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Chapter Text

“It’s eyes... God, Daryl its eyes.”

“What are you on about?”

“The thing in the woods!” Came the shrill response. Merlin held his breath, creeping silently over the branches as the fire bobbed up and down below him. "I swear - I saw its eyes turn gold-"

"That’s a bleeding sorcerer, you dolt." The other voice snapped and Merlin froze for a moment as the men below him paused. “They all have gold eyes when using magic. You should have stabbed it-“

“It wasn’t a sorcerer!” 

Merlin tried to peer down to get a better look below, but all he could really see in the darkness was the silhouette of the pair as they collected fallen sticks and branches alike. Swallowing, he closed his eyes.

"Alright then, lad. What the Hell was it? Did you meet a god?" Came the sarcastic reply. The wind shifted. Merlin felt the world momentarily melt away. It was a strange thing... Feeling your body morph into something else. The pieces of yourself widening into nothing until you were simply another part of the world.

“It was a demon. I swear, it was-“

“Demons have black eyes. Are you done being an idiot? Or are you-"

“Did you see that?” The first man whispered and there was a sharp jerk as Merlin felt his body snap back into its usual form. He was on the ground now, hidden by trees and bushes as he peered around. “That smoke! Did you see it!?”

“Christ, Owan. Calm down. It’s the middle of the night, you didn’t see anything. Let alone some demon with golden eyes-“

“That’s what it was! It wasn’t like when just the colored bits of sorcerers’ eyes turn gold. It was the whole thing. The black and white bits turned gold too! No normal sorcerer has eyes like that.” The first man shot back indignantly. Merlin licked his lips, continuing is silent steps forward towards a leather bag on the ground. He could see apples spilling out along with various flowers and other trinkets that Merlin couldn't quite identify. Curiously, he held out his hand, letting one of the smaller ones fly towards him so he could study it a bit closer.

“Maybe you’re drunk," The one man was saying with a snort. "Or crazy. We can get Gaius to look at you when we get home-“

A twig snapped. Which was Merlin’s own fault, really. He had been planning on reaching for the bag altogether when he stumbled - eyes widening ever so slightly as the name registered. He held his breath. Maybe they didn’t notice. Maybe they weren’t even paying attention and -

"Who’s there?”

Well...it was worth hoping for. Merlin felt the light move and he raised his hands as he rose, turning slightly to face the men. He could see them clearly now. Dressed in  chainmail and bright red cloaks that seemed like the only pop of colors for miles and miles on end. One of the men sneered, holding the light closer to his face as he immediately used his free hand to reach for a sword settled at his hip.

"And just what do you think you're doing, lad?" He asked. Merlin didn't answer. "Stealing is a crime worth a hand nowadays. Maybe even an ear if you're lucky." He said and took a step forward. Merlin frowned, a little baffled. He was under the distinct impression that the action was somehow meant to scare him. He wasn't entirely sure why given that the man was armed with merely a sword and fire. He glanced a the second man, hoping to find where the threat lied.

"...Daryl." He whispered instead, wide eyes fixed on Merlin. Sensing the discomfort, he smiled back, letting his lips curl over his teeth in greeting.

"Keep quiet." The first one muttered, still glowering at where Merlin was watching with rapidly rising amusement. "You know how to speak, don't you?" He asked, holding the fire out a bit closer. Merlin saw the color draining out of the other, taking a small steps back as his breath hitched.

"Daryl." He tried again. "Daryl, that..." He managed and this time, the man turned away from Merlin to glare at his companion. "He... That's the..." He spluttered, words tripping over one another as he continued to take more steps back. Merlin raised a hand to wave his fingers tauntingly.

"Hello again." He offered. The man made a strangled noise as he tripped over a root, eyes wide. He shook his head a few times. Merlin frowned. "I, uh... Can just leave, you know-" He tried, but was cut off by the torch being swung back in his face.

"What the Hell are you talking about?!" Daryl hissed. Merlin frowned. He got the feeling neither of these men were going to be particularly friendly towards him... Which was unfortunate given the circumstances. Merlin really wanted to ask more about what was in the bag they had been lugging around. He glanced down at it again, hoping one of them would sense his disappointment... Unfortunately, all that happened was another torch was waved in his face. "If you don't start-"

"That's the monster!" The first finally burst out, making Daryl jump. "With the gold eyes. It's him, we have to run. We have to run now-"

"Oh, for the love of - Owan. It's a bratty teenager. A monster, surely, but not the type you're blabbering on about." He grumbled and reached forward to yank at Merlin's wrist. "Come here, you. Let's see what else you've stolen. Perhaps we ought to take you back to the king and see what he has to say about this." He snapped. Merlin tilted his head. "Nothing to say now? Owan, get the - Owan?"

"I don't think he's here." Merlin informed him pleasantly. He watched as the man glanced around the empty part of the woods, holding out the torch with a deepening frown as he tried to find the man. He spun around once, grip loosening on Merlin as he muttered a string of curses under his breath.

" - idiot boy is a bleeding coward after all!" He hissed, lip curling. "How did he even run so... so... fast..."

Merlin waited. Daryl looked around again. This time, probably looking for Merlin.

"What the Hell?" He murmured - the first note of real concern entering his voice. "Hello?" He called. "This isn't funny. Get your ass back over here!" He shouted, the grit of it slowly losing momentum as he stumbled back slightly, almost tripping as he did so. His eyes searched frantically up above before circling around the forest once more. Merlin leaned in, lips inches from his neck.

"Tretafóno."

"Not again, Emrys."

"I didn't mean to!" Merlin frowned as he tossed his newly acquired leather bag down, cradling a jar between his hands. "I just wanted to ask about the bag." He sighed, eyes flicking towards the item in question before looking down into the jar. "Maybe... Maybe they're happier." He decided with a nod as he stared at the two butterflies flapping frantically within its confines. "Being a human seems awfully exhausting. Perhaps they might like this better."

The butterflies didn't seem to agree.

"They don't look very filling," Seir noted as he jumped up, walking over to tap on the glass. "The wings look good though."

"They are not to eat!" Merlin gasped, holding the jar closer to his chest. "I'm putting them in the gardens-"

"Oh, come on." Seir pouted as he looked at the butterflies. "If you weren't going to get them to eat then you could have at least left them in the forest." He grumbled, dragging his feet around as he drifted off further into the cave where a few others were lounging about. "Right, Kane?" He asked and the wolf on the ground lifted its head, a low growl vibrating at the base of their throat. "See? Kane agrees with me and they're an idiot." He said. Another growl. "You are an idiot. Who possesses a wolf? An idiot does."

"I like possessing wolves sometimes." Merlin volunteered and Seir pointed to him. 

"My point exactly!"

"Go fuck yourself, Seir!" Somebody yelled from the back of the cave and Merlin bit back a grin as the demon let out a low growl of offense. Kane nipped at his hand to keep him from snapping back. Before Seir could complain more, Merlin reached down and grabbed the leather bag again.

“Here, I brought you some flowers.” He said, handing over the tulips before placing the jar down and curling closer to the fire crackling in the center of the cave. Seir’s nose wrinkled slightly as he accepted the bouquet - holding it at as if it might burn him. 

“Why?” He asked and Merlin titled his head.

“I thought they were nice.”

“They’re not nice.”

“But they’re flowers.” Merlin informed him as if the object in question weren’t sitting between them. “I figured it was a step up from what you ask me to get you-”

“Yes, yes. Where are the hearts?” Seir asked, setting the flowers down. Merlin frowned.

“I got you flowers instead. See? They’re red like hearts.” He nodded. There were a few low growls and hisses at that, but Merlin ignored them. “…you would have preferred the hearts?” Merlin guessed. Seir nodded. Well… Worth a shot. Merlin tried not to pout as he turned back to the fire. A few others shifted closer, melting from the shadows in various forms to gather around him.

“Try sticking your hand inside.” Kali said, voice incredibly high and small as she nodded towards the flames. He rose an eyebrow at her. Currently, she was possessing a little girl who may have only been around five or six. However, the docile skin did very little to soften the command in her voice - even if the articulation was a bit off.

“As thrilling as that might be," Merlin said dryly "I might burn. And between you and me... I don't want to burn."

“We won’t know unless you try, cambion,” She said and Merlin rolled his eyes. He edged his hand forward, letting the tips of the flames lick at his fingers. When no pain came he lowered it slightly. His skin blackened for a moment before simmering back to it’s normal paleness. 

“Good news everyone. I can’t burn.” He announced and the group all cooed. He grinned at them as he retracted his hand. Kali reached forward to examine the skin.

“Good to know. You're a resilient one, Emrys... For a cambion.” She said and released her grip on him to instead let her fingers clasp around her silver chain around her neck, thumb running over the pendent. Merlin pursed his lips. "What did they do to incur your wrath?" She asked - voice lisping slightly before jutting her chin out towards the jar on the floor. Merlin followed her gaze to where the butterflies were. Kali cleared her throat. He turned back, trying to read her expression under the ridiculous amount of adorable curls and chubby features. As her impatience rose, Merlin had to fight back a mocking smile at the way her lower lip trembled. Instead he focused on taking in the black of her eyes that seemed to bleed into the little girl's veins - spreading across her face like a spider was inside her skin. A typical sign that a host wasn't able to contain whatever demon they were harboring.

"I... Nothing. I mean, they... That one was angry," Merlin muttered, tapping his fingers over the jar. "The other saw my eyes and I thought... Well, I was thinking of your orders," He tried weakly "You know, to not let anyone see me." He explained. Kali hummed, licking her lower lip as she knelt down to stare at the jar before rising again. "Why?"

"I need a new host," Kali said simply. "If I stay in this one for much longer she'll die... Besides, her voice is... Lacking in authority." She grumbled. Seir snickered and Kali whipped around to growl at him. "Watch it," She told him. Seir rose his hands in deference. "Learn to respect those above you," She added sharply. "When I was your age I had learned how to obey my gathering leader."

"I -" Seir started, a note of objection in his voice before sighing. Kali jutted out her chin. "Yes, o' wise and masterful one." He said. Merlin winced. Kali stared for a moment before giving something akin to a smile.

"Maybe," She began lightly and took step towards him. She only went up to Seir’s knee, but he still shuffled away from her. "I will tear you from your host and stuff you into a bush like I did with Bara. At least then you would be silent," She growled. Seir snapped his mouth closed. "Thought so," She muttered and turned back to the jar. Merlin leaned away from her slightly. "Perhaps one of these would do for a new host." She gestured and sat down "Assuming you can transform them back." She added to Merlin. Immediately, his own irritation rose.

"I can."

"Is that so, little one?" She asked. Merlin narrowed his eyes, shoulders pulling back as he fixed her with an unwavering glare. 

"Yes," Merlin snapped and another wave of annoyance licked at his chest as she grinned. "I can."

"Watch it, cambion. That temper won't serve you well in Camelot." She mused, taking a single curl from her hand and twisting it absently. Merlin cursed under his breath, rising so he could stalk away from the fire. "Oh, did you conveniently forget about that?" She called after him. Merlin spun around to glower at her. "It was your idea to go."

"Yes, to be with humans. Not kill them." He snapped. From the mouth of the cave, Seir shook his head, eyes flicking black for a moment as he studied Merlin over curiously.

"You're so weird. They're humans."

"I'm half-human!"

"Okay, so maybe you get half of the enjoyment out of it." Seir reasoned, but fell silent when Kali hissed at him in warning.

"Not all humans are creatures of darkness," She said, holding up both of her hands as she turned to sit some velvet blankets sprawled out on a rise in the rocks. "But we aren't asking you to kill all of them, Emrys. Just one." She said and gestured around vaguely as she reached up to tug at her necklace again. "And then you can spend time with your mother's side of the family."

A low hum of laughter flickered around the room. Kane lifted their snout to give a light snort of amusement. Merlin scowled.

"I don't see why you can't take care of this yourself," He muttered, running a hand over his face. A series of hisses followed from somewhere deeper in the cave and Merlin grimaced. "Right. Yes, I do. Sorry." He said quickly. "I forgot..." He trailed off, silently scolding himself for being so careless. After all, the answer was the same as to why they were confined to this cave and forced into hiding. Uther Pendragon.

Kali didn't say anything. She simply watched with unforgiving eyes as Merlin paced.

"Just...Let me think about it." He told her and turned away to go back to his bag. He liked his bag. It was filled with strange things that Merlin always enjoyed exploring. For example, coins. This bag had lots of them for some reason. He still wasn't entirely sure what coins were for but humans seemed to like them an awful lot. Seir said humans ate them. Merlin wasn't entirely convinced that was right. He tried to bite one once and it tasted awful, but then again maybe he didn't have human taste. Who knew? Not him.

Ignoring the rest of the prying eyes at his back, he picked a coin up to flick in the air. It gleamed in the firelight - twirling before it fell back down. Merlin flipped it again. They were so very strange, coins... One side had a sort of... Well, it was a circle with dots and lines that sort of looked like a person. Maybe. Or a squirrel, perhaps? The other side was just as baffling with a pattern that Merlin couldn't seem to detect with all of its crisscrosses and dashes. These were all mostly gold, but Merlin was pretty sure there were some other colors too.

“Emrys?”

Merlin stopped flipping the coin to look over at who had spoken. Blue eyes peered at him cautiously. Merlin smiled weakly. Sometimes, if a demon was docile and young enough, it could possess a stillborn baby and grow in its body almost as if it were its own. The only downside to that was it could never leave the body. Merlin knew many who would shiver at being confined to such an awful prison, but this one never complained. Maybe he didn’t know any better to. 

"Mordred.” He smiled and held out the coin. "Would you like to see?"

The boy sat down, nose wrinkled as he took the item in question to study it. His brows pinched together.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Merlin admitted and held his hand out. Mordred cautiously put it in his palm. "I think it's a protection charm." He shrugged, a little uncertain what it was supposed to protect them from. After all, most humans seemed worried about demons and sorcerers. Considering Merlin wasn't repelled than this would fail at protecting them from either. Maybe it kept bears away or something. "I'm not sure what this is either." He added, tossing the coins aside to pull out another item from the bag.

"That's a feather." Mordred told him helpfully. Merlin snorted.

"I know that," He mused and frowned "But why keep isn't it on a bird? Why in this bag?" He asked and shook his head "Do humans grow feathers?" He asked and shook his head. No... No, that was definitely wrong. Mordred only shrugged. "Sorry, I'm getting distracted." He told him and shoved his findings behind him. "Is something bothering you?" He asked. Mordred's eyes were black, the blue of his host hidden as he watched Merlin silently for a few moments before answering.

"Why don't you want to go home?"

Well then...That felt monumentally unfair. He paused - mouth opening and closing as Mordred patiently waited for an answer. Merlin squirmed, trying not to let the guilt become to prominent as he looked down at his hands.

"I... I do," He argued and winced "I mean, I think I do." He tried. Mordred looked pointedly at Merlin’s hands wringing around one another as he spoke. "I don't quite know what home is." He admitted. Mordred frowned.

"Neither do I. I was born here." He said, gesturing around "But Kali wants to go back. I can tell." He said, leaning forward a bit to meet Merlin's eyes. "So does Seir and the others. They say it's nice there and it isn't so cold all the time." He added, pulling his cloak absently over his shoulders. "And that humans can't hurt us-"

"I know, Mordred." Merlin interrupted and bit his tongue to keep from firing back the most obvious of questions. Sure, the others might want to go back... but was it really a place for someone who wasn't really...You know. Completely demonic? It was a selfish thought to be sure... Which is probably why he refused to admit it out loud. Though based on Kali's scathing looks and whispers she already knew.

"Then why won't you go to Camelot?" He asked. Merlin closed his eyes. "Is it because of your human name?" Mordred whispered as if there was anyone in this entire cave that was unaware of Merlin's human name. Granted, Merlin liked his human name. He thought it was a nice one and often preferred to it to Emrys. Still, the teasing over being named after an earthly creature was unrelenting. "I'm sure they won't be mean about it. I think humans also have strange names. Seir says that his host's name is William." Mordred continued and shook his head. "What is a William?"

"I'm... Not sure," Merlin smiled weakly and looked Mordred over "It is just a little unsettling is all," He told him "Humans are quite... Confusing. As curious as I am about them, they do seem..." He trailed off "Well, they may not like me." He decided. In truth, the idea that humans may find him as a strange as demons did was terrifying, but Mordred didn't need to know that.

"But if they don't like you then we can just go home!" Mordred said eagerly, voice rising as he grabbed Merlin's hands. "See? If you like the humans you can stay with them but if you don't you can come with us! Or we can maybe punish the bad ones." He added offhandedly. "But we can't go home if you don't go to Camelot." He tacked on as if Merlin might have forgotten that fact. "So...You might need to go to Camelot."

"You... Make some compelling points." Merlin said weakly and Mordred grinned. "But I might not be allowed in your home-"

"No, no, no." Mordred waved his hand quickly as if swatting away Merlin's concerns. "If we can go home than we would be able to make it so you're not cambion anymore." He said and beamed. "Then you don't have to be in this place anymore at all!" He said. Merlin nodded absently. Right... That was the dream (note the sarcasm... Demons loved sarcasm. Merlin truly hoped humans also shared a fondness for it).

"Of course," He said instead and tapped the end of Mordred's "You're quite intelligent, you know...For such an ugly little thing."

"I'm beautiful. Kane said so and they never lie." Mordred said got up, the black of his eyes retracting until it was sucked into his host's pupils, blue revealed once more. "I'll tell Kali you're going-"

"I - wait, Mordred-" Merlin frowned, sitting up. Mordred froze. Reason, reason... There had to be a reason. Why shouldn't he go? Was there one? Ha. Uther Pendragon was one. A good one. That wouldn't work here though. Not under these circumstances. There were several beats of silence and Merlin tried desperately to think of his options before letting his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. "I... Can tell her." He finally said, shoulders slumping.

Mordred's grin made it... Kind of worth it.

Not really though.

Kali, of course, didn't seem surprised when Merlin walked over to where she was sitting and knelt in front of her. Neither did the rest of the cave though they others all seemed to pause at it.

"I see a youngling outwitted your numerous objections within ten minutes." She greeted. Merlin looked up at with and offered a small grin.

"It was more like twenty." He said and Kali snorted. Silence followed. 

"Humans are dangerous," She finally said, licking her lips clean of blood as she put down the rat she had been gnawing at. Kane took a step towards it but when Kali turned to him, they whimpered and stepped away. "But you are strong. Whatever flaws they have... You will not be thwarted by them. You can free our kind." She said and smiled as she took a small hand and reached out touch his cheek "They have given you the best of them, I'm sure."

Merlin wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he nodded anyways.

"Why... Why one?" Merlin asked, brows coming together "Why not both?"

More hisses. Kali stared - eyes unblinking as she stared down at him.

"Do not bother yourself with trivial questions. Kill the one. Leave the other. That is all you truly need to know." She said and walked over to grab something hidden underneath a pile of books and old trinkets. "Do you remember Hunith?" She asked and Merlin gave a small nod. It was... A little true. He didn't remember his human mother well, but there were hints of her there. "She has family in Camelot. Which means you have family in Camelot."

"He has blood in Camelot." Seir spoke up from where he was standing by the mouth of the cave, looking out into the forest. Merlin glanced over and he offered a wry smile. "Humans are mainly blood, anyways." He added nonchalantly. "It's all they know. Not the same as family."

"That is for Emrys to decide." Kali said. Merlin smiled back weakly.

"No," He said and turned back to her "He's right. I have a family and home. That's why I'm going, aren't I?" He asked. Kali's eyes broke for a moment and there were a few seconds of silence before she nodded and took off the necklace hanging lowly around her neck. "Kali, I couldn't-"

"Good luck, Emrys." She told him, standing on her the tips of her toes as Merlin lowered himself even more for her to place on him. "...and don't worry." She said and grinned down at the glass jar next to the fire "We'll take good care of your friends."

Merlin didn’t know how to tell those butterflies that they were completely screwed. 

Gaius. Merlin knew he had recognized the name those two men had said in the woods. The man was apparently his uncle - brother to the human who gave birth to him. Merlin had met his mother a few times when he was younger but Kali never liked her around for long. Merlin could never find it within himself to be bitter over it. After all, she was...Well, human. Nobody could blame her for being cautious.

Still, from what Merlin remembered, his mother was a gentle woman with steely eyes and a kind smile. He wasn't sure if that was unusual for a human, but he hoped there were others like her. Now was his chance to find out.

The trip to Camelot had been incredibly uneventful. No other humans crossed his path, though he did run into another gathering of demons who curiously housed him for a night before allowing him to continue on his way.

"Balinor's child, aren't you?" One of them had asked "The cambion?"

"The one and...Probably only." Merlin had smiled as he accepted a pig's heart. "I hail from Kali."

There had been murmurs at that, but nobody argued as he grabbed his leather bag and gave one last thanks before heading out once more.

Perhaps now his patience was being rewarded with some action because the moment he got within ten feet of the castle there was a few shouts of alarm. Merlin whipped around. He had been staring at a few passing humans - seeing them bustle about as they moved carts of plucked items into wicker baskets. A crowd was gathering in something of a circle around a wooden platform with some sort of... Was it a pedestal? A box? A... an item fixed in the center of it. From somewhere above there was a man on a balcony looking down with sullen eyes.

"What's happening?" Merlin asked, brows furrowing as a man was dragged up the platform.

"Execution." A girl whispered beside him and Merlin frowned.

"A what?" He asked, but was cut off by the man on the balcony raising his hand. A hush fell over the crowd. 

"Let this serve as a lesson to all," The man began as he looked down at them, chin jutted out as his eyes fell to the platform. "This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring with demons to use enchantments and magic." He said. Merlin blinked. "And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."

Merlin stared. He turned to the girl next to him who was still watching with wide eyes.

"He's made a mistake." Merlin whispered to her, concern rapidly rising. Her eyes flicked to him. "Demons can't use magic." He explained and shook his head "He can't be put to death for conspiring with demons to use magic." He clarified. Merlin had thought - perhaps - that some sort of alarm might cross her face at the realization an innocent man was about to die... Apparently not. She only scoffed.

"Obviously demons use magic," She told him as if he was stupid. "How do you think they possess people? Or turn into that awful smoke?" She asked, shivering a bit. Merlin opened his mouth to tell her there was a rather important difference between the two, but before he could voice it there was a sharp intake followed by a loud thunk. He whipped around just in time to see the man's head roll towards the edge of the platform. Merlin stumbled back - eyes widening a bit as the world swirled slightly. Oh. Okay. That... That was probably what an execution was. He leaned over curiously to see if the man would regrow another head, but his body remained eerily limp. So the man had been serious when he said the penalty was death... Alright. This... Everything was fine. 

Ignoring the cries of alarm and horrified whispers, Merlin turned to look at the man who had called himself Uther. Merlin had obviously heard of him plenty - even seen his silhouette in various visions and what not, but never clearly. Merlin frowned as he took in the scar over his eyes and worn features that seemed sculpted into a never changing scowl despite the smile he wore.

"Are you alright?"

Merlin glanced around, eyes searching for the voice until he saw a girl eying him over carefully with an arm full of flowers. He gave a weak smile and immediately regretted when her eyes momentarily went dazed.

“Excuse me?” He asked and the girl blinked a few times. Sighing, he stepped forward, pushing his way between the crowds of people to lightly touch her elbow. Her eyes glazed over for a moment - some humans tended to lose track of their thoughts when they first saw him - before blinking rapidly. Finally, her face burst into a bright smile.

“Sorry,” She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck “I lost my train of thought there for a moment. My head seems to be in the clouds today. Were you asking me something?” She asked and Merlin smiled weakly at her. "Oh! You looked a little startled there." She shook her head and laughed. "I was checking to see if you're alright, wasn't I? I’m so sorry." She repeated again, cheeks darkening for a moment.

"I, uh... Was a little caught off-guard," He admitted, glancing at where guards were surrounding another woman. "I haven't seen an, um, execution before." He explained, hoping he had used the word correctly. Immediately the girl's face cleared, replaced by something softer. She reached forward to grab him and he almost jumped at the touch. Why was she doing that? They had only just met -

"I am so sorry - here, come this way." She said and spun him away from the shouting and cries. "I didn't realize... Come on, I'll buy you a drink or something. My mistress just paid me." She explained. Merlin raised an eyebrow at that, but figured there was no reason to comment as she continued leading him down a dirt road towards one of the buildings.

Buildings. Huh. Merlin looked it up and down with fascination. The castle surely looked impressive in the background with the stones and towers and... Just how massive it was - but Merlin found himself equally charmed by the wooden structures with chipped paint and whittled designs.

"What is this place?" He asked as the girl led him inside.

"Oh? It's the tavern," She laughed and tilted his head "You... You must not be from Camelot." She guessed. Merlin smiled weakly in return. "That's alright, newcomers arrive here all the time. I'm Guinevere. Though, most people call me Gwen." She said, sticking her hand out. Merlin stared. Finally, he stuck his hand out too. There was a long pause before Gwen smiled again and slowly grabbed his hand before moving it up and down.

"Are we making a vow?" He asked, bewildered. Gwen laughed.

"You are very strange," She told him and then winced "I... Not in a bad way, I mean! Just... In an unusual way. A good unusual. I - Sorry. What was your name?" She asked quickly, face darkening once more. Oh! Right! His name!

"I'm Merlin." He said, internally holding his breath as he waited for the response. The girl only smiled as she dug into her bag. Good. It must be a normal human name then. "Oh... He took your coins!" Merlin spluttered when Gwen put some down on the counter only for them to be swept away. Gwen blinked.

"I know. I'm paying remember?"

"Paying?" Merlin repeated and Gwen nodded. "I don't understand." He frowned, looking around. Several people were giving their coins away as it turned out. He turned to look at Gwen with rapidly rising concern. What happened when the lady taking the coins got them all? Eventually they would run out if they continued to give it all away.

"I'm guessing you're from the country," Gwen mused and held out a coin for him to look at. "You trade it for things. Like... I gave it to her and she will give us drinks. Then she can use it to give to someone else and they will give her something in return. Like food or clothes." She explained. Merlin nodded slowly. Okay. That was... Strange. He wanted to ask why they couldn't just take things, but figured that would be met with more scrutiny than he really wanted at the moment.

"I see... How do you get the coins then?" He asked, offering a small smile. "Do you give out food too?"

"Oh, no." She laughed "I work for Lady Morgana. That is, I'm her maid." She shrugged. Merlin stared back blankly. "I wash her clothes, help her get dressed, you know. Things like that."

"She can't get dressed?"

"Well, most nobility don't normally dress themselves." Gwen explained, tugging a rogue curl behind her ear. Merlin remained unimpressed. Who didn't know how to dress themselves? Seir knew how to dress his human host and he was an idiot. Shaking his head, he took the glass that had been plopped onto the table and licked his lips. He knew this particular drink very well. Kali called it a human temptation. Merlin called his moron juice. Licking his lips, he took a sip before offering some to Gwen.

"Oh, I shouldn't." She said and patted his knee. "Why are you in Camelot?"

“I’m looking for the court physician. I believe his name is Gaius?” He said. It was the name he had heard in the woods. The one Kali always muttered when speaking of his human relatives. "He's, uh, my uncle." He said slowly, tasting the title in his mouth. Uncle. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Gwen opened his mouth for a moment before promptly shutting it once more.

"I see," She finally said and stood up from the stall "I can take you there! I sometimes stop by Gaius' to get sleeping drafts for my mistress." She explained. Merlin nodded, throwing back the last of the moron juice before dusting himself off. Gwen was a lot more talkative on the way back - explaining all she did as a maid and her father's work as a blacksmith. Merlin nodded, trying to listen, but his eyes kept getting drawn towards a figure in the courtyard of the castle.

"...what's he doing?" Merlin interrupted, jerking his head to where a group of boys were laughing. Gwen followed his gaze and pursed her lips.

"Training... Or say they say." She sighed and shook her head "Those are the knights of Camelot. Some of them are quite sweet but others..." She said, wrinkling her nose. Merlin raised an eyebrow. Huh. She didn't like them. Considering Merlin had only met Gwen about thirty minutes ago he decided he would dislike these knights too. As far as humans went, she seemed like a good example to follow.

"They seem like tongueless young." He agreed. Gwen stopped walking.

"Like what?" She demanded. Merlin tilted his head. Maybe... Maybe that wasn't harsh enough?

"Uh," He floundered as Gwen continued to stare. "You know! Like... Dry hosts? Useless." He shrugged. Gwen blinked, opening her mouth for a moment before snapping it back shut again.

"I don't know what that means." She told him slowly and gave a weak smile. Merlin bit his lip. At any rate, Gwen seemed to have moved on because she pulled him away from where the knights were throwing knives, a boy raising his shield with wide eyes as peals of laughter followed. Merlin felt a stab of annoyance. That boy was clearly the weakest of the group. Everyone knew not to pick on the weakest. Before he could complain, Gwen yanked him towards the castle.

"I need to go back to my mistress. She's probably upset about the execution too," Gwen frowned, glancing over her shoulder "But Gaius' chambers are right up the stairs there!" She said, pointing to a long, curling tower. Merlin nodded. "I'll, um, see you around." She told him, smiling shyly. Merlin nodded. Stairs. Weird. So that's what those things were called. Before they lived in their cave, Kali had them stay in the ruins of an old abandoned castle. Kane (who had then been in a human host) had insisted they were called 'walk-up'. Merlin had vehemently disagreed considering you could 1) run up them and 2) go down them as well. A stab of satisfaction hit him now that he knew Kane was wrong.

"Oh, bye!" He said as Gwen walked away "Stay, uh, blessed... Or something." He murmured under his breath and turned back to the steps in front of him.

The room at the top of the stairs was... Very strange. It was a conglomeration of bubbling liquids, plants, and papers that Merlin had never seen before. He looked around - eyes wide as he let his fingers roam curiously over the wooden bench. Interesting. It was... Nice. Probably. He wasn't really sure what the standard of living was for humans but this seemed good.

"Huh," He said, staring at a particular glass near the ceiling. He flicked his hand, sending it hurtling down in a fluid motion before stopping the fall and plucking it from the air. He was about to peer inside when someone cleared their throat. Merlin whipped around, eyes turning to see a man standing in the doorway - eyes wide as he studied Merlin over for a moment.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, snapping the door shut. Merlin blinked.

"Ah, right. I’m Em- er, Merlin." He corrected himself with a nod, still grasping the glass to his chest. The man stared at him blankly. “Hunith’s son?" He tried. The man blinked at this, stiffening for a moment as he edged forward with pursed lips. The tension only seemed to rise as Merlin shifted uncertainly.

"Hunith’s son...Or Balinor’s?” The man finally asked. Merlin frowned, shifting a little. 

“I was told both, but maybe you know something I don’t.” He said flatly. The man blinked for a moment before a hint of a smile touched his lips. 

 “Right you are,” He smiled tightly and walked closer. "And it does explain what I just saw. You should be more careful with that. I’m Gaius.” He said and Merlin nodded. “I’m going to assume your mother didn’t send you." He added warily. Merlin opened his mouth before shrugging.

"Um, my other mother did..." He said, a little uncertain what the right word is. "Our gathering leader. Kali." He explained and reached in his pocket to pull out the paper folded neatly in his pocket. "My human mother gave me to them when I was a baby." He clarified, holding out the note. "I'm supposed to... Learn more about humans." He told him and twitched "Also, about my... Magic." He said and glanced around. Gaius scowled.

"Be careful with that word, young man." He said flatly and ripped open the letter. Merlin put the vial down, sensing now wasn't the time to explore its contents. "Couldn't your gathering teach you about that?" He added, gesturing Merlin up and down. For the love of - Merlin pressed his lips together. These were books - he knew that much. Kali had him reading as soon he could open a tome. Given how many of these books were in this room he would have assumed this man would be more knowledgeable.

"Demons can't use...That." He said flatly. Gaius rose an eyebrow.

"They can possess people. Turn into smoke. Lead people toward awful temptations."

"Humans can walk. They can make buildings out of stone. Be horribly annoying." Merlin snapped back. There was a pause. Right. Breathe. "Possessing people and moving around in their natural form isn't magic," He explained, lowering his voice slightly "It's just like how birds fly or fish swim. Different than humans." He shrugged. "But...What I can do... Demons can't. Kali said some humans are able to though." He added, voice going a bit smaller towards the end.

"Are able...? They didn't train you?"

"Train?" Merlin repeated "I've been trained," He nodded, though a little baffled at how this had gone in such a direction. "I know how to kill humans. Their hearts are here." He said, pointing to his chest "And brain-"

"Trained in magic." Gaius interrupted. Merlin snorted. There was a pause as Gaius waited.

"Oh, you're serious?" Merlin blinked. "I haven't trained in magic. It... I just do it."

"That's not possible."

"...oh. Well. Surprise." Merlin said blandly. He waved his hand. Immediately, books fell off of the shelves before floating back up to where they had been previously. Gaius blinked. "I'm not very good at controlling it. I once got mad and turned another member of the gathering into a kettle. She was a lovely kettle, but nobody else was very pleased with it." He said and clicked his tongue. "Oh! And once, Seir possessed a human sorcerer and looked in his memories to found some spells for me to try... That didn't go too well either...I somehow made myself a cloud, but now I'm good at turning things into butterflies!" He added brightly. Gaius' mouth snapped closed before looking down at the letter, clearly done with whatever Merlin was saying.

"So little is known about demons..." He murmured, brows wrinkling "Even before the Purge there were those who aimed to have the slaughtered-"

"Which is kind of silly when you think about it," Merlin rolled his eyes. Gaius paused in his reading to look at him. "I... You know. Because we're all really nice."

"I cannot tell if that was sarcasm."

Merlin frowned.

"I'm not sure you and I are going to get along." He finally said. Gaius took a long breath before waddling over to an empty chair, sitting by the fire as he continued to read. Merlin wasn't entirely sure what Kali had written... Part of him didn't want to know. After a few minutes of silence in which Merlin continued his explorations by breaking various things and then having them come back together, Gaius cleared his throat, putting the letter on the table.

"And what’s this?" He asked, turning the paper around to show Merlin the parchment as he tapped a word. Merlin leaned over and sighed.

"Cambion," He answered, pursing his lips. "That’s... That’s what I am." He shrugged before absently yanking at his sleeves.

"Half-human?" Gaius guessed and Merlin made a face. "Or half-demon?" He rectified.

"Um... It’s not... Technically, it could translate to that.” Merlin told him slowly. "It’s not a particularly kind word. Not in my language anyway. So, uh... Please don’t call me that." 

Gaius stared. Merlin could see a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes - searching and deciphering Merlin’s expression to gain a better understanding of what exactly the translation was. In the end, he must have decided to leave it because he merely nodded and pulled the paper back. 

"I won't." He said and went back to the paper. "Why would they allow you to come now? Why not when you were a child?" Gaius murmured and wrinkled his brow. "And why here? Camelot hardly seems safe for someone like..." He trailed off. Merlin waited. "You."

"I mean," Merlin scoffed "They weren't going to send a baby to a bunch of humans." He laughed. Gaius stared. "Humans!" He repeated. This did not seem to register. Merlin leaned forward, eyes flicking around the room before letting his voice lower slightly. "I mean, is it true that you just...Eat salt? Like in food?" He asked. Gaius opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally giving another nod. Merlin shook his head. "Yeah. Sure, let's send a baby to a bunch of humans who just eat salt." He laughed. "Because that can't go wrong... This is me using sarcasm by the way." He tacked on.

"Interesting," Gaius told him and tapped his lip for a moment. "What else do demons say about humans?"

"That you like pain." Merlin said immediately. "I mean, have you seen how your children are born? Seir says it just...Comes out of your bodies?" He winced with a shiver. "I know other animals in the forest sometimes do it that way, but other animals are also a lot smarter and stronger than humans. They can probably withstand that sort of pain. But humans? Is that true? Have you given birth?"

"I've... Delivered children, yes." Gaius said and this time a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Though humans such as I cannot bear children at all."

"Why? Because you're old?" Merlin asked, scooting a little closer. "How old are you anyways?"

Gaius' smile disappeared.

"...seventy-three." He began and Merlin gasped.

"You're not old at all! How come you look like this?" He asked, gesturing up and down. "I thought only old humans looked like... You know." He said. Gaius did not seem to know exactly. On the contrary, he ran a hand over his face. "You know, I can make you an enchantment so that you look the right age. Well... Maybe I can. I did it once with one of Kane's hosts but it was kind of an accident. I called them a baby and then their host turned into one. I'm sure if I'm actually trying I can get it right though-"

"That is not necessary," He interrupted as he held up a hand to silence Merlin. "Especially given that magic is illegal." He reminded him firmly. Merlin's shoulders slumped. Ah. Right. Unfortunate. "Merlin," Gaius continued slowly "You have to understand the dangers of your magic or heritage being found out. Uther executes those-"

"Execute means kill," Merlin agreed. Gaius sighed. "I saw an execution today. His name was Thomas James Collins. He got his head chopped off." He told him. Gaius nodded. “I’m not sure I can get my head chopped off. I can turn into smoke." He explained. Gaius did not seemed to be terribly relieved by this. Merlin tilted his head. "Or, I can also possess people sometimes. I don't really like to do it because sometimes I hear the human hosts and feel a little bad because I wouldn't like anyone coming into my body and ordering me about. But, if I need to, I can probably possess the executioner and make him not chop my head off. Do humans grow their heads back by the way? I wasn't really sure after this morning-"

"...God help me." Gaius whispered. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Kali says not to bother with him. Nobody is even sure he’s real."

"Merlin," Gaius said slowly and reached forward to grab his hand "For... For the first bit of time while you’re here... Don’t talk."

Humans were baffling creatures. 

Gaius had told him to stay put after that. Apparently he needed to 'learn more about humans before socializing'. Merlin was pretty indignant on that matter so Gaius' secondary argument was that Merlin's magic appeared to be very reactive so he shouldn’t be in public. This was proven by the man knocking over a few buckets and Merlin immediately stopping them in midair.

However, Merlin was pretty sure that Kali didn't mention the, uh, other reason for his visit to Camelot in her letter. So Gaius was unaware that Merlin had a second job to complete that couldn't be done with him cooped up in this tower. What was it with humans trying to be high anyways? Uther didn't like magic - which Merlin was pretty sure could make you fly - but he built a castle that went into the sky? Didn't seem right.

At any rate, he was off to find Gwen. He liked Gwen. And Gwen could probably tell him important things that he needed to know if he was going to succeed in learning about humans and his other murder oriented task. Unfortunately, the castle was kind of big and Gwen was very small so he wasn't having the easiest time. Not to mention most people were bustling about, running with their arms full of everything from linens to golden goblets to food. Nobody seemed willing to stop and point him in the right direction.

"...humans," He muttered through gritted teeth. There was no need to be in such a hurry. "Excuse me?" He called and let his fingers lightly touch a girl's arm. Immediately she froze - practically tripping over herself to freeze. "Hi." Merlin smiled and watched as her eyes went glazed. "I'm looking for someone. Do you know a girl named Guinevere?" He asked, letting his voice fall into something almost akin to a purr.

"Um, Gwen... Guinivere..." The girl mumbled, blinking rapidly "Yes. Servant. Morgana." She managed and took a long breath. "Hi..." She managed, face turning bright red as she swallowed. Merlin hummed, running a thumb over her arm comfortingly. "Lower... Lower town... Errand... Market..." She said and Merlin let go. There was a brief paused before her gaze snapped back into rapt attention. "Wha - ?" She began, looking around. She blinked again before looking down and gasping. "The wine!" She yelped and dashed off again before Merlin had time to inquire what that was about.

Right. Market. Merlin knew where that was. It was by the place Gwen had took him after the guy lost his head.

Good news: He found Gwen (after admittedly getting a little lost and ending up in a cupboard at one point).

Bad news: Those annoying knights were there too.

"Just ignore them," Gwen advised as Merlin watched the group drift among stalls. One man was laughing loudly before pausing to look at various items. He would occasionally flick a gold coin at some before taking something and moving on. Merlin tilted his head. "Morgana says they thrive off of attention." She added and tapped his arm. "Want to try?" She asked, holding up a... What...Was that?

"Um," He said and slowly picked up the... uh, well. Merlin couldn't quite describe it. It was kind brown...Like dirt that was dry with something leaking out of it. "Why is its blood blue?" He asked, nudging the purplish-blue goop. Gwen laughed.

"Sorry!" She said immediately, "It is just an unusual thing to hear." She shrugged and bit her lip "It isn't blood. It's blueberry pie." She said and poked at the blue part "That's the berries."

Merlin knew what berries were. They were round and sometimes bumpy and about the size of your thumb. Why would...? Had they mashed the berries? Who would do such a thing? Still, Gwen was looking at him with such a sense of excitement that he didn't care disappoint her. Taking a wary breath, he leaned forward and bit down.

Huh.

"...blueberry?" He repeated and Gwen nodded. Merlin took another bite. "Whoa... This is delicious!" He whispered, eliciting a pleased snort from Gwen as she went ahead and exchanged a coin for another piece. "You can just put berries into lies?" How did that work? Did you just yell falsities at the berries until it was squashed? That had to be magic of some sort.

"Pies." Gwen corrected and Merlin frowned. He was about to pursue more questions on the topic when there was a loud crash. Merlin whipped around just in time to see a boy trying to stumble up as the knights all broke into loud snickers. The blonde one up front watched in wry amusement, not offering to help as the boy managed to stutter out a few apologies while picking up what appeared to be fallen pieces of bread.

"Clumsy are we? I hope your master didn't plan to sell those." The blonde told him. Gwen gave a small huff and put her basket down to walk over and start picking up some bread herself to hand back to the boy (Gaius had given him so bread before he snuck out actually. It was very good and Merlin would gladly take it if the coins were unable to accept it for whatever reason). Merlin hesitated before following her lead. Just as he leaned down to pick some up the laughter died down.

"Maybe you should work on walking before you go about trying carrying things." One said. Merlin glanced at the boy who was staring solemnly on the ground. A sudden flash of anger hitting him at once. Immediately, he pushed it down. He may be with humans but he shouldn't go about feeling human emotions. That was what led their hearts to evil according to Kali.

"I'm sorry." The boy whispered and Merlin stood up to grab the basket that the boy had also dropped. The knight began to walk forward, the blonde one still smirking as he marched forward. Merlin wasn't sure what he thought he was doing. Merlin was right here. This didn't seem to deter the man since he simply kept walking.

"Watch it." He said, pushing past. Merlin stiffened - instinct taking over as he shoved back immediately. Gwen made a choking nose as the rest of the street seemed to freeze immediately at the action.

"Watch yourself," Merlin threw back. The man barely stumbled back, but the way his eyes flicked over Merlin was nothing short of dangerous. A warning whispered in the back of his mind, but he ignored it. "What?" He asked, letting a low taunt edge into his voice "I'm sorry... Did I scare you?" He asked, letting his lower lip pucker out in feigned sympathy. Immediately, a murmur followed his words as the man's lips went into a thin line.

"Of you?" He asked and gave a short laugh "I very much doubt that. Do you know to whom you're speaking to?" He asked, taking a step forward. Merlin felt his grin widen.

"I'll be frank with you, my friend. I don't particularly care." He clicked his tongue, tilting his head. "Do allow me a guess though... Do they call you..." He trailed off, looking the stranger up and down. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. He would make a decent looking host, to be sure. "Richard?" He asked innocently and patted his arm. "You do look like a Richard."

"Arthur, actually." The man informed him pleasantly. Huh. Merlin rose an eyebrow. He glanced around, taking in the rather large crowd gathering around to the group of snickering idiots behind with knives and swords. Interesting.

"Arthur, huh?" Merlin repeated slowly. The man's face broke into a victorious grin. Nah. Merlin pasted a smile on his own face. There was no way he was letting him think he's won this. "Prince Arthur?" He asked, letting his voice lower slightly to adopt a more disappointed tone. He sighed. "And here I thought princes were supposed to be handsome."

Humans apparently were very sensitive about their bodies. The words were barely out of his mouth before Arthur gave a fake laugh and swung a mace at his head.

"Was it something I said?" Merlin asked as he easily ducked. Gwen had a hand covering her mouth, stumbling back as the horror seemed to seep from her to the rest of the crowd. Arthur swung again. "Your aim is a little off." Merlin told him, sidestepping slightly. Really, this felt a bit like child's play. Seir used to chase him around with boulders and lightning. Still, Merlin got the feeling he probably shouldn't be adding wood to the fire...

"You should know I've been training to kill since birth."

Eh. It would be fine.

"Well, you aren't very good at it."

Really, Merlin just thought that the darling prince was too easily offended. Arthur hissed, jumping over some of the carts Merlin had taken to stepping behind. Laughing, he waved and ducked under the carts, rolling under so he popped up on the other side. Arthur spun around - face rapidly turning more and more red by the second as he dove to grab at him. Merlin felt a stab of regret at the realization he couldn't simply disappear into a ball of smoke like he usually might do to escape. Nor could he use magic...

"What else are princes trained to do?" He asked, striving for conversational as he Arthur managed to grab the sleeve of his shirt. He ducked again, twisting quickly to free himself with a sudden sense of alarm. He was kind of fast for a human... Shoving the concern away, he offered another bright smile. "Do they the teach you to be a prat or is that just unique to you?" He put a finger to his lips as if deep in though. This time the mace came precariously close to his face.

"Why don't you try to land a hit yourself, you coward!" Arthur managed as he struck again. This time, Merlin had to grab random hunk of metal sitting out on some shop owner's table to deflect the blow. Okay... Maybe (just maybe) this human was actually a bit more dangerous than he gave him credit for. Still, Merlin wasn't about to go down without a fight. "Or can you only run away?"

"Actually, I'm a devout pacifist." Merlin shrugged, holding out his hands in a slightly 'oh well' gesture as he backed away. "What can I say? It's how my mom raised me. She has the heart of a child." He said and snorted a bit. Arthur wouldn't get the joke but... Well, he could still appreciate his own wit, right?

"You have the intelligence of one!" Arthur said and lunged forward. Merlin tried to yank away, but apparently Prince Charming here had learned to expect his slippery escapes because he immediately used his foot to sweep under his feet, knocking Merlin to the ground.

It was... Not... The best position to be in.

He went to roll away but an elbow was already on his chest, pressing down hard. Arthur's face was inches away from his won - eyes alight with pure rage as he held the mace behind him, fully prepared to swing down. Merlin sighed. This might have not been thought through. Glaring back, he jutted his chin out, refusing to flinch away.

"Well?" He asked after a few seconds passed "I'm waiting for that training of yours to kick in."

He wasn't for sure why... but the ire seemed to evaporate. Merlin felt the fingers around his the collar of his shirt loosen and suddenly the arm on his chest disappear. Baffled, he sat back up, head tilted. That was supposed to make him angrier. What happened?

"Take him to the dungeons." Arthur said and Merlin could only gape as hands from behind heaved him up. What the Hell? He went to jerk his elbow out from the guards' grip but this was only reciprocated with a sharp jolt of pain in his side when the point of a spear pressed warningly into his skin. "Maybe learn to watch your mouth," Arthur told him flatly as he swung the mace over his shoulder "Or you'll find yourself banished."

"Just banished?" Merlin asked, tilting his head innocently "I was striving for an execution."

To his surprise, Arthur laughed. Merlin wasn't sure why he had decided to develop a sense of humor now, but alright. Perhaps his confusion showed on his face because the prince smirked. He took a few steps back towards Merlin with the horrible stench of smug victory clogging up most of his senses. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and Arthur gave a condescending tap right between Merlin's eyes.

"I'm a devout pacifist."

...this guy was the fucking worst.

"Bold words to say after a man's head got chopped off." Merlin told him. There was a beat of silence at that - the previous playfulness disappearing as quickly as it had came. Merlin wondered if all humans were privy to such ridiculous mood swings or if it was a prince thing... Or an Arthur thing. Either way it was weird and Merlin didn't particularly care for it.

"You," Arthur finally said as Merlin began to prepare himself for the anger once more. "Are probably the stupidest idiot I have ever come across."

"Know a lot of smart idiots, do you?" Merlin asked. He was trying. Truly. He just really couldn't help himself. This was supposed to be the human's future leader? Kali would tear his throat out within seconds. Arthur shook his head again, looking truly astonished.

"Get him out of my sight." He sighed and the arms that Merlin admittedly forgot were there yanked him away. Right. So... Maybe day one of his mission wasn't going the best... but he was learning a lot about humans! They were great! Well, Gwen was... And probably Gaius too. He wasn't too sure about him yet. Perhaps the longer he stayed here would allow for more commonality to appear. Hopefully. At least there was one good thing to come out of all this... He had met Arthur Pendragon. And Kali was right...

He would be incredibly easy to kill.

Chapter Text

So... Merlin had given it some thought.

Kali had asked him to kill Arthur Pendragon... And he would. Definitely. Absolutely. It was just that Merlin wasn't a complete idiot and knew that all sorts of chaos was going down after the prince's death. Uther had declared war on magic after his wife had died. Merlin had no idea how he would react to his son mysteriously dying.

And sure, Merlin could go about planning a death that looked like another human's murder or a suicide or convince another human to do it for him entirely... But why not just wait? Enjoy Camelot at its calmest and then, after he was done learning about humans, slicing Pendragon open and calling it a day.

Hey. It wasn't like anyone would blame him. Demons were terrible procrastinators.

What he hadn't counted on was somebody (and by somebody he meant everybody) trying to beat him there... But he digressed. 

"Why are the cells so nice?" Merlin asked, biting into an apple as Gaius led him back into the tower and slammed the door shut. He turned to stare at him. "I thought the point of dungeons was that you want to get out." He added thoughtfully between mouthfuls of fruit.

"You found the cells nice?" Gaius asked him slowly. Merlin shrugged. They were dark and cold and had plenty of food with rats roaming around. Gaius rose an eyebrow. Merlin just returned the look as innocently as he could before Gaius started speaking again. "We'll need to find you work... Something that will help you keep your head down as you learn more about humans." He said, going back to his various bottles. He held one up. "Also, you'll need to learn how to keep your... Talents under wraps as well as your, um..." He gestured Merlin up and down.

"Demon-ness?" He suggested bluntly. Gaius pursed his lips. "Do you like demons?" He asked, sitting up on the bench as Gaius moved some more things around. "Because you kind of act like you - what is that?" He interrupted himself as his senses sharpened suddenly. A metallic smell touched his nose before making him cough... Like pollen getting stuck in the back of your throat and burying itself there. Gaius walked over, shaking the bottle slightly as he held up. Merlin leaned away.

"Holy water," Gaius explained "Are you familiar with it?"

"...No." Merlin said and moved away. "It smells weird." He added and Gaius nodded, popping off the top so the smell became even more intense. For the lo - ugh. It was strong enough that Merlin caught himself gagging - trying to waft it away as Gaius edged in closer.

