Chapter 15

Warning/s: None that I can think of?

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: I really love the word cackle

The doors slammed shut behind the King of Camelot. His half-sister was staring out of the window with her back to him, but she whirled around immediately when she heard the door creak open and close. The pleased expression on her face told him immediately that she had been expecting one of her henchmen to come in with news of the captured knights. The smirk was slapped from her face when she saw who was really there.

"Arthur," Morgana said. She tried to smother the surprise in her tone, but she couldn't hide it completely from the man who knew her better than anyone else in this world. It almost overcame the total contempt that had steadily seeped into her words.

"Morgana," Arthur replied, making sure his tone was calm and even. "What happened to you?" This could be the last time he ever faced Morgana, for whichever reason. He wanted answers to questions that had never been answered.

"I woke up and realised the truth," she snarled, moving away from the window to be closer to him. Her dress was black and had a slim skirt with a corset. Her skin looked so pale against the sharp colour that she looked ill, the shadows under her eyes giving her a manic look.

"The truth is that magic is not always evil; but you have done nothing to prove that." Arthur clenched his sword a little more but didn't pull it out yet. He didn't want to provoke Morgana into an attack, not when she was behaving slightly civil at least.

"It's Uther's fault!" Morgana screeched, suddenly turning from calm and composed to livid. "He did this to me! He always said that magic users were evil so I believed it!" She inhaled sharply. "It turned me into what I am now." She exhaled finally. "At first I despised myself for what I had become; but then I realised that actually, this is the only way for magic to come back into the land."

"Lies," Arthur scoffed. "That's not the only way; it's not a way at all." He drew his sword now, but kept it limp by his side. "And you know that's not the reason, in any way or form."

"He told me that who I was, who I am, is evil. How would you feel?" Morgana snarled. "And I did not feel safe in Camelot. The only person who I could talk to was Morgause and when she left, it broke me."

"None of this excuses what you have done and what you continue to do," Arthur growled, lifting his sword to shoulder height. He could sense that Morgana's rage was growing steadily and any little thing could set her off.

Morgana laughed, but unlike the soft, pleasant sound that it used to be, it was cruel and harsh, a cackle. "You really think a sword can defeat me, Arthur? You're as stupid as you look." She lifted her hand, palm out, and Arthur felt a strong breeze hit him, and then he flew backwards and hit the wall. Luckily for him, his back bore the brunt of the force, and his head narrowly missed out on the moulding stones. He was a little stunned from the impact and the pain, but soon recovered himself and stood up shakily, using his sword for balance.

"I will defeat you," he said, though his voice lacked the confidence it had before. "Especially for what you have done to Merlin." He swallowed again and wished his entire body would shop trembling. It probably wasn't a very intimidating sight for a powerful priestess of the Old Religion.

"Oh, really?" Morgana laughed. "I wish you luck, dear brother. Merlin has been through so much that I'm amazed he has stayed sane. But I fear he will not be himself anymore…just wait until I'm actually finished with him, because I will kill you, and all of your knights and then I will break Merlin until he is just an empty shell."

Arthur felt his breathing speed up as her speech went on, infuriated that she was making light of his best friend's soul. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead he lunged towards Morgana with his sword thrust out, catching her off-guard. It was by no means a fatal blow, but he still managed to catch her in the leg and she stumbled, falling backwards onto the floor. She was still powerful though, and using her magic she simply pushed him away from her whilst she attempted to stem the blood flowing from her thigh through her dress and onto the floor.

Then the door flew open.

"Now that my magic has returned, I can heal most of myself," Merlin said, to try to reassure Percival. The big knight was gazing at Merlin's injuries with horror. He internally laughed; he was the one in near mortal peril and here he was, comforting a bear of a man.

"She's hurt you so much," Percival gasped, examining his bare back. "Is that from a whip?" He reached out as if to trace the wounds that littered his body, but then obviously thought better of it and retracted his hand with an apologetic look.

Merlin nodded, not able to find his voice. "Percival, focus on me," he said in a gravelly voice. When he had the knight's attention, he continued, "I need you to help me. I can heal myself but I'll need you to clean off the blood and find me a shirt."

"Of course," Percival said. "I saw a basket further down the corridor. It might have clothes in it." The knight seemed to be able to gather himself together when he was given clear instructions, and wandered out of the door purposely yet dazed.

Merlin nodded, closing his eyes to heal himself. He wasn't a natural healer, but he was decent enough. He just needed to be able to focus. His magic was so natural, so much a part of him, that he could ask it to do most things and it wouldn't find it too difficult.

He felt a familiar warmth rush through his body, tingling and swirling round every muscle and bone and tendon. Some of the pain was relieved instantly; other areas, such as the whip scars on his back, stung a little as they always did when the skin knitted over them. He stretched his shoulders a little and prodded himself, relieved to find that his fingers were no longer in agony.

