A/N: Remember when I told you to expect the unexpected? That something HUGE was going to happen (I've been saying it for like 10 chapters now because somehow I always thought I was going to reach this chapter waaaaaay sooner) REMEMBER? Well… from this point forward, nothing will happen as you might expect. Things will get crazy real fast, real soon.
And remember:
This was planned.
Everything.
From the very first chapter.
(:
With that being said, enjoy!
See you at the end! And happy reading!
The Beginning of the End
'Everything that has ever happened in your life, is preparing you for something that is meant to come.' - Unknown
When Merlin heard about the prophecy that spoke about a fighting against Morgana, he always imagined it would be just that; a fight. Maybe long, maybe brutal, incredibly risky, a deadly fight in which he will have to commit murder, a fight in which just one of them could win. A fight that for as long as he tried, trained, and worked for, he was never going to be truly ready for.
It was a moment he has dreaded his whole life.
And he also knew it was going to come sooner rather than later.
However, he never thought that he would be walking to said battle with Arthur Pendragon by his side.
Never.
In all the visions, nightmares, and prophecies he had come across, Merlin had been alone in this endeavor.
Alone as he had always been for years.
It was incredibly unsettling then, to say the least, to be walking with not only Arthur Pendragon, the future King of Albion, but also with Lancelot, Elyan, and Gwaine, his closest knight friends, and furthermore, with four druids that were by far more talented than he was.
And yet… yet Merlin couldn't and wouldn't feel relief. Because Arthur,—the same man he had sworn to protect and keep out of danger— was now walking directly into it. And Merlin like a fool had allowed it. But now it was too late to back down, backing down would mean to abandon Gwen, would mean to leave Arthur in the darkness and on the sidelines again, it would mean to go back in everything they had worked together. Arthur wouldn't forgive Merlin this time, he was certain.
So Merlin had just resigned to the fact that today, more than ever, he would have to give everything in his power to earn his right to win this battle, he would use his magic to the limits, he would face Morgana without hesitation, he would do everything if that assures him that his friends will all leave the battle unscathed.
"Merlin, everything will be alright. You trained for this, you couldn't be more ready."
Merlin almost jumped in the air when Arthur walked closer to him, whispering the words only for Merlin to hear, Merlin gave him a wildered look, had he been thinking out loud or is Arthur just getting wiser and wiser every day?
Merlin wished for the first option.
"I know," Merlin said, just to say something. "I know."
Arthur nodded once before his eyes went to scan the path again and every inch of space between the trees, aware of every movement, looking for the most minimal sign of trouble or danger as they walked down an unused path of the forest. Merlin could almost feel the tension between Arthur's shoulder blades, the white knuckling grip Arthur had on his sword.
Merlin could hear the respiration of his friends around him, every crunch on earth as they walked, every faltering step against the roots. All the sounds where enhanced in his ears, and every rustle of clothes made his skin tingle with anxiety. He was not used to protecting people in the open like this. When he battled alone, he only had to make sure to make it out alive no matter the odds, but now eight lives hanged around his shoulders and Merlin swore to himself eight lives will make it back to the camp.
However, as unsettling as it felt to be accompanied, it didn't feel wrong, it felt distinctly out of place, yes, now that he had to look out for way more people than he was used to. In addition to the fact that he could use his magic freely now, without hesitation or fear to be found out. So no, being there with his friends didn't feel wrong. However, there was something nagging at his skin, making him feel overwhelmed the further they went into the woods… because there was something wrong.
Something that went beyond the fact that in a few more minutes he would be facing Morgana, the dark witch, a woman that had once been his friend. He had come to terms with the fact that the Morgana he knew was no longer the same woman he was about to face, no, it wasn't that. It went beyond that, a feeling that was creeping into his veins, making his magic jump around him.
And every step closer to Morgana's whereabouts just intensified it.
As they all walked in silence, getting nearer and nearer to end of this silent war against Morgana… he just couldn't shake the feeling away, it was not only the nervous tremors, or his adrenaline starting to pump on his veins, or his rather exasperation and at the same time dread to get this fight over with.
No.
It was something he couldn't quite place, something in the air, in his magic, in everything around them that felt wrong.
And apparently, he was the only one perturbed by this, the druids had not said anything to him, and his friends, although tense, didn't act anything out of ordinary.
Maybe he was thinking too much.
The rest of the Knights trailed behind a few steps behind him, weapons ready, eyes focused and alert, covering Merlin and Arthur's back easily. The druids had vanished from view, however, Merlin could feel them, or rather their magic, easily tracking them from their moving spots on the trees as they walked, they would be their eyes in the sky, Mersan had said, if anything looked out of normal she would let them know.
So far, in the few hours they had been walking, they had yet to stop, however, the itching feeling on his skin had not disappeared and he as subtly as he could run his hands up and down his forearms, eyes unfocused for a moment, deep in thought.
Would Morgana be expecting them? Would she have sorcerers as allies? Would Mersan, and his friends that had to magic, survive such a battle? Would Arthur?
He glanced at Arthur then, who was walking just beside him, eyes alert as he inspected the forest for any enemy when Arthur caught him staring, he blinked before he offered a kind smile, probably reading Merlin better than Merlin could.
"Eyes on the path, Merlin." Arthur said kindly in a low voice, "We don't want you to fall now, do we? We can't very well write that in our history book." He gave him a quiet smile before he clapped Merlin's back in quiet reassurance, he left his hand there as they walked side by side. "I still don't know how am I supposed to make people believe that you are not as clumsy as… well, as you look."
Merlin scoffed lightly, chuckling before he nodded, eyes turning to gold as he enhanced his magic to go further and further down the path, to at least try and ease his tension. "I still don't know how am I supposed to convince our future reign that you are not the completely prat that… well, that you are, but to be fair, I have faced worse odds."
Arthur, like a miracle, just chuckled under his breath; however, he did roll his eyes. "I'm sure you will think of something, after all, you are the greatest sorcerer on Earth, aren't you?"
Merlin wasn't relieved when Arthur just forgave his banter that easily, he knew Arthur was trying to ease his mind before they entered Morgana's terrain. Also, Arthur being so kind in these last moments meant that yes, yes where they were heading might as well be the end of their kingdom or the start of it.
If Arthur was being this kind, it meant that Arthur knew more than he was letting on, he knew what was at stake. Arthur turned his sword in one hand as movement caught his sight, but it had only been a rabbit making its quick escape away from the knights.
Merlin played with the hem of his shirt and wished he had a sword or at least knew how to properly use one, just to do something with his hands.
Arthur patted Merlin's back once again, signaling the end of the conversation, but Merlin didn't move away from Arthur's hand, and Arthur didn't lower it from his shoulder for a while.
They didn't say anything, but they were both scared.
Arthur knew there was a prophecy that said that Morgana was the witch that could kill his friend. Arthur had seen it happen in the druid camp, the vision too real and still fresh in his mind, he had seen how Merlin's body had collapsed to the ground, impaled with a Lance… dying just a few feet away from him.
Merlin could die. And Arthur wasn't ready to let that happen.
Merlin knew there was a prophecy that said Arthur would die by Morgana's hand if he dares cross paths with her, he also knew that the chances of them both leaving unscarred and alive were slim, and a part of him still couldn't believe he had not been brave enough yesterday to come and face his faith alone. That he had allowed Arthur to convince him to come along with him. To be such a fool and let himself hope that prophecies can be broken.
Because Arthur could die and Merlin had spent his whole life trying to prevent it. He wasn't ready to let it happen.
The prince and the sorcerer were not scared… they were terrified.
"I still can't believe we are going against Morgana," Gwaine said in a whisper behind them, breaking the prince and the sorcerer's thoughts. "I can't believe we used to know her, she used to live in the castle, and she used to be Gwen's friend, and she… well, now she wants to kill us."
"Gwaine…" Lancelot reprimanded him softly as he looked at Arthur's back with meaning. Gwaine shrugged.
