Past and Present Danger

A/N: On holiday next week, so updates should be back to twice a week. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

Chapter 11

It was in the dawn light that they packed up camp and continued their journey into the foot hills. The Pass of the Old Kingdom was not many hours away and Arthur was confident that they would reach it before the sun was at its peak. They had all gone over their plan once more as they sat and ate a meagre breakfast of dried fruit, nuts and bread.

The plan was a vague one at best, mainly because they had no idea what to expect. According to Merlin, Kilgharrah had followed Morgana after the night in the clearing and he was certain that she had been unaware of her stalker who soared hundreds of feet above her head. He had traced her to the Pass of the Old Kingdom, but because that area was the impasse between two of the Caleron Mountains, it was all but impossible to keep sight of someone after they had entered it. Kilgharrah had circled high above for several hours to see if she re-emerged and had seen nothing to suggest that she had. His inference, and one that Arthur agreed with, was that Morgana already had a hideout in the area. Over the years they had found several similar places, but had never had any luck in tracking down Morgana within them; it seemed that she could tell whenever one had been found because, despite months of posting guards to spy, she was never sighted.

Merlin had suggested that there could be an enchantment that she was using to tell her when she had been discovered and since then he had come up with a spell that he thought would stop her from becoming aware. Whether it worked or not, Arthur had no idea, and knowing Merlin it probably wouldn't work as they all expected it to, but either way they had not had chance to test it yet. Merlin had told then that he intended to try it this time.

And so they were trudging towards the Pass with their only real plan of attack being trying to find her and then hoping Merlin's magic would disguise their presence. The sorcerer had also informed them that Morgana probably had magical traps in place to stop unwanted guests; information that Arthur wasn't pleased about, but was far from surprised at. There had been a number of occasions when they had scouted out a safe house of Morgana's and lost men to strange traps and sudden misfortunes. That happened less frequently now, mostly due to Merlin's required presence when any of these missions presented themselves. Arthur didn't understand it, but Merlin said that he could sense when there was going to be a magical attack. He usually said it as more of a question and with such confusion on his face that Arthur had doubted on more than one occasion that Merlin could sense an entire army running at him with swords let alone a subtle magical trap, but as always, the man had proven his skills and saved several lives in their quest to try and hunt down Morgana.

The Pass of the Old Kingdom was not somewhere that Arthur frequented regularly, in fact he could only remember going there once or twice in his life; that was assuming, or course, that his missing memories weren't about frequent trips to the treacherous place. And treacherous it was. If you went the right way, it was the quickest way to get to the other side of the Caleron Mountains, but the entire place was a vast maze of valleys and trenches, twists and turns and any number of dead ends. Not to mention the fact that rock falls were a notorious problem. Arthur guessed that that particular hazard would only get worse if Morgana and Merlin started flinging magic at each other.

To say that Arthur was feeling confident about the upcoming excursion would have been relatively close to lying; it was more that he felt grim determination to see it through. If they could get hold of the pendant then hopefully it wouldn't be much longer until they could get their lives and memories back as well. Merlin had told them that he would be more able to determine what Morgana had done if he had the object which she had used to tear a hole through time. Something about magic being embedded within things, leaving a distinct trace…Arthur wasn't sure, he hadn't really been listening to that bit knowing that he'd be absolutely no use in sorting it out.

In himself, Merlin did seem more confident, which Arthur was pleased about. The defeatist air that had so confused and frustrated Arthur during their argument seemed to have evaporated and the King didn't know whether it was to do with their conversation last night or Kilgharrah's help or the fact that they finally had a possible way of solving the problem. Whatever it was, Arthur didn't mind; he was just glad to have Merlin back with an attitude and stance that was familiar once again.

They continued on as the sun rose higher and the day became warm and clammy. It was better than having to navigate the foothills -and eventually the Pass- in wind and rain, which would have made the attempt even more treacherous, but it made for very laborious and uncomfortable travel and seemed to sombre everyone's mood, with the exception of Merlin who, free of chain mail and armour, strolled along steadily and with little hindrance.

It was not far off midday when they finally did reach the entrance to the Pass. The few hours before had given them plenty of time to contemplate the impressive structure. They had been following the base of the mountain round for the majority of the morning, but had also been climbing higher with every step, seeing the formidable face of the mountain loom up ahead of them. Most of the journey had been on a steady incline, not steep, but sharp enough to force them to rest several times, but eventually they reached a height where the mountain face flew upwards, sheer and unclimbable, almost as if a giant sword had swung down on the mountain and sliced it like butter. The rock was black, the colour broken only by sickly looking mosses and plants that had attempted to eek out a living in the unforgiving rock.

