A/N: Chapter 50 🎉🎉🎉

Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited and commented on this story

—

Amelia's POV

Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, Leon, and Percival had headed off the day before. They'd gone off on a simple journey, to inspect the defences along a certain area of the borders of the Kingdom. Arthur had reassured Amelia, Gwen and Anne, especially when Anne had wanted to go, that it was safe, and had brought up how the path they'd take is known only to them and not their enemies.

But that was yesterday and the group still has not returned. Anne had become increasingly distressed about where her husband is and is growing frustrated with the number of times everyone tells her to calm down for the sake of the baby. Amelia has avoided this as she knows there's no point and wants to avoid Anne's ire.

Instead, Amelia has resorted to pacing back and forth in the Council Chambers as a Council meeting going on behind her and not paying attention to them. The Council had been sympathetic while Agravaine had suspiciously been elsewhere since yesterday and only appears not long before the Council meeting in a hurry.

—

Merlin's POV

Merlin jolts awake when what feels like water is doused on him. He opens his eyes and quickly takes in his surroundings to find he's in some sort of Hovel, hanging from the ceiling by his wrists and Morgana standing in front of him. This isn't good.

"Good morning." The High Priestess greets smugly.

"Is it?" Merlin scoffs.

Morgana pouts as if she's hurt by his attitude. "Oh, don't be like that." She remarks mockingly. "We have a lot of catching up to do. After all, I haven't seen you since you condemned my sister to a slow and painful death, thwarted my plans to take over Camelot and turned my other sister away from me." She pauses and smirks. "Though perhaps not for long."

Merlin frowns, wondering what she means, but he dismisses it, for now, to focus on more pressing matters. Matters such as being Morgana's prisoner. "Couldn't do me a favour, could you? Let Arthur know he still thinks of me as an underachiever, but I'm quite proud of those accomplishments. I can die happy."

"Oh, you're not going to die. Oh, no. I'm not going to make it that easy." Morgana smirks at him before walking away, leaving Merlin frozen, fearful of what she's going to do.

—

Amelia's POV

Amelia is relieved when Arthur and the Knights soon return but that relief is taken away when, gathered in the Council Chambers with them, Gwen and the Council, they inform her that Merlin has been taken.

They had entered the Valley of the Fallen Kings when the group had been attacked by a large band of armed men. Merlin had become injured then he and Arthur had been separated from the Knights as they all hid out in the forest as the mercenaries continued to pursue them.

Arthur had become separated from the injured Merlin when, as Arthur had been fighting more mercenaries in a crevice, boulders fell into the crevice, cutting off the mercenaries from Arthur as well as Merlin.

Amelia immediately knows that Merlin had been the cause of the rock fall and had sacrificed himself so that Arthur could escape. Anne is going to give him a smack for that.

After this had all been explained, Anne and Gaius enter. Amelia looks on anxiously at her maid. Anne's stomach has been getting bigger and bigger every day and is now visible to everyone. It's not long before they'll have to get started on maternity dresses.

"Where's Merlin?" Gaius immediately questions.

"He's alive. Last I saw of him, he was still alive." Arthur replies.

Anne starts hyperventilating and tears build up in her eyes as she shakes her head.

Amelia immediately runs over to her and takes her into her arms. "Don't cry, Anne." Amelia pleads as she hugs Anne to her. Anne stays frozen in place.

Arthur turns to Leon. "Dispatch patrols at first light. Scour every inch of that forest." He orders.

"Yes, sire." Leon and the Knights exit.

Arthur turns his attention back to Anne and Gaius as Amelia runs her hand along Anne's hair. "We'll find him, Anne, Gaius. We will." He puts a reassuring hand on Gaius' shoulder.

"I should've been there." Anne sobs against Amelia's chest.

"No." Arthur shakes his head. "Merlin would've never forgiven me if I had let you come."

"Then I shouldn't have let him go!" Anne cries.

Amelia pulls away from their hug and brushes Anne's tears away. "I promise we will find him. That is a promise not from a mistress but from a friend."

