Chapter 5 A Tangled Web

A/N: Edited and revised May 2021

Arthur was especially reserved on the journey back to the horses. Everything that he had learned in the last several hours tumbled through his head, leaving him distracted. The knights, however, made up for his solemnity, laughing and joking with one another.

"What about that time we were surrounded by bandits and the leader's pants fell down around his ankles?" Gwaine asked.

"Or the time they surrendered because they all had burns on their sword hands?" Percival asked sardonically.

"And the time their bowmen kept shooting their own men?" Leon asked.

"Painfully obvious now, isn't it?" Gwaine grimaced. "How did we not see what was staring us in the face?"

"You'd be surprised what someone can willfully ignore when it suits them," Merlin chuckled.

"Bloody hell," Gwaine swore, then his face brightened suddenly. "Dropping someone's pants to their ankles? I bet you're handy in a prank war."

"Maybe," Merlin admitted, smiling at the memory of pranks he and Will had pulled as young men.

"That is the face of a man who has stories to tell," Percival laughed.

"Maybe a few," Merlin replied, much to Gwaine's delight. As they walked, the knight began asking increasingly ridiculous questions about the sorts of things the warlock could do.

"Could you turn someone into a toad?"

"I have never tried, though I turned a statue of a dog into a real dog once, so I imagine it wouldn't be so hard."

"Is that where that statue went?! That was my favorite statue as a boy," Leon suddenly interrupted, surprising Merlin at the disappointment in the knight's voice.

"Sorry?" Merlin replied. "I'll make a new one? I just couldn't turn Dregan back into a statue."

"Only you, Merlin," Arthur said, shaking his head at his manservant.

"I'll bet you were a handful as a child," Percival chuckled, lightening the mood once more.

"I may have spent more than one afternoon doing extra chores. But I couldn't help it a lot of the time! Sometimes I just thought something absentmindedly and it would happen!"

"Oh, really?" Gwaine asked gleefully. "Like what?"

Merlin sighed. "Once when I was about eight or nine, I was eating an apple. It was a red apple, but apples can also be green, so I thought, what if there were blue apples?"

"You didn't!" Leon chuckled.

"I did. The whole basket of apples my mother had just harvested turned blue. She wouldn't let me go out to play until I turned them back. Unfortunately, they sort of got stuck as purple apples. They still tasted good though."

"You just couldn't leave them lying around," Percival chuckled. Merlin shrugged.

The thought of Merlin as a child brought a particular moment from that afternoon to Arthur's mind; Merlin's interaction with Delwyn. Arthur convinced himself it was sympathy for the boy's difficult life that had caused him to notice this child in particular. Not because the black-haired waif was close to what Arthur was sure a young Merlin had looked like.

Arthur couldn't help but wonder what this child's life had been like thus far. The boy was young enough that he wouldn't have known anything besides hiding in the woods from those that would kill him for being born. Merlin's story of Hunith's fear of her son being discovered as a magical child became that much more real to Arthur.

I have spent every hour, every minute of my entire life, terrified that someone would realize that I had magic and take me straight to the pyre.

Merlin had said those words. The warlock had lived in fear for his life because of a gift he had not asked for. That he had been born with. Arthur didn't like to think that anyone, let alone a child, was afraid of him. As such, he felt compelled to soothe the boy's fear.

Arthur's curiosity rose even further when it seemed Merlin was communicating with the boy silently. After a moment, the child had nodded slightly, giving Merlin a reserved smile and an eager look in his eyes. Iseldir, Heilyn and Morien leaned forward as well, interested in what his manservant was planning.

Arthur was struck silent for a few minutes after the boy had made his own smoke figure. Delwyn was the youngest person Arthur had ever witnessed performing magic. There was no way that he could see the boy as evil; he was young and innocent, as Arthur now knew many who perished in the purge had been.

Arthur took a good look around him, taking in the people and their way of life. The frolicking children and the gentle mothers and the patient fathers could no more be evil for their magic than Arthur was for being king. Though he would never admit it, Arthur acknowledged to himself that Merlin had been right. He would, however, admit to everyone that he knew that magic did not make a person evil. It was their choices more than their gifts that made them good or bad.


