Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

Gwen clenched her eyes tight at the sharp pain as the fang pierced through the delicate skin of her neck. It did not take a split second after when she heard a shout and felt the rush of an unseen force sweep over her and slam into the beast that pinned her to the ground. It wrenched the chimera off her and flung it to the ground, next to her. Blood trickled from the small puncture wound on her neck as the Queen sat up and quickly drew her legs beneath her to stand, but found she was still in shock from the narrow escape to get on her feet; her eyes searched for the source of the spell. Standing a few paces away, from the direction in which the chimeras had come from, was a sorcerer. He stood tall, clad in the dark hues of Morgana's colors, with his arm raised, hand splayed, and the glimmers of gold as his eyes returned to brown.

Elyan glanced at the sorcerer from where he fell before he stood unsteadily on his feet and stumbled his way to his sister. As the knight struggled, the sorcerer turned his attention to the other chimera. It had made short work on the druid's exposed back, tearing apart the flesh it could sink its teeth. The man was already unconscious, whether from blood loss or pain, but the slight rise and fall of his chest, his shallow breath, showed he still clung to life. Perhaps he would die in the end; it did not matter to the sorcerer for all he saw was the chimera, another he needed to take down. With another incantation, the sorcerer blasted the chimera away as well.

"Gwen!" Elyan gasped as he staggered beside the Queen and placed his hand on her shoulder, glad she was alive. "Gwen, are you okay?"

"Yes, Elyan, I'm fine."

"Not for long if you keep sitting there," the stranger said as he stepped beside them, hand raised and ready as the chimeras regrouped in front of them. They snarled and snapped at each other in their strange way of communicating. "You need to run."

"Who are you," Gwen asked as she finally rose back on her feet and supported Elyan by placing his arm around her shoulder and wrapping her own around his middle.

"No one important, just here to help."

Gwen shook her head, "But how are we su-"

"Watch out!" the sorcerer yelled as the chimeras launched another attack. Two charged at him, a trail of blood left behind by one while the crackle of blackened skin could be heard from the other. The sorcerer grunted as he projected a barrier between him and the danger before the beasts collided into his shield. He tried to keep the two back with a combination of fireballs and force but they kept on him and prevented him from helping the others while the third chimera stalked towards the siblings.

Gwen gently removed herself from Elyan long enough to stoop to the ground and grab the sword she dropped earlier. She brought the sword up against the chimera, keeping a firm hold on her brother as they backed once more towards the tent. The chimera prowled closer to the siblings until it charged the two. It dodged the sword aimed for its head then used its large mass to crash into them and knocked them to the ground. Gwen scrambled for the sword and brought it down on the creature's back, but was unable to do much damage. Elyan groaned from where he fell and watched helplessly as his sister faced the chimera.

Again, the chimera attacked, this time Gwen brought the sword up into a block. The chimera's jaws clamped around the sword and shook its head in an attempt to wrench the sword from her hands. She held on for as long as she could and though the sword edge bit into the chimera's gums, blood oozing around its teeth, it managed to tear the sword from the Queen's hand.

The sorcerer launched another fireball at the two, causing one to shy away while the second too slow to escape the blaze. The chimera screamed in pain as the flames consumed it while he rolled away and snatched a sword lay on the ground. With the sword, the one that the knight had left behind in his fear for his sister, he thrust it through the creature's eye and into its head. The chimera gave a yelp before it shuddered and laid still; even with the fatal wound, the chimera whimpered at the sorcerer in a weak attempt at growling. With both chimeras downed, the stranger looked to the others.

Gwen had backed away from the chimera, her hands held slightly away from her body as if unsure in what to do to prevent the chimera from charging at her. Then the chimera pounced, seeking to finish what it tried before the sorcerer showed up. However, at midflight, Elyan rushed in front of Gwen and tackled the chimera. On the ground, Elyan grappled with the beast while the Queen turned to retrieve her sword, motivated by the grunts of pain her brother made.

