A/N: Hi guys! I hope you all enjoyed that last chapter. Thanks again for being patient: as the Christmas break was coming up, I had a bunch of assignments due and I took Christmas as time to relax, as once the new year hits, I'm back to being up to my ears in work. I wanted this chapter to be a Christmas gift of sorts, but that didn't happen. Once again, thanks for bearing with me.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, although I do love them very much. These characters belong to the BBC and the relevant production companies. Any characters that are of my own creation will be listed below.
OCs: Alara, Gaheris, Meilyr
CHAPTER SIX
"I need to talk to you about Mordred."
"What about Mordred?"
Merlin bit his lip, unsure of where to begin. "Mordred ... I've been ... Ugh this is a lot harder than I thought."
"What seems to be the problem?"
"I've been having dreams lately." He said. "And I feel like they mean something is going to happen. Something bad."
"Like what?"
Merlin briefly looks around and sees that there are no guards visible in the corridor. He also checks the courtyard - one could never be too careful these days. "It's Mordred. He's responsible for Arthur's murder."
"Arthur's murder?" Alara said. "Please tell me that you are aware of how ridiculous you sound."
"I'm serious," Merlin said. He bought Alara further into the alcove and lowered his voice further. "I've been having these dreams for months. They've been getting worse ever since Mordred arrived."
"You're just being paranoid."
Merlin sighed, "Alara, I wouldn't be telling you thing if I didn't think I was correct." His shoulders slumped, realising he wasn't getting through to his sister. "Look, to the Druids and all those who practice magic, I'm this ... leader. I'm the one they call Emrys."
"And this had what to do with Mordred?"
"Let me explain. Arthur has this great destiny before him, he's this ruler who'll unite the entire land. Mordred is the reason for his demise."
"Mordred? How? Why?"
"I don't know. But from the moment I met him I was warned that he would be the greatest threat to Camelot."
Alara shook her head. "You're unbelievable."
"What?"
"The first sign of me liking someone, and you immediately accuse them of being the reason Arthur dies?"
Merlin shushed her and made another look around, catching the sight of some guards. "Lower your voice! Anyone of the people that could be listening may misunderstand our conversation."
"Merlin I won't be told to throw away my first love because he's some fabled killer. Mordred isn't like that!"
"He isn't like that yet!" Merlin hissed. "There's a reason he kills Arthur, and I don't want you to be that reason!"
Alara straightened up and took a step back. "You're saying that I'm reason for all that?"
"What? No!"
"Well then what's the reason? There has to be something else about Mordred that gives you reason to believe all this nonsense." Alara turned to walk away, Merlin grabbing her arm to stop her. "Merlin, let me go or so help me I will scream this castle to the ground."
Merlin was surprised. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me." Yanking her arm out of her brother's grip, Alara walked away.
Gaius had a change of heart, allowing both Alara and Mordred to travel to Ealdor for a week. Merlin was an escort, as assurance that they arrived unscathed. Merlin and Alara had not spoken in the days following their argument. Whenever they saw one another, they gave a curt nod and went about their business. This troubled Merlin greatly, and his attitude had begun to affect his work as Arthur's advisor.
"Won't she speak to you at all?" Arthur asked over lunch.
Merlin shook his head. "She's either spending her time with Mordred or helping Gaius. If we have to be in the same room together she doesn't stay for very long."
"She's young and in love, Merlin." Gwen said. "Give her some time and she'll eventually want to talk."
Arthur nodded, "Gwen's right. Whenever we've argued we give each other the space to cool off. Allows us to figure out why we were angry in the first place and gets us to talk like adults."
"When did you start sounding like Gaius."
"Oi!" Arthur threw a hunk of bread at Merlin.
Both young princes laughed at their godfather and wanted to join in, throwing their wooden toys at each other. Arthur quickly broke up the fight, save Meilyr start bawling at being clumped in the face by a wooden soldier.
Merlin thought about what both Gwen and Arthur said, realising that they were right. "I'll guess I'm going to be playing the waiting game."
"That's my favourite game!" Gaheris smiled.
Leaving the family to finish their lunch and spend some more time together uninterrupted, Merlin headed to Gaius' workshop. He knew that the elderly man would provide some much needed reprieve and help with the dilemma at hand.
"I do think that Alara has every right to be angry with you, Merlin."
"You're sure?"
