Chapter 32
It had been two weeks since they had arrived. Two weeks! And still they were 'getting ready'. Getting ready for what? Their army was far greater than anything Camelot could come up with, even when they had the help of those traitors such as Mordred. He knew that he should have killed the boy when he had the chance, but he always thought he might come in handy later. What a fool he had been... he would make sure to not make that mistake again.
Alvarr stood up and started pacing around the room. How much time would they need before finally marching towards Camelot? He hated being in the dark. Every day he would ask Ilko about this, and every day he would answer that it wasn't the right time. This wasn't what Alvarr had in mind when he made contact with the two kings, but he was in no position to demand things from them... for now.
If that wasn't enough, word of Arthur Pendragon lifting the ban on magic was spreading around. He knew that the king had done it only to buy the druids help, he was sure that the second he didn't need the druids anymore he would go back to his old ways, but some of his druids actually believed the king had changed. Even after everything they have suffered at the hands of the Pendragons, they still believed him! There have been some desertion in his ranks because of it, but he didn't want men who were stupid enough to believe that anyway.
He also heard the other news, the ones which stated that Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer who would ever live, was actually Merlin, Arthur's manservant. For some reason the two kings believed this to be true, but he was almost sure he was just a decoy. There was just no way that could be true...
Still, his mind was now with the kings. He didn't understood them. The Disir had been defeated, Sarrum was dead, Morgana had allied with Camelot, the Cup of Life was nowhere to be found... In all accounts, they had been defeated again and again, but the kings still acted like everything went as planned. The only thing that went their way was sending small squadrons to different parts of Albion to attack several villages, but Alvarr wasn't sure if engaging other cities was wise at this time. He still recalled the mad grin in Ilko's mouth when he told the king his worries; there were a few moments when he doubted if he had done the right thing reaching out to the kings, but then he remembered all that Camelot had put him and his people through. It couldn't get any worse than that.
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Merlin woke up and had to look around twice to remember where he was. The place was still strange to him, but having his own room within the castle was one of the perks of his new job. At first he wasn't sure if he wanted to move there, but Arthur had insisted. The king had said that in the coming days he would need his advice, and that it would be a lot easier with him living there. Merlin didn't feel very excited being Arthur's personal glossary on magic, but that was his job after all. Also, the fact that this new room didn't have a cobweb in every corner helped. A lot.
He looked next to him, where a red gem was glowing. He smiled. Since Morgana had turned herself in, which Merlin still thought it had been a foolish thing to do, she had been locked up in Camelot's prison. Arthur had determined that she could go outside for a few hours each day, but only if she was accompanied by Merlin. Those times they would train with Dragoon, pay a visit to Aithusa or do some other incoming-war related stuff. However, since Morgana spent most of her time inside her cage, they started to use the two-way books again.
The people of Camelot still didn't know what to make of Morgana coming back. Most of them didn't believe she was there to help them, but they had also heard the tales of Le Fey and all the good she did. They came up with many stories to explain this, most of which included Morgana having either a twin or a split personality. Merlin favorite was one that said that Morgana was cursed by the Goddess and she turned good whenever there was a full moon on the sky.
He picked up the two-way book and opened it in the last written page.
"Have you talked to Gaius yet?" she had asked.
Merlin sighed. Was it too hard for her to just write a 'Good morning' before reminding him of that?
"No, not yet," he replied.
"You have to do it, Merlin. You can't keep postponing it."
"I know Morgana. I was just about to get out."
"Good. Come see me after."
Merlin knew that she meant well, and he knew she was right, but he wished she would be a bit more... tactful? understanding? loving? He didn't know exactly how to call it, but after the great display of love they had had last week in front of everyone, Merlin had expected a new kind of relationship with Morgana. Something more. Something like what Arthur and Gwen had. However, that wasn't what happened. He would go to her cage, they would talk about the coming invasion, and yes, they would even kiss a bit, but something didn't feel right. Like if she was holding something back. Like if she was pushing him away. He didn't know what to make of it, but he had something else to fix before dwelling into that.