Seeing this, the sorcerer spat another incantation and threw the chimera off Elyan. He eyed it from where it landed, ready throw it back while also keeping an eye out for the other who finally snuffed out the flames, when both creatures suddenly yelped and backed away. They shook their heads violently, as if to rid them of pain; their growls and snarls turned to whines and hisses as they kept retreating. The sorcerer met the eyes of the Queen, confused on what had happened. Gwen, however, did not need another second to ponder for her to realize what was wrong. This was what they were waiting for, the anchor was destroyed; they were weak.

Gwen nodded her head to the chimera nearest him as she turned the point of her sword to the other. Not needing more encouragement, he plunged his sword into its neck, drew the blade out, and jumped back. The flesh had been unresisting, which shocked the sorcerer as he watched the chimera bleed. When their skin seemed like iron now felt as soft as the underbelly of a newborn calf.

The chimera gurgled around the blood, only alive for few seconds as its heart pumped the rest of its blood out of its body. He turned back and noted the one he stabbed before had died and the third lay still on the ground, a sword protruded from its chest. Beside the corpse, Gwen, smeared in blood, turned her back to it in favor for rushing to her brother's side, who hadn't moved since the chimera was pulled off him.

"Elyan, are you okay? Elyan? Elyan!" Gwen cried out as she shook her brother's shoulder and tried to get his attention. Elyan finally moved, his eyes opened and locked onto her face. His hand reached up and gently rested against the Queen's cheek, his thumb caressed her skin and wiped away the fresh tears that fell from her eye.

"Gwen…"

"It's okay, Elyan, I got you. You're going to be fine," Gwen said, forcing out a smile as she thread her fingers through his short hair.

"I'm sorry Gwen," Elyan mumbled as he closed his eyes and brought his other arm up for her to see. On his forearm were two small puncture wounds. It was the bite of a snake; a snake that made up the tail of a chimera and had enough venom to kill men within the hour. Elyan suffered blood loss and his already weaken body wouldn't be able to…

"No… No!" Gwen yelled and tears fell at a faster pace. "I-I can't lose you too, not you. You're all I have left!"

"That's not true, you got Arthur and everyone at Camelot," Elyan smiled.

"But I don't have another brother, I won't have you."

"No, but you are strong Gwen."

"No, I'm not-"

"Yes you are."

Gwen closed her eyes and pressed her face into the knight's chest, tears leaked through the chain mail and absorbed into the tunic beneath. "Father would be so proud of you."

"And you, he and Mother both would be so very proud of you."

Gwen stayed where she was, her hand caressed Elyan's hand as she kept her face pressed into him. She did not know how long she knelt beside her brother, whether it was seconds or minutes, all the Queen knew was she must hold him tighter, longer, as if her arms could encase his spirit from leaving. She silently willed his heart to keep going, even as the beats thrummed at an ever-slowing rate beneath her. Wishful thinking got her nowhere, especially when she knew the inevitable, for when the heart stilled and air no longer rushed through his lungs. Gwen drew back from his body and grasped onto his face, feeling the warmth escape.

"E-Elyan?" Gwen softly asked, scared to acknowledge what had occurred.

"Elyan…?"

"No..."

"No!"

The forest, devoid of the animals that left at the first appearance of soldiers, stood in eerie silence. There was but one noise that occupied that emptiness, the mournful song that darkened the trees. It echoed through woods, the sound of a woman's sobs that marked the fall of a noble Knight of the Round.

He knew charging at an all-powerful witch with a sword wasn't the brightest idea, but with their chances against Morgana resting on the fatally wounded druid and the warlock caring for said druid, Arthur was running out of options. So run it was and, by the sound of it, Gwaine shared the same idea. Of course, it wasn't much of a surprise when Morgana brought them to their knees before her with a simple flick of her wrist. Another murmured spell wrenched the swords from the men's grips, sending Gwaine's sword flying over the edge while she kept Arthur's floating in front of him.

"Pathetic," Morgana laughed. She brought Arthur's sword closer where it presented its hilt to her; she didn't have to reach to take a firm hold of it. Blade in hand, she admired the fine craftsmanship and the way the gold glinted by the torchlight before she turned to Arthur with her trademark smirk. "You don't learn do you, Arthur? Swords are nothing against me."

