A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you once again for the wonderful reviews/alerts/favourites! The number of reviews for this story have gone down…hopefully this isn't because people have stopped reading…that would be really sad…oO Anyways, I know I didn't update for a while...I'm really sorry about that! Please forgive me!
Spoilers: Up to Season 3 episode 13
Pairings: ArthurXGwen; slight GwenXLancelot; There is no slash in this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Merlin".
Chapter 7: The Attack (Part 2)
Arthur and the Knights along with Gwen crashed into the physician's chambers. They made quite a sight and startled Gaius into action. Arthur had Merlin slung across one shoulder and he hurriedly lay the servant down as Gaius cleared the table.
Arthur heard someone bolt the door and sighed in relief. They'd made enough of a fuss while getting to the room, he didn't think it was necessary to gather a curious crowd of onlookers near the open doorway.
He was antsy and very worried. Although he had heard Merlin's heart beating it hadn't been strong. In fact, the rhythm was lethargically slow, as if Merlin's heart didn't want to continue beating anymore.
Arthur watched Gaius examine every inch of the servant's body and every other conscious person in the room waited with bated breath for the diagnosis.
"It seems he is asleep."
That was anti-climatic…Arthur blinked and asked, "Asleep…?"
Gaius then finally turned around to the awaiting audience and said, "Someone has placed a powerful sleeping spell on him. He will most likely sleep for at least a week."
Now Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief and he heard some of his other companions do the same. Then Lancelot asked, "But who would do this? Any way you can figure that out Gaius?"
Gaius shook his head towards the negative saying, "I will not be able to figure that out. Did any of you see Merlin before you found him asleep?"
Arthur jumped in and said, "He was with me! I asked him a question and he was just about to answer when he went completely still. His mind seemed to have been far away for a bit and then suddenly he rushed out of my chambers. The next any of us saw of him was when he was already in this state."
Gaius's expression turned slightly fearful and Arthur's mind replayed through the conversation he'd overheard between Gwaine, Lancelot, and Merlin some time ago.
"You need to find a way to stop this happening. If you get like this in front of someone other than me, Gwaine, or Gaius it'll mean trouble."
Lancelot, Gwaine, and Gaius knew something, which would probably give Arthur a clue about what happened to Merlin.
He pointed to the three saying, "You three know something and I would like to know what that is."
Arthur angrily watched each of their faces carefully wiped blank of any emotion. However, Gwaine did volunteer some information, "All we can tell you is that Merlin and Morgana have been somehow bonded. For some time he could feel her emotions through the bond that's why his face would suddenly show so much anger and hatred. But I think he fixed that problem…"
Gaius nodded and continued, "He did fix that. But the bond also allows Merlin to sense where Morgana is. I have a feeling Sire, when he was speaking to you, Merlin felt Morgana very close to the castle. That could be the only reason why he ran off. I'm guessing Morgana might have placed the spell on him…"
Arthur looked wide-eyed between the two and before he could say anything Lancelot's face contorted into confusion and the Knight asked, "But then wouldn't Morgana also be affected by the sleeping spell because of the bond?"
Gwen then added in her input, it seemed she'd recovered faster than the Prince who was still struggling to comprehend the foolishly loyal Merlin, "Maybe it's not just her who has entered the castle. It's possible she's come here with others. Maybe that's the plan. Merlin would have been the only one who could tell if Morgana had come into the castle so they may have put him to sleep along with Morgana. It would have…"
Arthur continued as the plan clearly set itself up in his brain, "Been a sacrifice they were willing to make. With Merlin out of the picture they would be able to continue their plan without any of us knowing."
Percival than continued, "But something clearly went wrong…I don't think they were planning on any of us looking for Merlin. I believe they may have brought him back to this room without anyone knowing about where the servant was until too late."
Elyan then continued, "I don't think anyone expected Gwaine, Gaius, and Lancelot to know about the bond either. It would have been too close to magic and they were probably expecting Merlin to keep his mouth shut. That way no one would know Morgana is involved…but that means they're already inside the castle. We could be attacked at anytime."
