Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. On the other hand, Jo sprung from my half-insane brain, and mine alone. If I did own Merlin... um... I think I listed all my grievances last chapter. Let's rant a bit! For anyone who knows the extended biography of Luke Skywalker, does anyone think he's similar to Merlin? He's a powerful member of an order that's been hunted for years. He has a cocky friend. His first real love was a misunderstood, gentle person (Callista/Freya), but his second (hopefully, in Merlin's case) was a fiery woman (Mara Jade/Morgana). He's also uncommonly wise for his age and didn't know his father for a long time (though at least Balinor wasn't evil). They both had old man mentors. I can't think of anything else. Oh yeah, and I'm comparing Nimueh to Lumiya (Shira Brie).
Ygraine watched the conversation between Agravaine and Guinevere, wishing that her brother didn't have to go so far for revenge. It wasn't right that he would make himself an enemy of her son just because he believed that Uther had gotten her killed. She could almost see the deceit in Agravaine's eyes, the way his smile seemed frosted over when he addressed the young maiden. She knew that something wasn't right; he was in league with Morgana, and Jo had told her that Morgana harbored a strange, unrelenting hatred for Gwen.
With a nervous smile, Guinevere stood and thanked him for the offer of an escort to walk her home. At the same time, Jo ghosted through the door, stared at Gwen for a few seconds, then sending Ygraine an unreadable look before backing out of the room again. Frowning to herself, the former queen followed.
Jo easily moved through the twisting passages of the castle, eventually coming out of a side door where Morgana herself stood. Ygraine held her breath, listening while the two spoke quietly with one another.
Vivienne had told her about Morgana's ability but had refrained from explaining just what it really meant. Her heart sank when she realized that Jo held no adversity towards the witch's plans. She understood that the only reason she was warning Ygraine was for Ygraine's sake, not so that they could work together to save Gwen.
"Is she on her way home?"
"Yes. He's coming to inform you now."
With a snort, Morgana muttered a spell under her breath, unlocking the door and slipping inside. Ygraine froze when the two caught sight of her- Jo not looking surprised at all, Morgana only going still a moment before continuing on her way.
"Morgana-" began the former queen, hoping to instill some sense into the girl and ignoring the it'll-never-work look that Jo sent her.
"Save your words, Queen Ygraine," said Morgana, breezing past her and visibly repressing the shudder that the spirit's presence inflicted upon her. Ygraine followed, not quite ready to give up just yet, while Jo fell into step beside the black haired girl. A guard appeared up ahead and drew in a breath to shout an alarm, but quickly- almost too quickly for Ygraine to see- Morgana's green eyes burned amber, and he flew into the wall, slumping into an unconscious state.
"She is a good woman," persisted Ygraine, hoping that the witch's conscience wasn't nonexistent. "She has been your friend all of these years. She does not deserve to die- not like this!"
"Ygraine," barked Jo, and she couldn't help but flinch. "It's useless. In about a minute or two, you'll hear her arguments- 'She betrayed me! She helped my murderer of a brother!'- even though technically she betrayed Gwen first. And to think, Morgana couldn't have cared less about the throne two years ago."
"I don't need this from you, too," muttered Morgana to Jo, just as Agravaine dashed into their line of sight. Ygraine put her head in her hands.
"She's on her way as we speak," he informed her in a low voice.
"Have I ever mentioned," commented Jo to Ygraine, "that your brother's a creep?"
"Good," hissed Morgana, turning her glare on him. "Now don't you have somewhere else to be? Did you want to draw the attention of the entire castle by coming here?"
"I had to inform you, my lady-"
"It was unnecessary," she snapped, striding away quickly. Ygraine noted the terrified look on Agravaine's face, sighed, and followed after the would-be assassin. The three women emerged out on the battlements, looking down over the town to see the maid making her way down the street, guarded on either side by knights. Jo's face was blank as she regarded her, giving no insight as to her opinion of Guinevere. Ygraine, on the other hand, made one last attempt to beseech Morgana.
"She means so much to him-"
"Hleap on baec!"
Gwen gave a little yelp as she was thrown backwards, the impact being enough to knock her and both knights out. Morgana smiled viciously at the sight, victory dancing in her green eyes as she turned away to leave. Jo left with her, making no comment.
Ygraine, on the other hand, hurried down to the place where Guinevere lay, crouching over her and checking to make sure that the young woman was still breathing. She was.
Sighing with relief, she sat, hoping that her presence would do something to keep the Dorocha at bay. Her heart twisted at the realization that she could not do the same for the knights- but then, there was no guarantee that this would work for Gwen either. Ygraine heard the Dorocha, drew her knees to her chest, and waited.