"I know," Gaius told him with a flicker of empathy "We just need to see how you react to it."

"Not well." Merlin managed through gritted teeth, "By the hearth, why does it smell like that?" He gasped. Gaius grabbed his hand. "Wait, don't-" He started but Gaius had already tipped a drop onto his palm. Immediately there was a sharp prick of pain that followed, radiating through his hand up to his elbow as he began a string of incoherent curses, yanking his hand away. "No!" He finished loudly.

"Well, we have our answer." Gaius winced and quickly put the bottle away. "You'll need to stay far from holy water as possible... What language was that?" He added. Merlin yanked his throbbing hand away, glaring as he tried to sooth the abused skin. He looked down to see a black mark rapidly fading from where the water had touched.

"What? Oh, um... Syeri. Kali is from the fifth circle." He said. Gaius stared at him for a second before his mouth parted for a moment.

"Of Hell?" He clarified. Merlin shrugged. "I hadn't realized each had their own language." He said slowly, voice rising with genuine curiosity. Merlin shrugged again. He doubted humans actually knew much about demons at all. Not that Merlin was really an expert. He only knew Kali's gathering, after all. "Do all of Kali's followers speak Syeri?" He asked. Merlin nodded. "I see... Well, at any rate you can't use it here. People will start asking questions if you start screaming in demonic languages."

"Then maybe don't fling spicy water at me." Merlin muttered and when Gaius reached for something else, scrambled away. "No!" He growled, letting his eyes flash gold in warning. Gaius blinked.

"You know what this is?"

"Salt." Merlin spat and pointed at it. "No. Keep it away."

"Most food is prepared with salt." Gaius frowned, putting the grains down. "If you can't be near it-"

"I... I can," He mumbled "Others wouldn't be able to touch it, but it just makes me really tired." He sighed and made a face. "And it tastes disgusting." He added, already making as face as he rolled his tongue to rid himself of the taste. Seir had tricked him into eating it once as a prank... He had thrown it up almost immediately. Gaius smiled a bit before nodding.

"What about exorcisms?" He asked, but Merlin felt his patience rapidly evaporating as he looked outside the window where people were filing into the castle.

"Well, Gaius, if I'm possessing anyone I don't see it being a problem." He snapped. At this, Gaius blinked. Merlin glared. "...did you not realize this was my body?" He asked dryly.

"I... Thought the resemblance to my sister was strange. How can you possess people if you have a body of your own?" He asked. Merlin looked pointedly at where the salt and holy water sat. Scoffing, Gaius quickly put them in the furthermost corner of the room, throwing a blanket over for good measure. Merlin nodded.

"My body is split between human and demon. I have two forms. My human one which is why I've never needed a host," He said, gesturing to himself "And my demon one which would just look like smoke to humans." He said, working to stiffle a yawn. Stupid bloody salt. "Hey... I look like your sister?" He asked suddenly. Gaius tilted his head. "I just... I've never really seen myself." He admitted. Gaius opened his mouth for a moment before nodding.

"You do." He agreed and then reached over to pat his knee. "We'll get you a mirror. If, uh, those work for you."

"What's a mirror?"

"Just get ready for the feast." Gaius sighed and Merlin curled his lips slightly as he stood up.

"You're the one who brought it up." He muttered before drifting over to change his tunic (Gaius had give him a second one which was quite exciting). Merlin wasn't too terribly excited by this 'feast'. Gaius said he could go if he watched quietly so he figured it was something that humans really liked... However, feasts meant food and human food meant salt and Merlin was pretty sure he had already made his opinions on the salt thing very clear. The night sounded like an exhausting affair. He wondered idly if Arthur Pendragon would be there... Maybe he could accidentally throw a chair at him or something. That would cheer him up.

Only... Merlin didn't get a chair. Why? He wasn't sure. Other people had chairs, but not him or Gaius. They had to stand to the side while others sat down which was just confusing. He saw Gwen drifting around, pouring wine for a very pretty human with black hair and whispering lowly into her ear. Every so often the girl would smile, tilting her head back to laugh as Gwen stepped away to her spot in the corner (she did not have a chair either).

"Nobles may sit during feasts," Gaius told him quietly. "Others are not allowed such luxury."

"Nobles?"

"Kings and queens," Gaius waved his hand "Royalty, mostly. Then there's lords and ladies and dukes and-"

"Purebloods." He interrupted flatly. Gaius' glance flicked him over, but he didn't sat argue. "Humans must like them too then."

There wasn't much time for Gaius to respond given that a hush had fallen over the room. Merlin glanced over to see a woman enter - dressed in yellow with white sashes thrown over her shoulders and down the front of her dress. Merlin tilted his head. Something pricked at his stomach, rolling uncomfortably as she began walking forward. Almost immediately the room chilled. She opened her mouth to let out a... Truly awful screech that had Merlin almost clapping his hands over his ears. The humans didn't seem as appalled. On the contrary, they seemed more...Relaxed by the squawking.

Was this their version of music?

Merlin frowned. He supposed, if he really focused, he could see how it might be considered pretty. Maybe. In truth, it sounded too much like angels to really be enjoyable. He was about to ask Gaius more when he noticed the room had gone even darker - white webs covering the table and forming over people and... Oh dear.

"Um," He cleared his throat and shuffled forward. The woman was still yelling. Sorry, singing. Whatever. She was still doing something as she stepped forward, eyes fixed on where Prince Arthur himself sat slumped over the table. Merlin groaned. "Hello?" He called. "Listen, if you're trying to kill him please don't. It's on my to do list and if you kill him now then it'll be harder for me to... Are you even listening?" He asked.

No. No, she wasn't.

Merlin figured it was time to take action. His magic seemed to respond immediately, snapping a chain above so the chandelier came crashing down on her with a loud crash. There was only a brief moment of stillness before the crowd began to stir again. Affronted whispers began, the woman on the ground seemingly melting away to reveal another woman who definitely was not the singer. Merlin turned to Gaius.

"I did that." He informed him proudly. Gaius made a quick choking noise - looking around to see if someone had been listening. Merlin wasn't sure what he was so worried about. Especially since the woman was trying to get up again. Merlin tilted his head. She looked... Weak. Like she could die at any moment. Humans couldn't die from a chandelier falling on them, right? He narrowed his eyes. While she looked like she could collapse, there was still a burst of energy as she threw a knife forward - which was admittedly very impressive and cool that she could send it hurtling at that speed especially since - Ah. Not again.

Letting his magic slow the knife, he jumped over, yanking Arthur out of the way.

He couldn't believe this. Was he not the only one who wanted him dead? That made his life so much more complicated. He couldn't have someone else kill Arthur! That was his job. Not to mention if Arthur died early then that would completely ruin his investigation of humans given that everyone would be mad and declaring war. As he was mulling over these facts, he noticed Uther speaking to him - placing a hand on his shoulder as he said something or another... Merlin didn't really care. Uther wasn't much of his concern. Though... Maybe Merlin should have been paying closer attention because Arthur looked pretty offended.

"-father!"

What?

Merlin looked around, noting the applause and pleased smiles flittering around the room as Arthur looked dismayed as he tried to fix his cloak. Admittedly, Merlin Maybe should have not been focusing on the possibility of someone else killing Arthur... Which was not ideal. At all. His mind replayed the previous five minutes in his mind, processing the Uther's words a bit belatedly as he turned to Arthur.

"Um," He began and looked at Arthur. "I don't know what that is."

"You don't know what a servant is?"

"That's what I just said," Merlin snapped back "Didn't you hear me? Or were you too busy being grateful at being alive?" He asked, watching as the man's face morphed from annoyance to genuine outraged.

"You cannot talk to me like that."

Merlin could not stand this whiny, blonde human.

"I can," He assured him with narrowed his eyes "It isn't that hard. Would you like me to demonstrate some more?"

From the other side of the table, Merlin could see the girl Gwen had been serving leaning over to watch them with curious eyes. Gwen herself was by her side - fixing Merlin with a horrified look of her own as Arthur went bright red.

"To honor my father's wishes you may stay for a week," He said lowly, pointing a finger at his chest "But then you are gone, understand?" He growled and jabbed the finger forward. Merlin clicked his tongue before giving a slow nod, letting feigned empathy cross his face.

"Wouldn't want to upset daddy now, hm?" He asked. Arthur's jaw clenched. "Don't worry. I'm devastated at having to not be around you in a week. Can you see that I'm devastated?" He asked. Arthur didn't respond since he was already walking away. Merlin grinned after him. "Have a lovely night!" He called and turned to immediately find Gaius' disapproving eyes on him. "...hi." He smiled. Gaius' expression did not change. "Um, right. Could you tell me what a servant is?"

Humans were fascinating. A servant, as it turned out, was a polite term meaning 'person who is tortured'... Or possibly 'mother'. Eh. One in the same, really. Either way he was expected to do very simple tasks for someone who could apparently not do simple tasks. Merlin was also supposed to do this with a 'good attitude' because it was a 'huge honor'.

Needless to say... Merlin was not suited for this job.

"My lord."

"Yes?" Merlin asked, turning to smile at Arthur. They had gone through this over a hundred times. The prince was clearly frustrated with the conversation, but Merlin couldn't resist being equally as obnoxious as he was. It was only fair. Gaius had said Merlin really had no choice but to accept the job since it would apparently offend the king if he said no. Merlin figured it only made his plot to murder Arthur even easier.

"No," Arthur said through gritted teeth "You are supposed to call me that." He managed. Merlin gasped as if this was new information to him.

"Oh, I am so sorry, my... What was the word again? Oh! Right. Whore. I am so sorry, my whore."

"No - you-" Arthur went bright red "GUARDS!" He shouted and Merlin snickered, putting down the sheets to the bed he was making. "Take him to the stocks." He added as the doors burst open to reveal some of his new friends. Along with Gwen and Gaius, he had grown quite fond of Gregory and Anthony. They were humans who carried spears and liked to take him various places when Arthur got mad. Like, now, they were taking him to the citadel where this weird wooden contraception was.

"You don't seem too bothered by this," Anthony noted as they opened up the lock. "You should really stop trying to piss him off. Eventually, he'll stop worrying about his father and just banish you."

"If he was really bothered he'd give me a proper punishment." Merlin said as he placed his wrists in the holes. "Having people throw food at me is hardly considered torment." He said and paused. "Do... Do other people find this displeasing?" He asked. Greg pushing his back down so they could close the top part of the thing closed before snapping the lock shut.

"It isn't supposed to be painful...Well, sometimes. This isn't an easy position to be in." He said, lightly kicking Merlin's leg "But humiliation is part of it too."

"It seems like his majesty is more humiliated than me." He snickered and gave the guards a bright grin. "Now, what he would do if he really wanted me to stop is tell Gaius. Gaius seems like someone to properly be frightened of." He mused. Merlin didn't know much about his human mother... Other than what he had been told of course. Kali had said his father would have only chosen a strong human to fall in love with. It appeared her brother had the same strength. The man said things that truly...Truly was terrifying. Like, yesterday, for example. He had told Merlin he was disappointed in him. Who said stuff like that? What kind of game was he playing? Merlin was just playing around with his magic. There was no need for that kind of language.

"Well, that's something." Greg said and ruffled his hair like he was some sort of dog. Merlin scowled at him. "I'll let the prince know."

Wait a minute.

"Um," Merlin called as the pair laughed at his face, turning to walk away. "Don't... Don't do that. Greg? I... Don't tell him that! Gregory!"

Update: The guards were not his friends and humans were all traitors.

Gwen was his favorite human of all time and Merlin was pretty sure if anything happened to her he would disobey orders and kill everyone in Camelot himself.

"...and you put this here!" She said, plopping the helmet onto his head. "See?" She asked, and Merlin made a face.

"Why do they need so much metal on them?" He asked, trying to see her through the holes in front of him. Gwen laughed and took it back off.

"To keep them from getting cut with the sword," She shrugged, placing the helmet to the side. "Even if it's just a tournament there are accidents. Someone could get stabbed or cut." She explained. Merlin frowned. "I saw one man bleed out once... It was terrible." She added, shivering slightly. Merlin gawked. Bleed out? That was a thing? Kane had taught him the basics of human assassination. If you puncture an organ or their throat they die. Merlin thought that was as complicated as it got. Only now he was learning they could die from chandeliers falling and blood leaving their bodies. It must be very stressful to live that way.

“Hey," He said slowly and tilted his head “What about snakes? I heard those can kill people. Does the armor protect against that?”

"What?" Gwen asked, voice holding thinly veiled amusement. "Snakes? Why would a knight need armor against snakes in a tournament?” She chuckled fondly and placed a sword in his hands. “You’re funny, Merlin.” She said. Normally, Merlin might be pleased to find out he was hilarious, but unfortunately he had other things to do now.

After learning the basics of knights and their ridiculous metal fashion choices Merlin had to sneak into the castle and wait for his new friend.

“Hi there.”

“For the love of - who the Hell are you?!” The man hissed as the door shut closed behind him. Merlin smirked.

“A friend.” He answered from where he was sprawled out in a chair, eyes flicking over the knight as he licked his lips. “Possibly, I mean. You and I apparently want the same thing.” He explained and nudged a shield on the ground with his foot. "Tell me, Valiant. Are you aware that this is a very dangerous toy?” He asked. The man went white. Merlin waited. Predictably, threats immediately spilled from his mouth - objections and the ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ or ‘Who do you think you are?’ and the classic ‘how dare you?’

Humans were very creative, but they were loyal to their repetitive phrases when confronted with something they didn’t like.

“Listen,” Merlin said, waving his words away “I can’t let you kill Arthur Pendragon. I have dibs and a lot of demons are depending on me. Just because I don’t want him dead right now doesn’t mean you lot get a go at it.” He huffed, a little annoyed so many attempts had already been made on Arthur’s life. Why the Hell did Kali even send him? Humans seemed up to the task fine.

"Demons?” Valiant frowned and stepped back. Merlin smiled. “W- what? What Are you talking about? You... Aren’t you his servant? You can’t-”

“I can,” Merlin assured him and stood up, taking quiet steps towards forward “I don’t want to kill you. Now, I can turn you into a butterfly and then you can have a nice life flying about.” He mused, taking another step. “But if you scream then I might be forced to rip your throat out so I can squeeze your heart from your chest. I can’t imagine that would be very fun for you.” He said and let his eyes flick gold. Valiant made a choking noise, eyes widening as Merlin took another step. “And if you tell the king that a big, scary, golden eyed demon is walking about the castle...” he clicked his tongue. “I can assure you that I can make your death much...worse.” He whispered. Valiant didn’t move. “So! What’s the plan?”

“I’ll leave tomorrow.” Valiant whispered and Merlin beamed, bopping the end of his nose.

“Great!” Merlin said and walked over to pick up the shield. He felt his eyes go gold again and immediately the thing snapped in half. “It was really nice meeting you - sorry for all the threats, but you know how it goes.” He shrugged. “For what it’s worth, I think you would have been a stunning butterfly!”

”I said I would leave...Please, please just get out.” Valiant choked. Merlin frowned. It wasn’t like he had actually hurt the guy. They were on the same page now! Could they not be friends? “Please. I’ll leave now, okay? See? I’m going.” He continued, quickly grabbing his things with shaking hands.

New note: Humans were not very forgiving creatures. 

"Hello, Gaius!"

"Merlin!" Gaius gasped, almost dropping the rag he was holding as he popped up. Merlin grinned. “You’re... You’re alive!" He spluttered and glanced out the door Gwen had walked through.

"Yep," Merlin said and stretched out on the bed he was sprawled out in “The wildest thing happened. I was sitting there minding my own business when this woman was like ‘that cup is poisoned!’ and I was like ‘what is poison?’ And she said ‘it kills you!’ and I was all ‘Really? No way!’ and then she said Arthur was going to drink it. So I went over and told everyone it was poison but nobody believed me so I drank it. Only... I’m not sure I can be poisoned or whatever so I just pretended to be dead." He finished. Gaius stared. "Where’s Arthur?”

"He’s... Left. To find you a cure.”

Now it was Merlin’s turn to stare.

"What are talking about?” He laughed and sat up, brow crinkling a bit. "He’s not trying to save me-"

"He is," Gaius interrupted and sat down at the edge of the bed. “And I fear he may not return without the remedy.”

"But..." Merlin started and paused “He doesn’t even like me. He says I’m just a servant all the time.” He explained. Gaius offered a wry smile and pushed some hair back.

"That may be so, but Arthur is a good man. You saved his life. He believes it is only fair to return the favor.”

Fair. Merlin felt his mouth open. Fairness was not a human trait. Not in the least. The idea that a prince was saving his life based on the principle - when everything he stood for was benefited from a system that was not fair - seemed utterly bewildering. Arthur didn’t value Merlin’s life. He couldn’t. Even if he did think that Merlin was a hundred percent human.

"Do you think he’ll die out there then?” Merlin asked. Gaius merely smiled tightly as an answer. That... Made no sense. None. At all.

"There’s not much to do about it now. Close your eyes. People will start to question things if they realize you’re not clinging to death." Gaius told him, pushing a shoulder down. Merlin swallowed. This felt... Wrong. Only because this wasn’t the way Merlin intended Arthur’s death to go, of course... And if Arthur died because of Merlin then he could kiss his place in the human world goodbye. It was only right he help him, right? Right.

Gnawing at his lip, he closed his eyes again, letting his mind drift as he heard Gwen re-enter the room and Gaius speaking lowly to her.

"...come on. Come on-"

The whisper was low as Merlin opened his eyes again, making out a dark cavern with the sound of small clicks from somewhere down below. Arthur was dressed in his armor, clinging to some rocks with a yellow flower tightly gripped in his hand.

"What the Hell?" He muttered, looking directly at Merlin. The cavern lit up slightly, the gold of Merlin’s demon form providing an sparkling ball of light as he drifted far above.

Let’s go, idiot, he egged on silently. I’m only saving you one more time.

Arthur looked around. After several moments of silence he looked back down at where the clicking was growing louder before giving a low string of curses under his breath and started to climb. Finally.

"What even are you?" he asked breathlessly as he continued to move up the jagged rocks. A waste of air really. Merlin couldn’t answer him in a way he would understand anyways. Instead, he focused his magic so a few spiders fell away.

Hurry, Merlin hissed. Not that Arthur could hear him, but he must have gotten the sentiment because with one last shuddering breath he heaved himself towards the top of the cavern. He rolled onto the ground grasping as he held up the flower in front of him. He looked at it before giving a slight breath of relief, laughing a bit as he put a hand on his forehead.

"Thank you," He breathed out and looked towards Merlin. The smile vanished as he brows came together. "...Thank you." He repeated with a stoic nod. "Whoever you are... you didn't owe that to me." He said. Merlin felt his form shift, a little uncomfortable at the sincerity behind the words. Swallowing, he felt a jolt as his body seemed to shudder and - wait. Where was - ?

"Merlin." Choking, Merlin sat up, breath suddenly hitting him full force. Gaius was hovering over him - eyes wide as he looked over his shoulder. Merlin coughed again before touching his forehead - sweat. What the...? He coughed a bit, gagging as his body seemed to snap at once, pain boiling under his skin so that he gave a sharp intake. "Don't move," Gaius instructed him and put a rag over his head "The poison is settling in."

"Wha-?" He started and gave another cry of pain. "How..? I... I was fine..." He managed before shivering a bit when a draft of cold hit him. He looked around but there were no open windows he could see. Him getting cold at all was truly a feat in itself. Gaius pursed his lips.

"That was before you disappeared," He said lowly. Merlin blinked - mind feeling a little numb. "I turned around and you were gone. I had to tell Gwen you were in the other room. Merlin, if someone had seen you-" He began, but Merlin's coughing cut him off. "It is a discussion for another time." He said instead and wiped some sweat off his face. "Your body must have weakened from you leaving... It gave the poison a chance to attack your human systems... Though I can't pretend to know how your anatomy works." He added, sounding distressed by the information. Merlin gave a weak smile.

"I...Am...A man...Of mystery..." He managed. Gaius scoffed. "I had... I had to help... Arthur." He added and blinked, world going worryingly blurry. "Only...Once though..." He muttered. "Mbĩ... Traw wule a... nidrikp...dẽ..." He mumbled and with another stab of pain, the world went black.

Waking up was a wild. Merlin opened his eyes to see Gwen crying into Gaius' shoulder while feeling like he had been beaten to death with a hundred of rocks.

"...but why?" He asked. Gwen gasped, letting go of Gaius to spin back towards him.

"You're alive!"

"Unfortunately," He agreed, but before he could make another snippy comment about Gaius being old enough to be her father Gwen leaned over and bit him. Or... Well. She did something. It wasn't quite biting, but he really didn't know how else to describe it. Sucking? No. She essentially grabbed his face and just mashed hers on it. He stared - a little bewildered. Was this a customary reaction to finding out someone was alive?

"I'm... I'm sorry," She said when she broke away "I thought you were dead."

Merlin smiled.

"It's okay!" He told her, a little uncertain of what he could say. She smiled and sat down, grabbing his hand and squeezing tightly. The next few hours were filled with Gaius and Gwen alternating explaining how Arthur had returned with the flower to cure him... Only Uther locked him up for disobeying orders (such an Uther move, honestly). Merlin wasn't sure how he felt about Arthur going against his father's wishes to save his life. It left him a little uncomfortable as he heard how Arthur had still refused to give up and (with the help of the wondrous Gwen herself) snuck the flower out of the dungeons to him.

"By the way, what language was that?" Gwen asked as she cleared away some dishes. Merlin tilted his head. "When I came in you were muttering... Something." She frowned and sat next to him. "I hadn't realized there were other languages in the outlying villages." She told him. Merlin opened his mouth. Oh. Crap. Had he been speaking Syeri? He offered a bright smile that he hoped overshadowed any panic in her tone.

"Language?" He asked, tilting his head. "OH! I, uh...Well, you see..." He laughed and winced when his ribs gave a painful twinge. "I have... A...Very thick...Accent..." He said slowly. Gwen blinked. "It's a country accent. It makes me hard to understand." He said with a nod. "Lots of people think I'm speaking in another language," He laughed "So strange, right? But no... It's just... This language... No other.... The one you and I speak...Now. The one you and I are speaking now." He added.

"Oh..." Gwen said slowly and then patted his hand. "I better let you rest." She said and got up. "Unless you need something?" She added. Merlin quickly shook his head. "Right, I'll stop by later then." She promised before giving one last wave and letting the door slam behind her. Merlin groaned. From the other side of the room, Gaius flipped a page of his book.

"I thought demons were good liars."

"I am."

"Really? Didn't sound like it."

"Well maybe my human side is messing me up." He snapped and fell back on the bed, ignoring Gaius' snickering. Whatever. Merlin didn't need this. He also didn't need the incessant whispering in the back of his mind, but it appeared today wasn't his day. Luckily, the whispers were momentarily silent when the door reopened once more. He glanced up, expecting to find Gwen again only to find Arthur in the doorway.

"Hi." He greeted.

"Um, hi." Merlin said and sat up, bringing the blanket around his shoulders as Arthur shuffled further into the room. He offered Gaius a small smile before nudging towards Merlin as if he was made of glass. "Thank you." Merlin blurted out suddenly. Arthur jumped at the force behind his voice. "I, just, you didn't have to do that. You probably shouldn't have." He added, tongue feeling heavy and uncomfortable in his mouth. "And I don't understand -" He tried again and looked up to find Arthur staring down at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. "Thank you for saving my life." He finally finished... Because, in reality, he kind of did. Maybe there was some technicality on if Merlin was truly in danger from the poison but... Well, in the end it appeared he needed that antidote. Perhaps he wasn't as invulnerable as he thought.

"Thank you for saving mine." Arthur told him and sat down. "...why did you?" He asked. Merlin blinked.

"I've been told it is quite the honor to die for a prince." He said, but Arthur didn't smile. He only stared with a deadly serious face before shaking his head.

"You don't care about that."

And... No. Merlin didn't. But what was he supposed to say? 'Sorry, I'm waiting for you to die on my terms'? That wouldn't work. So instead he tried to find a suitable lie or snappy comment to throw him off. However, he found himself drawing a blank as he stared back at this... Incredibly baffling human who had just shown the loyalty of a demon to someone considered so very beneath him.

"I'm... Not sure." He finally said, realizing there was a startling truth to the words. "I guess, for a moment, you seemed like someone worth saving." He said and shook his head. "Only for that moment though." He said. A hint of a smile touched Arthur's face.

"Only for a moment." He agreed.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by slowly. Morning melting to day melting to night once more. The whispering came back. It kept Merlin rolling around - gathering his strength to scream at the voice to shut up to no prevail. This was ultimately how he found himself marching down the halls of the castle within the black of the night. He came across a few guards but they were easy enough to send away with a quick smile and brush of the arm. They left looking dazed and Merlin was free to storm down to a long passageway leading down beneath the castle.

A fucking dragon. Of course there was a dragon. As if Merlin's life wasn't already full enough.

"Young warlock,” the dragon spoke, voice booming over the crumbling rocks and echoing through the chamber. "I’ve been calling for you.”

"I know,” Merlin said moodily as he rubbed at his eyes "I’ve been ignoring you." He said and the dragon tilted his head. "Listen, I'm recovering from an unexpected poisoning and I still don't fully understand what that means." He said and gestured around vaguely "So what do you want?" He asked and paused. "Also, what is a warlock? " He added a bit belatedly. The dragon huffed, smoking come from his nostrils as he leaned down.

"You are a warlock-"

"Not a particularly informative answer."

"Those who have been born with magical abilities rather than learning them." The dragon continued with a note of irritation. Merlin frowned. Okay... Well, that was something. It was an answer he hadn't quite found from either Kali or Gaius yet at least. Maybe this dragon wasn't as horrible as he thought. "It is no accident you are here, Emrys."

"Yes, I know. I was sent to kill someone."

There was a pause.

"There is another reason you are here." The dragon finally told him. Merlin scoffed. He wondered offhandedly how this dragon knew his name - his demon name to boot - but instead decided to hold off on asking. He looked the creature up and down. Demons and dragons weren't beings that people typically pictured among one another. Given various books and teachings that tended not to mix... Well, let's just say differences of opinion kept certain creatures of myth apart. However, Merlin supposed his magic served as a sort of bridge between the worlds.

"And what reason is that?" He asked. The dragon smiled - well, as close to a smile as dragons could get anyways - before rearing his head back.

"Arthur Pendragon."

Another pause.

"Yes, that... That is who I'm supposed to kill." Merlin told him. This time, the dragon seemed ready for Merlin's dry comments because he responded almost immediately.

"Perhaps that is why you came to Camelot," He said "But it is not your destiny to fulfill. Do you believe the young prince should die?" He asked. Merlin pursed his lips. He tried to ignore his gut reaction... The whisper of doubt after Arthur's recent actions... But those were blips surely. Outliers to otherwise horrendous behavior.

"Yes." He decided. The dragon waited. "Do you expect me to change my mind? He... He isn't a good person. He's done a few good things among plenty of bad things, I'm sure."

"You make the decision on his worth rather rashly." The dragon said. Merlin ignored him.

“Even so,” He said, pacing the length of the cavern “Even if he’s a good person I would never betray my family. My kind. I was sent here to kill him and I will-“

“You don’t know what lies at your heart, young warlock.” The dragon informed him. Merlin stared. “Nor where your true loyalty lies.”

"You question my fidelity?" Merlin snapped. "Kali would not make this decision rashly-"

"Ah, I see," The dragon told him "You obey the demon as the prince obeys the king. Blindly and without answers." He said. Merlin spluttered. That.. Was not the same thing at all - "Tell me, young warlock. Why has Kali asked you to kill the prince and not the king? Was it not Uther who led the Purge?" He asked. Merlin stayed quiet, watching as golden eyes seemed to peer back at him with unrelenting judgement. "Is it not Uther who caused Hell's Mourn?" He asked and Merlin gave a sharp intake at that. He turned away. He didn't need to think of that now. Not with the anniversary nearing so close... "So why are you murdering his son?"

"I trust Kali-"

"As Arthur trusts Uther."

"Do not keep making that comparison!" Merlin hissed. "You know nothing of demons. You're a snake of with wings and claws." He snapped. It wasn't his best insult, granted, but Merlin was a little irritated with how this was all going. "And who are you to yank me down here in the midst of darkness and tell me such lies?" He asked. The dragon snorted. Merlin just glared right back.

"It is I, who knows your destiny, Emrys." He said and let his teeth curl into another frightening smile. "If you think he is so guilty then continue with your execution... And all you and him are meant to build together will cease to exist." He said. Merlin stared. Build together? What did that even mean? Dragons were truly awful creatures, he decided. Not as bad as angels, perhaps, but still no good. "Am I wrong to say you came here to learn who you are?" He continued as Merlin turned away.

That paused him for a moment.

"I do not need someone in chains to tell me who I am." He said pointedly looking over his shoulder at the shackles locked around the creature's feet. There was a low growl at that, but otherwise no retort. Merlin nodded. Good. Just as he continued up the stairway the dragon spoke again, voice low and taunting.

"At least I can see my chains, young warlock."

Yeah... Merlin was not a dragon fan.

Valiant and Nimueh weren’t the only ones trying to kill Arthur. In fact, every fucking human and sorcerer and magical creature was vying after the damn job. It was kind of pissing Merlin off.

"What is this?!” He shrieked, throwing down a towel as Arthur walked into the room, taking off his armor as he went. "Who did this to you?” Merlin asked, walking over to examine Arthur’s arm.

"It’s just a scratch," Arthur frowned, “Why do you care?”

"Because you can bleed out! If too much blood leaves your body you can die, idiot.” He seethed, remembering Gwen's words. Arthur looked down at the thin line that spread about an inch across on his arm and then again to Merlin.

”Are we absolutely certain that I’m the idiot?” He asked flatly and shook his head. “I’ll wrap it if you really want to be such a girl about it. Just stop shrieking at me.”

”Why are you so fragile?” Merlin asked, frustration leaking into his voice. “Just... Stop always falling apart! I don’t understand...” He said and looked him up and down. “Why are you like this?”

“...have you lost your mind?” Arthur asked him, sounding less outraged and more genuinely curious. “Get out.” He shook his head. “For the love of God, get out... And remember you’re getting fired tomorrow!” He called as Merlin stormed out.

“If you do it properly this time, you coward!” He called back, slamming the door. He would regret that later, for sure. Arthur had taken to find various and creative punishments for him that left Merlin a little impressed at his ingenuity. The man seemed to be dedicated to find the one thing that Merlin would actually cower at... Aside from Gaius. Not that Arthur didn’t rat him out to Gaius often, but it appeared he wanted to depend on the physician less for Merlin’s abhorrent behavior.

“The only reason he hasn’t fired you is because of Lady Morgana,” Gaius said when Merlin told him as much, stuffing a bottle into his hands ten minutes later “So when you take her this sleeping draft perhaps consider thanking her.”

“I haven’t even met Lady Morgana yet!” Merlin objected. Gaius only shoved him out the door with threats of what would happen if Merlin brought Arthur unsalted food for dinner again. Whatever. Merlin was helping him out, really. Salt just couldn’t be good for you. He refused to believe it.

Looking down at the sleeping draft in his hand, he wondered idly why Morgana was trying to help him. Probably because of Gwen. It appeared they were friends which would, in turn, make Morgana and Merlin allies of some sort. That was nice, he thought. He needed more allies.

“Hello?” He said after making the hefty climb to Morgana’s opposing tower. “My lady?”

“Come on in!”

Merlin peaked inside. Morgana’s chambers weren’t as big as Arthur’s. However, they were no less luxurious with an ridiculous amount of cloth hanging overhead and various trinkets and...A mirror? Merlin couldn’t see it very well, but given how Morgana was staring at it in front of her he could only guess that’s what it could be.

“Merlin!” She said and turned around to look at him. “It’s so nice to meet you. Officially, I mean. Gwen has spoken so much about you.” She said and got up. Merlin looked her over curiously. She would definitely be a host that others would fight for. Pretty enough to lure victims but with a sense of danger to intimidate even the bravest among mortals.

“I brought you a sleeping draft.” He said, holding it up. Morgana nodded. “Gaius says you, um, are the reason I’m still working for Arthur...?” He tried. Morgana scoffed.

“It isn’t hard, really. I can tell he just doesn’t know what to make of you...Personally, I think he needs to hear that he’s an insufferable prat every so often.”

"A prat...” Merlin repeated and nodded “That’s a good word." He said and Morgana grinned. “Well, I must say I’m a fan of your work too. I enjoyed when you called him a rotting pumpkin.”

“I was trying to be festive.”

“Well, I certainly felt festive when you said it.” He laughed. Morgana’s eyes softened, lips quirking upwards as she dragged him into the room so that the door snapped shut behind him.

"We should get to know each other," She decided, leading him towards the bed. “Where are you from? Gwen says the countryside?” She prompted. Merlin nodded.

”Technically, I was part of Cenred’s kingdom. A village called Ealdor?” He asked. It was where his human mother was from at least. Morgana shook her head. “It is quite small.” He smiled and moved on before she could ask anymore. “Gaius says you’re the king’s ward. That sounds important.”

“Ah, well. A bird could have the job.” She sighed, absently twirling a strange of her hair. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes. “All you have to do is look pretty and agree with what people say.”

”Sounds boring.”

”It is so boring,” She whispered and Merlin laughed. “My father was close friends with Uther. After he died, I was sent to live here.” She gestured around. Merlin looked around. It seemed like a good enough place to live... Though she didn't look thrilled with the arrangement.

”What about your mother?” He asked. Morgana’s face hardened for a moment, lips pressing together as she stiffened. Merlin waited -  a little unsure what he had said.

“Nobody speaks of my mother.” She said slowly and shook her head. "I was told she was an angel among men.” She scoffed, a note of sarcasm hinting at her tone. Merlin made a face.

”That’s awfully rude.” He said. Morgana tilted her head. “I mean, everyone know angels are truly awful.” He grimaced. Morgana looked at him for a moment before grinning widely at him.

”Here.” She said and pulled him away from the bed. “I want to give you something.”

Merlin opened his mouth to ask what but immediately fell silent when he noticed the mirror sitting in front of him. He stared. He had never...Seen himself before. Not like this. He leaned forward, touching the mirror slightly as his own eyes stared back at him. Blue. He has blue eyes. His hair was black, shaggy and wild so that it curled around his ears and the naps of neck, a single strand loose among the rest that Merlin had repeatedly pushed back. He could see a sharpness to his face that he wasn’t sure he had seen on many humans - high cheekbones and strong jaw. He tilted his head.

"I suppose they don’t have mirrors in the country," Morgana’s voice said, pulling him out of his thoughts “Did you not know that you’re good looking?”

"What?” Merlin gaped, turning to her. Morgana grinned at him. “That can’t be true.”

”Oh, it is.” She laughed and leaned forward, frowning as she pulled the front of his tunic down. “What’s that?” She asked and Merlin looked down with a wince.

”Oh, it’s a... A country thing. To keep demons away.” He lied, tugging his shirt back up slightly to hide the black markings. Morgana blinked. “I... It’s also a... Identifier?” He rambled, a little nervously. This part was true... Though he had no idea why he said it. “So people know what kind of... person I am.”

Morgana lifted her hand back up but Merlin just shook his head.

”I’m sorry,” she said quickly “I’ve just never seen anything like them.”

”They’re a little personal,” He said weakly and then remembered the chain around his neck “You can look at this though! It’s my mother’s.” He said, yanking it off and handing it over. Morgana stared down. The pendent was old - probably older than this castle - made of silver with sapphire gems in it. Merlin had been questioned constantly over it until he opted to just hide the thing under a ratty scarf around his neck to avoid others accusing him of stealing it.

"How did she get this?” Morgana asked, peering down at it curiously. Merlin shrugged.

”She won it back in her home.” He said and she handed it back. “She, um, was raised somewhere else than I was. I’m not really sure what it’s like, but they often had competitions there to prove themselves worthy.” He said weakly and slipped the chain over his head. “I might get to go one day. If I’m lucky.” He said. Morgana smiled and touched his wrist. He wasn’t really sure why. Humans often did that. Mainly the females, he noticed, but Gaius did it too. It wasn't a mind control thing either, like when he touched people. They just seemed to... Do it. Bewildering.

”Here. Another gift then.” Morgana said and produced a leather bracelet. “To celebrate Camelot being your new home.” She explained and put it around his wrist. Merlin curiously looked down at it, fascinated by the braided leather and shine. “Once Arthur sees it... He’ll think twice about firing you.” She winked.

Merlin decided that alongside Gwen and Gaius... Morgana was his new favorite human.

"You’re dismissed.”

That translated to: Go away or else I’m going to make you wear ridiculous outfits around the castle again.

Obviously, Merlin paid that little heed.

"You're upset,” He noted and pushed Arthur’s untouched (and heavily salted) meal far from him on the other side of the table “I don’t understand why.”

“That’s because you’re an idiot, Merlin.”

“I’ve never seen you... Like this before.” Merlin frowned and tilted his head “Are you sad?” He tacked on, a little bewildered. Arthur rolled his eyes. “You are. Tell me why.” He demanded. Arthur fixed him with a hard look.

”Get out before I have the guards sic my dogs after you again.”

”I made friends with your dogs,” Merlin reminded him and sat down. Sadness was an important human emotion after all. It was pertinent that Merlin understood it. “Why are you sad?” He asked and wrinkled his nose “Is is because it’s...” He trailed off and lowered his voice. “The anniversary of Hell’s Mourn?”

Arthur’s lips thinned.

“I’ve never heard anyone call it that before.”

Oh. Right.

”What do you call it?”

"My mother’s birthday.”

This was terribly awkward. Merlin blinked.

"Oh," He said slowly and shifted "I... Um," he trailed off "I hadn’t realized. I just know it was the day that-"

"That my father tricked a bunch of sorcerers into breaking the Gates of Hell, yes, I know.” Arthur snapped and went silent as he tilted his head towards the ceiling. Several minutes of silence went by before he spoke again. “Do you know why he did it?”

”...He hates sorcerers and demons?”

”A sorceress murdered my mother,” Arthur said coolly and pinched the bridge of his nose “And demons tried to take her soul. So my father rallied up all the magical beings and then, on her birthday, he used them to break the gates so the demons couldn’t have her. That was his gift to her.” He explained, voice going hard. There was another beat of silence. Merlin watched as his hands clenched, jaw tightening as if trying not to hit something. He was focused on the anger though... This... This wasn’t really the version of the story Merlin was used to hearing.

"How do you know they tried to take her soul? Or that a sorceress killed her?” He asked. Arthur glanced at him.

"It... It is what my father said." He shrugged and bit the inside of his cheek. Merlin watched in silence as he tugged absently at his sleeve. "Sometimes I wonder if I’m as fragile as you say.” He said quietly, jerking Merlin from his thoughts. "I want to make sure no others suffer as my mother did. That I can save those who... Are victims to magic.” He explained. Merlin bit his lip. He didn’t particularly care for Uther’s propaganda, but.... Arthur seemed to really believe it. Or maybe he was a good liar. “I can’t do that if I die before having a chance to help anyone.” He muttered.

...ugh.

"You... Will die. Eventually.” Merlin told him because there really was no point in lying. Merlin was definitely going to kill him. “But not right now. Not until the right time.” He shrugged and leaned back “Until then I’m sure that someone will watch over you.” He said and Arthur tilted his head.

”Like an angel?”

”No. Not like an angel.”

”Then who?”

”I don’t know. Not an angel though.” Merlin told him flatly and stood up. "Stop being sad. You’ve been trained to kill since birth.” He informed him. Arthur scoffed.

”I thought you said I was no good at that? Do you admit I am a stellar swordsman and the perfect exemplar of a knight?”

"I think you could annoy me to death which makes you quite the hazard,” Merlin informed him stoically. “Now eat your awful chicken.” He said. Arthur straightened up, chin jutting out as he looked at Merlin.

"...you know," He said slowly, a small smirk crawling onto his face, "I think I am being watched over by some guardian angel." He said, putting a hand over his heart. "I've just survived so much and... You've saved my life! Perhaps you're an angel too, Merlin!"

"No," Merlin gritted out, fists clenching by his side "I am not." He told him. Arthur's grin widened. "Don't do this. Arthur - I, don't." He warned, pointing a finger at him. "Listen-"

"That really bothers you?" He laughed, "All this time I've been trying to find a way to get to you and this is where you draw the line?"

"No," Merlin said quickly "Angels are... Great things to be compared to. They aren't annoying or self-righteous prats at all. Love it." He said, forcing a grin. Sadly, Arthur didn't seem to buy this because he merely continued to give a bright smile as he nodded. Merlin huffed.

"Of course," Arthur nodded and tapped the table between "And you know what? I'll use it to show my appreciation to you! Every time you annoy me, I'll be sure to remember just how much you do for me by comparing you to the winged servants of the lord." He said, putting a hand over his heart once more. Merlin looked at him, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything in return. He looked so goddamn smug. Sighing, Merlin forced a tight grin.

"I'm so happy to hear that. You're going to make a great king someday, your highness." He said, voice high with false sincerity. Arthur winked. "You're a fucking nightmare." Merlin muttered under his breath, standing up to get away from the bloody fiend.

"What was that, angel?"

"I... Do not like you."

Humans were the best things in the entire world and Merlin loved them and some sucked but he found good ones and was very fond of his human friends especially ones that were brave and nice and didn't tell other people that he had magic even though the end of his spear burst into blue flames.

That being said... There was one more thing he should probably clear up.

"Lancelot!" He yelled, racing outside of the palace. The man was gearing up for the ride out of Camelot, a hood covering his face that fell back as he turned to see Merlin rushing towards the stables. He jumped over a wayward bale of hay before tumbling in front of him. "Hi." He grinned, a bit breathless. Lancelot looked down at him and smiled.

"Hello, Merlin."

"So," Merlin said and sat up "I know... You said we're friends even though...You know." He whispered and wiggled his fingers. Lancelot's smile widened.

"Ah, yes. I think I do know." He agreed, patting the neck of the horse. "Merlin, you're a good man. I won't judge you on how you were born." He told him and clasped the side of his arm. "Nor when you have used those skills for such heroic acts."

...aw. He thought Merlin was a hero? He had to bite back a grin at that. Who knew humans could be so delightfully charming? Seir and Kane always made them out to be cold and full of hatred. Uther certainly proved that. Maybe not so much Arthur... But he had his own set of issues. Lancelot was...Well, he was pretty perfect in Merlin's humbly demonic opinion.

"I really like you," Merlin told him and took a deep breath "Which is why I feel like I should be honest with all my secrets." He said solemnly. Lancelot rose an eyebrow. "...I, um, am also... You know..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck "Kind of the son of an infamous demon?" He said, voice lowering so much that Lancelot had to lean forward. There was a long pause. Maybe this was too much... Merlin was kind of pushing his luck with the magic bit. The demon part was just too much. He couldn't expect Lancelot to be accepting of both. What was he thinking? How could he -

"Yes, Merlin. I, um, guessed that."

...wait. What?

"You... Did? How?" Merlin blinked. Lancelot shook his head, unwavering fondness still flickering across his expression. Merlin felt his shoulders melt a bit - trying to figure out if he was insanely lucky or if, perhaps, there were other humans this incredibly accepting.

"Well, it was a few things to be sure," Lance said, running a hand through his hair. "Little things. Like the fact you said you would... What was it? Um, 'rip the tongues off of silent men' for me? I'm still not sure what it means, but... Please don't do that." He added hastily. Merlin was about to explain it was just an expression when Lancelot kept going. "You also bit a potato like it was an apple. I don't know if you've done that in front of anyone else but... Humans don't eat potatoes like that, Merlin. You also kept getting annoyed when Arthur called you an angel which, um, you should know among humans that is actually a nice thing to be called-"

"He knows I hate it." Merlin muttered. Lancelot rose both his brows at that, but didn't comment.

"Oh, and you're supposed to sleep in the bed. Not under it." He added instead. Merlin blinked.

"But..." He started and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I thought you only slept in a bed if you were sick or old."

"Don't Arthur and Morgana sleep in beds?"

"Morgana has nightmares. Arthur is sick in the head." Merlin informed him stoically. Lancelot snorted.

"Well, you're supposed to sleep in the bed." Lancelot told him and clapped him on the shoulder before leaning in. "Finally... And Merlin, I must stress that this is very important to remember..." He told him, squeezing his shoulder. "Most humans do not tend to leave dead animals in people's rooms." He finished. Merlin opened his mouth. After several seconds he snapped it back closed again.

"...but how do people know that you like them?" He asked slowly and shook his head. That couldn't be right.

"Flowers are nice too."

"Yeah!" Merlin brightened. Seir wouldn't agree, but Merlin knew flowers were nice! He paused again. "But... Animals show that you would kill for them. Humans don't do that? I... Did I kill the rabbit for nothing? You didn't like the rabbit?" He asked, lip puckering out. Lancelot blinked - eyes widening slightly.

"Oh...Well...Um..." He said and bit his lip. "Well, I'm not a professional on humans. Maybe I don't know everything. And if you're part human then maybe... Your instincts aren't completely off base." He said quickly and tacked on "I thought the rabbit was lovely."

"You did?"

"Yes! But... Um, make sure you really know and trust someone before giving dead animals out... You wouldn't want them to know you would kill for them so soon, right?" He asked. Merlin felt his mouth drop again. He hadn't thought of it like that. He nodded slowly. That made sense.

"You're the smartest person I know." Merlin told him solemnly. Lancelot smiled and tugged his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Humans show affection like this too." Lancelot told him and wrapped his arms around him for a moment. "It's called a hug. Squeeze me back." He instructed. Merlin frowned. Interesting... So... It was like 'hey, I trust you enough to put you in a position where I can kill you by squeezing the life out of you and you can kill me by squeezing the life out of me but we won't because friendship'. Fascinating. Hugging was fascinating.

"You're going to be a good knight one day." Merlin told him. Lancelot let go.

"I can only hope... And I hope we might meet again someday. Perhaps you might be able to tell me what about your demon parent is so infamous." He added. Merlin laughed and stepped away so he could lead his horse through. "Good luck, Merlin." He said. Merlin nodded.

"You...Can call me Emrys too. If you want." He shrugged. "And good luck to you too, Sir Lancelot."

Alongside Gwen, Gaius, and Morgana...Lancelot was his new favorite human.

"You really care, don't you?"

Arthur didn't answer. He never answered when he was being pensive and brooding. He instead preferred to look out the window as if that might provide him with answers. Curiously, Merlin looked over his shoulder to confirm that there were no answers outside of the castle before going back to trying to figure out what the actual Hell to do about this bloody shirt. Gwen had taken to teaching him most of his chores, but there were still some things that were just... Beyond him. Why did humans even care if there were holes in their clothes? Why did Merlin need to mend this shirt? How did one even mend a shirt? He would have to ask Gwen. Again.

"This is my fault." Arthur finally said without turning away from the window. "My people are dying and... It's my fault."

This was absolutely true... But Gaius told him he shouldn't go pointing it out.

"You should eat," Merlin told him instead, tapping at the table. It was rather curious. Uther had done very little to try and figure out a way to lift this curse other than restricting access to food and planning for the worst. That wasn't the curious part though... Obviously, Uther was the worst.

But Arthur... The man had practically run himself to pieces trying to undo the damage of shooting a unicorn (which, who even shot a unicorn? Why would anyone do that? Such a typical human move. Even demons knew better than that). It was strange that Arthur clearly cared more for his people and wanted to better himself despite his mistakes. The dragon's voice whispered in the back of his mind, but Merlin shrugged it away. No. He would not respect Arthur bloody Pendragon. He was just... A little baffled as to why Kali wanted him dead rather than Uther.

"It feels wrong to eat," Arthur said as he sat in front of the bowl. Merlin ignored him. Guilty conscious or not, the prat would eat the bloody stew. Merlin had decided to be nice and put salt in it since the idiot just loved the evil sea crystals so much. He had almost passed out on the spot. Even now, he felt a wave of fatigue from being so bloody close to the damn stuff. "What even is this?" Arthur asked, biting into it.

"Rat."

Arthur choked.

"You... Is this the rat from my chambers?" He asked, dropping the spoon. Merlin stared. He wasn't sure what the big deal was. It was rat. Merlin ate rats growing up... Was he too good for it or something? Or was he just mad that it was the one from his chamber? Meeting the prince's outraged eyes, he shrugged. Immediately, a glower replaced whatever appalled expression was previously there. "You know," Arthur said, lips tightening into a truly vindictive smile. "I forget how hungry you must be."

If this cockalorum of a human tried to put that salt monstrosity in his mouth than Merlin would, without a moment of hesitation, stab him in the throat.

"I'm only hungry for appreciation."

"I appreciate you, angel."

"I am not an angel. That's offensive. Stop it."

"I still don't get why it bothers you so much," Arthur snorted and grabbed his arm to yank him closer to Merlin's certain doom. "Come on. You must be hungry-"

"No. No, Arthur. Stop." Merlin groaned and tried to tug away. Arthur was obnoxiously strong for a human and with another firm tug, yanked him closer so Merlin was forced into the chair, smelling Arthur's natural forest-y scene alongside the foul and vindictive odor that was salt. "I will claw your eyes out." He warned and Arthur put the spoon in his hand. "It tastes so bad-"

"Then why would you make me eat it?!"

"You like it!"

"Why do you think I like rat?!" Arthur said, trying to force the spoon into the bowl. Oh yeah. He was thinking about the rat. Merlin turned to look him up and down.

"Because you are one."

In the end, Arthur ended up just dumping the stew on Merlin's head which, in turn, led to Merlin collapsing and taking an hour nap due to salt-exhaustion. Gaius told Arthur it was the lack of food which then turned the prince all gloomy and guilt-ridden again. Say what you will about Arthur Pendragon... At the very least, he allowed for Merlin to better understand what humans were talking about when they referenced 'the duality of man'.

"I don’t want to be rude, but fuck you."

Could people not get the message? Was he missing something here? Did he need a bloody sign of some sort? This was ridiculous.

"You don’t seem pleased to meet, Merlin."

"Incredible observation. I am not pleased." Merlin muttered and straightened up as he looked Nimueh over for a moment. "You drag me out here to save Arthur only for this to be the deal?" He asked. Nimueh tilted her head. "Is this all you and your gods can offer me?"

"You forget, they are your gods too. You may have demon blood, but you are still a creature of magic." Nimueh said. She took a step, moving towards Merlin as he moved away, instead letting them slowly circle one another around the ruins of the isle.

"I’m not particularly religious," He admitted. Nimueh rose a brow. "But I will say yours sounds stupid."

Nimueh stopped walking.

"What?" She asked flatly. Merlin shrugged.

"Don’t get me wrong, the whole ‘balance’ thing is fair enough," He told her solemnly “But this dragon has been bothering me about destiny and I must say it has been quite dismaying." He said, shrugging as he put his hands into his pockets. Nimueh pursed her lips.