"Just thought it was worth mentioning."
"The Morgana you knew it's no more the Morgan we are facing," Elyan said firmly, Gwaine making a troubled face seeing the almost wicked and angry look on Elyan's eyes. "Keep that in mind."
Gwaine and Lancelot didn't say anything else, a few yards ahead of them Merlin glanced at Arthur as they walked side by side, Merlin had been able to hear it thanks to his enhanced hearing, and if Arthur had heard the conversation he had yet to comment on it.
"Arthur…"
"Yes?" Arthur said, glancing back for a second, inspecting Merlin's face when Merlin just stayed quiet. "What is it? Are you alright?"
Merlin nodded shakily, letting out a puff of air. Arthur should not worry about Merlin, Merlin was the only one of them with magic, Arthur should be worried about himself and their friends, at least the druids were magically trained, and Mersan, even without magic, was a remarkable opponent to fight.
"Will you be alright, Arthur? This will be your first fight against magic in a real battlefield, and well, this is Morgana we are talking about… she was your sister and now… now I'm going to kill her." Merlin needed to say it out loud, for both of them. "I'm going to kill her."
Arthur clapped Merlin's back one last time before swinging his sword in a practiced motion, both hands on his weapon and eyes focused and set firmly ahead of him as the soldier he was, as if he was about to face any other common enemy and not a witch that for months had killed and killed dozens of his knights. A witch that had turned his uncle against him, a witch that had made his people suffer for years, a woman that wanted to see him dead, and someone who had taken away his father from him.
Arthur will only see her death as the end of a lot of suffering.
"The Morgana I knew died a long time ago, my friend," Arthur said with sadness but honestly. He saw the slightly hesitant flicker of movement on Merlin's face and Arthur placed a firm hand on his shoulder, eyes holding Merlin's blue eyes to make his point across. "Do not let your emotions cloud your intentions, Merlin. If you find yourself hesitant on my behalf, please don't, and if you find yourself hesitating because your feelings get the best of you, refrain yourself, because were you hesitate she will not."
Merlin just nodded before his shoulders swaged, in relief or in guilt he didn't know, after all, he was going to kill someone today, and it wasn't that he had not done it before, but this time it was premeditated. It felt as if the entire universe had been placed on his shoulders for way too long.
"I think, at this point, asking anything else from you is rather selfish, Merlin," Arthur added with a long-suffering sigh after a moment as they began walking down a slightly inclined hill, the knights had stayed a few yards behind, noticing that the friends were probably having a few last words before they reached Morgana. "And as much as I would never change who you are, I beg you, yes—don't look so stupidly alarmed, I know what begging means—I request, that you put your heart in a metal cage and toss the key for a few moments." He said gravely, as if it pained him to say it out loud. "Do you understand, Merlin?"
It was imperative, Arthur thought, that Merlin understood what he was trying to say. Merlin glanced back at him and Arthur kept his stare firm, they stopped walking for a few seconds, Merlin grasping what Arthur was saying with blue huge eyes.
"I don't want to lose you just because you have a good heart, Merlin." Arthur finally confessed, walking down the last steps to be at level with him.
Merlin nodded once again, unable to speak.
Arthur just sighed very tiredly, as if he had grown older in that moment, it was incredibly selfish and cruel to be asking Merlin to stop feeling like he did, and to stop his good heart from interfering when Arthur knew it had been that same good heart that had saved him in several occasions, however, being good-hearted today was not going to keep Merlin alive.
"I understand." Merlin said feebly and Arthur nodded relieved.
They began walking again after a few second, above them, in the trees, Merlin kept a silent track of the magical signals that moved along with them. "I'm just sorry it has to be you, Merlin. For once I really wish I knew magic, right now as it is… I don't know how useful I will be. Or how much can I really help you."
Merlin grinned with some relief as he pushed Arthur with his shoulder. "Stay out of trouble, Arthur, and I will call it a miracle."
"Arthur, out of trouble?" Gwaine said, and the friends looked over their shoulders, he had reached them and they had not even noticed. "I think you are tampering too much with your luck, Merlin."
"I can always dream," Merlin shrugged, allowing Gwaine in the conversation while Arthur rolled his eyes.
"I don't think is Arthur who should we worry about," Lancelot said helpfully from a few steps to their right, glancing gravelly at Gwaine, who looked personally offended.
He looked in the middle of a retort when Elyan cut them short.
"We are almost there," Elyan whispered then and everybody tensed.
Quietly, in order, and without having to be told, the other knights stepped closer to Merlin, eyes searching the forest in all directions, ready for anything to come and attack them, it was Merlin though, who after a few moments found himself suddenly stopping, all the knights following through as their eyes darted around quickly, ears straining for any kind of sound as they made a small circle, above them in the trees the druids had stopped too, now that Arthur knew where to look he could catch the sight of a robe in the wind, or a streak of blue eyes, or a sudden movement of arrows and quivers.
Everyone was tense, ready to jump into action as they eyes scanned the forest for any enemy, looking for whatever source of magic or movement that had made Merlin stop for the first time in hours.
"Merlin?" Lancelot asked quietly but he got no answer.
For a moment no one moved down the unused path of the forest, the trees had begun to grow thicker and closer together at this point, the light filtered not as easily through the leaves, only the breeze of the wind moved and yet…
Lancelot looked at Merlin, trying to see what Merlin had sensed, only to find Merlin scratching at his elbow absently, golden eyes focused ahead, in a rather contemplative way…
"Oh," Lancelot said stupidly.
"Oh, what?" Gwaine whispered, nerves on edge as he looked at Merlin too after a second of realization that no, nothing was going to jump at him and kill him.
Arthur was the last one to understand as he smiled to himself, shaking his head but knowing the feeling too well to say anything. With a movement of his hands he ordered his knight to be still and allowed Merlin a few minutes to himself.
Merlin had not stopped out of sensing danger, he had stopped because he was mentally preparing himself.
All the knights loosened their stances but they stared ahead too, as if feeling the dark calm before the storm, and all of them lost themselves in their thoughts for a few seconds.
Gwaine thought he was really out if his deep here, magic, he was going into a magical battle untrained, his only relief is that at least he wouldn't be alone, and yet he was itching to see what lays a few yards and down the hill that they were walking now. He swung his sword expertly to relieve some of the tension. Well, to hell with it, he had managed to keep himself alive for years, hadn't he? But his eyes drifted towards the tense shift of Merlin's shoulders, well, he didn't know if they were going to be powerful enough to defeat Morgana, but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure to keep Merlin alive too.
Lancelot, on the other hand, was thinking of the promise he had made to Merlin just before departing Camelot, when Merlin had taken him apart for a few minutes to talk with him. Now staring at Arthur and Merlin side by side he didn't know if he could keep that promise. If the worse came to happen Lancelot had to keep Arthur safe. Merlin had made him swore over his life that if they were outnumbered, or if Merlin died, or if it was clear that they were losing…. Lancelot will take Arthur away, no matter what.
"Arthur cannot die, one way or the other he needs to rule, he needs to become king, no matter what happens today. So promise me. Even if he hates you, Lancelot, you need to keep Arthur safe."Merlin had practically begged. "Promise me."
Lancelot had assured Merlin that he would keep an eye on Arthur, but Lancelot was scared that if having to choose he wouldn't be brave enough to abandon Merlin, his friend, to die alone. But no, he couldn't and he wouldn't allow himself to think like that, Merlin was the strongest person he knew, and if there was someone who could put an end to Morgana, it was him.
Lancelot only prayed that he wouldn't have to choose.
Merlin for his part just stared ahead, almost in a trance, he had sensed something for a few minutes now, but the closer they had walked, the stronger the… dark feeling, per say, had tingled in the air, crawling at Merlin's magic, making him run his hand up and down his left arm trying to get rid of the feeling.
His mind tunneled at the sight of the suddenly dark and eerie lonely path he would have to walk on, terrified of what he would find on the other end.