By unspoken agreement, everyone took care of their own horse and bedroll when the five men reached their hobbled mounts. Merlin was also unfailingly put in charge of their supper, being the best cook amongst them. Fortunately, Percival had the forethought to set a few traps before they had left for the druid camp that morning. The three plump rabbits they had snared would supplement their provisions along with the roots and mushrooms Merlin had foraged.

None of the knights nor Arthur had even blinked when Merlin had wordlessly gestured with his hand and summoned the salt, carrots and potatoes from his pack on the other side of the fire pit while he prepped the rabbits. Neither did they react when he lit the fire and nestled the iron pot into the resulting coals with a flash of his eyes and a subtle gesture of his hand. Openly using magic had made supper preparations much faster and easier for Merlin; there was very little that could dampen the smile on his face. For the first time in his life, he truly felt what freedom was.

"Merlin, mate, how did you ever hide this from us?" Gwaine asked, laying out his bedroll amongst those encircling the central fire pit and watching Merlin work with rapt fascination.

"I think the more obvious question is why didn't you lot notice?" Merlin teased.

"I have watched you cook hundreds of times, and I have never seen anything like that," Gwaine countered.

"Well, I wasn't stupid enough to do this while you were watching," he replied, wiggling his fingers in demonstration.

"Have you always cheated on your chores?" Arthur asked, an eyebrow raised. At Merlin's sheepish grin, Arthur continued, "I've always wondered how you could scrub my floors, polish my armor, sharpen my sword, and muck out my stables all in one morning. I had suspected that you pawned things off on other servants with your pathetic puppy-dog look so that you could go spend the afternoon in the tavern."

Merlin sputtered indignantly, "I'll have you know, I've never once pawned my chores or spent the day or even just an afternoon in the tavern! Gaius can be a horrible liar when he wants to be! Every time he's ever told you that, I was doing something with magic to save your sorry backside or to prevent Camelot's destruction!"

"I suppose that explains your utter lack of hangovers," Arthur laughed.

"Honestly, how could you even believe it?! A man my size could never drink that much and be sober the next morning! I have absolutely no tolerance for alcohol; I got a hangover from one tankard of ale at Lancelot's knighting celebration." Merlin grew sober at the mention of his fallen friend, as did everyone else.

"Lancelot knew, didn't he?" Percival asked. "He was very protective of you."

"Yes. He found out when he killed the griffin; as a creature of magic, they can only be killed by magic. I enchanted his lance as he charged the beast, but he heard me and knew it was a spell. It was why he left. In his mind, he couldn't take credit for what he didn't do, even though it was his skill with the lance that killed the griffin."

"He was a noble man," Arthur said charitably, though his eyes were clouded.

"It wasn't him that came back, Arthur. He didn't betray you. He was a shade; a puppet summoned by Morgana's dark magic. I'm certain that Gwen was enchanted as well." Nothing more was said on the subject, though Arthur's mood was decidedly lighter as they all enjoyed their supper.

"I'll take the first watch," Gwaine offered, and everyone smiled gratefully. Merlin cleaned the pot with magic, a smug grin on his face. Then he gladly joined his companions as he bedded down and settled into an easy sleep, listening to Gwaine whittle away at a piece of wood.

Gwaine was just finishing the head of the horse he was carving when he heard a rustle in the trees. Instantly alert, the knight dropped the carving and drew his sword, keeping his short blade in his left hand. His eyes roved over his companion's bedrolls; it had been little more than an hour since they bedded down and they were all still asleep. Gwaine decided to do a quick walk around the perimeter to ensure that it wasn't an intruder.

Just as he reached the edge of the camp and peered into the darkness of the trees surrounding them, Gwaine heard another sound on the other side of the fire. He turned around, only to see a wadded ball of linen land in the lowly crackling fire and let off an extraordinary amount of tangy smoke that hung heavily over the men in the camp. Gwaine recognized the herbal scent of the smoke and belatedly tried to cover his mouth with his forearm. A moment later, he fell into a boneless heap, entirely unconscious.


