The times Arthur managed to save Merlin (The Rightful Heir)

by Juliet'lovestory

When Merlin tells Arthur the truth it was not because he wanted, it was because it was needed, it was either telling Arthur or dying on the pyre. They start a journey together from that day forward. Their adventure to bring Albion to life, and everything in between. Reveal!Fic Purely bromance.

47. The Prophecy

A/N: AT THE END! HAPPY READING!

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CHAPTER 47

"I don't know how I'm going to win, all I know is that I'm not going to lose."

The Prophecy

"The once and future king, and the greatest sorcerer to walk this Earth, will unite to bring Albion together."

"Only you, young warlock, can defeat the evil witch. Only you can stop her."

"There's a prophecy, that's been carrying through time, Merlin, and I believe you and Arthur will achieve it, after all, you will need each other, you are indeed two sides of the same coin."

"Me and Arthur? Prince Arthur? You must be clearly mistaken! There has to be another Prince Arthur, this Arthur is a Prat!"

"Arthur will die at the hands of a druid, Gaius, that druid is Mordred!"

"How small you are for such a great destiny. Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason."

"The ancient prophecies speak of an alliance of Mordred and Morgana, united in evil. But this union must be stopped. Whatever the cost."

"You must protect Arthur, Merlin, at all costs, until he takes his throne, only then magic will return to the kingdom."

There are many types of silences, long silences that stretch into forever. Silences that feel final. Silences that say more than words, and silences that can doom and break a person. Merlin had been in several places where silence had been his greatest ally and his worst enemy.

There had been silence when he had told Arthur that he was a sorcerer all those months ago, it had been tense and Merlin thought it would never end, also there was silence when Edmund, Arthur's best friend, died by the hands of Uther, alone in a courtyard with no one there to see. And silence was also present when his own father died in his arms, however, silence sometimes does not mean doom either, there had been also silence in Ealdor, where Arthur and Merlin had sat together to stare at the stars, and there had been silence in the hut with Hunith, where Merlin and his mother had hugged before departing, not knowing for sure when they would see each other again.

Silence was not a good or bad thing. It just was.

It alerted you of things.

Like the silence in Gwen's house, reminding Merlin exactly who was missing.

Merlin was sitting on the same table Gwen eats every day, staring past the window that she opens every morning, without her every color seemed dull. The fact that he could still feel Morgana's magic in every corner made it even more unsettling. Unable to stay still, Merlin paced around the hut watching as the sun died on the horizon, slowly but surely. Perfect. He will need darkness as his ally this night if he wants to put into motion his plan.

Because he knew exactly what he must do.

"Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin."

So he waited, alone and silence, for the sun to fall.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-EARLIER-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Everything was silent, or it could be that Merlin's head right now was silent.

That was definitely a first.

He was in shock, more likely, his mind trying to process everything that was happening around him. Everything too much for him to fully understand.

Even in his shock, he could feel his hands trembling slightly. He gulped and willed them to be still. Of course he was in shock, he was coming to realize a lot of things now. In shock because Gwen was gone, and Morgana, the one person that wanted him dead, had been in Camelot just a few hours ago. And he felt guilty because he should've seen this coming, somehow, but above everything else; he was scared.

Morgana had been in Camelot. On broad daylight, she had walked these streets and had taken Gwen with her.

And it was not only scary that a woman he used to call his friend was now an evil witch. It was scary to know that Morgana wanted nothing but see Arthur and himself dead. That she had taken Gwen in some wicked revenge she had against them and was now using Gwen as leverage, those two women had been best friends once upon a time and now Morgana was ready to kill her.

Merlin was scared because he knew, deep down, she had somehow won. He didn't know how exactly, but she had won, even if he was not aware at the moment. Because Merlin was not stupid and he knew that Morgana had been ahead of them not one step but five, every time Arthur and Merlin achieved something she managed to gain something else. The worse part was that they never see it coming until it's too late.

His hands trembled again.

Because this time it was as clear as the sun up in the sky what she wanted.

It was painted so clearly before his eyes he was having trouble believing it himself. He almost laughed but instead chooses to close his eyes and clasp his hands on the table, lowering his forehead, trying to think. What would be the best decision? The wisest way to approach this?

But suddenly there was noise, Merlin thought amused, there was a lot of noise in the room and he wished for it to go away. He needed to think, to process this. Ugh, he could barely breathe.

He raised his eyes and followed the movements of his friends who were all discussing heatedly across the table. Merlin realized then they had been talking for a long time and probably should've been paying more attention.

"You can't be serious, this is exactly what she wants, she wants to lure us there, it's a trap, Gwaine!"

"You don't think I know that?"

"Clearly you don't since your only solid plan is to run straight into the woods? Just like that? Against a witch that has killed dozens of knights?"

"You—you are not suggesting to leave Gwen there, are you?"

"Wha—no! I'm just saying we need to plan this, we need to take a moment and focus. We need to tell our King. I'm as worried for Gwen as everyone else but going in blindly—"

"We don't have time for that, Leon!"

"We don't even know what she's planning, Gwaine! Let alone have a chance against her, we don't even know if Gwen's is truly missing for god's sake!"

"And waiting here is supposed to give us some kind of enlighten answer?"

"She's not in the city," Lancelot said, trying to stay calm, although his face was white as paper. "I have looked everywhere, she's just gone. No one has seen her."

Merlin knew he should be more aware of what was being said, in his defense, he was really trying, but even though he was listening it was as if he couldn't understand English and therefore the words that were being shouted and hissed all across the room meant very little to him. His mind wasn't present, his brain catching up with ancient prophecies and words.

He bit his bottom lip so hard he was sure he was going to break the skin.

Time was up.

The moment he had been stalling his whole life was here.

And while his mind, heart, and soul, were literally shaking with this knowledge, this huge revelation that the unthinkable will come to happen… that the time for him to face Morgana had come…

All of his friends were arguing.

And he really didn't need these kinds of discussions right now because none of their plans were going to work, he wanted to voice this out loud, to tell them to stop talking and shouting for a minute so he could tell them what was going to happen, that they wouldn't need to worry, that they didn't need to plan or fight. He wanted to tell them how useless all their bickering was.

"But now we are more prepared!" Gwaine said and he quieted after realizing what he had said.

"Prepared how?" Leon said, clearly confused. "She still manages to kill everything and everyone in sight, how are we best prepared for anything?"

Gwaine threw a glance towards Merlin but it was Arthur who interrupted,

"Enough, we won't achieve anything by fighting each other," He said calmly from his place near the head of the table, he was standing, fingertips touching the surface of the table as he tapped at it anxiously as Merlin knows he does when he is anxious. "Time. We need time and evidence. Leon is right, we don't know for sure if Gwen is gone, yesterday things were… a bit tense between us, maybe she's upset?"

"Arthur, come on, you know—" Gwaine complained by Arthur just shot him a look.

"I have made this mistake once, Gwaine, I won't make it again," Arthur said with a steel voice that betrayed his true thoughts as he looked around the room. "Leon, join the knights, aid them where you can and tell my father of the recent events but leave Gwen's disappearance out of it, we are still not sure if she's missing or not, my father will never allow a fake rumor like this one to spread until it's verified, otherwise, feel free to tell him about Morgana being here, however, don't mention this to anyone in the citadel just yet, we don't know what Morgana is planning and I won't let my people succumb to panic just because we are in the dark about her plans, for all we know she already fled the city."

"Very well," Leon bowed before he threw Arthur a significant look, "Arthur, I understand the… uhm, complications of Gwen being gone but… are you sure you don't want to talk with your father about this? After all, well…"

You are his son went unsaid.

Arthur looked pained for a moment before he shook his head, "My father and I are not in the greatest relationship right now, Leon, is something I have been trying to hide but there's more to it than you know, all I need from you right now is for you to understand that this is not something I cannot do at the moment." He was quiet for a moment. "Do you understand?"

Leon didn't look convinced in the slightest, after all, what could have happened or gone so wrong for Arthur and Uther to ignore each other like this? He had noticed for a while now, but now it was clear as water that whatever happened between them had created an ocean of separation, however, Camelot was now in danger, he couldn't understand how this wouldn't unite the royal family again, but right now it wasn't time or his place to question this.

"As you wish." Leon finally bowed, saving his questions for later and left. The room was silent for a few seconds while the other men in the room exchanged a look.

"Do you really think Gwen could just be upset? Enough that she could've left somehow?" Lancelot asked doubtfully but Arthur shook his head.

"No." He said simply, eyes trained on the table, "No, I don't think she's just gone. If what Merlin's says is true then she was taken by Morgana."

"Then why shouldn't we tell the king, then? Why didn't you allow Leon to… to…" Lancelot asked tentatively, "Unless…"

"You don't want to involve your father into this…" Gwaine said after a moment, realization hitting him, eyes growing wide. "Why?"

Arthur seemed to hesitate before answering, a scoff clear on his face.

