The morning was already not going well by the time Balinor arrived. The sorcerers of The Order had escaped in the night, and it was obviously an issue of sabotage on the inside. Balinor's news was even worse: The Southern ports had not been taken, they had been opened to the enemy.
"What do you mean, opened?" Arthur demanded. "By whose order?"
Balinor sighed, and looked to his left. "The orders were signed and sealed by Lord Agravaine."
"What? That's preposterous. I never made any such order. It must be a forgery!" Agravaine said, shocked.
"I have the orders here," he said, handing it to Arthur.
"This is dated only days ago. How did it reach the Southern ports so quickly?"
"I would suspect it was teleported by magic," Balinor said.
"Is this your seal, Uncle?" Arthur asked, the hurt in his voice apparent.
"It couldn't possibly be, I didn't issue those commands," Agravaine said.
"Uncle, your seal," he said, extending his hand.
Agravaine sighed and pulled the chain from around his neck and handed it to Arthur. Arthur handed the seal and the documents to his clerk. Geoffrey of Monmouth shook his head. "The seals match perfectly."
Agravaine turned red with fury. "No, it's impossible! Those documents are a forgery. I didn't issue those commands, and the seal never leaves my neck. No one could possibly get access to..." he said, not finishing his sentence.
Arthur shut his eyes, a searing pain in his head. What other harms might he have done? There was no time for this. "I really should have known better. Sir Elyan, escort my Uncle to the dungeon. He'll be tried for treason."
Agravaine opened his mouth as though to say something, and just closed it, shaking his head sadly as he was walked out.
Arthur rubbed his temples. "Lord Balinor, how long before we can expect war in Camelot?"
"Within the month at best, Sire," he said.
"And the strength of their troops?"
"They outnumber us five to one, but fortunately, with our allies, particularly if Gaul can bring her forces on time…"
Arthur sank down into his chair and ran a hand over his face. He knew Balinor had come directly to him and hadn't seen Merlin yet. He dismissed the rest of the council, except for Leon and Gwen.
"So, all really is lost without Gaul?" Arthur asked. Gwen put a comforting hand on his shoulder but she looked on the verge of tears herself.
"Why? What's happened?" Balinor asked. "Why wouldn't Gaul be with us?"
"They will be," Merlin said, as he and Morgana entered the room.
Arthur slammed his fist on the table his face twisted with anger. "No! Morgana, I won't allow it."
She took his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Brother. But it isn't your decision to make."
Arthur grabbed her left hand and examined the gold ring upon it.
"It isn't binding, at least not legally," Merlin said, answering his unasked question. "It's just… something we wanted to do before casting the counter-spell."
Balinor looked confused, and Gwen explained what he'd missed.
"Oh, son. There has to be another way," Balinor said, horrified.
"Everyone keeps saying that, but we're out of time," Merlin smiled sadly.
"Quite literally, in fact, Merlin. We need him to order the troop movement from Gaul, war will reach us within the month," Leon said grimly.
"Oh, Morgana, I'm sorry," Arthur said miserably. "I've failed you."
She smiled at him sadly. "No, of course not. It was my own folly. I should have listened to you. I was naïve to think Morgause wasn't my enemy. She always was; even in my original visions she was my downfall. All this time I wanted to mount a strike on Odin, but he was never the real threat, it was always Morgause. But this time, we stand a chance to defeat her. Can I make a request, however?"
"Of course. Anything," he said.
"Would you just marry Gwen already? We should still celebrate a wedding next week," she smiled. "And Camelot needs her Queen before we go to war."
Arthur looked at Gwen, who smiled and shrugged.
Morgana hugged Arthur. "I want you to know how much I appreciate that you accepted my love for Merlin, and welcomed him as family," she whispered in his ear, fighting off tears. "He's still family, no matter what. You take care of him, okay?"
"I promise," Arthur said, blinking back tears.
She pulled away and took Merlin's hand, and they left to complete their mission.
. . .
They walked in to find Alice, Gaius, Kara and Mordred huddled together arguing at a whisper. The four of them fell silent when Morgana and Merlin walked in.
"Ah, I see you know what's about to happen," Morgana said in a clipped tone. Her face softened before she continued. "Merlin and I have come to terms with it. If you could please give us some privacy, we need to talk to Accolon first."
One by one they left the room, with silent gestures of comfort on their way out.
"Everyone acts like I'm dying," Morgana said, lightly.
"I think it's me they pity. You'll be running off with a king. With you gone, Arthur will probably start making me wash his trousers again, you know George puts too much starch into them," Merlin quipped.
She smiled at him with amusement and kissed him softly. "I love you."
"And I love you."
From behind them, Accolon stirred on the cot.
Morgana kissed him again, then pulled away. "You should go. You shouldn't have to watch this. I don't wish to cause you more pain."
