Chapter 35: The Prison

The Shadow Realm, January 30th, 2017

The camper set down almost in the centre of the clearing - James Lake Jr could see the bones, or the shadow of the bones, of the Wild Boar.

"Watch out in case there's another shadow wolf monster around," Buffy said.

"There is no need for that," Merlin replied. "I will steer this contraption to the Wild Wood."

"The entire camper?" Willow gasped.

"How else would we transport all the luggage you insisted on taking along?"

"But what if anyone sees us?" Toby asked. "Flying campers are, well… they'll draw attention."

"By the time anyone of note will be notified, we will be safely ensconced in Camelot. Now be quiet; I do not wish to miss the spot and damage the vehicle."

Jim pressed his lips together. Merlin was as abrasive as usual. But he was right. Probably. You shouldn't distract your driver. Or your pilot.

They turned right, then left, until they were facing the centre, then flew forward. Slowly, slower than someone would walk. Jim held his breath, but they passed through whatever was there without issue. Not even a scratching sound. If a shadow gate made such a noise, anyway.

"Oh!" Mom whispered when they found themselves in the clearing. "Look at the size of those bones!"

"It's the Wild Boar," Jim explained. "The remains of it."

"And it's getting close to dawn!" Spike complained. "Can we get a move on? I don't want to fry!"

"Get a blanket!" Buffy snapped.

"That's only a temporary measure!" the vampire retorted.

"Then get into a suitcase! Not mine!" Buffy told him.

"Not mine either!" Dawn was quick to add.

"Cease this prattling. We will reach Camelot before the sun rises over the mountains," Merlin snapped. "As long as you stop blathering about insignificant issues."

"I do not think imminent death by sunlight is an insignificant issue", Strickler complained.

"I concur," Blinky agreed.

Merlin grumbled in response.

Could the camper actually fly in the real world? The laws of nature were different in the Shadow Realm, after all. But Merlin was the expert here. Jim had to trust him.

Though seeing Willow and Tara transfer more magic wasn't very reassuring. Mom hadn't noticed - she was still staring at the bones - but Toby's nana was frowning as well.

She didn't say anything, though, and they were already rising again - and breaking through the canopy overhead. Jim tried to catch a glimpse of how much damage they had done - exposing the heart of the woods to the sky wasn't a good thing, or so he understood - but the camper was flying too fast already, headed towards Camelot.

"Should've done that the first time," Spike complained - blanket held ready.

"I don't think we could've found the heart of the woods from above," Mr Giles pointed out.

"It would still have been faster than walking," Spike insisted.

"We're getting close to the coast," Mom said. "Is Camelot on an island?"

"No, that's Avalon," Blinky told her. "Or it was an island - a thousand years is a long time to pass. Camelot is on the coast. But it's magically hidden. You will not be able to perceive it until we reach it, I presume."

"Oh."

"Yes, Mom," Jim said. It was too bad, too - Camelot was an incredible sight.

But they were kind of in a hurry. It was much better to get everyone into the castle as fast as possible than to stop outside just for sightseeing. You couldn't even take a picture.

"Where exactly was the castle again?" he heard Buffy ask.

"Next to that cliff, I believe," Mr Giles replied.

Well, they were flying straight at the spot. Would Merlin just punch through whatever seal he had created?

No, When he landed, Jim still couldn't see any castle.

And Merlin leaned back, closing his eyes.

"Merlin?" Willow asked.

He held up his hand. "I need to focus."

"Do you need more magic?" She was looking rather haggard herself, Jim thought.

"No." Merlin's reply was curt. Then he stood. "Outside."

Willow slid out of the way, and Merlin almost stumbled down the stairs as he left the camper, Jim and the others hot on his heels. "I will temporarily suspend the seal. Be ready to push the contraption over the drawbridge," he said as he raised his staff.

"I'll take front!" Buffy said.

"I'll push," Jim replied.

He had barely reached the rear end of the camper when Merlin spoke a single word, and, suddenly, the castle appeared in front of them - with the drawbridge lowered right in front.

"Oh!"

"Wow!"

"Oh my God!"

"My friends won't believe me!"

"Dawn!"

"Do not stand and stare! Move! Hurry!" Merlin snapped.

Jim pushed with all his might. Buffy pulled. Spike joined them. The camper started to move, the wheels creaking. They had to strain some more to keep it from rolling into the ditch or over the others who were moving forward as well, but together, they managed to push and pull the camper onto the drawbridge.

