Author's Note:

Hi! I'm quite proud of this, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Here you go:

Chapter 15: A Secret Plan

The forbidden forest was vast for sure. Great old oaks and creaking yews reached high into the sky, their boundless canopies spreading out wide above them. The group's fumbling feet weaved through various entanglements of knotgrass; trying to keep as well as they could to the dusty, brown forest path.

It had been a bright autumn day; but the trees that smothered them shielded any hope of an easy way through this dimly lit labyrinth. Merlin stopped every now and again, his vision whizzing forward to the boy that was now about four hundred meters ahead.

"This way," he said, and the group followed him down the thin, winding path that forked to the left.

Twenty minutes passed before, finally, Merlin announced that the boy had halted in the middle of a large clearing. Merlin watched the scene from where he was, seeing Mordred look around edgily before drawing out the sword. He watched as a hooded figure entered the clearing and the two seemed to enter conversation.

Merlin fingered at his memory, trying to recall such a figure, but it was of no use.

Hurriedly, he motioned to his companions and they spread wide, Ron almost tripping over yet another bundle knotgrass as they did so.

Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin observed his friends as they drew their wands from cleverly hidden pockets, smiling slightly in gratitude that he did not need such an instrument.

Softly they approached, opening the gap between each other wider still as they did so, keeping to the shadows that clad the bottoms of the trees.

When they had reached the edge of the clearing Merlin whispered the orders silently; being wizards they had no need to communicate with words…not that his friends knew that of course.

Merlin could sense their bewilderment as his thoughts penetrated their minds, but to his relief they kept quiet and did as he wished stopping just outside of the light from the bright October sun that shone, orange through the break in the trees.

The telepathy was probably something he should have mentioned before they entered the forest, but with the events of the past hour ripe in his brain, it must have slipped his mind.

In three, Merlin thought, Two… one!

On one, they burst in!

"Okay," Merlin said "Give yourselves up, you're surrounded!"

He stood there, a palm raised in expectation of attack; and watched as the mystery figure lifted their hood, letting their long, black hair flow over their shoulders like a poisoned stream.

Morgana's cruel, mocking laugh rang out in the clearing, making birds shiver and fly from their perches.

She took two triumphant steps forward, her lengthy brown cloak falling gracefully at her sides. A shiver ran down Merlin's spine, it was a trap, Morgana had been one step ahead of them all along, she had known he was at Hogwarts and she had lead them here so she could… what? Catch them, kill them?

"Well it's nice to see you too, old friend," she said. Merlin stood still unspeaking, rooted to the spot. "What? No warm greeting? Not even a hello? Well I think that's rather rude, don't you Mordred? After all we haven't seen him in so long, not since he stabbed me though the heart and left me for dead!"

Suddenly Morgana whipped her hands into the air and lifted them so they were in line with her shoulders.

She clenched her fists, pushing her fingers down fiercely into her palms and slowly pulled her fists in towards her.

A yell emitted from the other side of the clearing, it was Ginny; she struggled towards Morgana grunting with efforts to try and pull away but it was no use.

Out of the corner of his eye Merlin sensed Hermione struggling just as Ginny was. The two women made their way more than reluctantly to Morgana's side and when they did the witch dropped her enchanting hands, stopping their pace.

Ginny and Hermione stood there, stiff, their eyes seemingly the only things that could move.

"You, Merlin, are the one who will give yourself up; you and your friends with you." Morgana said, she looked, almost tenderly, at the two in her grasp. "They're so young!" she mused. "But don't think for one moment that I won't kill both of them without a second thought!" Her face had turned cold again as she fixed Merlin with a harsh stare. Merlin felt Ron shift weight next to him, but to his relief his friend forced himself to stay still, holding his ground.

"You have a choice, Merlin." Her lip contorted at his name and she lifted her chin, giving the elution of growth in the half light. "What's it to be?"

Merlin stood there, still not saying anything; the silence seemed to stretch the length of the forest before finally he answered.

"Fine," He sighed, "Do what you wish with me and let them go, but Morgana hear this: I don't care what your motives are, I don't care about your thirst for power, all you need to know is that you're making a mistake."

He walked forward hands lifted slightly above his head.

Smiling, Morgana slowly released Hermione and Ginny from her grasp. Merlin watched as intern their muscles started to flex and return to life. He carried on walking at the same, slow pace. He saw the hand that Hermione held her wand in twitch and he bit his lip.

Ready? he thought, his mouth making no sign of movement.

Morgana chuckled mockingly as he came within reach, her head bobbing arrogantly from side to side as she did so, she thought she'd won. She had no idea.

Suddenly something in Merlin's eye changed and Morgana was hurled into the air landing, awkwardly on the hard ground several meters away.

Next, Hermione spun, hitting Mordred with a curse that, like Merlin's had done, lifted him off his feet; sending the sword flying into her hands.

The group re-formed in a small circle and watched as their opposition regained posture.

Hermione brandished the sword in an ungainly manner just as Merlin would have done back in Arthur's time, just as he would now in fact. Apparently sensing Hermione's unease, Harry took the sword from her and she relaxed slightly, raising her wand instead.

Slowly, Morgana faced them, and to Merlin's surprise she began laughing, not the fake, mocking laugh of earlier, but one of true amusement. They amused her.

At that, Merlin straightened, breath catching in his throat.

"Oh Merlin," The witch snarled, a scornful smile touching her lips. "Whatever made you think I was that stupid?"

There was a snapping of twigs coming from the dark that bathed the outer of the clearing. Merlin felt the others tense, felt them raise their wands in anticipation, but against what? He was facing Morgana and had no way of knowing who or what was approaching.

"Whatever made you think I was outnumbered?" Morgana taunted, all the while the snapping grew closer "One of me maybe." She paused for a second.

"But four of me..." Merlin's blood ran cold. It was Morgana's voice that had spoken, but it had not emitted from her lips, instead it came from a spot in the trees behind him.

Merlin spun round and saw not one, but three duplicates of the witch begin to approach, they smirked slyly and Merlin turned back to their conjurer. Morgana—one of her anyway—raised her palm, uttering a spell under her breath. Merlin heard the same spell whispered from three other spots, from three other mouths, but in the milliseconds that followed he locked only with the eyes of the first witch; he smiled slightly, shaking his head in disbelief, composing himself ready to say four, last words.

"I warned you, Morgana," he growled, and then he was flung back, hit by some invisible force.

In his last seconds of consciousness Merlin forced his eyes open and saw the witch peering over him… and then he was gone.