"Merlin!" exclaimed Arthur, grinning from ear to ear. The warlock returned the grin with not a little bit of relief, as he'd been unsure how his return to the group would be received. The prince seemed happy to have him back and properly functioning, however, so it was safe to assume that he wasn't unwelcome. Lancelot rejoined the other knights, all of whom were both relieved and worried to have the manservant back on the team. Relieved, because he was alive. Worried, because they assumed he was still the most vulnerable of them all.
Unfortunately, in a way, he was.
His happiness diminished when, a moment later, Arthur's smile faded. At once, he could see what was going through the prince's mind: I'm glad you're okay, but I only have a day to spend with you now. They were getting close to the isle, and the sun would be setting soon. The journey of hard riding had taken he and Lancelot most of the day to complete.
"Arthur," he urged quietly. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself. You should let me-"
"Absolutely not," interrupted Arthur, scowling. "The veil would probably refuse to take you as a sacrifice. It'd be disgusted by your stupidity."
It was a terrible attempt at a joke, but Merlin forced a short laugh anyway, if only for Arthur's benefit.
After a bit more time on their horses, they had arrived at the boat that would take them to the isle. A decidedly somber mood had enveloped the group; even Nimueh was frowning, though Merlin knew that it was because she was sour from being at the place where she'd died.
The boatman took them across (Merlin had to wonder where he'd come from; he hadn't been there before, he was certain). Everyone was silent during the crossing, though Nimueh was walking across the water. Somehow, she was able to make it look casual. Merlin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a shrieking cry rang through the ruin- one that definitely did not belong to a Dorocha. Another followed it, and another, and another...
"Wyvern!" shouted Arthur.
Dead druids were not generally people that Jo associated herself with, but there was someone that she had to find. There were multitudes of them spending their dying days in the forests in and around the Valley of the Kings. She felt their unblinking eyes on her as she passed them, their silent stares only slighlty unnerving. They were not adverse to her presence, but they didn't really welcome it either. That was fine with her; she felt the same way about them.
They never gave their names, not to outsiders- and Jo was definitely an outsider. They knew it from her stride, her speech, the way she carried herself. She had refrained from telling Morgana where they were because she was aware that they would refuse to help her if she sought them out. One of these druids, however, owed her a favor, and it was for that favor that she had come.
The elderly man stood quickly upon catching sight of her, his gaze wary. "The cursed one approaches."
"Points for stating the obvious," she responded lazily. "Have you been among the living druids lately?"
"Just this morning."
"Were any of them aware of your presence? Could any of them see you?"
"None."
She examined him closely. Most people, when encountering the druids, gained an inexplicable sense of trust around them. Jo was not one of those people.
"You're lying. Who saw you?"
"You have no power-"
"You owe me, Laz."
"Just a boy. Young. I don't think he's spoken to anyone about it yet, but he knows what he can do."
"Tell me about him."
"He was a queer boy. Rarely spoke. Had an air of authority about him that was strange for someone so young. His name was-"
"I can guess what his name was," Jo cut him off, feeling her gut twist slightly. "I won't be calling on you again, and I highly doubt you or your people will be seeing me for a very long time."
She turned to leave, but his voice momentarily stopped her.
"The hatred still feeds off you, Joanna." She tightened her muscles as he spoke her full name, anger bubbling up to the surface. "Even now, it threatens to consume your very being. You hold it at bay with your world-weary cynicism, but one day it will come back to strike you where it hurts most."
"You are far too perceptive for my liking," she said loudly, a distorted smile appearing on her face. "All of your kind is. They are, it seems, the only ones who know that a part of Joanna will always be a part of me. I and everyone else like to think that she died a long time ago. You see, this is why I have no intention of ever seeing you again. I would say farewell, but you're dead- and that's not exactly the definition of 'well', is it?"
Merlin threw himself out of the way just as the first dragon-like being divebombed them. Gwaine aimed a slash at its wing, managing to tear through the thin membrane and making the creature howl with agony. Two more attacked in unison, one catching Lancelot on the shoulder with its claw. Knowing that even as they were fighting, people across Albion were suffering yet another night of terror spurred Merlin to some kind of action.
"S'enthend' apokhorein nun epitello-o-o!"
It was said as quietly as possible, but it had the intended effect; the Wyvern halted, the three that attacked them dipping their heads slightly and fleeing the scene. The knights continued onward, only to be harassed by the beasts again. Arthur, oblivious to the fact that Merlin could simply send them away, acted quickly.
"Elyan, Percival, Leon!" he shouted, already hurrying to the veil. "Hold them off!"
The three knights did as ordered while Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, and Lancelot ran through another archway, emerging into a large courtyard that Merlin didn't remember from his last visit to the Isle of the Blessed. He nearly gasped at the pain that he felt in the place, emanating from the tear in space in the middle of the courtyard. A familiar cloaked figure stood in front of it, an expectant look on her face as she regarded the four newcomers.
"Who are you?" asked Arthur sharply.
