AN: Hello again! Ok, so if you couldn't tell from the title, this chapter is pretty similar to 2.03, so I skipped a lot. Sorry. I just want to get on with the Merthur! Which will happen very soon, this chapter is kind of the lead up to it, which may be why the story turns into a bad chat about sexual preferences about three quarters of the way through. Sorry about that.
On that note, I think a few characters are slightly (ok, more than slightly) OOC in this chapter. I'm sorry. It needed to happen. And I have never written from Good Morgana's perspective before, so that was interesting. I'm not to great at it.
Ok, think that's it! The next time I upload a chapter I will be at college! Yay! Although this may mean that there may be larger gaps between chapters as I will have classes/ homework/ maybe even a social life? soon. But don't worry too much, I pretty much have the next four chapters written, so I hopefully will be able to stay ahead.
I LOVE you all! And your reviews, favorites, and alerts! It is all fabulous!
As always, I don't own Merlin. Although he is beginning to get so OOC, it's almost like I kind of own this strange new being...
Chapter Eight: Morgana's Misfortune
Morgana was scared. And not of the thief or the sorcerers the king was constantly warning her of, but of herself. Something strange was happening to her, and she didn't know who to turn to. As long as she could remember she had been having terrible nightmares, most of which had a strange way of coming true. They were growing worse as she grew older, but they were not what was frightening her, no something much worse was happening. She was changing in ways she couldn't understand, and she didn't know who she could trust. Last night she had awoken after a nightmare, screaming, and the candle next to her had flared up, and the curtains hanging from her bed had caught on fire. Of course this wasn't enough, and as she had screamed again, the windows had burst open, spilling shattered glass into her room. The strangest thing was that as they burst she had felt something stir inside of her, and she was sure that it she was the one who broke the window. As she thought about what had happened, she kept asking herself the same question, did she have magic?
At first she had shook it off as being ridiculous, there was no way she could have magic, right? Magic was supposed to be evil, and you had to learn it, at least that's what Uther had told her. But, the more she thought about it, the more certain she became. There was no other solution. She had tried to talk to Gaius about it, but he had dismissed her fears and given her something stronger for her nightmares. That had only served to make her more frightened. She knew something had happened, something more than nightmares, the burnt curtains and broken window where proof, so why wouldn't Gaius even listen to her theory? Nothing else made sense, it had to have been her. But there was no one she could tell, no one who she could trust wouldn't go to the king with her secret. And she knew, that no matter how long Uther had been her guardian, if he thought she had magic he would treat her like he did every other magic user, and she would be dead before sunrise, so she couldn't risk anyone knowing.
When she left Gaius' room she was escorted to the council chambers. All the way there she had been shaking with fear, thinking that Uther had put the pieces together and realized that she must have magic, and therefore she must die. That hadn't been the reason she was summoned though. The king had simply wanted her to tell him everything she remembered from the 'attack'. He seemed to think that Emrys was behind it was determined to use her timely wakefulness as a weapon against him. While the rest of the knights looked serious as they questioned her about the night, Arthur was watching with an amused look. Well, he had been worried about her, but once she had confirmed that she was fine and Uther had started suspecting Emrys Arthur had lost his serious expression and she was almost certain she had seen him chuckle after Uther had suggested that this was possibly an attempt on her 'virtue' by Emrys. She glowered at Arthur for that, thinking that he must be making fun of her. This had directed the king's attention towards his son and he asked, "What do you find so amusing, Arthur?"
Arthur sighed before saying, "Do you really think Emrys would attempt to steal Morgana's virginity? I'm pretty sure that wouldn't help the people at all, and he's been pretty clear that that is his aim ever since he first stole from us. Whatever happened last night, I am certain Emrys had nothing to do with it."
"How can you be so sure, Arthur?" Uther growled, "Do not attempt to fathom the minds of sorcerers, they are twisted creatures who act only to trick us and destroy all that is good. It could very well have been Emrys. He uses magic, so no evil is beyond him."
Morgana tried not to look to suspicious as Uther discussed the evils of magic. She could feel herself start to shake again as she thought of what Uther would do if he ever found out. But, when Arthur spoke he surprised her so much that she stopped shaking, and her jaw had dropped in a very un-lady like way.
