Final Preparations

Merlin stood by the gates of the City of Caerleon, waiting for Morgana. Annis had agreed to a truce like Nemeth did. For a moment he feared that the Queen would refuse but he was glad she agreed in the end. A truce was a bit neutral which meant that it didn't have to be a victory. If she really didn't care which Pendragon was to sit on the throne, then she wouldn't mind seeing them kill each other either.

Several days ago, Merlin received a raven with a note from Morgana. They had their army of druids and it seemed that some of them had a basic knowledge of magic. Throughout this little game, it was the raven Merlin liked most. The creature had found him in the middle of the woods without even knowing who he was. Ruadan must have used his magic as Morgana would never have sent the raven to Caerleon on the assumption of his success. Annis had given safe passage to the druids on the condition that they stopped plaguing her lands. The reply Merlin received from them was "We'll plague Essetir instead", which amused Annis greatly.

At the sight of men on horseback at the end of the road, Merlin had the urge to run towards them. He had missed Morgana more than he thought he would but he couldn't let on how much he cared in case someone troublesome were to notice. The men did not stop when they reached him but remained on the road, heading towards Camelot. Fifty men had passed him by when Morgana finally came into view. She was riding next to an older man who looked like he was nearing the age of fifty and on her other side was a horse without a rider.

"Merlin." She greeted him with a small smirk as she and her companions stopped.
"This is Emrys?" Ruadan asked unimpressed.
"Yes, I am." Merlin blatantly confirmed as he got up on his horse. "What were you expecting, an elderly, washed-up sorcerer?"
The look on Ruadan's face betrayed exactly that but it did't show regret for saying it.
"You've never heard of me, Ruadan. Word of my deeds has never travelled beyond Annis' lands. Once you know what I'm capable of, you'll stop underestimating me."

The leader of the Saxons did not appreciate being reprimanded by the boy but because Morgana was not bothered by him at all - that smirk still lingered on her face. They began riding once more and soon they were nearing the border with Camelot.

"Morgana," said Merlin "we could make a detour to pick up your sister's relic. The Saxons can travel to Fyrien without us."
The sorceress nodded. The 'army' could make themselves at home in Fyrien and they would join them the day after their arrival.
Morgana turned to Ruadan. "Don't let Arthur's men see you or we'll have to move up our timetable."
He nodded in agreement but that didn't mean he trusted them.

The witch's hovel had changed since she last visited. The scorched stone and moss did not bode well. Arthur's men must have set fire to it some time ago. The two sorcerers dismounted and Merlin sighed at the dilapidated hut.

"I'm sorry." Said Merlin.
"It's alright." She replied.

Things were even blacker on the inside than the ruined stone on the outside. Morgana quickly found it, her sister's bracelet, black and bent out of shape. Merlin decided to stand back and not interfere as Morgana had a tendency to lash out when emotions ran high.

Her fingers caressed the bracelet on either side and Merlin felt sorry for her. It was the only thing of Morgause she still had. Its shiny silver surface had been blackened and broken by the flames. At some point she turned it around and held the bracelet with two hands. She seemed to polish it with one hand and then she froze. Morgana unexpectedly threw it away with both hands, making it a rather poor throw, and backed away from it in panic. Seeing Morgana move back on all fours, Merlin kneeled and she bumped into him. She turned around to grab him by his shirt. Morgana did not know when she started crying and neither did she care. The next moment of clarity was when she heard his voice.

"Vision?" He asked gently.

She sniffed and realised that his arms were around her. Her eyes felt a bit dry. How long had she been crying?

"I don't want it." She sobbed and Merlin assumed she was referring to the bracelet.
"Is there anything else you want to take with you?"

