Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Prologue:

Merlin’s vision was blocked by the dense fog that surrounded him and the whole castle. The darkness of the night was not of help either. So he slowly made his way through the yard. Then he saw it, the motionless body of Arthur Pendragon and the dark creature that was going to kill him.He held out his hand and mumbled “Astrice” to destroy the gargoyle. After that he ran to Arthur’s side to check if the prince was still alive. Luckily he was.That was when Cedric appeared from out the fog.“Who would’ve believed it? You, a sorcerer, and a powerful one.”, rang Sigan’s cold voice through the silence.“I won’t let you hurt him!”“And you are going to stop me?”, inquired he.That was the point when Merlin rose up and stepped before Sigan, blocking him from Arthur.“I’ll stop you!”“He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave.”“That’s not true!”, his voice did not sound as convincing as it should have.“He cast you aside without a moment’s thought!”“That doesn’t matter!”“But it must hurt… so much, to be so put upon, so overlooked, when all the while you have such power.”, Sigan’s words were like poison.“That’s the way it has to be!”“Does it? You’re young, Merlin. Look inside yourself. You have yet to discover your true power. I can help you! Think, Merlin, to have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are!”“That can never be!”“It can, if you join me. Together we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice. He will kneel at your feet.”“I don’t want that!”, his insecurity turned into confidence. No, he would never want Arthur to kneel to him, let alone to be afraid of him.“You’d rather be a servant?”, Sigan’s voice sounded sneering.“Better to serve a good man than to rule with an evil one!”Sigan’s eyes narrowed and his expression changed to anger. “So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will!” Cedric began to choke and his eyes rolled into his head before he closed them. He reopened his eyes and reached out to Merlin before finally collapsing onto the ground. And after a few moments, Sigan’s soul came out of Cedric’s body and was moving to Merlin, who started to speak the spell the dragon gave him:“Ic thin sawol her beluce. Abide thaet ic the aly-….”, Sigan’s soul ever so slowly forcing its way into Merlin’s body.As Cedric before, now Merlin collapses to the ground. His body began to jerk uncontrollably and he felt Sigan slowly taking control of his body and mind. With all the power he still had, Merlin tried to fight him, but when he reopened his eyes, they were blacker than the deepest night.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As soon as it was possible for him, Gaius ran out in the yard. Everywhere lay pieces of statues, dead bodies and a heavy fog surrounded him.Gaius looked around, trying to make out anything in this godforsaken fog.“Merlin?”, he called out.No answer came, so he went slowly and ever so carefully on, trying to find his foster son. Suddenly he could make out a dark silhouette walking out of the mist. His first impulse was to run, but he hesitated. The silhouette turned out to be Merlin, but he was acting awkwardly.“Merlin?”, Gaius inquired.“Not quite!”, his foster son answered.That was when Merlin lifted his head and Gaius was able to make out the black eyes. A nasty grin covered the boy’s face, a grin so unlike Merlin.“What do you mean?”“Oh foolish Gaius, do you not recognize me?”“Sigan!”, he said shocked.Sigan laughed a cheerless laughter. “That’s right. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a king to kill and a kingdom to conquer!” Before Gaius was able to react, Sigan had said his spell and he was sent flying across the whole yard against a solid wall made of stone, knocked out unconscious.  Sigan’s gaze followed the flying Gaius till he hit the fall and fell unconscious. It felt good to be free again. It felt good to finally have a body who could host him properly. Of course this body was thin, frail and did not look like much, but with all the magic it contained, he felt more powerful than ever before.“Oh Merlin, we could have been great together. Actually we ARE great together, but you know what I mean. It is just a pity that you won’t rule by my side. It’s a waste, a waste of natural talent!”
“Get out of my body!”
“I don’t think that will happen anytime soon! Or anytime at all!”, he started moving. “You will be my servant for all eternity!”He stopped before the stone that recently has held his soul.“I don’t think this will be of any use now!”He raised his arm and concentrated on the stone. The stone shattered in thousand tiny pieces, some of them so small that the upcoming wind could pick them up and scatter them all around the land.“And now let’s pay Uther a little visit, shall we?”
“NO!”
Before Sigan could add anything a groan resounded from behind him.He turned around and looked for the source of the sound. He spotted the prince who was still laying on the ground.“Ah, almost forgot about him! Now, what shall we do with him?” Arthur groaned again, before he shifted and lightly got up. His gaze landed on Merlin and stayed there.“Merlin? What are you doing here?”, suddenly Arthur’s eyes widened in horror, “The sorcerer! Where is he? Is he dead? Has he fled? Tell me!”“You will not give me any orders!”, Sigan spat.Arthur’s expression went from puzzled to shocked and than to angered. “Have you forgotten who is before you?”, Arthur got up completely, “You better remember your place, your place as my servant!”“Your servant?! I am not your servant! I am your master now!”, Sigan spat.“Merlin!”, Arthur growled in a warning manner. “One more word and I’ll promise you, I’ll-““You will do nothing, for I have the power here, prince of Camelot! You should be grateful that your precious little servant ‘Merlin’ is still fighting with me, or you would already be dead!”, Sigan yelled! If Arthur was too shocked to answer of if he could simply not believe what he was just told, Merlin couldn’t say, he just knew, one wrong move and Arthur would be dead!Sigan took a few steps toward Arthur, who in return grabbed his sword and hold it up!“I don’t know what is wrong with you, but if you’ll come any closer, you will regret it!”“Ah, the prince has found his voice again!”, Sigan mocked.“Arthur!”, someone yelled.Sigan turned around and spotted Uther Pendragon who was running toward them, ten to twenty men behind him. Sigan narrowed his eyes and stepped in Uther’s way. The king stopped abruptly.“Get out of my way, boy!”“I am not a boy and I will not follow your orders, Uther Pendragon! Oh no, you will follow my rules, for I am the new king of Camelot!”Uther’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You will not speak to me like this!”He draws his sword but before he was able to do anything more, it went flying to the ground, far out of Uther’s reach.“What…”, Uther and his son said in unison while their men stumbled a few steps back.“You all will bow before your new master and king, Cornelius Sigan!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“What are talking about, servant? That is nojoke.”, Uther hesitated, “but it seems that Cornelius Sigan was not the only sorcerer here… kill him!”  The knights stepped forward, but before anyone of them could come near him, they started to scream and held their heads in pain.Their screams echoed from the debris field around them and Uther, as well as his son, could only stare in shock at the spectacle before them.Soon the screams fall silent and the soldiers straightened up again, their gaze empty and forlorn. “What are you waiting for? Kill him already!”, Uther shouted.A grin appeared on Merlin’s face. “They are under my control now, Pendragon and so will Camelot.”“Not if can help it.”“What will you do against me? You weren’t able to stop me when I was in this miserable body of the thief, but now, I am unstoppable.”, Sigan laughed.“Father, I believe that Sigan took control over Merlin’s body!”, Arthur suddenly said.“The prince has figured it finally out.”, Sigan sneered and turned to the knights instead, “Imprison them and make sure that nobody escapes. Bring the other knights in the throne room, either they will bow before me, or I’ll force them to.” The soldiers bowed before the grabbed Uther and his son, dragging them back to the castle.“Don’t forget Gaius over there!”, Sigan motioned to the still unconscious body.Gaius’ body was picked up by two soldiers and they also left Sigan back.“That was easier than I thought, almost too easy!”
“You bastard!”
“Such bad words from you… but tell me, wasn’t it great to see the great Uther Pendragon and his son, tremble before us? Wasn’t it great to see the soldiers obey you, without questioning your order?"
“You have enchanted them. Of course they would have obeyed without arguing!”
“Oh Merlin, why don’t you understand, why can’t you see that those who are blessed with this talent, should rule this world? Why do we have to hide from people like Uther, who are afraid and who blame us for something that actually was their own doing?”No answer came, so Sigan went on: “Merlin, ask yourself. Has Arthur ever thanked you for something you did for him? He didn’t right? He saw it as a matter of course… Tell me, what you think he would have done, if he had discovered your talent. He would have killed you! You, a more powerful being than he will ever be! Do you understand what I want to tell you?”I understand that you want to cloud my mind and judgement. People like you are the reasons for the people to fear us; this fact remains, and it is too late to change that now. Besides, you don't know anything about me or Arthur, so stop pretending to know things you have no clue about!" “You are insufferable… I should make sure you won’t say another word for the rest of your miserable existence as my servant!” With that Sigan followed the soldiers back inside and went right to the throne room, where all of Camelot’s fighters were awaiting him. The enchanted men stood at the door, blocking the way. Some of the others turned around and looked quizzically at him, as Sigan entered.“What is going on, servant? Where is the king?”, one of them eventually asked.Sigan sighed: “How often do I have to repeat myself today…? I am not a servant. I am Cornelius Sigan, your new king! Uther Pendragon and his family of his, are in prison now and will stay there, for all eternity to come.”The soldiers were muttering while Sigan stepped towards the throne, sitting down on it.“Since I am in a good mood, I will give you a choice.”, he started and the room went silent again, “Either you bow before me, or  you will see what I am capable of!” A few immediately went to their knees, the rest drew their swords.“We will never bow before a false king or a sorcerer!”, on of the braver men shouted.“You will have to kill us!”“I don’t think that will be necessary!”, Sigan raised his arms again, his eyes glowing and those who wanted to find mere moments ago, let their swords fall to the ground and followed these who were still kneeling, bowing their head to the new king of Camelot.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 3:
Soon Arthur found himself in a locked cell, together with Gaius. His father had been taken to another cell, deeper into the dungeons. It didn’t take long for Gaius to awake and Arthur immediately jumped to his side. “Sir?”, asked Gaius in confusion, “What happened?”“I had hoped that you could answer me this question.”, the young prince retorted.Gaius took a moment to collect his thoughts until the incident with Merlin came rushing back to his mind. He abruptly stood up, eyes wide in shock and realisation.“Merlin! He is possessed by Sigan! Where is he now?”“Probably in the throne room, making our knight to his puppets.”“This is bad. With Sigan back, nobody can guess what will happen. Even back in his time he was a crazy man, who wanted nothing more than gain power and immortality.”“I figured that much out. The remaining question is, what we are going to do about it.”“I fear I have no answer to that, my prince.”“We should start with freeing you.”, sounded a female voice from the other side of the locked wooden door.Gaius and Arthur immediately rushed to the door. The little slit for the guards was opened and the face of Morgana and Gwen appeared.“Lady Morgana, you shouldn’t be here. If the guard catch you-““The guards are currently in the throne room, getting their orders from Merlin.”, answered Gwen.“What is happening? Why is Merlin acting so strange and why are you locked in the cells?”, questioned Morgana.“Long story short, the wizard Cornelius Sigan is controlling Merlin’s body and forces him to do these things.”The women nodded in understanding. “We should get you out of here first.”“No, don’t!”, Gaius earned three pairs of confused glances for that, “Take the keys for this cell, but don’t free us yet. We have to wait until we have worked on our plan, because as soon as Sigan find out that we are missing, all our efforts will be for nothing.” The others nodded in agreement.“We will deliver you the newest information and visit you as often as possible.”, Morgana said.“What about my father, shouldn’t we include him as well?”“I am not sure if this is a good idea.”, Morgana started carefully.“King Uther’s judgement might be prejudiced and his actions will be rash and without much thought. It would be highly unwise to consult the king now.”, Gaius added.Suddenly the sound of an opening door could be heard.“We have to go!”, Gwen said.“Be careful!”, called Arthur after the retreating women.“We will. Make sure that you stay safe as well.” Shortly after that, a guard with food appeared.“Forgive us, my prince, but we had no choice but to bow to him. We knew he would have enchanted us otherwise and we can help you like this at least.”“Good to know that at least the knights of Camelot stay loyal.”“We live to serve Camelot and our king and prince!”, the knight laid his hand over his heart and bowed his head.“Inform the rest of the knight to act as if Sigan were Camelot’s true king. He shall not become suspicious. Also tell them that we are already developing a plan.”The guard nodded once more, before he left again.“You have something in mind to get us out of this misery, Sir?”“Actually I had hoped you would have come up with something so far, Gaius.”“I fear not.”Arthur sighed. “We should rest and continue tomorrow.”Gaius had no other choice but to comply.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Neither Arthur nor Gaius knew how long they had been locked away in the cells; they soon had lost count of the days. The only faces they got to see were the guards who brought them food and informed them about Sigan’s doings. It seemed as if Sigan was planning on contacting other wizards and witches to Camelot. The people of Camelot were suspicious of Sigan, but he had yet to give them a reason to doubt him, except the conquering of the throne of course. One of the guards had told them, that Sigan was going to win the trust of the people, before he would kill every last one of them. He planned on making Camelot a fest of witchcraft and wizardry and it should be the centre from where the world would be conquered.