Morgana threw the blade aside where it skittered across the ground, but not far enough to fall over the edge. Arthur glanced at the sword and mentally calculated the odds of retrieving it then killing the witch; however, even if he could escape from Morgana's magical clutches, he knew there was no hope in reaching his sword.

Arthur tried to struggle from the invisible bonds as he stared up at the witch, "Morgana, enough of this. Don't you see what you have done?"

"Done? I have done nothing but bring salvation to those who have been persecuted for far too long."

"Salvation? What kind of salvation are you talking about? I've met druids who fear you, who only wish to live in peace as you search for them, force them into service, and kill them if they say otherwise."

"Those druids know nothing of the struggles I and many others went through," Morgana snarled, "They gain the advantage of freedom without aiding the cause, I only reminded them of their debt."

"You only increased their burden."

"And what could you offer them? I gave them purpose while they faced the pyre under your name."

"You never gave me a chance to believe that magic was more than evil!"

"I did not need to," Morgana said. She extended her hand from which a ball of fire erupted at the center. "You would not have given me a chance. Uther would have had me under the executioner's axe, even if I was his daughter."

"Father would go out of his way for you; you should have given us a chance."

"I made my choice, and I don't regret it. It is the only reason why I am alive now," Morgana said, the insane glint in her eyes softened, though only for a moment at her recalled memories. "And I have enough of this, tell me, now that your precious Emrys is dead, which of you want to die first? Death by flames would be appropriate after what you have caused." She began to approach Arthur, hand extended. The King felt the heat of the small inferno brush against his face as she brought the fireball closer to his face.

"Morgana."

Merlin called out, interrupting her just before she unleashed her spell. The witch whipped he head around to watch as Merlin stepped aside from the druid's body. He made his way towards her while both Gwaine an Arthur watched in horror at the growing smirk on her face.

"Merlin, run!"

"Don't be an idiot and get out!" Arthur supplied to Gwaine's own shout but knew it was too late. Already he could see the predatory glint in Morgana's eyes as she found a new prey to play. With Merlin barely able to walk, let alone move properly to face the witch, the King feared for the servant's life. After everything they struggled through to get here, after months of planning, they were going to lose everything. He was going to lose everything. Camelot, Gwen, his knights…. Merlin.

Arthur furthered his struggles. If he could break his bonds, he could perhaps find a way to distract his sister, if only to give the warlock a chance, but the magic held onto Arthur fast and he had no idea how to break such magical restraints. He felt helpless as he watched the events unfold before him.

"Merlin," Morgana smirked, "Are you volunteering to die next?"

"No, I'm ready to give you what you want."

Arthur froze. The one thing she wanted? The identity of Emrys? Why would it matter when she held power over them? Then he remembered his sister's words after she stabbed Iseldir. She had said Emrys was dead. Did that mean she believe the druid was Emrys? If Merlin planned to reveal himself now to Morgana, just what would she do?

"And what is that? I don't need the allegiance of a pathetic sorcerer like you. With Emrys dead, you have nothing more to offer me but your death," Morgana's smile appeared manic. The fireball that had been getting so uncomfortably previously was drawn away as she turned from him and thrust out her hand; she launched the ball of flames towards the servant.

Arthur felt time seemingly stop as his focus narrowed in on the flames aimed at Merlin. The incantation, fueled by hatred and insanity, streaked through the air and sought to kill his best friend. In those few seconds, Arthur felt he couldn't breathe, even as Merlin stared at it, impassive.

Then it stopped.

The fireball stood still, frozen in midair. From where he knelt on the ground, Arthur thought for one terrifying second that it had hit but knew it was a foolish thought a second later when he did not notice an immediate reaction from Merlin. Then the flames moved again, this time into the warlock's hand from where it hung at his side. Everyone watch its progression with various emotions, Gwaine's face reflected Arthur's in relief while Morgana stood in surprise.

"You killed Iseldir," Merlin said, the swirling flames reflected from his eyes.

"I killed Emrys."

"He was a druid chieftain and a previous guardian of the Cup of Life. He was nothing more, nothing less. He merely wielded Emrys' magic."

