Chapter 5

Hi! I am sorry for the delay - school started up again, and it's quite mad already :) *sympathetic smiles from the crowd*

I fear it will be the same for the rest of the month (I'll try to update twice a week or something like that) :D

later update: I think I was being a little too optimistic about that xD *expertly dodging rotten potatoes*

Another Camelot-centered chapter! But fear not, you'll soon get to see Sherlock!

Moriarty's ambassador smirked. He waved his arm above the fallen King, and with a flash of his eyes, magically bound him.

The Knights and Guinevere were trying to break through the paralyzing and silencing spell he had put on them – they wouldn't succeed in getting out, that much was certain. There was no one to protect them now.

He looked at his accomplice. Moriarty was still staring at Merlin with surprise. The sorcerer shrugged - he would ask him about his reaction at hearing the servant's name later.

He whispered a counter spell and regained his normal appearance.

Gwen was fighting against her bounds. She couldn't quite believe how much had happened during the last five minutes. Her swirling emotions made her feel slightly dizzy, but she kept fighting while analyzing them. Worry for her husband and best friend. Amazement at discovering Merlin's magic and witnessing his incredible power. Frustration because of her helplessness. Rage against Moriarty and his sorcerer. Surprise at Moriarty's reaction to Merlin's name, and wonder about what his speech implied. Fear at thinking about what was going to happen to Camelot.

She watched as her husband was treacherously knocked out by the smirking sorcerer. She frowned – it wasn't the first time she saw such a satisfied smirk.

The sorcerer whispered a spell under his breath; his appearance shifted. His hair grew, he lost a few inches, but his smirk stayed the same. After a few seconds, all could see Morgana standing above her brother, eyes wild with madness.

Gwen and the knights fought even more against the bounding spell, with no avail.

They could only witness as the witch began a long dreadful litany, hands above her head. The skies darkened and a storm blew above the city as her mad eyes blazed a dirty gold. They could hear the people's shouts at the unnatural tempest. When Morgana uttered the last word, Camelot was definitely lost. The people fell under the witch's possession. Their eyes were her eyes, their words her words, their acts her will.

Gwen watched as the knights were possessed as well, one by one. She cried as the panicked light in their eyes went out. She was the last to be plunged into oblivion.

Morgana watched with gleeful eyes as Arthur's loyal knights roughly locked up their unconscious King and Emrys in the King's own cells.

Smirking, the witch went to her old chambers, passing by the main corridor and walking along her possessed minions. It had been a long time since she had been able to walk in Camelot without fear. She passed through her doors. They were being guarded by Arthur's own knights – Gwaine and Percival. She sat on her bed, waiting for Moriarty to come in. The door was flung open.

'Everything went according to plan. I told you Emrys would be powerful enough to cure the poison.'

Moriarty nodded absently.

'Yes, indeed. Phase one was a success.'

'Tell me, Moriarty. What was your reaction about Emrys's name about? Need I worry?'

The King of Essetir shook out of his thoughts and smirked.

'Not at all. It just so happens that Merlin is my little cousin, the one I had thought was killed by my men at age five.'

'You mean…'

'Merlin is the last dragonlord, the Lost Prince of Semloh.'

Morgana yelled, flying her hands above her head, and Moriarty couldn't help but step back. The rooom's windows exploded, and all the candles were taken out by the cold winter wind.

'A dragonlord!? But you know perfectly well the only spell to possess someone and his powers do not work on dragonlords! The powers of Emrys would have been sufficient to take down the dragons of Semloh! Why did the idiot have to be a dragonlord too? We have to find another way of conquering Semloh, the last standing kingdom of Albion!'

A mirror exploded at the other side of the room.

'But there is another way. We don't even need to use strength.'

Morgana nearly pouted, crossing her arms in expectation.

'Arthur will sign the handover of his kingdom to me-you-, as we planned. And we've got an easier way of taking Semloh down.'

Morgana's fist hit her bedtable, which broke under the magically-increased strength. She was fuming. Moriarty played with her thin nerves.

'What is it?'

Moriarty smugly drew a wooden chair from under Morgana's dressing table and sat down. He crossed his legs, looked at his nails, and smirked.

'We will use Merlin as hostage, of course. If Mycroft does not abdicate, we will act in consequence against their little Lost Prince.' He sing-sang the last words in sick glee.

