Chapter 68 I don't own Merlin. Hope you like! This chapter is not in Cassie's perspective, not sure if it's Morgana's or Merlin's or Gwen's yet. You'll just have to see what my fingers decided on! ;P Hey! A review, I love it! The Druids were Celts and the Celts settled pretty much all of Europe in the stone age, so technically not the same people…. but the druids were Celts. They traveled all around, kept the Cetic tribes from too much war and spoke to other people, e.g. the Greeks and Goths. So yeah, same people, but not the same people. I think of it like in my family, we're of the same peoples, but totally different. Some are super bellicose and confrontational, others are total pacifists. Then there's me who can get a bad temper really easily, but I'm pretty chill. MOST of the time. Well, that was a rambling answer. Read, review, cause it makes me want to post quickler, and have fun!
"Are you three out of your minds?! Untie her at once! You should be ashamed of yourselves. She's your friend." Gaius hissed out angrily when he rounded the corner and saw her tied up.
"Yes, Gaius." Merlin mumbled, quickly going over to untie her and ignoring her mumbled yells.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine, Gaius." Cassie answered, standing up and leaving as quickly as possible on unsteady legs.
"No, you're not. What did you do to her? She can barely walk!" Gaius demanded, looking between the three of them after she tripped over nothing.
"I said I'll be fine! Don't touch me!" Cassie snapped at Merlin.
"Cass-" Gwen started to say placatingly, flinching back when the young blonde slammed the door shut.
"However long she decides to ignore you, you deserve it." Gaius told them kneeling beside the boy and checking his pupils and temperature as they looked on in varying degrees of worry. "I will treat the boy, but as soon as he's well, you must get him out of Camelot. And woe betide anyone caught helping him."he said gravely, turning around before he could see the worried looks that passed between Gwen and Merlin.
"Well, one thing we know for certain." Gaius said after taking off the bandage and looking back at his ward.
"What's that?" Merlin asked, looking at Gaius curiously.
"You're no physician." he said, turning back around and treating the boy.
"Why did Cassie react that way? He's just a boy." Morgana asked, her brow furrowed in worry and confusion as she watched Gaius clean out the wound.
"Her reason doesn't matter. You should have respected her decisions. What you did was dangerous and reckless. Hiding a Druid in the King's ward's chambers! At least she has a better sense of self preservation than any of you do." Gaius said as he finished bandaging the young boy up and stood up. "I sincerely hope this didn't ruin your friendship. But if it did, just know that it was all because of you." he added as an afterthought"from the door.
"Harsh." Merlin mumbled before looking guiltily at the two of them and toeing the floor.
"Yes, but true." Gwen said tearfully, going about the room to make herself busy.
"Come on, let's leave him to rest and figure out how to get him out of here." Morgana said, pulling back the heavy curtains back after gently brushing back the boy's hair. "Let's go to the market."
"Halt there." the three of them heard a guard tell a man towing a cart through the gate.
"The guards are searching everyone leaving the town." Gwen said nervously
"There is another way out." Merlin said, looking around surreptitiously. "There's a secret door in the armoury. It leads to the lower town. I'll take the boy out that way." he suggested quietly but firmly.
"No. It's too dangerous. I'll do it." Morgana said quickly, rifling through some things on the stall to make them seem inconspicuous.
"But I-I'm good with secret doors and things." he said lamely, not wanting to let her put herself in any more danger.
"If you are caught, Uther will execute you." Morgana argued back, looking into his eyes fervently. "The boy's my responsibility. I'll smuggle him out of the castle."she said as she kept eye contact with Merlin, brokering no argument.
Well, you'll need a key for the door." Merlin told her, recognising the lost argument and deciding to help her, both raven-haired 'lovers' missing the curious looks Gwen was shooting at them.
"Who has it?" Morgana asked, looking him up and down as if sizing him up for the first time.
"Arthur." Merlin replied, knowing full well how difficult it would be to lift the keys from him.
"Good luck." Gwen said, eyeing the two of them closely before taking a deep breath and saying to Morgana: "I should go to the laundress. The clothes must be done."
"Yeah. See you later." Morgana said absently.
"I'll bring an extra dress for you." Gwen said as an afterthought, running back to them after taking a few steps away.