—

Anne retreats to her Chambers, refusing to come out until Merlin is found. Amelia worries for her friend and hopes they find Merlin alive otherwise Anne is just going to shut down.

The patrol returns and Agravaine and Leon give their report to Arthur, Amelia and the Council in the Council Chambers. It's not good news.

"We have scoured the forest." Agravaine tells them.

"Scour it again." Amelia snaps.

"My Lady, there is no sign of Merlin." Leon placates softly.

Agravaine approaches Arthur and Amelia, standing between their seats at the head of the table. "None...but...this." Agravaine places a scrap of Merlin's bloody jacket on the map in front of them. Arthur stares at it blankly while Amelia stares at it in disbelief. "I am sorry you've lost such a loyal and..."

Arthur holds up a hand, stopping him. At any other time, Amelia would feel smug at that. "The mercenaries, what news of them?"

"We found no trace." Leon replies.

"Surely sent by that snake Alinor." Agravaine remarks.

"It can't be." Arthur dismisses. "How? Our route was known only to a few within Camelot."

"Then there's only one conclusion we can draw." Leon has the Council's attention. "We have a traitor in our midst."

Amelia looks at Agravaine the moment he glances at her. They look straight into each other's eyes, knowing that the other knows.

—

Arthur had slipped out early morning, without telling Amelia or Anne, to search for Merlin himself with Gwaine in tow.

Amelia sighs and decides to take a break from the paperwork and go for a walk in the Castle. She's walking along one of the corridors when she glances out of one of the windows that overlooks the Main Square and stops when her eyes catch something.

It's Arthur and Gwaine riding back with Merlin! Amelia pulls up her skirts and runs to Anne and Merlin's Chambers to find Anne.

"Anne! Anne!" Amelia bangs on the door.

It's opened by a tired Anne who lets out an even more tired sigh. "What, Amelia? I told you I'm not—"

"They've found Merlin!" Amelia explains. "Their back!"

Life seems to return to Anne as she registers Amelia's words. The maid bolts out of the room as fast as she can to Gaius' Chambers with Amelia behind her. Amelia doesn't care what they look like running like mad through the corridors, servants rushing out of their way and nobles staring at them, Amelia really doesn't care.

They race around a corner and head right for the Physician's Chambers. Anne throws the door open causing those inside, to startle. Anne doesn't even stop and runs right for her husband and hugs him tightly.

"Merlin!" She cheers. Amelia smiles, watching them until she notices the look on Merlin's face. He is smiling but not grinning, there's something that's not right with his expression.

"Careful there." Merlin warns Anne. "You nearly knocked me over."

"I wasn't running that fast." Anne defends. "Can't really run with these skirts."

Amelia is trying not to let on that something is wrong with Merlin. She can just feel it, but a quick glance at Gaius and Anne tells her that they feel it too.

"Well, it must be all that weight you've gained." Merlin then remarks.

Amelia's eyes bug out. What did Merlin just say?

—

Anne's POV

Anne looks at Merlin who sits across from her cautiously as Gaius serves them supper. The Physician had insisted that he cook them a meal to celebrate Merlin's miraculous return.

"Don't do that again, Merlin. My heart cannot take the strain." Gaius reprimands him.

"Yes, well, you are getting on a bit." Merlin remarks bluntly. Anne and Gaius look at Merlin in surprise. Merlin frowns as he looks at the meal in front of him. "What is this?"

Gaius looks at him confused but replies as he takes a seat next to Anne, "It's a special welcome home. Your favourite."

Merlin takes one sip of the soup and gags. "I think that you should stick to cooking up potions, Gaius. This tastes like the bog Arthur found me in." Gaius gives an uncertain chuckle.

Anne is sure there's something wrong with her husband but does not know what so she decides to dig for more information. "How did you escape?"

"With great skill." Merlin answers dismissively. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course. Anything." Gaius replies.

"What is the strongest poison that you possess?"

Anne frowns at that. "Why would you need to know that?"

"I had this great opportunity to lace the bandits' food with poison and nothing to do it with." Merlin gets up and walks over to a table full of potions.