She looked at him and silently stood up. As Morgana went through the rest of her belongings, Merlin examined the bracelet. He tried to mimic what she had done and his fingers lingered on a damaged spot. It took him a while to realise that it wasn't damage but that there was a carving on the inside. He removed his fingers from the spot and turned it around to get a good look at it. The carving was a symbol he had seen before. It wasn't the Rowan Tree of the Old Religion but something else. Rage and anger filled his heart but pity kept him from lashing out. Carved on the inside of the bracelet was a lightning bolt; the very same symbol that had corrupted him. Morgause had manipulated Morgana from the very beginning. He wanted to throw it against the wall and destroy what little was left of the bracelet but instead he put it back where Morgana had left it. Showing how angry Morgause's bracelet made him would do no good for Morgana's situation.

The Saxons had made their home in at the Castle of Fyrien long before Merlin and Morgana arrived. Ruadan had ordered one of his men to find out as much as possible about Merlin and his story was impressive. The Saxon leader had a newfound respect for the warlock, for Emrys. Having strong ties with the Old Religion, the Saxons also found out about the hidden war between Emrys and Morgana and that the latter did not who she was fighting. When he next saw the pair, Morgana seemed a bit put off and so did Merlin.
"How were your travels?"
"Surprisingly tiresome." Morgana replied as she and Merlin dismounted.
The sorceress went inside the castle while the warlock took care of the horses.
"Emrys?" Ruadan approached Merlin but he did not respond in any way.
"Merlin?" On his second attempt, Ruadan succeeded to catch his attention. "Did something happen?"
"We found a skeleton in the closet, it would be best to let it be."

They stayed at Fyrien and it was a luxury Merlin didn't mind having. Over the course of several days, many council meetings had followed in which Morgana and he explained their plan. Merlin's lips curved upwards slightly when she announced it with 'we have a plan' rather than 'I have a plan'. It was a very convincing plan that raised a few surprised but impressed eyebrows. Preparations had to be made. It was late in the evening when Merlin sat down with one of Ruadan's man to speak to him about the final preparations.

"Are the trebuchets ready?" Asked the warlock.
"We've hidden them for the moment but we can build them back up within five minutes." Replied the Saxon.
Speed was absolutely essentials in their plan.
"Good."
"It's a bit of a shame, isn't it? It's such a marvellous structure."
Merlin smirked as he got up and replied. "Tell Orren to send the letters."

His last chore for the day was visiting Morgana. The past few days had eased a lot of tension between them. Merlin had learned that Morgana had been using Emrys as a way of convincing Ruadan to join their cause. She had come to terms with the wool that had been pulled over their eyes by Kilgharrah and Morgause. He gently knocked on her door as he entered her room. She was talking with a sorcerer but after glancing at the warlock, she sent him away.

"How are the preparations coming along?" Asked Morgana.
"Everything is in place. Orren should send the letters today."
She nodded but it didn't seem to put her at ease. If anything, it seemed to make her more tense.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm both excited and nervous." She admitted.
"Things will be fine." He tried reassuring her.
"It's a gamble." Morgana countered.
"You won't be in any danger."
"But you will."
With a shy smile he replied "I always am."
His almost-joke seemed to sadden her even more. Both of them were taking a gamble but she wouldn't be risking her life. He always did this, sacrificing himself for the sake of others and what did he want in return? For Arthur to die at his hands. It was near to nothing in her opinion. She valued him as a friend and did not shy away to show she wanted to reward him for it.
"When all this is over, you can have anything you want." She stated.
"Including your forgiveness?" He asked seriously.
Her heart skipped a beat. Knowing that he still cared warmed her bones. The corners of those tempting red lips curved upwards into a shy smile, not a smirk, an actual smile.
"Maybe you have my forgiveness already."
Again he gave her that odd smile she couldn't place.
"Goodnight, Morgana."
"Goodnight, Merlin."

AN:
Next chapter will have a lot of surprises and, of course, the simple but (IMO) cunning plot.
I know that I could've expanded the final piece of dialogue but their romance will flourish soon enough.
Finally, the 'odd smile' will be explained within the next two chapters.