Chapter 12 yay! I will definitely be finishing this in the next chapter and I will be including an epilogue. Thanks for the support, please please please leave reviews, they help me write faster and let me know you appreciate the fic. I don't own Merlin. Enjoy!

Merlin ducked and turned around at the same time, holding his hands above his head. When he turned, he saw Aithusa behind him, head pulled back and mouth open, prepared to breath fire. He put his hands out and yelled, "Gonston starnbe dragona obellion!" Aithusa didn't even flinch. She breathed out hard and fire rushed at Merlin and Arthur. He put a shield up, but a few sparks got in and burned his hands. Angrily, Merlin yelled at the dragon,

"You must obey me! I am the Dragon Lord!" He felt Arthur grab his wrist from behind and said,

"Come on!" as he pulled him along away from Aithusa. They were suddenly blocked by Morgause. She was sneering at them.

"It's me or the dragon, take your pick," she hissed. Merlin put his hands up to blow her away, but she was faster, and with a quiet whisper, his hands whirled behind his back and a blindfold was put over his eyes. He tried to shout magic at her, but with a flick of her finger, his mouth zipped shut and his feet were bound, and he fell over. He writhed on the floor for a minute, before Morgause put a foot on his chest to hold him still.

"Looks like you couldn't protect your Arthur after all," she said in a sickly sweet voice, "It's a pity, really." She dug her sharp heel into his chest and he groaned. "Have something to say, oh great and powerful Emrys?"

She took the zipper off his mouth and he shouted, "Arthur, run, go!"

"No, none of that…" she muttered, "Come on, something interesting. Arthur's not going anywhere as long as I can help it, anyway, why try?"

"Let him go," Merlin panted, "Let him go, please."

"No, I don't think so," Morgause said simply.

"Where's your sidekick?" Merlin heard Arthur ask from next to him.

"Arthur, don't-" He heard a kick and a thump and an 'Oof' from Arthur, presumably having landed next to him. Merlin tried to put his hand out to feel where he was, but with his hands bound he didn't get very far. He heard Arthur spit next to him and then ask,

"Where's Morgana, Morgause? You leave her at home?" He heard an impatient hiss from Morgause who then told them,

"She is not one of us. You changed her, you broke her. She has been disposed of." She sounded almost sad and Merlin almost felt bad for her. Almost. He could easily escape his bonds, but he didn't want to. Not quite yet.

"How about Mordred?" Merlin cut in.

"The same. I don't know what you did, but -"

"We loved them," Merlin interrupted, "That's what we did. We forgave them and we allowed them to find someone who loved them. Morgana turned against us when she thought no one liked her and the majority of us were against her, and Mordred did so when he thought Arthur didn't care about him, or that anyone did. We showed them they were wrong and forgave them."

"Well that's very touching, but I'm here to kill you," she sounded bored, but a little regretful at the same time.

"So why haven't you?" Merlin shot back at her. That earned him a stab with her heel that dug into his skin and he clenched his teeth so he wouldn't cry out.

"Don't touch him," Arthur snapped at her. Merlin heard her laugh scornfully.

"If you're going to kill us, you might as well get it over with already," Merlin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Merlin!" Arthur protested.

"Ah yes," he heard her whisper, "But I want to kill you slowly and intimately in revenge for killing my sister. And Mordred. I will avenge them both." The minute Merlin felt her breath on his face because she was so close, he did something desperate and grabbed on to her hair with his teeth. She shrieked and tried to pull it out of his grip, but before she could, he whispered,

"Bombarnia enanlo flamicie" and she screamed even louder. He released her hair and heard it popping. He had set it on fire, and while she was distracted, he whispered, "Bondin glisseo magickan" and his bonds slipped off easily. He untied the rest of them with nimble fingers and helped Arthur up. When she finally had her hair out, Merlin opened his mouth and a black-speckled gas came out of his mouth. He coughed hard afterwards and heard Morgause screaming curses at them. He smirked sideways at Arthur.

"Time to go." He grabbed his hand and led him deeper into the forest before they sat down, panting.

