New Dawn Chapter 14: Awakened Trouble, a merlin fanfic

Merlin woke with a gasp. His chest heaved with each lungful of air he drew in. His tongue practically hung out with every pant.

Once his breathing was under control, Merlin looked around. He was in a cave, dressed in burial clothes. He had been poisoned; he had died. Now, however, Merlin seemed to be alive. What had happened?

His gaze left his clothes and to the woman before him. It was the same girl from the feast. "What do you want," he demanded. His voice was raspy. "You're not really Bayard's servant, are you?"

The woman turned around and pulled down the hood of her cloak to reveal flaming red hair and a piercing gaze. "My name is Nimueh, I am the Goddess of the Old Religion. I saved your life Emrys, you were already dead, but I used my power over life and death to bring you back."

Merlin glared at the woman. "That was very kind of you. Wouldn't it have been better to not poison me in the first place," the warlock said in a very flippant tone. His body might feel leaden and feeble, but his mind was sharp and his tongue worked perfectly.
Merlin glared at the woman. "That was very kind of you. Wouldn't it have been better to not poison me in the first place," the warlock said in a very flippant tone. His body might feel leaden and feeble, but his mind was sharp and his tongue worked perfectly.

"And what makes you think that it was I who poisoned you? I did nothing of the sort, I only saved your life." Nimueh countered.

"My gut. I've learned to trust in such matters. I thought something seemed off. I just didn't know what," Merlin replied. This tone was curt.

Slowly she approached Merlin, eyes raking over his features. He was so weak that she knew he couldn't stop her from taking what she wanted, even if he wanted to. "There is only one thing that I want in return from you Merlin," Nimueh said as she raised her hand to gently stroke it across the warlock's right cheek, "I want your magical gifts."

The warlock kept his gaze on the sorceress. He did not trust her (and rightly so). As the woman touched his cheek, he leaned away from her. "Don't touch me," he growled. "Get away from me! I am not going to give you anything. I am not going to help you."

She knew that the boy's talents would greatly far surpass her own. In time, he would be able to kill her with barely a thought. Taking the boy's magic away from him and intermingling it with her own would in essence kill two birds with one stone. It would insure her own survival by making her the most powerful sorceress alive and it would make the boy completely normal; just another pesky human being that needed to be disposed of.

For right now though she couldn't kill him. She couldn't even curse him like she had done to another. No, Merlin was valuable, but once the spell was done he would be worthless to her. Still...killing him would be rash. Perhaps he would be of more use to her alive. If she had the manservant then the Prince was sure to follow...once he knew that the boy was alive. No, it was not Arthur's destiny to die at her hand, that honor had already been given to a Druid boy. But that didn't mean that she couldn't play with fate.

Merlin felt his magic pulse in his veins. He felt it coursing into his limbs and giving him strength. Slowly, the warlock discovered that his body didn't feel as heavy. He flexed his toes and tried to push himself up. With careful movements, he sat himself up and then stood. Resting a hand on the wall, Merlin steadied himself. "If you will excuse me, I am going to leave now. I never want to see you again" he said.

The warlock headed off in what he thought was the proper direction. Of course, it wasn't. he was going in the opposite direction. Merlin stumbled along the caves. He kept his gaze to the ground so he didn't fall or slip. The journey was trying on him and he found the little energy he had slipping. But, He still wandered onwards – he had to keep going. If he didn't, he didn't think he'd get out of this place alive – he wasn't sure he would anyway, but Merlin had to try.

He entered a large and oddly lit cave. Merlin looked at the ceiling to see if there were any lanterns. But, alas, there were none. This was a magically lit place. He could feel the magic pulsing in this area. Spotting a small trickle of water coming from a crevasse in the floor, he went over to it and scooped some of the water up in his hands. After pouring the water into his mouth, he went for some more water, but he stopped as he saw the glowing eyes of some foul creature.

"Hello, you look tired," she purred. The young woman was very pretty. She wore a clingy, green dress and her white-blonde locks tumbled over her thin shoulders and veiled her oval face. "Come with me and rest."

Merlin shook his head. "No," the warlock said. He backed up as the lady raised a hand.

Her hand and arm transformed into a tentacle. It shot out and grabbed his ankle. Screaming, Merlin was dragged towards the creature.

Without thinking, Merlin shouted a spell. Fire came from his hand and struck the creature. Crying out, she let go of him. The fiend sizzled as smoke rose from her. After a moment, the thing was dead; he'd burned the creature.

Panting, Merlin looked at the charred creature. With shaky legs, he wandered away. Something felt off. He couldn't tell what it was, but it wasn't right.

Nimueh appeared from out of the shadows. She had seen Merlin burn her pet to death. Poor creature, it had only done what it knew how to do and the warlock had killed her for it.