"Thank you." Morgana said gratefully, holding her friend's hand in both of hers and handing Merlin what she'd bought, telling him with her eyes to take it back to her chambers.
"Yes, my Lady." Merlin said, rolling his eyes as he walked away and felt her eyes following him.
"Morgana?" Gwen said, wanting to ask about what she'd seen.
"Yes, Gwen?"
"Is there anything else you'd like me to do?" she asked instead, chickening out.
"No, Gwen. That's all for now. Thank you." Morgana said full of gratitude, smiling at her friend and eyeing the guards warily.
"Here you go. They're freshly laundered." Gwen said later, holding out one of her red dresses neatly folded.
"Thank you, Gwen. Watch over him while I change." Morgana said, taking the dress and going to change where there was some privacy.
"Yes, Morgana." Gwen said, going over to where the boy lay and fussing with his hair while he lazily opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked softly, smiling at the boy as he sat up and looked at the food on the table. "Hungry?" she asked, noticing his line of sight and smiling as he nodded his head vigorously and smiled in thanks.
"Gwen, can you help me?" Morgana called out.
"Yeah, coming." she said, smiling sweetly at the boy before going over to her mistress and helping her. "Just need the cloak… there."
"It'll have to do." she sighed as she looked into her cracked mirror. "I feel I've put you in danger without ever stopping to ask how you feel about it. I'm sorry."
"I know how it feels to face the threat of execution. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Gwen said quickly, thinking back to how sick her father was.
"It's Merlin." he said after knocking on the door, waiting for Gwen to open it.
"We're going to get you out of Camelot. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."Morgana whispered kindly to the boy, reassuring him with her smile.
"Are you ready?" Merlin asked the moment he rounded the screen.
"Did you get the keys?" Morgana asked with a nod, watching his deep blue eyes as she tried to assuage her growing fears.
"Yeah. Er, the door is behind the shield at the far end of the armoury." he said after a slight pause of watching the young boy intensely, handing Morgana the key and letting his fingers graze hers reassuringly.
"I'll pack you some food and water for the journey. Be careful." Gwen said, trying not to feel like a third-wheel with those two.
"Thank you. Both of you." Morgana said as she and the boy crept towards the servant's door, "It means a lot to me."
Morgana snuck forward, peering around corners and down hallways as she and the boy wound their way forward. They reached a staircase and Morgana peered down, watching as guards marched through the Griffin Landing. Once she saw the coast was clear, she led the boy down another set of spiral staircases and pulled back quickly when she heard the echoing steps of the foot soldiers. They waited with baited breath and pounding hearts until the footsteps could no longer be heard and kept going towards the armoury, not noticing when a serving girl saw the two of them sneaking around. They looked along the wall frantically, trying to find the shield that hid the door, and, once Morgana spotted it, she took it off the wall. The nervous boy looked back as she unlocked the door and helped him sneak out through the door and waited for Morgana to climb in and lock it behind her.
"Let's go!" she whispered, grabbing his hand and running along the tunnel as quickly as they could.
"I hope they're OK. Morgana really cares about the boy. I've never seen her this way with anyone." Gwen said as she prepared travel supplies for them.
"I'm sure she just wants to protect him." Merlin said as he nervously paced the his hands over and over in front of him.
"Hmm." Gwen said thoughtfully, watching him closely as he stared off nervously. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" she asked before she could chicken out again.
"Between me and Lady Morgana? Gwen, you must be joking. Even if anything could go on, which it can't because Uther would flay me alive, I'm hardly Morgana's type." he said quickly, making a note to himself that he couldn't see her like that again. For both their sakes.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Gwen muttered to herself quietly as Merlin began pacing once more.
The moment the warning bells began to ring Morgana's heart leapt out of her and the boy ran even quicker to get to Gwen's house. The moment Merlin opened the door for them she and the boy went in, looking frightened.
"There's enough food for three days." Gwen said immediately, handing her the food she'd packed.
"Your horse is fed and watered. I'll take you to it." Merlin said by the door.
"No. There's no point in all of us risking our lives." Morgana said quickly, holding out her hand to stop him as the reality of what was happening began to sink in.
"What about you?" Merlin asked, holding her eyes as he stopped caring about their secret being discovered and letting her see the emotions behind them.
"I'm the King's ward. I'll take my chances." Morgana said, ignoring the way her heart sped up as she looked into his eyes.
