Hello my lovelies. I would like to thank MerganaForever (Guest), Guardian of the Inheritance, Gingeraffealene, . .seas, OechsnerC, Guest, Guest, gaylelbf and emrysmorgan for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update.
So here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Leon stood in the dungeon he had been thrown into. He couldn't get the horror of the battle out of his head. No that was not a battle. That was a slaughter. He had watched so many good men die around him. He wasn't sure how he had survived, but considering he was now locked in the dungeons unable to help anyone he was wondering if it would have been better if he hadn't. Wondering if it would have been braver to die like his fellow knights and soldiers had. But it was too late to concern himself with such thoughts now. He had survived. All he could do was continue to believe that Arthur and Merlin would save them. They had not been in the castle, which gave him only hope that they would come. That between them they would find some way to defeat this latest evil to befell Camelot. He was just considering how best to conserve his strength for their inevitable return when he heard his name being whispered by a female voice. It was one he knew well from his childhood. What she was doing in the dungeons he did not know, but he did know he had to respond.
"Gwen?" He whispered back quietly moving towards the front bars of his prison.
"Leon, thank the gods we found you." Gwen sighed in relief. They had been making their way slowly through the dungeon for some time now, looking for the one man they needed to help them find Arthur.
"Gwen, you should not be down here." Leon responded, though he thought that went double when he saw who was with her. "Lady Morgana-"
"We don't have time for this, Sir Leon. Tell me, do you know where Arthur would go to plan taking Camelot back?" Morgana asked getting straight to the point. They were running out of time, she could feel it deep inside her where her magic lived.
"I have an idea, yes, but-" Leon tried to say but was once more interrupted by the lady in front of him. The lady holding a sword and dressed to fight.
"Can you take us there?" Morgana asked simply.
It was at that point Leon knew no words he said would change the minds of the two women in front of him. As such he didn't try to say more than was needed. "Yes."
"Then stand back. We are breaking you out." Morgana replied a smirk on her face as she said the words.
"You have the keys?" Leon couldn't help but ask, even as he did as she said and stepped back from the door.
"No. but I have a key." Was all Morgana said before she raised her hand and whispered the spell that would break the lock holding the door closed.
Leon stood there with his mouth open as he watched the lady in front of him use magic. As he watched her use it to break him out of the dungeon. He didn't know what to think. Magic was the enemy of Camelot. That was what he had always been taught, what he had always believed, but here was the lady Morgana using it to help him escape. It was as if his world had been turned upside down, or mixed so he no longer could see what was right and what was wrong. He was so busy thinking he didn't move when the door opened before him.
"Come, we don't have much time." Morgana whispered, gesturing him out, even if she felt her heart clench at the look in his eyes. She had just done magic in front of someone who did not know she had it, in front of a knight of Camelot. Had she just lost them the asset they needed to find Arthur? She was a fool. She should have gotten the keys.
Leon stood there as her words registered. Morgana had magic and yet she was siding with Arthur. Or was she? Was this perhaps some plot of Morgause's to find Arthur so she could kill him? He didn't know what to think. Then he remembered the conversation he'd overhead between Gwen and Merlin. It seemed a lifetime ago, but he still remembered the words. Merlin loved Morgana. He trusted Merlin. So there really was only one thing he needed to know before he trusted the magical lady before him. "Does Merlin know of your magic?"
Morgan frowned at Leon's words, wondering what that had to do with anything, but decided now was not the time to question him. So instead she answered his question. "Yes, he does. We need to go."
"Very well." Leon agreed before moving out of his prison. If Merlin knew and he loved her still, well he trusted that she was on their side. He knew Merlin could never love a traitor to Arthur.
And with that the three of them carefully made their way out of Camelot, all of them breathing a sigh of relief when they made it. The first part had been accomplished, now all they had to do was find Arthur and Merlin and together they would get Camelot back.
Arthur woke at the break of dawn to find both Merlin and Gwaine asleep beside him. He went to grab the bag he'd been carrying only to find it empty. "Where's the cup?" He asked waking the other two men with him.
"Cenred's men, they took it." Merlin replied answering Arthur without thought, though he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face at seeing his friend awake and okay. It seemed his healing spell did the trick after all.
"Then what are we still doing here?" Arthur demanded, wanting to know why they hadn't gone after the cup. That was far more important than anything else in his mind.
"You were unconscious. The arrow that shot you was poisoned." Merlin responded explaining the situation to his friend.
"Always an excuse, Merlin." Arthur replied with standing up as he did so.
"Oh well, next time I'll leave you to die then shall I?" Merlin responded sarcastically, finding some pleasure in the fact that Arthur almost collapsed on his injured leg. That will teach the prat, maybe, probably not he corrected at Arthurs next words.
"We have to get back to Camelot before it's too late." Arthur said, determined to move through the pain. It helped when both Gwaine and Merlin moved to help him.
"We will." Merlin replied grabbing Arthur's arm and throwing it over his shoulder. He hoped that they would make it in time, hoped that Morgause sided with Arthur and therefore wouldn't use the cup in the way he knew it could be, but he had a horrible feeling that his hope was going to be in vein, that it was already too late. He truly hoped he was wrong.
Leon led the band of people with him and couldn't help but wonder at the strangeness of it. There he was walking through the forest with only Elyan capable of fighting at his side. Oh he knew Morgana could use as sword, but he was determinedly not thinking of her… talents right then. He did not want to think about her magic, or about the fact that the sorceress who had taken Camelot was the same one who had held Morgana captive for a year. He didn't want to join the dots. To think that she must have learnt her new 'skills' from the one who had just led the assault on their home. No now was not the time to think of that. But he could not stop his mind from preparing for the possibility of betrayal, no matter how much trust he put in Merlin. Because if Morgana was going to try and kill Arthur when they found him, he needed to make sure he had a plan in place to stop her. With this in mind he made sure that he was always in front of lady, making it seem like it was for her protection, but in truth so that when they found Arthur he would be standing in the way of any attack she could throw at him. He had sworn to die for Camelot, and he was not about to shy away from that duty now.
