thanks to laughandlove for the review! sorry I couldn't answer personally because you were on guest :/
Soon it will all be over and buried with our past
Merlin watches in silence as Leon and Arthur read through the list of all suspected sorcerers who could have started the fire in Morgana's chambers. After Arthur nods Leon away, he sets down the list, which rolls into a scroll. Merlin curses under his breath, walking over to it and attempting to open it with his magic. When that doesn't work he crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently, waiting for Arthur to open the scroll again.
Arthur, though, walks over to his bed and tosses the covers up onto the pillow. He looks down at the bed, seemingly satisfied at the less-than-mediocre stature of the blankets, and Merlin laughs to himself.
"Still don't think you need a manservant?" Merlin asks, then laughs even harder. "Didn't he tell you not to be funny, Merlin?" And then he laughs even harder. "And now you're talking to yourself. You're having a chat with yourself in the middle of Arthur's chambers. Great. I'm going absolutely crazy."
Merlin never really needed to get his message through to Morgana. The girl had decided on her own to go to the Druids and find out what was happening to her.
Merlin follows suit behind her as she trails through the woods, following the directions she'd been given by one of the prisoners about the whereabouts of the Druid camp, and now she's on her way there. He's certain the king has already sounded the warning bells and has an entire army looking for his ward, and as aware as he is that people's lives are in danger, Morgana's included, he knows that if Morgana doesn't do this now she'll be lost for who knows how long. It's not like he could stop her, anyway. He still has no idea how and when she can see him.
Morgana walks through the fog, her red cape flowing behind her. She stops suddenly, hearing a sound in the woods and Merlin curses under his breath. Morgana looks around, eyes wide, before she turns and runs further into the forest.
Hours later, in darkness of the night, Merlin is still tailing behind Morgana. He's not tired at all, he doesn't get tired anymore, but he can tell the walk is taking it's toll on the girl.
The sounds in the woods are still present, but nothing shows until Merlin notices a massive scorpion-like creature on the ground in front of Morgana. She gasps, leaning down to grab a stick from beside her and she holds it in front of her defensively as if it could have any effect on the clearly magical creature. And then Merlin and Morgana both slowly turn to see the massive tail pointing towards Morgana. She screams, whipping around and taking off, but not before the tail stabs her in the leg and she falls to the ground.
"Morgana!" Merlin yells, dropping to his knees beside her. She looks up at him, scrambling to get away.
"Not again!" She yells, and Merlin rolls his eyes.
"Don't you think you've got bigger problems than me at the moment?" Merlin demands, looking up at the top of the hill to see all the other creatures descending from the treeline.
"Merlin, do something!" She yells, and Merlin's frustration skyrockets when he realizes there's nothing he can do. "Merlin!" Morgana screams again, but with less power. She's clearly starting to feel the effects of whatever poison or venom was in the creatures tail, and Merlin braces himself for the death of his friend on his watch when all the creatures stop and back away. A man approaches Morgana, hand positioned outward, and the girl's eyes flutter closed as her head hits the leaf-covered ground.
Merlin stays close all night, and it's not until the next morning when Morgana finally awakes that he feels a bit of relief. She looks up at the man in front of her and pulls away, and he smiles a kind smile at her. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you."
"What happened?" She demands, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"You were stung by a Serket. I came to help. My name is Algain." Algain grabs her arm as she starts thrashing, calming her down enough to get a few words in. "Relax, Morgana. You're safe now."
"Who told you my name?" She demands, and not even Merlin expected what happened next.
"I did."
The three of them turn to see the new visitor, his familiar bright blue eyes sending a chill down Merlin's spine.
Morgana looks at him in shock, eyes wide. "You," she says, not taking her eyes off him even as Algain starts talking again.
"When the Serket attacked last night, Mordred was able to sense your distress. With his mind."
Mordred smiles a small smile, and if the Dragon's warning about him being Arthur's doom hadn't been replaying through his mind, Merlin might have have found it endearing. Morgana's eyes widen suddenly and she slowly pulls her eyes away from Mordred to look at Algain in shock. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Merlin asks, and Morgana looks back at Mordred.