 Today however, the guards didn’t stop to talk, but instead rushed to Uther’s cell and lead the man out of it. Uther protested, but was quickly silenced with a gag and the knights lead him away.“What are they doing?”, asked Arthur more to himself than to Gaius.“I fear Sigan is making his next move…”, Gaius answered nevertheless.Gaius looked at the older man. Neither of them had rested well the last few days. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes and Arthur was sure that both of them had already lost some weight. He was also sure that Gaius wouldn’t survive such a bad treatment for very long and should Merlin ever return to his normal self again, he would be more than crushed over the lost.“What is that supposed to mean?”“I have already wondered why he let Uther live that long.”, Gaius trailed off and Arthur looked at him with a mixture of horror and shock.“He cannot do that?”“Who will stop him?”“We will!”, another voice sounded and a few moments later, Morgana and Gwen’s face appeared.“What are you doing here?”, questioned Arthur.“We are getting you out of here of course!”, answered Gwen.“Sigan is planning to execute Uther tomorrow morning and we have to stop him, before it’s too late. A lot of other magical creatures will be present then.”, Morgana informed them while opening the cell.Gaius and Arthur immediately stepped out, while the latter helped the older man.“What are we going to do and where are we going?”, asked Arthur.The women exchanged a questioning looked and Arthur groaned.“You do not even have made a plan?”, he asked in disbelief.“We had hoped you would come up with something…”Before either of them could answer, Gaius quickly interfered: “I might have an idea, but you have to fully trust me!”The two women and Arthur looked unsure and shared a silent conversation before they eventually nodded. Gaius straightened himself and was able to stand on his own again.“Quick then.”, he said and motioned for the others to follow him. The four soon found themselves in a cold and damp cave. Morgana and Gwen looked around curiously while Arthur’s eyes were fixed on a heavy chain that was embattled on a rock in the middle of a cave.“What is this place and why are we here?”, the young prince eventually inquired.“We are here to see somebody.”, was the simple reply from Gaius.The words had just left Gaius mouth, when the rattling of the chain and something that sounded like the slapping of wings could be heard throughout the cave.Morgana and Gwen drew back with a shriek when the great flying reptile landed on the rock and Arthur just grabbed for his sword that wasn’t there. Gaius stood his ground and looked into the dragon’s eyes.“See who is here.”, the dragon’s voice echoed in the cave, “Gaius, the prince, the lady Morgana and her servant.”“Gaius, what is that supposed to mean?”, questioned Arthur with a hint of irritation and anger in his voice.“This, my prince, is our only hope of saving Merlin.”“Otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you.”, the dragon said and Gaius companions just gazed in disbelief.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“So, am I correct in my assumptions, when I say that Sigan possesses Merlin’s body and his power?” The dragon asked.“I can’t believe we are talking to a dragon. A dragon who lives under Camelot nonetheless.” Morgana wheezes out.“And I cannot believe that I am talking to the prince’s half sister, who is also a witch.”“Watch your… snout, dragon!” Arthur interfered.“I am merely speaking the truth, but you can ask Uther about it, if you want.” He turned once more to Morgana, “Can’t you see it? The dreams you are having, are actually no dreams and Gaius knows this. You dreams are actually visions, mostly of the future, a rare gift, even among warlocks and witches.”“Gaius?” Morgana asked unsure.“I fear that he speaks the truth.” “Why haven’t you told me that?”“That’s not important now!” Athur quickly interfered, before it could escalate. “We can discuss everything later, for now we have to focus on saving Camelot.”“And Merlin!” Gwen added.The two men and two women turned to gaze at the dragon, who rested relatively comfortable on the big rock. He was watching the humans with a mixture of amusement and another unreadable expression.“Saving Camelot and saving the young warlock. That won’t be easy.”Arthur suddenly huffed: “What is it you want in return? Spit it out, dragon.”The dragon unfolded his wings and began laughing, causing Arthur and his companions to exchange uncertain and confused looks.“Now I know why the young warlock admires you so much, young prince. Well then, everything I require of you is, to remind Merlin of his promise towards me.”“Wait, Merlin talked to you?” Gaius asked.“Of course he did. His destiny and mine are almost as tightly connected, as his and prince Arthur’s.“Merlin’s and mine fate are connected?”“But of course, prince Arthur. You are destined to become a great king, who allows magic back into Camelot and Merlin is destined to save you from every danger.”“After all this I am not sure about letting magic back into Camelot.” Arthur murmured more to himself than to the others, but Kilgharrah caught it nevertheless.“Why do you think so much is happening around Camelot? Everything happens for a purpose, prince Arthur, and a lot of magic creatures see only one option to bring magic back and that is killing Uther. Allow magic and matters will eventually settle down, I am sure of it. Even though, I cannot deny that there will always be dark forces, but Merlin has defeated everything that threatened you so far, why should he stop with that now, unless you gave him a reason to.”Arthur didn’t hesitate at all when he said: “I am not thinking less of Merlin. He remains my servant and if he was to kill me, he would have already done so. He already had a lot of opportunities to do so.”“Wise words from a kind soul.” Kilgharrah responded.“Now tell us, how can we save Merlin?” Arthur demanded.“Ah, at first you have to find a vessel to capture Sigan’s soul. You also need a wizard or a witch,” The dragon looked at Morgana, “to speak the spell. But it won’t be as easy as it sounds. Sigan alone is powerful, but with Merlin’s powers he will be almost unstoppable, somebody has to distract him, while the spell is casted.”“How are we going to distract him?” Gwen asked.“Sigan had always a weak spot for beautiful women.” Gaius mumbled and all eyes turned towards Gwen.“I am only doing this, because of Merlin.” She said and the others nodded in agreement.“Freeing the king could also help creating a distraction. We all know Uther and his temper, it could create a great distraction, but could also provide to things to get harder. No doubt he would be going head on into a fight with Sigan, threatening not only his life, but yours as well.” Kilgharrah explained.“My father should stay in the cell, at least he is save there.”The dragon growled: “Your father has to disappear one way or the other or Camelot will never be a place of magic and harmony.”“We will see about that.”“Do you really think that you can change the king’s mind?”“I know my father better than you do, dragon!”Kilgharrah rose up and roared in anger: “So much potential, but too naïve and young to use it. Uther is a terrible man, a tyrant and I do not need to be a magical creature to know that he will kill the young warlock as soon as he gets his dirty hands on him, but do not expect me to stand by then.”With that the dragon unfolded his wings and left four shaken persons alone.“This could have gone better, but also worse!” Gaius eventually said.“But what about the spell?” Morgana asked.“Get a proper vessel and I will give you the spell!” Sounded a voice from above and with that the four companions left.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Do you think the dragon spoke the truth?” Morgana mumbled towards the prince, who was carefully and silent walking ahead of her.“I do not know… it all sounds so unbelievable. I mean, you and me brother and sister?” the prince answered.Morgana nodded her agreement, “We definitely need to speak to the king and to Gaius after this.”Arthur merely nodded and together they continued their way towards the treasure halls of Camelot. Luckily for them the only guards who spotted them saluted at their prince and turned another direction until the two companions had passed them.“It seems that the soldiers are still loyal to you!”“I just hope it remains this way,” Arthur said while they passed another pair of guards, who bowed and then promptly looked away again.It didn’t take them long to reach their destiny and they eventually entered the great halls, which held the most beautiful treasures Camelot held. Together they roamed the seemingly endless shelves with expensive and shining treasures, but they had to find anything of use yet.“I cannot believe how much useless things the king hoards!” Morgana exclaimed.“It wouldn’t be useless, if the king used these things to feed the poor and to expand and build up Camelot,” Arthur expressed his opinion and then turned his attention back to a sapphire he was holding in his hands. “What about this one?”Morgana laid the shield she had been holding back to its place and stepped next to the prince to take a good look at the stone Arthur was presenting her. He was about the same size as the jewel that had trapped Sigan’s soul and it’s midnight blue colour would surely attract the wizard’s attention.“Yes, that should work… Wrap it up and let us return to Gaius.”Arthur nodded in agreement and they hurried back. Meanwhile Gwen had stepped into the throne room where she was greeted by the side of her friend Merlin, who lazily lounged on Uther’s throne commending the knights. His attention turned to her for a moment, a predatory smile appeared on his lips and he swiftly ushered the knights away, before standing up from the throne and making his way towards Gwen. Gwen took a deep breath, the man before her may look like Merlin, but he was a corrupt and dangerous man and she knew if she made a mistake, it would be her last. She had only this one chance, and she would do her best. Gaius was nervously pacing on the small platform in the cave, impatiently awaiting the return of Prince Arthur and Lady Morgana.“Your mindless pacing is destroying my calmness,” a voice from above said and a moment later the dragon landed back on his rock.Gaius sighed, “I am worrying about Merlin.”The dragon hummed, “His destiny is not one of a slave, but of a great wizard, who brings the magic back to Camelot. Do not doubt the young warlock or his companions.”“It is not that I doubt them, but Sigan is a powerful enemy that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”“I agree with you, Gaius, but Sigan is older and weaker than you remember him. That is the reason why he needs Merlin and his abilities in the first place,” Kilgharrah explained patiently.“What if the plan fails?” Gaius asked, looking his age.“Then I shall save the young warlock from Sigan’s clutches and if it means killing him.” Gaius gasped, but Kilgharrah ignored him, “Merlin wouldn’t want somebody else to control his body, nor would he want his friends to get hurt. He is a brilliant boy and I know he would want us to stop Sigan by all means necessary!”Gaius nodded slowly. “Then let’s just hope it will not come to this.”Before the mighty dragon could reply anything, the sound of two pairs of feet could be heard.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“We found a vessel!” Arthur greeted Gaius once he stepped through the entry into the cave, Morgana right behind them.“Let me see it,” Kilgharrah’s voice sounded through the cave and the two newcomers startled for a moment, they hadn’t noticed that the great dragon was awaiting them on his rock.Arthur hesitantly stepped forward and from his pocket he took the sapphire, whose sparkling colour reflected in the dragon’s eyes. Kilgharrah looked at the stone for a moment, before his gaze returned two the three humans before him.“Very well then, this should work. Step forward Morgana La Fey.”Morgana hesitated, but Arthur and Gaius encouraged her by nodded their heads. The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She would do this for Merlin, who had helped her countless times. When she reopened her eyes, her gaze rested on the dragon, who calmly returned her gaze and with sure steps, she marched towards the platform’s edge.“Close your eyes and concentrate on what I am about to tell you.”Morgana did as she was told and Gaius and Arthur watched as the dragon rose to his full height and took a deep breath through his nostrils. For a moment Arthur feared the dragon would blow fire and that Morgana would burn to death, but then the dragon released his breath and what seemed to be like dust that surrounded Morgana for a moment, before it disappeared. Morgana slowly exhaled the breath she did not know she had held and turned to Arthur and Gaius, who both watched her with worry and curiosity.“I know what to do!” she eventually said.