"You can't just assume that because he uses magic he is evil. He hasn't hurt anyone before, I don't see why he would start with Morgana. You seem to think that any who use magic are somehow less than human, but they're not, and they don't deserve to be persecuted the way you believe they should be. It's what's lead so many of them to secrecy and trickery, if they don't use what they can, they will die. I believe that Morgana's suggestion was correct, the window must have broken due to natural causes, and the wind that entered must have blown the flame onto the curtain. Not every bad thing that happens is caused by sorcerers."
Did Arthur really believe all of that? Could Uther's own son really believe that magic wasn't evil? And if that was the case, could Morgana tell him what she really thought had happened? He was like a brother to her, they had grown up together, if he really believed all that he just said, he might be willing to help her, and it seemed he definitely wouldn't hand her over to his father. She tried not to show her excitement as Uther berated Arthur for not believing him about the evils of magic. After Arthur had refused to apologize for his outburst he had been escorted back to his chambers, rolling his eyes as he left. Uther continued the interrogation in a huff, eventually sending two knights to search Morgana's room for clues and another group out to the city to see if anyone had seen any suspicious figures that could have been Emrys making his escape. Morgana didn't really want to go back to her room right away, seeing as it was being searched and it reminded her of what happened a little too vividly, so instead she decided to take a risk and go speak with Arthur, and pray he didn't betray her.
Arthur was bored. This was probably the fifth time this week he had been confined to his chambers after an outburst about the possibility that magic (and Emrys) weren't evil. Still, he couldn't just sit back and let his father insult Merlin like that. Even if it hadn't worked so far, Arthur was going to do everything in his power to become worthy of Merlin's respect. He was thinking for himself, and had decided that it was time someone spoke up for magic. And, as no one else was brave enough to speak to Uther about magic, he had used his protection as crown prince to do just that. He was considering taking a nap when there was a knock at his door and Morgana walked in.
"Come to gloat, Morgana?" Arthur asked, expecting her to taunt him with her freedom while he was stuck inside all day. "Because if that's the case you can leave right now. I would rather be bored out of my mind than put up with your bragging."
"No, Arthur. This is serious. I'm scared, and I don't know who I can trust." Morgana said, her voice trembling. Arthur hadn't expected this, and as he examined Morgana more closely he noticed that she really did look terrified. Chastising himself inwardly for jumping to conclusions, Arthur jumped to Morgana's side and said, "It's okay, Morgana. I won't let anyone hurt you, you know that. Whatever's frightening you, you can tell me. You're like a sister to me, I promise I will protect you."
Morgana looked at him uncertainly, and Arthur wondered what could be so bad that she felt so worried about talking to him. He guided her over to his bed, sitting down beside her and keeping one hand wrapped around her back. "Morgana, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's scaring you. Is it about last night?"
She nodded slowly, and looked at him with wide, frightened eyes. "It was me." She said, her voice barely over a whisper. Arthur was confused, had she lit the candle herself and been too embarrassed to admit it? How could it have been her?
"What do you mean, Morgana? What happened last night?" Arthur asked, trying not to sound suspicious.
"The candle, the window, it was me, I'm sure of it. Arthur, I have magic." Morgana said, her eyes never leaving Arthur's. Arthur frowned, she looked so sure of herself, but how was this possible? How could she have magic? That just didn't seem possible, he had grown up with her, and never before had she shown any traces of magic. But she obviously wasn't joking. She looked absolutely horrified.
"You don't believe me, do you? Why does no one believe me? I know what happened." Morgana said, fear turning into anger, and desperation.
"No, I believe you." Arthur said, trying not to hide his doubt, "I'm just a little surprised. Do you think you could tell me exactly what you think happened."
Morgana clung to his arm as she told her story, her eyes growing slightly unfocused. "I was asleep, and I had a nightmare. When I woke up the candle was lit, and I know it was out when I went to sleep. I was scared, and as I looked at the flames they started to climb higher and higher. There was no one else there, I'm certain of it. It was like my fear was causing the fire to grow, until it caught the curtain and started to spread on its own. When I screamed the window burst. The window burst outwards, Arthur, it had to have been me. I used magic, I don't know how, but I did. Please, Arthur I'm scared. I don't know what to do."
Arthur nodded slowly, looking into her eyes, trying to figure out what he could do to reassure her. The one thing he knew was that they had to keep this a secret, they couldn't let Uther find out about this. "Alright," Arthur said slowly, "Everything is going to be ok, don't worry Morgana. We'll figure this out."
"I'm not a monster, am I? I didn't want this, Arthur. It just happened, I don't know why." Morgana said, still clinging on to Arthur.
