Thank you so much for the reviews and story alerts on the last chapter! It means a lot to know there are still people interested in this story.
I want to apologize for any misspellings or grammer mistakes in this chapter and the last. I'm back using WordPad until I can get microsoft on my new computer and I have no spell check. Bleh. haha
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 13: Kill the Girl
...Merlin's eyes opened, revealing a glowing red.
Merlin blinked twice and the red slowly faded back to blue. He lay on the ground for a moment, just staring up at the sky, silently beating himself. How could he have been so stupid to try to disobey his queen? Amaya buried her face in his chest and he could feel her shaking as tears stained his jacket once more.
"Get to your feet, Merlin." the sorcerer's voice filled his mind.
Merlin thought about resisting and staying on the ground, but he knew this man worked for his queen, and if he was for his queen then his words were to be obeyed as well. Merlin slowly got to his feet. He shifted Amaya slightly in his arms, wishing she would quit her crying. Briefly he thought about putting her down and leaving her. He looked down at the girl, saw the tears in her eyes, and something in the back of his mind told him to hold on, to save the girl.
Merlin quickly let go of the idea of leaving the girl. He shifted her again, his arms growing tired from her weight. He looked over at the sorcerer, barely aware that Gwaine was still there, just watching them.
"Morgana wishes for you to meet her in the courtyard." the sorcerer spoke in his mind. "She requires you to help her take the throne room."
"If that is what my queen wishes." Merlin replied silently.
"Release him." Gwaine suddenly ordered, breaking off the silent conversation. He stepped between Merlin and the sorcerer, his sword held underneath the latter's chin.
"I'm afraid I can't do that." the sorcerer replied, unconcerned about the sword under his chin.
"Do it or I'll run you through!" Gwaine barked and there was anger mixed with fear in his voice.
"And what makes you think I will let you do that?" a grin broke across the sorcerer's face. Silently, he added to Merlin, "Bind his arms. Morgana will want him as a prisoner."
Merlin didn't reply. Instead, he brought his hand up and pointed it at his friend's back.
""Gebind sceatt fæðmas."
A ball of red light flew across the short distance, hitting Gwaine in the chest as he spun around to face Merlin. The knight fell to the ground, his arms instantly binded by the magic. Amaya let out a little gasp and froze in fear at the sight of her long friend using magic. She had grown up believing magic was evil, and here she was in the arms of a magic user. She looked up at Merlin's face and took a deep breath. Tears slipped from her eyes, but she refused to make a sound, scared that this new Merlin would turn on her like he had turned on Gwaine.
"Pick him up and let's go. We've wasted enough time already." The sorcerer ordered.
Merlin nodded and walked forward, the frightened girl still firmly in his arms. None to gently, he reached down and dragged Gwaine to his feet.
"Get walking." Merlin ordered, letting go of the knight. As he spoke, his eyes glowed red, proof that the spell was stronger then ever.
"Where to?" Gwaine asked, his shoulders drooping in defeat.
"The courtyard." Merlin replied stiffly and pushed Gwaine roughly to get him started.
Gwaine stumbled, but kept his balance. Behind them the sorcerer laughed quietly, enjoying Morgana's handiwork. The small group made their way to the courtyard. Often they had to step over lifeless bodies, and occasionally over ones still moving, though to wounded to live for long. The fighting had all moved on, with Camelot's knights being pushed back into the courtyard and into the citadale.
As Gwaine walked into the courtyard, he saw that the battle had ended, and it hadn't gone well for Camelot. Off to one side, a group of about fifteen or twenty knight stood, weaponless and surrounded by guards. Gwaine scanned the group and, to his relief, saw that Arthur, Elyan, Leon, and Percival weren't among them.
All throughout the couryard and down into some of the corridors, the bandits, women, and sorcerers of Morgana's army stood around. A healer was off to one side, close to the gateway tending to the wounded. Gwaine couldn't help but notice that the wounded were all Morgana's army. None of Camelot's wounded had been cared for.
In the center of the couryard stood Morgana. She was looking around, nodding her head every so often and smirking in pleasure at how her plans were going. Merlin pushed Gwaine slightly, turning him toward his queen. Seeing no other choice, Gwaine walked in the direction he had been pushed.
They were about ten yards away when Morgana turned around. Her smirk grew bigger as she saw Merlin behind Gwaine, followed by the sorcerer she had sent after the enchanted manservant.
"I trust all went well?" Morgana said, directing her question to the sorcerer who followed behind.
"He freed himself from your spell, my Queen." the sorcerer announced with a small bow. "But the spell has been put back on and reeinforced. He should not be able to fight it again until you permit it."
"Very good, Salazar." Morgana smirked and turned to Gwaine.
Slowly, she walked around him, placing her hand on his shoulder gently.
"How nice to see you again, Sir Gwaine." She said, putting as much hate as she could in his name and title.
"You won't feel to bad if I say the feeling's not mutal, will you?" Gwaine asked sarcastically, wishing he had use of his arms.
Morgana just smirked again and playfully slapped Gwaine's face. Gwaine stared her in the eyes, refusing to back down from his enemy. The smirk left Morgana's face as she stepped away from the knight. Her eyes flashed gold and Gwaine felt himself flying backwards before crashing to the ground.
