Chapter 24
The sky was dark and Arthur was fighting as if possessed. An attack to the neck, a spin, an attack from behind, two hits to the head, plunge his sword into his opponent's chest, pull it, plunge it one more time just in case. Arthur took a step back and look at the figure in front of him. He had won that battle. Then again, it's easy to win when your opponent is a training dummy. He pulled his sword from it and looked towards the castle.
Merlin had been away for some time now, checking on Guinevere. Arthur kept thinking that he should have gone with him, but Merlin had insisted that he waited at the training grounds. Something about letting The Dolma work in peace. He hadn't liked that idea, but Merlin had promised him that he would come back at once if there was any news about Gwen's condition. When did the manservant become someone who could convince him so easily?
Trying not to think about that, he looked down. In his right hand he was holding his sword, the one he had pulled from a stone a few years ago. According to Merlin that sword had belonged to Bruta, the first king of Camelot. Strangely enough, he hadn't found anything or anyone that could confirm that story, but he didn't mind; it was still the best sword he had ever seen.
In his left hand there was a cup, but not any cup. It was a powerful relic called the Cup of Life that Morgana had once used in her attempts to conquer Camelot, and that had been secretly hidden inside Camelot since that day. When Arthur originally hid it, his intention had been to just keep it away from dangerous hands; he had never expected to make use of it. However, things seldom go as one expects. He would hide it again once this all was finished, once Guinevere was cured, but not before. It was his wife's last chance, and he would use it if nothing else worked. The only reason he hadn't use it already was the price it demanded, a life for a life, and not any life, it had to be someone Guinevere loved. He was more than willing to be that life.
He saw someone moving to his right and he turned hoping to see Merlin, but instead he saw Gwaine. He and Percival were hanging out strangely close to Arthur, almost as if they had been guarding him. Since they had appeared just after Merlin left, Arthur imagined the manservant had had something to do with their presence.
Gwaine was talking with a girl who Arthur didn't know well, but who, based on her looks and some talks he had had with Merlin, must had been Gwaine's girlfriend, Ariel. It was still surreal to think of Gwaine having an actual girlfriend, but it was one of the few good news Arthur had heard in a while, and he was truly happy for him. His mind went back to Guinevere; no matter what Merlin had said, he had to be with her.
Arthur turned around and started to walk towards the castle, when suddenly his right arm, the one holding his sword, spun on its own like if something was pulling from it. Arthur didn't have much time to wonder about what just had happened, because now he was blocking an attack from a man he hadn't even seen, and who, based on his face, was as surprised as him. Arthur took advantage of the man's surprise and managed to disarm him and press his sword against his neck.
"Who are you!?" Arthur asked, in a demanding tone. "Tell me!"
The man didn't say anything, he just made a mocking smile.
"Sire, we have to go!" Gwaine exclaimed, appearing besides Arthur. "They are everywhere!"
Arthur looked around to see many black figures moving towards them. Using the king's distraction, the captive drew a dagger from nowhere and tried to attack him, but another involuntary movement from Arthur's arm made it so his sword pierced the man's chest. After taking a second to realize what he had done, Arthur pulled his sword and commanded both Gwaine and Percival to follow him to the castle. Ariel started to follow them too, but Arthur didn't say anything; the castle was probably the safer place for her right now.
Arthur didn't know who those men were or what did they want, although he could guess who had sent them. Still, his first concern was to sound the alarm and protect Guinevere; the answers could wait. A few men in black appeared in front of them, trying to stop them from reaching the castle. Percival punched one of them in the face, which made Arthur feel a bit sorry for the man; you really, really, didn't want to be in the receiving end of one of his punches. Gwaine was engaged in a sword fight with two men, but he didn't seem to have any trouble. Arthur tried to move towards Ariel to protect her, but the men in black stood in between; they seem really interested in him.