'Ah! But pray tell, how are we going to prove Mycroft that Merlin is still alive after fifteen years?'

'Well, here is the best part. Arthur didn't only invite Essetir for this peace treaty. Semloh is also coming. Either Mycroft or his younger brother Sherlock will get here in less than three days, and we will have two hostages against their kingdom. They will not dare to try something sneaky to free them. Albion will be ours at last!'

'Alright. I am letting you capture him. If you fail, you'll feel my wrath.' Her mirror exploded behind Moriarty, who pushed away the broken glass from his royal clothes.

The King's eyes glinted with rage at this outspoken threat, but he did not argue back. Best not to against such a powerful and mad sorceress, who had just destroyed half her chambers. He left the gloating witch alone with her dark thoughts and broken furniture.

Merlin woke up to a blinding headache. He couldn't quite remember how he had gotten his entire body to hurt that much. And something metallic was irritably clanging at his side. How had he gotten into Camelot's cells? Did Arthur know about his magic?

The banquet's events came back to him. He lived them for the second time as vividly as if he were there again, and couldn't help but shiver and moan.

Someone was calling out his name. It was Arthur. The King hadn't seen Merlin performing magic, but surely someone from the banquet had told him since then. The warlock deduced Moriarty and his sorcerer had been stopped by the Knights. Merlin had certainly been arrested and thrown in jail whilst he was unconscious, and now the ungrateful prat was coming to take him to the pyre.

The King's voice was insistent. The clotpole couldn't let him laze about, even in his last moments. Merlin reluctantly opened his eyes.

He was indeed in Camelot's cells, chained up with magic-suppressing shackles – uncontrollable shiver-, but everything was not exactly as he had thought.

Arthur was chained to the opposite wall. The King's bounds were too short for him to reach Merlin, so Arthur was standing as close to Merlin as he could. He looked worried, but there was something else bothering him.

The warlock moaned to signal his awareness and get Arthur to stop calling his name and increasing his headache.

'Are you alright, Arthur?'

'I feel as if I had just been poisoned, but that's to be expected. You?'

'I am okay.'

'Don't lie to me. You are far from looking your usual annoying self.'

'Thanks, clotpole. I feel as though all your horses have trampled on me one by one. And I've got quite a headache. But I'll be alright. Is there something bothering you?'

Arthur gestured to the cell and rolled his eyes.

'I mean, apart from being locked up in your own cells?'

The King groaned – count on Merlin to point out the embarrassing elements of their predications. Nevertheless, he shifted awkwardly and avoided Merlin's gaze.

'When I woke up, you were unconscious by my side. I called out your name. Moriarty, who had been talking about how he was going to take over the world with your help,' – Arthur snorted, pretexting obliviousness, but carefully observed Merlin as he looked away – 'stood up and took a closer look at you. He recognized you and rambled on how he thought he had killed you.'

Merlin looked at Arthur with a frown, but Arthur could swear there was a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. And of fear. The King of Camelot took a long breath, and calmly asked:

'Do you have magic, Merlin?'

He hadn't been expecting the boy's reaction. Merlin sagged and started trembling, looking away. He let out a shuddering breath and tried to pull himself together.

'What makes you think that?'

'Moriarty believes you are the Lost Prince of Semloh.'

'I am not.' He didn't sound as if he really believed himself.

'Are you Hunith's son, Merlin?'

The boy grabbed his legs, pulling them close to his chest. He closed his eyes.

'I-I am not. My mother-Hunith found me in the forest when I was around five. I was unconscious because of a gash on the head. When I woke up, I found out I had lost my memories. I didn't even know my own name. She waited some weeks to see if I regained some memories and remembered my name, but as I didn't, she decided to name me after the Lost Prince she had heard about. But I can't be him: she found me unconscious miles away from Semloh, in the south of Essetir, on the exact day he disappeared. No one could possibly travel that far in a single day.'

Arthur frowned. Merlin definitely didn't sound convinced, and the King wasn't letting it go.

'You haven't answered my first question. Have you got magic?'

His manservant-no, friend- bore his eerie blue eyes in Arthur's. He looked sad, even resigned. Straightening up, he calmly spoke:

'I do.'

Reveal time :D

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