Merlin, leaning on Willow and Tara, followed. He waved his staff again, and the gate opened, revealing a gleaming courtyard.

Camelot.


Camelot, Britain, January 30th, 2017

The castle was huge. Bigger than the Army bases Buffy Summers had visited. Granted, she only had been on three bases so far, but still!

She glanced at the others. Giles was… looking around as if he were in a daze. And smiling as if he just had… Ew, not going there!

"Let's get inside! I see the sun coming up!" Spike snapped from under his blanket.

"How can you see anything through the blanket?" Xander asked.

"I can feel it!"

"Is that a vampire power? Always knowing when the sun rises and sets?" Toby asked.

"No!"

"Then how…"

"I've got an app!"

"Then that's not really…"

"Where are the bloody dungeons?"

"Over here," Merlin said, pointing at a door to the side. "Don't lock the door behind you," he added before coughing several times.

"You need more magic," Willow said as Spike rushed off.

"Save it. I only need the Heart of Avalon. And battling Morgana will take everything you have left."

Buffy thought that the wizard looked like he was one step from falling over dead, but if he thought he could make it… "So, where is the Heart of Avalon? And where are the guest quarters?"

"Heart of Avalon first!" Willow insisted.

"The main tower," Merlin replied. Willow and Tara kept propping him up as they walked across the courtyard.

"That's probably not where the guest quarters are," Xander commented as they started to follow him.

Merlin didn't answer.

"This is marvellous! I've never been here before," Blinky said, "and the trolls who had visited were only familiar with the dungeons." He blinked. "Although I do think we should enter the castle itself, since the sun is starting to rise." He started to walk faster towards the doors. Strickler followed him.

Buffy glanced at the others. Jim and Toby were looking around in apparent wonder. Well, they were boys, and this was a medieval castle. Probably the medieval castle. Everyone had heard of Camelot. Or seen the movie. Oh! "Can we see the round table as well?"

Merlin groaned, though Buffy had a feeling that it wasn't from pain.

"This is cool," Dawn said, moving to walk next to Buffy. "But it feels… off somehow. Don't know why."

"It's a magical castle," Buffy replied. "Sealed by magic. And has some magic super-thingie in it."

"'Magic super-thingie'? Are you a college girl?" Dawn replied.

"Are you a brat?" Buffy shot back.

"Buffy! Dawn!" Mom cut in. "We're guests here. Behave."

Buffy glanced at Xander, but he didn't comment or quote Austin Powers. Well, Anya was hanging on his arm and explaining all the different features of the castle.

"And there's the outhouse, built into the wall. I heard about this from some of our men - we never had a wall at the village. And there are the stables!"

She sounded excited. And happy. Right, for her, the castle was probably like coming home. Now the tables had turned, and she got to explain everything to Xander. Well, good for her. Buffy wasn't looking forward to living in a medieval castle. Outhouses and chamber pots… She shuddered. Didn't they have magical baths, at least?

They entered the tower, and Merlin led them straight to the stairs next to what looked like a great hall. "Wait here. I shall return shortly."

"Can you make it up the stairs by yourself?" Buffy asked.

"I would not tell you to wait if it were not so." Merlin scoffed. That probably meant that he was going to make it.

"We should go with you," Willow said.

"No. I will not expose you to the temptation of the Heart of Avalon." Merlin shook off Willow's hand and started towards the stairs. "Wait here."

That wasn't exactly how you kept Willow from temptation, but it didn't look like Merlin was about to stay and argue.

And he locked the door behind him.

Willow pouted. "He's so stubborn."

"That he is," Mrs Domzalski agreed. "But he should know what he is doing. This is his home."

"Right."

"Camelot." Giles sighed. "To walk the very halls where Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have walked before… This is a dream come true."

Must be a British thing. Or a boy thing. "You didn't sound as awed of Merlin," Buffy commented.

Giles actually blushed. "Well, he's… not quite what I expected."

"Never meet your idols?" Xander asked.

"Something like that," Giles agreed. He sighed again. "Many of my colleagues would give an arm and a leg to be in our place. And not merely fellow Watchers - some of my colleagues from university would probably gladly murder each other for the mere chance to visit this castle."

That had to be hyperbole. At least Buffy hoped it was. On the other hand, Amy's mother had been willing to murder just to get her daughter on the cheerleader team… "I'm so glad I'm not studying medieval history!" she said.

