Hi Merlin fans!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

This story is set after season 3. Merlin lives in Camelot and Morgana in Tintagel, and although they try to forget about each other, they aren't able to do so. They curse destiny, because that's the reason for their suffering, their hate and their pain. But destiny hasn't always been right, mistakes are made and nothing is as it seems.

The first chapters are more the introduction of the story, but this is really going somewhere! :-) So keep reading, because the fun still has to start (and will, from -let's say- chapter 6/7).

I hope you'll enjoy it! It is the first time I publish a story on this website, so this is all new for me ;-)

PS: The first part of the story will be focussed on Merlin and Morgana, but later on, Arthur and Gwen will also play an important role.

PPS: English isn't my native language. I'm Dutch-speaking (I live in Belgium), so I hope there won't have written too many mistakes. If I did, please forgive me :-)

Please review ~

Merlin glanced at the dim reflection of his image in the window. He noticed he had changed. His black hair, waving around his big ears, was longer than it used to be and looked even more messy than usual, which, strangely enough, worked well on him. He had some stubbles on his face and both his shoulders and his chest were broader and stronger than they had been some years back.

"The training Arthur gave me finally pays of", Merlin thought with a faint smile. For a second, he found himself pretty handsome, but immediately after that thought crossed his mind, he shook his head and told himself he acted like a narcissist as he was admiring his own image in the window and liking it.

Voices on the courtyard pulled Merlin back to the real world. King Arthur was giving some instructions to the knights of Camelot. Merlin assumed it'd probably be about the bandits that were causing some trouble by raiding travellers in the Darkling Woods. This morning, a wounded trader had reported a group of ten people jumping out of the bushes and stealing all of his money and wares. It had already been the third case in one week, so Arthur found it about time he send the knights out to see what was going on and to make an end to the raids.

Merlin couldn't help but being pretty proud of that prat who was now King of Camelot, though he knew Arthur didn't feel that way. His master had always been more of a hunter and a fighter than a King, who had to take responsibility and had to rule a realm. Arthur missed his freedom, but he rarely complained. He had to do this, it was his duty and his destiny.

The former King, Uther Pendragon, was still alive, though you could hardly call him 'alive', as he was staying in his bedroom all time, barely eating and drinking, and never saying a decent word. Most of the time, the old and broken man -who once was a proud King- stared out of the window, thinking of the events that happened two years ago. It had made him insane, as he couldn't forget what his daughter, his own flesh and blood, had done. Merlin presumed he, for some curious reason, also did not want to forget.

Morgana...

Hearing her name made Merlin tremble. He supposed he wasn't the only one, because nobody ever spoke of her. It was like she never even existed, as if she had never been born. But her ghost still wandered trough Camelot at the darkest of days. Then the people in the pub would still whisper her name, hissing, like the cunning snake she had been. They would remember her short reign as a Queen and truly say they'd never been more scared than back in those days, when everything seemed to be lost, until the brave Prince Arthur rescued them and killed the witch.

At least, that was what the quickly spread rumours were saying, and it was partly true, despite the fact that it had been Merlin who rescued them (though Arthur wasn't aware of it) and they weren't sure if the Lady Morgana was actually dead. She, and her gravely injured sister and powerful High Priestess Morgause, weren't found under the rubble of the castle, so Merlin and the others who were aware of it, feared they might have managed to escape.

Merlin had been very worried Morgana would've come back to take revenge, especially after her last, menacing words she had spoken to him, full of anger and hate: "This has just begun." But during the last two years, nothing happened. There was no sign of Morgana nor Morgause, and Merlin slowly started to believe that they were actually dead, or at least didn't had the intention of coming to Camelot any more. He would've been pleased with the first option, but the second one was even better, because that meant that Morgana was still alive and wise or happy enough to know that attacking Camelot wasn't going to make her feel any better. Merlin wouldn't wish anyone dead, not even his worst enemy. He just wasn't like that.

He would, however, feel rather uncomfortable during banquets, when he and Queen Guinevere sat next to Arthur. Merlin had earned that privilege after becoming the King's personal adviser (a fair-sounding title, but it meant nothing. Merlin still polished Arthur's chain mail, cleaned his boots, sharpened his sword and was still called an 'idiot', though he had to admit it wouldn't feel right if Arthur suddenly stopped calling him like that), which provided him the honour to sit on the King's left.

Morgana always used to sit on the left side of King Uther.

Although Merlin knew Arthur probably didn't think about that when he gave Merlin his permanent place around the table, it still made Merlin feel awkward, because he knew well he and Morgana weren't as different as it seemed.

"Your futures are joined forever. She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love." Those words wandered trough Merlin's thoughts as a mantra.

Both he and Morgana were born with Magic, something which had scared them in the past, before they decided to do something with it. But the choices they made and the directions they took, were completely the opposite.

There were days that Merlin kind of envies Morgana. She was now free to use her Magic whenever she wanted, without being afraid somebody will notice and she will be sentenced to dead. Although Arthur was already a better King than Uther had ever been, and he wasn't as paranoid as his father towards Magic, it still scared him -especially after the Magic his sister had shown to become Queen- and it was still forbidden in Camelot. Merlin still had to keep his greatest secret, and everyday it felt harder and harder to bear.

Sometimes, Merlin thought wistfully how it would have been if he, nor Morgana, didn't have a destiny to fulfil. They could have fled away, to a realm where Magic wasn't forbidden, and they could have learned from each other and enjoyed their gift, without being ashamed for who they are.

He and Morgana would've understand each other.

Instead, Merlin was standing in front of his window, looking down the courtyard. He started to believe that Morgana wasn't dead, nor not planning to attack Camelot, because she still had a mission in this world, a destiny to fulfil, and that was killing Arthur.