"Because he would never, ever allow a searching party just for the sake of one person, once he knows Morgana was here he will increase the security in Camelot, but he will not risk another knight going after someone like… well, like Gwen," He said miserably as he looked at his friends. "And that's the truth. It's almost protocol even. I might have been able to do something about this before but… but…"

"But now you are just Knight Arthur." Gwaine said simply and enraged. "Bloody hell."

The silence was heavy on their shoulders and their cards limited, without Arthur having full control of the knights it would be incredibly out of place for him to just take ten knights right under Uther's nose without further explanation. With Uther still in denial about having a son, Arthur's commands and free reign over Camelot had diminished noticeably.

Arthur had not even noticed to what extent until now.

And going to the noblemen for help was beyond question, it was bad enough that they had already given him time to solve the Sword In The Stone problem, but now? Arthur didn't even want to think about the complications of it all.

They would not only panic with the news about Morgana, but they would never allow Arthur to even leave Camelot for the sake of one citizen.

So no allies with either his father, knights, or the noblemen.

It was at times like these that he missed his father the most, he would know what to do, he could give him advice, but now? The question itself was rather simple:

He was going to go after Gwen, but who could he count on?

Never in his life he had felt so unprotected. Had Morgana planned this far? Or was this just a side effect of her evil plan?

The silence was broken when Gwaine walked to the table, spreading a map of Camelot and its limits as far as it could go on the flat surface, his eyes roamed it for a moment before he stabbed his knife in a specific place, the sound making Merlin jump on his seat.

"We are on our own, then," He said simply looking at his friends, he placed a hand near the burrowed weapon on the table, pointing at the limits in the South Forests, "What do we know about her whereabouts? We know she's somewhere in the south-east path, that's where we found Elyan weeks ago, that means that has to be somewhere around between here— " He pointed to the knife before he placed a second one in another vague area,"— and here." His eyes scanned the map again and nodded grimly, "If we leave right now we might be able to catch up with her."

Arthur's hands were clasped so tightly around the edge of his seat his knuckles were white; he suddenly stood up and began pacing the room, moving his hands as he talked.

"Even then that path stretches for miles, and Morgana is not going to have her cave or hut or whatever she's hiding in just on the side of it, for all we know she's could've moved when Elyan escaped, we could get lost in the woods for days, Gwaine. We are going blindly into this, more than I'm comfortable with. What if she's waiting for us to leave?"

Lancelot, who had been trying to stay calm, suddenly lost a bit of his bravado, wherever Gwen was concerned he loses a bit of his mind. "Then what do you propose? We are not leaving her, are we?"

Arthur rounded on his two friends who were standing by the table, but his eyes were fixed on the sorcerer, the only man sitting in the entire room on the other side of the large table, he looked paler than usual and his blue eyes were unfocused, hands clasped tightly, Arthur talked quietly but his stare kept glancing at Merlin every few seconds.

"We will go for Gwen, that's not up for debate, she's a citizen of Camelot and my friend, I don't want to lose her. Not like this. But we have to be smart if—" He sighed looking at his friends again before pressing his index and thumb finger to the bridge of his nose. Arthur was hiding under his boldness and his soldier persona so he could survive this day, he needed to be smart for the benefit of his whole kingdom, but right now he felt a little bit out of his deep.

He breathed in and out.

Right. He had faced dragons, right? Right. So he could do this. He turned to stare at his friends with something close to a vulnerable look, afraid to say what he was thinking.

"Arthur?"

"Merlin said her place was overflowing with magic, and that…that means she's not working alone." Arthur finally whispered. "Lancelot, someone let her inside Camelot, she has allies inside these walls. I don't even know who to trust anymore, it's not about me not having people to turn up to. Even ask some of my knights to just join us in secret shouldn't be that big a problem in itself. but the trust is I don't even know who I can bring into this quest and not feel as I'm going to be betrayed, let alone trust with our lifes."

Gwaine gasped horrified. "You can't possibly mean—"

"Morgana has someone inside our ranks." Arthur said, finally stopping his pacing, "There's no other way she could've done this, and whoever that is must be someone close to all of us; Gwen, my Father, myself included, that means it's someone with a high rank, a knight or a powerful nobleman. If we haven't doubted for so long is someone we consider family. I think… I think it didn't end with Agravaine."

The room was quiet, Gwaine shaking his head as he pressed a hand to his neck. Lancelot was looking at the place in the map with haunted eyes before looking at Merlin.

"What about us?" Lancelot said, gesturing towards Gwaine and himself. Gwaine huffed incredibly irritated.

"Seriously? Lancelot?"

Lancelot just waved a hand. "Just want to make sure we are all on the same page, after all who knows so much about Morgana, Merlin, and all the things they had been up to recently?"

Arthur looked up at them, leave to Lancelot to be the voice of reason in the worst times. "I trust both of you, with my life, if anything…" And at this Arthur smiled a little. "I trust you would die for Merlin, so." He shrugged, very uncharacteristically for him, as if that settled that quick spark of doubt.

Both knights gave a long sigh. At least he was right about that.

"Alright, so how do we do this?" Gwaine said motioning to the map again.

"Merlin, what do you say?" Arthur asked but he got no answer. "Merlin?"

The three men looked at the end of the table and exchanged a look when Merlin did not reply even to the sound of his name.

"What happened to him?" Lancelot asked worriedly and Gwaine huffed annoyed, blowing the bangs out of his face. Merlin had not even been in the conversation for hours now.

"He got into shock at Gwen's house, I had to practically drag him here. He was out of his mind, he even... you know—made that thing with his eyes when there were knights out the door. Once he finally snapped out of it he kept mumbling gibberish the entire way back to the castle. I'm telling ya, I have never seen him like that. Then we arrived and he just kept saying to Arthur that 'Morgana had been here, in Camelot' repeating that over and over again… then he just sat there!" He explained eloquently as he always does and waved a hand. He turned towards Merlin with a sad look on his face.

"Morgana is someone very powerful, Merlin." Lancelot defended Merlin. "And Merlin is the only sorcerer we know that might have a chance against her."

"I get it, he's scared, we all are, this is Morgana we are talking about, she once lead an army of the dead inside this walls for God's sake, but even so he must snap out of it, we are at war right now and our best soldier is in shock."

Arthur just hummed annoyed, blue eyes scanning his friend. "Yes, but he's the best sorcerer to ever live so there's something else going on here."

There was something Merlin was not telling him, that's for sure.

Lancelot and Gwaine blinked at the unexpected words Arthur had chosen, but before they could do anything Arthur walked with purpose the few feet that separated him from his friend and slapped his hand beside Merlin's on the table, only then did Merlin raise his head startled as he jumped on his seat, blinking at Arthur with blue confused eyes. Arthur quirked a brow before throwing a look behind him towards Gwaine and Lancelot, who were expectant and waiting.

Arthur looked back at him and lowered his voice, voice gentle and feeling a tiny bit sorry for his rudeness.

"Hey, you alright, Merlin?" Arthur said placing a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a little and offering what he hoped was a kind smile. "It's alright to be worried about Gwen, even scared, It's only human."

Merlin just sighed and nodded lowering his gaze, he took a deep breath and took a minute to compose himself, before looking at the map on the table, he blinked at the knives planted deep inside the wood. He raised a brow.

"Merlin, mate?" Gwaine asked preoccupied as he crossed his arms from the other side of the table. Merlin nodded again as he pressed his hands into his lap, biting his lip.

"It's just… Gwen, you know? Gwen is gone."

Silence. Heavy and grim.

"We know, Merlin." Lancelot said with a pained and sorrowful expression. "We know."

"Its as if Morgana knows everything before we do, before we even think about it." Merlin said cryptically. "And of course, very well performed."

Arthur blinked at those words. "What do you mean?"

Merlin sighed again as he looked at his friends, "The sword in the stone, Arthur. We had three days to figure something out with your father, and now, just in time, oh so perfectly timed, Morgana takes Gwen away… it's almost as if she knows what we are planning all the time. It is honestly infuriating. Now we don't have time to plan anything else now. I know, I know and I agree that going for Gwen is our priority, I want her safe and sound and back home, but… but…"

Arthur had honestly forgotten about that part of their plan with the news of Gwen disappearance but he sighed tiredly, clapping Merlin's back.

"We will figure something out when we come back."

Merlin nodded resignedly. "So, have you decided? When are we leaving?"

"Leaving?" Arthur asked confused, "Merlin, this is a trap, I'm very certain that if she wants something out of this is both our heads, and my father's while she's at it, so—"

"So, what? Are we supposed to leave Gwen to die?"

Arthur's eyes hardened as he leaned away from him. "No, but I thought you were going to at least have a plan, you have been quiet this entire time, what about the great dragon, wouldn't he want to help you? I thought—"

"There's no secret magic or ancient spell for this, Arthur, and Kilgharrah is a creature of magic that has nothing to do with our battles, he has told me this many times, whatever our plan is…" Merlin shook his head as he stood up gingerly from the table, looking at each of his friends in the room before looking down at the map. "…we are on our own".