“When I first heard of you, your future was surrounded by darkness and death, but now I see a light that is growing,” the dragon spoke up. “I admit that I once told Merlin to get rid of you and the droid boy, Morgause, but now I hope that Merlin’s view on you was right. No matter what I said and revealed to him, he wouldn’t believe you would fall to the darkness that Sigan has succumbed to and I am starting to believe he was right. Your path lays ahead of you and the future is always in motion, but remember, Morgana La Fey, you are your on life’s smith.”The three humans looked surprised at the dragon’s confession and Morgana was the first to gain control over herself again. She once more stepped before the dragon, her gaze never wavering.“Merlin is a very good and dear friend to me. When he believes in me, then I shall never break that trust,” she vowed and Kilgharrah nodded his head in approval. She then turned to Arthur and Gaius, “We have to go now!”With one last look at the giant reptile, the three of them scrambled their way up again and slowly made their way towards the throne room, hoping Gwen was alright and that their plan would work. Gwen had meanwhile gained the full attention of the wizard, who tried to win her favour by promising her a place by his side. She knew they were mere words, but Gwen acted as she believed them, yet she also played hard to get what seemed to encourage the evil wizard even more.Merlin could only watch helpless, he knew that his friends were up to something, without a doubt under the care of Gaius, yet he couldn’t help but worry deeply for their safety. Sigan was oblivious to Merlin’s conflict and the doors to the throne room that opened and the three figures that stepped through it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The guards in the throne room were torn between their loyalty to the prince and Sigan’s spell that surprisingly had weakened Arthur and his followers had entered. The prince gaze landed on the motionless guards, before settling on the back of his servant, who had cornered Gwen. She didn’t look very pleased by the situation, but played her part perfectly and Arthur felt a tilt of jealously curse through him but soon pushed it aside. He had other, more important things to worry about.Arthur silently motioned for Morgana to prepare herself and he handed Gaius the sapphire. The two of them quickly scrambled towards the opposite corners of the room, their eyes never leaving Merlin’s body, whereas Arthur was approaching Sigan. Merlin had sensed Gaius, Morgana and Arthur way before they entered the throne room and his heart had started pumping violently at the thought of his friend putting themselves in danger to save him. In his current condition he couldn’t do much to help them, he couldn’t even call out to them, but he tried everything in his power to mask the appearance of the three and to loosen Sigan’s grip on the guards. Not enough to let Sigan notice, but enough for the guards to fight against the control. Sigan was meanwhile completely oblivious; his focus lay solemnly on Gwen, who was doing an incredible job at seducing the wizard. It was almost laughable that Sigan’s greatest weaknesses were his arrogance and women and Merlin would have laughed, if it hadn’t blown up his friend’s plan. “Sigan!” Arthur eventually called out, startling said wizard before he turned around, his eyebrows raised.“Look who has come to join us. It’s Prince Arthur in flesh and blood… Tell me Prince, how did you escape that cell?”“Not everybody and everything is loyal to you, Sigan!”The wizard’s eyes narrowed in anger and he slightly turned to glance behind him at Gwen, who held her head high and he glanced back at wizard. To their surprise Sigan shook his head and started laughing.“You really think this pitiful excuse of a plan will stop me?” his eyes wandered to Morgana and Gaius. “You are even more a fool than I anticipated!”He suddenly raised his arm and his eyes started to glow gold.“Watch out, he is about to cast a spell!” Gaius exclaimed, but it was already too late. Flames emerged out of air and caged the Prince and his comrades.“You cannot stop me! Neither of you can, is this really so hard to understand? I mean, even Merlin understood it. Just give up and surrender to me”“Never!” the four companions said in unison.Sigan rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically before his golden eyes rested back on the Princes face. “Is this really your last word?” they nodded, “Then so be it! I shall send you all to the deepest parts of hell.”A wicked smile appeared on Merlin’s face and not only Arthur’s gut twisted in disgust. The wizard’s arm rose and Sigan was speaking words in a, to Arthur, foreign language. But before he was able to finish, his face twisted in confusion and his body froze.“What is happening?” Arthur asked, but his companions could only shrug and look as Sigan fell to his knees, hands clutching his head as if he were in great pain.A painful moan escaped the wizard’s mouth, “Whatever you have planned, do it or kill me. Now! I cannot keep control for much longer.” The voice was Merlin’s and at first the four fighters were too shocked to move, but as soon as the flames around them lowered, Arthur shouted, “Morgana, do it now!”Morgana’s eyes widened for a moment and she looked first at Arthur and then to the still kneeling form of Merlin. She was surprised that she could feel the changed aura around the younger man, as if something was fighting to break free from its cave. The young woman took a deep breath, closed her eyes and raised her hands that held Sigan’s new vessel and then she started mumbling the words the dragon had given her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A strange feeling surrounded Morgana, she felt as if her whole body tickled, but it was not unpleasant. The strange feeling moved in circles to her body, but soon wandered to her still outstretched hands and almost manifested there. If this was magic flowing in her veins, she could easily get used to it, the young woman decided.Morgana was so enthralled by this new sensation that she didn't not hear anything around her, only when another aura, much darker than her own, moved towards her, did she dare to open her eyes. A cloud of black smoke was flying towards her and the vessel in her hands greedily accepted it. She could have sworn she heard curses coming from the smoke, but she couldn't be sure, especially since no one else seemed to notice it. She then let her eyes wander along the smoke and her gaze soon rested on its source.Merlin was still kneeling on the floor, but he did not move, he did not even seem to breathe. His eyes were wide open, as was his mouth and from seemingly every pore of his body escaped the black smoke, Sigan's essence as Morgana suddenly realised.It looked gruesome and painful, yet Morgana could not take her eyes of the motionless body of her friend and apparently neither could her comrades. After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke coming from Merlin’s body ceased and Morgana allowed herself to take a reassuring breath when the last of it vanished in the vessel and stayed there. The tickling sensation had eased and she distantly felt the magic flow back to its original place, waiting to be summoned once again.Merlin however still kneeled on the floor, his mouth and eyes had closed and his chin rested on his chest and before either of them could do or say anything, the young man suddenly collapsed and laid motionless on the ground.“Merlin!” exclaimed Gaius and Arthur in unison, but before Gaius could move, Arthur was already kneeling by the wizard’s side and carefully manoeuvring him so that Merlin rested against the Prince’s chest.“Come on you damn idiot, stop being useless and wake up!” Arthur almost screamed when Merlin still gave no sign of living.Now Gaius had reached the two men’s side as well and carefully checked if Merlin’s heart was still beating and if he was still breathing. When he looked up from his task, Gaius found himself staring in three worries pairs of eyes.“Is he alright?” Gwen asked breathless.Gaius lowered first his eyes and then his head, unable to form any words, but the gesture was understood nonetheless.“Can we not do something? Anything?” Morgana asked.“I fear not even magic can help Merlin at this point…” Gaius whispered.“Arthur?” Gwen asked suddenly and Gaius and Morgana’s gaze wandered to the Prince who had stayed silent after his outburst. The blonde wore an unreadable expression while he looked down at Merlin, who looked as if he was merely sleeping peacefully. He then lowered his head so that his mouth was next to the warlock’s ear and he whispered so that no one except Merlin could hear him, “Merlin, come back… I know you can hear me. You can’t die, I… I still need you and… and I never thanked you for all your help and guidance. Granted, I didn’t know that it was you, but still… We still have to talk about you not telling me everything, you know and I am not going to let you get away from this! Come back Merlin, I know you can do it.”Arthur straightened again and his companions exchanges sad gazes. They may not have heard what Arthur had said, but they still knew what he had been saying. A few moments of silence passed and nobody dared to move, while Arthur still held the dark haired male close to his chest with Gaius kneeling and the two women standing close.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur was about to lose all the hope he desperately clung to, when he suddenly felt the man in his arms move slightly. At first he blinked, thinking that it had been his mind playing horrible tricks on him, but then he felt the movement again. Not a moment later and a pained grunt was heard and as one, four pairs of eyes landed on the wizard’s face, who slowly came back to his senses. Merlin groaned once more and ever so slowly blinked his eyes open. Morgana and Gwen hugged each other, close to tears of joy and even the normally stoic Gaius wiped suspiciously at his eyes. Arthur could only smile gladly and he silently thanked whoever would listen that his best comrade and friend was still alive.“Arthur?” a tiny voice said and blue eyes, not black ones, looked questioningly up at the blonde Prince.Arthur nodded ones, “It’s about time you idiot woke up!”Merlin blinked confused, “What?”The Prince huffed, “How dare you scare us like that, especially after all we’ve been through to save that unthankful ass of yours.”To the others’ surprise, Merlin chuckled lightly, “It’s good to see you well too, Arthur.” The Prince huffed again, but his eyes shone with joy and humour. Someone clearing his throat caught their attention, “I don’t like to interrupt this… reunion, Sir, but what about the king?” The guard, apparently Sigan’s control over them had vanished, shuffled nervously and looked embarrassed and shamed.“Get him out of his cell, but be cautious he will not be in high spirit,” Arthur warned the guard, who nodded in return and left with two other knights the room. A movement brought the Prince’s attention back to the young man in his arms, who was slowly sitting up. Arthur and Gaius quickly supported him.“How are you feeling?” inquired Gwen gently.“My limbs feel numb and still a little dizzy, but it will pass,” Merlin answered truthfully, knowing he couldn’t hide anything from Gaius, “But tell me, how are you and how did you beat Sigan? Where is he by the way?”Morgana held the vessel up in answer to his last question, “The dragon gave me the needed spell.”Merlin nodded and then his eyes went wide and he looked in shock and awe at the woman before him, “You spoke to Kilgharrah?”It took a moment for the others to remember that this was the dragon’s true name.“Yes, I feared that he was our only hope and he was willing to help us,” Gaius answered and Merlin turned his eyes to his guardian and surrogate father.“You all went to him?” Merlin inquired hesitantly, not knowing I he wanted to know the answer.“Yes!” Arthur retorted bitterly.“Arthur, I… I am sorry.” Merlin bowed his head and looked miserable.“I cannot believe you lied to me!” the Prince snapped.“Technically I didn’t lie to you… you never asked after all,” Merlin answered lamely and flinched when he looked up and into the Prince’s furious eyes.“You still kept it a secret from me!” the Prince stood up and was shouting now.Merlin followed a little slower, “I was afraid!”“Afraid? Why the hell would you be afraid of me?” Arthur demanded.“Boys, I do not think this is the right time for this,” Gwen tried to interfere, but the two men ignore her.“How could I not?” Merlin countered, “I was a wizard in a kingdom where every kind of magic was forbidden and would be punished with death and top of that I was the servant of the son of the greatest tyrant i have ever met.”“My father is no tyrant,” Arthur’s voice was dangerously low now.“That’s exactly the reason why I never told you,” Merlin sounded desperately and took a step away from the Prince, who felt guilty at that, “Try to see it from my view. Uther is killing and destroying every little ounce of magic, why should he have done differently with me? Because I am his son’s servant? Actually that would be more of a reason for him to kill me. I am standing right at his heart after all and could easily kill you from my position.”“But you didn’t.”