"And yet... You are here to bargain for this prince's life?" She asked, shaking her head. "You are as much of a slave to destiny as any other man. You were born with magic, Merlin. There are plans for you that even I cannot see - " She began and paused as Merlin yawned. "Am I boring you?"

"No. Sorry, it's been a long night. Keep going." He said, waving his hand. "But we do need to hurry this up because if Arthur dies then I can't kill him..." He said with a slight shrug. "And that would be unfortunate because I have all these plans. Like, for example, I'm thinking I could just poison him a tiny bit everyday for years and then when he's like...Sixty he'll collapse and everyone will think it's a heart attack, but in reality... It was me." He nodded. Nimueh stared. He wasn't sure why she looked so exasperated. He thought it was a pretty good plan, quite frankly.

"...to give a life you must take a life," She finally said after a long sigh. "And I warn you-"

"Oh...Oh," Merlin interrupted with a wince. "This... This is terribly awkward. I am so sorry. There's been a miscommunication." Merlin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm still learning some human mannerisms - should I have sent a letter or something?" He asked. Nimueh glowered at him. "It's just... Here's the thing. If we go your route then I'm going to have to kill you. And I will. Definitely." Merlin told her and used a hand to point her up and down. "Don't get me wrong, you seem fantastic at this High Priestess thing. I don't want to be disrespectful. Like, that water thing you did? Where you got everyone sick? I was so impressed! Brilliant!" He said, clapping his hands to show his dedication to how impressed he truly was. "But... well, my magic is pretty strong too. I've been practicing a lot... And I can turn into a cloud of smoke and possess you...Or grow claws and fangs... Stuff like that. You know?"

"Is there a point to your rambling?"

"Right. Sorry. I do want to barter for Arthur's life... But I'm not here to barter with you. You are here to barter with me." He smiled. Nimueh tilted her head.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, like you said, I could do this life for a life thing and kill you. Not great. Sorry." He shrugged "Or, you can strike a deal with me... Ever heard of making a deal with the devil?" He asked. Before Nimueh could answer, he laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not the devil. In fact, I don't even know if the devil is real. But demons are and we often exchange souls or whatever." He explained. "So, figure out a way to save Arthur and I'll return the favor by giving you anything you want."

Nimueh spluttered for a moment - face going pink from either outrage or panic. Merlin waited.

"I can't save him other than how I've told you-"

"Oh... So I'm going to have to kill you?" Merlin asked, a little disappointed. Nimueh held up her hands. It seemed more offensive than defensive so Merlin resisted from mirroring her. Part of this was a bit of a bluff anyways. He truly wasn't sure he could kill Nimueh even if he wanted to... But he would have to pretend if he wanted this to work. For the sake of Arthur having a better death at Merlin's hand. Finally, after a moment of silence. Nimueh spoke again.

"I think... I know a way." She said and looked at him before lowering her hands. "It would benefit us both."

"I'm listening."

"Good. Because we can abide by both the Old Religion and your sacrilegious ways." She told him bluntly. Merlin shrugged. To each their own. He considered himself more agnostic technically but... Well. Not the point. Nimueh was looking at him with a small smile hinting at her lips. "You know, my goal originally was to poison you... Not Arthur. I was curious as to what kind of cambion you were." She told him. Merlin waited. He still wasn't hearing a deal. "Clearly, you are stronger than I initially gave you credit for." She mused and took a step towards him. "A king's life for a prince's. You kill him for me and I can save your prince using the life he paid. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?"

Merlin froze.

That... Was not what he intended. At all. Kali had specifically told him not to harm Uther... And Merlin was already playing with fire waiting this long to kill Arthur. His mind spun for a moment. He didn't have time to debate. Arthur would be dead soon. He bit his lip, mulling over his options before a hint of an idea of crossed his mind.

"Very well," He said slowly and held out a hand. "We have a deal."

Nimueh smiled and held out her hand.

Update: Humans were stupid.

Chapter Text

Small little known fact about demons: there were different types. At their core, they all shared the same main features, of course, but there were still differences among groups depending on where they were from or various traits. Merlin’s father, specifically, was known as an incubus.

Yeah. Go ahead. Scoff. 

Merlin knew how humans described such demons. It was a short and simple explanation: incubi (and succubi for their female counterparts) were the demons that had sex with people in their dreams. Yeah. Didn’t sound great, did it? 

Now, here’s the thing. Humans gave incubi and succubi all these horrible stereotypes. They were sex driven, the demonic forms of lust, the worst of temptations, manipulators, etc... but what most trivial minds (in other words, human minds) failed to understand is that incubi don’t just go around having sex with anyone and everyone. They were usually drawn to very specific types of humans... Or worse. They ended up falling in love. 

That’s where things get tricky. Demons don’t fall in love. They form familial bonds and loyalty. So while the humans look at incubi and are all ‘Gross! Sex!’ the demons are more likely to look and them and be ‘Gross! Love!’ 

You see? So, his parents’ love story wasn’t exactly told with particular fondness when Kali told it to him nor when Gaius told it to him... And in both scenarios it was terribly awkward.

"Why are we talking about this?” Merlin asked, leg flung on top of the table from where he was lying in the floor. "I know how my parents met, Gaius. My father accidentally stumbled upon my mother’s dream and then he got sweet and started visiting her every night. Then they had sex. Now I’m here. The end." He said flatly. Gaius hovered over him, face the epitome of exasperation as he glanced down at him with such sternness that Merlin was pretty sure he could scare Kane into submission.

"You clearly have inherited many of your father’s traits," he said slowly "And as your guardian I think I should be aware of... Potential wanderings."

"Are you asking if I can prance into a human’s dream and impregnate them?" Merlin asked, taking the plunge. Gaius dropped the book he had picked up. "Well... The answer is yes and no." He said before he could receive confirmation. Gaius did not seem impressed by the answer so Merlin sat up with a sigh. "I can travel in people‘s dreams, yes...And I guess if someone wanted to sleep with me in their dreams I could... But I usually don’t dreamwalk if I can avoid it. That’s what got my father banished after all." He shrugged rolling a finger over some of mashed herbs on the counter. In theory, Merlin was supposed to be helping Gaius make a remedy right now. However, it was hard to make a remedy when you didn’t understand human bodies. Like, why do humans’ heads hurt? How was a bunch liquid supposed to help the matter? Heads? Just hurting? What did that even mean?

"Banished?" Gaius repeated. Merlin nodded. "I’m so sorry. I hadn’t realized." He said. Merlin only shrugged. It wasn’t like he knew his father enough to care much. Kali had done his job well enough. "Could I ask why? Incubi often indulge in... Spending time with women. Why would he be punished for it?" He asked, lightly tugging Merlin up so he could hand him some herbs to smash.

"Because I was the result," Merlin said. Gaius still seemed confused. "Cambions are, uh, creatures of love. Demons can only have children with humans if they love the human and the human loves them back. That’s the issue."

"Demons don’t believe in love?"

"I mean, in its existence? Sure. But in its, um, morality? Not quite." Merlin told him. "It’s dangerous and leads to all sort of nasty things so as a general rule it isn’t allowed."

Gaius pursed his lips. 

"Like a sin then? Love is a sin."

"Demons don’t particularly have sins," Merlin mused, "But if they did then love would definitely be one of them.” He snorted and rubbed his eyes with a yawn “Kali was always worried about it growing up. Thought I would be more inclined since I was part human, you know? Plus, my dad went and broke that rule while laughing in the face of Hell.” He added with a roll of his eyes.

"I’m not sure I understand," Gaius said with a frown "Love is... Well, humans say it is strong and pure and... As someone who was in love I must say it was quite wonderful." He said. Merlin tilted his head at that.

"Gaius," He laughed "You don’t often hear anyone starting wars over sex. It’s always love that drives such beings to madness or anger or jealousy or violence. Sometimes all at once. Uther’s war on magic came from the love of his wife." He shrugged, tucking a leg under him "Besides, humans can just use their 'love' as an excuse to have sex anyways... Which is weird," He added thoughtfully. "Humans are so strange about sex. They get angry if you have it and get angry if you don’t. Or they refuse to speak of it and call it a victory to avoid it. Or perhaps base their worth in it. Kane says most of what makes humans fear such things are simple human societal rules. Made up things." He shrugged, "Love though... That's different. You can’t help that. You never choose it. It is something that happens and you have very little control over the situation. That’s what makes it dangerous." He said and poured some of the smashed herbs into a jar.

"I see... And where would kissing fall on that scale of good and evil?" Gaius asked curiously. "Humans often equate it more to love than sex even if the latter go hand-in-hand." He mused. Merlin stared at him blankly.

"What's kissing?" He asked. Gaius nodded as if that had given him some sort of answer.

"So when you were born they realized Balinor had fallen in love with Hunith and banished him." He said to sum the whole thing up. “And you don’t travel into humans' dreams to avoid a similar fate."

"Exactly." Merlin said, deciding not to correct the last part. It was better that Gaius thought he never traveled in people’s dreams. He may not be having sex with anyone but... well.... he had found other uses.

"There should be more books about demons," Gaius told him thoughtfully "I often feel unequipped to help you."

"You’re doing great!" Merlin reassured him and pushed the mashed herbs over to him. "Nobody had died yet."

"King Cenred is dead." Gaius pointed out. Merlin's mind quickly flashed back to the previous week. He had told Gaius what happened, of course. Sort of. He had said that he bartered for Arthur's life in exchange for a king's and then skipped over to Cenred's kingdom right afterwards and tore his throat out along with taking down half his guards. It was for the best, really. Merlin had heard rumors of Cenred mucking about with some angel on his arm. Disgusting.

"...nobody important." Merlin dismissed. It all worked out great. Merlin was taught about each of the kings growing up. Uther was the worst, but outside of him Cenred was the one he needed the most protection from. The man enslaved magical beings rather than killed them. So when Nimueh said she needed a king dead to save Arthur’s life.... Well, let’s just say she pretty pissed for now. 

Ha. Sucks. Poor humans. They just weren’t able to see the whole picture sometimes. It made them so very easy to trick with wordplay. Merlin couldn’t imagine being made to look like such a fool -

"Merlin," Gaius called, pulling at the collar of Merlin’s tunic to regain his attention. "Why are you wearing socks on your hands?"

"What? Oh, Arthur said they aren’t just for your feet, I guess. They keep your hands warm too. Who knew?" He said and frowned “It does make things a bit difficult to hold though..." He muttered, trying to pick up a bottle. Gaius closed his eyes.

"I’m going to find you some gloves... And don’t believe anything Arthur tells you."

"You know," Arthur said as he looked down at Merlin‘s hand and then back up again "You truly vex me."

"No, this is how money works. Gwen told me so.” Merlin sniffed “I give you the coins and now you give me food. See?" He said and grabbed Arthur’s hand to press the coin into his palm. Arthur smiled. It wasn’t particularly nasty, this smile, but Merlin still found himself bracing for a defense.

"I don’t know how you’ve lived this long." Arthur sighed and grabbed his wrist, tugging him down the streets towards the various market stalls where people were shouting about their apples and pies and bread. "Give this to them. They have food.”

“Do you not have food?”

“My food is not for sale.” Arthur told him and gave the coin back with a slight push towards the group. “Besides, I just paid you that five minutes ago. Why would I give you coins just so you can give them right back to me?"

"Arthur, you don’t really make sense in general."

“Don’t use my first name in public.”

“Pendragon, you don’t really make sense in general."

"Oh my God, I can’t take this - Angel, get your food." He said and Merlin spun around to hiss at him for the stupid nickname. Arthur only rose his brows threateningly. Ugh. Whatever. Stomping to the nearest vendor, he placed the coin on the counter. 

“Here ya go, love.” The woman said and placed some cheese in front of him. Merlin gave a murmured thank you before walking back to where Arthur had immediately gotten distracted and was now studying a sword over very carefully.

"You already have one," Merlin said through mouthfuls of cheese “You have six actually. I know because I polish them.”

"You can never have have too many swords."

“Really?" Merlin asked doubtfully “Because you only have two hands..."

“Shut up, Merlin." Arthur grumbled and reached over to pluck a leaf from his hair. "I had been hoping you would have improved since the Cedric incident but it seems you are still as useless as a servant as ever."

Merlin shrugged. He regretted nothing. Cedric, after being free of an evil sorcerer’s soul, had made a lovely beetle that may or may not have been accidentally used in a herbal remedy by Gaius... It was better that way. Now he was saving people’s lives rather than ruining Merlin’s. 

It had also given Merlin more time to reflect on his magic since it was clearly more powerful than he had originally thought. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that part of it... Sure, he had been practicing his magic often enough but... 

"You’re still really bad at learning things.”

"For the last time, I know how to, but I can’t be bothered with such menial tasks. That’s what you’re for." Arthur said. He must have decided to buy the sword because he plopped it into Merlin’s arms and put down a few coins down. 

"...but you do so many menial tasks as it is." Merlin frowned, skipping beside him. Technically, he should be walking behind Arthur, but that made it harder to see his face when he threw out insults which was half the fun of talking to him at all. "For example, sleeping. That’s pretty menial. I should perhaps take that over for you, my so gracious and wondrous lord. It would truly be an honor."

“You know, it is possible to overdo it with the sarcasm.”

“I vehemently disagree.”

“See, how do you know the word ‘vehement’ but not know about shoes?" He asked. Merlin looked down. Bloody shoes. He would never hear the end of it, would he? 

"... I just don’t see the point of wearing them inside." He whispered. He also didn’t see the point in wearing them outside either but Kali had made sure he had left with them on. He had hoped they were simply to travel in but based on Arthur’s reaction to him not wearing them around the castle... That was not correct. "And Gaius told me not to believe anything you say." He added offhandedly and stopped walking. "Do you really know how to actually get dressed? Is that something else you've lied to me about?" He asked, voice rising slightly in outrage. Arthur turned to roll his eyes at him.

"I've been telling you that. You just seem to think differently."

"Then why do you make me keep doing it?"

"How many times are we going to have to go over this, Merlin?" Arthur sighed. Merlin was about to respond when he noticed two figures pressed against the tavern wall. He frowned - a little uncertain if they were fighting or just having sex. Except... No. They were just using their mouths. Did that make it a fight? He made a face, trying to determine the right course of action when Arthur followed his gaze. 

"Ugh, come on." He said when he spotted them, pulling Merlin away. "It is indecent for people to make such a public display of that."

Merlin nodded.

"...was he biting her?" He asked, thinking to when Gwen bit him. That was clearly a human thing then. Arthur laughed.

"I know," He snorted "Poor girl."

This did not clear anything up.

"Um... Right. Poor girl." Merlin repeated and glanced over his shoulder again nervously. Did... Did humans just eat one another? Was that a thing? And it was fine as long as it wasn't done in public? Merlin grimaced at the thought. Perhaps... He had underestimated humans. Clearly their bloodlust was more casual than he initially thought. He wondered if Gwen would have really eaten him if Gaius hadn't been there. The thought was troublesome given that Gwen was one of his favorite humans... He would need to inquire more on this topic at a later time. "Hey, can we..." He trailed off, question completely forgotten as his eyes caught sight of an even more disturbing scene.

"Can we what?" Arthur asked. Merlin didn't respond. He had stopped walking - eyes wide as he took in the small cart... Or cage rather. It was tall with rusting bars and hay filling the inside. Merlin had expected an animal to be sprawled within, but instead he found a pile of rags and a girl curled in the corner. "Merlin." Arthur said, eyes warily following him as he stepped closer to the cage.

"There's a person in here." Merlin informed him coolly... In case he had missed this fact. Arthur's face was unreadable - as it always seemed to be when confronted with something morally ambiguous. He stepped a bit closer but the figure flinched away. "Sorry," He told her voice, lowering slightly. "I didn't mean to scare you-"

"Merlin," Arthur interrupted and sighed as he walked over. "Come. She's a druid. A bounty hunter must have brought her."

"A what?" Merlin repeated and shook his head. "No, she's human. Look." He pointed towards the figure. Arthur flinched. He wasn't sure what exactly he had said, but it must have struck a chord because Arthur walked over to yank at his arm, unable to even look inside the cage. "Hey - what are you doing?" He asked as he was pulled away. "Arthur-"

"Druids are a type of magical people." Arthur told him lowly, still gripping his arm as he shoved him to the side so they were alone in the alleyway. A few guards walking by stiffened at the action, but Arthur waved them away quickly. "She's a sorceress." He whispered. Merlin laughed.

"You're kidding, right? Even if she was a sorceress she looks harmless-"

"Yes, I see her Merlin, I'm not blind." Arthur interrupted and Merlin immediately felt a stab of irritation. "Looks can be deceiving." He continued, ignoring as Merlin bit his lip to keep from making a thousand other snappy comments, instead mulling over the other pieces he had been given to the situation.

"Why... Why was she in that cage? What's a bounty hunter?" He asked, though part of him seemed to whisper the answer. Arthur opened his mouth, but didn't respond. "You hunt people?" He whispered. Arthur flinched again.

"Don't put it like that-"

"What other way is there to put it?" Merlin asked, horror lacing his tone. "That's exactly what it is! Do you even know her? Or did this bounty hunter just catch a random girl and put her in a cage because she is this... this druid thing?" He asked and yanked away from Arthur's grip. "What the Hell is wrong with you? You know, I can tolerate your little hunting trips. I get it. You have to prove you’re a big, scary prince who can use all these fancy weapons." Merlin snapped, fingers twitching. "We've all been there. I've had to kill to prove my worth too - but she is one of your kind!" Merlin told him, voice faltering.

In fairness... Merlin had killed humans before. However, this felt so profoundly different in a way he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because he had never killed someone he hadn't known the name of. Or maybe it was because technically... He had never met another member of his own species. Merlin wasn't sure what he would do if he met another cambion, but he was pretty positive he would die defending them on principle alone.

Pushing the question of hypocrisy out of his mind, he stormed out of the alley, not giving Arthur a chance to answer.

Sometimes he preferred these moments. These hints of hot, boiling anger of injustice and outrage. It made the task of killing Arthur so much easier.

Looking up at where the sun was starting its descent, he took a long breath. Perhaps... Maybe now was the time. He could kill Arthur, take this human, and run. Maybe she could show him where these magical druids were and they could teach him more. It seemed as good as plan as any.

"It's decided then." He said to himself, nodding. Good. Done. This all worked out.

There was perhaps just one thing he needed to do first.

Dreamwalking was quite simple. It was sort of like possessing someone except they’re sleeping and you allow them to keep the control of their mind and body. Kind of like being a tourist rather than a citizen.

"This isn’t a nightmare." He noted, looking around. The place was pretty. An empty meadow with flowers and deer grazing absently at the grass. Morgana sat up and grinned at him.

"You came." She smiled. Merlin walked over to join her. Since Morgana was now one of his favorite humans he had been stopping by her dreams occasionally to help out with her nightmares. Morgana obviously had no idea that this was really Merlin so they never spoke of it, but still. The nights were nice and she was a fun person to be around. Plus, Merlin could be more himself without worries of her picking up on something she shouldn’t... Because if he acted strangely here then all he needed to do was remind her that it was just a dream! Foolproof. 

"Of course I came," He told her and collapsed on the ground beside her "I prefer your dreams... Even if they’re nightmares. I went into Arthur’s dreams once. For whatever reason there was an inordinate amount of chickens and since then I have refused to go back."

"....even in my mind you say the strangest things." She snorted and sighed, holding out her hand so a bird flew to her. "Perhaps that’s what I need right now... Someone strange to talk to." She murmured and got up to start humming as she peered around the meadow. Merlin frowned and got up to follow. "What do you think of magic?" She asked suddenly, turning to him. Merlin paused. She was dressed differently here. The clothes were obviously still noble, but they were...Plainer. No jewels or ribbons or frills. Just silk that showed her arms and fit loosely on her frame.

"Magic." He repeated "I’m supposed to say it’s bad," He told her. Morgana’s eyes lowered. "But I’m not so sure." He added quickly. "Why do you ask?" 

At this, Morgana swallowed, twisting her hands together as she looked around. Perhaps she expected Uther to be listening even in the safety of her own mind. Merlin waited. He wasn’t sure but... Based on Gaius’ wariness of the subject he wondered if perhaps Morgana might be a bit like him. Magically speaking. Obviously not the demon part.

"I don’t know." She murmured. At this, the sky seemed to darken considerably. Merlin scowled up at it.

"Well, I wouldn’t worry about it."

"I think I should," She said and took a long breath "I think it’s chosen me. Magic, I mean. Like... I don’t want to use it but..." she trailed off and turned away again, eyes closing in frustration. "He’ll kill me if he knows. I don’t..." she took a shuddering breath. “I can’t be." She decided. "It’s in my head. Like you are."

Rude. That’s what he wanted her to believe, of course....but still rude. 

"Morgana," he said and touched her arm "I don’t know if you have magic... but if you do... you don’t need to be afraid. You have people who will help you. And you would use such things for good. Because you’re good." He said simply. Then reconsidered. “Good and perhaps the occasional favor. Like, if I wanted you to turn Arthur into a toad-"

A smile flickered on Morgana’s lips.

"I wish you and I would talk like this in real life," She sighed. Merlin tilted his head. "I think you might really say these things sometimes." She mused and knelt by a creek that hadn't been there moments earlier. Merlin watched her, inwardly sighing. Part of him felt guilty. If she truly had magic... Well, he didn't want to abandon her. Not with Uther. Perhaps he would still be able to visit her in dreams... If that was enough. Sighing, he knelt next to her.

"Morgana," He began and fell silent once more. She turned to him. There was a few seconds of silence between them with just the sound of running water and wind gently rustling the trees. "Why did you save Arthur?" He asked finally. Morgana blinked. "With Sophia. You knew she would try to kill him-"

"No, I didn't," Morgana interrupted with a laugh "I... It was just a dream. Sophia never actually harmed Arthur."

Oh. Right. Merlin had forgotten that she wouldn't know about the, uh, other bit about what happened.

"Yes. Sorry." He winced "I just mean, if she had wanted to hurt him... Why did you want to stop her? If you think you have magic wouldn't it be good that he's gone?" He asked. At this, a flicker of surprised touched Morgana's face. Merlin watched as she bit her lip. For whatever reason, the creek immediately disappeared, replaced with a lake instead. Morgana turned to it before shaking her head.

"I... I'm not sure Arthur would hurt me." She said, brows pinching together. "I would never tell him, of course... There is every possibly that he would tell Uther, but I don't think Arthur himself would hurt me." She reasoned. Merlin pursed his lips. Somehow that seemed like just as evil of a crime. "But... Even now. He argued with Uther for hours about the druid girl. He said she should be released. I haven't seen him that way in a long time..."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, Arthur has never thought the druids were dangerous. He told Uther for years they shouldn't be hunted, but Uther... He thinks they will rise up against him. Last time Arthur tried to argue with him about it," She clicked her tongue "Well, it ended badly. I'm surprised Arthur dared to bring it up again."

Merlin wasn't sure what he had been hoping to hear. This... This should upset him, right? That Arthur wasn't that horrible. It should make him feel bad because Merlin was going to kill him. Instead all he felt was relief. Great. Just great.

"I have to go," Merlin told her, standing up. Morgana looked up at him and smiled. "I'm sorry to leave so soon but there's something I have to-"

"I know, Merlin." She interrupted. Merlin highly doubted she did... But the words still comforted him. He took one last look around.

When she wasn't having nightmares... Morgana's mind really was a beautiful place.

Merlin had messed up. He had messed up a lot and this wasn't good and Kali was going to be pissed and the fucking dragon that kept whispering to him was going to be pissed and Arthur was going to be annoying and Gaius was going to do something unnecessarily aggressive like be disappointed and fuck. He had completely, utterly, and absolutely fucked up so badly...

"...shh. It's okay. Please. Don't be scared."

"I'm not scared," Merlin whispered back sounding very, very scared. Dark eyes met his. "I'm not." He tried again, but his voice broke a bit towards the end. Weakly, he rose a hand up to trace the dark marking on her arm. "I have something like this on me." He murmured as he let his hand fall. "On my chest." He told her.

"A druid mark. Not many are born with those. Not many humans anyways. But you're not human, are you?" Freya whispered. Freya. Her name was Freya. It was a pretty name. It suited her perfectly, in Merlin's opinion. "It's okay," She said and grabbed the cloth to continue dotting at the golden flecks of blood on his arm. "I'm not frightened."

Which was ridiculous, really. She had been frightened from the moment he broke her out of that cage. It seemed laughable that Merlin running up drenched in golden blood and large, sharpened fangs out only to collapse by her feet was where she gained a sense of bravery. Still... The words seemed to hold true as she continued dotting at his skin with steady hands.

"I don't know what happened," He muttered and took a shuddering breath "I... I usually heal faster than this. If I even get injured at all." He told her and tried to sit up with a wince. Freya frowned and placed a hand on his face. The pain grew. "You don't have to do this-"

"I'm going to take care of you." She said firmly, echoing Merlin's earlier words. She set the cloth down to grab some water Merlin had brought her earlier. "You're a demon, aren't you? Or at least... Partly." She said, gesturing to his injuries. "I think demons might normally leave their host if it was this injured." She told him.

"I'm sorry... I should have told you." He sighed and tried to sit up. "I'm a cambion." He explained, waiting for more questions to start pouring out. Freya didn't ask them. She simply nodded and held up a cup. Merlin opened his mouth, letting her tilt some water in. "They... They didn't get you, did they?" He asked when she pulled it back and Freya glanced down at her before shaking her head.

"No... No, they didn't." She told him quietly and set the water down. "Why did you save me? I lied to you."

"Nah," Merlin snorted and winced again at the stab of pain that went up his side. "I didn't ask if you turned into a giant cat with wings." He laughed. Freya smiled a bit, looking down. "Besides, you just needed someone to... To get through to you. I've been in animals heads too. They go off instinct, but you can always get through to them if you treat them right." He shrugged and groaned. "What is happening?" He whispered, letting a trembling hand touch his side.

"You got stabbed when you jumped in front of me." Freya informed him flatly. Merlin might normally appreciate that more, but right now he was too busy appreciating how soft her hands were as she ripped some of her dress off to wrap the wound. Maybe he should get to Gaius... Or Kali. He needed to talk to Kali. She would know what was happening, right? Maybe. It wasn't like she knew much about how his body was supposed to work either. All he knew was that never had he been injured in his demon form only for it to worsen when he went back to his human form. Freya pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'm going to use magic to heal you."

"You think that will work?"

"We won't know unless we try." She told him. Merlin grabbed her arm.

"I can help you," He said firmly and swallowed. Freya froze. "I can figure out how to keep you calm when you transform. I know I can." He told her. Freya smiled weakly and nodded. "Then we can... We can go back... To the original plan." He said and offered a weak smile. "If you still want, I mean. House on a lake. Cows. I've never seen a cow." He added thoughtfully. Freya ran a hand through his hair.

"No?" She asked, giving a small laugh. "Well, they don't live in forests. We'll have to go to the countryside. They are white with black spots." She said. For whatever reason she was crying. It made Merlin's chest hurt. "Can I kiss you again?" She asked, voice cracking again. Merlin wanted to ask what was wrong, but the world was spinning and everything hurt.

"Right..." He breathed out. "Kissing." He repeated. Not murder or eating people or biting. "Yeah, I liked that." He said. Freya smiled, hair spilling over her shoulder as she leaned down. At the last moment her eyes flashed gold and Merlin wondered if the crimes his father committed were so bad after all.

When Merlin next woke up he was in a bed with Gwen pressing a cloth to his forehead and Arthur whispering lowly to Gaius.

"Hey, you." She smiled as his eyes flickered open. He groaned. "Yeah, try not to move around to much." She whispered and bit her lip. "Do you remember what happened?" She asked. Merlin shook his head. "Oh." She said and before he could ask what she meant, Morgana had burst into the room, letting the slam of the door shudder the walls.

"He lived." She said, completely deadpan as she looked over at him. Merlin blinked. "Does your father know? You better not put Merlin in danger over this-" she warned, voice rising rapidly as she turned to Arthur.

"Over what?" Merlin asked and tried to sit up. “What are you talking about?" He asked. Arthur closed his eyes before giving Morgana a look that Merlin had trouble deciphering.

"We... It looks like you were attacked by the bastet and badly injured." He said. Merlin nodded. That was a fine assumption. "Then, it looks as if the druid girl that escaped..." He took a long breath “She healed you."

Again. Fine. What was the issue?

"Where is she? Does this mean your father will pardon her?" He asked. Silence followed.

"Merlin, we only found you because she led us to you and told us what happened. Her magic wasn’t strong enough complete the job so she... Got Gaius."

"Okay,” Merlin said, getting impatient “Where is she?”

Everyone fell silent.

"Her execution was this morning, Merlin." Morgana finally said.

There was a couple moments of numbed surprise that swelled rapidly in his chest until it deflated into a sort of a rush of unexpected aching. Merlin wasn’t sure why, but he looked at Arthur. Like he might have something useful to say in the face of something that didn’t make any sense.

"I see," He finally said when Arthur wouldn’t meet his eyes. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Merlin-"

"Please leave now." He said and flopped back onto the bed. Gwen didn’t need to be told twice. Giving his hand one final squeeze, she exited, lightly tugging on Morgana’s hand to follow. Arthur stayed put, ignoring Gaius’ pointed gaze so he could drift closer to Merlin’s bedside.

"Come on," He said. Merlin ignored him. "If you’re well enough, we’ll bury her. Come on." He prompted. This got his attention. Bury. He knew humans had traditions for death but he had never seen one before. Normally, the idea of such an adventure might thrill him. Now? It left an awful pit in his stomach.

"Okay," he said anyways and got up. Arthur watched him carefully, eyes occasionally flicking to Gaius who only nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

Apparently, Arthur had sent guards to ask what Freya had wanted done with her body because the plan was pretty detailed. A boat in the middle of the lake with flowers had been prepared and was waiting when they exited the treeline and stepped onto the bank with water lightly lapping at their feet

"My father listened," Arthur sighed with obvious relief when he looked inside of the boat. Merlin turned. "I asked for her to get a hanging. He usually likes pyres for sorcerers but he must have given in considering..." He trailed off.

"Weren’t you there?" Merlin asked, refusing to look down at where he knew the body must be. Arthur pursed his lips. Absently, one of his hands moved to his other wrist.

"I... Well, I told my father she should be let free for saving your life. He disagreed. I disagreed louder. Next thing I knew I was chained to a wall." He said. Merlin frowned, reaching forward to grab at his wrist. Sure enough, they were bright red. Blisters marred the inside. Merlin pursed his lips.

"I’m sorry he hurt you." He said quietly. Arthur looked up at him, eyes clearly startled.

"I wouldn’t quite consider it like that." He said quickly. Merlin just shrugged. He did consider it like that, but if Arthur didn’t want to admit his father was a monster to him too then that was his prerogative. "Morgana probably would have gotten worse than me. She knows how to irritate him like no other.” He said as if that made the entire scenario less horrifying. “You were the one who helped her escape, weren't you?" He finally sighed. Merlin set his jaw. Not that Arthur needed any confirmation. "That was brave." He added.

"A lot of good it did," He sighed and finally forced himself to look down into the boat. It was... Disturbing, Merlin decided. He had seen dead humans plenty of times before. However, there was something unsettling about how peaceful she looked in Morgana's dress surrounded by flowers. Like she was simply sleeping instead of gone from the world like the flame of a worn candle. "She..." He began and stopped. She was what exactly? Someone he had known for a few days? Someone who was nice to him? The first person with magic he had met that meant no harm? "Good." He decided quietly. "She was a good person."

Arthur didn't argue. He simply walked forward to push the boat out.

This was the time, Merlin realized. He looked around. No guards in sight. No witnesses. Just a girl who was brutally murdered, a prince with a target on his head, and Merlin. It would be easy. Arthur's back was turned to him as he watched the boat float out. A surge of anger rose - thinking of how many people must have died like this because of Uther. Good people who used magic to save others and were still executed. Raising a hand, he let his hands sharpen into claws, eyes flashing gold.

"Were you in love with her?"

And just like that... It was gone. Merlin felt his hands morph back into humans fingers as he digested the question with a sense of overwhelming horror.

"What?" He asked, not bothering to hide the alarm in his voice. "I... We only knew each other for a few days." He answered quickly. Arthur turned to look at him.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" Merlin asked, tugging at the ends of his sleeve. It... It didn't matter, right? Not now. He thought to the warmth in his chest. Her soft hands. The first kiss. The second. A pit settled at the bottom of his stomach. Nobody had to know about any of that. He could take that secret to his own grave. Arthur hummed a bit in agreement with the previous statement before walking by, taking a moment to squeeze his arm as he passed. Merlin should still kill him. This was as good of an opportunity as any. Given everything that had happened-

"Come on," Arthur said, "Let's go to the training field. I can teach you to not look so pathetic with a sword."

"...I'm grieving."

"That's the best time to learn. Come on."

"I worry about how your mind works sometimes," Merlin grumbled, but allowed himself to be pulled away "Must it be swords? They're ridiculous and juvenile." He said, thinking of the silly sticks Arthur and his knights were so fond of. Real predators used their teeth... Or magic depending on the enemy. Arthur turned to fix him with an incredulous stare.

"Fine," He said leaning in "Battle axe." He smiled and pulled at his arm again. Gentler than usual, but still firm to keep him moving away from the lake. "Or maybe a mace, hm?" He asked. Ugh. It sounded so unappealing. Merlin thought offhandedly that he would rather do anything else.

Though... Perhaps that proved to be untrue since both arrived back to the castle alive and unharmed.

For the most part, demons remained nameless and irrelevant in Camelot. Merlin didn't necessarily mind this - most humans probably wouldn't have anything nice to say anyways - but it did raise his curiosity about what other misconceptions people had about them. Then, some higher force must have decided to intervene, because Merlin found himself immediately regretting that line of thought.

"Take it."

"No."

"Merlin. Take it."

"I don't want it."

"Merlin, I swear on my dead mother's grave that if you do not take this bottle then I will shove it up your-"

"Get away from me!"  Merlin shrieked, dodging as Arthur tried to jump at him from across the room. "No - no, I can't touch it! Arthur!" He hissed, diving under the bed. "No! Stop it!" He hissed. "Give it to your bloody father! He's the one in love with a troll!" He yelled. Arthur cursed from somewhere on top of the bed.

"Exactly. He's possessed. There's no other explanation."

"Um, enchantment?" Merlin asked, voice a bit muffled from Arthur's various fallen pillows obscuring his view. "How do you know he's possessed? And why are you flinging your bloody holy water at me over it?" He asked. There was another string of cursing and Merlin considered just ducking out of the castle entirely in his demon form. It seemed better than whatever Hell was happening here.

"There are signs of possession, Merlin. I wouldn't expect you to know them."

"Oh, really?" Merlin asked, still from within the safety of his impromptu under-the-bed pillow fort. "Dazzle me with your wisdom then, sire. How can you tell if someone is possessed?" He asked.

There was a pause.

"If they fall in love with a troll."

"You sound like a real expert."

Arthur's hand appeared under the bed in an attempt to grab him, but Merlin was prepared and kicked him away. This continued for another five minutes until the door was thrown open.

"...am I interrupting something?" Morgana's voice asked. Oh, thank all of Hell's curses... Merlin popped out from under the bed - causing Gwen to jump ten feet in the air. "Oh, hello Merlin." Morgana greeted calmly.

"Arthur is trying to throw water at me." He told her. Morgana hummed. "I told him to stop. He won't. Can you make him not throw water on me?" He asked hopefully. "If not, I'm going to stay here forever." He said with a small shrug. Morgana's lips tugged upwards before giving a very serious nod.

"Arthur... Don't throw water at your servant."

"It’s holy water, Morgana. We can’t take any chances with my father possessed-"

"You have no proof that he’s possessed!" Merlin shouted back, annoyed. So what? They were just going to blame demons for Uther being a moron now? No. Merlin wouldn’t stand for it. “And I’m not touching your stupid spicy water!" He growled back. He probably shouldn’t have referred to the fact it hurt him but these were distressing times. He was distressed. Morgana understood. She looked distressed too.

"Okay, Merlin come out. If Arthur throws water at you he’ll have to deal with me."

Considering Morgana was as scary as Gaius... He went along with what she said. And Gwen would protect him. As always.

"How are you doing with all this?" She asked as Morgana and Arthur began to mull over their troll problem. 

"I... I’m a little worried about Arthur." Merlin told her lowly. Gwen learned in, brows raised slightly. “You know...Here." He whispered, tapping his temple. “I’m not sure if it’s something I’m doing wrong or maybe he’s just stupid."

"Merlin!" Gwen hissed back, swatting at his arm “You can’t call the prince stupid!”

"...I just did. Rather effortlessly." Merlin told her and Gwen narrowed her eyes.

“What isn’t he understanding?”

“How to get dressed! I’ve taught him at least a dozen times by now and he still expects me to show him.” Merlin said instantly. Arthur could claim that it was Merlin's job all he wanted, but Merlin wasn't buying it. He peered over his shoulder “Also, he thinks Uther possessed by a demon to marry a troll." He added as an afterthought.

"You don’t think he is?"

"Is it treason to say he might just be into ugly women? I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but look how Arthur turned out. I’m not sure that the late queen was a looker either." Merlin told her solemnly as Gwen whacked at him again in horror before going into a very long whispered lecture.

Gwen was also a terrifying human. He often forgot about this, but that somehow made it worse. Once, she even told him that when Merlin said mean things about Arthur that it made her sad. This was outrageously unfair and cruel to say. Sometimes she said mean things about it too! However, apparently when Gwen said mean things it was ‘constructive criticism’ whereas when Merlin did it, it was ‘unwarranted and mean’.

Maybe understanding humans was a lost cause... but hey. Gwen at least gave Merlin some good ideas.

"I wasn’t calling him ugly to be nasty," Merlin told her "It was constructive criticism." He explained. She glared at him. "He has to know if he wants to not be ugly."

"Merlin."

"I’m just saying, maybe it’s a good thing his stepmother is a troll. Now he won’t be the worst looking of the family."

"Merlin."

"No?"

"No."

"Okay." He grumbled. Arthur must have overheard something because a shoe was thrown at his head a moment later. "Hey!" He objected as Arthur fixed him with a stern glare.

"We need to focus here, Merlin. If my father is possessed we'll need an exorcism of some sort." He said, pacing the length of the room. "They say a demon is what killed Cenred as well." He added. Merlin stiffened a bit at that. There had been whispers of Cenred's death, of course. Uther had been quick to make a grab for his lands along with many other kings... but this was the first he heard Arthur speak of it. "Leon said he stopped by afterwards... Half his guard was taken as well. Blood everywhere." He shuddered. "Actually, he said it was more like a massacre-"

"Yeah, well, I heard Cenred wasn't the nicest person either," Merlin interrupted "Maybe he deserved it."

"Nobody deserves to die like that." Morgana sighed, sitting down in one of Arthur's empty chairs to place a finger on her temple. Merlin spluttered.

"I..." He began and paused so he wouldn't look so offended. "I heard that it wasn't that bad because his throat was ripped out and that sounds like a very quick death." He nodded, trying to look knowledgeable about how quick and slow deaths were. The other three remained unimpressed.

"Perhaps, but it is still a terrible way to die. Not in battle. Not in glory. Just... Gone. For no reason-"

"There was probably a reason." Merlin objected. What the Hell? Uther executed people constantly and they were going to complain about Cenred's death? "And need I remind you that nobody here liked him?"

"Perhaps," Morgana amended "Still. It isn't something to be celebrated-"

"For the blood of innocent lambs. You are all so soft." Merlin grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. He ignored Arthur slowly mouthing 'innocent lambs' to Morgana in order to continue with his rant. "I think it is a fine way to die. And if it was a demon who killed him then why would you worry over it possessing your father? Clearly, they can just tear people's throats out. There is no need to include a troll at all." He shrugged. Arthur winced, but did give a slight hum at that. Morgana, on the other hand, shook her head.

"Uther protected Camelot from demons long ago. Most can't get within the castle walls." She mused. Ah. Merlin had almost forgotten about the stupid sigils Uther had carved into the walls. They didn't bother Merlin too much unless he was directly next to it, but the fact it was there at all served as a reminder of what Pendragons thought of his kind... That and constant executions, of course. "I'm sure they've faded over the years... Maybe one did get in and possession is all they can do."

"Well, this demon has a hilarious sense of humor." Merlin told them stoically. Arthur fixed him with a hard look. "I mean... Oh no. Uther loves a troll. Whatever shall we do?" He asked blandly, putting a hand over his heart. "Perhaps we should pray to the mighty angels to save us from their inevitably beautiful children!"

"I see you're as stupid as you are deaf and blind-"

"Watch it-" Merlin hissed, but stopped when Gwen put a hand on his arm. Breathe. Deep breath. Arthur tilted his head tauntingly. Merlin hated that he had managed to find his sore spots so easily. Still, he wasn't aware that some of insults were... A little close to true so Merlin forced himself to let it go. "Fine. Why don't we just kill the troll?" He asked with a sigh. Morgana made a face of assent before turning to give Arthur a questioning look.

"I'm less concerned about the troll at this point," He said. Merlin sighed. Of course he wasn't. "More about the possibility of our sigils failing and demons running amok within the castle. They're nasty things... If anyone were to die they're souls could get snatched-"

"Then nothing would happen because your father broke the gates to Hell." Merlin cut him off. "So, really, if there are demons running around the castle that might be his fault because they have nowhere to go." He told him, voice rising. Morgana's eyes snapped to him suddenly. That probably should have been a sign for him to stop talking, but his temper felt poked and prodded enough at this point. "Why are demons even the first thing you blame anyways? You know absolutely nothing about them! Or, let me guess, after Freya you decided to stop pinning things on magic because you got it through your thick skull that you could be wrong about that?" He asked.

Silence.

Which... Was probably fair. Merlin might have kept gnawing at that particular bone a bit too long. He held his breath, waiting for someone to confront him on his defensiveness. Morgana was staring at him, finger pressed against her lips in a way that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Gwen's hand was still on his shoulder, squeezing tightly in a firm warning that he had caught too late.

"This is about Freya," Arthur said. Oh. Thank the gathering. Merlin was lucky that he really was obtuse at times. "I... Merlin demons aren't the same as magic. And... Even with magic there aren't many like Freya-"

"Arthur." Morgana cut him off. "Let's focus on getting rid of the troll. Finding if there's even a demon involved is simple. Just lay some salt out and see what happens." She told him. Arthur blinked at that before pointing a finger at her.

"Yes... Yes, good idea! Merlin, get some salt and bring him his dinner to him tonight. Spill on the ground and see how he reacts-"

Salt? Again? Really? Hadn't Merlin been through enough?

"Gwen can do that," Morgana said and gave her maid a quick smile. "I need to ask Merlin about some of my sleeping drafts."

Merlin bit his lip. Right. That was a bad sign... Especially since when Merlin started visiting her dreams she hadn't needed any sleeping drafts. Arthur gave a short nod before he continued his pacing back and forth, strategizing against the big, bad demon. Taking a slow breath, Merlin scooped up his laundry to head out the door. Whatever. He wasn't needed for this. His murders were just going to be criticized and demons villainized.

Arthur didn't stop him from leaving the room. Though he did feel a hand pull him to the side the moment he entered the hallway, yanking him towards an alcove.

"Merlin," Morgana greeted. "Hello."

Well... It had been fun while it lasted.

"Hi." He told her weakly and let the laundry fall from his arms so they fell into a heap by his feet. Morgana opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Deciding it wasn't worth it to just wait for her to bring the axe down, Merlin gently pried her hand off of him. "I don't mean you any harm." He said quietly. Morgana's eyes widened. "And it isn't a demon possessing Uther-"

"I believe you, Merlin." She said quietly, cutting him off. Merlin waited. "I... I don't know what to say. Does anyone else know?" She whispered. He looked down and immediately flinched away when he saw her hands were shaking. "I'm sorry." She said and shoved her hands under her arms. "I... I just..." She frowned and sighed.

"Nobody else knows." Merlin lied. He wasn't bringing Gaius down with him too, that was for certain. Morgana tilted her head.

"...you know about me too, don't you?" She asked and Merlin glanced up. "My dreams." She told him and shook her head. "I know it wasn't just in my head."

"Uh, well, technically-"

"Just say yes or no."

"Yes, that was really me." He said and Morgana smiled. "I... I didn't really know how to help you and so I thought - oh. Okay." he interrupted himself. "I know this one. Lancelot told me it was hugging... Unless you're trying to squeeze me to death." He added, a little uncertainly as he let his arms wrap around her. "...you're not trying to squeeze me to death, right? Because if you are then you're doing a bad job-"

"I'm hugging you, Merlin." She said and let go. "Merlin." She said again. "That doesn't sound very... Demon-ish."

"Thank you." Merlin said flatly.

"Sorry," She winced and shook her head. "I just... Why did you help me? Or even come to Camelot at all?" She asked. Merlin was debating about how much to tell her... Or if he should bring up the fact he wasn't even technically a demon when Morgana shook her head. "Nevermind. You... You don't have to tell me anything. I'll earn your trust first." She said with a fierce nod. Huh. Okay. "This all explains so much," She mused and the wrinkled her nose. "So... When Arthur had the holy water-"

"Please protect me from him."

"...I can replace it with normal water."

Morgana was doing a great job at continuing to be his favorite human.

Good news: the troll was dead and Merlin was right that it was an enchantment. 

Bad news: Uther thinks a demon had something to do with the enchantment and Merlin might actually lose his mind listening to this nonsense.

It was like someone telling you the sky was green when you knew for a fact it was not. Frustrating and a little pissed off... At least Arthur had the decency to thank him for his valiant efforts. Sort of.

"Whoa!" He said as Merlin moved forward. There was a brief paused as Merlin paused. "What are you doing?"

"You don't...? Oh. Lancelot and Morgana showed me." He said, ignoring Arthur's bewildered expression. "Here, I can show you too. Move closer."

"No, thank you."

"I was confused too. Don't worry." Merlin scoffed and yanked at his arm impatiently until he could pull him in. Arthur stiffened. "I won't kill you. Promise. See?" He said and patted Arthur's back. "It's called a hug. You squeeze me back but you can't kill me either." He told him.

"...what if I do kill you?" Arthur muttered but begrudgingly squeezed back. "Let me go now, you idiot." He said, pushing him away. "You're ridiculous and I can't stand you." He snapped. Merlin shrugged. Whatever. He had gotten his hug. "Also - Merlin..."

"What?"

"Your boots."

"I have them on!" Merlin said defensively and Arthur closed his eyes. What? He had both on and he even wore socks. It was fine.

"They're on the wrong feet."

Bloody Hell. There were specific feet to where certain shoes on now? This was ridiculous and unwarranted. Quite frankly, most of human customs were absolutely useless and they angered Merlin in ways he did not know he could even be angered. Wrong feet. What was this? He didn't deserve any of it.

"You really are a disaster, aren't you?" Arthur sighed. "Merlin, you just have to look at them to tell which is which." He mused and Merlin tensed, readying himself for the insult. "You blind fool." He sighed, shaking his head as he mused Merlin's hair. Every damn time. Merlin bit his tongue to keep from snapping at him.

"I've had enough of you today." He decided with a nod. Arthur blinked.

"Excuse me?" He asked, jaw set in firm displeasure, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes as he looked Merlin up and down. "Try again."

"I've had enough of you today." Merlin repeated and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad that you no longer have a troll as a mother. Now, I must sleep because you make me angry and it is hard being angry all the time." He informed him as stoically as possible. "If you would like to put me in the dungeons or stocks you may do so now... Or execute me." He added as an afterthought. "Then I can rest eternally." He decided. Arthur stared.

"I never know what to say to you sometimes," He sighed and pushed Merlin away "Just go. You're dismissed."

Finally. Merlin was finished with the day... Also, the bloody dragon was talking in his head again and Merlin really needed to do something about that.

"I have obtained a dragon's soul." Merlin announced as he entered Gaius' chambers. From the other side of the room there was a long sigh. Gaius set down the book he had been mulling over to take off his glasses and stare Merlin down. After what was apparently considered the appropriate amount of time to process Merlin's words, he folded his hands in front of him and nodded.

"Please explain."

"There is a dragon beneath the castle who constantly infuriates me and calls my friends awful names," Merlin told him as he walked over to grab a toad. Gaius cleared his throat and Merlin set the toad down to instead reach for some bread. When Gaius nodded he went ahead and took a bite... Though he still wasn't entirely for sure what was wrong with eating a toad. Gaius used them in remedies often enough. It should be fine to eat, right? Sometimes it felt like he would never truly understand this species. "And asked to be released. I told that I would not based on the fact that I do not like him." Merlin continued.

"Very good," Gaius told him "I do fear there is more."

"...yes," Merlin said and took another bite of bread. "He told me we could make a deal... I like deals." He added. Gaius sighed again. "He tried to offer me all this knowledge of the future and stuff, but I doubt I would understand that nonsense anyways. He isn't a very clear speaker. It's like talking to a shadow or something," He grumbled. Gaius made a questioning noise at that, but Merlin didn't bother to explain. If Gaius truly wanted to learn everything there was to know about demons and their expressions then he should go live with Kali for awhile. "Anyways, so I said he could give me his soul and I would release him... So now I have a dragon's soul." He finished. Gaius blinked.

"You...Freed the dragon? The one who hates Uther and Camelot, and would see it destroyed?"

"He hates Camelot?" Merlin asked between bites of bread "Huh. That explains a lot. Neat." He said and Gaius took a sharp breath. "You needn't worry, Gaius. He won't attack anyone." He added, seeing the color rapidly draining from the man's face. "He can't unless I allow it."

"Merlin, dragons are not easily controlled-"

"I have his soul," Merlin reminded him. Gaius pursed his lips. "That means he must do as I bid unless he wants me to do something awful to it... He must have really wanted his freedom." He added thoughtfully and took a long breath. He could actually understand that. Maybe he had been too harsh on the dragon. Yearning for freedom and acceptance... Well, that was the subtitle for his autobiography. Emrys the Unusual: A Yearning for Freedom and Acceptance (written by yours truly). "I sent him away in any case. I can't stand his ramblings," He added under his breath. "He calls Morgana the nastiest things." He said, shuddering.

"Like what?"

"Witch," Merlin said, ripping the bread in his absently "Nephilim sometimes." He added, making a face. The name had plenty of meanings throughout the centuries of its creation. No matter what form the word took, it was always an insult in Merlin's humble opinion. Kane once said the only thing worse than a cambion was a nephilim. Shaking his head clear of the word, he put his chin in the palm of his hand. He wasn't sure he could tell Gaius the rest. The ridiculous taunts the dragon through at him regarding 'destiny' and Arthur. It was... Beginning to get a little worryingly. He needed to speak to Kali. There had to be a misunderstanding of some sort. He thought back to Arthur's injured wrists...If he could see the potential good in sorcerers then perhaps he could see demons for what they really were.