Arthur knew it wasn't the right time to be thinking about this, but he was proud…damn proud. He was also very happy to have these loyal and smart people around him. He noticed that coincidently they were standing around in a circle, with the table that Merlin was lying on at Arthur's right. It was as if the servant was also part of the conversation.
As Arthur was contemplating the coincidence someone knocked urgently on the door. Elyan unbolted the door and opened it up to give everyone the sight of a breathless messenger. Arthur asked the boy to state his business.
"Sire, the King requests your attendance in the council chambers to discuss the feast planned for the new Knights."
Arthur's mind clicked and he gave a quick glance to the others in the room to see that everyone had reached the same conclusion. He dismissed the messenger with his assent and turned his eyes to the others asking, "I'm guessing everyone agrees that the attack will most likely occur during the feast?"
A multitude of nods followed the question and Arthur continued, "You all will most likely be at the dining hall along with Sir Leon. My father wanted to thank all the people that helped free Camelot and officially Knight you four. The feast was supposed to be a big affair but I think I'll make my father change his mind about that."
Lancelot asked, "Will you tell the King about this?"
Arthur paused then firmly said, "No...not yet...he isn't ready to hear about something like this..."
Gwaine nodded his head and changed the topic, "The feast will be held tomorrow night…we can spread out some of the new recruits I guess. Hopefully, they'll put up a small fight."
Elyan said, "As long as these people haven't brought an army along with them I think we'll be fine."
Arthur nodded his head and glad for the change of topic said, "There isn't an army. Lancelot had gone out on patrol the day before and hadn't seen anything. We'll have to keep our guard up but not seem like we're on to the perpetrators. They shouldn't know that we've figured out their plan, but watch out for anyone suspicious!"
The rest of the people nodded and Arthur then turned specifically to Gaius, "Keep an eye on Merlin Gaius, we don't know if these people will come to check on him or not. If they do come you might be able to tell if they don't belong in the castle."
As they were talking about their plans, Merlin's hand twitched and Arthur, owing to his years of training, caught the movement. He turned and eyed the appendage willing it to twitch again but it did nothing. He heard the softly voiced question from Gaius, "Sire?"
Arthur said, "His hand twitched…"
He saw Gaius blink in his peripheral vision and the physician said, "That's not possible…the spell is very strong…" The physician came up to Merlin and examined him again. When the physician reached Merlin's chest to listen for a heartbeat he jerked back in surprise.
Lancelot steadied Gaius and Gwaine anxiously asked, "What? What happened? Don't tell me he's…"
Arthur's heart skipped a beat at the unvoiced word. He heard Gwen gasp and clutch onto his bicep. Then Gaius shook his head to the negative and said, "No…it's exactly the opposite. I'm quite sure his heart beat is stronger than before…he's fighting the spell as we speak…"
The voice Gaius used was one of awe…as if something like that should not have been possible. Now Arthur's heart rate accelerated in surprise and his mind was sent awhirl in suspicion. He felt Gwen's hold relax on his bicep as she said, "That's good…he might wake up faster."
Percival then remembered, "Sire! Do you not have to meet with the King?"
Arthur blinked as his thoughts crashed back to the present. He nodded his head and said, "All of you keep alert. Everyone except Gaius leaves this room and patrols the halls of the castle. The new guards are good but they are not good enough yet. I need you to keep an eye out on the areas that I've assigned to each of you. Also, someone needs to alert Sir Leon about the current situation."
Each of his companions nodded and he squeezed Guinevere's hand tightly before striding out of the room to meet his father.
Arthur's suspicions of Merlin had been growing tenfold lately. It didn't help that he was finding out his servant had been hiding things from him. Now with this spell placed on Merlin...he was really dreading the conclusion of all of this.
Just a couple of days ago Arthur had let his mind run rampant and allowed his suspicion of Merlin being a sorcerer to settle in his mind. It had made a startling amount of sense. The confusion around his servant had been cleared with that answer.
