Chapter 15
Merlin walked as fast as he could without drawing attention. The tavern was just a few minutes away, there he would have his answers. It just couldn't be. Of course it wasn't. His mind went back to the conversation he had had with Gwaine.
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"Morgana? Are you telling me you have caught Morgana?" asked Merlin.
"You sound like you thought that was impossible! Thanks for having so much confidence in us, mate," Gwaine said sarcastically.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... How?"
"You wouldn't believe it. She was just walking through the forest like she didn't have a worry in the world. And her hair! You have to see it. I almost didn't recognize her until she started cursing us and blasting us away."
"Did she had something with her? A book maybe?"
"Yes! How did you know?" Gwaine asked.
"Lucky guess," Merlin answered, raising his shoulders. "Where is it?"
"We gave it to Gaius to see if he could make sense of what is written there."
"Wait, so you couldn't read it?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Don't look at me like that mate! No one could. It's just a bunch of blue and green symbols." Gwaine must have misread the concern in Merlin's face, because he added, "Don't worry, Gaius will figure it out. Probably."
"And Morgana? Where is she?"
"We took her to the dungeons. Arthur had a special cell made just for a case like this; it blocks the magic of anyone inside it. We could have used one of those sooner, but still, better late than never."
"A cell that blocks magic!?" Merlin asked in shock. "Why didn't I know about this?"
Gwaine smiled proudly. "It was a highly kept secret, Knights of the Round Table only." There was a distant yell calling Gwaine's name. "Sorry Merlin, I have to go, there are still lots of things to sort out. Tomorrow we can meet for a drink and celebrate!" Gwaine said as he turned around and started running.
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Alright, maybe Morgana was Green. There was only one way to make sure, he had to talk to the one who started all this. He went inside the tavern. Almost everyone was either drunk or asleep, but he didn't care. The one he was after was upstairs. He had already climbed a few steps when the bartender turned to him and ask him what he thought he was doing.
"I'm going to see my uncle, Drake," Merlin answered.
"Then you are late, he checked out a few hours ago."
"Checked out?"
"That means he left," the bartender explained.
"I know what check out means. Did he say where he was going?"
"No," the bartender said, shaking his head. "Wait, he did left something for you."
The bartender reached under the bar and handed Merlin an envelope. He opened it. Inside, there was only a short letter.
"Hi kid, I apologize for leaving like this but something has happened and there is a good chance a powerful sorcerer wants me dead. Don't you worry though, I'll be back as soon as things cool off.
Good luck!
Your uncle, Drake."
Merlin crumpled the letter and threw it at the fireplace. Now he had no doubt. Green and Morgana were one and the same. He had been writing with one of Camelot's worst enemies for a month, and it was all Dragoon's fault. That had been too much, even for him. In the walk to his quarters, Merlin called him every swear word he knew, and a few new ones. Now he had one more thing to do. He had to see the book for himself.
He opened the physician's quarter's door and saw Gaius asleep on the table holding the book. It looked exactly like the one he had, but the gem was in the other eye.
He approached from behind and could see some words where the book was opened. Unlike Gwaine, he could read them perfectly. One more thing Dragoon had lied about; there was no danger in others reading the book. On the open page he could see what he had written at the Ancient Temple while he was waiting for Green. For Morgana.
Merlin tried to reach from behind and grab the book, but Gaius didn't let go. He grabbed a cooking book that was resting near and made a small switching spell. In the end, Gaius was left with a book he really should read and Merlin with Green's two-way book. Morgana's. It would take some time for him to get used to that. He went into his room, and performed one last test. He wrote in his book and saw as his words appeared in the other one. If all the other evidence hadn't been enough, this settled it.
He laid on his bed and started reading the book once more. Knowing who Green was made a lot of things more clear. The problems with her family, the distrust with her friends, the wanting to be alone. Merlin laughed to himself when he remembered that Snowflake had reminded him of Aithusa. He still couldn't believe how much Morgana cared for her. And the fact that Aithusa saved Morgana's life...
The sleep was calling him, but it could wait. He had to do something. Or did he? Morgana was his enemy. Because of her many people had died. Didn't she deserve what was happening to her? Yes, she did... but what about Green? Didn't he consider her a friend? Wasn't she caught because of him?
He tried to keep reading the book, but his eyes kept closing against his will. There were too many sides, too many voices, too many consequences...
He would figure it out tomorrow...
