Here you go! Part 2! Enjoy!

Merlin ran.

He ran and ran, the only things he was able to hear being his feet striking the soft earth and his own blood pumping in his ears.

He ran until he physically couldn't any longer. He ran until his lungs felt as if they were filled with stones and his legs could no longer support him.

Yet, it still wasn't far enough.

No matter how far he went, it still felt like his anguish was suffocating him from the inside out. He just couldn't get far enough away from Camelot.

Far enough away from him.

He collapsed to his knees in a clearing, sobbing as he gripped the grass beneath him and felt his heart shatter within his chest.

Arthur was a liar. Merlin really thought he had changed. Changed for him. But it turned out that the King was no better than any of the other hundreds of arrogant, selfish royals in the world.

Arthur knew he held Merlin's heart in his hands. All that he was, his heart, his body, his very soul, he had devoted to Arthur, and in the blink of an eye, Arthur had crumpled all of it to dust.

He had been used and manipulated for Arthur's own pleasure. Agravaine had been right all along. Every sweet word, every solemn promise sworn to him in the dark of night was meaningless.

Only what had been meaningless to Arthur, meant everything to Merlin.

He should have known. Gods, how could he have been so naïve? There was no way someone like Arthur could ever love someone like him. He had always known, in a way, that it was true. He had just stupidly allowed himself to cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe, what Arthur felt for him was more than lust.

He had been so foolish.

He felt like he couldn't go on, yet he had no one to blame but himself.

There was no reason for him to be crying. It wasn't like he and Arthur had even been courting out in the open. To the people, they were nothing but master and servant. Arthur was well within his right to be with Isamar.

He just hoped Arthur was happy. That was all he had ever wanted, even if it meant sacrificing his own joy.

"Well, who would have thought? The mighty Emrys crying over my good-for-nothing brother like a lovesick teenager."

Merlin stiffened at the voice, his magic snapping to the surface, taut and prepared to protect him.

He glanced up, paying no mind to how his eyes were surely puffy and his cheeks streaked with tears. In front of him stood Morgana in all her wicked glory, enough men for an army fanned out around her across the clearing. How he had managed to miss an entire army approaching him even in his despair was beyond him. The only logical explanation was Morgana's magic.

"What do you want with me, Morgana?" He growled. Morgana cocked an eyebrow.

"Testy, are we? You know I was going to let you live after I take over Camelot, under my control, of course, but if you don't watch your tongue, I think I might have to reconsider."

Slowly, Merlin rose from the ground. He met Morgana's gaze with just as much heat. "You have tried before and failed. You will fail again. Arthur is the Once and Future King. It is his destiny to rule over Albion. He will not be taken from the throne."

"And how is he going to defeat me without his pet sorcerer at his side?"

Merlin stood as tall as he could. He felt his magic crackling through his veins. He was sure his eyes glowed their magnificent gold despite not having uttered a spell. "I will not let you take Camelot. I will not let any harm come to Arthur Pendragon."

He said it as a simple statement, yet the power in his voice echoed throughout the clearing. It was the voice of Emrys, of the Last Dragonlord, of a servant who had fallen hopelessly and irrevocably in love with his master. Despite what Arthur had done to him, despite the fact that the King had so easily destroyed his heart without hesitation, he would not let Morgana touch him. Just because Arthur had stopped loving him didn't mean Merlin had he, not for a moment.

A dark smile crept on to Morgana's face. "And how do you plan to accomplish that? I'm the last High Priestess of the Old Religion. I've got an army. You have no one; you are completely alone. You will kneel for me yet, Emrys."

"I will not let you harm him."

A soldier off to the right seemed to get impatient with all the talking and charged towards the warlock, sword held high. Without ever looking away from Morgana, a wave of magic shot from Merlin and promptly disintegrated the soldier where he stood.

Merlin cocked his head to the side. "Do I look like I'm bluffing, Morgana?"

Morgana, to her credit, looked unfazed. "You're powerful. I already knew that. But underneath your façade you're still nothing but the serving boy hiding behind Arthur's cloak."

Merlin felt his magic surge within him, flooding to the surface and alighting his skin with a dazzling glow so bright it appeared to turn the evening into day. It hummed with power, and he had to clench his fists and focus all of his self-control just to keep it within himself.