If Merlin was a sorcerer then it would explain all of the weird times that Arthur had assumed Merlin was lying to him. With that thought set firmly in his mind the Prince had taken to watching his servant closely. He was trying to catch Merlin in the act so to speak.
However, just this morning Arthur had gotten frustrated and had pushed Merlin to answer his questions. Of course, as with everything else relating to his servant nothing went according to plan.
Now Arthur was left with the worry of an impending attack by Morgana and not having any way of stopping her. True they could be on their guard but if Morgana used magic like before then Arthur didn't know if they would be able to stop her.
Merlin was drifting in an endless sea of darkness. Some unseen force seemed to be forcing his mind to sleep and he was fighting it tooth and nail. He didn't exactly know why he needed to fight it off...he just felt a feeling of urgency settle around him.
Although the warlock didn't know why he was fighting off sleep he did know that he could not stay in the darkness too long. He had to help them...who was them...?
No it didn't matter, he must wake up (when did he fall asleep?), he had to stop her (who?)...Merlin was so confused. He couldn't fully comprehend what was going on.
He felt like he was awake...but he was so sure he was asleep...did that even make any sense? He looked around himself peering out over the vast darkness. It was disconcerting. There was nothing around for miles, only a great blackness. He seemed to be floating around inside of it.
He tried to force his mind to remember what happened...tried to recollect how he had gotten here, but he came up empty. He tried to use his magic but, alarmingly, it didn't respond.
Now Merlin truly panicked. There had never been a time in his life that his magic didn't respond to his call. It was ingrained so deeply into his being that he simply had to think of something and his magic would make it happen.
He tried again. Willed his magic to respond. For minutes which felt like hours, Merlin didn't feel a thing...and then quite suddenly there was a spark. He rejoiced although it wasn't as strong as normal it was still there!
He focused on that tiny spark trying to coax it into a flame. It seemed like a thin thread more than a spark so he grasped on to it. He felt it almost slip through his fingers and focused harder to solidify the thread some more. He then yanked hard and felt a wave of power pass through his body.
He convulsed, feeling overwhelmed. He was surprised about the sheer amount of power he could feel flowing into his being. For a second he considered the thought that it might not be his...but the magic felt so familiar and comforting that he pushed that thought away.
It took some time but Merlin could once again feel his magic thrumming inside his body. He smiled, giddy with relief and success. Now he just had to find a way out of this darkness.
He frowned at that thought. Although his magic had returned, Merlin had the feeling it hadn't really gone anywhere. He just couldn't sense it anymore. As he thought more on it a niggling feeling took over his mind. It was like an itch that he couldn't ignore.
It was a memory that was pushing it's a way to the forefront of his mind. 'A spell'
That's right a spell. Someone must have cast a spell on him! A sleeping spell or something akin to that. His magic hadn't been gone, his senses had been dulled to such an extent that he couldn't feel his magic. That meant he also hadn't lost his memory, his mind was still bogged down by the spell so he couldn't remember anything yet.
Well, he had his magic to call on now. He needed this darkness gone. He needed to force the spell out of his mind. He couldn't remember the words to the spell that could help him because of the sleeping spell but his will was enough to guide his magic. Merlin felt a wave of power rush out of him and then crash into something. It was a barrier of some sort.
That must be the spell that was holding him in this place. Now that he had something to focus on Merlin directed his magic to a specific point in front of him. He had a rough idea of where the barrier was so he continued to throw wave after wave of power at the same spot.
Finally, after what felt like hours, a crack appeared. Merlin grinned! Through the crack some light spilled over. Merlin blinked frowning now...he had always associated light with a certain person...he forced his mind to remember and his magic acted of its own accord and crashed into the barrier again.
The cracks spread like a spider's web along the point of impact. Then Merlin jolted...Arthur! He always associated the Prince with light. Arthur was the sun that would shine across the land bringing peace and prosperity to Albion.