"Then tell me, Merlin, where is your Emrys if not here."

"Oh Morgana, you should know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving."

Arthur thought back to all the times he had been confronted with magic and all the presumptions he had made of the people. He was right, for Arthur would never have suspected those he met to have magic until told or given proof. It went to show how ignorant of a belief magic always being evil was.

"Look at you, the daughter of Uther Pendragon himself. Who would have guessed you would one day wield magic?"

He remembered when he first discovered his sister's betrayal and the pain it brought forth. In a way, the magic turned into a scapegoat, an excuse for Arthur to cling on for Morgana turning traitor. He did not once think and wonder what it felt to have a home that hated an integral part of him or how it would change his views of such a home.

"Who would have guessed that a mere servant could be the most powerful sorcerer of Albion?"

Arthur never would. He couldn't even imagine what Merlin had gone through since joining the royal household; and here he was again, putting himself into danger just like he had probably done before and what he would continue to do. Arthur wanted him to escape, to not throw his life away for a lost cause. There was no way they could compete against the likes of Morgana and no matter how powerful Merlin was, Arthur doubt he could do much in his condition.

Nevertheless, Arthur couldn't find the words to speak out to his friend. His words caught in his throat as he watched the shock etched into the witch's face. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Arthur thought he spotted a quick flash of fear in the woman's eyes.

"No, it can't be…"

"Yes, Morgana," Merlin smiled. The smile did not quite fit into his face for the King was used to the grin that seemed to be a permanent fixture on the warlock's face on a daily basis. This smile lacked any of the warmth and cheer the servant held previously and instead held grim determination. This was not Merlin the manservant of Ealdor, he could not even see a sliver of that man; instead, this was Emrys the warlock of prophecies. Whether Morgana wanted it or not, she thoroughly pissed him off.

For the first time, Arthur felt fear, a fear not caused for the servant's safety, but what he was capable of in the grips of anger. He had never seen this man so angry nor could he imagine him overcame by the violent emotions. If the common sorcerer could cause severe damage to Camelot and handle his best knights with ease out of anger, what would happen with the most powerful warlock in existence if he chose such a route?

"I am Merlin of Ealdor and I was born with magic. I came to Camelot to find a purpose for my talents, a purpose that led me to defeating the likes of Nimueh and Cornelius Sigan. I stopped you and Morgause numeral of times and learned of my heritage as Dragonlord. I was the last to meet with the Fischer King and laid eyes upon the beauty of Avalon. As I carried on my duties and defended the kingdom, I have come to learn that I am destined to guide the Once and Future King into a promising future."

Arthur eyes were glued to the warlock, his unease growing the further he listened to the servant's speech. Merlin was not a man known to gloat.

"They call me Emrys and I have had enough of you. You asked for me Morgana, now here I am."

Arthur turned back to Morgana as the witch composed her face and replaced the fear with the arrogance she had long ago adopted. Though she hid it well, Arthur had grown up with her long enough to know how to spot the terror by the way she held her self, the ever so slight tremble of her arms and her fists clenched white. He could even see the nervous twitch of muscle at the corner of her eye.

"You? You're Emrys?"

"Do I have a reason to lie?"

Morgana stared at him. She stared at him for what seemed like the longest of times before she burst into laughter. Her cackle was manic It lacked humor and held the insane edge as the witch's mind made all the connections. Revelations after revelations only forced her to lose even more control and more sanity. It was one thing that the servant was a sorcerer but it shed a whole new light to the past events when revealed as Emrys; every plan and every scheme easily thwarted because she underestimated a single person; the one who was essential in Camelot's defense. All this time she searched for her adversary, she had him in her clutches. How easy would it have been if she had realized? She could have rid herself of such an irritant from the start.

No matter, he would just have to die now.

Once composed Morgana glared out towards the warlock and raised both her arms out before her, "Then die! Forbærne yfel! Forbærne! Ácwele."

A ring of fire surrounded Merlin, trapping him, while another, larger, fireball grew in the witch's hand and hurled towards the warlock. Merlin lifted his hand that held her previous attack, face still impassive, and caught the second; the two merged into one and created an inferno doubly more intense than before. He did not flinch at its ferocity.

