It had been less than a day since Agravaine had visited Morgana, an occurrence he usually avoided in order to allay suspicion. Today could not be helped, the news he brought would put an end to the secrecy of their alliance. Soon all of Camelot would know of his loyalty to the rightful queen. Morgana opened the door and hastily brought her uncle of sorts to the table.

"I trust you bring me news of my brother's untimely death." Her smile was cruel as she practically sang the words.

"I do, My lady"

Morgana stood up, looking over the man in front of her. To Agravaine it was as if her steely eyes were peering through his soul, looking for any flaw, any indication of weakness. She had done it before, mostly finding him to be satisfactory or at least, manageable.

"Choose your next words carefully, my lord." Any trace of gaiety had left her. She was now that of a hunting dog on the prowl. "If I find you have exaggerated anything I will not be lenient."

"I overheard Gwaine reporting to Gaius." Agravaine moved to take a seat. His hands were fidgeting with his gloves, removing and replacing the fastening over and over. He needed something to just hold him for a bit. Whether or not hearsay counted as exaggeration he was unsure, and hoped that he would not find out the hard way. "Arthur and Gwaine found Merlin just over two hours ago. The deed was done in seconds. Gwaine was certain the king was dead, but when he awoke Merlin and Arthur's body had vanished along with a horse."

This was news Morgana had dreamed of for many years now, both in sleep and in waking. She didn't let herself feel it though. She couldn't yet. She needed to see it. How would Merlin have achieved that? Sure, Arthur trusted Merlin beyond any shadow of a doubt, but to fall a knight of Camelot was no easy task. The king would be an even greater challenge.

"What do you mean, over in seconds?" She asked.

Agravaine chuckled taking his gloves off completely. He leaned in closer and said.

"Whatever you did to him, I am glad I will never have to face it." Agravaine's Merriment was not shared. He didn't notice as he continued. "According to Gwaine's tale Arthur was within a metre of the boy when the creature you mentioned yesterday snapped his next without so much as a word. I can only imagine the citizens will call him 'Merlin the magical assassin' or something similarly mislaid."

"He killed Arthur magically?" Her words were little more than a whisper. They were more for herself than for her guest. She wracked her brain for any bit of information about the fomorrah. Her sister had never mentioned the ability to pass magic on to it's victim. Despite knowing that was impossible she knew she'd have to scan her shelves for the bestiary Morgause had left her.

"Is something wrong, M'lady?"

"You must find the body." She said. "Until Arthur's death is made public I cannot ascend the throne."

"Of course M'lady. I will not rest until I've brought it back to you."

Agravaine left immediately, leaving Morgana by herself again. She quickly moved to the dusty wooden shelves that held all manners of thing from books, to potions, to the very fomorroh she needed more information on. Her sister hadn't kept very many books. Morgause claimed that high priestesses were required to memorize information and that it was orally passed down by an elder. This way there could be no room for a student to stray from their master's teachings. In her time with Morgause she had never once opened any of the tomes, only read their titles over and over. The bestiary was on the middle shelf on the edge, next to a large book about prophecies Morgana had considered reading once or twice. She grabbed her desired read and opened it quickly, flipping through page after page until a picture of a snake engraved coin passed her line of vision. The information it contained on the ancient creature was not much more than she herself had imparted to Merlin before watching it burrow into his neck and seize command of his mind. She had thoroughly enjoyed his scream of pain and only wished she could hear his agony as he realized what he had done to Arthur. Something clawed at the back of her mind though, surely Morgause would have mentioned the fomorroh's ability to use magic. It would have made her life easier a long time ago as she could have simply sent Agravaine off the same way. She pushed it from her mind, focusing on the incoming good news of the retrieval of Arthur's body.

Find the body. Agravaine's new mission was one that he had no idea where to begin with. The drunkard knight had spoken at a pace comparable to a dragon's flight and yet had not given him any pertinent details about where to go from there. It was only when he was already half towards Camelot when he realized he should have asked Morgana where she left the boy. Gwaine had mentioned that Merlin appeared to have just awoken. It would have been much easier getting that information from Morgana since the aforementioned knight of Camelot was now under a vow of secrecy and it would be impossible to ask without arousing suspicion. Many knew him to be loose lipped but Agravaine had learned in the last seven months that he knew which matters to be loose lipped about and not even a barrel of his favorite mead would spill the secrets the knight actually cared to protect. Surely Morgana would not have placed him too close to her temporary home.

