Out of Time

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Guess who's back BITCHES?! I know, I'm so sorry it took me so long to come back to you guys but I've been working on finishing projects, so I put this one on the back burner to finish off stories that were closer to being finished, as this one is no where near close. I also wanted to have more chapters done before I started so I if I get writer's block again I can have a well of chapters to sit back on so you guys aren't left high and dry again. I'm going to try really hard to not have another Hiatus. But I can't promise that I won't, cause I'm super busy these days. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, don't forget to leave a review or drop a fav or a follow and I'll see you guys next week!

Shoutouts: jpegs109, Queenofgold83, A deathless Song, Sullivan Amy, Ebony Alvatore, Hannah .wealeyalison, Ketelyn Letinich, abi prez, IIfferson, JustanamelessGirl, Mythical McMosse, Jayleenf1, andychrome, M-Q91, Rongtu, Bogdon, Lucife, Chachita, Hpmlbmangas, Spidey00, piglet873, ebonysorrows, JadedBark, Colleen464, Hyakuya D Ren, Lex-in-Affex, Serienqueen2004, MythicalDream, Guest (Amelia), LapisLazuliRose, secretkeeper298, ladyleroux, Julia Zi, NovaJames, Ladyaqua03-77, Olgierd7 and NothingNooneZero.

Chapter 49: Out of Power

As soon as the stone creatures showed up, as soon as they started to swoop down on the castle and it's people Arthur was called to attention.

He had to report to his father, though he didn't want to, so he kept it brief. HE simply said he'd deal with them and then he left with his knights to do just that.

While he did that, Gaius took control of the throne room. With Gwen and a few other servant's help they turned it into a miniature hospital with enough beds for the injured that Gaius was pottering between.

He had guards ushering the injured in so Gaius could tend to them, and part way though doing so Morgana showed up. They tried to tell her that she was supposed to be in her room resting but she wouldn't listen. How was she supposed to be resting with all of this going on?

Both Gaius and Gwen knew better than to argue so Morgana stayed to help and her help was greatly appreciated by everyone.

Arthur, however, was not doing so well.

He was trying to fight creatures made of stone and magic, that could fly and slice through armour with a single hit. They weren't playing fair. Honestly.

He was knocked down and back by one of the creatures, it's stone claws ripping through his chainmail. He hit the ground and the world swam around him. He was barely away that a creature was coming down on him until it was too close for him to get away.

But then someone grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way.

Arthur forced himself to his feet to thank the knight who had grabbed him but it was no knight.

It was Guinevere.

Well damn, what was she doing out here? Or was he hallucinating her along with Addison now. Though why would he do that? He was much more attached to Addison than he was Guinevere. Not that there wasn't anything wrong with Guinevere, he liked her, she was a great servant and wonderful with Morgana, he just felt more for Addison then he did Guinevere.

"Guinevere?"

"Sire," she answered proving that she was real. Well not really, because Addison's visage wasn't real, he couldn't touch her, but she could talk to him.

As he got himself up, he stared at her. Both trying to figure out if it was really her and why she was out there if it was her. She kept looking at the sky in case one of those creatures returned, which was fair, Arthur was in a crouched battle stance for that same reason.

"That thing could've killed you," he said. He was honestly very surprised she had done that for him. He hadn't really thought they got along. She, historically, had never been very impressed with him.

"And it still might," she cried as she tackled him off of his feet.

They landed on the cobblestones, her on top of him as the creature swooped back up into the sky.

He groaned and she quickly got off of him. "Sorry, sire."

Well at least he knew it was really her.

"No, my pleasure," he said, though what he meant was his pleasure to break her fall.

There was something very familiar about this situation. Of Gwen practically dragging him up to his feet and getting him out of that square before the stone creature could swoop down on them again.

It reminded him of Addison. The way she used to boss him around, and throw herself into harms way to save him, even when he really, really didn't want her to.

She got him inside and into the throne room where everyone else was getting treated as well. She sat him down on a table so she could look over the wound he had received.

Clearly the wound seemed to worry her though Arthur was trying to show that it didn't really hurt him. Except it did. It stung. A lot.

Her fingers prodded the edges of it and he struggled to cover his wince. He was Crown Prince and he was not allowed to show weakness.

"I'll get you something to stop the bleeding."