Everyone chuckled at that.

"So, now we wait? Anyone getting hungry?" Xander asked. "We can look for the kitchen, but I don't think there's any food left."

"There's not enough dust and no sign of any weathering or other destruction," Willow pointed out. "Food stores should be fine."

"Merlin didn't say we had food here, though," Buffy pointed out.

"The food was probably taken along when the castle's residents left," Giles said. "But I would strongly recommend staying here and not haring off to explore a mythical, magically protected castle on our own."

That was a good point. Buffy looked at Dawn.

"What? I'm not planning to sneak off!"

But she sounded like the time she had promised not to sneak off to a party.

Buffy shook her head. Mom did the same.


Camelot. They were in Camelot. James Lake Jr had to clench his teeth to keep from smiling like an idiot. This was where King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table had lived. Legends had walked these hallways!

Until they had died fighting Gunmar and Morgana at the Battle of Killahead Bridge. The same enemies Jim and his friends were facing. And Morgana in Claire's body...

He didn't have any trouble any more to keep from smiling. Quite the opposite.

"Awesomesauce, Jimbo!" Toby beamed at him. "This is great!"

"Yeah, it is," Jim managed to reply with a forced smile.

"You seem troubled, Master Jim."

"Overwhelmed!" Toby said. "Right?"

He couldn't fool Blinky, could he? Jim sighed. "I'm just worried about the… The whole thing, I guess. We need food. We need quarters." He shrugged.

Now Toby looked grim as well. "And we'll have to fight Morgana."

"Yes. In the Fair Claire's body." Blinky nodded. "But we knew that already. And with Dawn safe and secure here, we do not have to worry about facing Gunmar at the same time as we face the sorceress."

"Yes." Small mercies, but still.

"And we'll free Claire from the bitch!" Toby said. "Right, Jimbo?"

"Right, Tobes."

"That's the spirit."

Jim turned and looked at Dawn.

She shrugged. "Hey, just agreeing with you. There's a reason I never joined the cheerleader squad, and it's not because I wouldn't have made the cut."

"The cut?" Toby asked.

"You know - pretty enough, athletic enough, busty enough." Dawn grinned. "Buffy was on the cheerleader squad in Hemery High school, after all."

"Hey!" Buffy glared at her sister from across the hallway.

Dawn snorted. "Slayer hearing. It's a pain, but it can be fun to mess with her."

"I heard that!"

"See?" Dawn grinned before growing serious again. "Anyway, 'rah, rah, Trollhunters go!' and all that stuff? I'm not good at it." She raised her arms and let them drop again.

Jim chuckled. "Thanks anyway."

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Toby said.

"And we're the only teenagers here, so we should stick together," Dawn said. "Right?"

"Yes." Toby nodded.

"Yes," Jim agreed a moment later. Everyone else was already an adult. Or old. Which was still an adult.

"Great. So, what's the plan to free Claire?" Dawn asked.

"Uh…" Jim bit his lower lip. "We're kinda… working on that."

"We're not the wizards of the group," Toby said. "We can probably grab her, but we can't force Morgana out of her. Need a wizard for that."

"Or a witch. Or a priest," Jim said.

"A young and an old priest?" Dawn grinned, then rolled her eyes when neither Jim nor Toby laughed. "The Exorcist, guys!"

"Ah." Toby nodded. "Never saw it."

"Me neither," Jim said. "I'm not much of a fan of horror movies."

"Now Gun Robot or Earth Invaders, those are great movies!" Toby agreed. He moved his hands, fingers spread like guns. "If we had Gun Robot here…"

"Well, we don't," Dawn said. "I doubt we'll find any robots in Camelot."

"Golems, maybe?" Toby asked,

"I don't remember any in the legends of Camelot," Jim said.

"There aren't any," Dawn confirmed. "But, waiting for Merlin and the others?" She grimaced. "They seem pretty exhausted."

Half-dead, in Merlin's case. Jim nodded. "And we can't really rest. Not with Morgana on the loose."

"So… how do we take down Morgana without killing Claire? Dawn asked.

She wasn't talking about not hurting her, Jim realised.

"Knock her out?" Toby shrugged. "I've got a hammer. It's what I do."

If they bashed Claire on the head with a trollhammer, Mr and Mrs Nuñez would kill them. They'd certainly kill Jim for letting it happen. He glanced at them. They were standing a little away from the rest, hugging each other. And not really staring at the castle. Damn.