Merlin groaned as he woke with a splitting headache. Blearily, he blinked his eyes and tried to take in his surroundings. The last he remembered, they had been camped in the Darkling Woods. Across from him a short distance away, Arthur, Percival, Leon and Gwaine were kneeling in a semicircle in front of him. They were gagged and their hands were bound behind them. Their ankles were also tied together with thick ropes. Their wrists and ankles were then tethered together with another short length of rope. There was no way that any of them would be able to stand up properly. It was then that Merlin realized that he, too, was on his knees, and that he was restrained by an irritatingly familiar set of chains.

"Look who's decided to join our party," a mocking voice said from the darkness. A chill went down Merlin's spine in recognition.

"Morgana. Party? I didn't realize that my invitation specified chains as required attire," Merlin said snarkily, pushing at his bonds with magic.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Morgana sing-songed. "A little bird told me you've been keeping secrets, Merlin. Those chains have been specially enchanted, just for you."

"For me?" Merlin asked, willing his voice to stay calm. Morgana stepped out of the darkness behind Arthur and the knights, circling around them as she smiled and gave Merlin a victorious look as she came to a stop in front of Merlin and nodded.

"Yes, just for you. Those chains are magic-binding and thus will not allow you to call your scaly friend. Oh, where are my manners? Arthur, brother, didn't you know? Merlin is a dragonlord." Morgana grinned wickedly at Arthur's kneeling form; the king glared at her angrily.

"What do you want, Morgana?" Merlin asked tiredly, thankful that he had disclosed that very fact to the king and the knights earlier. He was grateful that the horror and anger on Arthur's face wasn't because of him.

Merlin couldn't help but wonder curiously what exactly Morgana had in mind. She could have killed all of them while they were caught unawares, yet she had positioned them all just so and waited for them to gain consciousness. There had to be a reason Merlin was trussed up in the center of this little 'party' and he doubted it was simply for Morgana to reveal that he was a dragonlord. Merlin had the disturbing thought that perhaps Morgana hated him so much that she wanted to torture him as his friends watched before finally killing him.

"You have something I want, Merlin. But I have something of yours, too. I was hoping we could come to an arrangement."

"What could you possibly want from me, Morgana?"

"Your son," Morgana said, without any preamble. Arthur, Gwaine, Leon and Percival's eyes all widened in shock, looking at Merlin incredulously. Merlin almost rolled his eyes at their reaction.

"I'm not sorry to say that you are mistaken, Morgana. I have no son, I have no daughter, I've never taken anyone to my bed." The last was almost directed more towards his friends than Morgana; did they honestly think he could be that dishonorable? To father a child and hide them away? After the way he had grown up always hearing that vicious moniker, 'Hunith's bastard son.'

"Aww, was no one interested?" Morgana taunted with mock pity.

"I've had plenty of offers," Merlin said defiantly, though the surprise on Arthur's face made him scoff indignantly.

"Have you now?" Morgana laughed, her disbelief obvious.

"No matter how thin and clumsy I may be, no matter what you think of how desirable I am not, I am the king's personal manservant. That alone affords me rank amongst my peers, and therefore, desirability."

"Yes, very desirable," Morgana mocked.

"Regardless," Merlin continued, "I was taught, despite my fatherless state, that one has to love their partner to make love to them. Not to mention, I didn't think it would be very responsible, considering my gift. I'm sure that a potentially magical child would be hard to conceal in Camelot."

"And there we come to the crux of the matter. Any son of yours is bound to be powerful; even if I have to kill you in order for him to gain that power."

"And therein again lies your problem. I have no son."