“Do you really think he would care about that?” Merlin looked utterly crestfallen now and Arthur suddenly felt conflicted. His father had always told him that magic creatures could never be trusted, the best example was currently in Morgana’s hands, but then again there were Morgana and Merlin. Two people he trusted with his life. Did he have really have to chose between Merlin and his own father in the end?“Sometimes it is better to led fate decide,” Merlin suddenly said and brought Arthur out of his musings. The other gave him quizzically looks.“Were you reading my mind?” Arthur asked with a hint of fear in his voice.Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head, a small smile toying at his lips, “I cannot read minds, but I could see it in your eyes.”“You don’t want me to choose you?” Arthur asked baffled.“I do… but I will not force an opinion on you, nor is it my right to force you to choose.”Arthur took a moment to let the words sink in and he eventually opened his mouth to answer, but before any words could escape his throat, the door opened with a bang and they were interrupted by the arrival of a furious and mad looking Uther Pendragon.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“What is going on here? Where is the wizard?” the king demanded, but then his eyes fell on Merlin’s form and he aggressively dashed forward.Merlin took instinctively a step back, he knew what Uther would do, but to his surprise, Arthur stepped protectively between him and his father.“Arthur, what is the meaning of this?”“Father, the wizard is no longer controlling my servant’s body, there is no reason for any rash actions,” the Prince tried to soothe the king and Merlin felt very grateful even though he knew it would be in vain.“You cannot prove this, besides, the boy is a sorcerer and he will be punished for his crimes!” the king shouted in his son’s face, but Arthur did not move.“Punished for his crimes? What crimes, father? Merlin did not do anything.”“He was in contact with a sorcerer and you knew the punishment for it.”“Father,” Arthur started to protest, but he was interrupted by Merlin’s laughter. Worried, confused and shocked the Prince turned around to the dark haired man, who stretched out his hand and almost touched Arthur’s face with it.“I think it is time to end my spell, but let this be a warning, Uther Pendragon, you will yield!”Arthur stared confused at his companion, who returned the questioning gaze almost bored.“Trust me on this, Arthur. It will do neither of us any good, if he locks you up… I need you to be free,” a voice in Arthur’s head said and the Prince immediately identified it as Merlin’s.“So you can read minds?” Arthur growled between gritted teeth so that only Merlin could hear him. The young warlock winked, but then his face turned serious again and he stepped carefully away from everybody.“You are going to die, sorcerer, there is no way out of this.”Merlin chuckled again, this time in amusement, “What are you going to do? You had no chance against Sigan, you had no chance against any of the magic creatures that attacked and threatened Camelot and you expect to have a chance against me? You have no idea who I am; in fact you have no idea about anything that has to do with magic.” For a moment Merlin’s eyes shone golden.“I know enough about magic, to know that I know it is dangerous and destructive!” Uther shouted. He had taken the sword from one his guards now and stepped closer and closer towards Merlin. Arthur, Gaius, Gwen and Morgana could only watch; partly in fear and shock and partly because they were curious to find out to what the dark haired man was up to.“Magic is a wonderful thing! It can heal, repair and help. Of course there are those who misuse it, but everything has its dark sides.” Arthur was surprised how calm his friend remained.“These are the lies of a sorcerer who seeks the destruction of Camelot!”“If I wanted to destroy Camelot, I would have killed Arthur as soon as you made me his servant. If I wanted to destroy Camelot, I would have freed Kilgharrah, the dragon you held captive and let him burn everything down so that only ashes would remain. If I wanted, I mean if I truly wanted to destroy Camelot,” he slightly tilted his head, “I wouldn’t have risked my backside to save it time and time again!”“Liar!” Uther was beyond any reason now.Merlin shook his head, his eyes met with Arthur’s, who looked worried and stared confused at his friend.“Don’t worry about me! Pretend as if you had been under my control, if you need to… please, don’t do anything rush, because Camelot will fall if we are not cautious.” Arthur asked himself what Merlin was referring to. “Sigan has assembled a lot of magical creatures that are going to attack Camelot and the crone soon. I pan on assembling my own comrades, but I need time and space. Meet me in the forest in a few days and don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’ll find me. I’ll explain everything else there.”Arthur nodded briefly, he had trusted this man before and he would do so now. Merlin gave him a small smile, while Uther was shouting at his men to surround Merlin.“Now, sorcerer, it is time to surrender and to die. You are outnumbered and there is no escape for you.” Merlin turned his gaze back to Uther, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were gold. He opened his mouth and shouted, “O, Dragarn! E male, soi ftengometta tesd'hup anakess! Erkheo! Non intende karg e massaed fulacson!“Nothing seemed to happen and everybody, except Gaius whose eyes were wide in shock, looked quizzically at Merlin.“Seems that your sorcery had left you, wizard,” Uther mocked, Merlin just grinned in return.Not a moment later, a deafening roar shook the castle.“Apparently it has not left me after all.”Uther looked shocked at the male before him, he knew what was happening. Right then the wall to Merlin’s right was shattered and the present could just see the scaly tail of a gigantic flying reptile.“If you all excuse me, I have business to attend to.” Merlin gave a last cocky smile and jumped out of the damaged wall, right onto the dragon’s back.Uther dashed to the opening as well, intending to follow, but the dragon had already manoeuvred himself out of Uther’s reach.“You will regret this, wizard!” he shouted over the dragon’s roar that sounded suspiciously like laughter.“Head me words Uther Pendragon, your time of reign has ended and a new king is already waiting to take your place! Magic is on your doorstep and it will come back to Camelot, I promise you that!” and with that the dragon took off, leaving stunned faces behind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arthur was carefully and slowly riding through the thick forest, his best and personal chosen men close behind him. Merlin had told him to come looking for him and Arthur had done so as soon as he had convinced his father that he was alright and that he wanted revenge on the man who had threatened their kingdom. Reluctantly Uther had let him go under the condition that he wouldn’t go alone, so he had chosen those knights, who remained loyal to him and Merlin. The Prince wouldn’t take any chances, not if so much was at stake. They were riding for a few hours now, it was midday and Arthur began loosing the hope that he would ever find the hideout Merlin had chosen when something caught his eye. Almost next to him, hidden behind low branches and leaved, trotted a beaming white unicorn and a moment later a little light appeared before Arthur’s eyes.He motioned his men to stop and took a moment to look at the little light before him, which turned out to be a little creature with wings, moving to fast for the eye to really make out.“Do you think that is a sign, Sir?” one of the knights asked. “I don’t know,” the Prince answered truthfully, “But it seems to be magically and harmless, so I guess we should follow it.”The little light danced away and Arthur was suddenly drawn to it and was about to follow when a voice stopped his movement, “You of all people should know that not everything is as it seems.” The owner of the voice chuckled and Arthur turned in his saddle to look at the newcomer.“Merlin,” he exclaimed, “are you telling me that this little creature is dangerous?”“It would have lead you and his men into a trap.” Arthur raised his eyebrows in disbelief, “If I hadn’t interfered, you would have felt drawn to its light and followed it without thinking. It would have lead you into a deathly trap, a deep sea perhaps or a hidden cave with no escape… These creatures are called ghost lights and before you ask, no, I have no idea why they would do that.”Arthur, who had indeed wanted to ask exactly that, closed his mouth again. Only to open it again a second later, “You look… different.”Merlin laughed, “It is good seeing you too, Arthur.” He inclined his head, “If you would follow me.”Only now did Arthur notice that Merlin was actually riding, not on a horse, but on another unicorn. He quickly shifted his gaze back to his men, who were openly gaping at the young man before them, who they always thought clumsy. The Prince cleared his throat loudly and the knights snapped their attention back to him, some of them looked even embarrassed by their lack of attention.“Come on,” Arthur commanded and urged his horse to trot alongside Merlin’s unicorn.“So, I guess you have been busy?” Arthur asked awkwardly.“You could say that, yes. I have gathered a few old friends, the droid boy for example.” He glanced at Arthur, who nodded in understanding, “We will give Uther a last chance to surrender his crone and throne and to give both to the new king.”Before he could speak further, one of the knights interrupted, “And who would that be? You perhaps?”“I will not follow a wizard.”“The Pendragons are the rightful heirs of the throne.”Merlin’s gaze darkened and he stopped his mount abruptly, “I will not ask obedience and trust of you, not after what has transpired but if you cannot even trust the judgement of your own Prince, then you have no place here.” He turned his head slightly and Arthur saw his eyes turning gold, “If you have ill will, you better leave for we are heading for a sacred place and you will not taint it.”“Are you threatening us, wizard?” said the knight who had previously spoken in a warning manner.“I do not need to threaten you. You better leave.”“So you will be alone with Prince Arthur? I don’t think so.”The knights were drawing their swords, “I order you to stand down.” Arthur ordered, but the knights did not comply.“Forgive us Sir, but the king gave us this task personally.”“What task?” Arthur asked in disbelief.“He knew you were still under the wizard’s influence and he told us to ensure your safety and to bring back the head of the wizards, who is responsible for this.”Arthur’s eyes were wide in shock; he couldn’t believe that his own men were betraying him. The knights were dismounting and when the Prince turned to look back to Merlin, he saw that the male was doing the same. Arthur quickly followed suite and approached Merlin, who stopped him with a sign of his hand.“I won’t repeat myself a third time. This is a sacred place and if you bring ill will and want to cause pain, death and destruction, you will pay the price for it.” “Bring it on, wizard! We are not afraid of you, right?”The other knights shook their heads, two of them had remained on their horses, exchanging worried glances. Merlin’s gaze wandered to them, “You have nothing to fear as long as your heart remains pure.” The two knights on the horses nodded.Arthur was wondering what was about to happen, for Merlin had no weapon, at least none that he could see and it if he understood it correctly, it would go against the rules to kill and harm a being here. His thoughts were interrupted by the screams of the knights and the scared neighing of the horses. Arthur turned his gaze away from Merlin’s eyes that shone gold like the sun and with fear he saw the trees grab the knights, who scared hacked at the branched, but to no avail. Screams of terror filled the air and Arthur couldn’t stand it any longer. He walked the few steps up to Merlin - who watched the spectacle calmly, yet grimly and disgusted – and gripped his arm hard.“Please, don’t do this.” Arthur begged.Merlin’s eyes widened and his head snapped to Arthur, whose eyes were pleading as well. Involuntarily Merlin took a step back from the Prince, but he did not let go of the dark haired man’s arm.“Merlin,” Arthur began, but he was interrupted by the warlock, “You think I am doing this?”“Who else?”“How can you think this is my doing, just because I know magic, just because I warned them? I thought you of all people would know me best.” With a strong pull, Merlin freed his arm from the vice like grip, “Do you really think I enjoy this?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“I... I” the blonde Prince was struck speechless.Merlin took another step back, “Look more closely, Arthur.” His tone was calm again and secretly the Prince admired this.He also tried to find his calmness again, which seemed to be impossible because of the screams of terror and fear behind them. When he was calm again, he looked at Merlin again who directed his gaze towards the trees. Curious and confused, Arthur did as he was told, only do step back in shock.