"We have to take the staff away from her. Without the staff, she can't open portals to escape," Dawn said.

"But you can use it," Jim added.

"Yes. Too bad I don't know a prison dimension to lock her up in," Dawn said. "That would be really handy."

A prison dimension… Jim's eyes widened. "Oh! Camelot has dungeons. We need to find out if any of the cells could contain a sorceress!"

"They were strong enough to keep trolls imprisoned", Blinky said, "but wizards?" He tilted his head to the side. "I fear Morgana's arcane powers might be too much for a cell."

"The cell could be magically sealed or something," Toby said.

"Or we can seal the cell. Well, Merlin, Willow and Tara," Jim added. "If we prepare a prison for her, and we get the staff away from her and to Dawn…"

"...we can imprison Claire and then take our time expelling Morgana!" Dawn finished with a grin.

"Yes!" Toby cheered.

"That's a big if, though," Buffy pointed out, walking over to them.

"Do you have a better idea?" Dawn asked, crossing her arms.

Buffy frowned at her. That probably meant she didn't have a better idea.

"Great. So, we have a Plan A." Dawn grinned.

"You don't even know if you can witch-proof a cell!" Buffy said.

"We don't know that we can't, either!" Dawn retorted. "Willow! Got a question!"


Merlin returned after an hour, looking… well, he looked better. He walked without using his staff as a cane or crutch, and his face looked a little less haggard. But he still looked like he couldn't pass in front of a clinic without the doctors rushing out to grab him and drag him inside for treatment. Buffy Summers nodded at him. "All better?"

"I have sufficiently recovered to do what I must to oppose Morgana."

"So, still dying, but it's not urgent, got it."

That earned her a glare from the old geezer, which she took as a sign that he really was feeling well enough to do his part.

"Do you need more magic?" Willow asked.

"No. Save it for the upcoming battle."

"Speaking of battle…" Jim spoke up. "We've got a plan for rescuing Claire."

Xander raised his hand. "Can we get the civilians settled in before we start planning? We didn't want to accidentally run into some traps or something, but I don't think we should squat in the hallway."

Merlin grumbled. "For once, you showed caution, then, and didn't stumble through the castle like barbarians entering Rome. The guest quarters are in the east wing. They can easily house every one of you. Follow me."

"What about the kitchen? Can we use it?" We have the kitchenette in the camper, but that's going to be a little cramped if we have to cook for all of us there," Jim spoke up. "And we didn't take any grills with us."

"Yes. You might have to adjust to traditional tools, but it should not hamper your ability to cook simple fare."

"Yay. Medieval week," Buffy said. That would be fatty and bland. "Let me guess: There's no bathroom, either?"

"You are easily able to carry a bathtub to whatever room you select and then fill it with water."

Definitely medieval week, then. Buffy could already feel her hair starting to suffer without proper shampoo, hot water and conditioner. Great.

But the others looked eager - well, most of them - to finally settle down again and followed Merlin up the stairs.

The guest quarters were as medieval as Buffy had expected. Tapestries on bare stone walls that were stone cold since it was winter. No central heating. Thick dusty carpets that didn't quite cover the wooden floor - which was rather rough. No walking around barefoot unless you loved splinters. Not that it was warm enough for walking around barefoot, anyway.

"I should have brought my tools," Xander said. "I could work on the floorboards."

"You are free to avail yourself of the tools left by the castle's carpenters," Merlin commented before guiding them to the rest of the rooms.

"I'll clean this up a little," Mrs Domzalski announced after seeing her own room. "This much dust isn't healthy."

Merlin frowned at that, Buffy noticed, though he didn't comment. Couldn't stand his precious Camelot being criticised, could he? Too bad for him. Humanity had advanced since his time.

"Well, we do have to take into account that for all its splendour, Camelot is a thousand years old," Giles commented.

"There's a thousand years' worth of dust here, yes," Toby's nana retorted, grabbing a broom from a corner. "But we'll fix that!"

"Do that," Merlin commented. "But meanwhile, we need to prepare to strike at Morgana - at her real body."

"Which is still sealed somewhere, right?" Willow piped up.

"Unless Morgana has managed to not only free it but keep me from noticing that my seals were broken, yes. But she will be working on it, so we cannot waste more time," Merlin retorted.

"And where is she?" Jim asked.

