AUTHORS NOTE: HEELLLOOOO OUT THERE! So yes I can only apologise (sorry sorry sorry :( ) but I have been on holiday and had every intention of updating via my phone, but I could never get a signal or 3G to do sooo (turns out Cornwall is like that) ANYWAY to say SORRY (again) here is an update of 3 (yes THREE) chapters to round off the episode... so please read and review all three! xx
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
Morgana let out a shout of rage and turned, sweeping her cloak around her and climbing onto her horse.
Gwen could not be with child…
She could not.
If Arthur was not here to accept the challenge, and Gwaine was here instead, then the king must have been on his way back to Camelot…
She turned her horse, seething with rage, to gallop through the trees.
The leaves flew around her but she did not stop.
She barely breathed through her clenched teeth and locked jaw as her hair flew around her face and she raced through the trees.
Her horse hammered through the forest, deeper and deeper, back towards Camelot.
The stallion skidded to a stop beside the group of armed men who were waiting, where they had been told to, at the edge of the forest.
She sneered down at them.
"You are the army Marius sent here?" She demanded coldly, her anger raging in her eyes.
The men all fell to their knees.
There were many of them… as many as she had had in her bandit army when she had attempted to take Camelot, believing Arthur dead, months ago.
"We are here to serve you, by the order of Lord Marius." One of the men said.
"Good." Morgana sneered and turned her horse.
"Then we march on the citadel as the sun goes down."
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
Merlin watched with narrow and careful eyes as the Green Knight stepped closer to tower over Gwaine.
With a snap of its great hand it slammed its glimmering emerald sword down at the knight.
Gwaine's reflexives held true though, for he lifted his own blade to block the attack of the towering Green Knight.
Merlin watched as Gwaine gritted his teeth and locked his shoulder against the force of the pressure that the green knight was putting on their interlocked blades.
The young warlock saw something glimmer behind The Green Knights eyes.
"You will die." His unearthly and gritty voice thundered, "You are not the king, but I will kill you where you stand, as I would have carved him…"
"So the challenge was simply being stupid enough to turn up then?" Gwaine somehow managed to chuckle through his gritted teeth.
"Exactly." The Green knight sneered.
Gwaine's eyes flickered with strain as he pushed back harder against their locked blades, with little effect.
The Green knight towered over him and was infinitely stronger.
Merlin's heart hammered in his test.
His eyes flashed gold and the world slowed.
The leaves shook on the trees in the breeze, and Merlin watched harder.
He stared harder at the green knight, past the emerald irises, and deep into the pupils of the knight.
In the darkness, as his eyes focused, he could see a young man, staring out, his expression wearing the same flickering and determined sneer as the Green Knight.
Something in Merlin's brain clicked.
He could see Marius…
He could see who the Green Knight really was.
Without thinking he lowered his voice and hissed.
"Revele a Cabaleiro Verde!"
His eyes flashed amber once more and as the world returned to its normal speed, the Green Knight gave a thundering and screaming shout of pain.
His arm jolted against Gwaine's and he dropped his sword.
By the time the blade hit the grass it was no longer Green or huge, it was normal.
Merlin's eyes were wide and Gwaine took a step back to stand beside the young warlock as the green knight screamed against and gripped its head, falling to the floor and writhing in pain.
Merlin only looked at Gwaine when eh screaming stopped and the green knight glimmered and changed from being green, to sink to lie flat.
He was a gasping for breath and his skin was turning pale.
He was the man that Merlin had seen in the eyes of the Green Knight.
Gwaine drew his sword and pressed it to Marius's chest before the man cold even move.
"Who are you?"
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – OVERLOOKING CAMELOT
Morgana sat atop her horse, watching with a furious and enraged sneer as the men that Marius had given her crept low through the long grass towards the citadel, which shone in the late afternoon sun.
Their weapons, in their hundreds, clicked together.
But they moved as silent as the churning anger which screamed in Morganas heart.
She did not care what happened to Marius… what Gwaine would do to him…
She had the men she wanted.
And she would have Camelot.
She would snatch it from the hands of Arthur, Gwen, and their precious unborn child.
THE FOREST OF ESITIA – SIR ALAN'S LAND
"My name is Marius… lord of this land… son of the late Sir Alan…" Marius hissed and gasped for breath, pushing himself up onto his knees and attempting to snatch his blade from the dirt.
Gwaine only pressed his sword firmer to Marius's chest.
"I wouldn't." He stated.
Merlin stepped forwards.
"How did you do that, turning into the Green Knight?" He demanded, "Do you have magic?"
Marius laughed at him and it made Gwaine and Merlin both narrow their eyes.
"The lady Morgana…" Marius sneered, "She turned me into this knight so that I would kill Arthur… challenging his stupidity to see whether he would come…"
His eyes turned dark and Gwaine and Merlin straightened.
Marius hissed and sneered in the same breath.
"She turned me into this 'green knight', so that I could kill Arthur… and she would give me land that Uther took from my father…" Marius said in a low and rough voice.
Merlin stared at him.
"So this was not a test for Arthur, it was an execution." The young warlock stated.
Gwaine glared down at Marius.
"You are a traitor to your king…"
Yet Marius only laughed darkly at him.
"But also…" Marius hissed, "Arthur being here and dead by my hand would mean that Camelot was weak under a queen… she could take the kingdom with the men I gave her…"
There was silence for a moment.
Merlin gasped and turned his head to stare at Gwaine.
"Morgana will be trying to take Camelot…"
"You won't stop her… she has most likely rode there when she realised that you came instead of Arthur…" Marius sneered, "I gave her a hundred or so men… with her magic and their determination nothing will stop them…"
Gwaine had heard enough, he twisted his hand and slammed his sword through the body of Marius.
Merlin straightened.
