Thanks to: swedenarashifan, IndiaMoore, Tolleren, TeganL74, ric .oola. 127, Starkid191, brynerose, TheReinbachDragonlord, Boxerbee, and Revenge of the Red Pen for your wonderful reviews.
It's sad to say but this is the last official chapter. I almost done typing the epilogue and then the story will be over. I hope y'all enjoy.
Disclaimer: IDOM
Chapter 26 - Running Out of Time
The prince was frozen on the spot as the were-wyvern lunged himself at the sorceress. He vaguely registered that he yelled to his best friend to stop, but it was too late. Anatol disappeared, sending the were-wyvern heading for the trees.
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, but it was too late.
Crash!
Snap!
Something heavy hit the forest floor, breaking trees and various plants as it crash landed. Immediately, the wyverns above (he didn't realize they were still there) roared to their fallen Dragonlord and flew away, going past where Merlin probably had fallen.
Merlin!
"Merlin" the prince finally voiced his thoughts. There was no time for thinking. Arthur had to find him before...The prince gulped at the thought of Merlin dying or becoming the were-wyvern forever. His friend had done so much for him - he deserved better.
Not wasting another moment, Arthur took off to the forest, not realizing that the Knights of the Round Table were just waking up.
Lancelot woke up in time to see the prince taking off to the forest, as if the wyverns were hot on his heels. Speaking of which, where had they gone? That's right, Merlin took control of them and...Lancelot's train of thought stopped abruptly. Where was Merlin...and the wyverns for that matter?
So deep in thought was the knight, that he failed to hear the rustling of armor as the other Round Table Knights picked themselves up from the ground and made their way towards him.
"Lancelot, what happened? Where's Arthur?"
The knight visibly jumped before looking at Leon and the others closely behind.
"I just woke up to him running to the forest. Wherever he was going, it seemed urgent" Lancelot answered. Something didn't feel right. They had won the battle, so why did it seem like they had lost something...or someone. Looking at his comrades, Lancelot guessed they must have felt uneasy too.
"I have a bad feeling gentlemen, and not the 'I'm-hung-over-past-the-normal-humanly-possible-limit' feeling, but something worse" Gwaine interjected.
"Yeah, same here...although - not the hung-over part" Percival added.
There was a moment of silence.
"Let's get the horses and follow Arthur" Leon said, taking command. "If something's wrong, at least we'll be there to lend him our help"
The knights, not questioning the order (it was a miracle that Gwaine didn't comment) rushed to the stables, saddled up, and rode in Arthur's direction, praying that whatever was wrong, they weren't too late.
Arthur didn't know exactly where he was going, but he was determined to find Merlin. Yes, the signs of a few broken trees and lifted dirt hinted to where his friend was, but that wasn't what found him. No, something else led him in the right direction. Destiny, instincts, friendship - he didn't know which but the prince didn't question it.
After what felt like eternity, the prince found his friend and met a gruesome sight.
Bits and pieces of the were-wyvern's skin lay on the ground, shed off and discarded from the person underneath. Unlike last time, these didn't crumble into the air but seemed to be absorbed into the ground, becoming part of the earth. A small trail of blood, probably from being dragged, led to a small, prone form. Merlin, now fully human, lay on the cold dirt, bleeding worse than before. Not realizing the prince was there, he struggled to drag himself through the forest.
The prince ran to his friend, bent down and put his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him while holding him from injuring himself anymore. The warlock stiffened at the touch.
"Merlin, it's me. I'm here"
"Arthur" he croaked. The prince immediately moved his hand to apply pressure to his friend's wound but, with the amount of blood, he could barely tell where it was. The warlock hissed in pain. "Sorry"
By now, the warlock's chest was rising and falling with great difficulty. Blood continued to flow steadily, despite the prince's attempts to stop it.
