I own nothing which have anything to do with the show.
Tsk tsk. You people don´t really care for leaving reviews do you? tsk tsk. You have to feed the muse, one review for the last chapter is not the most motivating response I have gotten. But who am I to judge? I am just as bad at it myself.
I realized when I started this chapter that I had made an error in ending the last one as Arthur sees Uther just after the love-struck girl comment, which I made a bit longer and then had them leave the room.
Other than that, once again I am so, so sorry for the extremely long wait. I really have no excuse other than time ran away from me. As for the following chapters, I have no idea when they are going to come. I´ll try to do better but no promises.
The death song of Uther Pendragon part two
They were moving down the hallway when Merlin felt like someone was knocking on a door, but inside her head. She frowned and looked around to see if it weren't something around them instead, but from what she could see in the way Arthur held himself as he walked in front of her, he had not heard anything out of the ordinary. She relaxed slightly when she heard a throaty chuckle in her mind from Mordred.
`I just wanted to make sure you didn't panic if I just started talking to you, but I see my trying to catch your attention some other way did the same. For that I apologize.´ `I don't panic, I become cautious, big difference. Did you want something specific? Because I am kind of busy at the moment… wait what do you mean by see?´
As far as Merlin knew, it weren't possible to see the person you were talking to through their mind so either he knew something she didn't or he was watching her. Which one disturbed her more she weren't sure, she just knew that neither sat well with her.
`Did you really think I would just let you go after who knows what without protection? And yes I know you can take care of yourself, but you seem… disturbed, by whatever it is that roams the castle. Therefore, I figured that another set of eyes wouldn't hurt.
Merlin made a grimace because he weren't wrong but she had done just fine without him to watch her back for years without incident, well almost without incident. She didn't need his help nor did she want it, she could not afford to trust him, not with her life and certainly not with Arthurs. `I don't need your help, so just go back to bed, or whatever you were doing before you thought it would be a good idea to stalk me.´
With those words she slammed her mental door in his face to cut him out, she ran to catch up with Arthur, who had gotten quite a bit ahead of her in her distraction.
"Why is it by the way that I am always the one you drag into these things?" Merlin whisper hissed at Arthur as she caught up to him. The silence of the castle was a bit unnatural to Merlin so she wanted to break it, and what better way than antagonize Arthur, that was always fun. Arthur whirled around with a frustrated look on his face, but his eyes never looked at her because they focused on something behind her. Merlin whipped her head around but couldn't see anything other than the dark hallway they had just passed through. But she thought she saw a shadow of something, but it was probably just Mordred going back to his room, or she hoped. Even if they were on the hunt for Uther´s ghost, she didn't really feel like encountering him though she knew there was nothing for it.
"What was it?" Merlin asked even if the look on Arthur´s face as he pushed passed her told her that it most definitelyweren't Mordred going back to his room. "It was my father."
They crept along the hallway looking for anything out of the ordinary or any indication that Uther where there with them but hiding from them all the same. "I never thought the day would come when I would be hunting my own father." Merlin almost snorted aloud because she most certainly had never thought it either, she had always thought that it would be her who would be the hunted one and Uther who would be the one to do the hunting. "When I became King, more than anything, I wanted to make him proud. What is it?"
Merlin had stopped walking as Arthur talked and just watched him. Yeah, she knew he had wanted to make his father proud. Heck the whole land knew that, Uther´s shoes was big to fill out after all. Could he not see all the good he had done, things that Uther would never have done. "You´ve always done what you believed to be right even if you knew your father would disapprove of it. Do you not see how different you are to him? Camelot is a better place since you became King."
The last part was said with only a little hesitation, because she knew that Arthur sometimes almost lost it if people indicated that his father had not been a great King. Nevertheless, it was important enough to risk some of his anger if she could make him see that he was so much better than his father had been.
However, he did not react in anger as she half expected him to do, but more resigned of the fact that he apparently were a lesser king than his father had been. "My father clearly doesn´t think so." Arthur´s answer irritated Merlin to no end. How was it, that Uther still had the ability to make Arthur question himself so much, even years after his death? She knew the answer to her own question though, Arthur had always tried to gain his father´s approval – or at least he had all the time Merlin had known him.
"The people believe in you, Arthur. It counts for nothing if you don´t believe in yourself." She told him in anger and sadness over his poor self-confidence when it came to the changes his father would have disapproved of. She got no reply from the king, but she had not been expecting one either. This whole thing was probably more emotional for Arthur than he was comfortable with and if she was honest it were for her too, but on a completely different level.