"Of course you're not, Morgana. Uther is wrong about magic, it is not evil, and neither are you. Everything is going to be alright." Arthur said, holding her and rubbing her back soothingly.
"What if it happens again?" Morgana asked, her voice barely over a whisper. "What if it happens again and I can't control it? I could hurt someone, Arthur."
"You won't, Morgana. We just need to learn how you can control it. All we have to do is find someone else who can use magic who will teach you." As Arthur said this, he realized something. There was only one person he knew who could use magic, and would be willing to help them. Morgana looked at him like he was crazy as she said, "But I'm Uther Pendragon's ward. Who would teach me about magic?"
"Emrys." Arthur said with a smile, and receiving a skeptical look from Morgana.
It had taken Arthur a while to convince Morgana that he wasn't crazy and that he actually had a plan. It had taken longer for them to find a time when they would be able to sneak out of Camelot without Uther being suspicious. Everyone in the castle had been on high alert ever since Morgana had been 'attacked' in the night. She and Arthur had looked for books on magic to try to help her, but there had been nothing. Apparently all the books on magic had been purged from the city along with the magic users. Uther had increased the patrols and security measures, certain that Emrys had been behind the attack and that the extra precautions would finally catch the thief, but had so far been unsuccessful. It had taken about two weeks for the king to finally calm down enough to allow Arthur and Morgana to leave the palace (he was worried for Morgana's safety, and Arthur was kept inside as a punishment for arguing with practically everything Uther said). Arthur had tried to keep his opinion to himself so they would be able to get out sooner, but it had been difficult with his father on a rampage against Emrys. When they had both allowed out, they had taken their horses and ridden out into the woods in search of help for Morgana. Of course they hadn't told their true mission to Uther, saying instead Morgana wanted to get out to take her mind off of all that had happened. It had taken Arthur a while to remember where he had been carried by Percival after being 'knocked out', but eventually he had recognized the surrounding area and had guiding Morgana to where he hoped Merlin's camp would still be.
When the trees became too thick for their horses, they dismounted and continued on foot, and Arthur became more and more certain they were headed in the right direction. Arthur had begun calling out Merlin's name, hoping that they were getting close, but there was no reply, and he was starting to worry that they had moved their camp since he had talked with him. Morgana was still looking at him as if he was slightly crazy, but he knew he was on the right track. He was about to go backtrack, see if he noticed something that would help them get on the right path again, when he heard something rustling in the bushes. "Merlin?" Arthur asked, edging closer to the bushes. When the bushes behind them began to rustle Arthur started to think that whatever this was it might not have been Merlin. "Gwaine? Percival? Lancelot?" Arthur asked, getting quite nervous as the rustling seemed to surround them. He pulled out his sword and pushed Morgana behind his back, getting ready to attack whatever was moving around them. Morgana had also pulled out a blade, and was looking quite fearsome, even though some of the terror still remained in her eyes. What came out of the bushes definitely wasn't Merlin, although it did remind him of their first encounter. A giant scorpion-like creature was inching towards them, clicking its claws together and almost hissing. It was larger than the one from Arthur's memories, and was soon joined by about twenty others, and the noises they were making filled the woods, causing Arthur to tremble slightly. Arthur tried to defend them with his sword but he knew he wouldn't last long against so many of these creatures. He yelled in fear as one broke through his defenses and was about to latch on to his arm with one of its giant pinchers when a great wind blew through the forest, knocking the beasts backwards. Arthur pulled Morgana down to protect her from the winds and the monsters, so he couldn't see what had caused it until he looked up and saw Merlin smiling a slightly lopsided grin at him.
"You're right, Merlin. He does scream like a little girl." Gwaine said, appearing at Merlin's shoulder. Merlin chuckled slightly before turning to Arthur and saying, "Arthur, what are you doing out here?"
"And why are you so close to our camp?" Percival asked, pulling out his sword and pointing it at him and Morgana, who was currently staring wide-eyed at the men who had just arrived.
"And who is your lovely lady-friend?" Gwaine asked, smiling devilishly at Morgana and swishing his hair around. Arthur glared at him before saying, "We were looking for you, Merlin. The LADY MORGANA" Arthur emphasized these words and glared at Gwaine, hoping that he got the message and backed off, "needs your help. Do you think we could talk somewhere a little safer?"