Arthur went to inspect the rest of his friend when he noticed the bite wound on his right shoulder. Around it, black root-like veins shot out below the skin to the rest of the body, the skin above cracking as if it were being torn. The worst part wasn't that though. Right on the bite wound, the white of the shoulder bone shown through the rest of the warlock's already pale skin.
The prince paled before remembering the one detail of the curse that disturbed him the most. 'The victim's human body will decay and in its place will be the creature itself...'. No! Arthur was not going to let his friend die. "I won't let it happen"
The prince, angry at the delicate situation he and his friend were put in, absent-mindedly pressed down harder on the wound, causing his friend to groan in pain.
"Sorry"
"Arthur...I'm glad...you're here..." Merlin said through ragged breaths.
"Just stop right now Merlin. I don't want to hear your version of last goodbyes. You're not going to die" he said, trying to convince himself as well.
The warlock didn't respond and the prince did what any good friend would do.
SLAP
"Arthur!" Merlin half-hissed half-grunted.
"Merlin you need to stay awake, even if it means me slapping you until you're red in the face"
"Arthur...I won't...make it, it'll...be too late...by the time we reach the Lake"
"Not if I can help it" the prince said before scooping his friend and throwing him (gently) over his back. He winced at the chilling moan Merlin let out at the sudden movement. "I don't care if I have to walk all the way there" he said before speed walking in the direction Merlin was dragging himself previously towards.
A couple of minutes into the walk, Arthur had reached a clearing, the same one they had fought the dragon a year and a half ago. A thought struck the prince and, looking over his shoulder, he asked, "Merlin?"
"...Yes..."he croaked.
"Can you summon..."but Arthur didn't get to finish his question for a dark shadow passed over head as the sound of flapping wings came from above. "Merlin, the Great Dragon's here!" he shouted for joy, never thinking that he would ever say those words, before gently laying Merlin on the ground. The warlock softly groaned in pain, eyes tightly closed which caused the prince to frown.
"Merlin. Kilgharrah's here, see" Arthur repeated gently, beckoning his friend to look, anything to get him to open his eyes.
Merlin barely opened them and smiled slightly. "Yeah...I see him" he said before falling unconscious. Arthur, seeing the dragon turning around, didn't notice.
Just as Kilgharrah was about to land, the sound of horse hooves sounded from the forest outside the clearing. Arthur whipped around and a moment later, the knights came charging in, heading straight for the prince. Their horses panicked at the sight of the Great Dragon, almost throwing off their riders.
The knights (aside from Lancelot) hadn't met the dragon before. Sure, Leon faced it a year and a half ago but he was attacking Camelot back then. Granted, all of them knew he was on their side, but it was still unnerving. Gwaine was the first to recover from the shock of seeing the dragon for the first time and calming his horse, he led it to Arthur and Merlin. Everyone followed suit.
Gwaine was about to make a surly retort to the prince, but the sight of a bloodied Merlin shut him up.
"What happened?!" Lancelot asked.
"The young warlock is dying" Kilgharrah answered solemnly, shocking all but Arthur and Lancelot. "His wounds are severe and the last part of the curse is already beginning to take effect" the Great Dragon said, already noticing the decaying flesh sprouting from Merlin's shoulder. "If he does not break his curse before the sun sets, then he will die one way or another"
"The Lake of Avalon is a few hours ride. You'll never make it in time" Lancelot said. Gwaine glared at him for the comment, no matter how true it was. Arthur, seeing that the sun would rise in an hour or so and knowing full well the truth behind the knight's words, looked up at his last hope.
"Please, I need to get him to the Lake of Avalon. It's the only way. Can you take us there Kilgharrah?"
"For my Dragonlord and King, I will". With that, the Great Dragon bowed his head before reaching down to grab the prince and the warlock. Arthur stiffened as the scaled claw wrapped around his torso. He'd never been picked up before - the feeling was awkward to say the least and he blushed fiercely. Upon glancing at his friend, the prince paled in fear. Merlin's breathing had become shallow and worst of all, the boy was unconscious. Swearing under his breath, he saw Kilgharrah gently pick up his kin before standing on his haunches and thrusting himself to the sky.