Gaius looks as bewildered as Anne but replies to Merlin's bazaar question, "Well, that would be aconite."

"A..conite." Merlin spots it on the table and takes the bottle. "Well, I think I should take some of this with me from now on. You never know when you might need to kill someone." Merlin takes off and Anne stares after him, bewildered by his behaviour.

"Indeed." Gaius murmurs.

—

Amelia's POV

Percival and Amelia walk down the Phoenix Corridor when they bump into Merlin, who carries a plate of food.

"Ah Merlin. You scrub up well." Amelia says with a smile though she's still suspicious about Merlin's initial behaviour since returning.

"No time to talk, need to get this food to the King." Merlin replies snippily. Amelia and Percival share a surprised look at his tone.

Percival turns back to Merlin, who's seemingly bouncing on his feet, unable to stand still, frowning. "What's the rush? And shouldn't you be resting?"

Merlin looks at them with wild unfocused eyes. "I don't need to rest. I've got work to do."

"But you always complain to Arthur about how you want time off." Amelia points out.

Merlin shakes his head rapidly. "No time to waste!" He barges past them, down the corridor, leaving behind the shocked couple.

—

Merlin's odd behaviour is worse than they'd realised. Gwen finds what would've been Arthur's lunch, if the maidservant hadn't already brought the King some, lying in a pigsty, half-eaten and surrounded by dead pigs.

She brings it to Gaius who is already in discussion with Amelia and Anne in his Chambers about Merlin's odd behaviour. Percival doesn't join them as he has to prepare for the knighting ceremony.

Gaius holds the chicken from the discarded lunch up to his nose and sniffs it. "Aconite."

Anne looks at him in shock. "Didn't you say that was a deadly poison?"

"Indeed. The most deadly poison known to man." The Physician confirms.

"What was it doing on Arthur's food?" Amelia questions. It can't be who she thinks it is. Why would they?

"Merlin took some from here earlier." Anne tells her and Gwen. Oh, no.

It dawns on Gwen's face. "He was really angry when he realised Arthur wasn't going to eat it."

"He has been behaving very strangely." Gaius realises.

Anne huffs. "You're telling me. Normally, Merlin will be all frantic, asking me how me and the baby are doing but since he's been back, he has not asked once."

Gwen scoffs. "But why would Merlin want to kill Arthur?"

"Merlin wouldn't. Not if he was in his right mind." Gaius says.

"Where's he now?" Amelia asks. They need to find him now.

"Helping Arthur prepare for the knighting ceremony…" Anne begins to answer before her eyes widen.

They all immediately hurry from the room to find Merlin. On the way, they pass Leon in the corridor.

"Have you seen Merlin?" Gwen asks, stopping the Knight.

"He was in the Armoury." Leon replies.

"What did he want in there?" Gaius questions.

Leon chuckles. "A crossbow. I think Arthur must be getting on his nerves."

"Why?" Anne asks, concerned.

Leon checks the corridor, leaning in to whisper, "He said he was going to kill him." Leon bursts out laughing. Amelia joins in with a terrible fake laugh while Anne, Gwen and Gaius exchange worried looks. Leon walks away and they start rushing to Arthur's Chambers.

—

Merlin is raising the Ceremonial sword to strike just as Gwen, Anne, Amelia and Gaius burst in.

"I know, I'm late." Arthur says, completely unaware of what's happening behind him.

Merlin rushes forward to attack, but Arthur moves and Merlin runs into the column and falls over. Arthur turns around and sees Merlin on the floor unconscious. He picks up the ceremonial sword, considers Merlin for a moment, and then strolls out. The group gives Arthur fake smiles on his way out. Amelia spots Merlin waking and runs forward with a metal pitcher and smashes it over his head, knocking him out again.

"I really hope you have not given him brain damage." Anne remarks.

Amelia shrugs. "He'll be fine!"

—

Merlin is lying on a chair backwards so that his front rests on the back of the chair in Gaius' Chambers. Gaius is reading an entry in a book as Anne, Gwen and Amelia grimace at the creature crawling under Merlin's skin.