He grabbed her hands in his. "I am here for you until it's done." He kissed her for the last time.
Morgana applied the salve to her lips, then waved her hand over Accolon, lifting the sleep spell entirely.
"Morgana. Merlin. What's happened?" Accolon said, looking around, confused.
Merlin explained. "You were run through with Arthur's sword. He spared your life, and we healed you. You've lost. You must let Evaine go. We can be friends again, Accolon. Arthur forgives you. It isn't your fault. You were under an enchantment, it made you act crazed in pursuit of Evaine."
"Nonsense, you're just trying to make me give up on Evaine. I will challenge Arthur again, and this time I shall not fail," he said, his face contorted in anger.
Morgana looked at Merlin with pain in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said to Accolon, "I can cure this sickness, if you'll let me. I can take the madness away."
He laughed bitterly. "Oh, how I wish that were so. The torment I feel to not be with her is killing me, she is burned into my very soul. But you couldn't possibly take away the love I have for Evaine. Even with your magic."
"I can, but there's a cost."
"What cost?"
"The love I have for Merlin. I would bind myself to you instead, and in return, you would be bound to me. But you would burn no longer, this madness would end."
He looked at her with confusion, then looked at Merlin. "Why would you do that?"
"To save you. To save all of us," she said, tears escaping down her cheeks.
Accolon brought a hand up to wipe them away. "I don't understand."
"If you don't provide troops from Gaul to support Camelot, we will all perish. Arthur and I will die on a battlefield. Camelot is sacked and even my sister will die beside us. And for you, this affliction will only grow worse with time."
He shook his head and practically snarled at her. "I've already told Arthur my price. I'll provide the troops, but only if I can have Evaine."
"And that's why we can't let the enchantment continue," Merlin said. "Is it your wish to end this burning you feel?"
"Of course, you may try if you wish, but it isn't possible," Accolon said. "I shall die for Evaine."
"Then I suppose the choice is made for both of us," Morgana said.
She took one last look at Merlin, and he nodded. She told Merlin I'm sorry, my love, then took a deep breath, and pulled Accolon in for a kiss. When their lips first made contact, she felt the magic surge through her body. Accolon deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping past her lips. She had flashes of memory, nights she had called him into her chambers as he had stood guard outside her door. Of hungry kisses, sensual caresses. She was feeling something more, something deeper. She loved him.
"Morgana," he moaned against her lips, pulling her close. "I love you."
"Accolon," she exhaled. "My love." She kissed him again.
Merlin fled the room as quickly as he could, nearly crashing into Alice and Kara in the hall. He ignored their calls, instead heading to the stables. He had just saddled up his horse as Lancelot and Mordred entered the barn.
"Where are you off to, Merlin?" Lancelot asked.
Merlin wiped furiously at the tears on his face. "Nowhere important. Just going for a ride."
Mordred frowned. "The counter-spell. It worked?"
Merlin mounted his horse. "It's done. She is with Accolon now."
"And you're off to do something incredibly foolish to chase the pain away," Lancelot said.
Merlin sniffed. "Probably."
"Then we're going with you," Lancelot said.
"We are?" Mordred asked. "Where is it we're going exactly?"
"Knowing Merlin, we're going to track the escaped prisoners and find Morgause," Lancelot said.
"To find Morgause and kill her," Merlin said, with a murderous look in his eyes.
Lancelot and Mordred exchanged a look and silently mounted their own horses and followed after Merlin.
. . .
One moment they were kissing and the next, Morgana suddenly felt light-headed and collapsed in his arms.
"Morgana!" Accolon yelled, laying her down on the cot and rushing out into the corridor. "Please! Someone help!"
Gaius, Alice and Kara rushed in.
"What's happened?" Gaius asked, examining her.
"We were kissing, and she just fainted," he said with alarm.
Gaius looked at Accolon with annoyance. "It's just dehydration, she's prone to fainting spells like this. Give her some air. In fact, you need to go see King Arthur immediately."
"I will take you to him, My Lord," Kara said, looking at Morgana with concern. "He's expecting you."
Accolon reluctantly left her behind, looking a bit dazed himself, and followed Kara to see Arthur.
Gaius and Alice looked Morgana over. "Something isn't right, she's far too pale and she's feverish. She's unresponsive to smelling salts. Gaius, what's happened?"
"I told you this was a mistake," he grumbled. "Can you see the glow coming off of her? It's almost… ethereal."
"I don't understand what's happening," Alice said. She got a wet wash cloth and wiped the remaining salve from Morgana's lips.
"We need to cool her off, bring her fever down, figure out the source of the affliction. Where did Merlin go?" Gaius looked around.
"I'm not sure. He ran off. Mordred went after him," Alice said, pressing cool, damp rags to Morgana's face.
