Out of Time

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hello there my wonderful readers! We got a longer chapter here and it does have some cute moments, though it ends on a bad note. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying the story, very soon we're going to have a poll so I'll need you guys to review like mad when you see it so I know what you want. That should be coming up in a chapter or two. I'll keep you posted. As always, if you'd like to see your name in the shout outs, review, follow or fav. I'll see you guys next week

Shoutouts: Padfootette, Shiranai Atsune, AuroraNova46, Aga1709, MinikitsuneChan, Annie Lovisa, n-i-g-h-t-s-n-o-w-s-t-o-r-m, Serenity10116, and Biankia.

Special thanks to Vine Shadow for being my 400th follower!

Chapter 38: Out of Hopelessness

Addison had stayed out of the way as Gaius looked over Arthur and he and Gwen got him comfortable in his bed. Which meant taking him out of his armour and most of his clothes and then wrapping his bare chest where the injury had lacerated his shoulder. When everyone had left Addison dragged his large special chair to the side of his bed, then she sat herself down at his bedside to wait for him to wake up and to keep his brow cool.

At first, she had held his hand. He was sweaty and moaning, so she go of his hand to dab a cool cloth on his forehead. Then when she got bored she began to play a game he hated the most.

The I'm not touching you game. Usually it drove him crazy and she figured that maybe he might wake up, might get better, if only to tell her to stop annoying him.

But it didn't work. Arthur stayed asleep and his brow got hotter and his body grew sweatier and there was nothing she could do to help him.

She had started singing softly all of Arthur's favourite songs. She wasn't sure if he could hear her but it was calming her down so she continued.

"What are you doing?"

Addison jumped out of her seat, her song stuttering to an abrupt halt as she turned to the voice that had interrupted her.

Uther was standing just inside the room, staring at her. She knew right away what he was going to say and she had to beat him to it.

"Please don't make me leave," she pleaded. "I won't be improper or do anything you wouldn't want me to do. I just want to sit with him so he doesn't feel alone… please?"

Uther regarded her for a moment, walking a little closer to the bed to look at his son. He took in how twitchy he had gotten since Addison had stopped singing and sighed.

"I supposed there's no point in stopping you," he said. "Do you think it's making him feel better?"

"Well… where I come from, they say that people in comas can hear their family and loved ones talking to them, that… it helps them get better."

Uther nodded.

"Well, let's hope for Arthur's sake that's true." He took one last look at his son and then turned back to her. "You can stay, so long as you stay in that chair, keep a certain level of decorum and keep him comfortable."

"I promise."

She gave him a deft nod and bobbed a curtsy. When Uther left she waited to be sure he wasn't trying to trick her and then she leant in and pressed a soft kiss to Arthur's lips.

"Please don't leave me here all alone," she whispered to him.

In the fairytales true love's kiss always woke the cursed damsel. Maybe it didn't work because Arthur wasn't a damsel in distress and it wasn't a curse but a poison. Either way true love's kiss didn't do anything except calm his moaning for a bit. Well at least it had given him some sort of comfort.

Without any other option, when magic failed and Merlin didn't know what to do, he ran down into the caverns and straight to the dragon to ask for help. He got down those stairs and practically shouted into the cave and then he had to wait for the Dragon to flap his way up there and perch on his rock. Then the dragon just sat there staring at him and Merlin had to elaborate.

"I failed Arthur. I failed in my Destiny."

"And yet you would not be here if that were true," the dragon said

"He was bitten by the questing Beast, he's going to die!"

"Does he still breathe?"

"Only just…"

"Then there is still time to heal him."

No there wasn't. Didn't the dragon know that?

"I tried. I cannot save him."

"You do not know how to save him," the dragon said in his own cryptic way. Merlin nearly swore at him, seriously if this dragon gave him a riddle instead of helping him he might cross the cavern and kill it himself.

"But you can tell me how?"

"Perhaps…"

God, Merlin was going to learn a flying spell just so he could cross this cavern.

"It will not be easy."

"I will do anything!"

"Anything?"

Why did he have to say it like that? "Please, just tell me what I have to do!"

"Very well. The questing Beast is a creature conjured by the powers of the old religion. You must use the same ancient magic to save him."

"But the old religion died out centuries ago."

"The old religion is the magic of the earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men."

"But how could that help me save Arthur?"

"You must find those who still serve it, those who hold dominion over life and death," he said.

"Where?"

"Go to the place that men call the Isle of the Blessed, where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There you will discover Arthur's salvation."