Morgana was often bold, but she would not do anything so bold in case Merlin was as incompetent at betraying the king as he was at his usual duties. More than likely she had placed him somewhere closer to the city itself, on the edge of the woods but far enough from the valley. Even if Agravaine could figure out where they started, there's no reason Gwaine wouldn't have gone after them if the trail were obvious. The knight had the sense of direction of a blood hound from his years of traveling. The only reason he wouldn't be able to track them would be if Merlin had covered their tracks. Agravaine had noticed Merlin would often fall behind to tidy the path, on more than one occasion Merlin had cleaned up some of his own well placed hints for someone to follow. He had ruined numerous plans because of it. When they caught Merlin early yesterday Agravaine only brought him to Morgana because he thought she would be happy to kill him herself. He had thought she would readily accept such a gift. Of all the people in Camelot Merlin's name came up more often than any other non-royal. She would tell her uncle tales of how Morgause's plans seemed fool proof until a certain fool came along to disrupt it. When she didn't kill him immediately he was all too happy at the prospect of doing it himself, only to be stopped. Why doesn't she just kill the boy? Agraivaine wondered. It would be the easiest way to get to Arthur. If Merlin was really responsible for thwarting the plans of not one but two high priestesses, he himself should be worthy of target.

Arthur only survived because of his allies. Agravaine knew this deep in his bones. He had suggested whittling away at Arthur's allies in the past, but his niece shot it down, saying she would not waste her breath on anything less than Arthur and Emrys. So when Arthur informed the small band of knights about the mission and their secret path through the valley of the fallen kings, Agravaine mentioned not to his lady that very few were privy to the information. Soon Agravaine would suggest that someone among them might not be trustworthy. Agravaine wasn't raised on magical exploits and snakes that could control one's mind, he had been raised on chess. In chess pieces must be captured to access the king. Magic had turned the captured pawn into an enemy queen. No... Not pawn. Merlin was more like a rook, able to move vast distances and support any piece with ease. Arthur's death hadn't made the plan entirely obsolete, Agravaine could still use it to remove one person. Seeing as Gaius was to be left in charge during certain sojourns, Agravaine planned on targeting him.

The late king's uncle was pulled from his thoughts when he see a horse ride by through the trees. On top it was the Serving boy and something large covered in a thin blanket and draped over the horse in front of him. Arthur. Agravaine immediately started riding after them. They were going a moderate pace, one the horse would not be able to maintain for long with such a load. He considered catching up and striking Merlin where he was, but should that not be Arthur's body he would have no excuse for killing the boy. Furthermore the further Merlin rode from Camelot the easier Agravaine could sell whatever story he concocted about the boys intentions. Intentions that currently made no sense to Agravaine. Merlin should be returning the body to the citadel, he wasn't anything if not loyal to the crown. Instead he rode the opposite direction back toward the valley of the fallen kings.

Agravaine rode a good length behind them so as not to be discovered. Silently, he thanked the god's for his luck and prayed that he not be discovered too early. While he was eager to kill him, it was not as ideal a situation as the previous chance to kill him had been. He would have to wait, to exercise a patience his lady did not seem to have. Morgana was raised in court but had been taken from it too soon to learn that waiting was necessary. No doubt Uther did nothing to teach her. Agravaine wished beyond hope that in time, she would see him as a mentor, a friend, as true family. This will prove my loyalty.

Merlin stopped before the large statues of the kings of old. Nothing good ever happened in the valley of the fallen kings. After a few moments of pondering he went in. Perfect, Agravaine thought. No one will question his death in there. Agravaine found it much harder to keep up with Merlin once inside though. The king's horse, Llamrei, didn't seem to be having issues keeping an ungodly speed despite the hours they had been riding. Agravaine's own horse had slowed a bit and refused to go much faster than a gallop. He wondered if his progress would be for naught. If he would loose the servant and the deceased king due to his unfamiliarity with the valley. He followed as best he could and was relieved when they had finally left the godforsaken place.