He knew that he hadn't much time, that more men in black were coming from behind them, but he couldn't get past the ones he had in front of him, no matter how much he tried. Suddenly one of them fell to the ground, and then another. When the rest of his enemies were trying to found out what was going on, Arthur took out two men, leaving just one left. The man in black turned to face him; now it was just a one on one fight, his enemy had no chance, he just had to—
The man fell just as the others had, revealing, behind him, Ariel in a fighting pose. Maybe she didn't need that much protecting. Arthur was tempted to say something, but then remembered the group of men closing in on them from behind and decided to leave it for later.
They started running again and they haven't taken ten steps when the warning bells started to ring; apparently someone else had reached them first. That calmed Arthur a bit, now it was only matter of time before every knight was on the streets. Still, he had to reach Guinevere as soon as possible. They reached the Citadel without having any more troubles and were now passing through the place where Arthur made his speeches. Looking around, Arthur had a feeling that something was wrong... Where the hell was everybody?
"Sire," Gwaine said, drawing the king's attention towards the castle's gates. A group of men dressed in black were coming towards them. Arthur looked behind them to find another way, but the rest of the men in black had already caught up with them. They were surrounded.
Arthur backed away towards a wall to make sure that they couldn't flank him, and the other three followed.
"We just have to hold on for a little while, I'm sure that the knights will be here soon," Arthur said, holding his sword up in a defensive stance.
The two groups of men merged together and started to charge towards where Arthur and the rest were. He was ready to counter the first blow when the men in black halted as if they had just ran into an invisible wall. The rest of them kept coming, and kept crashing with their allies, who for some reason didn't seem to be able to advance past a point. The face of one of the men in the front looked exactly like if he was pressing it against a window. Arthur extended his hand and, in fact, touched a wall that wasn't there.
"Come on!" one of the men yelled. "We need that cup!"
They took a step back and started hitting the invisible wall with their swords, which looked really bizarre for the four inside at the other side of it.
"This is magic," Percival said, looking at their enemies.
"Yes, but whose?" Gwaine asked.
"There will be time for that," Arthur said. "For now let's hope that it holds long enough."
.
.
Merlin had drops of sweat all over his face. Creating a magical barrier was easy; maintaining it against two dozen men who were striking it with swords, not so much.
"Come on Morgana, we just have to hold on a little longer, the knights will be there any second," he said, looking at the one who was helping him cast the spell.
Morgana also was exhausted, but sweating wasn't her style. Her hands were extended, funneling her magic towards the barrier. There were a few questions in her mind about why exactly was she helping Merlin save Arthur, but she would deal with them once this had ended. She looked at the courtyard where the men in black were trying to break through the barrier; she was very surprised that it hadn't broken yet, she must have been stronger that she had thought.
Many figures in red started to appear from the other side of the courtyard; the knights had arrived, finally. Most of the men in black tried to flee the second they saw them, while some kept trying to break the barrier until the moment they were caught. In less than a minute, every men in black were in chains. With one look, Merlin and Morgana agreed that it was time to stop the barrier. They both let out a sigh; ending the spell felt like if a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders, literally.
"So, do you miss Camelot already?" Merlin asked, in a playful tone.
Morgana smiled and looked at him, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the balcony, trying to catch his breath. Now that the imminent danger had disappeared, her mind went back again to her dream. The dream where Merlin killed Emrys. The dream where she called him 'my love'. The dream where she died. No, not dream, vision. Knowing your own future was a messy thing. What was she supposed to do with what she knew? How should she act? And, not that important, what exactly did Merlin mean to her?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Merlin inquired.
"Nothing," she said quickly, looking away.
Merlin could swear that her face turned a little bit more red, but it was probably because of the effort of maintaining the barrier.
"Why are you helping him?" Merlin asked her, nodding towards where Arthur was.
Morgana peeked from the column where she was hiding. Arthur had finished talking to the knights and was now moving towards the castle.
"I don't know," she answered, honestly. "It was a spur of the moment decision."
"That happens," Merlin said, smiling. His eyes fixed on her and he saw something he hadn't seen on her face in a long time. It wasn't happiness, but... content, maybe? Was this really working? Would he be able to bring the old Morgana back? And, not that important, how did she manage to look so beautiful even in a ragged dress like the one she was wearing?
