Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own BBC Merlin.
A big huge thank you to Paralelsky for taking the time to beta :)
Enjoy!
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Unbeknownst to Morgana and Agravaine, a threat to their plan had awoken only a few hours before they were making it. The ceiling of the physician's chambers swam in Merlin's vision as the warlock slowly opened his eyes. He heard the comforting sound of Gaius working stutter to a halt as the physician's sixth sense told him something had changed. Awareness began to flutter in when Gaius was suddenly above him calling his name. The volume was an assault to Merlin's severe headache and he groaned. He tried to sit up but was stopped by a thick band across his chest. The warlock looked down to see a line of rope strapped across him. "Gaius?" Merlin squinted at the physician in confusion.
"How are you feeling, Merlin?" Gaius asked gently and laid a cool hand across Merlin's forehead. Merlin closed his eyes in small relief but opened them in alarm when the physician did not start untying him.
"What's going on?" He demanded, "Gaius, what is this?"
Seeing his ward beginning to get scared, Gaius quickly provided answers. "You tried to kill Arthur. We believe that Morgana enchanted you." He wanted to ask more questions, but knew that if Merlin was himself, he would need time to process the information.
The warlock blinked slowly and his mouth gaped open. Before he could ask further questions, however, his eyes darkened. His face became drawn and then horrified. "I didn't, did I? Arthur is alright?"
"Yes, yes, he's fine. You managed to fight the fomorroh," Gaius was quick to say. He smiled and finally began to untie Merlin. "Now, what is the last thing you remember?"
Merlin waited until the rope was gone and he was sitting up to answer. He cupped his head with his hands and winced at his raging migraine. "...I remember Morgana conjuring the snake. And then...nothing more. I fought it?"
"You did. And gave Arthur the fright of his life."
"Did I kill it then? The only thing I feel now is a headache, not an urge to kill Arthur," Merlin told him.
Gaius smiled and left him momentarily to grab a potion and a glass of water that were sitting on the table. He offered them to Merlin who took it without complaint, downing the yellow liquid inside with one swallow. Merlin made a noise of disgust before drinking the water while Gaius answered him.
"No, unfortunately not. The serpent is only dormant and when it wakes, your mind will be Morgana's once more. Nothing will stop you from killing Arthur."
Merlin grimaced at the news. "How long have I got? How long before this thing wakes up?" He tried to rub at his sore neck but recoiled upon touching the bandage there when it hurt.
"A day, no more. And I am sorry, but I had to cut the snake out four times now. I am afraid it will scar." Gaius' light eyes glittered guiltily.
Merlin nodded but stopped before his headache could get worse. The remedy Gaius had given him helped and it no longer felt like he would throw up. He was still tired enough that he could sleep for days though. "Then how do we get rid of it if it keeps growing back?" Merlin's hand hovered over his neck again.
"There is only one way I'm afraid. You have to kill the mother beast."
"The creature that lives in Morgana's hut?" Merlin frowned.
"Yes. Arthur is going to retrieve it at first light," Gaius said bracingly.
Merlin jumped up immediately and he shouted even though his vision went black, the world was spinning, and his legs were weak. "What?"
Gaius moved quicker than one his age would be expected to steady Merlin. "You needn't worry, he is bringing a whole contingent of knights with him, and there is another coming from behind."
"I can't let Arthur take her on alone," Merlin said fervently, ignoring everything else in his worry for his friend.
"He will not be alone! He will have his knights," Gaius' voice rose, in response to the futility of this argument.
"And you want me to trust that? Sorry, Gaius, I'm going."
"You are exhausted, Merlin," the physician groused, "in no shape to take on Morgana."
The resolve in Merlin's ocean blue eyes did not waver one bit. "She'll be preoccupied with the knights knocking on her door, I'll be eighty years old anyway, she won't know it's me."
Gaius vehemently shook his head. "Arthur and his men are going to surround Morgana's hut, if they see you they will kill you on sight. To go there now would be suicide."
Merlin blinked and parted from Gaius to search the contents of the nearest work table. "Well I can't go as myself. It's a risk either way."
