AN: Hello! Is anyone still there?
Sorry this took so long. The end of the school year was a bit rough, but I made it through! Another year of college over and done. And, although I forgot to point this out when it actually happened, I have now been writing fanfiction for over a year! I feel so old :)
But, anyhoo, I should apologize more. I really shouldn't leave you hanging so long. As a prolific reader of fanfiction, I know how painful the wait can be. There will be one more chapter of this fic (can you believe it! Just one more!) before I move on. If you are at all interested in what I will be working on next, please check out my profile page, which has been updated with all my future plans.
Thanks to everyone who started reading while I was away! And especially thanks to everyone who came back to read more after my long absence! I hope you all enjoy!
And, as always, I don't own Merlin. I think I would have forced the actors to make a movie sequel if I did :)
Chapter Thirty-One: Fighting the Dead
Merlin and Arthur ran out of Arthur's old chambers as soon as they heard the bell. For the plan to work, Merlin needed to be at the front of the battle, and Arthur definitely wasn't going to let him out of his sight. The hallways seemed strangely deserted as Arthur searched for someone to find out why they had set the warning bells off. When Arthur finally saw a guard running towards them he shouted, "What's happened?"
"The army has been spotted!" The man yelled. "You're men are waiting for you on the battlements."
Arthur nodded and continued running after Merlin, who was sprinting towards the exit of the castle. Percival, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Elyan joined them the second they made it out the doors, and quickly moved into position around Merlin. He was the key part of their plan, and if it was to work, he needed to be completely free from distractions until it the battle was over.
Cenred's army was huge. Even if Merlin's spells and the thus far un-breached citadel walls were able to hold for long enough, the enemy soldiers could easily surround the city and starve them out. As the group looked out over the sea of swarming, black-clad warriors, Arthur couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous. Growing up as prince, he had lecture after lecture about the great battles of the past, but never before had he seen just how enormous an army could be. Learning the facts and being present at a real battle were two incredibly different things. He couldn't help but think all his training was for naught. Nothing could ever have prepared him for this.
As he glanced over at Merlin, Arthur could tell he was having a similar experience. His blue eyes were huge and he looked quite disturbed by the sheer numbers he would be going against. There were still a good number of men fighting for Camelot, so Merlin wasn't completely alone, but up here on the battlements looking down over the multitude approaching made it seem like it was just them against Cenred's forces.
"Well, this is it." Merlin said simply. "I want all of you to stay safe, no matter what the cost. Kill if it is necessary. These men chose to harm the people we swore to protect, and we can't let them."
"The same goes for you, Merlin." Arthur replied, "I know you don't like hurting anyone, but if it comes down to you or them, you have to do what's necessary. You're too important to die here."
Merlin smiled weakly at Arthur before taking his hand and whispering "Stay near to me."
Arthur just nodded, as the sounds of shouts and cries were coming from the city reached them. His forehead creased in confusion. The army outside the gates hadn't been able to attack, they were still firing arrows and large stones into Merlin's barrier while others did everything they could to break down the gates, so what could be the problem inside the city? Gwaine seemed to have realized something was wrong first, as he said, "What the… Merlin, I think we've got a problem."
Arthur and Merlin turned around together, both seeing the chaos that had enveloped the lower town at the same time. The battle had begun, but it wasn't Cenred's soldiers the knights were fighting. Hundreds of skeletons filled the streets of Camelot, each armed and seemingly un-killable. Even with lost arms and even heads, they continued to climb back up and battle with the soldiers who filled the streets. Luckily, many of the citizens had evacuated or barricaded themselves indoors, so the number of dead was lower than it could have been. But the numbers of bodies in the street and retreating injured soldiers were growing at an alarming rate.
Before Arthur had a chance to comment, Merlin hissed, "Magic." and took off. His escort quickly followed him, down from the battlements and into the mess that was the lower town. With a few well aimed blasts, Merlin was able to clear a path through the skeletal figures, leading them towards the castle. The swarms of skeletons weren't dissuaded by Merlin's powerful magic though, and continued pushing towards them. Arthur swung his sword out, catching a skeleton holding a club across the chest, and, to his surprise, the creature collapsed. His brows creased in confusion as he looked around, seeing many other soldiers, including Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival, all fighting skeletons unsuccessfully. Somehow, his attack was able to destroy the creatures while no one else could. Not even the skeletons that fell to Merlin's spells stayed down. As Arthur hit another skeleton, and it too broke apart, Arthur realized it hadn't been a fluke. Using his new-found knowledge Arthur renewed his attack with added vigor, hoping to take out as many of the undead soldiers as possible while still sticking with Merlin.
Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Leon leading a charge while brandishing a flaming torch, which seemed to have about as much effect as the swords, unfortunately. But, torches could make good clubs, which might blast the skeletons to pieces better than the metal blades the rest of them held. It was good to know that Leon was, for the moment, still alive and fighting, but for how much longer Arthur didn't know. If they didn't take care of the skeletons soon, Camelot would fall to Cenred before the battle really started.
"Where are we going?" Arthur shouted to Merlin over the din of battle.
"Down!" Merlin replied, looking very focused as he continued towards the castle.
"Nothing more specific?" Arthur replied, slicing the head off a skeleton only for it to continue swinging its sword towards the group.
"Well, these skeletons have to be coming from somewhere. Is there a crypt beneath the castle?"
"Yes!" Arthur shouted, remembering when Morgana had dared him to venture into the cold, dark, catacombs beneath the castle. His father had taken it as a sign that he was interested in learning about all the past leaders of Camelot, and had forced him to remain down in the crypt overnight after listening to a seemingly endless lecture from Geoffrey about each of the dead men. Arthur couldn't help but wonder which of the previous rulers and knights he was attacking as he slashed through another skeleton before pushing his way up to Merlin.
"There are tombs in the catacombs; will you be able to stop the spell from there?"
"Hopefully, we just need to get there first." Merlin said, giving Arthur a nervous smile before sending another blast of wind to clear their path.
Once inside the castle, things got slightly better. Most of the skeletons had already made their way to the madness outside, so the passageways were clear except for the people rushing around to help bring supplies to the chambers that had been set up as a medical ward. Arthur took the lead, running through corridors that had been his home before meeting Merlin.
Arthur halted abruptly when he reached the last staircase that would take them down to the tombs under the castle. He felt a sense of foreboding mixed with the cool air blowing up from the underground chambers. Merlin stopped beside him, his expression showing Arthur that he felt the same. Something wasn't right. Their silent vigil was interrupted when Gwaine came crashing into them, not able to stop quickly enough. Before they could even attempt to stop their fall, another two bodies crashed against theirs, as Percival, Elyan and Lancelot caught up as well. Merlin was just able to stop them from crashing down into the depths of the catacombs, but with the ruckus they had made there was no way whoever was down among the dead had not heard them.
They remained in their crumpled pile for a minute, waiting for their discovery, but it never came. Merlin got up first, easily untangling himself as he was not wearing armor like the rest of them. That had been something Arthur had fought with him and Uther over. Merlin thought it a waste of metal, seeing as he could protect himself, and Uther had been rather reluctant to offer the most wanted criminal in Camelot use of the royal forge, clearly hoping that the lack of armor would result in Merlin's death. Arthur had eventually relented, swearing to himself that he would insure Uther's wishes went unfulfilled. The rest of them weren't going to let Merlin go without their protection, so they quickly followed him into the darkness, even if that meant making a racket comparable to the din of the battle raging outside. Merlin turned back and glared while they scrambled over each other, trying to move to his side.
"Stay back," Merlin hissed. "Whoever's down there clearly has powerful magic. Your swords won't do much about him."
"We're not letting you go alone, Merlin." Percival stated, leaving no room for the argument Merlin clearly had all planned out.
"You can't change our minds." Lancelot said, noticing the look in Merlin's eyes that all of them recognized. Merlin never wanted to put anyone else in danger when he could risk himself instead. But that wasn't going to happen.
"You aren't getting rid of us yet, mate." Gwaine added, his usual carefree tone replaced with a steely determination Arthur had only seen a few times before. The more he got to know the man, the more he respected him.
Stepping up beside Merlin, Arthur took his hand and said, "You aren't alone, Merlin. Don't forget that."
Merlin smiled and nodded, before saying "Stay behind me though, alright? Your swords and armor won't protect you from magic."