Instead, without another word, Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the fireball returned towards Morgana, directly towards her heart. Not given much time to think, much less move, the witch threw up her own arm with a shout, and created a shield big enough to take the brunt of the spell, though a few wisps of flames escaped around the barrier and licked at her exposed arm. She hissed in pain as she shook her limb, the pale skin of her arm held an inflamed pattern from where the fire ate into her skin. Meanwhile the warlock gave an unimpressed look at the fire that circled him. His eyes flashed gold with another wordless incantation and the ring petered out of existence.

From the sidelines, Arthur and Gwaine, released from their restraints, began to move towards with the thought of stopping the witch. However, they took no more than a few steps before they were met with a barrier. The slight turn of Merlin's head at the contact caused the two to realize the source of the spell; the warlock wanted no one to get in his way between him and Morgana. Gwaine shouted and punched the barrier while Arthur slammed both his hands against the shield. They were unable to attract his attention after first discovering the barrier. Merlin concentrated entirely on the witch before him. Arthur watched on, helpless in a fight he could not participate that threatened all those he cared.

While the two were rendered useless in the safety of the shield, Morgana shrieked and soon began throwing spells after spells at the servant, each one more powerful than the last, each one more deadly. Yet, not matter how loud she shouted or how complicated the spell, Merlin deflected each and every one of them. He no longer held any kind of sympathy for the witch nor did he felt a need to hold back. His magic, though it had taken a moment to recover from the powerful counter-spell, burned through him. It fed the rising emotions he had tried so hard to keep in control and barred his rational mind from the situation.

He wanted to show the witch how truly powerless she was against him, even with her boasts as a High Priestess. Once she realized that she was nothing against his will, he would finish it; he would kill her. A small corner of his mind cried out to him, trying to call his attention to what he was attempting to do, for it would be something he would come to regret if he carried out his plans. That small, rational voice drowned in the torrential wave of hatred and pain. Merlin was tired of it, tired of losing everything and everyone to one mad woman with the same temperament on grudges as the previous King of Camelot, another who had made his life a constant struggle.

Therefore, he continued to block the attacks, continued to allow Morgana increasingly desperate curses hammer against his defenses. With all her strength battering at him, he stood firm, his magic filled every part of his body in power. He was Emrys and this witch was child's play. She had already lost the moment Iseldir weakened the chimeras and he swatted away her first spell, as though it was nothing but an irritating fly.

Throughout the battle, though he was hesitant to call it so, Arthur watched. He tried to deny his fear of the warlock but failed as he repelled each incantation. The King had heard countless times of the power that Emrys held, of the things the warlock could do with his magic, and though he never held disbelief towards the prominent figure and the magnitude of his power, he could not associate his servant to the name. To Arthur, Emrys was someone none could stand against and held great influence from his power over the land. He had met countless people who viewed the mysterious warlock as savior and revered the man. Compared to his servant, Arthur never quite believed it. Merlin was just the clumsy idiot of Camelot. Even when he found out about his magic, Arthur still viewed the man as such.

Now Arthur felt all the awe and reverence brought on by the name Emrys as he watched the man he thought he had known brush aside curses that could fall dozens of the King's own men. He stood there, back straight, shoulders back, and chin held up as he deflected each spell. Despite the fact that his left arm still hung in a sling and his right could barely move without pain, the warlock stopped each spell without so much as a word or wince. Had he not known, Arthur would have a hard time believing that beneath the tunic, the servant had been severely injured.

Those shoulders held a power beyond Arthur's wild imagining, powers that in the wrong hands could bring destruction to the land of Albion. This just wasn't the spells and enchantments that Arthur was used to seeing but magic in the most purest of form; this was the magic that came instinctual to the warlock, magic that was part of the man's very core. It was the magic fueled by uncontrollable emotions and though Arthur would never believe Merlin would intentionally cause harm, he believed that the warlock was beyond reasoning against Morgana.

Gods help anyone who managed to incite the warlock's rage, including Morgana.