Neither one of them was the lets-pour-our-hearts-out kind of people, and so far Arthur was letting a lot of his feelings slip out over this, so it was up to Merlin to figure out just how far the talking could be taken before it was too much – for the both of them. The wind could be heard in the hallway just around the corner, or Merlin really hoped it was just the wind and not a late king bent on causing pain.
Merlin looked uncertain at Arthur before she set her facial expression in a frown. She gave a mental sigh as Arthur gave her the nod that meant that he was ready to face whatever was in the other hallway. Merlin herself felt in no way ready, nevertheless she took a deep breath and practically jumped around the corner only to see that is was empty. Merlin looked around with a frown, there might not be anything there now but somehow she knew that had not been the case a few moments ago. The air felt wrong to her somehow, it was almost as if someone was pressing on her chest with immense force.
They started moving down the hallway and as they did so there was the sound of shattering glass up ahead of them. Merlin felt like jumping ten feet in the air `What now? It´s not fair to not only haunt the Citadel but then also scare the living daylights out of us. Wonder if he think it funny…´
"Check the storeroom." Arthur said before moving on to where the sound of glass had come from, and before Merlin even had a chance to respond whit some sarcastic remark about the wisdom in splitting up the king was out of sight. She glared at the storerooms door before slowly making her way towards it. `Why is it that I didn´t bring a torch with me? Oh yeah, because I didn´t think there would be any splitting up! Bad things always happen when we split up. Okay this storeroom is much creepier at night… in the dark… with a magic hating ghost king on the loose. Great, let's just get this over with before I lose my nerve.´
"So, what is it Arthur and you are hunting at night?" Merlin whirled around at the voice and almost lost her footing in the process. "Bugger it all! Don´t sneak up on me like that!" She said as two strong hands gripped her upper arms to keep her on her feet. Mordred´s chuckle could be heard in the dark and it send shivers, which were ignored, down Merlin´s spine. "Sorry, but the question still stands, what are you hunting to make you so jumpy? Even Arthur seemed… cautious, well more than he usually does anyway."
Before Merlin had a chance to respond the door to the storeroom slammed shut, if it weren´t for the startled look on Mordred´s face that she could only just make out in the dark she would have thought it was hum who did it. The barrels on the shelves started to rattle as Merlin made her way to the door to get out with Mordred on her heels. At any other time she would never had turned her back to him in the dark, but she had other things to worry about than him.
The barrels came crashing down in front of the door and blocked the way, Merlin yelled Arthur´s name as she knew it could only mean one thing; Uther were going after his son… "I need to get out of here and get to him, Uther is after him! Help me clear a path." Merlin more or less ordered as she started pulling barrels out of the way.
"Wait. Uther? What do you mean Uther is after Arthur? Merlin Uther is dead, and have been for years." Mordred said even as he bend over next to her and helped move the optical. "I know he is dead which only makes it so much worse! Arthur summoned his spirit but then Uther tricked him into freeing him and I think he wants his kingdom back." The way was not all cleared but it was enough for her, so she started making her way over the barrels instead of moving them, and was out of the door and heading towards the throne room before she had even finished talking. Behind her, she heard Mordred call for her to wait, but she paid it no mind as she ran as fast as she could.
"Be careful Emrys. Uther will kill you if you give him the opportunity. I am right behind you." She could hear Arthur talking to Uther but from the sounds of it, it weren't going too well. "… have to kill me. I am not you, father. I can´t rule the way you did." "Camelot must come before all else. Even you." Merlin snuck in through the side door and cringed as a shield flew of the wall and hit Arthur on the side of the head. `good thing he is hard headed´ she couldn´t help but think as he fell to the floor.
Uther had started to slowly make his way to Arthur when she decided that it was time to let her presence be known. "Get away from him, Uther!" she barked at him, when he slowly turned to her she kept on talking, "You´ve caused enough harm. You don't belong here. You must return to the other world." She told him seriously. Merlin watched as the fury and disgust overtook Uther´s whole body. "This is MY kingdom! You think you can drive me from it? You are nothing but a handmaiden!" The last part was said in a tone of voice that Merlin knew was supposed to make her feel like lesser than dirt, but it really didn't. Uther was dead and she was still amongst the living, and he couldn´t hurt her. It didn't matter what he did, because she would still be standing in the end.