This was it.
This was really it.
Merlin took a deep breath and slowly let it go.
No one moved. And for once no one pressed him forward. He wasn't the only one immersed in his thoughts, he thought, as he half turned to meet the stares of his friends, he could feel all his friends tense figures, their eyes lost for a moment, but when they caught his stare they seemed to shake awake . Lancelot smiled proudly and knowingly. Gwaine scoffed with a grin, a hand on his hip, hair swayed in the wind, the human emotion of ease. Elyan just offered a kind but shy smile.
Merlin turned towards Arthur, who had been patiently waiting for Merlin to move, and he never expected Arthur to be standing beside him, quietly waiting for the first time in years, for the first time ever for Merlin to move first so Arthur could follow.
Arthur was going to follow him to battle. Arthur, the prince and right heir to the throne was going to follow him to a battle he had no part of. Just because he was Merlin's friend.
So no. Merlin had never envisioned this, but maybe… maybe destinies were changing, maybe faith, prophecies, and visions, changed the day he decided to tell Arthur of his magic. Maybe that day he had started a new circle of beginnings.
Merlin latched onto that thought.
"I uh… I want to say something." Merlin said as he turned once again, giving his back towards his friend while his eyes focused on the path ahead. Arthur always managed to say some brave words before a battle, something that their knights and warriors could remember as they walked towards either their deaths or a new sunrise. Merlin, being at the front, didn't turn to see them but he could feel them staring. Arthur gave him a reassuring nod when Merlin glanced at him. Merlin gulped. "Arthur, if I die, I just want you to know… " He took another deep breath. "I just want you to know that I cheated on that first fight when I met you in Camelot."
Silence… thick as honey and then:
"What?"
"Our first fight, where we went around Camelot in a chase? I used magic and made you trip to win. Several times, actually." Merlin babbled as he looked at Arthur, a shy grin firm in place. "In front of half of Camelot."
Silence.
"Sorry, just thought you should know." Merlin shrugged.
Silence for a long time and then Gwaine huffed behind him, a quiet laugh that broke into a loud one. "You are not even sorry, Merlin."
"Leave it to Merlin to give an inspirational speech." Elyan chuckled from Gwaine's other side.
"I didn't know this story." Lancelot said perplexed before he glanced at Merlin. "I can't believe you used your magic in front of that many people."
"Am I the only that thinks we are pretty blind around Camelot, or that is just me?" Gwaine asked as he lowered his sword for a moment.
"I knew you couldn't be that good." Arthur said outraged as he pointed at Merlin with the sword, however, his grin was in place. "I just knew it."
"And yet you mopped for weeks." Merlin grinned and like that the bubble of tension broke for a few seconds. Merlin relished in the moment, shrugs and chuckles going around for a few seconds before Merlin took another deep breath, his friends stared back at him again and he turned once more towards the path.
He could feel their eyes on his back, and this time they all knew he was serious, he steadied himself.
"But I'm glad. I'm glad I cheated with my magic that day because I met the Arthur from five years ago thanks to it; he was prat, and he was stubborn, and he was obnoxious beyond belief ("wow, thank you, Merlin" Arthur deadpanned, not seeing where this was going), and for a few months I refused to believe I was destined to help such an arrogant person." He turned halfway, meeting his friends' stares before his sight fell on Arthur. "But thanks to all that I got to know the Arthur standing here now. I was right, saving you that day from that witch years ago was worth it, seeing the person you are now, being able to call you my friend? Well, I never regretted it." He smiled at Arthur then and gave a small shrug, trying to convey everything he was feeling at the moment, gratitude, and friendship, and relief. "Prophecy or not, I will never regret it."
Arthur just nodded, touched by his words but kept a quiet smile, he was not good with words as Merlin was, but he was sure Merlin would understand. "I'm glad too, Merlin."
There was silence for a moment before Merlin nodded, sniffling a little.
"Well, that was good speech," Gwaine said with a grin as he raised a lazy hand. "And even though I'm no sorcerer I just want to say that even if there's no prophecy about me—that we know about, who knows?— I'm also glad Merlin took a chance on me all those years ago."
"We all are." Lancelot said after a moment staring at both his friends with knowable eyes, everyone turned towards Lancelot. "After all, It was your Merlin who eventually led each and all of us here. Arthur might be the prince we swore to protect, but it was you, in the end, who managed this."
Gwaine and Elyan didn't bother to correct him and Arthur grinned.
"I always knew you three were more loyal to Merlin than the crown," Arthur said with an easy shrug.
"But I do have a question though," Elyan said quietly, "If Merlin is destined to kill Morgana… why are we so on edge? Can a prophecy break?"
At this, the knights turned towards Merlin, while Arthur just crossed his arms.
Merlin hummed as he tilted his head. "Prophecies are almost always right, but… lately, prophecies have not been working the way I'm used to perceiving them … they are a path to follow for me, most of the time at least, but just by the fact that you all are here changed the entire prophecy. I was destined to come alone today… by having you here we changed the future, maybe we are about to make a new one." Merlin shrugged, an impish smile on his face as he looked at Arthur before shrugging. "Maybe prophecies can be broken, we will find out."
Arthur muttered under his breath something along the lines of: of course we are going to find out, prophecies can't be right all the time for god's sake.
Elyan seemed deep in thought after that.
"Well for once I say we should just stop worrying too much and trust the universe knows what its doing then," Lancelot finished with a smile and Merlin just nodded. "If we made it this far, I don't think we made it to lose, maybe it was all our destinies to be here today."
Gwaine sighed contentedly before he glanced at Lancelot with narrowed eyes. "Wait, you are saying we might be part of a prophecy too? That everything we have done so far was leading us here?"
Lancelot shrugged, he had thought about it a lot the last few months. "I believe that we are all connected; Arthur, Merlin, you, Elyan, me… even the druids, we are all part of decisions that eventually led us here. Maybe Merlin was destined to find us, maybe he didn't, but something brought us together, here, right now, maybe there's a greater part for all of us. I refused to believe otherwise."
"Because of Arthur?" Elyan asked. "Because is his destiny to be king one day?"
"No." Arthur said as he gave a long sigh before he glanced at Merlin with a smile. "Because of Merlin."
Strange as it seems… it has never been him the most important person in this prophecy, without Merlin they would all be dead, Arthur would never have made it out alive from his first magical encounter, and he knew that. Merlin had been the person he had made all of this happened, Arthur, in the big scheme of things, had just been a part of Merlin's greatest destiny.
"We are here because of Merlin."
Unable to stare at the kind eyes of his friends anymore Merlin controlled his voice as he looked ahead once again, firm and set on not shedding a single tear, not now. This is what he had always wanted, friends to have his back, to support him, to be able to be himself without fear of being rejected, although now that it was here he didn't know what to do with it. He took another breath, shoulders set, when he turned back the atmosphere seemed to vibrate, the little bubble of calmness faded with a swipe of the wind, his friends stared amazed at the golden sparking in his eyes as he stared at the four of them.
The young men joking and talking and conversing died, only soldiers and warriors remained. Swords firm, eyes cold set.
Merlin still could feel the wrongness crawling on his skin, but maybe, just maybe, it signaled that this was the change they had all been seeking for.
And whatever happened after today,well it would be the start of a new realm.
Without even aware he did it, Merlin reached towards Arthur's mind with his magic. Arthur's shoulder jumped slightly, but he knew how Merlin's mind felt by now, as weird as that thought was, so Arthur realized quickly that Merlin was trying to communicate with him, Arthur allowed the intrusion after a moment of hesitation. Hearing Merlin inside his mind was something he was never going to get used to.
Thank you for coming with me.
Arthur could feel the gratitude of Merlin filtering through their bond as his friend stared at him with a smile. Arthur just nodded, baffled and floored at the intensity in which Merlin spoke a second later, something mixed with amusement.
And Arthur? Do me a favor and don't die today.