"Guinevere!? Merlin!? Where are you!?"
Hearing Arthur's voice made Merlin stood up in a hurry.
"Morgana, use the ageing spell and go to Gwen's room; I'll stall him for a bit," Merlin said.
Without waiting for an answer, Merlin ran towards the entrance of the castle, where Arthur's voice came from. It wasn't long until he met him. He was accompanied by Gwaine, Ariel and Percival.
"Merlin!" he exclaimed the second he saw him. "Is everything alright? Is Guinevere..." Arthur left the question in half, as if he was too afraid to know the answer.
"She's fine," Merlin said, in a comforting voice, "The Dolma has cured her and when the attack started I sent a few knights to protect her."
Arthur took two steps forward and hugged Merlin.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Arthur said, pressing him tightly.
"Arthur... I... can't... breathe..." Merlin said, intermittently.
Arthur let him go and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"I could kiss you!" he said, smiling with joy.
"Please don't," Merlin replied, with wide eyes.
"I won't kiss you, you idiot," said Arthur, noticing the real concern in Merlin's face. "It's just a manner of speaking."
"Oh... right... you are welcome?"
Arthur let him go and shook his head in disbelief.
"Never mind, let's just go see Guinevere, shall we?"
Arthur started to move the fastest he could without running, then he just started to run. When he reached the door of his room he halted for a second, and then entered. When Merlin finally caught up with him, Arthur and Gwen were hugging and kissing each other; both of them were almost in tears. Merlin turned around to leave them some privacy, but Arthur called for him.
"Yes, Arthur?" Merlin asked, entering the room.
"Have you seen The Dolma?" Arthur asked.
"Isn't she here?" Merlin asked back, looking around.
"No," said Gwen, shaking her head. "She said that she couldn't stand wearing that old dress any longer," Gwen said, giving Merlin a knowing look.
"What if she was involved in the attack?" asked Arthur, in an accusing tone.
"That's not possible," replied Merlin, "she was next to me until the attack had ended. Actually, she was the one who created the magical barrier which saved your life," he added, pointing at Arthur.
"She did?" Arthur asked, surprised. "Why would she go before I could pay her?" Arthur asked.
"She didn't do this for money Arthur," Merlin pointed out.
"Well," started Arthur, making a thinking face, "just make sure to thank her if you ever see again."
"I will," Merlin said, giving a nod.
Merlin was about to turn and leave when Arthur called for him one more time.
"Merlin, there is one last thing you have to do," the king said.
"What is it?"
Arthur walked towards him and handed him the cup he had been holding for what seemed an eternity.
"Hide this, and hide it well," he said.
"What? Me? Shouldn't you be the one to hide it?" Merlin asked, slowly grabbing the cup.
Arthur took a deep breath.
"I've proven that I can't be trusted with it. The Cup is dangerous, I knew it, and I almost used it anyway. No, I'm not the one who should hide it."
"And I am?"
"I don't know, are you stupid enough to use it?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, I..." mumbled Merlin, remembering he already did use it, "of course not!"
"Besides," Arthur continued, " no one would think that a simple manservant is the only one who knows where the Cup of Life is. It's the best way to ensure no one finds it again." He made a pause. "Our enemies were after the Cup of Life, Merlin; this whole attack, and I suspect Guinevere's curse, had the solely objective of getting that Cup. I don't know why they want it, but if it means that much for them, we must make sure that they don't get it. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, I know a place," said Merlin, nodding.
"Good, don't tell me," Arthur replied.
Merlin was about to leave the room when he noticed his satchel lying on a corner of the room. With all this chaos he had forgotten about it, which, taking in account what was inside, wasn't very smart of him. Merlin grabbed it and left the room, trying to hide the best as he could the red glow coming out of it.
.
.
.
So, Morgana had told him via the two-way book that he should meet her at the Ancient Temple as soon as possible, and he was going to; there was just one thing he had to do first, and for that he had to go to a place he hadn't been in a long time, not since Lancelot's funeral. The second one.
