Chapter 21

Heartbreaking Ultimatum

Morgana fumed. She paced back and forth outside the dungeon cell Merlin currently using as a bedroom. It was a small cell outside a larger cell. It was empty of all other prisoners. They were in another part of the dungeon. He had sequestered himself here after Morgana told him of his role in the culling.

Morgana found it hard to breathe down here. The air was stale and smelled of decay. Why he would rather waste away down here instead of sharing a bed with her was a wonder, even if he absolutely despised her. This morning she had discussed culling with Merlin. Only briefly but she told him what she wanted him to do. He flat out refused so Morgana gave him an ultimatum.

Do what she asked or she would pay a visit to Ealdor to see his mother, Hunith. Even after she threatened his mother Merlin wouldn't agree. The stubborn git. In all honesty Morgana had already taken the liberty to send out a group of Saxon soldiers to lay waste to the small village. He just didn't have a clue how lost his cause was. She hoped Arthur searched for his last man servant and found his village razed to the ground.

Morgana gave a dagger to the lead Saxon, Argus, to leave for Arthur to find. It was the very one Arthur had given her for a birthday present. The same dagger she had used on Merlin to permanently mare his beautiful skin. His blood still stained the blade.

"Have you decided?" Morgana snapped.

"I'm not your executioner. If you want them dead, kill them yourself." Merlin made a face. He refused to indulge her.

"It's not an execution, Merlin. It is a culling. To separate the weak from the powerful." Morgana said. "This will help the war in the long run. "

Yeah, Merlin scoffed. By supporting the army and keeping food in their stomach's. Merlin shook his head. He will not help her any more than he already has. The goal was to stay alive so he could get her to let Arthur live, and get free without consequences. He was trying to fight what destiny had given him. He wondered if that was the problem.

"No." Merlin said deliberately.

Merlin couldn't fight against fate. It had a way of naturally rewriting things. Mordred was Arthur ruin by Arthur being Arthur's own bane and Merlin was Morgana's destiny and doom. There was no way around it. All Merlin could do as fate rushed in at him from all angles was do what he could to stop the inevitable. He feared that by fighting against it he would change nothing and everything and not for the better.

Morgana's eyes hardened. "It's hardly different from what you did to Jarrod and Frederick. You had no trouble being a judge, jury and executioner then."

Merlin gave her a hard look. "That was different and you know it. You would have done the same. You knew what they did to those poor boys."

She opened her mouth to argue but he was right.

"My Lady." A voice interrupted. Morgana's spine snapped straight. She closed her mouth and glared at him.

"What?" She grunted. She never took her eyes from Merlin who leaned lazily up against the far wall of the cell.

"We have what you asked for." The man shifted nervously. "She is being held in the isolation cells."

At the word, Merlin's head jerked in Morgana's direction. Oh, God no. Merlin jerked upright, and stood up straighter. Morgana smirked as she turned to the man and nodded.

"I'll be back shortly." She turned to leave but glanced back at Merlin. "I suggest you rethink your refusal."

Morgana left Merlin standing in his cell with the door wide open. Only a single guard stood somewhere out in the hall. Not to keep him there but to make sure Merlin left the other cells alone. He was free to roam as he pleased. He was Emrys after all and he didn't have to be here if he didn't want to, but she had every faith that he would choose to stay for her out of a misguided need to redeem her.

As of this moment, Merlin never hated her more. He turned from the cell door. His rage screamed for an outlet and his magic writhed inside him desperate to lash. He threw a fist out and struck the stone wall with a mix of magic and physical force so strong he felt the stone buckle. He leaned his head against the wall.

He didn't know if it really was his mother. He could hold out hope and fool himself into thinking she was still safe if he tried hard enough. That was until the first scream sounded. It was so familiar and raw it brought tears to his eyes. Yes, it was who he feared it was. Merlin closed his eyes, pressed his forehead harder against the wall and slammed the side of his fist against it in fear and desperation.

"Fuck!" He hollered angrily. He shoved away from the wall and charged out of the cell towards the screams.