And the words might not be much, but Arthur could feel the gripping and flaring feelings of Merlin, how scared he was at the moment, how hesitating he was even now of allowing him to go with him, and how fervently he hoped that Arthur, even if Merlin does not make it, could live to see another day.
"I promise if you promise, Merlin," Arthur said out loud, stubbornly not letting Merlin think for a moment that the mere idea of Merlin dying was a valid alternative. And although the other knights couldn't understand what had just happened Merlin gave a watery smile, although a bit jarring with his golden eyes at the moment.
You forbade me to die, you prat.
Arthur blinked before he snorted, letting a small chuckle leave him before he nodded, he had forgotten he had actually said that out loud a few days ago.
Gwaine exchanged a look with Lancelot who just shrugged, but marveled nonetheless at the sight, he had never thought he would see Arthur and Merlin like this, and now he was there to witness it, it was truly a historic day. From above the trees, Lancelot spotted the sight of Mersan who was watching the exchange with curious and keen eyes.
Merlin kept the connection with Arthur for a few more seconds before he kindly and slowly retreated back into his mind where he could concentrate. Feeling the magic running through his veins, feeling it in his fingertips, ready to be used, he turned to face the path one final time.
For once not scared to look behind his back to know what was coming, because he had four brothers looking up for him, reminding him he was not alone.
He was not alone for the first time in years.
And maybe… just this time… it wasn't a bad thing.
Merlin raised his voice so it carried to the trees, back straighter than it had been a few moments ago, shoulder set as the leaves murmured in the wind.
"For Albion. For new destinies. And for more days to come."
"For Albion."
And with those final words, they walked firmly and with purpose inside the forest.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"I still can't believe they didn't take me with them." The boy said for the untempt time and the woman listening to his troubles smiled against her will as she shook her head.
"Mordred, your ankle is broken." Arya, replied sternly but kindly, arms crossed where she stood at the entrance of Linorien's tent, enjoying the quiet breeze of the early morning, letting some fresh air replace the stagnant air inside Linorien's workplace. "A good warrior knows when he will be reliable and when he will be a weight on their team. Right now you are in no shape whatsoever to go to such a dangerous mission."
Mordred murmured something under his breath.
Arya got the feeling he wasn't quite agreeing with her.
"Besides, after what happened with Emrys, I thought you wouldn't want to… engage so soon with either Arthur, or him." Arya said tentatively, watching every movement on Mordred's face to read him better. But Mordred just sighed where he sat in his cot and shook his head, he took a few minutes to reply but when he did he sounded as if he was explaining something very complex to Arya, like if Arya should know this better than he did.
"I was fighting with Arthur. Sword in hand, Arya."
Arya just raised a brow, unimpressed. "Is that supposed to be telling me something?"
"You have not known them for long, and neither have I, to be completely honest. I met them years ago, but even then it as obvious that Emry's magic just… reacts." Mordred tried to explain. "It's… his magic is just different than ours. Didn't you feel it, when you met him?"
"I did." And she had. There was something just very unique in the way Emrys' magic had lingered on her tent, or how it reacted towards Arthur—like it was embracing him too— or how it was generally felt. Not many sorcerers could feel other's people magic, but Iseldir had taught her from a young age and now 'seeing', which was more like feeling somebody else's magic, was second nature to her.
Sensing Emrys' magic had been captivating.
There had not been an ounce of evil in any particle she came across. Emry's magic just wasn't like the rest of types of magic and that is why he was so special. It was alive, per say, in a very strange way. Never dormant, like Arya's was, or on the surface, like Mordred's. It surrounded him, always ready to spark to life, always moving around him.
Furthermore, he had more magic in an inch of his body than ten of her best sorcerers put together.
He was so powerful it was no wonder books, prophecies, and endless stories had been written about him. Arya herself had been caught by surprise.
"So it's not a real mystery then, to see why Emry's magic reacted." Mordred said unware of what Arya was thinking.
Arya raised her brows at the chosen word Mordred has used twice now. "React?"
Because magic does not react. Arya knew this. Her ronins knew this. Magic does not go and do as it wishes unless it was beckoned. How the magic would react, twist, and obey, depended on the sorcerer, or a vessel, or an artifact, but magic does not react on its own free will.
Mordred shrugged as if Arya was missing the entire point, after a moment he began inspecting his wounds on his torso. "If Arthur is in danger, Emrys will be two steps behind. Always. I guess Emrys' powers just jumped into action." Arya furrowed her brows and he continued stubbornly. "I have seen it happen before."
Arya wasn't convinced in the slightest, magic does not react, but her keen eyes observed Mordred for a long time, something in her heart-tugging heavily. She sighed and began to push the curtains of the tent to the sides to clasp them secure to allow some light inside, just to do something with her shaky hands.
Magic does not react, it doesn't matter that it had been Emrys' magic or not, it just doesn't happen. And Arya knew, better than anyone else on this camp, why Emrys, at seeing Mordred with a sword pointing at Arthur, had attacked. She would be a fool if she had not known, she was the high priestess, after all, she knew everything that had yet to pass and everything that will come.
Because she knew, but she hoped, fervently, that the darkest prophecy she had come across, the one that speaks of Morgana and Mordred joined in a truce will never come to happen.
Oh, the lengths she had gone to avoid that future were admirable. That's why she always had an eye on Mordred, that's why she had surrounded him with friends, good teachers, and his own purpose in this camp.
And that's why exactly she had been so enraged to know Emrys, of all people, had injured him.
Does he not know what turning Mordred evil could do? What Mordred will become if he turns his back on them and goes to Morgana? Does he has any idea?!
Iseldir had told her prophecies like Mordred's could not be broken, just like Emry's destiny, it was set on stone. But seeing him then; sitting in his cot, twisting his face in annoyance as he cleaned his wound, she wanted to believe that some prophecies could break given the circumstances.
And the first step she was taking into that direction was never allowing Mordred and Morgana to meet, even if she spent her entire life watching over his back. Her hand shook violently and she took a steady breath, trying to calm her heart because she knew, she knew Emrys' magic had not just reacted, she knew he had been afraid, incredibly so, just like she always was, but for the rest and peace on Mordred's soul and heart, she allowed him to believe it for now.
"He came to apologize, you know?" Mordred said quietly, looking down at his bandages across his ribs to inspect them before making a face and looking back at Arya, hand gingerly tapping his injury. "Before he left, he came to apologize."
"Did he now?" Arya said quietly before turning back to meet his keen stare. "It was the least he could do, after everything they did: lie about Uther, attack you, lie about who they were and what were they doing here, an apology was the least I expected from Emrys."
They were in silence for a few moments as Mordred worked on applying different herbs to his bruised side while Arya watched, after a few more second Mordred glanced at Arya before going back to work. "You are worried."
Arya took a deep breath before she returned to meet his keen stare, Mordred had always, always been more intelligent than he let on.
"A good leader is always worried."
"You are worried about Mersan and the rest?"
Arya sighed in defeat as she finally allowed herself to walk towards Mordred, she was always very strict that her ronins should be able to attend to their injuries themselves, after all, they couldn't be always confident that they wouldn't find themselves alone someday, but in the end she thought it wouldn't hurt if she helped Mordred with the last part of the process, bandaging him once again.
"Im worried about you, right now," Arya confessed, wrapping the white bandages around his torso firmly even if Mordred grunted a bit, once she was done she ruffled his hair as she stood up, walking to the entrance of the tent. "Do not leave until Linorien comes back, you are off duty until Linorien says otherwise. I will try and see how our dragon lord…. Or dragon lady is doing today. Aithusa has been such a keen and intelligent dragon so far. I will have to contact Emrys soon so he can teach Eliane in the future."
Mordred nodded as he grumbled, laying back on his cot with a huff. "I will die of boredom at this rate."
"You will be fine, little one," Arya chuckled at the look that Mordred threw her, knowing full well how much Mordred despised being called nicknames, after a final glance at him she turned to walk out the tent.
