Chapter 13: in which a Heart dies

Skrael and Bellroc perched in the mouth of their fortress, waiting for Camelot to come into view. They were close. Every single niffin had been hatched, creating a constant, maddening bedlam as they waited for the signal to attack. The Green Knight watched from the broken window, silent and bitter.

Jim's throat was so dry he could barely swallow and his chest stabbed him with every breath. Even though his trollish body had withstood Bellroc's furious onslaught better than his human one would have, pain was still pain.

"Wh… Why? Why are you fighting us?"

The Green Knight turned to gaze at him, his face unreadable behind the helmet. "Merlin destroyed everything that ever mattered to me, directly or indirectly. I will make him pay for that no matter what it costs."

"But Douxie, you don't—"

His sword suddenly arced through the air, striking one of Jim's horns with such force that it flung his head to one side. Pain filtered down into his brain and he realized the knight must have hacked through its stony exterior and deep enough to hit the tissue. A dizzy spell threatened to take over, but he shoved it away. Barely.

"Don't you dare call me that!" the Green Knight commanded, almost spitting out the words. Dark blood dripped from his sword. "'Douxie' died the day I met Merlin."

"So you came here for revenge, is that it?"

"Perhaps. I'm sick and tired of running from Merlin's lackeys. I'm the hunter now." He pointed to the Amulet with the tip of his weapon. "I've fought off Trollhunters greater than you, but this is the first time I've ever had one so fully at my mercy. It's too bad Bellroc wants you alive until her plan is complete."

"You still don't have to do this," the half-troll insisted, trying to get through to him. "This isn't your world. He's not your Merlin. Killing him isn't going to bring back anything you lost and it won't make the pain any less!"

"You're making the mistake of thinking I'm just like you, boy," the masked wizard grunted, "but it's not true. I've lived too long and lost too much during that time to care anymore. Now the only thing that brings me pleasure is watching others suffer."

The cacophony of the niffins hovering outside rose to a fever-pitch as they descended in one great mass toward Camelot, accompanied by the muffled explosions of Skrael and Bellroc's attacks. Turning back to the window, the doppelgänger clenched his bare fist.

"If my survival did not depend on killing the fool who is my copy, I would let him live just so he could watch Merlin die." There was a ruthless smile behind the words. "I would take everything from him too… then I could watch him become me."

"You'd kill innocent people and even Archie just to—?"

A horrendous shout split the air and the Green Knight's gauntlet bashed into his partly-cut horn over and over as Jim tried to keep the noises of pain from bursting out. Finally it broke off, flying several paces away. Agony bled through his skull and this time he couldn't keep back the dizziness that dragged him into a realm of dry black.

When he came back to himself the knight was gone. It couldn't have been long since the sounds of battle outside hadn't changed. But most importantly… he was finally alone. He knew it was only a matter of time before they returned. Now or never.

Taking several deep breaths, Jim concentrated on his friends. On protecting them. He angled his hand into just the right position, saying with full conviction, "For the glory of Merlin, Eclipse is mine to command!"

The dark blade flashed into being, slicing through the chain links even as the onyx shard injected him with fresh poisons. One swipe and his other hand was unchained too. Jim felt a thrill go through him at the sudden freedom only to drop helplessly to the floor, Eclipse fading into the air an instant later.

His chest blazed with claws of lightning at every movement. Battered and weak as he was, he couldn't see any way of reaching an exit, much less finding a way off this flying death trap. Still, he pulled himself a few inches, refusing to give up.

That small amount of effort drained him. He'd just… rest for a moment… only a moment… long enough for the… burning to… subside…

Emerald-colored fire bloomed around Douxie in a circle, protecting him from the warrior and his pets. Merlin charged inside the hall, breathing hard, but before he could be warned about the identity of their attacker, the Green Knight broke through the wall of flames.

Pure loathing filled his eyes as he swung at the elderly wizard. Merlin blocked the strike, a ricochet spell already beginning to form when he recognized the face in front of him. Though scarred and white-haired with salty stubble, there could be no doubt.

"Hisirdoux?!"

Instead of an answer, the Order's champion snarled and threw magic directly at Merlin. The partial spell he'd started to cast in order to protect himself sent the blinding flash veering off sideways. It collided with the wall, blowing the mural there into little bits of rubble that rained down on all three of them.

Teeth bared as though wanting to go for Merlin's throat, the Green Knight flung his hand outward, commanding the shadow mephits to attack. Douxie planted his staff and crossed his arms, creating a shield around the two of them.