"Stanas ahreo-" Morgana began another incantation while changing the direction of the spell by gesturing towards the stone ground beneath Merlin's feet. Her initial attacks had been centered on the warlock, with a change in tactics, not only was she somewhat creating an element of surprise but also attacking in a way not easily defended by the warlock. Merlin had not moved from his spot since he threw the fireball, choosing to hold his ground as he deflected oncoming magic. Morgana deduced that he was not able to move, not without jostling the wounds she carved into his flesh, for he was not even conscious last she saw him.

"Hleap on bæc!" Merlin shouted, using a spoken incantation for the first time, cutting off Morgana mid-yell. It sent the witch flying across the cavern and slammed into the wall from where she was further restrained as Merlin focused the entirety of his magic onto her. Hand half raised, Merlin slowly curled his fingers inward; his hand trembled in tension as if he was crushing an object in his grip.

Morgana gasped out for air, her body worked furiously to draw in the much needed air. No matter how much she tried, her lungs still struggled to work, restricted from movement by the crushing weight that surrounded her. Her hands shot up to her throat, scrambling to find a way to open her airway while her legs gave feeble kicks against the wall. Soon the pressure became too much for her to move; her hand remained frozen at her throat as her legs fixed against the wall at odd angles.

She felt more frightened than ever before. The witch thought back to when she first discovered of her magic, the nights when she woke up gasping with fresh nightmares. The nightmares that plagued her of the man she had once looked up to forcing her onto the pyre and the fires that burned her flesh off her bones and her bones into ashes. When she had escaped Uther, she tasted freedom, as limited as it was. No longer did she care for the opinions or love of an old tyrant and his people. Instead, she strove to find her place in life and in extension, all those like her. No matter how much it took, no matter how many lives got in the way, and no matter how much blood stained her hand, Morgana refused to live in the trapped, self-hating world that was Camelot.

When the Cailleach first revealed Emrys' existence, Morgana was damned if she allowed another to plague her mind the way Uther did. Emrys did more than anger her; he frightened her. He was the inevitability the same as Uther: an unstoppable force that would someday end her. All she wanted was a place in life the provided her peace and comfort, without condemning something that was a part of her. Her fear and anger fueled her magic even more and soon the witch learned to harden her heart from her actions and stride towards her own selfish gain. For good or ill, she would have what she wanted in the end.

Yet here she was, struggling to breath by the hand of what she had once believed to be an irritation, the thorn in her side with an unusual amount of luck. Funny how the illusion of idiocy hid the great Emrys, who finally stood before her with neither a shadow nor a disguise for him to hide. Darkness spotted her vision as her oxygen-deprived body began to shut down, yet her eyes still maintained direct focus on the one responsible. There was a million ways he could have killed her, thousands of enchantments that could finish her, still he was using the most basic of spells to squeeze the very life from her body.

Those blue, golden orbs; oh, how they mocked her so.

With the last bit of strength left in her, Morgana attempted to retaliate with wordless spells, quickly before she lost conscious thought. Her eyes flared gold constantly in her feeble attempts, but the warlock's spell was too strong and his magic smothered hers as it smothered her body. This time he had her in his control; he kept her on the edge of oblivion as she had done for months.

Throughout it all, Merlin felt nothing as his magic enveloped Morgana further and swatted every little attempts of freedom from her tainted magic. He watched without care as the light began to fade from her eyes and the once brilliant gold flickered weakly as she began to lose consciousness and step closer to the thresholds of death's door. All around the room the shadows spasmed across the ground, one of which seemed to pull itself up from the ground. It peeled from the ground in strands and twisted together, forming a disturbing humanoid figure. More shadows joined it and soon resulted in a familiar figure.

As the shadows joined, it walked over to the witch and stared at her as if it was a curious new toy before he drew closer to Merlin. When it was close enough, Merlin recognized the druid whose body was rotting just a few paces away. He stood directly in front of the warlock; his transparent body still allowed Merlin to keep Morgana within his eyesight.

"This is not the way Emrys," Iseldir spoke, his voice somber.

"She must die," Merlin whispered.

"This is not your way."