"Merlin," Gaius warned.
"Sorry," Merlin apologized unrepentant. In his hands was the rounded vial containing the potion to age himself.
The physician sighed and reached into the pockets of his green robe. "Then take this, it will clear your exhaustion for awhile."
Merlin smiled indulgently. "I'm not falling for that, Gaius." He quickly strode around the physician before a protest was launched. "I'll see you later!" He slammed the door shut in an effort to keep Gaius away but he heard the old man open the door.
"Be careful, Merlin!"
Merlin looked over his shoulder and grinned confidently. When Gaius only frowned worriedly, the warlock looked ahead. He turned around the corner and let the smile drop from his face. He was not nearly as assured as he let on, and Gaius knew it.
Merlin was tired with a distracting headache and limbs that were not quite yet ready to be put to use. But nothing so minor had ever stopped him from doing what needed to be done. Merlin nodded to himself and clutched the potion in his fist, choosing to go to the stables before he turned himself into an old man. If he felt old now, he certainly did not want to spend any unnecessary time actually older. It was only a little before dawn when Merlin retrieved his usual horse so he hoped that Arthur would not leave earlier than first light. Merlin may have known where he was going, but he knew that he was cutting it awfully close.
His horse was unsurprisingly tolerant as Merlin hung on for dear life rather than ride, a process made difficult by the lack of a saddle which he had had no time to grab. So the mare was no doubt relieved when the warlock brought her to a halt when they were well into the forest. If Merlin had not been so tired he would not have had to stop. A wave of dizziness accosted him after his horse traversed a slight slope causing him to nearly fall off. The edges of the trees and leaves softened and everything wobbled precariously. He had to tighten his grip on the reins to stay aloft. Merlin blew a steady breath through his lips and shut his eyes while his horse waited patiently. They were stopped before the trail that led to Morgana's hovel- well, trail was a generous term. It was overgrown with vines and roots but was smoother than the rest of the forest floor around it.
When the forest stopped spinning Merlin glanced upward through the canopy of leaves at the morning sky above. Dawn had arrived, and by now Arthur would be assembling the knights to head out. Just as Merlin gave his horse a light kick, he heard familiar steps stalk towards him from down the path. His eyes widened and he vaulted off his horse, hurriedly leading it to hide in the trees. It trotted along beside him as he dragged it next to a moss covered boulder hiding behind a cluster of full bushes. The expended effort had made him dizzy again, and he had to lean on his horse until he could see properly. He heard Morgana before he saw her, the sorceress's steps loud and unaware.
His lips thinned when she came into view and his eyes narrowed when he saw the jar in Morgana's hands. Merlin could not see inside it but knew it was the fomorroh. His neck gave a particularly burning throb where Gaius had cut the snake out. Morgana's black dress was fluttering behind her as she stomped down the path, contrasting with her porcelain skin. Seeing her in the filtered green daylight of the forest seemed out of place to Merlin, for he thought that darkness of every kind suited the witch more.
Knowing that this was his best chance, Merlin quickly downed the aging potion. Heat surged in his body and he closed his eyes against the odd but not unpleasant sensation. When he opened them shortly after, fatigue made his back stoop more than it usually would. Merlin realized that he had forgotten Gaius' old robe when his night shirt hung off him. Wasting no time, he quickly used magic to alter his clothes into a robe of Pendragon red. His now wrinkly hand pushed against the horse's flank as he left it behind. Morgana was a mere twenty feet away from him when he broke through the trees.
The witch's eyes immediately flew toward the movement but then widened in terror. Merlin was momentarily stumped at the reaction but snapped out of it when the jar slipped from Morgana's fingers. It bounced off the ground with a dull thud and rolled off the ragged trail. "Emrys!" She took a step back.
Merlin's eyes narrowed, causing Morgana to draw in a breath. He almost felt bad at the fear that masked her face. "You're not real," she hoped aloud. Merlin just eyed the jar holding the fomorroh and back at Morgana when she began making tentative steps forward. "You're just my imagination."