Morgana held out her hand. "BÆL geswip andfeng." Her eyes flashed yellow, and a line of fire sprang to life from the palm of her hand, snapping out at Merlin like a flogger's whip. It incinerated all the wildlife around it and even sent a few of her own men up in flames, yet it crackled against the gold shield of Merlin's magic and fizzled out with no more malice than the firework celebrations Arthur so dearly loved.

Again, she snapped the whip, and again, it struck his shield uselessly. A few more brave, or more accurately stupid, soldiers advanced towards him. His magic arced wildly and all that was left of the few soldiers were charred spots on the already smoking ground.

"Bladesung, recan fremian nymðe tyrfan ðês carlmann dûn dûna," Morgana cried out and a bolt of lightning struck to meet his arc of pure magic midair. They exploded in a flash of blinding white light. When the air finally cleared, half of her army had been decimated with the simple spell, along with most of the greenery in the surrounding area.

In the midst of it all, Merlin still stood, glowing like never before. Morgana seethed, the air around herself crackling with power, though no match for Merlin's. She called out spell after spell, each one more fierce and powerful than the last, but not a single one could touch Merlin. All she succeeded in doing was taking out her own men.

Merlin drew within himself. He focused his magic to his core, to his very soul, and concentrated it there. He felt it grow and brighten within him until even he could hold it no longer. He was glowing so brightly none of the people still left in the clearing could look at him.

In one outstanding bang, his magic burst from within him. He felt it as it rolled in waves across the clearing, taking out Morgana's entire army in a single blow. Their bodies melted into the ground, vibrant wildflowers blooming where each one had fallen. The waves kept going, flowing over the land and restoring the life back into all the plants that had been destroyed in their battle. There was no need for the senseless killing of the wildlife. His magic was meant to protect and heal anyway.

When the last of it finally drained from his body, it took all of Merlin's willpower not to slump to the ground unconscious. He could barely feel his own limbs, and his brain was working at a snail's pace. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, his entire body soaked in sweat. Never had he used that much magic at one time. It seemed even the mighty Emrys had a breaking point.

The only other person still left standing was Morgana herself, though looking not a little dazed.

"It's over, Morgana. Never again will you sit upon Arthur's throne," Merlin spat. He was surprised at how hoarse and exhausted even his voice sounded. All the same, he got his point across. Anyone who wanted to touch Arthur would have to go through him, even if Arthur would never do the same.

Morgana smirked. Her eyes tracked something just over Merlin's shoulder. "I will have my crown yet, though I am sorry to say you will never see that day come to pass."

Merlin's brain was barely working at a fourth of its capacity, so it took him a moment too long to figure out what Morgana was on about. In that moment, he felt the cold blade of a dagger twist into his back.

He cried out in agony, his knees giving out beneath him. Cruel hands gripped his arms as he sank towards the earth, his vision swimming and crimson already coating the fresh grass his magic had just grown.

"That's for Ygraine, magical filth," Agravaine growled next to his ear. Or at least that's what Merlin thought he said. It was too hard to hear over his pounding heart and the waves of agony burning him from the inside out. It was unlike any knife wound he'd ever felt.

Suddenly, something crashed through the forest and into the clearing out of the sorcerer's line of sight.

"No!" A voice roared in anguish. "Merlin!"

0000

Arthur slowly struggled awake. Only, he never remembered going to sleep.

He blinked a few times as his brain sluggishly tried to figure out what the hell had happened to him. It almost felt like he'd had too much to drink, but he was devoid of any other symptoms that went along with a hangover.

He was in his chambers, on his bed. The strings of his red tunic hung limply as the fabric hung off one of his shoulders. The laces on his breeches were untied and they hung low on his hips. He was panting slightly, his cheeks feeling warm with a flush, and he was pretty sure his lips were bruised.

When he finally dared to gaze up, however, it was not the beautiful face of his lover staring back at him with equally swollen lips and lust-filled azure eyes. It was Isamar, the new Lady of Bayard's court he had been entertaining.

She was crying. Her hands were shaking where they gripped her rumpled dress. Her hair was sticking up almost like someone had run their hands through it.

He sprang from the bed as if he had been shocked. His hand shot towards his sword lying discarded on the floor. "What are you doing in my bed?"

