A/N: I was so happy with the response I received form the first chapter, That I spent all of yesterday working on the second. Enjoy.
Arthur set his sword down on the moss-covered rock and watched as Mordred did the same.
"Merlin's right. This place is the most sacred of the sacred," Mordred stated.
As the two ventured into the cave, the made sure not do disrupt anything they saw. They were not willing to take any risks this time.
When they came face to face with the Disir, Arthur got down on one knee and begged forgiveness.
"We see... that you... are remorseful," The Disir said. "Because of your remorse,... you will be given... a choice."
"I am well aware that I have to make a decision," Arthur acknowledged.
"Embrace the Old Religion, or continue on the path you destined to take. ... Make the wrong decision,... and your friend with surely perish," The Disir said.
Arthur wetted his dry lips and said. "You know I can't allow that."
"You have until dawn,... to make... your decision," The Disir ordered.
Arthur rose from his kneeling position and bowed his head in respect.
"What do you think gave Merlin the idea that this place was sacred?" Arthur asked as he leaned against a rock.
"You don't feel it?" Mordred asked in return as he added more wood to the dying fire.
"Feel what?" Arthur questioned.
"Everything here is so much more full of life. It feels as if nature itself is more active than it usually is. I can feel it rushing through my body as if it waking me up from a long sleep and re-energizing me," Mordred explained. "Merlin must have felt the same way."
Arthur tilted his head back, closing his eyes and cleared his mind of everything. Soon he was feeling what Mordred was describing. He felt as if nature was re-energizing him.
Before he could get a firm grasp on the feeling, he remember that he had to make a decision. Opening his eyes, he looked over at Mordred who was now leaning up against a tree.
"What would you do if you were in my position?" Arthur asked.
"Me?" Mordred asked in return, surprised. "I'm a nobody. I'm just good with a sword."
"No, you're a Knight of Camelot," Arthur corrected. "Now tell what your decision would be."
"Magic isn't all evil. What makes it seem evil is the person who wields it. It can be used for good and bad," Mordred said. "If I had magic, I would use it to heal those who are hurt or help grow crops. If magic was allowed back in Camelot, hope would be restored to those who have it. They would no longer live in fear of death. They would be free."
"What about those who have been corrupted by it?" Arthur asked.
"Magic is just a tool it depends on the what the person does with it," Mordred replied.
"What are you getting at?" Arthur wondered.
Mordred sat up straight and looked the king in the eyes. "There is room for good magic in Camelot."
For the past, how ever long it has been, Merlin had brief bouts of consciousness, but never opened his eyes or made a sound. He couldn't if he wanted to. The Disir's poison was keeping him paralyzed and mute. All he could do was listen and feel.
He would listen as Gaius spoke to him, but only catching less than half of what was said. He felt as a cool, damp cloth was placed on his forehead. He felt the pain radiating through his body.
When he couldn't take the pain anymore, he'd drift back into unconsciousness and wait for death to claim him.
A/N: I will be posting another chapter and an epilogue soon. How soon depends on you.