"Whatever you say," he growled, "just kindly step away from that there." He jerked his head down to the fomorroh. Morgana's brow creased in confusion but then anger. She then jerked a dagger out of her belt which prompted Merlin to throw out his hand and strike her with magic. A strong gust of wind knocked Morgana off her feet and she crashed several feet backward and rebounded off the ground.
Merlin then turned his eyes to the fomorroh and he used magic to fling it into his outstretched hand. As soon as he caught it, he turned on his heel and hurried back the way he came but the sudden change in direction caused his aching head to spin. He was losing his balance as Morgana shouted out behind him. "Ablinn ðu, forlæte ðu!"
A powerful force careened into his back and threw him forwards. The ground rushed to meet him and he hit it with a force that shook his old bones and knocked the jar out of his hands. He gave a pained shout and the air rushed out of him harshly.
Behind him, Morgana let out a relieved laugh. She trudged through the leaves closer to him, brandishing her dagger. Merlin turned his head to see two of her standing over him. "So, Emrys, it seems you'll not be my doom after all."
The witch raised her dagger so Merlin lashed out with a spell. "Forþ fleoge!" he croaked.
Morgana screamed as she was sent rocketing back to the forest floor. Both magic users lay stunned on the ground but Merlin rose off of it first. His head was now ringing but he was no longer seeing double as he made his way slowly to Morgana. Merlin stood over her and held out a weathered hand, ready to cast magic.
She must have been scared but her pale face showed none of it as she stared up at him. "If I'm to die by your hand, you can at least tell me who you are. Did Arthur send you?"
Merlin just stared down at her, a sadness growing in his eyes. She was his friend once. "But you're no friend of his," Morgana carried on, "magic has no place in Camelot. It never will. Not until I take the throne."
Merlin remained silent, hoping against hope that she was wrong. She had a hopeless battle since both destiny and Emrys were against her. He looked on as Morgana started speaking again. "Please spare me. I only want what is rightfully mine." His sapphire eyes darkened at the statement but his intended defence of King Arthur was interrupted by the witch at his feet. "Perhaps it could still be so!" She flung her hand out and the dagger that she had let go earlier came hurtling towards Merlin who was forced to dodge backward.
Morgana then took her chance to attack. Her eyes flashed a bloody gold and with a flick of her head, she shoved Merlin's old body to the side. He soared through the air and landed roughly amongst the leaves which surged upward upon his impact. Merlin's breath was stolen and he was left gasping in pain while Morgana grabbed the fomorroh and retreated.
A thundering drumbeat resounded inside his skull and he stared almost vacantly at Morgana's back. He forced his eyes not to close from exhaustion and he spoke through the pain making his voice hoarse. "Ic her aciege anne windræs!" The leaves on the ground began stirring as wisps of wind started to circle in front of him. Concentrating on the magic forced Merlin's now horrible migraine to be tossed aside and he started to get up off the cold ground. "Færblæd wawe! Windræs ungetermed - ge hiere!"
The wind he was conjuring picked up in speed and strength, reaching Morgana and causing her to turn around. Her eyes widened when she saw a whirlwind begin to take shape in front of the wizened old sorcerer who was now on his feet. His voice grew stronger and terrifying. "Ic ðe bebiede mid ealle strangnesse ðæt ðu geblæwest ond sierest strange! Ge spurne þeos hægtesse!"
Morgana could do nothing to stop the advancing cyclone and Merlin watched as it flung her through the air as though she was a straw rag doll. She was unconscious by the time she hit the ground and Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and pain. He collapsed to his knees as his head gave a massive throb. Suddenly, the ground was holding him up and he wondered why that might be. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered closed.
Just as he was about to drift into unconsciousness, the back of his neck set aflame. He cried out in a voice he did not recognize and then remembered what he set out to do. With great force of will, he hauled himself onto his knees and waited for the forest to slide back into focus. Merlin's breathing was laboured and he knew that he could go no further. Not in this form. He cast a wary glance to the motionless form that was Morgana and whispered an incantation upon finding her still out cold. Any remorse he had felt was felled by the bruises that throbbed while being sixty years younger again. He grunted as he lifted himself off the ground.