"Master, he's a—"

"Doppelgänger, I know." He shook his head, adding his own power to Douxie's shield so that its beams of blue light were spaced with green. "How could I have not seen it?!"

Douxie opened his mouth to reply, but the Green Knight spoke. "You're useless, unfit to be a wizard!"

The words echoed eerily in his ears and he pressed a hand to one temple at the onset of a headache as he began to see double. Two Green Knights stood there, the figures shifting over and beyond each other. He couldn't keep up the barrier and dropped to one knee, staff clattering down too.

"Hisirdoux, he's using your own insecurities against you," Merlin said, pouring more strength into their defense. Mephits were crawling all over it now, some trying to phase through. "He's your doppelgänger. You can do the same to him!"

"But I–I don't know how!" he said feebly, trying to regain his feet.

Several mephits slipped inside, snarling and snapping. A weak blast of blue magic pushed them back, but more were beginning to filter through. At the same time, the doppelgänger was impatiently throwing blow after blow at the shield. Merlin grunted and swung his staff in a wide circle, shouting, "Tenebris Exilium!"

The powerful spell blew apart all mephits in the vicinity, dissolving them into smoke. Only the ones farther back had survived, and they squealed in terror at the sight of their brethren's demise before sinking into the floor to hide. The Green Knight himself had withstood the attack thanks to his armor, but it still appeared to injure him, especially his unprotected arm.

Douxie nearly choked on the acrid death-smoke of mephits that filled the space around him. It burned his eyes and nose, making it impossible to see anything, and when he tried to call for his master he fell into a coughing fit. Stretching out to feel blindly through the noxious, dark cloud, he staggered forward. Where was Merlin?!

A hand fell on his shoulder and he turned hopefully, but then biting icicles of pain shot down his arm. Before Douxie could pull back or raise a barrier, a funnel of magic slammed into him. He landed a short distance away at the base of one dragon-wrapped pillar.

Once the young wizard opened his eyes again, most of the smoke had cleared and Skrael hovered there, scythe poised threateningly. Jagged chunks of ice fastened his hands to the floor, covering Douxie's bracer so that he couldn't use it.

"Not dead yet? Surprising. Seems our champion prefers to play a game rather than finish the job." The dark-robed wizard leered down at him, his weapon's curved edge gliding forward to rest on his prisoner's collarbone. "I hope you enjoyed the discovery. Do you really think Merlin will make himself kill his own apprentice?"

"He's done it before!" Douxie shot back, trying to keep his teeth from chattering at the freezing cold that seeped throughout his body from contact with Skrael's staff.

"Oh, no. Not like this," the other grinned unpleasantly. "I've watched Merlin for eons, searching for some flaw—some weakness—but he hasn't let himself fall into the trap of caring for his acolytes since his earliest centuries. Until now, that is." He gave a snorting laugh. "Look at him! He can hardly bring himself to fight off the foreigner!"

Following Skrael's gaze, Douxie could see the doppelgänger and Bellroc concentrating on driving Merlin back together. But his master only seemed to be attacking the fire witch and simply holding the Green Knight at bay with defensive spells.

"Y-You have to fight, Master!" he cried, struggling against the ice pinning him down. "He's not me!"

"You think he doesn't know that?" the ice wizard taunted. "Best you don't interfere at this crucial moment, boy wizard."

A dome of glassy ice took shape around him. Every breath came out in curls of mist and he tried to call out to Merlin again only for his voice to bounce back, trapped inside the solid cage.

"Jim! Dios mio!" Claire's voice came from a distance both far away and very close. "We need to stop the bleeding!"

Her hands touched his face and he could feel them trembling, but when she brushed the broken stub that had once been his left horn he recoiled with a groan.

"You have to get him out of there now, lass!" Galahad's familiar gruff voice called. "No telling when they'll be back."

Jim could feel her pull him across the floor by one arm, breathing hard at the effort—he weighed over three hundred pounds, after all—but she did it.

"A bit closer. I can almost reach him."

She gave a few more tugs toward the narrow window pane, then large hands hefted him up and out in one quick movement. Light rain showered his face. The mouth of a bottle pressed against his lips and he instantly roused himself enough to drink. The sudden gush of liquid down his throat prompted him to choke but he didn't slow down.

"Easy, lad!" the old soldier warned, pulling it away. "It's not a good idea to drink too much of this draught. Three swallows is more than enough."

Galahad was right. Already pins and needles were beginning to flow from his stomach straight through his veins, lodging themselves up and down his limbs. Blistering energy jolted through him and Jim shot upright with a gasp. It was hard to be sure whether that was a potion or the worst coffee in the world! Claire knelt there, desperate worry written all over her features. He could see blood on her hands, and by the smell he could tell it was his own. The incessant throbbing from his broken horn explained its source.