Yes, that would be for the best...
Tomorrow...
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Merlin was in a dark room. He knew that room. It was in the castle, the room where the Knights would meet, only it was completely empty. He wished to be able to see a little better and some torches lit. The room looked so big. He watched where the round table was supposed to be and there it was. He was sure that just a second ago that place had been empty, but it didn't matter. He walked towards it and sat on one of the chairs. His chair. How did he knew that, he had no idea.
"Glad you could join us," a voice said. It was deep and loud.
Merlin looked across the table. On a chair that was once empty, now sat a hooded man. The only thing Merlin could see about him was his eyes, which glowed gold so bright that made impossible for anyone to look at him directly.
"Who are you?" Merlin asked.
"I am Emrys," the man answered.
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked. "I am Emrys," he said, pointing at himself.
A strange laughter came from his right. It sounded fake, but it wasn't. Merlin looked that way and saw an old man staring him back. No, it wasn't just an old man. It was Dragoon, the Merlin-with-an-ageing-spell Dragoon.
"Please...," Dragoon said, "a boy like you, Emrys? HA! Don't make me laugh. Look at you! You don't even have a beard! How would you be Emrys if you don't have a beard!?"
Merlin looked at him and then back at the one who said was Emrys.
"What's going on there?" he asked.
"Stupid boy, he didn't even know he is dreaming," Dragoon said to himself, and then looked at Merlin. "I have plenty of more important things to do than being here, you know?" he asked, as he attempted to stand up.
"You'll stay right where you are old man," Emrys said. His voice sounded like truth, if that makes any sense. "We have been summoned here to help Merlin, and that's what we will do."
"Help me? Help me with what?" Merlin asked.
"Green," someone said.
Merlin now looked at his left. It was himself, but less tired, less stressed, as if the weight of the world didn't rest upon his shoulders.
"You are..." Merlin started.
"Blue, " the boy finished, "at your service."
"Are there going to be any more people?" Merlin asked to no one in particular.
"Oh, come on Emrys," Dragoon protested, "look at him, he doesn't even know himself!"
"That's why we are here Dragoon," Emrys replied. "Now, let us begin."
Merlin waited to see what they did, but nothing happened. The other three were just frozen, looking directly at him. Whatever was going to happen, he had to be the one who started it.
"I... I'm not sure what I should be doing here," Merlin said.
"It's not that difficult boy," Dragoon protested, "you just have to talk. You do know how to do that right?"
Merlin looked at Dragoon for a second and then turned towards Blue.
"Am I really that annoying as him?" Merlin asked him.
"Don't really know," Blue answered as he raised his shoulders, "I haven't met him before."
"Dragoon's ways aren't the most subtle," Emrys said, "but he is right. You have to talk about what brought us here."
"You mean Morgana?" Merlin asked.
Again all of them froze, their eyes pointing towards him.
"Fine," he said, and took a deep breath. "I've just found out that the druid I've been writing to for the last weeks was actually Morgana Pendragon, sworn enemy of Camelot, and if that wasn't enough, it seems that somehow the knights of Camelot have managed to capture her and she is now in our brand new magic proof prison."
"Green has been captured?" Blue asked. " We have to help her!"
"Are you dimwitted?" Dragoon asked. "She's the enemy! Or have you forgotten all that she has done?"
"Dragoon has a point," Emrys said.
Blue stood up and pounded the table.
"You are both wrong!" he exclaimed. "She has changed!" He looked at his left and went pale. "I... I'm sorry Emrys, I didn't mean to talk to you like that." He sat back down. "It's just... what you are saying about her is true. She has done terrible things, but... she's different now, I can feel it."
"So what?" asked Dragoon. "She has changed? Good for her! She still has to pay for all the things she did. She killed people! Why are we even considering helping her?"
It was Merlin's turn to talk.
"And is this the best way for her to pay for what she did?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Emrys asked.
"Let's say Blue is right, that she has changed," Merlin said. "What if I can get her to help us making peace between both sides?"
"Morgana helping Camelot?" Dragoon asked. "HA! There is a better chance hell freezes over. Twice."
"She has changed," Blue said. "I promise."
Merlin looked at Blue and then at Emrys.
"What do you think?" he asked him.
"She is one of the few people who could get in your way of fulfilling the prophecy," Emrys answered. "Leaving her to her destiny would be the smarter thing to do."
"Thank you!" Dragoon said.