Arthur consented, slightly unwilling, as they crept down the stairs to the lowest level of the castle. Even the dungeons and the large cavern that had held the dragon were above these dank caverns. Every noise was magnified in the still air as they stalked into the dark passageways that had been filled with the dead. Now there were stones and rocks littering their path where the skeletons had broken free, smashing their way upwards to destroy the land they had rested peacefully beneath for so many years.
But, besides their footsteps and the unavoidable clinks and clanks of armor, there was no noise. The catacombs seemed completely deserted, bereft of even the dead who had kept residence there. Merlin held out his hand and whispered "Leoht" the gold flash in his eyes much more noticeable in the pitch black hall. When he opened his hand there was a bright blue ball of light, illuminating the rubble covering the ground and, as they looked farther into the darkness, a wooden staff protruding from the stone ground. The top of the staff was broken into twisted branches supporting a glass ball that reflected the blue of Merlin's light, giving it a strange glow.
"So, what now?" Elyan asked.
"Well," Merlin said, sounding incredibly confused, "we'll need to destroy that staff. That's what the magic is coming from. That should destroy the skeletons."
"Might as well get it done with then, right?" Gwaine said, taking the first step forward and lifting his sword, Percival, Lancelot, and Elyan moving into position behind him. Merlin had hesitated, though, grabbing Arthur's hand as he tried to follow the others towards the staff. Arthur glanced at him in confusion, and was about to pull free when Merlin shouted "WAIT!" and swung his arm out, his eyes glowing gold once more. Whatever spell Merlin had cast in that second was enough to protect him and Arthur, but Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, and Lancelot were not so lucky. A gust of wind picked each of them up and threw them backwards, as if they were as light as feathers. They each landed in heaps behind Arthur and Merlin, eyes closed but Arthur was certain he could still see the slow rise and fall of each man's chest as they continued to breath. Arthur could tell Merlin wanted to go and check on them, but knew that that would only put them all in far greater danger, as, out of the darkness, the sorcerer who had cast the spell crept forward.
Merlin kept his arm outstretched and pointed towards the unknown sorcerer as the man reached the staff. As he moved into the glow provided by Merlin's ball of light, Arthur could see that he was about the same height as Lancelot, with dirty-blonde hair and pointed features. Some may have considered him handsome, but the way his face twisted in a cruel grin ruined any chance of beauty. His eyes seemed to be permanently squinting, but had a strange gleam as if he found their current predicament hilarious.
"Well if it isn't the ex-prince of Camelot and his little band of outcasts. I wasn't expecting to run into you lot down here." The sorcerer said, moving between Merlin and Arthur and the staff. "Why don't you run along and continue playing your little games in the forest. Let Morgause and I handle Uther like you should have when you had the chance."
"Who are you?" Merlin asked, moving slightly in front of Arthur, his hand still outstretched but slightly lowered.
"I am Alvarr, young thief. And I have no quarrel with you as long as you leave my plans alone. But if you stand aside it would be my pleasure to help you end the line of Pendragon once and for all."
"Arthur is not his father." Merlin replied, his voice as cold as it had been when he had rescued Arthur from Uther. "You will not harm him."
"We'll see about that won't we? Swilte Arthur!" Alvarr said, and Arthur had to duck as rocks began raining down on him from every direction. With Merlin's help he was able to avoid most of them, but a few still hit their target, covering Arthur in what he was certain would soon be bruises. They were able to take shelter behind a rather large and mostly undisturbed grave and Merlin whispered, "You get to the staff. Your sword should be able to take care of it. I'll distract Alvarr."
Before Arthur was able to stop him, Merlin jumped up, dashing around the tomb that had been keeping them safe. Arthur was about to follow him when he heard a large crash and saw Alvarr flying backwards into the catacombs. It wasn't long before Merlin was running after him, winds swirling around him as he continued fighting the other sorcerer. Arthur peeked over the stone tomb carefully, watching as the two men's magic raged against each other's. Even though Merlin's magic was also at work protecting the castle, there was no comparison between the two. Alvarr barely had time to cast any spells, spending most of his time blocking and dodging whatever Merlin sent his way. Merlin was obviously trying to move them away from the staff and looked as strong as ever, his eyes almost never returning to the deep blue they were normally. As the dueling magicians finally made it far enough from the staff that Arthur was certain he wouldn't be noticed, he crept forward, edging stealthily towards the source of the magic controlling the skeletal army.
