A/N: Whew, I feel out of breath working on this story. I love it, but at times it's been a bear. Maybe this will teach me to write, edit, and THEN post, in that order again. I've let myself get impatient.
But enough rambling...
"We have to close the gap…
"And perhaps in the process…I could bring Merlin back to this side."
The chamber went instantly from feeling hollow to being full to bursting. Bring Merlin back?!
"It would be difficult, and very dangerous, if that's indeed what the text is leading up to. His magic comes from the very power of the earth, not something to tamper with lightly. First we would need to travel to a sacred site of the Old Religion. Magical locations can serve as natural conduits to the veil. That's the most likely place to be able to reach him, but only if we can get there before the spirits can overtake Merlin's will completely."
Gwen swallowed hard. "What happens if you're not in time?"
"…There won't be anything left of him to bring back."
"So, when a sorcerer gets pinned in the middle, anyone can make a grab for their magic?" Elyan asked.
"I doubt just anyone could," sighed Gaius. "To cross the veil from either side would leave most souls extremely unstable. Take the dorocha, for instance, and that was with the veil fully open. Add to that the sheer amount of power in Emrys—we're facing a very strong, very intent spirit, who has probably harnessed the strength of other spirits to achieve their ends."
"Morgana." Arthur's head snapped up from studying his bandages. He could feel the temperature drop with the foreboding that passed through all of them as he looked each of the others in the eye. "We've all seen what she's capable of. Merlin himself sent her to the spirit world. I'm sure she would jump on the chance to strike at Camelot once more, especially if she could use him to do it."
Gwen's brow furrowed. "But she had magic too. Why would she not be in the same position as Merlin?"
"My dear Lady, Morgana may have been a witch, born with power just as Merlin was, but they are leagues apart. She could never hope to match his strength side-by-side," Gaius explained. "And his magic likely forced her across to keep her from endangering the world again. I daresay that would make her all the more vengeful. Merlin only knew a fraction of the scope of his power, much less anyone else; even the prophets weren't entirely sure. No one living could have anticipated his death to result in this."
"Would Morgana be confined once again if we succeed in cutting off this opening?" asked Arthur.
"Yes."
"Let's get to it, then."
At precisely that moment, the locked door was assaulted by rigorous pounding. All four of them jumped. Only after the door clearly refused to budge did a voice call out from the other side. Gwaine's. "Anyone home? You'd better come see this. Arthur, I know you're in there."
Arthur hurried to undo the bolt. The rugged knight gasped for breath on the stairs. His expression did nothing to ease the tension already present in the room.
"We've got a few more friends about to visit, and unfortunately not the pleasant kind," panted Gwaine.
They stood on the battlements overlooking the stretch of green between the castle walls and the forest. An army, bearing the tattered old standard of Cenred, waited silently—the army of immortals created once by Morgana and Morgause. Arthur barely got any sense of Merlin this time. Perhaps a faint whisper quickly swallowed by the wind. This was bigger than anything yet to appear from the spirit world. He hoped their own efforts wouldn't be too late. Leon joined the group.
"The council's assembled, Sire. What do you want us to do? The whole army just appeared all of the sudden…"
"How long have they been standing like that?" asked Arthur.
"Nearly ten minutes. No further flags, commands, or attempts to make contact. The surrounding villages and lower town have been gathered into the citadel. No challenge," the senior knight explained. "I thought they all died when the Cup of Life was emptied of their blood. How is this possible?"
Once this is over, I owe my Round Table a thorough answer. "It's a dark, complicated matter which I am already beginning to address. See that the defenses are mobilized, and the people sheltered. I will outline my plan in council."
The captains and knights dispersed to do as they were told. Arthur and Gwen headed for the meeting chambers, where Leon and Gwaine would meet up with them in a few minutes. Gaius already waited in the hall with the other elders. He was tense upon the royals' arrival, a sheaf of parchment with his notes folded in front of him. Quite apart from all the siege preparations, two servants were readying horses for the harrowing mission to the veil. Hopefully, they would return with a living Merlin as well.
"Members of the council, as you know, we are facing a sudden and unforeseen enemy outside our gates," Arthur got straight to the point. "I have uncovered reliable evidence that dark magic is the cause, and fighting alone will not repel them. As we speak, the knights are preparing to command against a siege, while I take a specific party out to handle the source of the magic itself."
Instantly the room erupted in protests. The king himself to leave on a dangerous quest with an army at the walls? Even Gwen was a bit shaken by Arthur's sudden conclusion, and she knew more about the situation than just about anyone. Only Gaius showed any kind of calm, though it still wasn't much. After all, he constituted the 'specific party.'
Arthur gripped Gwen's hand in one of his, and raised the other to stem the noise. "I'm asking you to trust your king. This quest is dangerous, but to not try would cost the whole of Camelot. What kind of king am I if I didn't do everything possible to protect my kingdom?"
"We don't question your courage, Arthur, we just don't want to see you rush wildly into a deadly mission," Gwen spoke up quietly.
"This needs to be done."
"Why not send a patrol out while you stay to handle the main threat?" an elder proffered.
"Because the main threat is the sorcerer, not their trickery. The situation is delicate, and I'm sorry, but I don't trust anyone else in the handling of it. Not this time. Please, trust me as your king."
"You have a plan for this quest, then?" asked another.
"As best as I can come up with one," Arthur conceded. The boom of the hall doors behind him announced Leon and Gwaine. "I still don't pretend to understand much about the workings of magic. Sorcerers have wreaked a lot of havoc in Camelot. As a result, it's difficult to see magic as anything other than pure evil. But I have come to realize that some circumstances leave us with few options. It's been done before. Perhaps it's time we realized the value of fighting magic with magic."
Again, protests filled the room. Arthur sympathized with them. In the decades since the Great Purge, magic had become synonymous with trouble, fear, and death. He knew the people would need time to adjust to such drastically different thinking, just as he had. Still was, in fact. In the meantime, however, he had to address the imminent problem, and unfortunately, it required a solution that most people weren't ready for.
Speaking of imminent problems, they didn't have much more time to pander the virtues of potential courses of action. "I wish I could allow for thorough discussion on this topic. Be assured I don't make this decision lightly. But I believe it's the best chance the kingdom has. And maybe we've been wrong all along. Maybe it is how people use magic, rather than magic itself, that makes it good or bad. When Camelot is safe again, I want to include everyone in deciding how to address magic from here." He motioned discreetly to Gaius, who rose, slipping out through the servants' door.
"Leon will be in command in my stead, with Gwaine as his second and Guinevere in charge of castle affairs." Arthur squeezed his love's hand. "I will return as soon as possible." With that, he turned and left the hall. That had to be the most uncomfortable exchange he had ever conducted. He tried not to think about what support he would have upon his return. Did he really think attitudes toward magic could change enough to accept his actions? His suddenly appointed proxies followed close behind, just as confused.
I know, evil cliffie! I didn't realize until I started going through it for chapter breaks how DENSE this story is. But my pace is picking up, so hopefully I'll be posting in quicker succession. I'll try not to get too distracted (...ooh, shiny...squirrel!...youtube videos of colin morgan...). ::facepalm::