And sure, Arthur was annoying and arrogant. He also talked too much and thought too highly of his father. Not to mention he... Well. In truth, Merlin was just running out of reason to kill him outside of being ordered to. Then, without warning, his mind slipped to Freya. To Uther... To Arthur's face when he spoke of demons.

"Am I monster?" He asked, voice growing quiet. Gaius stopped in putting the book away to look at him. 

"Merlin," He said quietly and slowly put the book down. "I know... With Catrina the words people have used about demons-"

"I wasn't talking about demons," Merlin cut him off and looked up to meet his eyes. "I... With Freya, I..." He took a long breath. "Something is happening to me, Gaius. I don't understand half of what I should know anymore. And I look at the humans around me and I... I don't want to be like them." He said quickly, voice growing a bit thick with worry. "What if the more I understand about this part of myself the more I..." He trailed off again and buried his face in his hands, suddenly overwhelmed.

What was he doing here?

Before he could contemplate his rapid rise from grace, a warm hand touched his wrist, pulling his hands away from his eyes.

"Is this where you tell me my demon side is more evil than my human could ever be?" He asked dryly. Gaius didn't smile. He simply studied him for a moment before shaking his head.

"No," He finally told him. Merlin waited. "As far as humans go... There's always a possibility you can be a monster, but ultimately..." He shrugged and let go. "There's no telling what you'll become." He said simply. "Possibly a bit of both."

"Yes, that seems to be my motto." Merlin said and yanked at his hair. "I have to tell you something," He tacked on, tensing slightly. "But you're going to yell at me."

Gaius waited.

"What is it?" He asked warily. Merlin frowned.

"...can you promise not to yell or be disappointed?"

"No."

"Worth a shot," Merlin grumbled and held up both of his hands "Morgana... Might know... That I am a demon. Sort of. A little." He began and when Gaius opened his mouth, spoke quickly once more. "But I can tell you more sad things to make you continue to feel sad for me." He tacked on quickly. Gaius threw up his hands.

"You have one job. One job and it is to keep your heritage and magic a secret-"

"I thought serving Arthur and helping you were also jobs?" Merlin tried. Gaius' glare became more pronounced.

Needless to say, this was not ending well for Merlin.

Merlin's life was so much simpler before he came to bloody Camelot.

"Come on! I thought we were friends. Please, help me."

"I do love that we ended up here," Nimueh said as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "You need my help? Would you like another 'deal', Merlin? So that I may spited once more?" She asked, voice rising slightly with annoyance. Merlin closed his eyes before holding up both his hands in feigned surrender.

"Are you telling me you regret that Cenred is dead?" Merlin asked, raising his hands. "I did you a service-"

"I wanted Uther dead!" Nimueh hissed and the ground seemed to rumble with her displeasure. Merlin clenched his fist to silence it. "I saved Arthur Pendragon's life only to be... To be... Taunted!" She yelled, throwing her hands up. Merlin sighed. "How can you not understand? Uther betrayed me. It is my fault he started this war. I gave him what he wanted and now everyone who is like me must suffer for it! I just want to make things right for my people by ridding them of this unjust king-"

"I want him dead too!" Merlin argued "I understand. I do. But you go beyond Uther. There are other people involved here. Perhaps it is not time to kill Uther."

"Or perhaps you have gone completely rogue," Nimueh said coolly "Why do you even need me? Morgause is not of my kind. I'm not sure what you expect of me."

Merlin closed his eyes. There was no reason to panic. None at all. He had this under control. Sure, Morgause had shown up out of nowhere, hilariously beat Arthur in a duel, and asked him to meet her for a challenge of some sort. Great. Completely fine. Nothing to worry about at all... Except for the small fact that she was pretty much Merlin's arch nemesis and he wasn't entirely sure he could kill her.

"You're a powerful sorceress!" Merlin told her voice rising a bit with desperation. Nimueh laughed.

"You flaunt your own powers to me enough. You deal with her."

"I can't," Merlin gritted his teeth "Demons and angels cannot fight one another. I might be able to, but... That would mean relying more on my humanity and I can't risk that right now," He said, forcing himself to admit what he had been denying for the past few months since this had all started. "I've been getting weak as I've been here-" Since I've been around humans. Since I've started acting human.

He had almost died twice now. All because he fell victim to everything Kali had warned him against feeling.

"Yes, falling in love... Empathizing with humans... You really have gone rogue, haven't you?" Nimueh asked and shook her head. "What makes you think an angel would cause any harm to your precious Arthur anyways?" She asked, and let her lip curl into a sarcastic smile "And would me and my foolish religion be able to overcome a powerful angel?" She asked, putting a mocking hand to her forehead. Ugh. Merlin gave a fake laugh.

"I didn't fall in love. I'm not empathizing with anyone. And angels don't have good intentions. They just have intentions. I don't know what Morgause's are." He said and ran a hand over his face. "I'm going to contact my gathering leader. There's... There's been a mistake on why I've been sent here. As soon as she gives me the okay I will kill Uther for you. Just do me this favor." He said and Nimueh scoffed.

"No."

"What do you want me to do? I'm helpless in this situation!" Merlin said, frustrated. Nimueh turned away. "Nimueh!" He yelled after her. He went to step forward only to realize she had flicked her hand so a stream had cracked between them. He let his hand hover over it and... Yep. That was holy water. Groaning, he kicked the ground. "You probably couldn't even beat her anyways because you're weak!" He shouted after her, taking a deep breath. "Maybe I'll just send my dragon after her instead! Because I have a dragon now! Yeah! Do you have a dragon?!" He yelled. No response. "Great." He muttered and turned away, looking at where the castle loomed behind the trees of the meadow. Morgause was long gone now, but maybe... Maybe he could track her? Send Camelot's men after her? Tell Uther she was a sorceress? He couldn't let an angel have any sort of hold on Arthur-

"I had hoped this would be a happier reunion."

Merlin jumped, spinning around to see a figure wrinkling it's nose at the stream of water that ran through the grass. He blinked. Recognition bubbled under his skin as he looked at the human. He knew her. Black hair. Blue eyes. Pale skin. It was like seeing your own silhouette. Curiously, he tilted his head.

"...mother?" He asked, hesitating slightly. His memory of her was faint, but there. As he looked the woman up and down he could see similarities between the vision of her in his mind and this random person appearing in the middle of a field in the midst of the night. "Do... Do you know who I am?" He asked, a little bewildered. Had she come to see Gaius? Or did Gaius write her and say he was here? Or maybe -

"I am well aware of who you are, Emrys." She said and her eyes flashed black. "And while you are correct to say this is your human mother... I'm afraid she is a bit indisposed at the moment."

Ah. Right. Not good. Merlin closed his eyes - fear running up his spine as he gave a slow nod.

"Hello, Kali."

Chapter Text

Once, when Merlin was about six or seven, he had made friends with a bear.

It started out well enough. Merlin would play with it and bring berries and occasionally take naps with it. For the most part, the bear was docile and he felt pretty special having a bear friend that followed him around. Then, one day, a human stumbled into their part of the forest and Merlin had watched in horror as the bear ripped open said human limb by limb leaving a rather horrific display of blood and entrails behind. After Merlin had been frozen in terror the bear laid down and took a nap next to him like nothing happened.

Being friends with a bear was a lot like being part of Kali's gathering. You weren't ever really sure if she was going to play with you or kill you. Sometimes it was incredibly stressful trying to figure it out... Right now, though? He was pretty sure he knew which side of the line he fell.

"Funny running into you here," He said, giving a big smile. "How have you been?"

"Who was that?"

"Who?"

"The woman who made a river of holy water appear between you and her." Kali said conversationally, arching an eyebrow as she took a step forward. Merlin glanced over in the direction Nimueh had gone and gave a slow nod.

"Right. Her. She's... um, a friend." He said. Kali waited. "She's a little mad at me right now. Because, uh, you know. I kind of let her think I was going to kill Uther and then didn't... Because, you know, you told me not to kill Uther." He shrugged. Kali hummed. "And...What are you doing her? Wearing my mother has a host?" He added, not bothering to hide the note of distress towards the last part. Kali let her lip curl over her teeth.

"There was a growing concern considering nobody has heard from you months," She said, voice growing hard and icy as she looked him up and down "Glad to see you are well. Others were beginning to whisper Uther had gotten you. Plus, we heard no word on whether the young Pendragon was dead so there were whispers he killed you as well." She added. Merlin nodded. Right. Right, yeah. That... Made sense. He gave a weak smile.

"...oh." He finally said, clambering to try and find something else to say that might ease the conversation. "And...Hunith?" He asked, remembering the name Gaius most often referred to her by. Kali looked down at her host before straightening once more.

"Considering I wasn't sure what position you may be in when I arrived I thought it would be prudent to take a form others wouldn't question when speaking to you. She seemed willing enough once I mentioned your life could be in danger." She added. Merlin let his shoulders droop. Yeah... Alright.

"Kali-"

"What have you been doing?" She hissed, apparently done trying to reign in her anger. "Why am I hearing about failed attacks on the prince when he was supposed to be dead weeks ago? Why are there whispers of a guardian angel? What angel? If Pendragon has an angel then you should have informed me the second they arrived in Camelot-"

"Oh. Well. Funny story, actually." Merlin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're talking about me." He said. Kali blinked. "Because I knew I had to be the one to kill Arthur and I wasn't quite ready to kill him yet so... I... Have been... Stopping other... People from... um, killing him..." He said slowly, only now realizing how bad that sounded.

"...what?"

"It's... A misunderstanding," Merlin sighed. "Look, I don't think you really want me to kill Arthur, Kali. You meant Uther, right?"

"You’re going to tell me what I mean to say now?" Kali asked, voice rising.

"No! No, I just think that... You meant Uther and not Arthur." He said very quickly. There was a long pause. "...right?"

"No."

"Well then I don't understand!" Merlin said, throwing his hands up. The moon shone between them, allowing for a bright beam of light to loom overhead as Kali narrowed her eyes. "Uther is the cause of all of this. It isn't Arthur's fault! And he's different from other humans - you said they weren't all bad! He isn't a bad one!" He added, thrusting a hand towards the castle. "He saved my life-"

"When was your life in danger?"

Shit.

"I... Might have played with some human emotions that weakened me momentarily-"

"Emrys!" She shouted and Merlin felt himself grow a bit smaller as the plants around them seemed to wither slightly, the ground growing black with her anger. "I warned you not to fucking mess-"

"Isn't that why I came to live with humans though?" He argued. Kali held up a hand, cutting him off as she took a deep breath, pacing the length of the field as she ran a hand through her hair, muttering lowly under her breath. Merlin took a step forward but she gave a low growl, eyes flashing dangerously enough to freeze him in place. Warily, he watched as she looked up at the sky and took a long breath. "We shouldn't stay here," He finally ventured forward cautiously "I... Can take you to the castle. I know how to avoid the sigils. They're pretty worn down anyways." He added. After the troll incident, Uther had said something about redoing them, but he doubted it would be done that quickly. "We can get tea."

"Tea?"

"Yeah!" He said brightly and edged forward to lightly tug at her hand. She didn't attack so that was good. "It is water with plants in it." He tried to explain as he led her towards the woods. "Not like lake water though. It's... Hot. And sometimes humans put sugar in it."

"Sugar..."

"Oh, yeah. It is...Well it looks like salt, but don't worry. It isn't. I made sure of it. It makes your tongue feel like eating sunlight." He said. Kali said nothing to that so he kept moving her through the trees. He tried to ignore the fact that he was holding Hunith's hand as well as Kali's. He wondered if his mother could see him. If her and Kali were speaking at this moment or both fixed in stony silence. "Is she comfortable?" He found himself asking, just in case. Kali hummed perhaps sensing what he meant.

"She's fine, Emrys. I will release her body as soon as I'm able to. It shouldn't be hard to find a new host here." She mused, glancing around as they moved towards the entrance of the castle - eyes roaming up and down the guards. "Maybe your prince would do. It seems as if little harm has come to his body over the last couple months." She muttered under her breath. Merlin sighed. Alright, maybe he deserved that one.

"Gaius is in the lower town," Merlin said, ignoring the last comment as he led her through the labryinth of hallways towards Gaius' chambers. "Helping give birth to a baby.... Have you seen humans give birth?" He asked offhandedly, Gaius took me to one last week. It was awful." He said. Kali momentarily stopped scowling to give the barest hint of a smile.

"I attended your birth." She reminded him. "...it was rather disgusting. Though, I must say it is impressive that humans come into the world covered in blood and screaming. It is quite the entrance for beings with little intimidation." She mused. Merlin nodded. He had thought the same. The fact that most humans had barely blinked twice during such an event was bewildering to him. "Emrys, I-"

"There you are!"

No, no, no... Merlin spun around to find Morgana lightly running up towards them, the skirts of her dress bunched in her hand as her shoes clicked down the hall. Kali stiffened.

"Morgana," He greeted and offered a small smile "Hi. I was just showing my mother to Gaius' chambers. Mother, this is Lady Morgana. The king's ward." He said, stepping to the side. Morgana opened her mouth - confusion flitting on her face as she turned to stare at Kali.

"Mother...?" She began and looked around as if hoping to find someone else. "You look so much alike."

"This confuses you." Kali said, voice hard and cold. Merlin frowned at the sudden change. Morgana shifted a bit, idly fixing her dress as Merlin realized with a sense of horror that Morgana still thought he was fully demon. He wouldn't realize he had a human mother... Or, well, a demon one possessing a human mother. Still, that didn't explain Kali. "Hello, Lady Morgana." She said with a sharp nod and pulled at Merlin's arm. "How do you know my son?"

"Oh, we're friends-"

"Are you?" Kali asked, narrowing her eyes. Morgana bit her lip.

"Yes... In fact, I was hoping you could visit me again. Tonight." She added to Merlin. "Arthur is asking you, but, well, Uther has him locked up to avoid Morgause." She added with a sigh. Her hand touched a bracelet thoughtfully. "I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. She seemed very nice."

"I'm sure you thought so." Kali muttered. Merlin lightly pulled her away from, mind spinning.

"I'll be by later, Morgana." He smiled, mouthing a silent apology to her as he continued to move Kali away from her. "What was that?" He whispered as soon as they rounded another corner. Kali growled. "She has magic. Like me. We're friends." He tried to explain. This did not seem to ease Kali's anger.

"You told me there wasn't an angel in this castle!" She hissed, looking over her shoulder. "And you're friends? With her?" She said, voice growing low with disgust. "You are done here."

"What?" Merlin spluttered and stopped walking altogether. They were in front of the staircase to Gaius' chambers. Still, he found he didn't have the patience to pause the conversation until they reached the top. Instead, he gripped her shoulders, trying to make sense of her words as indignation rose in his chest. "Morgause is gone! I don't even know how you knew she was an angel-"

"I wasn't talking about Morgause!" Kali snapped, shoving his hands off of her. "Emrys, I know you are... I know your sight..." She tried again and took a low sniff when Merlin pursed his lips. "Could you not smell it on her?" She asked instead. Merlin stared. Yes, he had smelled that Morgause was an angel the moment she walked into Camelot. But if Kali wasn't talking about her then...

"Morgana is not an angel." He laughed. Kali remained silent. "Her... Her father was human. She speaks of him often-"

"And her mother?" Kali interrupted. "Demons are not the only beings that can breed with humans, Emrys! How long have you been around her?" She asked, ignoring as Merlin's world momentarily tilted to its side. In hindsight... He supposed the names the dragon whispered and small hints had all been there. "Did you not even notice you were in danger?"

"Morgana isn't dangerous." Merlin whispered and shook his head. "She's my friend! As is Arthur." He said firmly. Okay. Friend was a stretch for Arthur, certainly. They were... Two beings who had helped one another. He was even someone Merlin occasionally enjoyed speaking to when he wasn't being annoying. But friends? Ha. Laughable. Kali closed her eyes. "And you need to explain to me why you want him dead." He said, glancing over his shoulder to ensure they were still alone. "Because from what I can tell, Arthur's only flaw is that he will not question his father's hatred and I will not be making the same mistakes."

Kali's eyes went black.

"Choose your next words very carefully, Emrys. I did not come all this way for a cambion to question me when he takes the side of angels." She warned. The words were barely above a whisper, but Merlin didn't dare respond. He knew a threat when he heard one. "If you want an explanation, I will give it to you, but afterwards you will fix the mistakes you have made." She snapped and turned sharply to start climbing the stairs. "So serve me this hot plant water."

Forget Morgause. Merlin would die before he got the chance to deal with her.

Silence followed as they made their way up the staircase right up until Merlin started making the tea. Kali looked around silently, fingers running over the spines of various books before peering over at some Gaius' writings. Merlin handed her a cup.

"Thank... You..." She said slowly, tilting her head a bit as she looked into the cup. Merlin waited. "Um, do I...?" She started, clearly at loss. "You..?" She tried again. Merlin poured his him cup to demonstrate. Kali stared before mimicking him, taking a very small sip and then frowning at the steaming water. "This is strange." She decided, but took another sip anyways. Merlin felt the anxiety tugging at his chest ease slightly.

"Please tell me what's happening." He finally said. Kali paused in poking some of the leaves in her cup to look at him. Finally, she sighed, putting the cup down and gesturing for him to sit.

"There is a prophecy," Kali finally began with a sigh "People of magic often speak of it. They call it... Something of destiny," She said wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Emrys, you... You know you are one of us, but you are also one of them." She said solemnly, playing with the handle of her cup absently. "And it was assumed that your magic would one day be able to fix the Gates of Hell after Uther broke them." She said. Merlin nodded. He had figured if Uther used sorcerers to break them then he could use sorcerers to fix them. Though... The idea Merlin could achieve such a feat was truly laughable. "I have faith that one day you will be able to do that. However," She started and paused again. "I would... Like if after the gates were fixed that you could return home with us. Given that you would like to." She said.

"I... Of course, Kali. I mean, I would at least wish to visit if nothing else-"

"No need to flatter me, Emrys." She waved him away. "The point is that I am from the fifth circle as is the rest of my gathering. Do you see where I'm going with this?" She asked, tilting her head. Merlin leaned back in his chair. "You have no claim to my home and so you will not be able to enter."

Merlin shook his head. He had known that. To enter Kali’s circle in Hell he would need to prove himself a wrathful creature. That wasn’t news exactly. 

"But why Arthur, then?" He asked quietly "And why not tell me this? If I need to commit an act of wrath..." He held out his hands. "I killed Cenred not too long ago. I could very well add Uther to that list." He said and shook his head. "Arthur is-" He began and stopped. "Oh." He said quietly. It didn't matter that Arthur didn't do anything. An act of anger... Of true hatred and wrath wasn't about killing anyone. It was about causing someone an immeasurable amount of pain. "Killing Arthur is Uther's punishment." He sighed. Kali nodded.

"I don't know the prince. I had assumed it would be easy for you if he was anything like his father. I... Thought once you learned more you would want Uther to suffer and watch his son die as a final torment. And that Arthur Pendragon would have angered you enough to hold no regrets in taking his life."

Merlin buried his face in his hands. He had been holding out hope for one last reveal that would make him want to kill Arthur. To make this easier. Not this.

"I can't do that." He finally managed and looked up. "Even if I did kill him it wouldn't be out of anger, but duty... Which I guess is why you didn't explain it to me in the first place."

Kali shrugged.

"If you had known this was your ticket into the fifth circle the anger wouldn't have been genuine. I see now that even my orders..." She trailed off and sighed. "You are simply not a wrathful creature, Emrys." She smiled weakly. "Neither was your father."

"My father wasn't from the fifth circle," Merlin sighed and tapped the table thoughtfully. "Killing Uther might be enough," He said "I do hate him and everything he's done while he's been here."

"And do you think killing him is the worst punishment he could receive?" She asked. Merlin bit his tongue. No. No, it wouldn't be. Arthur dying though... The one that his queen lost her life for. His only heir. Only son. Only child... Taking him away would really be the worst thing Merlin could do to him. "That is no matter now," Kali said briskly, though her voice was oddly tight. "If you won't do it then we are finished with the topic." She said. Merlin flinched. "Perhaps a different opportunity will arise," She added and sighed. "The rest of it though... Emrys, the angel-"

"Half-angel. She... You said she wasn't completely...?" He trailed off and Kali nodded. "So there's no harm then, right?" He asked. That wasn't true. He knew it wasn't true. "Kali, she's not like them. Morgana doesn't even know what she is."

"But we know!" She said, throwing up her hands. "Emrys, you cannot be near her. I'm not even sure why you would want to-"

"My magic still needs lots of work. Maybe her and I can learn it together." He argued and Kali closed her eyes. "Maybe she can even help me with the gates." He tried and grabbed her hand. "Please, just..." He started, but trailed off. Just what? He wasn't sure. "I'm staying." He said quietly instead. Kali stared.

"For the angel or for the prince?" She asked, voice oddly leveled for being so unabashedly disobeyed. Merlin didn't answer. Maybe he didn't know it himself. "If you won't leave this place... And you won't commit an act of wrath to come back to Hell with us..." She began and leaned back in her chair. "Are you even going to try to fix the gates?"

"I am. I swear to you I-" He started, but was silenced when she rose a finger. Merlin bit his lip. Finally, Kali held out her hand. It took Merlin a moment to realize what she was asking for. "You... Is this you disowning me?" He asked finally. Kali didn't answer. She didn't need to. Closing his eyes, he reached underneath his scarf to pull of the necklace she had given him, placing it in her hand. "I'm sorry." He found himself saying.

"Your father once entertained a Pendragon. Uther chased him down for months because of it... It's how he met her." Kali said, gesturing to Hunith's body. "You would do well to remember that." She said and stood up. "If something changes... I would consider taking you back. Know that." She added and reached a hand out to lift his chin. "But I cannot condone this path you are on. Prophets and dragons may whisper of prophecies but..." She sighed deeply. "No future is set in stone save the prophecies we make ourselves." She told him and stepped out from behind the table. Merlin didn't respond. "I will send her to you once I find a new host. If you are committed to humans you should know your human mother." She continued, voice crisp and completely businesslike. Merlin nodded.

"I'm sorry." He repeated again. Kali tilted her head.

"Thank you for the, um..." She glanced down at the cup. "Hot... Lake water?"

Merlin smiled weakly.

"Of course," He said and stared at the necklace dangling in her hand. His chest seemed to break at the sight of it, but he forced himself to remain as stoic as possible. "Feel free to visit again. Perhaps then I'll have Hell up and running." He said. Kali gave a disbelieving smile as she glanced at the ground.

"Perhaps," She agreed anyways. "Just... This prince." She started and looked him over. "Do not die for him, Emrys. Destiny may regard him highly, but you are still worth more than whatever future he chooses." She said and turned to head towards the door. "And stop being so fucking stupid," She called over her shoulder "Befriend the bloody sorceress you pissed off. She would make a better ally than whatever rubbish half-bred angel you found mucking about these halls."

"She wants me to kill Uther though-"

"You are disowned. My orders don't really matter anymore, do they?" Kali asked and with that the door slammed shut behind her.

The rest of the night was a bit of a daze, admittedly. Merlin managed to pack some of his things and an escape route for the goddamn prince in question before running to Gwen to get some extra swords and snacks. Perhaps she sensed his mood because she didn't ask why he was sneaking around in the midst of the night, readying for a trip when Arthur was confined to his chambers. He appreciated that. Gwen was a good one... And she packed blueberry pie in the pile of snacks she had given so his chest didn't feel nearly as heavy.

"Took you long enough." Arthur greeted when Merlin slipped into the room. "We need to hurry to make it out before sunrise. Morgause - what's wrong with you?" He cut himself off as Merlin threw the rope down. "You look like someone stabbed your dog."

"Who would stab a dog?" Merlin asked warily and collapsed into one of the empty chairs by the fire. "And everything is... Fine." He lied, staring into the flames. Arthur paused - already in the midst of readying the rope. Hesitation hinted as he looked back and forth between the two.

"Really?" He asked doubtfully as he dropped the rope to sit next to him. "Because I can't bring you along if you're distracted." Another pause. "So... Are you alright or not?" He asked, pulling at his arm to turn him. "You’re not." He decided immediately. Merlin wasn’t sure what on his face gave it away, but he didn’t want to explain himself and simply shrugged him away. "Merlin -" he started and cut himself. "What’s bothering you? I can fix it."

"Nothing."

"You are a truly terrible liar."

"Leave me alone," Merlin muttered running a hand over his face. Arthur only pressed a hand to chest with a scowl. "I just don't like Morgause and don't want to waste my night listening to whatever bullshit she has to tell us." He said and shoved his hand off.

"...it's like having a wife." Arthur sighed, but let Merlin up as he tossed him the rope. "Are you sure you can hold me?" He asked, pointedly looking Merlin up and down. Merlin gave a sarcastic smile.

"Depends. Am I tasked with holding up your ego as well as your ass?" He asked. Arthur's jaw clenched. "Too bad I'm the one sneaking you out... Otherwise you could put me in the stocks." He snorted and grabbed the rope.

"Well, I can't forget my guardian angel."

"You're a fucking nightmare, Pendragon." Merlin muttered. Arthur only smiled brightly before giving a salute and climbing out the window. "You good?" He called. There was a pause.

"Yes. Go ahead and lower the rope!" Arthur called back. Merlin smiled. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, just give me a second." He said and waited. Sure enough, a string of curses and insults followed. "Thought so." Merlin muttered and let go of the rope. A thud followed. "Hm," Merlin said as he leaned on his forearms to peer out the window. "Looks like I'm not a very good guardian angel." He called watching Arthur groan as he rolled over. "I think you have something on your face." He added, grinning as Arthur glowered up at him through what could have either been mud or horse dung... Merlin really hoped it was the latter.

"I'm going to kick your ass-"

"Oh no, King Uther! Your son is escaping! He is going to meet Morgause! You know, the woman you locked him in his room to keep him from seeing?" He asked dramatically and slightly too loud. Arthur waited a moment. Then he flicked him off. "Yeah... If I'm having a bad day so are you, prat." Merlin sighed and pushed himself away from the window to go on this satan forsaken adventure.

Unfortunately, Arthur seemed to be just as pissed about life as he was because the moment he got down there was a sword at the base of his throat.

"Not in the mood."

"Cut the attitude or lose a hand."

"Won't my screams alert the guards?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do you keep forgetting that we aren't supposed to be doing this-"

"I'll cut your tongue out instead." Arthur hissed, lowering his sword. "Come on." He added and yanked Merlin towards the stables. Merlin ripped his arm out. "Merlin, I swear-"

"Okay," Merlin interrupted and stepped in front of him. "Here's the situation: If I was smart I would march my ass straight to the king and let him know your dumbass is meeting the one person who has ordered you to stay the fuck away from. And you know what? Incredibly, I agree with him! She's a motherfucking angel who happens to be batshit crazy. And yet... Here I am! Agreeing to join you on this mission to disaster despite my less than ideal situation at the moment. So, it would be great if you would take a moment to not be a self-absorbed prat and maybe throw in a 'thank you' while you're at it. And if you keep giving me a hard time about it..." He trailed off and laughed before leaning in. "I will not only cut out your tongue, but I will shove it down your throat. Got it?" He asked and turned to get his horse before Arthur could respond. 

He half expected to get stabbed right then and there. He kind of hoped he would, in fact. Maybe he had been approaching this wrong. Arthur was Uther's son. Maybe if he pissed him off enough then Merlin would be able to see that more clearly and kill him. Then everything would be fine... Maybe that would make him normal enough to want to go back home and Kali would be okay with it and...

"What makes you think Morgause is an angel?"

Crying was a very human thing to do... But it was also the one human experience he found himself hating more than anything and he promised after Freya he would not do it again. Taking a long breath, he patted the horses neck before sticking some back on the saddle.

"She told me."

"She told you that she was an angel?" Arthur asked doubtfully. Merlin frowned. Normally, his little speech would have Arthur foaming at the mouth. It was kind of irritating that he wasn't reacting right now.

"She told everyone she was an angel... But then again, you were just knocked to the ground with her sword at the throat so maybe you missed that part." He lied. Morgause's smell had been so disgustingly angelic he was surprised the humans couldn't tell. Arthur seemed to buy it at least as he paused in feeding his own stallion a carrot.

"Did she also announce she was batshit crazy?" He asked and threw a leg over. Merlin clenched his jaw and egged his own horse forward.

"No, that was inferred from other variables... Such as the fact she is an angel and challenging a random prince to meet her in the middle of the woods. Also, maybe the fact that daddy wasn't too thrilled to let you meet a holy soul of the spiritual realm. Maybe that might also clue you in. Perhaps whatever deity she served kicked her out of the pearly white gates." He said. Arthur shook his head.

"Fallen angels are demons."

"That isn't true." Merlin said flatly, pulling up his horse to ride up next to them. "They're like... Cousins or something. Different species."

"I'm concerned to hear about what your cousins are like if they are different species." Arthur snorted. Merlin rolled his eyes. "Besides, what do you know about demons, angel?" He asked, lightly reaching over to tug at his ear as they moved passed the lower town, moonlight showing their path. Merlin gave a fake laugh.

"I'm going to break your jaw." He whispered. Arthur shook his head, but didn't respond. What... Even was this? Why wasn't he getting mad? Merlin bit his tongue. Fine. Two can play at that game. New mission: Piss Arthur off as much as possible. Should be easy given his weird, human mood swings.

Only it wasn't.

Two hours into it and Arthur looked as though he was merely exasperated more than truly upset. If anything, he seemed to be the one pissing people off... And by ‘people’ he meant Merlin. 

"I wonder if you and her are related, angel." He called, ignoring Merlin's knuckles going white. "If she truly is an angel herself-"

"Stop." He gritted out and slowed his horse down to stare at a lake nearby. He had hoped the image would calm him, but all he felt was more heat rising in him. Arthur sighed.

"Why are you behaving like an angry wasp? This should be exciting. An angel has a challenge for me. I bet the reward will be grand and perhaps we'll have proper protection for aiding her-"

"Oh, yeah?" Merlin asked, slipping off the horse so he could refill his water. "I can promise you she is nothing but a low life little-"

"You don't even know her!" Arthur said and Merlin spun around, anger flaring up.

"Oh, how open minded of you, your majesty. Real noble." He told him. Arthur clenched his jaw. "Is it because she's an angel, Arthur? That makes her trustworthy?" He asked, throwing the wineskin to the ground. "They can't do any wrong, can they? Because they're all halos and feathered wings or whatever shit you humans come up with to make yourself feel like you chose the right side." He said and Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"What the Hell are you talking about?" He asked, hand falling to his side. Good. Fine. This is what Merlin wanted. He wanted this.

"I'm saying she's probably going to tell you that it is your oh-so-important-and-divine destiny to finish your father's work killing demons or sorcerers or...Some other bullshit and you are going to eat it up! And ugh!" He shouted, yanking at his hair. "And I'll be the idiot because..." He searched for the words but felt at loss as he stared at how utterly lost Arthur looked. "Because I should have just killed you." He finally said, voice breaking towards the end. "Fuck. Fuck!" He shouted, switching to Syeri.

"...what-?"

"I have a thick accent when I'm angry. From the country." He waved his hand.

"I was going to ask about the killing me part," Arthur told him dryly. "But, for the record, that was a different language."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was."

"No, I - Stop it. No. And you know what? I don’t need to listen to this shit from someone who eats salt!" Merlin said, pointing a finger at him. "Disgusting. Nothing needs to taste like that, Arthur! What the Hell are you even doing?" He demanded. Arthur swore - running a hand over his face as he looked up at the sky for a moment before giving a long sigh.

"Why should you have killed me?" He asked loudly. "And what does this have to do with-"

"Because your psychopath of a father destroyed the gates for my family to get home! Because he executes anyone like me. Because he... He has taught you to do the exact same thing! And you’re going to hear the same stuff from Morgause and I'm going to watch you murder people like me all because I can't seem to kill you and that is so fucking frustrating. Do you even know how much this sucks for me? My mother gave me away to keep me safe from your family. My father was banished and apparently running from your family. I've lived in hiding for my entire life because of your family. I have been disowned. Disinherited. I keep spitting in the face of a destiny that I don't even know or understand all because of you! I don't even know -" He tried and squeezed at the air as if it was Arthur's stupid, ugly, ridiculous head.

"You're a sorcerer." Arthur finally said. Merlin swallowed.

"And a demon. Partly, anyways." He whispered and waited. Nothing happened. "Arthur, I'm a cambion. I have magic." He said. Arthur's fingers twitched, inching towards the sword as he expected they would. Still, it was slower. Why wasn't he attacking? He should be attacking. He should be angry. He should be making this easy for once in his goddamn life -

"Cambion." Arthur repeated slowly and shook his head. "I guess... That explains some things." He said and took a long breath. "And you were sent here to kill me." He added. Merlin nodded. Still. Nothing. The frustration grew. "Stay away." He whispered when Merlin shifted slightly. Ah, there it was. "Merlin..." He warned.

"No." He said simply and took another step towards him. "What are you going to do? Kill me?" He asked. Arthur's hand was on his sword now, but he still didn't draw it. "Come on. What are you waiting for?" He asked, stepping up to push his chest. Nothing.

"But you didn't." Arthur said. Merlin tilted his head. "You didn't kill me... Maybe I should return the favor." He added and shoved Merlin back.

Oh, he had to be fucking kidding.

"Let’s try this again," He snarled and pushed Arthur again “I have magic. I use is frequently. I am also part demon and use my demon abilities to murder. You know Cenred? That was me. I ripped his throat out with my teeth and snapped the necks of his guards. Want to know how? I possessed a knight stationed there." He said. Arthur didn't budge. His jaw was simply set in a firm line. Merlin felt his patience dwindle and shoved him harder. "I planned on murdering you. I still plan on using my magic to bring back Hell. How do you feel about that?" He asked. Arthur looked him up and down.

"You want me to attack you." He said and shook his head. "I won't."

"Why? Everything I'm telling you is true." Merlin said through gritted teeth. Arthur gave something of a scoff, eyes twinkling with some sot of strange meld between humor and rage before letting his hand fall away from his sword.

"Aren’t demons known to give temptations?" He asked. Then, he had the fucking audacity to smile at him, leaning in so they were practically nose to nose "You’re tempting me to kill you now. And I am not... Giving... You... What... You... Want."

Merlin opened his mouth. Wait a damned minute- 

"Maybe you're scared that you can't."

"Oh yeah?" Arthur asked and this time stepped closer. Merlin frowned, noting how uncomfortably close they were. Merlin wasn't sure he was used to being this close unless he murdering someone. Trying to push aside the growing heat in his chest, he stepped back. "Maybe you're scared you can't kill me. Is that it?" He asked. Merlin took another step back. "Besides, demons are also liars.”

“I am not!”

“Sounds like something a liar would say.”

“Go to Heaven." He muttered. Arthur tilted his head. "That... Not a human insult?" He sighed. Arthur shook his head. "Oh, fuck off." He said and shoved him away. "You condescending-"

"Really, Merlin." Arthur said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I’m so touched you entrusted me with this knowledge. I can't imagine how scared you must have been-" He began and Merlin gritted his teeth before yanking off a shoe to throw at his head.

"Ha fucking ha." Merlin snapped as he went to pull out some food. Gwen, who was so much better than Arthur, had packed him some blueberry pie because she was a wonderful person. Admittedly, pie was a hard food to eat in anger, but come on. He was starving and needed a distraction. "You can't even make this easy, can you? All I want is for you to be a bad person so I can kill you get to join my family in Hell. That's it!" He said and took another bite. "But no! You won't even draw your goddamn weapon."

"What a monster I am." Arthur agreed and gave a sharp laugh "I should be pissed at you by the way. And I am. I'm angry!" He added. Merlin took another bite of pie.

"Kill me for it then."

"I'm angry that you are trying to get me to kill you!" Arthur shouted at him. "Along with the lying and murder and the fact I let a sorcerer and a demon into my home. And... What the Hell, Merlin? You say you want me to kill you but you asked me the other day what a freaking fork was! How am I supposed to kill a man who tried to comb my hair with a fork?!" He practically shrieked.

“I am a creature of darkness-“

“You have blueberry pie on your nose.” Arthur interrupted. Merlin took a long breath and wiped his nose. After several seconds of just staring at this bloody piece of... This, he decided to stick with pacing. He wondered if he was angry enough to murder Arthur at this point. Curiously he turned back and looked him over... No. He wanted to punch him maybe, but that was it.

This was it. Merlin's life officially sucked.

"Now what?" He finally asked. Arthur stared.

"Now...? Well, I'm sacking you." He spluttered. "I'm not hanging around with motherfucking demon." He said, shouting the last part at Merlin as if his heritage had somehow escaped his attention. Merlin laughed.

"Fuck you. No."

"Excuse me?"

"If you want me gone you have to kill me." Merlin said flatly. "Grow up. Learn to murder people if you want them out of your life you prick." He said and grabbed his wineskin from the ground. "If you're going to insist on not killing me then I'm going to insist on you not killing the people who I think are innocent." He said and threw a leg over his horse. "And maybe convincing you to kill an angel because I can promise you Morgause is going to be a goddamn nightmare." He added. Arthur stared. Merlin waited for the attack to come, but surprisingly (okay, it wasn't really surprising at this point) Arthur only shook his head and got back on his own horse.

"You know what? Fine." He spat and spurred the horse forward."Would you like some more water? Or maybe we can find a baby or something so you can drink it’s blood."

“I’m reconsidering the pros and cons of killing you."

"What are the cons?” Arthur called back and threw something behind him. Merlin ducked.

"That I can only do it once.” 

"Are all demons as funny as you or do you get that from the human, traitorous, magic using side?"

"Must be the demon side considering you're human and still not funny."

Morgause better be worth this entire goddamn trip. He doubted she would be... but still. Merlin felt he was owed something for putting up with this prat of a prince who refused to even try and kill him. 

"...I mean, how was I supposed to know what a fork was? Jackass.” 

"I think you’re getting a little off-topic, Merlin,” Morgana said, lifting her hand. Immediately, a light glittered to life “I can’t tell if this is working from my magic or because we’re in a dream.” She sighed and wiggled her fingers so the flames danced over her palm. “Also, you didn’t mention that you were planning on murdering my friend.” She added and clenched her fist so the fire disappeared altogether.

“I thought it might put damper on our friendship,” Merlin shrugged and laid down in the grass. It was strange. Morgana's mind had the sun shining brightly on them but he could still see the stars. He raised his hand to let his fingers trail over the dots, connecting them into some indiscernible pattern. “And don’t think of it as murder. More like... Retroactive abortion.” He added, giving a slight smirk. Morgana kicked him.

"Your charm isn’t helping lessen my annoyance. Also, your half-demon? What the Hell does that even mean? Do you only grow one horn?” She asked. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and maybe you only have half the bitchiness other angels have.” He said. Morgana turned to flick his forehead. “Ow!”

“I didn’t even know I was half-angel until you told me. Not my problem.” She said and smiled a little. “It’s actually kind of nice to know that my father was the kind of man to attract such a being.” She said, puffing out her chest a bit as she spoke. Merlin made a face.

“Yeah, he was probably a pushover who worshipped the ground your mother walked on.” He muttered. Morgana knelt down to flick him again. “Oh, come on. Angels are terrible. Except for you.” He amended.

“Maybe you have a bias.”

“Morgana, I didn’t come here for you to tell me things I already know.” He mumbled and got flicked again. “Sorry.” He said and propped himself back up on his elbows. "I..." He began and went silent for a moment. "I'm just frustrated." He said quietly. Morgana paused to look at him before slowly joining him on the ground. "Even if I can use my magic to fix the gates for my family I can't go with them. Not without committing some sort of wrathful vengeance." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And... I'm really not sure about the humans. They're really... I mean, some are great," He said, holding up his hands "I don't know. I'm not sure I belong here is all." He said.

Morgana grimaced, reaching out to squeeze his hand. He wondered how she was taking this all. She hardly batted an eye when Merlin told her about her angel-ness. Then again, humans tended to think highly of those pricks. Unfortunate really. Perhaps later on she would realize how annoying her newly found family was and have a proper crisis about it.

"You can always stay in Camelot."

"Yes, I'm sure a sorcerer and part-demon will be welcomed under Uther's reign. Arthur might be planning on killing me this very second." He sighed and took a long breath. "How are you dealing with... Everything?" He said, gesturing her up and down. "Are you going to try and find your mom?" He asked. Morgana hummed, letting her hand fall to her side as she looked down at the sand that now sat under them. Her dreams tended to switch a lot. One moment they were in a forest and the next the beach. Merlin could say quite honestly he had no idea where they would be going next.

"I'm not sure I have to search far," She said and bit her lip. Merlin rose his eyebrows. "I just mean... Morgause." She began slowly. Merlin snorted, wrinkling his nose as he let his feet dig into the sand in front of him. Normally he hated the ocean, but Morgana's dream had thankfully left out the strong scent of salt that usually accompanied the pounding waves and beachlines. It was actually kind of nice.

"I can ask for you, but it isn't like all angels know one another." He said then frowned. "...though maybe they have some sort of angel elitist club going on. They seem like the socialite type." He said slowly and narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, do you ever get the overwhelming urge to have everyone you meet bow down at your feet and beg for your love?"

"Only if they annoy me."

"Hm..." Merlin mused and nodded. "That might be your angel side then." He said and patted her knee. "Also, avoid anything considered sacrilegious. Like, if someone spits in some holy water... Don't drink it. Might be poisoned." He added thoughtfully. He wondered offhandedly if he could touch tainted holy water. Might be something to consider later on. Maybe. Morgana gave a firm nod of understanding.

"Right, right..." She said and tucked a leg underneath her as the dream melted away, leaving them near a cobbled road with people dancing somewhere behind them. Morgana didn't seem to notice the change as she braided her hair, eyes focused on her hands as she spoke. "But I just meant... Morgause she... She was familiar." She began slowly. "When I saw her - or rather... Not saw her, but...you know." She tried, letting go of her hair to make some sort of sign with her hands. Merlin blinked. "Like... the... The thing." She said and Merlin shook his head. "I don't know. When I looked at her. It is different then when I looked at humans. I get it sometimes with you but... I feel like ever since you told me I was part angel it is more... Obvious?" He frowned.

"Oh." Merlin said slowly and his heart sank. "Oh..." He repeated softly.

"It isn't... Isn't quite like color, but... I really don't know how to describe it, but you know what I'm talking about, right? Demons have it too?" She asked. Merlin smiled weakly.

"Yes. They do." He answered shortly. Morgana gave a pleased nod.

"Yes! So, when I saw Morgause it felt like even though we had never met before... I saw her and she just... I know she's related to me somehow. In some... Sort of way. I can just tell." She shrugged helplessly. Merlin gave a tight smile. "Would you be able to recognize your father on sight?" She asked.

Merlin really shouldn't be annoyed with her. It was fair... And it certainly wasn't her fault. Still, Merlin felt an overwhelming sense of irritation flick towards him as he pulled himself slightly away from her.

"You're talking about espy." He told her, standing up to brush his hands on his trousers. "It's a stupid word, I know." He added as Morgana scrambled up to follow. "It is the sight most angels and demons and... Apparently dragons have too." He added, thinking of the Great Dragon's immediate recognition of him. "It is like a sixth sense or something. You can... Interpret beings as they truly are. Now that you know you're part angel it'll probably get stronger." He told her and looked around. He wasn't sure where they were now. A cave, perhaps. Though it was lit with whispers of silver and purple intertwining through the air so it was hard to be sure. "I've been told that I'm very... Gold." He said. Morgana laughed.

"Yeah... I think I can kind of see that. Or, um, epsy it." She added, wrinkling her nose as she traced something in the air. "What do I look like?" She asked. Merlin bit his lip.

"I... Don't know." He sighed and turned away "I should get going before Arthur slits my throat while I'm sleeping," He called over his shoulder "And don't worry. I'm not going to kill Arthur." He said. Morgana was suddenly in front of him - putting a hand on his chest to freeze him in place.

"Pinky promise?" She asked and held out her pinky. Merlin stared at her blankly. "It is a solemn oath which you may not break upon fear of death." She informed him. Merlin snorted and held out his own pinky. Morgana leaned forward to interlock them.

"I promise I will not kill Arthur immediately... You will have first dibs... Unless he really pisses me off." He winked. Morgana snorted and let go. "And I'll visit tomorrow night to make sure you don't have any nightmares." He said, waving a bit. The dream was melting away now, leaving them both in a vacuum of blackness so that only Morgana was the only visible thing.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to be a dick to Morgause."

Yeah... Merlin wasn't going to pinky promise that one.

He would say it once and he’ll say it again. Angels. Were. The. Worst. They were cocky and rude and horribly cruel all in the name of a ‘goodness’ that they, themselves, had declared the definition of… Which was nonsense. Utter nonsense. What? Just because you were an angel that meant you just knew what was right and what was wrong? No! That’s stupid. They were stupid. Merlin was pretty sure the whole thing was a cult of some sort that had banded together to brainwash humans. It was disgusting. 

"So you're Kali's little pet."

Even though Arthur and Merlin's relationship was currently not in the best place given that Merlin had revealed himself to be a half-demon sorcerer running around trying to bring back Hell and murder Arthur... He was glad they had that discussion before meeting Morgause because he was really too tired to try and think of a good lie as to who Kali was.

"Fuck off," He greeted with a wave "You stupid, halo wearing, ugly ass little-"

“Merlin." Arthur interrupted. He was standing between the pair - eying both warily. Morgause was currently sitting amongst the ruins of someplace Merlin didn't care to learn the name of with her human form wearing a very lovely red dress that Merlin, personally, felt was a little inconsiderate. Red wasn't an angelic color. It was a demon color and she had no right to be wearing it. Sighing, he turned to Arthur.

"Why did you bring me if you didn’t want commentary?" He asked. Arthur's scowl deepened.

“I believe I sacked you... but originally I had brought you to carry my things.”

Merlin stared. He must certainly didn’t have any of Arthur’s things with him. Was he supposed to do that...? Arthur must had read his expression because he opened his mouth - looking utterly outraged only to catch Morgause watching carefully before snapping it back shut. With one final glare towards Merlin he turned back to her.

"I heard much of both of you... Rumors were right about you, Emrys. You're very... Gold. For a demon." She smiled. Merlin sneered back. "And you appear to be an incredibly reserved prince," She added to Arthur. "You do know what he is, right?" She asked. Arthur nodded. "And you haven't killed him?"

"He hasn't given me a reason to."

This man was so annoying. Morgause rose her brows - curls falling to the side as she looked at him with curiosity that Merlin would forgive because... Well... He could empathize with being baffled by Arthur. The guy was the reason that humans invented the question 'why?' he was fairly certain.

"I see," She finally spoke slowly and spun back around, picking up her axe. Merlin tensed. "Very well then. Onto the challenge." She smiled and jerked her chin towards a hunk of stone "Lay." She instructed. Merlin blinked. Was this a joke? She brought them all the way out here to murder him? Right in front of Merlin? The audacity was really beyond him.

What appeared to be even more troubling was the fact Arthur was staring at the block with heavy consideration before moving towards it.

"Um," He said, clearing his throat. "Maybe don't do that-"

"I agreed to her challenge," Arthur said simply. Merlin nodded. Right, right, right... Sure. Except her challenge was apparently death and Merlin didn't quite think anyone would blame him for backing out at this point. "I gave her my word."

"I mean, you didn't pinky promise." Merlin said under his breath, thinking of Morgana's earlier words. Morgause and Arthur both stared at him. "What?" He asked, but was cut off by Arthur moving towards the block and kneeling down. "Okay, fine. This is definitely a great idea." He breathed out, readying his magic. He was pretty sure it would stop the axe from falling on him but it was hard to be certain given that Morgause was an angel. Normally, angels and demons tended to cancel one another out. That's why they couldn't kill one another. However, given that Merlin's magic came from his human side... There was a bit of hope there.

Morgause hefted the axe up - holding the blade eerily close to Arthur's neck before lifting it once more. Arthur closed his eyes.

"There are many innocent people," Morgause finally said as she swiftly yanked down the blade. Merlin raised his hand but the axe stopped inches away from Arthur's neck. "That your father forced into this very position before chopping off their heads. What would your last thoughts have been?" She asked pleasantly and let the axe fall to the side. Arthur let out a low breath.

"I was wondering what wrong I had done you." He said, pushing himself up. Morgause smiled. Ugh. Typical angel move. Always trying to teach a bloody lesson because they know best. Merlin didn't sign up for this. Rolling his eyes he walked over to Arthur to help him up only to be shoved away. Jerk.

"Why did she call you Emrys?" Arthur asked him lowly as Morgause beckoned them to follow.

"That's my demon name." Merlin answered and shoved him back for the Hell of it. Arthur frowned.

"How does she know that? Have you met before?" He asked. Merlin groaned. Bloody freaking humans-

"No. We haven't. Generally our identities are pretty obvious." He muttered and touched his chest. Arthur's eyes followed. "It's on my human form too." He added, though Morgause probably wouldn't have seen that. Giving Morgause a glance, Arthur stopped walking to tug his collar down. "Yes, Arthur. You can definitely look. These aren't personal markings at all." Merlin muttered.

"That's a druid mark."

"So I've been told." Merlin sighed and Arthur's finger drifted left.

"What's this one?"

"Kali's mark," He said and when Arthur glanced up, shrugged. "My gathering leader. Are you done now?" He asked, slapping his hand away. "Your precious angel is waiting." He added and pulled his scarf down a bit so it covered the skin between his tunic and throat. Arthur pursed his lips. He looked Merlin up and down - eyes unreadable before spinning back to where Morgause was waiting.

Humans.

Merlin would admit the rest of the visit went a little differently than expected. There was no righteous call to murder magic and demons (starting with Merlin, obviously). Instead there was a candelit room and Ygraine Pendragon brought back from the dead momentarily to tell Arthur his father's sins as Morgause watched with sorrow filled eyes.

Merlin had known, of course, that angels could momentarily serve as a direct line between the living and dead... He hadn't seen it before though.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, putting a hand on either side of a frozen Arthur's face. "I know this isn't what you want to hear-"

"He lied to me." Arthur murmured, gripping at one of her hands as if it was a sort of lifeline. "He... He..."

"He hadn't known it would be my life in exchanged for yours. Nimueh tried to warn us both, but ultimately... I don't think she knew it would be me either." She told him and pressed her head forward against Arthur's. "It may be an evil thought, but... I often wonder that if I had known what your father would do upon my death if I could still say no to your existence." She said and looked up. Arthur blinked rapidly a few times - eyes glassy with tears as he looked away. "I... Arthur, I..." Ygraine continued and offered a tight grimace as she ran a thumb over his arm. "There's more."