"The dragon," Arthur reminded him. Merlin coughed harder and nodded.

"I know. I think we're okay for a minute, though." He coughed again, his eyes watering and muttered, "Pepper spray breath spell...totally nasty….only in emergencies…." Arthur clapped him on the back and Merlin waved him away. "Not helping…" Arthur retracted his hand nervously and nodded, swallowing hard.

Merlin glanced at him nervously when Arthur perked up, sniffing for something.

"You look like Bear, what is it?"

"I smell something."

"Obviously."

"No seriously, Merlin, look." He pointed at their small view of the sky that had turned grey. His fearful gaze turned to him. "Fire."

"Fire."

"Dragon?"

"Most likely." Merlin stood up quickly and helped Arthur up.

"Should we run now?"

"Probably a good idea," Merlin muttered. The fire burned towards them faster than they anticipated, and Merlin widened his eyes and yelled, "Yeah I think running is a good idea now!" He let Arthur go ahead of him and then ran after him, dodging the fire coming faster towards them. After running for a good five minutes, Arthur stopped far ahead of him, putting his arms out wildly as if trying to balance. Merlin didn't see this until it was too late and ran right into the back of him, toppling them both over the edge.

Apparently, the forest ended there and a cliff led down to a river, but the fog rose so high that no one could see the bottom. There they saw the dragon below them, jaws widespread, ready to swallow them whole.

((()))

Merlin's heart jolted when he woke up and he found himself facedown on the floor. He groaned and sat up, looking around.

"Arthur?" he asked wearily. He stood up and glanced around, not seeing his friend. "Arthur!"

"Here," he heard a muffled groan from the bed. He furrowed his brow in confusion and looked at the bed. He approached it slowly and saw Arthur had also fallen off the bed, but into the space between the bed and the wall, and was in a funky position squished in that space. Relief spread over his face and he helped his friend out of the tight spot.

Arthur dusted himself off. "Was that real?" he asked, wide-eyed and looking even more scared now. Merlin didn't blame him.

"I'm not sure, I-" he broke off with a hiss as he put his hand down on the bed. He pulled his hand back up quickly and saw burn marks. He paled slightly and turned his hand to show Arthur.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't get that from something that wasn't real. "

Arthur smirked and asked cheekily, "Are you sure that wasn't from me? I'm pretty hot mys-"

"Arthur!" Merlin cut him off, his voice filled with annoyance, but he couldn't help but smile in spite of himself.

"Come on, let's go to Gaius. He'll be happy to have something to do," Arthur suggested. Merlin nodded, cradling his hand in the other and blowing lightly on it. They found Gaius sitting in his room, pouring over his books.

"Gaius?" Merlin asked in a small voice. Gaius looked up and greeted them.

"Oh, Merlin, Sire." Arthur looked embarrassed by Gaius calling him Sire. He had told him to call him by his name on multiple occasions, but sometimes he slipped back into the habit.

"Merlin's burned his hand," Arthur said, thrusting the other boy's hand forward. Gaius frowned.

"How did that happen? That looks serious."

"He….burned himself on a stove. The idiot was turning it on and then leaned back on it with his hand and burned it badly," Arthur lied. Gaius raised an eyebrow at both of them.

"Merlin?" he turned to his previous apprentice.

"Gaius, you know I'm clumsy."

"Not for a burn like that. You should have burned parts of the palm of your hand, not your fingers and your entire hand." Merlin glanced at his hand. It was burned over most of his hand, back included, stopping around the wrist line. "You would have had to dip your hand in acid or had your hand completely in fire to burn it like that."

"He's really clumsy," Arthur tried.

"Boys," Gaius said firmly, "What. Happened." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at them stubbornly. Merlin looked down at his feet, shuffling them uncomfortably.

"Uh, we had a nightmare," Arthur started slowly, "At the same….time…"

"Go on," Gaius said warily.

"Morgana's dragon was there and she was blowing fire at us," Arthur continued, "Merlin burned his hand when we were running away. That's it."

Gaius turned on Merlin. "Merlin? What happened after that?"