"Morgana!" Gwen cried.
"I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to either of you. We must go." she said, finally breaking eye contact with Merlin and looking at Gwen before she turned toward the door and led the boy out.
"Goodbye, Emrys." Merlin heard the boy say telepathically, leaving him with more worries than before.
Morgana and the boy ran through the streets frantically, stopping as they saw Arthur and his men approach through their exit. She looked around and quickly decided to hide in a nearby building with him, rushing to the back and hiding behind a table with a cloth draped over it.
"Fan out." he ordered, not knowing that his friend was the one responsible and acting out his princely duties.
Morgana held the boy close to her as the guards tore the place apart, looking for any sign of them. The two of them made a break for it when she saw a clear path. The path, however, was far from clear: A couple of guards blocked their path forward and made them back up, until the well known sound of a sword being drawn made them stop in their tracks.
"Halt, or I'll run you through. Show yourself." Arthur said in a steady voice as he held the tip to her back; the shock clear on his face the moment he caught a glimpse of her face.
"Let him go. I beg you. He's just a child." she said tearfully, hope rising just below the surface as he contemplated and looked around him.
"Restrain them." he said after realizing he couldn't let them go, turning around before he could see the fear and disappointment in Morgana's eyes.
"All this time, you've been hiding the boy in my own palace. How could you betray me like this?" Uther demanded the following morning in the council chambers from opposite ends of the room.
"I would not see him executed." Morgana argued back vehemently.
"I've treated you like a daughter. Is this how you repay me?" he asked, stepping closer to her slowly.
"I did what I thought was right." she replied simply, her voice hard.
"You think it's right to conspire with my enemies against me?" Uther challenged.
"How can this child be your enemy? He's just a boy." she demanded in a cold voice.
"He is a Druid." Uther answered as if that were answer enough.
"Is that such a crime?" Morgana asked coldly.
"His kind would see me dead and this kingdom returned to anarchy and you would help them." he demanded from her in disbelief.
"Then punish me... but spare the boy. I beg you." she pleaded with big eyes, closing the distance between them
"Make arrangements for the boy to be executed tomorrow morning." Uther ordered his son without a second thought.
"No! Please. He's done nothing." she cried out passionately following him as he walked away.
"Let this be a lesson to you." he said to her, stopping and turning in place.
"You don't have to do this."
"Do you hear me? I want him executed at dawn." he told his son angrily.
"Yes, Father." Arthur said, deciding not to stoke the fire.
"What have these people done to you? Why are you so full of hate?" Morgana asked angrily, following behind him as he stalked away and grabbing his arm to stop him
"Enough!"he said lowly, grabbing her throat and pressing her against the back of his chair. I will not hear another word! Do not speak to me until you are ready to apologise for what you've done." he said, leaving her shaking and staring after him and Arthur as he followed behind.
"I promised that I wouldn't let anything bad happen." Morgana said quietly in a heartbroken voice as she leant against a pillar in her room.
"You can't blame yourself. You tried your best." Merlin told her softly as he stared at the stone walls.
"It's not enough." she declared, making him look up at her tear stained face.
"He's in jail now. There's nothing more we can do." Merlin replied quietly, looking back down to the floor.
"I will not let him die." she said, walking towards him and forcing him to look into her eyes. "Can I count on your help?"
And as Merlin looked into her emerald orbs, all he could do was nod yes, even if the voice in his head, namely Kilgharrah, was telling him to leave it be.
"Thank you." she said with a relieved breath, kissing him gently on the lips before walking away, not noticing how his worried eyes followed after her.
"Perhaps imprisonment is a more suitable punishment for the boy. I mean, he's so young." Arthur said as he and his father walked down a corridor hastily.
"It would allow him to grow more powerful, more dangerous, until he strikes against us." Uther refuted.
"We don't know he's gonna strike against us. He's yet to do anything." Arthur argued back, knowing what killing the boy would mean to Morgana.
"It is enough that his people conspire to overthrow me. This is harsh, but necessary. I take no pleasure in killing the boy." he replied as they continued their way down the corridor.
"Well, then spare him for Morgana's sake. She's clearly grown attached to the boy, and if you execute him I fear she will never forgive you." Arthur said as a last-ditch effort to keep the boy alive.