It was that knowledge that made her take a risk she never would have done, had he still been alive. "I am much more than that." If she had to she would show him just how much more she really was. She felt a small smirk playing on her lips as she had the upper hand because Uther had no idea who she really was. A bench flew at her head but she was prepared so she stopped it in it´s path, but someone else splintered it into pieces. Just inside the door Mordred stood with his hand reached out in front of him with his eyes still glowing, Merlin gave a small shake of her head to indicate that he should stay out of it.
"You have magic?" Merlin stood tall with a defiant sneer on her lips after a few seconds of uncertainty. She would not hide who she was from him, not anymore – there really was no cause for it. "I was born with it!" She proclaimed in defiance. The disbelief were clear on Uther´s face as he said in realization, "I made you Arthur´s maid. You are a sorcerer?" Merlin could not help but poke at him, "Even while you were King, there was magic at the heart of Camelot."
Uther started to advance on her while he talked, his voice rising as he did and ending in a shout, "I will not allow you and your kind to poison my kingdom." "You´re wrong," Merlin said in a strong voice, which stopped him in his path. "You´re wrong. About so much. Arthur is a better and more worthy King than you ever where." She told him, her voice tinged in a mix of sadness and pity. For he had tried his best, there was no doubt in her mind about it; he had just failed so many of his people because of his own misplaced judgmental guilt.
Fury seemed to pour from Uther at her words, he leaned his head back and roared, the spears on the walls started to rattle before tearing themselves from their places and make their way towards Merlin. They fell to the floor as Mordred jumped in front of her, Merlin didn´t know at first if it were because Uther were surprised or if Morderd had made them fall. However, she got her answer when Uther sneered in disgust at Mordred. "A knight with magic!" Merlin sidestepped Mordred at the same time as Uther roared in anger once more; Merlin threw her hands in front of her and made him fly back and through the wall.
Merlin rounded on Mordred, "what do you think you were doing?" she hissed at him through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes. "I just saved your life, the least you could do was say thank you," he said back. "I had everything under control. I would not have been harmed in any way!" Merlin watched as Mordred´s eyes turned cold and a smirk played at the corners of his lips. "If you say so lady Emrys."
He gave what Merlin was sure was a mocking bow before he turned and left the way he came. The anger was boiling in Merlin´s veins; who did he think he was dealing with? She didn´t need or want his help. She glared the way he had left for a bit more before turning to the doors. She didn't have time to think about Mordred right now, not that she wanted to anyway.
On her way to the door, she made a brief stop to check on Arthur to make sure that he was just knocked out. With one hand in front of her to dispatch of any attacks she slammed the door open with the other. As there were nothing to see in the hallway she moved further along listening after any sound that didn't belong.
She reached one of the side rooms in which some weapons were kept in case of an emergence, suck rooms had been taken in use after Arthur had ascended to the throne as he thought it stupid to only have weapons in the weaponry if they were under attack.
She heard a sound behind her; she only had time to turn around to face whatever it was before two spears came dangerously close to hitting her. Luckily, they only pierced her shirt and nail her to the door at her back. Merlin felt white hot fear run through her as Uther stormed at her, "It will give me great pleasure killing you, you and that knight."
"Merlin? What´s happening? Merlin? I´m coming to you!" Merlin ignored Mordred´s voice as she tried to gather her wits about her so she could focus – fear was not productive for focusing! Just as she were sure this was the end, Arthur came bursting through the doors with the blasted horn held high. She felt relief flood her entire body even as Uther pleaded with his son, only to be turned down. Her relief however turned to dread when he started telling Arthur of her magic, but before he finished he vanished as Arthur had blown the horn to send him back where he belonged.
Merlin felt tears gather in her eyes as she took in the sight of Arthur standing in front of her. He looked devastated and lost. Like a small child who had gotten lost on the marked. She didn't know if it were the pain in Arthur´s eyes that made her tear up, or if it were her own relief at it being over. She didn't know why but she felt, not disappointed but close, that Uther didn't have the time to finish what he was saying. She was so tired of hiding even if she knew it was for the best that he didn't know.
The only thing she could tell herself was that, hopefully, one day soon, she would have no reason to hide anymore.
Mordred came racing through the door and almost slammed right into the king but came to an abrupt stop. He was panting as if he had ran all the way from the knights quarters, and from the wild look he had in his eyes, Merlin suspected that that was probably just what he had done. "Mordred? What are you doing here?" Arthur asked the druid sounding a bit confused; the hurt in his eyes had disappeared at the same time as Mordred had appeared.
Merlin weren't surprised at that since Arthur did not like that people could see him hurting, for him to show her showed just how much she meant to him. It was a process which had taken a lot of time and a considerably amount of shared danger. "I couldn't sleep Sire, so I was just walking the halls when I heard a commotion and wanted to check it out. Is… everything alright here my lord?" he asked as his eyes went to Merlin.