The barrier suddenly collapsed and a rush of memories came to Merlin. He felt himself falling through the darkness...no not darkness anymore. There were colours...images...sounds...voices...people...memories...all around him.
All the while he was falling and falling and falling and sat bolt upright in bed.
Merlin struggled to get his bearings as he looked around the room frantically. He was in his own chambers. He stood up off of his bed but a wave of dizziness hit him. He sat back down breathing heavily and trying to gain some control. The spell was still in him...it wasn't as potent as before, but it still lingered within his body. It had been a powerful spell. No wonder it was taking so long for his magic to get rid of it.
Merlin looked out of his window to see the sun shining brightly. It looked to be about midday. He raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes when he noticed blood dribbling slowly from a small cut on his palm. Confused Merlin whispered a healing spell and to his relief the cut closed.
Odd, a cut on his palm. His mind was still slightly sluggish; he tried to shake the lethargy. He decided to wash and change hoping to make himself feel better.
As he went about refreshing, he felt the spell starting to gradually leave him. As the last traces of the spell left Merlin felt his energy return. He was standing in the middle of his room when it hit him.
Morgana! She was in the castle. How long ago was that? He rushed out of his room to speak to Gaius, except the physician wasn't around. Merlin didn't know what day it was. When had Morgana cast the spell?
He tried to recollect the events that took place before the spell was placed on him. He remembered speaking to Arthur and then going rigid as he had felt Morgana's presence within the castle. He had rushed out and followed his senses. He had realized he was running towards the tunnels that they'd used to rescue Uther.
He remembered coming to a stop near the entrance. He had felt Morgana's presence all over the place. It had been as he was trying to pinpoint her location that the spell hit him. He had only caught a glimpse of her face as everything went dark.
However, the bond was still active. He focused his mind on Morgana, and was alarmed to feel her satisfaction flowing through the bond. She definitely had something planned. Merlin closed his eyes and reached out with his mind.
He was careful to hide his mental presence as he brushed into Morgana's mind. It was an odd feeling. He knew in his mind that he was back in his room, but his eyes told a different story. He could see pale slender hands uncorking a small vial and pouring something into a large cauldron.
Merlin had to force himself to calm down. He couldn't alert Morgana to his presence. He felt someone touch Morgana and as the witch turned around he was surprised to see the castle kitchens was bustling with activity.
The servant who had touched Morgana said, "Don't worry about stirring it dear. You've helped enough. I'll get someone else to do it. You should go and enjoy yourself. It isn't a big feast as was planned before. It's only the King, the Prince, Gaius, the new Knights, Sir Leon, and of course our dear Guinevere. It's not too many people. We'll be fine! Thank you!"
He didn't stay inside her mind for long. Merlin blinked and found himself back in his room...not that he'd left it. He shook his head to clear it and rushed out of the physician's chambers.
Morgana had poisoned the food and nobody knew. Every person who ate the food was going to die.
Arthur was sitting in the dining hall tense and alert. Merlin had yet to wake up and Morgana couldn't be found anywhere in the castle.
He was currently having lunch with the new Knights, his father, Guinevere, Gaius, and Sir Leon. Merlin should have been part of this group. The servant had risked his life stopping the immortal army. Arthur sighed. Merlin couldn't be here though...the servant was in his chambers asleep since yesterday.
The conversation was stilted and subdued as everyone was tense except the King. Arthur had forced his father to postpone the Knighting ceremony. The Prince had convinced the King to hold a small celebration instead to honour the people who had helped in freeing Camelot.
The only reason why Uther had agreed was because of the fragile state of his mind. Arthur wanted to hold a large celebration for the Knighting. The four men deserved that much. But right now large celebrations were out-of-the question.
The food was brought out by a couple of servants and arranged around the table. The King then stood up and said a few words. But Arthur knew no one was really listening. Everyone just nodded at certain places and then dug into the food once it was polite to do so.