"I do not seek her forgiveness! She has betrayed me!" Uther responded angrily, stopping and rounding on his son and holding his eye contact as if to end the conversation.
"Yet you're sparing her."Arthur said once he turned back away, pointing out his hypocrisy.
"She has the promise I made her father to thank for that. The boy enjoys no such privilege. He will be executed at dawn. Is that clear?" Uther said, putting an end to the conversation and ordering the last as he continued down the corridor angrily, leaving a thoughtful Arthur in his wake.
"Make yourself at home." Arthur said as he entered his chambers and found her waiting for him at his table, firmly closing the doors behind him and taking off his leather duster.
"You can't let your father execute the boy." Morgana begged him softly with her eyes.
"You're lucky he's not executing you." Arthur replied angrily. "Are you telling me he really was behind the screen when I came to search your chambers?" he asked walking towards her as he untied his sword belt, huffing angrily at her small nod,
"I know you believe your father's wrong to execute him." she told him, watching as he struggled with his belt.
"What I believe doesn't matter. My father's made up his mind. He won't be talked out of it. I tried." he told her, throwing his belt on his bed and grabbing a goblet of wine, walking over to the window.
"Then the time for talking is over." Morgana declared.
"Whatever you're thinking, it's not going to happen." Arthur said, not bothering to turn around.
"We have to get the boy back to his people." she continued, unfazed.
"No. Forget it." Arthur cut her off quickly, turning his head to look at her momentarily before gazing back out the window.
"I can't believe you'd let an innocent child die!" she cried out, looking at him as if he were a stranger as she stood halfway in the shadows of the setting sun.
"It's too late. He's been caught. I have no choice." he said, looking resigned as he uttered the last words.
"And is this how you will rule when you are King? You're not like your father." she said in a silky voice, keeping her eyes on him as he turned away from her and back.
"I will not betray him." he said with finality, looking her in the eyes.
"If I know you at all, you won't stand by and let this happen. Please. If you won't do this for the boy, then do it for me." she begged, walking forward and hoping beyond hope that he would do what she asked of him.
"Okay. Fine. What are we going to do?'" Arthur relented after a few seconds of consideration, knowing he couldn't ;et the boy die for nothing.
"Sorry. Was I interrupting something?"Merlin asked as he opened the door as usual and looked up to see Morgana and Arthur stop their conversation.
"Nothing you need concern yourself with. Go make yourself useful, muck out my horses." Arthur said dismissively.
"I trust Merlin." Morgana said, looking into his eyes and waiting as Arthur waved Merlin in.
"We're going to break the Druid boy out of the dungeons." Arthur said reluctantly, watching in surprise as Merlin reacted immediately.
"You can't do that." he said, panicking as the thought of what the Great Dragon had told him weighed heavily on his shoulders.
"We have to. Uther's going to execute him at dawn." Morgana insisted, looking at him as if he had just betrayed her.
"I mean... It's too dangerous. You've already been caught once, and if the King catches you a second time he'll never forgive you." he corrected, seeing how hurt she'd gotten and walking closer to her without breaking eye contact.
"I'm not worried for myself." Morgana replied, looking him dead in the eye in a challenge.
"Merlin's right." Arthur said, rubbing his chin in consternation. "When my father finds out the boy's escaped, he will suspect you being involved." he said slowly, a plan forming in his mind.
"It's suicide." Merlin agreed.
"You must go to my father and apologise. Dine with him, he cannot hold you responsible if you're with him when the boy escapes." he told Morgana, ignoring her obvious reluctance at doing so.
"You need me if the plan's to work. You can't do this on your own." she said to him, seriously.
"Merlin will take your place." he said, looking right at his manservant.
"Me?" Merlin cried in surprise.
"I'm going to take the boy out through the burial vaults. There's a tunnel that leads beyond the city walls. Get my horse from the stables and meet me there. There's a grate that covers the entrance to the tunnel. Bring a rope and a grappling hook to pull it off." Arthur said as he walked around the table and stood right in front of him, detailing what he was to do.
"No- no, I can't…" Merlin stuttered out, his heart hammering in his chest as Kilgarrah's words floated through his mind repeatedly.
"Merlin. Do you understand? If you're not there to meet us, we'll surely be caught." he told him, letting the gravity of what they were doing hang in the air as he waited for Merlin's confirmation.