Author's Note: Hi again! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, it took a whole lot longer to write than I had anticipated... But I am rather happy about how this one turned out.

Cheers!

TTT

Chapter 7

Arthur was thrown face first into the tree and then hit the hard ground below. He saw red. He heard his men fighting for their lives close by. He had to help them! Arthur tried to stand, but a wave of energy flung him back into the tree, but this time he didn't fall back down. He was held, suspended by his throat, gasping for breath.

He heard the sorcerer laughing below.

"So this is it?" He heard the cloaked sorcerer taunt, "This is the mighty prince of Camelot! I had expected so much more."

Abruptly the pressure around his throat went away, and he fell to the ground yards below. Pain shot through his body, and the old wound in his knee throbbed.

"Protect the princ-!" A knight's voice called out, but was cut short by a swift death.

"Why are you doing this!" Arthur cried out, sickened, "Have you no honor?"

The black cloaked sorcerer laughed, and Arthur felt the pressure return to his throat. He knew he was dying.

…..

24 hours earlier

Morgana's eyes flashed gold. The mirror in her hand grew white with fog. When it had cleared, Morgana was able to see a forest of elms, and beyond that the night sky. It was beautiful, yet Morgana wasn't here for beauty. She had a message for Morgause.

"Morgause," Morgana said as loudly as she dared, not wanting to be overheard from outside her chambers.

Nothing happened. Morgana frowned.

"Morgause," she said again, slightly louder this time. A fire could be heard crackling in the background.

"This is important," she continued on, "I have information that could help our plans greatly!"

The form of her sister stepped into view, towering above the mirror. Morgause smiled, bent down, and picked up the mirror, which had been resting on a log.

"Hello Morgana," Morgause said softly, "What is this that you wish to tell me?"

Morgana smiled slightly at her sister. Their short moments together meant a lot to her.

"It's Arthur," Morgana said seriously, "He and ten other knights are riding out to Cenred's Kingdom to slay a sorcerer who is said to be very powerful and hates Uther with everything in him."

Morgause looked thoughtful.

"To Cenred's Kingdom, you say?" Morgause said pensively, "Did you get the sorcerer's name?"

Morgana nodded proudly.

"Uther said his name is Emrys."

Morgause's eyes widened, and she sucked in her breath.

"Emrys!" Morgause said, astonished, "Are you sure Morgana?"

Morgana nodded slightly, confused.

"Yes," Morgana said unquestionably, "I am sure. Why? Who is this Emrys?"

Morgause looked shocked. She slowly lifted her hand toward her mouth

"The greatest sorcerer who will ever walk the earth!" Morgause said, slightly breathless, "To think that he hates Uther, and is in Cenred's kingdom no less…"

Morgause trailed off, lost in thought. Abruptly, Morgause shook her head, and then raised herself to her full height.

"We must never let Arthur get to him," Morgause said determinedly, "I cannot risk him succeeding in his task and killing a soon to be ally."

Morgana cocked her head, confused.

"How can we stop him?" she asked, frowning, "He has already left Camelot, and even if was still here, he is very stubborn."

Morgause looked at her sympathetically.

"Oh Morgana," Morgause said with a slight smile and a shake of her head, "You must learn to see the world differently, a world that you are now very much in control of. You must learn that the will of an average person matters very little in the course of life. We change events Morgana. We make them happen the way we want them to. Not some arrogant prince."

Morgana sighed. They had had this conversation before.

"Yes Morgause, I understand that, but-"

Morgause cut her off with a slight wave of her hand. Morgana looked away, frustrated. When she turned back to the mirror Morgause looked her in the eye.

"We must kill him Morgana," Morgause said quietly, "Killing Arthur is the only way."

Morgana froze. Kill him? Arthur? Yes, their relationship had always been slightly awkward and at times rude, but…

Morgana stared out the window at the night sky, seeking respite from her raging emotions in its calm depths.

"I have told you before Morgana," Morgause said gravely, "You must get rid of whatever feelings you have left for these people. No good will come of them."

Morgana closed her eyes. She had to decide now. Unwillingly, memories of their childhood together came unbidden to her mind. She saw them laughing together in a hallway, and bickering while eating breakfast. She saw Arthur rushing to her aid after she had fallen from her horse and sprained her ankle. She saw him running away to her chambers, day after day, ranting about his problems. She saw him giving her the small wooden horse.

Could she really kill him? Could she really kill Arthur Pendragon?

Morgana lowered her head and sighed. She had no choice.

"No feelings are left Morgause," Morgana said heavily, feeling as if a part of her was dying, "You are right, we must kill Arthur."

Morgause smiled.

