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Wrath of Uther Pendragon
The forest is dark and foreboding in the middle of the night. She can't help but look behind them, afraid of being followed. He assures her that they'll be fine, because he cast a spell covering their tracks.
She prays it will be enough.
Ealdor is miles away, on the border of the neighboring kingdom. She yawns and Merlin smiles at her sleepily. They'll reach their destination in the morning. For now they must keep going, lest they be captured.
An owl hoots in the dead of night, and crickets chirp. There is no sound but the creatures and the trots of their horses and their own breathing. Her heart quickens as an unidentified sound nears.
"Merlin," she whispers.
He's already ahead of her, swinging himself off of his horse.
"Keep going," he tells her, ready to run and find out who (or what) is following them.
"You've gone completely mad. I'm not letting you do this alone," she looks at him as if he's grown another head and climbs off of her horse. She pats it gently, and steps to Merlin's side.
"Go to Ealdor where it's safe. I don't want you getting hurt," he frowns.
"We're in this together," she takes his hand and their magic melds together, creating a shield around themselves for protection.
Footsteps on the grass and leaves near, Merlin's hands curl into fists, and the figure is revealed. He and Morgana let out a sigh of relief upon seeing it was just a deer. They share a glance and let out nervous laughter. The deer darts by, completely ignoring them. The two sorcerers climb back onto their horses, setting out at a quicker pace. The little scare has shaken them, and as confident as they are in Merlin's anti-tracking charm, the faster they reach Ealdor, the better, and more at ease they would feel.
A plate crashes against a tapestry on the wall, falling apart into bits in pieces. The bell tolls in the tower, alerting all of Camelot that prisoners have escaped. The king knocks his goblet of wine over, spilling the red liquid onto the floor and staining the carpet.
"Father, what's happened?" Arthur runs into his father's chambers, concern etched on his face.
"They've escaped, the traitors," Uther seethes, "Morgana told me they could escape, but I didn't believe her. Let this be the last time I underestimate magic."
There's a pause.
"Have the entire town searched, the forest, too. Anyone suspicious shall be arrested and tried for aiding the guilty," he says, hands gripping onto the back of a chair.
"Father, maybe it's best they've gone? They surely can't be a threat to us, I mean, it's Merlin and Morgana," Arthur sounds skeptical.
Uther turns on him, gripping him by the shoulders, "They aren't your friends anymore, Arthur. They shall see you and our kingdom butchered for their own gain. Magic is evil. Understand me, boy?"
Uther's face is red, his voice rough. Arthur nods mutely and his father releases him.
"Go!" he orders.
The prince walks out of the room slowly, stopping at the door to watch his father push the table over in anger. Arthur leaves, and Uther slams the door shut. After all he did for her, this is how he repays her. She was always a bit rebellious, but he had seen it as endearing and amusing. She's just a girl, he had thought. She's far more than a girl. He's been keeping a sorceress under his own roof for nearly a decade and was none the wiser. He's a fool to have been so blind because she's a girl with an innocent face and large green eyes. She betrayed him and will have to face the consequences. Magic has obviously corrupted her. Why else would she be cavorting with a sorcerer? He sneers. To think he'd called the boy a valuable asset in the fight against magic. He was only trying to get closer to Arthur to kill him, possibly on Nimueh's commands. And Gaius, who protected the boy. The elderly man has shown his loyalty to the crown many times before, so he hopes Gaius was truly oblivious.
He takes the pitcher of wine that a servant had brought in and throws it against the wall.
Magic made him lose everything he held dear once before. He won't allow magic to destroy his life once more.
There it is. A quaint, sleepy village surrounded by grassy hills and overgrown trees met them with warmth and a bright morning. The horses trot into the village, and the magical pair watch as the townspeople go about their day, a few people stopping to wave at Merlin and the newcomer.
Hunith runs out of her home, smiling. Merlin slides off of his horse, offering his hand to Morgana, who hops off. The older woman embraces her son in a warm, loving hug.
"I missed you, my boy," she whispered, taking in the son she hadn't seen in a year.
Merlin smiles at her and Morgana waves awkwardly from behind him. She's taken by surprise when Hunith envelops her into a hug. She's shocked and doesn't relax for a moment. The last time her mother and father (Gorlois, not Uther) hugged her was when she was nine or ten. Uther hugged her rarely, and when he did, it was for show, and not a genuine display of affection. But now, she relaxes into Hunith's motherly arms.
The two women pull away and Hunith smiles lightly.
"It's so good to see you. Come inside for some breakfast," she ushers them into the small, homely cottage.
Once situated at the small table, Hunith sets a loaf of bread and some butter on the table.
"When Gaius sent me word that you were in the dungeons, I was so worried," Hunith admits, sitting down.
"Gaius told you?" Morgana sounds confused. She was under the impression that Gaius would defend Uther, though Merlin is his kin.