Arthur stared at Merlin with heavy eyes, something was off here, this was not like Merlin, the stiff way in which he was standing, how he averted everyone eyes to just fix them on the map in front of them.

"You think you are strong enough to face her?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Merlin whispered as he tapped the table and looked at Gwaine, "You think we can narrow down the area?"

Gwaine sighed and placed his hands on his hips, he sounded as if he didn't like the idea but he said it anyway, "We could always ask Elyan."

"You can't be serious," Lancelot said with disbelief reflected in his face.

"I am," Gwaine shrugged as he looked at his friends. "If he wants to see his sister again he might remember something, and even if he doesn't he might want to come along, it's his sister after all, I don't expect him to just lay still until we come back… if we do."

"If?" Lancelot asked with raised brows.

"If." Gwaine shrugged easily and Lancelot had to control himself not to sigh in exasperation.

"Whoa, Gwaine, great motivational speech." Merlin grumbled.

Arthur just ignored them all.

"No, that's out of the question." Arthur said with a movement of his hand, "He's still too weak, his body is just recovering from what he went through, I can't even imagine him facing Morgana again, let alone go in a fight to rescue his sister, it would be mental torture!"

"I'm afraid that's not up to you to decide, I do not want him near that forest more than you do but this is a decision he will need to take. He's a knight of Camelot… or at least he used to be, he understands the risks." Lancelot said quietly before looking at Merlin and raised his brows, "Merlin? Are you certain you want to do this?"

Gwaine was serious when he spoke. "He created an earthquake, how can he be not prepared for this?"

Arthur was about to tell Gwaine a few things that he did not know about magic, kinda frustrated that Gwaine couldn't see how much this battle will cost Merlin, how using magic is tiring to people, that it takes a mental and physical preparation way more complex than any normal training, however, Merlin left him speechless before he could say anything.

"I can do this." Merlin nodded decided. "Morgana is a very powerful witch, Gwaine, she can do worse than I do, but I feel confident I can rival her magic now, she has trained, gotten more powerful, but so have I."

Lancelot nodded pleased. "Then have you decided who are you taking with you? You have trained me in the past, so I volunteer."

"Me too," Arthur said matter of fact, eyes heavy and dull. "It's time I put an end to my evil sister and her doings, it's a duty I have postponed for way too long."

Gwaine huffed and nodded, he didn't need to say anything. He was going too. Period.

"Merlin?" Arthur said looking down at him. Expectant.

Merlin finally looked at them, hands limp on his lap. The three men looked at him, hopeful and all in different stages of grief and determination. This is what he had always wanted. Brothers that had his back. Friends to have his secrets shared with…. And yet…

Merlin nodded shakily, not able to meet their eyes any longer.

"We leave at dawn the day after tomorrow, give me time to rest and think of a plan for the rest of the day, tomorrow we will practice a few last spells, besides I will need to make your swords and shields magical protected if we are doing this together. I need to prepare you in the most elemental of things, even if it's minimal in the great scheme of things I want you to be as ready as we can in just one day. I don't want us to go into this completely unprepared, myself included, I could seek help with Gaius and find some advice with Kilgharrah before we go into battle against her."

Arthur nodded, his blood itching to just take a horse and leave right away, his heart had been thudding incessantly from the moment he had known Gwen was gone but he saw clarity in Merlin's words, after all, it would be Merlin the one facing Morgana, the worse nightmare of his friend was finally coming true.

Arthur had won and lost many battles, but this was the only battle Arthur was not willing to lose, no matter what, he planned on coming not only back alive but with his two knights and Gwen in tow, so if they needed to prepare, so be it.

"If you are sure, we will do as you say, Merlin." Arthur finally says, eyeing Merlin critically.

Merlin was just quiet for a moment. "I… yes, yes, v-very well, then I'll go and… get ready."

"I'm coming with you." Arthur said already moving to the door with him but Merlin shook his head quickly.

"No, no, I need to do this alone, Kilgharrah won't be pleased to see you again, sorry." Merlin tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Arthur got the feeling again that Merlin was not telling him something. Arthur wishes he could read Merlin's mind, like those times in the woods, so he could understand what he was thinking.

Arthur twirled his druid ring around his finger deep in thought.

Merlin held his stare for a few seconds and Arthur finally relented.

"Take your time Merlin, you are dismissed."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The second Merlin was out the room and out of sight he ran down the corridor in the opposite direction of the training grounds.

He had a plan, he had a plan and there was little time until Arthur finds out.

He breezed down the stairs towards the armory. He passed Gaius on his way down the stairs but he didn't pay him attention even when Gaius called after him urgently.

It was better if Gaius was not around to see him, it would be easier that way, he would hesitate if he did. As he ran, with quick and secure steps, in his mind he went down a quick list of things he would need.

The book of spells, some vials that Gaius had in his rooms, the horse he had brought from Ealdor, some special healing potions, and a dark cloak.

But first, above all things, he would need a weapon.

And a sorcerer friend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Arthur was looking down at the map where the general area of where Morgana could be hiding was being drawn messily by Gwaine when there was an insistent knock on the door, the three knights in the room looked at it with raised brows before exchanging a glance. Arthur took out his sword just in case, paranoid as he was, as Lancelot went to open it.

The man behind the door was as white as a blank parchment as he hurriedly entered the chambers. Arthur sheathed his sword quickly at seeing who it was.

"Gaius? What—"

"It's Elyan, Sire," Gaius said with huge blue eyes and shaking hands. "It's Elyan and—for all the seven gods, you need to come quick."

"Gaius?" Arthur said walking towards him, motioning for Gwaine to start gathering their maps and documents from the table, he placed both hands on the old's man shoulders, "Gaius, what happened? Is Elyan alright?"

"He's is… for all the god's in the seven kingdoms." Gaius said under his breath as he looked at Arthur. "Elyan, Arthur, has been having these… black lapses in his memory, lagoons that he cannot fill." Gaius said in a rush and Arthur nodded, he was aware of this. "I thought it was a mental trauma, but I was wrong. Morgana, Arthur, Morgana placed a spell on Elyan."

For a moment Arthur was floored with this information. "What?"

"How do you know this? Didn't you say it had been a side physological effect of his torture?" Lancelot said from his other side but the man just shook his head, keen eyes analyzing the faces of the knights.

"It all pointed at it, yes, it was very likely and it mached the sympthoms, but something happened because the spell broke just a few moments ago, that's why he was in pain, it took me a few hours to finally calm him down but, there's no time to explain,—you all need to come, quick."

"What does that mean?" Arthur said already moving towards the door, "An enchantment? What happened to him? Gaius?"

And in that moment a flash of enlightening crossed Arthur's features after the words had been spoken: Spells. Enchantments. Sorcerers and Witches. Arthur knows he shouldn't feel relieved but he was, so relieved he almost missed it when Gaius spoke.

"He remembers."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Arthur, where are you going?" Gwaine hissed annoyed but even his voice sounded loud in the corridor, a few maids and noblemen threw him a look as Lancelot and Gaius disappeared down the hall, but Arthur the Prince of Camelot was walking the other way. Gwaine hurriedly backtracked and ran towards him.

"Elyan is waiting at the complete opposite path of where you are going, Arthur." Gwaine said but Arthur didn't stop walking, head straight as he played with the ring around his finger out of habit, he began walking up the stairs towards the east tower.

"I know. Go to him, gather the info we need, I'll meet you there shortly." Arthur said hurriedly as if an idea had struck him. "I need to do something first."

"Arthur, I don't want to think you are scared of Elyan, I know this happened because of me, I get it, but he needs to listen to you right now!" Gwaine said finally getting in his way. "Where are you going?!"

But Arthur just moved out of the way and advanced him a few steps up the stairwell and Gwaine screamed after him to stop incredibly angry that Arthur was behaving this way. Morgana had been in Camelot, Merlin was preparing for a war. Elyan had been under a spell, tortured. Gwen was missing for God's sake!

Arthur just rounded on him forcing Gwaine to stop abruptly behind him, Arthur was towering over him, blue eyes cold and jaw set. "Gwaine, leave. That's an order, and this time don't you dare disobey me. I'll be right there, alright? I just need to do something."

Gwaine held Arthur stare for an eternity of ten seconds but finally, he gave up, taking a step down the stairs in defeat. Arthur nodded silently in gratitude and kept walking up the stairs leaving Gwaine behind.

Gwaine watched him disappear before he huffed and began running down the stairs and towards Gaius's chambers where Elyan would be.

As he went down he screamed in frustration, making a few maids that were passing by jump as he walked by.

"Damn it all." He said under his breath as he began running.

Right, this was not how he planned this day to go.

First, they were going to war against a witch that could probably have an army at her disposal, she had done it before. Against a woman that had killed dozens of knights in a day. And you wanna know how many knights were going to face her? Four. That's right. Four. Well, maybe thirty if you counted the fact that Merlin is better than twenty knights together.