The Lake of Avalon always had made him feel strange, but now things were even stranger. When he looked at the water he could see two images at the same time. The first image were fishes and rocks, the usual things you would see in a lake. The other one... he had no idea. He tried to get closer for a better look, but he stopped when the water started to move, and not in the way it's supposed to move. From a small spot, the water started to rise above the lake, like if falling towards the sky, constantly changing.
Merlin took a step back, watching as the water started to take shape. It looked like a person, and it was moving towards him, walking. Looking at that shape, he could see two images at the same time, just like with the lake. One was just water, but the other one was someone Merlin recognized.
"Freya?" Merlin asked, in awe.
"You are not the only one that has new tricks, Merlin," she answered, making a smile.
"Are... are you really here?"
"Don't be silly, I'm still sleeping with the fishes", she said, smiling a bit at her own joke. "This is just a projection, not unlike the last time we've seen."
"Are you alright? I mean... down there," said Merlin, looking towards the lake.
"You can see it, can't you?" asked Freya, squinting her eyes. "That's Avalon, a piece of it at least, no one knows how big is it."
"Do you live there? I mean... is there were you...are?" Merlin asked.
"It is," Freya answered, nodding. "Merlin, you don't need to worry about me," she added. "I'm free now, free from my curse, free from all those who wanted to harm me. Here I can actually made a difference. I even get to order Uther around."
"Wait, really?"
"A little bit," she said, grinning slightly.
Merlin smiled in return. Freya looked the happiest he had ever seen her; it was strange to think that dying could actually have turned her life for the better. One more evidence of the how bad were things for those with magic. He forced himself not to dwell on that, and instead tried to picture what Freya giving orders to Uther would look like.
"Freya I need to ask you a favor," he said, trying not to delay that matter any longer.
"I know," she replied.
"You know?" he asked, confused.
"I... sort of have been watching you," Freya said, playing with her hands.
"Watching me?" Merlin asked, even more confused than before.
"We can see the world of the living from Avalon," she explained.
"Really?" Merlin asked, looking around. "To be perfectly honest, I'm feeling a bit stalked right now," he said.
"Don't worry, dead women tell no tales," she said, smiling.
"Alright, what's up with all the death jokes?" Merlin asked.
"I apologize, they are very popular down there," Freya explained, "I forget how sensitive that subject is up here."
"Well... it's nice to see that you take it like that," he pointed out.
"What choice do we have?" she asked, half smiling.
"So, if you can see things about me, can you see others too?" he asked.
"Yes, but before you ask, I can't tell you about them, literally can't; it's one of the few rules we have."
"I had to try," said Merlin, raising his shoulders. "Then, can you keep this safe for me?" he said, showing her the Cup of Life.
"Yes, it will be safe there," she said, looking intensively at the Cup. Noticing she had been like that for a while, she shook her head and looked at Merlin. "Sorry, it's just... there was a time when I thought that maybe the Cup could cure me of my curse, but I knew that getting it was impossible; it's strange to actually see it."
Merlin handed her the Cup, hesitating for a second due to Freya being made of water, but a stream of water coming from the lake grabbed it and pulled it into it. Merlin followed the Cup with his eyes until he could see it no more.
"Merlin, a strange question: have you noticed something odd about Arthur's sword?" Freya asked.
"His sword?" Merlin asked, thinking back. "No, not really, why?"
"No reason," she said, shaking her head, "it's just that I seemed to have misplaced something and I can't find it."
"What does Arthur's sword has to do with it?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Probably nothing, it was just a hunch," she answered.
Merlin looked at the sky and tried to guess the time. The sun would be probably coming out soon. He should go meet with Morgana.
"You should go meet with Morgana," Freya said.
"Yes, I should," Merlin answered without thinking. "Wait! You know about that too? Now I feel really stalked."
Freya just smiled. "I have two messages for you before you go. First, your father sends his regards and he says he is very proud of you."