"In what will become her final resting place," Merlin replied.

"Which is?" Buffy really didn't like these sorts of non-answers.

"Where I and my apprentice imprisoned her after the battle of Killahead Bridge."

"That's close to Camelot, right?" Jim said.

"That depends on what you consider close. It's closer than your home, but that does not mean much. Would you consider the abandoned troll settlement close?"

"Dwoza," Blinky added. "It's called Dwoza."

Merlin sniffed. "In any case, the prison was designed so only my staff could break the seals, and while recent events make me suspect that there are other ways to break her free, Morgana will not be able to swiftly discover, much less implement, them."

"You underestimated her once," Willow pointed out.

"And I shall not do so again. But our course of action is clear: We need to strike at Morgana before she frees herself."

"We also need t-t-to rest," Tara said.

"And in an ideal world, we would. But we cannot afford to rest and take the risk of Morgana freeing herself - she must have spent all her time since our last confrontation on this already."

Going to battle a sorceress with their own wizard and witches exhausted or dying wasn't what Buffy would call a good idea. But they really didn't have any choice. "So, let's take a stroll?" She asked with fake cheerfulness.

"Absent horses, yes."

Toby groaned. "Can't we get a car?"

"That probably wouldn't be able to go where we need to," Jim said.

"Just close enough would be fine."

Merin rolled his eyes.

Buffy grinned. They were off to a good start.

"I'm coming with you," Dawn said.

Or not.


"You're staying here!" Buffy snapped at Dawn. "It's not safe fighting Morgana!"

James Lake Jr winced at the expressions of both girls. He was glad he was an only child.

Dawn narrowed her eyes and raised her chin. "You need someone to control the Shadow Staff once we take it from Morgana, and I have experience with it. I can use it against her!"

"Willow can do it!"

"Willow didn't use it before," Dawn retorted. "And if she's using the staff, she's not using magic to contain or counter Morgana. And you can't afford that!"

"Well, we have Tara, Merlin and me," Willow said. "So, we should be able to cover that."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but Jim spoke up before she could. "Merlin is hurt and weakened. Tara is more of a support witch, which leaves you."

"What's a support witch?" Tara asked.

"You're like the party healer or crowd controller," Toby explained. "You don't do damage, but help others."

Tara blinked, then nodded with a shy smile. "That would fit. Though I can't really heal."

"You saved my life," Merlin cut in. "And I agree with the Trollhunters - we might need a witch who has proven that she can wield the Shadow Staff."

"But Dawn has no experience fighting anything!" Buffy protested.

"I've fought the Trollhunters!" Dawn retorted.

Toby winced and touched his shoulder.

"You ambushed them and ran!"

"See? I have experience in fighting intelligently!" Dawn bared her teeth.

"That won't work against Morgana!"

"Says who? If you're underestimating me, then she will do so as well!" Dawn once more crossed her arms.

"She won't," Merlin cut in again. "She knows what your friend saw since she took the staff. She won't underestimate you, girl."

"But she also knows I have the Key. She will attempt to capture me, not kill me. And that means she'll be vulnerable," Dawn pointed out.

"You're not playing bait!" Buffy shook her head.

"You're not going to stop me."

"We'll see about that. Mom!" Buffy yelled.

"What? That's not fair!"

"Buffy!" Jim blurted out.

"Buffy?" Mrs Summers appeared in the hallway. That was fast. She must have heard them yelling at each other. Or she had been looking for Dawn.

"Dawn wants to play bait for Morgana!" Buffy told her.

"It's the best way to save Claire!" Dawn quickly said.

Mrs Summers, though, gasped. "Dawn!"

"Mom! I have to do this! It's like with Glory - she wants me, and that will help us. It'll help Buffy, too!" Dawn pleaded.

"It's too dangerous!" Buffy insisted.

"It's a decent ploy that might even work," Merlin not-helped.

Jim cleared his throat. "Mrs Summers. We've made plans. We need Dawn."

"It's like the fight against Glory," Tobes added.

"You don't need her!" Buffy yelled. "And it isn't! We don't have a portal to get Dawn to safety."

"It's more likely that Morgana will be able to capture Dawn with her portals," Xander pointed out.

That was a good point, but… "As long as we stay alert, she can't just capture us with a portal. We can't jump around, though, and we need to be careful with charges," Jim said. "But if she's trying to capture Dawn, she'll be distracted."