It was as they were eating that the doors to the hall burst open and Arthur saw Merlin panting at the entrance. Then the servant yelled out, "Don't eat the food! It's been poi...soned..."
He trailed off when he realized that everyone had already been half-way through their lunch. Arthur shot to his feet and looked down at his food in horror.
He heard a whispered, "No!" from Merlin.
The warlock ran in and the rest of the party pushed their plates away. The King then asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Merlin's face was pale as he stuttered, "She...I saw...oh god! What do we do? How do you feel? Does anybody..."
Arthur snapped his head to the side as he heard Gaius choke and hold the table tightly. His eyes widened. Then suddenly his father choked.
One by one everyone's breathing began to get laboured and Arthur felt a slight constriction around his lungs making it hard to breathe.
He choked out, "Merlin...find her!"
Merlin nodded and then turned around to do just that when a laugh echoed across the dining hall. Morgana stood at the open doorway watching the scenario with glee. Arthur was disgusted! She was enjoying this!
Then he felt his breathing restricting further...he was going to die...
Merlin felt helpless. How was he supposed to stop everyone from dying? He stared at Morgana and, pathetic though it was, begged, "Morgana please...stop this!"
Morgana laughed cruelly, "Have you lost your mind? I'm enjoying this far too much to stop now. They're getting what they deserve. You can't do anything to stop it...and I'm not going to let you leave this place to try to help them!"
She raised her hand and muttered a few words and several of the shields and swords hung around the walls as decorations zoomed towards Merlin. The warlock made a split second decision and muttered his own spell as a shield formed around him and the projectiles crashed into the shield then fell to the ground uselessly. Although every part of his mind was forcing him to turn around to look at the others' reaction to his magic, he stayed resolutely staring at Morgana.
She uttered another spell and a whirling column of fire headed straight for the warlock. As the walls shook with the force of the spell, he realized the attack was too strong for a simple defensive barrier and made to move out of the way. However, one glance behind him made him stay where he was and the column of fire crashed into him. He couldn't let the fire reach any of the people behind him.
He grit his teeth hard to clamp down on the pained scream that was about to wrench itself free from his mouth. A grunt still passed his lips and he fell to his knees. He knew his powers would keep him alive.
He looked up to see Morgana's horrified expression as she felt around her own body. But to Merlin's surprise nothing happened to her. The bond was definitely still in effect then how come she was still standing. Now that he thought about it Morgana hadn't been affected by the sleeping spell...how?
"You...the bond...how are you still standing...?"
Morgana smirked and touched the pendant that was hung around her neck, "I have my ways."
Merlin caught sight of the slight glow coming from the pendant and frowned. Morgana had found a way to not allow the bond to affect her adversely.
Morgana laughed and said, "This pendant lowers the effect of the bond. So even if you're injured...or placed under a spell...it will not affect me!"
Merlin thought that through and said, "So it doesn't work if I were to die...?"
Morgana blinked and Merlin noticed a slight fear enter her eyes before it was pushed away as she said, "I don't really care about that right now..."
She moved her head to look at the people behind him and Merlin saw the unbridled pleasure on her face in alarm. He turned back to look at everyone behind him and gasped.
As Merlin took in a shuddering breath, he saw Gaius slump forward unconscious. The King was barely holding on and Gwen was slumped against Arthur blinking lethargically. The Prince and the Knights were sitting on the floor leaning against their swords. All eyes were turned to him some in surprise and others in wary acceptance.
Merlin took in another shuddering breath and saw the King slump slightly forward...not yet unconscious but barely holding on. Merlin blinked, his breathing heavy. He heard Morgana laughing again as she said, "The protector becomes the killer!"
Merlin turned his head slightly to look at her in confusion then he looked back at everyone else.
"What are you saying?"
He had a sick feeling of dread as he watched everyone's laboured breathing.
Morgana laughed some more, "Well I really don't think it matters if I tell you now! They're already almost gone! This isn't just any poison. It was brewed with a small amount of your blood in it. You, Merlin, are the anchor for this spell, just like the sleeping spell placed over Camelot. Only this time every breath the living anchor takes in...the victim's breathing slows."