"Arya?"
Arya stopped at the entrance and turned to face Mordred waiting patiently for him to speak. Mordred raised himself on his elbows to stare at her, he seemed quite anxious about something.
"What is it? If you are going to ask me for permission to let you oversee training today that will be a no, and if you—"
"No, no, it's just…" Mordred bit his lip before he sighed. "Forget it, it's stupid."
Arya crossed her arms and when Mordred just rolled his eyes and laid back on the cot Arya decided she had been nice enough for the day.
Without giving Mordred a chance to deny her, she made a path of magic between them so their minds could connect.
Mordred seemed incredibly affronted by this.
"Arya!"
'Just tell me what you are thinking and I will leave, nothing is ever too stupid to ask Ronin Mordred, you should know this.'
Arya could feel his hesitation but after a few seconds he finally gave up.
'I have been feeling it for a few days but… today if anything it just increased.'
Arya kept quiet and masked both her thoughts and face into a calming wave of reassurance when in reality, she was shocked that Mordred was telling her what she thought he was telling her. She thought she had been the only one to know.
'What do you mean?'
'I mean…' Mordred sat more firmly in the cot to look at Arya. 'There's… something in the air, can't you feel it? It feels…. It feels as if something dark has permeated the air.' Mordred locked eyes with Arya. 'It feels wrong.'
Arya blinked, too shocked to move from her spot, and it took her a few more seconds to finally give Mordred a quiet smile.
'A spell went wrong a few days ago in the forest'. Arya lied, she was very aware of this, but at the moment she couldn't face the scared feeling she could feel through the bond with Mordred. 'Nothing to worry about, you have not been the first one to comment on this rest assured, the feeling will go away in a few days, don't worry. I'm glad you told me about this.'
Mordred seemed to relax, but he was doubtful. "A spell went wrong?" He said out loud.
Arya smiled as she retreated from Mordred's mind. "That's a story for another day, now please, get some rest, I will visit before the day ends." Still seeing the doubtful face of her ronin she waved a hand. "And don't worry too much, I know this lingering magic makes your own magic uncomfortable but try to ignore it. And if you are really bored there's always a book of the }'¿History of Magic' in Linorien's tent you keep you entertained!"
Mordred grumbled as he went back to lay in the cot and Arya did exit the tent this time after one final glance at her youngest sorcerer, she closed the curtains of the tent as she stepped out, a grim look on her face as she began walking away, deep in her thoughts, only Iseldir had been magically strong enough to realize that something had been going on for a few days, Arya, being the high priestess had of course noticed.
However, she didn't think it was a mere coincidence that Mordred could feel it too.
As Mordred has said, something dark, just…. unknown had been filtering in her magic, it had been strong a few days before Merlin had reached her camp and then it has disappeared completely, like a rainy day, it had covered her entire camp, just for the feeling to fade away after a few hours, she had looked for the witch or sorcerer who had done this, she was certain that it was a side effect of a spell gone wrong, however, today that feeling had resurfaced, and so far no one had come to her to explain this, no one seemed injured after it either.
Such a spell would have left whoever that had tried it empty, per say, from energy and magic, on the verge of death, but no one seemed out of ordinary and so she had let it slide, thinking it had been something in her magic, attributing it to the fact that now a dragon lived among them, maybe the magic of the dragon was tampering with hers? However, something stagnant had added to the air today, making her skin itch, and suddenly she knew this was not a dragon's magical doing, or something going wrong in her camp.
It went beyond that.
Her eyes traveled up to the sky, it was a sunny day, but a storm was brewing in the mountains maybe it would catch up to them later in the afternoon. The feeling crawled at her magic, and the air around her felt stiff, even in the open.
Iseldir had told her fates and destinies were changing all over the realm, maybe this was just another indication that whatever both Arthur and Emrys were doing was meddling dangerously with prophecies as old as human-kind.
Resisting the urge to scratch her arms and legs she walked with purpose towards the training fields, quickly shaking her head from those thoughts, no use to overthink today, she will talk to Arthur and Emrys tomorrow, because she, unlike the rest, fully expected Emrys to win this battle against the dark witch, and fully expected Mersan to be qualified enough to bring her three ronins back unscathed.
Or so she told herself, because before getting ready to start the day, she had lighted up a magical and ancestral candle in her tent, only used in the most precarious of situations. It means light in a dark time, it means a fresh new beginning and new hopes.
It was only used when druids changed locations, as a way to bless the new land they were going to take as a home, to avoid evil spirits, and welcome the good vibes of nature and magic. It was also lighted when something dire happened around the camp; or if someone was awfully ill, missing, or dying.
And Arya had found herself giving a little prayer as she lad lighted it up that morning, wishing for Emrys, Arthur, and all her people to be safe during this war.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Arthur and Merlin peeked from around the tree they had taken refuge behind, there in the middle of a small clear was a hut built around a huge tree, it's impressive trunk making its way seamlessly into the hut, if it wasn't such a dire moment Arthur would have appreciated such an intriguing house design, half carved and molded around the tree, as if the tree was part of it from the very beginning. The hut itself was made from the worn-out hood and boulders, while hardened thatch mixed with wood for a ceiling.
Beside the hut in the clear, there was nothing else.
For the outsider, it may look like any hut, in the middle of nowhere yes, surrounded by nothing but the forest, probably, and maybe just a bit eccentric with the tree on one side of it, but a hut nonetheless.
It looked almost harmless.
Almost.
The door was slightly ajar, just barely, as if waiting for someone to open it. The windows were firmly closed though, and from the chimney the thinnest line of gray clouds was floating up into the air, however, they were not as dense and dark as they should have been if the fire had been still alive and roaring. But, at the looks of it, it seemed as if the fire had long died now, maybe for several hours.
What was concerning was not the hut itself, that at least was to be expected, but besides the rotten house in the clear…there was nothing else.
And that was what worried Arthur.
No one was outside, no other sorcerers, no army, and no Morgana for that matter. There was no sound. No movement. Nothing.
Even the wind was soundless, the leaves of the trees were almost unmovable.
It was so silent Arthur could hear his heart beating against his chest, it was unsettling and incredibly unnerving to find himself surrounded by such quiet.
Arthur could feel his adrenaline kicking in his veins as his hands rested heavily over his sword in preparation for the battle, it would never be as good as the sword that was yet to be pulled out form the sword in the stone in Camelot, however, it was the second best he had, and even if he could not see or sense any difference in it as it had been yesterday, he knew it was magically protected now, thanks to Merlin, who had gone through the trouble to protect all their armors and weapons back in Camelot. Merlin told them his magic would keep his swords and shields strong enough to keep them safe from a direct attack, however, a battle was a battle.
A direct blow, a miscalculated step, a one-second mistake...
"Merlin," Arthur whispered, refusing to overthink and just focus on the problem in sight. The sorcerer's eyes that were shining gold didn't give away anything, but Merlin had a troubled face. "What do you think?"
Arthur glanced at him before his eyes scanned the clear and the forest beyond for any sign of confrontation, every second that ticked by was another second Arthur got even more restless. Something, anything, should've happened by now. Gwaine and Elyan were a few yards to their right, also assessing the situation, both quiet as they hid behind a bush, the both of them gave him a silent signal.
Nothing on their end.
Arthur nodded and his eyes kept trailing the woods. Lancelot and Mersan had rounded the hut from the other side, and even from afar Lancelot signaled Arthur that there was nothing from that side either.
Lancelot and Arthur shared an anxious glance from across the field. This was not right. He didn't know how or why, but the quietness and eerily silence was not a good sign, battles were always loud, and there was always some give away, some soldier that was not quiet enough to stay in cover, some pretentious warrior that fired their arrows to soon, or some other who yelled in a battle cry a second too son giving away their position.
But right now, silence reigned.