Marius dropped to the floor, dead and sneering.
He had died for what Morgana had promised him… for he had been consumed and blinded by the glimmer in the evil world she would have had him help her create.
Gwaine set his jaw and slammed his blade down in its sheath.
He turned to Merlin.
The young warlock spoke before he could.
"We need to get back to Camelot, to speak to Arthur… now!"
CAMELOT – THE ROYAL CHAMBERS
"Sire!"
The thundering voice of Sir Leon, as well as the warning bell piercing through the air, made Arthur turn where he had been striding down the corridor to find his wife.
He turned to see Leon and Elyan marching towards him.
They stared with wide eyes at him.
"What is happening?" Arthur demanded, one hand on the hilt of his sword, still dressed in his chain mail.
The knights stared at them with wide eyes.
It was Leon who spoke.
"There are a hundred or so men approaching from the forest trying to break into the Citadel, the castle is under attack!"
THE EDGE OF THE FOREST OF ESITIA – EDGE OF CAMELOT
"How are we going to get into the castle if it is under lock down from the attack?" Merlin gasped for breath as they slowed their horses to stare at the commotion that was the citadel.
Gwaine let his eyes wander across, before they locked on a dark spot in the afternoon sun.
"Look!" He pointed jaggedly at it.
"Morgana." Merlin hissed.
They both watched as she galloped her horse around the castle.
"We follow her!" Merlin bellowed and galloped after her.
"Now!"
THE ROYAL CHAMBERS – CAMELOT
The sound of the warning bell tore through the air and made Gwen rise from where she had been sat on her chaise by the window, doing some silent embroidery.
She dropped her sewing on the chaise and stepped around it to peer out of the window.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw the knights racing around, brandishing weapons and running to barricade the gate.
The men and knights were racing across the battlements with crossbows.
There was a hurried knock on the door and she turned to see Gaius enter with Percival behind him.
"My lady, are you alright?" Percival demanded.
"Yes I am fine…" Gwen walked to stand facing them, her hands at her sides, "what is happening?"
"There are a hundred or so men from the forest trying to attack the castle… the king believes they have been sent by Morgana." Percival said, wanting to stay calm so as not to upset her.
"Attacking the citadel?" The queen's eyes widened.
"Yes my lady." Gaius nodded once.
The ringing of the warning bell continued.
Gwen stepped closer, "Then they need help… is anyone injured… will they even get into the castle…"
"The king has the matter under control." Percival tried to assure you, "Every man is on the battlements, armed, and in the siege tunnels… the castle is locked down…"
"Then why are you not with them?" Gwen walked closer to the door still.
"The king sent us to see that you…"
"My lady you may be in danger." Gaius stated over the towering yet conscientious knight.
She looked to him in shock.
"Percival will take you to the guest chambers, no one, should they get into the castle, will look for you there…" Gaius pressed on, "He will make sure that no harm comes to you."
"Why would anyone wish me harm?" Gwen asked, although she knew that it was a question she knew the answer too.
"You are our queen and you are carrying Arthur's heir." Gaius said as gently as he could given the circumstances, "you are Camelot's future, do you imagine that our enemies do not want you dead?"
"I… where are Gwaine and Merlin, have they returned?" She turned to Percival.
"They have still not returned from facing the Green Knight…." Percival informed her, "Come my lady, you are not safe here."
He put his hand gently on the back of Gwen's shoulders and steered her from the room.
Gaius followed.
THE EDGE OF THE FOREST OF ESITIA – EDGE OF CAMELOT
Morgana rode her horse past the line of men shooting up at the knights of Camelot on the walls, as they made to attach grappling hooks to the battlements and climb up into the castle.
Leon and Elyan let out a shout of anger and aggression as they forced more of Marius's men and bandits down off of the walls and onto those who were trying to climb up the grappling hooks.
They could not let them get over the wall.
They would not let that happen.
If the bandits got into the castle, the fight would get worse.
More arrows showered out of the air as Leon let out a shout of a war cry and slammed the hilt of his sword against a man's head.
Marius's men and bandits toppled backwards from the wall and cried out in fright as he plummeted through the burning afternoon sun towards the earth.
Arthur appeared then, slashing his sword and sending Marius's men and bandits to the floor.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw something dark, like a show, moving around the back of the commotion towards the gate.
Morgana sneered at him and turned her horse to race around the castle walls and from sight.
THE EDGE OF THE CITADEL – TUNNEL
Gwaine forced his way into one of the tunnels, with Merlin.
"If this one is locked then where is Morgana?" Merlin demanded.
"She could have ridden further round... but we need to warn Arthur." Gwaine stated.
Guards appeared but recognised them instantly and froze.
"Morgana is here." Gwaine ordered, "Check every tunnel and bolt them harder, we will warn the king!"
THE EDGE OF THE CITADEL – TUNNEL
Morgana opened the bolted grate of a door, similar to the one she had smuggled Mordred out of when he was a boy.
Her eyes flashed gold as she opened it, and the grated door was blown backwards.
As she swept in, immediately there were knights upon her.
She sent them to the floor, cracking their heads against the stone, without even having to raise her hands.
She laughed to herself and bent her knees, picking up one of their fallen swords and holding it in her hand.
She sneered and held the blade as she stalked through the castle in search of what she wanted.
She knew that what she searched would be away from the front line…
The attack of a distraction for Arthur, yet he would keep his most precious possession away from the battle…
Especially now.
Morgana sneered and stalked.
She would fine Gwen.
As she swept around one corner, she was spotted by a knight, who was marching to serve his king.
The young knight stopped, recognising her form anywhere.
He turned his head and drew in a breath, before he drew his sword and stormed after her.
She stalked further, not hearing him.
Mordred followed her furiously, determination in his eyes.