"And therein lies your problem, Merlin. In any case, I don't want just any serving wench's child," Morgana sneered, pacing back and forth in the space between Merlin and the others. Merlin's eyebrows rose at the implications of Morgana's last statement. She wanted Merlin's child, but only from a mother the witch herself deemed worthy. Who did Morgana have in mind, Merlin wondered. Then Morgana stopped pacing and smiled at Merlin. It wasn't her usual satisfied smirk that she wore when she had pulled one over on Uther. This smile was, for lack of better word, seductive.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, looking away from Morgana, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Whatever she had in mind, he was determined not to cooperate. The warlock caught the wary gazes of his friends. The king and his knights were working their jaws and arms trying to loosen their gags and the ropes binding them. If Merlin could distract Morgana long enough, there was a chance that one or more of them could get free. Morgana suddenly laughed, startling Merlin from his thoughts.

"Oh, Merlin, you really are naive, aren't you?" Morgana teased. Merlin felt a thrill of panic race up his spine at her question. There was a hint of insanity in Morgana's laughter, and in the tone of her voice. Then she stopped pacing and knelt in front of Merlin. He was taken aback when the witch raised her hand and rather than striking him with it, caressed his cheek. Merlin tried to lean away, but Morgana grasped his chin firmly in a frighteningly familiar way.

"I want you to give me a son, Merlin," Morgana said. Merlin's breath hitched in his throat. That was something he could not, would not do. Morgana carrying his child, and having that sort of control over him, would be disastrous. He thought back to his last visit to the lake; Freya had told him that he was going to be happy. He was certain that this was not a part of that fate.

"No," he said firmly. Morgana ran her hands up into Merlin's hair and started to comb through it, getting closer to his face. Her gaze pointedly shifted between Merlin's eyes and his lips. He tried once again to turn his head away, very aware that Arthur, Gwaine, Percival and Leon could see everything. Distracting Morgana or not, being seduced in front of his friends wasn't on his list of things to do before he died.

"Come now, Merlin, I remember a time when you would bring me flowers."

"That was a long time ago," Merlin countered. Morgana smiled again, her voice changing as she looked off into the distance, as though struggling to pull the memories to the surface. A look of confusion crossed Morgana's face.

"It was, wasn't it? I remember..." Morgana trailed off, and Merlin was stunned to hear the wistfulness in her voice. Morgana began absentmindedly stroking his cheek as she spoke.

"You would come and check on me and make sure that I was alright. You would deliver my sleeping draughts and stay to chat. You were my friend."

"Yes, we were friends," Merlin agreed, not sure what was going on in Morgana's mind. Suddenly her face turned hard again and her voice was icy. Merlin was shocked at the swift change in her attitude.

"I know you used to like me. Your eyes would follow me around the banquet hall and distract you from your duties. I liked it when you watched me."

"What?!" Merlin asked, shocked at her admission. Suddenly the wistfulness was back.

"There was never lust in your eyes like there was in the men of the court. No, you had a certain innocent awe in your gaze." Morgana leaned forward and placed a kiss very close to Merlin's mouth. He was stunned into stillness until Morgana tried to press a kiss to his lips. Merlin pulled away, glaring at her.

"No, Morgana," Merlin growled as the high priestess pulled his face back towards hers and succeeded in placing a brief kiss on his unresponsive lips before he yanked his head back.

"Have you no shame? No dignity?" he asked, angrily. Morgana pulled away and scoffed incredulously.

"Shame? Dignity? You saw the hovel I lived in. I lost any dignity I had left when I sacrificed my sister and lived like a filthy hermit in the forest." Morgana stood up and paced away again. "Must you always be a thorn in my side?"

"Yes," Merlin said firmly. Morgana stopped and growled.

"Why must you be so difficult?! Why can't you just give in when a woman is throwing herself at you?! Did you not once find me beautiful?!" she shrieked.

"Yes, I did. You've always been beautiful, Morgana," Merlin admitted. "But I would not do that with any woman unless I loved her."

Morgana smiled, seductress once again. "No matter, I have a little incentive."

Merlin's eyes widened in fear, wondering if Morgana hadn't gone truly mad in her isolation. Her moods were shifting faster than Merlin could keep up with. The warlock met Arthur's similarly frightened gaze. Both of them hoped that Morgana hadn't kidnapped Gwen as leverage. Merlin's head snapped to the witch when she began to chant a spell.