Arthur heard the whispers of leaves above his head, and if he hadn't known the young druid warriors were hidden in the trees, he would've thought it was the wind. The young druids, just like the rest of his knights, had been quiet too, but he supposes that if they had not moved yet it meant nothing was out there to harm them.
Arthur didn't like the look of this… it felt wrong. His senses alerting him about something he couldn't quite yet grasp. It felt like—
Suddenly a shadow dropped beside him and Arthur stumbled back alarmed, swinging his sword blindly, heart stammering against his ribcage painfully but it was only Shuri who had managed to land expertly out of his sword reach. Probably she had seen this happening.
And she deemed it worth it to scare Arthur like that.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Arthur whispered, a hand to his chest as he glared at her before he kneeled behind the tree, Merlin just glanced for a moment, making sure Arthur had not gotten a heart attack, before he looked back at the hut, eyes focused.
"Sorry, my king." Shuri smiled in a quiet apology, she kneeled beside him too so they could continue their stare at the hut. "Nothing from above, the place feels rather empty, magically speaking, there are no enemies hidden in the woods, nor magical traps in the field, I doubled checked."
Arthur had a calm face, as always, but inside he felt something tugging at his stomach.
"Are you certain?"
Shuri nodded calmly as she glanced at Merlin, whose eyes kept staring at the hut as if he was trying to solve a very complicated puzzle. "If the great witch is here… she's inside."
Arthur just nodded, thinking for a moment as his eyes darted towards the entrance of the hut again. Was Morgana unprotected? If she was, why? This was not like her. She was always prepared, always ready for any outcome, and if he knew something about her was that she was never alone. Morgana had allies, enemies that wanted to see Arthur and his crown fall.
So why had Morgana let the path towards her so dangerously unprotected? Arthur didn't know what to do with this information. Was Morgana expecting them? Most likely, she had Gwen with her, she knew they would come.
He had been certain of this.
Was she so sure of herself, her powers, and the chance that she could win that she didn't even bother with a plan? To even try and make this hard for them?
Even if the place was quiet Arthur's mind was loud. A feeling unknown to him crawling down his back.
"Shuri, can you sense… or tell us if you have a vision of the next few minutes?" Arthur asked, calm and focused as the soldier he was. "Knowing what will happen can give us a sense of what to expected and how to overcome this battle."
Shuri sighed tiredly as if she had thought of this too. "I don't see visions, Arthur, I just see glimpses of the very, very near future, a few minutes as it best. They don't always come in time, I'm afraid. And they do not come to me out by power of will. I don't decide to have them, they just do."
"I see."
"They are stronger when the actions of the humans around me are clear though." Shuri tried to explain herself better, her blue eyes alert as she stared around the field, assessing his knights. "Right now all of you are hesitating on what to do next, no one is sure what is to come or how to act. The path to the future has yet to be decided." Shuri explained easily as her blue eyes lingered on the hut one last time before she turned towards Arthur with a serious face. "I'm afraid to say the battle will start before I have any voice in the matter."
Arthur nodded, he knew Shuri could only glimpse five minutes into the future, but he had hoped that those five minutes would be enough to give them some advantage, a few seconds of foreknowledge in a fight was precious, let alone minutes, it could be the tipping point between dying or living.
He fought the feeling of disappointment that settled on his stomach, even with a druid woman that could see the future luck was still eluding him.
"I understand."
"If we see anything remotely out of ordinary I'll come back down." Shuri said gently before she expertly climbed the tree in a few scarce seconds, before he knew it she was out of sight again, expertly hiding in the shadows of the trees and their leaves. Arthur nodded to himself before rising again, pressing his side towards the tree.
"You heard her?" Arthur whispered and Merlin just nodded.
"I did." Merlin said quietly.
Arthur was quiet for a few more moments, now facing the forest as Merlin faced the hut, standing side by side, shoulders brushing reassuring the other he was there.
"Merlin, what do you think?" Arthur asked again, voice low but firm.
"Can't you feel it?" Merlin said almost in a daze, but disgust was heard in his voice.
Arthur glanced at Merlin. "Feel what?"
"The… the air." Merlin's nose almost scrunched up, words avoiding him to explain further.
If Gwen's home had felt like Morgana had been there, leaving traces of her magic, this place felt like she had lived in it. For years. Her magic was all over the place, and for a moment, just the strong trail of her power had clouded his mind, he had almost been knocked over in panic with the feeling of her magic crawling around the trees, the rocks, the ground under his feet, every leaf, every pebble, everything he touched was filled with it.
It felt like an explosion, in a way to be best described. As if something had rained and covered everything in a dark invisible mud. The air felt tense with the lingering magic of Morgana.
The feeling of wrongness had intensified so much the closer they had gotten to the hut, that for a few traumatic seconds, Merlin had thought they had walked right into a trap despite his alarming spells and his keen eyes, he had thought this magic would somehow turn against them and so Merlin's magic had gone erratic under his skin, almost forcefully permeating the air around him and acting to their own accord so Merlin could breathe. It took a few moments, but once he managed to overcome the feeling, he could focus as his friends took their positions around the clear, all of them, even the druids, apparently not aware of this, so his mind came to a quick conclusion.
The first, that the magic in the air wasn't a spell, or an hex, what he felt at the moment he supposes would be likely to what Morgana would feel if she ever steps into his room in Gaius's chambers, or his clear in Ealdor; where he had not only lived but practiced several spells .What he felt, he knew now— once he could get his heart stop beating loudly—was the lingering magic of a spell.
Only strong beings of magic can feel the magic of other sorcerers or witches in the air, if your spells or hex was strong enough, you leave a trace that lingers in the air and around all living things for a few hours, it does not do harm but it used to be a very easy way to track down magical people during the purge. The strongest sorcerers allied to Uther once could follow the magical trail of a weaker one, and that's how, really, only the strongest and smartest sorcerers had been able to survive.
Merlin's golden eyes were frantically still scanning the place. Whatever spell Morgana had done here was stronger and more powerful than anything he had done in his life. It reeked in a way, as if grim was covering the field, it wasn't that the clear looked any different, or the trees, or that the air smelled in any way. Everything looked fine, nothing out of ordinary, but to Merlin's senses and eyes, it was as if the whole place was covered in something rusty, dark, and it was itching in his skin, his magic was already surrounding him, helping him with the feeling of being overcome by her magic.
Nothing looked out of ordinary, but everything did feel wrong.
This, he realized, is the crawling dark feeling he had been feeling since the day started.
All Merlin knew was that whatever had happened here was something he had never encountered before, making his nerves under his body tense. He tried to focus his mind on other things instead, contemplative on what do next. He could feel the calm breathing of Arthur beside him, grounding him, and his friend's signatures around the field, he could feel their faint pulsations through the earth beneath his feet.
The three dots of magic above his head, the sparks that belonged to the young druids, that were overwatching the clear for any danger, and…
Two. Merlin was suddenly jerking a bit on his spot; he could only feel two dots of magic.
Where was the other one?
Before he could panic, due to the disappearance of the bubbly and wavering magic that he had come to understand belonged to Lyaa, he saw her, and Merlin despite being relieved for a second, the next he thought he almost had a heart attack.
Merlin had never thought of having children, it was just something he didn't have the luxury to think about, but at the moment knew this what a father would feel at seeing his child in the verge of death.
Lyaa, of course, had jumped from the tree she had been hiding in, said tree being the one just on top of Morgana's hut. And Merlin watched as she neatly and silently fell gently on her feet on top of the roof, the magic on Morgana's hut was so strong it was swallowed the magic signature of Lyaa in a second.
However, it was not the only thing that Lyaa caused, just that act of hers had caused a wave of effects around the clear, it was minimal, but he could sense as all his friends moved anxiously and fidgeted in their spots at seeing her standing there, alone and unprotected, the closest to Morgan than any of them were.
"What is she doing?" Arthur whispered incredibly affronted and annoyed. "This was not the plan—Merlin, pull her back."