“The trees... they have, they have faces.”“They are the spirits of the forest and belong to a magic far older than everything we know. They protect the forest and nobody, not even a fully grown dragon like Kilgharrah would have a chance against so many of them,” the young warlock explained, without looking.“What will happen with them?” one of the remaining knights asked. He had gotten of his horse and carefully joined Arthur’s side. “My name is Lancelot, by the way.”Merlin inclined his head and he grinned with mischief in his eyes, “Knight Lancelot... But you are not of noble blood, are you?”The knight looked baffled, “How do you know?”“I’ll make it a habit of knowing those, who surround my king.”The second knight had joined them, “My name is Gwaine... I thought you wanted a new king. At least that is what you said before flying away with that dragon of yours.”Merlin huffed, “We, the magic part of the world, already have a king and we will do anything to help him gain his rightful place. Uther’s time is over, so said the oracles and so was it foretold. His son has to take his place in order to bring balance and the magic back to Camelot.”Arthur felt humbled by the belief Merlin put into him and he had to swallow a lump in his throat at that. Already there was so much demanded of him and so many believed in him, how would he be able to achieve all this?As if sensing his friend’s distress, Merlin stepped closer again and laid a comforting hand on the blonde’s elbow, “Do not fret, Arthur. You are not alone.” He turned towards the rest, “Let us continue.” With that the young wizard mounted the unicorn again, without any effort. Hesitantly Arthur and his two remaining men did the same. They rode in silence and once the screams had died down, Merlin bowed his head and mumbled a few words.“What was that?” Arthur asked.Merlin’s head snapped up and he blinked a few times, before he finally answered, “I was praying for their souls. It is a pity it had to come to this... they did not deserve this fate. They were only protecting their land and who they believe to be the rightful ruler.”“What happens to those, who die?” Gwaine wanted to know.“Ah, I fear that is a question I am not allow to answer. Only those who are dead know, as well as those who are familiar with the old rituals. Your mother,” Merlin turned to Arthur, “she died because of one of those rituals. Did you know that your mother was unable to have children? Uther sent Gaius to ask Nimueh for help. The problems is, for creating life, there always has to die someone. When a new child is born, another human has to die. Otherwise the balance would break... it is an old and unwritten rule. After your mother died, Uther accused Nimueh of treason, Nimueh could not have known that it was Ygraine who had to give her life for another. After that Nimueh was banned from Camelot and the great purge began; only because one man did not listen to the warnings that were spoken, only because one man did not acknowledge that all of this had been his fault. Then again, I guess it is a natural trait of humans to seek fail with others.”“You sound as if you have experience in this,” Lancelot couldn’t help but add.Merlin shrugged, “I blamed my father back when I still saw my magic as a curse. I blamed Arthur for my bad luck once I arrived in Camelot, hell I desperately wanted to hit you back then.”Arthur huffed in amusement, “How do you know all of this, with my mother I mean?”“Nimueh told me.”“She is still alive? Do you think you could arrange a meeting? I would like to ask her something?”Merlin’s expression turned into a grimace, “I would have to kill you for you to meet her... Do you remember when my mother arrive in Camelot , ill and almost dead?” Arthur nodded and listened intently, “Gaius went to Nimueh and offered his life for my mother’s.  Of course I could not let him do this. I offered my own in order to safe Gaius. Nimueh refused and eventually we fought. I killed her and in doing so I unknowingly performed the ritual myself. I became high priest of the old religion and Gaius was returned from the land of the dead...” he suddenly turned to look at Gwaine, “You could ask Gaius what happens to those who die... but he is also able to perform a little bit of magic, I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”“Is this some kind of code for magic creatures not to reveal too much?” Gwaine inquired with a raised eyebrow and a slight grin appearing on his mouth.“You could say that, yes. We have arrived.” Eagerly Merlin’s companions turned to look forward only to be greeted by an unnatural big tree.“Merlin, are you sure we are there?” Arthur asked carefully.Merlin laughed, “Watch carefully and learn something.” And with that he lifted his right arm, his eyes shone golden and the earth began to shake.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The tree before them started to glow in an unnatural bright light and the knights shielded their eyes against it. When only a little shimmer remained, the men were greeted by an unbelievable sight.It looked as if the tree had opened his enormous trunk to reveal a completely different world. A horse with rider could have easily passed through the opened gap and Merlin’s unicorn was already trotting forward.“By god,” Lancelot mumbled and his two companions silently agreed. Arthur was the next to enter the gap and only when the last man had passed, did the portal close again, leaving a tree behind.“That’s unbelievable,” Gwaine commented.“This my friend, is magic,” another familiar voice sounded.“Gaius, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Camelot, with my father.”“With all due respect Sir, I wouldn’t want to spend another second in the company of the man, who threatened my foster son,” the old male held his head high, “Besides, all magic creatures around and near Camelot were called to greet the new king and I couldn’t refuse an invitation just like this.” Merlin huffed and Gaius sent him a wink and a smug look.The young warlock shook his head in amusement and dismounted his horse, motioning the others to do so as well. “Only the new king shall ride on the back of a unicorn in our hideout,” he said and his tone held no room for argument, so the blonde male hesitantly approached the beautiful horned animal. To his surprise, the unicorn lowered itself to the ground and made it easier for him to get on its back. The animal neighed and then was lead by the wizard, who was flanked by Gaius.“I trust that everything has been prepared for the coronation?” Merlin asked.“Everything is as it is supposed to be,” Gaius answered patiently. Arthur sent a sideway glance at them.“Gaius, Balinor and I have taken care of anything while you were away,” a female voice said and a moment later a young dark haired woman jumped from the branch of a tree.“Freya,” Merlin exclaimed happily and pulled the woman into a gentle and short kiss. That Arthur was surprised was an understatement, for the man was openly gaping at his magical friend. Gaius cleared his throat and the couple immediately parted. Freya gave the elderly male a cheeky smirk and Merlin had at least the decency to look slightly ashamed.“Right,” Merlin straightened up and continued walking.Voices and some music could be heard in the distance and it was getting louder rapidly. Before the Prince could ask about it however, the little group stepped through the leaves of a weeping willow and they were greeted by a large clearing where all kinds of magical creatures were present. They all bowed upon seeing who had entered the clearing. Some of them were murmuring ‘Emres’ and ‘King Arthur’ as a greeting. The blonde Prince had actually no idea what ‘Emres’ was supposed to mean, but he doubted that this was the time to ask, so he settled for straightening up on the back of his unicorn and he smiled hesitantly. A quick glance at Merlin gave the Prince the courage he had previously lacked and he started to wave at the assembled creatures, who looked pleased at this. The unicorn stopped in front of something that could be described as a throne. It was made of wood and vines. Orange leaves and deer horns decorated the seat. Arthur was helped down from the back of his mount and led towards the throne. He stood before it, facing the crowd that was made of all kinds of creatures. There were normal looking humans, centaurs, unicorns, griffins and all kinds of other beings, whose names the Prince did not know. But one figure stood out, which could very well have been for its height. Kilgharrah stood, head held high, in the last row of the crowd. He nodded his head towards the Prince, who nodded back instinctively.“Arthur Pendragon,” the voice of Merlin immediately caught all attention, “it is my honour to present you your folk, your kingdom, your throne and your crown.” He made a sweeping gesture and a dishevelled man with long dark hair stepped forward. He held a pillow in his hand on which an elegant golden crown rested. It was crafted with finesse and the single stone that was crafted into the crown shown in the colours of rainbows when the light hit it. Upon closer inspection, Arthur saw that the stone was surrounded by a golden dragon that held onto it.Merlin gingerly picked the crown up and held onto it, “Do you, Arthur Pendragon, vow to bring magic back to Camelot? Do you vow to protect the magical world as you do the normal one? Do you vow to reign with honour, bravery, honesty and fairness?”“I swear,” the blonde managed to spit out. He still could not believe what exactly was happening here, but from the grin the warlock gave him, he knew he had said the right thing.“Upon receiving this crown, crafted by the dwarves in the fire of a dragon and with elven gold, you receive part of my magic and my loyalty and protection. In return you make a promise to every single living magic creature, to protect them, to love them and to treat them equally to normal beings. Only if you are willing to do this, with all your heart, kneel Arthur Pendragon and be crowned as our king,” Merlin said.The Prince swallowed and gazed into the warm and open gaze of his old friend. He quickly let his eyes wander over the crowd and only now did he spot Morgana and Gwen standing near Gaius. A young boy stood by Morgana’s side and held her hand and Arthur recognised him as the droid boy. When he gazed into their faces, he knew what he had to do.Slowly the Prince lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head, exposing his neck to Merlin this way. It was a posture of surrender and it was a sign of showing his devotion to those who are crowning him.A moment later, something light touched his hair and was placed on his head. The crown was surprisingly light and once Merlin had taken a step back, Arthur gazed up and got back to his feet.“Long live King Arthur,” Merlin chanted and got to his knees.“Long live King Arthur,” the crowd echoed and they all bowed too.The newly crowned king blinked a few times until he realised what he was witnessing. It seemed all so surreal to him. Eventually his eyes settled on the kneeling form of Merlin“Stand up,” he said.“My king?”“Stand up,” Arthur repeated his command and the wizard did as he was told. “Never bow to me ever again,” and with that the King pulled his friend and comrade into an embrace, which Merlin eventually returned.“Arthur...”“Thank you,” and he meant much more than the coronation.“You are welcome.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“You are very welcome,” Merlin repeated, “but I am also deeply sorry.”“Merlin?” the King asked suddenly feeling unsure.“I am sorry that your first duty as our king entails war and the dethronement of your own father,” he pulled away, but kept a firm grip on the King’s shoulders.“I am not thrilled of fighting either, but I acknowledge that there is no other way.”“I wish there was, for all our sakes,” Merlin answered ruefully, “but maybe there is no need to kill Uther. Exile or imprisonment should work just as fine.”Arthur nodded, “Perhaps,” he turned towards the gathered crowd, who had listened to their brief exchange, “If there no other way, then my father has to die. But he is only to be killed by my blade... I don’t want to blame anyone of your for my father’s death.”A murmur ran through the crowd and for a moment Arthur feared he said the wrong thing. He was thankful for Merlin’s presence, who stood like a pillar to his left, Merlin’s rightful place as Arthur’s counsellor. Suddenly the whispering stopped and the crowd began to jump back to their feet and paws and cheered. A whole mountain fell from the new King’s chest and he knew he had done the right thing. They were moving relatively fast for such a large group, Arthur figured. Once again Merlin, or Emres as the other magical creatures called him, was riding to his left, where he belonged. Arthur had learned that Emres was Merlin’s name in the old religion and that he was well respected among the magical creaturse. In fact, they saw him as a leader and protector. Now that hadn’t changed, but he was the official protector of the King and the bridge between the magical and the normal world now.High above their heads flew a dragon with the man who had carried the crown. Merlin had told Arthur that the man’s name was Balinor and that this was the young warlock’s father. From him Merlin had inherited his magical powers and the ability to control dragons.Morgana and Gwen were in the rear of the group. They would stay behind and put, together with Gaius they would take care of the wounded. Freya had agreed to stay put too, but only when Merlin had asked her to watch over his friends. Arthur had asked about the dark haired woman too and apparently she was Merlin’s fiancée.