The woman raised her chin, staring at him with cold gray eyes. "I am the Cailleach; the Gatekeeper to the Underworld."
"Then close the rift."
"That is not within my power," she told him. Despite the fact that she wasn't looking at him, Merlin felt as though she were really addressing him instead of Arthur. "A sacrifice is required for the rift to be sealed."
"Why can't you just close it?" asked Gwaine crossly, hefting his sword.
"You will regret threatening me."
Merlin winced as Gwaine chose to ignore these words and attacked her anyway, only to be thrown back into oblivion. Arthur, now ever warier than before, took a step back. The Cailleach's expression wasn't one of anger or surprise; it barely changed at all. He heard Lancelot shift behind him slightly- probably moving to a more suitable fighting stance.
"Then it is my life that will be taken," announced Arthur firmly. Merlin couldn't help but admire the sheer resolution in his friend's voice.
The Cailleach smiled.
And suddenly he was aware of the multitude of people that were watching. Spirits- members of the Old Religion, who had lived on the isle long ago. Each of them had a face representing sorrow, though for what Merlin didn't know. Was it for the pain of those meant to be beyond the veil? Was it for the Once and Future King, who would now die for something that went against all the laws of nature? Only fate knew.
And fate was not yet finished with Arthur Pendragon.
Merlin's eyes glowed and Arthur was flung backward like a rag doll, his body landing in a heap on the stone. Lancelot moved up beside the warlock as the Gatekeeper's hawk-like gaze became fixed upon him.
"Emrys," she said, not sounding the least bit surprised. Cautiously he moved forward, ending up on one side of the stone platform while she regarded him from the other. "So, you will give up your life in his place."
"It's my job to protect him."
"I know," she answered quietly, eyes shining eerily. "Alas, it is not your fate to die here today."
Confused, Merlin looked at the veil again. Lancelot looked back, met his gaze, and smiled.
"NO!" he shouted, but there was no stopping his friend from stepping into the void. There was a rushing noise- almost like a sigh of relief, as the wound in the air sealed itself shut, taking the knight's soul with it. The Gatekeeper vanished, leaving behind only the multitudes of deceased souls. More joined them as the veil closed- those who hadn't previously been strong enough to keep from transforming into Dorocha.
"No..." he choked, too shocked to say anything else.
"I told you," Nimueh reminded him, "that destiny wouldn't like it."
But then the rushing noise vanished, leaving only the murmurs of the dead around him. And there, in the center of it all, stood Lancelot.
Morgana noticed Jo suck in a sharp breath through her nose and frowned.
"What is it?"
"The veil has been closed. No more Dorocha. We're free."
"And yet I can still see you?"
"I guess you have an extensive punishment. You're stuck with me."
"Wonderful. Note the sarcasm."
"Noted."
More than ever- even more so than when he'd first arrived at Camelot, Merlin felt out of place.
Everyone was sorrowful, watching Lancelot's cloak and sword burn on the pyre, mourning for their dead friend. And it did pain him to see Gwen look so upset. But it was difficult to be sad when said deceased person was right next to him.
"This is... strange," commented Lancelot at last, looking both perplexed and embarrassed. "And maddening. I wish I could tell them that I'm right here with them. That I'm not going to abandon them, even if there isn't much else I can do besides."
Merlin couldn't say anything in response, knowing that doing so would only cause eyebrows to be raised in his direction. Will more or less spoke for him.
"I think they know it. They know you're too stubborn to just rest in peace."
There hadn't really been a formal meeting between the three- Nimueh, Will, and Lancelot. Yet despite their differing personalities, they didn't seem to mind each other very much. All three were adamant about staying with Merlin, and all were forced to cooperate, since none of them intended to leave his side anytime soon.
Nimueh was uncannily happy, actually.
"He's very good looking," she'd said on the way back from the Isle of Blessed, shooting Lancelot an almost hungry look. Needless to say, the knight had been rather unnerved.
Merlin found it both surreal and comforting to have the three of them with him. Even Nimueh's presence was somewhat (only somewhat, though) welcome.
A sob from Gwen interrupted his musings. Arthur noticed as well, walking over to her and squeezing her hand.
"He didn't give up his life for Camelot," she confessed. Arthur said nothing, silently prompting her to continue. Lancelot apologized to her quietly under his breath.
"I asked him to look after you," she breathed out shakily. "He was true to his word."
Merlin saw through her speech instantly. Gwen was blaming herself for Lancelot's death. She truly believed that he had sacrificed his life because she asked him to protect Arthur. The warlock had been blaming himself all this time, but realized that Lancelot had done it for both of them. He caught said knight's eye, and saw him nod and smile slightly.
Arthur dropped a kiss on her forehead before moving away, still not speaking. Gwen stayed behind to watch the cloak burn. Merlin took this as his cue to move away as well, his contingent following behind him.