"You've met?" Merlin asked, surprised.
"Oh, yes," she answered, "he is a good man, I'm really sorry that you didn't have more time together."
"What's the second message?" asked Merlin. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the fact that his father was killed just one day after they had met. He would never be in the mood to talk about that.
"It's from Lancelot. He says that that life it's too short not to love," she said, looking away.
"What does that suppose to mean?" he asked, in a defensive tone.
Freya looked at him and gave him a warm smile. "Goodbye Merlin."
Before Merlin could reply, the water that just a second ago was Freya's body fell back into the lake, merging with the rest of it. Merlin tried to call for her, but she didn't give any sign of hearing him. Slowly, Avalon started to fade away from his sight, until water as clear as crystal was the only thing he could see. He let out a sigh, before turning around and starting walking. He still had one more thing to do tonight.
On the other side of the lake, Freya was on her knees, crying. Merlin voice was calling for her, but she forced herself to remain still. She knew that it was stupid to cry over things she couldn't change, but if there was one thing, just one, that she missed about the world of the living, it was being with Merlin. And yet... she was dead now, and that was a fact. A cruel, cruel fact. She knew that it was impossible for them to be together, and in her everyday that made perfect sense, but right now, talking to him... she couldn't help to wonder what her life could have been.
No! Her life was just beginning, and while it was true that she wouldn't be able to share it with Merlin, she had more than she had ever dreamt. She was going to restore order in Avalon: magical creatures wouldn't be able to cross to the mortal realm to cause harm, the different clans of Sidhe would stop fighting, those who die would be able to actually rest in peace, and the magical artifacts that were too dangerous for the other side would be kept safe. She stood up and wiped her tears. She had to let Merlin go, it was time to move on.
.
.
.
"Merlin, finally! What took you so long!?" she asked, in an irritated tone.
"Sorry Morgana, I was running some errands for Arthur," he answered.
"Couldn't it wait?"
"No, actually."
"The Cup?" Morgana asked.
Merlin nodded.
"Fine then," she said. "I trust that Alvarr won't be able to find it this time."
"He won't," he replied, in a firm voice.
"Have you given it to Emrys?" she asked, breaking eye contact with him at the same time. There was a small waver in her voice when she said that name.
"No, don't worry," he answered, and immediately regretted using those words.
"I'm not worried!" she exclaimed. "Where was he today? Camelot could have used his help."
Merlin didn't feel like talking about that.
"Morgana, why am I here?" he asked, changing the subject.
She looked at him for a little while, as if deciding if she was going to let her question go unanswered. In the end she reached into a satchel she was carrying and grabbed something that looked like a golden coin. Something that Merlin recognized.
"What are you doing with the runemark?" he asked, alarmed.
"Don't worry, Merlin," she replied, in a mocking tone, "it's safe now. When I was healing Gwen I detected something interesting. The runemark not only was bonded with Gwen, but also with the Disir itself; probably a way for them to funnel their magic to the curse."
"So?" Merlin asked.
"I'm getting there," Morgana said, raising her index finger. "Based on what I know, I can use this bond as a focus in a teleport spell... I think."
"You think?" he asked, raising both eyebrows.
"Well, it's not like I have many runemarks to practice with, but I'm confident that it'll work."
"Why would you want to teleport to them anyway?"
Morgana gave Merlin a cold stare. "Why do you think? They are abusing the power of the Triple Goddess. That can't go unpunished," she said, with anger in her voice.
"And what's my part in all of this?"
"Well, I... I thought that you should come with me, just in case. I don't know how powerful they will be."
Merlin thought about asking her how a simple sorcerer like him would help, but that would have been lying to her, and he wanted to keep that to a minimum, especially after tonight. The Disir did indeed have to be controlled somehow, and he couldn't think of anyone better to a Priestess of the Old Religion to accomplish that. Still, he didn't want Morgana to have to hurt anyone, not when she was slowly returning to her old self.
"Alright, but you can't kill them," he said.
"Why not!? They've tried to kill Gwen! They have allied with Alvarr!" she exclaimed.