He stood up, got dressed in his fancy new clothes (no pointy blue hat) and opened the door. His feet walked the same path he had walked thousands of times all these years, only that now he was walking in the opposite direction. Passing through the Citadel, he saw a group of druids talking with a few knights, apparently teaching them the effect of some potions they have made. Merlin was amazed at how easily one can get used to something that just a few weeks ago seemed to be impossible. After dealing with the mess Morgana caused showing up in the middle of the party, he and Mordred had managed to finish the laws, or at least a blunt draft. Merlin thought it could be better, but thankfully the druids had been satisfied with it.
He reached the physician's quarters and for a second he thought if he should knock, but finally decided against it. He opened the door and went in. Gaius was doing an inventory of his herbs by Arthur's request, just in case the druids needed something from it for the coming battle.
"Hello, Gaius," Merlin said.
"I'm sorry Merlin, as you can see I'm busy right now," he replied, in a dry tone.
Merlin looked at him. Gaius had been avoiding him since he learned about him and Morgana. Every time Merlin wanted to talk to him about this, Gaius would make up an excuse and leave. He also noticed that he was in the Citadel even less than before, as if he didn't want their paths to cross, but maybe he was just being paranoid... There was a war coming after all, and he had much to do. Still, Merlin had postponed this talk for too long.
"Come on, Gaius! It's not like I planned any of this, it just sort of... happened."
Gaius didn't even look at him. He just kept sorting through his herbs as if Merlin hadn't said a word. Merlin sighed and moved until he was in front of him.
"Gaius, please... I know all that Morgana put you through, but she isn't the same as before... I promise..."
"I know," he simply said.
"You know?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Merlin... what am I?"
Merlin thought of answering 'an old man', but somehow he suspected that wasn't the answer Gaius was looking for, so he just kept quiet.
"I'm the Court Physician, and in my travels I've come across many people who claimed to have been healed by this... Le Fey," he said. "If Morgana is really her, then that's proof enough for me that she has changed."
"She is!" he exclaimed. "I've seen her myself."
"Then she has changed," Gaius replied. "I'm happy for her."
Merlin looked puzzled. "Then, that's it? What about all she has done to you?" he asked.
For the first time since Merlin went into the room, Gaius stopped his work and looked directly at him.
"Merlin... when we first learned about Morgana I decided to hide the truth from her. I decided it was for the best, that the king's ward having magic would have been disastrous, and not only for her. What would have done Uther if he had found out? What would have done Arthur if his own father imprisoned or even executed the closer thing to a sister he had ever had?" He shook his head. "I still thought I did the right thing, but... I can't help wondering what would have happened had I done something else. How would the future have been if I had taught her to control her magic as I have taught you?" Merlin noticed something strange in Gaius' face when he said those words. "Yes, she has done many terrible things, and she will have to atone for them, but if she actually wants my forgiveness... the least I can do is give it to her."
"But... I don't get it," Merlin said. "If that's true then why are you avoiding me?"
Gaius stood up, grabbed a few herbs and moved away. "I'm not avoiding you, Merlin. It's just that is clear that you need me no longer."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because it's true," he answered. "It has been truth since the day Dragoon started training you. We practically don't talk anymore. You come and go at all hours without saying anything to me, you have even disappeared for days without warning!" Merlin was going to say something but Gaius raised his hand to stop him. "I know. I realize now that many of those times you were probably doing something involving Morgana, but that exactly my point." Gaius sighed and looked at Merlin. "You want to know what is bothering me, my boy? You don't trust me. Not anymore," Gaius said, before looking away.
"That's not true!" Merlin protested. "I trust you! I do! It's just that I didn't know how to tell you about Morgana... I still have trouble understanding it myself. So much happened so quickly..."
"It's not just about Morgana. What about the two-way book? If what you've told Arthur was true, then you had no idea who you were talking to at first, why not tell me about it?"
