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Chapter 13

Camelot was burning. Screams rang out in the streets, bodies were littering the courtyard.

A blonde haired woman was giving her a bracelet. She sensed her familiarity…almost like she had met her before

Merlin handed her a pouch of water. She smiled, touched by his concern. Taking a long pull from the pouch, she tasted something strange. Suddenly she couldn't breathe, her airway closing. She gasped out…and then looked at the heartbroken face of Merlin.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he moved toward her. She continued to gasp, her lungs burning…

"Morgana, wake up, wake up," Merlin said, his hands framing her face.

Gasping, she opened her eyes, sucking in deep breaths. Seeing Merlin's face, she pushed him away, still caught up in the dream. "No," she said, horrified. He was trying to poison her.

"It was a dream, Morgana. It was just a dream You're safe, you're safe," he said, his hands running over her sweat soaked face.

Taking deep breaths, she felt the terror and fear recede. She was in her bedchamber. Merlin was here because it was after midnight. She was just having another nightmare.

Slowly she felt her heart rate and breath return to normal levels as she calmed down. He kept stroking her face and hair, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

She sighed and he asked, "Better?"

"Yes, much," she said, moving just a little closer into his arms. He was kneeling on the floor beside her bed, but with one arm on her back and another on her face. It was almost an embrace. Almost.

"Did you want to talk about it? You don't have to…" he trailed off.

"It was just…so real. I saw Camelot burning, people dying…it was haunting," she whispered.

"What else?" he asked, soothingly.

"A woman with blonde hair. She was beautiful and dangerous. Then I…" she stopped, uncertain if she should tell him the last part. Everything was still so fresh in her mind. Her dreams were often…prophetic. She'd tried not to put too much stock into it (although it was difficult when some things became reality) as per Gaius' suggestions, but now that she knew about her gift these dreams couldn't be swept under the rug.

Not wanting to see his face, she closed her eyes and whispered, "You. You gave me some water. Only it wasn't water, it was poison. I couldn't breathe…"

Several moments past where he didn't say anything then he said, "I would never hurt you."

"I know, well, not intentionally. But what if you have to? The dream was so vivid. It has to be a vision of the future. All of it-the fire, the woman, the poisoning-it'll happen," she said.

"But the future is malleable. Remember the dream you had about Sophia? How she would drown Arthur? Well, she didn't, because I stopped her. We can change the future. We already have," he said with conviction.

"What do you mean 'we already have'?"

Rising from his position, he stood and said, "You best get comfortable, this is something of a long story. And could you…er… put on a robe or something?"

She looked down at her nearly sheer chemise and smiled, "Why? Is it too difficult to resist me?"

"Yes," he said, flatly. "And I didn't come here for that. I'll explain everything but I can't if your lack of apparel is distracting me."

She chuckled slightly, already feeling better. The only person who she ever spoke of about her dreams was Gaius. And while fatherly, he never gave her answers. Merlin's certainty, his comfort was exactly what she needed. Grabbing her robe, she tied it and returned to sit on the bed.

"I have a destiny," he began. "Well, I'm tied to a larger destiny for Arthur and for Camelot. Together Arthur and I, as equals, are going to make Camelot a place for goodness and love. And Arthur as king will unite Albion under one just rule. It will be an idyllic kingdom where magic is used for good, where it need not be a secret."

Taking a deep breath, he stiffened as he began the second half, "You too have a destiny. You and Mordred."

"Mordred?" she asked, confused, "The boy we saved?"

"Yes, him. The ancient prophecies tell of an alliance between you and Mordred."

"What type of alliance?" she asked warily.

"A powerful one. And one that will…end the Camelot I described. Mordred is destined to kill Arthur," he concluded.

She was silent. An alliance? She would supposedly align herself with someone who would kill Arthur? "But Mordred was just a boy…how could he kill Arthur?"

"He won't now, but he could in the future," he replied.

"So you think I'll be an accomplice to Arthur's murdered?" she said, upset. Is that really what he thought? That she would turn evil? Help kill someone who was like a brother to her?

Surprised by her interpretation, he moved closer, "No, of course not. The Great Dragon warned me not to tell you this. Said that it would be best if you didn't know your power, didn't know your destiny. Destinies are…malleable. We can always change them. I told him that you had a good heart, that you would never do that. And being aware of your destiny has made you unlikely to engage in it. What did you feel when you first met Mordred?"

"Connection. An attachment like I hadn't felt before," she replied.

"Exactly. You felt his magic. You reached out because you wanted to be close someone like you," he said. "But don't you see? Now there's our connection, our alliance. And it's good and pure. We can change your visions together. We make our own reality, not destiny. It's a guide, a path. That doesn't mean we have to follow it if we want to go down a different road."

She was silent again as it was a lot to absorb. Could Merlin be right? Could the knowledge of her destiny be enough to change it? Had Merlin's revelation voided her attachment to Mordred?

"What of Uther? Wouldn't his death allow Arthur to be King and the Camelot we want to come about?" she asked.

"Yes, his death would mean that. But we can't kill Uther, even you realized that last year when you tried to have him assassinated," he said. At her surprised look, he continued, "Yes, I know all about that. Arthur's not ready to be King. He has much to learn about kingship, about himself, and about magic. Uther might be prejudice and narrow-minded, but he can make difficult decisions. Arthur isn't quite there and he won't reach that point unless Uther is alive. Murder, even the suspicion of a death by magic will harden Arthur's heart against our people. It would make the future we want impossible."

"I suppose," she said. In all reality, she didn't have the stomach for violence. She hated Uther's iron fist, his tyranny, and his ignorance. But she didn't hate the man himself.

Merlin had stopped pacing and was now looking at her. Her breath hitched as she felt his heated gaze on the barely visible swells of her breasts.

"The holiday," he said overly bright as he yanked his gaze away from her body. "If you haven't noticed, skin to skin contact between us causes sparks. It's a dead giveaway for our magic. Not to mention that magic is…making our bodies crave certain things."

"Like trysts in the closet and the library?" she replied huskily.

"Yes," he said, his voice distant.

And there it was, he had put back on his mask of indifference. She felt his sharp withdrawal as surely as kick in the stomach. Why did he act like this? Why couldn't he accept that there was something between them? In the library he had been open, passionate…the man she always sensed beneath the façade. And now he was back to being a bloody prat.

There was something about Merlin which always made her a little…bold. Standing, she crossed the room, advancing toward , He was backing away from her as if he needed to put some distance between them. Abruptly his back came in contact with the stone wall just as her lush body pressed against him.

If the surprise on his face was any indication, he realized just a little too late that she had him trapped.

FINIS

I have been working to finish this bloody chapter for near on two weeks. I've finally given up and have decided to give you what I have. Alas, I leave you with a cliffhanger. Sorry . Maybe some feedback will help me get out of this cycle. Or maybe someone willing to read journal articles/books for my dissertation project? Anyone fancy being an apprentice?