"þu you ábirest oþ mé Aithusa! þu you ábirest sé draca!"

"NO!" Merlin yelled. Regardless of his protest, a great whirlwind sprouted to his right and deposited a tangle of white limbs and wings bound in the same chain as Merlin. Distantly, Merlin was surprised at how much Aithusa had grown since he had hatched her. Seeing how much larger she was only reminded him that she was meant to roam free, not be shackled in this manner.

"Aithusa!" The dragonlord cried, angry that the dragon that he had hatched had been bound by Morgana. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! Dragons are not meant to be bound! They are meant to be FREE TO ROAM THE EARTH!" Without realizing it, Merlin's voice took on the timbre of power inherent in his dragonlord birthright.

Arthur and the knights eased back, trying to gain distance from the confrontation as best they could while restrained on their knees. Morgana also shrank back momentarily, as though waiting for an explosion. Seeing Merlin still bound on his knees and breathing heavily in his agitation, Morgana smirked again.

"Temper, temper, Merlin," she drawled as she knelt in front of Merlin again. Merlin closed his eyes, slowing his breaths and seeking his connection to his magic. It felt as though it was a turbulent whirlwind, growing and writhing within him. He hadn't realized what the consequences of having his magic restrained would be. Soon, the flimsy enchantment on the chains wouldn't be enough to hold back the tide of power that was building up within him. Morgana reached out, grasping Merlin's forearms just below the elbow, his bound wrists between the two of them. If she felt the surge building within Merlin, she didn't show it.

"What do you think, Merlin? A babe for a babe? That is how you feel about Aithusa, isn't it? Like she's your daughter? You did call her forth from her egg, after all."

Aithusa chirruped angrily and stood tall on her hind legs.

"Do not let her bargain with me, Merlin," Aithusa thought. "Even now, you are nearly free of her enchantment. Push your magic at her when you break free. Help her, she needs you! Fill her with your light."

Merlin nodded, eyes still closed, instinctively understanding that Aithusa was right, though the others thought that he was giving in to Morgana. Arthur finally worked his gag free.

"No Merlin! Don't let her win! You cannot give in to her!"

At Arthur's words, Merlin opened his eyes. Morgana gasped when she realized that Merlin's eyes weren't blue, but were glowing a constant, brilliant, shining gold as the magic built up within him. His irises swirled like a burgeoning storm cloud desperate for release. Without further warning, Merlin slammed his magic against the restraining enchantment and burst through as though the chains were constructed from delicate lace. His now-free hands darted as quick as a lightning strike and gripped Morgana's forearms just as she had his.

"I am no ordinary dragonlord, Morgana," he began, his voice firm and full of power. His eyes were still a swirling, molten gold. Morgana flinched back in growing fear and tried to pull away, but Merlin's magic held her fast. She couldn't let go of his arms.

"What is this?" she whimpered, truly frightened.

"I do not have magic, Morgana. I am magic. You cannot bind me; I am Emrys, and you have made a grave error."

Morgana's eyes widened and Arthur, Leon, Percival and Gwaine all dove for the ground behind them at Merlin's fierce words. His voice had taken on an ethereal quality; there was power thrumming all around them now, as though the very air was tingling. The wind began to swirl around them, tossing the leaves on the trees to and fro. The very ground seemed alive as subtle vibrations emanated from where Merlin knelt with Morgana. Everyone but the dragonlord shuddered when they heard the angry roar from a dragon; one much larger than the young dragon already in the clearing.

"Merlin! Aithusa!" the ancient voice called anxiously, just as a heavy weight caused the ground to tremble. Kilgharrah the Great Dragon had arrived. He narrowed his draconian eyes at Morgana, though he left her to Merlin and turned towards Aithusa. He breathed upon the youthful dragon, who chirruped and broke through the chains binding her. Aithusa immediately took flight and circled over Merlin and Morgana, eyeing them cautiously.