On reaching the sheer face, they had been forced to stay on the same level but continue their journey round to the pass. This had been by far the most difficult part. The path that they were on fluctuated between being wide enough to walk all of them side by side and narrow enough to force them to walk with their back to the rock face and inch their way along the tiny ledge under their feet. More than once Arthur had seen one of his men's feet slip before being slammed back into place as quickly as they could manage. Merlin, light and wiry as he was, caused Arthur no such concern, although the King frequently imagined the scenario of his friend plunging to his death before he ordered his mind to worry about things that were actually happening.

They continued like that until eventually the Pass came into view. It was formed as a result of a second mountain seeming to have all but crashed into the one they were currently on, or maybe it had initially been one mountain which a series of rivers had then cut through and torn apart through slow and steady erosion. However its creation had come about, it looked impressive: arches of rock were strung out between the mountains all over the place and the surfaces that they could see twisted and turned with beautiful patterns.

Up ahead, Merlin -for they had decided that he should be the first one to enter the Pass and test his abilities with sensing magical danger- had stopped and was staring at the place in awe. It didn't take long for the others to reach him, stopping while they waited out Merlin's moment of childlike wonder.

'I don't want to hurry you Merlin,' Arthur started, 'but you are the Sorcerer here and therefore should probably be checking for traps right now, rather than gawking.'

'Right, yes,' Merlin nodded, although it took several seconds for him to draw his eyes from the view and begin to mutter some words under his breath. Arthur saw the glow of gold in his eyes and watched as his friend lifted his hand out towards the Pass. He stayed still for a moment and then a shudder seemed to pass through him.

'Merlin?'

'The entrance is guarded with an enchantment,' he said slowly.

'Can you break it?'

'I think so, but I need to get closer.'

They continued along the ledge, which was wide enough now to feel less perilous as they walked along it, and soon came to the place where it disappeared into the wall of the mountain leaving them no choice but to scramble down the rather steep incline that led to the flat ground of the Pass entrance. Once there, Arthur and the Knights hung back, while Merlin moved cautiously closer, his hand outstretched and his mouth constantly moving as he worked to break through Morgana's trap and, hopefully, shield their presence from the witch's senses.

It seemed like hours that Merlin stood there, his low voice fluttering towards them on the breeze that rushed out from within the pass. It made the whole situation rather eerie and Arthur had to force himself to remain where he was rather than step back.

'Sire,' came a quiet voice from behind him. He turned to see Leon looking pensively at him. 'I think it may be best if we split into two groups once inside the Pass. It could take days if we stay together.'

'No,' Arthur told them firmly. 'The risk is too great of we split up. Without Merlin we will be unable to sense Morgana's traps or fight her if she should reveal herself.'

'Merlin is sure that Morgana is weakened,' Elyan added. 'Without her powers she will not be a match for us and if she's guarded the entrance this strongly then perhaps there are no further traps. Who would she expect to get through?'

'She'd expect Merlin to be able to,' Arthur replied, although he agreed with Elyan that if Morgana truly was weakened then facing her would not be as much of a danger as it always had been in the past. 'No,' he said after a moment, weighing up all that had been said. 'Our safest bet is to stay together. If we find out that Morgana is indeed weakened and has left no more traps then perhaps we will be able to separate, but until then we need Merlin with us.'

'Yes Sire,' Leon nodded, the other knights muttering similar responses.

Eventually Merlin turned round. Arthur was concerned to see how tired he looked all of a sudden. It was rare that anything magical ever took its toll on the man.

'Is it done?' Arthur asked him. He nodded.

'We can get through and Morgana won't know that we are here unless she sees or hears us. He walked over to them and then laid his hand on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur went to shrug it off, slightly confused by the move, but at that moment Merlin started uttering several sentences in magic, his focus on Arthur uncomfortably intense and his eyes glowing gold. Seconds later he stepped back.

'What were you doing?' Arthur asked him, suppressing the urge to sigh.

'That's all the magical protection I can give you. You should be safe from anything minor that she throws at you and she'll struggle to hit you physically with anything. I've been re-establishing the wards for the last day or so.'