She held up her hands in a placating gesture. "P-please, sire, hear me out. I never meant for any of this to happen."

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Never meant for what to happen, exactly?"

Her lips trembled as tears tracked down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"For what? What the hell is going on? I demand you tell me this instant!"

"I'm not who you think me to be. I am no Lady of the Court. I am a simple peasant. And I am also a sorceress."

She looked at him, and he watched as her eyes changed to yellow, nothing like the darling, breathtaking gold of Merlin's eyes.

Merlin.

A thrill of fear travelled up Arthur's spine. Where was Merlin?

He raised his sword and rested it just below her chin. "Where's Merlin? Where is he?!"

She swallowed hard. "He is not here. Morgana wanted to get Merlin away from Camelot, away from you, so she could attack while you were without his protection. She sent me to tempt you into being unfaithful to him, having learned from a source that you two had entered a secret courtship. But you wouldn't. You clearly love him too much. So, I enchanted you and made you think you were in love with me. You spent all day with me, and I never once saw Merlin. He didn't even attend you at the banquet. Afterwards, we came back here and…" She trailed off, looking beyond guilty.

Arthur paled. He felt bile rise in his throat in sheer disgust at the mere thought. What had he done? What had they done? No wonder they were in the state they were. They had…they had…

"Oh, gods, did we-"

"No!" She cried, looking alarmed. "We only kissed! That's bad enough in itself, but that's all the farther it went. I fear that it would have…progressed, but we were interrupted." She looked away as new tears sprang in her eyes. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Merlin came in. He had come to talk to you. He brought you flowers. But then he walked in and saw us, and he just…sobbed and ran out. After that, I couldn't do it. I finally could see just how much the two of you loved each other. You're soul mates if there ever was such a thing. I lifted the spell from you, and here we are."

Tears gathered in Arthur's own eyes. Mother, Maiden, and Crone he needed to find Merlin! Only the gods knew where he could have run off to. Merlin was already so insecure about them, he feared what the sight had done to his lover. More tears trailed down his cheeks while his heart ached for his Merlin. The boy's heart had to be shattered, and it was all his fault. And after everything he had promised the secret warlock just that morning!

Arthur gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white. Through gritted teeth he asked, "Who betrayed us to Morgana?"

Isamar gulped. "Agravaine."

And damn it if Arthur hadn't suspected all along. If he hadn't been so selfish, hadn't wanted to hold on to the last blood-relative he had despite how awful he was, they never would have been in this situation. If something happened to Merlin, he could never go on. He would die right along with him, both metaphorically and literally if he must.

He took a deep breath. He stormed over to his door and wrenched it open, ordering the guards outside to ring the warning bell and assemble all the knights. He left Leon quickly in charge of protecting the citadel against his sister's imminent attack until he managed to find his lover and bring him home.

Arthur turned back to Isamar who was still cowering on his bed. As much as he hated her, he had to be just a little bit grateful that she had grown a conscious, if a little too late. "You," he demanded, "Where are Morgana and her army coming from?"

"From the east. Cenred's kingdom." Arthur quickly relayed the information to the guard.

"And where did Merlin go?"

She gulped. "The woods. Agravaine sent out a message to me and Morgana not an hour ago that he had fled into the woods in her direction."

Terror gripped at Arthur's heart. So not only had his beloved ran off distraught, heartbroken, and thinking Arthur didn't love him, but he was also heading straight for Morgana's army? Alone?

There wasn't a moment to spare. He needed to get to Merlin before it was too late. Merlin was powerful, but in his current state, vulnerable and alone, Arthur feared he wouldn't be able to take on an entire army.

"Come on!" He yelled to Isamar even as he flew out the door. Even if he wanted nothing more than to slit her throat in that moment, he figured he could use all the help he could get. Having what seemed to be a decently powerful sorceress on his side trained by Morgana herself seemed to be the smart move. He could kill her after he had Merlin safely back in his arms, preferably as far away from his deranged sister as possible.

He made it to the stables in record time and barely registered saddling up Llamrei or Isamar saddling up the mare in the next stall over. Before he knew it, they were both flying out of the citadel and into the woods, headed for Essetir.