Merlin reached out with his magic, slowing time and reaching out for Morgana's mind. He was acting on pure instinct; something was drawing him into Morgana's thoughts. Her memories and emotions flowed over him, each of them dark, hurtful, and lonely. It was as though everything that once made Morgana a good person was gone. She was a shell, a husk. This terrible and insane woman wasn't the Morgana that had been his friend. What had happened to her? Merlin drove deeper into her mind, heedless of the pain of the dark emotions. Then Merlin gasped; deep within Morgana's mind was an evil,writhing, black tangle of dark magic.

Instinctively, Merlin wanted to pull away from such darkness, but something drew him forward. The obsidian tangle was like an infection in her brain; encapsulating every good thing about Morgana, leaving her with nothing but hate, bitterness, revenge, and apathy. Merlin almost cried out for his friend; she was there, locked away, a prisoner in her own mind.

Steeling himself against the darkness, Merlin again pressed his awareness against the tangled web and felt the unmistakable essence of Morgause. This was no ordinary enchantment. This was a dark, evil magic, as black and tainted as the magic that had released the Dorocha. Merlin probed the sinuous trap, testing it, trying to discover its weaknesses. If he could break through this vile plague, perhaps Morgana could be as she once was; noble, kind, selfless and courageous. She deserved a chance to redeem herself.

Merlin pressed upon the tangle again, discovering a crack in the surface. Suddenly he was flooded with memories, not from Morgana, but from Morgause. He saw the blonde priestess chanting over a trembling, weak and unconscious Morgana. He saw the nature of the spell, designed to entrap everything good and worthy about Morgana within the dark web like a spider wrapping its prey within its silk. Merlin could not understand how the enchantment had withstood Morgause's death. Surely it would have left Morgana by now. Prodding the crevice in the blackness again, Merlin got the answer.

Morgause had indeed been a clever and powerful witch. While Morgana had been weak from the poison, Morgause had reached into her sister's mind and bent it to her will. Morgause had implanted the drive for revenge much as Morgana had used the formorroh against Merlin. Except that this enchantment was fueled not by a magical creature, but by Morgana's own magic, creating an internal loop that was anchored by the hurtful truths within Morgana's memories. Uther chaining Morgana for defying him; Uther refusing to admit Morgana was his daughter; her own father, slaughtering Morgana's magical kin. But to Merlin's horror, the greatest anchor of all was his own betrayal. Fueling the darkest threads of the web were the memories of Merlin poisoning Morgana. He had been one of her closest friends, her confidant, even. It was Merlin, not Uther, who had dealt the most significant blow and guilt nearly overwhelmed him.

However strong the enchantment still held, the black tangle in Morgana's mind was unstable following Morgause's death. It was dangerous; like one of Gaius' potion experiments gone horribly wrong. The spell was driving her insane; the madness he had witnessed had not been imagined. Most damning of all, it was Merlin's fault. His betrayal had made this evil enchantment possible.

Aithusa had been right. He had to help her, she needed him and not just because he felt responsible for Morgana and for what she had become. He had the opportunity now to right his wrongs and he was going to take it. Determined, Merlin sought out the weakness within the tangled web once more. Acting on instinct, he released his hold on time and flooded the crack with the light of his magic that had built up within him.

Suddenly Merlin and Morgana were surrounded by a blindingly white light and their hair stood on end. Merlin thought of all the things that Morgana used to be. Kind-hearted, loyal, courageous, selfless, and strong. He concentrated on each of those qualities and pushed against the darkness. Morgana cried out in pain as he fought the tangle within Morgana. The enchantment reacted to his power and tried to wrap and weave itself around him as well. The dark strands reaching for him were sticky, reminding him of the tar that he had used to seal the cracks in his mother's house.

Merlin pulled away from the reaching tendrils, stunning them with a fast jab of his own magic. Then Merlin took a deep breath and pushed with all of his will. The web immediately began to buckle, but Morgana let out a shrill scream. Instinctively, Merlin realized that if he pushed through the enchantment with nothing but his own brute force, Morgana's mind would shatter along with it.

Pulling back, Merlin realized that he was breathing hard; he was tiring faster than was usual because of the sedative still affecting his system. Merlin thought that if he could somehow join Morgana's power and will with his, he could overpower the enchantment entirely, and preserve her mind. He tried to borrow power from Morgana through their clasped arms, but the enchantment prevented him from doing so.