Secondly, unlike Arthur and Lancelot, he was not instructed in magic in the slightest. Which was not entirely horrible since his whole life he had learned to roll with the punches, so he guesses this would be just another adventure, right?

"Another adventure where I just wish to make it out alive." He huffed under his breath as he rounded a corner.

Thirdly. Yes. There was a thirdly. Elyan was probably going to tear Camelot apart looking for Gwen once he finds outs, at this point he was certain that something was bound to happen with him, he would either snap, or take his own horse and leave in pure anger after his sister. And again all of this was Gwaine's fault, something he will have to live with.

Furthermost! (The list just keeps ongoing) Merlin, his sorcerer friend, was gone for the day because he needed to prepare for the battle of his life, while Arthur had just decided to take a stroll up a tower that literally lead nowhere.

All of that without even stopping to think how were they supposed to convince Uther that he had a son if said son was going to be missing in a few hours. Let alone think of a plan because by the time they return, hopefully with Gwen in tow, they will have to take out the sword in front of Uther without further ado.

Just perfect.

And just to finish this list of events, just to make things brilliant, both Arthur and Merlin, a force that had to be reckoned with, had departed ways for the first time in weeks when Camelot needed them together.

"Damn it all."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Merlin?" Owen asked confused when he saw Merlin at his door. It was way past midday and he was surprised to see his friend looking rather anxious on his doorstep. "What are you doing here?"

Merlin was catching his breath but he tried to smile. Tried being the keyword. He placed his hands on his knees before looking up.

"I need your help."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Arthur almost jumped. Almost. When he heard the heart-stopping shout.

"You! You promised!"

Arthur entered the room when Elyan was practically shoving Lancelot and Gwaine away with the little force he had left in his thin body. Elyan's entire face contorted when he saw Arthur closing the door behind him.

"You promised to keep her safe!"

Arthur quickly tried to assess the situation, his mind somewhere else before he managed to focus on the here and now, on the angry and pained face of his friend, a friend that did no longer trust him. "Elyan I need you to be calm. I need you to listen to me—"

"Calm? Calm?! My sister was kidnapped by the same woman who wishes to see me dead and you are asking me to be calm?!" Elyan said enraged, finally stopping his fruitless fight against Lancelot's arms. "She took her, Arthur! She took her to get her revenge on me! So don't tell me what to do and instead start talking about this plan you are going to layout. When are we leaving? And at this point I don't even care, I'm leaving on my own if—"

"Elyan, just listen to me for a second." Arthur tried to reason, trying to hide his own desperation. "We are going after her, we do, that's a promise, but we don't even know where to start looking!"

"I know!" Elyan screamed and Arthur froze, he looked at his friends and Gaius who nodded solemnly. Elyan had been explaining to them for quite some time now.

"What?" Arthur stammered.

"I know where to find her and what's she planning. My memories, they came back. I remember now. I was poisoned by her and then enchanted," Elyan said, breathing raggedly but controlling himself, hands shaking. "Until just a few hours ago I wasn't able to even remember much from my time in the woods, elt alone memories of where were we trapped and isolated for so long but… something must have happened because I remember now, I remember everything, I think this is why she took Gwen, I think that maybe the spell finally met its deadline and that's why she wants me, what other motives would she have?!"

"Did you just say you remember?" Arthur asked looked incredibly pale. "Elyan, what do you remember, then you must know—Morgana's plan? Where is her hidden place? What does she want?"

"Your throne, she wants your throne," Elyan said with a wave of his hand but that was not the answer Arthur had been expecting. He furrowed his brows. Elyan exploded as he took a shaky breath and began to speak a bit calmer but still on edge." She's getting allies, Arthur, from all around the kingdom and beyond, powerful allies, she's been planning a coup for months with their help, she has people infiltrated inside the castle and not just a few men, it was not only Agravaine but dozens more, she put this plan into motion way before we fell into her territory, way before she started to torture us, and whatever her plan is, is to place your father out the picture and then yourself, she's coming for the throne, one way or another, killing everything that stands in her way."

"How do you know all this?" Arthur said confused by his place at the entrance of the room, his mind still reeling with this information, traitors in his ranks of knights? It seemed impossible but then again a lot of things had seemed impossible months ago. However, his brain never stopped working. "Why would she share all this with you?"

"Because she thought I was going to die," Elyan said with finality, calmer than he was at the beginning. "That's why she's been looking for me, that's why she came but she only found Gwen, too late though, too late because the spell broke and she probably knows and—Arthur, we need to go rescue Gwen. Now."

Arthur just stood there, eyes searching around the room for help; he lowered his head, hands on his hips, trying to think.

He wanted to leave too, right away, every second that they waited was a second that Gwen was alone, terrified and scared…

"Merlin said—"

"What does he have to do with anything?!" Elyan asked confused, eyes furrowed together. "I know he's a loyal friend but he cannot even lift a sword, let's just go, Arthur, or I won't hesitate to leave, alone or not, you will have to behead me to stop me."

This was the kind of silence that could break a man but Arthur raised his head and nodded, taking a deep breath, he looked around the room. He needed to take a decision now.

A decision that was not his to make but he was going to make anyway.

"Alright, alright, I have a plan." Arthur walked quickly towards the table where he saw that Elyan had already managed to narrow down, almost to an expected point in the map, where he assumed Morgana was hiding. He nodded to himself. The rest of the men followed and congregated around the table. "But first, Elyan, I need two things out of you. One; I need you to become a knight again—"

"What—Arthur you can't—"

"—I require you to become a knight because I need you to take a vow, and I need your life as a reassurance that you will never break this vow," Arthur said seriously as he looked at his friend. "If you break it I'm afraid I will have to behead you, Elyan. And I do not wish to ever do such a thing."

Elyan hesitated, eyes wide with the sincerity in which Arthur has spoken. Lancelot and Gwaine looked at Arthur as if they couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"Arthur—" Gaius tried to stop him but Arthur wasn't listening.

"Will this bring Gwen back?" Elyan interrupted.

"It will."

"Then you have my life to do as you wish, and this vow I shall take to my grave." Elyan nodded confidently. "I'll be a knight again, join your ranks, fight and die for Camelot and for my prince. I'll keep its citizens safe and watch on dark nights over their lives as if they were my own. I'll be a knight of Camelot from now forward and until the day I die, this I promise."

Arthur nodded once and looked at his friends, who were in shock at what had just happened.

"Don't do it, Arthur, Elyan has gone through a lot by the hands of magic, don't." Gaius shook his head vehemently.

"It's not your secret to tell." Lancelot said torn as he looked at Elyan who was looking even more confused by the moment. "We don't even know—"

"He deserves to know, if there's someone in this room that needs to know is Elyan," Gwaine said in a whisper, hands in fits over the table, eyes focused on the map under his hands. "Morgana killed our friends with dark magic, I get it, but not all magic is evil, shouldn't we allow him to know that? Shouldn't he know that the person who will save his sister is magic itself?"

Elyan blinked around, confusion mixing with anger and desperation. "Arthur?"

Arthur took a deep breath before speaking.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Elyan was sitting on the chair by the table with his arms limp by his sides, eyes unfocused in complete shock.

"What? Merlin is…. Merlin is…" The room was quiet, allowing him to think straight for a moment, "I would've never thought it could be possible."

Gwaine sighed as he took a seat on the other side of the table, he was incredibly tired and the day had yet to be over. "You and me both, mate, you and me both, but it is true."

"And what does that mean?" Elyan asked, hands still shaking.

"It means," Gaius said with a cold voice as he looked at Arthur, eyes sharp and unforgiving. "We will wait until Merlin arrives with his plan before putting it into motion. Going on your own will only make this easier for Morgana. At the very least, Elyan, you can be reassured that if there's a person that can fight and win this battle is Merlin, after all, it's in his destiny."

Arthur's head snapped towards Gaius at the mention of that word.

Destiny?

Elyan wobbled on his seat and Lancelot hold him steady, the rest of the knights staring at him apprehensively. "You alright?"

Elyan took another deep breath, paler than before, closing his eyes in pain while a hand went to massage his neck. "I… I think I need a moment? I— I suddenly don't know what to think, I don't even know what to do, I thought that magic was this evil thing and now… magic and Merlin?"

Gwaine sighed and nodded, "Two words you never thought belonged in the same sentence. I get the feeling, mate."

"What you need to do is rest, my boy," Gaius said with a suffering sigh. "Go and sleep on Merlin's bed, no one is leaving Camelot for a whole day, your body just decompensated after the spell broke, it took a toll on you, it has been taking a toll on you for days, no wonder you are always tired."

"But—"

"Sleep, Elyan," Arthur said confidently with no place to argue. "We are not leaving without you, if we want to bring Gwen back we need to be at our best, all of us, you included. I'm not taking any risks."

Elyan looked ready to fight, but in the end he allowed Lancelot to help him up and walk him inside Merlin's empty room. Arthur watched him with apprehensive eyes, however, the second the door was closed Arthur sat down heavily on the spot Elyan had left, his mind processing what Gaius had said. He leaned on the table, whispering towards Gaius.