"I feared as much." Gaius says.

"What is it?" Amelia questions. Gaius hands her the book. The other two look over her shoulder to have a look. The image is a large body of a snake but it has multiple heads instead of one.

"It's a Fomorroh. Whoever put it there was very highly skilled." Gaius says.

Morgana.

"What does it do?" Gwen asks.

"In the days of the Old Religion, they were used by the High Priestess to enslave the minds of their enemies. Once a thought was planted, the victim would not stop till they'd accomplished it." Gaius explains. "First we must paralyse the serpent."

Gwen hands him a bowl and Gaius dabs a saturated pouch on Merlin's neck. The Fomorroh grows still.

"Is it dead?" Amelia questions hopefully.

"Sadly not. Merely dormant. Now for the tricky bit. Pass me the blade."

Gwen hands it to him. Amelia grimaces as Gaius cuts it out. Thankfully it's over soon and Gaius tosses it into the fire.

"That's it?" Gwen asks.

"I believe so."

Anne sighs in relief. "We have the old Merlin back. Arthur is safe once more."

"Let us hope so." Amelia comments.

—

Anne's POV

The next morning, Anne reaches out for Merlin in their bed while half asleep. He hadn't woken up yesterday, so they just moved him back to Anne and Merlin's Chambers. He was still unconscious when Anne went to bed last night, but when she feels for him under the covers, she comes up with nothing. Anne opens her eyes fully and sits up.

Merlin is walking about the room, getting ready for his work day. He looks over at Anne as he realises that she is watching him and he flashes her a smile that warms her insides.

Anne returns the smile as she feels relief flood her. "How do you feel?" Anne asks.

"Never better." Merlin says with a grin. Kissing her forehead and shrugging on his jacket.

Anne is a bit disappointed she doesn't get any more but shrugs it off. "Well, it's a relief to have you back. What do you remember?"

"About what?" Merlin asks, turning around.

"I take it that means nothing—" Anne stops speaking and her smile drops when spots the Fomorroh still wiggling in Merlin's neck as he straightens his jacket.

"I got a feeling today is going to be a good day," Merlin remarks and he leaves before Anne can stop him.

Anne looks down at her stomach. "Time for Mommy to save Daddy." Anne says as she scrambles out of bed. "Again."

—

Amelia's POV

Anne tells them that the Fomorroh is back. Amelia, Anne, Gwen and Gaius hurry towards Arthur's Chambers.

"Everyone has their own agenda." Arthur is saying as Amelia bursts in first, followed by Anne, Gwen and Gaius, and sees Merlin with a deformed sword, standing over a steaming bath that's bubbling and foaming while Arthur is changing behind a screen. "It feels like I can trust no one anymore."

Amelia rushes forward and knocks Merlin out with the same pitcher. Merlin falls back into Gaius and Gwen's arms with Anne looking over him frantically. They pull Merlin away but quickly hide him behind the column just as Arthur chooses to step out from behind the screen completely undressed.

"Is that how you see it, Merlin- Amelia!" Arthur cries, hurriedly covering himself.

"Arty, buddy, how ya doing?" Amelia says cheerfully, trying to act like there's nothing awry, then realises he's naked and averts her eyes. She does not need to see that much of her cousin, practically brother.

Arthur takes this chance to grab a pillow from his bed and cover himself more effectively, trying to act dignified. "Gaius, Guinevere, Anne." The King greets the others. The other three stand gathered around the column, holding Merlin up and out of sight.

There's a moment of silence as they all awkwardly stand there. Amelia, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels, is trying to think of a way out of this but isn't sure what. Thankfully Arthur speaks.

"You're not Merlin."

"No!" Amelia replies, somewhat with a high pitch. "There was a problem with the bath water."

Arthur frowns, looking at the now still and unsuspecting water. "Really?"

"Yep!" Amelia says a bit too hurriedly. She doesn't know where her lying skills have gone, she used to be good at this. "It's cold. Very cold."

Arthur steps forward to look at it.

"Merlin's gone to remedy it." Arthur reaches forward to touch it. "I don't think you can have a bath today!" Amelia says quickly.