Percival returned holding a large, white shirt. Or at least, what remained of one. It was ripped, one of the sleeves was missing, and it was covered in blood. "This was the only thing that looked remotely like a shirt," he said breathlessly. "I had to search through the cells for it."

"I can sort it," Merlin said confidently, accepting the shirt. He closed his eyes and envisaged the full shirt, clean and intact, in his mind. When he heard Percival gasp, he knew that the trick had worked, and he opened his eyes to examine the now fresh shirt. He had infused it with something to disinfect it as well.

"Thank you," Merlin said gratefully. He waved his hand and a bowl of water appeared, along with a cloth. "I didn't think you'd be able to find a shirt at all." He looked up at the knight, still worried after hiding his secret for such a long time.

"I know magic is banned and all that," Percival said hesitantly, his voice a whisper, "but that's really cool." He seemed awed.

Merlin grinned. "I know." He dunked the cloth in the water and rubbed it over his chest gently, clearing away the dried blood and general grime that had accumulated. He didn't need to be gentle for fear of opening up the wounds, but more because his skin was still tender to the touch. "Thank you for coming, by the way."

"You don't need to thank us," Percival said, taking the cloth from Merlin when he turned around and wiping his back down gently. Although he tried his best to be gentle, the healed welts were still raw and painful and even the gentlest of touches caused agony.

"I thought you weren't coming," Merlin admitted in a small voice. He felt stupid saying it now.

"We never leave a friend," Percival said quietly. They spent a few more minutes in silence as Percival cleaned Merlin's back, and then chucked the cloth into the bowl.

Merlin shrugged the shirt on. "Right, where's Arthur?" he said briskly, getting straight down to business.

Percival blinked. "What?"

"Where's Arthur? I need to get to him. He's probably trying to fight Morgana or something ridiculous like that," Merlin said impatiently. "She's got magic, there's no way he'll be able to fight her. Arrogant prat."

"No, Merlin, we're going back outside to wait for the others and then we're going straight back to Camelot." Percival said it firmly, just like Gaius would have, but somehow it wasn't as effective as the aging physician. Maybe it was the lack of raised eyebrow.

Merlin sighed in irritation. He squeezed his eyes shut and then smiled. "I've teleported the horses back to Camelot. So there wouldn't be much point."

Percival stared at him, half-awed by his power and half-annoyed by his antics. "You really want to face Morgana?" he asked incredulously. "After all you've been through?"

Merlin nodded definitely. "I'm the only one who can bring her down. Arthur will die otherwise." Then his expression went from confident to puzzled. "I wonder what the guards will think when the horses just appear outside of the gates."

Percival stared at him for a few seconds, first registering the bizarre second half of his speech, and then trying to decide what to do. "Damn you," he finally whispered, and linked one of his arms around Merlin's waist to help him walk.

"Thank you," Merlin said happily as he was dragged along, his weak legs not able to keep up with Percival's pace. He wasn't worried though, because he didn't need his legs to do magic. Just his hands.

"I don't know where he is exactly," Percival admitted. "But I'm sure we'll find him easily."

"That's fine," Merlin said, glancing down each crevice as Percival helped him up the stairs. "She usually spends her time plotting in the hall of this castle. I can hear her cackling all the way down here. I think it's just along this corridor."

Percival tried not to think about how long Merlin must have been here for to figure all of that out. He continued up the stairs in silence, his default setting, until they finally reached the top, and immediately they both caught sight of Leon and Elyan, and then Gwaine, standing by some doors.

"Leon!" Percival yelled to get his attention. He began walking to him again, with Merlin doing an odd drag-walk next to him, his face breaking into a smile when he saw the knights, especially Gwaine.

Leon turned around with his sword drawn, but his face broke into a smile when he saw them both. Gwaine came rushing out and embraced Merlin maybe just a bit too enthusiastically, considering his extensive injuries, and Elyan did the same, though with more care.

"Good to have you back, Merlin," Leon say, never one for physical affection.

"I need to go in there," Merlin said quickly, after greeting them all back. "Morgana will use her magic against Arthur, and he'll be no match for her." He unwound himself from Percival's grip, leaning on the wall to regain his balance.

"You are?" Elyan asked curiously. "I mean, I'm not doubting you, but we've all seen how powerful she is."

"Trust me, I am," Merlin reassured them, and limped towards the doors with some difficulty. He opened them with his mind and stepped in, closing them behind him again. Leon was the only one who looked a little uncomfortable; he had grown up in Camelot and had never seen magic that close before.

"Will he be alright?" Gwaine asked, pacing nervously. He knew not to interfere with Merlin's plan, but he hadn't enjoyed seeing his friend going into peril.

"He'll be fine," Percival said confidently. "You should have seen how quickly he healed his injuries."

"How bad were his injuries?" Gwaine asked, his tone one of a man who didn't really want to know the answer.

"Well…" Percival took in a big breath. This could take some time, and he wasn't the most eloquent of men.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed his chapter! Only one more after this one :( but then the sequel! So don't be too sad :)