"Destiny? Gaius, what did you say about destiny?"

Gaius blinked confused for a moment before he gave a long-suffering sigh, he massaged his temples as he grumbled, he looked as if he rather be anywhere else but there. "I can't believe he didn't tell you."

"Tell us what?" Gwaine asked as he stirred some lukewarm tea absently, annoyed that they were still there, waiting. "What else is there to know?"

Gaius lowered his hands and looked at the prince of Camelot and the two knights who were leaning towards him.

"There's a prophecy," Gaius said quietly. "I thought Merlin told you this at your meeting?"

"He barely even spoke," Gwaine said.

"A prophecy?" Arthur said insulted. "There's more than one damned prophecy?"

Gaius sighed again as did Lancelot. In Merlin's and Arthur's absence, this was one of the topics they had talked about and discussed the most.

"Before any of us set foot on this Earth, Arthur, Merlin's entire existence had been written in the stars, it goes way back in time and beyond our comprehension. Merlin is destined for great things, and they had always been predicted: how he will aid the Once and Future King to bring Albion to life is one of them." Gaius said slowly and calmly, looking at the knights who nodded back. "But, just as your destiny is to rule this kingdom, Arthur, Merlin's destiny I believe is greater than that since he has a duty towards magic and all that it entails in all realms. You, I'm afraid, are just one piece of the entire picture that Merlin needs to live up to. Merlin's life, I'm afraid, is way more complex than what we sometimes get to see."

Lancelot and Gwaine threw Arthur a look.

"What do you mean?" Arthur said quietly, a bad feeling creeping into his bones.

"Yours and Merlin's prophecy is not the only prophecy Merlin's needs to fulfill," Gaius sighed, "There's also a prophecy that used to circulate a lot in the golden age of Camelot, however, it was barely mentioned anymore when all books of magic were destroyed. But the Old Religion never forgets, and I didn't either.

"It was common to hear prophecies around that time, a lot of them coming to pass eventually, but when Uther banished magic there was little that survived. The prophecy that did, though, is engraved in my memory, along with several other magical beings, and for a long time it looked as if it would remain forever unfinished. Incomplete… that's when Merlin came into my life, and even though I had my doubts, they were put to rest a year ago: a druid talked with Merlin, and then when the great dragon reassured him leaving no room for doubts. The prophecy was about Merlin indeed."

"What does the prophecy say, Gaius?" Arthur said, this time something did felt entirely wrong. He held his breath.

Gaius finished his tea before speaking, his voice clear, almost as if was able to read it.

"He, and only he, has the power to overthrow the darkness. Once the Evil Witch comes and rises from the ashes, so he will. Only his magic and his power will be strong enough to finally put her soul to rest. Only the greatest sorcerer on Earth can kill the evil witch, and return her to the dead."

"Overthrow the darkness? What does that mean? Rises from the ashes?" Gwaine said taken aback before his eyes grew huge on his face as he focused on the important part. "Wait a moment here, Gaius, do you mean Merlin is destined to kill Morgana?"

Arthur felt like someone had punched him in the chest.

'Have you decided? When are we leaving?'

That's what had felt wrong. We? Arthur could have hit himself. Of course. Of course.

Merlin would ever, ever; allow Arthur a mile close to Morgana. That's why he didn't make any sense back in this room yesterday, that's why he was so fidgety. And that's why he had wanted to disappear the second he could do so.

Because he was lying to them. He had lied to Arthur, again.

Everything was quiet, the kind of silence that leaves you on edge, that the longer it goes the worse it gets. Arthur felt like he couldn't breathe, he stood from his chair and in his hurry, he knocked it to the ground, but his eyes were fixed on the window and the sky beyond it.

"I'm going to kill him." Arthur said, and his voice was filled with so much worry the threating words lost their charm. Outside the window the sunset had come and gone, it was night now. "I'm going to murder him."

"Arthur?" Lancelot asked worriedly.

"He made me promise for God's sake!" Arthur said enraged, not listening at all, speaking to himself. "I just forgot he never promised it back!"

"Arthur?" Lancelot said alarmed now.

That time when Arthur had gone against Agravaine on his own and had just left Merlin a note on a torn piece of parchment, Merlin had made him vow to never do something as stupid as that again. Stupid as in the definition of: Arthur punching Merlin in the face to knock him out cold and then go in a quest to kill his uncle.

Well,—Arthur thought grimly as he ran out the door, steps loud and hurried— he should've made Merlin take the same vow because now he was on the other side of the coin, literally, and he hated every second of it.

He was going to murder him.

If Morgana doesn't murder him first.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There was ruckus outside the door, orders being shouted, questions being asked, and after a minute or two of utter chaos there was silence again, so unexpectedly it was disturbing, now only the soft sounds of the slow and steady steps of the old physician could be heard as he moved around his chambers muttering under his breath as he went.

On the other side of the door on Merlin's room, Elyan was scrunched on the floor, ear pressed against the warm wood of the door as he breathed evenly. He had listened to everything that had been said.

A new prophecy?

He smiled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Only you, and only you, can stop the evil witch Merlin, it is your destiny, Merlin."

Merlin made his way out the empty hut of Gwen with a heavy heart, cleaning his face from the dried tears he had shed a few moments ago before pulling the dark hood of his cloak over his head in one motion. He looked back at the huge castle on the dark horizon, a few windows shining with the light of the candles before he turned his back towards it. If anything the sight only made his mind and soul even more determined about his decision. He had taken the right choice.

He knew this.

And if he had not… well, on top Gwen's table he had left several letters. One for each friend, for each person he considered family. One for every person that would probably want to read or expected an explanation.

He just hopes he can make it back alive so no one ever has to actually read them.

He just hopes Arthur does not have to live again with the sorrow of losing another brother.

He ran quietly down the deserted streets of Camelot, diving around corners and pressing himself to the floor when he saw the knights on their patrol, guarding the city. The patrols had doubled that night ever since the news of the disappearance of Gwen was known in the lower town, no one knew where she had gone, or why she was gone, but it was enough to put the entire city on edge and the sudden knight's patrols had done nothing to appease this doubts.

Merlin sighed, it was taking longer than necessary just to escape the citadel because of this but he remained patient and determined, however, his clumsiness was something that apparently had yet to leave him, and so he had to use his magic a few times to get away from what would've been a very embarrassing way of being caught.

Finally, he managed to reach the eastern part of the town and quickly the houses began to disappear and get scarcer to give way to the woods. There, tied near a tree on one side of the path and out of view, was his horse waiting for him. Merlin quickly walked to it and looked inside the satchel attached to the horse. Food, water, medicines, a book of medical spells and a sword.

Owen's sword.

He quietly thanked Owen with a watery smile, and just as Merlin had requested, the man was not there to bide him farewell.

Owen had quickly escalated on his favorite people in the kingdom.

He hushed the horse gently while they moved down the last few streets, and although Merlin was sure that the beating heart in his ears was his and his only, he kept on quieting and shushing the horse as if he was the one nervous.

Finally, after a few minutes, the path began to expand and open into the wild unknown. To the path that would lead him to Morgana. He took a shivering breath.

Almost there.

Almost safe in the woods, where he could get lost and no one would be able to trace him. He placed his hands on the back of the horse to lift himself.

He almost made it.

Almost being the keyword.

"Stop right there, Merlin."

Merlin jumped startled and almost falling from the impression, hands faltering on the back of the horse before he pressed his forehead against its warm side. Instead of turning to the voice, though, he just gave a long, long-suffering sigh. Seriously? He didn't deign himself to turn, knowing exactly who had called his name, instead, he hid his face with annoyance and clear reluctance to let go of the reins just yet.

"Merlin!"

Oh god, how much Merlin wanted to whine. Still ignoring the voice he snapped his head back when an idea struck him, he could still leave if—

"Lancelot and Gwaine are on their horses a few yards down the path, so don't even bother, Merlin."

He pushed his shoulders down and whined this time at a dark point over the horse's back. But he still refused to turn. Dark cloak floating softly in the wind.

"I don't want to say or even hear your explanation of what on the seven kingdoms where you thinking, you bloody idiot! But you know what? I will just say it; Merlin, what on the seven kingdoms were you thinking?" And the more Arthur talked the closer his voice sounded. He was angry too, Merlin mused, incredibly so.

Merlin didn't want to turn around and face him, his shoulders were shaking, due to the cold night or anxiousness he didn't know. He closed his eyes in defeat, taking the reins of the horse between his hands tighter. He huffed, annoyed but warmly relieved at the same time.

"Merlin, I'm bloody talking you!" Arthur said finally within range and he bodily turned Merlin around using both his hands, Merlin's back against his horse, which moved on its legs anxiously.

"I know, I know I'm not deaf." Merlin finally met his eyes in the dim darkness, only the moon shining over them, and even then Merlin could see that Arthur was breathing raggedly as if he had run all the way here.