Morgana and the sorcerer, Salazar, as well as several others laughed as Gwaine shook his head and struggled to rise. The spell binding him, however, tightened across his chest and arms as he struggled, until he fell back panting. The knights looked on sadly, while the guards and the rest of Morgana's army laughed at Gwaine's problem.
Merlin looked at the knight on the ground, watching him with a confused look on his face. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to stop this, to help Gwaine. At the same time, however he knew he shouldn't go against his queen. She must have a reason for wanting the knight on the ground.
Amaya watched all that was going on and sobbed quietly. She didn't know what was wrong with Merlin, but she knew she was in danger. Seeing no way out of it, she did the only thing she could: she buried her head in Merlin's chest and prayed that he would go back to normal and keep her safe.
"Who are you holding, Merlin?" Morgana asked when she quit laughing and noticed the little girl in Merlin's arms.
"Her name's Amaya." Merlin answered, looking away from Gwaine and at his queen.
"So why are you holding her?" Morgana asked glaring at the child who refused to look at her.
"She was scared." Merlin replied, suddenly uneasily. "Three of your men were going to kill her. I couldn't just leave her to die."
Amaya lifted her head slightly at these words, hoping beyond hope that Merlin was back to normal.
"Put her down, Merlin." Morgana ordered, her voice hard and cold. "The only hostages we need are the knights. Any others caught outside the castle are to be killed."
Merlin froze as he heard that. Amaya, recognizing that they were talking about her, grasped his jacket tighter in an effort to stay with him. Something in Merlin was telling him to disobey his queen, to free Gwaine and take Amaya and run. But there was something else telling him to put hte girl down and let his queen kill her. Merlin stumbled backwards, bringing one hand up to hold his suddenly aching head. He didn't know what was going on, or why his head was hurting so bad.
"Do it Merlin!" Morgana barked, anger clear in her voice.
The pain increased as Merlin struggled to figure out what was wrong, what he was suppose to be doing. He knew he should be obeying his queen. His life was made to obey his queen's every command. Through painfilled eyes, he looked down at the scared girl in his arms and knew he couldn't obey this command. He couldn't let the innocent girl in his arms die. An extra strong piercing pain raced across his head. He let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees, startling everyone in the courtyard.
"Merlin!" Gwaine shouted, struggling once more to sit up. But once again the spell tightened and restricted him from rising.
"What's going on?" Morgana asked, her eyes wide in shock.
"He's fighting the spell." Salazar said quickly, stepping toward her. "It's the girl. He obviously cares for her and you telling him to let her die is causing him to disobey and fight the spell."
"I thought you said you strengthened the spell so he couldn't fight back." Morgana snapped, suddenly fearful that her plan was going to fall apart.
"I thought I did." Salazar replied, his eyes moving between Merlin and Morgana. Merlin let out another cry of pain and the sorcerer hurried to finish. "He is strong. If this keeps up much longer he will completly break free."
"So what do we do?" Morgana asked, regretting that she hadn't done more research on the spell and its side affects.
"Spare the girl and he will come back to you without having to reinforce the spell once more." Salazar replied.
Morgana frowned, clearly not liking the idea of appareing weak. But she needed Merlin for the final part of her plan, so she reluctantly nodded. Quickly she walked the few yards between her and Merlin and knelt down beside the still in pain man.
"Forget what I said, Merlin," she said quietly so no one else could hear them. "The girl can stay. We can put her with the knights and once the kingdom is mine you can come back for her."
Merlin looked up at her, still cluching his head in one hand.
"Really, my queen?" he asked hesitantly.
"Just put her down and take her over to be guarded with the knights." Morgana replied with a nod.
A grin broke across Merlin's face and his hand dropped from his head.
"Thank you my Queen." he said and rose to his feet, his eyes flashing red once more.
Morgana smirked, pleased that he had fallen back into her spell so quickly. She rose and stalked back to where Salazar was waiting in the center of the courtyard. Merlin got to his feet and walked over to where the knights were being guarded.
"You'll be just fine." He whispered to her. "I'll be back for you."
Amaya sniffled, not wanting to leave him. He set her on the ground and she grabbed back at him, but he gently removed her hands and led her to one of the knights. The knight looked at Merlin with eyes full of surprise and the anger of betrayal.
"Take care of her." Merlin said, holding Amaya's hand out to the knight.
The knight looked down at the girl, then back up at Merlin and nodded. He reached out for hte girl's hand and took it gently, bringing her to stand beside him. He smiled down at her and she buried her face into his leg, looking out only to see Merlin walking away.
Merlin turned away from the captive knights and little girl and hurried back to where Morgana, Salazar, a woman clad in armour, and another man stood discussing something. They were talking quietly, trying not to be overheard. Merlin stood a few feet behind, uncertain if he should interrupt or not. He stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before Morgana finally turned back and saw him.
"Ah, Merlin." She said with a cruel grin. "Are you ready now?"
"What do you want me to do, my Queen?" Merlin asked, bowing slightly.
Morgana smirked before she replied.
"I want you to get us into the citadale quickly."
Merlin nodded and looked at her, his eyes flashing the dark red once again. Gwaine, still laying on the ground where he had fallen, felt his heart miss a beat as Merlin grinned back and answered.
"As you wish, my Queen."