'I know,' Arthur nodded, 'and thank you, but Merlin have you put any on yourself?'

'Nah,' Merlin shook his head, his tone flippant. 'I'll be fine.'

'Merlin.'

'I will be. I'm the Sorcerer remember. If she goes for me I'll give as good as I get, probably better.'

His worried face completely ruined the carefree attitude that he was evidently going for, but Arthur let it lie.

'Alright,' he said, turning to the knights. 'Let's go.' Quickly and quietly they disappeared into the Pass.

The air within the Pass felt like it was laced with magic to Merlin, although he doubted that any of the others could sense it. To him though, it felt like he was walking through a thin mist of magical remnants. It wasn't strong and it wasn't distinct, but it was there, colouring everything. He got the feeling, however, that it wasn't meant to be like that. Why would Morgana taint the air with magic? No, it felt to him that the magic had drifted from where it was supposed to be and, as they got deeper into the Pass, he began to form a theory on why that might be.

Initially, when he sensed the power of the enchantment that had been on the entrance, he had worried that Morgana would have riddled the many passages and turns with magical traps that would force them to stop and rethink every few minutes, but now he wasn't so sure. Yes, the entrance had proved to be tricky, Morgana had built up many layers of spells that intertwined and twisted like a maze so that Merlin had had to follow each one to a starting point and disable them individually with a counter spell. However, the spells there had been ones that had been built into the rock face, meaning that they would be there at all times, whether Morgana was there or not.

What Merlin guessed about inside the pass was that Morgana had set up the traps within to be held in place by her own magic, drawing power from her when she was in the vicinity. That way she could drop them when they weren't needed. It made sense really; even sorcerers had to avoid being caught in their own magical traps, which was hard to do if they were permanently in place. It would make navigating the Pass a long and arduous process, having to constantly take down and replace an enchantment whenever you wanted to move around. But if you used enchantments that drew on your power -and then only when you wanted them up- it would make things so much simpler.

That's what Merlin guessed that Morgana had done in the Pass of the Old Kingdom; she had installed one permanent barrier to keep people out, but had made the rest temporary and linked to herself, to save herself the hassle of having to navigate round them. Now, though, Merlin guessed, she wasn't strong enough to keep all of her traps in place and as such the magic was just floating uselessly through the air until its wielder had regained enough strength to form it into something that even vaguely resembled a trap.

It made Merlin feel a whole lot safer. He tried to explain his suspicions to Arthur, but the man had look so confused by his explanation that he had given up and just told him that there were no traps and that Morgana was definitely weak.

'So, what?' Gwaine asked. 'Are we safe from being thrown up against a rock when she sees us? Because believe me, that hurts.'

'She's so weak that I don't think she'll be able to lift you, not with all the magical protection you have on you anyway,' Merlin explained.

'Are you saying it's safe for us to split up?' Arthur asked him cautiously.

Merlin went through his suspicions once again, weighing up the evidence around him to check that he was giving an accurate answer.'

'As far as I can tell, yes,' he nodded. Arthur held his gaze for several seconds, making his decision carefully and with precision. Merlin liked to see that expression on his face. He saw the Kingship of Arthur summed up in that expression, balancing wisdom with risk and concern.

Eventually he nodded.

'Very well. It will be much quicker to split up.' He nodded at Leon as he said it.

Merlin knew how the divide would go before Arthur began to organise it; it was always the same. He and Arthur would stick together and the knights would form either one group of four or two pairs. It wasn't that Arthur particularly liked that arrangement; Merlin knew for a fact that he hated being away from his knights on missions, but they would no sooner let the King be in a group without Merlin than they would cut of their own arms. The fact was that Arthur was safest with Merlin and that there was no point in leaving a knight with the two of them when Merlin offered all the protection that would be needed, especially coupled with Arthur's swordsmanship. In fact, it would be irresponsible of them to leave a knight with Merlin and Arthur, when that knight would be much more useful in the other group to make it as strong as it could be without a sorcerer in it. Merlin often found himself smiling at the complete turn around of roles: before his magic had been revealed Arthur would just slot Merlin into a group at the end.