“You are full of surprises,” the newly crowned King had said and laughed at the embarrassed look the wizard had given him. “There is no going back now,” Lancelot said aloud once they reached the edge of the forest. “I am surprised that we have not encountered anybody just yet,” Gwaine commented, “I mean, our dragon is quite easy to spot.”“They are hiding behind their walls. It gives them the sense of security and that they still have everything under control,” Merlin explained and Arthur motioned for the troop to stop. “Further I think Uther is using the villagers as living shield,” he added.“What?” Arthur exclaimed. He knew his father had lost his mind over the last few days, but that he would go this far. Merlin gave him a sad look.“Well, what shall we do now, my king?” one of the centaurs, Arthur believed his name was Betos, asked.Arthur sent a questioning look towards Merlin, “Is there any way that we could get a few men undetected behind those walls?”The warlock thought for a moment, “We could send fairies, they are small and very fast.”Arthur nodded, “Then we will do that,” he turned back to the centaur, “Find a few fairies who are willing to go behind the enemies’ lines. They shall explore what awaits us. Their safety is first priority however.” “Yes, my king,” the centaur bowed and trotted away.Arthur sighed. “Don’t worry, we will make sure that no villager will be hurt as long as they don’t attack or harm one of us. We are here to live in harmony with them after all, we are not here to suppress them,” Merlin offered.“I know. It’s just that I never expected to become king so soon and under such circumstances. I was raised to believe that everything that has to do with magic is evil, but here you are. A man I have trust with my live, a man who has saved me probably more times than I know...” he sighed, “It’s hard to figure out what to believe in.” “I fear that nobody can help you with that. You have to figure out on your own in what you believe. Just be assured that, whatever you chose, you will always have a friend and comrade in me.”“I appreciate it Merlin.”A moment of silence passed between the two males. “I was wondering... can you really do it, kill your father? If it’s necessary, I mean.”Arthur closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the hectic wing beat of the fairies, “I am not sure.” He gazed back at Merlin, “Why do you ask?”The wizard’s gaze had hardened and there was something in his eyes that Arthur did not like one bit, “If you fight him and if you are unable to deliver the final blow... if your life is in danger... I won’t hesitate to kill him.” He evaded the King’s shocked eyes.“Merlin-” he began but was interrupted by his companion, “Not even an official order will stop me... the only difference it makes is, that you have to punish me.”Before either of them could say anything else, shouting came from behind high walls.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Emres,” a high pitched voice screamed and Arthur saw his companion tense, before his riding animal was spurt to gallop closer to the castle, dangerously close. Almost in reach for the archers, who were now positioned on top of the walls.“Adaire,” Merlin exclaimed and seemed to capture something in his hands. Only when Arthur’s mount stood right next to Merlin’s, so close that their thighs were touching, did the King recognise that it was a little fairy in the other man’s hand.“Adaire, speak to me, what happened?”“An army... behind those walls. They are waiting...” the little fairy had problems breathing.Merlin’s eyes shone golden, “Waiting? For what?”Breathing became a little easier for the small creature, “Reinforcements.”“Good work Adaire, go and rest,” the young warlock said soothingly and the fairy got up shakily. She spread her wings and with a little help from the wizard, she was able to hover again.“Be careful, Emres,” Adaire said and flew away, probably towards Gaius.Merlin turned towards Arthur, “From where could your father get reinforcements?”“I don’t know. From a neighbouring kingdom perhaps,” he hesitated, “We have to make sure they won’t surprise let alone get behind us. We cannot afford to fight at two fronts simultaneously... Merlin, can you and the droids build some kind of shield?”The brown haired male tilted his head in thought and looked behind him, “It could work... to a certain degree. The shield won’t hold forever and the bigger it is, the more energy it takes.”Arthur nodded, “We charge an attack and as soon as we are through the first wall, you can put a shield around the castle. This way, we can protect our rear from a surprise attack and nobody can escape.”“It still needs to be rather high...” Merlin mused and gazed upon the sky, “But it could work.”“Then we will do it,” he turned his horse, “all warriors and fighters, position yourself behind me. Flying creatures, prepare to launch an attack, but make sure not to stray too far from the castle. We need you in a close radius. Droids, wizards and witches, follow Merlin. Once we are past the first barricade, you will have to build a shield, Merlin can explain it further.” In the young warlock’s eyes, the arrogant man he had once met all this time ago, had become a brave and loyal man, with his heart in the right place. He was the king this kingdom needed. Arthur Pendragon was truly the man of the prophecy and Merlin would do everything to keep him save and alive on this darkest of days.“May I add something?” the thinner male whispered so that only Arthur could hear him.“Go ahead,” he motioned for his companion to go on.“Actually, I want the droids and so on to stay in the rear while I’ll stay with King Arthur. Start building the shield without me if necessary.”The crowd immediately reacted towards their orders and every being took its position.“Flyers, follow me,” Balinor shouted and took off with Kilgharrah, followed by countless other beings. Arthur positioned himself in front of the troops, Merlin at his side as usual. He had his staff in his hand and the King drew his sword, holding it up for everyone to see.“I see blood and death ahead,” Merlin commented. The newly crowned King sent him an unsure look. “But I also see a much darker path if we do not go through with this,” the warlock continued.“Ready when you are,” Arthur tried to lighten the mood.“I was always prepared to fight for my life,” there was something strange in his voice, which the King could not quite place.“However this will end, I want you to know that I owe you everything I am today. You made me a better man...”“Today is not the day of your death, Arthur,” his eyes shone with mischief, “How about that small brain of yours tries to remember those words and you tell me after we have won.”“You should respect your king,” scolded Arthur, but he couldn’t keep the smile of his face. Not a moment later, his joyful expression was replaced by a serious one and he turned back towards the place he had once called home. “Attack!” he shouted for everyone to hear and pointed with the tip of his blade forward as a sign to engage. Hundreds of different voices and sounds answered and with that the magical army moved as one.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hooves were running on hard ground, claws sunk deep into the earth, wings beat in the air and feet carried their owner over stick and stone.The first to reach the first balustrade was Kilgharrah and with him Balinor. The dragon had allowed the man to ride on his back, with Merlin’s request of course. Flames were already spurting out of the giant reptile’s mouth and the screams of terror and pain were the first signs of a battle that had barely begun.Other winged creatures attacked from the air. Quick manoeuvres allowed them to pick up knights and soldiers with their claws and beaks and maws. Others, carried stones or other heavy objects and dropped them on their enemies on the wall, while the first magic creatures that were still on the ground, had reached the first hurdle.Curses were cast, weapons were used to shot the soldiers from up ahead. The bridge was up, but with one motion of Merlin, the first chain broke. It swung in the stonewall and debris fell down the moat. He couldn’t repeat the motion however, because in this exact moment, the enemy archers had him and Arthur in their sight. Merlin held his staff up, which started to glow. Immediately every single arrow that came their way slowed down, before stopping altogether. Another motion with the staff and the arrows turned to fly back towards the archers. Some of them were lucky enough to dodge, others were not.Pained screams of hit creatures could be heard in the air and Arthur turned his horse just in time to dodge a dead griffin.“We have to get through,” he screamed at Merlin.“We have to take care of the archers,” the wizard retorted. “Eshrael, Betos, get those archers down!”Arthur knew that Betos was the centaur from before and he guessed that Eshrael was the blonde elf who positioned himself to a better position. The droids also came forward a little bit and they were concentrating on the remaining chain. With a loud snap, the second chain was destroyed and the bridge crashed down, causing the earth to shake. Beside them, Gwaine cheered loudly and he was one of the first to cross it. Somebody shouted for the troops to fall back and to regroup and the new King took this as a sign of victory. He motioned for his followers to follow, but not to engage. Merlin kept beside him all the time and it caused a safe feeling to arise in the blonde’s chest. He suddenly knew that they could do it. There was no doubt in his mind anymore.“Arthur,” Merlin said loud enough to be heard, “we will build up the shield now.”“Go,” the blond King answered and nodded. He had caught the hidden meaning behind the wizard’s words. He was to be careful, unless he wanted to face an angry Merlin. Quicker than expected, the shimmering shield was erected and when the soldiers realised that they were trapped with a large group of enraged magical creatures, they ran away.“Cowards,” Balinor’s voice roared, even above the dragon’s loud laughter.“Father!” Merlin scolded and Balinor send him a cheeky smirk, but he complied to his son’s unspoken command and landed the dragon on the large place that usually was used as a market. It was completely abandoned now however, the stands were only sparely filled.“What happened here?” Arthur looked around, his horse in a slow trot.“Apparently finding me was more important to Uther than his people,” Merlin, who had yet to leave his King’s side, answered and neither his voice nor his face gave away anything about his thoughts.“How could I have missed this? I left the castle only a few hours ago,” the blonde King said. He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing right now. His questioning gaze fell back on Merlin, who avoided his gaze. “Merlin?”“You were longer away... I lead you to a magical place where the time flows slower. An hour there is a day here... we had to go there. It was sacred and the only place to make the coronation official. Everything else would have been an insult to all that is magic and to the old religion.” He had become more confident to the end. “Forgive me for forgetting to tell you.”“Did you really?” Arthur asked, but there was no emotion in his voice.Merlin closed his eyes for a moment and sighed in defeat, “The lines are getting thinner Arthur. I see the past, the present and the future and sometimes it is hard to keep it all separated. Forgive me for forgetting – and I truly did – to tell you.”Arthur nodded, “There is nothing to forgive,” and he meant it. In truth he was worried about his long time companion’s state of mind.“Sir,” Merlin bowed as good as he was able to while stile riding his unicorn. He then stirred the animal towards the line the other droids had formed as a preparation to erect the shield.Arthur meanwhile noticed the faces that appeared in the windows of the small wooden houses. The people were frightened, undoubtedly by what had happened, as well as the sudden arrival of so many magical beings. He was already forming words in his mind to reassure them, when a horn sounded and the clattering of erratic hooves approached. The newly crowned King did not need to turn around to know who had arrived.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Merlin!” Arthur instinctively called. He needed his friend and companion by his side now. Of course the thinner male turned around and came back towards his King’s side. He dismounted right after Arthur did. The King motioned for his army to remain calm and stay down, for now. It wouldn’t do them any good if Uther and his men were frightened. Fear led to rash actions, which in turn usually caused more harm than anything else. Arthur knew that from experience. Uther’s horse came to a halt and the proud and arrogant man dismounted as well. His eyes darted everywhere, from every magical creature to the shield, to Merlin and finally to Arthur.