Slowly she raised a hand towards the young man, a smirk on her face. "There is no escape. You cannot run and you cannot hide yourself from me."

Merlin wheeled around to face the witch. "I will escape, even if it is the last thing I do," he promised. The warlock watched Nimueh. What was she going to do?

She whispered a spell under her breath and then all of a sudden a ball of light shot from her hand and flew over to Merlin, smashing in to his chest and knocking him off of his feet.

"It would be better for you not to resist young warlock. It is not your destiny to die at my hand." Nimueh said. Those words seemed familiar to her. Now where had she heard those words before? Ah yes...she had said the very same thing to Prince Arthur when he had come to the forest of Balor in search of the Mortaeus flower.

"It is my duty to protect Arthur. That is what I have been told and that is what I hold true. Besides, I have no woman in my life and I doubt I ever will. Now, if you excuse me, I am leaving, " Merlin pushed himself up and continued along until he reached a feeble looking stone bridge.

Merlin yelled out as the fireball hit his Chest. He lay there, with his eyes closed and his chest heaving. "No? I think I already did... Die at your hand. I will resist. I will fight. You will not have me," Merlin growled.

She didn't seem to hear him though. Instead, she kept speaking. "However that doesn't mean that I cannot make your life absolutely miserable. I have seen your future, Merlin. I know what it is that you are destined for and it is not what you have been led to believe. I see a young lady and a child in your future, and the three of you live out your days in peace and happiness. If you defy me I will make sure that none of that comes to pass."

Merlin yelled out as the fireball hit his chest. He lay there, with his eyes closed and his chest heaving. "No? I think I already did... Die at your hand. I will resist. I will fight. You will not have me," Merlin growled.

"My destiny is to protect Arthur and help him bring about the Golden Age of Albion. It is what I have been told and what I hold true. Besides, I have no woman in my life. I doubt I ever will. Now, if you excuse me, I must go," the warlock countered.

Coming to a tiny bridge, Merlin peered down over each side. "How am I going to get across this," Merlin muttered. He took a deep breath and placed a foot on the bridge. The rock below him creaked and crumbled. Hastily, he looked up.

Wisps of white smoke beings swarmed over his head. They darted at him and around him and pushed him forward and backwards. He wobbled on his spot and to keep from falling, he crouched. "I mean no harm," he said in the ancient tongue. "I am leaving! Let me pass."

The winds died down, but there was a rumble. The ground below and the ceiling above him shook. Standing fast, he ran until he was at the other end of the bridge. There was a break in the stone and only a small ledge for him to jump onto. If he wasn't careful, he'd fall to certain death.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped, but he missed. Before plummeting into the cavern, he grasped the a gut out in the stone wall in front of him and started to clamor up. Hearing a crashing sound, he looked up as a rock landed on his arm. Throwing his head back, he screamed. "brecan," he panted watching the rocks break apart.

Scrambling onto the ledge, he cradled his arm and leaned against the wall panting hard and feeling drained of energy and magic. Wearily, he stood and stumbled along the little path until he reached yet another cave.
In the darkness of yet another cave, Nimueh watched Merlin move. He was becoming more and more turned around with each step he took. That was how she had designed her home and the spells she had used in it's construction assisted to confuse those who stepped inside. Only she was immune to them. Only she could enter and exit the cave system at will. Everyone else would never find the way out and would slowly go mad.

She smirked. Merlin was walking right in to her trap and the best part of it was that he didn't even know it. The cave that he had just entered in to held creatures of magic but they were so tiny that they were invisible to the naked eye. There would be a bowl filled with crystal clear water and near the bowl there would be a plain looking glass. The creatures would be in the water and they would be on the glass. Once ingested or once the creatures found an open wound they would seep in to the warlock's blood stream.
The beings alone wouldn't be enough to take his magic but they would make it easier to take it. The small stone that she had enchanted and placed at the exit on the far side of the chamber would actually be the one to draw Merlin's magic from him. All the warlock had to do was get close enough to trigger it and then his magic would be stripped from him. There would be no way to get out of that cave without triggering the rock and there was no way for Merlin to go back either because the bridge had been destroyed.

The smile still on her face, Nimueh continued to watch Merlin. It was only going to be a matter of time now.

Merlin stumbled along. Pain and exhaustion numbed his sense. He was also so, very thirsty. He needed water, now.

Spying a bowl that was being filled by water dripping from the ceiling, he went over to it. This seemed a little odd, but he was too tired to think about it. Filling the glass, he drank it all. Then, he filled it again and drank it too.

"I have to get out of here," Merlin said. "I need to think..." Merlin sat down on the ground. Leaning his head back the warlock tried to keep his mind on the problem, but soon the warlock was asleep.