Before he was out of hearing distance, Lancelot called up to Arthur. "Merlin showed me where the Lake of Avalon was before. We'll meet you there" he said. Steering his horse in the same direction as the dragon, the knight led the way and raced out of the clearing. The others, making no objections, followed Lancelot. All of them were going to be there for their friend.
That was a promise.
She did it. Anatol had escaped Camelot to see another day. Now all she had to do was plot her revenge. But how?...
To be perfectly honest, the red-haired sorceress feared for her life back there. Remembering how she had just barely teleported herself in time to miss getting hit by the were-wyvern, Anatol sighed, part in relief and the rest from the adrenaline rush that was subsiding.
The were-wyvern.
She was having mixed emotions when it came to Merlin. That meddlesome servant was a Dragonlord and Emrys. The news had shocked her at first, but now she was angry. How many of her kind had he allowed to die by Uther's hands? How many times had he protected the Pendragons, those monsters who would see him killed in the blink of an eye? And what made her angrier was the fact that she wouldn't be there to see his demise, for surely with the wounds he'd sustained, he was definitely knocking on death's door.
Gods, was this how Morgana felt?
Realizing she needed to find shelter and rest, the exhausted sorceress trudged through the forest.
"Where are you going Anatol?"
The sorceress whipped around to see no-one in sight. Something wasn't right. That voice was as clear as day and yet...
"Why do you flee?"
Her breathing became ragged at the unsettling voice. Anatol didn't recognize the voice and yet it seemed vaguely familiar. The red-haired sorceress backed away in fear from the unseen presence that had joined her lonely company. She had to get away. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't...
"You meddle with things you do not understand and you fear what you cannot comprehend."
Anatol quickened her pace.
"For what you have done, you will pay dearly"
Her pace turned into a run.
"Did you really think you could try to control the were-wyvern without consequence?"
Sprinting through the forest, the sorceress pushed herself by tree and bush, using their sturdy frame to propel herself forward. With every snap of a twig and every rustle of a shrub, Anatol's fear grew and grew, eating away at her heart.
"You cannot escape"
Tripping over a rock, she skidded to her knees. Her breath became thick and ragged, the night air enclosed around her. Anatol clutched her pounding head as blood rushed to her ears.
"You will die"
"Who are you?!" she cried out.
All was silent until a chilling laughter rang through, freezing the blood that coursed through her veins. Her eyes frantically searched for the source of the taunting voice, only to find that she was in the middle of a grassy field.
That's when she heard it - the steady flapping of wings.
No... make that the steady flapping of multiple pairs of wings.
Turning to the night sky, her eyes widened in horror upon seeing the multitude of wyvern. Without a second thought, she took off back towards the forest edge, hoping the trees would be a suitable refuge from the distant cousins of the dragon.
But she never made it.
Just as she touched the textured bark of a tree, something sharp tore into her leg and, falling to the ground, she was roughly dragged back and tossed towards the middle of the clearing. Staggering to her feet and disregarding the throbbing pain in her leg, Anatol pulled out her Blood Guard daggers.
The wyverns surrounded her, snarling and hissing and taunting her. Anatol stood there for a moment, frozen in fear when a thought suddenly struck. Raising her hand, she yelled "Astrice!", hoping that she would forcibly make a path to her freedom.
To her dismay, nothing happened. Instead, the chilling voice from before rose from the crowd of wyverns. Suddenly, the smaller dragons stepped out of the way to let one of their own through. Anatol's eyes widened in terror when she saw the black wyvern whose white eyes and bigger frame made it stand above the rest.
"Th...that...that's not possible" she stuttered. An eerie silence fell. The grass swayed as a gentle breeze flew through the field.
"Oh, but it is Anatol. This is all your doing"
"...Emrys?..." she asked hesitantly.
"No...Sawol"
Her breath caught in her throat. No, this can't be happening!