"Ehm, yes everything is fine Mordred. Merlin and I was just… target practicing. Could you please help her get free? I need to see how Guinevere is doing. I hope sleep will find you soon as we have early practice in the morning. Goodnight." "I hope the Queen is doing better Sire, have a good night." Merlin just nodded at him and bade him give Gwen a hug from her, to some it might seem strange that she send a hug to the Queen, but she had been her best female friend for about a decade.
After Arthur had left Mordred turned to Merlin with an eyebrow raised and crossed his arms over his chest. "So you had everything under control then? If that were the case then why did I feel so much fear from you not long ago? And was it a part of your plan to get nailed to the wall?" Merlin just glared at him and decided to ignore his jab at her being in control, later she would blame her answer on the lack of sleep and her slight illness. "I thought you would like me nailed to the wall, all defenseless and at your mercy," she said in a teasing tone with a small smile on her lips.
Mordred smiled at her and let his arms drop to his sides as he walked to her, the way he moved made Merlin think of a predator closing in on its pray. She suddenly realized that she was his pray; her eyes went wide as he leaned in and whispered in her ear at the same time as he pushed some loose heir behind it. "Ah, but you see, I would love you nailed to a wall if the circumstances where different. And you actually meant that invitation you just gave."
Merlin felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine at his words and the way his lips graced her ear as he talked. She shook her head as he pulled back to clear her mind of the slight fog that had descended over it, she didn't want or need those kind of images in her mind, because it was all it would ever be if it stood to her. Images in the mind that had no place in the real world.
Mordred placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head and smirked with a raised eyebrow, his eyes trailed down her body and back up only to stop at her chest. Merlin frowned and looked down at herself. She felt her cheeks and ears heat up a bit because the spears had not only nailed her to the wall, no they had pulled her shirt as tight as possible so there was very little left to the imagination about her curves. Not that she wanted him to imagine her curves, thank you very much.
She cleared her throat and Mordred snapped out of his starring contest with her breasts. "So, I assume you and Arthur got the whole Uther´s ghost is amongst us fixed?" Since Merlin knew, it was a rhetorical question she refrained from answering and told him to get her off the wall now. She just received a smile instead of the help she had hoped for.
"Can´t you get yourself off?" he asked with a glint in his eyes that irritated Merlin immensely. "If it were that easy getting off, do you think I would have asked for your help?" She snapped at him. Mordred´s smile turned into a low laugh, "You aren't asking Emrys, but I'll get you free." He grabbed one of the spears and pulled it free from the wall, before proceeding to the next one. When he was done, he looked her over and smiled at the holes in her now ruined shirt.
"If that is all I´ll bid you goodnight." Merlin just nodded at him while she fingered the holes in her shirt and thought about fixing it when she reached her chamber. She looked up to find that he was still standing there looking at her. "Yes, yes thank you for your help. Goodnight." She went around him, left the room, and started walking to Gaius´ chambers. She was almost there when she felt Mordred´s mind brush up against hers, "You need only ask for my help and I might consider it." "What are you talking about? I did say thank you for helping me, ergo, you helped." His answer sounded like he was laughing or chuckling "Just think about it, I am sure you´ll figure it out."
Gaius sad waiting for her at the table and gestured to the other chair to make her sit down, Merlin mentally groaned because all she really wanted to do was collapse on her bed till morning came – which was only a few, maybe 3 hours away. She was happy to find that Gaius seemed as tired as she did as that meant it would be a short conversation.
"I you manage to send him back?" he asked and Merlin smiled because he went straight to the point, it would be a VERY short conversation it seemed. "Yes Arthur blew the horn, but not before Uther had the time to make him doubt himself. Hopefully Arthur has enough sense to see it as what it is. His father´s blind hatred at everything he didn't condone of." Gaius nodded at her, "He needs to see that he would never be able to make Uther happy when he doesn't rule the way he did. Even if Uther was a close friend, I know that there is a likelihood, that even if Arthur ruled as he did, he would still find something to criticize. Get some sleep Merlin; you look like you need it."