"My way only caused me heartache. This is the only way."

"Then you truly turned into a monster," Iseldir sneered. His body morphed, the joints popped and bones snapped while flesh tore. His body twisted and crackled, molded into a new shape. The impossibilities in the twist made it all the more disturbing as joints moved towards unnaturally direction. The resulting effect was a creature whose body was humanoid enough to send shivers down Merlin's spine. The grotesque monster developed blood red scales across its bodies and wicked claws on its hands and feet the color of tar. The figure was hunched from its misshapen spine and the limbs held one too many joints each.

What disturbed the warlock the most was its face, his face. Rather than the old, kindhearted druid, Merlin beheld his own. At first glance, its face was identical to his, like a mirror reflecting back his image; but the further he looked, the more he saw of its true form. The pupils turned into fierce golden slits and the teeth elongated into sharp points; there appeared to be too much teeth than the mouth was capable of holding. The hair grew out into a wild, tangled mess atop the head, lank, greasy, and covered in grime. Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth, the spittle speckled with blood and bits of flesh. It cocked its head towards the witch, along grey tongue licked excitedly across its chapped lips. Then it turned its head back towards Merlin with a sinister smile stretched wide across its face, eyes held a chilling hunger.

"I am a monster," it whispered in his voice so full of glee that it sickened Merlin.

That was really all it took for Merlin to release his spell and fall to the ground, right hand clenched into his hair and eyes wide with horror. In front of him, Morgana fell to the ground as well, unable to catch herself from the suddenness from which she was released from the wall. She laid there for a moment, gasping and coughing, as she tried to collect herself. The spell that had once encased the King and his knight also fell away as the two stumbled forward, off balanced.

Arthur straightened, confused as the once imposing, terrifying, figure collapsed to the ground and released the witch. Hell, he was surprised Morgana was still alive after the relentless way the servant attacked. Before they could react, whether to attempt to arrest the witch or, the more likely of choice, help their friend, the witch rose to her feet. Her face held a crazed look, one that held nothing but pure contempt for the man knelt on the ground.

Any fear she had once felt about Emrys no longer plagued her. It was not that she was no longer scared but rather she was too angry towards the man to allow the fear to take root any longer. As Morgana rose unsteadily on her feet, she took a step towards Merlin, hand slightly rose as she kept coughing and gasping for breath. She was motivated by her hatred, much the same way the warlock was just minute ago. She would not be made a fool.

She stopped.

It was almost indiscernible but grew in power as the seconds passed.

The immeasurable power that had been choking the life on her was about to be released on a much larger scale.

The witch looked at the defenseless servant longingly, wanting nothing more but to slit his throat and kill him. Though he appeared weak, she knew that her eyes could be deceived. She would not have time to end the man's life before he brought hell upon the citadel and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity; she didn't even think she could get close to the man without the magic interfering. She would have to retreat, for now, to a location far safer than what Camelot was going to be soon. If Emrys survived, Morgana would finish this, for now she had to go so she may continue on to the day that she killed Merlin for everything he had done.

"Windas ábiraþ mec. Ásetaþ mec friþhúse, ábiraþ mec ealdornere. Fullfylgaþ!" Morgana shouted, both her hands thrust above her. Wind blasted through the caverns, forcing Arthur and Gwaine to cover their eyes from its ferocity, as it swirled around the witch. It picked up stray dust and small rocks and soon formed into a cortex that surrounded the witch. An instance later it died down, silence settled in the caves and the witch was gone, transported to only the gods know where.

Arthur wondered why the witch had chosen to leave rather than attack. She had the perfect opportunity to kill all of them with Merlin incapacitated…

That was when the screaming started.

AN: Another death, another cliffhanger, please don't kill me! o,O Also I hope you guys enjoyed the battle. I originally did have a full blown fight planned (both Merlin and Morgana throwing around spells left and right) but felt this was more of an appropriate reaction from Merlin, especially after everything he has gone through. Anyways keeping this short since it's late and I'm sleepy (sorry for any mistakes in the chapter!)

Next update will be by May 22nd.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted so far!

And as aways, reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed ^^