"Not Gaius, exactly. He contacted your sister, Morgause. She came to the village just two nights ago to tell me what happened," she recounts what she knows, "though my brother has been protecting the king for decades, family is more important to him."
Merlin smiles lightly, "I just hope Uther doesn't suspect him of helping us."
Morgana puts a hand on his, squeezing it. Hunith watches them with a gentle expression, and Morgana wishes they could tell her the truth. That they've lived this life before (though certain events have changed) and that they met all the way in the year 2012, mad as it seems. But they can't, for no one must know this has already happened.
Nimueh explained it to them at the Isle of the Blessed. Everything that seems familiar or may trigger a memory for everyone else is merely seen as deja vu, nothing more. If the truth were revealed, the world would go back to how it was, as if the spell was never cast, back to the twenty first century. She doesn't want that. Not at all.
She doesn't have Vivien here, but she doesn't feel so alone. She has Merlin, and Arthur and Gwen's support. Now Hunith's. It's the life she's wanted, the life she wants. She's going to fight Uther Pendragon to get what she wants, what she needs, even if it kills her in the process. Never let it be said that the Lady Morgana didn't go down fighting.
He sits slumped in his chair, looking older than he did merely a few nights ago. He stares out the window, watching at the crowd assembled, the guards and knights keeping them at bay. The pyre was set up, ready to burn the traitors. He looks up when there's a knock at the door.
"Enter," he's tired and weary.
Arthur steps through the doorway and he too, looks like he's been up the entire night.
"Well?" the king asked.
"There's no sign of them," Arthur's voice croaks, "No one has any information. Perhaps they used magic to escape, leaving no trace?"
Uther snarls, "Go to the Druid camp. They'll surely be hiding there. Slaughter them all if need be."
Arthur gapes at him, "The Druids are peaceful. Surely they know better than to hide fugitives."
"They kidnapped Morgana once before, did they not? Perhaps they infected her with magic, with sorcery," Uther begins to mutter, nearly unintelligible.
Arthur can't take any of this anymore. He will not let innocent people die because of his father's rage.
"They didn't kidnap her, father. She feared she had magic and went to them for assistance, since no one here would help her. She was frightened, scared of what you'd do to her. Now I see she was right," Arthur says as calmly as he can.
Uther's head snaps up, a manic look in his eyes.
"You knew? You knew of her deceit, of your servant's deceit, and you remained silent?" he stands, inching towards his son.
"They're my friends. They don't want to hurt anyone. They were just afraid of you," Arthur holds his ground when Uther shakes his shoulders violently.
"Magic kills the soul. They aren't your friends anymore!" he shakes him again. It dawns on him that he must have helped them escape, and he's enraged that Arthur dare defy him in such a manner.
Arthur pushes Uther away, snarling.
"I refuse to take part in this witch hunt. If you want someone to burn, you can burn me," he says venomously.
Uther's green eyes widen, and the color drains from his face. He can't kill his own child. Not after everything he's lost.
"Then go to the dungeons," he says automatically, mouth moving before his brain could catch up.
Arthur suppresses his surprise and nods, "So be it."
He leaves the room with as much dignity as he can, feet leading him towards the dungeon.
In his chambers, Uther Pendragon stifles a cry of panic and sorrow. All he's held dear has just been lost forever. He straightens himself up wipes his face. He's the king, the leader of Camelot. He needs to stand by his decisions.
She wakes up in a cold sweat from the nap Hunith insisted they take. Merlin sits up groggily beside her, worry etched on his face. She looks at him in fear, chest constricting. Her dream was plagued by fire and death.
She need only say one word for Merlin to understand completely.
"Arthur," she whispers.
It is at that moment that Merlin jumps off of the makeshift bed, pulling on his worn shirt. There's a sort of anger and rage in his eyes she's only seen a few times in her life (lives).
She follows him, putting on her shoes and tying her hair back into a braid as quickly as possible. Hunith returns from her chores, startled to see the new arrivals ready to go.
"I knew Arthur would be in trouble once we left. I just didn't know it'd be Uther who would try and kill him," Merlin says numbly. Morgana holds his hand as they explain to Hunith that they must leave.
"The journey is long, you must hurry, then," she smiles sadly at her son and the girl who she considers to be an adoptive daughter of sorts.
"We don't need the horses," Merlin says. They didn't use the spell before because Arthur and Gwen had been wonderful enough to set up their escape. Now, they're on their own.
He takes Morgana's other hand and she closes her eyes. He chants the transportation spell, eyes glowing. When she opens her eyes, they're in the forest, Camelot in sight.
Now they must save the prince, even if it means putting their own lives at risk. Uther Pendragon would feel their wrath. No one gets to harm her brother and Merlin's best friend. Even the king.
Different course of events, here, so it's going to be quite AU. I hope this was enjoyable to read. Please review!