Merlin's vision twisted and twirled once again and he blinked heavily at where the sound of walking hooves was coming from. He found a grin as he recognized his horse ambling through the leaves to get to him. The mare nuzzled his hair and Merlin's fingers found her mane. He used her as a support so he could walk to where the fomorroh had landed during the fight. It took ten minutes to get to it when it should have taken less than one. When he went through the process of bending down to get it, the drum inside his head beat especially hard causing him to clamp his eyes shut. But before he did so, he noticed that he was still wearing the crimson robe which was actually uncomfortably tight. Merlin muttered a spell to get his old clothes back and then turned around. Luckily the dark mare seemed to anticipate his actions and Merlin let her be his eyes as he picked the direction. His head was bowed to the floor but he could not bring himself to raise it even when the laceration was pulled taut.
Merlin's horse gave a whinny and he wished that he could climb up right now, but his head and his now utterly exhausted body barely allowed him to put one step in front of the other. He was breathing heavily by the time his guide stopped but he felt marginally better. Merlin looked up to find himself in a small, makeshift camp. It was not on the trail and was nestled in an alcove of mossy trees against an ivied rock edifice. An empty cook pot was stationed over a dead fire and there was a hastily gathered pile of kindling sitting by a half constructed rabbit snare. Merlin studied the black fabric hanging from the trees and quickly deducted that no one was here.
He sighed and thanked his horse, asking her to lead him just a little bit more. Her ears pricked toward the sound of his voice but she obviously did not understand. It took a tug from Merlin to get her walking again and she took him toward the fire pit. The warlock ungracefully fell to the ground and looked toward it. His eyes gleamed golden and the blackened wood that was left in the shallowly dug pit caught on fire. Merlin spied the nonsensical sigils etched into the small boulders facing north but quickly dismissed them by lack of caring. The horse watched as Merlin's fumbling fingers peeled off the jar's lid. As soon as he threw it off, the snakes inside hissed and spat at him. But Merlin just calmly expelled them into the fire which flared up as they landed in the embers. The jar fell from his hands and he tiredly began the incantation to rid him of the fomorroh for good. "Ontende þisne wyrm þæt he licgeþ unastyred a butan ende!"
Instantly the serpent beneath his skin writhed painfully before falling still. Merlin breathed out a sigh of relief and fell back against the rock wall behind him with a small smile on his face.
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The sun had been in the sky for three hours now and there was predictably no sign of Morgana's encampment. A contingent of armoured knights silently stalked through the woods, ghosting past the furnishings of the forest. Their boots treaded softly over the ground, avoiding dry leaves and brittle twigs when possible. At their head led the king of Camelot, a blonde broad shouldered man with the face of a king. Behind him four of his best knights, and glaringly missing was Arthur's servant. Gwaine took a moment to glare at Lord Agravaine who was in Merlin's spot, directly behind Arthur.
Neither Percival or Elyan were happy about it either, nor was Leon. But what surprised Gwaine, as they made their way searchingly through the trees, was that Arthur seemed to mind it the most. Agravaine clearly did not notice the way the king's shoulders would tense when he got too close or the warning lighting his cerulean eyes when they flashed behind at the lord. If Arthur no longer held Agravaine in esteem, Gwaine certainly did not, he only wondered why that might be.
It lingered in the back of his mind as he searched the forest for clues along with the others but his primary focus now was finding the blasted snake that was entrapping his friend's mind. Gwaine's jaw tightened upon remembering Gaius cut the fomorroh out of Merlin's neck early this morning three hours before dawn. He could not sleep past midnight so he had occupied the time in the physician's chambers by keeping watch over his sleeping friend. Gaius had been grateful and took the chance to get some rest. Gwaine had only left after the physician woke and extracted the awakened serpent out of an unresponsive Merlin. Needless to say Gwaine had been the first one that reported to Arthur.