Like a child caught in wrongdoing, he said quietly, "We ran into Morgause. We got away and then Aithusa set the forest on fire and we jumped and then we woke up."

"Jumped?"

"Off a cliff. By accident."

"Mm."

"So can you treat my hand?"

"I know you can treat your own hand."

Merlin huffed at him. "I don't want to."

"You're too weak, aren't you? You're exhausted," Gaius said with concern.

"No!" Merlin protested. Gaius sat back in his chair.

"Then do it."

"Gaius, you can do it better."

"Merlin, you have magic and I am very crude with magic." Merlin huffed again before giving in.

"Fine. I'm tired. So what? Can't you just fix it?"

"Merlin, if you're too weak to even heal your hand, what makes you think you can fight those spirits today?"

"Who said anything about today?"

"It was implied, I know you wouldn't wait any longer than that." Arthur was watching the conversation like a tennis match, his head going back and forth from Gaius to Merlin.

"Gaius…"

"Give me your hand."

"What are you doing?"

"Healing it, Merlin, what did you think?" Merlin handed him his hand. Gaius took it and squeezed the middle of his palm with his thumb.

"Ow! Gaius!" Merlin yelped. Arthur took a step forward, but didn't say anything.

"I was seeing how bad the burn was, its hard to tell," Gaius murmured. He nodded once and grabbed a few herbs and a bottle of Aloe from his cupboard. He applied the Aloe, which Merlin complained to profusely because it burned, and rubbed juice from the herbs on as well. Merlin was gritting his teeth the entire time and his hand was on Arthur's shoulder for support.

"Dragon fire is nasty, Merlin," Gaius said simply, "Worse than regular fire. It'll hurt more." Merlin had hissed in dissatisfaction at that, but he thanked Gaius and the pair left. Merlin led Arthur outside. It was still early, close to dawn. There was no way they could go back to sleep, so they might as well make the most of it.

"Come here," Merlin whispered, "This is so pretty when the sun comes up." Arthur rolled his eyes playfully at Merlin and muttered,

"I don't care about pretty things, Merlin, I'm a knight."

"Mhm…" Merlin murmured before leading him to the top of a hill. There was a tree on the top of it, and, Merlin was surprised to see, the knights and Gwen were sitting there, facing away from them. Gwen was leaning her head on Elion's shoulder, and Leon was next to Elion. Percival and Gwaine were next to them, and Arthur and Merlin noticed with amusement that Gwaine was slightly leaning on Percival and their hands were clasped lightly and casually, but in the space between them so the others couldn't see. Bear was seated next to Gwaine, his tail wagging, but looking impatient.

Arthur and Merlin awkwardly stood there for a minute before sitting next to Gwen. She gave a small 'Oh!' when se saw them. Everyone looked over and said quiet greetings. She whispered to them,

"We're waiting for the sun to come up. Merlin, have you seen it? It's beautiful." Merlin nodded and pointed at Arthur, saying,

"I have, but he hasn't. When did you guys wake up?" They continued the conversation for another minute before Bear barked. They faced forward and saw the sun peeking up over the trees. They ooed and ahhed as the sun came up over the trees. It peeked through every space it could find, making different patterns in its steady ascent to the sky.

They sat there for hours, after Gaius joined them as well, and they enjoyed each other's company. They were making the best of the time they had left. Around noon, Merlin swallowed nervously and told them,

"It's time. Noon is the opposite of midnight, and therefore the weakest hour for the spirits. Its now or never, I think. If we wait any longer, we'll all lose everything." He glanced at Arthur instinctively. Everyone stared at him for a minute before letting out what seemed to be a collective sigh. Gwaine whispered to Merlin as he passed,

"I'm doing this for you, mate, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He paused for a minute before asking, "Uh, what happens to Bear when I'm gone." Merlin looked at him seriously.

"If that dog wants to follow you, I won't stop him. You can see him in the spirit world if he really means that much to you. But if he doesn't, I promise to take care of him." Gwaine put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can't break that promise." Merlin frowned at him.

"I wouldn't break it, Gwaine, when have I ever broken a promise to you?" Gwaine nodded grimly, accepting Merlin's words.