Merlin took a second before answering. After everything that happened, he had decided that it was best for the coming battle if Arthur knew everything, so he told him all he had been through this last few months. He told him about how he freed Morgana, about who Dragoon really was and about how two dragons were now resting just beneath Camelot, with the added little detail of one of them being the one who almost destroyed the city all those years ago. He even told him about Sarrum. In the end, they had to plan several meetings for Merlin to be able to tell the whole story. After all the stuff that came to light when Morgana surrender, Arthur had taken precautions so that only a few heard what Merlin had to say, but, of course, Gaius was amongst them.
"I... I don't know," Merlin replied, shrugging, "don't I have the right to some privacy?"
"Of course you do, Merlin, but you also knew things like the Great Dragon being back in Camelot, and about the ones leading the Saxons being tattoo bearers like Dragoon, don't you think I deserved to know about that?"
"I was going to tell you eventually, it's just..." He couldn't find any excuse good enough to speak aloud.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Merlin," Gaius said, noticing the silence. "You don't trust me."
"Look, Gaius, I'm sorry," Merlin quickly replied. "It's true that I kept things from you, but it's not because I don't trust you, so don't say that! I trust you with my life! Hell, you are like a father to me! I just didn't know what to do! I got a chance to bring back the girl I was in love with, but to do so I had to help Camelot's enemy number one. I... I was too afraid about what you would say if I told you about it. I needed to do this Gaius... I just needed to..."
For a little while Gaius just looked at him in silence.
"I'm... I'm like a father to you?" he finally asked.
"What?" Merlin asked back. "Well, yes... I mean... you know... yes... haven't I told you this before? I'm pretty sure I have..."
"No, my boy, you haven't."
"Oh... well... it's true," Merlin said, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal.
Gaius moved closer to Merlin and put his arms around him. Merlin returned the hug. After a few seconds he tried to move back, but Gaius didn't let go. He waited a bit longer, but Gaius embraced actually got tighter.
"Gaius, I think that's enough," he said, while his face was crushed against the other one's chest.
"Sorry," he replied, returning Merlin his freedom of movement. "I got carried away."
"It's fine," Merlin said, smiling.
They both looked happy about the situation, but none of them knew what to say next.
"So," Merlin said, "since now you know all about what I have been up to these past few months, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Merlin, you don't have to humor me. It's fine if you want to ask Dragoon about it, he does know more about magic than I do."
"Well, that's it..." Merlin said. "It's not about magic. I want to ask you about... relationships."
"Relationships?" Gaius wonder aloud. "Oh!... You mean you and Morgana?"
Merlin nodded.
"Oh... alright, yes, you can ask me if you want."
"So... it's like this: I love her, I really do, and I pretty sure she loves me back, you saw her already in the throne room, and I know that you might think she was lying, but believe me, she wasn't, after all this time I already know when she's telling the truth and when she isn't, so, the thing is that I feel she's pulling away lately and I don't know why, and for some reason I'm too afraid to ask her, like if she could answer something that made sense, something that could split us up, but after everything we went through I can't think of anything that could make that happen, it sounds stupid, I know, but I don't want to lose her... I really, really don't. "
Gaius was a bit overwhelmed. "Alright... let's see... what was the question again?"
"What should I do?" Merlin asked.
"Right..." Gaius said, and then thought for a bit. "Merlin, look, you already know that most of my relationships didn't exactly end well. It's true that it was in some part due to things I couldn't control, but it still happened. However, that doesn't mean that I remember the whole relationship as bad, or that I don't care for them anymore, and that's because while the relationship lasted we were honest to each other. Honesty, I think, is the single most important thing when you are with someone else. You have to tell each other how you feel, what you think, what you like... How would they find out otherwise? You have to be able to tell each other the truth, because if you are not, the whole thing it's already doomed before it starts."
"So, you are telling me I should ask her about it."
"I think so, yes."
"Alright..." Merlin said, making a slow nod. "I'll... I'll think about it... Thank you, Gaius."
"Anytime, my boy. Anytime," Gaius replied, with a smile on his face.
.
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Morgana stretched her hand and casted a spell, yet nothing happened. Having her magic blocked made her feel powerless. She hated feeling powerless. Why had she turned herself in? Oh, yes, making peace with herself and Camelot and all that...