"Then answer me!" Arthur shook Merlin again with urgency, ignoring Merlin's words. Blue eyes that looked almost black seeking inside his, his voice dropped to a whisper. "Merlin, what are you doing?"

"Saving you, Arthur. Saving all of us!" Merlin said tiredly but firmly, trying to move away, too scared to keep looking at the distressed face of his friend. "This a fight between Morgana and me, and that's the way it needs to stay. There's no point in keep stalling it. I prepared for this, alright? It will be fine, Arthur. Trust me. Allow me to go so I can—"

"What? No! Are you insane? Do you think you can lie to me, you arrogant fool?! You won't be fine! How could you ever think to go to kill Morgana without even telling me was a bright idea?!" Arthur said incredibly angry, hands shaking against Merlin's shoulders. If Merlin didn't know better he could swear Arthur was about to cry, "Honestly, Merlin, you have some serious complexes here, and I'm afraid I'm the cause of most of them but still."

"What?" Merlin said confused while Arthur just shook his head, eyes fixed on the ground. He shook Merlin's shoulders again, just barely, as if a reassurance he was still there.

"When am I ever going to be able to begin to understand you?" He muttered under his breath and Merlin had the realization that he was talking more to himself than to Merlin, after a second Arthur looked up again, one finger raising to stab Merlin's chest accusingly, while his other hand kept him in place by his shoulder. "You always say you are the one with the brightest plans, but this is the most stupid plan I had ever heard. Going to kill Morgana, on your own, you were going to get yourself killed!"

"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" Merlin said weakly, trying to joke because Arthur seemed on the edge of breaking… either his neck or his composure and Merlin was so tired and incredibly defeated he didn't want to deal with any of it. This is not what he had planned. "Is the Prince of Camelot worried?"

And in another life maybe Arthur would've said something like 'No, just worried about what I would have to tell your Mom!' or 'Of course not, I never worry, Merlin." but alas, he didn't.

"Yes, " He admitted, and Merlin blinked at the words. "Yes, I'm really worried, because damn it all, I don't need you saving me all the time." Arthur said firmly before he finally, almost reluctantly, as if against his own wishes, he gathered Merlin in his arms and hugged him, to Merlin's utter and complete surprise. "The last time I let a friend alone he died, Merlin. The last time a friend lied to me. He died. Alone in a cold courtyard. With no one there to witness it. And I—I can't allow you to die. I actually forbid you."

A clear image of Merlin dying in a vast clear flashed through Arthur's eyes, he closed them to will the image away but it didn't help. Merlin finally returned his hug hesitantly but managed to pat him softly on the back.

"You don't have to do everything on your own," Arthur told him the same words Merlin had told him and Merlin sighed in defeat. After one final clap on his back, Arthur pushed Merlin away with more force than what was necessary, but his eyes still questioning.

"I… I'm sorry." Merlin finally said, deflating a little, "I… I'm used to doing things on my own. Leaving and escaping in missions probably more dangerous than this one on my own… It's just the way it always has been."

"Two coins with the same side, remember?" Arthur said, content that at least Merlin was not going to run away. "I understand, however, we really need to start working together or else we won't survive this war."

"Two coins with the same side, what?" And Merlin couldn't help but give a wobbly laugh as he kicked Arthur in the arm. "I don't know if you do it on purpose anymore more or not, clot pole."

"Guess you'll never know." Arthur smirked before he tilted his head towards the city. "C'mon let's go back." Arthur patted his back as he took the reins of the horse with the intention to start stirring it towards the city again. "I—"

"Arthur…. I can't go back," Merlin said lowering his hood and clutching his satchel closer to his chest. "I can't, this is bigger than you and me. I'm sorry it has to be this way, I tried to make this easier for you and the rest, but since you are here I need you to understand, this is something I have to do, and—"

"Something that you have to do?" Arthur looked at Merlin with something close to anger again, "A bloody—Merlin, you can't base your entire life in prophecies!"

"Have you forgotten our prophecy? Albion?" Merlin said affronted. "How can you say that?"

"Have you forgotten?" Arthur said letting go of the reins so he could stare at him, voice hurt even if he was trying his best to cover it because damn it, he had thought he would be late to catch Merlin, he had run thinking that he would be too far away from him to reach him in time. The ghost of Edmund in his mind. The ghost of Merlin vision in his eyes. "You said, prophecy or not, that you decided to be by my side to make Albion happen, not because it was your bloody destiny, but because you are my friend and you are willing to live with the risks."

"It's true!" Merlin said affronted, "I didn't lie!"

"Then why are you doing this? Then why are you leaving alone to try and defeat Morgana, when you trained me, Merlin, you put me through hell and back so I could learn how to defend myself, we destroyed half of a clear in Ealdor so we would be ready. Both of us. I spent countless hours reading magical books and dodging spells, learning how to differentiate them so we could do this." Arthur said, this time incredibly mad that Merlin had decided, in a flicker of a moment, to throw all their hard work by the nearest window by the smallest inconvenience. "You complain all the time about me leaving you behind, and guess what, you idiot? This time I was the one left behind. A punch in the face and knocking me out cold would've been better! You just lied straight to my face!"

Merlin looked like he wanted to argue but Arthur kept on talking because he was not done.

"I was the one who made peace with Kilgharrah, who met the druids because you asked me, who gave up the vase that holds the key to my father's memory so we could have an alliance, it was me who accepted you into court behind my father's back, and I'm the who didn't kill you, all those months ago, when everything in my body screamed at me to do it!"

Alright, fine, so Arthur was hurt, so what? The only thing close to a brother had almost committed bloody suicide!

"You said we were a team." Arthur with steady eyes, hoping to at least make Merlin feel guilty. "And you just decided to leave everything and everyone behind because of a senseless, bloody, stupid, unimportant prophecy."

"It's not stupid!" Merlin hissed, tears shining in his eyes. He was just trying to do the right thing! Protect Arthur! Like always! "Prophecies exist for a reason, I'm the one who is supposed to make it a reality and the time is now. I cannot wait any longer, I'm the one meant to allow it to happen, if there's anyone who can kill her, is me, and if I can't then no one will. You are more important to this kingdom than I am. I won't put you, or the rest, in danger just because—"

"Alright, this is nonsense. All of it. I've heard enough," Arthur said he swiftly began rummaging around a dark small satchel that was hanging around his shoulders, Merlin blinked, just noticing it now. "I'm ending this stupid thing about prophecies right now. Because I for one do not believe in them."

"What— how can you not?!"

"I believe in actions, that's what I believe in. Do you think I could rule this kingdom if I haven't trained and lived my entire life for it? No. And there was no prophecy that could have corrected that if I, Merlin, every day without fault, do not wake up to improve myself, to earn the title of Prince of Camelot, and the same applies to you. It's your actions that have moved us down this path, not a prophecy!"

"Prophecies are never wrong."

"No? Well, this should be answer enough then," Arthur said as he pulled a book and pushed it against Merlin's chest, Merlin was just staring dumbfounded at Arthur, more hurt that he was willing to admit to hearing Arthur saying that about their own destiny. Arthur motioned to it. "So? Go on, open it."

Merlin sighed, shaking his head but obliging. As an afterthought he made a ball of light appear over their heads so he could read it. He managed to pass a few pages, reading some parts to get a grasp of what he was reading and he gasped out loud when he understood, hands tightening around the cover of the book before looking back at Arthur.

"Arthur… these are… all of these are—?!"

Arthur nodded, arms crossed over his chest, as he calmly waited for Merlin to start going deeper inside the book.

"These are prophecies from the golden age of Camelot, one of the only books my father actually kept because he's a paranoid man, and as you can see there are at least a few hundred prophecies written down, about everything and anything. They talk about a sister that I never had. About my father dying from someone stabbing him from the back, which I doubt will ever happen. About my marriage to a beautiful princess girl that I had known since forever." Once upon a time Morgana and Arthur had thought that would be them. He chuckled darkly at that before sighing incredibly sad. Go figure she would turn into someone so evil she was entirely unrecognizable to him. "They talk about my mom too, and about how she was going to eventually lose all her seven kids."

And the more Merlin read the more he saw prophecies that had come to happen, but lots of them, as Arthur had said, were impossible. Merlin looked up at him. They were both silent for a long time and Arthur sighed.

"What I'm trying to say here, Merlin, is that in the end, yes, I'm not saying prophecies do not come true, after all, we are a living embodiment of it. But I think, with every bone in my body, that prophecies are just actions that we consciously make. Who is to tell you to have to do this alone? Why? Just because a dragon told you doesn't make it real, Merlin." Arthur tried to explain. "You are stronger than a few whispered words from a druid man. And far smarter than any of them too. I know that in regards of magic I do not know much, but for once in your life listen to me, Merlin; if you leave you will be just dooming yourself, and with you all of Albion."

Merlin was staring down at the book perplexed, prophecies were always a given, always a path to follow for him, how could he not believe them? Arthur quietly passed a few pages of the book and signaled a few lines on clear dark ink.