“Who are you?” the older male asked and there was a dangerous edge to his voice, “And what did you do with my son?”Arthur involuntarily shuddered when his father’s cold eyes rested on him. “Father, it’s me, Arthur.”Uther’s eyes narrowed, but he made no further move, “My son was kidnapped by those monsters. My son would never stand next to this monstrosity,” he motioned to Merlin, “and my son would never were this crown.”Arthur shook his head, “Do you hear yourself talking? You call them monsters, yet all they do is fight for their lives. YOU are the monster, because it was you who caused them and therefore us, such misery, only because you didn’t listen to a sorceress, who warned you of the consequences. But as stubborn and foolish s you are, you didn’t listen,” he took a deep breath, “If it weren’t for me, this would never have happened.”“Arthur, that’s not-” but Merlin was interrupted when his King held up his hand.Uther Pendragon’s face was a grimace of fury, “If this is where you chose to stand...” he let the sentence trail off.The blonde slightly wondered how he could have missed his father’s insanity for so many years. He mentally shook his head at his father’s AND his own blindness. He then turned to gaze upon the men standing behind Uther. “This is not how it is supposed to be. Lay down your weapons and nobody has to get hurt. This is NOT an invasion and not a conquest. They are,” he stopped himself and shook his head, before spreading his arms, “WE are here for justice and equality. There should be no submission, but harmony and peace. Both sides could benefit from a partnership... we don’t need to make a bloodbath out of this.” He saw that his words hit their marks. Of course the soldiers did not want to die. They also knew that their numbers were not even close. The only one who did not understand what was being said and offered, was the enthroned king.“Enough of your lies! No magical wants peace. The only want power and destruction.”Arthur shook his head, “You are wrong. Merlin could have killed me or let me die a thousand times during the time we spent together, but he didn’t. He saved me time again and again. Why would he have done so if his only goal was to destroy?”“Because you are weak!” the enraged Uther spat.“What?”“You heard me. Your little sorcerer friend over there knew that he could never compete against me and my army. That’s why he pretended to be your friend. He deceived you, my son. But it is not too late to rectify this mistake. Come to me and I will show you the truth.” He held his hand, the one that didn’t rest on the hill of his sword, out for Arthur to take, but the blonde made no move. He was looking at Merlin, who only gazed with disgust into the older male’s face.“Merlin,” the newly crowned King whispered. Golden eyes flashed to look at him.“There is only one way,” the warlock said. The blonde’s face paled visible. “But it won’t be you, who kills him.”“What are you saying?” “Killing your own father to become King... the people would never trust you,” he sent his companion a sad smile, “A sorcerer who kills the King... he can be banished.”“No, Merlin. I won’t allow it.”“When have I ever listened to what you said and ordered?” he asked and there was something in his eyes that Arthur could not read. Merlin whistled and almost immediately two centaur stepped forward and grabbed the King firmly, who struggled against their grip, but to no avail.“I order you to let me go,” the blonde King spoke up. The centaurs exchanged glances over his head.“Forgive us, Sir. But we received this order from Emres before you were King. His words are law to us.”“Merlin!” Arthur protested, but the warlock ignored him. He stepped forward instead.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“You want to fight Uther Pendragon?” Merlin raised his voice above all else, “Then you shall have your fight. I hereby challenge you to a duel. No tricks, just you and me... that is, if you are not too afraid to fight a wizard.” Merlin knew the proud man could not refuse this challenge. He also knew that he had hit a nerve and therefore the older male would act before thinking about consequences and details.“I am not afraid of you, boy,” Uther answered and he was already stepping forward too. “Stay behind,” he said to his men, “This one, is mine.”“So sure of yourself?” the young warlock taunted and focused on his staff, which turned promptly into a sword. He knew he had no chance against Uther in a normal sword fight, but thankfully Merlin had inherited a valuable gift. “Because all I see, is an incapable coward.”Uther did not say anything else, but dashed forward madly. On instinct Merlin’s magic reacted and Uther was stopped in the middle of striking. He had only one second to blink however, before the younger male’s eyes shone golden again and the former king was flying into the group of knights that were still standing behind him. A few men went down when Uther Pendragon landed on them, the others had managed to dodge him just in time.An enraged cry escaped the former king’s throat and he violently pushed those away, who tried to help him up. Meanwhile Merlin had taken a few steps back and had spread his arms in a silent invitation. Provoking Uther was his main goal right now. Anger let to mistakes and he counted on it to happen sooner rather than later. Again the humiliated man dashed forward, this time however, Merlin blocked the attack with his sword. Metal clashed together and the young warlock’s arms shook with the strength that laid behind Uther’s blow.The furious male pushed against their joined blades, but Merlin easily stepped aside, causing Uther to stumble. This was mistake number one and the wizard stretched out his hand and levitated some of the rotten food that still rested in the stands. Not a moment later tomatoes and all kinds of other fruits and vegetables were flying toward the enthroned king.Without really aiming, the man swung his sword around, desperately trying to shield himself from the flying food.“I am not impressed, Uther Pendragon,” Merlin said loud enough for the man to hear.“You’ll pay for this.”“You keep saying this, but I have not seen any proof of it yet.”“I show you ‘proof’” and he did not attack like Merlin had expected. Instead he grabbed something from his pocked and pulled out a strange looking black stone. It distantly remembered Merlin of the stone in which Sigan’s soul had been trapped. The young warlock barely kept himself from shivering at the memory of the other wizard.“Do you know what this is?” Uther began and his voice sounded smug. Merlin did not answer. “This is the reason why so many magical creatures lost their lives. They had an unnatural advantage and I made sure we were equal.”Only now did the warlock notice how his magical aura was sucked into the stone. His eyes widened and he looked with a mixture of fear and shock at the object in Uther’s hand.“You sick bastard,” somebody from the crowd said.“You monster,” another voice joined in.“You are the monsters and there was no other way to stop you. Magic has attacked us time and time again. I had to make sure that Camelot possessed something with what I could defend it.”Merlin’s teeth were clenched and his eyes shone golden with anger. This explained the great purge. Magical creatures without magic could not survive. Dragons could no longer fly or spit fire, fairies could no longer fly or connect with all that lives, centaurs were weakened and wizards could no longer cast spells.“What will you do now?” Uther taunted and his voice was ice cold.“Kill you,” he answered simply and Arthur just barely kept himself from shuddering at his companion’s cold and aloof tone. This was not the Merlin he had gotten to know during all this time. The Merlin he knew, would never have killed another living being on purpose, if at all.The young warlock did not seem to let himself be bothered by the threat Uther has offered. In fact the young male stepped forward, arm lazily dangling at his side. His other hand was outstretched and Uther more or less copied this stance by raising up the stone in his hand.“Proof it,” the enthroned man said and reminded all the present of the earlier conversation.“Oh, but I will,” Merlin countered sure of himself and a nasty grin appeared on his face. He started mumbling a few words nobody could quite make out. Everybody knew what it was however.“Magic won’t help you,” Uther repeated his statement from before and as if it wanted to support its wielder’s words, the stone began to slightly shake. To the older male’s confusion, Merlin’s grin only grew bigger.“Watch and learn,” and his hand began to shake as well. The young wizard seemed to struggle against an invisible Force while he ever so slowly closed his hand into a wrist. Now the enthroned man’s whole arm began to tremble because of the stone. “You know,” Merlin began to explain, “you stone is just another vessel, just like Sigan’s has been. I have no doubt that it had been white when you first touched and found it, maybe even slightly grey,” he chuckled, “Just like every other vessel, they are full at some point and when it is then-“ his little speech was interrupted by the bursting stone. Countless little parts where scattering everywhere. Uther Pendragon was only barely able to shield his face against the exploding stone. Blue eyes widened and gazed upon the brown haired male, who had tilted his head to regard the fallen man before him.Without thinking the mad man dashed forward again. He saw attack as his only chance of survival, the consequences be damned. Merlin did not hesitate to raise his sword to block the attacks, if the wild swings could be called this. Uther was afraid for his life and this showed in how he wielded his sword. Having recovered from the strenuous task of destroying the hated device and having enough of Uther’s mindless swings, Merlin summoned his magic back towards him and not a moment later, the older male was flying backwards, into one of the wooden stands. With a loud thud the stand was broken and Uther Pendragon laid in middle of the whole rubble. His sword was pushed far out of the man’s reach with a flick of Merlin’s wrist. All those gestures were not necessary, but Merlin did them unconsciously anyway.The furious warlock was slowly stalking forward, golden eyes locking with frightened blue ones when suddenly flames started to rose around the fallen man. The fire parted for the wizard, who had raised the sword in his hand. Uther Pendragon was unable to move. All his courage had fled the moment he realised that he had not even the slightest chance against this being of evil.“For your crimes against all that is magic, I sentence you, Uther Pendragon, to death.” Merlin’s voice did not sound normal. It was too cold, too neutral. Arthur shuddered at the sight before him. He had to stop his friend from committing the worst mistake in his entire life.“Merlin, no!” the King screamed and indeed, the brown haired male stopped in his movement.“He deserves to be punished,” Betos said and most of the beings behind him nodded in agreement.“We want justice,” a dwarf added.“Yes, you want justice. But killing him would not be justice, it would be mindless revenge,” Arthur explained, his voice a little quicker than usual, “Merlin, I know you have a duty to your kin, but so have I now. It would be a mistake killing my father, it would destroy you. Don’t take a life when there is no need for it.”A moment of silence passed between them, but then, “What would you have me do, my King?”The blonde allowed himself to sigh in relief. Merlin was still Merlin and therefore loyal to him as well as reasonable. “I would suggest a trial.”The warlock turned around halfway, his eyes resting on Arthur and then moving over the assembled crowd. The knights looked fearful, their gazes always hushing towards the magical creatures. The magical creatures however were murmuring with each other. Arthur couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he guessed they were arguing about his proposal. In the end they nodded their agreement and Arthur saw some of the tension leave his companion’s body. Merlin had not wanted to do that either.“So it will be,” Merlin threw the sword away as it were poisoned and the flames got shorter until they vanished completely. Arthur was released and he was stepping forward to greet his former manservant. Former manservant, because he had realised that Merlin was supposed to be much more than that. Merlin had also turned his back towards Uther and the mad man took the opportunity. Before anybody could react, Merlin himself had barely time to turn around again, the fallen king had jumped back to his feet and drawn a dagger he had hidden in his leather boots.A gasp escaped the brown haired male’s lips when the metal embedded itself in his chest, missing his heart by inches.An uproar ran through the gathered crowd. A few beings dashed forward and snatched Uther, who had looked triumphantly in Merlin’s pained blue eyes, away from the warlock and prying eyes. Arthur also ran forward and caught his companion, when his legs gave out.