Wah! I know this is a little late, but I'm proud to announce that this is my most reviewed story, and it's not even finished yet! Wowzas! Thank you so incredibly much guys!

Phew. A full-length chapter today. Yay! And, yes, there's a certain young Warlock in this one XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

Chapter 13

It was dark. So dark. He could feel the evil creeping around him, the creatures' slimy touch lightly caressing his skin. They were trying to manipulate him, to bend him to their will. They had never truly admired him- he could see that now. No, they were nothing more than malevolent deceivers, their sole aim lying in finding his weak spot. They had been searching for an opportunity to exact their heinous plan for years now- all of them.

But they were fools. He was smarter than all of them. Stronger too. He knew that there was only one way they would stop coming after him- a way they hadn't believed he would achieve. A way he had once lost. But he had never given up hope, and now his method of beating them had returned to them- a bright light shining amongst the filth that surrounded him. She had returned, and now they would be deprived of the power they had always sought.

And then she came to him again, whispering those sweet words of release in to his ear. And then he understood. He needed to act more swiftly. They would launch their attack- they would try to destroy her. Unless she was given the power and authority to hunt them down. Just taking over the position of the ultimate traitor wouldn't be enough. No. He needed to elevate her higher- needed to provide her with his own position. Then they would see. Then they would know that he had won. And he would at last be free from the darkness which had haunted him all those years

She smiled when he told her his decision. That sweet, understanding smile which he had almost started to believe he had lost forever. And they both knew. They both knew that the depraved monsters who hunted him would be none the wiser. Until it was too late.

She would rule, and he would finally be victorious.

Merlin sat on the floor of his cell, studying the two men sitting opposite him and rubbing at his now bare chin contemplatively. It had only taken a quick spell to rid himself of the beard, but he had to admit that he almost missed the feel of it. Maybe, one day, he would grow another beard. A longer one. He had a strange feeling that people would like it...

"Merlin?"

He shook his head, turning his eyes towards Arthur's.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I was just thinking."

Arthur rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. "Well that's new- maybe some good has come out of all of this after all."

Merlin gave a short laugh, glad that the initial awkwardness he had felt was gone now. It was strange, just how cathartic an experience punching Arthur could be. Maybe he would have to try it more often.

He had asked Kennard to shut the cell door about half an hour ago now, as he listened to the two Knights' reports of all the changes in the kingdom over the past few months. Most of it he already knew- the strange anxiety flowing throughout the kingdom, and the King's increasing paranoia. The onslaught of attacks from four of the neighbouring kings, too. Now that was something he would have to look at another time- there was something strange going on there, but there were more important matters right now.

What he didn't know was quite how dramatic the recent behavioural changes had been. Evidently, the witch sisters had decided that now was the time to act. The problem now was, would he be able to find a way to stop them?

He rose to his feet, stretching as he did so.

"Well then, shall we go?"

Both knights looked a little confused, but stood up anyway.

"And where are we going?" Asked Arthur.

"Well, as much as I love the idea of staying in this cell for even a second longer," he said, pretending that he hadn't seen the Prince's flinch, "I need to be able to search for the vessels for the spells over Camelot. And to do that, I need to find someone who has actually been affected. Neither of you two really fits the bill."

Arthur nodded acceptingly at this, but Kennard stepped forward. Merlin hadn't heard the Knight speak much, but he seemed like a good sort. And there was that one other thing about him, too...

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you about that, actually," Kennard began.

"You want to know why the both of you aren't under the influence of the spells?"

Kennard nodded. "Well, I assumed that the Prince was not affected due to the protective spell you placed on him. But I have nothing of the sort- why am I not affected?"

Merlin smiled, pausing a little for dramatic effect. He rarely got to be dramatic in front of new people- it was quite a fun experience. He tilted his head to the side, speaking as though it were obvious.

"Because you're special."

"How?"

"You have a very clear mind- spells like these need to latch on to any uncertainties the individual holds. You don't have those doubts- you find it easy to come to a decision, and once you have done so, your opinion stays firm. Am I right?"

Arthur snorted. "You could say so. Kennard here is one of the smartest Knights Camelot has seen in a long time, yours truly excluded of course."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Some people never change." He faced Kennard again, ignoring Arthur's mock-offended expression. "And there's something else about you which boosts your ability to hold back the affect of the spells."

"What?"

"Magic."

Silver eyes widened in shock. "Magic? I don't have magic."

"Sure you do- you just never realized it. Don't worry- most people who develop powers never notice. Either that, or they deliberately turn a blind eye, too scared to acknowledge a fact which could have them killed. Trust me, you have quite a bit of power floating around in you. I can see it."

"You can?"

"I've always been able to use magic. Eventually, you learn to get an idea of how to sense a person's abilities. It's a talent I've honed during my time down here."

Both of the Knights in the room took a while to digest that particular piece of information, Arthur staring between Kennard and Merlin. Eventually, the Prince coughed awkwardly.