They wandered like zombies on to the streets and towards the lake. The whole town seemed to notice, since usually they were all so good-natured. When no one else in the town was around, Merlin herded them across the lake, struggling with his magic to help them get across. Percival and Bear fell once and nearly went under, but Merlin managed to pull them back. Arthur could sense the magic was taking its toll on him. He wouldn't be able to do it effectively much longer. Soon enough his aging spell would probably go away too. It wasn't that Arthur liked him any less as an older man, but it was a weird idea. He knew he was being a tad bit selfish, but it was a bit uncomfortable on his part. And his opinion in this relationship counted too, right?

Merlin heard the spirits hissing restlessly, but he could also sense their disadvantage. He was right in predicting this was their weakest hour in the daytime. As predicted, Morgause appeared, but seemed weaker than normal. That was good.

"Why have you come with all your friend, Emrys?" she asked, "You cannot save him by sacrificing all of them. There is no way you can save your precious Arthur." Merlin's gaze hardened.

"Nimeuh paid the price for telling us the truth. You would not have killed her had it been false information."

"Or maybe we did not kill her to deceive you into the delusion that Arthur could in fact be saved." Merlin narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're lying."

She laughed, "How do you know?"

"You've got to be bluffing, Morgause, this is your final stand, your last attempt to stop us."

She stopped laughing and narrowed her eyes at him. He scowled at her. She had one last defense and he knew what was coming. And it may yet prove the loyalties of his friends.

"You would sacrifice your friends for one man?" Merlin held his head high.

"They offered themselves. They are doing this willingly."

"And yet you are never honest with them. Never completely honest, Emrys." For a minute, everyone looked a little wary. Merlin swallowed.

"I have not lied to them."

"You deceived them for almost ten years that you were a harmless serving boy, and yet you are the most powerful sorcerer ever was and the last Dragon Lord at that. You lied to them so many times to achieve your own ends," she hissed. Merlin's composition faded slightly. He looked a little scared now.

"I have not."

"And yet they question you!" she said, gesturing to the others. Merlin glanced over. They eyed him with slight doubt.

"Merlin," asked a scared voice, "What does she mean 'to achieve your own ends'? What didn't you tell us?" It was Gwen, and Merlin's heart sank slightly. He knew that she trusted him, but she was smart and would probably figure out something was fishy. She wasn't doubting to much as curious.

"No," he said firmly, "Any time I ever lied, it was for the good of everyone. I lied about magic because it was for the good of Camelot and for Arthur!"

"Arthur again?" she purred smoothly, "Is there any time that you've done something for someone else besides dear Arthur?" Arthur looked severely uncomfortable, and whether that was directed towards Morgause or himself, Merlin wasn't sure.

"I've done plenty for the rest of them too," Merlin growled, "They all know that."

"Pray tell."

Merlin looked at his friends. "You're joking right, Morgause? They all know it!" When silence fell, Merlin scowled at her again and listed,

"Gaius, when you sacrificed your own life for my mother's, I tried to sacrifice my own for yours, but then I ended up saving both of us. Gwen, I've proved your innocence more than once when it was in doubt. Gwaine, I saved your life in a bar fight, twice, I believe. I-" he faltered when he reached the rest of the knights. He couldn't think of a time when he had specifically saved them individually or as a group. Usually saving Arthur included them. Morgause smirked.

"Gaius, you needed him to stay in Camelot. Gwen, you needed her to be on your side, plus you knew Arthur loved her, aaand, Gwaine, you got him to help you complete a quest with Arthur." She shrugged. "Looks like I win."

Merlin turned to his friends again, his voice cracking in anguish and doubt. "They're still on my side," he tried. She shook her head.

"But now I've sown seeds of doubt, and once planted there, they can never be uprooted." At her arrogant expression, Merlin lost it.