The smoke curled up into the sky, into the dying light of day.
Jo yawned.
Morgana let out a scream of frustration, shoving aside the contents on a table to the floor and causing Agravaine to jump.
"It could have been a coincidence-"
"That was no coincidence, that was EMRYS!" she all but shrieked. She whipped around, glaring at him venomously. "The Cailleach told me that he was to be my destiny and my doom."
Morgana began pacing around the room quickly, her steps pounding into the ground. Jo stared idly out the window into the forest, which was once again darkened by night. For once, however, it was not pervaded by agonized screaming. For once, it was quiet.
"I want him found," the witch continued. "I want him dead."
"I'll find out anything I can about him, my lady."
She nodded. "See that you do."
Once the slimeball had left, Jo instantly did what she did best- question Morgana's plans.
"You're trying to stop destiny. You do know that that never works, right?"
Morgana scowled at her. "Some of my prophecies have been averted, haven't they?"
"That's not the same thing. Seers are more common than gatekeepers to the world of the dead."
"So?"
"So, I'm guessing their predictions are more accurate."
The black haired woman scoffed. "What would you know?"
Jo sighed, seeing that this was one matter that she wouldn't be able to convince Morgana on. Just like the matter of Gwen, or seizing Camelot's throne, or... anything, really.
Merlin sat alone in his room- well, not alone.
"And that's what happened," concluded Nimueh.
Both Lancelot and Will were gaping at him. Uncomfortable under their astounded stares, he shifted.
"You blew her up with lightning?" said Will at last, before grinning. "That's bloody brilliant!"
Nimueh scowled. "You got yourself run through!"
"Well, at least I got to be a martyr. You? You were a villain. Evil. Stuff like that. I got to be a hero."
This time Merlin grinned, unable to help himself. "I seem to recall you saying, 'Dunno what I was thinking.'"
Will gaped. "You're siding with her?"
Voices in the other room put the conversation on hold for a moment. Merlin crouched down behind his door, listening carefully to the two people speaking on a subject that confirmed him.
"Do you know of anyone called Emrys?"
A chill ran down his spine at Agravaine's seemingly innocent question. His mind flew at once to a certain witch- was it possible that the man was in league with her? He had, at first glance, appeared to be a man devoted to helping his nephew, but Ygraine had been his sister. It was very possible that he blamed Arthur for her death.
"No, I'm afraid I haven't."
"Ah," replied Agravaine, frowning slightly. "I see. Thank you Gaius."
He exited the room under the physician's watchful gaze; Merlin quickly opened his door and hurried down the steps, already knowing that the other three were following behind him.
"You heard?" Gaius asked him.
"Every word."
"There's only one person who could have known your druid name," muttered Gaius, looking even more worried than before. "Morgana."
Wordlessly, Merlin nodded.
"You must be careful, Merlin," warned his mentor. "She can never know who you truly are."
He nodded. An idea struck him, and he swallowed his fear. "Gaius, there's something else..."
"What is it?"
It was now or never. Merlin inhaled deeply, trying to calm his shuddering heart, and told Gaius everything.
When he had finished, the physician was silent, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke.
"I believe you. I have never heard of such a thing happening before, but I suspect that since the veil was already weakened, your power allowed you to see through it. You can still see them now? Lancelot's here, with us? And... Nimueh?"
"She has no power to harm me, Gaius."
"All the same, be on your guard," said Gaius. "She is unpredictable."
Don't I know it, thought Merlin, sighing.
Hmm. I think that was shorter than usual. Oh, well. There really wasn't much left to write. I'm not writing as many descriptions as I usually do; I'm finding it rather liberating. This is a fast-paced show, after all, and it requires fast-paced writing. I think I can afford to slow it down a bit when I get past the bit that's canon... which still won't be happening for awhile.
Reason for the title: Protagonist. Because Merlin's the protagonist! And I'm running out of grammatical terms to use already.
You know what I'd like to see Series Five? Mergana. (Because they're worth it). Oh yeah, and I want Nimueh to somehow come back, of course. Not sure how I feel about Mordred at the moment. Have I talked about this before? I get the feeling that I have. You can be sure that our favorite little druid will show up in the story at some point. You're thinking: Let me guess... it's much LATER in the story, right? Damn. Yes. You're very right, reader.
Thank you to: SunnySmile13, Illuminatus666, Fiwen9430, and Mike3207 for giving a greedy, undeserving young writer like me your reviews. It really warms my heart. And if you meant to review, but couldn't because Fanfiction was being a total poophead and forgot later... thank you too. Seriously, does anyone know why the site's been randomly locked to users lately?
Next time: beginning 'The Wicked Day!' Hooray! Nimueh will see Merlin's Dragoon persona. Ohohohoho, poor Merlin. That's all I can say for now of the immediate future.