She took a few steps away from him and then he called her back. "I wanted to say…" he trailed off, mostly because he was struggling to catch his breath. God he was tired. He needed to get into better shape, all this mourning for Addison had sapped the stamina out of him. She'd be so disappointed.

"I wanted to say… Just uh… you always surprise me."

God why couldn't he fucking talk around her? Usually, he wasn't that bad. He usually only got tongue tied around Addison.

Now, Addison would have said thank you, but Guinevere said: "Is that it, sire?"

"That's it," he said lamely. Except it wasn't. "Oh," he called again and Guinevere, who had been trying to walk away was forced to come back. That time he could see the annoyance on her face. Oh… maybe he should have just let her walk away.

"Uh… and… just… thank you."

She smiled nodded, and that time he let her walk away.

As soon as she was gone, he put a hand to his armour, the chest plate in particular, right by his collar. He could feel the heavy warm weight against his chest but he had also gotten hit pretty hard in that area.

It took some maneuvering but he got the pocket watch around his neck up so he could look at it. It didn't look damaged on the outside at least. He was too afraid to open up the watch face lest Addison appear in her ghostly form in front of all these people.

This was clearly a magical artefact and if his father found out he'd destroy it.

It was all Arthur had of Addison. He didn't want to lose this too.

When Gwen came back, she had Morgana with her. He expected her to tease him but she didn't. In fact, she hadn't teased him once since he had come back.

He rather gathered that she was worried that loosing Addison had affected his ability to take her witty criticism. Though, to be honest, he kind of missed them.

Both of them noted the pocket watch as he tried to tuck it back in so no one would notice. Morgana asked him first what it was.

He told him it was a good luck charm and hoped to leave it at that. But they both shot him looks of pity so he knew exactly what it was they thought.

It was a gift from Addison, he was touchy about Addison, so they were going to leave it alone.

Wonderful.

He was getting tended to when his father burst into the great all calling for him. He found him and then rounded the table to see what was going on.

"It's nothing," he said just as Morgana practically jabbed him with the cloth she was disinfecting him with, which meant he winced and grimaced under his father's stare.

Yeah, thanks for that Morgana.

"Have we driven the creatures out?"

Arthur almost snapped at him. Yes, he was in there inured, there was a stream of people coming into the castle, freaking out and injured and he wanted to know if the creatures were gone? Seriously, how out of touch was his father?

"They have control of the lower town," he told him. "The market has been all by destroyed."

"How many dead?"

"Too many to number," he said instead of asking his father why he cared? If he cared so much about his people and whether or not they lived maybe he shouldn't execute as many as he did.

"I'm sealing the citadel."

What? But… the other survivors. They'd be screwed.

"You can't!" Arthur cried.

"I have no choice."

Oh there it was again. He had no choice. He did have a choice. He was choosing to protect himself and his ways before protecting his people.

Uther went quiet as he stared into Arthur's hot gaze. He knew exactly what he was thinking, they both knew it.

"I have to protect those who have a chance. If I don't, we will all fall."

Arthur bit back any smart retort he could think of, instead he had Morgana tie the bandage as tight as she could and then he forced himself onto his feet even though it hurt.

"Where are you going?"

"There are people trapped in the drawbridge," he said.

"I forbid you."

Yet another one of his father's favourite sentences.

"I'm not leaving them to die," Arthur argued.

"It's suicide."

"You've made it abundantly clear that my duty is to Camelot," Arthur hissed to him. "My life, my heart, my very happiness, does not mean more to you that Camelot and it's ways. So yes. I am going and you cannot stop me."

Uther had no choice but to let him go. Arthur went right back out there with a little band of men. But when he got back to the drawbridge everyone who had been trapped there was dead.

Or at the very least just lying there all looking dead.

He glanced around at everything and then gave a simple order. "Search for survivors."

No sooner did he get that order out did a screech fill up the night air.

And those creatures descended once more.

As soon as he heard those creatures, Merlin was standing up. He needed to get out of his cell but he knew that no one was going to let him out.

So, he blew the hinges off the door with his magic and rushed away before anyone could notice.

Though all the guards had been called to deal with this attack so no one was around to witness what he had done, luckily. So, he rushed, first the to Throne room to see what was going on.

He saw Arthur with Gwen and Morgana, he watched Arthur fight with his father, and then had to watch as Arthur left to go out to fight these creatures again.

Jesus he was going to get himself killed!