But where were they? He looked around, catching sight of the skull fortress behind them. Their vehicle appeared to be the small side-tower attached to the upper ramparts of Camelot itself, but he'd had no idea it could separate like this.

"Can we go back yet?" Claire asked nervously. "We're sitting ducks out here! Maybe we should head for the ground instead."

"We can't get too far from Camelot or else the bastion loses its ability to float. I assume you don't want that, lass?" he asked wryly, steering for the lower area close to the Heart of Avalon. "Best to keep below their line of sight for the time being until we're sure it's safe."

A black creature came diving towards them, calling out their names just in time to avoid becoming the target of Claire's shadow magic. Archie alighted on the bastion's stone wall, his spectacled face drawn with anxiety and not caring that his fur was drenched.

"I can't get to Douxie! Merlin managed to get through the barrier but I can't. I know he needs me, but I… something is wrong. I feel as if he's… divided? I'm not sure how to explai…" He trailed off, looking at Jim. "When did he show up? Looks as though he was dragged through a pit of liondrakes."

"Galahad helped me get him since I couldn't portal into the Order's fortress." She touched her boyfriend's arm. "Jim, do you feel any better?"

But Jim didn't speak. Something strange was happening to his Amulet. An echo of several voices came from deep inside. They were muffled.

"Jim, are you—"

"Quiet," he said, closing his eyes to concentrate. "I need to hear."

Sudden weight settled on his shoulder as Archie landed and Jim glanced at the creature in surprise. "We dragons may have limited magic ourselves, but we are rather good at enhancing the magic of objects. I sense it too. Let me help."

He stretched down one paw, touching the very edge of the Amulet. At once the voices stemming from inside grew clearer. In fact, Jim felt he could almost see Merlin…

He was being beaten back. The old wizard simply couldn't make himself fight. Bellroc had ceased her assault, careful not to get too close during mortal combat. It wouldn't do to be sent into an early slumber because of her exuberance. The false eyes of her cloak looked on for her as she quirked a rare smile.

Hatred mounting, the doppelgänger began to rage at him. Even though he mentally knew the Merlin here was not responsible for all he'd suffered, nine hundred years of pent-up anguish came streaming out.

"It's all your fault!" he seethed, weapon crashing against the staff of Avalon so hard that his opponent fell back several steps. "What you did that day was unforgivable, and I wanted justice. But you marked me an evil blackguard, sending your Trollhunters and wizard-catchers out to track me down! Every single time I thought I was safe and started to make a new life for myself, they would show up and ruin everything. I finally decided if you wanted me to be a villain so badly, I'd become the worst you could imagine!"

Merlin blocked and dodged, but his movements had little strength behind them—it was too hard not to see Douxie in those pain-ridden eyes. The Green Knight didn't extend him the same courtesy, using every advantage to drive him backward to the very edge of the flooring where it dropped off, a direct passage down to the Heart of Avalon. As the heel of his boot encountered empty space underneath, Merlin faltered. An instant later a gauntlet closed on his throat.

The wizard who was nothing like his own apprentice gave a smirk. "I always wanted to kill you."

From the other side of the icy prison Douxie watched the blade stab through armor straight into his master's chest, making him cry out as though he'd felt it himself. The staff slipped from Merlin's fingers and he reached forward with one trembling hand.

"My boy," the ancient wizard forced out, looking at the bitter fury in a face he knew so well. "What have you become?"

"Greater than you," came the answer through a conceited smile.

The Green Knight held him over the edge beside the flaming rod of energy, then let go.

Jim snapped back to himself, eyes going straight to the giant green stone beside them. He had only an instant to act, knowing if Merlin so much as touched the powerful object he'd be dead. Hopefully a Trollhunter would have enough protection, though.

Archie was already yowling, wings clawing at the air, when Eclipse materialized in Jim's hand. Ruby light swept out from the Amulet and encompassed his entire body. Bounding to the roof of the bastion, he threw himself upward to spring past the rotating gears. Then his glowing blade crashed into the Heart of Avalon.

Red struck from below while a flood of searing, white-hot blue came from above. The jade Heart couldn't withstand both powerful attacks at once and shattered, demolishing the entire lower portion of the castle's foundation in the process. Half a second later a limp figure dropped through the emptiness left behind.

