A/N: Thank you GuestM, PadrePedro, mersan123, SnidgetHex, and Buckhunter for reviewing!
Chapter 3
Arthur's jaw went slack at the woman's name. Nimueh, the sorceress who had purportedly sent the Afnac to poison Camelot's wells. The sorceress his father had supposedly courted once upon a time. She didn't look much older than Arthur.
"I'm surprised we haven't crossed paths," Nimueh said to Merlin. "You obviously have powerful magic. But I suppose if you've hidden yourself away like this, we wouldn't have."
"How did you find us?" Merlin asked again.
"I followed you from the serkets. You interrupted me and I've come to finish something." Her eyes shifted to Arthur then, and his blood ran cold at the flinty intention.
Merlin subtly moved to place himself between them. "I can't allow that."
Nimueh's eyes flashed darkly. "Why are you protecting the heir of the Pendragon line that has slaughtered and persecuted our kind for decades?"
"Prince Arthur wasn't a part of that."
"He's committed his own crimes," she rejoined, cocking her head to look past Merlin at Arthur again. "Haven't you?"
He swallowed hard. Yes, he'd carried out orders from his father—raiding parties on Druid camps. One in particular…he'd murdered women and children. He'd hated every second of that, but he'd been doing his duty.
"There's still hope things can change for the better," Merlin insisted. "Arthur will become a better king than his forefathers."
Arthur found himself oddly taken aback by the declaration. Both by the insinuation that his father and grandfather were less than noble kings, but also by the confidence with which Merlin proclaimed that Arthur would be.
Nimueh glowered at him in derision. "There will be no change until the Pendragon line is eradicated. You're a traitor to your kin, but I will leave you to your little haven here if you hand over Arthur."
Leon surged to his feet in protest, and Arthur put a hand on his good arm to restrain him.
Merlin, however, met Nimueh's ultimatum with a staunch, "No."
Her expression darkened. "Very well."
She shot a hand out and her eyes flared gold, and a fireball erupted from her palm to come flying toward them. Merlin threw his hands up, erecting a shimmering blue shield that deflected the attack. He then sent the wall of crackling energy back at her, but she conjured a panel of green, and the two collided with a thunderous crack. The shields splintered and fell in glittering azure and emerald shards.
Everyone else at the table scattered, the groundskeepers for cover, while the hunters and Gwen ran for the same hut. A moment later, they re-emerged with crossbows and knives and launched a round of them at the sorceress.
She whirled, eyes blazing that unearthly gold, and the arrows and daggers slowed to a stop midair, then flipped over and came zinging back toward the hunters, who narrowly dove out of the way to avoid getting hit.
Merlin and Nimueh exchanged a few more magical attacks, the explosions getting bigger and louder, shaking the very ground beneath them. Nearby creatures went skittering and fleeing in fright. The baby unicorn squealed and darted across the path. Elyan's sister rushed to grab it, and Leon ran after her, throwing himself over them both and taking them to the ground just as a fireball flew over them.
Arthur dropped below the table for cover. He wanted to help fight, but he had no idea where his sword had been stashed.
Nimueh threw two consecutive spells at Merlin from different angles, and he was only able to block the first. The second hit him in the side and sent him flying through the air to land with a hard thud in some grass. He didn't move.
Nimueh spun and stormed toward Arthur. Lancelot and Percival leaped forward to intercept her, but she blasted them with an invisible force of magic that threw them against the side of the hut. Elyan and Gwaine tried to attack next, but she tossed them into the table, breaking it into pieces. Arthur scrambled away from it, looking around but having nowhere to run to and no way to defend himself.
Nimueh's lips curved upward with manic glee. "I'm going to make Uther feel the pain I've felt all these years when I mount your head on a pike outside his city."
"Is that because you loved him and he betrayed you?" Arthur blurted.
She faltered for a moment. "Uther didn't tell you that."
"No. But is it true?" he pressed.
Her eyes hardened again. "Once. But the Pendragon line is nothing but hypocrites and betrayers. And I will end it here."
She began to utter a spell, her eyes glowing gold, and he braced himself for the end.
"Arthur!" Merlin shouted.
Arthur saw the sorcerer propped up on one elbow, one hand stretched out, and a sword flying through the air toward him. He caught it and thrust the blade straight into Nimueh's chest before she could finish her killing spell. She gasped, shock slackening her face for a brief moment before the light in her eyes winked out. Arthur staggered back, withdrawing the blade as her body crumpled.
Around him, everyone was struggling to get up, and Gaius was hurrying over to check them one by one. Arthur turned and rushed over to Leon to help him up. His face was scrunched up in pain from landing on his bad shoulder. The woman he'd helped—Gwen—stayed sitting on the ground and shushing the skittish unicorn foal.
Merlin hobbled over, favoring his left side. "Everyone okay?"
There was a chorus of "yes" and "we'll live" from the group. The people who weren't warriors and had fled started making their way back over.
"Anyone hurt?" Merlin asked them.
They shook their heads.
"Okay. Will, take a group and check for damage to any of the habitats, especially the enclosed ones."
A young man nodded and singled out some others to accompany him.