Okay… okay… that didn't sound too hard… right?

"Thank you," he said, and he meant it, more than anything, so much so that he repeated it twice with as much softness and sincerity that he could.

"And Merlin!" the dragon called halting him from leaving. "The young Penndragon must live, no matter what the cost."

Cryptic, why did he have to say it like that? But Merlin got it. He nodded to the dragon, thinking that it might be weird that he had phrased it like that, in such a knowing tone, but still took his leave, already mentally preparing for what he would have to do next.

The Isle of the Blessed, according to Gaius, was said to be the center of the old religion's power. Gaius had never told him about it before because it was too dangerous. Merlin didn't care, Merlin was going to go no matter what Gaius said.

He didn't care that the old religion sent the questing beast to Arthur and that his fate was already sealed, he'd just convince them to change their minds. He didn't care that Gaius said it wouldn't be that simple. Why would it be simple? Nothing Merlin had had to endure so far had been simple.

But when he explained, Merlin kind of got it.

The High Priestess had the power to mirror life and death, and if he were to go and ask for Arthur to be saved well… there would be a price to pay. A life in return. Merlin understood that Gaius was concerned that the price to be paid would be Merlin's life, but for Merlin that was a chance he was willing to take.

Gaius had asked him not to go, begged him, but Merlin had no choice but to go. And when Gaius realized there was no talking him out of it, he gave him a map to help him guide his way and a rabbit's foot. A gift his mother had once bestowed upon him, a protection charm meant to ward away evil spirits. Merlin was so touched by the gesture that he wouldn't let Gaius take it back when he told him that it was silly. Merlin was happy for the extra protection even if it was just superstition.

Merlin rode beyond the White Mountains, through the valley of the fallen kings and there, to the north of the Great Seas of Meredor, he found a lake. And at the lake he found a run-down little boat with a black torn flag and a little bell was ringing as the boat rocked.

He used his magic to get the boat moving forward and from there it seemed to know where it was going.

The boat took him to an island where a castle seemed to be descending into the water. It came to a stop by an entrance, clearly made for this boat, even if all that stood of that wall was the little entrance to the steps Merlin was to take.

Still he climbed those steps all the way up to where the castle turned into a green courtyard. In the sense that this probably used to be the inside of the castle but the grass and the vines had taken over the space. Only some of the stone still stood unaffected.

As he walked he had the feeling that something was following him, or at the very least watching him. Still he continued to walk, ready to face this challenge, ready to fight for Arthur's destiny if he had to.

What he found awaiting him in the center of that greenified castle was a familiar face.

It was Kara the serving woman who had told him of the poison and nearly killed Addison and Arthur at once. He was not pleased to see her.

"Hello, Merlin."

All Merlin could get out was: "You!"

She merely smiled at him, like this was all some game, but Merlin didn't find this funny. "Do you know who I am?"

But he did know by now, Gaius had let him in on her identity once he had gotten back from that trip to fetch the Morteaus flower.

"Nimueh."

And then her smile grew but in a most distressingly evil manner. And he had never thought he'd ever have to describe a smile as evil before.

"You can't be who the dragon meant," he told her with a shake of his head, because he didn't get it. It had to be some cruel joke, sending him here to try and save Arthur and putting him in front of this woman. This woman who kept trying to kill him and everyone he cared about.

"And why is that?"

"You tried to kill me. And Arthur. And Addison. That kind of makes you untrustworthy."

"I only tried to kill you before I understood your importance," she told him with a haughty shrug and sniff. Yeah, like that made things better.

"And Arthur…"

"Arthur was never destined to die at my hand."

"And Addison?"

"She's been walking dead since she arrived here, killing her would mean nothing in the cosmic reality of things."

Well what in the hell did that mean?

"Now it seems I will be Arthur's salvation."

Seriously was fate playing a trick on him? Because this was some ironic bullshit they were putting him through right now.

"So, you know what I've come to ask?"

Why was he asking that? Clearly she did. But it would definitely make things easier in the long run, he wouldn't have to explain.

"Yes."

"Will you do it?"

"I do not have the power to mirror life itself and yet give nothing in return," she told him, yeah he had heard about the trade already. A life for a life, just hurry up and trade already.

"I know that a price will be asked."

"To save a life, there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored."

And here was the moment of truth. He was going to give himself, trade his own life, for that undeserving prat. He could only hope that Addison would remind Arthur of Merlin's valiant sacrifice.

"I willingly give my life for Arthur's."