"And that will leave her vulnerable," Merlin added. "She might choose to ignore your daughter, but that, too, will grant us opportunities to exploit."

Mrs Summers looked from Dawn to Buffy and back. "Dawn…"

"Mom! I have to do this! I can help! And we have to save Claire! If I get the staff, I can capture her - we can magically seal a dungeon cell here, and I can drop her straight into it! It has to be me!"

"We can handle her without you!"

"Like you could handle Glory?"

"If we fail, she will come after you and yours," Merlin said. "And then she will unleash Gunmar's Hordes."

"But the Military..." Mrs Summers trailed off.

"Might use Dawn as a sacrifice. Or for experiments," Jim said. Buffy shot him an angry glare.

"Yes. Like the Initiative," Dawn said.

"Walsh is dead," Buffy retorted

"But that base we were," Willow spoke up, biting her lower lip. "It was… it didn't feel right."

"I didn't sense anything," Buffy retorted. "No demons around."

"But they are hiding something," Xander agreed. "And the Colonel in charge gave off Walsh vibes."

Buffy clenched her teeth but didn't contradict Xander. "It's too dangerous!" she insisted.

"Then it's too dangerous for you!" Dawn told her. "Claire knows how you fight. Which means Morgana knows. She'll go after you. You need me as a distraction."

She was talking to Buffy, but her words were aimed at her mother, Jim realised. And she was right. "We're teenagers," he said, "but this is also our fight."

"Yes!" Toby agreed.

"It's the best plan we came up with," Jim went on. "It's risky, but fighting Morgan is already dangerous."

"It's too dangerous. For Dawn, I mean."

"Buffy." Mrs Summers looked at her. "How dangerous is Morgana?"

"We can handle her!"

"You can't. Not without me." Dawn shook her head.

"She took out Tara, Willow, Xander and Merlin," Jim reminded them. "We need to give this our best shot."

"Mom! I need to do this. I can't let Buffy do this alone."

"I won't be alone!"

"Dawn, Buffy." Mrs Summers shook her head. Then she looked at Merlin. "How safe is Camelot?"

"It will not hold Morgana at bay forever," Merlin said. "And she will be coming for your daughter."

"Not if we take her out first!" Buffy snapped.

"Yes, 'if'," Merlin replied.

"I can't just stay hidden for the rest of my life. And I can't let Buffy get killed for me," Dawn said. "I need to do this. And I won't be safe anyway. She's not the only one who will come after me if word gets around."

Mrs Summers sighed and wiped some tears from her face. "Keep Dawn safe," she whispered.

"Mom!"

"Yes!"

Jim sighed with relief. And with guilt. This was the best plan to save Claire, but it would put Dawn at risk.


Mom had allowed Dawn to go fight Morgana! Even half an hour after that talk, getting ready to leave for Morgana's prison or what you called it, Buffy Summers still couldn't believe it. Why? This was dangerous. Too dangerous. If her sister stayed in Camelot, she would at least be safe from Morgana. For a time, but Buffy would make sure that Morgana wouldn't be a threat any more before she could reach Camelot. Whatever the cost.

She glared at Jim. He had supported this stupidity! But the boy didn't even notice her - he was talking to Blinky.

"I am sorry, Master Jim, but with the sun in the sky, I cannot leave the castle to come with you."

"That's OK, Blinky. Someone has to stay and help the others adjust to, ah, medieval life."

"I do feel that Mrs Domzalski has that in hand - she seems very proficient with wooden stoves."

Probably from the experience of living in the woods during the time she was 'camping', Buffy thought. Well, at least Blinky didn't try to come with them.

"But you are the one who lived in the time of Camelot," Jim said.

"Yet I never entered the castle."

"Still, they can use your experience and advice."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Was everyone going crazy? Taking more civilians with them would only give Morgana more targets. Or hostages. Talk about ego!

"Buffy."

She turned, clenching her teeth, and barely managed not to glare at Mom. "Yes?"

"Keep her safe." Mom blinked - her eyes looked wet.

Buffy looked around. Dawn was talking to Willow and Tara. "She'd be safe here."

"For a time."

"Long enough." Buffy took a deep breath through clenched teeth. "She shouldn't come with us."

"They have a plan."

"A stupid plan." It endangered Dawn.

Mom smiled sadly. "And do you have a better plan?"