When Uther eventual left, Merlin made his way down the servant's stairs to catch Gaius's attention. He talked to Gaius about what he was supposed to do and to his surprise Gaius suggested he went to talk to the Dragon.

Merlin was shocked that the old man knew that Merlin had been doing that. But Gaius said it made sense that someone as powerful as Merlin would find and commune with the powerful creature Uther kept trapped under the castle.

Gaius was clear that the best thing to do was talking to him, but Merlin had sworn that he would never go back to that dragon. After what he did, after he almost got his mother killed, Merlin was never going to trust him again.

But Gaius was right, Merlin didn't have another choice. HE had to go down to talk to the dragon.

God he really didn't want to do this.

He got down to the dragon's level, torch in hand and stood on that little ledge. The dragon was not on his giant rock out cropping, in fact Merlin couldn't see him at all.

"Hello?" he called. He didn't get an answer right away. So, he tried again. But that didn't work either so he added: "Please I need your help!"

At that the dragon flew out from somewhere and landed on the rock before him, smiling down him in that smug dragon way of his.

"You told me I wouldn't see you again!"

"I'm not here for myself. I'm here for Arthur."

"Arthur's path lies with yours," he reminded him. "You have made it clear that you do not walk in step with me."

"You can't want Sigan to win. You are not evil!"

"At least Sigan knows where his loyalties lie. You have shown that you do not."

"So, you will let Camelot fall?"

"I did not say that."

Ah, oh, getting somewhere now. "Then you will help me?"

"To defeat Sigan, you will need a spell more powerful than anything you know," he said. "And the songbird to help you."

"Addison?" Merlin asked, because that was who he had meant the first time he brought up a songbird. "You can't possibly mean Addison she's dead."

"Death has no power over her anymore. She crosses at her own will though she may not know it yet," the dragon said, once again with his riddles. "She comes when she is needed. If the need is great enough, she will be there for you."

Merlin sighed, that was a lot to take in. "I… okay… then the spell, what is it? Please I have to try."

"Very well, but you must give me something in return."

Oh, here we go. "What?"

"A promise."

Oh, this wasn't going to be good.

"A promise?" Merlin echoed.

"That one day you will free me."

See that didn't sound good at all. There was no telling what this crazy over grown fire breathing lizard would do to Camelot if he did do that. "If I release you, what will you do?"

"That is not your concern."

Uh… it kind of was if he attacked Camelot. You know, he was one of the idiots who lived there. He'd hate to be the reason his home got attacked by dragons.

"I don't trust you."

"Nevertheless, you must promise, or Camelot will fall."

God he was right, Merlin didn't have a choice. "Fine, I promise. Now please, give me the spell."

"Close your eyes and open your mind," the dragon ordered.

Merlin did as he was told. He closed his eyes and waited, and the dragon breathed on him. And with that breath the knowledge filled his brain and he understood both what the spell was and how to perform it.

"Few men have ever been gifted such knowledge," the dragon told him, so he knew just how big a deal this was. "Use it wisely."

Merlin assured him that he would and then he ran off. As he got to the top of the stairs, he heard the dragon call out a reminder. That he had made a promise and he would be made to keep it at one point.

Merlin chose to ignore it and rushed out to the courtyard where he knew Arthur had been heading.

When he got out there, he saw nothing but rubble and bodies. The courtyard was silent, a mist was starting to creep through the gates and into the area.

But in the middle of the courtyard was an orb of blue. It stood at least a person tall and it seemed to be shielding something.

It had taken all the creature's attention. They kept swooping down on it, trying to break through it, only to bounce off of it. Merlin had to really squint but he swore he could see someone standing in that orb, someone standing over a felled body. Someone he swore he recognized.

He had to rub his eyes to see if he was seeing things right, but he was.

It was Addison.

She was in black skin tight pants, these strange looking ankle high boots with all these laces. And a off the shoulder grey sweater.

She was just standing there, staring up at a point on the castle, unmoving. Merlin couldn't really tell but he knew Addison well enough to know that the person she was standing over was obviously Arthur.

Every time one of the creatures would hit the shield the shield would glow, it would light up like it was reacting to, or absorbing each hit. But with each hit Addison would wince and flicker.

He knew instinctively that she couldn't keep this up.

He used his magic to blow up the first of the creatures dive bombing onto Addison's shield and then the other two that swooped down to get at him once they knew he was a target. When they were gone and Merlin had jogged up to her, the shield lowered.