"How did you do that?"
"We don't always need words to speak to one another," Algain says, and Merlin curses loudly, knowing that nobody can hear him.
"Now I can take care of you," Mordred says, sitting at Morgana's feet with another small smile, "like you did me."
Morgana falls asleep shortly after, and Merlin takes post outside her tent. He doesn't let anyone in without feeling suspicious, especially Algain. For some reason, the man rubs him the wrong way.
He picks up parts of their conversation but doesn't think it's too important so he lets them go about their business.
Eventually Algain gets Morgana out of the tent and he follows them, listening in on their conversation about how Uther wants the Druids dead. Algain asks about why Morgana is so far from Camelot, to which she answers "I'm searching for answers. I hope the Druids can give them to me."
"What would you like to know?"
Morgana hesitates for a moment, but answers anyway. "Why I can see the future in my dreams. Why I'm able to start fires with my mind."
"People who are able to do this are few and far between," Algain says, and Morgana's eyes widen at his words. "You have a gift."
"Is it magic?" She asks, and Algain nods.
"Of a kind, yes. It will be many years before you are able to understand it fully, let alone use it. This isn't something to be afraid of."
"It is if you have Uther as your guardian," Morgana snaps. "If he found out he'd have me killed."
"He won't."
"But if he did."
"We won't let that happen. You're safe here," Algain says, and a realization strikes Merlin and he nearly slaps himself in the face for not seeing it coming. "You shouldn't be scared of Uther," Algain continues, "you should pity him."
"Pity him? Why?" Morgana almost laughs.
"Because he's a broken man consumed by fear. His hatred of magic consumes the goodness of his heart."
Morgana shakes her head, her voice starting to shake as she speaks. "I've always been told magic is evil. It corrupts your soul."
"Who told you this? Uther?" Algain asks, and Merlin stares in slight fear of the direction the conversation is headed in. "In time you will learn that magic isn't a dark art that should be shrouded in secrecy. It can be a force for good."
A small smile tugs at the corners of Morgana's lips as she looks down at her lap in thought. Merlin almost smiles, too. Almost.
Later on that same day, just as the sun begins to set, Merlin finds himself watching a bit suspiciously as Algain walks off through the Druid camp. He watches through narrowed eyes as the man walks away, trying to find some sense of reason for his distrust.
He makes his way back to Morgana's tent and pokes his head in. The girl jolts up and looks around the tent, her eyes finally landing on Merlin after a moment. "Merlin. Again. Wonderful."
"You have to go back to Camelot, Morgana."
"Why should I listen to what my hallucination says? You're not real, you can't tell me what to do. I'm never going back to Camelot. Never."
"You have to."
"Why? Why would I go back to a place that hunts and shuns my kind?"
"Morgana, seeking out the Druids was a good idea, but you never realized what the repercussions would be."
"What repercussions?"
"The King. He thinks you've been kidnapped."
It was a guess, of course, but a logical one. Merlin's pretty certain that a search party is on their way to the camp now to kill every single Druid around. Still, Morgana clearly believes it, even though she does think Merlin's just a hallucination. She stares at him with wide eyes, then jumps to her feet and runs straight through him, much to Merlin's dismay.
He pulls himself to his feet, prepared to run after her when a piercing sound rings in his ears and he presses his hands to the side of his head, crumpling down to his knees in pain.
Merlin!
"Michael, wha-"
Sorry, didn't mean to hurt you. I'm not very good at telepathy.
"Clearly. What are you doing?"
Uther's been taking prisoners. Arthur's been going around with a list arresting anyone on suspicion of kidnapping Morgana. They're all to be executed unless she's returned.
Merlin curses, running up to Morgana. "Look, it's worse than i thought. Uther's going to execute every one of the prisoners he's taken if you don't go back. Now do you see the consequences?" He demands, and she glares at him.
"Remind me again why I should listen to you. You're not really here," she laughs, a bit manically, and Merlin raises his eyebrows at her.
