part ten! hullo, ok so my computer is falling to bits because its OLD. so I'm currently quickly breaking into my mums computer to post this.

anyway i hope you liked that last chapter. this chapter, Merlin tells Arthur about his magic, they sit by a lake. a female joins them and she has something that looks like a sword. i don't own Merlin. if i did, there would be more Merlin love interests, i mean the guy is saving everybody's life constantly. surely he has earned a girlfriend(or boyfriend) who doesn't turn into a winged cat monster. but yeah don't own Merlin. read on :D

The talk, the lady, the lake.

Their two horses arrived by the lake and Merlin took a seat on a fallen tree, Arthur looked sceptically at the mossy stump, Merlin chuckled as the prince gave him a pointed look. Seconds later his eyes turned gold and the moss dried out. He motioned for Arthur to sit down and sighed. Once the prince was settled Merlin began.

"I'll start with the bad shall I? Well you already know about the poisoning Morgana thing. I still have not got over the guilt of that, I didn't want to do it but there was no other way. I knew her sister could heal her." Arthur wanted to ask a question but Merlin provided the answer before he could. "You need to understand that until recently Morgana was the beloved ward of Uthur Pendragon. For someone of my station to have spoken out against her, saying she was the half sister of Camelot's enemy and wished to harm the king and prince. Well no one would have believed me over her. Also had I revealed what I knew, I would have exposed myself as Emrys and would either been killed by your father or removed by Morgana so she could kill you." Arthur felt slightly queasy knowing that Merlin had truly been loyal to him, acting against Morgana, even poisoning her and admitting it so that Arthur would stay safe.

"Why would she want me dead?" the prince found himself wondering. "In time Arthur. That will also be told." Arthur allowed Merlin to continue. "When Morgana and Morgouse placed that enchantment on Camelot I went to the dragon to ask if he knew a way of stopping it. He made me promise something on my mother's life." Merlin took a deep breath and his eyes started to get wet. "He made me promise I would release him once I had broken the sleeping enchantment, I had no choice, so I used one of the sword from the knights of Medea, and I cut him loose I had no idea he would do what he did. Ask it. Arthur ask the question you want to ask." Arthur was now looking at Merlin with an odd expression half sadness at what Merlin had been cornered into doing, half angry and enraged at what the warlock had allowed to happen. "Why, why did you let him attack Camelot? Why! What right did you have to place Camelot in such harm what have we ever." He was surprised at the force of Merlin's words when his companion spoke, he didn't raise he voice but his eyes did turn to gold and the grass around changed to a dark red. "What did Camelot do? Camelot did nothing. Nothing while their king slaughtered countless innocent men, women, children. Nothing when he chased all with magic into hiding or out of Albion. Nothing when he sought out every single dragon and killed them all. Nothing when he tricked the last dragonlord into bringing the sole surviving dragon to Camelot. Nothing when that dragon was locked up like a mutt in a cave below the castle. Kilgarragh felt he had no other choice." Arthur's spine went cold and his heart stopped. He'd never thought to ask his father the details of the purge but hearing them set out so plainly, he then realised why his father had looked so frightened at the mention of that last dragon lord still living. "That's when we went to find my father Ballinor last of the dragon lords. You say no man is worth your tears. You will find in time that there is one man who is the exception. I pray you are not there to see your father die." He wiped his eyes and the grass returned to its normal colour. "But you see my father had died. I was now the last dragonlord. As well as being a warlock. So I rode out with you. I let the dragon live, showed him mercy and demanded he do the same, I told him if he ever attacked Camelot again I would not be so merciful. So he left."

Arthur allowed himself to breath he really hoped that was the end of the bad stuff. But then "when the goblin gave you ears and a donkeys bray I may have purposefully left you with the bray. And I may have tripped you up a couple times when you were being a prat." Arthur laughed as did Merlin. "Long story short. Every magical threat you have faced I have dealt with or made it so you could defeat them. It was me who killed that griffin not Lancelot. Well it was both of us but he was uncomfortable taking the praise for it. When I went to the perilous lands with Gwaine I commanded the wyvern to go. The trident was only part of the prize the fisher king was still alive and he gave me something, something only I can use. I fear the time has come."