"You have grown wise sister," Morgause said triumphantly, "You will not regret your decision. I can assure you of that."

Morgana nodded, still staring out the window. With a slight shake of her head to rid herself of uncomfortable emotions, Morgana turned back to Morgause and forced a smile.

"How do you plan on killing him?" Morgana asked determinedly.

Morgause smiled.

"I have a man," Morgause said with a cock of her head, "He is very powerful and is trustworthy to do as I ask. He shares the dream you and I have, of Uther dead and magic restored. He will do well."

"That's… good," Morgana said with a shaky sigh, then added, "It is late sister, I must be getting to bed before people start to wonder."

Morgause inclined her head.

"Of course, Sister," she said, solemnly, "Rest peacefully."

"Good night, Morgause," Morgana said, distractedly.

When the mirror had stilled, Morgana rose from her chair, and went to stand by the window.

She did not sleep that night. She could not shake off the feeling that she had lost something important, as if something had died.

A part of her had. For whether she knew it or not, whatever was left of Morgana, the old Morgana, had withered and, after tonight, had died.

….

Arthur laid out his bedroll and collapsed into it in as princely a manner as he could manage. The ground felt hard and stony through the thin layer, but Arthur didn't mind. He had slept on ground like this thousands of times.

He was tired. They had left Camelot only that afternoon, but Arthur had pushed them through most of the night in his haste to get to Cenred's kingdom. Only a couple hours remained until dawn.

The only reason they were stopping now was because Arthur had finally conceded that they could not kill a powerful sorcerer if he didn't let them sleep.

As he looked at the night sky his mind drifted to the uncomfortable matter of Morgana. After he had overheard her in her chambers he had trailed her endlessly, looking for suspicious behavior and hoping with everything he had that he didn't find it.

Yet he did, a harsh word to a servant here, a spiteful comment to a commoner there. In the beginning he tried to ignore them, make excuses for Morgana's actions. But the more he watched her, the more he began to realize that Morgana was not as innocent as she looked, and that knowledge hurt.

Arthur rubbed his face. He didn't want to think about Morgana, there were too many "what ifs".

He forced himself to think of something else. Anything else.

They would be arriving at Cenred's Kingdom soon, just two days. When they got there Arthur would send a knight in to ask about the whereabouts of the man named Emrys, then in the night they would sneak into the city, kill him, find Merlin, grab Merlin, and flee for their lives. It would be easy.

'Well except for the part of convincing Merlin to leave with us,' Arthur thought with a snort, 'the noble idiot that he is, he will probably want to stay in Cenred's kingdom to continue his pathetic spy attempt.'

Arthur turned over.

It would be nice to have Merlin back. He wasn't about to admit it, but he had missed the skinny idiot. There was also a lot the he wanted to question him about, like how his letter got to Camelot so fast, and when they were attacked in Cenred's Kingdom, how all of those men had gotten knocked unconscious. When Arthur had asked him how it had happened a couple weeks ago, Merlin had just grinned idiotically and said that they had all tripped.

Arthur shook his head and massaged his face. Sometimes Merlin really could be an idiot. Yet Arthur knew, with surprising certainty, that if he questioned Merlin about those events at all, he would just laugh and clamp up. It had happened before. Actually, it had happened a lot, now that Arthur thought of it. Every time he had ever tried to ask a personal question Merlin would turn enigmatic and shrug the question off.

Nevertheless, when they got back to Camelot, Arthur was going to sit Merlin down and make him talk. Merlin seemed to be keeping far too many secrets, and that fact was slightly disconcerting.

Abruptly, Arthur stood up. He knew he would not be able to sleep. He was restless and so he might as well take over guard duty.

He quietly walked through the camp, so as not to wake anyone.

The man on watch was sitting with his back resting against a large tree. As Arthur approached, the man jumped up, perturbed at being caught relaxing. Arthur waved his hand, trying to put the knight at ease. Under normal circumstances Arthur probably would have lectured the knight on the value of staying alert, of constantly being on your guard, but tonight he didn't have the heart to do it.

Arthur walked up to the knight, who upon further inspection Arthur recognized as Sir Norum, one of his younger knights, and stood beside him.

"You can get some sleep," Arthur told Sir Norum quietly, "I will take over the watch for now."

Sir Norum threw him a quick glance and then looked away.

"With all respect, Sire," Norum said softly, "I would like to remain on duty for now," Sir Norum stared into the sky then continued, "There is a chill in the air, and it is putting me on edge."

Arthur leaned his back against the tree.

"You need your rest, Sir Norum," Arthur said doggedly, "None of us will get enough of it as it is, and you need to conserve your strength for tomorrow's ride."