Merlin tied Llamrei to a tree a few metres from a gloomy lake. The sun was nigh set which did nothing to brighten the already glib atmosphere. Agravaine was a short walk from Merlin, having already dismounted he concealed himself behind one of the many trees, waiting for Arthur to be revealed. As the boy stroked the horse's face, bidding it farewell, his usual carefree frame of mind was nowhere to be seen. He's broken. The task at hand was becoming more undemanding of Agravaine, he hardly believed Merlin could fight for his life in his current state. At last, Merlin removed the blanket and carried the body towards a small boat next to the dock. Agravaine took in the sight for himself. Arthur was limply slung over Merlin's shoulder, his neck slightly elongated and jiggly in a way most unnatural. The last of the dreaded Pendragons was dead. Agravaine stealthily ran towards them as Merlin effortlessly placed Arthur's dead body in the boat. He drew his sword and pointed it at Merlin's back.

"You know what I've learned from my years at court, Agravaine?" Merlin said without turning to face him, his voice was cold. The likes of which Agravaine had only heard from Morgana. "Sometimes the simplest trap is the one that works best."

While Agravaine had been almost giddy to this point, that feeling had vanished. Something was wrong here. very wrong. He usually liked to finesse his victims, get any information he could. The chill running down his spine, the hair standing on ends, the beat of his heart all told him that would not be wise. He lunged at his target. Merlin quickly sprung into action, Arthur's sword in hand. He used it not only to block Agravaine's strike, but also twist his opponent's out of his hand and fling it into the air. Before Agravaine even registered the move his weapon had landed gracefully in Merlin's spare hand. What the hell. Merlin never fought with a sword. He always seemed uncomfortable with the iron blades. At least it had appeared that way since he never carried one, even on the most dangerous of missions. There was no reason for him to have bested Agravaine with a maneuver that only a single knight had proved himself capable of. He raised his hands in surrender, attempting to placate the boy. Finessing it is.

"This is treason." He said, pointing to the body. All burials had to be planned by the court and supervised by acting regent. "Return Arthur's body to Camelot."

He didn't budge, Arthur's sword was still caressing the older man's neck.

"No one will blame you." he continued. "No one would believe me even if I told them you did this."

Merlin laughed. It was not any laugh that should ever have come from the ever merry, ever optimistic servant to the king. It was the kind of unsettling laugh that could be likened to children screaming. The kind you'd expect a beast to let out when it was done toying with it's prey. The kind he'd expect from his vengeful niece. Oh gods. Agravaine clung to the tiny sliver of hope that this was all a ruse to expose him as the traitor. He did not want to be here anymore. He did not want to be at Merlin's mercy. Arthur would at least give him an honorable death.

"I considered kidnapping you outside Morgana's hut, but there wasn't any point in forcing Llamrei to carry two extra bodies."

"What're you talking about, I have no idea where she lives." He glanced at Arthur face which was looking to the sky, still as the eerie lake behind them.

Merlin followed his gaze.

"Don't worry, he can't hear you. He's dead." Then why are we talking!? "But not for long."

"Swefe nu!"

Agravaine awoke dazed. His back hurt as the ground beneath him was hard stone rather than that of the forest. He opened his eyes to be met with a dark sky spattered with stars. Merlin was standing over him, sprinkling water on him. He could only see the boy's upper body, he wasn't on the floor at all, he was on a stone table.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Memories flooded back to him as he took in the scenery around him.

Stone pillars reflected moonlight, hardly illuminating anything. Still, Agravaine realized these were the ruins of an ancient temple. One that Uther had destroyed during the great purge. The ruins in which, not too long ago, Morgana had sacrificed her sister in a ritual to tear the veil. Merlin had taken him to the isle of the blessed. Merlin had magic, not granted by the fomorroh. What had frightened Agravaine earlier that day was not some dark creature of magic, it was Merlin with nothing left to lose.

"You have magic." He said.

"I was born with it." Merlin replied. The icy tone had not left his voice as he continued the ritual.