"But it is Anatol. For what you have unleashed, you will pay dearly. There was a reason that this curse was hidden away but you, like all the others who thought they could control the curse, sought this power without understanding the consequences. For your ignorance and pride, you will pay"
"Please, no. I didn't mean to..." she pleaded.
Ignoring her, Sawol continued, pointing a sharp talon at the trembling sorceress. "Now, prepare to face the same fate of those who came before you"
Anatol began backing away from the powerful were-wyvern, forgetting the other wyverns behind her until a sharp claw sliced her back.
"Ah!" she yelled as she staggered back to the center. Another wyvern charged at her and, gritting her teeth through the pain, she raised her hand and shouted a spell. Like before, nothing happened, leaving the wyvern wide open to slice her leg. Falling to her knee, she didn't have time to register the pain radiating from her leg when something struck her side...and her shoulder...and her stomach...and her head.
Anatol laid on the ground, blood trickling from the various wounds that had been inflicted on her, as the wyverns closed the circle they had trapped her in. She couldn't even muster the strength to lift her head so when the were-wyvern approached, her eyes moved upward to face its piercing white gaze.
"Die" the pitiless voice resounded in her head while white eyes flashed gold.
Immediately, a burning sensation engulfed her whole being. She cried out to no-one in particular. It was as if someone was pouring acid on her body. Writhing in pain, Anatol felt her bones tearing and muscles contracting. Within a couple minutes, the pain reached its climax and she knew no more.
And she never would, ever again.
The wyverns, including Sawol, all stepped back to look at his handy work. Struggling to its feet, a grey wyvern rose from the ground. It cocked its head in confusion, wondering what it was doing away from her home. Her grey scales and deep red eyes both glistened in the moon's radiant light. Her kin greeted her as one of their own and together, they flew away to the Perilous Lands.
Never would this new wyvern know who she once was.
Only one wyvern - the were-wyvern - stayed behind. Turning around, he transformed back to his human form and walked towards the trees. Sawol smiled. He had finally made amends for his wrong doings all those years ago. Before he made it to the tree line, he vanished into nothing to finally and forever rest in peace.
A blinding light shone in the night sky.
Now, Avalon awaited him.
Arthur was terrified. Sure, Merlin had flown him from the castle the other day but at least he could still see the ground. With Kilgharrah being supposedly dead, it meant that he couldn't afford being seen thus why the young prince now looked at the clouds passing by in terror.
However, his fear for his own life did not compare to the fear he felt for Merlin's. The warlock had not once, throughout the flight, woken up despite the biting cold air that this altitude had to offer. The prince, watching the sun's distant light peeking from the clouds behind, prayed to whatever deity that they would make it in time.
"Kilgharrah, you have to hurry!" he yelled to the dragon urgently.
"I told you already Pendragon that I am going as fast as I can. You pestering me about it won't make the journey any quicker" Kilgharrah growled. This was the eighth time that Arthur had asked the Great Dragon to quicken his pace (or flight in this case) and after the third one, the dragon was starting to get annoyed.
"But Kilgharrah, he's not…"
"I know" he snapped at the prince. "Do not for once think that I do not know the severity of the situation or fail to hear the distress of my kin"
The prince dropped his head guiltily. "Forgive me Kilgharrah. It's just…I'm so worried about him. To see him like this…" he trailed off.
Kilgharrah's eyes softened. He may not understand the human mind, but he knew the Once and Future King was just concerned for his friend. The Great Dragon offered a comforting smile. Two sides of the same coin indeed.
The pair stayed in silence for a while until the prince felt himself descending. Looking up at the dragon, Arthur was about to make the most obvious comment when Kilgharrah beat him to it.
"We're here"
The prince's face lit with excitement at those words. Looking past the scaled claw that held him tightly around his torso, the prince gazed with wonder at the crystal clear lake. The Lake of Avalon….it's magnificent, Arthur thought in awe. His train of thought was cut short when Kilgharrah, swooped down and moved his claw, the one holding Arthur, towards the ground while trying to land. The prince was about to ask what he was doing until the pressure around his waist suddenly vanished, causing him to reunite himself, face first, with the ground.
