Fireballs. The first thing that Merlin saw were fireballs raining down from the sky. Then he heard the crash as they fell into the ground and into the houses. He then felt the shockwave that passed through every object, shaking things to the ground and knocking him off balance. After that was the smell of burning, the feeling of heat. Next was what was happening around him, the overwhelming fear coming off of his brother and mother. Then he noticed the absence of fear coming from Arthur and noticed a small smile forming.
It was then he decided he wanted to look at his eyes for a second, they were looking right at him.
"Merlin. I'm going out there, are you coming?" He asked. Merlin looked away from his eyes, but then let out a small smile.
"Well, you wouldn't last a minute out there without me." Merlin smirked as Arthur let out a small laugh.
"You know what, you might be right." Arthur sighed as he stood up. He then turned to Hunith and smiled. "Hunith. Stay inside. I'll try to keep you all safe, you have my word." He then saw a look of worry still present in her face, "And I'll protect Merlin. He will be safe."
"He can't keep me safe from any of this," Merlin thought as he felt the fire colliding with more parts of the village, "It's up to me to keep everyone safe. It's up to me...It's up to me. Oh brilliant. Just what I need. It's up to me." He then turned and noticed Arthur was facing him again, he said "It will be alright Merlin. We can do this." Merlin laughed, but he knew that in the situation this was the best thing that could be said. At least he had someone by his side during all of this.
He then saw Mordred, who was cowering away from everything. He just seemed to want to vanish. Merlin thought to him, "Mordred. It's ok. You don't need to come with us. Stay here and look after our mother. Keep her safe."
Mordred nodded, and that was that. Arthur picked up his sword, that he had kept in good condition since he came to the village. He then opened the door and the two ran outside and entered a completely different scene to what they saw when they came in.
Everything was red. The fields that they had spent a long time cultivating were now ablaze and completely unusable. Some part of Merlin was a little bit happy, as one of the houses was now almost completely destroyed, but seeing as though all of them were burning a little bit, it was likely that there would be no houses when morning came, which would not be good.
Though he didn't have time to think of the scenery. A fireball was coming down on the position where he was standing. Merlin lifted his hand up and his eyes glowed as the fireball shrank and then disappeared. He then looked and saw Arthur in the middle of the road with his sword drawn. Merlin ran out to join him and then saw what he saw. Two woman were coming down the road towards them. The fireballs had stopped, but Merlin could tell that these woman could have continued using them for much longer, which meant one thing. They wanted to talk to them, and more likely wanted to talk to Arthur.
Arthur looked pained. "Who are they?" Merlin asked.
Arthur sighed, "The blonde haired one, I don't know. She turned up while I was in prison a few days before I escaped, but I don't know anything else about her. However, the other one is...Morgana. She was my Father's ward. She was...like a sister to me."
"Did you know she had magic?"
Arthur looked annoyed, "Of cause I didn't know she had magic Merlin. It wasn't something you discussed around my Father. If she did she would have been killed where she stood."
"Even though she was his ward?"
Arthur sighed, "Now's not the time to talk about my Father's shortcomings, nor is there a time coming up soon where I will want to talk about this Merlin."
"Ok." Merlin knew that he had struck a nerve, and they did have more important things to deal with now. Like the two witches walking over to them. Merlin decided it was best to stay quiet and let Arthur deal with this.
"Hello Arthur." Morgana called out as they approached, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry it's had to come to this."
"Morgana...just why? Why would you betray us like this? Why would you betray Father? He thought the world of you!" Arthur shouted.
"You know the reason Arthur!" Morgana retorted, "I was having nightmares...nightmares that were coming true. I didn't know at the time, but I feared that it was magic and you know exactly how he would have responded if he knew I had magic. I would have been just another person being beheaded or burnt at the stake. He was...mad. He could not see how his war against magic had hurt so many people in the process. He had no loyalty for me...not like you do."
"What?" Arthur replied.
"You have always supported me Arthur. You may have been an idiot countless times, but you have always been like a brother to me. I have thought about it a lot and I'd imagine, if you have become king, then you wouldn't have had me killed just because I was born a certain way. You are a just and noble man. That is why I am offering you a choice. You can come back with us peacefully, and we will do our hardest to make sure that you are given the same curtosy. That you are not killed because you were born the way you were." Morgana explained, "You just need to come with us peacefully."
"Morgana..." Arthur then put his sword down slightly, "Morgana. Don't you see how the Magic King is just as bad? He may have opposed Father, but he is just the same. If Father was insane with hate then so is he! Even if you are able to save my life, how about everyone else? I will not let other people die while I am safe just because I...I was lucky." He let out a weak smile to Morgana.
"I see." She replied, and there was silence for a second. "Have you made up your mind then?"
"Yes." Arthur replied. Everyone knew his answer and started to prepare for what was coming next. Arthur raised his sword up again.
"So be it. I am sorry Arthur. I'm so sorry." Morgana called out sadly. She then threw her hands forwards and a shockwave hit against Arthur and Merlin knocking them up into the air. As they flew up, Merlin's eyes glowed and their impact to the ground was cushioned. The two quickly stood up and looked over as the two woman were preparing for another spell.
"Arthur. Run!" Merlin shouted as he stepped forwards and held his hands out. A whirlwind formed infront of him and pushed towards the woman knocking them away from each other. Arthur hadn't moved, he instead shook his head.