His heart pounded wildly in his ears. His eyes frantically searched the passing foliage for any signs of Merlin, but he found none. Isamar, thankfully, remained quiet. All he could think about was his lover lost and alone, crying his eyes out in the dark, chilly woods, thinking he was unloved by his King while Morgana's forces lurked about.

The thought was enough to make Arthur push Llamrei all the faster.

Over the treetops, the sky lit up and a flash of light and an earth-shattering bang. Llamrei reared up with fright, and it took all of Arthur's control to get her settled and back on course. He raced even faster towards the source. That was no natural lightning storm, Arthur knew that much. He only knew one person who was powerful enough to create something so magnificent, yet so damn terrifying.

He felt Merlin's magic before he saw him. He felt it kissing his skin, rolling over his body like a warm wave, crackling with power. He felt it pulsing through the air. Even Llamrei seemed to feel it as the mare suddenly found a fresh burst of energy and charged towards a break in the tree line. He vaguely heard Isamar behind him, still valiantly keeping up.

The sight that greeted him was unlike any other.

The clearing was blooming with thousands of wildflowers of all colors Arthur was sure had not been there only the day before when he'd taken the knights hunting. Despite the immense power he could still feel and the flash of light, not a single plant seemed harmed.

Amongst it all, Morgana stood, sneering as Agravaine stalked towards his Merlin with a dagger glinting in the light of the setting sun, the warlock clearly exhausted and completely unaware of the other threat. Arthur broke through the shrubs just in time to see the monster drive the blade into his beloved's back.

Merlin's cry of pain echoed in the air and tore into his heart.

"No!" He roared. "Merlin!"

He ripped his sword from its sheath and charged his uncle, completely disregarding the fact that Morgana stood only a few feet away. He didn't care. All he cared about was slaying the beast of a man who had dared to touch Merlin.

Behind him, he heard Isamar cry out a spell in the foreign tongue Arthur had come to know as the language of the Old Religion and saw Morgana go flying out of the corner of his eye as he drove his sword through Agravaine's chest. The man gasped and clawed at the hilt of his sword, eyes wide as the light drained from them. Arthur ripped his sword free and pushed his uncle's body away to drop unceremoniously to the ground. He was no better than the dirt on Arthur's shoes.

He heard Morgana fire back a spell, this time sending Isamar flying. The apprentice collapsed somewhere in front of the King. Arthur didn't care enough to look. He was too focused on Merlin.

He crashed to his knees beside the raven, carefully taking him into his arms. He could barely see past the tears in his eyes. His right hand quickly found the wound on Merlin's back and pressed down, causing the boy to sob in agony.

"I know, my love, I know. I'm sorry. You're going to be okay. I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over again. He ran a shaking hand through Merlin's hair. Merlin screwed his eyes shut as tears of pure pain rolled down his gaunt cheeks.

Morgana tisked with amusement, coming to stand right in front of the couple. Arthur gathered his injured lover closer and attempted to shield him with his body. "Don't you dare touch him."

Morgana laughed a cruel, bone-chilling laugh. "Oh, brother dear, I never laid a finger on him. Why, you brought this on yourself! I didn't have to do anything. You're the one who drove him straight to me. Now, I will admit, I wasn't planning on meeting him in this clearing tonight, but this is just too good. Yes, he decimated my entire army, but I'm so pleased with this outcome!"

And wasn't that just like Merlin? He was under the impression that Arthur didn't care for him, had never loved him at all, had literally walked in on him kissing another, yet still defended him and his kingdom. He pulled the miracle in his arms just a bit closer.

If killing her didn't mean he'd have to take his hands off Merlin, he'd have run her through with his sword in a heartbeat. So, he settled for a withering glare. "You're the one who sent Isamar to tempt me into being unfaithful."

"Yes, and to the surprise of no one, you love the serving boy too damn much. She had no choice but to enchant you. Still, if you hadn't been snogging Isamar senseless when your lover boy walked in, none of this would have happened."

"I was enchanted!" He snarled. "I'm going to kill you for this, Morgana!"

"I'd like to see you try without your little pet sorcerer to defend you. No mortal blade can kill me!" she cried."

Behind her, a figure stumbled up from the ground. Isamar thrust Agravaine's discarded blade into her master's chest, right above her heart. Morgana let out a startled, gurgled gasp before collapsing to the ground alongside Agravaine, both cold and lifeless.

