Merlin knew that the faster they brought Gwen back, the better. And seeing as Arthur intended to go through with it, he was going to make sure that he wasn't going to be the one giving his life up. Arthur had already expressly forbidden Merlin to do it- though Merlin believed that was more to do with the fact that he had virtually come back from the dead several times, over the last few days, than the fact that he would be the one doing the magic-.
Not that he wouldnt have done it, but he knew that if something went wrong, he would be the only one who would be able to try and fix it. It made him feel terrible knowing that several of the men around him would be volunteering, and guilty when he felt relief that it would mean Arthur would be safe.
It took a few words from him to summon the cup, which was in the vaults of Camelot, and several seconds to recall his previous experiances with the cup. Thinking back to Nimueh, he felt a sense of relief fill him as he realised that he would be able to do the incantations and magic necessary.

Starting to mutter, under his breath, he summoned the clouds and rainfall, as Nimueh had done, and willed it to fall into the cup. It only took a few moments for the cup to fill, an Merlin released the magic, leaving the clouded skies to clear away. He barely noticed the looks and whispers directed at him throughout the ritual and in the few seconds afterwards, focusing solely on his task. Now that the cup was full, he made his way over to Gwen. Crouching down next to her, he poured the water into a vial, keen to make sure he didn't spill and waste it. The knights had been arguing with Arthur since he had spoken up about the cup, and Merlin could tell they had no intention of letting him die. That only left the question of who would...
Many of the knights were willing to do it, Merlin knew, but they had yet to decide... or rather argue out, the person. As Merlin focused on the arguments, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye... As Arthur puled a dagger from his waist... no, not only Arthur. Under cover of the knights banter and voices, both Arthur and Elyan had decided to do it without the knowledge of the men.

Several thoughts went through Merlin's mind in a micro-second. He could only stop one of them... even if he called out, the rest of the men wouldn't be fast enough to act... who could... should he stop...
A he thought this, his eyes met Elyan's, and they seemed to exchange an entire conversation in that one glance. Merlin made up his mind.
"Gwaine!" It was the first name that popped into his head, and he didn't question the instincts that took over. "Elyan!" he called, in a meagre explanation, as he jumped over to Arthur, pinning him to the floor and grabbing the dagger before it could do any damage. Arthur fought back, but Merlin managed to keep his grip, at the same time as chanting the words that would complete the ritual... After several seconds, Arthur stopped struggling as he caught sight of Elyan, his blood pooling around the floor and soaking into Leon and Gwaine's cloaks as they held him. Merlin let go and his instincts took over. He opened the vial and tipped it into Gwen's mouth. And as the water trickled out of the bottle, he could tell that it was going to work. As the last drops fell from the vial, his eyes met Elyan, which burned with a single question. Merlin nodded,
"It worked Elyan..." he murmured, quietly, but loud enough for the men to hear. Elyan smiled.

Elyan
... I meet Merlin gaze, and know that he knows what I'm going to do. I also know that Arthur is doing the same, and that Merlin has to stop him... This unspoken order seems to pass between us, and I can see that Merlin understands... I have to save my sister... He has to save both her and Arthur... A muscle seemed to twitch in his leg and I know he is going to move... just as I am... Just as he pins Arthur down... I plunge the dagger into my chest... I know that it is a deadly blow and can only hope that Gwen will be alright... the pain isn't as bad as I thought it would be... I faintly realize that Gwaine and Leon are calling to me... and Percival... and Peredur... and so many others... and something else... calling to me... but I cant... I must know if Gwen... Gwen... Everything starts to fade... the light... the pain... the feeling of the hands holding me up... then I find Merlin's eyes and focus on his face... I put everything I have into sending him a question... unspoken... And he nods... And I can hear his voice, faint but seemingly thunderous amid the silence that has seemed to envelope me... "It worked Elyan"... I force the muscles of my face to form into a smile... to let him know how grateful I am... My sister will be okay... okay... I feel my eyes close, and I am floating... then noth...