"That's my condition for helping you," he said, looking straight at her eyes.
Their eyes were locked in each other's for some time.
"Fine," she said, raising her hands in defeat, "I won't kill them. "
"Good," said Merlin, showing a smile. "How do we do this then?" he asked, looking at the runemark.
"Everything is already ready," she said, placing the runemark in the middle of a circle she had drawn on the ground. She moved to one side of it and extended her arms towards Merlin. "Grab my hands."
"What?" he asked with wide eyes.
"For the teleport spell," she explained hastily.
"Oh... of course."
Merlin moved towards her and awkwardly grabbed her hands. When everything was ready Morgana started speaking.
"Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!"
A gust of wind enveloped both of them, and when it finally went away, Merlin was standing in the middle of the cave where he and Arthur had spoken with the Disir, only that now it was empty.
"I have to pay more attention to that spell," Merlin said, looking around in wonder.
"It's really hard to pull off," Morgana said, in a condescending tone. "I'm just telling you so you don't get your hopes up," she quickly added.
"It's alright... What do we do now? Do we wait for them to appear?"
"You don't know much about them, do you?" Morgana asked, smiling slightly. She took a step forward and spoke with a firm voice. "I am Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess of the Old Religion, follower of the Triple Goddess. I ask an audience with the Disir."
Just like when the Disir had disappeared when he and Arthur were there, Merlin saw the water from the pool rise and fall, revealing three hooded figures.
"You dare to summon us?... After everything you have done?... After healing our enemies?... After thwarting our plans?... You will pay for what you did..." the Disir said, one at a time.
"It is you who have to pay," replied Morgana, in a loud voice. "I know about you alliance with Alvarr; I know that you cursed Gwen so he could get the Cup of Life."
"You know nothing child... Alvarr is just a puppet... And so are you... Even if you don't know it yet... Those who will free Albion are coming... And they will here... Soon..."
Morgana was going to say something, but one of the women started to speak again.
"Join us... Come back to the light of the Triple Goddess... Kill the one you are with... And you will be forgiven... Keep defying her will... And you will become her enemy... Keep defying her will... And you will die..."
"You haven't got the right to speak for the Triple Goddess anymore," Morgana said, "not since the moment you used her powers for your own benefits."
"The child doesn't listen... The child doesn't learn... We are the voice of the Triple Goddess... Our will is Her will... Our choices are Her choices... Our judgment is Her judgment... You can't stop us... And why would you want to?... Isn't this what you and your sister fought for?... Isn't this what she gave her life for?..."
"Don't you talk about her!" Morgana demanded.
"You know that she would be on our side... She would fight against Camelot... She would kill Arthur... And she would enjoy doing so... Instead, you help them... Instead, you save them... Instead, you bring them here... What would your sister say if she saw you right now?... How disappointed would she be?... We'll give you one more chance... One more chance to do what's right... One more chance to do what your sister would have wanted you to... Kill the one who stands beside you... Join us... Make your sister proud..."
Suddenly, a silence reigned inside the cave. Morgana would have liked to say that she didn't even considered the Disir's offer, but that would have been a lie. What if they were right? What if she was doing the wrong thing not helping Alvarr take over Camelot? Wouldn't that give her the world she had always dreamt about? She looked behind her, to where Merlin was standing. She could already guess what he was going to say, but she wanted to hear it anyway. He would put on a worried face and talk to her about how he and Arthur and Gwen and everyone else were her friends, and how he was trying to bring magic back the peaceful way. Merlin... always hopeful, always predictable, always—
Merlin was indeed looking at her, but not with worried eyes. Instead his face showed... what was it?... oh, yes... trust. That was like trust looked like. It had been a while since Morgana had seen anyone looking at her like that, at least anyone who knew who she truly was.
"I've got your back," Merlin said to her, telepathically, probably thinking that she was just looking around to make sure he was ready for the confrontation with the Disir.
She didn't want to kill him. She didn't want to kill Gwen. Hell, she even didn't want to kill Arthur. What would Morgouse have said if she found out about that?