She looked around at her cell. When they brought her here it was your usual empty gray jail, but after some meddling by Gwen, the cell looked almost like a room. It was probably even better than Merlin's own room... the old one. She had a bed to sleep, a desk to write, and a screen to give her some privacy when needed. Gwen even brought her some of her old dresses. She hadn't seen some of those in years, but thankfully they still fit. Morgana couldn't believe they hadn't burned them all a long time ago.
"Knock, knock," someone said.
Morgana looked at the other side of the bars. Merlin was standing outside, looking away from her. He did that in an attempt to give her some kind of sense of privacy. It didn't work very much, but she was grateful for the gesture.
"Come in," she replied, not being able to hold a smile.
Merlin turned around, but before he could open his mouth, Morgana spoke again.
"So, did you talked with Gaius?" she asked.
Merlin let out a sigh. "Hello, Morgana. Hello Merlin. Are you alright? Yes everything good, and you? Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Merlin said, making a terrible mimicking of Morgana's voice.
"Alright, I get it," Morgana said, raising her hands. "Sorry. Hi Merlin, how are you?"
"It's too late for that," Merlin replied, making an overly dramatic dismissive gesture with his hands. Merlin smiled at Morgana, who returned his smile.
Merlin grabbed a chair that was standing near him and sit looking at the cell. Morgana did the same with the chair he had.
"I talked to him," Merlin said. "Apparently he forgives you."
"What?" Morgana asked, frowning. "Merlin, don't lie to me."
"I'm not," he replied. "He said he feels guilty about how he dealt with you having magic and so he forgives you."
Morgana didn't know what to say. She shook her head. "You would think that people so close to Uther would be better at holding grudges... Did he told you why was he avoiding you, then?"
"He was angry because I held things from to him," Merlin answered, looking down.
"I know how that feels," Morgana replied, which made Merlin look at her with his eyebrows risen. "That's not what I meant..." she quickly added. "Well, not exclusively... you weren't the only one who lied to me, you know?" she asked. "So? Could you... work it out?"
Merlin smiled. "Yes, we did."
"I'm glad," she said, and she truly was. Morgana had always known that Gaius meant a lot for Merlin, and she had been mortified thinking she was the reason they weren't talking to each other. She had caused them enough pain for a few lifetimes. She was happy that they had worked it out, but, in a selfish way, she was even happier their fight hadn't been because of her, not directly at least.
She looked at Merlin's smile and felt an urge to move closer to him. To hold him. To kiss him. However, like every other time she had thought about such things, her dream popped up in her head. No, not her dream. Her vision. The one where she dies. The one where Merlin loses control of his magic. She knew he had to tell Merlin about it, she knew that, but what was the point of telling him if it would just happen anyway? She was sure he would say they would find a way to avoid it, and, honestly, hearing those words was one of the main reasons Morgana wanted to tell him, but she just didn't know how.
Morgana noticed Merlin was playing with his hands, which was something he did when he wanted to speak about something important. Had he noticed about her pulling away from him? He probably had. Of course he had. But even so, she wasn't ready to talk about this. Not yet. Morgana was trying to come up with an excuse when a guard showed up bringing a tray with food, indicating that it was time for lunch. There wasn't anything rule that forbid Merlin to stay there while she ate, but thing was that Merlin was still the one in charge of Arthur's food. The king had promised that he would find a new manservant after this was all over, but in the meantime the job remained Merlin's.
Merlin stood up quickly. "Damn! It's already that late!?"he asked. "Morgana, I have to go now. I'll come back after lunch, alright?"
Morgana looked at him and nodded. She noticed how Merlin hesitated for a second to move closer to her and then, seeing she remained still, he walked away.
.
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One of the good things about Arthur knowing his true identity was that he didn't harass him as much as before. For this reason, when Merlin showed up in Arthur's room with the food five minutes later than he had to, the king just made a joke about how forgetful he was, but he didn't throw anything at his head, which Merlin called progress.