"However," Emrys continued, "with the power she has, if you could actually sway here to work with us... we could accomplish almost anything. It's a gamble, a dangerous one."
There was a moment of silence when all you could hear was Dragoon muttering to himself.
"We want to make a peaceful world," Blue said. "How would kill Morgana help with that?"
"Kill?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Well... I assumed... that after all she has done..." Blue said.
"The boy is right," Emrys said. "No matter Arthur's personal feelings, he has a duty to his people. They'll probably have her executed within a week."
"That could apply to every criminal," Dragoon told to Blue. "Are you telling me that we should let everyone go? Kill! Steal! Torture! And don't worry because afterwards we let you go! All that because we want a peaceful world. HA! Don't make me laugh."
"There is however the fact that Morgana isn't just anyone," Emrys pointed out. "Not for the kingdom... and not for us. Her death would have a huge impact in rogue sorcerers all around Camelot, and it even could start a war." He now looked at Merlin. "Besides, if what Morded told us was true, she hasn't planned an attack for a while, so we would just be creating a problem where none exists."
"I can vouch for that!" Blue said.
"HA! It's not like she would have written to you in your stupid book," Dragoon said, and then added in a girly voice, "Today I saw a beautiful butterfly, it had the most beautiful wings of the most beautiful color. Oh, and I killed two men."
Merlin laughed a bit at Dragoon's impression, but stopped when he saw the way Blue was looking at him. The room was silent once more; it was Merlin's turn to talk.
"She'll never trust me," he said. "We've betrayed each other too many times. Not to mention she really seems to hate Emrys, so the Dragoon the Great disguise is also out of question."
"What about me?" Blue asked.
"Sorry?"
"Go as me, Green will trust me," Blue said.
"And how exactly do you propose I do that?" Merlin asked. "You look exactly like me. And believe me, she isn't a huge fan of my face."
"The first time this dimwit says anything smart and you don't get it. Hopeless!" Dragoon said.
Merlin was going to answer when Emrys stood up.
"Don't worry Merlin," he said, "you'll figure it out."
Merlin saw as Emrys reached his hand towards him and then a small object flew directly at him.
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Merlin woke up and instinctively raised his hand to his head. Whatever had just happened had left him with a real bump on there. The dream started to come back at him, slowly at first, and then all at once. He looked down and tried to find whatever was that had hit him. He didn't have to search much. Next to him was his two-way book, showing the last words Green had written. He sighed. He knew what he had to do.
Luckily it was still dark outside and he had at least another two hours before sunrise. The plan was easy: sneak in, grab Morgana and sneak out. He just had to avoid being seen by any knights and being killed by Morgana. Just another day in Merlin's life. At least this time Camelot's 'security' would work to his favor.
Merlin went outside. He was able to see many torches moving through town, patrols probably. No doubt the knights were still rattled about all this Morgana business. However, he didn't have to worry about them, not for now at least. Living in the Citadel gave him the advantage to be already past those guards and just a few steps from the castle, where the dungeons waited. About how would he get Morgana out of Camelot... that was still a work in progress.
A noise spell let him distract the guards of the main gate as he entered the castle. He was heading towards the dungeons when Arthur's voice reached his ears. He didn't understand every word, but he was arguing with other people, and Morgana's name popped again and again. Probably figuring out what to do with her. Would Arthur really kill his own sister? With any luck he was never going to found out.
He casted a silence spell going down the steps and reached the hall that led to the cells. To Merlin's surprise there were three guards, and all of them were awake. This was indeed a special night. He grabbed the bag he had prepared and took out a rare flower, whose smoke when being burned left one in a sort of trance. Taking care of covering his nose, he made a small fire that started to burn the flower. One guard asked another if he smelled anything funny, but before the second one could answer all of them fell to the floor half asleep. Whatever happened from that point on, they would have no memory of it. Merlin smiled, he was really good at this.
He walked past the guards and into the cell corridor. Merlin didn't exactly know where the special cell was, but it made sense for it to be next to the others, and the guards presence supported that theory. He had almost given up hope when he finally found it, and the shock froze him. The cell had some inscriptions in the walls and ceiling, and the bars were made by something that resembled a metal, but kept changing colors from black to white and back. Still, it wasn't the cell what shocked Merlin. Inside it, Morgana was sitting on the far corner and her feet were chained to the middle of the cell. Merlin looked at her once more. She... she was beautiful. Not that Merlin thought that, of course not, he would never think that about Morgana, never, are you crazy? It was just a fact. Now Merlin understood why Gwaine said they almost didn't recognize her. Instead of her usual attire, she was wearing a green dress that Merlin knew was the one druid girls used, and her hair was arranged in a large braid that rested over her shoulder. Merlin couldn't help but dwell on the fact that she had dressed like that for him, in a way at least.