Now that the shield was gone he could see that it wasn't really Addison that was standing just beside Arthur. She was see-through for one, emitting some sort of silvery glow.

Merlin knelt down beside Arthur, he meant to check if the man was breathing but he found was a strange metallic medallion on his chest.

It was made of gold, but it had a compartment that opened and in it was a white design with numbers along the edges and these two wands pointed at different numbers and a thin wand moving along quickly, making a ticking noise as it moved.

The medallion as well was emitting a silver glow that seemed to be made of the same glow that Addison was made up of.

He turned his eyes up to the ghost of Addison whose blank blue eyes were staring down at him. It was like she was looking at him and through him at the same time. Like she knew he was there but didn't really.

"How… how are you here?"

She pointed down to Arthur. "He needed me. I could feel it."

If the need be great enough, she will come.

Arthur needed her and Addison had shown up. The dragon was right.

"Who would have believed it," Sigan in Cedric's body said appearing in front of them. Addison's spectral form flickered like a candle in the wind. "You, a sorcerer and a powerful one."

"I can't stay if he's here," she whispered to Merlin. Shit, that wasn't good. The dragon had said that he'd need both his spell and Addison.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Merlin cried jumping to his feet.

"And you're going to stop me?" he asked. Sigan's eyes turned to Addison. "You and a lost little soul?"

Merlin moved, stepping in between Sigan and Arthur. "Yes, I'll stop you."

Sigan shook his head. "He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave."

"That's not true."

"He cast you aside without a moment's thought."

"That doesn't matter," Merlin said with a small shake of his head.

"But it must hurt so much to be so put upon, so overlooked when all the while you have such power."

"Don't listen to him Merlin," Addison said and Sigan turned on her.

"And you. You're dead because of him. How can you protect a man who was the hand behind your death?"

"Uh… his father killed me, not Arthur," Addison snapped. "Get it right."

My god how great it was to have Addison's sass back. Merlin honestly missed it.

Sigan turned back to Merlin clearly realizing that Addison was a lost cause. "It doesn't have to be this way. You're young, Merlin. Look inside yourself, you've yet to discover your true power. I can help you. Think, Merlin, to have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are."

Merlin shook his head. "That can never be."

"It can!" Sigan cried. "If you join me."

Yeah, that was never going to happen.

"Together we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice. He will kneel at your feet."

"I don't want that," Merlin said and meant it.

"You'd rather be a servant?"

"Better to serve a good man than to rule with an evil one."

"Oh burn!" Addison cried and Merlin had to hide his smile from Sigan.

"So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will."

Then he gasped, the essence of him leaving Cedric and pouring straight into Merlin. The last Merlin heard was a cry of his name in the sound of Addison's voice.

He felt Sigan enter his body, but he felt something else too. A warm that started in his heart and spread out. Forcing Sigan right back into that gem Merlin had in his hand.

When Merlin woke up again he was on the ground. Addison was gone. The gem was glowing blue in his hand and Arthur was still asleep.

He took the medallion off of Arthur and looked down to it, it had the same warmth that he had felt in his heart when Sigan entered his body.

"If you're alright, Addison, please give me a sign," he whispered and the little medallion swung opened in his grip. He was once again looking at the numbered decal inside, and from it came that same silvery glow and a little bit of melody.

He knew Addison's voice anywhere.

It was the sign he needed.

So he pocketed it before anyone could notice and then went to greet Gaius who had come out to look for him and Arthur.

After what happened they sealed up Sigan's tomb, which was great, because that's where Merlin had put that glowing blue gem. His soul was going to be locked in that tomb for so much longer.

Uther had taken this incident as prime example of how magic was the greatest evil in the world. He had grown complacent, he had told Gaius. That his guilt over killing Addison, the only one who had ever used magic for good in his eyes, had blinded him to the truth.

Addison was something different, made of different stuff. Her magic was not hers to use, but absorbed into her and expelled out against her wishes. And when it did affect her, she had used to it to help Camelot, and Arthur.

But Addison was not the norm, and he couldn't be lenient anymore.

When that was all done, Gaius had returned to his chambers to where Merlin was resting after a long and tiring day. Merlin could not get any credit for what he was done, he would not be rewarded in anyway, so Gaius did all that he could.

He made Merlin's favourite stew for him, enjoying that the boy smiled at the gesture. They were going to sit down to eat when someone knocked on the door and then immediately let themselves in.

But that was typical for the Crown Prince.

