Merlin stood on the rampart, eyes narrowed as he watched the dark clouds forming in the distance. They had maybe a day left... two if they were lucky and she gave her army a break.

"Merlin...!" A voice called loudly over the wind, the warlock flinching at the sound. "For someone that came back to rest, you certainly aren't doing a lot of it!"

The man turned to give a sheepish grin to Arthur, "I haven't been up for long, and Gaius says it's good for patients to move around a bit so their leg muscles don't give out."

"But he gave you specific instructions to stay in bed until the battle though, right?" Merlin pointedly looked away from him and back out into the distance; Arthur shaking his head as he joined him. "That's a magical storm, isn't it? Your Queen?"

"She's not my Queen," Merlin's expression soured as he watched it. "But that is her... She'll be here tomorrow probably."

"And we're ready for her."

Ocean blue eyes met sky blue ones, each holding the gaze for a time before Merlin broke off again. "I was thinking..."

"Uh oh," Arthur smirked, nudging Merlin's shoulder with his own. The warlock sent him a look and a chuckle.

"I'm trying to be serious here, Arthur."

"I know, and it doesn't suit you very well."

"Keep this up and I won't tell you my plan, the one I'll carry out with or without you and your army." That promptly caused Arthur's mouth to close, though a glare remained. "Thank you. As I was saying, I think that we should meet her halfway... If she does manage to break through the barrier here, Gabe, Gwen, Rosewen, Giaus, the citizens... everyone will be in danger. If we go out to meet her, then it'll only be the warriors. And I can set up a protection enchantment around them, without the distraction of the kids."

Arthur seemed to consider it, nodding along with it as his arms rested against the wall. "That would be a smart idea... But would you really be able to concentrate on the battle and holding and casting so many spells if you didn't know exactly where Gabriel was?"

"Of course-"

"No, Merlin, think about it, don't just answer. Before you were taken, you had the same reckless sense of protection for me as you do for him now. If we were in a battle, and you lost sight of me for even a moment, you wouldn't think straight and rush to find me, your own well-being be damned. Now imagine that we're on the battlefield with this Queen, what if she taunts you? What if she claims to have sent some of her soldiers to Camelot without us there? Would you be able to think rationally enough to continue fighting even with that knowledge?"

His mouth opened and closed for a moment, thinking over what was said. Would he be able to handle himself knowing that there was a chance that Gabe was in danger? That did sound like something the Queen would do... And he couldn't very well just leave them to go fight the army by himself, he would never win alone and he couldn't leave Gabe like that, even if he knew that Arthur would take care of him.

With a sigh, Merlin shook his head. "You're right... I'm just... nervous, I guess. I don't like the waiting."

Arthur chuckled a bit as he patted Merlin on the shoulder, "No one likes the waiting, Merlin. But it gives us the opportunity to think of all possible outcomes and better prepare for them. The waiting is a blessing in disguise."

"Blessing though it may be, I still hate it." The two shared a grin before Arthur gave Merlin a shove towards the exit.

Merlin panted as he ran down the hall, his magic and eyes scouting ahead to see any familiar faces.

The attack had started three hours ago, the barrier around the city held for a good while - before the Queen got impatient and destroyed it with a near feral scream. As she breached the walls, she called for Gabriel and Merlin, taunting and threatening and bargaining. Merlin had yet to face her, having done his best to keep Arthur in his sights and away from her. But one of the sorcerers in her army sent Merlin flying nearly halfway across the castle, effectively cutting him off from his King.

He could feel the adrenaline fueled panic pumping through his veins the longer it took to find Arthur or any of the knights, his head coming up with all the ways they could be hurt or defeated... Or, gods forbid, face the Queen.

So he ran faster, shooting spells out to enemies as they came up, helping what Camelot soldiers he could in his search.

He turned a corner, his magic flaring in warning and his hand flying up to cast a shield a second before a sword came down at him. He locked eyes with a soldier in a blackened steel helmet and a red beard, a shudder running down his spine.

"Ah, our deserter King." The soldier taunted, a wicked smirk pulling at his lips. "I'm surprised you can move so easily after everything I did to you."