Merlin was quiet thought, staring as slowly, almost fearfully, Lyaa walked to the side of the hut where a window was closed, silently she kneeled on the rooftop, before placing her hands on the edge and pressing her body down to lay completely on top of it.
"Is she… oh my god." Arthur whispered, already taking a step from around the tree when Lyaa peeked inside the window, half o her body upside down, the quiver at her back dangerously tipping to the side. She leaned far enough that only her eyes and nose would be visible from the inside of the hut.
For whole five seconds no one breathed.
Then her startled eyes snapped up towards Merlin with a frantic movement of her head. Merlin instantly knew what the had to do, he opened a path of magic between them, reaching into her mind and Lyaa allowed him through the second she understood what was happening.
"What did you see?"
"A woman…your friend in inside." Lyaa held his gaze from yards away, still pegged on top of the hut. Eyes wide with… concern? Fear?
"Gwen?" Merlin motioned with a movement of his hand for the rest to hold still, taking Arthur by the elbow to keep him from advancing, so firmly he was sure it was going to leave a bruise. "Is she alive?"
"I… I guess." Lyaa's mind felt troubled, and her voice inside his head broke a little as if she was confused. Merlin saw a glimpse of Gwen, unmoving on the floor, a dark path of blood making her way form her head towards the floor. Merlin gulped. "She's inside the only room of the hut, she looks like she's asleep," Lyaa said quickly, trying to reassure Merlin. "The door is closed so I couldn't see further. But…."
"But?"
"Something…. Emrys can you feel it? The magic. The magic feels wrong here and now that I saw Gwen..." Lyaa's knuckles were white around the edge of the roof. "Something is wrong."
Merlin tried to calm her through their bond, mentally kicking himself for thinking that Lyaa, the strongest witch of the druids, wouldn't feel it too, and now with the open bond in their minds Lyaa could sense and feel, very strongly, just how much wrong this whole place felt due to his own power.
I know. Merlin said almost apologetically, he had never received mental training, so he didn't know how to connect with Lyaa without her feeling was he was feeling too, able to protect his thoughts, but unable to stop the flowing of raw nerves and emotions he gets just by standing there.
"I don't want to be here."
Merlin smiled sadly, knowing that thought had filtered through their bond without her approval. She was terrified, if the strong feeling of Morgana's magic had been enough to scare him, he only wondered how the young witch was feeling about being so near to such a dangerous woman.
Morgana was literally under her feet and that alone was a distressing thought.
Lyaa was in danger and she needed to get out of there. Merlin grabbed that thought and latched onto it.
"Come back into the forest." Merlin said calmly, sending her a calming wave of thoughts. "You've done enough. I'll stay with you until you are safe with Mersan again, Morgana had yet not noticed your arrival, so don't be scared."
Lyaa just nodded and began walking around the rooftop to take a jump and start climbing the tree when she stopped long enough for Merlin to worry. From the other side of the forest, he saw as Mersan rose to her feet, her weapon in hand, looking torn between going for Lyaa and waiting for Merlin's signal from across the field.
Mersan knew a second sooner than himself that Lyaa was about to do something stupid, apparently.
Lyaa? Merlin called as he motioned for Arthur to get ready with his sword. The prince didn't wait for a second longer, raising fully to his height, sword in hand, passing his weight one foot to the other, blue eyes focused on the still ajar door that moved an inch or two in the wind, every time it did Arthur's hear jumped on his chest.
She was inside.
Morgana, a woman he had loved as a sister was inside, waiting to kill him.
From around the clear, he saw as his friends readied too, they nodded back at Arthur. Ready when he was. Up in the trees, Merlin could sense those the other two balls of magic bubbling erratically, the twins anxiousness almost palpable at seeing Lyaa take a hesitant step towards the other side of the roof, away from the trunk of the tree she was meant to climb.
Eyes blinking down at her feet with furrowed eyebrows,as if she could see beyond the wood and straw. Merlin able to feel her trepid curiousness almost wanted to yell at her, she took two quick strides before she was doing the same thing she had done before, but now aiming to look from the other window. The one that would glimpse into probably a kitchen or a wider space.
Somewhere where Morgana could see her.
"Lyaa, get out of there." Merlin called frantically, already taking a step forward, being the first one to step into the clear and out of cover. Arthur was just a step behind, however, he motioned for his knights to stay in place with a practiced movement of his hand.
Stay still.
They still needed to have warriors and eyes around the clear if things got out of the hand.
Arthur felt that the battle had already started somehow, and he was sure it would turn out to be ugly any second now.
"Lyaa, don't!" Merlin said taking another step, golden eyes fixed on the girl on the ceiling and then traveling frantically over the windows, towards the still tempting ajar door. He expected green angry eyes, a cold-hearted laugh, and black hair lingering on pale skin at any second.
Merlin flared a feeling of angriness and worry at Lyaa, so maybe that could get her to move away.
Lyaa didn't listen to him, he could not hear him, or if she did, she was ignoring him through their bond. Lyaa somewhat distracted now, her own thoughts jumping inside her head so erratically Merlin could not read them, but he could feel her fear and curiosity that had led her to that moment, finally, she peeked her head towards the window.
When Lyaa leaned inside to stare at the hut time just seemed to stop, her eyes grew huge and her erratic thoughts silenced. Merlin could see as whatever she saw interrupted their magical connection so abruptly it felt as if something sharp and hot had sliced their bond in Merlin's head.
He sprinted towards her without a second of hesitation, biting his lip as to not cry her name.
But it was too late.
Arthur was a step behind him, and they saw, just like the rest of their friends around the field, how Lyaa fell messily and gracelessly from the rooftop to the floor.
Dead. Merlin thought as he neared her, eyes shining gold, all senses on overload as he waited for the door to open and finally reveal the woman behind it. Dead. He thought as Lyaa for a whole second stayed on the ground, chest towards the ground, unmoving. And Merlin's heart dropped to the floor. Dead. The battle had not even started and Lyaa was already dead? No. No for all gods' sake no. She was just a child!
He almost expected Morgana to open the door and stare at him with unbelievable cold green eyes, a smirk on her face, 'this is the best you could do, Emrys?' she would mock him.
But Morgana didn't show up, instead, Lyaa raised her head frantically then, green eyes focused on the wood walls of the hut. Her limbs shaking as she stared ahead numb, unable to rise to her feet.
Merlin breathed in relief.
She was alive. She was alive but something in the way her body was trembling didn't make Merlin relax, not in the slightest, his magic boiling inside him, trying to warn him of something. In a second Arthur was beside Lyaa, crouching on the floor near the window to avoid being seen. He quickly gathered Lyaa beside him, moving her so her back was against the wall, arm over her chest to keep her pressed to the wall and closer to himself.
He quickly looked at her face, chest, and legs, she looked unharmed but her eyes… her eyes were incredibly scared.
Arthur looked ready to either hug her or scream at her face for her stupidity but he decided against all that and just tucked her into his side. He could feel the tremors rocking her body as if she had just stepped outside a cold lake.
"It's alright." He whispered, barely audible. "It's alright."
Lyaa was unseeing, her green eyes staring at Arthur and then Merlin.
"We have to go." Her voice broke and she didn't bother to be quiet. "We need to go."
Arthur just patted her back, staring at Mersan who had raised but not uncovered her position around the forest. Mersan had calmed significantly at seeing Lyaa unharmed, but her stare was cold as she readied her lance.
What was Arya thinking? Arthur thought in a moment of rage, sending kids to fight her wars?
Arthur turned his stare towards Merlin, who had stopped on the other side of the door, back pressed against the wall. Heart pumping wildly in his chest as they locked eyes.
The whole ordeal had happened in a few seconds… and yet the clear was silent.
Arthur opened his mouth to say something to Merlin but it was then when he felt it, his body going rigid. His throat closed when his nerves detected the unknown feeling he felt as he had stared at the hut.
The wrongness.
The wrongness that comes when you are somehow, in the middle of a trap.
This was a trap.
