4. The darkest hour (part 2)

Merlin was alive, but barely. He was freezing cold, and nothing Lily could think of doing changed anything.

She exchanged a glance with Lancelot, then a whisper. "We have to take him to Gaius."

He nodded, then got up, hurrying towards Arthur.

The sun had risen barely ten minutes prior, and Merlin's state didn't change with the rise of temperature.

Gwaine settled next to Lily, his gaze grave. "Are you alright?"

She sighed. "I'm fine. It's Merlin I'm worried about."

"What can you do?"

"Nothing, apparently. I have to take him to Gaius, he's a far better physician than I am."

"I'll go with you then."

"No." She locked eyes with her knight, deadly serious. "You stay here, and protect Arthur at any cost. I'll go with Lancelot."

"Why him?" Gwaine seemed jealous, even suspicious, and she didn't like it.

"Because if something bad happens along the way, I know he'll protect Merlin over me, whereas you-"

"Would protect you over him. But," he chuckled darkly, "I don't want you to die, Lily."

She smirked. "I have magic, you idiot. I can fend for myself, something you seem to have forgotten over the years."

He snorted. "Women..."

She retorted with a quick kiss that left both breathless, before Lancelot came back, his horse's reins in hand.

He nodded once, and Lily got the message. She stood, hurrying to her own horse, while Merlin was hoisted up another by Percival.

When she was about to get up onto her saddle, Arthur's hand gripped her wrist.

"Lily. When you go back, tell Guinevere-"

"I won't tell her a thing because I'll be back saving your sorry ass as usual. Now let me go, Sire. I have a best friend to save, and a man to come back to after that."

Arthur rolled his eyes, but released her.

And then Lily and Lancelot were away, a barely conscious Merlin between them into the dawn...

But the day passed quickly, quicker than Lily would have wished for, and they had just passed the pass of the Valley of Fallen Kings when the sun began to set.

So they stopped, and Lily turned to Lancelot. "I'll gather firewood. You take care of Merlin."

The knight shook his head. "You have no magic. You can't protect yourself."

She smirked. "This place feels magical. I guess I won't need much to light a fire. Now stop bickering and take care of your friend."

He tsscked but did as he was asked.

Lily was at a lost at to how she could help Merlin.

If magic didn't work, she didn't know what would, and it frightened her more than she would admit.

Night had fallen, and yet no Dorocha seemed to come into these parts of the wood. Lily wondered why, and felt strangely relieved to know that, somehow, nature was on their side.

And on cue, as she rejoined her friends and saw the sort of golden hue surrounding them, she knew...

They'd be safe for the night. At least.

"Who are they?"

She sat next to Lancelot, wood gathered at her feet, the closest to Merlin as safely possible.

The knight smiled. "They call themselves the Vilya. Spirits of brooks and streams. They said they'll protect us tonight, and they have started to heal Merlin."

To that Lily's eyes went to her lying friend, and surely, his skin was less pale, his breathing less laboured.

So she cast her eyes up into the golden drops. "Thank you."

And she could have sworn they had answered.

The following morning, Lily awoke to the sound of water splashing and conversation.

So she sat up, and her still sleepy eyes widened when she saw Merlin running about, fishes in his arms for breakfast.

"Merlie?"

The warlock looked down at her, a huge smile gracing his face. "Hello Lils."

She snorted and got up. "I hate you."

"No you don't." He settled the fish down, then looked back up at Lancelot. "I'm not going back to Camelot when Arthur's willing to sacrifice himself."

"Merlin..."

But he didn't listen, instead locking eyes with Lily. "What do you think?"

She lifted her hands. "Uh uh, bad idea. Don't push me into this."

Lancelot rolled his eyes. "You agree with him."

"I always agree with him when the other party is you, Lance."

To that the knight chuckled. "Right." Then he sat beside his friends, rolling a fish onto a pike for roasting. "We'd better be quick then."

Lily smirked. "I might have thought about that..."

The day passed as quickly as the previous, and they weren't fast enough to catch up with their friends.

So when they stopped at dusk before a small abandoned shack, the three companions had lost a little of their verve.

"We should leave." Merlin seemed quite on edge since they had found the frozen body of the shack's owner, remained still in a sitting position.

"There's nowhere else, Merlin..." The knight took off his cloak and moved to the centre of the small house. "We'll make a fire. It'll keep us safe and dry. And...there's more than enough fuel to get us through the night."

Lancelot launched firewood into a braze, the warlock soon walking up to it.