"What about her?" Gwaine asked, nodding to Nimueh's body.
"We'll take her out of the Sanctuary and burn the body," Merlin replied grimly.
Arthur walked over to him. "You saved my life." And he was still a little stunned by it.
Merlin shrugged. "Technically, you saved yourself."
Arthur frowned at him. Merlin could just as easily have claimed a life debt from him, used it as leverage to protect himself and his Sanctuary, and yet he had brushed off his role in defeating Nimueh and protecting Arthur. Not only that, but he hadn't handed over Arthur in the first place, not even when it was his fault Nimueh had even found this place. The serket attack must not have been random. And, now that he thought about it, neither was the fog that had separated him from the rest of the patrol. All of that, including past grievances, and Merlin had still defended him. Arthur didn't understand the sorcerer.
Merlin turned and headed into one of the huts, then came back out with a sheet to cover Nimueh's body. Percival went to retrieve a mule and cart, and they loaded the body into the back. Arthur wanted to help, but he didn't imagine they'd be keen to let him see the outside of this place. And while a small voice in the back of his head insisted he should try, a larger part of him didn't want to put his saviors in the awkward position of refusing his assistance.
So instead he simply started picking up the mess from the broken dinner table. Leon helped one-handed, until Gwen ushered him into a chair that hadn't broken in the scuffle and demanded he not exert himself. No one said much. Gaius checked over the hunters and patched up what needed treatment, and then they joined the work of cleaning up after the battle. Gwaine and Percival went with Merlin to remove Nimueh's body from the Sanctuary. When they returned, Merlin looked exhausted.
"It's getting late," he said. "You should probably stay the night, head home in the morning."
Arthur's initial instinct was to politely decline, but he didn't want to push Leon into a long trek, especially when his injury would slow them down and they probably wouldn't make it before nightfall. So he graciously accepted.
"Thank you."
They salvaged what food they could and had their suppers picnic style. Afterward, Gwen took Leon back to Gaius's hut to make him rest some more. Arthur heard Merlin and some of the groundskeepers discussing feeding the animals, and he asked if he could come along and watch. Merlin smiled and said sure. If he suspected Arthur was trying to snoop around, he didn't show it. And, in truth, that wasn't Arthur's intention. He was just…genuinely curious.
He made the rounds with Merlin and Will, passing by the same habitats Merlin had shown him earlier. Fortunately, none had suffered any damage from the battle. Arthur watched the magical creatures get fed just like any other animal kept in Camelot. It was almost…mundane.
The sky grew darker, which was strange; it didn't quite look right as the sky. And then soft glowing orbs of white light floated up there, and Arthur realized it wasn't the sky, just a mimicry of it. But a tranquil looking one.
When it was time to retire for the night, he overheard Gwaine and Percival discussing the need for a night watch. He didn't take offense. Again, the dead of night would be the perfect time to slip out and search for the egg or the exit to determine the Sanctuary's location. But his heart wasn't in it and he lay down on the cot beside Leon's and tried to sleep instead.
The next morning, Gwen brought them breakfast, and Merlin came by to ask Gaius about Leon's wound.
"It's holding up well," the physician replied after completing an examination. "No signs of infection."
Arthur was relieved to hear it.
"Then I suppose it's time you head home," Merlin said to them. "No doubt all of Camelot will be out looking for you by now."
Arthur nodded. "Thank you again, for saving Leon and not handing me over to Nimueh."
Merlin smiled back.
They were given their weapons back, then blindfolded and led out. The sudden noise of the waterfall was startling when they abruptly passed by it without warning. It disoriented Arthur a bit as he shuffled along blindly. He and Leon were escorted a great distance away, far enough that not even an echo of the waterfall could be heard. Then they were finally brought to a stop and released.
Arthur blinked as the blindfold was removed. They were in some forest area, further obscuring his chance to look behind at where they'd come from. He decided he didn't care, though.
"Camelot will be safe from one enemy now, at least," Merlin said. "But Nimueh isn't the only one out there."
Arthur fingered the his sword belt thoughtfully and asked, "Are you an enemy?"
Merlin gave him a cheeky smile. "I hope not."
He nodded.
Merlin reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Here," he said, holding it out to Arthur. "If you ever need help, you can use this to contact me."
Arthur took the ring and studied it in confusion.
"Just touch the gemstone, speak a message, and then twist the ring counter-clockwise," Merlin explained.
His mouth turned down. "Magic."
Merlin quirked a smile at him again. "A tool, for good or ill, depending on the user."
With that, he and his hunters turned and departed.
Arthur waited a beat before turning to head home himself.
"What are you going to tell your father?" Leon asked.
That was the question…
"I know what the law is…but I also know what's right." He looked at his friend. "I won't ask you to lie to your king, though."
"You are my liege too." Leon ducked his gaze almost abashedly. "I, too, believe you will be a good king, Arthur—a great king. And I will follow your lead on this. Besides," he added more softly, "Elyan and Gwen have been wronged enough by Camelot. I can't in good conscience contribute any more to that."
Arthur nodded in understanding. He looked at the ring Merlin had given him and tucked it away for safe keeping.