After everyone had ate, it was time for some training, and so, it was time for Morgana to get out of her cell. Merlin asked Arthur for the key to Morgana's cell and started walking towards the dungeons. He had told the king that he could just use magic to open her cell, but Arthur had insisted that he used the key. He said that reminding people that he could break her out from prison whenever he wanted wasn't a very good idea. For once, Merlin agreed with him.
He was walking towards the dungeons when he crossed path with Queen Annis, who was coming out from them. Merlin tried to cloak his curiosity with a bow and then walked past her. Most of the other kingdoms had came in Camelot's aid, with the sole exception of Cornwall, but since that was the kingdom ruled by Odin, that wasn't that much of a surprise. Right now, Camelot was surrounded by more soldiers one could count.
Still wondering about Annis' presence, Merlin reached the cell. Morgana was supposed to be ready, but instead she was nowhere to be seen. This would have been worrisome if it hadn't been for the screen that hid a part of the cell.
"I'm here," Merlin said.
"Oh... Merlin... just a second," she replied from behind it.
Merlin could notice something strange in her voice. Like if she had been crying.
"Morgana, are you alright?" he asked, concerned. When she didn't answer he asked again. "Did Annis talk to you?" She still didn't answer. Merlin was getting worried when he heard a voice inside his head.
"She told me my father would be proud of me," Morgana replied directly to Merlin's mind.
He didn't have to ask which father was he referring to. "Did she knew Gorlois?" Merlin asked.
Morgana took a time before answering. "Yes... they were friends... a long time ago."
"That would explain you allying with her," Merlin thought aloud, "I've always wondered how that happened."
Morgana let out a small laugh. "Yes, that would explain it," she said. "I think it's pointless to ask, but you were the reason I couldn't defeat Arthur that day, right?"
"Indeed I was. We should make a list someday."
Morgana walked out from behind the screen. Her eyes were a bit red, but she was smiling. "We really should."
Merlin looked at her. Since they were going to train, she was wearing her armor, but even in that outfit... God, she was beautiful. Merlin noticed he probably had stared at her for a bit too long, so he quickly grabbed the key out of his pocket and opened the cell.
"You know, breaking you out of jail it's a lot more boring when I actually have permission to do so."
"Well, at least is a lot easier," she said, walking through the opened gate.
"Good point," Merlin said, nodding.
Morgana stretched her arm and a ball of light appeared on her hand, but she then closed it and the ball disappeared.
"Just checking," she explained.
Merlin smiled. "So, my lady, do you want to see what Dragoon has in storage for us today?" he asked, offering her his arm.
"I thought you'd never ask," she said, placing her arm around his. She kind of remembered that she was trying to put some distance between her and Merlin until she decided what to do about her vision, but hey, she couldn't be strong all the time.
.
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For the past week, Dragoon had been training not only them, but many of the druids that came with Mordred, him including. They used a glade that was close enough to Camelot to reach easily by foot, but not so close that a spell gone wrong would harm someone.
Merlin and Morgana reached the glade and looked around. It seemed that everyone else was already there, with the exception of Dragoon himself, who was late once again. They saw Mordred walking towards them and they let go of each other.
"Hi guys," Mordred said, waving. "How have you been? Any news?"
"Not much since yesterday," Merlin replied.
"Right... Hey, do you know anything about Dragoon?"
Merlin shook his head. "Not really, but he'll show up soon."
"Sure. I guess you could teach us if he doesn't," Mordred said, grinning.
"Well... I suppose... I..."
"Are you trying to steal my job, kid?"
Merlin looked behind him and smiled. "If you care so much about it, how about showing up in time?" he asked Dragoon.
"A great queen I once knew said that she was never late, everyone else was early."
Merlin shook his head and sighed. "Never mind, just carry on."
"Good choice," Dragoon said, and started walking towards the rest of the druids. "Alright everyone, we'll start by some combat training, everyone face your assigned partner and get ready."