Umph!
Groaning a swear (about inconsiderate Dragons) under his breath, the Prince of Camelot, in all his glory, picked himself up with dignity and grace…before losing his balance and falling again. Hearing a loud thud, Arthur turned to see the Great Dragon landing, carefully placing Merlin on the wet grass. With all haste, the prince shot up and ran to his friend.
"Merlin" he called when he stood in front of him. "Wake up"
The unconscious warlock stayed asleep, worrying the prince and the dragon greatly. Looking at his right shoulder, the prince found, to his horror, that the black veins had spread to the top part of his arm and to the bottom of his neck, leaving small patches of bone showing through the skin. Bending down, Arthur quickly slipped his left hand under his knees and the other he used to cradle his head and pushed himself up. Shaking his right hand, the prince shook his friend, causing Merlin's head to slightly bobble up and down.
"Merlin we're here. You have to wake up"
This time, the warlock softly groaned before his eyes fluttered open. Bleary blue eyes pierced the dawning day, searching for the sound that was calling him.
"Arthur?" he whispered hoarsely.
The prince sighed in relief. "Of course it's me you idiot"
Merlin chuckled slightly at the insult, careful not to overdo it. He closed his eyes and gave a small smile when he saw the clear white mountains and the beautiful lake where he had laid his beloved to rest. Arthur noticed his friend's gaze but panicked. A small stream of light was hitting The Lake of Avalon. Whipping around, he saw that the sun was beginning to rise. Panicking, he ran to the Lake's shore, wincing with every slight moan and hiss Merlin made as his wounds were jostled.
The prince stood at the Lake's shore. "Hello?"
Silence.
"Please, I need your help"
The sound of the water slowly moving in the lake was the only greeting that the prince received. Not wasting another minute, Arthur placed Merlin gently on the shore, an arm's length from touching the shallow part of the water, before running in himself. When he was about knee deep, he tried again.
"If you can hear me, Freya please - Merlin needs you". When no-one answered, the prince felt tears prickling his eyes, daring to rush out but he shook them away. Darn it, he was a prince – the bloody Prince of Camelot – and he did not come all this way for his best friend to die. So absorbed in thought was the prince that he failed to hear the movement of something on the water behind him.
Merlin was so tired. His whole body ached, especially around his right shoulder. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he promised Arthur that he wouldn't. Or was it the last time I was in this predicament? Mentally shrugging his shoulders (he was in too much pain to physically do so), he turned his head to the side when the prince began yelling. He wanted to tell Arthur that he was yelling at nothing and that he was knee deep in water, but decided against it. If the prat wants to go home soaked, that's all on him, he thought humorously to himself.
Throb.
Gods, he was in so much pain.
Merlin squinted his eyes. The lake looked so familiar, but the name escaped him. Its beauty – it reminded him of her. Freya. Eyes slightly widening as everything came back to him, he realized that they were at the Lake of Avalon.
Not needing to be told how desperate the situation was (Arthur would rather eats his shiny crown than be caught begging), Merlin slowly slid his left arm so that his hand barely touched the cold water.
'Freya', he called out to her mentally at the same time Arthur shouted her name.
A few moments of silence passed. The sun's light was a few yards away from him now and it was only a matter of time. The warlock knew to never give up hope but even he had to admit when he was beaten. Whether by bleeding to death or time running out, Merlin was sure he was going to die.
He closed his eyes in resignation, listening to the sound of his frantically beating heart.
Thump-thump
...Thump-thump
...Thump...thump
\A hand suddenly clamped on his, not causing any pain but comforting him instead. He smelled the sweet smell of strawberries as the other hand tenderly caressed his dirty face. "I'm here" it whispered to him. Smiling tiredly, tears cascaded down his face as he forced his eyes open to see his one true love, the woman whose heart had captured his.