The moment he stepped out of the cell the cries stopped. He followed the echoes as best he could until those too faded. The eerie silence cut at Merlin like little knives each time his heart beat. The screams were confirmation his mother was still alive, but the silence gave him nothing to hold on to.

Morgana walked towards the isolation cells just on the other side of the dungeon down a short narrow hall. She peeked inside the cell and saw a woman huddled in the corner, her knees hugged to her chest. Morgana listened to the woman's ragged breathing. It was shallow and quick, as if it was too painful to take in a full lung full of air.

The woman's head jerked up as the sound of her cell door screeched open. Morgana paused in the threshold. Merlin had her eyes, Morgana thought, surprised. She shook herself from her musings and smiled wickedly at her. Hunith stood up on shaky legs.

"Hunith?" Morgana asked softly. "Merlin's mother?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I am Merlin's mother." She nodded. "Where- where is my son?" She looked around the cell as if she expected him to show up to her rescue.

"He is near." Morgana smiled wider. "Let's call him shall we?" Morgana walked easily towards her. "I'm going to need you to scream nice and loud for me."

Hunith shook her head. She knew that hungry look in her eye. Hunith saw it in the men who raided her village when Merlin was only eight. They wanted to hurt her to get to him then too. She'd rather die than be the reason for her sons' death. Morgana narrowed her eyes dangerously. Morgana growled in frustration, her tolerance nearing its end.

"I said scream." Morgana hissed. She twisted her hand and Hunith crumpled to the dirty cell floor, her mouth open in a silent cry. Morgana pressed harder. Hunith screamed so loud it stabbed into her ear drums like shards of glass.

Morgana knelt beside Huniths contorted form. Her shrieks died on her lips. Morgana wanted Merlin to hear his mother's cries of pain and come running. To know he couldn't save her from the agony Morgana inflicted. Morgana was sick to her stomach at what she did, but felt it was her only option to get Merlin to do as she wished.

"I am truly sorry for your miss treatment, Huneth, but I'm afraid it is the only way to get your stubborn son to fall in line."

Hunith moaned and rolled onto her back. She tried to sit up to get away from Morgana but only managed to prop her back up against the wall. Morgana reached down and with a few muttered words scratched a small thin line across Hunith's collarbone with her thumb nail. Hunith's eyes widened. Hunith sluggishly slapped her hand away but it was too late.

Her heart started to pound. Magic. She poisoned Hunith with magic. Hunith looked down to try and see the mark but couldn't see anything. It was too close to her neck. The scratch on her collarbone started to burn. The fire spread with each heartbeat. Each breath became more and more difficult.

Hunith had seen this curse at work once long ago. A sorcerer came to her village when she was young and cursed her father. Her mother had to kill him to save him from the pain. The curse was known as Dethlok. It leaves a person paralyzed incapable of mobility or speech locked in an unending loop of horrible deaths unable to really die until the caster allows them release or another kills them. It was among the worst she had ever seen.

Merlin ran down the narrow hall. He let his magic guide him, he followed the pull of Morgana's magic. She was just on the other side of the wall. He turned the corner once he was out of the hall and crashed to a halt.

There was one cell. Morgana knelt above a body propped against the wall. Merlin walked closer and his breath caught in his throat. Merlin muttered in the old religion and an orb of light appeared above and just behind his shoulder. He walked briskly into the cell.

"Morgana." Merlin snapped. "What did you do!" He roared.

He looked at his mothers still form. She was pasty white and her lips were turning blue but she wasn't dead. Her wide blue eyes shined up at him with love, confusion, and fear. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Morgana and Merlin. Morgana stood up and faced him.

"What I said I'd do if you didn't cooperate." She said plainly. "You have a choice to make. A few actually." She smiled. Merlin looked at his mother for a long moment. She had never seen him look so lost. Morgana's heart twisted uncomfortably. She ignored it and went on.

"Your mother is going to die. There's no way out of that." She paused to let her words sink in. "Do as I ask and she will die quickly, don't and I will make this last. Your choice." Morgana crossed her arms over her breast.

