do you truly believe that without Gaul fighting with us against Morgause, that all is lost?"

"Yes. I made a choice and I doomed us by saving my brother. It was selfish."

"No, Morgana, it wasn't. Your duty is to your king."

"And I've doomed him anyway. I've brought this destruction upon us," she said, stifling a sob.

Merlin sighed. He thought back to their conversations about duty. He was going to lose her anyway. On a battlefield, dying beside her brother. This way, at least she and Arthur had a chance.

"That's not true. You can reverse the enchantment on Accolon," he sighed. "The Druids knew how."

She gasped. "Merlin, that's wonderful!"

He nodded.

"Oh no, what's wrong. You don't seem pleased," she asked, sitting up.

He ran a hand over his face. "It's fine. I'm just tired, is all. We'll discuss it tomorrow. Let's get some rest. I'm exhausted, and you need your rest as well."

"Okay," she said uncertainly, laying back down and curling up beside him.

"I love you," he said, softly kissing her head, wondering if it would be the last time he would fall asleep holding her.