"Here." He outstretched a palm over the wood. "Byelholm burne."

The wood cracked and flames appeared.

Lily gasped. "Merlie! Your magic's back! How did you-?"

"The Vilya. Their water protects me from whatever prevented us from casting magic."

She snorted. "Well, I still can't."

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"Nah, after all, I'm not the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the Earth."

"Stop that."

"Never."

But that night, nothing went according to plan.

The fire went out, the Dorocha came in.

So, when Merlin managed to relight the fire right into the shadow's face, all three companions ran outside.

The warlock turning to Lily at once. "Now would be a good time to see if your favourite scaled horse is available for help..."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what he'd tell you?"

"Yes, but do it. Now!" He began to run into the opposite direction of the shack, Lancelot right behind him, and Lily followed, a growl escaping her lips.

"Oh dragon! Imalla! Supete gumeta tess echeth!"

They ran and ran, screams echoing behind them, running after them as they got through into a clearing.

Lily turned around, catching a glimpse of a Dorocha before it was chased away by a flame.

Her eyes cast up and a smile formed onto her lips.

Kilgharrah had come.

"Kilgharrah."

"Hello, Vivian."

She smiled as her dragon landed before her, and hurried to put a hand onto his scaled paw. "Sorry to call for you this late. And in this situation."

"I came back as soon as I felt the veil torn open. I had to protect my Dragonlord."

"And you did that very well."

She turned around, catching the flabbergasted look on Lancelot's face. It almost made her wish to laugh.

"Who is your friend?"

The knight shook out of his daze and bowed. "I'm Lancelot."

"Of course. Sir Lancelot. The bravest and most noble of them all."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm a knight too, you know."

But both participants ignored her. "I'm not sure that's true."

"We shall see. For now, there are more pressing things at hand. The Dorocha cannot be allowed to remain in this world. The Sundead veil must be restored."

"We're on our way to the Isle of the Blessed. To help Arthur heal it."

"Indeed! But at what price?"

Merlin, who had remained silent although he clearly was happy to see the dragon, spoke up at that moment. "I know that the spirit world demands a sacrifice."

"It demands nothing! It is the Cailleach, the gate-keeper to the spirit world who asks such a price."

"And there is no other way?"

The dragon shook his huge head, closing his golden eyes for a split second. "There is not."

"Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the veil. It is my destiny to protect him, you taught me that."

"Merlin...you must not do this."

"Then I have no choice. I must take his place."

"From the moment I met you, I saw something that was invisible. Now, it is there...for all to see."

"Not all that you see...old friend...it's what you taught me."

"It will be an empty world without you, young warlock."

Kilgharrah turned away from Merlin, his neck craning down so his eyes met Lily's under him. But instead of addressing her out loud, he reached for her mind.

The familiar pull calling her in as it always did.

"I know you intend to take Merlin's place, Vivian."

She nodded. "I do."

"Do not. I beg of you."

"Kilghie. What would you rather have? A world without Merlin, Emrys, the greatest sorcerer in the world, or without me, the Lady of Avalon, doomed to one day curse Camelot into oblivion?"

"I never said you'd do that."

"I know. But I'd rather not take that chance."

"You are my Dragonlord. We are bound to each other. If you die, I will never be the same, Vivian."

"You will live on, as you always did. You'll be Merlin's rock in all things, you'll protect him when I will not be able to."

Her hand went up, and he met her halfway, his snout touching her palm soothingly.

"I will miss you, Kilgharrah, greatest of all the dragons."

"And I will miss you, Vivian, my Dragonlord...and friend."

And this time, he took flight.

"What was that?"

Lily whirled around, seeing how Lancelot had fallen to his knees after Kilgharrah's departure.

She chuckled. "That, my dear Lancelot, was my dragon. Kilgharrah is his name, and I'd like you not to say anything unpleasant. I like him very much as he is."

"Your dragon? Have I missed something?"

Merlin met Lily's gaze and both erupted in giggles. "That's a story for another time, my friend."

As dawn cracked, all three had retrieved their horses and were galloping towards their next shelter – an abandoned castle.

And smoke was rising from the tower when they got close to it.

"Bandits?"

Lancelot tilted his head, while Lily rolled her eyes.

"I can hear Gwaine's nonsense from here."

All remaining knights had gathered in a hall, a fire cracking in the middle of it.

Each and every one of them had taken their swords out, as Lancelot walked towards them, Merlin and Lily waiting behind.