Out of the darkness of this area, a blonde-haired woman watched. She clung to a pillar as she looked at the stranger. This was the first new person she had seen in 26 years. It was exciting and frightening at the same time.

The woman didn't know if the man was friend or foe. The boy looked so young and innocent; surely he couldn't be an enemy. However she had been wrong before.

Carefully the woman moved, the chain connected to the manacle around her ankle tinkled as she moved. She left the protection of the pillar and slowly approached the young man. She felt so sorry for him for she knew what was to become of him. Nimueh would take his magic and then she would make him her prisoner. She had done that to so many people.

The water that the boy had drunk wasn't entirely water and now what hadn't been possible suddenly was. If the young man passed by the exit on the other side of the room then his magic would be taken from him. If he used his magic in any way then it would be taken from him as well. Perhaps she could convince the boy to stay and not try to use his magic. He would be safe that way; Nimueh wouldn't be able to touch him.

That cave had been the young woman's home for the past 26 years; ever since Nimueh had taken her away from her family. Camelot...Uther. Sometimes it was hard for her to remember what her husband looked like. Sometimes she could see his face in her dreams and then at other times it was a struggle to remember the color of his eyes. Then there was her son, her baby. She had heard Gaius say that Arthur wasn't breathing and then...the last thing she remembered hearing before she woke up in the cave was the sound of a baby crying. A tear rolled down her cheek. She had never even gotten to see her son let alone hold him in her arms.

Raising a hand to her face Ygraine wiped the single tear away. There was no use crying over that. She was Nimueh's prisoner and would continue to be until she died. There was no escape.
The chain dragged along the dirt and rock floor as Ygraine moved. She gathered her purple cloak; in fact it was the one she had been buried in, and brought it over to the young lad.

The cloak was old, dirty and had several holes in it but it was still comfortable at it kept her arm all of those dark and lonely nights. Gently, Ygraine draped the old cloak over Merlin before she backed up and sat down on a rock.

Merlin jerked as the fabric was draped over his thin body. Jarring his arm, he grunted and gritted his teeth. Gods, it hurt! Blurrily, he looked around. The slight sleep had disoriented him.

Noticing the woman sitting on a rock, he frowned. "Did I die again? Please, tell me I didn't," he said. "But, you're dead, aren't you? You're Ygraine, Queen of Camelot. You died in childbirth. If I'm not dead, have I started seeing ghosts?"

Merlin jerked as the fabric was draped over his thin body. Jarring his arm, he grunted and gritted his teeth. Gods, it hurt! Blurrily, he looked around. The slight sleep had disoriented him.

Hearing her name, Ygraine straightened up a little. How did this young man know who she was? She had never seen him before, granted he would have been a baby the last time she had been free.

Merlin was confused, he was very confused. The warlock looked at the ground for a moment and then looked at Ygraine. He noticed the chain on her ankle and followed it with his eyes until it disappeared in to the darkness.

"You're not dead. You're not a ghost. I'm not seeing things. I'm not dead. Right? You've been held prisoner," Merlin muttered.

Ygraine sighed and bowed her head for a moment. "For 26 years I've been Nimueh's prisoner. This cave has been my home all of that time," she said as she looked back up at Merlin. "She told me it was all part of the deal that Uther struck with her. But, come now. What is your name dear one? Where do you come from?"

"My name's Merlin, ma'am," the warlock said. He stammered a little from fear and cold. With one hand, the warlock wrapped the cloak around his thin shoulders. "I was born in Ealdor, but my mother sent me to Camelot. I've been in the service of the Prince for a few months. I got the job by saving his life. I then sort of died saving his life. Nimueh brought me back from death."

At the mention of Camelot's prince, Ygraine perked up even more though she remained silent for the time being.

Merlin thought about what had happened. Sadness filled his eyes. He didn't remember Arthur fishing him from the river or even Merlin telling the Prince to go, but him not listening. "It's a longer story than that. I didn't die at first. I seemed to get better. But…I did something….and it angered the Prince greatly. He exiled me. After that, I got worse and then I died," he stammered.

Ygraine shook her head. This was all a lot to take in. She hadn't heard of Camelot in 26 years, now this Merlin came along and began a tale of woe so great that it made her head spin.

"Explain to me what happened. I cannot believe my son would banish you without a reason," Ygraine said. She wanted to believe that there was a piece of her in her son and that he would do what was just and right, but he had grown up with Uther. Then again, the Uther she knew had been a fair and just king. What had happened to Camelot when she had been taken?

"We were walking in the hallways and a large beam broke," Merlin began. Merlin then stopped as tears formed in his eyes. He was scared. His tone was slow and fearful. Here he was telling the Queen of Camelot (albeit supposedly dead Queen) what had happened. No one, but Arthur knew the truth. He had never thought he'd get a chance to tell his story.