"I am not my sister," she said aloud, half to the Disir, half to herself. She looked at the three figures and took a step forward. "I judge you unworthy of serving the Triple Goddess any longer," she said, in a firm voice.
As if hearing her voice, the cave began to tremble.
"What have you done!?... You are mad!... You'll kill us all!..."
"Why? What is going on?" asked Merlin, looking around the cave.
"It's an ancient ritual," explained Morgana, without taking her eyes of the Disir. "The Triple Goddess will judge them herself, and if She finds them guilty, She'll strip them of their powers."
"And what if she doesn't find them guilty?"
Before she could answer, two rays of moonlight came out of nowhere. One focused on the Disir when the other focused on Morgana.
"You'll see now!..." one of the three women said. "You'll see that we are the ones who truly serve Her!... She'll choose us!... You'll see!... "
"Then why do you sound so scared?" asked Morgana, looking at them and smirking.
Just as suddenly as it had come, one of the rays of moonlight disappeared, leaving the Disir in the dark.
"NO! NO PLEASE! PLEASE I BEG OF YOU, PLEASE!" The three women kept screaming, looking at the ceiling of the cave.
Ignoring them, Morgana turned around and walked past Merlin. "It's done, we must go now."
"What happened?" he asked, following her.
"I've told you, they've lost their powers."
"Just like that?" he asked, glancing behind of him.
"Their powers were never their own, they came from the Triple Goddess, and now She has decided to take them back."
"What will happen to them?" Merlin asked.
"Why do you care?" Morgana asked, noticing the concern in his voice. "They are your enemies. They tried to kill Gwen."
"I don't enjoy hurting others," he explained.
"Neither do I," she replied, sharply, "but sometimes it's necessary. Otherwise, you are the one who gets hurt."
Merlin was surprised of her answer. Sometimes he forgot how little he knew about her.
"So, what would have happened to you if the Triple Goddess had ruled in favor of the Disir?" Merlin asked.
"She would have never done that, not after what they did," Morgana said.
"But what if She had?"
"She wouldn't," Morgana insisted. "I tell you what, the next time we meet I'll lend you a book about the Triple Goddess, it will be good for you to read it. Maybe then you will understand a little bit more about, well, everything."
"I actually look forward to that," said Merlin, as they went out through the cave entrance. "So, what now? Can you teleport us back home?"
"Only one way to find out," Morgana said, holding out her hand towards Merlin.
Once more, Merlin hesitated. Even when he understood that this was just for the spell, grabbing Morgana's hand made his heart race. It was no secret that he had had feelings for her, but that had been a long time ago, before she tried to kill everyone in Camelot, before he tried to kill her. The Morgana that he... cared about... had disappeared after those events, and was replaced by someone whose only thought was revenge. Whatever feelings he had left for her had disappeared after that. However, if now Morgana was going back to being the girl he first knew... What did that meant for him? How did he feel about her?
He looked at her and sighed inside his head. Arthur was right, he truly was an idiot. Evil or not, she was still a princess and he was just a manservant. Yes, he was also Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, but somehow he had the feeling that Morgana wouldn't take that as a good thing. And, of course, Arthur did marry Gwen, so it's not as it was impossible for someone in the royalty to marry a servant, but— MARRY!? What the hell was he thinking!? It had been a long day, that was all. He was tired. He had to go back to Camelot, he would figure this out later.
He grabbed Morgana's hand, who was giving him an inquiring look, probably wondering what was he thinking. Once again, she said a few words and a gust of wind appeared around them, teleporting them somewhere else.
When the wind dissipated, Merlin looked around. He couldn't find the castle, nor anything else that felt familiar for him.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"I think we had a small problem with definition of home. That's my cave," Morgana said, pointing behind him.
"Can't you take me to Camelot?" he asked her.
"That's what I've tried to do," she explained, "but it didn't work. I'm afraid I still have trouble teleporting without some kind of focus. "
"So, I have to walk all the way back?" Merlin asked, making a tired face.