"Lancelot?" Arthur put his sword down. "Where's Merlin?"

"Bad news..." The prince's gaze darkened with sorrow. "He's still alive."

Lancelot moved aside and Merlin erupted from the shadows.

Lily went around pillars to surprise her own knight, who soon found himself with the steel of a dagger touching his neck.

But a smirk formed on his lips. "Lily..."

She chuckled and whirled him around, locking their lips in a fierce kiss that made Percival go into disgusted noises.

The Isle of the Blessed was foggy and dimmed as they reached it in the middle of the following day. To Lily and Merlin, it only meant that the darkness taking over Camelot had been birthed there.

As all knights advanced within the walls, screams came from the skies, and Gwaine locked eyes with Lily, drawing out his sword.

"Wyverns."

Arthur looked over at his captain. "Now would be a good time, Lily."

She rolled her eyes and sheathed her sword, still a little uncomfortable at practising magic in front of...well...others.

"Non didikai! Erethin kaliss elikath! Krissass alith!"

The wyverns came to a stop and landed before the group, yelping a little as Lily put a hand on one's head.

She turned to her friends. "There. They won't be a problem anymore."

Arthur nodded his thanks before passing her, as did the others.

Gwaine stopped at her side, leaning in a little. "I still find it alluring when you do that."

She chuckled and pulled him along.

But along the road, more wyverns came, and this time, they didn't listen to Lily's orders.

They had been enchanted.

And she felt like the Dorocha had something to do with it.

So, when Percival, Elyan and Gwaine offered to stay behind to fend them off, Arthur agreed.

Lily pecked Gwaine on the lips before hurrying behind her friends.

Her eyes locked onto Merlin's form.

The centre of the Isle harboured the tear in the veil, great, huge hovering gash from which the whispers of all who were dead came.

Lily felt strangely faint as Lancelot gripped her arm to support her.

Apparently, Merlin was immune.

Before them stood a figure clad in black, the face of an old woman with sad, sad eyes.

The Cailleach.

"It is not often we have visitors..."

Arthur came to a stop. "Put an end to this! I demand you heal the tear between the two worlds."

"It is not I who created this horror! Why should it be I that stops it?"

Merlin, who was dangerously glaring at the figure, spoke up. "Because innocent people are dying!"

"Indeed..." And she erupted in a mad laugh that made Lily feel even fainter.

"I know what you want." All eyes fell to Arthur again.

"Do you? And are you willing to let me have it?"

"I'm prepared to pay whatever price is necessary."

The Cailleach smiled, and gestured Arthur forward.

The prince had started walking forward...and all became fuzzy.

Lily knew she had to stop it.

And she also knew that, gods be damned, everyone knew she had magic.

So she outstretched her palm, and shouted. "Ioch kaleeth!"

Arthur stopped as if retained by an invisible line before flying backwards, unconscious.

But it was not her fight. If she ever had to fight the Cailleach, she knew she wouldn't stand a chance.

When Merlin's gaze met hers, she nodded, knowing that he, and only he, could do just that.

Saving them all.

And while he did it, she could, perhaps, sneak up and sacrifice herself...

Lancelot left her side, kneeling to Arthur's side, as Lily felt her forces leave her and her eyes glued to Merlin as he countered the black-clad figure.

Her eyes felt so heavy...she felt as if she could not keep them open long enough to walk to that blasted veil and throw herself through it.

Figures she didn't need to.

Before her, she saw Lancelot's figure walking to the veil, calmly so, trying not to be spotted by Merlin who was still talking to their foe.

She tried to yell, to do something, but no sound escaped her lips.

And she fell back into darkness...

When she opened her eyes, she felt three things.

First, the sun on her face, warm and soothing after such a long time in the cold.

Second, beddings over her and a mattress under her. She was back in her bed in Camelot.

And third, a body lying next to hers. Gwaine's, without a doubt.

She moaned as she tried to sit.

And the body next to hers sat up quickly, her knight's messy hair coming into view, followed by a pair of brown, worried eyes.

"Lily? How are you feeling?"

She groaned. "As if a train had passed over my head." Only he could understand the reference as he chuckled, pulling her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Arthur? Merlin?"

"They are fine. Although the prince isn't really happy that you knocked him out."

"I don't care what he thinks." Then her gaze became more serious. "Lancelot?"

Gwaine's smile faltered, and he shook his head.

His arms were around her even before the first tears cascaded down her cheeks and before she started to yelp in pain.

Another friend, dead, because of her incompetence.

No more.