"Of course there is." He whispered and took a deep breath. "It isn't enough that he has been slaughtering innocent people, is it? What else has he done?" He asked, voice rising. At this, Ygraine stepped back. For a moment her eyes wandered - flicking from Arthur to Merlin before her throat moved as she swallowed. Merlin frowned, momentarily distracted by how intently he had been studying her. She looked so spittingly like Arthur that it was a little unnerving. It made her eyes falling on him all that more unnerving.

"Emrys." She finally said weakly. Merlin laughed nervously.

"You... Know me?" He asked and looked around as if there could be anyone else she could be talking to. Ygraine gave him the same smile she had given Arthur. Tight. Pained. Full of a regret that Merlin couldn't find any recognition in. Arthur turned to him as well - eyes filled with askance as he kept a grip on his mother's arm. Ygraine gently pried his fingers off before taking a step to where Merlin had been standing.

"Your father and I were good friends." She said quietly. Merlin stared. Nobody had ever mentioned that to him. "I know what Uther has said about what happened after my death. And I know what the demons must say about it."

Right. The reason Uther destroyed the gateway between their world and Hell. According to him, demons were trying to drag Ygraine's soul down there which Merlin was pretty positive was untrue... but no demon had actually told him their side of the story. Just that it happened. Still, there was something... Off about the fact she would claim to be friends with his father. Humans and demons rarely got along as it was. He waited as Ygraine inched a bit closer to him. Slowly, she pulled her sleeve up, holding out her arm for Merlin to see.

It appeared that Arthur wasn't the only one being thrown shocking revelations from this trip.

"No," He said simply and shook his head "No... No you... He wouldn't." He told her and looked away as he tried to process as the mark on her arm. "I...Damnit." He whispered and turned away from her. "What the Hell?" He asked and then spun back around to look at where Ygraine was watching him silently. "Why did you do that?!" He shouted.

"Hey-" Arthur interjected sharply, but Merlin was already shaking his head, teeth clenched.

"This is your fault." He hissed at her. "You're the reason-"

"That you exist?" She suggested. Merlin stared and shook his head, turning away from the ruins to storm out. Morgause was waiting by the exit, concealed in the shadows. Still, her eyes seemed to glow within them.

"You know what they say," She greeted with a coy smile. "The truth will set you free."

Mother... Fucking... Angels.

He growled lowly, baring his teeth as he let his eyes burn gold. Morgause didn't flinch. She only watched.

"It seems to me," She continued on as if he hadn't reacted "That you've been given a second chance to return home."

Merlin's anger immediately receded in place of wary confusion. Morgause waited.

"What do you mean?" He finally asked, annoyance returning now that she was watching with the smug, expectant eyes. "Ygraine is already dead. How exactly am I supposed to kill someone who is already dead?" He yelled. Morgause didn't say anything. "Arthur." Merlin answered and turned to punch the wall beside her. "Always fucking Arthur." He hissed. It was hard to tell what exactly he was most angry about. Ygraine? His father? Himself? Uther?

It wasn't Arthur though... But then again, it never seemed to be Arthur. Maybe Merlin couldn't fault him for his parents' mistakes. Maybe he understood that Arthur was just a human trying his best, unaware that he was a catalyst for a world of change. Maybe Merlin thought he could improve the world somehow. Or... Maybe... Merlin just wasn't human enough to kill him.

"You still don't want to kill him?" Morgause asked and smiled. "You would make a good angel, Emrys."

Funny. She was hilarious, this one. Merlin gave a slight laugh before stepping closer. Morgause didn't step away but he could feel her tense. There was a crackle - a warning in the air that they were too close to one another.

"I'm not afraid to kill you." He whispered, letting his fingers sharpen into talons. "And keep in mind, I'm not fully demon. That might mean I could do it." He told her lowly, letting the tips of his nails rest inches from her skin. "Morgana le Fay. What do you know of her?" He asked. Morgause hadn't moved during his threat, but he could see her eyes widen ever so slightly at Morgana's name. "Answer."

"That is none of your concern-"

"Try again." Merlin hissed, taking a step closer. "Maybe killing you would get me home too." He told her and tilted his head. "I'm sure at the very least killing an angel would win me some points." He added. Morgause lifted her chin. "Her mother. Who is she?" He asked.

His skin was burning - the crackling raising so that he felt a sharp heat rising between them. Another warning. Still he didn't move.

"If she wishes to know, I will tell her." She said solemnly and there a sharp snap of pain as Merlin felt himself thrown back. "But you should remember, cambion, that if you can hurt me then I can certainly. Hurt. You." She hissed and for a moment her skin seemed to falter with a bright, white light that disappeared seconds later. Merlin felt his own temper rising as he regained a sense of balance eyes, hissing. Just as he was about to launch himself at her a hand touched his shoulder.

"Are you two done?"

Oh yeah. Arthur was here.

Merlin turned - truly hoping he had been busy with his mother to pay too close of attention to their conversation. Sighing, he turned only to find Arthur taking a quick step back with wide eyes. It took Merlin a moment to realize his claws were still very much out and eyes filled with gold. Immediately he went back to his human form. Arthur's gaze still seemed to drill into him as shocked silence surrounded them.

"Yes," He finally said and glared at Morgause "We're definitely done."

"Good." Arthur said and let his hand brush against his sword. "I'm leaving. Thank you, Morgause. This has been... Enlightening." He told her stiffly. Merlin frowned, but when he went to follow him out Arthur only shook his head. "Stay away from me." He said quietly.

"No," He said simply and kept walking, flicking Morguase off as he went. "Your mother seemed lovely," Merlin called after him, hopping over the rubble to follow “I really enjoyed how she blamed your father for her death.”

“Go away, Emrys."

"What else did she tell you?" He asked, jogging a bit to stand in front of Arthur, walking backwards so he wouldn't push past him. "And why are you in such a hurry?" Merlin asked. "Hey, what are you - ?" He began but went silent as Arthur punched a tree. There was another moment of silence before Arthur brought out his sword and began hacking at the same tree - face going bright red as he repeatedly hit the same spot. He swallowed. Sighing, he closed his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked. Arthur continued hitting the tree.

"I'm going to kill him." Arthur spat, voice laced with a venom Merlin hadn't quite heard before.

"What? Who?"

"My father. I'm going to fucking kill him." He said, shouting the last part as he threw the sword down and screamed. Merlin jumped at the sound - skin prickling at the raw anguish as he seemed to fall to the ground. Arthur took a few breaths but the seemed to shallow and unsteady. Almost as if he was drowning on land. Damnit. "He killed them." He managed and Merlin could heard his voice catch in a way that told him he was seconds away from downright sobbing. "All those people... He killed them." He whispered and looked back up. "They didn't do anything wrong. It was him. He killed her." He managed. The sword fell to the ground. "All those executions... The beheadings, the pyres, the hangings..." He managed and hit the ground. "They were innocent."

Kali once said the opposite of wrath was mercy. Merlin wondered idly if killing Arthur would have gotten him home after all... It appeared saving him from this moment could be the most merciful thing Merlin could have done.

"So...You're going to kill him," Merlin said and went to the ground next to him. He looked over at where the sun was beginning to set over the ruins that sat feet away. He wondered if Morgause was still inside. Watching. Waiting. Pleased with her angelic work. Slowly, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't blame you for that... but..." He started and Arthur looked up. "It wasn't just your father." He said. Arthur stared. 

“So Morgause was lying?”

“Probably not, Arthur. I’m not sure if you know this or not but your dad is madder than... huh." He stopped. Arthur tilted his head. “Usually the expression translates to ‘madder than a Camelot king’, but in this case Uther is a Camelot king so it doesn’t quite work. How fun.” 

"You’re a fucking disaster."

“You’re a real gem yourself,” Merlin muttered and squeezed his shoulder a bit tighter “But just because she isn’t lying doesn’t mean you should act rashly. Wrath was supposed to be my ticket home. Not yours.” He sighed and pulled his tunic down again. "Look." He said and pointed to the one marking Arthur hadn't seen earlier.

"That was on my mother's arm," He said numbly and sat up, shrugging Merlin's hand off to look at it more closely. "You got upset when you saw it." He added and pulled away. "What is it?"

Merlin offered a wry smile.

"My father's sign." He said and let his shirt go. "It doesn't appear on humans unless they've made a deal with him." He told him. Arthur's brows came together. "Look... Usually, people divide things into Old Religion or... New Religion or whatever, but they've always worked in tandem. Your parents knew a life would be given with your birth. That's the cost of the Old Religion. But... the deal on whose life it was..." He said and tapped his shirt where the marking was. "It appears my father orchestrated that."

"My mother made a deal with a demon?"

"Guess so," Merlin said and gave a grim smile. "I'm sure she considered it a noble sacrifice. Didn't want to risk your father or some innocent commoner's life... Probably didn't realize all the chaos that would come from it." He said. Arthur closed his eyes. "Also..." He trailed off for a moment. Arthur rose an eyebrow. "They say my father was in hiding when he met my mother. Stumbled into her dreams while running from Uther. I guess that makes sense now." He said and Arthur bit his thumb, eyes fixed on the ground. Finally, he shook his head.

"It wasn't her fault."

"What?"

"My mother. I... She wouldn't have known my father's reaction." He said and closed his eyes. "What he did was still wrong." He added. Merlin didn't respond. He was in agreement anyways. "Fuck." Arthur whispered. Yeah... That summed most of it up. "What was the deal?" He asked suddenly. Merlin tilted his head. "My mother... Was... What would the deal have been with your father? She gave her soul away specifically for what? Or was the deal just that she had control over who died?" He asked. Merlin shrugged. He really couldn't be sure. "Could you ask?"

"I am currently disowned and my father is banished. So... No. I cannot do that." Merlin said flatly. Arthur groaned and collapsed on the ground. "We, uh... Should probably head back?" He prompted. When Arthur didn't move, Merlin figured he would follow suit and laid on the ground next to him. "I'm sorry, Arthur." He said.

"I can't believe you are a fucking demon."

"Part demon."

"You murdered Cenred?"

"...yeah. After you got bit by the questing beast. I, uh, traded his life for yours."

A pause.

"I thought you were trying to kill me."

"Arthur, I'm not in the mood for your stupid questions. I couldn't kill you if you died from the questing beast, now could I? Shut up and think once in awhile." He grumbled and rolled over so he could look down at Arthur. "At any rate, I pinky promised a friend of mine that I wouldn't murder you so... You're safe. For now." He said. Arthur's eyes moved from the sky to Merlin's face.

"Pinky promise, huh? Sounds real serious." He said. Merlin nodded solemnly. So he had been told. "Is that why you got disowned?"

"Not... Entirely. I told my gathering leader I wasn't going back home when she ordered me to. Also, I made friends with another enemy in addition to not killing you." He sighed and offered a wry smile. "She wasn't impressed."

"Hm." Arthur said and absently reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind Merlin's ear. It was a strange movement. Merlin frowned and Arthur quickly lowered his hand. "You're still sacked." He added hastily.

"Don't see how you can keep me from working."

"I won't pay you."

"Arthur," Merlin said and patted his arm "I've been stealing from you for weeks now. Money is no real object anymore." He said. Arthur stared. "What?" He asked and then perked up. "Hey, at least that means I can get into the fourth circle of Hell." He said brightly. Then wrinkle his nose. "That's considered greed, right? If I stole from you... But I guess that depends what I bought with it. It was mainly blueberry pie. I pawned off that ugly feather hat you made me wear that one time and got like four whole pies for it. Is that an abnormal amount of pies to eat?" He asked, a little worriedly. Merlin didn't know anybody from the fourth circle, but hey. At least he could get into one.

"...what else have you stolen from me?"

"Eh. Anything that you've used to annoy me with, mainly. A few swords you've used on me during training... The mace you chased me with... The hat, like I said... um, let's see... Lots of food... All the goblets you've thrown at me... What's wrong?" He cut himself off. Arthur sat up at whacked him over the head. "Hey!"

Would getting Arthur to kill Uther be considered a worse punishment than killing Arthur? 

Maybe... But Merlin wouldn't be getting the credit for that either way. Fucking Morgause would. Only she would spin it into something else entirely. It was funny how revenge and justice were interchangeable depending on whether an angel or demon committed the act.

"Arthur," He asked as they passed through another mile of bandit territory the next day (Arthur said because they helped an angel they were guaranteed safe passage... Merlin thought that was stupid). "Do you still love him?" He asked and Arthur stopped in patted his horse to pure back at him. "Your father, I mean." He said. "Outside of sorcerers you must have thought him a just king." He added thoughtfully.

"Those are two different questions." Arthur said. Merlin went quiet.

"Sometimes," He said slowly and shook his head. "I’m uncertain of what kind of people my family are. I worry they have taught me wrong or that perhaps... Maybe I am not good enough to see their wrongs." He bit his lip. "And they’re all angry at me now for disobeying orders and I’m..." he trailed off. "Do you think you can care for someone even though they’re not a good person?" He asked. Arthur pursed his lips.

"I love my father," He decided "But I won't forgive him for hurting his people. My people... Innocent people." He added quietly. Merlin nodded.

"Will you kill him?"

"I don't know, Merlin." Arthur sighed. He was much calmer than yesterday, Merlin noted. It was a good thing they stopped. Otherwise Arthur might have rode straight to the castle and stabbed Uther without a second thought. Which would be fine, but... Maybe more thought needed to be put in place first. He still needed to talk to Morgana. Perhaps she would want to tell Arthur about her magic... And her angel-ness.

It was another hour of silence after that. Merlin waited for Arthur to say more, but the prince seemed content to angrily mull over his thoughts. Merlin went about eating his last piece of blueberry pie.

"Stop."

"Why?" Merlin asked, licking his fingers "Do you want some?" He asked. Arthur held out his hand, pulling the reigns to stop his horse. He wasn't focused on Merlin though. His eyes were fixed on the forest around them. "What?" He asked.

"Shh. It's quiet."

"Not really. You're talking."

"Someone is here." Arthur whispered, flicking irritated eyes onto him. "So shut up."

"But don't we have that angel protection stuff you've been touting?" Merlin asked. An arrow shot by their heads, burying itself within the trunk of a tree. "Ah," He said, looking at it. "Guess not."

"Thanks for that," Arthur hissed, yanking out his sword before grabbed Merlin's elbow as another arrow came flying by. "Get down. I'll take care of them." He added, twirling the sword around his wrist. Merlin took another bite of his pie. "Or maybe make yourself useful for once. Didn't you murder a bunch of people?" He added, shoving Merlin's head down when another arrow came. A few figures jumped from the trees - sending leaves scattering everywhere.

"Oh, um. Yeah." Merlin said, licking his lips. He grabbed Arthur's arm, pulling him slightly behind.

"You - I'm not -" Arthur spluttered, but Merlin had already let his eyes flash gold, baring his teeth with a slight warning. A few of the men paused - bandits? Probably bandits. A few of the bandits froze - eyes widening as they stumbled away. Merlin grinned.

"Hi! Please leave before I kill you." He said and tilted his head. Another arrow appeared. Making sure Arthur was out of range, he held up his hand to freeze it in the air. "Or... I can kill you." He shrugged. There was a beat of silence and the world expanded once again. When he opened his eyes he glanced over to see a man covered in mud and scraps of cloth holding up an axe a he looked around.

"Where the Hell did he go?" He whispered. Merlin hummed. "Did you - ? The guy just turned into fucking smoke."

"Wild." Merlin agreed, voice slightly lower and rougher than he was used to.

"Gillen. Grab the prince. We can at least old a ransom for him." The other muttered, hitting his arm. Merlin was going to assume he was currently Gillen because the man hit his arm as he passed. Merlin could see Arthur holding up his sword as few other bandits swarmed his way. Flicking his wrist, the flew away. Taking the axe in Gillen's hand he grabbed his new friend and threw it forward.

"Sorry." Merlin told him as he yanked the axe back out. The man spluttered a bit of blood, eyes widening. Merlin let his own eyes flick gold so the guy at least knew Gillen hadn't betrayed him before spinning back out towards the others. The rest of the fight didn't take long. Him and his new pal Gillen easily took down a few more bandits before he turned to find Arthur taking down a few bandits of his own. Arthur warily spun around, raising his sword as he took a step back.

"Don't worry." Merlin said, letting his eyes flash again. "Me. Hi." He greeted. Arthur pursed his lips, but let the blade fall.

"You... You're possessing him?" He asked, gesturing Gillen up and down as if that wasn't completely obvious. Merlin shrugged. "Huh." He said and bit his lip. "Maybe... Get out of him. Where is your body?" He asked, glancing around as if expecting to find Merlin slumped over somewhere. Merlin went to explain that his demon and human form really had few rules with a sharp pain flashed through his eyes.

"Son of - fuck." He hissed, flinching away as the sound of singeing echoed around. He felt himself slump forward, Arthur's arms catching him as he yelped in pain. "Was... Holy water?" He asked, voice rising a few octaves and his Arthur's arm. "Bitch."

"It wasn't me." Arthur's voice said as the burning sensation began to recede. "Who the Hell are you?" He added. Merlin jerked back, stumbling away as he tried to narrow his eyes at the freaking evil git who decided it was a good idea to carry freaking holy water on him. Who did that? Who just carried holy water?

"Was walking by and saw his majesty getting ambushed. Was going to help out, but it seemed like your pet demon did the trick fine." The voice said. Merlin blinked a few times, world going blurry before coming back into focus. A man was tilted his head. Brows raised with a sword thrown casually over his shoulder.

"He's... Not a demon..." Arthur began weakly, running a hand through his hair. "And I'm not-"

"You're Arthur Pendragon." The man said with a snort. "It, uh, has your sigil on the bag and you're a little too young to be Uther, princess." He continued and winked at Merlin. "And I'll admit. You may have some pretty golden eyes, but that was some demon shit right there. Turning into a cloud of smoke? The teeth? Classic demon." He said and held up a bottle. "Usually this is filled with ale, but, uh. Got some holy water if you want to try anything funny." He said. Merlin growled.

"Cambion." He gritted out.

"Oh. Real shit?" The man asked. Merlin paused. "I heard of you, then. When I was traveling by Mercia a few months ago. That's like a half-demon, half-human deal right?" He asked. Arthur opened his mouth before turning to stare at Merlin who shrugged. "Cool. I tried to get this demon to make a deal for my soul to get endless ale but she called me an idiot and said no."

"...who are you again?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah and put the spicy water away, please." Merlin added with a glare. The man grinned, but held up his hands before tucking the wineskin into his belt.

"Sorry about that, princess. And, uh, cambion."

"Don't call me that."

"What do you prefer?"

"Merlin."

"Okay, princess. Merlin." The man rectified. Arthur rolled his eyes, but tucked the sword away. It didn't ease the wariness in his expression.

"Arthur." He said. The man smiled, but didn't correct himself again. "Last time. Who are you?" He asked, a hint of warning in his voice.

"Gwaine. At your service." He said and leaned over to snag Merlin's remaining blueberry pie from the ground. "Now... Can someone tell me why is Camelot consorting with demons?"

Chapter Text

A Revised List of Merlin's Favorite Humans: Gwen, Lancelot, Morgana (well, she was half-human so Merlin would throw her in there), Gaius, and Gwaine.

Merlin bloody loved Gwaine.

Growing up, he had heard a lot of stereotypes about humans. Some were bad. Some were good. Some were just plain bizarre. Merlin had often dreamed of meeting a human who held all of the oddities he had heard about over the years and perhaps his dreams were heard because Gwaine was pretty much his dream human.

"So you... You just... Left?" Merlin asked, staring with wide eyes over the crackling fire. "Just like that?" He asked, a little perplexed, but mostly impressed. Gwaine tilted his head with a bemused smile, licked his fingers clean of stew. From Merlin's side, Arthur sighed.

"Just like that." Gwaine winked. "Do demons not often leave their families?"

"Not without permission." Merlin said and leaned back on his elbows. Gwaine grinned at him. "And then you just went to taverns? Why?" He asked, looking Gwaine up and down. It didn't take much to get Gwaine talking. Seir always told him that humans were huge talkers but Merlin didn't really see it up until this moment. Gwaine did like to talk... And he was loud and told bad jokes and was crass and unpredictable and yet somehow kind and helpful everything humanity was promised to be.

Merlin. Bloody. Loved. Gwaine.

"I like taverns."

"Because you like taverns!" Merlin yelled back at him, throwing his hands up. "You're amazing!" He told him. Sure, there were demons who did things just because they liked them... but ultimately they weren't very independent creatures. If their gathering leader ordered them to stop then they stopped. Gwaine didn't seem like the kind of being who would stop because they were told to... Amazing. Fascinating. Terrific. "Tell me more." He requested. Gwaine snorted.

"You are incredibly giddy for such a dark creature." He commented and Merlin puffed out his chest.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment, Merlin." Arthur muttered and to Merlin's rapidly rising pleasure, Gwaine threw a bit of stew at Arthur's face.

"Sorry, princess." He said with a completely unapologetic expression. "But I would rather you not decide what I mean, thanks." He said and turned to Merlin. "It most certainly was a compliment. You are very lovely and evil." He told him. Merlin decided right then that he would - without hesitation - dedicate his life to Gwaine if asked. Arthur gritted his teeth, fingers twitching as he wiped the stray stew from his cheek.

"You should come with us to Camelot," Merlin decided with a nod. "Arthur might kill his father and I might kill Arthur." He said. Gwaine stopped from where he was sipping his drink to stare. Arthur turned to stare at him. "What? I still might kill you. Don't get cocky." He said with a shrug.

"I still might kill you." Arthur said flatly. Merlin held out his arms invitingly. Arthur stared for a moment before closing his eyes. "I can't stand you." He whispered and went back to warming his hands over the fire. Merlin scoffed. That's what he thought. "And Gwaine has no business in Camelot-"

"I have nothing better to do." Gwaine interrupted and Merlin pointed to him.

"He has nothing better to do, Arthur!" He said and moved over slightly so he was closer to Gwaine. "Now, please tell me more about your strange life. I think that you might be able to enter every level of Hell there is." He added as an afterthought. Gwaine tilted his head. "You said you aren't religious," He told him, ticking off a finger "And you are clearly a lustful and gluttonous creature-"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Merlin said and held up his other hand "Do you consider yourself greedy?" He asked. Gwaine paused for a moment before simply nodding. "Excellent! Quick to anger? I'm not sure you are." Merlin added, narrowing his eyes. Gwaine leaned over a little bit.

"I can be whatever you want me to be."

"...don't ever leave me."

"For the love of - Merlin." Arthur groaned, ignoring Gwaine's laughter as he scowled at the sky. "I don't have time for this." He muttered under his breath. "I need to get home-"

"To kill your father?" Gwaine asked, raising an eyebrow. Arthur tensed. "Hey, I'm not judging! Can't say I blame you either. Heard he was a real piece of-"

"I don't know what my next intentions are." Arthur snapped, standing up. "Nor do they concern you." He added over his shoulder. Merlin rolled his eyes. "I would rather not have my rule be founded off of patricide." He added under his breath and closed his eyes. "Though if he won't agree to step down-"

"You're going to ask him to step down?" Merlin asked, bewildered. Arthur shrugged. "Oh, that's going to go great. 'Hey, dad. Found out that you suck so I'm going to ask you to let me be king so I can bring back magic. Sound good?' I'm sure he'll be thrilled." Merlin told him with a yawn. "If you want I can possess him to step down-"

"No. Nobody is possessing my father." Arthur said, pointing towards him. "And you aren't coming back with me-"

"Don't lie to yourself." Merlin cut him off and stretched out slightly. "Maybe I can seduce your father into stepping down." He mused and wrinkled his nose. "I would rather not, but..." He trailed off, making a face. That would have to be a last resort. Gwaine made a choking noise in sympathy as Arthur turned to stare at him.

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean, it would be super gross, but my father was from the second circle-"

"Okay, but what the fuck does that mean?!" Arthur asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "Stop saying things that don't make sense!" He snapped. Gwaine let out a low whistle as Merlin pursed his lips.

"Sen-sitive." Gwaine sang under his breath. Merlin was inclined to agree even when Arthur flushed slightly.

"The second circle is lust. Most incubi are from the second circle. My father was an incubi. That means I am very good at seducing humans." Merlin said flatly. Arthur held a finger.

"You said you were from the angry circle. That's why you were planning to murder me."

"Fifth circle, yeah. Wrath." Merlin said, watching Arthur pace back and forth. "My father was banished so I wasn't raised with his gathering. I went to Kali's. Not really sure why. Probably because it made sense given that I'm apparently a child of prophecy meant to avenge them. It made sense to give me to the vengeful ones." He mused. Arthur stared. "What?"

"And you have magic?" Gwaine asked, completely ignoring Arthur having a minor stroke somewhere off to the side. Merlin hummed. "Are you any good?"

"In theory," Merlin shrugged "It took over a hundred sorcerers to break down the Gates of Hell and I'm supposed to resurrect them on my own so... Yeah. You can say that." He said. Gwaine hummed. "I've been training with Gaius, but..." He trailed off. It wasn't that his magic hadn't grown over these past couple months - it had! Truly, it had... Just... Something was missing. It was almost as if something was blocking him at times. Plugging his magic inside of him so he could feel it growing more and more each day. Not ideal. "I'm thinking of going to Nimueh."

"Ugh, not that bitch." Gwaine shook his head, taking another sip of wine. Merlin tilted his head.

"You know her?"

"Nah, but based on your face... We don't like her." Gwaine explained. Merlin stared. He was absolutely besotted by this mess of a human. So riddled with sins... Yet equally comprised with virtues. Fondness rose in his chest as he beamed. "Besides... Nimueh. Dumb name anyways." He added. Merlin gave a fierce nod of agreement. He didn't really have much of an opinion on the name, but he felt an overwhelming need to agree with anything and everything Gwaine said.

"Wait," Arthur said slowly and let his brows pinch together. "You know a sorceress?"

"Yes," Merlin said "Her name is Nimueh. It's a stupid name." He added on. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for that recap," He said and sat back down next to him. "Could you bring me to her? Would she be willing to speak with me?" He asked. Merlin blinked. "I need someone who understands magic. Someone who can... Help me figure out how it works." He said slowly. Merlin gave a frown.

"I just kind of do it."

"This is why I'm not asking you." He said. Merlin perked up.

"Really? Not because of the demon thing?"

"That is another reason I’m not asking you."

"You speak in wails of angels." Merlin snapped at him. Gwaine tilted his head, but Arthur hardly seemed phased by the phrase. Perhaps humans shared that one... Or he had gotten used to Merlin’s sayings. "Fine," He sighed "She's around here, I think... but it would delay our trip back to Camelot. You know, in case you were on a schedule for murdering your father." He added. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Nobody is murdering anyone."

"I don't know if you were paying attention, but we are surrounded by the bodies of bandits. That we murdered. So, um, you're an idiot." Merlin informed him. Gwaine gave a nod of approval as Arthur narrowed his eyes. "For the record, Nimueh is also going to try to get you to kill your father." He said, leaning forward to let his hands drift dangerously close to the fire. "And she's probably still annoyed that I wouldn't."

"You wouldn't?" Arthur asked and Merlin froze. "Why not?"

"My orders were to kill you and leave Uther." He said. Arthur pursed his lips.

"Well, clearly you aren't good at following orders." He said. Merlin shrugged. Gwaine stopped eating to look between them. "So why... Didn't you? You let me live." He added. Merlin didn't answer. He was staring at the fire. He wanted to say he didn't have time. After all, by the time he had already decided he would stand by Arthur... If one could call it that... He was already following the man out of Camelot and away from Uther. He supposed he could kill Uther when they returned... but would he? Did he want to?

Of course, he did. Of course, he did. It was Uther. Who killed Freya. Who executed innocent people. Who blamed every little problem he faced on demons or magic. Who refused to take responsibility for the tragedies of his life and made others suffer for it.

"Maybe... If we are seeing this Nimueh character we should get moving." Gwaine finally said, standing up. Arthur blinked.

"Who said you're coming with us?"

"Eh. I'm bored and we established I have nothing else to do." Gwaine said and looked down at Merlin. "Would you like me to come?"

"I would, yes." Merlin said. Arthur put a hand over his forehead, rubbing his index finger and thumb by his temples.

"Don't suppose I have anything to say on this front? You know...As the prince?" He asked. Merlin clicked his tongue.

"I don't take orders from you."

"You're my servant."

Merlin leaned forward, smirking a bit as he met Arthur's eyes before winking.

"You sacked me." He whispered and stood up. "Besides, I need someone less annoying to come on our wondrous adventures. Between you and Morgause..." He said and shuddered. "It feels as if I've been eating red eyes." He shrugged. Arthur scoffed. Gwaine opened his mouth, but paused when Arthur threw some water on the fire. The fire hissed before turning into black smoke, rising towards the sun.

"Red eyes?" Gwaine repeated as he dusted his hands off.

"That's what we call demons who have betrayed our kind." Merlin told him and Gwaine opened his mouth in realization. "What do humans say when they're annoyed?" He added, tilting his head. Gwaine snorted.

"Gosh darnit." He said and Merlin rose an eyebrow. "I'll teach you more as we go to find Nimueh." He promised, clapping him on his arm. "Human expressions just don't seem as fun as demon ones." He added and hopped over a body to grab the reigns of one of the horses. Merlin smiled after him.

"Hey," Arthur's voice called, grabbing his bag up as Merlin turned. "Is that, um... That something you do often?" He asked. Merlin frowned. When Arthur didn't expand he held up a hand.

"Do what often?" He asked. Arthur made a face, cheek puffing out slightly as if he was prodding it with his tongue. Merlin was about to give up on him asking entirely before he spoke again.

"What you suggested with my father," He clarified. "Seduction. Temptation." He said, moving his hand up and down. "Is that something fun for you? Going around and playing with people's emotions?" He asked. Merlin stared, mouth parting slightly. Part of him felt a wave of indignation at the accusation. Especially given how venomous his voice had risen. He shook his head, bitter amusement rising as he looked away.

"Is that something you think I do?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."

"You..." Merlin started and bit his tongue. He hated the wave of human emotions tugging at him. It felt impossible to discern them from one another as he tried to better rid himself of the accusation in Arthur's eyes. "No," He finally answered. "It isn't something I do." He said. There was a note of coldness there. Arthur seemed to register it as he took a small step back. "Why? Something worrying you?" He asked. Arthur didn't answer.

"We'll have to head back to the castle first," He said instead. Merlin opened his mouth to argue. After all, going back to the castle without the promise of killing Uther seemed like an awful waste of time. "For appearance's sake. Then we can tell my father we're going on a hunt and find this Nimueh."

"You think you can see him right now?" Merlin asked. Arthur didn't answer. The previous wave of annoyance seemed disappear as quickly as it had come. Arthur was clearly going through something... And perhaps he worried that Merlin was manipulating him in some way. Biting his lip, he glanced down at his hands before looking back to Arthur. Right. He marched over to where the horses were, ignoring Gwaine's curious look as he set to work for a few moments - swiftly letting his fingers sharpen to claws before continuing on his objective before giving a satisfying nod and going back to Arthur.

"Hey, did you pack - what the fuck?" He yelled, holding up both hands. "Merlin! Why?!" He managed. From his spot next to the horses, Gwaine snickered. "What even...?"

"It looks like one of the bandit's heads." Gwaine informed him brightly. Merlin nodded. "I think he's giving it to you, princess. Must be a demon thing." He added. Merlin pursed his lips. Lancelot said he could give dead things as gifts if he knew the person well enough... Were him and Arthur not at that point? He thought it would prove that Merlin really was on his side.

"You just... You just cut off a dead man's head?" Arthur asked, sounding torn somewhere between horrified and just plain tired.

“Why are you so freaked out?” Merlin asked, tossing the head to the side. “I figured you liked people’s heads given how many your father’s lopped off.”

“Jesus Christ, Merlin-“

“Oh, so now you’re bringing him up?” Merlin asked, voice rising “He wasn’t even that brilliant of a person, you know. Kane met him and said that he kind of had an ego-"

“What are you talking about?”

"He's talking about Jesus being annoying and, quite frankly, I would like to hear more." Gwaine said, walking over to throw an arm over Merlin's shoulders. "Listen, if I brought you before a dear friend of mine - the King of Mercia perhaps - would you be willing to tell him everything bad about Jesus? Because if Bayard isn't a fan anymore then I can get my banishment lifted-"

The ride back was going to be incredibly fun.

"Merlin! Merlin!"

It was hard to see with all of the darkness whipping around like wind dragging blackness across a colored canvas. He could hear Morgana's voice shrieking though there was no real place he could see where it was coming from. Swallowing, he tried to focus, but the dream shuddered and twisted almost violently as Uther's face momentarily appeared and flashed away.

"He's going to kill him!" Someone shouted. Merlin whipped around - already on the defensive. He could see flashes of faces morphing into fire and... He gasped, suddenly thrown back into something hard. He had accidentally stumbled across a few of Morgana's visions in the past. None of them had ever been this intense though... And none had he ever felt this much pain. Burning and aching and sharp pin pricks running over his arms.

"Morgana!" He shouted, but her earlier plea to him had seemingly been lost to the wind. He groaned and tried to stand back up. For a brief moment, things seemed to calm enough for him to make out a line of pyres with men dressed in black all chanting loudly. The words weren't fully formed but based on the tone and books strewn on the cobbled ground of the citadel... An exorcism.

"You don't have much time!"

The scene burst into a blur of colors before resettling once more to show Nimueh. She was bleeding - eyes wide and hand thrown out front with a glowing orb in front of her.

"Don't have much time for what?" Merlin asked, though he wasn't sure if it was much use. He could interact with dreams but... If these were visions from the future he wasn't sure his incubi lineage would necessarily apply. "Can you hear me?" He tried again, but Nimueh's form already seemed to melt away even as her voice continued to speak.

"...I taught you everything I know." She continued but before Merlin could peace together anything else he felt the ground rattle beneath him before giving away completely. There was brief moment of panic as he felt his body plunge downwards only to be jerked back into a bright light. Morgause stood in front of him.

"It isn't your decision." She said simply. Merlin turned. He wasn't sure if she was talking to him or... He could make out the barest form of a silhouette behind him. Morgana, perhaps? He swallowed only to freeze when Kali's voice followed, singing lowly in syeri. When he turned back, Morgause had vanished, instead replaced with a girl Merlin didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry." She said and Merlin glanced to where she looking. He couldn't see who she was talking to, but something told him there was definitely an audience. "We will fight... But I can tell you right now our chances our low." She said, chin jutting out. "For Mordred."

"For Mordred!" Came a unionized chant and Merlin felt his heart pick up rapidly. Mordred? What about Mordred? Before he could try and speak out again there was a loud crashed followed by screams with more fire and more... More...

"I warned you, young warlock. You cannot escape your destiny."

"Wait-" Merlin tried but another flash of pain sent him tumbling towards the ground. He heard another yell. "Morgana?! Morgana!" He screamed, turning rapidly as the scene seemed to settle. Pieces of the landscape flew down as if being thrown out by a tornado. "Morgana?" He asked quietly.

He was in a... Well, it was the forest. He knew that much. The sun poked through the tops of the trees, illuminating a few animals quietly grazing before there a snap of a twig and Merlin shot up.

"Not again."

"Arthur?" Merlin asked, bewildered. "How - ?" He asked and looked around. It wasn't completely implausible that this was another figment of Morgana's mind... But it also wasn't implausible that Merlin had accidentally fallen into Arthur's dream by mistake. "...are there any chickens here?" He asked. Arthur blinked.

"What?"

"Well, the last time I visited you in your sleep there were a lot of chickens involved. If there aren't any here then maybe I'm still in Morgana's head." He rationalized. Arthur blinked. Merlin took a moment to look around the forest, eyes flicking to a glimmering lake through some of the trees. Merlin smiled. "You like water." He said. Arthur followed his gaze before letting his bow and arrow fall to his side.

"I... Guess?" He asked, Merlin beamed. "Why do you look to pleased about it?" He asked suspiciously and glanced towards the water warily. "Is this some sort of demon trick you're playing on me? How did you even get in my... Wait. Are you possessing me?" He asked, horrified. Well... It looked like this was really Arthur then. Great. He hadn't meant to let Morgana fend for herself...

"No, I'm not possessing you." He said and jerked his head. "Come on. Do you want to go to the lake?" He asked. Arthur frowned but stepped through the trees to follow. "It's funny how humans like water," Merlin told him. Arthur didn't answer so he continued. "It just doesn't make sense. You only need to drink it to survive, right? Why do humans love going in it so much? They have no gills. No fins. Sometimes water kills you, but you all like to go in it anyways." He mused and stepped up to the bank, leaving the treeline of the forest behind. "You are all such baffling creatures."

"We use it to clean ourselves."

"That's true, but sometimes you go in for fun." Merlin snickered. Humans. They didn't make sense. He was beginning to find it incredibly endearing though. "See?" He said, pointing at where Arthur had kicked off his shoes to put his feet in the water. "You just like to be in water! No reason why. You just do."

"Even in my dreams you're annoying." Arthur muttered and sat down. "What are you doing here? Is this actually you?" He asked suspiciously. Merlin's previous excitement fell, thinking of the whiplash of emotions and color that had seemingly yanked Merlin across time and space. "I didn't know demons could go in other people's dreams." He added, wrinkling his nose. Merlin joined him on the ground.

"Not all can. Like I said, my father was an incubi." He explained and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on top. "I didn't mean to come here. I..." He began and his voice fell away. "Morgana." He said simply. Arthur waited. "You... You like angels, right?" He asked quietly.

"More than you, I'd imagine." He said and Merlin hesitated. It wasn't his place to reveal this... And Morgana had kept his secrets so far. Was it really fair of him not to return the favor? But... If what he saw was actually a premonition... If his family was in danger... Arthur didn't mind that he was a demon. Or at least, he didn't seem too horribly upset about it anymore. Maybe he could accept this too.

"I think someone I care about is in danger." He finally said. Arthur tilted his head. "Or will be." He clarified and twisted the ends of his sleeve. "It... Might be my fault, I don't know." He mumbled the last part. "And... Morgana might be involved." He added quietly.

"Morgana?" Arthur repeated, voice rising ever so slightly towards end of her name. "What does she have to do with any of this?" He asked. Merlin said nothing. "Does she know about you?" He asked. Again, Merlin didn't respond... Which seemed to serve as enough of an answer for Arthur. "You - you dragged her into this?" He growled, standing up. "Why the Hell would you do that? Do you realize how much danger you're putting her in simply because you can't-"

"She's part angel." Merlin interrupted, flinching internally. Arthur went silent. "And... A sorceress. I just came from her dream. That's how I know something is wrong." He said, "She's a seer and her dream..." He shuddered, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. Slowly, he got up to fully face Arthur. "It is a future that will come to pass." He told him and bit his tongue. "My people are in danger-"

"You mean demons are." Arthur said, voice eerily cold. Merlin waited. After a couple moments of silence, Arthur gave a sharp scoff. "Incredible." He muttered and turned away. What? What was this? Merlin frowned and reached out to grab his arm, but was shrugged away. "Why would I do anything to help a bunch of demons?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you just outed Morgana!" He shouted and spun back around to jam a finger in his chest. "You know how dangerous it is to be a sorceress in Camelot and just told the prince!" He said. Merlin opened his mouth, but Arthur raised the finger to jab in his face. "I don't know why the Hell you know that in the first place, but I can assure you that her safety is not worth whatever these demons are." He told him. Merlin felt hot anger swirl up. "Or maybe you're just lying-"

"I'm not lying," He hissed "And I only told you because I know you wouldn't hurt her and I didn't think you would have believed me if I just said they were in danger-"

"She should have told me. It's dangerous-"

"Like she's even really in danger!" Merlin shouted back, frustration rising "She's part angel! No human will harm her, not even your father!" He snapped. The dream shook for a moment. From Arthur's anger or Merlin's was unclear. "And look at you. All up and arms about protecting magic users now that you know your father is nothing but a bigot." He hissed, fists clenching by his sides. "You're just looking for excuses to hate."

"Is that so?"

"It is!"

"Well, I haven't killed you!"

"Only because you know I want you to try!"

"Try!" Arthur scoffed and spun around to kick at the water, spraying it everywhere. For a moment it seemed to freeze in the air, letting light bounce off of it like crystals, momentarily blinding Merlin so he was forced to turn away. "If I wanted you dead-"

"You couldn't kill me with all of Camelot at your command," Merlin sneered at him "Maybe that's why you're so afraid of demons, huh? You know we're smarter. Faster. Kinder-"

"Kinder?!" Arthur laughed "You literally exist to convince people to make bad decisions and torture humans-"

"Not everything is about you!" Merlin snapped and shook out his hands to keep them from forming claws. "We existed before humans and we will exist well after. It isn't our fault that you and angels and other species of the world feel the need to villianize us because you're afraid." He said, walking after Arthur as he tried to leave the bank.

"Well, you know what I think?" Arthur asked, abandoning his exit to get up in Merlin's face. "I think you are afraid of humans." He told him and for a second it felt like he had sucked the breath right of him. "I think you hate that you're part human. That you always hated that part of yourself and that the only reason you came here was to prove to yourself that you aren't one of us."

"You don't-"

"And then you got disowned," He said, stepping even closer somehow. Merlin tried to step back, but only ended up with his ankles in the water. Surprisingly, he felt the liquid run into his boots - an odd detail for an dream to have. Not that Merlin was really focused on that fact with Arthur currently in his face. "And you're realizing that even if you can turn into smoke or grow fangs or claws or possess people that you. Are more. Like us." He said. Merlin swallowed. "So what is this then? You're ratting out Morgana and asking me to save them to prove something? To prove that you're loyal to them?" He asked.

Merlin bit his lip. Arthur's eyes darted down, following the movement, but neither moved.

"I don't want to choose." Merlin finally whispered. "I don't want to be one or the other. I... I like how I am." He said and his voice broke towards the end. "Even if it's not what I'm supposed to be." He added, looking down. "I don't want to choose." He said and closed his eyes. Arthur's dreams were apparently incredibly detailed. It occurred to him that these small details were perhaps what he valued most while awake. The smell of moss. Sunlight on water. A gentle rustling of wind through the trees. "But they're my family, Arthur. Whether they accept me or not." He told him and backed away. "I don't know why I asked you for help." He muttered. "I'm not enough for demons. I won't be for humans."

It was a harsh truth to be certain... But a truth all the same.

Arthur closed his eyes.

"You...Don't say that." He whined doing a strange sort of hop towards him as if he might bounce out the frustration. Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You're, I mean, you're a disaster, but..." He tried again. Merlin rolled his eyes and turned away. "You're enough for me." Arthur finally said quickly. At that, Merlin paused. "What you just did there? Wrong. Morgana didn't deserve that." He added on hastily. "But... Don't... Think... That other thing." He grumbled. Merlin looked over his shoulder to try and figure out if Arthur was lying... And why. There was a red tint to his face, but really other than that...

"Really?"

"Don't make this a big deal," Arthur sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Just... What was this supposed dream about? And how do you know Morgana is an angel?" He added with a slight wrinkle to his nose. "Have you met her? She doesn't have an angelic features that I've noticed."

"Yeah," Merlin beamed "It's my favorite thing about her."

And just like that, all the previous tension was gone... And as it turned out, Merlin rather liked Arthur's dreams.

Unfortunately, like most things that Merlin enjoyed, dreams didn't last very long and it felt like Merlin had only just finished explaining the vision when his eyes fluttered back open to find a very happy human looming over him.

"Good morning!" Gwaine greeted. Merlin waved. "You and princess seemed to have had a nice night over there." He informed him brightly. Merlin stared blankly up until he felt a slight breath of air against his neck. Slowly, he turned to look over to find Arthur bloody Pendragon himself much, much, much closer to him than when they had first fallen asleep. So close, in fact, that Arthur's lips pretty much in his hair and Merlin's hand draped casually on Arthur's thigh. Giving an internal squeal of terror he shifted away.

"We, um, it was cold-" He started, squirming. Why? He wasn't sure. Perhaps it was his human side that was cowering away from the sexual implications. Or maybe his demon side contemplating the whispered intimacy. Either way it felt too vulnerable.

"Yeah, which is why you were both muttering each other's names the entire night." Gwaine rolled his eyes. "Here I am trying to sleep and you both keep prattling on to one another. You know, I caught a whiff of tension earlier, but didn't know what to make of it." He said and then grinned "Though it's growing on me. The prince and the demon. A regular fairytale." He snorted. Merlin scowled.

"It isn't like that." Merlin told him. Gwaine looked at him. "I was supposed to kill him. It can't be like that." He added almost a bit desperately. Gwaine stopped putting some items in the bag to glance at where Arthur had shifted a bit in his sleep. Merlin wondered idly if he was aware that Merlin wasn't there anymore or if his dream continued as normal.

"Listen here, my oddly adorable demon friend," He said as he tossed the bag to the side to look Merlin dead in the eyes. "I admit I don't know everything in life. In fact, I might even say I don't know half there is to know in life." He told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Merlin waited. "But I do know when someone has the hots for another person. Doesn't take a supernatural entity to see..." He trailed off, wrinkling his nose as he murmured under his breath. "Um, the kind of horns you have... Damnit. I wanted to make a pun on horny and horns because you're part demon, but I can't think of one." He frowned. Merlin rolled his eyes. "Hey, do you have horns?" He asked as more of an afterthought. "Or a tail?"

"That's a myth." Merlin said, getting up to feed his horse. "My ears can get pointy though."

"...like an elf?" Gwaine asked, not looking at impressed by this information. Before Merlin could answer there was a slight groan and he looked over to see Arthur's eyes flickering open. He blinked once. Twice.

"Morgana." He said and sat up. Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"Not what you said last night." He sang under his breath. Merlin hit his arm. Not that Arthur seemed to notice. He was too busy staring at the tree in front of him as the birds sang loudly overhead.

"Was... Did you...?" Arthur finally asked, turning to Merlin. He gave a small nod. "I see." He said slowly and then flopped back to the ground. "So I guess saving your family is on the to do list." He muttered. "Great. My father might be a genocidal maniac, I'm set to meet up with a high priestess, and now I'm rescuing demons. Fantastic." He said. Gwaine seemed to take this all in stride by sneezing. "Bless you." Arthur told him absently.

Merlin, who had been digging through the bags to find a snack, froze.

"...what?" He asked and threw a bag at Arthur's head. "Now you're just being mean!" He scowled. Gwaine sneezed again. "Stop doing that!" He added fiercely to him. Gwaine wiped his nose.

"I can't help it." He said, leaving Merlin to splutter indignantly as he tried to process that. He can't help it? What? Did humans just momentarily lose control of their bodies? That was terrifying! Was something possessing them? How can he lose control of his body when nobody was possessing him? That didn't make sense. Bodies didn't just act of their own accord, did they? What was this? How did they even - "Uh... Merlin? Mate? You okay?" Gwaine asked, waving a hand in front of him. "I just sneezed."

"But..." Merlin tried and opened and closed his mouth a few times. "You just aggressively blow air out of your nose? For no reason?" He asked, a little enraged on humans' behalf. "And you can't stop it?" He continued and stood up. "The angels are doing this." He seethed. "I bet you they said you should say that blessed nonsense afterwards too."

"Well," Gwaine shrugged "It is sometimes said you say bless you because you are sneezing a bad spirit out of your body-"

"They always have an agenda!" Merlin yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Bless this. Bless that. It's all propaganda and you ridiculous humans believe them! I've just had about enough of them and their conniving ways." He snapped, kicking aside the firewood as he went. "You better stop saying that blessed nonsense from here on out. We won't be apart of it." He said. Arthur groaned.

"Why did I wake up for this?" He asked. Gwaine seemed far more enthused as he threw the last bag on top of his horse and slid over to Merlin.

"Tell me more about the angels' agenda." He asked. Arthur made a scandalized noise. Well. Since Gwaine had asked... Merlin had no qualms complaining about the many, many faults of angels throughout the beginning of time. Gwaine was also a good listener. He asked good questions and seemed to be fully onboard the hating angels train compared to other humans.

Merlin was very fond of Gwaine.

Of course, even if his tirade was fun, it didn't completely erase the problems on the horizon as they rode back to the castle.

"Why are you panicking?" Arthur asked, accepting the papers from the mass income of servants and nobles greeting them at Camelot's doors. Merlin rolled his eyes while Gwaine immediately started introducing himself to the crowd with charming smiles and winks. The ride back hadn't consisted much other than Merlin's fretting and Gwaine trying to learn more about how to use Merlin to lift his banishment from various kingdoms. "In the end, it was just a dream." He told him. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"It..." He started and looked around. People were close. Too close. He wanted to grab Arthur's arm and haul him somewhere more private, but he doubted the other humans would take it well. Besides, Arthur was already on edge as it was. He would be greeting his father soon and given recent reveals Merlin couldn't truly figure out if the prince was more likely to continue on their quest to find Nimueh or stab the king first. He had no complaints either way, but still. "Morgana never just has dreams." He told him quietly. Arthur shrugged and accepted more papers. "What even are those?" He asked, irritation rising.

"Petitions." Arthur told him as he nodded at one man waving his papers high in the air. "Appeals for law changes and what not. They want me to read their causes and bring them to my father." He sighed, rubbing underneath his eyes. Merlin pursed his lips. "Where did Gwaine go?" He added sharply. Merlin turned.

"Um," He said and looked around. Sighing, he grabbed a man moving past and smiled. Immediately his eyes became unfocused. "Hi," He told him softly "Did you happen to see where the other man who was with us went?" He asked. Arthur stiffened beside him, momentarily distracted from the hoards of people as the man opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"Uh... Tavern." He breathed out. Merlin smiled and let go. Whatever blank, confusion was in his expression disappeared.

"Can't you just ask like a normal person?" Arthur hissed in his ear, yanking him away. Merlin jerked his arm back with a glare. "There was no need for that! Especially in front of so many people-"

"It's quicker," Merlin whispered back "Humans like to make tiny talk."

"Tiny...? Do you mean small talk?"

"Does the size of the talk really matter that much?" Merlin said and gave a small huff of annoyance. Arthur sighed and finally, finally they turned down an empty hallway to leave the group of people behind. "We can get Gwaine from the tavern later... Though I'm not sure how he knew where it was... Or how he found it so quickly-" He frowned, turning around to look at the direction Gwaine must have gone. That was fairly impressive. Could humans smell alcohol considerably well?

Focus, Emrys, he told himself firmly.

"Arthur, please." He tried again and stood in front of him. 'Please' was a word humans liked so hopefully that helped. "I know you have your own agenda, but we need to see Morgana to ask about her vision. Even if you're angry with her." He added. Arthur stopped in rummaging through his petitions to stare in front of him for a solid ten seconds.

"I'm not angry with her."