"I've come to see Merlin," Arthur announced heading towards the table, his eyes narrowing in on Merlin. "I've not forgotten about your lazy, insolent ways. Or the fact that you called me a clotpole. But I do have to admit that there was some truth in your accusations against Cedric."

Merlin felt his chest swell with excitement. "Does this mean you're admitting that on this occasion I was actually right?"

Arthur seemed to think about it. His mouth opened and closed with the start of different exclamations but eventually settled with: "Not exactly, no."

Merlin frowned. Well there was that excitement draining out of his chest.

"It means that I have a knighthood to bestow first thing tomorrow and no one to clean my armour," he said and then upended a sack of armour onto the table. Merlin barely had time to get his bowl of stew out of the way.

Merlin looked at all the pieces in front of him and then turned his eyes up to Arthur. "All that?"

"Yep," he said with a giant grin and then he threw the now empty sack at him.

He went to walk away but Merlin stopped him with a call of his name. Arthur turned to him ready to tell him off for being so informal with him but he paused.

"I uh… I found something… I thought you might know who it belonged to…"

Which was a lie because he knew it belonged to Arthur, it had been plucked from his chest. But Merlin just had to show him medallion, he saw the glint of gold in his hands and he was stalking forward to snatch it out of his hand.

The second he had it a sigh of relief left Arthur's lips. He glanced up to Merlin and then to Gaius, and then he reached down, grabbed Merlin and dragged him to his room.

He threw Merlin into his own room and then slammed his door behind him. "Where did you find this truly?"

"It was uhm… it was around your neck…"

"Why did you take it?"

"Because it was projecting an image of Addison and…"

Arthur sighed. "You saw her then?" he asked and Merlin nodded. "I was a little worried I was the only one."

"How long have you uhm… been seeing her?"

"I found it the day before I returned," he said. "She… she appears from it at times. Did she uhm… did she say anything to you?"

"Just that she was there to protect you. She had put up a shield…"

"I had a feeling that's why I came out as unscathed as I am," Arthur whispered.

"Do you know how it works?" Merlin asked and Arthur shook his head. "Well… I was worried… you know… what your father would say so I just…"

"Thank you," Arthur said, looking down to the medallion in his hands. "Thank you for saving it for me. I know that… I know that it's magic, and I should probably throw it away before it curses me but uhm… it's the only way I get to see her now… so I don't quite care… even I was the only one seeing her… even if it was making me crazy…"

Merlin got it. He did. So he just nodded.

"I won't tell anyone… I promise."

And that earned him a smile from the young royal.

Out of now where the medallion snapped open and the ticking grew louder and quicker as little wands on the decorative plate spun and it began to glow.

It stopped, the wands stopping on the number nine and six and with it came a visage of Addison. Merlin had taken a step away but Arthur had not been afraid of the sounds the medallion was making.

And a giant smile stretched across his lips the second Addison appeared. Like her being there had soothed the pain in his heart.

"Hello boys," she said cheerfully. "Nice to see you two made up. Not gonna lie, clotpole's such a good name! Next time I can, I'm gonna use it."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "She knows you're here?"

That was interesting, could she not see them? He figured she would… right?

"You shouldn't be so mean to Merlin," Addison continued, her eyes fixed on something that wasn't Arthur. "He does a lot for you. You should be grateful."

"No, Addie…"

"Did you know that Cedric drugged him? That's why the horses escaped!" she asked. "You let Cedric make a fool of you. Let him make Merlin look bad so he could take his place and steal your keys. You used to be better then that Arthur. It's like you've gotten dumber since I left."

"I reckon she's right," Arthur said after a moment. "You are completely helpless, but not even you are that bad. I should have realized that Cedric was tripping you up to make himself look better."

Merlin just shrugged. "It's alright."

"I supposed I need to sharpen my observation skills," he said. "I'm rather out of practice with a lot of things since…"

They both fell quiet because he knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Aw come now, now is not the time to be sad," Addison's spectral form said. "I can sing a song, would you like that?"

"Of course," Arthur whispered, but she hadn't even waited for the answer to start.

It was like she was talking but couldn't see or hear them. Like it was a one-way transmission.

Arthur said nothing and just stood there watching her, smiling at her, this sort of softness on his face that Merlin had not see in just a long time.

And it was the smile on his face that made Merlin frown. Because it was clear that Arthur was very much in love with Addison. Still.