A memory jumped to the front of Merlin's mind, phantom pains accompanying it. His shield faltered for a second, just enough time for the man to draw his sword back and lunged again. Merlin stumbled back, crying out as the blade nicked his arm and crashed into a stack of barrels lined against the wall. The soldier took aim, a deep chuckle sounding in his throat.

"I always told Her Highness that we should have killed you after the brat was born. I'm really going to enjoy fixing her mistake now."

Merlin knew he had to move, to put up a shield or send the man flying or something. But that chuckle... those phantom pains... He was no longer on the battlefield in Camelot, but in a dark room back in a deceptively beautiful castle. Chains were on his wrists, pulling his arms above his head and blocking his magic as the man stood before him with a barbed whip. His escape attempt had failed, Gabriel was at the mercy of the Queen and he was disposable.

"Merlin!"

The clash of metal snapped Merlin back to himself, his eyes blinking as he frantically looked around and saw Gwaine's sword just barely blocking the soldier's from striking him.

"Gwaine...!"

The roguish knight sent him a strained smirk, pushing the soldier back and quickly stepping in front of Merlin. "You alright, mate? This guy bothering you?"

"No more than a fly."

"I'd say it was more than a fly..." The soldier spun his sword in his hand, predatory eyes still locked on Merlin. "Could a fly lock you up, stretch you until your bones part and then snap them back together? Could a fly strip you of your magic and dignity, leave you with more marks than a practice dummy?"

"I'm sure a very dedicated one could," Merlin huffed, though Gwaine could see the way his hands were shaking and his skin three too many shades paler.

Gloved hands tightened on the handle of his sword, normally spirit-filled eyes narrowed and serious. "So... You're the one who hurt Merlin. I've been looking forward to meeting you..."

Worried blue eyes flashed to his friend, concern building in Merlin as he pushed himself back up. "Gwaine..."

"You're looking for Arthur, right?" Gwaine's voice was low as he kept his eyes on his opponent. "I saw him heading into the castle not too long ago. I think the royal psycho went inside too."

Merlin's spine stiffened, glancing towards the castle then back to Gwaine. "I- Gwaine-"

"Go on, don't worry about me, mate." A quick smirk was thrown over his shoulder at Merlin, "There's no way I'm going to lose to this bastard."

Merlin gave a quick nod before clapping a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Thank you." He took off, dodging the soldier's quick attack, not turning back as he heard Gwaine's sword clashing against his.

Shaking the icy memory from his mind as he ran, Merlin turned his attention to the barriers that he set up through the castle. The Queen wouldn't be able to even go near them without him knowing about it, but it gave him peace of mind to check.

Of the three barriers he had set up, the outer one had the most action around it. The Queen wasn't there though... He was faintly aware of the worry coming from the center barrier that was the closest around Gabe, Rosewen, Gwen, and Gaius, but that was to be expected with a war happening right outside.

His senses focused again on finding Arthur or the Queen, his sight going out in front of him as he ran.

Taking shortcuts and servant tunnels, Merlin managed to find the two he was looking for easily. Though his nerves skyrocketed when he realized they were together and facing off.

His legs pumped faster as he forced himself to get there sooner. He couldn't lose Arthur to her... He couldn't...

He made it to the room just as the Queen sent a curse towards Arthur. Merlin's hand went out, the spell leaving his mouth before he could even think of what it was. But a golden light surrounded Arthur, shimmering like specks of dust in an evening sunbeam and bouncing the curse off it. It caught the two fighters off guard, staring at it with wide eyes before they turned to him.

Merlin panted, gasping for air but standing tall, sweat dripping down his forehead. Slowly his eyes moved from Arthur to the Queen, forcing his breathing under control.

She looked just like how he left her; wild, reckless, wicked. Her once curled hair was frizzed and loose, seeming to not have been cared for in quite a while - since he had left if he had to guess. She even still wore the same dress as when he last saw her, the dark green hugging her figure, gold accents elegantly decorating it, but it was dirty and ripped, worn down in a way only hard travel would do. Her makeup smeared around her eyes, but doing nothing to hinder the sharpness he once thought of as beautiful.

"My Merlin..." She cooed, accent thick as she straightened. "A pheata, a mhuirnín, mo mhuirnín dílis...! Stop this madness, come home. Gabriel needs his mother."