There. He said it. Now hurry up and let them switch places before he changed his mind.

Nimueh smiled again as if impressed. "How brave you are, Merlin. If only it were that simple."

"What do you mean?"

They wanted a life? He was offering his freely. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't his life enough?

"Once you enter into this bargain, it cannot be undone."

God why did everyone keep saying that to him? He already got it.

"Whatever I have to do, I will do," he repeated for like the millionth time to yet another person. He might as well get a sign and hang it around his neck.

Merlin understands the consequences.

"His life is worth one hundred of mine."

She grabbed something from the center Dais, something that wasn't there before. In her hand was this golden chalice that she held out to him.

"The cup of life, blessed by centuries of powerful sorcery so that it contains the very secret of life itself. If Arthur drinks water from the cup, he will live."

He paused but eventually stood up to take the cup from her. Once he had taken it from her, she summoned rains so they poured into the cup. Once the water hit the cup and it was filled to the brim, she poured out the water into a little metal vial so Merlin could carry it back to Arthur.

As he went to leave she grabbed his arm. "The bargain is struck. I hope it pleases you."

The way she said it sent shivers of apprehension down his spine but he didn't have time to worry about how cryptic both she and the dragon had been, all that mattered now was getting back to Arthur before he died.

Merlin and Gaius burst into Arthur's room not two days after he had been bitten. Arthur had been holding on, but only just. At night, when Addison was certain no one was prowling about, she climb into Arthur's bed, clasp his head to her chest and begged him to stay with her. So far it had been working but Arthur could only hold out for so long without a cure.

So when Merlin and Gaius burst in she was out of her chair in a second letting them have access to Arthur's bedside.

"You're back," she said to Merlin as she gave him a hug. "Gaius said you went for a cure, did you get it?"

"I did," he said, gesturing to the vail in Gaius' hand. Addison took a good long look at that vile and felt a little bit like she was short of breath.

The last time she had felt that a girl had tried to poison Merlin by pretending to poison Arthur. And then Addison had drank that poison instead.

"Where did you get this? Not that girl that suffocated me?"

If Merlin was surprised she guessed that he didn't show it.

"She was the only one who knew how to cure him," Merlin said to her but Addison's eyes narrowed.

"Merlin she can't be trusted, something bad is going to happen now. I hope you know that."

He scowled at her, clearly having heard that argument over and over for the past few days. "I know what I'm doing," he said to her.

"He traded a life to save Arthur's, but he won't tell me whose."

"You didn't trade yours, did you?" she asked him but Merlin avoided both of their eyes.

"Look! Do you want to save him or not?"

She did, oh did she, but not at the risk of killing someone else she held dear. But Merlin was so insistent that she sat down onto the bed, propped Arthur up in her lap and helped Gaius to pour the contents of that vile down Arthur's throat.

While they were doing that, Uther had snuck into the room. Good thing she wasn't cuddling with Arthur, though this probably didn't look much better either.

"What are you doing?" he asked and they all froze, now a distrustful look donned his features. "What are you giving him?"

Both Merlin and Addison turned to Gaius cause they had nothing, no lies prepared to throw at him.

"It's uh… it's a tincture made from the Lobelia plant," Gaius said after a pause that had to be considered too long. "An ancient remedy for poisonous bites."

If Addison had paused like that Uther would have called her out immediately for lying. But as it was Gaius, his most trusted of friends and advisors, Uther took his words for truth.

"A cure?"

"We hope."

Uther walked towards the end of Arthur's bed, watching as his chest rose and fell. "Do you really think it will have some effect?"

"It's our last resort, sire."

Wow Gaius was really good at lying. And he always looked so innocent. Uther let Gaius pour what was left of that vile into Arthur's mouth and then they all stood there, or sat there in Addison's case, waiting to see if the effects would be immediate.

"Perhaps you should allow him to rest," Gaius told him.

But Uther was unmoveable. "I will not leave him," he said absently and then turned his eyes onto Addison.

"I was just helping him get into a better position to drink," she said, and though Uther said nothing else, she got out of Arthur's bed, put his head back on his pillow and then stood there waiting for further direction.

"You may stay," Uther told him. "You can pull up another chair."

Addison nodded scampering off to do so, as Gaius and Merlin took their leave.

That following evening when Arthur finally awoke, it was to Uther and Addison by his side smiling down at him. He said her name a little too lovingly when he spotted her hovering over him, but Uther also said his own son's name in a loving tone and she was pretty sure that took precedence over everything else.