They quickly outlined a plan. They would split into three groups and search out separate parts of the Pass. Each group would mark their route by etching arrows on the walls with sharp pieces of rock –with the exception of Merlin who would use magic- to ensure that no-one got lost in the endless passageways as so many travellers had done in the past. They would make sure that they were at the entrance to the Pass again by dusk and if any of them found Morgana their only objective was to get the pendant. If they could capture her then they were to do so, but not unless it was a near certainty. With everyone aware of the plan they bid quick farewells and split up.

The tunnels and pathways of the Pass were nothing if not monotonous. Merlin felt like he had walked down the same three paths hundreds of times, but his continual marking of the wall with arrows told him otherwise. The steep, black walls rose up on either side of them at all times, sometimes only two or three times their height, sometimes climbing hundreds of metres into the air. Ledges and overhangs were dotted along the routes at regular intervals, usually hanging precariously, looking like they were ready to fall at any moment. Merlin tried not to think about it, but went over several spells in his head that could prove useful in the event that he and Arthur were covered in rocks; he still didn't particularly want to test them, however.

Staying alert proved easy at first, but as the hours wore on, ever slower, Merlin frequently felt his concentration slipping. It had been a long couple of days and he was tired. On top of that, he was reminded constantly that his memories were disappearing. He would reflect back on places he had been and experiences he had had and realise grimly that there were distinct dark areas where nothing seemed to surface. They were just blank spaces that he knew had not been blank before. He tried to stop thinking about the past, unwilling to discover any more memory gaps.

Up ahead, Arthur too seemed to be tiring. His decisions on routes were becoming more stilted and hesitant; there was more uncertainty when he did choose a direction. Merlin was sure that they were doubling back on themselves, but it was impossible to tell really. Unless they crossed their own arrows, which they hadn't yet, all they could really tell was that they were somewhere they hadn't been before.

Eventually, and much to Merlin's relief, Arthur suggested that they stop and rest for a bit. Merlin slid down the rock wall gratefully and sat on the floor, wishing that it was a bit more comfortable. They took several sips of water and ate a few strips of dried meat and what was left of the bread from breakfast.

'We'll have to turn back soon,' Merlin pointed out, nodding towards the sky. It was beginning to darken the tinniest amount.

'We'll be alright for a little longer. I don't want to turn back before we have to.'

Merlin nodded and took another sip, debating how he could broach the next question; it was one that had been going round his mind for awhile.

'Arthur…?'

'Merlin?' Arthur replied, a knowing tone in his voice.

'Have you decided what you're going to do if we manage to catch Morgana?'

'No, I haven't decided,' he answered heavily. 'It's likely that this will be our only chance of ever catching her if she's as weak as you say she is.'

'I don't think we'll have another chance once she regains her strength,' Merlin said quietly.

'She could be taken back to Camelot, made to answer for her crimes, executed for high treason, but…' he tailed off.

'But she's your sister,' Merlin finished for him. Arthur nodded heavily and took another sip from his water skin, staring resolutely at other side of the passage they were in.

'Yes,' he eventually added. 'She's my sister. The only family I have left.' He laughed slightly, but it was sad. 'Do you know what the funny thing is?' he asked. Merlin just waited for him to explain. 'After everything she's done, and even knowing how much she hates me, I still love her. I still remember what she was like growing up; how kind and compassionate she was. Those memories don't seem to be going anywhere.'

'She isn't that person anymore,' Merlin replied carefully. 'You know that Arthur.'

'I do, but that doesn't make it any easier to consider having her executed. She's the only blood family I have left.'

'You have other family and friends,' Merlin assured him with a smile as Arthur looked across at him for some sort of answer. Arthur nodded and then stood up.

'I will make the decision when it is needed.'

As it turned out, the decision was needed much more quickly than either of them had anticipated. They had only been walking a few more minutes when Merlin spotted a deep alcove in the rock face which curved out of sight. Cautiously he walked in, Arthur just behind him. They followed the curve round and found themselves greeted by daylight as the tunnel opened up again -its walls climbing up to the top of the Pass- and the sight that it revealed was a strange one. It was hard to reconcile the woman before them with the evil witch that had tried to kill them on numerous occasions. The pale and clearly exhausted woman, lying asleep on a straw mattress, surrounded by several meagre possessions was much more akin to the Morgana that had been their friend all those years ago. Arthur too seemed taken aback by the sight, for the tinniest gasp escaped his lips.

It was enough. In an instant her eyes shot open and the illusion was shattered. She scrambled to her feet, her lips curling into a snarl and her eyes dark with hatred.

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