"Um.. sure." Merlin replied still looking a bit confused but also slightly amused. "Percival, put away your sword, it's just Arthur, he's not going to hurt us. And Gwaine, behave yourself."
Percival glared at Arthur and put his sword away before following Merlin. Gwaine winked at Morgana before doing the same. Lancelot gave them both a little bow and told them the camp was just over the hill before offering Morgana a hand to help her over a log. Arthur wondered if it wasn't Gwaine but Lancelot he should be worried about where Morgana was concerned, as she turned back to him and whispered, "Are you sure we can trust them? They seem a bit… strange."
"Morgana, don't worry. Merlin will be able to help you, I promise. And we can trust them. They've captured me twice, and left me unharmed both times. They won't hurt you." Arthur said, holding her hand and leading her into the camp by the cave.
"I thought you said you were taking me to Emrys?" Morgana said, sounding quite suspicious of everything that was going on.
"I did. And I have. Merlin is Emrys." Arthur said as they reached the small clearing. Percival was sitting on a rock, watching him and Morgana while Merlin and Lancelot rummaged through their small food supply and Gwaine spread out a blanket from one of their bed rolls, before lying on it suggestively, and padding the spot next to him while smiling at Morgana.
"Which one is Merlin?" Morgana said, looking around the camp with fear and a bit of skepticism.
"The small one." Arthur said, pointing across the camp to Merlin and Lancelot. Morgana nodded as Merlin shouted in indignation, "The small one? Really, Arthur is that what you think of me?"
"Well, I was going to say the one with abnormally large ears but I figured you wouldn't like that." Arthur replied with a smile. It was way too much fun to mess with Merlin.
"Why didn't you say the handsome one, or the one with the gorgeous blue eyes or how about the one who just saved your royal arses from a nest or serkets?" Merlin replied with an almost angry voice, but Arthur could tell it was more of a tease than anything else.
"Have you seen your friends? Not sure if saying handsome would really narrow it down. And seeing as we were a little preoccupied with the serkets or whatever they were, we didn't notice exactly who cast the spell. And you have to admit, you are quite a bit smaller than Percival." Arthur said, smiling at the man who still didn't seem to trust him.
"Everyone's smaller than Percival." Merlin mumbled before turning to Morgana and saying, "Lady Morgana, Arthur said you need my help. May I ask what the problem is?"
Morgana looked slightly unsure as Merlin extended a hand and said, "Don't worry, I don't bite."
"I do!" Gwaine interjected, earning a glare from Arthur and a growled "Gwaine…" from Merlin, but Gwaine ignored their angry glares and continued, saying, "But only if your into that sort of thing."
Morgana blushed a little and her eyes widen a bit. "Ignore him." Merlin said leading her away from the blanket Gwaine had spread out on the ground. When they were far enough from Gwaine that Morgana had relaxed a little, Merlin waved his hand that wasn't currently guiding Morgana and whispered a string of strange words. As he did the sticks from the forest floor began to twist together and rise until they had formed two beautiful chairs. Merlin offered one to Morgana before taking the other and saying, "What does the ward of Uther Pendragon need me for?"
Morgana glanced nervously back at Arthur who nodded before saying, "I think I have magic. I need help controlling it, I didn't know who to turn to. Arthur said you could help me, so please, please teach me what I can do to stop myself before I hurt someone. I'll give you anything if you help me."
Merlin glanced quickly back at Arthur, a serious expression on his face before he turned back to Morgana and said, "You don't need to worry. I will help you in any way I can, and I require no payment. Magic is a wonderful gift, no matter what anyone has told you in the past. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened to make you think you have magic, can you do that?"
Morgana nodded, and began to tell her story. It was amazing to watch Merlin talk with someone else. He was so patient with Morgana, holding her hand the entire way through the story. His eyes never left hers, and he didn't try to rush her along or look frustrated when she stumbled over the parts of the story that scared her. When she was done he said, "You don't need to be afraid, Morgana. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, do you understand that?" Morgana nodded hesitantly and Merlin continued saying, "Magic is everywhere, in every tree, rock, animal, and person. Yes, even Uther Pendragon has magic flowing in his veins. For most though, harnessing that power is nearly impossible, and it takes years of training and study to perform even the simplest of spells. For others, it is natural, and can be used to do incredible things that would be impossible without it, like healing the sick, keeping crops healthy, and protecting others from harm. You have been given an amazing gift, which you can use however you like. Once you learn how to control it, you will be able to do some spectacular things, and your powers won't hurt anyone, as long as you don't want them to. Not to brag, but I have had my powers for far longer than you have had yours, and I have never hurt anyone before. Sometimes when I get angry or sad they will react to my emotions, but that doesn't happen often. It is scary when they first emerge, and I can't imagine how terrifying it must be for someone who was raised by Uther Pendragon, but you've got to understand that it doesn't change who you are or who you will be. You've done good things in the past, so your powers will help you do more good things in the future. Do you think you are ready to learn a simple spell?"
