"The horses aren't far." Arthur took off for the tree line, praying that was still true.
The three skittish animals roamed a long stretch of the wet road where Morgause had ambushed them. After checking for signs of approaching enemies and retrieving his sword, he at least got them tied to trees within ten paces of each other. The last thing they needed was to lose all their supplies in the midst of battle. Gaius' horse was the last to be caught, and Arthur quickly found the old book and bound fabric. Emotion spiked through his chest as he realized it was one of Merlin's old spare neckerchiefs around the little bottle.
"Look out!"
The heavy sword of a Medhir nearly split Arthur in two at the shoulder, if he hadn't ducked and rolled under the horse. Them again?! Mud lengthened his slide by a few paces. Making sure that nothing was damaged, he sprinted for the beach with the knights on his tail. Freya shot bolts of light at them when she could, but it seemed she could only use so much power in a given time.
"My brother, always eager to be the hero!" laughed a high, cruel voice.
Arthur spun around, sword out, as he reached Gaius. Morgana advanced on them with the knights. Unlike the apparitions, her own form was strangely hazy. Perhaps from the strain of having to fight for her own physical appearance…or it could just be the rain. However, this new feat drew pained groans from Merlin. Dying groans.
"I must admit he's put up quite the valiant effort. Nothing less than what's to be expected of the famed Emrys—ah-ah-ah, little spirit girl." Morgana threw a hand out toward Freya. "Your power won't work on me so easily. My soldiers are mere figments of magic; I hold the very soul of your precious friend."
Arthur deflected one of the knights away from Gaius, who had unwrapped a bottle of ashes from the neckerchief and was now searching for the page he needed in the book. Freya turned her attacks on the other Medhir while also chanting in what Arthur assumed was the Old Religion. Some words he recognized from Gaius' spells. Meanwhile, Gaius had now moved into the shallows of the lake and was intoning something new and ominous at the top of his voice.
Morgana was fast. Nothing Freya did could touch her, and the knights kept Arthur out of striking distance of his ghostly sister. Merlin's tortured cries rose among the intertwining spells until Arthur was sure his ears must be bleeding from the magic-filled noise. A crack rent the thick air, seemed to ripple through all their bodies. Gaius' spell must be making headway.
"I will not let you sneak through this time!" the spirit of Morgana shrieked. She blazed through the driving rain toward Gaius. Even one of the Medhir was obliterated from her path.
Arthur let out a strangled yell, and pounced on her. His blade didn't actually hurt her, of course, but the force of his attack halted her progress. She drew a knife—the one Arthur himself had once given her—and started slashing at him in return. He could barely keep up with her blows.
"Too many times have you managed to squeak through in the end! No more! You can't kill me this time, nothing can. Thanks to Merlin, I will crush you all, and take what is rightfully mine at last!"
"The spirit world is no more yours than this one was!" Arthur retorted. Morgana's blade reopened the gash on his cheek. "Whatever it takes, I will stop you!"
Their weapons tangled. Morgana took the opportunity to press in close. "Whatever it takes eh? Even if it costs Merlin his soul?" She smiled as Arthur's face paled. "I know you can feel it. Relying on him to fight me is destroying him. He's nearly gone. So you see, even if you try to defeat me, you're still losing." She threw Arthur to the ground. His bad arm crumbled underneath him.
"This is about more than just Merlin. He knows the risks of protecting the kingdom. He would gladly be sent to the spirit world forever if that's what's necessary," he growled back at the witch. Pain hampered his breathing. "That's why we always squeak through. And why you're self-centered missions never get anywhere in the end."
At that moment, Gaius' words gave way to a quickly building roar. As Morgana screamed with rage, raising her knife to strike Arthur, a maelstrom of wind, rain, and magic closed in on her and overtook the entire beach at the same time. It blotted out all of Arthur's senses, even his connection to Merlin. His sister was swept away in the sheer power. It took a few moments to register his own body dragging through the rough sand. He had no idea what was happening to Gaius or Freya. Certainly no idea of Merlin's fate. He could only hold on and wait for it all to die down.
Finally it did, leaving Arthur to choke on air filled with moisture and debris. Whatever Gaius had conjured left a fog as dense as fresh whipped cream. At least the rain seemed to have stopped. Arthur furiously worked his streaming eyes for any sign of the others. The first thing he made out was the soft glow of Freya's spirit. Dare he believe that she knelt next to a gangly dark form?
A mixture of irrational fear and elation propelled him forward despite the pain radiating through every inch of his body. A hoarse Gaius called from somewhere nearby, but Arthur ignored him. He had to know—the stress of everything he had been through over the past few days was going to overwhelm him if he didn't get some kind of resolution soon.
The body was more in the water than out. Freya had turned him onto his back, revealing a fiery glow just receding from the sand-crusted dark hair and pale skin. There was no sign of the torture that had led up to his death weeks ago. Yet he was utterly still. All at once, Arthur was afraid to touch him.
"Come on, Merlin…"
Suddenly the ragged young man came alive with violent coughing and tremors. Concern overtook Arthur's fear as he pulled his friend into a semi-sitting position, though he had no idea what to do. The gasping soon quieted to troubled moans, but if Merlin was anywhere near consciousness, he was losing that battle.