While the druids did that, Merlin and Morgana stepped aside. Since there was no way they were a match for any of the rest, they trained against Dragoon himself, two against one. They still had trouble actually beating him, but they were getting closer.
"Not this time," Dragoon said, looking at them. "Today you fight each other."
Those words froze everyone. While the druids knew that it was now over, the enmity between Emrys and Morgana was practically legendary for them. The fighting between good and evil, light and the darkness. Some of them had actually joined Dragoon's training with the sole propose of witnessing this match, only to be disappointed when they saw the two of them were fighting side by side.
"Wait, really?" Merlin asked, looking at Morgana.
"Is this another one of your games?" Morgana asked Dragoon.
He shook his head. "No game," he answered. "The best way of knowing how another person fights is to fight against them. If you are going to fight together then you need to fight each other first."
"You practice those phrases or do you make them up in the moment?" Morgana wondered.
"Never mind the phrase, the idea it's what matters."
"You do know that we already fought each other like tenths of times by now, right?" Merlin asked.
"Then there shouldn't be any problem," Dragoon said. "Besides, don't you want to know which one of you is more powerful?"
Merlin and Morgana looked at each other.
"Don't we already know that?" Merlin asked him.
"What does that suppose to mean?" Morgana inquired.
"Well... 'most power sorcerer who would ever live'," he said, pointing at himself.
"So, that prophecy you believe to the letter?" Morgana asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Alright everyone, take your positions!" Dragoon exclaimed.
"Look, I didn't mean anything by it," Merlin explained. "In fact, I don't really care about who's more powerful, so what's the point of—"
"FIGHT!" Dragoon yelled.
Before Merlin could finish his phrase, Morgana raised her hand and blasted him backwards. A few weeks ago Merlin would just kept flying until he hit a tree, but the training with Dragoon had actually paid off. He stretched his hand towards the ground and casted a spell that made some vines come out and grabbed him midair. Once he was back on solid ground he looked at Morgana.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked in a defiant tone.
"Come on, Emrys, show me what you've got," Morgana said, smiling.
"Alright, just don't say I didn't warn you," Merlin replied, and then he rushed towards her.
Merlin was midway towards Morgana when he summoned two fireballs and threw them at her. They got so close to actually hitting her that Merlin got scared for a second, but just an instant before that happened Morgana disappeared. Better said, she blinked. Merlin could look around for her trying to find where she had moved, but he had fought her enough to know that she probably was behind him. Without turning around he pressed his hands to the ground and blasted away everything around him. He felt very confident, but when he finally looked behind him there was nothing there but dirt.
"Good guess, but no."
The voice was Morgana's and came from behind his back. He turned around, but before he could do anything, she casted a light spell that hit Merlin directly in the eyes and blinded him.
"So, Merlin, what was that you were saying about being the most powerful sorcerer?" Morgana asked, in a playful tone.
"You know Morgana, one of your biggest weakness is how much you like to talk in battle," Merlin said. "Just a note," he added, shrugging.
"Note taken," she said, just before throwing a fireball at him.
Merlin smiled. True, two of his eyes were useless, but the third one was wide open and it saw enough to compensate the other two. Actually, it saw more. A lot more. He dodged the fireball and moved to Morgana who couldn't understand what was going on. Before she could react she was flying backwards to the ground.
"That's not exactly fair," Morgana protested, standing up.
"Do you surrender?" Merlin asked.
"Never!" Morgana exclaimed, sounding amused. She stretched her arm to blast Merlin away, but he already predicted she would do that. At the time Morgana casted the spell, Merlin created a wall of stone in front of Morgana, which made her spell backfire on her and she went back flying once again.
Merlin walked towards her, getting ready for her counterattack. He walked past the wall he made and he saw her still lying on the floor a bit farther.
"Are you alright?" Merlin asked aloud. "There is no shame in admitting defeat, you know?"
There was no answer, no movement, nothing. Merlin waited for a few seconds for her to stood up, but when nothing changed he rushed towards her.
"Morgana!? Can you hear me!?" he asked, getting closer to her. When he finally reached Morgana, he saw she was still and she had her eyelids shut. He crouched next to her and placed a hand on her forehead. "Morgana, please answer me!"