"In case you need more reassurance."

Darkness.

The Greatest Sorcerer to Ever Live will chase and hunt it. As his destiny is to overcome.

Surrounded by nothing but empty air he will meet his doom once he goes and faces the Dark Witch in the woods.

To the death's hands, he will fall, fall just to return to where he belongs.

Darkness he will chase.

But his quest he will fail.

Merlin stared at the words for an infinite amount of time before he looked up, he felt as if he couldn't breathe. Arthur sighed, feeling sorry for him, he gently took the book from his shaky hands.

"You are your own decisions Merlin, and alright, maybe there's a prophecy for everything you will do in your life, maybe your life was really written in the stars ever since the beginning of time, maybe your life is more important than the rest of ours, so important that maybe a thousand prophecies have been written about you. But I also know that it's up to you which of all the paths laid upon you is the wisest to take." Arthur said in a whisper, his eyes finally meeting Merlin and he smiled kindly because it was clear that Merlin had finally given up, although if a bit troubled.

Arthur sighed relieved.

Merlin probably wasn't even aware, but what hurt the most was that Merlin, for all his stubbornness on eagerness to leave, could very well have placed Arthur under a spell and Arthur would have been unable to do anything about it, he could vanish into the night, he could do a million things if he really wanted to go…

If deep down he wasn't as terrified as Arthur knew he was.

Because even in the scarce light, Merlin still had the same face and the huge frightened eyes that he had when he had come clean about his magic with Arthur months ago inside his room, hidden in a closet.

Merlin seemed to still be thinking about his words, blue eyes confused as the ball of light danced above them.

"I'm not against you fulfilling your destiny, but I think someone like you have the right to decide how to do it, don't you think, Merlin?" Arthur crossed his arms. "Or do I really need to tell Hunith about this? I bet she told you the same thing she told me."

"And what's that?" Merlin sighed as his shoulder slumped.

"Allow me to help you. Even when you don't ask."

And Merlin chuckled weakly at that. Arthur smiled for the first time that day as he finally placed the book inside his own satchel.

"I just wanted to keep everyone safe." Merlin finally said out loud, a bit sad that his plan was ruined, a bit sad that he realized how wrong he had been. For all the times he had allowed Arthur to be part of his new adventures, when it came down to the hardest parts Merlin kept leaving him out.

"I know."

Arthur understood then too that Merlin had been ready to go and sacrifice himself, he had been ready to leave if Arthur had not shown up. He probably wouldn't have hesitated. Seriously, Arthur thought as they made their way back to the castle, the dark cloak of Merlin swirling around him as he walked, would he ever be able to truly understand him? All the little, and at the same time quite great, amazing details that made Merlin?

Probably not. He sighed.

As they walked down the path neither of them bothered to hide from the guards and knights who just bowed in their direction when they walked by, Merlin sighed, how easy would it be to keep Camelot safe if he had the same authority as Arthur had.

They were almost on the bridge to enter back again when Merlin finally found his voice.

"Thank you, Arthur." He accepted graciously, unlike some prince. "For stopping me."

Arthur scoffed, hiding his smile in the dark, he shrugged nonchalantly. "No problem, idiot, just my everyday job: Being a prince, with the side job of saving Merlin from: and here you can fill the blank space. In this particular case. Saving Merlin from an evil witch."

Merlin ignored his comment but his shoulders bumped.

Arthur scoffed before shoving him but his steps were light and the smile refused to leave his face as much as he tried. Maybe he had been late to save Edmund, but at least he had been able to save Merlin. Even from himself. "At least I left a note when I left, didn't I? You didn't even tell Gaius. Although it makes everything more impressive that I realized what was happening, it's seriously concerning how well I know you by now, Merlin." Arthur said with an unamused and critical voice as if that was really something he will lose his sleep over.

Merlin chuckled awkwardly. He would need to burn the letters he had left in Gwen's house the second Arthur allowed him two yards away from him.

"Sorry about that. I'll keep it in mind." Merlin felt him Arthur tense when they started to cross the courtyard, everything was silent and dark, and yet Arthur felt as if every guard, knight, even the scarce people looking down the windows were watching them. "Arthur?"

"Merlin… there's something you should know." Arthur whispered as they entered the castle, the shadows in the corners made him feel as if Morgana was lurking there. Watching. "There's something you should know, and we need a place to talk."

Merlin sighed as he rubbed his neck. But he nodded. They still needed to go and find Morgana, and he was sure Gaius was going to want to cut his head once he realized what he had almost done. Lancelot and Gwaine's wrath was going to be just as tiring.

It was going to be a long night.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The Prophecy ll

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I still can't believe you told him." Merlin hissed.

"I already apologized. I won't do it again, Merlin." Arthur hissed right back.

"Which thing, exactly? Apologizing, or telling my secret? Just to clarify." Merlin replied. Arthur groaned annoyed.

"It was necessary." Arthur attacked. "And it was for the benefit of the mission."

Merlin grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and yet Arthur looked offended by it.

"You two. Cut it." Lancelot said with a heavy sigh. Here they were, about to face Merlin's mortal enemy and of course, Arthur and Merlin still had the head and stomach to even bicker.

Arthur and Merlin were quiet for a few moments as they walked in silence at the peak of dawn. Lancelot, Gwaine and Elyan following quietly behind them. The reins of their horses in their hands as they tried to go down the path that would lead to Camelot's exit in silence. They were going undercover, dark cloaks covering their features as they had decided to not announce their departure to anyone but Gaius.

If Morgana had people inside his army the less they knew the better. Merlin had been floored to find out someone he trusted was inside Morgana's ranks. The same way he had been shocked to learn that Elyan had been under a spell all this time, and he had been rightfully petrified when Arthur told him, as best as he could, that he had…to 'somewhat tell Elyan the truth.'

It had been a long day yesterday, to say the least.

Between the shock and narrowed eyes Elyan would sometimes turn at him, Merlin had taken them all for the day to the old cave in the castle for Kilgharrah, no time to waste as it was. There, he gave them a few basic of training, before enchanting their swords and armor. All along while trying to figure a plan that could be achieved by a sorcerer and four knights.

Merlin and Arthur shared with them everything they knew about Morgana, about their own plans, and how could they achieve this. When the night fell the knights went to rest as the best of their capabilities.

Gaius and Merlin had a long talk, while Merlin wrote a letter to his mother. Just in case.

Arthur had left with Gaius his will before leaving. Gaius had almost refused.

"You will be fine, Arthur."

"You don't know that." Arthur said fiercely before leaving the will on the table. He looked at the man with a ghost of a smile. "And the answer is Lancelot."

Gaius blinked at the sudden sentence. "Arthur, Sire?"

"Lancelot," Arthur said firmly before leaving. "If I don't make it out alive and he does… Lancelot would be a great king. Make sure he gets the sword. Just in case."

Before Gaius could stop him Arthur had left.

Now, after such a long day, they were marching forward to probably their most important battle. It wasn't probably the best team, not they were at their best either. Merlin and Arthur were probably the best suited, but Gwaine was nothing but stubbornness, claiming he had been at worst places. While Lancelot was too loyal of a friend to just stay behind, although they had left Leon and Percival in charge of the King. Elyan was too weak to be of any assistance, but he was resolved to go along and they hoped that with his new regained memories—that they still needed to talk about—he would be able to locate the path to Morgana's hut easier, and at least provide them with a surprise attack.

The ideal fight needs to last a few minutes. Merlin had told them. More than that and things can get out of hand. Long fights are never good. And that's something all knights knew.

The moment they had been outside of Camelot, just when the sun had begun to erase the dark blue from the sky, they mounted their horses in silence and left down the east path, quickly the forest engulfing them.

Elyan was leading them expertly and the rest just followed close by. No one talked, or said anything, all of them too focused on their mission and in their plan.

Even though killing Morgana would be the ideal thing, Arthur had warned them that he was not ready neither interested in losing any of them, so if Gwen was safe and it looked like the wisest thing to do would be a retreat they would.

"And I'm not taking any pieces of advice in this," Arthur said firmly, looking at Merlin with severe eyes. "No one stays behind."

Merlin didn't say anything, defying him, but Gwaine had raised a hand lazily. "'I'll take Merlin duties if needed. I'll drag him if I need to."

Merlin groaned while the rest managed a quiet smile.

Merlin was going down a list of possible spells and counter attacks when Arthur had stopped his horse and he yelled for the rest to stop along, startling all the warriors from their thoughts. Merlin almost crashing with Gwaine in his haste. Elyan had to maneuver his horse around so he could turn back and meet them.

"What is it?" He asked confused.

"Arthur, you alright?" Lancelot said stopping his horse as Gwaine rounded them. Arthur just nodded as his eyes ran along the forest line, his stare lingering sometimes at the tall trees as if expecting something.