He took a deep breath in and then let it out. "I…I used my magic to save Arthur. I blew it up before it fell on him," Merlin finished. "He didn't know. He wasn't supposed to know yet. He got very angry. I guess he wanted me to die slowly and painfully from poison I'd drank to save him a few days earlier…maybe he wanted me tracked like a deer. I don't know. I know I saw so much anger and hate in his eyes."

Merlin shook his head. His lips had turned completely downwards and he was shaking. "Magic is banned in Camelot, ma'am. Under penalty of death," the warlock whispered. "It's been that way for…well since Arthur's birth. Women, men, children, they were hung, burnt at the stake, decapitated, or drowned if the King thought there was magic involved. There was a purge where many, many magic users were killed. "

"I can't help who I am, ma'am. I was born with magic. I was using it before I could walk or talk. I've only used it to help people and to protect Arthur," Merlin concluded.

Ygraine made sure to keep the look on her face smooth and even. Inside however, she was screaming. What the hell had happened to her husband that he would raise their son with so much hatred towards people with magic? He had promised her that he would treat everyone fairly and justly. Now she was hearing that Uther had broken his promise to her.

Was it because she had 'died' at the hands of Nimueh? If so, Uther's promise to her should have held firm. Perhaps he had been looking for any reason he could find to attack those with magic.

"I am sure that you did what was for the best, Merlin. I may have just met you, but I do not see any ill intent coming from you in regards to my son. I am pleased to hear that he is still alive, no matter his tasteless upbringing."

Merlin nodded. "I did the only thing I could've," he said, leaning his head against the stone wall. "And I don't want to hurt Arthur. I never did. It's destiny to protect him, at least that is what I was told. I was supposed to help him unite the five lands to create Albion. I have taken that role…seriously."

Ygraine stood up and walked closer to Merlin, the chain connected to her ankle dragging across the floor. "I know it may not seem like much, dear one, but you have little to fear here...even Nimueh. She is not as powerful as she wants you to believe, but you must be careful. She has many ways to get what she wants," Ygraine said.

"I'm not afraid. I've faced a lot of things. I was just…scared to talk about who I am and what happened. My magic is something I've kept a secret. It's something I don't talk about or do in public. People used to think I was a monster," the warlock whispered. "I just want to go home. I want my mother."

He looked around the space. "We're going to get out of here, Ygraine. Even if it's the last thing I do, I am going to get you out of here," Merlin said.

Sanding, he aimed his hand at the chains. Whispering a spell, his eyes flash golden and the chains fall from around Ygraine. He smiled at her. "Let's…" he began, but didn't finish.

Merlin gasped. Golden wisps of something came from his mouth. The hovered and then entered the bowl where Merlin had drank. The warlock's eyes glaze over. The once inquisitive expression was replaced by a childlike and very innocent look. With his eyes rolling back in his head, he crumbled to the ground and was still.

XOXOXO

Morgana gently shut the door to her bedroom chambers and then turned to face her bed. It had been a long and trying day. Uther was getting worse and worse and Arthur...she didn't know how to describe him. He was moody, belligerent and depressed...and those were just his daily good points! She understood a little of what he must have been feeling. His manservant had died and then the boy's body had been stolen. She could understand the sadness and anger he must have been feeling but he should have put that behind him. It was his duty to manage the kingdom since Uther couldn't, not go running off in search of a corpse.

"If I were Queen of Camelot, I wouldn't let such reckless emotions control my decisions..." she told herself as she crossed to the mirror so she could brush her hair.

Out of the shadows a blonde-haired woman watched. She listened to Morgana's wish. Oh, this was too good. It was too easy. "Maybe you will be. Maybe you should be," Morgause said as she revealed herself.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Morgause, daughter of Vivien. I am privy to some delectable information pertaining to your father," she said. "I happened upon a letter your father wrote mine. Here, read it and see."

The woman laid a scroll on the table. "You may keep it," Morgause said. With that, the blond-headed sorceress left the room to replace his secret bed companion (a mandrake root).

When the woman left, Morgana picked up the scroll and opened it. After a moment her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Surprise quickly turned to anger as she folded up the scroll. He had lied to her! He had lied to them all! Uther was her father not her guardian and Arthur was her brother?! That meant that she was next in line for the throne, not him! Camelot was hers by right! She turned back around and marched to her closed bedroom door but something made her stop. The people would not accept her as heir, at least not yet. No, they wouldn't unless Uther and Arthur were out of the way. Both of them had to be disposed of but not yet. No, she needed a plan. Grabbing her cloak, Morgana slipped in to it and left her chambers to go in search of one that could help her.