"Yes, you are." Merlin snapped, "You're angry that she has magic and you're angry that she's an angel and you're angry that I'm a demon and you're angry that I have magic and you're angry about your father and your mother and-"

"And what?" Arthur snarled at him, arm dropped to his side so a few papers fell. "It has been two days. If even that! Two days of finding out..." He threw a hand up to gesture vaguely to clusterfuck of what appeared to be the situation. "Maybe I am angry! I'm angry that I've been lied to. I'm angry that I've been manipulated. I'm angry that I don't know how to fix anything. I'm angry that I'm angry and-"

"And that's okay." Merlin interrupted, finishing his earlier sentence. Arthur closed his eyes. "Everyone gets angry when they're hurt." He shrugged, "At least you aren't committing genocide over it. That's a plus." He said. Arthur gave a humorless laugh. "Too soon?" He asked. Arthur only picked up the fallen papers to start walking again. Merlin did notice his shoulders loosen slightly.

"Do all demons have little awareness or is that just you?" Arthur asked him dryly. Merlin scoffed. Right. He could work with this.

"We're seeing Morgana."

"Merlin-"

"No! I'm telling you we're doing this." Merlin said stubbornly, turning a corner as Arthur continued leading them to wherever the Hell they were going while going back to his damned papers. "And I can definitely kick your ass so you no longer have a say."

"Is that so?"

"I don't think you understand," Merlin said as he started walking backwards, brows wrinkled in confusion. "I can rip your throat out with my teeth and drink your blood. Does that not bother you?" He asked. Arthur finally glanced up from the papers in his hand to look at him, pausing his steps altogether. Merlin waited.

"...Merlin, you fell over trying to put boots on." He said. Merlin grimaced, looking down at his feet.

"I hadn't realized you were supposed to wear them all the time." He muttered, uncertain what this had to do with the fact he could murder everyone within a ten mile radius. Arthur sighed. "And those are bold words from someone who can't dress himself!" He added indignantly. Another sigh. Humans did that a lot as it turned out.

"Merlin, that's your job."

"And I've taught you several times. It isn't that hard."

"No, I - " Arthur started and closed his eyes. "I don't have time for this." He grumbled and opened the door to his chambers. Ah. He should have guessed that was where they were heading. Merlin followed with a wary sigh as he went back to reading. "Grab me some clothes." He added. Merlin ignored him and went to scoop up some laundry in the corner. "Preferably the red tunic and the leather vest."

"Red tunic is in the wash." Merlin told him, holding up the pile of laundry as evidence.

"Damnit. Um... Give me a moment to see," Arthur said, letting his finger trail over one paper with particular concentration. "God knows, I can't let you pick." He muttered. "Being blind as rat and all. I would look like a-"

"Could you... Not say that?" Merlin interrupted, turning to look at Arthur with pursed lips. Glancing up, Arthur scoffed.

"Sensitive?"

"Yes, Arthur. That is a sensitive because by demon standards I am." Merlin told him loudly. At this, Arthur paused in shifting through his papers to stare openly at him. "So now that you know I'm a demon could please not rub that in my face?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. "Especially given that Morgana isn't. She... She's half like me so I don't understand why-"

"Whoa," Arthur cut him off and stepped in front, completely abandoning the papers to put a hand either side of his arms. "What are you talking about?" He asked, giving a nervous laugh as he tried to meet Merlin's eyes. Merlin wouldn't give in though. He kept his gaze everywhere but on him, trying in vain to ignore the feeling of his fingers on his skin. With most humans, he found their touch grounding. A way to keep his mind centered but... It didn't seem to work like that with Arthur. Every touch or brush of skin or breath seemed to send him spiraling. It sent him spiraling now. Like a leaf in autumn. Dying and falling and -

"Let me go." He muttered, moving his arms to pull him away. Arthur frowned and let his hands fall to his side. "It's... Just a certain way demons see things. Espy. I don't have it." He sighed, looking down at his hands as he twisted them together. "Even in my demon form I just have... Human eyes." He said, voice growing a bit bitter towards the end.

"And Morgana does?" Arthur asked. Merlin shrugged. "I... See." He said. Merlin ignored him. He didn't need pity. Such a human emotion. Disgusting and condescending. "Well," He said and leaned against the wall. "I'm not sure why you would want it."

"To see my family how they see me?" Merlin asked, tossing some of Arthur's clothes to the side. "Let's face it. I understand demons more than I ever could humans. And yet, even then, I'm never going to fully understand them because I just don't... See things... That way." He said slowly and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Perhaps," Arthur agreed "But... Thank God. Given how much you hate angels could you imagine how ugly they must be to demons? Might be a stroke of luck." He shrugged. Merlin glanced up. "I'm sorry." He added gently. Merlin wasn't sure if he meant he was sorry for the earlier jibs or the situation in general, but he figured it didn't matter either way. He smiled weakly.

"...can you stop calling me angel too?" He asked. Arthur's grin widened.

"Well," He said and clicked his tongue "I would need a suitable replacement." He told him and crossed his arms over his chest. "What's something in your language? The, uh, strong country accent one?" He asked. Merlin smiled. "It would need to be an insult, of course. Just... Maybe one you don't find as horrendous." He told him.

"Well," Merlin finally said after a few moments of silence. "I guess... I can think of one. It is quite insulting." He added thoughtfully. "And you probably shouldn't call me it in front of other demons." He told him. Arthur rose his brows.

"That scandalous, huh?"

"Oh, definitely." Merlin said, leaning against the wall. Arthur smiled.

"Well? What is it then?" Arthur asked. Merlin looked at him. His heart was beating a little fast. Too fast. It was uncomfortable and if he didn't know any better he would say his body was giving out on him. Still, Arthur was watching with an air of expectancy so Merlin forced it out of his mouth before he could cower away.

"Vlǔj." He answered. Arthur wrinkled his nose before hopelessly trying to repeat it. Merlin laughed.

"Shut up, Merlin." He muttered and Arthur let his eyes flick him up and down. He took a step forward which was horrifying because Merlin honestly couldn't tell if he wanted him to do that or not. "What's it mean?" He asked. Merlin looked away. "Or is it something so horrible that there's not a word in my language to compare?" He asked.

"Does it really matter what it means?" Merlin asked.

"Well, maybe you're tricking me and it's a compliment."

"Well, maybe I don't care for your compliments anyways," Merlin sniffed, crossing his own arms over his chest. "I don't need validation from a human prince, thank you very much." He said. Arthur snorted, but thankfully didn't push the matter. "We're seeing Morgana." He added to get back to the original argument at hand. Arthur groaned.

"Fine. Fine. We can see Morgana, but after we meet with my father and afterwards we are going straight to Nimueh. Okay?" He asked. Merlin held up his hands. Fair enough. "Great," Arthur said and took a long breath. "To my father then."

"Already?"

"No sense in putting it off," Arthur told him, straightening his clothes. "Come on, vlǔj." He added. Merlin grimaced.

"Yeah... I already regret picking that word."

"It's too late."

Arthur's meeting with Uther ended up being strangely... Uneventful.

It was definitely terse on both ends. Uther was pretty unhappy that Arthur went and saw Morgause... And then pretty pleased when Arthur lied through his teeth and said some nonsense about being sent to slay demons and forsake magic. Then he declared the mission an honor and easily blessed Arthur to go on a hunt and celebrate.

Arthur, for his part, was probably as civil as he could be under the circumstances. Uther didn't seem to notice his son's hostile nature. The animosity only seemed to rise with Uther's every word. Merlin wondered what the chances were that he could just kill Uther with Arthur's favor.

This almost immediately left his mind when Arthur was given his cue to leave.

"Oh - and keep an eye out for a boy!" Uther called. Merlin froze.

"A boy?" Arthur asked, eyes flicking to Merlin warily.

"Yes, yes. In the castle. One of the cooks swore they saw a demon mucking about in a boy's body. I already gave the castle a thorough search twice, but nothing came about. I doubt it is possible given the renewed symbols in the castle's walls, but I plan on searching again. At the very least we can find the child and ensure he isn't possessed." Uther explained. Arthur merely gave a terse nod before bowing. Merlin tried to do the same, but the panic was too busy settling in his chest. Suddenly, Morgana's dream was making more sense than he wanted to.

"Do you know something about this?" Arthur asked him as the door shut behind him.

"Morgana's chambers. Now." He muttered back. Arthur's jaw clenched but for once he didn't argue. It didn't take long to make the trek across the castle with Arthur flicking his wrist so guards and servants alike practically flung themselves out of their way. When they finally made it up to the spiraled staircase, Merlin abandoned all patience and sprinted up - skipping steps as he went.

"Hey-" Arthur started as he jogged to keep up. "What is this about?" He asked. Merlin only pounded on the door as he reached the top. No answer. He pounded again. Finally, there was some movement and the sound of a lock being undone.

"Move," Merlin told Gwen, pushing himself into the room as soon as the door opened. Morgana was sitting on the bed along with... Knights? Or at least one knight. Leon. He was fond of that one compared to the others, certainly. Gwaine also somehow found himself stuffed into the now very crowded in the room with a mug of ale. Merlin wasn't sure who the other man was but that didn't quite matter at the moment because neither were who he was looking for. He couldn't see person but he didn't need to. The smell was overwhelming and familiar and... "Mordred." He breathed out, hopping over the bed when he saw a brief hint of movement behind the curtains. Immediately, blue eyes appeared before flicking black.

"Emrys!" He whispered and stumbled out of hiding to throw himself at him. Merlin froze. He knew this... This was hugging, but... How did Mordred know? Frowning, he slowly pushing him back, keeping both hands on his shoulders to look him over with pursed lips. "I'm... I'm sorry." Mordred frowned and looked down at his hands as if also baffled by the sudden display. "I wasn't trying to kill you-"

"I know," Merlin smiled weakly "You've spent so much time in this host I'm sure some of the human is rubbing off on you." He told him, looking him up and down carefully. Unlike other demons, Mordred would only have one host for years. Even if the baby of the original human died it wasn't unheard of for demons like Mordred to inherit some ticks of their hosts' original species given how much time he spent in the body... Unable to return to their demon form until inevitably this body gave out. "What are you doing here?" He asked, glancing over at where the others were standing. There wasn't much privacy in Morgana's room so everyone seemed awkwardly stuffed to one side purposely trying to look everywhere but them. Mordred tugged his wrist to regain his attention.

"Kali returned without you," Mordred said in syeri. "She said you weren't part of the gathering anymore and made friends with angels." He explained. Merlin bit his lip. "But she was lying, right? You wouldn't do that." He added and rocked back and forth on his feet. "This angel is..." He started and looked at Morgana for a moment. "Her and the humans helped me, but she's not your friend," He shook his head "You just can't kill the prince. I can help." He added and Merlin felt his body tense at that.

"No," He said sternly, also answering in syeri. "I'm not killing Arthur-"

"But you have to!" Mordred said loudly and took a step away. Merlin immediately yanked him back. "You can't come home if you don't-"

"This is my decision." Merlin cut him off. Mordred stared. "I'm sorry, Mordred. I just..." He trailed off, a little unsure how to phrase this all in a way a young demon might understand. What? He couldn't kill Arthur because he trusted him? Thought he was good? Kind? That Merlin was growing fonder of humans with each passing day?

"They've possessed you." Mordred said suddenly, switching away from syeri. Merlin blinked.

"No-"

"Yes!" Mordred said loudly. "They have!"

"Humans can possess demons?" Gwaine asked quietly. Arthur merely shrugged as he continued to watch them both carefully.

"I think he means that we've brainwashed him. Probably another weird expression." He murmured back. Merlin was a little impressed at how well he caught on, but couldn't congratulate him at the moment given how distressed Mordred appeared as he paced back and forth across the room.

"Is that him?" Mordred asked and immediately Leon pulled out his sword. Merlin hissed, pulling Mordred behind him as he let his eyes flash gold in warning. He wasn't sure if Leon was aware of the demon thing, but if not... Now he was.

"Easy!" Morgana said, jumping up. "We're all friends here." Morgana said as Gwen clutched at the stranger's arm. "Merlin, I tried to tell you before... I saw Mordred and knew who he was-"

"Because of espy. Yeah." Merlin interrupted and jerked his chin at the others. "And what do they have do with this?"

"They're helping me hide him." Morgana said and then turned to Gwaine. "Well, not you. I don't know where you came from."

"Ah, yes. Hello there. I'm Gwaine-"

"Yeah, sure." Merlin cut him off with narrowed eyes towards Leon. "Why would you lot help a demon? I don't even know you!" He added tightly to the other man who gave a weak wave. Leon spluttered for a moment.

"Demon?" He repeated loudly and held his sword a bit higher "My lady, you said this child was an angel-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Merlin said loudly, only just now noticing that Gwen had gone white. Wait. She had just seen his eyes and... Not good. Damnit. Luckily, Arthur was blocking the door so nobody was leaving without them hashing this out. He fixed her with a pleading look but she seemed frozen to the spot. "Gwen...?" He asked quietly and took a step towards her. The stranger raised his arm in warning.

"Stay the Hell away from my sister-"

"Hey," Gwaine interrupted "Easy there. Merlin isn't going to hurt her-"

"His eyes just turned gold and he's defending a demon!"

"Wait," Merlin interrupted and blinked. He looked over at Mordred who seemed just as stun by this turn of events. The group all turned to him expectantly as he mulled over the words. "Is what you just said true?" He finally asked, mystified. Leon tilted his head.

"What's true?"

"He's a brother." Merlin said, pointing at Elyan. Everyone turned to look at Elyan who merely shrugged at the accusation. "So... Him and Gwen have the same mother and father?" He asked. Mordred gasped. Elyan nodded. "Huh. I thought that was a human myth." He mused, wrinkling his nose. "But," He tried and wrinkled his nose. "How...?" He said and turned to Arthur, hoping he would clarify.

"If you're married the general goal is to not have sex with anyone else." Arthur said bluntly. Leon went bright red - probably scandalized by the sex talk as all humans tended to be. "So if you have kids it's going to be between the same two people." He told him. Merlin narrowed his eyes. He edged forward a bit, poking Elyan experimentally. Elyan jerked back. He had heard Gaius refer to Hunith as his sister before... Kali also called him Hunith's brother, but Merlin had assumed it was more of a label... Like, someone who you were really close with but had no intention to actually sleep with. He wondered if Hunith and Gaius had the same parents.

"So this is Gwen... But a boy." Merlin said and Mordred nodded in fascinated agreement. Arthur shook his head.

"I'm Elyan." Elyan told him. Merlin pursed his lips.

"So a boy-Gwen who is called Elyan."

"Merlin, it isn't really-"

"If their parents already had a child and then they had a second child they can't be different. It's the same person except one is a boy and another is a girl." He said firmly. He wondered what would happen if Gwen's parents had a second Gwen... They should have done that, actually. Just kept having girls so there were a bunch of Gwens in the world. It would make their home much more bearable. Elyan shook his head as he held up a hand to stop Merlin from talking.

"I am different from Gwen."

"Because you are a boy."

"No, because we are different people." Elyan said. Merlin took a long breath and glared. "Why...? Why does he looked mad at me? I can't help that I'm not Gwen!"

"Yes, you are! You are boy-Gwen!" Mordred said loudly and Arthur rose a hand to try and quiet them. "Why is he acting like this?" Mordred whispered to him. "Do all humans act like this?" He murmured and Merlin shrugged.

"Gwen doesn't usually act like this." He said as Elyan began to splutter. Arthur sighed.

"I'll explain it to you later," He told them both "Just... Call him Elyan for now." He said and Merlin peered over his shoulder. Leon, on the other hand, didn't seem to be on board with this conversation.

"Your majesty, can someone please tell us what is going on? The king needs to be informed that a demon is within our walls after the sigils have been redone."

"Oh, I, uh, might have... Gotten rid of those sigils." Morgana said. Everyone turned to her. "I thought they could be causing Merlin some discomfort-"

"Wait, so he is a demon? His eyes turned gold!"

"Nobody move! I think I have holy water-"

"You bring out that shit and I'll claw your eyes out!"

"Wait, I think I have an exorcism booklet somewhere!" Elyan said, jumping towards a leather bag on the ground near Morgana's vanity. Mordred gave a sharp cry of fear, clinging tightly to Merlin. Gwaine jumped forward to smack the bag out of Elyan's hands.

"Not today, Boy-Gwen." He said and pulled out a knife to hold it up in warning. "If you dipshits had any wits about you then you might notice the prince hasn't attacked them and the king's ward is defending them. Shut up and let them explain." He said sharply. Leon gave a sharp intake.

"They have been possessed."

"I have not been possessed." Arthur sighed. Mordred cleared his throat.

"That seems like something a possessed person would say." He whispered. Arthur turned to glare at him.

"I'm on your side. Despite you trying to kill me." He added. Mordred stuck out his tongue. "Leon. I know this is hard to understand but... I have reason to believe my father might not be the king he says he is. I believe he's harmed magic users without warrant... Perhaps even demons." He added with slightly less conviction. Whatever. "I need to meet with a sorceress called Nimueh. I've told my father I'm leaving for a hunt so it won't be hard to sneak Mordred out-"

"Um," Morgana interrupted, clearing her throat. "Not just Mordred."

"Right. Mordred and Merlin."

"No." Morgana shook her head and glanced towards Merlin. He frowned. Was there another demon? He sniffed the air, trying to figure out if there was another scent. There was... Well. Something for certain. It was mainly Mordred but there was something else mingled in. He looked around. When he saw nothing he turned to look down at Mordred who was gripping a little tighter onto him than usual.

"Who else is here?" He asked. Morgana blinked.

"You don't-"

"I don't see whoever it is, Morgana." He cut her off dryly, ignoring everyone else fixing her with a bewildered look. Mordred cleared his throat.

"He brought me here." He whispered. Merlin shook his head. "When I went to find you... He came by and said he would help me." He whispered lowly. "I wasn't going to tell you." He added with an exasperated look towards Morgana. "Angels can't keep secrets." He added under his breath. Morgana pursed her lips but didn't respond. Instead she jutted her chin towards the other end of the room where a brown folding screen stood. Letting go of Mordred he walked over, pushing aside some curtains.

Red eyes met his.

"Hello, Emrys."

Merlin swallowed. Red. There was a lot of here given that Camelot's official colors were red and gold. Merlin had grown less wary of it because of that, but now... Seeing those red eyes... He felt his old trepidation return. All demons - aside from Merlin himself - had black eyes. Unless, of course, they were banished.

"You must be Balinor."

Chapter Text

Merlin had spent many years envisioning his first meeting with his father.

Kali had told him it was impossible. Being banished, Balinor was forbidden to near any demon and instead was shunned from his own kind and home (even if, well, there was currently no home to return to). That hadn't necessarily stopped Merlin from his endless daydreams and curiosity. After all, he argued it was perfectly natural to try and figure out where half of you came from. It wasn't the same as it was with Gwen and Boy-Gwen. He didn't have a sibling that he could observe and learn about himself through.

Still, nothing could have fully prepared him for... This.

"Who is Balinor?" Gwen whispered lowly. He hated the fact her voice shook as she asked the question. Merlin would have to find some time to speak with her later. Surely... Surely she would overlook this demon thing, right? They were still friends?

"His father." Mordred whispered back and looked back at Gwen with a critical gaze. "You're a human." He noted. Gwen nodded, shuffling a bit towards Morgana at the observation. "Huh." He said and tilted his head. "You don't look evil." He mused and Leon frowned.

"She doesn't look evil?" He asked, still trying and failing to raise his sword as Arthur continually rose his hands in warning. Mordred scowled.

"You look evil." He whispered and Leon gaped. "Kali told me to look out for humans like you." He added and took a step away from Leon. "You will not make me drink your strange lake water-"

"Oh, did Kali tell you about the tea?" Merlin asked a bit offhandedly and Mordred nodded, shivering a bit.

"She said it tasted of wilted apostles." He said and Merlin spluttered. He thought Kali had enjoyed the drink thank you very much! If they ever spoke again he would have to confront her about that. "If you come near me I will bite you." He added solemnly to Leon who simply turned to Elyan.

"You think this insane, right?"

"Yes."

"We're friends." Leon told him and Elyan held out his hand so they could shake on it. Merlin bit his tongue. He had some questions on human behavior, but that felt like it could wait at the moment given... Well, you know. His banished father standing in front of him. Merlin looked him up and down. His host was an older man dressed in some sort of old leather with a beard and long, dark hair. Merlin had been told time and time again that his human appearance was strikingly like his human mother's but... Something about this host felt like Merlin. Perhaps if he could see Balinor's true form he might see a resemblance.

"Why are you here?" Merlin finally asked, trying to sound as disinterested as possible. Why would he care if Balinor was here? Ha. Trick question. He didn't. He didn't care at all. Not even a little. Not at all. In fact, one could write an entire tome of poetry about how much Merlin did not care. "Why... Did you help Mordred?" He asked, this time with a bit of worry... Because he did care about Mordred. Quite a bit. Not like Balinor because he didn't care about Balinor... At all.

"It is wrong to be curious about how my child turned out?"

"General consensus is that I'm a freak of nature," Merlin told him flatly "So consider your curiosity satisfied."

"Kali refused to let me see you. Once I learned this child was off to meet you I... Decided to tag along." Balinor shrugged. Merlin narrowed his eyes. Obviously Kali didn't let them meet. The guy was banished. Meaning it was actually incredibly dangerous for another demon to know they were in contact at all. Merlin and Mordred could both be banished as well for even talking to him. Well. Maybe not Mordred because he was so young... But Merlin? Definitely.

"Well," Merlin said crisply and took a breath "Nice to meet you. I need to get Mordred back home and Arthur to Nimueh. Thank you." He said and turned back to the group of humans. He stared at Leon and Elyan with wary consideration. "I don't know what to do about you two." He admitted. Gwaine cleared his throat.

"Use magic to mind control them?" He suggested. Leon choked, going for his sword and Elyan immediately went back for the exorcism book (which Gwaine slapped out of his hands once more).

"I... Don't think I can do that without possessing them." He admitted and wrinkled his nose "And I don't want to possess Boy-Gwen. I like Gwen." He added, though he didn't dare to glance over and see how Girl-Gwen was doing with all of this. He was pretty sure if he saw the fear or horror in her eyes that he might do the thing where your eyes leaked. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Leon is a knight of Camelot. I am his prince. I trust his loyalty to me will suffice?" He said, pinning Leon with a hard look. Leon did not seem too thrilled by this development. In fact, he looked at Elyan who was shaking his head over and over again before turning to Morgana who offered a wry smile.

"My lord, I... Am not comfortable with any of this," He finally said, hand still clenched on the hilt of his sword "But I will remain docile as long as you allow me to escort you to wherever these demons wish for you to go. I cannot leave you undefended." He decided and grabbed Elyan's arm. "He will accompany us as well."

"No, I won't."

"You said we were friends," Leon growled at him lowly "And they might possess you if you don't agree." He added. Elyan swallowed.

"It would be an honor to protect the prince."

Balinor snorted. Merlin ignored him. He didn’t even care. He was focused on everyone in this room but him. It was fine. Just dandy.

"Wait," Mordred frowned, straightening up "I came to get Emrys back home." He said stubbornly and narrowed his eyes “Even if I must kill the human myself." He added lowly, baring his teeth at Arthur. Arthur leaned away.

"Mordred." Merlin warned as Leon and Elyan both moved towards Arthur. Huh. Boy-Gwen would make a good knight... He hadn’t considered that before. He looked over at Girl-Gwen thoughtfully. He should have. She was brave and knew about human weapons.

"I didn’t come all of this way to not bring you home!" Mordred said stubbornly. "And Uther-"

"Is looking for you," Morgana interrupted, gathering everyone’s attention onto her. "So we need to act quickly. Balinor can take Mordred back to Kali and Merlin to Nimueh with Elyan and Leon as escorts." She said reasonably. "But we need to get you out of the castle. Balinor, could you, um...Your eyes?" She suggested and Balinor pursed his lips.

"They will always remain red to ensure I cannot convince humans into giving me sanctuary." He said and Merlin bit the inside of his cheek at that. Don't react. Do not. React. Perhaps I could distract Uther's men while you all take Mordred and Emrys out of the castle?" He suggested. Morgana hummed, putting a finger over her lips. Merlin wondered idly how Balinor even got in here.

"I guess I'm complicit in this. I'm involved is demon espionage." Leon muttered as Elyan placed a placating hand on his shoulder. They both looked at Arthur a bit desperately. "My lord, for my comfort...Please touch some holy water so I know you're not possessed." He added. Arthur sighed and held out his hand. Immediately, Leon brought out a bottle (which Mordred stumbled away from) to dump into Arthur's hand. When nothing happened Elyan sighed.

"Worth a shot." He muttered, looking sadly at where his exorcism booklet was on the ground.

"Why don't I distract them?" Gwaine asked with a shrug. The group turned to him. "I'm told I am a very distracting person." He winked. Mordred pulled at Merlin's sleeve.

"...did you have sex with that human?" He whispered, just a smidge too loudly. The room fell silent. "What?" He asked, frowning at them all. "I didn't ask if he was in love with him." He said and Merlin grimaced.

"It's the reverse with humans." He whispered. "Love is the good thing to them." He said. Mordred made a disgusted face before turning to Gwaine with narrowed his eyes.

"Keep your filthy self over there." He whispered and Gwaine spluttered.

"Hey! Who said I fell in love with anyone?!" He gasped, putting a hand on his heart. "Jeez. You're the one who even brought it up." He added, sniffing the air. "Anyways, I could pretend to kidnap the lovely lady here. I'm sure that would get almost everyone out of the castle so you and the lovely brigade of demons can get out of the castle." He shrugged. Morgana opened her mouth.

"That... Actually, could work." She admitted.

"Except for the fact he's a human," Merlin pointed out "What happens if they catch him? He's so feeble and weak! They would crack him like a diamond." He argued, ignoring Elyan whispering 'diamond' to Gwen a hilariously high-pitched voice. Gwaine frowned.

"I know," Morgana said which only deepened the look of displeasure on Gwaine's face. "But," She grinned and held up a hand "I have been practicing on my angelic powers as well as my magic. I think I can conceal him from Uther's men... He might even be able to catch up join you if it all works out." She shrugged. Leon sat on the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked him, looking down as the knight buried his face in his hands. A long pause followed. "Sir Leon?"

"Your fucking magic?!" He shrieked loud enough to make everyone jump. "You're practicing sorcery?!"

Oh... Oh, right. Morgana's eyes widened ever so slightly, but nobody else seemed to react.

"Maybe I'll catch you up on everything as we travel," Arthur said, clapping a hand on his knight's shoulder. "Much of my worldview has changed since we last spoke." He said and Leon made a noise somewhere between a whimper and screech of annoyance.

"You don't say." He hissed and stood back up. "I'm okay." He told the room and took a long breath. "I am here to serve my prince... Even if it goes against everything my king stands for." He added a bit venomously to Arthur. Merlin laughed.

"Oh, just you wait to hear about the patricide Arthur is considering."

Leon went white.

"That's just mean." Arthur told him flatly. "You'll understand more once I explain." He added reassuringly. Leon did not look reassured. Meanwhile, Merlin was watching Mordred carefully. He wasn't sure that the demon was completely convinced to abandon his quest to bring Merlin home... Nor to leave Arthur's life out of it. However, at the moment Mordred seemed less preoccupied with Arthur and more with Morgana.

"You're an angel." He noted, looking Morgana up and down. Morgana bit her lip, ignoring everyone else in the room going still at those words. Arthur gave everyone a warning glare. "But... You don't annoy me as much as you could." He said and nodded. "That's good of you."

"Oh," Morgana said, kneeling down a bit "Thank you." She smiled and absently grabbed his chin. "You're quite young aren't you?" She asked, voice softening. Mordred nodded. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't let anything happen to you... Or Mer - Emrys." She corrected herself when Merlin nodded at her. Mordred pursed his lips for a moment before giving a very slow nod. "And I promise Arthur isn't as bad as he seems. Though between you and me he can be a bit annoying." She whispered, putting a finger to her lips with a wink. "He's a bit of a crow without feathers." She added and Mordred laughed.

"A raven without feathers."

"What's the difference?" Elyan asked, but was ignored as Morgana gave a stoic nod.

"A raven without feathers." She agreed solemnly and held out her hand "Come on, do you want to help me look like I'm being kidnapped?" She offered. Mordred brightened.

"I can kill a rat and put it's blood in your hair!" He said excitedly and zipped from Merlin's side to start sniffing the ground. Merlin grinned a bit after him as the others loudly began to protest (minus Morgana who seemed enthused by the idea and Balinor who had started helping to find a rat). His eyes swept over where Gwen was standing next to Morgana's vanity, one hand placed on the window as if she might just throw herself out. Right. He should take care of that. Giving a long breath, he shifted forward, shuffling a bit towards Gwen. When she froze he stopped moving.

"Hi." He said quietly and waited as she looked him up and down.

"Hi." She whispered. Silence fell over them. "I knew something was strange about you," She smiled weakly and Merlin nodded. "I thought... I had thought you might be an angel." She told him, rubbing the side of her arm. Merlin felt his mouth part slightly and she quickly added on. "You just bless people a lot! And you always seemed to be looking out for people and..." She trailed off. Merlin spluttered.

"I thought humans went around blessing people always! Because you've been brainwashed by angels and stuff!" He added, puffing out his chest slightly. Gwen bit her lip, a smile still hinting at her expression as she took a step forward. "Are you scared of me?" He sighed, wringing his hands together. There was a pause. "I don't want you to be scared of me." He added. Gwen held up a hand, hovering near Merlin's arm but not quite touching.

"Are you going to hurt me?" She asked. Merlin shook his head. "...are you lying?" She added, a note of askance in her voice. Merlin shook his head more firmly. "Then... No." She decided and let her hand finally fall forward on his arm. "I'm a little... Wary." She decided and scrunched her face up. "But you're my friend."

Merlin grinned at her and held out his hands. He was getting really good at hugs. Gwen hesitated for a moment before moving forward, burying her face in his shoulder. Merlin did the same, inhaling the smell of flowers and bread as he squeezed tightly.

"Am I going to Hell for this?" Gwen whispered. Merlin pulled away and blinked. "Just so I know." She tacked on. "I love you no matter what, but... Just so I'm prepared." She added lowly, giving a long breath. Merlin momentarily floundered - she didn’t love him. That was a lie, right? She wouldn’t. He was about to comment on how outrageous that was before the rest of her words registered. He bit his lip a bit, trying hard to hide his smile.

"I... Don't know," He admitted and shook his head "But, for the record, all that nonsense you hear about Hell is mainly angel propoganda because they don't want people to know that Hell is more fun. We have weekly feasts, you know." He added with a firm nod. Gwen tilted his head. "If you ever find yourself there. I've never been, personally, but I hear great things. Nobody is actually tortured unless we all vote for them to be tortured and even then... It's like... Reasonable torture." He said. Gwen's eyes widened. "Not like here. You humans take torture too far."

"Who on Earth have you seen tortured?" Gwen asked curiously and Merlin stared. That was a joke, right?

"...Arthur is always being tortured with his tournaments and challenges and quests. Plus you always are pouring wine without being allowed to drink any. That counts." He added fiercely. Gwen scoffed.

"That's for fun, Merlin. Well, the tournament stuff is. The pouring wine is just a servant thing." She explained and Merlin had to put both hands on her shoulders to keep from gasping. For fun? None of that was even officially labeled torture? Humans were truly... Just truly horrendous creatures. Sure, ripping out someone's beating heart was 'horrifying' but once you called it a tournament then it was 'fun'?

Humans made no sense. Merlin was about to point this out when he felt a hand once again dragging him away. This time it was Morgana who greeted him, giving Gwen an apologetic smile as she pulled him towards her bed as the others continued debating on the rat problem Mordred had presented.

"I didn't meant to leave you!" He said immediately. Morgana laughed. "No, seriously. I somehow got punted into Arthur's dream. I would have never left you alone with that if I had a choice." He said, grabbing her hands. It was a human thing. Grabbing people, that is. Morgana did it to him so he figured now was the time to return the favor... Without his little seduction tick he did when normally touching people that is. "What even was it? A vision, right? It warned me Mordred might be here." He added, glancing over his shoulder as Elyan loudly began shouting when Mordred plucked up a rat from nowhere to snap its neck. "But there were other things I didn't understand. Pyres with priests and..." He trailed off. Nimueh. And Uther. And Kali. And fire. Mordred stiffened.

"How much... Did you see?" She asked and Merlin recounted his whirlwind of colors and lashing scenery. Morgana listened with a quiet intentness he didn't normally associate with her. Finally, when he finished, a smile touched her lips. It seemed strangely...Empty. "I see," She said and leaned back, lowering her voice. It really wasn't much use. Her room was fairly small so if the others wanted to hear they definitely could... Then again, most seemed preoccupied with the blood Balinor and Mordred were spreading on one of Morgana's dresses as Gwen complained loudly that she wouldn't be able to wash it out. "I wouldn't worry over it. I had help with the rest of it." She said and Merlin narrowed his eyes. What did that mean?

"Rest of it...?" He said, already knowing he wouldn't want to know who helped. Freaking angels probably. Morgana nodded.

"There were other parts," She mused and Merlin waited. "Do you believe in prophecy?" She asked suddenly. Merlin snorted.

"Like destiny and what not?" He asked. Morgana nodded. "I know a dragon who does... But he didn't foresee me owning his soul so perhaps his prophetic vision wasn't as good as he claimed it to be." He drawled and Morgana rose an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me I shouldn't be believe your dream or I should?" He asked.

His question was momentarily disrupted by Gwaine aiding in the dress destruction by using a knife to cut off the sleeves, furthering Gwen's outrage ("That was a gift from the Duke of Cassingworth! Uther will be so displeased it is in ruins!")

"Maybe it was a good dream." Morgana continued, nonplussed by the chaos happening about a foot away. Merlin shook his head.

"It didn't feel good." Merlin told her doubtfully. "It looked like Uther was exorcising demons and hunting magic users." He said firmly. Morgana hummed. "I'm serious. It seemed like Mordred got hurt. It might be a warning that something might go wrong with us trying to get him out of here-"

"Do you trust me?" Morgana asked and Merlin paused. There was a strange glint in her eyes.

"I... Trust you." He said firmly "You. Okay?" He began, suspicion rising. "If someone else is telling you something else..." He trailed. Morgana hugged him. Sighing, he hugged her back.

"Come now," She said, pulling away "I'm an angel, remember? That does mean I know best." She told him with a wink. Merlin made a face.

"I know you think you're being funny, but you're not and I want to remind you that angels are the worst."

"You're just jealous."

"Stop talking to me immediately."

Gwaine was going to kidnap Morgana in a few hours so Arthur and Merlin had the luxury of heading back to his chambers for a bit to relax. Which... Was good. Because Merlin needed some space from where Balinor was hidden away behind Morgana's divider with Mordred in tow.

"Hey, vlǔj." Arthur said, snapping his fingers in front of Merlin's face "You seem deep in thought." He told him and leaned forward a bit. "Should I call Gaius?" He asked seriously and Merlin stared.

This... Was not good. Balinor's red eyes flashed in the back of his mind. He had already been disowned... Could he really stand to be banished?

Then again, it wasn't like anyone had to know... Until he slipped up and did something stupid... But what did they expect? He was half human! Maybe he shouldn't be held to the same standards.

"...Merlin?" Arthur asked and that look on his fact was not helping. Ugh. He didn't deserve this. Pacing the length of Arthur's room, he flicked his wrist so a fire started in the corner. Considering it was a warm summer day there really was no reason for a fire, but the use of magic at least made the swirling in his chest calm down a bit. He should also be pleased the magic came so easily and naturally when he wanted it to. "Are you worried about Leon? I trust him-" Arthur began, but Merlin tuned out whatever he was saying. Right. Red eyes or not... Part of him knew there was really no fighting it.

Merlin wasn't entirely for sure what the protocol was for human affection since he had been dying the last time that had come about. So he just... Went for it. He tried to go off of what he vaguely remembered Freya doing, but also... He couldn't really remember what Freya had done so in the end he just kind of yanked Arthur's shirt and put their mouths together and hoped for the best.

Really, the whole ordeal maybe lasted a second... Merlin was aware that humans did often like to eat one another's faces off... but that felt like an advanced move. Merlin was sticking with the basics... And he must have messed that up because Arthur tensed. Immediately, Merlin let go to shuffle back with wide eyes.

"Sorry!" He said quickly and wrung his hands together "It's... It's just, um, you.. you said that humans shouldn't do that in public. So... So I just, um, you know. Waited. Then we weren't in public. And... Humans... When they like one another..." He trailed off because Arthur wasn't really moving. "But maybe you don't like me." Merlin frowned. "Right. I'm a demon. Part demon. That was... Not a good idea." He laughed and took another step back. Still nothing. "Could... You maybe tell me if there is a human custom on how to fix this?" He asked and then looked at him with consideration "Or maybe this would be a good time to kill you..." He mused.

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"When you say humans do that when they like one another... In what way do you mean?" He asked, voice slow and almost... Suspicious. Like he didn't quite trust Merlin's rambling nonsense.

"In the bad way."

"In the...? I don't know why I expect clear answers from you." Arthur sighed, running a hand over his face. "What's the bad way?"

"Well, the bad way to demons," Merlin corrected himself. "You know... Like... The kind of way where you care... Too much?" He shrugged helplessly. “And it hurts a lot, but in a way that makes you happy and, well, when you're kind of annoyed but it's okay because it's you and you're special and sometimes you just can't think of anything else and absolutely everything reminds you of the person like certain smells and the color blue and-" He rambled but was cut off by Arthur suddenly moving and before Merlin knew it he was pressed against Arthur's desk and this was definitely an advanced moved...Whatever this was. "Oh." He noted during the brief seconds where they pulled away. "You're a lot better at this than I am." He said and Arthur stopped to give a small laugh.

"Was that a compliment?"

"I suppose," Merlin said and Arthur gave a bright grin before kissing his neck because apparently you were allowed to kiss there too. "Though I wouldn't be too flattered that you're good at putting your tongue in someone's mouth." He told him. This was almost immediately reciprocated with a sharp pain. "Ow - did you...? Did you bite me?" He asked, a little outraged. "Is that allowed?"

Arthur dropped his forehead onto Merlin's shoulder as he gave another laugh that Merlin wasn't sure he appreciated.

"That depends," He asked and looked up again "Did you like it?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes.

"This feels like a trick question," He mused. Arthur tilted his head, eyes alight with amusement. "You know, if I bit you hard enough then you could die." He added with a fierce nod. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well, I promise you won't die." Arthur said and put a finger on Merlin's lips. "Also... Maybe don't bite me."

"I'll try my best." Merlin told him solemnly and raised a hand to curiously run a finger over Arthur's face. It was... Nice. Even if Merlin had initially insulted it upon their first meeting. Sighing, he let his fingers brush over his cheekbones, frowning a bit. "I see why this might be a problem." He informed him. Arthur rose an eyebrow. "I'm going to have a hard time focusing around you."

"Aw, aren't you sweet?"

"Demons are very loyal creatures. Prepare to be incredibly annoyed by me saving your life all the time."

"What was happening before?"

"That's so cute..." Merlin said, smirking a little "I want you to remember you asked that the next time someone attacks us. You won't even have a chance to draw your sword." He said. Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but there was a loud pounding on the door that made the both jump.

"Hey! Um, I'm a little concerned on why this door is locked..." Elyan's voice called and Merlin blinked. Had he locked the door? His magic must have... Only. Why? And when did it do that? He hadn't even noticed. "Gwaine is dragging Morgana out the front door so everybody left." Elyan continued and there was a small gasp from somewhere outside. "Maybe hurry it up?"

"The prince is alone in there with a demon?" Leon's voice hissed and the door shook as someone tried to enter. "Your majesty? Arthur, are you alright? Come out of there." He said tersely. Merlin bit his lip to keep from laughing at the outraged look on Arthur's face. "For the love of - demon child! Get our prince out of there!" Leon said with steadily rising panic. A small knock followed.

"Emrys?" Mordred asked "Listen, I know you're part incubi, but this human is getting really upset-"

"He's part what?!" Leon shrieked and more pounding on the door followed. "ARTHUR!"

The escape from the castle was surprisingly... Smooth. Though Merlin's mind couldn't quite escape Morgana's dream. The chaos of it. The fear. It almost felt too easy for them to leave Camelot. More disturbingly, Merlin saw a long line of pyres as they left the castle that eerily matched the ones he had seen in the vision.

"What's wrong?" Balinor asked him when he stopped to stare at them.

"...Maybe someone should stay behind." He said slowly. The group paused.

"Arthur can do it." Leon volunteered and Mordred stomped on his foot. "I hate you."

No. He was just being paranoid. Nothing was wrong.

"Nevermind," Merlin said, pushing past Balinor "Let's go." He told them, letting Arthur lead them towards the stables. He could hear yells in the distance as men sprinted to the other side of the castle, not the least bit concerned about them. A few paused at Balinor's eyes but there were only a few so Merlin simply put a hand on their arm and smiled until they walked away, dazed and disoriented.

"Why can't you do that?" Elyan asked Balinor the third time it happened. "Didn't the kid call you an incubi?" He asked watching the demon warily. Balinor gave a tight smile.

"My abilities are... Confined." He said simply and pointed to his eyes "Another punishment of being banished."

"Balinor was a gathering leader once," Mordred said helpfully from where he sat in front of Merlin in the saddle "Kali said so. In fact, he was said to be one of the most powerful demons in the second circle." He added. Balinor sighed.

"Kali." He muttered distastefully. "How is she? Aside from disowning my son, I mean."

Oh, the bloody nerve.

"She seemed fine the last I saw of her," Merlin said before Mordred could answer "Was wearing the woman you supposedly loved as a flesh suit." He added. At this, Balinor tensed. The others looked at him nervously.

"She...What?" He said and Merlin looked him over. Huh. Merlin often wondered if Balinor spent time around Hunith after being banished. He deeply suspected he did, but it would have been difficult given his current form. He wondered if Balinor had been in hiding when Kali took Hunith for a quick spin to visit Merlin. There was a string of cursing in... was that izkin? Merlin wrinkled his nose. That would be a second circle language that he wasn't as familiar with. He should be since he was part incubi but... Obviously nobody from the fifth circle spoke it.

"You should ask him to teach you." Mordred said, perhaps reading his mind.

"Be quiet." Merlin grumbled, flicking him. Mordred flicked him back.

The next three hours of the trip went relatively quiet. They found a lake as the sun sank to make camp in while Merlin explained to Balinor and Mordred that humans didn't like to travel at night (he still didn't quite know why, but they just didn't like it for whatever reason). It was during this conversation that a loud screeching sound regained their attention.

"I DID IT!" A figured yelled, horse flying across the empty plains surrounding them until it reached the lake. Gwaine fell off. "AHA!" He yelled and sat up to grin at them all. "Morgana is safe and sound. You should have seen her! Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Her magic is so strong." He said, shaking his head in complete awe. "Angel powers? Not nearly as impressive in my opinion, but don't tell her I said that. Though I think she did fly for a second there." He mused and walked over to where Merlin had started setting up a fire. "Also, Gwen packed us extra food." He said, pulling a satchel off of his horse to reveal a rather impressive amount of stolen kitchen food and freshly baked market pies.

"...Girl-Gwen is so much better than Boy-Gwen." Merlin informed the group solemnly.

"Elyan. My name is Elyan."

"What is this?" Mordred asked, combing through the satchel before giving a slight yawn. "It looks disgusting. I'm just going to bed." He announced before almost tripping into the fire. "Emrys, I want some liver in the morning." He said into the ground. Merlin laughed before taking an apple and collapsing on the ground. The sky was a dull orange, stars barely visible as the moon began to supersede the sun. He closed his eyes. Night was a preferred state for most demons. Merlin actually preferred day with it's warmth and bright colors, but over the years he had a certain fondness for the dark. It was a reassuring certainty. Angels may tout light, but it was the sun that hid things like the stars and planets from view. Without it there seemed to be nothing obscuring the world from everything humans liked to ignore.

Several more hours past before he sat back up, looking across the crackling fire to find everyone asleep. Someone had covered Mordred with a blanket so that he almost looked like a real human child, face glowing by the fire as he breathed deeply. Beside him was Gwaine, limbs sprawled out with a bottle of mead in hand as he snored loudly. Elyan and Leon were, to Merlin's great amusement, sleeping back to back with their weapons drawn. He let his eyes wander until he found Balinor the farthest away in the same exact position Merlin had been in... Though whether he was actually asleep or simply staring at the sky was uncertain.

Then, there was Arthur. Who was awake. Obviously. Humans were the type of creatures to stand guard. It showed a certain awareness, he supposed, that they knew how easy they were to kill in their sleep. Dusting himself off, he went over to sit next to Arthur. Then inched a bit closer. Arthur didn't respond. Merlin inched over a bit more... More. Finally, he was practically on top of Arthur.

"I have a question." He whispered. Arthur rolled his eyes, but there was still a slight tug to his lips as he turned to look at him. "Are we monogamying?" Merlin asked. He wasn't really sure what Arthur thought he was going to ask... but that probably wasn't it if his expression was anything to go by. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, glancing over at where the others were all distracted with their various duties before turning to look back at Merlin.

"Are we... What now?"

"You said humans stay with one person all their lives," Merlin pointed out "I'm pretty sure that's called monogamy."

"Well, yeah, I just never heard it as a verb before. I don't think that's a thing." Arthur mused and shook his head "Are you asking me if you can go around dating other people?" He asked, sounding somewhere between outraged and perturbed. Merlin shook his head.

"I was thinking about you," He explained. "You're a prince and I think princes marry princesses." He said, gesturing to Arthur. "But also humans monogamize so..." He held up his hands to demonstrate how utterly baffled he was by the situation. Arthur's shoulders immediately relaxed. "How's that work?" He asked. Arthur smiled.

"I have no plans to marry any princess." He informed him and Merlin tilted his head. "If that changes for whatever reason... I'll be sure you're the first to know." He told him gently. Okay. That was fair. "Also, um," He added on with a frown. His eyes flicked over his shoulder before biting his lip. "You know... There are... Limitations, right?" He asked slowly. Merlin stared. "With us?"

"Oh..." Merlin said and nodded. "We must keep it a secret because people might not like that I'm a cambion. Got it."

"Ah, well. Yes, but no." Arthur said, suddenly flushing. Merlin wasn't entirely sure this was the sort of clarity a future ruler should have, but he would cut him some slack given the circumstances. "Alright, so... Usually, when humans... Monogamize-"

"Which is a very strange thing to do." Merlin told him. "I don't know many species who do that."

"Er, right. Well, actually there are some humans I've heard of - not the point." He interrupted himself. "Most humans stick with one person for lots of different reasons, but part of it is because of lineage. You want to be certain you know what children belong to who." He explained. Right...? Merlin wasn't sure what this was building towards, but he supposed it was good to learn about some human background. "That, uh, doesn't really apply to us-"

"Oh!" Merlin said and laughed "I see. You know how cambions are formed." He chuckled and Arthur stared blankly. "That's a bit forward...And far in the future. I suppose given that I continue on this path of disappointing my family there could be some loopholes, but I'm not sure I can have a child in this body." He said, looking down at himself. Arthur looked at the sky.

"Oh my God." Arthur whispered. Merlin decided to be nice and not complain about the phrase. "You...Yes, I agree that I don't think you can, but that's mainly because... We can't... You know..."

Wait. Did he...? No freaking way.

"Are you talking about sex?" He asked suspiciously. Arthur went bright red. Wow. Humans. Total wusses. They could crow on and on about love but whenever they get to the normal stuff they just clam up. It was fascinating, really. "Do humans only have sex when they want a child or something?" He asked. Arthur made a choking noise which did not alleviate his confusion.

"Merlin. You're killing me." Arthur groaned as if he wasn't the one being a baby. "Our bodies don't quite... You know. I'm not sure what demons do-"

"Anything and everything." Merlin said solemnly "What do you mean our bodies...? Wait," He said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Because we're both male?" He asked and Arthur nodded, clearly relieved. Merlin snorted. "This is why humans are considered a less superior species," He mused and Arthur rose an eyebrow. "You don't talk about sex and now you all know nothing about it. You definitely can." He told him. Arthur stared for a good five seconds.

"You...?" Arthur said and tilted his head "You are male, right?"

"Seriously?"

"I'm just taking this as it goes."

"I..." Merlin started and looked around. Well. If Arthur was going to teach him about boring human monogamy then Merlin should probably teach him about amazingly fun demon sinning. "Well, here. I can show you." He grinned and Arthur shook his head, shoving Merlin away so he fell over.

"People are right there." He whispered, pointing to where everyone was sleeping. Merlin laughed.

"Oh?" He grinned and the smile disappeared a second later "Oh, that's a real concern." He said, ignoring Arthur's scandalized expression. "Right. Well, I'll wake someone else up to take watch and then I can meet you in your dream. That way nobody can see us... Unless you want to." He smirked as he sat back up. Arthur immediately hit the back of his head. "Wow, you're really kind of a prude, aren't you?" He asked, giggling a bit as he leaned into Arthur's arm.

"Just wake somebody up so I can sleep and see what the Hell you're talking about." Arthur groused. Rolling his eyes, Merlin swung around and lightly tapped Gwaine with his foot. From behind him, Arthur was already dragging his bedroll by the fire. Merlin scoffed. Eager then.

"Hm?" Gwaine groaned. "No..." He groaned and buried his face in his arms "Want to sleep. No guard. Tired." He explained. Merlin nudged him again.

"You have to stand guard so I can go have sex." He tried. There was a long pause.

"Alright then," Gwaine said sat up, surprisingly very awake "Have fun." He said and held up his hand for a high five.

For a human... Gwaine understood things incredibly well.

"You're awake. Finally." Leon noted when Merlin walked over to pack his bags. The sun was rising, painting the field around them a bright yellow as everyone slowly began to move around to start the day. From the knight's other side, Gwaine jerked his head up to grin at Merlin.

"Ayyyyy!" He yelled and gave him a thumbs up "Where's the princess?"

"Still asleep."

"I bet the fuck he is." Gwaine snickered, clapping Merlin on the shoulder as he brushed passed. Leon froze from where he was putting out the fire to look at him. Merlin smiled brightly back. A few minutes of silence passed in which Merlin could see a plethora of disjointed emotions touch the man's face before he finally just took a long breath and shook his head.

"Become a knight they said," He muttered as he straightened back up "You'll do good things. You'll become a better person. I'm taking a goddamn road trip with a group of demons and one of them has seduced my goddamn prince."

"Arguably, he seduced me first." Merlin said. This didn't appear to be what Leon wanted to hear because he just threw up his hands and walked away. "Bye, Sir Leon!" He sang and sat down to unwrap some food Gwen had packed him. He had just polished off the cheese when he felt another presence behind him. Rolling his eyes, he let the hand shoot out to take a bit of his bread before scooting over. "Leon is mad at me."