“Merlin,” the King began, but then he pushed this thought aside, “Gaius!” he called instead. But the court physician was already running towards the wounded man.Uther’s agonizing scream sounded through the air, but everybody ignored it. Even the knights looked horrified at Merlin. The manservant had more or less befriended most of them after all. That and they all knew he had tried to keep them safe and alive by challenging Uther to fight him one on one.“It’s... too late,” Merlin wheezed out when Gaius kneeled next to him. His blood had already covered his clothes in a deep red.“Gaius,” Arthur asked, but then he saw into the older male’s sad face and he had his answer.“Damn it, you are a wizard,” the King yelled into the thinner male’s face, “heal yourself or do something!”Merlin closed his eyes and slightly shook his head, “No ordinary blade...”“What?”“Uther used a blade that was forged in a dragon’s breath,” Gaius answered the question. Gwen, Morgana and Freya had joined Gaius as well. The dark haired female looked as if she desperately wanted to hug the dying man, but a look from him told her to wait. Balinor came running towards the small group too and Kilgharrah was hovering above all of them.“Arthur,” the warlock’s voice was shaking, “you are... our King. Do... what your father couldn’t. Be... be a better... man and unite Albion. Bring magic back.”“I will, I won’t let you down, I promise,” tears were prickling in blue eyes, but they did not escape just yet.“I know,” and the wizard forced himself to smile.“Merlin,” Freya couldn’t hold back any longer. Gaius had moved so that she and Balinor could rest at the dying male’s side. “I have to tell you something, I’m-““I know,” Merlin said again and he lifted his hand to lay it on her belly. It took the King a moment to realize what he was referring to, but then his eyes went wide. Merlin’s hand rose to cup his fiancé’s cheek and to wipe away the tears that were falling from her cheek.“I’ll watch out for her,” Arthur provided without thinking, but it earned him an earnest smile.“Father,” Balinor leaned forward and took his son’s hand, “watch out for yourself.”“As always,” the man tried to joke, but it came out choked and the look in his eyes betrayed him.“You can’t just leave me, I need you and your help...” Arthur whispered so that only Merlin could hear him.The warlock took a shaky breath, his eyes briefly turning to the quickly darkening sky.  “You as the Once and Future King… will always return… when Albion needs you,” he took a deep breath. It was painfully obvious that talking was strenuous for the young man. Balinor clutched his son’s hand tighter and Freya laid her hand on their joined ones. “Just as you... I will return when...” he groaned in pain, “when the need arises.”The blonde shook his head in denial, “It is not supposed to be this way.”“Destiny... either you... or me.” Merlin had closed his eyes again.“No Merlin, open your eyes.” When there was no sign of compliance, the King started a different approach, “Then I order you to open them.”This time, though slowly, the young warlock opened his eyes.”Please... don’t order the...the impossible of me.”Arthur snapped his mouth shut at those words. He had indeed wanted to order Merlin to stay alive, but the King realized that this would have been cruel. Merlin was loyal and it would have broken the man’s heart to know he could not do as his King wished.“Take care of... take care of...” Merlin’s skin was getting paler and the strength was slowly fading from his body, “take care of that armour... it really means... a lot to me.” And despite everything, the gathered people could not help but chuckle slightly. Gaius had moved towards the warlock’s feet and his hands rested on the younger male’s boots. Merlin shot him a glance too, but the two males did not need words to know what was in each other’s hearts and minds. They understood what they didn’t voice out loud.The brave warlock took another deep breath and then his body went completely numb. Emrys, son, father, lover and friend, had died and the clouded sky wept while a dragon roared for the loss of one of his kin.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

(five years later)
King Arthur Pendragon stood next to Guinevere, his wife and queen, and looked proudly at the garden the fairies and elves had build and gifted him. They were standing on the balcony and watched their two children, a boy and a girl, playing with Merlin’s son. At the thought of his companion, the King’s heart felt heavy. Five years ago, they had travelled towards Avalon with Merlin’s body being carried by Kilgharrah. The warlock’s body had been placed in a small wooden boat, which Morgana had set aflame and Balinor and Freya had pushed it to swim towards the island. Magical creatures, knights and people had been gathered. Many had shed tears and even the sky had wept the loss of one of the greatest people the earth has ever wandered.“Arthur,” Gwen’s voice broke through his dark thoughts.“Yes, my love?”She looked accusingly at him. Arthur sighed, there was nothing he could keep from his wife. “Let us go down,” and the King nodded his agreement. The children were wildly running around, chasing each other and playing a game. Apparently Igraine, the older of the siblings, was the brave queen in distress, Myrddin had to play the knight in shining armour because his sister told him to and Balin was the great wizard, who protected his queen. It had been a sweet gesture of Freya to name her son similar to his grandfather, but then again, Arthur had more or less done the same. His daughter was named after her deceased grandmother and Myrddin was the original form of Merlin. Gwen had come up with the name and the King would deny that tears had started to form in his eyes at the idea.Arthur spotted the great dragon lazily lounging under the shade of dome big trees, probably dozing and with Freya and Morgana sitting close by. They seemed to work on something related to cloth, but the King was not quite sure. Balinor was playing with the children. He had been declared the villain and the older male had succumbed to his fate with a sigh. He was currently duelling Myrddin and dodged the attack of his wooden sword only to be hit by Balin’s magic. The boy definitely had inherited his father’s gift, but he was not yet able to cause any damage. That or Balinor had taught him a few things. With a scream the long haired dragon lord fell down to his knees.“You will pay for this,” he growled playfully and lunged forward, sending his captured grandson into a fit of giggles. Of course Myrddin immediately came to his rescue and once again Arthur was reminded of his old friend. He still could not believe that it had been five years since Merlin had died in his arms. In this time a lot has changed in Camelot, in the mind of the people and in Albion. The kingdoms were starting to accept each other and they worked together against a new threat that was spotted on the horizon. Balinor and Kilgharrah had spotted a fleet of ship at the coast of Albion during one of their patrols and the fleet was soon to be identified as an enemy who planned on conquering new land. They had not made any move yet, which was probably due to the fact that the great dragon had threatened them with his fire, but the blonde King had a certain feeling every time his thoughts turned towards those new enemies. “My Lord,” a voice suddenly said and all eyes, including the dragon’s, turned to look at Gaius, who was running gasping towards his King.“Gaius, has something happened?” Arthur asked worried.The panting man shook his head, “You have to see this. Come, all of you.” The present exchanged worried glances, but then they started moving. Balinor fetched his grandson, who clung to his beloved grandfather’s neck. Myrddin was picked up by Arthur and Igraine wanted to be carried by Gaius, who complained about being too old for this.“What’s the matter?” Gwen inquired, when they reached their destination atop the castle’s fall. Gaius just motioned downwards, where a lonely rider was waiting.“He will not speak to any of us,” one of the guards explained, “He wished to speak to the King only.” Arthur nodded in understanding and gave Myrddin to Gwen.“Who are you and what’s your business here in Camelot?” the King asked but not unkindly.“King Arthur Pendragon,” the slimy voice of the man sounded. Only now did Arthur spot the symbol of the man’s shield. He was one of the men, who had been spotted and threatened by Kilgharrah and Balinor. The blonde motioned for Gwen to take the children and to go, leaving only him, Gaius and Balinor behind. “I am here to deliver the words of my king.”“Speak then,” the blonde exchanged worried glances with the two older males at his side.“King Avery asks you to surrender you castle and estates to him. Many lives could be spared if you would just surrender and you should be certain, that not even your pity dragon will be able to stop us. We possess many powerful sorcerers of our own.”Before either man on the wall could reply anything, a new and all too familiar voice disrupted the conversation. “Many powerful sorcerers you said? What about warlocks?”Irritated the brunette in his white armour turned his grey stallion to look for the newcomer. “And who might that be?”The newcomer bowed slightly, “My name would be... Merlin. Your ‘many powerful sorcerers’ however, will probably know me better under the name of Emrys,” the male’s eyes shone with hidden mirth.“What status do you have in this kingdom?” the slimy voice asked, completely oblivious to whom he was speaking.“Merlin would be my court magician,” the King provided. The knight gazed up at the blonde, who looked all too smugly for the brunette’s liking.“What shall I tell my king?” the knight inquired eventually.“Tell him, that I do not care for the number of his men. Camelot will not surrender and you will find that no kingdom in Albion will.”The brunette grimaced and then shot Merlin a dangerous and angry look as if it were his fault that King Arthur had not simply surrendered, “You will regret this decision!” and with that he rode away. “Lower the gates!” the King ordered and the three males immediately ran down.The young warlock was engulfed into a pair of strong arms as soon as he had dismounted from his riding animal. The King was secretly surprised that Balinor had moved that quickly despite his age. Merlin was apparently surprised as well, for he hesitated before returning the embrace. It was an endearing sight of father and son embracing each other like this, but Arthur felt not one ounce of jealously. He had his two children after all and Igraine and Myrddin definitely made up for Uther’s lack of warmness.Next in line was Gaius, who hugged the returned warlock just as enthusiastic as Balinor had. And finally it was Arthur’s turn. He simply grabbed the thinner male’s arm, Merlin had wanted to bow in a mock greeting, and crushed the warlock against his chest.“You have been missed,” stated the King.“And you too.” No more words were needed for now.After what seemed like an eternity the two men parted again. “How?” the blonde asked and dragged the warlock behind him through the busy and rather clean streets of Camelot. The little group easily dodged and avoided the busy people and the full market stands during their brief journey to Camelot’s heart.“I don’t know,” Merlin answered and Arthur could see the honesty in his words, “Magic probably.”Arthur shook his head at that. “I am just happy to have you back, my son,” Balinor stated and Merlin edged closer to the long haired man’s side, who threw and arm over his shoulders. Gaius too had a hand on the warlock’s lower back.Arthur, who had slowed his steps to walk beside Balinor, said, “Did you just... woke up?”“You could say that,” the warlock hesitated, “It took me a moment to realise that I was in the crystal cave, a place where all magic is born.” He had added the last part for Arthur, “I don’t even know how much time has passed since... well... I only know that I am needed in Albion again and somehow I have the feeling I already met the reason.”His three companions nodded. “Five years,” Gaius provided and he continued at the inquisitive look Merlin sent him, “It has been five years since you died.” Merlin swallowed audible and he even paled, “Freya and my child?”“His name is Balin,” this time it was Balinor who answered.“He and Freya have stayed in the castle, near Gwen and my quarters.”“Your and Gwen’s quarters?” Merlin asked confused, “Why do I have the feeling that I have a lot of catching up to do?”“Well,” Arthur started, but he was interrupted by a yell. “Merlin!” Freya’s voice could be heard from afar and the blonde King guessed that questions could be asked later, just as their answers could be given later. For now, it was just important that Merlin had returned to his rightful place in their midst and from the look of it, Arthur was not the only one who thought so.