He dismounted quickly and easily, his dark cloak and armor not even something that he had to bother with. Everyone followed suit, dismounting at once and raised their swords, Merlin included. One hand on his short sword for better equilibrium since he won't be using both hands all the time in a battle. His other hand was hanging near his chest, eyes already shining gold.

Something was feeling off by the way Arthur was acting, he knew this, however, Arthur had yet to unsheathe his sword, instead, he just took a few hesitant paces into the forest, leaving the path behind and everyone quickly followed, exchanging glances over their shoulders.

"Arthur?" Lancelot asked aghast but Arthur raised a hand to silence them.

"What is he doing?" Gwaine turned towards Merlin as if looking for an explanation but the sorcerer just shrugged.

Everyone was quiet, the air felt tense as they kept on staring at the dark forest that Arthur was facing, that's when Merlin noticed he was twirling his magical ring in his hand, in the anxious habit he had acquired.

"Are we going to be attacked?" Finally, Gwaine said, huffing his bangs out his face. "I always hated the waiting."

Suddenly Merlin sensed movement and he grew stiff while Gwaine cursed under his breath. Arthur looked around, a gentle smile on his face once he realized that his four knights looked ready to start a war right then and there. It was a sight, to see Merlin holding a sword, eyes shining gold, the air around him seems to shake with the power of his magic, while Gwaine and Lancelot were at his sides, ready for battle, and Elyan there, too intelligent eyes focused.

"Easy everyone, I'm just waiting for someone, they say we will meet here." Arthur announced.

"Someone?" Merlin said confused.

"What, you think I was going to face Morgana on our own?" Arthur said with a smirk. "I'm not you Merlin. I actually use my privileges when they are due."

In that moment someone dropped from a tree nearby, before elegantly pushing themselves right again, making the green olive hood waver in the soft wind before pulling it down revealing the woman's face. Grey eyes, dark long hair tied in a ponytail.

She definitely had a thing for big entrances.

"Nice to see you again, Emrys." The woman said making a taking a low bow before nodding towards Arthur amiably. Eyes filled with amusement. "My King."

"Mersan?" Merlin said, clearly taken aback, instantly his eyes turning back to normal. "What are you doing here?"

"Arthur asked for our help, told us what was about to happen. And so, Arya deemed it unworthy it, since she feels somewhat betrayed for you taking the vase."

"We didn't take it." Arthur answered clearly. "I told her this."

"Well be it as it may, she thought that Emrys was more than capable on his own to have this battle, however, I thought your reasons behind this request were valid." Mersan said with a light smile as if remembering a conversation. "I offered to come alone, but as punishment though I had to bring my little ronins with me." She motioned with her head and three other shadows fell from the trees with more elegance than Gwaine thought was fair. Who was this woman? And who were these people? And where they keep coming falling down the trees? He needed to know.

"Congratulations, Lyaa I'm glad to see you didn't break your ankle this time." Mersan said while the blond girl beside her huffed and crossed her arms. Bow attached to her back along her stack of arrows.

Saimri chuckled beside her, twirling a knife in her hand expertly before throwing it in the air, catching it with easy expertise. Lancelot was one hundred percent sure this child was way too young to be even the owner of a weapon. He was perplexed beyond belief.

"Alright, that was impressive," Gwaine whispered only for Lancelot to hear.

"And just for everyone to be more calmly about it, we are about to face a band of thugs in a few more minutes," Shuri said from the other side of Mersan, she scrunched her nose as she looked towards Gwaine and his sword, she looked at him up and down and the knight tensed under her stare. Feeling self-conscious. "If I were you I wouldn't do it."

Gwaine raised his brows. What the hell?

"Everyone, easy," Arthur said with a movement of his hands again, smiling at his friends before making a grand gesture towards the newcomers. "These are our allies in this battle."

"Allies?" Lancelot whispered but he did lower his sword after seeing this… these kids, waving and smiling towards Merlin who just waved back. The kind knight looked at the four women in front of him before narrowing his eyes at Merlin. Was this… were this the druids?!

Merlin huffed a chuckle as he sheathed his sword, exchanging a look with Arthur as he came to stand beside him. Arthur crossed his arms smugly and proud. As if daring him to comment.

"Arthur, I know I don't say this often because honestly, you don't ever deserve it," Merlin said with a quiet smile, eyes not leaving the line of new warriors that had come to aid them. "But just this time, just today, you actually had a good plan, you prat, you are learning! Finally! All those years saving your ass have been worth it."

"Thank you, Merlin," Arthur said easily with a shrug but a roll of his eyes as if Merlin had said the most complimenting comment. Graciously and a good mood, he decided to let their argument die for now. For a moment, he had thought no one was going to be there waiting. "I have my moments."

Mersan again stared Merlin and Arthur as if they were these two humans that she could not understand. The two friends were staring at them with palpable relief in their faces while the other three knights behind them just stared quite shocked. Mersan was rather amused.

Then her eyes snapped towards somewhere behind all of them, it was just a quiet, almost nonexistent movement of his head, had Arthur now been a soldier for years he would've missed it completely, he was sure Merlin did, however, Lyaa, the archer, in a second had pulled her bow from back in a quick elegant movement, her arrow passing over Elyan's head to hit something behind him.

Lancelot and Gwaine turned before they were rooted on the spot, staring at the body of the first thug that had tried to sneak on them.

"What the hell?" Gwaine muttered towards Lancelot, exchanging a look in panic. Where did that man had even come from?"

"And this is what I call a proper entrance," Mersan said to the young warriors as they all nodded as if this was a very important class. Arthur just chuckled under his breath, not turning, leaving his three knights behind him to be baffled in his name.

Merlin could feel his own shoulders loose some of their tension. He was not alone. He had been alone for so long, for so many years, he had almost forgotten he had friends to turn up to. That he had allies. And that even though in his mind he was only Merlin… he was Emrys too, with everything that title carried on.

Merlin patted Arthur's back, hoping the prince would understand without words how relieved he was, Arthur just patted right back.

"Its an honor to see you all again." Merlin said towards them. "I'm grateful for your aid."

"Likewise, Emrys." The youngest chorused before they all ran past him, ready to fight the three unwise and very naïve men who had dared to cross their path this day.

In two minutes the four thugs were being placed against a tree trunk, magically bonded to it by invisible straps courtesy of the greatest Sorcerer to Ever Walk This Earth.

Gwaine, Elyan, and Lancelot had not even moved, everything had happened too fast. Arrows had been thrown; knives had shined with the first rays of the sun. Merlin's eyes had changed colors while Arthur had expertly thrown a rock at Merlin who quickly had used it to knock a man out.

Silence for a few moments as one of the girls with her dark hair in a loose ponytail sighed, clapping her hands clean for dust. It was Shuri. "Can we steal their swords, Tensai? Or that would be too much?"

She was actually serious, Lancelot noticed.

"I'm keeping his arrows," Lyaa said easily as he now carried two buckets of arrows and smiled impishly at Merlin. "This time I made extra sure not to hit you, Emrys."

"Thank you for your consideration, Lyaa." Saimri rolled her eyes as she threw a knife, caught it and soon the knife, somehow, had disappeared.

"Is this… how can—what the hell? How did they do that?" Gwaine finally recovered his voice after seeing such an open display of magic and battle tactics. He looked down at his sword that suddenly felt as if right he was just holding a toy. Lancelot and Elyan were equally disturbed and curious themselves before looking at Arthur for answers.

The prince just sighed, he could understand their shock, and so he gave them his best advice. "Trust me, you learn to live with this." Arthur glanced at Merlin who was talking with the newcomers, filling them in on what they were about to do. Merlin. telling people what to do. As a leader. A commander and a soldier. He smiled proudly a bit fond, even if Arthur does say so himself. "And eventually it grows on you."

---

A/N: I know how long this took. Trust me I know, but just sitting to write something just… it never came quite right, finally, I'm happy with this chapter. I really liked how eventually everything flowed together. The fight with Morgana happens next. I thought (AS ALWAYS, GOD DAMN IT) I thought I was going to be able to get that part in here, since it's almost all written out, but the chapter is incredibly long as it is. (AS ALWAYS, UGH).

But I hope I surprised you with the four druid women coming to help (There were too many men warriors, geez, we needed powerful women to help and save the day) and to be honest, I missed them! Mordred did not come, he is still injured, broken arm, remember? But he will show up soon, along with all the druids that did not make it this chapter, I just fell in love with those characters!

Let me know how I did! And also, thank you, so so so so so much for your reviews, is the only thing that keeps me going. We have a few chapters to go, but the story is almost finished, trust me.

Thank you again for reading! I have noticed a lot of people read it but have never commented. Please, if you heart desires, leave a little note at the end, good or bad, or just smiley faces (: I always go back to re-read reviews when I think I just can't finish this story, and I want to finish this badly, we are almost done! We are so close I can't believe it.

For the ones who did review, I cried reading a few, they are just so great. To the one who told me to not give up, explicitly said so. This chapter its kinda thanks to you.

Thank you all! Hope 2018 is treating you well!

See you next chapter!