Just as Arthur reached the magic staff, Alvarr shouted "No!" and slammed his hand down to the ground hissing out some enchantment that Arthur couldn't hear over the rumbling that had started deep in the earth. He was thrown back as the floor of the catacombs shifted and rolled, and stones began falling from the ceiling. He could just barely hear Merlin calling to him as he continued to fight towards the source of the skeletal army, which was getting more and more difficult with every step. The dust had almost completely obscured his view of the staff when suddenly, a warm wind blew around him, clearing his path. As he looked for the source of the wind he saw Merlin, smiling, at his side. He looked mostly unharmed, although there was a small trail of blood over his left eye and he was almost completely coated in dust.
"We need to destroy the staff before Alvarr's spell destroys the catacombs!" Merlin shouted over the din. Arthur nodded back as they pushed forward, finally reaching the staff. Arthur raised Excalibur high above his head and brought it down, splintering the wood of the staff and slicing it in two. Merlin smiled at him as the staff broke apart, before pulling Arthur back towards the stairs, keeping one hand outstretched to shield them from the falling debris. Luckily, it seemed the closer they got towards the stairs the more stable the ground and ceiling became, until the shaking had almost stopped all together. Merlin's hand let go of Arthur's as he ran over to check on Lancelot, Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival, all of whom were still slumped over near the stairs. Although there were a few fallen rocks around them, they seemed mostly unscathed. Merlin tried to wake them, but his efforts were in vain.
"We need to get them out of here!" Merlin called to Arthur, who quickly moved to his side. He was exhausted already, and by the way Merlin was looking he could tell the warlock was even more tired than he was. But they needed to get their friends to safety before they could even think of resting. "I can try to make them lighter with my magic, but if I want to keep holding up the barrier between Camelot and Cenred's army I won't be able to move them on my own."
"Alright." Arthur said, moving over to Percival's feet. "Let's get them out of here."
Merlin just nodded, grimacing slightly as he grabbed Percival's arms. With a quick flash of gold and mumbled spell the massive knight became about as heavy as a large sack of potatoes and easy enough for Arthur and Merlin to haul up to the first landing, far away from the destruction of the catacombs. They hurried back for Elyan, Gwaine and Lancelot, each one getting slightly heavier as Merlin's hold on consciousness slipped. When all three unconscious men were far enough from the collapsing catacombs for their safety, both Arthur and Merlin collapsed, smiles on their faces.
"We did it." Arthur said happily. "Are you're shields holding?"
"Mmhhmm." Merlin said, with a nod. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was about ready to fall asleep on top of Percival's unconscious form. "Although the person who was trying to break through it is gone. Hopefully that's a good sign."
"And Alvarr?" Arthur asked, not really sure he wanted to know.
"He didn't make it out." Merlin said. "I'm not sure what spell he used, and I'm not sure he really realized what it would do either. He was crushed under the debris."
Arthur nodded solemnly. "We should go see what's going on, and see if we can get some medical attention for these four. We probably shouldn't just nap here."
"You sure about that? 'Cause Percival is quite comfortable." Merlin replied, his eyes still closed.
"Come on, Merlin." Arthur said with a smile, standing up and hauling Merlin to his feet. Merlin groaned and squinted his eyes, looking a lot like he did when he just woke up except for the piles of dust and the bruises and blood coloring his skin. Arthur hadn't really thought about it, but if he was tired from what he had done, Merlin must have been dead on his feet. Magic always took its toll on the warlock, and what he had done today would definitely wear him out. Protecting him, Percival, Elyan, Gwaine, and Lancelot as well as the entire kingdom must have taken up more energy than he could even imagine.
Arthur squeezed his hand and tried to take some of his weight as they walked upwards, away from the three unconscious men. If Alvarr was taken care of, anyone coming after them would have to go through them, which would mean their friends would be safe until they could get help. The castle seemed calmer than it had when they had descended into the catacombs, which was definitely a good sign. The calm castle caused Arthur to let down his guard, focusing solely on Merlin as they passed through the empty corridors. He didn't notice the man sneaking up behind them until it was too late. The man went for Merlin first, knocking him out of Arthur's grip and onto the floor, giving Arthur a brief moment to try to fight back before something slammed against the back of his head, and he fell into darkness.