Norum looked about to protest, but quickly shut his mouth, and then wearily made his way back towards the camp. He had gotten no more than a couple of steps when he slowly turned back around.

"Sire," Sir Norum said with a determination that surprised Arthur, "Please?"

Arthur shot the blonde haired Knight a perplexed look, and then with a shrug of his shoulders Arthur motioned back towards the tree.

Norum inclined his head gratefully and returned to Arthur's side.

Arthur leaned his head back against the tree. Sir Norum was right. There was a chill in the air. Something was coming, something big, and they were just in its shadow. The entire forest seemed to be holding its breath, waiting.

…..

When Arthur awoke the next morning he felt drained and stiff. The sun was just beginning to peek its shining face over the horizon. He had only slept about an hour. Not wanting his men to see his weariness however, Arthur straightened his shoulders and lifted his head high.

They quickly packed up camp, doused the fire, and began to head out. As far as they knew, they had a long, boring day ahead of them.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

Arthur and his Knights rode quickly, impatient to arrive at Cenred's Kingdom. Arthur knew the importance of their mission; he knew that failing to kill Emrys, or not getting to him in time, could very well determine the fate of Camelot. He wanted that fate to be a good one. Arthur pushed his horse harder.

It was well past midday when Arthur finally let his men stop for a quick lunch.

It wasn't much, just the dried provisions from their saddlebags and water, yet they didn't complain, they had had worse. However, his Knights' slumped shoulders and weary postures did not escape his notice. Arthur finally conceded and let his men take a brief rest.

It was as they were resting in the clearing after lunch that Sir Allen awkwardly approached him.

When Arthur saw him nearing, he stiffened. He still had not forgiven him and Sir Kay for what they had done to Merlin, and he most certainly didn't trust them.

Sir Allen stepped in front of where Arthur was sitting with his back to a tree and cleared his throat. At first, Arthur stubbornly refused look at him, and when he finally gave in and glanced up, it took all of his self-control not to turn that look into a glare.

Sir Allen sighed and wearily sat himself down next to him, not making eye contact. Arthur turned his head away and absentmindedly began pulling at the grass.

The silence soon grew awkward, and out of the corner of his eye Arthur saw Sir Allen shift uncomfortably.

"I, uh," Sir Allen cleared his throat a second time, "Just wanted to apologize for, well for the course of action we chose when we were attacked at in the woods in Cenred's Kingdom."

Arthur continued ripping up the earth.

"Really?" Arthur asked, his voice dangerously quiet, "Is that so?"

Sir Allen didn't seem to hear the angry hint to Arthur's voice, or if he had, he ignored it.

"I speak the truth, Sire," Sir Allen went on contritely, "I would never wish harm to your manservant, and I wish I could take back what I did."

Arthur stopped fidgeting with the grass. Sir Allen had sounded genuinely remorseful. Arthur threw him a quick glance, and then looked away again. Remorseful he may be, but that didn't take away what he had done, and Arthur was not about to forgive him easily.

"You regret what you did?" Arthur asked sarcastically, deliberately trying to make Sir Allen even more uncomfortable, "Oh I wonder why? You must have had a horrible time in the dungeons, as cold and clammy as they are, and then the blow to your pride must have been no small matter. You are a Knight of Camelot after all, when people look at you they are supposed to see the epitome of honor and nobility, oh, what a blow to your reputation getting locked up must have caused."

Arthur looked him in the eye, challengingly. He knew he was being unfair, but he wanted to see how Sir Allen reacted.

Sir Allen looked upset, almost offended.

"Sire, that's not what I meant!" Sir Allen said desperately, "I have lost sleep over what happened that morning. I know too well that you are right, as a Knight I have a duty to the people, to protect them when they cannot protect themselves, and I have failed. I beg for your forgiveness, and as soon as the opportunity presents itself, I will beg the forgiveness of your manservant."

Arthur glanced at him, impressed.

He liked Sir Allen, he really did. He had used to be one of his most loyal, and trusted Knights, one that Arthur had taken great pride in. Arthur had trained with Sir Allen longer than just about any of the other Knights, and he had grown to trust him.

Yet he wasn't sure if he could any longer.

Slowly, Arthur turned towards him.

"You have a noble heart, Sir Allen," Arthur said softly, "You are a brave Knight, one that I know that I can trust with my life." Arthur looked down, and then added, "I just wish that I knew that I could trust you with the lives of my friends as well."

Sir Allen nodded, and then with a sadness to him Arthur had never seen before, he wearily stood up and walked away.