"No," Isamar said. "Only a blade forged in a dragon's breath can kill a sorcerer as powerful as you or Merlin. Shouldn't have left such a powerful weapon lie around in the dirt, my lady."

She casted the blade away and sank to her knees next to the pair. Arthur was cradling Merlin's face softly in his hands.

Merlin blinked open hazy, azure eyes. "S-so I-" he was cut off as a terrible cough wracked his thin frame. A few droplets of blood sprayed his chin. Arthur wiped them away with a whimper like a wounded animal. Merlin was dying right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. In his state, Arthur doubted Merlin would make it out of the clearing let alone back to Gaius.

"-guess you s-still love me." Merlin finished. The air whistled in his lungs as more blood leaked from his pale lips.

"Oh, my darling, I never stopped, not for a moment. It was an enchantment, all of it. I'm so sorry you had to see that. I'm so sorry you had to go even as long as you did thinking I had stopped loving you, that I had used and lied to you. But I love you with all my heart. I always have, and I always will. You are my heart and soul, Merlin."

Merlin took a shuddering breath. "Y-you still love m-me."

"I do, I promise I never stopped. Please don't leave me," Arthur whispered over a broken sob.

Merlin gave him a weak smile, even as his own blood painted his face and stained the ground beneath. His hand trailed to Arthur's chest, right over his beating heart. "Never."

And then he was gone.

Just like that, the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on, the light of his life, his reason for persevering when all the odds were against him, the most precious gift Arthur had ever been given, was gone.

Arthur buried his face in Merlin's neck, rocking them both back and forth just like he always did when Merlin had a nightmare. He didn't want to see the tears on Isamar's face. They had no right to be there. Only hours before she had been just as against them as Morgana.

Arthur cried. He gripped the love of his life's limp body and cried, the hardest he'd ever cried in his entire life. Nothing mattered any longer. Not his title, not his crown, not even the dead bodies lying right next to him. All he knew was the world had lost one of its best people, and he his very soul.

Suddenly, Isamar stiffened next to him. "A life for a life," she whispered to herself.

"Arthur," she called.

He didn't move.

"Arthur."

He didn't look up.

"Arthur, look up, damn it. I can bring him back."

He watched her with bloodshot eyes. She was just being cruel. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry.

She sighed and with a shaking hand, laid it on Merlin's chest, placing the other on her own. She gazed at the King.

"I have done many horrible things in my life, yet none I regret as much as what I did to the two of you. This is me repaying that debt."

She began to chant in the same foreign language Arthur was so familiar with, had watched in awe so many times as the strange words rolled off his lover's tongue. Her eyes flashed yellow, and a crack of lightning streaked across the sky. Slowly, a cloud of misty gold began to swirl around them, going faster and faster until Arthur could see nothing of the clearing any longer. Isamar raised her face towards the sky and screamed something in the language of magic. With a colossal bang, the world exploded in brilliance.

Arthur curled over Merlin's limp body, protecting him with his own. Arthur felt the warmth of Merlin's magic hum under his skin. When he gazed down at the figure in his arms, Merlin was blinking right back with eyes of pure gold.

For a moment, just a moment, the entire world stopped. Arthur watched, stunned, as Merlin wriggled in his embrace. He was warm, his skin soft and full of life. The blood smearing his face was completely gone. The grass beneath him no longer stained.

As the gold faded back to beautiful blue, Merlin coughed softly and grimaced. "That was fun," he croaked sarcastically. Arthur laughed like an absolute maniac and peppered Merlin with kisses until the boy practically shoved him off.

Merlin's gaze trailed to something behind Arthur. The King turned to see Isamar's body, gray and unmoving.

"Oh," he whispered softly. "She gave her life to bring you back."

As much as he had hated her for what she had done, for all the pain she had caused them, he could never repay her for her sacrifice. He held Merlin a little closer.

Merlin held out his hand. He whispered a spell, and her body melted into a rose unlike any of the thousands of other flowers littering the field. He collapsed against Arthur with a sigh, utterly exhausted.

Arthur kissed his forehead. "It's beautiful, darling."

"It's a symbol of love," Merlin murmured. "I thought it was only fitting.

The two sat wrapped in each other's love as the setting sun bathed the field of wildflowers in light like a beacon from the gods themselves.

There! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know!