Elyan closed his eyes, and Merlin felt a tear run down his cheek. Hopefully he had done the right thing... He believed that he had.. but would the others see it that way? He wasn't going to ask them though, not now. He turned away from them and sat next to Gwen, watching as a light flush appeared in her cheeks, slowly spreading. Merlin felt someone come up behind him, standing there, but stayed focused on Gwen. It took a few minutes, but she eventually opened her eyes. The confusion that immediately filled her expression cleared and turned to mall smile as she saw Merlin. Looking up past him, her smile widened.
"Arthur..." Her voice was faint, but strong and Merlin knew that she would be fine... physically at least. Merlin smiled at her,
"Hey... You should sleep... A lot's happened and you need it..." He should have known she wouldn't listen. Struggling, she sat up, looking up at Arthur.
"What does he mean? Whats happened?" Staring around, she focused on the knights... or rather, the still body in the middle of them.
"Arthur... who...?" as her eyes focused on Elyans face, they seemed to become blank,
"Elyan... " she started to gasp and cry at the same time, as well as obviously trying to understand what was going on.
"Merlin!" It was Arthur, who was trying to hold Gwen still, "Do something!"
Placing a hand against her forehead, he muttered a few words, and was rewarded by her entire body relaxing.
"What did you do?" Arthur was looking at her now still face, an edge of panic still there from before.
"She is sleeping. Thats all. She will sleep for the rest of the day, and probably the rest of the night. She needs time for her body to heal... and to learn to cope with everything..."

Arthur seemed to relax as Merlin spoke. Stroking a whisp of hair back fom Gwen's face, a thought seemed to strike him.
"Merlin... were any of those... the real Morgna?" Merlin shook his head,
"No. But I think that that was all of her copies..."
"So where is she?" Merlin was about to reply that he didn't know, when screaming interrupted from the wall. Turning, they saw Morgana, her face seeming to radiate fury, sending blasts of magic in all directions. Arthur seemed to snap,
"Leon! Watch Gwen." Handing her over to Leon, Arthur stood and started to make his way over to her. Merlin hurriedly followed him, worried by the sudden intensity of his actions. He managed to get to the wall before Morgana noticed him, and started blasting at him. Merlin found that he had no trouble deflecting it. In fact, he barely had to concentrate to do so. Then something happened that surprised him. Morgana started to back away.

It took mere moments for the entire area to empty of people, leaving Merlin, Arthur and Morgana alone. Arthur could see that Morgana was trapped and was wondering how she could get out of it. For a moment, he thought that maybe she woudn't be able to, but that hope was dashed as she threw her hands forward, sending the entire wall of a building hurtling towads him. He surprised himself by not even flinching as the rocks an debris hurtled towards him. He realised that the reason was that he knew Merlin would stop anything from hitting , he saw a familiar expression on Merlin face.
"Whats with the face?"
"What face?"
"The 'oh here we go again' face... that can also mean 'yup, Arthur is about to be a clotpole' "
"Oh that face." Merlin grinned, "Well, seeing a Morgana just ran off and we are going to follow her, I think It warrants an 'oh here we go again face'..."
Simultaneously, they started to run after Morgana's fleeing figure. It soon became apparent that she was heading out of the town, and Arthur started to worry.
"Merlin... how are we... going to stop her?" he asked, between breaths.
"I... have an... idea... but you're going... to have to...trust me on this..." he replied.
"Sure just... make sure she... doesn't come back..."

They had just passed beneath the archway when Merlin began calling out, what seemed to be, another language. Morgana had mounted a horse just outside and was now riding off, but Merlin and Arthur were quick to mount themselves and pursue her. Before long, they came to a large clearing that was very familiar to Merlin. Sensing his opportunity, he sent a burst of energy straight at Morgana, hitting her squarely in her back, and sending her flying from her horse. Crashing into a tree, she fell to the ground, unmoving. Merlin and Arthur dismounted and ran over to her.
"Merlin... What did you..."
"She's unconscious..." A loud thump echoed around the clearing and Merlin grinned, "And this is why..."