"I am not the bad guy here, Morgause! Everything I did, I did for the good of Camelot, the good of my friends, and the good of yes, Arthur! Our destinies have been intertwined since birth, or haven't you heard? I had to do those things for him and in turn it benefitted all of you! If you all think for one second that I never cared about any of you, you're wrong." His voice had turned into a roar and he was scaring himself. "If you believe her, then...fine." His voice dropped to be quieter. "I would gladly let you walk away from this choice. But if you know me, and you know who I am, you know that all she says are lies. Anything I did for you I did for you." He tried to face his friends now, scared of what he might see in their eyes. Fear, doubt, shame, embarrassment.

He found none of that. Instead he saw determination, courage, faith, hope there. They believed him! In fact, Gwaine went so far as to run at Morgause with his sword and attempt to slash through her watery image. She threw him back and in a last desperate attempt to keep them away, she cried,

"Morgana, Mordred, Freya, and Lancelot are destroyed! Their spirits are no more! Is that worth it, to lose your entire existence for two men?" Everyone looked at Morgause with hatred and when they glanced at Merlin, he nodded. He put a hand up and said simply,

"Go." She screamed and her watery figure disappeared. His legs slightly wobbled from using the magic again, but he was okay at the moment. Gwen turned to Merlin.

"So what now?" Merlin sighed.

"Now we open the portal to the spirit world. Normally I would have to have an amplifier to make it easier to open, but I think I can open it long enough for you all to hop in. It won't hurt. This should keep you safe from the spirits, or at least give you a chance. You can't dawdle though. I'm guessing I can hold it open for about five minutes max." They all nodded at him. Gaius looked incredibly worried.

"Now?" he asked them.

"Now."

"Ansi haketanimem, ansi haketanimem, HOLORUS TANKIME BONMARDEN HOLSIEM!" he yelled. A thin strand of light appeared in the air before them before widening and making a crack about eight feet high and three feet wide. It was small, but functional. "Go!" he yelled. His arms were already shaking with effort. Gaius was the first to step through, looking back once.

"Farewell, Merlin," he said sadly. Merlin nodded at him, feeling his throat clog up. Gaius disappeared. Elion and Leon went next, thanking Merlin before going in one after the other. Right before Gwaine and Percival entered the crack, Gwaine grabbed the front of Percival's shirt and kissed him hard and fast, and then let him go quickly. Gwaine saluted Arthur, hugged Merlin, and then grabbed Percival's hand and they went through the crack. Bear barked after them, sounding very melancholy. He knew they were gone, somewhere he was unable or unwilling to follow. Gwen was last, hugging Merlin tightly and whispering 'thank you' in his ear, before she turned to Arthur and pecked his lips while on tiptoe. Arthur was crying, and he put a hand on her cheek before she stepped backwards into the crack.

Merlin closed it the minute she disappeared. He and Arthur were both crying, and Merlin's body was shaking from the effort it had taken him to do that. Bear howled mournfully to the bright sky. The beautiful day seemed to mock them. Merlin stumbled and fell backwards, Arthur catching him under the armpits.

"Thanks," he mumbled. He kept holding Merlin and sat down with him, and Merlin leaned into him. Or rather, fell into him. His limbs didn't want to respond. This ended up forcing Arthur to cradle him a bit.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked quietly.

Merlin sighed. "Not really."

Arthur bit his lip. "Me neither."

"Well I think we have a good reason to be not okay, don't you?" Merlin snapped.

"Yeah…" Arthur trailed off.

"Hey," Merlin joked, "This is kind of like when you died except now everyone's dead and you're holding me instead."

"Merlin," Arthur protested, but a small smirk was growing on his face.

"You know it's a little bit funny."

"Only you could make something tragic into something funny, you idiot."

"How does that make me an idiot?"

"It doesn't, but you are one, so its relevant."

Merlin rolled his eyes and then felt a pang in his chest. He let out a hiss of surprise and pain and his hand flew to his chest. Arthur's eyes widened.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so...I just, aghh," Merlin complained. His whole body suddenly felt very tight, as if all the muscles had seized up. He doubled over in pain, rolling partly off of Arthur's lap. What was going on? His breathing quickened as he curled into a fetal position and was visibly shaking. Arthur put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to open up again. His eyes were clearly troubled with worry.

"Merlin?"