In a split of a second, Morgana opened her eyes and pulled Merlin towards her, making him fall to the ground. Merlin didn't exactly understand what was going on, but the next thing he knew was that Morgana was on top of him with a knife on his throat, although this time it actually was at a safe distance from him.
"I guess I win," Morgana said, smiling.
"That's cheating!" Merlin protested.
Morgana tilted her head. "Maybe only a bit. I still win though."
Merlin let out a laugh. "You are impossible," he said, and then he pressed his lips on her.
They were in the middle of the kiss when Merlin pulled back for a second.
"Where did you get that knife from?" he asked.
"I grabbed it when we were leaving the castle," she explained.
"Ah... alright," he said, and started kissing her again.
Somebody cleared his throat. "Kids, I don't want to disturb you, but you do know everyone is watching, right?" Dragoon asked.
Merlin and Morgana looked at the rest. Apparently none of them had actually fought against their opponents because they were all looking at them. They smiled and stood up.
"Alright then," Dragoon said, "now, the rest of you, fight!" he exclaimed, looking at the druids.
While the druids were starting to attack each other, Merlin grabbed Morgana by the hand and started dragging her away.
"Where are we going?" Morgana asked.
"There," he replied, pointing at some trees.
"Why?"
Merlin took a second before answering. "We need to talk."
Morgana could already guess where this was going. Once they reached the place, Merlin turned around to face her, but she spoke first.
"I had a vision," Morgana said, coming clean before he could ask anything.
"A vision?" Merlin asked. "Is that why you acted so weird?"
Morgana nodded. "I should have told you but..."
"What did you see?" he asked.
Morgana tried to speak, but she couldn't figure out how to tell him about it.
"You can tell me, Morgana."
"But... it's bad, Merlin."
"What's the point of this if I can't help you deal with the bad things?" Merlin asked. "No matter what you saw, we'll face it together."
She smiled, and then turned serious once again. "I... I saw myself dying... and I saw you losing control of your magic because of it..."
"Wow... that is bad," Merlin said, which made Morgana look at him distraught. "Just kidding," he added, smiling. "You know visions aren't set in stone, Morgana. We've already talked about this."
"I fear this one might be," she said. "I've seen it for too long, years, even before I knew who you truly were."
"Wait... did you see me in the dream even before knowing who I was?" Merlin asked, confused.
"I saw the old version of you," Morgana explained.
"And now?"
"Now I see you. I mean, this you."
"See!? If some part of the vision can change, then why not the rest of it!?"
"It's not that simple, Merlin."
"I never said it was, but dealing with 'not that simple' things is my specialty." He moved towards her and grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, Morgana, we'll find a way to avoid it."
Morgana looked at him and nodded.
"I just need to ask you a favour," Merlin said.
"What?"
"We need to put a end to all this drama. It has already been too much and with the coming battle I think our energy is better placed somewhere else. If you have something to tell me just tell me and I'll do the same. No hiding things because you wonder how the other one would react. Just the truth. What do you think?"
Morgana thought for a second. "I think I can manage that," she replied, and pressed her lips to his.
.
.
.
That night Merlin had trouble sleeping. What Morgana had told him repeated again and again in his head. What if her vision comes true? What if he loses her? The sole thought of it was unbearable. He couldn't help thinking about the time he went to the Crystal Cave. He had tried to stop Morgana from killing Uther based on what he had seen there, but everything he did to avoid it brought it a step closer to actually happen. How could one fight against that? How could he protect her against that?
He would have to find the answer to that question, and quickly.
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A/N: I hope you liked it!
Sorry for the delay! This one took a lot of time to write. I had some troubles in the Gaius / Merlin talk, but I like how it turned out :p.
Only two or three chapters to go! (give or take)
Thanks Patiku, Lady Flurryous, mersan123, Guest, Nollypoo and Freya13 for the reviews =D
Patiku: That topic will appear ahead, but I don't think I will exactly "expand" it too much :p