"Your Majesty," Agravaine called softly, catering the attention of those who heard him. The lord stopped so Arthur was forced to halt as well. He did not turn around right away but when he did, his features were stony and bearing a striking resemblance to his father.
Agravaine offered a kind smile and then gestured to the trees. "The forest widens here, perhaps we should split into six groups," he suggested quietly, "each led by your highness, myself, and your knights." His onyx eyes landed on Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan.
Gwaine frowned. He could read mistrust on the lines around Arthur's eyes and the way his jaw was set, never mind how his blue eyes hardened like steel. None of the other knights noticed except Elyan who was now studying Agravaine. But then Percival noticed the sudden tension along Gwaine's and Elyan's features and he too caught on to the fact that something was not quite right between the king and his uncle. Gwaine would have looked to Leon for answers but the other knight was wearing a blank face which told Gwaine that he too noticed something amiss.
"Five groups," Arthur corrected. "Gwaine, go with Lord Agravaine."
Gwaine's eye brows raised a fraction but he nodded without question. He wondered what the lord would think about Arthur sending his best knight along with him but Agravaine's smile only became a little false when he acknowledged him.
Percival, Elyan, and Leon exchanged furtive glances with each other at the king's decision but quickly moved to head their searches when Arthur looked at them. As Gwaine past Arthur, the king imparted an almost inaudible message. "Keep an eye on him."
Gwaine did not react but allowed his eyes to darken when he had past Agravaine and silently ordered his portion of the knights to follow. Arthur's mistrust seemed more severe than Gwaine had first suspected and looked to be outright suspicion. When they moved north, Gwaine called the knights' attention. The large group stopped and regarded him respectfully. Some members of the council may not have accepted him and the peasant knights, but most of his brothers in arms had come to admire him -especially since the only one able to beat him in a duel was the king. And Gwaine never let Leon, Percival, or Elyan forget it. In his well thought out opinion, he knew that the only reason why he was not first knight was that Sir Leon had a much more level head on his shoulders, but he was actually grateful for the fact since he cared not for the extra duties that it would entail.
"You all know that the witch is dangerous, so keep yourselves on guard" he began, keeping his voice quiet and letting the knights pass on his words to those behind. "Fan out into pairs, we'll cover more ground that way. And if you do see her, show no mercy for she will certainly show none."
His reminder was not needed since all here knew how dangerous Morgana Pendragon could be. But a great many held fear for the witch so he issued orders to remind them that they were knights of Camelot. A wry smirk formed on his lips- Queen Arthur might have been proud.
Gwaine waited for Agravaine to catch up and he addressed the lord in the same commanding tone he used with the knights. "You are with me." He loped passed the lord, giving him no choice but to follow. Gwaine suddenly looked back at him to see a scowl on Agravaine's face so he primly raised an eyebrow. The lord successfully changed his expression into a neutral one and that only added fuel to Gwaine's suspicions. But he dismissed the lord for now to scan his surroundings and they looked silently for any tracks.
He was tempted to make small talk when the silence became especially annoying but he stilled upon noticing a disturbed patch of foliage to his right. Gwaine signalled Agravaine and then led the way with his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword. Their feet were soundless as they stalked the trail and eventually they came to a small outcropping. He frowned and edged forward slowly, his russet eyes flicking back and forth. Gwaine's shoulders lowered when he noticed a patch of fur stuck on the rough bark of the tree next to him and he nearly groaned when he brushed it with his fingers. The trail he had been following was one made by a herd of deer and he cursed himself for not realizing sooner. His eagerness for catching Morgana was making him clumsy. He turned back to berate Agravaine for not noticing the same thing only to find that the lord was nowhere in sight.
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I got the spells from the Merlin wikia (the transcript link to the episode) so I don't know exactly what they mean. :( But now I can't go to the wikia anymore cause it is rife with spoilers! I must resist.
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Jester of Fortune- That's great :) I hope you will be happy with what I've done to the episode. Thank you for reviewing!
Guest- :D Thank you!
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Thanks for reading guys, I hope you liked the chapter :)
I'd be very happy to know what everyone thought, please review!