Archie leaped from the bastion just as his wizard dove after Merlin, latching tightly onto Douxie's back. The dragon's wings stretched wide and seemed to grow larger with a magical blue sheen that matched the brilliance radiating from his friend. They beat heavily, forcing him to fall faster. The ground came rushing at them when Douxie finally seized hold of his mentor and Archie's wings flared open. They came to a stop just feet above the cruel rocks and scattered pieces of the dead Heart.

Up above, Jim had barely caught himself on the side of the floating bastion. If Galahad's grip hadn't been so strong, he probably would have followed the two wizards down. But without the Heart of Avalon, the castle's secondary tower began to implode. Claire gave a startled scream at the sight of debris falling toward them.

"I can get us to Douxie!" she called, forming a shadow portal.

All three of them were swallowed up by the darkness, moments later coming out almost beside the wizard. Merlin lay stretched out on the ground, face contorted in pain as blood leaked down his armor while Douxie babbled assurances in a cracked, distraught voice. The heavy rainstorm of twenty minutes earlier had softened to a bare drizzle now, leaving a dewy wetness over everything. Ignoring the thunderous explosions from Camelot overhead, he focused all attention on Merlin. But an abrupt sensation like dark sludge moved inside him and made him want to be sick. One hand ran over his blue-tinted hair as he urgently tried to think of some way to help.

Jim had fallen to his knees, gasping for breath as the wicked onyx knife sent out its blazes of pain, far more violent than last time. He cracked open one eye to look at the two of them. That very pain suddenly gave him an idea.

"What did he do to me?" he panted out. Douxie's frantic eyes glanced back at him questioningly. "When I first got this thing in my chest what did Merlin do to keep me safe?"

The younger wizard's expression changed in an instant. "An emeralding spell!"

"Hisirdoux, don't," Merlin groaned.

Douxie grabbed his hand, determination hardening his features. "I'm not giving up on you, Master! I'll fix this no matter what." His staff shone. "Smaragdus securitas!"*

Green light enveloped Merlin's legs, crystallizing into emerald stone and crawling upward. Behind them Galahad watched with an indiscernible expression, but the faintest flicker of hope lit everyone else's eyes.

"It won't work," the old man insisted, but Douxie shook his head stubbornly.

"No, it's got to! We'll get you to Nari and she can use her healing powers. I'll save you, I promise!"

"A promise you can't keep… is worse than no promise at all…" Merlin breathed, already growing weaker. The emerald encased him entirely a second later.

They all felt the weight of air pressing down as Camelot lost altitude, finally having given up the ghost and barreling straight toward the ground where they stood. It was getting far too close now and practically filled the sky above them.

"Claire, we need an exit!" Jim barked, looking up at the massive castle with apprehension.

"I… think… I've… got it!" she said haltingly, voice growing louder as her irises turned an intense amethyst.

The earth beneath them transformed into a shadow portal and all five plus the giant emerald and its occupant fell through, closing again moments before the place that had been their home for months crashed.

*Latin: "emerald safety"

A/N: Don't ask me about Douxie's guitar-staff. It may work in a show, but it only comes across as unwieldy when you can't hear it yet have to constantly be describing it and its racket as well as everyone's reactions to it. In the scenes when Morgana is sealed away and later where Merlin is mortally injured they turned it back into his original staff when its strongest form would have been the most effective (although they did add an electric guitar to the soundtrack, I noticed). Plus in "Titans" the writers completely nixed the guitar, so I suspect they had already reconsidered how good of an idea it really was in the first place. It may reflect a bit of Douxie's personality, but it also has an odd flavor to it that would have taken away from the seriousness of many scenes.

Concerning Archie, over and over throughout "Wizards" I looked for specific clues that he and Douxie were connected in the way I'd read in other sources. A familiar ought to be much more than just a close buddy, but that's really all Archie was to him. (During the fight inside the Order's fortress all he did was get carried around and shielded by Douxie. He's a dragon for crying out loud!) Anyway, obviously I changed that, dropping pretty overt hints that they could feel one another physically, emotionally and magically (all of which have to be consciously accessed), even able to speak over distances if they had to (though it's a decidedly unpleasant form of communication). Our dragon should have been able to do more than throw out a flame that Douxie could then manipulate. Yeah, it's cool, but… it's not much. I wanted a lot more from the two of them as a team, which is where the ghostly blue wings came from. Admit it. That's just plain awesome.

One extra little note to StarPoodle: The natural order of things demanded that Merlin die in this chapter, but your comment inspired me to think a bit harder about that and I ended up changing it. Thanks! (I'll bet you thought the title meant Merlin's heart would stop, huh?)