"Well, I guess we can just think about that later. Maybe we should just-"

"Wait."

Two sets of blue eyes snapped towards the young Knight, Arthur frozen mid-way to gesturing towards the door. Kennard shifted uncomfortably, still looking slightly pale. Still, Merlin had to admire him. It really couldn't be easy to find out that you were potentially a powerful sorcerer when you served as a Knight for a King who would kill you if he found out. Even if that King was currently insane. The dark-haired man seemed to be taking the news considerably better than most would.

"What is it, Kennard?" Arthur questioned.

The young Knight shifted again, then turned back to look at Merlin. "You said 'spells.' You said it repeatedly. Does that mean that there's more than one?"

Merlin beamed, glad that at least one of the men in the room had been observant enough to pick up on that particular point. Arthur had always been fairly useless when it came to things like that. Still, he wasn't about to tell them. Not just yet. So, instead, he headed out of the door, calling over his shoulder.

"Oh, it's just a little theory of mine. I'll tell you when I've figured it out. Now come on."

He didn't see the Prince shake his head disbelievingly before leaving, but he knew it was happening nonetheless. And when the Knights caught up to him, and Arthur shoved him lightly on the shoulder, he simply shoved back. Some things never change, and the fact that he and Arthur were best friends was one of those things.

"Right," he said, grinning broadly, "where would you suggest we head to find our first test subject?"

Arthur sped up slightly. "I know just the place."

A few minutes later found the three of them standing by the bars of another cell. Merlin looked in at the girl inside, completely shocked. Gwen was unrecognisable as her normal gentle self. She stood at the bars, yanking at them and snarling viciously at Arthur, her expression almost feral. Her eyes, though, they belayed the most terrifying change. They were completely blank, but at the same time filled with a rage the young Warlock knew would be absolutely killing his friend to see. He sent the young Prince a regretful look.

"You two stay out here- guard the passage. I don't know how much concentration I'll need for this."

"What are you going to do to her?" Arthur asked, the worry evident in his voice. Merlin locked gazes with him, trying to calm the man down.

"I'm going to see if I can figure out the workings of the spell controlling her, and then try to break it. From what you've told me, the enchantment was gradual- it's probably why no-one really noticed. Now, I put up a block earlier, so that it's impossible for people to search for any of us using magic, but it doesn't guarantee against physical beings. It's possible that someone may walk through and find us. I need you to stop them if they do."

Arthur nodded, obviously feeling slightly strange, being ordered around by his old manservant. But Merlin knew there would be no problems- the two of them had held a deep respect for each other for years. And Arthur was not stupid enough to forget that Merlin was the only expert they had in this field.

"Alright," said the Prince. "But if you muck this up, I swear I will have you in the stocks for a year."

Merlin gave a mock bow. "As you wish, your royal Pratness."

Nimbly ducking the light-hearted blow Arthur aimed at his head, the young Warlock turned to the cell.

"Swefn." Gwen dropped to the floor, fast asleep, and Merlin turned his gaze to the cell's lock. "Onlรบcan." The lock clicked, and Merlin dove inside the cell, kneeling down next to the sleeping girl. He placed his hand on her forehead, sending a gentle pulse in to her body to see if he could discover exactly what had triggered her change in behaviour. In the corner of his mind, he vaguely registered the fact that the two others had turned to face in opposite directions down the passageway, their swords at the ready in case anyone came.

It was strange, but the spell felt as though it had folded itself around Gwen's body as well as moving from the inside out. He frowned, trying to work this out. After a few minutes of concentrated contemplation, he thought he had figured out exactly what had happened to her. He breathed deeply, redirecting him magic to it's new purpose. In front of him, the young maidservant was momentarily engulfed in a brilliant golden light. It lifted her from the floor, where she hovered for a few seconds.

Merlin could feel the resistance the enemy's spell was putting up, and he sent out a single, almost undetectable, drop of magic to follow the trail back to it's source. Hopefully nobody would notice it, and he would be able to use that drop to find the connective power which bound the net of spells which held Camelot in it's grasp. He had no doubt now that there were multiple enchantments, although the thought brought no relief. All it would mean was that he would be hard-pressed to try and find a way to defeat each spell individually. Morgause had obviously put a lot of thought and effort in to this particular plan.

A slight movement from Gwen told him that it was safe to remove his hand. He cut off the flow of magic and sat back, watching as the young woman's eyes blinked open. She looked around blearily, her gaze eventually settling on the boy sitting at her side. He eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing several times in rapid succession. Merlin gave her one of his trademark grins, and spoke just two words.

"Welcome back."

Yay! Gwen's better! And, yup, Kennard has some hidden skills. You see? This is why I love the dude. He never bores me.

You probably already know this, but the two spells were 'sleep' and 'unlock.' Go figure...

Review? Pretty please with cherries on top?