Gaius sat across from him and continued his work. "Look at it from Alara's eyes. You're standing there and telling her that the young man she's involved with is dangerous. You've also told her this gobbledygook about who you are to try and justify why Mordred is dangerous."
The door opened and Alara came in. "Oh, I didn't realise we had any company."
"Is everything okay?"
She nodded. "Just collecting some supplies for our travel to Ealdor tomorrow."
"How have Mordred's headaches been faring?" Merlin asked.
"No headaches since the night before last." She replied. Her voice was monotone. "Sir Mordred seems to be recovering. Hopefully he can start some more rigorous training in the next couple of weeks."
"That's good, isn't it Alara?"
Alara didn't reply, leaving the workshop.
Merlin let his head rest against the table. "I don't know what to do, Gaius. I have to spend a day and a half travelling with her, and if she's going to act like that, I'd rather be fed to wyverns."
Gaius smiled and pat Merlin's head. "She'll come round. Give it time."
At dawn the three left Camelot. It would take at least a day and a half to travel - and that was in good weather; but a downpour of rain was predicted later in the day. With Mordred still suffering from his headaches, and to stop his horse going astray, Alara attached a rope to the saddle, allowing her horse to lead the two.
"So what's Ealdor like?" Mordred asked.
"It's pretty small, nothing grand like Camelot," Alara replied. "But it's home."
Merlin spoke up, "Ealdor has a couple of farms. My friend Will and I spent a lot of our summers working the fields - and pinching stuff from them."
Mordred smiled, "Sounds peaceful."
"I guess being a Druid, you never really had a proper place to call home?"
"We travelled here or there. Longest place we ever stayed was this ... I don't even know how to describe it. It felt like paradise."
"Ealdor isn't paradise, but we won't be getting there for a month of Sunday's if we keep riding at this pace." Alara flicked the reins and her horse gained some speed. She was careful not to jostle Mordred too much, save there was a repeat of the original accident.
For the rest of the journey that day, the three shared idle conversation, it ebbing and flowing like a small brook. The sky darkened with huge grey clouds as the late afternoon passed into dusk. The rain poured down, soaking their clothes and packs within minutes; the horses whinnied and bucked every so often when the thunder rumbled - Merlin commented that it was lucky no lighting had struck. Eventually the road became too muddy to travel on, with the horses hooves getting clogged and the puddles getting wider and deeper. The group settled to rest for the night after coming to a small copse of thick ash trees: Merlin had gotten a fire going with Alara tending the horses, and Mordred going to find something to eat.
"Alara-"
"Merlin, wait. I want to say I'm sorry for overreacting to your concerns."
"Oh. Apology accepted."
She continued, "I do think you are wrong about Mordred. He's kind and thoughtful. I do care what you think, and I care about Mordred. Maybe your vision was wrong. Maybe you ate a bit of cheese."
"You're a bit of cheese." Merlin laughed.
Alara poked her tongue out at him.
"But maybe you are right,"
"What that your vision was a bit of cheese?" Alara rose an eyebrow.
"No, dollop-head," Merlin laughed. "Maybe my vision was wrong."
Alara offered out her hand. "Truce?"
"Truce."
Mordred later returned with a couple of young rabbits and made quick work of them. The three shared rabbit stew with the bread and cheese in their packs.
"So when do you think we'll reach Ealdor?" Mordred asked with his mouth full.
Alara finished her mouthful and pointed north. "We've got about another five hours of travel yet. If we leave at dawn, we should reach Ealdor by late morning."
"That's if this rain lifts up." Merlin says. "It's been raining for hours."
"With a summer as hot as this, maybe a heavy shower is needed." Mordred pondered.
The three settled as the fire faded into embers. Mordred and Alara slept curled up to one another, Merlin not too far away. Alara was his sister after all, he needed to make sure everything was proper.
By mid-morning, the group had made good time. The rain had relaxed, becoming a light drizzle when they departed the copse. Mordred made a comment to Alara about already feeling revitalised by the journey. The tension now lifted between the siblings, the chatter rose and was full of laughter and the recounting of memories. As the village came into view at the edge of the forest, both Alara and Merlin revelled in the sight.
Alara spurred on her horse. "Race you!"
Merlin surged his horse forward, laughing and calling Alara names as he too raced down the hill. Mordred, wanting to follow suit but knew better, let his horse walk down, being mindful of the downward turn of the earth.