Born with it? All sorcerers are born with magic. He was unsure of what the servant turned sorcerer was playing at. Magic was one's birthright. Agravaine himself had attempted magic in his youth but was dismayed to find only those born with the capabilities could. He hoped maybe he was just a late bloomer. After all, Morgana's own magic hadn't manifested until she was in her early twenties. Or so she had told him when he first sought to aid her. As far as he could tell one's magic usually presented itself in one's teens. Agravaines breath caught in his throat. Merlin meant his magic was apparent since birth. That was impossible... Unless...

"You're Emrys?"

"That is what the druids call me." Merlin placed the cup he had drawn water from aside and began threading hair into a doll made of straw. Agravaine's hair.

Agravaine had seen enough poppets in Morgana's hut to know how they were used. Any hope of surviving had vanished. He would never see Morgana again. He could not deliver the news of Emrys's identity. Merlin had been right under their noses, guiding and protecting Arthur. He and Morgana had never even considered it might not be his given name. Even if they had, Merlin would have been their last suspect. Merlin, the serving boy who would smile before playing the bait, supposedly unable to even wield a sword. Merlin, who would trip over air. Merlin, who could not do his duties properly if his life depended on it. Merlin, who was Emrys. Emrys, the sorcerer who could end battles with a wave of his hand. Emrys, who could cause the earth to shatter. Emrys, who could command a dragon with one breath and command life and death itself with the next. Agravaine had once asked Morgana why he frightened her. She herself was a powerful and terrifying sorceress. But now he understood. Agravaine was scared of Morgana, but loved her. If she ever decided it was time to end him, he would submit himself willingly. This situation however, this was horrifying. It was a perversion of Agravaine's remaining purpose in life.

Agravaine watched as Merlin tied together two poppets at the arms. The one threaded with his hair was perfectly normal, but the one it was tied to was not. It had golden hair, Arthur's, attached to a head that was holding on by two strands of hay. The rest had been severed to mimic the king's injury.

"Last time I did this was on accident," Merlin said raising the poppets to eye level. "Let's hope I've learned since then"

"Please, Merlin." Tears were falling from his eyes as he begged. "Don't do this. This is dark magic."

The warlock's eyes locked onto the pitiful noble's. There was a fury Agravaine did not know him capable of.

"You didn't care when Morgana released the Dorocha on so many innocents." He spat. "You didn't care when Morgana conjured the fomorroh and ordered me to kill my friend!"

There were tears in both men's eyes. Tears of fear, and tears of sorrow. Agravaine finally understood. Understood why Emrys was Morgana's doom. She would always be underestimating him. Not in power but in motive. They had viewed Emrys as some mysterious protector, lurking in the shadows, uninvolved in Arthur's daily life. Merlin was not some impartial party, he was the king's servant, his closest confident, his best friend. As Agravaine would do anything for his niece, Merlin would sacrifice anything for Arthur. Even said friend's uncle.

"Ic þe ácwele, strengþe ealde æwfæstnesse!"

Arthur awoke in the boat on the ride back to shore. His neck was killing him due to the unnatural position in the boat. As he opened his eyes he noticed the sun was just rising. He sat up as quickly as he could, taking in his surroundings. Merlin sat in the front of the boat, paddling to shore.

"What happened?" he asked.

Merlin did not reply immediately, he was stiffer than usual and there was a little scar on the back of his exposed neck that Arthur had never seen before. He also wasn't covered in mud as Arthur had last remembered him. Merlin turned to look at Arthur, his face solemn.

"You got knocked out and I saved your royal ass." He said breaking into a smile.

That was the Merlin he knew. Any doubt was promptly replaced by relief. Arthur thought he might have been dead for a little while there, Merlin being the form the guardian of the afterlife had chosen to guide his soul across the veil. He had met her before, but wasn't sure if she'd be different when he was to pass on.

"I didn't need saving." He protested, resuming the usual banter between him and his servant.

"I'm pretty sure you did."

Arthur lightly punched Merlin's shoulder and leaned back. He was glad it was over. His friend was safe and they were returning to Camelot together, like always. Merlin was glad that Arthur would never know what he did, never find Agravaine's body, that all would think he ran away scared that he'd be caught as a traitor, that none in Camelot would ever imagine what had transpired on the isle of the blessed. He was glad that Arthur had no idea trading someone's life for the king's was child's play to him.

AN: This was fun. hope you enjoyed. might do an epilogue. ~Myrien