Arthur looks up sharply. Amelia tries to cover her panic with an awkward smile.

Arthur steps back. "Right... Good job I'm not very dirty, then."

"It's a good job indeed!" Amelia nervously laughs.

The others chuckle with her. Arthur nods awkwardly, waiting for them to leave. They don't. They really can't. He sidesteps awkwardly behind his dressing screen.

Amelia does a sigh of relief and turns to the others, frantically gesturing to them that they need to move.

—

They manage to drag Merlin to Gaius' Chambers and lie him face down on a table so Gaius can examine the revived Fomorroh.

"So, let me get this straight. If you kill one, another grows in its place." Gwen says after Gaius had explained to them how this is possible.

"I've heard such stories in the past, but never thought they were true." Gaius dabs Merlin's neck with the paralyser concoction. "That will silence it for a while." Gaius opens a smoking canister and holds it under Merlin's nose. He jerks awake, coughing.

"What is that? Arthur's socks?" Merlin splutters, sitting up on his knees, and holding his head. He looks at the four of them and then back to Anne. "She kicked, didn't she?" He asks. Anne looks at him in confusion. Merlin crawls forward and puts his hands on her stomach. "She kicked while I was gone! I can't believe I missed it!"

Now Amelia knows he is back.

Anne huffs. "No, he hasn't kicked yet. I told you, it's still a bit too early." She reassures him. The arguing over the sex of the baby hasn't stopped between these two.

"Then what is it?" Merlin asks as he sits up. "What are you trying to do to me?"

"I'm trying to stop you from killing the King." Gaius tells him.

"Heh. Ooh." Merlin staggers. Maybe Amelia hit him on the head too hard.

—

Amelia, Anne and Gaius watch as Merlin stuffs his face with berries. Turns out that while under the Fomorroh, Merlin had been so focused on his task that he hasn't eaten.

"So, you don't remember anything?" Gaius questions.

"I remember Morgana conjuring the snake, but...nothing more. No." Merlin replies. Anne rubs her husband's back comfortingly.

"Lucky for us you're such a bad assassin." Amelia remarks with a slight grin.

"Well, all is well now. I feel fine."

"For now, the serpent is dormant and when it wakes, your mind will be Morgana's once more and nothing will stop you from killing Arthur." Gaius warns him.

This causes Merlin to panic. "But how do we get rid of it, if it keeps growing back?"

"There's only one way, I'm afraid. You have to kill the mother beast."

Anne looks at Gaius in alarm and Amelia doesn't blame her. "But it's in Morgana's hut." The former reminds the Physician.

Gaius nods gravely.

"Great. How long have I got? How long before this thing wakes up?" Merlin questions.

"A day, no more."

"Please don't face her alone." Anne pleads.

Merlin gives his wife a reassuring smile, stroking her stomach. "Don't worry, I won't be there at all. Well, not exactly." Merlin then stands and picks up a potion bottle from another table. "She won't recognise me if I'm eighty years old." Merlin hurries off.

"Well, what should I say if Arthur asks for you?" Gaius calls after him.

"Er, tell him I'm anywhere." Merlin closes the door, then pops his head back in. "Anywhere but the Tavern."

After Merlin is gone, Amelia knows she needs to lighten the mood and turns to Gaius with a smirk. "You're going to say the Tavern, aren't you?"

"No!"

—

Gaius tells Arthur Merlin is in the Tavern.

—

Merlin thankfully makes his return after having destroyed the creature.

"This is becoming something of a habit." Gaius remarks as he cuts out the Fomorroh for the last time.

Merlin chuckles. "I hope not."

Gaius extracts the dead Fomorroh. "Don't worry. It cannot grow back again."

Merlin feels the back of his neck painfully.

"Does that mean he won't try to kill Arthur?" Anne questions.

"Don't worry, it's completely gone. I've no desire to kill Arthur." Merlin reassures them.

"That's great news. Although, I'm afraid right now he does want to kill you." Amelia warns him.

Merlin's smile turns into confusion.

Amelia winces at that. Yeah…