"Freya"
Arthur would not let down. Precious minutes, that felt like hours, had passed since he first tried calling upon the Lady of the Lake's assistance. Every time he received no answer, the prince grew more and more frustrated. "Where is she" he mumbled to himself. Merlin couldn't afford to lose any more time - time that they had little to begin with in the first place. It wasn't until Arthur heard a faint whisper from behind that he stopped.
Fearing that something happened to his friend, the prince spun around to see a woman with dark hair in a long white dress leaning over the barely conscious warlock. On instinct, Arthur drew his sword and began advancing on the strange woman, ready to protect his friend no-matter the cost. Just before he reached her, Arthur paused and paid attention to this mysterious woman's features. His eyes widened when it clicked. Her hair, her eyes, the power and confidence her presence demanded. This was...
"Fear not Arthur Pendragon. I mean you no harm. I am only here to help" she said before turning her gaze back to look at the warlock
This was Freya, the woman Merlin fell in love with. Looking at her, the prince could see why. She was a beautiful young lady and her presence exuded kindness, compassion and authority, something that made her internal beauty shine. Arthur could see why Merlin loved her - they were so alike and complimented each other from the looks of it - and the prince could definitely see her and Guinevere getting along. Then, Arthur somberly remembered that Freya was, technically, dead and that she and Merlin could never be together. The prince internally wept for his best friend. If I were to ever lose Guinevere...
A painful moan snapped Arthur out of his thoughts. Turning to the couple, he saw Freya holding both of Merlin's blood stained hands, cherishing the time she was able to spend with him.
"Freya..." Merlin moaned, his breath was ragged while the bleeding chest wound throbbed.
"I'm here my love"
"I...I miss you...so much" he said, more tears falling down his face.
"And I you"
"...I'm so sorry...I couldn't save..." the warlock began but was stopped when a gentle finger was touched to his lips.
"No Merlin, do not blame yourself...Look, I'm right here. Everything will be alright"
By now, the sun's light had moved quickly and was a about a foot or two away from Merlin's side. He hissed in pain as his time drew nearer. Time was almost up. Arthur panicked and, after glancing at Freya, she was too (although she hid her anxiety better).
"I wish...I could be with you"
"I know, but you can't Merlin. Your time has not yet come. There is still much you have left to do. Without you, many would be lost. You cannot abandon them" Merlin was about to speak but Freya hushed him again.
Leaning down, Freya cradled Merlin's head, tilting it slightly at an angle before bending her head down to meet his. Her sweet lips inched nearer and nearer to his cold (almost lifeless) ones.
"I love you, with all my heart"
And in the most chaste but pure form of true love, the Lady of the Lake and the Powerful Warlock Emrys kissed as the sun's rays blessed them both.
Spell Translation:
Astrice! - Strike severely
Cruel irony! Yes, Anatol turned into a wyvern. Part of me (and I'm sure most - if not all - of you would agree) wanted to kill her but seeing as she's my first OC, I couldn't bring myself to finish her off. So, I hope you like how her story ended.
Okay so I lied when I said that Kilgharrah wouldn't be back to 'save the day'. Well, technically, he didn't - Freya did - but that's beside the point. The Great Dragon's return just happened to fit perfectly with the story... so all you Kilgharrah the 'Magic Dragon' fans, here you go. He's back.
I know...in the midst of a life-or-death situation, our favorite warlock still has time to kiss his one true love. XD Anyways, this was my first kiss scene so I'm not too sure I did it justice. I hope I did though - I wanted it to be slightly dramatic and sad at the same time.
Like I said before, this is the last chapter but the epilogue will be up shortly. It'll show what actually happened with the kiss and we will return to Merlin telling the story (I bet you guys forgot that this is a story within a story). Thanks for all your support and I can't wait for Merlin Season 5 October 6th (I got the date right this time). XD