"Merlin. If I run then they will kill everyone here. They will kill your mother and your brother. They will kill you. I have to fight!" Arthur shouted as he lifted his sword up. He then grabbed a lid from a wooden box and found a place he could hold it so he could use it like a shield, "Merlin if you can hold back the other woman then I'll see if I can stop Morgana."
"Arthur, I don't think we have much of a chance. They are too strong."
"Oh don't say that Merlin. Never say that." Arthur grinned, "There is something I've learnt about battle over the years, one important thing. It's not the sword that wins, it's the heart. I can win. Do you think you can?"
"No." Merlin stated. Arthur laughed, "But I guess I can try."
"That's the spirit Merlin." Arthur smirked, "Can you help me to get to Morgana and then keep them apart?"
"Yes." Merlin answered. Arthur then smiled. The two then looked over at the woman who were getting to their feet. Merlin then pushed his arms out at the other woman, knocking her to the ground again. Morgana shot lightening through the sky between them towards him, but Merlin quickly threw his arm towards it and caused it to ricochade into the sky. Arthur then ran as fast as he could towards Morgana. When he was nearby he raised his sword and Merlin drew fire from the buildings and changed it into a wall between them that raised up high into the sky.
At this point the other woman was standing again and smirking, "How did Arthur find someone like you? You're quite remarkable boy. I'm sure that the Magic King would be interested in you. You could stop now and return with us."
"No, I don't think so." Merlin muttered, "Arthur wouldn't let me live that down. He moans a lot when I do something wrong. He'd probably moan a lot if I did that. And you know, I don't like it when people kill other people."
The woman laughed, "Fine then. You've picked the wrong person to say that to. Unlike my sister, I am not opposed to getting my hands dirty when I need to." She smirked. Then suddenly vines exploded from under the ground and flew towards Merlin, trying to wrap him. Merlin's eyes glowed and fire spread all around him, stopping the vines from getting near. He then tried to push her to the ground again, but she had moved quickly and was darting towards him, a sword appearing in her hand out of nowhere. Merlin didn't have enough time to push her. Instead he quickly sent a little bit of energy underneath him and pushed himself into the air. He jumped up a few feet and then crashed down towards the ground softening his impact as he fell behind the woman.
He turned towards her, but then he felt a shockwave push against him hitting him into the ground hard. He felt the air escape his lungs and pain coming from his chest. He turned back to the woman and noticed her muttering some words. He felt something strange happening to his body. First he started to feel numb, but then he started to feel...nothing. He couldn't feel his legs. He tried to move them but he suddenly wasn't able to. Merlin started to breathe quicker. Until now he had forgotten about himself, he was running on adrenhalin. But now, he was going to die. If she was able to stop him from moving, then she was going to stab him with that sword.
But something was awakening within him. Some sort of instinct, something that he had been using all this time to do magic but deeper. Something that told him to wait. Wait until everything was right.
He felt all the feeling leave his body, so that all he could do was hear her stepping towards him. He then saw her, with her sword raised above him ready to strike.
Now.
His eyes glowed one more, and there was an explosion above them. The sword shattered as it flew out of the womans' hand, and she was thrown backwards. Merlin suddenly felt feeling return to his body. He quickly got up and looked over at the woman. Her body was limp, however he could see her chest moving. She was unconscious from the blow.
He knew what he had to do next. He lowered the flame wall and ran over the field. He then stopped when he saw Arthur with a sword to his neck. Morgana looked over to Merlin.
"It was too easy really. When you know magic, it puts the advantage in everything towards you. There is a reason why only people with magic should live. It makes all of us more...able. Imagine if everyone could use it. There would be no sickness, everything would be so easy. We could all be so happy." Morgana stated.
Merlin shook his head, "There may be no sickness, and things may be easy. But without the people I love, I could never be happy, and I love people with and without magic. I could not live withou them."
Morgana let out a small smile, "That is fair." She then motioned up and Arthur was forced to stand up with her, "Then I have one thing to say to you. If you want them to live, then don't follow us."
Her eyes glowed and suddenly a tornado started to take her, Arthur and the other woman away. Merlin shouted and ran towards them, reaching his hand out towards Arthur. But then they were gone. Merlin stood in the middle of the wreckage. The danger was gone...but so was Arthur, and he was now in grave danger.
Mordred and his Mother came out from the house and walked towards him. Merlin turned towards them, "Mum. I have to go after them, don't I? That's the right thing to do?"
She smiled a gigantic smile, one that took away all of the darkness around them, "Yes. That is the right thing to do, yes. Go after them Merlin. Save Arthur."
Merlin nodded, "Will you be safe?"
She nodded, "We'll be safe."
Merlin looked at Mordred, who was giving Merlin an odd look, a look he didn't understand. Merlin tried to listen to him, but he was saying nothing. Merlin thought to him, "Mordred. It's al-".
Merlin then felt like a door slammed. Mordred didn't want to talk to him. Merlin nodded. He understood. He knew how Mordred felt, he knew what had happened to him that made him react that way. But he also knew that he couldn't let Mordred come with him. Not at the moment.
"You all need to leave here. It's not safe. Mordred will be able to keep you safe, but if they send their army here then you will all die, and if I go after Arthur then they will send them here. You need to go into the woods. I will find you again. We will all spend time together again." Merlin instructed. His mother was smiling.
"I'm proud of your Merlin."
"I know." Merlin nodded. He then closed his eyes and took a minute. He knew the spell he needed to use to get him to Camelot. He just needed to remember what Camelot looked like. He had seen a picture once or twice in a book, hopefully that would be enough. He focussed on it and opened his eyes, "Bye then." He smiled and then he was gone.