"Merlin, he suspects me." I told Morgause. I wanted the serving boy hiding mere metres away to sweat, I wanted him to become uneasy and feel fear as I had.
"Has he told Arthur?" She asked.
"Not yet, but he will." The confidence of my voice betrayed my actual thoughts. Merlin had held his tongue on several matters of the past, including my natural inclination towards the magical arts.
"Then we must stop him."
I turned from my sister and the few of cenred's men whom she brought along. I was now looking off at a clump of trees. The forest was quite silent before day break. Not three metres to my left Merlin sat incredibly still and impossibly silent, listening to our every word. His hair almost blended in seemlessly to the patchy moss and bark.
"That will not be difficult." Each second I prolonged it I felt giddy, I imagined his face as the life drained from him. I imagined how sweet it would be to do to him what he had done to me. Everyday of the year I had looked forward to this.
"Why is that?"
"Because he's already here." I said in his direction with a raised voice.
For two seconds there was nothing, but then Arthurs worthless servant stood up, facing my sister and I. His hair was disheveled and had little twigs in it, he had not changed from his clothes of the prior day.
"Did you really think I was that stupid, Merlin?" I asked. He would never get the better of me again, never have my blind trust again. when he tried to poison me he killed the naive little girl who blindly trusted those who called themselves friends.
He looked us both over, his eyes stopping on Morgause briefly before running in the opposite direction of us. I giggled and started to follow him before Morgause grabbed my shoulder to stop me.
"You must get back to Camelot before anyone else suspects." She said as her men ran after Merlin.
"Of course sister." I said "You're right."
I'll be damned if I don't get to watch him die myself. I briefly hugged my sister and headed towards path back to Camelot. when I was fully out of view of Morgause I circled back around to the part of woods Merlin had headed. My legs taking me quickly to my target to the dismay of my floor length dress and trailing cloak. As I got closer I slowed my pace and was much more deliberate about where I stepped, careful not to make any alarming sounds. I watched as Morgause wrapped Merlin in chains, twisted satisfaction filling my chest. It was not long before he awoke again. Cenred's men forced Merlin to kneel before my sister.
"You intrigue me, Merlin." she said. "Why does a lowly servant continue to risk everything for Arthur and for Camelot?"
Last year I would have said his unwavering sense of loyalty, but after having him break loyalty to me I could not fathom it either. How could a friend turn so easily on another for a simple bargaining chip? What did he gain from betraying my trust. rage boiled up inside me at the thought. The one who I had trusted, who had confirmed my magic, confirmed I wasn't crazy, the one who brought me to the druids so I could be myself... how could he have changed so easily? Merlin looked away from her, and towards me. I quickly, but gently, closed the opening in the bush I was peering through.
"You know the answer, but you're not telling me." It was clear my sister had not had many conversations with Merlin, he was stubborn to a fault and always seemed to be telling half truths. Now that I've seen through his innocent facade I noticed all the stories that did not fully add up.
"Come on, time and again, you've put your life on the line. There must be a reason."
Morgause was now squatting, face close to his, as if closer inspection of his face would give her the answers to her inquiries.
"I believe in a fair and just land." Merlin finally said.
"you think Arthur will give that to you?" Her tone was much softer than mine would have been. I would have let him know how naive such a thought would be.
"I know it."
"And then what." she continued "You think you'll be recognized, Merlin? Is that it?" She was fully looking down on him again, resuming her position of power. "All this so one day you can be a serving boy to the king?"
I scoffed, as if that position would do Merlin any good. I could see him being that sniveling and cowardly. His greed suddenly becoming apparent to me.
"No... There's something more?" is there? "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
Merlin raised his eyes toward Morgause, his face stern but calm.
"I've told you."
"Well, you can take your secret to your grave. Weorc untoworpenlic!"
Morgause enchanted the chains to be unbreakable, even if someone from Camelot should find him, they'd be unable to free him from the chains. I smiled at the thought of Merlin walking around bound for the rest of his life, unable to help Arthur or even to help himself. The chains rattled as they tightened and Merlin struggled before letting out a gasp.
"You chose to poison one of my own. You may regret that."
Merlin will regret ever messing with sorcerers. I used to think he understood that we were just like anyone else but gifted with abilities beyond comprehension, but he proved he was no different from Arthur and the rest of Camelot when he betrayed me. Morgause and the men left in the direction opposite me, leaving Merlin seemingly alone. I could see a glint of fear pass his eyes and I reveled in it!
He rocked a bit, testing his mobility before sitting back and looking at the chains. He examined them carefully, unaware that there would be nothing he could do against the powerful magic of a high priestess. My heart began to beat faster and I felt my face turn red with delight. Seeing him like this was a treat I wanted to savor as long as I could. I wasn't sure if watching Uther perish would give me the same level of satisfaction.
As I pondered this however, Merlin did something I hadn't expected.
"Abricaþ benda."
AN: Ah, who doesn't love a good reveal fic? this chapter took me less than 30 minutes to write. working on this, A simple realization, and another fic as we speak. ~~ Myrien