Arthur was amazed by the way Merlin handled Morgana. Where he had been clueless, Merlin was sure, it seemed he knew exactly what she needed to hear as he began to teach her what to say and do in order to use her powers. As he watched them he tried to figure out how Merlin fit into his life. Was he an advisor? An enemy? A friend? Nothing made sense. And now, as he watched Merlin teach Morgana, he wondered if it was possible that he was something even greater than all of those things. Apparently they had made some progress as Morgana gave him a nervous look before holding out her hand and whispering a string of the words Arthur couldn't understand. As she finished, a strange light grew above her palm. It was green, and looked like a tiny sun, as it turned slowly above her hand. She looked up at Arthur with a huge smile on her face, the first in what seemed to be weeks, before turning back to Merlin. He gave her some more instructions and soon the ball was growing and shrinking as Morgana stretched her fingers apart and pulled them back together again. Arthur had been watching her so closely that he hadn't noticed when Merlin's gaze had switched to him, smiling happily as Arthur watched Morgana use her magic for the first time. Arthur eventually did realize though, and his eyes met Merlin's for a moment, and he couldn't explain the strange feeling he got as Merlin smiled at him. It was as if, just for this moment, everything in the universe was the way it was meant to be. Then Merlin turned back to Morgana and the feeling was gone. Arthur couldn't keep his eyes from the warlock as he taught Morgana more, and showed what his own powers could do. Soon the camp was filled with pulsing, multi-colored balls of light as Morgana perfected that spell and released her powers in the form of the beautiful, glowing, orbs. It was strange to think his father hated magic so much when it could be used so innocently to make such beautiful objects. While Merlin had been teaching Lancelot had gotten some food prepared and had handed each member of the group a bowl of soup which they were all eating as they watched the lights float through the camp. Merlin set his bowl down first, turned to Morgana and said, "If you want me to keep teaching you we can meet somewhere for lessons. I hope you would understand why I don't want you coming back to our camp, but there are other places we can go. We would just need to establish a time you could get away from the castle without being noticed."
"I'm not going back." Morgana said, sounding dead serious.
"Morgana," Arthur said taking a hold of her hand, "you have to come back. Think what Uther would do if you went missing."
"I can't go back there." She replied, shaking her head. "Don't you get it, if I do, I'll die. Uther will kill me. I can't go back."
Arthur was about to argue but stopped as Merlin glared at him then turned to Morgana. "If that is what you want, then that is fine, but I can't let you stay with us, either. There is a Druid tribe not far from here, I could take you there, if you would like that. They could help teach you, and you would be safe from Uther and anyone else who might want to harm you."
"Are you sure they won't hurt me?" Morgana said, looking up at Merlin with fear.
"I'm certain of it, Morgana. The Druids are a very peaceful people, they will not harm you." Merlin said, smiling gently at Morgana. Arthur thought about trying to persuade Morgana to come back, but he realized that he had no idea what she was going through right now, and Merlin might, so he probably knew what he was doing. Plus, Morgana was more stubborn than a mule. If she had made her mind up it wasn't changing, not for anything.
"Even though I'm Uther Pendragons' ward?" Morgana asked, looking at Merlin as if he might not have realized this and might attack her because of it.
"You did not choose to be Uther's ward, just as you did not choose to have magic. The Druids will not hurt you for that which is beyond your control. They taught me the importance of working to help all others, no matter who they are, so they wouldn't hurt you. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you there." Merlin said, looking directly at Morgana. Morgana nodded, still looking slightly uncertain, but said, "I would like to meet these Druids."
Merlin smiled at her, the smile that warmed Arthur's heart each time he saw it, and said, "Good. We can go there after we eat. Now, I have one more question for you, what does dear old Uther Pendragon think happened when you used your magic? I'm guessing he doesn't know that was you, right?"
"No." Morgana said, staring into the fire. As she didn't seem like she was going to finish answering Merlin's question, Arthur said, "He may think you tried to break into the castle."