Morgana for her part tried not to think of her sister or what it was she decided she must do. It did not take a genius to realise Morgause had decided Uther's time had come to an end. But she did not want to think of her sister killing Uther, no matter how much she hated him. She did not want to think about what Arthur would do to the woman who had ended his father. No she, they would stop that. There had to be a way that they could all come out of this alive. She didn't think she could live if either her sister or brother died, especially not if it was at the hand of the other. Oh goddess, please, do not let that be the outcome of this folly.
Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine were making slow progress back to Camelot. They had seen the patrol that was slaughtered, seen how no enemy was with them and had deduced correctly that Morgause had used the cup on Cenred's soldiers. Merlin didn't know what to think about that. Morgana had said Morgause sided with Arthur, but then she did this? Either Morgause had lied to her sister, or Morgana had lied to him. Was it possible she was still with Morgause in this? Was it possible she had lied to him when she said she sided with Arthur? Was it possible it was his wish for her to side with them that made him believe her? Was he going to have to kill her for betraying them after all? No. He couldn't let himself think that. Nothing had been proven, either way. He would have to wait and see, then make his choice. Though he knew what that decision would be. He would always choose Arthur, no matter what pain it caused him.
Merlin was pulled from his thoughts by Arthur grabbing him roughly and pulling him behind a tree.
"What-" he squawked only to have the other man place a hand over his mouth.
"Shut up. There's movement ahead." Arthur whispered in his ear. Looking round Merlin could see Gwaine crouched not far from them, his sword at the ready. Not that it would do much good against the enemy. Therefore Merlin pulled himself out of Arthur hold and prepared his magic. If anyone had a chance against invincible soldiers, it had to be him, right?
The three crouched there, holding their breath and waiting for the confrontation to come.
Leon led the party with him towards the caves the knights had used many times before when caught in the rain hunting. If Arthur was going to be anywhere it would be there. He was just walking down the path when he stopped, raising his hand to signal the others to do so as well he raised his sword. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Therefore stepping cautiously forwards he scanned the trees that surrounded them. He couldn't see anything wrong, but still he felt as if… they were being watched. At that he spun just as Arthur moved from behind a tree.
"Arthur." He sighed in relief, seeing the prince in front of him unharmed. Though he corrected that when he saw him limp to almost unharmed.
"Leon. It is good to see you. How is Camelot?" Arthur asked moving towards his knight and grasping his arm.
"It has fallen, Sire. Morgause controls it all." Leon replied seriously.
Hearing those words Arthur felt himself tense. His whole body becoming as taught as a bow string. That Camelot had fallen… no it was not possible. The citadel never fell. How could this happen?
Merlin for his part had followed Arthur, had heard the words Leon had spoken while he took in who was with him. As such he could not stop the word that came out of his mouth. "Morgana." He spat out making all eyes turn to the two of them as they confronted each other.
"Merlin." Morgana responded snidely. She knew what he was insinuating with saying her name in such a way. It seemed he did not trust her, even though she had given her word to him and the goddess.
"Merlin, no. Morgana helped us escape so we could find you and help take back Camelot." Gwen interrupted pushing her way forwards so she was standing between her two friends. They didn't have time to fight, they needed to work together to regain Camelot.
"Is that so?" Merlin asked, though he did not take his eyes off of Morgana staring into the green he loved so very much. The green that he still wasn't sure he believed hadn't betrayed them, him.
At those word Morganas spine stiffened as she responded. "It is. Morgause believed Arthur dead, I corrected her assumption. As such she gave me as message for Emrys. She told me he needed to empty the blood from the cup of life to end it all."
Hearing that Merlin sagged in relief. He didn't care about Morgause, but knowing that Morgana was truly still on their side, it was all he wanted, needed to hear right then. It was enough to keep him going, to make sure he did what he needed to do.
Morgana for her part saw the change in him and eased her own posture. Now was not the time to fight or to demand answers. No now they needed to work together for the good of Camelot. Once they returned home, well then they could work out where they stood to each other. Then she could think about if there was any chance of a future between the two of them. As such she pulled her pack off her back and opened it. "I have these. I thought they may be of assistance." She said pulling out the book and cage of water she'd found under Merlin's bed.
Merlin saw what she was holding and moved forwards quickly to take them from her, holding the water up to the light as he remembered the fisher kings words. In Camelot's darkest hour, when all seems lost, this will show you the way.
"Thank you." He said quietly. He didn't know how this would help them, but he knew it would. He just hoped it helped them in time. With that he turned to look at the woman before him, the woman he was standing closer to than he had since the truth had been revealed, and he couldn't stop the way his eyes locked on hers, couldn't stop the feelings he had for her from showing in them, even as the world burnt around them. Because he loved her, and he couldn't hide that any more than the sun could stop shining.
And Morgana for her part returned the stare. And for a moment, once instance in time she forgot everything that had gone between them. Forgot the lies and the betrayals. Forgot the pain they had caused each other and saw only the man who held her heart. The man she had loved for longer she had truly allowed herself to realise. She saw only Merlin.
Their moment was only broken when Arthur spoke. "We need to head out. Come on."
With that the party followed him away from Camelot. They needed time to regroup, and time to find a plan to take back their home. They needed time to find a way to save their kingdom.