"Yes. Keep Dawn in a cell here, go kick Morgana's butt." Mom raised her eyebrows, and Buffy sighed. "I can improvise. React to the flow. Adjust plans on the fly. Exploit opportunities as they appear." Mom shook her head, and Buffy sighed. "I hate this."

"I hate it as well," her mother told her. "But what's the alternative?" She shook her head. "I hate it, but I can't really let you go and fight and keep Dawn from using her talents." She sighed. "I learned that from you."

Oh. The time Buffy had run away. To fight Angelus in Angel's body. When Mom had forbidden her to fight. "But… that wasn't the same!" she weakly protested.

"I don't want to lose you. And what if Dawn runs away? How long will she be safe, by herself?" Mom asked. "What if you…" She swallowed and shook her head. "Just keep her safe. And yourself."

"I will." Buffy hugged her and pushed the guilt she felt - if she hadn't run away for months after beating Angelus, would Mom have kept Dawn here? - away. She had to focus on the fight against Morgana.

"Alright. We've gone over the cells and warded one of them, which was used to hold trolls," Willow announced. "If we get her staff, Dawn should be able to drop Claire in the cell, and we can deal with Morgana's body."

"The magic of the Heart of Avalon will suffice to keep the girl imprisoned until we have killed Morgana," Merlin added.

Otherwise, they would just serve their families on a platter to a vengeful sorceress. But they didn't have a lot of options to capture Claire without hurting or killing her. So they would have to take this.

Buffy glared at Jim again. Teenage solidarity, hah! She was sure that the only reason he was supporting this plan was that it was the best chance to save Claire even though it put Dawn at risk.

This time, he noticed and flinched. Good. She knew what he was doing, She would do the same for Dawn, but still!

"If everyone has finished saying their goodbyes…" Merlin looked around.

"Almost!" Buffy said. She walked over to where Spike was waiting at the wall.

"Slayer."

"Spike. Buffy tilted her head. "Keep the others safe."

"I can't do anything against Morgana." He tapped his temple.

She shrugged. "You can fight trolls or whatever she might send after Camelot." And he could grab Mom and run.

He snorted. "Yeah.

She nodded. "Good."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

She looked at him for a moment longer before joining the others. Xander had stopped kissing Anya - for a while, it had looked as if they would go for a quickie - and was checking his shotgun. Jim released his mother, Toby waved at his grandmother. That left…

Buffy looked at Giles. He smiled sadly at her. "I should come along. I am not a wizard like Merlin, but I do know a bit about magic."

And he was good with a crossbow and a sword. But… "Someone has to stay here and watch the cells. And the castle," she told him. Then she hugged him. "Keep Mom safe," she whispered.

"I shall do my best," he whispered back.

She let go and sighed. "These kinds of goodbyes need to stop. I mean, because we beat the enemy, not because you know…" She shrugged as she trailed off.

"Yes."

"Does anyone wish to hug anyone else goodbye? No one? An urge to give a speech? Use the outhouse? No?" Merlin scoffed. "Then let us be off at last!"

"Well, someone's not feeling mushy at all," Buffy commented as she joined Willow and Tara.

Both giggled as they walked out of the castle.


Wild Wood, Britain, January 30th, 2017

"We are going towards Dwoza," James Lake Jr said as they passed a stone and tree combination that looked very familiar - Jim doubted that there was another stone with trees growing through it.

"Of course we are," Merlin replied. "The Battle of Killahead Bridge was fought near the Troll settlement, and after defeating Morgana, I did not waste any precious time by travelling far with her."

That made sense. Sort of. But something bothered Jim. "Why didn't you kill her then? You had defeated her. Why did seal her in a prison instead of killing her?"

Merlin sighed. He wasn't looking at them, Jim noticed, but straight ahead.

"Oh my God!" Buffy blurted out from behind them. "Don't tell me you were in love with her!"

Merlin jerked. "What? No!" He glared at them. "I was not in love with her - she was my apprentice! Who do you take me for, someone who would abuse his position to seduce a pupil?"

He sounded honest to Jim, but… he was Merlin. And Jim was a teenager. Merlin might sound innocent, but such things happened. Even at a high school.

"Hey! How should we know? That might have been totally normal in your time!" Buffy defended herself. "And older men are attractive to some women." Xander coughed behind them, and Buffy turned her head to glare at him before turning back to face Merlin. "Besides, hadn't she finished her apprenticeship already?"