"Me?" Merlin said in surprise. "Why would Emrys break into Lady Morgana's chambers? You don't secretly hoard your gold in there, do you?"
"No," Arthur said slowly, "Uther might think that you were planning on stealing something other than gold."
"Like what?" Merlin asked, Arthur couldn't help but think his innocence was a little cute. Could he really not guess what Uther would think he would be doing breaking into the chambers of one of the most beautiful women in Camelot?
"Well, he sort of figured you were trying to steal her virtue." Arthur said, trying to suppress a grin. Morgana obviously didn't find it quite as amusing as she was blushing and had her eyes fixed on the ground. Merlin apparently felt similarly to Arthur, as he spit out all of the soup he had in his mouth on Lancelot. Gwaine started laughing boisterously, and Percival was smiling, but if that was at Lancelot's soup-covered face or Uther's assumption it was hard to tell. Merlin eventually recovered and turned to Morgana, saying, "I'm sorry. That was rude, I didn't mean to insult you, you are extraordinarily beautiful, don't get me wrong, but that's just really not my style, I steal gold, not, well, that." Merlin ended gesturing at Morgana and making her blush deepen.
"And you're not exactly Merlin's type." Gwaine said, still chuckling a little.
"What, don't like beautiful women?" Arthur teased, glad for the lightened atmosphere and more than slightly interested in Merlin's type, now that it was brought up.
"Well, not beautiful women." Gwaine said, causing Merlin to blush. "He's more into beautiful men, like me, and if the rumors are true, Percival."
"Wait a minute, are you saying that Merlin and Percival…" Arthur asked with a smile. There was a tiny amount of jealousy curling in the pit of his stomach, but seeing the way Percival and Merlin blushed was just too much fun.
"They don't like to talk about it much, but I found a way to weasel some information out of them. Take it from me, Arthur, with a tankard of ale and a good hairdo you can learn anything." Gwaine said, smiling at him and swishing his hair about.
Arthur laughed as Merlin said, "Need I remind both of you that I can turn you into frogs, or rats, or bunnies…"
"Bunnies?" Lancelot asked, looking at Merlin with confusion. He seemed to be the only one who hadn't been affected by this conversation, everyone else was either blushing or breathless from laughter.
"They're not as innocent as they look!" Merlin replied, his eyes wide. A second of silence later, he burst into incredibly infectious laughter, taking the rest of the group with him. Arthur smiled at Morgana as they all finally stopped laughing, she looked so happy. The haunted look that had been in her eyes since she had discovered her magic had practically vanished.
"So, my past love life aside, should we be on our way?" Merlin said, standing up and extending his hand to Morgana to help her to her feet. Morgana nodded and accepted the hand, rising and brushing off her dress gracefully. Arthur stood as well, and received an awkward glance from Merlin, who said, "I'm sorry, Arthur, but you probably shouldn't come with us. I don't think the Druids would be too pleased to see you."
Arthur felt his stomach drop. He didn't want to leave Merlin yet, and he needed to be sure that Morgana would be safe and happy wherever she was. "Why not? I thought you said the Druids wouldn't hurt anyone?"
Merlin frowned and said, "I don't think they would hurt you, but they might be a little frightened of the Prince of Camelot, and for good reason, Arthur. Many of them are survivors from the tribes you destroyed."
Arthur blushed. He felt like he was five again and had to stay inside with his tutors while the other children went out to play. But, Merlin had a point, he didn't exactly have the best record with the Druids. Still, he couldn't just let Morgana wander off into the woods without him. He would do whatever it took, so he gave Merlin his best serious look and said, "I know what I did was wrong, and I don't expect them to forgive me, but I need to know Morgana will be safe there. I trust you, but I want to see for myself. I will do whatever you say if you let me come."
Merlin stared into his eyes for a moment before he smiled a smile that looked both very proud of him and slightly sinister all at the same time. "Did you bring a horse?" he asked, still smiling.
"Yes… Why is that important?" Arthur asked, getting slightly nervous.
"Because Percival might get slightly tired if he had to carry you the entire way." Merlin replied, giving him a cheeky grin.
"Carry me?" Arthur said, starting to get where Merlin was going with this. "You're going to knock me out again, aren't you?"
Merlin just smiled apologetically at him before he whispered a few words and Arthur felt his eyes roll backwards as he fell to the ground, asleep.