She smiled and bid him a good night, as she reached her door Gaius called out to her. "Oh and Merlin? You should probably do something about those tears in your shirt." Merlin grinned at him and nodded as she closed her chamber door. She turned around and looked at her small bed, `hello bed, did you miss me? I missed you.´ she didn't bother with taking her clothes of, she just let gravity pull her front first down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
The dark fog of sleep started to cloud her mind when she suddenly gasped and jumped to a sitting position. No! She ran through her conversation with Mordred in her head at lightning speed, she groaned and hid her face in her hands. "If it were that easy getting off, do you think I would have asked for your help? Did I really say that? And his bloody answer! You aren't asking Emrys, but I'll get you free. I can be so thick!" She flopped back down on the bed and pulled the pillow over her head.
´I really must be getting sick since I missed that! Ugh he didn't even hide what he meant!´ Sleep didn't come easy for her as every time she closed her eyes she saw images of sweating bodies intervened on a bed, and could almost hear the moans. Her mind took her back to a deserted hallway in the dark, the feeling of hands running over her body, of teeth, lips and arousal.
When morning came Merlin felt like she had gotten no sleep at all and she felt like she had been used as a practice dummy for a whole day. Apparently she didn't look much better as Gaius had mentioned she looked a lot worse for wear. She was still half asleep so she hadn't changed out of her ruined shirt, which Gaius had send her back to her room to rectify.
Merlin barely remembered how she got from Gaius´ chambers to the kitchen and from there to Arthur and Gwen´s rooms with breakfast. She figured she had to have done it for she had taken the plates back, and she didn't remember Arthur giving her a hard time about not bringing food. The world around her made a little more sense after she had begged a piece of bread from the kitchen maids and eaten it on her way to the armory.
The training for the day was jousting training, a form of sport Merlin would never be able to understand. How anyone would find it even remotely fun to ride at the point of a lance just lay beyond her realm of comprehension. If you were hit with the bloody thing it left some nasty bruises, sure the armor took some of the impact and damage, but not nearly enough for her taste. She didn't say much as she helped Arthur but it seemed that he either disliked the silence or he just wanted to talk.
"I always looked up to my father. I admired and respected him more than anyone. I have to accept that I can´t please him, and be true to myself." He sounded as if he were lost in his own thoughts and like it weren't even really Merlin he was talking to, but more like he just had to get it out. Even if Merlin couldn't help but think that it was what she had tried to tell him multiple times, she thought it best to keep that tidbit to herself.
"Uther did what he thought he had to do to protect the Kingdom. That doesn't mean he was right." While she would never believe in the law against magic she had been told by Gaius how it had started to corrupt some people even before the purge. Uther were right in one aspect; magic could be a deadly weapon in some, but in others, it could do so much good. That was something he just hadn't understood.
"I want to build a kingdom that is fair and just. One where everyone is respected regardless of rank." Merlin had heard him say it before and she decided to get Arthur out of his gloom before the training began and they were almost ready to make for the field. "Does that include me?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Of course." He answered in a way that really made her doubt that.
Merlin smirked a bit and asked in a curious tone "so, does that mean you´re not going to hit me anymore?" "When do I ever hit you?" Arthur asked her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "All the time." She answered back almost before Athur was done speaking. "That's not hitting, Merlin," she was told in a tone which suggested that she was being stupid, "that's merely friendly slaps. It´s horseplay."
Merlin smiled a little, "So, can I give you a friendly slap?" "You can certainly try." Merlin went for Arthur´s gloves and looked at one of them before her gaze moved to the back of Arthur´s head. Her next action she blamed entirely on her lack of sleep and slight illness, she swung the glove so it hit Arthur in the back of his head. As soon as it made contact she froze, `that the bloody hell did you do that for you idiot? He is going to make you pay for that. Bad Merlin!´
"What the hell was that?" Arthur asked in a voice that made Merlin know that yes, he was going to make her pay. "It was, um… horseplay. Yep, horseplay!" She answered with a big innocent smile. Arthur took the gloves from her and started replying as the pulled the offending glove on. "No, Merlin, you´re doing it all wrong." Merlin´s smile died on her lips as Arthur made a fist, her eyes went huge as he said, "Why don't I show you?"
He was barely done talking before Merlin was passed him and sprinting towards the door, where she almost collided with Leon. "Out of my way!" she almost screamed as she swung around him and almost fell in the process. Behind her she could hear Arthur laughing as he shouted after her, "Run, Merlin, but you can´t hide.".
On another note; the lovely girl who unusually looks the chapters over for me simply doesn´t have the time for it anymore, so any and all mistakes are mine. If she should look them over it would take a lot of extra time and I think it takes a lot as it is.
And I am sorry I haven't been responding on reviews, I have read them, just never got around to write back.
MY WORD BROKE DOWN! F****** S***!