"Why?" Arthur asked and Merlin smirked. "...you didn't."

"He brought it up."

"Merlin," Arthur growled and ran a hand over his face "Discretion, okay?" He asked. Merlin nodded. Gwaine didn't appear to be on the whole 'discretion' train, but Merlin guessed that humans varied as much as demons did. "How close are we to Nimueh?" He added and Merlin licked his fingers clean as he picked up one of the blueberry pies Gwen, the queen of everything in his mind, had also packed.

"About a day or so. We could get there before nightfall." He told him and let his eyes flick across the camp to see Balinor speaking lowly to Mordred. He pursed his lips before letting out a warning growl at the back of his throat. Arthur followed his gaze as Balinor raised his hands for a moment before taking a step back.

"Are you doing okay with that?"

"With what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Arthur scoffed "Your banished father whom you've never met popping up out of nowhere?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow. Merlin sighed. It was a... an Unsettling position to be in. He didn't quite know what to make of Balinor. Merlin knew he wasn't supposed to trust him... And perhaps him 'popping up out of nowhere' wasn't a good thing... But he had helped Mordred. That was good. He seemed... Merlin glanced over at him again and sighed.

"I have no emotions on the matter."

"Of course," Arthur said dryly and pulled away to get a better look at him. "I think you have his nose."

"What?"

"Definitely his eyes."

"I have my mother's eyes."

"Oh, and the cheekbones for sure."

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked suspiciously and Arthur laughed. "You're a menace." He informed him and bit his lip. "...you don't think I really look like him, right? That's just his host. It had no bearing on my appearance." He said stoically. Arthur hummed.

"So you don't like him." He deduced and Merlin flushed. "Or maybe you just don't trust him," He amended when Merlin opened his mouth. "That's probably fair... Though it sounds like he committed the exact same crime you did." He said slowly, nudging him. Merlin groaned. Yes. Fine. Merlin might have fallen in love (if they could call it that because quite frankly, he wasn't going to label the whole ordeal unless he had to) which was the same thing his father did... So theoretically, he was in no place to judge him harshly... And hey. Merlin did feel incredibly uncomfortable with seeing his father so fiercely punishment for the very crime he was currently committing, but also... He would be lying if he said that was the only thing bothering him.

"He never came to meet me." Merlin said, tearing at the grass beneath him. Arthur stopped sharpening his sword to look at him. "I mean, he was banished, but... He had already broken the rules for my mother. Why not break them for me?" He asked, lowering his eyes. He could feel Arthur shifting beside him. Merlin wasn't really sure how other humans treated emotions, but Arthur was profoundly uncomfortable with them. In these moments though... So was Merlin. A few seconds went by.

"I can stab him." Arthur finally said and Merlin snorted.

"What?"

"Well, I don't think that would kill him, but... You know. Might make you feel good. Also, Leon would be happy." He said and Merlin grinned. "Maybe I can even give you his head. That's something you bloodlusting animals like, right?" He asked. Merlin put a hand over his heart.

"I have never been more attracted to you." He told him and watched as Arthur tried and failed not to look pleased by that. Merlin was about to continue the conversation when he felt his ears prick. Tensing, he put a hand on Arthur's arm - eyes narrowing. "Don't... Move..." He whispered lowly and gave a sharp whistle. The others turned to him, but Merlin was only concerned with Mordred and Balinor. He gave a slight gesture and the pair both walked over to where Elyan, Leon, and Gwaine had been chatting among themselves.

"What's wrong?" Arthur said, shrugging off Merlin's hand to grab his sword. "Merlin-" He began but Merlin only shook his head.

"Demons." He whispered and bit his lip. "Normally they might not be a problem, but we're with Balinor." He muttered and gave a small sigh. "They're smart. I can't catch their scent because they keep switching hosts." He growled and bared his teeth. "Hey! Get Mordred somewhere safe." He shouted at the other three and looked at Balinor. "Can you watch him?"

"Watch me?" Arthur asked, voice rising and Merlin winced.

"I didn't mean-"

"Focus on whatever this is. I can argue about this later." Arthur muttered and flicked his sword around his wrist. "You're a dick." He added and glowered when he caught sight of Balinor next to him. "Oh, fuck off." He sighed. Merlin was about to reply when a sudden burst of pain hit him, throwing him into the air before he felt the ground slam against his back.

There they were.

Rolling over, he kicked out before the person could pin him down. There was a flash of color and Merlin registered that a human collapsed to the ground - the host of whoever had just attacked them. Getting a running start, he jumped into his demon form to possess whatever human they had abandoned. He would at least get a better scent on them if they didn't have their host. When his eyes opened again, he was thrown to the ground again.

"Too slow." Someone said and Merlin felt a stab of familiarity that seemed to dissipate as he was punched in the face.

"Son of-" He began and ditched the human host to just flat out rip the bitch's throat out. Only... Shit. "Leon!" He shouted, and sprinted over to shove him down before the black cloud could touch him. "HEY!" He spun around to try and face... He couldn't see well with the smoke zipping by so quickly, but he was all too aware that there appeared to be more than one. "For the love of freshly beating hearts... What do you want?" He asked, throwing up his hands before racing over to block Gwaine from getting possessed. "Can't you just talk things out like a reasonable - "

He was cut off by a cold stab of panic hitting his chest as he saw one of the figures launch himself at Arthur. Throwing his hand forward he felt a pulse of energy before the ground shook and the smoke momentarily disappeared altogether.

Huh.

Everyone froze. Merlin stared at his hand. Well then. His magic randomly got stronger. Interesting. The shock only lasted for a moment because the demons were back within seconds, this time heading directly towards him. Merlin readied himself before throwing himself back into the thick of things.

It must have looked strange to the humans. Clouds of black and gold twisting and racing in the sky - shattering trees and leaving cracks into the ground as Merlin was thrown back into human form back into the ground. He tried to use magic again but it was nowhere near as strong as the previous burst. Though occasionally it did a good job keeping the demons from getting too close. It was a tiring ordeal and admittedly Merlin was a little frustrated that Balinor and Mordred were just standing there. The humans were at least in a defensive position of some sort. Those two were just watching.

Though... Strangely enough there wasn't much for them really to do. While both - at least he was assuming there were two - kept persistently heading towards the humans they seemed to slow in order to ensure Merlin had enough time to block them. Even the order they left their host gave Merlin enough time to possess one, fight and continue on unscathed. It was almost like -

Merlin stopped fighting, reverting back to human form. Slowly, he turned to look at one of the hosts of the ground. A young man with brown hair and... Son of a bitch. Merlin hissed and clenched his fists, pulling out whatever magic he still felt in him to give a shuddering crack of thunder.

"Seir!" He hissed and spun around to face the other cloud "KANE!" He shouted and marched up to them "What the fuck?!" He spit out, face going bright red with furious outrage. There was a second where the world seemed to flood with a cold chill before the black smoke zipped into the abandoned hosts on the ground. Merlin walked over to kick one. "I'm going to claw your intestines out of you stupid throats!" He said and let himself be knocked back to the ground.

"Aw, you missed us."

"Why are you attacking me?!"

"Touchy. We were just saying hi." Another voice said and Merlin rolled his eyes, shoving the familiar host off of him to glare. He was assuming this one was Seir given he tended to like this one human as his host. Kane was behind him, now in a human host themselves. This time they were in a... really, really, really old woman. Merlin tilted his head. Didn't seem like the best host, but who was he to judge?

"I was low on time." Kane said flatly and held out a hand to help him up. Merlin scoffed.

"You look ridiculous." He said, dusting himself off. Seir gasped, shoving him a bit.

"Oh, look at me. I'm Emrys and I got bloody disowned and yet I tell other people they look ridiculous." He mocked and punched Merlin's shoulder. Hard. "By the hearts, Emrys. What have you been doing?" He asked and hit him again. "I'm going to kick your ass." He said seriously and turned to look at where the others. "Hello, Mordred." He called, raising an eyebrow. "Kali is looking for you."

"...oh." Mordred whispered and winced. "Is she mad?"

"What do you think?" Kane asked and walked over to the humans. Elyan rose a sword in warning, pushing himself to the front as both Arthur and Leon readied their own weapons. Gwaine waved. "Which one of you is Arthur?"

"Kane." Merlin said with an air of warning. Unfortunately, Seir had shoved his way past and was also eying the humans over. "Don't-"

"No, I want to meet the prince who has fucked everything up." Seir sneered and let his eyes flash black as he bared his teeth. "Emrys may not be inclined to kill you, but personally I will enjoy letting your kingdom watch me bathe in your blood." He smiled, licking his lips. "What do you think, Kane?" He asked. Leon made a cross over his chest.

"I'm actually a bit distracted by the infamous Balinor sitting a few feet away from us."

"Yeah, I was ignoring him, but I guess we can kill him too."

"You're not killing anyone!" Merlin said loudly and walked over to stand between them and the humans. Seir laughed. "I'm serious." He added and Seir stopped laughing. "I... Everyone," Merlin sighed and gestured around "Meet Kane and Seir. They're members of Kali's gathering." He told them. "Kane. Seir. This is Sir Leon, Gwaine, Prince Arthur, and Boy-Gwen."

"Elyan."

"Uh, right. Sure." Merlin shrugged, ignoring when the human closed his eyes. He turned the other two. "What are you even doing here?" He asked, trying and failing not to hide a smile. "I've missed you." He added, despite being thoroughly annoyed with the situation. Seir gagged.

"Emrys, please-"

"You didn't miss me?"

"I... Noted your absence." Seir muttered and when Merlin threw himself at him, went completely still. "What is this?"

"It's a human thing I learned. It's called a hug. I'm not killing you, see?" He said, squeezing. Kane watched the display torn somewhere between horror and fascination.

"Yes, well, let's leave that to the humans." Seir said, prying Merlin off of him. "And we are here for Mordred...Officially, anyways." He said and turned to where Mordred was standing. "Kali is going to burn you alive." He added bluntly. Mordred hissed in retaliation. "You're lucky you can only have the one host otherwise she would force you out of it and stuff you into a pine cone." He added. Meanwhile, Kane reached out to poke a finger at Merlin.

"Unofficially, we came to ask what you're doing." They growled. Merlin sighed. "Emrys. You had one job."

"I know."

"Now you're hanging out with the banished and... Humans?" They asked, gesturing to the brigade. "Though... I do like the look of that one." He added with an appreciative look towards Leon who gaped and stepped back. "His hair does the bounce thing!" They added joyously and punched Seir. "Look, his hair is kind of like Emrys' and does the bounce thing!"

"You're right! It looks like the inside of that rat!" Seir gasped in obvious delight and reached out to touch it. Leon slapped his hand away. "Hey. I just wanted to bounce it." He pouted and tried again. Leon hit his hand away again. Seir bristled. "Emrys, why is he doing this?" He asked and Leon cleared his throat.

"Because I don't want you to touch me, demon." He snapped and then frowned. "Also, calling my hair the inside of a rat isn't exactly flattering."

"Really? I thought I was being nice."

"You were, Seir. Humans are weird about that stuff." Kane said, eying Gwaine up and down with barely concealed curiosity. Unlike everyone else, Gwaine seemed at ease with the tension. In fact, he seemed genuinely excited by it.

"Thank you. See? I was being nice. Now let me bounce it before I kill you."

"Hey," Merlin said sharply "No. And before you ask, you can't keep Leon. He belongs to Camelot." He added while Leon nodded in fierce agreement at this. "Listen, Arthur plans on bringing back magic so we're taking him to Nimueh. He's doing something good so there's no reason to-"

"Who the Hell is Nimueh?" Seir asked and rose his hands "Nevermind. I don't care. Also... I don't care that your stupid prince is bringing back magic? He still sucks? Why do we care about magic?" He asked, gesturing from Mordred to Kane to himself. "Oh, right. We don't. In fact, the only reason anyone cares about magic is because someone - and, for the record, that someone is you - is supposed to use it to bring back the Gates of Hell. Except... Where...? I... I don't see any gates...." He frowned, pretending to look around. "No. Just a banished incubi and his disinherited son protecting the child of the man that blames every single one of his problems on us." He clicked his tongue, tilting his head. "So, no Emrys. We won't help you with whatever traitorous bullshit you have - what are you doing now?"  He groaned when Merlin picked up his bag and yanked out some items to throw over his shoulder.

"I got you presents!"

"No. Stop it. Don't - Emrys." Kane said, leaning away. "That better be a human head in that bag."

"It's pie!"

"You genuinely make me want to kill myself." Seir informed him dryly. Merlin held up the pie. "That wasn't a joke. I want to go home and you - I don't want the lie!"

"Pie." Merlin corrected and pushed more towards him. "Please? Just try it? It is really good!" He said and shuffled closer. "Please? Try it? Please. Please, try it. I promise I'll let you kill Boy-Gwen if you do-"

"Okay, what?" Elyan yelled, lowering he sword to stare at Merlin. "Come on!" He shouted and Merlin looked at Arthur who shook his head.

"Oh... You... You can't do that." He frowned and held the pie out hopefully to Kane. A few seconds went by before they finally sighed and took a bite. Merlin waited as the rest of the group seemed to lean in slightly, waiting for the response as Kane slowly chewed. Merlin waited, eyes widening a bit with hope.

"...It's disgusting." Kane finally said.

"HA!" Seir yelled as Merlin frowned and held the pie closer to his chest. Whatever. They didn't deserve pie. Scowling, he put it back in his bag as Gwaine put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Okay, now that we've established that this bie is gross-"

"Pie." Leon whispered quietly, but was ultimately ignored.

"Seir," Merlin interrupted and closed his eyes. "I need to get to Nimueh to figure out my magic. So I can bring back the gates, okay? Arthur is going there to see that magic is good and maybe even overthrow is father." He said, gesturing to him. "And I know that I'm disinherited and that there is no reason for you to help me. I've broken the pact and... And I've lost your loyalty... But these humans were bringing Mordred back to Kali. Balinor too." He added, swallowing. There was a long pause. "I grew up with you both and I still am trying to help you even after Kali's decision. So..." He looked down and took another breath. "Please?" He asked, voice falling at the end.

The pair glanced at one another. Merlin waited.

"You sound like a human." Kane finally said. Merlin looked at the ground. "You should have never gone with them. You lost yourself. Begging. You're begging."

Merlin looked away. He could feel his face burning with shame, trying in vain to push down the disgustingly human emotions rising in his throat. He tried to find the right response, but everything seemed to slip his mind until he felt someone push behind him.

"Who the Hell are you to say that?" Arthur's voice demanded. Merlin turned. "He's part human. Why do you expect him to be the same as you?" He asked, voice rising. "What matters is that he's helping you. Even after your precious demon leader thing kicked him out. He shouldn't owe you anything and he's still trying to help you. He's trying to help Mordred." He added, pointing behind him. "And he's tried to help everyone he's come across. So fuck you if you can't do the same." He said. Seir blinked, raising his hands in mocking surrender which only served to set Arthur off more. "And for the record, not every human has understood him, but so far none have abandoned him. Can your people say the same? If not then clearly we've figured out who the superior species is."

"...He means humans." Mordred whispered, leaning in to be sure Kane and Seir heard him. Balinor lightly pulled him back.

When someone finally spoke again, it was Kane as he grabbed Seir's shoulder tightly.

"Balinor. If you plan to escort Mordred back then your work is done. Seir and I are here. You are no longer needed." They said and Mordred grinned, perhaps sensing the same thing Merlin did. Balinor scoffed. "I hope this Nimueh is on the way to Kali, Emrys." He muttered, pushing past. Merlin bit back a smile. "And tell your human to stop acting as a tongueless young." They added under their breath. Arthur made a choking sound.

"Huh," Merlin noted, watching as they both started rummaging through people's bags as Leon began to loudly object "I don't think I've ever seen Kane like someone so fast."

"That was me being liked?" Arthur asked doubtfully. Merlin considered.

"Well... Let's just say if they were to kill you they would do in the most honorable way possible." Merlin said. Gwaine hummed, putting an elbow on Elyan's shoulder.

"What way is that?" He asked and Merlin laughed. Oh. They wanted an actual answer.

"I mean... Cutting off your toes and then slicing open your throat to put them down... You look very upset by this." Merlin said as Leon started to try and pull Arthur away. "Is this not an honorable way to kill in your culture?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, will you look at that. You learn something new everyday." He mused and shook his head. "Okay, then." He said and pointed at them. "Well, I'll let them know that."

"We're all going to die." Elyan muttered.

Drama human. Merlin went back to rubbing his horse’s neck, murmuring lowly to him about how foolish humans were and that he couldn’t believe he had some of their nonsense ways running through his blood. The horse whinnied in understanding. Merlin wondered how the stallion had managed to deal with humans so well over the years.

Considering Seir and Kane didn’t really arrive on horses themselves the trek seemed to slow down to accommodate them walking. Leon suggested many (many) times that they could split off, but the demons seemed far too amused by his discomfort to agree to this.

Arthur, on the other hand, had gone eerily quiet as he chewed on his lower lip, clearly deep in thought.

"Hey, vlǔj," He greeted and Merlin gave him a stern look with a nod at the others to remind him it wasn’t the best idea to use that nickname in front of demons. Arthur seemed nonplussed and merely trudged on so that his horse was walking slowly next to Merlin’s. "Do you remember what Morgause said?"

"I try to forget much of what angels tell me."

"About Balinor and my mother." He prompted. Merlin pursed his lips. "Do you think he would tell me what exactly the deal was?"

"Funnily enough, we don’t know each other that well." Merlin said and glanced at where Balinor was showing Mordred something or another while Seir and Kane attempted to drag him away with hisses and growl. "What’s it even matter? The deal was probably already carried out long ago."

"I want to know." Arthur said stubbornly "It’s important."

Merlin vehemently disagreed, but at this point... Arthur had been more than accommodating as of recent. Merlin could stand to support his trivial endeavors... Because monogamy. If... If that’s what that meant. He wasn’t really sure.

"Yeah, okay." Merlin sighed and stopped his horse. "Hey! You guys want to ride?" He asked, slipping off the stallion's back. Seir shrugged and skipped over to take the reins while Arthur dismounted to give his own horse to give to Kane. "Balinor, why don’t you give Mordred a turn?" He asked and watched as his father fixed them with a knowing gaze before switching places with the other demon.

"I feel as though I am to be interrogated." He greeted. Merlin smiled. "Thrilling." He said, voice completely deadpan. He reached down, picking up a stick to twirl it through his fingers as he waited.

"I want to know about my mother." Arthur finally said.

"Blonde. Blue eyes. A very blunt woman. She would have made a fine demon." Balinor said and Arthur pursed his lips.

"No. I meant that I know you made a deal with her for my life. I want to know the specifics." He said. From somewhere in front of them, Leon and Elyan stopped talking. Merlin wondered if Arthur had already updated them on the messiness of the situation or if they were just now hearing about it.

"I will not discuss that."

"Why not?" Arthur asked, voice tightening considerably. Balinor shrugged.  "Please," he said, stepping in front of Balinor. "I need to know exactly what the deal you made with her was." He said. Merlin shifted at the last note in voice. Desperate. Pained. Full of a regret that Merlin wasn't sure he could fully understand. Balinor paused at the question - eyes flicking to Merlin before going back to study Arthur's face.

"That was between me and your mother." He finally said. Arthur closed his eyes.

"I should know what exactly she died for."

"She died for you," Balinor scoffed and pushed past him "In every way that there is."

"What does that mean?" Arthur snapped, turning after him. He reached out and grabbed his arm. "Hey!" He said sharply "I only met her once and during that time I had to see your mark on her. I have a right to know why that is...And what exactly she sacrificed for me." He said, putting a hand on Balinor's shoulder. The demon stopped - halting the entire group's progress altogether. Merlin tensed as he waited for a response. He didn't want to fight his father immediately after meeting him, but he also wasn't afraid to.

"Hm," Balinor mused and sighed deeply. After a couple minutes of silence he shook his head. "Very well, human." He said and bent down to pick up another branch, rolling it between his hands "Though I fear you will cause much pain by demanding this answer." He warned. Arthur said nothing. Merlin hadn't really expected him to. After a couple minutes, Balinor shrugged. "You must get that from your father," He muttered and continued before Arthur could respond to that. "Your mother was aware that the Old Religion required a life for a life. Nobody knew whose life it would be in exchange for yours. She... Appealed to Nimueh in order to gain control over whose life would be chosen, but Nimueh said magic had little control over such things." He explained. Arthur nodded. "So then she turned to the demons. Most didn't want to help. After all, Uther wasn't exactly accommodating of our kind. He hunted us. Exorcised us. Argued to destroy our home." He said. Merlin nodded. This was all familiar. He could see Arthur getting antsy, sensing that the information he wanted was at his fingertips. "However, I was... Curious. I thought she was worth listening to. I told her that her life could be the one given for yours, but she would have to make a deal with me. Her life in exchange for something else."

"So it wasn't just my life for hers?"

"No," Balinor said "Think of it as a... A loophole of sorts. The deal made for your life had already been made. I could just control whose life it took by making a deal with that person. It could have been anybody." He said simply. Arthur's jaw tightened. "But she clearly wanted something more."

"Which was?" Arthur prompted. Balinor gave a humorless smile.

"For you to live." He said and stopped walking to fully face Athur. "Sure, your birth was guaranteed, but nothing more than that. She wanted to make sure you survived when you fought in wars. When you were targeted for assassinations. When you were struck with illness. The deal was that you lived until you were old and ragged." He said and Arthur stared.

"I... Don't understand. Am I protected by magic then?" He asked, voice thickening.

"It was a, uh, unique situation to be sure," Balinor told him flatly "Magic and demon deals... They are an odd mix to orchestrate the birth of one child. I wasn't really for sure how the deal would play out at first. Sometimes with these things you have to wait and see what the universe has planned." He said slowly and Merlin felt his heart suddenly stopped. "I knew I would figure it out though... I would know when it was my turn to hold up my end of the deal."

"Is that now?" Arthur guessed "Have you come to... Ensure my life?" He tried. "What exactly - Merlin?" He asked, suddenly cutting himself off. "Are you alright?" He asked, but Merlin wasn't looking at him. Betrayal was curling in his chest, cold and startlingly sharp. Balinor met his eyes and Merlin knew. "What's wrong with you?" Arthur asked, glancing between the two.

"You." He whispered and there was an unwavering note of pure hatred in his voice. "You did this to me."

The entire group stopped. Kane and Seir both looked warily at one another before discreetly getting into defensive positions. Merlin ignored them both.

"I had never meant for it to happen," Balinor said, voice oddly gentle "Your mother. I just... Found her. I didn't know." He said quietly. "But I knew when you were born..." He trailed off. Merlin's breath hitched. "You were part of the deal I was supposed to uphold."

A horribly long pause followed as Merlin tried to regain his bearings. He felt Arthur's eyes staring but he couldn't bring himself to look at him. Not now. Not after this. Not... Not...

"That's why I can't kill him," Merlin said and swallowed "Because I don't have a choice. I was made to protect him." He said. The previous coldness was being replaced with something hotter and more... More... He wasn't sure. He didn't know. It was confusing though and he hated it. "I thought I didn't want to hurt him." He said, more to himself than to anyone else around.

"Emrys-"

"This is why I exist?" He yelled and when Kane hesitantly took a step forward, growled, "I'm expected to bring back the gates. I'm expected to protect Arthur Pendragon. Then what? I've fulfilled my purpose. Do I mean nothing else?" He shouted and... And this was... This had to be the type of anger Kali was talking about... He could rip Balinor's throat out. He wanted to. No. No, he didn't because that wasn't a enough of a punishment. It couldn't be. After all Merlin had lived through. He had spent years trying to understand himself. To live as a fucking cambion among two species who hated one another only to find out... He was only a tool? To be used by both demons and humans alike? They each wanted one thing from him and then he meant nothing. He belonged nowhere. For the love of... He wasn't sure what could cause an equal amount of pain. Perhaps he should find Hunith. Balinor cared about her right? He had to have for him to exist.

Perhaps that would do. To drag her to Balinor and make him watch as he ripped her limb from fucking limb. So that he felt every. Single. Thing. Emrys had been forced to. For years. Years and years of pain. And Arthur. Emrys would ensure their stupid deal was for nothing because he was nothing. Nothing absolutely nothing -

"Merlin."

He blinked. Arthur was in front of him, hands placed on either side of his arms, fingers digging in tightly to his skin. Emr - No. What? Merlin shook his head clear. The anger was still there - hot and swirling - only now his mind seemed to have been jumpstarted back because there was a growing sense of horror rising in him. His mother... He would never hurt his own mother...

"Hey," Arthur's voice called to him again and one hand rose to his neck to Arthur's thumb ran over his jaw. "Breathe."

"Get off of me." He whispered, but Arthur didn't let go. Balinor stared with tauntingly red eyes, smile weak and disgustingly knowing. "Get off." He hissed and pushed him away. He needed room to breathe. To... Reevaluate. Maybe this didn't change anything... Or maybe it did. He didn't know. Just as he went to turn away another thought tugged at the back of his mind. Slowly, he went to look back at Balinor. "Kali." He whispered and Balinor waited. "Did... Did she know?"

Blissful relief bloomed in his chest when Balinor merely shook his head.

"If I told her she would have never let you near Camelot." He said and tilted his head "She might have even warned you."

Warned him. Warned him. Someone very well should have fucking warned him. Who were these... these beings pretending to be gods? Deciding how he felt about what? If Merlin had any idea what a whirlwind of violently human emotions Arthur Pendragon would have forced upon him...

He glanced over at the prince in question. Would have Merlin have come to Camelot? Or would he have avoided him at all cost? Surely Kali would have found another way for him to commit an act of wrath. He wouldn't have ever needed to have met him. He could have fulfilled his duty and gone home.

"She was the only one who really cared, wasn't she?" He asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Balinor frowned, but didn't answer. Because it was true. It had to be... And Merlin had let her down. He hadn't done the one thing she requested... Because he couldn't and... And... Fuck. Just...His mind couldn't even come up with a reasonable way to organize all of this information.

"Emrys," Seir cleared his throat and Merlin turned "This... Could be a good thing." He said slowly. "It sounds like you never, um, really stood a chance here." He said and Merlin growled. "I'm just saying once Kali understands that she might revoke the whole disinheritance thing."

"Yeah, but he still befriended an angel." Kane murmured.

"Half angel," Mordred corrected from his place by Gwaine's elbow "And she saved my life. Kali will take that into consideration."

Merlin stared. While, in truth, disinheritance was nowhere near as serious as banishment he had never considered that he would be thrown a lifeline to be put back in good graces so quickly... Could he return? They wanted him to return?

He looked over at Arthur who was staring at them all with tense shoulders and hands gripping his sword tightly as if it might help him in this moment.

"This... Isn’t the time for that discussion." He spoke slowly. Arthur gave him a tight smile. For some reason, it didn’t make him feel any better. Unfortunately for Arthur, he only had a second to really ponder over Merlin’s offer because Seir and Kane quickly moved on and slipped to either side of him, grinning dangerously.

"Hello, human prince.”

"You smell of death. Do you know that?” 

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked dryly as Kane poked an baffled Athur’s head.

"Trying to get to know your other half." Seir said with a shrug "If he's got to stay then we want to know more. Besides, we don't actually talk to humans that much." He mused and looked at Arthur with consideration. "Hey, do you know why your bodies turn weird colors?" He asked, pointing to where his arm was black and blue. "What does this mean?" He asked. Arthur looked at him.

"Um... That's a bruise." He said and Seir mouthed the word slowly before looking over at Kane who shrugged. "It happens when we're injured. Gaius says your vessels burst or something." He explained. At this Seir's eyes widened with awe as he gaped down at his arms.

"That's awesome." He decided and shook his head "They burst? And... Then what?"

"You wait for them to heal?"

"Wow," Kane said, looking suitably impressed "Humans are more durable than I thought. I want a bruise." They added thoughtfully, poking at their own fragile arm. Gwaine skipped over, squeezing between them all to walk backwards in front of the demons. At this, Seir and Kane cringed away, subtly moving a bit closer to Merlin. Arthur gave a slight frown as he looked over at Merlin who merely shrugged at the strange reaction.

"Hey," Gwaine greeted as if two demons hadn't just been cowering away from him "I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier-"

"Emrys." Seir said, grabbing his arm. "Get this human away."

"Oh, come on! I didn't mean to offend you!" Gwaine pouted. Huh. Elyan stopped in flipping through his stupid exorcism book to stare at the other man in wonder. "I was just saying we have some things in common! I... What's wrong with you?" He complained and turned pleading eyes onto Merlin. Despite the revelations of the day and utter exhaustion nagging at him... Merlin couldn't help but smile. He was beginning to see what the problem was. Humans tended to have limited reactions towards demons. Panic. Fear. Wariness at best - which, admittedly, was what the humans clearly were feeling now. Not Gwaine though. Gwaine seemed thrilled to have been invited on a roadtrip with demons and Merlin had no doubt that this was incredibly unsettling to Seir and Kane. 

"He's friendly." Merlin told them both and Gwaine nodded fiercely in agreement.

"Yes, we see that. Make him stop!" Kane hissed, using their hands to waft Gwaine away.

"This is a long trip, my friends." Gwaine said stoically as he threw an arm over Merlin’s shoulders “I suggest you accept the fact you will like me by the end of it." He said. Somehow there was an air of threat to these words. Kane subtly pushed Mordred out of the away.

"We can’t kill this one?" Seir asked skeptically. Merlin shook his head. “I would really like to kill this one.” He murmured.

Merlin gave a weak smile before turning at the feeling of someone's gaze on him. Sure enough, Arthur was staring. While it was clear everyone else was trying to bulldoze past recent events... Well, Arthur wasn't the type of person to ignore problems. He tilted his head - eyes painstakingly concerned. Are you alright?

Sure. Sure, Merlin was fine. Everything he thought he felt was a lie. Everything he thought he knew was wrong. He was fine.

Everything was fine.

"...hi again! Look at who I've brought!"

If Nimueh was surprised by Merlin's sudden visit she certainly didn't show it. She simply glanced up from where she was sprawled out across the grass of the clearing, surrounded by towering stones to sit up. She wasn't in the torn red dress that Merlin was used to seeing her in. Instead dressed in green and gold. She sat up, eyes flicking between Gwaine and Arthur before turning to him with a sigh.

"Perhaps I should have let you kill me." She greeted and fell back into the grass.

"I need your help."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'm not her favorite person," Merlin added to the group with a helpless shrug. "But she is very qualified. I promise." He said. At this, Nimueh sat back up again to scowl at them all with narrowed eyes.

"Qualified?" She repeated and got up, taking a few tentative steps forward before jutting out her chin. "If you think that I plan on giving aid to you and a Pendragon..." She trailed off, voice rising an octave or so higher with outrage. Merlin offered a bashful smile in return. "Go to Hell."

"I'm truly trying." Merlin said loudly and then wrinkled his nose. "Was that a literal or rhetorical-?"

"Get out." Nimueh cut him off, raising her hand. Merlin immediately raised both of his to reflect the burst of magic. Nimueh faltered - eyes widening ever so slightly as she studied him. He wanted to ask what she seemed so disturbed about, but before he had a chance there was a sharp burst of fire that seemed to appear from nowhere, knocking him back.

"Hey!" Gwaine's voice yelled loudly as Merlin felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see black smoke curling from his shirt, the tendrils dissipating into the air as he tried to waft them away. "Jeez, lady. Take it easy!" He said, yanking out his sword. Nimueh ignored him. Her eyes were fixed on Merlin.

"You've gotten stronger." She noted wryly before turning away. Merlin frowned and popped himself back on his elbows.

"You think so?" He asked casually - as if she hadn't just thrown fire at him. Luckily, his skin only remained charred for a moment before bubbling back to its normal paleness. Nimueh rolled her eyes. "Strong enough to fix the gates?" He called. Nimueh sighed, disregarding him entirely as she took a few steps towards Arthur.

"And what do you want?" She asked simply. Arthur's eyes flicked her over before moving back to Merlin. It was just as Merlin was dusting himself off that he noticed a figure standing off to the side. Nimueh followed his gaze. "Ah," She said and put her hands on her hips “That’s just-"

”LANCELOT?!" Merlin shrieked and held out his arms “Arthur! Look! It’s Lancelot!” He yelled. All previous frustration and anger seemed to zap out of him, leaving only an overwhelming swirling of excitement.

"You know one another?" Nimueh asked and Merlin made a bunch of noises that really didn’t mean anything  

“Yeah! That’s Lancelot!”

"I wonder," Elyan said flatly “Who that could be.”

"Lancelot!" Merlin said, uncertain how he had missed this “It’s Lancelot!”

"Hello, Merlin.” Lancelot laughed, stepping out with a wave. His eyes wandered of the probably very bewildering group before moving back to Nimueh. “What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well. It’s kind of a long story. Arthur learned his father is a bit unhinged so he wants to talk to Nimueh about magic to see if it is worth being legalized and overthrow his father for genocide and what not. Seir and Kane are from my gathering and are here to escort Mordred back home after he came to Camelot with my vanished father once he learned I was disowned. Leon and Elyan - who is Boy-Gwen - are here to make sure we don’t kill one another and also are trying to keep Arthur and I from monogamying and Gwaine pretended to kidnap Morgana.” He finished. Lancelot blinked. “What are you doing here?" He asked, ignoring when Nimueh crossed her arms over her chest impatiently.

”These are apparently important ruins. My friend is a pagan and wanted to stop by to pray. Hey Percival!” He called over his shoulder “Come meet my friend Merlin!” He said and from another column of ruins came the biggest human Merlin had ever seen. Kane’s eyes widened greedily, whispering lowly to Seir as Gwaine tilted his head with an air of consideration.

"Hi.”

"Hi!” Merlin greeted happily “Are you a sorcerer too?” He asked, gesturing to Nimueh. The giant - or Percival as Lancelot had called him - glanced over at where the witch in question was watching with heavy irritation before shaking his head.

”Afraid not. I’m just a supporter of the Old Religion. Not very inclined to magic.” He said and Merlin frowned. Well. That was unfortunate. Merlin needed more magical friends. Though if Lancelot liked him then that was a good vote of confidence overall. "Lancelot mentioned you.” He added and Merlin beamed. Really? Lancelot talked about him? Lancelot did?

"Not that this isn’t fun,” Arthur finally said and cleared his throat “But we do have business to attend to.”

Oh. Right.

”Yes, you and Nimueh can talk. I’ll watch Lancelot.” Merlin said, skipping over to his friend. “I have so much to tell you.” He added to the man “I decided not to kill Arthur."

"I was unaware you planned to kill Arthur at all."

"Oh. Well. I was planning to kill Arthur." Merlin explained and frowned "Though turns out I might not be able to due to the fact I have no free will and everything I thought I understood about life was a lie." He added on. Lancelot blinked again.

"Do... You want to talk about that?" He asked and Merlin shrugged. He had missed Lancelot. 

Merlin was a fan of Percival. Another one onto the list of favorite humans for sure. Sure, he didn't talk much, but he was wonderful at letting Merlin talk and nodding in the right places. He seemed to understand the nuances of the situation quite well... Or maybe he was just agreeing with him enough to reassure Merlin. Either way, he approved.

"Wow," Lancelot said, eyes flicking to where Arthur and Nimueh were in begrudging conversation. Nimueh didn't seem thrilled with the situation. Her fingers kept twitching as she leaned away from Arthur. However, with Seir and Kane looming by and Elyan and Leon flanking either side with their swords... She seemed less inclined to attack. As the conversation continued, the tension did seem to slip away, but Merlin could see a guarded look behind her eyes. "That's kind of a lot, Merlin." Lance continued and Merlin gave a tight smile.

"Yeah, well, that's my life." He said and looked down at his hands. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do." He admitted quietly, the words bouncing off of the stone ruins. It was more true than he wanted to admit. "Well, I know what I'm supposed to do." He laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair. "I think." He added under his breath. "I'm really counting on Nimueh to help me with my magic relatively quickly... Do you think she will?" He asked. Percival snorted.

"You just brought her a prince willing to free her people," He said and Merlin tilted his head "I think she'll forgive you for not killing Uther." He said. Merlin nodded. Right. Good point. Great point. This... That should make him feel better, right? Everything was falling into place. His eyes glanced to Arthur.

"Can I ask you a favor?" He asked suddenly and then turned to Percival "You too, actually." He said. Both nodded. "Good-"

"Alright, your turn, vlǔj." Arthur said, standing up. His face seemed oddly blank considering the conversation he had just had was probably an incredibly somber one. Merlin didn't have too much time to consider that though. Not with that word passing through his lips despite Merlin's warnings not to use it in front of bloody demons. As expected, the reaction was instant. Seir and Kane were both growling - one rushing over to pull Merlin away while the other went towards Arthur, only stopped as he rose his blade in the air.

"What did you just call him?!" Seir hissed, claws forming as he raised them high above Arthur's throat. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?! Don't ever say that again!" He yelled, pushing him away. Merlin tried to respond, but Kane's arm was blocking him. Maybe... Maybe it was because of what Balinor said, but for whatever reason he couldn't find the energy to push his way back to him. If anything there was a weird emptiness in his chest as he watched Arthur's eyes flicker with confusion.

"Easy." Balinor finally said and press a hand against Seir's chest. "He didn't mean it like that."

"I... I don't even know what it means-"

"Then why did you say it?!" Seir shouted, trying to step towards Arthur again. Balinor kept himself between the two. "Don't ever say that to a demon, you fucking bloodbag. Especially not to him!" He growled, practically spitting on him as he spoke. Merlin closed his eyes. "Understand?" He added lowly. Arthur didn't answer. He was too busy looking at Merlin. There was confusion there and... Well, he hated it. He hated it. "Hey!"

"I got it!" Arthur snapped back and shook his head. "What does it mean?" He asked, but nobody answered. "Let go of me." He snapped and shoved Seir away from him. Baffled eyes turned to where Merlin was trying and failing not to look guilty. The other demons were staring openly at him, probably not at all confused on who had taught Arthur that word. Swallowing, Merlin glanced at where Mordred was watching him silently.

"Maybe you should start heading back with Kane and Seir-" He said, but Mordred shook his head.

"Why did he call you that?" He asked and Merlin closed his eyes. "You're not supposed to feel that way." He whispered, shaking his head. "You're going to end up like your father!" He hissed, voice rising slightly. "Why would you let him say that?" He growled and Merlin felt his previous composure falter. "I know you don't have a choice-"

"It is a choice!" Merlin snapped even though that definitely shouldn't be the argument he took. Mordred bit his tongue. "Look, it's complicated-"

"It's not. Your human side likes him. Your demon side should not." Mordred said coldly and Merlin glowered. "Even the angel saw that!" He said lowly. Merlin stopped. Angel? He stared at Mordred, trying to process that. Mordred's eyes widened a bit before his fingers went to the strings of his cloak, fiddling a bit with the tie. Thoughts of the swirling colors filled Merlin's mind... The brief flashes of Morgana's vision still burned into his memory.

"Did Morgana say something to you?" He asked. Mordred turned away. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked a bit more forcefully. Mordred groaned and closed his eyes. "Tell me!" He said, shaking him a bit. "What did she say to you?" He asked. He looked over his shoulders - Balinor was the only one watching them. "Mordred-"

"She knows the truth." Mordred whispered and Merlin shook his head in confusion. "About her parents."

"Yes, she's part angel. So? That-"

"No," Mordred interrupted. "Not that part." He said. Merlin waited. What was he even talking about? Before he could press more there was a hand on his shoulder. Arthur. He internally sighed as he turned to find the prince watching him.

"Not going to talk to Nimueh?" He prompted and jerked his head towards the sorceress.

"It can wait." He said numbly and Arthur nodded. If Merlin thought that was going to get him out of a conversation was... Very wrong. On the contrary, Mordred used the distraction to escape so that he and Arthur were shunted off to the side, hidden by the a crumbling archway above them. Merlin stepped away from it, idly drifting towards the edge of the island where the moat was surrounding them. Arthur followed.

"Merlin," He said quietly and Merlin stopped walking. "What does vlǔj mean?" He asked, putting a hand on his forearm. "I thought you were joking when you said it was bad." He added and Merlin gave a wry laugh. "Seriously. What have I been calling you?" He asked and Merlin bit his lip.

"It...It's a, um, sacred word among demons. It is also the only word universal in all of our languages." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "The closest translation would be Hell." He said, hoping to leave it at that. Arthur stared. "We only use it... It isn't usually applied to...People." He said and Arthur frowned.

"I've been calling you...Hell?" He asked slowly.

Ugh. He didn't get it. Humans.

"You've been calling me home." Merlin told him quietly and offered a weak smile. "To demons, there is... Nothing more important than that. To suggest that someone is..." He laughed and bit his lip. "It could get me banished to suggest such a thing and I'm already walking on a... Very thing line." He whispered, tilting his head up to the sky, staring at the stars dotting above them. "That's why they were so pissed. It sounds a lot like love and we don't really do that." He admitted. Arthur frowned, looking away before turning back and resting his hand on Merlin's neck.

"But you do?"

Merlin didn't answer. He couldn't. He couldn't. He just stared, trying to keep everything in him from not spinning out of control into a tornado of chaos of emotions and pain and confusion and...Human. Maybe Arthur sensed this because he gave a small smile and nodded as if he understood something Merlin didn't.

"Let's use a different word. A demon approved one."

"Yeah?"

"Sure," Arthur shrugged "I... Tolerate you." He said and Merlin had to bite back a grin.

"I do tolerate you."

"Make you second guess your devout pacifist ways, do I?"

"Just a bit, maybe." Merlin laughed and closed his eyes. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Fuck. This was... This was not good... And not for the reasons he originally thought. "Hey, did... Morgana say anything strange to you? Before we left?" He asked. Arthur shrugged.

"We had a short conversation about the angel thing." He said apparently not thrown by the change in topic. "And, she sent a bird earlier with an update on how things are going back at the castle." He added, reaching into his bag to pull out a slip of parchment. Merlin felt his skin prickle uncomfortably. He hadn't noticed that. "She's been speaking to her sister and stuff. All good." He said.

"She's been speaking to Morgause?"

"Yeah, I guess." Arthur told him and tilted his head "I know she's an angel, but they are siblings. Besides, Morgause hasn't quite proven herself to be an enemy for that to be a concern-"

"I don't trust her." Merlin muttered and paced a bit, running a hand through his hair. "Arthur..." He said and bit his lip. "You might need to get back to Camelot sooner than we thought." He said. Arthur laughed. "I'm serious."

"Why?"

"Because if Uther acts out while you're gone then Morgana might-" He started and cut himself off. Arthur waited. "Morgause is going to convince her to do something." He said slowly. "I’m missing part of her vision. It must have meant something.” He muttered, continuing his pacing. Arthur watched.

"I think you’re being a bit paranoid."

"Just..." He began. "Did you get what you came here for?” He asked and Arthur’s jaw clenched. “Did you?”

"Yes." Arthur said shortly "She told her side of the story. I’ll need to confront my father but... If that goes how I expect then I’ll need more help figuring out these waters." He admitted and crossed his arms over his chest as Merlin made his way closer to the bank “But you aren’t finished here-“

"I’m not going back with you," Merlin said, staring at the water. Arthur froze. "Nimueh will teach me how to strengthen my magic. Hopefully it will be enough to fix the gates and get my family home." He said, still keeping his eyes firmly planted in front of him. Arthur gave something of a scoff and looked around.

"I... But you have time to do that after I speak to my father," he said “I can help you. We can go back to Nimueh later-"

"No."

"No -? Why?" Arthur frowned, pulling impatiently at his arm.

"I think you can deal with your daddy issues without me." Merlin told him dryly, shrugging him off as he ran a his through his hair. Arthur’s eyes flashed.

"It’s like that is it?" He asked, jutting out his chin. "Sounds like you can’t deal with yours considering you’re trying to run away."

“What’s that supposed to mean?"

“My mother. Your father. You can’t really still be upset over that," He said as if the whole thing hadn't been a few hours ago "It doesn’t mean anything-"

"Of course it does," Merlin groaned and took a long breath. His magic seemed to want to bubble up. To thrash and... and something. "How can you even say that?" He asked, shaking his head "This doesn’t bother you?"

"Um... No?"

"But it isn’t real, Arthur!" Merlin shouted, tugging at his hair "Anything I felt or... Or thought I felt for you..." He trailed off "It isn’t real. It’s just the magic of whatever deal my father made with your mom." He said and closed his eyes, taking a long breath. Arthur, damn him, had the audacity to laugh. “What now?"

“Is there a circle of Hell for selfishness?” He asked wryly and Merlin stared. "Because I’m still waiting for you to ask me how I feel about it." He said. Merlin opened his mouth, but Arthur had already beaten him there. "Listen, I get that this is confusing for you, but I’m not bound by any magical contract and I want you with me."

"You don’t know that’s true."

"Even if it isn’t, so what?" Arthur groaned "It doesn’t change anything. There’s nothing we can do. Is free will a huge priority to you or something?" He asked. Merlin looked away. He didn’t know how to answer, quite honestly. He wasn’t sure himself. "Just get on the horse and let’s go-"

“No," Merlin shook his head “Stop it! You’re confusing me-"

“It isn’t a confusing matter!"

"I need to take care of my family. What you do from here on it doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to get the gates fixed and then try to find a way to join them, okay? I can’t keep... Poisoning myself with these human emotions-"

"You said you didn’t want to choose a side.”

“Yeah, well, I am." Merlin told him harshly. Arthur shook his head. "Go. Everyone is waiting on you." He nodded. Arthur didn’t budge. "I made my decision."

"I’m the prince. I might be king soon. It might be a good idea to listen to me."

"I’ve never cared about that.”

“Well, do you care about me?"

That wasn’t necessary. At all. Merlin couldn’t think of a more unfair thing to say given the circumstances. He pointed at Arthur.

“Don’t."

"So that’s it then? You’re done? That quickly?" Arthur asked and Merlin gave a shrug. “Yeah, of course, you are. What a typical demon move.” He muttered. “Well, you’re going with the right side." 

“Like you know anything about demons.”

“Well, you apparently lied about the loyalty part.”

"Arthur..."  He sighed, but whatever else he might have said was silenced by Arthur turning away. It was what he wanted... but at the same time it felt like someone had plunged a knife deep into his stomach, twisting and writhing. "Not everyone is going to always choose you!” Merlin called after him. It probably wasn’t necessary to say... And Merlin wasn’t sure he even meant it because.... Well. It didn’t matter now. He did feel a stab of satisfaction at seeing Arthur go eerily still before spinning back around to march back.

It was a familiar position. Them nose-to-nose. Inches away. Close enough that Merlin could feel his breath against his skin and hear his heart thrumming loudly in his chest.

"I don’t think the problem was ever you choosing me." He said, voice low and dangerous in a way Merlin had rarely heard it before. It was enough to send a shiver down his back. "Enjoy Hell. Hope you find whatever you’re looking for there." He added a bit sarcastically as he pushed him away. 

"Hey," Merlin snarled at his retreating back "Look at me. Arthur." He snapped sharply and Arthur’s eyes met his. "This. Whatever this is," He said, gesturing between the two of them "It’s over. Okay? It’s over.”

Arthur stared at him before finally just nodding.

"See you around, vlǔj." 

Merlin honestly wasn’t sure if the ruins crumbling down was an Earthquake or magic.

"You've been quiet." Nimueh said, holding out a cup of tea. Merlin wasn't sure how she got tea within these ruins... Or even a cup. Magic, probably. He accepted it with a grimace. "I get the feeling that is an unnatural state for you." she said. Merlin let out a slight outtake at that. Somewhere between a laugh and a scoff.

"I... Had a chance," He said, running a thumb over the rim of the steaming liquid. "To join my family. Commit an act of wrath. Go home." He murmured and looked at the ground to shake his head. "Everything is so confusing." He mumbled and turned to glance at Nimueh. "I'm sorry I didn't kill Uther. I should have." He told her. Nimueh pursed her lips. Merlin wondered how she hadn't managed to kill her king given all of her power.

"In the end... I'm sure a demon will come along and kill him if Arthur doesn't do it himself." She mused. "Or maybe another magic user. I'm sure your Kali might break and do it herself." She added, bumping his shoulder. "But I'm sorry you won't be able to join them when Hell comes back." She said. Merlin laughed.

"If it comes back. My magic might not be as strong as they say."

"It is." Nimueh said without a beat of hesitation. Merlin rose an eyebrow. "You're just choosing to cut it off."

"Please," Merlin muttered "I've been trying to strengthen it." He said and Nimueh shook her head. "I've been trying for months now. None of what Gaius has taught me really did much." He grumbled, putting his chin on his knees. He just didn't get it. His magic was so hit or miss and... Some consistency in his life might be nice. Nimueh tilted her head back before standing up and holding out her hand. Okay... Merlin took it, letting her pull him up.

"Come here." She said and shoved him towards the water. "I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear."

"...that appears to be a common theme in my life." Merlin muttered but walked to the bank without objection. Nimueh held out her hand, letting the water fly to her palm before nudging Merlin to do the same. He reached out but the water only rose as a sort of messy column. Merlin sighed.

"You should have gone with Arthur." Nimueh said. Merlin felt a stab at that. Before he could label any of the emotions he was distracted by the water suddenly gathering itself into a ball and flying to the palm of his hand. Nimueh nodded. "Demons can't use magic. They've never been able to." She reminded him and clenched her fist so the water burst into mist. "Humans can."

Merlin clenched his own fist and watched a bit numbly as it also dissipated into mist.

Oh no.

"What... Are you implying?" He asked. Nimueh just looked at him. "They say it took hundreds of sorcerers to break the gates. That's a lot of magic and if I can only use my human side to control it..." He said and shook his head. "There's no way." He said and shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" She asked calmly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Merlin didn't answer. Instead he stared in front of him, trying to pretend for just a moment that his life made sense. He thought back to Morgana's vision... To Nimueh haggard and covered in blood and... He shook his head. Whatever the vision was... It wasn't anything. It was fine. "Alright," Nimueh said when he didn't respond. "If you want to do things the hard way then let's go."

"What?" Merlin asked and glanced up "You're really going to teach me?"

"I'm going to try. It won't work if you let you keep thinking like a demon though." She warned and held out her hand. Immediately the cup from Merlin's other hand vanished. "Which is why I should warn you," She added and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you do this and manage to become powerful enough to restore the gates, you'll be too human to join your family as one of them." She said.

Merlin wasn't sure what the fuck he had been expecting.

"Well, at least I can then carry out my human task of keeping Arthur Pendragon alive." He muttered bitterly. Nimueh's lips twitched. "All the human feelings I thought I had weren't even real." He told her and dusted off his hands so he could stand up. Nimueh looked him up and down.

"They might have been orchestrated," She said slowly and then shook her head "But that doesn't mean they weren't real."