She said the last part in relish and Merlin clamped a hand to his nose and mouth forcing his breathing to a stop. But he was exhausted and his body needed breath. He took an involuntary shuddering breath in and saw everyone slump forward. Arthur's sword almost fell from his hands.
Merlin let out a strangled "No!"
He turned to Gaius to see the old physician's breathing slowing. Merlin blinked tears out of his. He took a look at everyone around him. He looked at Arthur last and made his decision.
He knew from the Prince's eyes that Arthur knew what Merlin was about to do. Arthur painfully shook his head in the negative.
Merlin smiled, looked around once more and noticed that Gwaine, Lancelot, and Gwen had also figured out what he was planning. He took one look at Gaius and his eyes flashed gold. One of the many decorative swords lying around him shot towards his outstretched hand. He grasped firmly onto the hilt.
He saw Gwaine push forward in a failed attempt to stop the warlock and Merlin held the sword against his wrist. He paused however at Morgana's words.
"Do you really think that's a good idea? You seriously believe I wouldn't have expected you to foolishly sacrifice yourself for these people?"
Merlin looked at her with narrowed eyes and she continued speaking, "What do you think is going to happen to them once you die?"
Merlin simply said, "If I die so do you..."
Morgana smirked and said, "True...but Mordred and Alvarr will still very much be alive. In fact so will the band of renegades that have already reached Camelot's gates. Didn't you notice the lack of guards near the dining hall when you walked in? We took care of them first so that no one would interrupt us here. Alvarr and Mordred are keeping anyone else from coming to your rescue. Even if I die because of your foolish sacrifice...Camelot will still fall..."
Merlin was shocked. Now that he thought about it, there were far off screams coming from the town below. He had been so caught up with everything around him that he hadn't heard the screams until now. He looked around at everyone in hopelessness. Morgana laughed at his misery and continued her tirade, "How does it feel Merlin? How does it feel to be completely helpless? No one can help you now!"
Merlin blinked at that. He wasn't entirely without help. He smirked at Morgana and watched her tense in confusion. Then he let loose a mighty roar and called on the dragon. He knew the people behind him had probably felt their breathing constrict some more but they would be fine soon.
Once the call was completed, he waited with bated breath. He hoped the dragon was nearby or his efforts would be in vain.
While he waited he took one last glance around at all the people who had been part of his life in Camelot.
He heard Morgana ask in fear, "What did you do?...I have never heard those words before..."
Merlin turned to her and smirked in triumph saying, "Called for some help."
He saw her angrily raise her hand to attack him and placed a dome like barrier around everyone including himself. Morgana cried out in anger and released a barrage of spells at the barrier, hoping to break through. However, Merlin knew he was more powerful than her. The barrier would hold...at least for now.
So he ignored Morgana and let his gaze travel around the people inside the dome. He first took a look at Sir Leon. He hadn't known the Knight well but had come to speaking with the Knight quite a lot in recent weeks. He was a good man and would stay loyal to Camelot and Arthur till his dying breath. He saw Leon staring at him in slight confusion. Merlin understood. Leon was probably thinking about how Merlin had stayed hidden inside Camelot for so long.
He glanced at Elyan next. Though not a fighter, the man was still strong and very loyal. Merlin had found a good friend in the former blacksmith. Elyan was a gentle soul with a heart of gold. Merlin knew Elyan would protect Camelot and Arthur with everything the Knight had. Elyan was giving Merlin a curious look...it wasn't accusing or surprising. Elyan must have suspected something off about Merlin for a long time.
Beside Elyan lay Percival, slumped in exhaustion and breathing heavily. The man was muscular and strong. Merlin had been witness to the man's strength many times and yet it still left him reeling in breathless awe whenever Percival did something amazing, like pushing heavy rocks like they weighed nothing. Percival it seemed was only shocked at Merlin's revelation. The warlock hadn't known the wanderer long but had formed an easy camaraderie with the hulk of a man.