"What did you do to her?"

"A curse."

"What kind?" Merlin demanded harshly. Maybe he could reverse it.

"I know what you're thinking Merlin. There is no cure. Not even the great Emrys can stop this."

"Tell. Me." Merlin enunciated each word through grit teeth. He took a menacing step towards her. His hand shot out grabbing her around the throat. He slammed her back into the call walls. Her head cracked against the stone. "What. Kind."

"Dethlok." She choked.

Merlin released her as if he'd been burned. He stepped away from her and looked down to his mothers worried and frantic gaze. All the blood drained from Merlin's face. He looked ill. He shook his head. His mouth opened and closed, unable to form any words. He looked back up at Morgana with narrowed eyes.

"Now are you ready to listen to me." Morgana mocked. She straightened her hair and faced him.

"You have gone too far Morgana." Merlin fumed. "Death outright would have been a mercy."

Morgana stared at him. She shook her head slowly. "No, Merlin. I didn't do this to be merciful to her." She smiled viciously. "You are her son. Don't you think it's only right that you give her mercy."

Merlin blanched. He suddenly felt like he was eight years old again. Merlin looked down at his mother. He tried desperately to read what she said through her blue eyes. He imagined her saying that it was alright, he could let her go. That Merlin was strong enough and that she was proud of who he is. But all he could see was her fear, her fear of him.

"Merlin." Morgana said. He ignored her. "Merlin!" Morgana snapped harsher.

Merlin's head snapped in her direction. His eyes were filled with dark shadows and she could have sworn she saw a flash of her death in his eyes. She cleared her throat. Fear tingled down her spine.

"At the culling you will do as instructed, or all will die instead of a select few. I'm sure you wouldn't want that kind of blood on your hands."

"If you decide to execute seven innocent sorcerers their blood is on your hands not mine."
"No, Merlin. They die because you chose to be righteous." Morgana turned and went to leave him. She didn't go far. She leaned against the wall on the other side of the cell, a hand to her stomach. What had she just done? Why did she do these things?

Merlin looked up from where he knelt next to his mother. "Morgana." She looked over her shoulder. "You are making dangerous enemies out of those who once loved you." Merlin stared at her for one last moment. He imagined for one moment retaliation of the worst kind, the Dethlok curse, the same as she had done to his mother, but something held him back.

He turned away from her and focused back on his mother. He smiled down at her, heartbroken and terrified. He brushed her raven black hair out of her face. "I am so sorry," Merlin murmured. His voice broke alongside his heart. "I never-" Merlin had to stop. He cleared his throat. "I never meant for you to get caught up in this." He shook his head in despair. "Please, I need-" He swallowed. "I need you to forgive me."

Hunith blinked slowly. Her chin dipped down slightly in a jerky nod, she managed a soft smile, a lilting of her lips. Merlin smiled back. His tears streamed down his face and dripped off his chin.

"GoodBye, Mum." Merlin's voice broke. He helped lay her flat. "I'll see you in my dreams." Merlin rested a hand over her forehead. "Níl aon pian i ddeath."

With breathy gasp, Hunith's back arched. She moaned and fell back to the floor lifeless. He sat back heavily on his haunches. He rocked on his heels a moment, he held back his emotions, shoved down his scream of pain. Hunith's eyes stared glassily up at the ceiling as unmoving and unresponsive as the rest of her. Merlin's hand shook as he reached out to close them.

Merlin stood up. He felt like he had aged exponentially. He clenched his fists at his side and stalked from the cell. He felt Morgana linger in the next cell. He paused as he passed her. He gave Morgana one dark look before he silently went back to his cell. He never once looked back because there was no going back.

Morgana's gut plummeted. She told herself she did what she had to. Proven she wasn't bluffing and in turn she might have just sealed the fate she had been trying to avoid.

Merlin, she swallowed thickly, will be the death of me. His spell echoed in her head on repeat. If he was able to give mercy to his own mother, he would have no problem killing her for this.

"Níl aon pian i ddeath." There is no pain in death. Dear gods, what had she done.