"Gabriel's needs stopped concerning you the day you decided to make him your weapon, cailleach."

Her expression soured somewhat before neutralizing. "Give up now, Merlin, and I might just let your precious little King live. I'll even forgive you for running away and abandoning me. There will be punishment of course, a few weeks in the tower. That sounds reasonable enough, right? You did deeply hurt me when you left after all." She began walking towards him, her smile back in place as she opened her arms. "A mhuirnín, we've been together, worked together, slept together for six years. Don't throw that all away now just because of a little disagreement."

Merlin's eyes hardened, aware of Arthur watching him closely, as he took a step back. A small shield appeared in front of him to stop her from getting any closer. "You held me captive for six years. You tortured me for six years. You held Gabriel and Camelot's doom over my head for six years...! My leaving was not just because of some 'little disagreement ,' that's just what finally pushed me over the edge." His hand lifted towards her, taking some pride in how she leaned back. "Now take your army and leave. Or I will destroy you with no hesitation."

Her eyes widened, nostrils flaring in anger. "You dare think you can destroy me-"

With a dip of his head she was sent flying across the room. "Don't forget the reason you married me, Isla." He started taking his jacket off, his eyes never leaving her. "The strongest magic user alive, I believe is how you put it." He tossed the jacket to the side, and started to push his sleeves up his forearms to just above his elbows as she began to stir.

"Our bond..."

"Is something I made up. Did you honestly believe I would permanently allow you full access to my magic?

"What?" Her head shot up, staring at him with wide eyes. "No, we made a deal, Emrys! Your power for Morgana!"

"And Morgana is dead, so you don't need my power anymore." He stepped towards her, and for a short moment he saw fear flash in her eyes. "The magic that you've felt all this time was a tiny stream that I allowed you to have. A stream that I could have cut off any time I chose."

Arthur watched from the sidelines, golden glow almost faded completely around him. He had never seen Merlin like this before... If he didn't know the man so well, even Arthur would be scared of him. Standing at his full height, sleeves rolled up to show up his forearms and the scars that littered his skin, anger in his eyes... Merlin was terrifying.

Looking to the Queen, Isla, Arthur didn't need magic to know when Merlin cut her off from their supposed bond. Her face went pale and her eyes impossibly wide, it almost seemed like she was gasping for breath. Looking back to Merlin, his friend seemed pained himself. It didn't take Arthur long to realize what was wrong.

Merlin, as powerful and rightfully vengeful as he was, did not enjoy causing others pain. He protested to hunting rabbits on nearly every trip they went on for crying out loud. So to cause this evil queen pain, even if it was justified, it would still hurt Merlin - emotionally and mentally.

Arthur took a breath, schooling his features before walking over to him. "Merlin-"

"Papa!"

All heads turned to the voice, three sets of eyes widening as they spotted Gabriel standing at the entrance of the room. He clutched one of Rosewen's dolls to his chest, no doubt having left hiding to get it for the girl. His eyes were locked on just one person though, tears building at the sight of her. "No... Please, no..."

"Gabriel... I've found you at last, a thaisce."

"Gabriel, run!" Merlin shouted just before getting thrown back by a powerful force from Isla as she stood.

The boy turned, stumbling as he started to run away, but a raised hand of Isla froze him in place, his body being dragged backwards to her.

Arthur's teeth gritted together as he tightened his grip on his sword and rushed forward, swinging down to her arm. Her eyes flashed - and he couldn't help but notice it was a darker gold than Merlin's - before Arthur's sword stopped in midair. He struggled, putting all of his weight into moving it, but it was like trying to move the castle walls. With a frustrated yell, he let go of his sword and pulled a knife from his boot, once again rushing at her.

He lashed out with his knife, feeling as it connected with her palm as his free arm wrapped around Gabe's waist and pulled him away. He put himself between Isla and Gabe, kneeling down and placing a hand on his cheek. "Are you okay? Are you alright?"

A shaky nod was his only answer, wide blue eyes filled with tears looking to where Merlin was slowly getting up. Arthur glanced back at him, then to Isla. She was holding her hand, blood dripping to the floor as she stared at it. It gave Arthur a bad feeling...