He then turned his gaze to Lancelot who was struggling to stand by leaning on his sword. Merlin smiled sadly at him. This man had shown Merlin true friendship...kind of like Will. Lancelot hadn't even judged Merlin once for his magic. In fact Lancelot made Merlin feel normal...like there was nothing different about the warlock. As if Merlin didn't carry the weight of a great destiny unwillingly thrust upon him. Merlin saw Lancelot shake his head at the warlock, trying to tell Merlin not to go through with it. But Merlin turned away.
Beside Lancelot lay Gaius. On the ground unconscious. Merlin was relieved to see the tiny rise and fall of the physician's chest. However, Gaius was old...he wouldn't be able to survive for long. Merlin felt tears fall from his eyes as he looked upon his guardian. The physician had been like a father to Merlin...he hoped Gaius wouldn't hurt too badly when he found out about Merlin's sacrifice.
His gaze then fell on the King of Camelot, who was struggling to stay awake. The King's eyes burned with fury. Merlin didn't acknowledge that...this man had been the cause of so much suffering...
Merlin turned away from the King and his eyes fell on Arthur. The Prince wrenched out painfully, "No Merlin!" The warlock was relieved...maybe Arthur was willing to forgive him for this betrayal. Maybe Arthur would truly accept magic back into Camelot.
Merlin softly whispered, "It has been an honour, Arthur Pendragon...the Once and Future King."
He saw Arthur blink in slight surprise. This man...this infuriating man had been...a friend...a good friend. Although Arthur had never known about Merlin's magic, the warlock couldn't help but think of the Prince as an even greater friend than Lancelot or Gwaine. This man was the sun...Merlin had always associated Arthur with that bright, flaming ball of energy in the sky. Of course the Prince hadn't known that. Merlin smiled softly at Arthur and repeated his words from long ago, "Just don't be a prat..."
He knew Arthur understood when the Prince shook his head in denial at what Merlin was going to do. The Prince wrenched out more words, "Don't you dare!"
Merlin turned away to Gwen. One of his first friends here in Camelot. The kindest person Merlin had ever met. Gwen's eyes held an easy acceptance and Merlin was glad that she had forgiven him for such a terrible secret. He also noticed the tears. He knew she was trying to tell him without words not to go through with what he was planning. He smiled at her then turned away.
His gaze next fell on Gwaine. The Knight was still struggling to his feet to stop Merlin. But the warlock would not change his mind, no matter what Gwaine tried. The Knight was honourable, loyal and very strong. Merlin had been so happy when the Knight had accepted his magic. He hoped the Knight would continue to stay in Camelot and help Arthur. He knew Gwaine would write his own legend one day!
As he reached that thought he heard the dragon's voice in his head, 'Warlock, are you giving me permission to enter Camelot?'
Merlin smiled and turned towards the window. Although he could see nothing but the blue sky from his position on the floor, he still felt the dragon's presence. He dropped his mental barriers and allowed the dragon to glimpse into his mind.
He heard an almighty roar...the dragon it seems had caught on to Merlin's plan. He heard Morgana say, "What's going on? What was that?"
He saw her run towards the window to see the events unfolding outside. Merlin used her distraction to his advantage and turned to look at everyone a final time.
"I'm sorry..." Then in one swift move Merlin slit his wrist.
He saw out of his peripheral vision Morgana turn around and stretch out her hand letting loose a scream of frustration. He also heard another roar that sounded vaguely like his name. Merlin smiled softly...everyone would be alright.
A/N: So I hope you all enjoyed the extra long chapter! It was written so long as an apology! I'm truly sorry for how long I took to get this out. I'm not gonna waste my time giving you excuses. Anyways, the story is almost finishing, a couple more chapters to go! If this chapter has too many errors please let me know I'll change them and replace this chapter with an edited version. Hope you all enjoyed it! Please review!