Merlin took the small vial of water from his pocket and continued talking. "A few years ago before Morganna turned. A druid girl came to town. I befriended her and fell in love. But she had been cursed. I tried to keep her safe but she escaped and then you fatally wounded her." He looked to see Arthur's reaction, he saw remorse and a hint of understanding, Arthur realised what he had done and felt bad. "We were going to run away together somewhere far away near a lake. She liked lakes. So I brought her here and laid her to rest out there" he pointed to the lake. "But then recently her brother turned up and told me that she had not died completely. The curse could only be broken if she was loved in both her forms. I accepted both her forms and still loved her. Her cursed body died but because of my act of caring she lives on. Forever bound to this lake. She is a force of nature now just as the great dragon is. She knows the past and future. She sees the truth. I believe the time has come for you to retrieve what is yours." With that Merlin opened the vial and threw the water within into the lake.

At first nothing happened, but then the tip of a sword broke the surface and then a hand holding it. The hand was connected to a delicate almost translucent arm. Shortly all of Freya was visible except for her feet. Her ragged dress formed of lake weeds and worn silk and velvet skimmed across the top of the water, she glided over to the edge of the lake sheathing the sword in a coral scabbard. "Emrys Camelot's time if need is near. I give you this sword to protect until the once and future king truly need it. Then and only then may he hold it." Merlin bowed and said "Freya lady of the lake I solemnly promise to do as you ask. Do you have anything to say to my lord and master, my friend and companion, the once and future king Arthur pendragon?"

Arthur would have been puzzled by the formality of his friends question if he wasn't so in awe of the young woman stood before him. When her black eyes turned towards him he finally understood why Merlin had brought him here for the talk, the lady of the lake was not evil. She never was, she was cursed but magic and compassion allowed her to become more than human. Like the dragon she was part of nature, part of Albion's life-force, part of magic. Just as Merlin was part of magic.

"Young pendragon your time is near, keep a clear mind, do not let your enemy dictate what you do, the bond between Emrys and the once and future king has always been coming, but so has the unholy and vulgar alliance of the sisters and Mordred. Take care and heed Emrys's council he shall know." when she turned away from him Arthur felt slightly disorientated as if her words had been spoken through colour and sound and smell and thought. He saw her hand Merlin the sword and Merlin gave her an awkward hug. She whispered something to him smiled and then was gone. The lake looked as still as ever. The prince asked what she had whispered.

"Take care of my brother and tell him he is forgiven." Seeing Arthurs bemused face Merlin continued " Tristain. Sir Tristain, he is her brother, I thought you knew about him having a sister." Arthur stood still for a while then started walking towards their horses. "You know, that's the kind of thing it would be helpful to know you idiot"

"Well I thought you did, prat" Arthur was mounting his horse waiting for Merlin to get on his own when he retorted. "Oh yes Em-rys, that's really mature Em-rys" Merlin laughed as his cohort said his druidic name in the same way he usually said Merlin. Once they were both on their horses Merlin waited a few minuets before finally saying "well you're hardy one to talk Ar-thur" it was said in such a convincing mockery of the princes own voice that the young royal didn't notice Merlin racing off into the woods on his horse.

what did you think? there are so many versions of this lready written it is hard to come up with fresh way of doing it. i think i managed it.

not sure when the next chapter will be up hopefully next week but if my computer hasn't been sorted out by then the it may be a bit longer. i can edit and stuff on here but the files to upload are all on my computer which keeps shutting its self down. coments and reviews make me smile :D but not in creapy way cause have you ever noticed that someone actually smiling like :D or :) looks really sinister. i'm rambling now aren't i?

again sorry if i missed any spelling and grammar mistakes.