"Okay, Gabe, I don't know how you got out, but you have to run back to Guinevere and Gaius. We're going to take care of this, I promise I won't let her get you. Alright? But you have to run as fast as you can and not look back. Can you do that for your father and I?"

"You promise?" Those big blue eyes looked up at him, and Arthur was nearly thrown back in time to the first few months of knowing Merlin. How far away that time seemed...

"With all my heart, I will not let her have you." Arthur's hand brushed his hair gently before giving him a push to the exit. "Now run...!"

Arthur waited for a moment to make sure Gabriel made it out of the room before turning back to the Queen who still stood in place. By now, Merlin was up as well, slowly creeping towards her. They shared a look, Merlin's eyes squinting at the knife in Arthur's hands and giving him a knowing look that Arthur really hadn't missed in their time apart...

With a flash of golden eyes, Merlin lifted Excalibur and sent it to Arthur, who's hand clasped the hilt tightly as the faint surge of power filled him. Together they closed in on Isla from each side; the Queen, for her part, seemed to finally snap out of whatever thoughts she was having, her head lifting to look at both of them.

A stillness fell over the room, not even a draft blowing through as they all stood there, waiting for someone to move.

Merlin struck first, a quick shout and a flick of a wrist sent an attack to her, Arthur lunging to strike as she turned her back to him. A shield blocked him, a glare tossed at him from over her shoulder as she flung her injured hand towards him to fire a spell. He dodged as Merlin drew her attention again.

The three worked around each other, almost like a dance. Merlin and Arthur taking turns attacking and keeping her on the defensive. It was a perfect rhythm, one distracting and the other attacking, switching roles at random so she couldn't target just one of them. Arthur felt as if they had been fighting side by side all their lives together.

With the teamwork, they had managed to tire Isla down enough to land a few solid hits on her, blood staining her green dress - but not enough to be fatal. Yet. As Arthur's sword bit into her shoulder, she seemed to finally reach her wits end.

She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes closing as she let out a scream. The castle shook, Merlin and Arthur quickly ducking to cover their ears from the attack.

Cracks started appearing along the floor and debris falling from the ceiling as she gathered her power. Merlin forced himself to look up at her, the scene familiar to Morgana's mourning of her sister, gathering her power before teleporting them away, leaving behind a destroyed throne room. Judging by the size and frequency of the cracks, they wouldn't have enough time to clear the area before Isla unleashed her attack.

A pang shot through Merlin's heart as he realized they wouldn't survive her attack if he didn't do something. Stumbling up from his kneels, Merlin rushed to Arthur's side, slowly letting his ears go as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Curious eyes looked up at him, but Merlin just smiled. He tried to speak but even he could barely hear his thoughts over her scream; he had faith that Arthur understood him though.

Looking back to the Queen, Merlin's shoulders squared as he walked forward, dodging Arthur's hands to hold him back. His walk soon turned into a jog, then into a run, words he didn't quite know leaving his lips as he reached for her, feeling as her power neared its peak. But Merlin finished his spell first, his hands wrapping around her arms the second before her power unleashed.

And everything was still once more.

Arthur stared, wide eyes and ears ringing, at the empty place where Merlin and Isla once stood, his mind still trying to process what it saw. Merlin had said something that didn't make sense to him, to take care of Gabriel, then went to grab the Queen, then... nothing. The moment that Merlin's hand touched her, they vanished, a light burn mark in the floor the only proof they were ever even there.

Stumbling to his feet, Arthur forced himself forward, pushing against the floor when he'd fall over again. The world around him was muted, his own voice muffled to his ears, but he didn't stop calling for his friend as he made his way to that mark.

"Merlin...!" He turned in a quick circle, hoping - expecting - to find Merlin perched against the wall and smirking at him for worrying, or that he was laying a few feet away having been blasted back by his spell, or even that he'd come walking in with a smile with some cheeky comment about him. He'd take anything at this point...! "Merlin!"

Arthur dropped to his knees in the middle of the burn mark, hot tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared at the floor. Some part of him was aware of his knights coming into the room, later finding out that Gabriel was clinging to Gwaine's leg and Gwen and Gaius had come from their hiding spots at the calls of Arthur, finding that the barriers had vanished. But his mind couldn't bring himself to care just then, only focusing on the burn that was in the place of his friend.