"You know it's the sort of thing Uther would do. You know him better than I do, and even I know it's not crazy for him. They'll all be executed, Morgana. Innocent people."
"If I return, the same fate awaits me," she mutters, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Morgana?" Mordred asks, approaching them slowly. "Who are you speaking to?"
Morgana glances back at Merlin, but her gaze goes straight through him and his heart sinks a bit when he realizes she can't see him again. "Nobody."
"Morgana, we must go," Algain says, approaching the rest of them. "Arthur's men are coming."
Morgana, with one last glance over to where Merlin is standing, turns and follows Algain away from the camp. Merlin sighs, running a hand through his hair, when he notices Mordred hasn't moved. In fact, Mordred is staring straight up at him as if he can actually see him.
"Hello, Emrys," Mordred says, and before Merlin can react, the boy turns and takes off after Morgana and Algain.
Merlin follows, not sure who's side to take. He hears Arthur call and they follow the the four of them, Merlin taking the lead until he hears Morgana cry out in pain. He turns to see her fall to her knees. "My leg, it's too painful."
"I'll try to create a diversion," Merlin says, insure of whether or not she can see him.
"No, you can't!" Morgana calls after him, and Algain gives her a confused look.
"Who are you talking to?"
Merlin ignores him, though. "I'll think of something, don't worry. They can't hurt me. Go!"
"I'll never forget this," Morgana says as Algain drags her off, sending a glance over his shoulder and looking around to try an find out who Morgana was speaking to.
Merlin watches them run, Morgana on their tail, and he mutters a spell. Nothing happens, and he curses again, then turns to see Arthur approaching quickly. He squeezes his eyes shut, and something moves in the woods that seems to take Arthur's attention because the prince turns and yells "there!" He leads his men up the hill and Merlin turns, running after Morgana.
Merlin makes it back to them in time to see Morgana laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. "They're coming!" Mordred yells, and Merlin watches helplessly as an arrow shoots straight into Algain's back.
Mordred runs, leaving Morgana lying on the ground. The guards yell that they've found her as Merlin runs after Mordred, determined to find out how the boy could see him.
Mordred stops when he finds himself cornered by three guards, and Merlin watches as they prepare to kill the boy. Mordred glances over his shoulder at Merlin, who swallows nervously, and then Mordred does something Merlin would have never thought the young boy could do.
He opens his mouth, letting out a scream, which sends the guards flying out in every direction. They hit the ground, and Merlin can only assume they're dead. Mordred looks around at them, then back at Merlin, before running further into the forest.
Merlin paces anxiously across Morgana's floor as the ward lays in her bed, eyes closed and breathing steady. He doesn't even see her sit up until she clears her throat awkwardly. He spins around to see her sitting in her bed, looking not as panicked as last time but still just a bit scared. "You saved my life."
"I didn't really-"
"No, you did. How are my hallucinations somehow managing to distract Arthur to let me escape?"
Merlin stares at her for a moment, then shakes his head silently, staring at the ground.
It's a while before she speaks again. "Thank you, Merlin."
Merlin's head snaps up to see her smiling just a bit. "For what?"
"For helping me find who I really am. To help me see that it isn't something to be afraid of. Maybe one day people will come to see magic as a force for good. Thank you."
"Um..." Merlin starts awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's good to have you back."
"I could say the same for you," she laughs a bit, looking down at the bed as she runs her fingers along the pattern of her blankets. "But it would be a lie. It's not good. It's very, very bad. Very confusing."
"I know. I'm sorry," Merlin smiles weakly, and she laughs again, her smile fading as she looks up a him.
"I don't know why I'm seeing you, of all people," she says, narrowing her eyes at him. "But I'm going to find out why."
oh craaaaap
well morgana thinks shes crazy and that merlin is a hallucination but what will he say to convince her otherwise if he can convince her otherwise hmm
next up we'll see the lady of the lake with freya and such but that'll be the last episode for a while especially because we get some big michael moments hehehehehehehehe hope none of you guys are too attached to him
-notreallymagical