…

After lunch, Arthur and the knights quickly continued their journey. They were tired but determined, and they made good time. Yet the closer they got to Cenred's Kingdom, the more the feeling of dread, the feeling that had been plaguing him since last night, grew. He wasn't sure whether it was his fighter instincts that had been drilled into him since he was a small boy, or some other sixth sense that this feeling was coming from, but it was like an itch at the back of his mind, a fear that would not go away. Something horrible was about to happen.

….

Merlin stared out the window in the servant's chambers, gazing at the blazing fusion of colors the setting sun was displaying. It was beautiful.

Yet the beauty did nothing to calm the growing trepidation he was feeling. It wasn't just fear, it was this hard knot growing in his chest, and it hurt. It had been bothering him all day.

Merlin glanced below him. The courtyard wall was positioned about ten feet beneath him, because the servants' chambers were placed at the very edge of the castle. Armed guards were patrolling along the wall, idly fidgeting with their crossbows.

A surge of pain in his chest made Merlin double over. He choked back a scream. When the throbbing had subsided Merlin slowly straightened up. What was wrong with him? Dread was not supposed to hurt. It wasn't natural. It had to be… 'Magic?' Merlin thought, thinking hard, 'but how? Why?'

…

Arthur gazed broodingly at the dancing flames of the campfire. The wind had picked up recently and pulled at the fire with greedy fingers.

Arthur leaned back, crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He could hear his knights murmuring to each other under their breaths.

Arthur sighed. It had been a long, but productive day and he was tired. They would reach Cenred's Kingdom by tomorrow evening at the latest. They were doing well.

With that in mind, Arthur slowly drifted off into a light sleep.

…

The sound of twigs snapping awoke Arthur. He instinctively sat up and reached for his sword. He listened quietly, every muscle tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest disturbance.

He waited.

It was late, the moon had reached its zenith in the night sky.

A twig snapped again, and Arthur was on his feet. Someone was out there.

His knights were also waking up at the noise, and some were already in battle position, weapons in hand.

They held their breaths.

A shadow. Arthur could see something moving in the surrounding forest.

"Hello?" Arthur called out experimentally, "Who is out there?"

The shadow stopped moving.

"Show yourself!" Arthur demanded, staring intently.

"Very well, Arthur of Camelot," A slimy voice said from the forest, with a disdainful edge, "As you wish."

Arthur frowned. Something wasn't right.

The shadow stepped out from the cover of the trees. The man that Arthur now saw was tall and wore a heavy black cloak, so his features remained in an ever-present shadow that seemed to hover around him.

Arthur tensed as more men began to step out of the forest, surrounding them.

Arthur threw a quick glance at the circling men, and with a sinking feeling realized that they were outnumbered at least four to one.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked loudly, deciding pleasantries would be pointless in this situation.

The black robed man laughed. It had an eerie sound to it that made the hair on the back of Arthur's neck rise.

When the laugher had subsided, the man waved at Arthur and his knights with a careless motion.

"Kill them," The cloaked man said, yawning.

The men surrounding them didn't wait another moment. They attacked, yet Arthur and his Knights had anticipated the move, and were ready.

Five men charged Arthur, and the prince dove to the side, slashing one in the arm, and blocking a blow from another. He saw a sword swing toward his unprotected neck out of the corner of his eye, and quickly dodged, grabbing the swordsman's arm and twisting it behind his back. A solid kick to the back of his legs sent Arthur tumbling to the ground. He rolled as a sword stabbed straight at him, berating himself for letting himself get knocked down.

Arthur jumped up and swiveled around, going on the attack and stabbing at three men.

His Knights were fighting bravely, but Arthur knew that they wouldn't be able to hold for long. It looked as if one of them had already been killed.

Arthur froze in mid-swing as a fireball flew through the air, striking down two more of his knights. Arthur heard a deep chuckle coming from behind him. A cold feeling of dread began to form in his chest. He recognized that chuckle. The fireball had come from the black cloaked man. He was a sorcerer! Arthur quickly finished off his opponent and faced the sorcerer. The man smiled cruelly, and then he muttered something under his breath, his eyes flashing gold.

The earth beneath Arthur's feet cracked, and began to pull apart at an alarming rate, creating a deep chasm.

Arthur instinctively jumped for safety, and he felt his feet hit the cracking dirt on the edge of the precipice. Arthur felt himself begin to fall and wind-milled his arms, in a desperate attempt to regain his balance. He couldn't make it. Arthur fell.

…

"Arthur… Arthur, no, NO!" Merlin sat up, gasping for breath. He was in a cold sweat and his heart was pounding in his ears. The cold feeling of terror in his stomach had intensified. What he had just dreamt hadn't only been a nightmare, of that Merlin was sure. Arthur was in trouble.