Alright, now for the hard part.
Merlin opened his mouth several times trying to say something, but his words got stuck in his mouth. What do you say in a case like this? 'Hi'? 'Fancy seeing you here'? 'Surprise'? He wasn't sure many people had been in that situation before, and any words were better than no words. But, which ones? There were a lot of words he could choose from...
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to say something?" a female voice asked.
"Morgana!" Merlin exclaimed in surprise, "Are you awake?"
She stood up and looked at him.
"Of course I am awake Merlin. Do you really think I would be so stupid as to fall asleep in here? I still can't believe those idiots caught me..."
"That makes two of us."
Morgana gave him an inquiring look.
"Never mind," Merlin said, making a dismissive gesture. "Look, this isn't easy to say, but—"
"Was anyone else captured?" Morgana asked.
"Captured?"
"In the woods, where the knights caught me, did they find anyone else?"
Merlin realized that she was asking about Blue.
"No, just you," Merlin answered, shaking his head. He could see the relieve in her face. "Why? Did you expect company?" he asked.
Morgana turned around without answering.
"I'm just asking because they've found this book in your belongings," Merlin said, taking Morgana's book out of his bag, "and I was wondering if this had something to do with it."
When Morgana saw the book she rushed to grab it, at least as far enough as the chains allowed her.
"What are you doing with that!? Give it to me! That's mine!" she exclaimed, stretching her hand.
Merlin was surprised by her reaction, but he handed her the book. She grabbed it and backed away.
"Have you read it?" she asked, holding the book tightly against her chest.
"I— Don't worry about that Morgana. It seems the book has an enchantment that only the owners of the two-way books can read them. Which brings me back to what I was saying before." Merlin took a deep breath. "This isn't easy for me to say. It may shock you a bit and probably it will be hard to grasp at first, but I know that if you keep an open mind everyth..."
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Merlin was saying something, but Morgana wasn't listening. She was focused on her book, trying to find out what had happened to Blue. She turned the pages until she found the last words she had written, there was a lot of blue lines after that. Apparently he had made it to the Temple and had waited for her for a while. There were a few lines asking her if she was well; he seemed really worried. Would he be able to join the dots when he finds out about her capture? She hoped not. Doing that could only mean danger for him.
"...Morgana, are you listening to me?"
"Not now Merlin."
"But, I—"
"Shut up!" she yelled, looking at him. "I'm in no mood for one of your lectures."
She looked back down to the book. What was Merlin doing there? Probably that was Arthur's idea of torture. Suddenly blue letters started to appear in the book; Blue was writing!
"Hello. I'm Blue. Let's get you out of here."
Morgana didn't understand what that meant until she looked up. Merlin was holding a book that looked almost exactly like hers. Suddenly his eyes glowed gold and both the prison door and her chains broke open.
"So, Green...," said the man standing in front of her, "can we escape now?"
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A/N: I hope you liked it!
I know that you probably hate me for end the chapter like that, but that scene was too good not to cut there. However, I don't want you to place a curse on me, so...
NEXT CHAPTER TOMORROW !
(just remember this if someday in the future I have to skip one week of posting because I didn't get to finish the chapter XD)
Thanks Signal27, CHARLES CHUKU, Patiku, AJsRandom, mersan123, Lady Flurryous, Guest, Meri Ley and hithere for the reviews =D
Patiku = Yep, it was Dragoon, only that he won't be very helpful :p. As for the other part, I would love to submit one chapter every day, but I can't write that fast u_u.
Lady Flurryous = To be perfectly honest I did find it strange that you didn't comment XD. Thanks for all your reviews! They are great!
Meri Ley = Just so there is no confusion, the body swapping was over the moment the coin melted. Everyone is their own selves. For now...
hithere = Dragoon's powers are far from limitless, it's just that he had a lot of time to learn and practise. Letting magic aside for one moment, imagine what a normal human being would know if he could live 200 years, or 500, or even 1000. Now add magic. That's Dragoon.