"Help me, Morgana! Help me, help you," Merlin projected straight into Morgana's mind; he could feel that his mental voice reached beyond the sticky black tangle and reached her. Not the insane shell that knelt before him, but the friend that was buried deep within her. With a nod from Morgana that he felt more than he saw, Merlin attempted to draw from Morgana a second time. As their magic began to combine, Aithusa swooped low and breathed upon the pair.

"Aithusa!" Kilgharrah protested, but the magic had been cast.

An undulating gold and silver light began to swirl around Merlin and Morgana like living ribbons, causing both of them to gasp. Merlin felt a great surge of power and gripped Morgana's arms tighter as the darkness in her mind gave no further resistance and his magic rushed forward with nothing holding it back; the darkness was obliterated. Morgana cried out in pain as her memories surged forward unhindered for the first time in years.

Morgana and Merlin shut their eyes and gritted their teeth against the onslaught as their thoughts suddenly ran together as though a veil was lifted from between them. It was intense and nearly overwhelming, their most recent memories moving between them like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Neither of them could grasp a hold of the rapidly flickering images, they moved too quickly. The one thing Merlin was able to see properly before the exchange of their thoughts ceased was Aithusa breathing her magic over an injured Morgana. Merlin realized abruptly that it was the young dragon's healing spell that had caused the tiny crack in the dark tangle of encapsulating strands. The little dragon's insistence that Morgana needed him, that Merlin had to help Morgana, had not been random. Aithusa had known that Morgana was enchanted and had wanted Merlin to save Morgana.

The cords of light that Aithusa had breathed upon them swirled closer and tighter, finally settling over Merlin's right and Morgana's left wrists, binding them together. At last, with a gasp and a jolt from both witch and warlock, the light surrounding them burst outward in a dome and dissipated, leaving the clearing cloaked in darkness once more. Both Merlin and Morgana wavered on their knees for a few seconds, then crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Arthur stood carefully, as did his three knights, only realizing once they were on their feet that the ropes binding them had disappeared. The sudden and total stillness after the rushing, blinding, tumult was unnerving. The two dragons stood anxiously, protectively, over the unconscious pair. The sight did nothing to ease Arthur's fear.

"Aithusa?! What have you done?!" Kilgharrah growled, though Arthur heard no comprehensible response from the chirruping juvenile dragon. Warily, Arthur approached them.

"What happened?" he asked, unsure if the massive dragon would answer him.

"They have been exhausted. Merlin has performed a very powerful and entirely unprecedented feat of magic. Aithusa tells me that Merlin was flooding Morgana with his magic, trying to break an enchantment. What this will mean for either of them, I do not know. They will likely sleep for some time."

Arthur nodded, looking down at his treacherous half-sister and the man he considered his best friend.

"Kilgharrah? What is that on their arms?" Gwaine asked, coming to stand beside Arthur, and pointing to a silvery-white strand that moved like smoke and wove around and around Merlin's right arm and Morgana's left in a sinuous pattern, binding them together. Leon and Percival pressed in to see what Gwaine was talking about.

"You know my name, knight," Kilgharrah said, instead of answering. Gwaine and the others nodded.

"Yeah, and mine's Gwaine, not knight."

"Merlin told us about everything today," Arthur explained, cutting Gwaine off before he could build up a head of steam. "We were at the druid clan meet this afternoon, discussing peace between our peoples."

As if on cue, Iseldir, Morien, and Heilyn emerged from the trees with a woman.

"This is Taryn, she is a healer," Iseldir explained. "We at the camp felt a powerful magical surge; surely, it could only have come from Emrys."

"It was..." Arthur trailed off and gestured to the pair on the ground, opening and closing his mouth several times as he searched for words to describe recent events. But there were none; instead, the king shook his head. "I cannot even begin to explain what just happened."

Heilyn stepped forward, studying the unconscious pair and gasped at the sight before him. "It has been many years since I have seen such ties. Is this what I believe it to be?"