"Well, yes, but look at the bright side: Camelot it's way closer from here than from the Disir's cave, and I even can lend you the book about the Triple Goddess before you go."
"Alright, I wait for you here."
"Don't be foolish," Morgana said, starting to walk towards her cave.
The sudden pull reminded Merlin that they were still holding hands. How did he not notice that? The cave was getting bigger with every step they took. Merlin wondered what would Aithusa do when she saw him. Maybe she had forgotten about him, the last time they met had been a long time ago and she had been very young. That would have probably been for the best, but he wasn't sure how good dragon's memories were, he had never had any reason to ask Kilgharrah about that.
"Aithusa, it's me, we have company!" Morgana exclaimed.
There wasn't any answers. Morgana let Merlin go. A word from her lit the fire in the middle of the cave, which looked empty.
"Aithusa, where are you?" she asked, worried, while she looked in the few spaces where a dragon could hide in there.
"Maybe he went out for a walk, or a fly I guess," Merlin ventured.
"No, she knows not to get out on her own, especially in daylight," she answered, firmly. She moved towards her table and stopped cold. Her hand reached to grab a small paper on it. "What's this?"
Merlin saw as Morgana read what she was holding. A moment later she let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Her eyes started to water.
"What? What is it?" Merlin asked, moving towards her.
Morgana looked up and had to open her mouth twice until words came out.
"Aithusa has been kidnapped."
###
A/N: I hope you liked it!
So... I forgot... Did I tell you about the cliffhangers?
As for Camelot's geography things aren't very clear anywhere, so I made up a few things as I go. In my story Avalon and the Isle of the Blessed are two different places (which appears to be the case in Merlin). Also, while The lake of Avalon does have an isle in its center, Avalon itself it's not that isle, but some kind of other dimension that you can access through there (which is kind of seen in the chapter about the Sidhe).
IMPORTANT = Once again I will be taking two weeks until next chapter. I think that a 6000 words (aprox) chapter every two weeks with a lot of plot is better than a 3000 words chapter every week where sometimes nothing happens (and besides, it helps me make things more coherent).
Thanks Patiku, CHARLES CHUKU, AndreKl, AJsRandom, mersan123, Lady Flurryous, Meri Ley, hithere, Guest for the reviews =D
AJsRandom = Extracted from wikipedia: The Bechdel test is short test that is used as a way "to call attention to gender inequality". In a 1985 strip titled "The Rule", an unnamed female character says that she only goes to a movie if it satisfies the following requirements: The movie has to have at least two women in it, who talk to each other, about something besides a man.
At first glance it seems kind of silly, but it's interesting how many series and movies don't pass this test xD.
mersan123 = I'll give you this one :p. It's true that when the Cup was used in the series, it was used by sorcerers, but taking in account the few times that the Cup actually showed up, I can get away a bit saying that as long as you drink water from it, it works :p (it was left active? it works for healing but not reviving? who knows!? xD).
Lady Flurryous = Actually, I understand what you meant because I had a simmilar problem when I wrote it (and with the series). That's the reason I made the Disir more evil than they were on the show. First they are not following the Goddess will, but they are working with Alvarr. Also, they are tring to kill Gwen and not Arthur (or Mordred) to convince him of changing. As Arthur put it, if he gave into his demands, he would literally be "negotiating with terrorists", and that never leads nowhere good. Besides, the Disir not only ask for him to lift the ban on magic, but also to "join the Old Religion" and "follow they every command", so, even if Arthur agreed to their terms, it wasn't going to end there. Merlin knew all this, and that was the reason he told him not to accept the Disir's "offer". Merlin knows that "enforcing change", as he puts it, wouldn't work. That it would just alienate magical and non magical people, and that that sort of "peace" would never last long. In the meanwhile, he had some comfort in knowing that Arthur was making some progress with the druids, not much, but some. All this were thoughts I had while writing the plot :p.
hithere = HAPPY (one week later) BIRTHDAY! Hope you liked the chapter =D.