"He needs to bring him back. And we need some answers from that Druid. Keep her cool," Gaius said, running from the room as quickly as he could.
Gaius rushed into the council room, gasping for breath. "Begging your pardon, Sire. I need the assistance of Sir Leon, it is an urgent matter."
"Is Morgana all right?" Accolon asked, alarmed at the sight of the flustered old man.
"Of course, My Lord," Gaius put on a fake smile. "She awakened soon after you left. She's drinking water and resting. She asked before she went to sleep that you please hurry to provide the troops to support Camelot, and not disturb her rest."
"I shall do as she wishes," he assured him. Accolon turned away as Gaius grabbed Leon and pulled him from the room. "Arthur, again, I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But rest assured, I shall make amends to Lord Ector and Lady Evaine for my grave insult, and earn back your friendship. I wish to marry your sister."
Arthur gave a strained smile. "My sister is free to marry the man she loves."
Balinor spoke up. "Kilgharrah is prepared to bring King Accolon to Gaul to summon his men."
"See it done immediately, Lord Balinor," Arthur said. Balinor escorted Accolon out of the council room. Arthur couldn't help but smirk as he heard Accolon nervously ask about the trip on the back of a dragon.
Once they were gone, Arthur and Gwen sought out Gaius, who was still out of breath and back at Morgana's side.
"Can someone please tell us what is going on?" Arthur demanded.
"Morgana has reacted badly to the spell. While it seemed to work as intended on Accolon, it has made Morgana extremely ill," Gaius said.
Arthur looked around. "Where the hell is Merlin?" he muttered angrily.
"He ran off before she collapsed, he was understandably upset. Mordred went after him," Alice said. "He doesn't know she's ill."
"We've sent Kara and Sir Leon back to the Druids to see if they can shed light on the reaction she's having," Gaius said, replacing the cold compress on Morgana's head.
"Dammit," Arthur pounded a fist on the table. "I never should have let her…"
Gwen held him close. "Arthur, it was Morgana's choice. And right now, Accolon is headed to Gaul to send us the reinforcements we need. I spent the morning writing to our remaining allies in hopes others will join our cause. We can't waste time second-guessing her actions. We just need to find a way to help her, while we prepare for war. We have to be strong, for her, and for Camelot."
. . .
"Stay here, I'm dealing with her myself," Merlin said, dismounting a safe distance away from the cabin.
"Not a chance. There are at least four other sorcerers in there, you're going to need our help," Mordred said.
"Let me check it out and see what I can find," Lancelot said, shedding his noisier armor. "I know you're angry, Merlin, but we don't want any surprises."
Merlin sighed. "Fine."
"Do you think if Morgause dies, the spell will die with her? Is that why we're here?" Mordred asked.
"I can only hope," Merlin said.
Lancelot returned sometime later. "They're all in there. If Mordred and I can lure them out, you can face Morgause."
"Let's do it," Mordred said with a grin. "I have an idea."
From their mounted horses, Mordred shot a fireball at the cabin. It burst into flames, and amid a great deal of screaming, the occupants began to file out, coughing, and dousing the flames with summoned water. Mordred continued firing at them until they began to scatter to find a more strategic position.
"Morgause! Face me!" Merlin screamed.
She turned and looked at him with surprise. "Emrys. You've grown bold."
He hit her with a blast of magic, knocking her backwards before charging forward. She cast a counter-spell before he could hit her again. They continued, back and forth, their magic hitting all around them as they each deflected.
Morgause was bleeding profusely, and crawled back into the cabin.
"Face me!" Merlin screamed again. "You'll die for what you've done to Morgana. It's over!"
He entered the cabin and found her laying on the floor, holding a bundle in a blanket.
Morgause glared at him. "I wish no harm upon Morgana, but she needs to join the right side. If you had any sense, you would too. You know of the prophecy. You know what the future holds."
"The future is what I'm fighting," he said through clenched teeth.
"Think, Merlin," she said, coughing up blood. "What would Morgana think if she knew you'd killed her sister? How could she ever love you after that?"
"You've already killed her love for me," he said, raising his hands to strike her down.
Morgause gave him a confused look, then whispered into the bundle. Suddenly, from the blanket, a giant slug lunged at him. He tried to dodge it, but was too late, it latched on to him. From behind him, Lancelot struck it with his sword.
"What the hell!" Lancelot exclaimed, looking at the goo oozing from his sword with disgust.
While they were distracted, Morgause plunged her sword into Merlin's stomach and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Merlin!" Lancelot exclaimed, catching Merlin and placing a hand over the wound. "Mordred! Quickly! Merlin needs help!"
Mordred rushed in and did the best he could to slow the bleeding, but his healing knowledge was basic at best.
"We need to get him back to the castle for Morgana to heal him," Lancelot said.
Mordred nodded. "Quickly, or I fear we will be too late."