His blue eyes turned towards the door beside him, eyes focused on that little dark split of space that glimpsed inside the hut. Lyaa was breathing harshly, unable to speak.
For a moment Arthur was transfixed on that dark slit, he could not see it, of course, but he could sense it… and furthermore, smell it. The smell that was coming from the hut increased when the wind blew softly, making the door swing open half an inch.
Both friends were quiet, frozen on either side of the door, they moved their eyes from the door towards each other, a layer of discomfort, anger, and terror mixed in their eyes.
The smell… it was unbearable.
It was retching.
It was wrong.
Merlin nodded towards Arthur as if indicating he was aware of it, suddenly Merlin's blue eyes were huge on his face.
"It's impossible." Merlin mouthed but Arthur narrowed his eyes, hands leaving Lyaa to go and grasp his weapon fiercely.
It might have been impossible, but Arthur knew that smell better than Merlin, there was no doubt in his mind this was the smell of a…. of a… body.
A dead body in decomposition.
Gwen… he thought sadly, unable to stop his thoughts.
Gwen was dead.
That's why Morgana had left everything unattended, she probably wasn't even here, she… she just wanted them to find her like that, hadn't she?
Morgana had killed her just for them to find her, and, probably, as usual, she was somewhere else two steps ahead, maybe this had been her plan all along.
Maybe she was that evil and just did it to hurt them all, make all their efforts in vain.
But it could also mean someone else was dead… maybe… maybe she was inside, playing with their thoughts, wanting them to lower their guard so she could attack them the moment they step inside her dark hut.
Arthur didn't want to find out if he was right or not.
The smell trailed lazily but surely out the slightly ajar door and the two friends shared a glance. Everyone around the field seemed to stop, their friends waiting for a command. Mersan standing side by side with Lancelot.
Gwaine and Elyan where peeking from around a tree, eyes searching their postures. Arthur nodded towards them before looking back at Merlin.
His hold on his sword tightened as he crouched near the entrance, he looked back into Merlin's eyes.
"Ready when you are." Arthur mouthed towards Merlin, one hand still pressing Lyaa to the wall, however, she looked like she didn't have the energy to move. Lyaa raised a hand to stop them once she realized what they were about to do, and she shook her head, but the friends ignored her.
She didn't understand, dead or not, Gwen safe or not they needed to do this..
Merlin took a second to breathe in. Golden eyes fixed on Arthur, he counted and allowed his senses of magic to travel around the field, looking for his friends and pinpoint their exact location in the field, creating a mental map.
This was his battle, he wanted to tell Lyaa, who looked at him as if trying to tell him something.
He was the greatest sorcerer to ever live, wasn't he? And yet he felt insecurity crawling at his skin. Morgana was a witch that had one goal in life, and that goal was taking the throne, she would tear apart whoever crossed her way.
Merlin, however, was destined to stop her.
And both destinies, he realized now, were equally possible.
He was terrified, would he die? And he had not exactly been ready to die before, but it was always a possibility when he was a sorcerer living in Camelot, but now he was terrified, if he died he would leave his friends, Camelot and Albion at the mercy of an evil witch.
Losing was not an option… and yet… was he ready? Was he ready to face the consequences that failing would entail, that this battle could potentially end with someone dying?
He looked back at Arthur. Who, even if he had not an ounce of magic in his body, looked ready for a fight, with his shield in one hand and his sword in another, crouching on the floor under the window. Waiting for Merlin's signal.
Merlin felt all the insecurities leave him in a moment of sheer clarity.
Because Arthur trusted him. Arthur. The greatest warrior to ever live, probably one of the best strategy makers in this side of the country, a man who had lost everything due to magic: his mother, Morgana, his father, his best friend Edmund. Magic had taken a lot from him, and yet here he was, trusting Merlin with his life, while a the same time ready to sacrifice it for Camelot. For his father.
And for Merlin.
Maybe he couldn't do this, not alone. But they? They definitely could.
They had faced terrible odds together, and Morgana, Merlin decided, was just going to be another chapter in their book.
He nodded as he connected his mind with Arthur's. The proximity helping with the bond, the bond could never be strong enough for them to have a conversation like he could with Lyaa, since Arthur did not possess magic, however, he was gratified when he felt in his bones the decision of Arthur, his calmness in the middle of the calm before the storm.
Merlin nodded and Arthur didn't wait for a second longer, he raised from his spot under the window, taking his place beside Merlin by the other side of the door.
All around the field people moved, the twins jumped down from the tree and into the clear, bows ready, Mersan and Lancelot rounded the house from the perimeter in the forest while Gwaine and Elyan began making their way down the little hill they were hidden above.
The sorcerer and the prince breathed together in an infinite large second and then they moved in unison, together they stood when Merlin finally yanked open the door with a wave of his magic, making the door crash to the floor audibly, side by side they stood at the entrance, Arthur's shield in front of them while Merlin's eyes were ready for any attack to come their way.
Both breathless even when they had not even moved yet, nerves jumping as they stared inside the dark place, the light barely entering through the dark and grim windows.
For a second, all they could focus on was the smell, clouding their senses. Merlin was doing everything in his power to overcome it and push past it, instead focused on the place around him, his eyes darting all over the place trying to take it all in, trying to feel anything that felt out of place. The first thing he noticed was that everything inside the hut seemed broken, out of place; the chairs tumbled over, the table lying on its side. Vases and glasses shattered on the ground. The second was that the place was dark, not a single candlelight in sight, the scarce rays of the sun filtering through the dirty window the only way of illumination.
Thirdly, and more importantly, it was the quiet, Merlin had not been ready for it, and his magic was going erratic around him, telling him to run the other way, alerting of a danger he quite could not see.
And if Merlin had felt the entire time that something was wrong, this definitely was the peak of it.
He felt like throwing up.
He took a tentative step inside the hut while Arthur, his eyes still fixed on the inside of the dark hut, reached blindly for the window just behind him to open it, he was breathing through his mouth, his eyes scanning the place for any dead body, behind the table? On the floor? On the other room?
Even with the window open nothing changed much, and finally giving up and his nervousness getting the best of him, Merlin automatically moved his hand to create a ball of light that shined merrily inside the hut, lighting up the darkest of the corners.
Arthur gasped, sword clambering to the floor while Merlin, out of habit, placed himself in front of Arthur as he raised his hand, his mind already forming spells, his mind already thinking of running outside the hut where they wouldn't be imprisoned in such a small space. Was it Morgana? Was it an enemy? Was it a spell?
"For all the gods in the seven kingdoms," Arthur said, his body trembling with adrenaline at the sight, Merlin immediately lowered his hand, eyes still shining gold, unable to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.
They didn't move, not even when finally Gwaine and Lancelot reached them, staring from outside the window.
"Holy hell." Gwaine said.
Because Morgana was there.
Sitting in the only standing chair in the room at the back of the hut, in her black and tattered robes, facing the door, as if she had been expecting them.
Because Morgana was there, but her body was still and cold, and her green eyes were vacant as she stared at them. The evil smirk on her face lingered creepily in her face, and the gray and yellow look on her skin made her look sickly and pale even under the warm light of Merlin's sphere of light.
Merlin couldn't breathe properly, all thoughts had halted in his head.
Because Morgana was dead.
A/N: I'm a huge fan of spoilers, but I had been writing over a year so I think I owe it to myself to be quiet and let you guys just read and come to your own conclusions, so during the next chapters I might be a bit quiet on the A/N or slow at answering reviews but just think that I'm on the other side of the screen JUST SCREAMING WITH HAPPINESS BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER HAD BEEN IN THE MAKING FOR A YEAR.
Thank you, thank you all for reading and leaving a review! Thank you for sticking with me. The end, my friends, is upon us.
I have everything planned, my friends, do not worry! but do tell me what you think, maybe killing Morgana was a bit of a bold move here, but trust me with it, you have trusted me 47 chapters, trust me five more.
Hope to hear from you!