"Merlin!"

A/N: Ahhhh don't you just love angsty endings? XD I sure do, otherwise I wouldn't write them so often!

Throughout the whole exchange between Merlin and Isla, I'm not going to lie... It made me really tempted to write a spin off prequel about them... About Merlin's time with Isla in her kingdom and little stories with Gabe and just overall what his life was like. I think that could be an interesting experiment for me. A character that's basically a king but treated like a prisoner. It could be fun...

As always, please take the Irish/Gaelic words lightly, I used Google and blogs for them so I don't know how accurate they are. I could've written the story without them, or just used the English translations instead, but I always thought it interesting to add in languages to a story.

A pheata - my pet

A mhuirnín - my darling, my dear

Mo mhuirnín dílis - my dearly beloved, my own true love

Cailleach - old hag, witch

A thaisce - my treasure

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Arthur rode back into his kingdom tired, his back barely staying tall as his people gazed up at him. Another failed trip of trying to find Merlin... He couldn't help but feel reminded of when his father had him searching for Morgana for a year. In the end, they had only found her when she wanted them to, but he knew that Merlin was waiting for him somewhere out there. He just needed some help.

His advisors disliked his search parties, believing them too inconsequential to be continued, that it had already been four months since the battle and so Merlin must have been dead. Gwaine nearly took that advisor's head off... But Arthur knew better. He had believed Merlin dead once before, he wouldn't do it again. Merlin had to be alive. He wouldn't accept anything less.

The last bit of his journey from the city gates to the castle was the hardest, knowing that his new ward would be waiting on the front steps with his wife and daughter. He didn't know if he could handle seeing the hope leave the children's eyes again...

"Hey," Gwaine called, sending him a knowing smile, "Chin up, princess. We'll find him. You know Merlin, impossible to kill but the best at hiding."

Arthur nodded his thanks, eyes looking ahead still. "I wish he were a little less good at hiding. Gabe's started asking if Merlin abandoned him because he was mad at him."

A sympathetic groan went through the Knights, all having faced Gabriel's impossible questions at some point.

"Why not bring him to the training grounds next time, sire?" Leon asked, "He enjoyed learned about swords before. It could be a much needed distraction for him now."

Another nod was his answer as the front steps of the castle came into view. Predictably, Gabriel, Rosewen, and Guinevere stood waiting for them. And just as he thought, the children's shoulders slumped at the lack of an extra person with them.

Before any of them could speak though, a servant came running out to them, his eyes wide and frantic. "Your Highness! Gaius requested that the Royal family and Knights of the Round visit his quarters immediately! He says it's very urgent!"

The servant had barely finished speaking before Arthur was off his horse and rushing to the physician's chambers, tiredness forgotten. Arthur dreaded what emergency arose now, because that's all it could be. The elder did not ever send a servant to find him unless it was serious.

With no hesitation, Arthur threw open the chamber door, the words of a question almost out of his mouth before freezing.

He stopped in the doorway, eyes wide as he stared at Gaius' new patient. A shirt was being pulled over him, but Arthur managed to catch a glimpse of the horrible scars under the bandages. A head of black hair turned to look at him, blue eyes full of pure joy, high cheek bones seeming even higher with his smile.

Gabriel was the first to move, pushing past Arthur's legs and bolting into the man's arms. "Papa!"

The broken sob of the boy snapped Arthur and the others out of their shock as well, all quickly rushing into the room to see their friend. Merlin smiled at them all, laughter bubbling up from him as everyone greeted him at once, Gabriel tucked in his arms.

Merlin's eyes sought out Arthur's, who stood towards the back of everyone, still in disbelief. His smile warmed, a soothing hand brushing through Gabe's hair as tears built in his eyes. Without looking away from him, Merlin dipped his head at Arthur, inviting him closer. "I'm home now. I made it back to you."

Arthur tried to fight the emotion back, it was impossible to tell if Merlin was speaking to Gabriel or him or both, but a hot tear broke free. He drew in a deep breath, walking over to his friend and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome home, Merlin."