"Even once she finished her studies - though a wizard never stops learning until they die - our relationship was never romantic." Merlin glared at them for a moment, then his expression softened, and he sighed. "No, I spared her life for another reason. No less selfish, ultimately, than love would have been." He paused as they walked past a tree felled by lightning.

Jim cocked his head, glancing at the others. Toby was listening attentively, as were Willow and Tara. Xander looked… amused. But also grim. And Dawn was staring at Buffy.

After a moment, Merlin went on: "The Battle of Killahead Bridge was a massacre. We won, but at a terrible cost that was even worse than the price Pyrrhus himself paid."

"Pyrrhus?" Toby asked.

"A king who won a battle against the Romans," Willow explained in a hushed voice, "but took so many casualties that he ultimately lost the war."

"King Arthur had fallen. As had most of the Knights of the Round Table. The best and brightest of the kingdom lay dead on the field. I knew then that while we had defeated Gunmar and Morgana, Camelot was lost - the paltry number of survivors left would never be able to hold the kingdom against its enemies. Arthur, both my king and my friend, was gone. My life's work was destroyed. I had, effectively, lost everything I knew and cherished." He sighed. "Morgana was one of the last remains. Arthur's sister. My former apprentice. I could not bring myself to kill her. So I sealed her in a prison only I could open."

"And you hoped when you returned, you could… change her? Save her?" Willow asked.

"I was not thinking ahead like this. Or not thinking at all, in hindsight." Merlin shook his head, not looking at them. "I was a fool, and now everyone is paying the price for my weakness."

Jim wanted to agree, but he didn't know what he would've done in Merlin's place. Or if he had to fight Toby or Claire. The real Claire.

"Well, we're going to rectify that," Buffy said. "We're going to kill Morgana."

"Indeed."

"But you have to break the seals first," Willow said.

"I can do that easily with my staff."

"And we need to defeat Claire before that," Toby added. "Probably."

"Most likely. Morgana will anticipate our plan and prepare accordingly," Merlin said. "She might have gathered what allies she could find as well."

"So, where is she? Her body, I mean," Jim asked.

"I sealed her in a crystal crafted from magic itself. Anchored to the heart of the Earth." Merlin sighed once more. "Many would have considered it a masterwork, but it remains my single worst failure."

Buffy turned her head at Jim and rolled her eyes. "Dramatic much?"

That made Merlin glare at her. "In any case, we've almost arrived. Be on your guard."

This was really close to Dwoza, Jim realised. Not quite at the entrance, but… If he remembered the layout of the village correctly, they were above its borders. Or very close to it.

He looked around. "Where is it?"

"Below us, of course. Anchored to a natural magical crystal formation which sustains the spell for eternity." Merlin raised his staff, then brought it down, striking the earth with the end of it.

And the ground parted, revealing a winding staircase leading down.

Buffy sniffed. "I don't sense anything demony."

"She might not have recruited demons. There are other allies of hers. Such as the Order of Janus," Merlin said. "This might be a trap."

"Great." Buffy pressed her lips together. "I love traps."

"Only when they are ours," Xander said, peering down. "So, any way we can trigger them without walking into them?"

"With magic, of course," Merlin said. He waved his staff, and a green ball of light appeared, then shot down the stairs, following them. Jim saw it grow dimmer and disappear, then suddenly flare up and glow steadily.

"Was that a trap? Or is that supposed to happen?" Buffy asked.

"It reached the cavern," Merlin said with a deep frown. "Without detecting a trap or curse."

"Great. Let's go down then."

"But to leave herself defenceless…" Merlin shook her head. "Something isn't right."

"Let's find out!" Buffy all but jumped down the stairs. Jim clenched his teeth and followed her - he was the Trollhunter.

They dashed downstairs. Jim expected someone to attack him, but no one did until they reached the cavern.

The empty cavern.

"No!" Merlin gasped behind Jim. "This is impossible. The seals were anchored to the crystals! She was sealed inside the crystals, hidden from view! Without breaking them, you would have had to move the entire crystal formation! When did Morgana find the time to do this? Where did she find the help?"

"Sometime in the last thousand years, I think," Buffy said. "For the first question."

"And how could anyone have found it? I would have felt it if my seals had been broken!"

Jim blinked. A natural magical crystal formation? That would… "The Heartstone! You anchored her prison to the Heartstone!" he whispered.

The Heartstone, which the trolls had taken with them when they had left England and which rested under Trollmarket.