Freya put a hand to his clammy forehead. "He's very weak, but he made it. And Morgana was cut off from this world once Merlin was pulled from the veil. You did it." She gave Arthur a warm smile.
"No, you and Gaius did it—Gaius! I should find him. Keep watch over Merlin, will you?"
"Of course," agreed Freya. "But you should know, much of the spell is only as strong as the love of his friends. You gave him an anchor to this world when his own power was failing."
Arthur was glad of the darkness and fog for a moment—he imagined his face had grown quite red. He was heartened, however, to know that he had played a part in bringing Merlin back after all.
Gaius was staggering to his feet at the end of the beach line, quite windswept and drained, when Arthur reached him. "Sire?" he called out once more. The staff he clutched was in smoking pieces. Arthur steadied his invaluable mentor, checking the older man over for any significant injuries. Gaius' protests seemed to be a good sign. "Enough fussing over me! What's happened?"
"It worked, Gaius, it actually worked—Morgana's gone, and Merlin's alive! Freya's sitting with him now."
"We'll need supplies from the horses." The physician was instantly all business despite how drained he obviously was. "None of us will go far if we don't get dry soon. Get Merlin within the shelter of the trees, away from the water. I'll start a fire." At first he wobbled on the moldable sand, but he pushed Arthur away. "Get going!"
Again he only found his way by Freya's light. The spirit girl tenderly cradled Merlin. Arthur realized for the first time that his warlock-servant wore the exact outfit of his funeral, right down to the ratty neckerchief. His sodden jacket couldn't be helping the shivering, though. If it weren't for Merlin's as yet uncertain condition, Arthur was loathe to disrupt the little scene. Freya's care radiated like a full moon in the night. She had truly missed Merlin.
"Freya…" Arthur's voice cracked awkwardly, "I have to get him to camp. He won't last long like this…"
By her expression, she had already resigned herself to the fact that their time together was borrowed. Arthur wondered if spirits could cry. He would not fault her in the slightest for it. Slowly, the mirage girl bent to give Merlin a soft kiss before nodding to the king.
"I must return to the lake now that the balance has been restored. This place is still under my charge. You are safe however long you stay here. Take care of him, Arthur Pendragon. Farewell, and thank you."
"And to you," replied Arthur. He lifted his soaked friend into his arms with difficulty, owing to whatever further damage he had caused his left elbow. Most of the weight had to be propped to his right side. Freya also rose; she faded away into the mist above the water. Merlin's breathing echoed harsh and labored in the silence that followed. He may be alive, but he was far from alright. Arthur trudged up the beach with the last of his long-spent energy. Thankfully, Gaius had a fire, blankets, cloaks, and medicines all laid out when he reached the trees.
"Start with one to dry him off," instructed the old physician, holding out one of the lighter coverings. "You should get dry, too."
"After he's warmed up," Arthur huffed. He tried not to show how much his injuries bothered him. Once Merlin's jacket, boots, and neckwear had been removed, they both went to work de-saturating him as much as possible. At least the wheezing had quieted to just the occasional soft whimper. Arthur vigorously rubbed down his friend's stringy black locks, his frozen fingers, his quaking chest and shoulders.
Once the moisture was minimized, Gaius tucked two fresh, heavier blankets into a cocoon around the frail manservant, and positioned him as close to the fire as he dared. Then he poured a warming draught for all three of them. Toward the lake, the fog began to dissipate at last.
"Will he be alright?" croaked Arthur.
"We should keep a close eye tonight, but it appears so. Now, take care of yourself before you get as bad as he is."
"You're sure you're okay, Gaius? I don't want you overextending—"
"Sit! By the Triple Goddess I will make sure you stay in one piece for once on this mad venture."
This time, Arthur obeyed. He scrubbed at his own sore shoulders and damp trousers, bundled up in his unpacked cloak, and allowed Gaius to see to his arm and cheek. Again. He kept his mind occupied by studying every detail of Merlin's current appearance, relaxed slightly as he warmed. Silence reigned for a good ten minutes.
"My apologies for shouting at you, Sire," Gaius spoke at last, securing Arthur's arm into a sling. "It's just…you know Gwen would have all our heads if she saw the state of us right now. You'll need to be careful with this, especially."
Arthur cracked a smile at this attempt to lighten the mood. "That she would. Thank you, Gaius. It feels much better. Freya said we're safe within her boundaries. I can take first watch. Get some rest."
"I think we both know you're in much greater need of it. The past days have been hard on you in every way possible. Let yourself sleep—I will not argue with you on the matter, Sire."
"The horses haven't even—"
"I will take care of them, Sire. Trust that those who know you the best have matters in hand. I promise I will wake you if some disaster is about to befall us," Gaius pressed kindly
Chuckling out of sheer release of tension (and yes, exhaustion), Arthur settled into his bedroll without further protest. Now if he could just figure how best to situate his bad arm…
A/N: There you have it-the moment we've all been waiting for! I've been ridiculously picky about the return tableau; it was the first thought I had about this whole story, before I had any clue how to get there. Then I foundthe root of the action, Freya's lovers' moment, and Gaius' age-and-experience bid, which made me giggle. It's just become one of those chapters that makes me squirm in my chair every time (I know, very self-indulgent). I hope it met expectations! Anyway, fret not, it's still not the end yet. There's too much havoc left to wreak on poor Arthur's emotions ::evil grin::