They slowed their horses down as they entered the main square, being mindful of the younger children they could see running around. Looking around, the square wasn't as busy as they thought - with the harvest season coming to an end soon, most of the younger men and farmers were in the fields.
"What do you think you two are playing at?" barked an older gentleman. "You could've killed poor Samson over there with your bloody horses!"
"We're sorry," Alara replied. "I don't think either of us realised how fast either of us were going."
Mordred rode on by, jumping off of his horse. "What seems to be the problem?"
The gentleman paled and started to babble. "Well you see here, Sir, uh-"
"The problem here is that neither of my children decided to tell me that they were coming!" Hunith said. She greeted Merlin with open arms, checking him over.
Before Alara could even utter a word, Hunith smothered her in a tight embrace. "And hello to you too, Mother." She smiled.
Hunith beamed at her children as they walked to the house. Mordred followed, pulling the horses with him.
"Seems like you did a good thing, brining Sir Mordred here," Hunith said. "We need the extra hands with the harvest being bought in."
Alara shook her head, "Mother, Mordred isn't-"
"I'd be more than happy to help." Mordred smiled.
They continued eating, idly chatting away to one another. Mordred watched as Alara, Merlin, and their mother interacted; he watched at the soft touches and warm smiles that were shared. He felt the jealousy bubble in his stomach, eating away at him. Why didn't he have what they had? Why is it he had to lose his family at a young age? Why could he never have a home to call his own?
Merlin picking up the empty bowls and cups bought Mordred out of his trance. He followed suit, clearing away anything that Merlin didn't pick up. "Oh. Thanks." Merlin smiled.
Mordred nodded, dowsing the plates in water.
"I know you're intentions with Alara are well meaning," He spoke softly. "But, at the end of the day, she's my sister. You know who I am. You know the power I wield."
Mordred didn't reply. He focused on the cups, trying to rinse them. He didn't think that this conversation would ever arise, let alone with Alara within earshot. "I'll try as hard as I can." He finally replied. "I'd never do anything to hurt her."
"Good." Merlin left him to finish up whilst he rejoined his mother and sister.
Both women were smiling and idly chatting away amongst each other. Mordred looked on them once again; the jealousy he felt earlier had dissipated, only to be replaced by guilt for feeling such a way about Alara and her family. He wished he had never felt this way, but Mordred wasn't used to being around a happy family; he wanted that to change. And soon.
Hunith and Alara were sat around the fire, thick blankets wrapped around their shoulders. Merlin and Mordred had retired for the night, wanting to get some rest before starting to work on the wheat fields.
"He's a handsome one, I'll give you that," Hunith smiled.
"Mother!" Alara said, shocked. She softened. "You're right. There's just something about him ... I can't quite put my finger on it."
Mother smiled at daughter. "You know, when I met your father, I had the same feeling."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. And Merlin's father, too. Both of them were just ... magical."
"Do you think Father would have liked Mordred?"
Hunith looked over to where the young man was sleeping. "I'm not sure. I think he would want to see Mordred pull the plow and do some hard graft. But I do think your young man being a knight and protecting you like he did would be enough for your father to place some trust in him."
"I think you're right." Alara replied. "I miss him."
"I do too. It will be fifteen years, come winter."
Hunith wrapped an arm around Alara. "Since you three arrived, all I've done is enquire about you and Mordred. I haven't once asked you how life in Camelot is."
"No need. I was, and still am, nursemaid to the young princes, but now I'm an apprentice of Gaius whilst Mordred gets better."
"You're doing a good thing, caring for him the way that you are." Hunith said. "You should be proud of yourself."
Alara nodded.
Hunith kissed Alara's forehead and vacated the room, leaving the young woman to watch the fire as it ate away at the wood, turning it into a mire of colour.
"Is there any more news?"
The guard shivered, puffing into his hands to warm them. "Nothing new as of yet."
Morgana paused and turned. "No longer? What happened?"
"I want this current intake of infiltrators to be killed and replaced."
The guard was taken aback. "My lady, why is that? It's hard enough to keep the spies we have now, let alone-"
"Bors returned with a back full of arrows and a blood trail as far as the eye could see. That means that Arthur knows what we are doing. No more sloppiness." She roared. Glass shattered and the wind grew into a fierce howl.
The guard nodded and left the chamber.
Soon, she thought, soon I will have you in my grasp, Emrys.