The pain in his chest grew unbearable and Merlin fell out of bed and smacked his head against the cold stone floor.

Merlin curled up into a small ball, wrapping his arms around his chest, until it finally subsided enough for him to quickly stagger to his feet.

He knew why he was in pain. Arthur needed him, he was in danger. The pain was a side-effect, and a warning. He knew what he had to do.

Merlin dashed for the door, doing his best not to wake Danen or Fernor.

Once in the corridor, Merlin ran down the hall as fast as he could, his bare feet barely touching the smooth floor.

The pain had gone away. It had seemed to have realized that Merlin had gotten the message.

Merlin sharply rounded a corner, and shot down another hallway. He heard guards patrolling in a corridor to his right, but he wasn't really concerned. He had a prince to save and no amount of soldiers were about to stop him, plus, he knew their captain.

Merlin soon came to a large glass door and threw it open, stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the royal rose garden.

His eyes scanned the dark horizon, and then lifted up to the moon.

A pressure was building in his chest, a pulling.

Merlin's head snapped toward the east. Arthur.

The pressure got tighter and tighter, and Merlin gripped the balcony, his knuckles turning white.

The pressure suddenly released.

Merlin threw his head back and roared into the sky, calling, calling out to the one creature that could help. Calling to the last Dragon.

When he had finished, Merlin collapsed to his knees, exhausted.

….

Time seemed to slow. Arthur felt himself falling. He saw himself reaching up, in a desperate attempt to grab onto the edge. He wasn't going to make it. He stretched out his fingers a little further. His hands connected with the edge of the precipice. Arthur's body jerked to a stop, jarring his shoulders. Arthur groaned in relief, and made to pull himself up onto solid ground, but the dirt began to crumble beneath his fingertips. The earth broke.

A hand shot down from above and grabbed Arthur firmly by the forearm.

"Got you!" A strained voice cried out in triumph.

The man slowly managed to pull him back up, away from the chasm.

Arthur threw his leg over the side and rolled up onto the edge, panting. Arthur shakily stood to his feet, and stared into the face of a serious looking Sir Norum.

"Than-" Arthur began, but was cut off when a man swung an axe at Norum's head.

Instinct kicked in, and Arthur dove at Sir Norum and pushed him to the ground, saving his life.

"You too," Norum groaned, then grabbed his sword and ran off to help his comrades.

Arthur jumped back to his feet and quickly surveyed his surroundings. To his horror he realized that most of his men were dead, and there were only a few knights left.

Arthur angrily turned back towards the sorcerer. The black cloaked man had killed most of his knights and needed to die before he killed any more, no matter what the cost.

Arthur firmly gripped his sword and advanced upon the sorcerer, who had his back turned to him.

Arthur took a deep breath, and then charged the sorcerer.

Arthur got no more than five feet before he felt himself flying backwards and slammed into a tree. He was then lifted back into the air and held there, slowly being choked.

"So this is it," The black cloaked sorcerer laughed from below him, "This, is the mighty prince of Camelot. I had expected so much more."

Arthur felt himself fall again, and his body erupted in pain as he hit the ground.

"Protect the Princ-" One of Arthur's knights called out, but was cut short by a quick death.

Arthur felt sick. He hated,watching his men die. He tried to stand to his feet, but fell back to his knees.

The man chuckled.

"Why are you doing this!" Arthur shouted angrily at the sorcerer, "Have you no honor?"

The black cloaked man continued chuckling, and then murmured something under his breath.

Arthur felt the pressure return, like invisible fingers, choking him.

He couldn't breathe. His vision was getting fuzzy. In the haze he heard the man call back to him, "Who needs honor, when you can have power?"

Arthur began to black out. He was dying.

Above him, Arthur heard a roar, a roar he recognized all too well.

'No!' he thought to himself, 'It can't be.'

A dragon, The Great Dragon, dove down from the sky, mouth alight with flame.

Author's Note: Please don't kill me…. I just couldn't resist, honest!

Well I would just like to thank all of my readers that have stayed with the story this long, it really means a lot to me. And of course a very special thanks to: Notquitebezerk, Ebonyice, 1, Falling Down The Stairs, Ruby890, Eclipseoftheheart17, Wisegirl24256, Castwomanswrath, Cwam, Emachinescat, Suzie, Lilyplusjamesistotallove, Whirlwind421, llLethell, Merlin Fan, Nykskyblue, Rawr52, Ariacle, Coby, Katherine Moonhawk, and Micro Chibi Baka San!

Cheers! And have an amazing day!

TTT