"It is," Kilgharrah confirmed reluctantly.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Heilyn asked, eyeing Morgana's disheveled form anxiously.

"It was not my doing. Aithusa insists it was necessary," Kilgharrah explained, his distaste obvious.

"Will someone please tell us what is going on?" Arthur asked, not without a tone of command.

"You asked before what was on their arms. It is an ancient rite, reserved for dragonlords..." Kilgharrah trailed off.

"Yeees?" Gwaine drew the word out in an attempt to encourage the recalcitrant dragon to continue. Heilyn picked up the explanation.

"Fýrdracafæstnian; a dragonfasting, some have called it. It is an ancient magical rite, performed only by the dragons. It is a binding ritual reserved for dragonlords... and their brides."

Silence fell once more as everyone processed the implications of Heilyn's statement.

"Do you mean to tell us that Merlin is now married to Morgana?" Leon asked incredulously.

"Yes," Kilgharrah rumbled. "It is indissoluble; they are bound through the eternities."

Aithusa chirruped excitedly, undeterred by the older dragon's indignation. Everyone's eyes widened and jaws dropped open.

"You're telling me that that dragon has bound Merlin to Morgana? For eternity?" Arthur asked incredulously. Kilgharrah sighed, his eyes narrowed in irritation.

"Yes," the dragon repeated.

"Why punish Merlin like that? Merlin doesn't deserve to have such an evil, insane woman married to him! He didn't even have a choice! Morgana was trying to take advantage of him!" Arthur argued angrily, glaring at Aithusa accusingly, furious on his friend's behalf.

"Peace, young Pendragon," Kilgharrah soothed. "For a dragonfasting is a pure magic; it will not hold in the blackhearted, nor in the unwilling."

"Merlin seemed far from willing," Gwaine interjected.

"And Morgana is far from purehearted," Percival argued. Gwaine, Arthur and Leon nodded in agreement.

"Believe me, I am just as surprised as you are that this binding has held. They both of them must have been willing to come together in some form or fashion, or the dragonfasting would have failed. Aithusa assures me that things are not what they seemed. A great change has been wrought this night."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and scoffed at the confusing riddle that the dragon felt was a good answer. No one could deny the hope that swelled within them, though.

"What does that even mean?" Gwaine demanded.

"Just what I said, Sir Gwaine. Things are not what they seemed. Morgana is not the evil that she was once thought to be."

"Now that just explains everything," Gwaine said irritatedly.

"In time, you will understand," Kilgharrah said, refusing to elaborate further. After a moment's silence, Gwaine scoffed and looked at a consternated Arthur.

"This isn't right," the knight groused. Arthur shook his head in agreement.

"Well, sire, I don't envy you in the morning," Percival said, filling the awkward silence by chuckling mirthlessly.

"Why is that, Percival?" Arthur asked, unsure if he really wanted the answer.

"Because you get to tell Merlin that he and Morgana are now eternally bound in holy matrimony," Percival explained. Gwaine and Leon grimaced in sympathy as Arthur groaned and clasped a hand to his suddenly pounding head.

"Good luck with that, sire," Leon said as he clapped a hand to Arthur's shoulder in sympathy. Gwaine nodded his agreement and the three knights went to straighten their disturbed camp site. Taryn the healer finished administering her strengthening potions to the witch and warlock and turned to the druid leaders and Arthur.

"I've done all I can, they just need to rest now. Can you help me move them to a more comfortable place?"

Arthur was just about to bend down and physically pick up one of the unconscious pair when Iseldir and Morien each held out a hand and uttered a string of words. Morgana and Merlin hovered in the air, side-by-side, arms still bound, until Gwaine and Percival finished unfolding Merlin's bedroll and laying the blankets out to accommodate both Merlin and Morgana. The druid elders and Taryn bid them farewell as soon as the unconscious pair was settled and disappeared back into the trees. Leon stoked the fire and everyone, human and dragon alike, settled down to wait until morning and whatever daylight would bring.

A/N: Reviews are appreciated.