A/N: Well an update in a matter of hours. Hehe. Enjoy! Please please R&R. : )

Chapter 13

"Ha!" Morgana's face did not change as the blade clattered to the floor and Merlin pulled himself up to full height. "You may be some sorcerer Merlin, but you are no Emrys. Though I must say, being a magic user under the Kings nose, that must be quite a feat."

Merlin stepped forward, waving a hand in Arthurs direction the spell broke and the king sucked air in, struggling for oxygen. Morgana angered at this, pulling her hand out to strike the warlock with some form of spell but Merlin blocked her, with a glint of gold her arm twisted painfully and she fell to her knees in agony.

"Emrys?" she whispered, looking to the floor, "you cannot be him, he's an old man"

Merlin rolled his eyes "Aging spell Morgana, are you really that stupid?"

The witch growled low and stood up quickly. "you will not defy me Emrys, i am a high priestess of the old religion, and i am more powerful than you know"

Merlin did not waver, he stood, glaring towards her. "You will never sit upon the throne of Camelot Morgana" the warlock cried, "it is not your destiny"

"Destiny!" she howled, "I've heard just about enough about destiny" the priestess then began to chant in the old religion, weaving a powerful spell. Merlin did not flinch a muscle but watched her intently for a moment letting the magic within himself gather itself for the onslaught about to come his way.

"Morgana?" Arthurs ruff voice this time.

"Oh shut up brother" she half ignored him but he pulled himself to his feet, retrieving his sword from beside himself.

With the witch half distracted Merlin struck, his magic bubbled to the surface and with a single throw of the hand a burst of bright light hit Morgana square in the chest and she went sprawling to the floor, gasping out in shock and pain.

"I would back down Morgana, its two against one" Arthur pointed his sword at his sisters throat this time but she paid little heed to it.

"Arthur stay out of this" Merlin pleaded

"Yes brother" the witch spat, "stay out of this or you might just get yourself killed" she smiled. And then in one swift movement her magic snatched the blade from the Kings grasp, turning it back on itself and plunging it into his torso.

He coiled backward as the blade was snatched back out of him and he gasped for a ragged breath sinking to his knees.

"Arthur!" Merlin was there in a flash and caught his friend before he hit the floor below. He eased him down and Arthur pressed a shaking hand onto the open wound now spilling blood down his tunic and onto the floor.

Morgana began to laugh again. "I warned you brother" she bent over the two figures. "seems you wont make it out of this alive after all"

Merlin riled. Seething in unimaginable anger he left his best friend and shot to his feet his hand reaching Morgana's throat he forced he backward to a nearby pillar and pinned her there. His twisted angry glare actually got to the witch and she half recoiled. "you will not touch him again!" the warlock deadly roar filled the throne room and echoed back at them. "you will never see the light of day by the time i have finished with you Morgana!"

Arthur was still conscious and looked on in ewe, this was something he had never seen from his usually gentle friend, and to be fair it almost scared him. The warlocks primal protective nature was a force to be reckoned with apparently. Arthur could only look on as the fight between the two sorcerer played out before him.

Morgana's hand connected with the warlock chest and it sent him flying backward once again and he hit the floor not far from the King himself, but he pulled himself upright before the witch could attack again.

Merlin sent a burst of magical energy to her and she ducked and pulled away as it struck the stone wall causing it to explode showering the nearby area with debris.

"You'll bring the castle down before you kill me Emrys" she cried, weaving another spell and releasing it on the servant. Merlin was less agile, his previous afflictions already taking there toll on his body and he was hit full force. He spun mid air colliding face first into a pillar, blood began to flow from his nose again and his lip split beginning to fill his mouth with the metal taste of blood too.

Before Morgana was on him he turned facing her he pushed her backward again with his magic and she stumbled, growling in anger at him.

"There is no need for this Morgana" Merlin stumbled to his feet facing her again. "Why are you full of so much hate?"

She half laughed and pointed to the King, "because Kings like him persecute our kind Merlin!" she cried, "how you can serve such filth i don't know"

"I am not my father" Arthur whispered, struggling with his voice as his energy was draining.

"Your a Pendragon, you will never change" she spat back.

"Perhaps your forgetting" Merlin stood closer, "but you are one too"

Morgana angered at this but said nothing, she sent the warlock flying once again, and this time Merlin hit the floor, hard, knocking the air from his lungs he struggled briefly for breath and the priestess loomed over him, knife in hand. Her evil smile was all he saw before she plunged the blade into his already injured shoulder. Merlin screamed as she twisted the blade sadistically and he felt his muscles tear and bones grind against the metal.

"I am no Pendragon!" she howled pulling the knife free. The warlock grabbed her hand holding the hilt and they struggled both went to the floor. With much force Merlin managed to free the blade from her grasp. He rolled backward picking up Arthurs sword he jumped to his feet, though they faltered slightly and he stumbled. Morgana picked up on this and with a swift spell sent him clattering to the ground once again.

Merlin lay still for a second, his strength waning considerably from his previous injuries and blood loss from his now heavily bleeding shoulder. But his unimaginable anger did not wane, and that was all his magic needed to keep going. With his good hand he waved from the forgotten knife and sent it flying to the witch, it imbedded itself in the exact shoulder she had his. She stumbled backward in shock then.

"Hurts doesn't it?" he mumbled, scrabbling to his feet his eyes grew golden and he twisted the blade as she had him. She shrieked stepping backward grappling unsuccessfully for the imbedded blade. As she stumbled back, Merlin let rip another spell, whispering a incantation under his breath and the ceiling above the witch gave way sending rocks down onto her. She fell.

"It's time to end this Morgana" he cried, letting out a small groan as his bent down to retrieve the sword once again.

Morgana said nothing, and for once on her now bruised and bloodied face he thought he saw fear in her eyes. He pitied her, for what she had become and wished somehow he could have saved her from the power trip she had taken.

Wasting no time Merlin closed the distance between himself and his enemy. He pulled the sword in front of himself and stared at it intently, the gleaming metal reflecting his enraged look.

"You know, no mortal blade can kill me" Morgana would have laughed if it didn't cause so much pain.

The warlock smirked then, one to almost mirror hers. He started to chant, low and under his breath and the blade began to glow, white at first until it filled the room with a bright blue light. Morgana recoiled backward, but before she could defend herself Merlin brought the blade down unexpectedly and buried it deep into the witches chest.

Morgana could not speak. Her agony was almost unbearable.

"I'm sorry I failed you" Merlin withdrew the weapon letting it slip from his grasp to the floor. A single tear rolled down his blooded cheek.

The priestess looked over, shocked and in agony. A small rivulet of blood came from the corner of her mouth. And then, throwing her head to the sky she screamed, the air around her swirled violently and within moments she was gone.

Before the air had even slowed Merlin stumbled over to his friend, letting his knees give out he landed next to the King.

"No" He pushed his only usable hand onto the still freely bleeding wound. "Please no" He glanced to Arthur's face, pale and tinged blue.

"Please" the warlock could bearly hold his weight up and he began to pitch forward. His throat caught as he tried to shout. "Please! Someone help!"