She left Arthur's side to give him time with his father, with the full intent of sneaking back into his room once Uther went away.

Once she got to her room, the tears she had been holding back all came to her at once. She was just so happy that he was alive.

The Prince lives.

He was on bed rest until further notice, but he was alive. Addison had not left his side once, she had taken to reading her books to him, which Arthur said was driving him nutty but secretly adored. It was almost frequent to see both Uther and Addison sitting by his beside as Addison read the next chapter to the two men.

It seemed everything was going well. And for a few days it was.

Then the storm came and with it, Merlin uneasiness. He had struck the bargain and he kept waiting for himself to die. But it never came.

But his mother did.

His mother showed up in the dead of night, in the midst of a terrible storm, but no one found her until morning. She was just lying in the middle of Gaius' chambers, covered in boils and sores.

At first Merlin didn't know who it was, he just thought it was some woman who had collapsed in Gaius' shop. Gaius had tried to ward him off but he came to see who it was anyway and had been horrified to find out that it was his mother.

He understood immediately what had happened. The bargain was going to take his mother. But that made no sense, he had offered himself, why take his mother? Was it because he had held onto Gaius' lucky rabbit foot all these days, had it repelled the bargain and bounced it off onto someone else?

This wasn't supposed to happen.

So he went to the dragon first to accuse him of knowing this would happen. Which he did. He knew that this bargain would take his mother and he sent him anyway. Merlin had said he was willing to pay any price but he meant his own life, not his mothers.

But the dragon needed Merlin alive so that Arthur could ascend to the throne and bring magic back to the realm.

And that hurt. Because he thought the dragon was his friend.

He was so mad with the dragon that he vowed to never come talk to him again. He told him that he'd never release him, for doing this to his mother he'd never see the light. The dragon had spewed his fire at him, but Merlin had deflected it.

Then he did something stupid. He told Gaius he was going to sacrifice himself to save his mother. Merlin went to say goodbye to Addison and Arthur, and then he went to leave, stopping once to say goodbye to his mother.

That was when he realized what Gaius had done. He went to the island to sacrifice himself. And Merlin could not let that happen. So he went off to save Gaius, to save his mother, to save everyone he ever cared about.

Uther came to see Arthur off to bed. He wondered if he should get Adison first, read another chapter of that enchanting book she had. For years he and Arthur had been having books transcribed for her, she never wanted Holy Scriptures, she wanted fairy tales, and he had thought them silly. Now that she was reading one to him, it wasn't so silly anymore. In fact they were rather fun. A lot like Addison was.

But when he got to Arthur's chamber's Addison was already there. She was in Arthur's bed, above the blankets, with Arthur's head pillowed against her shoulder. They were speaking to one another too candidly for Uther's liking.

He had never seen them like this before though he knew that this was most likely happening frequently. So he decided to listen in, see a little bit of what his son spoke about to this girl from a different time.

"I remember you singing to me," Arthur said to her and Addison's coy smile reddened.

"I did sing to you often."

"And I remember the I'm not touch you game too."

"Well I was trying to annoy you into waking up."

"I was annoyed… but I couldn't wake up, though I wanted to."

"Well… I'm glad you finally did wake up," she said and Arthur reached for her hand again.

"I… I've been thinking Addie," he said, his own cheeks reddening. "Think a lot about what could have happened… the regrets I had."

"Regrets? What regrets could you have had?"

"Well, leaving you behind for one. Don't know how you'd fair without me."

That was a fair worry. But Uther wouldn't have damned her just because his son was gone, not when she had cared for him so dearly, and so loyally.

"But I suppose mostly because I never got to tell you… that… well… I love you Addie."

Silence hit Arthur's room as she stared at him. And that obviously wasn't what Arthur expected.

He lowered his eyes from her and continued to talk. "I do love you, Addison. Truly with all my heart. I'm not just saying it. Someday… someday I plan to marry you. You are my future queen, I see no future without you…"

Addison put a hand to his jawline, tilting his face up to hers. "I love you too, you silly, silly man."

Uther turned away as Arthur moved to kiss Addison. This, this was not unexpected, he always assumed his son to be in some sort of love or lust for her. But to think of her as a future queen? Now that was something he hadn't expected.

He left them to their twittering, and then called his guards to him. "When Addison leaves his chambers, I want her to brought to me, but be sure it's done so quietly, Arthur must not know."

It was with a heavy heart that he would make the next order. But he had no choice.

There was no way that he could allow that woman to become queen.