Somehow... That made Merlin feel worse.

Chapter Text

"Hey... Not bad."

Merlin laughed, fingers hovering over water as he watched the waves shift into a whirlpool, deepening into a purplish color before he clenched his fist. Immediately, the water calmed - righting itself so it was still and blue once more.

"It's more of a party trick... but fun," he said, glancing up at where Nimueh was watching with an air of approval. "Yesterday I lifted the whole moat into the air," he reminded her. Nimueh snorted, though they both knew it was impressive. "Do you think I'm ready to go back to Kali?" he asked, leaning back into the grass. Nimueh hummed, walking over so she was directly above him, looking down.

"Almost... Though I worry being around her might be more of a hindrance," she warned and knelt down on the ground next to him to poke his forehead "Human," she said simply. Merlin pursed his lips. "Is it possible to bring back the gates without being around any demons?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No... Kali always said they appear where the largest concentration of demons are. So, technically speaking, for me to even fix them I would need to be around hundreds of demons," he said with a grimace, swirling his finger so the water spun around. "Could I really lose access to my magic so easily?" he asked, stomach twisting at the thought. Using his magic had become... cathartic in a way. It felt like breathing right after being forced into water. Things just came easily. It was natural. Relaxing. A part of himself he hadn't even known he was hiding. He found himself suddenly understanding the hatred of demons among humans. After all, if tapping into his demon side meant losing access to this ... Well. Maybe there was something wrong with it after all. 

He almost always immediately felt guilty afterwards, but the thought still wormed its way into the back of his mind.

"I'm not sure," Nimueh said and tucked a leg under her, "I must admit I have never met a cambion who dabbled in magic."

Merlin wondered vaguely if she had ever met a cambion in general, but decided there were more important questions. Sighing, he withdrew his hand, letting the water go back to its normal form as he turned to look at the sorceress.

"Thank you," he said, brows furrowing as he tried his best to think of how to make his voice as genuine as possible. "You didn't have to do any of this."

Nimueh tilted her head. After a few seconds of studying him over, she smiled and reached up to tap his chin fondly.

"You're annoying," she told him and lowered her hand, "But... not quite as horrid as I had once thought. Perhaps our time spent together was not wasted."

"Aw, how sweet of you." Merlin snorted and laid back into the grass, inhaling the sharp scent of honeysuckle and moss. "You're a bit of a bone yourself," he said. Nimueh stared down at him. "Uh... That's not a human one?" he asked. Nimueh shook her head. "Honestly, how do you even communicate?" he asked with a click of his tongue. There was a pause as Nimueh seemed to be patiently waiting for something... Granted, she was correct because there was something Merlin dearly wanted to ask her, but he was having trouble finding the right words.

"Has... Arthur written to you about becoming his court sorceress?" he asked casually.

"I haven't heard a word from Camelot since he left with the others," Nimueh told him. It had been a solid month since the initial trip. Seir and Kane had taken Mordred home, Balinor disappeared once more, and Arthur had taken the rest of the humans back to Camelot. Lancelot had been less than thrilled to leave Merlin behind, but fully supported Merlin staying to learn how to better his magic. Eventually, Merlin convinced him that Arthur may need his help back in Camelot... Or so he had thought. There hadn't really been much communication since. Well, on Arthur's end anyway. No word that he had taken Uther off the throne. That Morgause wasn't using her angelic wiles to mess up Arthur's rule. Nothing.

Which was probably fair... Merlin had told him to take care of his own problems after all. He had just figured Nimueh might get an update was all.

"I'm sure he'll hold up his end of the bargain," Merlin reassured her. Nimueh tilted her head, eyes dancing over his expression.

"Perhaps you can ask him tonight," she prompted. Merlin internally winced. There was an underhanded scolding there. Nimueh had cautioned him against dreamwalking. It was an incubi trait, which wasn't exactly helpful for keeping him in touch with his human side... but really. If Arthur was going to completely cut off communication, could Merlin really be expected to just... sit there?

"I use my magic," he said, propping himself up on his elbows, "To make it so he doesn't ever know I'm there."

"You're getting better at balancing your demon abilities and magic," she told him with a shrug, "But you're still playing with fire. The least you could do is make your gamble worthwhile."

"Seeing him is worthwhile!" Merlin objected immediately and then flushed "Even if he doesn't know I'm there," he said, letting his words grow quiet towards the end. Nimueh rolled her eyes, but didn't argue as she stood up, dusting her dress off of dirt before glancing over her shoulder towards the ruins. A frown touched her lips as she stared at the skyline for a moment, but she quickly shook her head.

"Well, I'm going to gather some berries," she told him and swished her hand so a cloak appeared from the air, "I'll leave you to spy," she added, voice dripping with exasperation. Merlin hissed at her in annoyance as she walked away, wrinkling his nose. Nimueh was not a favorite human... Well. Not right now at least. He couldn't ignore the fact that she taught him about magic and other human things. Still, she was annoying . Most humans were, but she was an impressive amount of annoying even among the norm.

He missed Gwen. Gwen was nice... And Gaius . Even though Gaius was utterly terrifying with his casual disapproval and ability to mend fragile human bodies, Merlin found he had been a good companion to help him navigate the murkiness of humanity. And, of course, Lancelot. He missed Lancelot. And Morgana. And Boy-Gwen. And Gwaine. And even Leon... Though he was pretty sure the feeling most certainly wasn't mutual. And...

" Anwalédug."

Out of all the spells Nimueh had taught him... this was probably the most useful. He hadn't mastered it within the real world... but within the realm of dreams and visions it held up well. He glanced down at his hands, giving a low hum of approval as the opacity of his skin seemed to drain away, leaving only a blurred outline among the grass. He glanced up to the end of the lake, noting the long figure sitting at the bank.

"Arthur," he greeted, though the words seemed to disappear from the world the second they left his mouth. Arthur didn't respond. Another sign the spell was working. Merlin sighed. He had tried a few times to work up the courage to actually visit Arthur in his dreams. However, every time he came the spell seemed to take over him... fear curling in his stomach and fingers going numb with a sense of overwhelming nervousness. This worked though... sort of. "You look horrible," Merlin frowned as he stepped closer to where Arthur was sitting.

Merlin had tried to figure out what exactly was going on in Camelot based on Arthur's dreams, but each time... Well, Arthur just wasn't dreaming about whatever was happening in his life. Or it was vague enough so that Merlin was left completely in the dark. Quite honestly, Merlin was a little confused as to how he could get inside this dream at all, considering it was the middle of the day and Arthur had absolutely no reason to be asleep.

"I know," Arthur said suddenly and Merlin jumped. "I look horrible."

Could he hear him? Merlin glanced down at his hands - panicked before realizing Arthur was staring at his reflection in the lake in front of him. He waited.

"I don't know what to do," he said, voice going low enough that Merlin had to lean in to hear him. "Where are you?" he asked, standing up to pace. Merlin frowned. "Do you even know what time it is here? It's the middle of the bloody day, and I am still drinking bloody sleeping drafts to try and see you, angel," he muttered. Merlin blinked. This was new. He had noticed that Arthur always seemed to be asleep whenever Merlin tried to visit him, but... It hadn't occurred to him that was on purpose. "You don't find it the least bit concerning you haven't heard from anyone? Or you just don't care?" he asked, pacing up and down the bank, sending water spraying everywhere. Merlin frowned. "It isn't her fault... They tricked her," Arthur muttered and ran a hand through his hair.

"Tricked who?" Merlin asked. His words were immediately sucked from the air. Oh. Right. "Dangas," he whispered and watched as his skin rippled for a moment, color slowly sinking back into place. "Arthur," he greeted and the prince spun around. "What's wrong?"

A pause.

"...are you real?" he asked and Merlin nodded. Arthur considered this for a moment before promptly walking over, grabbing his shirt, and shoving him into the lake. Typical.

Arthur's dreams were obnoxiously detailed so he wasn't terribly surprised when he felt the water actually soaking into his clothes, cold and demanding. He glared before raising his hand in return. A ball of water rose and splashed Arthur in the face.

Now, Merlin was no expert on how to handle humans or relationships... or human relationships, but based on Arthur's face this was a particularly bad move (which seemed unfair because he definitely started it). This theory was only further amplified by the dream changing around them, morphing from a lake to Arthur's chambers. Merlin glanced around, but his attention was soon diverted by a sword being pointed at his neck.

"Could I kill you in here?" Arthur asked darkly. Merlin jutted out his chin.

"Try." He challenged. Arthur didn't move. "It's nice to see you too," he finally said and Arthur threw down the sword in disgust. "You said you were in trouble. What's wrong?" Merlin asked impatiently, stepping towards him. Arthur pushed him away. "I - are you hurt?" he asked and grabbed Arthur's arm. "You were just complaining that I was gone and now that I'm here you don't want to talk to me?"

"I forgot how pissed I am at you," Arthur muttered. "What even was that? You just appeared? Were you here the whole time?" he asked. Merlin opened his mouth. This felt like a trap no matter what the answer. Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You were, weren't you? Just fucking hiding?" he asked and shoved him again. "Coward," he hissed. Merlin rolled his eyes. For the love of the cursed. This guy.

"I missed you too."

"Oh?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow as he collapsed onto his bed, "Better be careful, Emrys. After all, those aren't genuine feelings," he said bitterly, lying on his back to stare at the canopy above him. Merlin sighed. Yeah... He probably deserved that. "That doesn't matter. I need your help," Arthur continued, his voice suddenly devoid of any anger and instead tinted with an air of resignation.

"What's wrong?"

"Mordred," Arthur said quietly and Merlin let his eyebrows furrow together at that. Mordred was with Kali now, right? He had assumed no news was good news on that front. "You were right about Morgause... and maybe angels in general," he sighed, running a hand over his face. Merlin stepped closer to the bed to look down at him. "She's convinced Morgana it's her right to rule due to her bloodline."

"Her being an angel doesn't put her above your father's blood-"

"Well, it turns out she has that too," Arthur said. Merlin stared. "I wondered why my father could ever be so cavalier in killing all those magic users when the fault remained his. There's my answer. How could Uther Pendragon be corrupt when he attracted the heart of an angel?" he said, wiggling his fingers sarcastically. Merlin closed his eyes. Damnit.

"Morgana's father wasn't Gorlois."

"Nope," Arthur said and sat up, "She's my older sister," he muttered. Merlin paused.

"Your… sister," he repeated and frowned. "So, she's... You're part angel?" He asked, a little aghast. Arthur groaned. "All this time you've been Boy-Morgana," he gasped. Arthur stared at him, the annoyance coming off him in waves.

"Half-sister, Merlin. We aren't the same person. Different mothers," he said tightly. Merlin shrugged. If he said so. "Technically, the fact she is illegitimate should dismiss her from the throne entirely, but given that she's part angel... I guess that means it is a sign from God that she is Camelot's rightful heir," he said and buried his face in his hands. "Which I might even buy if it wasn't for Morgause," he added, twitching. Merlin bit his tongue. Okay... Alright. He tried to piece what he had together. His earlier conversation with Morgana made sense now. She found out about her heritage and Morgause manipulated her into trying to steal the throne. Okay... But Mordred knew too. That must have been what he was trying to tell him before. Only Merlin wasn't sure what Mordred had to do with anything involving angels and humans.

"Are you okay?" he repeated finally, letting the other question remain in the air. "Have they hurt you?"

Arthur's eyes moved towards him. Merlin felt a little guilt at seeing such wariness looking back at him. Like he truly wasn't sure whether he should answer that or not. Finally, he opened his mouth only for there to be a low rumbling. Merlin froze. He wasn't sure if that was coming from Arthur's world or his own. This was immediately answered when Arthur's dream vanished, leaving Merlin in mass of black as the rumbling grew louder. He went to call out to Arthur, but he was gone too.

"Merlin."

And that definitely wasn't his voice.

"Merlin."

And the rumbling wasn't gone either... Maybe it hadn't been coming from where Arthur was after all?

"Emrys, wake up!"

Merlin jolted up. The water in front of him was whirling dangerously, splashing against the banks of the moat as waves, despite being confined to such a small space. Merlin scrambled up, trying to figure out where Nimueh's voice had been coming from. He heard a string of curses followed by some hissing that was... Well. Curses, but like... the magical kind. Not the fun kind. Slipping, he tried to get up, but there was a torrent of rain that fell onto the ground, flooding the ruins. Merlin cursed.

Mother. Fucking. Angels.

Merlin growled lowly. Lesser known fact about angels: they have their own circles. Or, well, technically they were called spheres because they were pompous pricks, but same idea. They're named after planets because angels are stupid and obviously they had to crow that they had planets or whatever. The point was that Morgause smelled disgustingly of the sixth sphere: Jupiter. Aka, the 'Justice' tribe of angels. As usual, there was a double standard. When angels cry 'justice', it means the punishment was earned. When demons yell 'revenge', then suddenly their wrath is unreasonable and excessive. In truth... There was much overlap between angels and demons. Demons of wrath were particularly good fighters who were able to use the Earth to their advantage... A fun little skill that Merlin, who was never officially accepted into the fifth circle, never got to have. Angels of Jupiter were particularly good fighters, who used the sky to their advantage.

So who could this possibly be?

"MORGAUSE!" he shouted and growled lowly. From nowhere, a hand shot out to yank him down.

"Don't you dare ," Nimueh's voice hissed at him. Merlin blinked. "If you change into your demon form now, then all the work we did on your magic will be lost-"

"I can balance it!" he told her, raising his voice to yell over the rain and thunder. A strike of lightning hit one of the ruins, sending rocks crumbling down into bits and pieces by then. Nimueh tugged him away, hands slipping with the rain. "You're hurt," he added, noting the blood that was getting washed away from the side of her cheek. Nimueh ignored him.

"You don't have much time!" she shouted and threw her hand forward so that a blue orb glowed out in front of her. Merlin stared. This felt familiar... It was familiar. He had seen this before he was sure. It was at the tip of his tongue. Nimueh kept focus, letting the orb grow bigger as it seemed to suck the rain and lightning from the sky. "I taught you everything I know," she continued, not looking at him. "She wants you dead for it."

"Morgause?" Merlin asked and a low rumble answered. "I'm part demon, she can't kill me-"

"Are you sure about that?" Nimueh asked, flinching a bit as the orb continued to suck the wind and lightning around them. Merlin opened his mouth and promptly closed it. No. He wasn't sure. Not anymore. "Go to Arthur. Bring back the gates. That's clearly what she's worried you'll do."

"I need to go to Kali to bring back the gates-"

"No!" Nimueh hissed and gave a sharp intake. Merlin rose his hands to help her, but she only shook her head fiercely. "Camelot. Arthur. Look at me," she said and Merlin forced himself to meet her eyes. " Go," she told him. Merlin wanted to argue that he couldn't leave her with this giant ball of chaos growing bigger and bigger by the second. He stared, trying to figure out a way to grab her without breaking her concentration when she let out a sharp intake of pain as another strike of lightning fell. "Please," she breathed out, "If Arthur isn't king... my people don't get to live in peace," she managed.

"Will you be okay?" Merlin asked... Because he was more human now, and humans asked stupid questions. Nimueh nodded because she was also human, and humans gave stupid, untrue answer. Then, in true, stupidly human-fashion... Merlin believed her and turned away, racing to the edge of the moat and diving into the rickety old row boat. He tapped the side, using his magic to spring him across the water. He wanted to switch to his demon form. It would be faster, surely, but Nimueh's words still whispered in the back of his mind.

"I taught you everything I know," her voice echoed as he kept sprinting through the woods. He had made it past the storm when the realization hit.

Morgana's vision. His stomach dropped. He couldn't remember the specifics of it. Yelling. Fire. Exorcisms. Morgause. Kilgharrah. Did he see what happened here? He needed to -

A bang echoed loudly, causing a sharp pain to hit his ears as a force threw him back. The world rang as he let out a sharp cry of pain. Nimueh's spell... The orb must have burst. He groaned, rolling over to see smoke rising off in the distance. Nimueh. He shrugged away the pain as he stared at where the rest of the ruins seemed to crumble away. He closed his eyes.

Arthur. He needed to get to Arthur. Fast.

Merlin tried a few times to get into Morgana's dreams, but nothing was going through. Arthur must still be awake too because Merlin couldn't find a dream of his to enter either. He was getting a little irritated by the whole thing right up until he entered the citadel. The pyres. There were about a dozen of them laid about, freshly prepared with hay and sticks. That wasn't the disturbing part though. The disturbing part was the charred ground underneath. Remnants of a previous pyre, that had already been used. Feeling his heart pick up, Merlin grabbed a woman passing by.

"What happened here?" he asked, spinning her around. The woman jerked away from him, stumbling away. "I - miss?" he asked, trying not to sound panicked. "Was there an execution?" he asked. The woman murmured something before looking up at the castle warily.

"The heretics," she said solemnly with a nod. "The angels burned them."

Merlin felt his stomach drop.

"Heretics? Who? Who were the heretics?" he asked, reaching forward to grab her with both hands. He couldn't find his incubi powers among all the panic to persuade her so he settled with giving her a slight shake.

"Uther's men!" she sniffed, shoving him off. "They served a false-king," she said solemnly. Merlin stared. "He tried to put his son on the throne. That makes him a traitor," she explained. Merlin spluttered, trying to reach for his pocket of control. Alright. Uther's men. That didn't mean Arthur.

"And where is his son? Did they burn Uther too?" He asked as an afterthought, but the woman had already turned away. "Did you - ? Hey!" he asked, frustrated. He felt the urge to tap into his demon abilities again, but pushed the thought away. No. No, he couldn't. Not after all the hard work he did learning to repress them for his magic's sake. Taking a long breath, he spun back towards the castle. He couldn't sense Morgause's presence. Not that it mattered. He had this under control.

Entering the castle was hardly even a challenge. As he suspected, Morgana on the throne meant nobody batted an eye at magic. Also, well, nobody was able to see him at all.

" Anwalédug."

Magic was pretty useful.

He had just undid the enchantment when approaching the dungeons. The place seemed relatively empty, but Merlin wasn't really sure where else to look. Perhaps Arthur's chambers? Arthur wasn't asleep for Merlin to give much of an answer.

"Halt!" a voice said, and Merlin froze as the point of a spear was jammed up against his back. Right. Maybe he undid the invisibility spell a bit too soon. "What is your order of business?" the guard asked. Merlin looked him over for a moment. He considered.

"What do people normally say when you ask them that?" he asked. The guard blinked.

"I... what?" he asked. Merlin shrugged. "That they're bringing food for a prisoner."

"Oh. Well. I'm bringing food for a prisoner."

"But you have no food," the guard objected with a frown, "And you just asked me what people normally say," he tacked on. Merlin scowled.

"Well, I was just asking to see if it was the same as what I was going to say," he argued, crossing his arms. "And I do too have food."

"Where?"

"Mind your business," Merlin said with a pout. The guard blinked a few times at him before looking at Merlin's empty hands and then back to his face. "Look," Merlin said and used his index finger to push the tip of his spear down. "I don't want us to get off on the wrong talon here-"

"Foot."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't want us to get off on the wrong foot," the guard repeated. Ah. Right. Foot. Humans didn't have talons, did they? How fun. "Who are you exactly?" the guard asked and Merlin smiled. He could work with this.

Sure enough. His charm appeared to work even without his incubi imbued powers.

"...I mean, what do any of us even know about it, right? We just kind of have to take their word for it," the guard sniffed ten minutes later. Merlin silently passed him a bit of cloth to blow his nose.

"I see," he said, patting his arm, "You yearn for answers to things that scare you so you cling onto the concept of religion and faith. When someone challenges that concept, then you become afraid," he said. The guard sobbed harder. "It's okay. For all we know you very well might be right. There is such a thing as demons, angels, and Hell after all. Perhaps the rest of your beliefs hold true," he shrugged, "Well, aside from angels being the good guys. That's wrong," he added bluntly. The guard blearily blinked up at him. "But perhaps you need to reconcile yourself with the fact you might be wrong about other things too... And that's okay," Merlin continued calmly. "The most you can do is decide what the best course of action is given your current circumstances," he explained. "Take a look at me! A few months ago, I definitely would have turned you into a butterfly for trying to stop me from entering this dungeon," he said. The guard paused. "But I've grown into someone who doesn't need magical transformation as a solution most of the time. It's called… empathy," he whispered, wiggling his fingers for effect. The guard stared.

"Oh," he finally said, "Uh, that's nice."

"I think so too," he beamed, "But anyway, enough of that. I need to get in there to help Arthur get his throne and stuff. You see where I'm coming from, right?" he asked. The guard pursed his lips. "Come on, Ulric. Remember what I told you about angels," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"They cater to the fear of not knowing," Ulric whispered. Merlin gave a stoic nod.

"Damn right they do... And you're not someone to be controlled by fear, are you?"

"Fuck the angels," Ulric said, a bit stronger this time. Merlin beamed. Nimueh and Camelot might have helped him become more human in a plethora of ways... but nobody could take his roots away from him completely. Ulric spun around, yanking the keys off of his belt to lead Merlin into the dungeons.

"Lancelot?" Merlin whispered, creeping further into the cells. Sure enough, a good chunk of his favorite humans all were stuffed in a rather lovely looking cell. At least they had plenty of rats to eat. Lance's head shot up. "Hi!" he said brightly and waved. "Remember when I told you angels suck?" he greeted, though this was mainly directed at Leon, who was starting to wake up.

"Merlin?" He mumbled and sat up straight "Merlin!" he grinned. Merlin beamed.

"Growing more comfortable with demons, are we?" he winked and let his gaze fall over the rest of the prisoners. Percival. Boy-Gwen. Gwaine - oh! Gwaine. How lovely that he was here too. Lancelot raced towards him, peering out at where the guard was behind him. "I have good news. Ulric has agreed to let you out," he said and Ulric waved. "He's decided not to be a cog in a wheel."

"A what?"

"Another brick in the wall," Ulric added on, "The system is corrupt, and angels take advantage of that with propaganda."

"Merlin, what did you do to this man?" Gwaine asked, sounding absolutely delighted. "Did you seduce him too?" he asked. Merlin shook his head. "Ah, that's too bad," he frowned. Ulric tilted his head, but didn't ask any questions as he jammed the key into the lock. "We kept waiting for Seir and Kane to help us, but those assholes dipped," Gwaine grumbled under his breath as he stretched out, joints popping. Merlin paused.

"What?" he asked. Seir and Kane? Percival gave a nod of confirmation.

"Yeah, they were here too. Morgana took them out a while ago for an exorcism," he said. Merlin froze. The rest of the group was filing out of the cell, oblivious to how white Merlin had gone. Well, everyone but Lancelot, obviously... Because it was Lancelot.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on Merlin's arm. He didn't answer. "Merlin?" he prompted.

"She... exorcised them?" he asked, voice tightening. The group paused, perhaps catching the change of tone before hesitantly nodding. A wave of emotion rolled over him, causing a hard lump to sit in his throat. "But... She... They... There were other people there, right? And nobody had holy water?" he asked. The group looked at one another. Finally, Leon answered hesitantly.

"It was out in the citadel. Nobody was there but the priest and he drank some holy water beforehand," he said. Merlin stared.

"There was something though, right? Plants? An animal maybe? Something alive that they could possess?" he asked, voice growing a little desperate. Nobody answered... Which was an answer in itself, really. A sharp pang hit Merlin's chest. Oh. He looked away, swiping quickly at his eyes as he turned away. He recognized the feeling from when Uther executed Freya. Grief.

"Is... What does that mean?" Percival finally asked.

"Um, well," Merlin began, voice much thicker than it normally was. "Usually, if demons are exorcised, they find another host. If there isn't a host available, then they go to Hell. Only, we... can't get to Hell so… well, demons can’t survive without a host or Hell," he managed. Silence followed. "That's probably why they didn't come back," he mumbled, fingers twitching.

"I'm... so sorry,” Lancelot began but Merlin pushed it all away. No. No, he wasn't... he wasn't going to do this right now. Instead he gave a weak smile and shoved past everyone.

"Where's Arthur?" he asked instead. There was a low murmur, that pretty much gave no information. "Alright then. First step. Find Arthur. I'm going to possess a guard and have him lead us to him," he said with a sharp nod. From somewhere in the afterlife, Merlin could hear Nimueh’s disapproval, but vehemently ignored it. "Someone needs to find Morgause and tell me where she is," he racked on. Boy-Gwen narrowed his eyes.

"...why?"

"So I can rip out her organs and sew them to her feet," Merlin smiled brightly. Maybe... Just maybe... It wasn't too late for him to get into the fifth circle after all.

Merlin didn't like Brom. He was a rather dull human, and he wasn't a fan of how his body was sluggish and weak. Not that Merlin had much time to pick someone else to possess… but also. Merlin didn't like Brom. If he had a list of least favorite humans, then it would consist of the following: Brom and Uther. Maybe some others too, but that was a different list for a different time.

Did Camelot really just let anyone become a guard? Because Merlin was pretty sure simply being in this host had made him dumber.

"Ay, Brom," one of the other guards greeted him with a wink, "Heard the queen wished to speak to you, uh, personally ," he grinned. Merlin made a face. Gross. He tried to tap into his Brom-like human side, but all that came out was:

"Yes."

The other guard waited. Oh. Merlin tried to think of something to say.

"It... was a major disappointment. She just wanted to give me orders about the knights in the holding cell," he said, trying to sound genuinely devastated that the queen didn't want to sleep with him. "Gosh... Darn..." he added. The other guard groaned in sympathy.

"Well, it all makes sense now that we know she's an angel, eh? Prude," he nodded wisely. Merlin inwardly poked around Brom's mind. Sometimes, you can interact with the person you're possessing. Merlin was trying to tap into his demon abilities as little as possible, but... come on. He had to let Brom know that he was a jackass, right?

"Yeah, well," Merlin shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, "She is the queen so..."

"So what?" the guard asked curiously. Merlin nodded. Right. "Eventually she'll need a king, right?" he snorted. "I would gladly-"

There was a snap and Brom's friend crumpled to the floor. Merlin stared, making sure that Brom was also able to see the man lifeless on the ground. If you're not careful, Merlin told him brightly, that could be you, he said. From somewhere within the shallow depths of what Brom must consider a brain there was a small whimper. Nodding, he looked around before biting his lip. He probably shouldn't have used his magic to frivolously kill a man in the middle of a hallway... but he felt the act was justified.

"I - Merlin?" Leon asked and Merlin turned. He looked down at the body and then back to Leon.

"Uh, yeah," he said in Brom's voice, "It's me," he added and stepped in front of the corpse. Leon stared. "Have you found Arthur yet?" he asked. Leon took a slow breath before giving a curt nod.

"I heard some maids talk about bringing food to his chambers so it is safe to assume he's there," Leon said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why is there a dead person behind you?"

"What dead person?"

"Wha-? Merlin, I see the body," he hissed, looking over his shoulder. "Don't act like standing in front of it is... You... You're just going to roll him over? What does that do?" he asked, voice growing more agitated by the moment.

"He's sleeping," Merlin explained. Leon made what could have been a squeal of agony or scream of frustration. Possibly both rolled into one. "He was speaking crudely of Morgana and so I thought he should take a nap... Forever," he said, adding the last part under his breath. Leon took another long breath before walking over to grab the guard's arm from the ground.

"Okay, I'll take care of the dead guy. You go get Arthur," he muttered. Merlin nodded and turned away as Leon started to heave the body up. "And Merlin?" he called, causing the demon to turn. "Look at me," he said sternly, "Please, don't kill anyone else," he said. Merlin stared. "And don't do anything weird with Arthur. Just get him away from the guards and meet up with us," he said. Merlin pursed his lips. "Promise?"

"I won't do anything weird with Arthur," he agreed and turned away.

"The killing!" Leon hissed after him, "No more killing, damnit! Merlin! Merlin. I don't even know why I try. Goddamn demon walking around murdering people left and right. What did I expect? He's a demon. Is he supposed to not kill people? No. No, that wouldn't make sense because he's a fucking demon ," Leon said as Merlin turned the corner. "I'm hiding a corpse in the middle of a bloody castle. Nobody told me this would be part of the knighthood-"

Merlin was starting to really like Leon.

The rest of the operation was less eventful. People didn't question Merlin walking around as Brom. The only real confrontation he had was as he approached Arthur's chambers and even that felt a little lax.

"The queen said no visitors," the new guard told him with a yawn, "Come on, Brom. Just because she asked for you once doesn't mean you can go around doing whatever you want," he said. Merlin internally shook his head. Morgana literally spoke to this guy once to give him orders, and Brom had apparently told literally everyone in the castle about it. What a wild man.

"Well, the queen also ordered me to give a message to the prince," he said in his haughtiest voice possible. The guard frowned.

"Do we still call him that?"

"What?"

"The prince. Is he still the prince?" the guard asked and let his lips pucker out as he considered. "If he lives would he be like... A duke now or something? How does that go? I'm not really sure how this uprising thing works."

"Just let me in," Merlin sighed and the guard shrugged, stepping to the side as he used a key to unlock the doors.

"Five minutes, okay? He's already tried to escape five times," he added under his breath. Merlin nodded and shoved his way through the door.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked, shutting the door behind him. The room was torn apart with sheets on the floor, pillows torn, glass shattered, and dozens of empty bottles of sleeping draft strewn around. Among it all, Arthur was staring out the window with a finger pressed against his lips. "What happened here?" he asked. Arthur's eyes jerked away.

"Where is Morgana?" he asked, standing up. Merlin turned to him, but before he could say a word, Arthur picked up a piece of glass and held it up. "Let me speak to her," he growled. Merlin stepped back. "She has it all wrong-"

"I know," Merlin interrupted and let his eyes flash gold, "That's why I came," he said. Arthur's eyes widened and slowly he lowered the shard down. "I guess you, uh, ran out of sleeping drafts," he frowned and glanced around. "What happened? Why did you leave the dream so suddenly? Are you okay?" he asked, not really leaving any room between the questions. Arthur swallowed. "Are you okay?" he repeated and took a step closer. Arthur backed away.

"Get out of there," he said. It took Merlin a moment to remember he was still possessing Brom. Sighing, he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the guard was unconscious on the ground. "You came," Arthur said quietly. Merlin opened his mouth, but finding he had nothing to say, just nodded instead. Arthur looked away for a moment before nodding to himself. "She has Mordred." 

"Who?" Merlin asked and Arthur began to pace, running a hand through his hair. "Morgana?"

"When... When we got to Camelot, she arrested us. Something was wrong with her," he said, wringing his hands. "She was so angry and... scared," he muttered. Merlin nodded. "Then she asked me how I could hurt him. I didn't know what she was talking about, but..." he trailed off. Merlin furrowed his brows. Hurt... Mordred? But she had him apparently? He was so confused. Arthur must have been just as baffled because he pursed his lips and pulled at his hair. "He was hurt. Mordred, I mean," he told him. "I don't know how, but he was there when we returned. I think Kane and Seir just turned around instead of going back to Kali... but I have no idea why. Or what really happened to Mordred."

"Seir and Kane are dead," Merlin said tightly, "I... don't really know about Mordred, but listen. Are you okay?" he asked again and tried to remain indifferent. It was hard though. His family was being picked off. One by one. He had never thought to make a list of his favorite demons, but now that they were all dying... Well. Maybe he should have. Arthur bit his lip.

"I'm sorry," he said. Merlin shrugged it away. "If I had a chance to talk to Morgana..." he tacked on firmly, "I could fix it. She would listen to me."

"Arthur," Merlin finally snapped, losing his patience as he stepped over the guard's body to grab Arthur's arms. "Are. You. Okay?" he pressed. Silence. "Yes? No?" he prompted, voice growing more and more distressed with every word. "Maybe? Give me something to work with," he told him. Arthur looked down.

"I don't know."

Great.

"Morgause," Arthur said slowly, "She... I kept having Gaius bring me sleeping drafts so I could try to get you," he said. Merlin nodded. "When she found out..." he said slowly then bit his lip and blinked rapidly. "He was, I... I know that... I was so angry, but I didn't want it to go like that," he whispered. Merlin stared. "I didn't want him to die like that," he managed, and his voice shook so much that Merlin just clung on tighter. "I thought maybe he would step down once I confronted him or - or maybe if I... If I had to - it would be... you know, like a... a duel or maybe something more honorable or..." he managed and choked. The words were all said so fast, practically tripping over one another, but Merlin felt the realization settle on him all the same.

"Uther," he said quietly. Arthur looked away. "She burned him," he managed and Arthur bit the inside of his cheek. It did nothing to overshadow the tears in his eyes. Merlin slowly let him go. He wasn't sure what exactly to make of this revelation. He thought back to the scorched marks under the pyre. How... Him and Morgause might have actually agreed that whether it was justice or revenge burning him seemed like the fair way to go. Looking at Arthur now... knowing that the pyre would have been right outside the window and the screams would have been unavoidable from these chambers... He regretted that line of thinking.

"I'm sorry," he said, mimicking Arthur's earlier words. Tugging his arm, he hugged him… because he was a pro at human stuff. Arthur buried his face in his shoulder, breathing slowly for a few minutes. "And I'm sorry about... everything before," Merlin added, not letting go. He wasn't really certain how long hugs were supposed to last, but he figured a few more seconds wouldn't hurt. "I don't really know if I ever had a choice on how I felt about you," he said with a sigh, "But... I'm not sure it matters. I'm lucky either way so..." he said and let go. Arthur blinked.

"Do demons believe in luck?"

"Focus."

"Right. Yeah. Uh, I kind of forgive you," Arthur said and scowled at him, "You suck for taking this long to show up though," he added while narrowing his eyes. "Do you know how many times I've tried to escape this room?" he asked, gesturing around, "And I've killed at least three of my own men trying to leave the castle," he added bitterly. Merlin grimaced.

"Your dreams seemed so peaceful. I hadn't known anything was wrong."

"Of course they were peaceful," Arthur snapped, "I was waiting for you," he said. Merlin smiled. "Don't," he muttered.

"I really am sorry-"

"Help me get my throne back, and I'll enjoy your groveling a lot more."

"I do not grovel ," Merlin gasped, puffing out his chest. Grovel. Please. As if he would ever resort to such a thing. Arthur smiled a bit, though it was still tinged with a trauma, that Merlin regretted ever having a hand in putting there. Before he could reassess Arthur's overall health and stability, a heavy knock came from the door.

"Brom," a voice came from outside, "You've passed your five minutes."

Ah. Damnit. Merlin looked down at where Brom was groaning a bit. Merlin flicked his wrist and he slumped back into unconsciousness.

"I might have to possess him again-" Merlin began, but was silenced by a loud thunking sound. Arthur and Merlin stared at one another before both heading towards the door. Before they could check outside to see what had happened, the door flew open. Merlin glanced down to find the guard lying on the ground in a huddle of armor. In front of him with a very large pan was Gwen.

"Merlin?" she blinked. He waved. "Oh, you're here!" she gasped, letting the pan clatter to the ground so she could hug him. Merlin laughed. "Thank goodness. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do if you didn't show up," she laughed, tucking a loose hair behind her ear. "I've spent weeks trying to figure out the guards' schedules to get Arthur out without anyone realizing. How did you know it?" She asked. Merlin frowned.

"Oh, I just possessed someone and used some magic," he shrugged. Gwen looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "That isn't infuriating at all," she told him and let out a small huff. Merlin rose an eyebrow. As an expert on sarcasm… That was definitely sarcasm. Still, it was a little bewildering to see Gwen using it. "I'm just happy you're on my side," she smiled, all previous irritation melting away. "Come on, we only have five minutes before the next round of guards come around," she said, grabbing his hand.

"Where's Morgana?" Arthur asked as he was also dragged away from the room. "Have you spoken to her?" he asked. Gwen shoved them into an alcove before pressing a finger to her lips. Silence fell over them as the sound of boots clicking came by. Merlin glanced over to see a few more guards walking by. Once they were further down the hall, Gwen pulled them back out.

"I've tried," Gwen said quietly, "But Morgause has her talons in her pretty deep."

"Angels don't have talons," Merlin whispered. Gwen looked at him. "Not that it matters," he added quickly.

"Morgause doesn't think of me as much of a threat. That's the only reason I wasn't thrown in the dungeons with everyone else... And after those demons..." she trailed off. Merlin frowned. Kane and Seir? Why was she upset about them? He turned to Arthur, who seemed just as baffled. Before either could ask, Gwen threw up a hand to silence them. There were a few heated seconds of tense stillness as more guards walked by somewhere underneath them on the first floor. Gwen jerked her head and they continued. "I tried talking to her about it, but Morgause barely gives me any time alone with her," she whispered, and Merlin felt a wave of recognition towards their path. Gaius' tower.

"She killed the demons," Arthur whispered. "I'm not sure she has a right to be upset about that. How did they even get to Camelot?"

"Morgause brought them. One was Mordred." Gwen said, steering them down a new hallway and through one of the servants' passages. "And those other two demons-"

"Seir and Kane," Merlin said and Gwen nodded, "She must have grabbed them before they got to Kali... but angels and demons can't kill one another," he frowned, "How could she kill Mordred?" he asked. Gwen grimaced.

"He's not dead. Someone tried to exorcise him too… at least that’s what Gaius thinks."

Ah, crap. Merlin bit his tongue to keep from giving a vocal response as Arthur continued to stare in confusion.

"So... he's in a different host?"

"Mordred's host is technically dead," Merlin told him, voice tight, "So he can't leave it until the body is inhabitable or he wishes to return to Hell... which he can't do," he explained. "So her trying to exorcise him would be... very painful," he said. Gwen gave a nod as they slipped in the staircase. "And not something I can see Morgana doing," he added to Gwen. There was a pause as they continued up the stairs. Then she sighed and stopped walking to face him a few stairs above him.

"No," she answered "Mordred was already like that when Morgause brought them... Said it was under Arthur's orders that he was injured. Morgana was horrified."

"Seir and Kane?" Merlin asked, pushing forward so they continued making their way up the staircase.

"Are apparently the demons that Arthur made a deal with to succeed his father as his heir," Gwen said. Arthur gave a slight scoff.

"She doesn't really believe I would do that," he said. Gwen fixed him with soft eyes. "But... no. Morgana knows me-"

"Morgause is her sister-"

"And I'm her brother!" Arthur said stubbornly, stopping in their ascent up the stairs once more. Merlin turned to him. He looked at Gwen who grimaced. Both knew the answer... though neither wanted to say it. "What?" Arthur asked. Merlin sighed. It would be him to point it out then.

"Morgause isn't also Uther's child," he said quietly. Arthur's mouth parted, "I know she is too... somehow," he added under his breath, "But Uther too was once supportive of magic... up until it no longer benefited him," he shrugged. Arthur's jaw clenched. "And the many… many downfalls of angels include the fact that humans think they are the morally superior species. If Morgause said you were secretly evil," Merlin shrugged, "The human side of her might just believe it... and the angel side of her would be super smug about it."

"Merlin," Gwen said quietly, "Now might not be the time for your angel hating mindset-"

"She killed my friends and tried to exorcise Mordred while trapping my humans in cages," Merlin scowled, "Now is definitely the time to hate angels!"

"Wait, why did you separate friends and humans like that? Aren't we-"

"Can we just get up the damned stairs," Arthur muttered, pushing past both of them. Merlin moved to the side as Gwen winced in sympathy. Merlin wasn't really sure what he could do to help... but he wanted to do something . Gwen interrupted the thought by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You should know," she began and glanced over her shoulder at where the door was now open from Arthur barging in. There were yells of greetings from inside. Merlin could see the room was already crowded from where he was standing. The back of Gwaine's shirt was visible next to Lancelot's. That at least meant the rest of his humans found their way to somewhere safe. After hearing what Gwen had to say, he was grateful Morgause hadn't nabbed one of them yet. "Mordred is in there," she said, cutting any further thoughts off.

"What?" he asked, jolting back towards her. He shouldn't actually be surprised. Where else would someone injured in this castle go? Besides, Morgana apparently was still fond of him. Gaius was his best hope of surviving. Gwen nodded. He immediately rushed up the remaining steps into the room. He could hear Gwen's footsteps following him before the door closed with a thud.

"Merlin!" Gwaine greeted happily. Merlin didn't respond.

Mordred was sprawled out on the cot, hand hung over the side as his chest rose up and down weakly. The rest of the humans were already there as suspected, murmuring among one another as Gaius used a rag to dab at Mordred's head. For a moment, Merlin paused in his grief to instead turn his attention to Gaius. The physician paused to turn and looked at him. His eyes moved up and down  Merlin's frame before offering a weak smile.

"The others said you were here," he said. Merlin gave a small nod. "I hope your time with Nimueh served you well," he said, and from behind him the door to Merlin's room opened. Merlin paused. The woman didn't seem to notice Merlin at first, her arms full of various tonics and remedies, that she set down before kneeling by Mordred's side. Merlin stepped forward.

"Kali?" he asked. The woman spun around. No. No, this wasn't Kali. He could tell by the way her eyes widened. How her breath caught. "Mother," he said instead, voice tightening. The entire room went silent. He wondered if anyone else was familiar with who Hunith was. He didn't have time to ask. "I... I'm so sorry," he began when nobody else said anything. "I didn't think to come after you after Kali... I mean, she said you agreed, but..." he tried, stumbling over his words. Hunith turned, silencing him by putting a hand on his cheek. "Hi," he whispered instead.

"Hi," she smiled and leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his arm and breathing deeply. "You're all grown up now," she laughed, pulling away. Merlin nodded. He didn't... really bare much hostility towards his human mother. He knew her as a child... and Kali had explained that she couldn't have kept a demon child. It was too dangerous for both her and him. Him being magic she could maybe handle. Him being part demon she could possibly deal with. Both? Impossible.

Still, it had never stopped him from wondering what his life could have been if he stayed with her.

"I..." he began and shook his head. "Why are you here?" he asked. Hunith nodded and straightened her dress as she rose, sitting at the edge of Mordred's bed.

"When Mordred and the others didn't come back, Kali came to me. She wanted to know if I had any idea where you or them could have gone... or if your father knew," she added, looking down at her hands. "I didn't, but... came here to see if I could find you. Gaius was here and took me to Mordred..." she trailed off and ran a hand over the demon's cheek. "I had to stay and help him," she explained. Merlin nodded.

"Thank you," he said and turned to look over Mordred. "Will... he be okay?" He asked. Hunith smiled.

"In time. Believe it or not, I'm also quite the healer," she said and Merlin gave a slow nod, suddenly remembering her relation to his uncle.

"Because you are Girl-Gaius," he said solemnly. Hunith blinked. From behind them, Elyan gave a long suffering groan as he muttered to Hunith not to question him on the matter.

"Um, well, I'm not trained as a physician, but your father taught me a thing or two about demon healing," she said, giving Merlin a bemused once over. She jerked her head and Merlin moved over next to her, "See? Gaius prepared a healing draft and I've ground up a burnt cross into the mixture," she said shaking it. Merlin nodded.

"Sacrilege in remedies," he mused, taking it from her. "Clever."

"I know," Hunith told him and took it back, "Your father told me so as well," she said smugly. Merlin bit back a grin as he got up, suddenly much more confident in Mordred's recovery. He turned back to where Gaius was watching his sister with an exasperated gaze before meeting his eyes.

"I believe I should give you a human form of affection to show that I missed your presence," Merlin told him solemnly. "But," he added, holding up a finger, "I am also ready to bring you numerous skulls for your extensive collection to show my affection in that way too," he said. Gaius considered. "They may be human or animal skulls. Your choice," he said.

"How many skulls is an acceptable amount to show you missed me?" he asked. Leon spilled a drink. "Oh, come now. I'm a physician trying to study science under this anarchist rule currently happening," he grumbled. Merlin held up three fingers. When Gaius pursed his lips, he rose one more finger. "Four would suffice. Two human and two animal. Though they must be already dead," he added sternly. Merlin shrugged. Fair enough. "Also, please don't dig up any graves," he added.

Okay, that was a little disheartening, but Merlin had other issues at the moment.

"Very well. After I get Arthur back on the throne, kill an angel, avenge my brethren, and bring back the Gates of Hell, I'll get on that," he said earnestly. Gaius nodded.

"Very good... and to show that the feeling of wistfulness was mutual, I will provide you with an opportunity to cut open one of my dead patients when the time comes."

"What the fuck is this?" Elyan asked quietly. "Leon, you said this was a nice old man," he said, pointing to Gaius. 

"His sister fell in love with a demon. I'm not sure what to tell you," Percival interjected as Leon gave an exhausted shrug. Lancelot, to his credit, looked positively touched by the display as Gwaine tried to loudly ask how he could be involved in cutting open the dead patient.

"Did any of you find where Morgana was?" Arthur asked from where he was biting at his thumb. Merlin frowned. It wasn't a habit he had ever known him to do. In fact, now that Merlin was truly able to process more than the fact he wasn't bleeding out... Arthur just looked… different . His hair was longer, sweeping past his ears. He had the beginning of a beard growing and his cheeks were much more hollowed than Merlin remembered.

"The throne room, sire," Lancelot told him with a slight bow of his head. "Morgause is nowhere to be seen," he added, looking more towards Merlin at that. Right. Probably blowing someone else up. Though, admittedly, it did make him a little nervous that she was MIA. Nodding to himself, he turned to the humans before clapping his hands together.

"Boy-Gwen," he said and held out his hand, "I need the spicy water," he told him and narrowed his eyes slightly, "I know you have it..." he added as a warning.

"Doesn't it hurt if it touches you?" he asked, pulling something from his side. Merlin was a little surprised he had been allowed to keep it at all, considering he was arrested. Then again, angels were good at pretending they had mercy. Perhaps they thought holy water was harmless.

"It does... which is why I also need you to spit in it," he said. Elyan blinked. "You can desecrate it however you want though," Merlin shrugged. He wasn't picky. "Spitting is the fastest, but hey. I could give you some time alone if you want to-"

"Why do you need him to ruin this perfectly good holy water," Leon interrupted loudly. Merlin lowered his hand, a bit irritated. Another thing about humans... They always needed things explained to them. Which, well, Merlin was similar in that aspect, but also it was annoying and damn them for doing it.

"I was inspired by my mother," he said with a small smile towards where Hunith was still helping tend to Mordred with Gaius looming over her shoulder. "Holy water hurts me, but tainted holy water is considered sacrilegious, and that hurts angels ," he explained and looked over the water with consideration. "Maybe... everyone should spit in it," he said with a nod. Elyan looked at him for a couple moments but gave a weak shrug.

"What exactly do you plan on doing with that?" Arthur asked, stepping around Percival to stand in front of him.

"Hopefully shove it down Morgause's throat," Merlin told him as he watched Gwaine eagerly spit into the water before asking Gaius where he kept some of his more unsavory ingredients. Arthur looked away. "Arthur," Merlin said and stepped towards him. Once again, he was filled with an overwhelming desire to fix something he had no idea how to fix. Or even where to look to find the broken pieces. "It's... It's going to be fine," he said. Arthur gave a short nod and went to turn away. "Wait, Arthur-" he tried again and gripped the fabric around his shoulder to spin him back around.

"It's not going to be fine!" he said in a strange burst of anger that was somehow contained in a whisper. "My father is dead . Apparently, Nimueh is too. Seir and Kane are... gone and look at Mordred!" he said, gesturing towards the cot. "Even if we win, somehow, then how exactly are we supposed to move on from that?" he asked, and Merlin realized his hands were shaking. He reached down to grab one. "I... don't even know what the first move is here. Attack? With what? Gwen said Morgana is brainwashed so attacking feels wrong anyway, but if she really is, I can't just let her continue on and-"

Merlin considered various ways to get him to stop talking... but ultimately decided kissing worked the best.

"Sorry," he said when he remembered Arthur's previous rule on discretion. Based on everyone pointedly looking away, he had probably failed. Arthur seemed too distracted by other things to really notice though. "I don't know how we're going to fix this. I just know the first step is talking to Morgana," he said and bit his lip. "And... I know you don't want to hear this, but I think I should be the one to do it. Without you," he told him.

"Excuse me?"

"She thinks you hurt Mordred. It may be better for me to start the conversation," he pointed out. Arthur bit his tongue. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked as more of an afterthought.

"No."

"...Are you sure?"

"No."

"Okay," Merlin snorted. Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't really mind you being mad at me," he added, "You haven't had time to really... you know. React. I don't know if humans can schedule emotions, but maybe you can be properly mad at me later, now we just, uh, focus on this?" he suggested. Arthur nodded. It seemed too tense though. Merlin bit his tongue.

"Let's get you to the throne room then," Arthur said and pulled away, though he didn't let go of Merlin's hand which was something. "Lancelot. You stay with Hunith and Gaius. The rest of you... keep looking for Morgause. He ordered. There were nods as the group dispersed, Gwen patting his back as she also filed out of the room.

It didn't take long from there to get to the throne room. Arthur had promised to stay behind and well hidden while Gwen went back to find something or another Gaius needed. Taking a deep breath, Merlin pushed open the door and walked inside. 

Strangely enough… the entire hall was... different. Not in anything tangibly noticeable, well, outside of Morgana sitting on the throne. There was just a certain air about it. A light that shined into it that hadn't been there before. It was really ugly.

"Merlin?" Morgana asked, standing up immediately. Internally, he felt his previous resolve crumble. What had they done to her? It was like someone had asked a human to describe an angel, and they decided to dress Morgana in whatever the answer was. Her dress was white with gold trim, loosely flowing - almost like a robe. A golden belt was around her stomach, drawing in the fabric, and her crown... her crown wasn't even a crown. It was literally a halo. A gold circle placed on her head. Merlin was a little surprised she didn't use magic to make it float above her. "Oh, my... You're okay!" she laughed and rushed over, dress billowing behind her to grab him. "I... I can't believe..." she laughed and touched his face. "How did you escape?" she asked. Merlin stared.

"Nimueh saved me," he answered stiffly and Morgana pursed her lips. "She's dead by the way," he added. Morgana took a long breath.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Morgana frowned, putting a hand on her chest as if he had somehow offended her. "Because I didn't think you would care when sending your psychopaths after me," he said, voice rising slightly with every word.

"I did not plan that," Morgana said firmly, lifting a finger to point at him. "And I... I do plan on doling out proper justice," she told him, raising both hands as if placating him. Merlin snorted. "It's difficult for me! He's... Arthur has made some mistakes, but part of it is Uther's brainwashing. He could be saved- "

"Arthur?" Merlin interrupted. Holy shit. "You think... Arthur tried to kill me?"

"I thought Arthur did kill you," Morgana said and crinkled her brows. "But... you clearly survived, right?" she asked. Merlin stared. This... was not what he was expecting. At all. "Merlin?" she repeated, holding out a hand. Merlin clasped his hands together. He hated how easily all of this could have been resolved if Morgause had let Morgana talk to just... one other person without her brainwashing whispers.

"No," Merlin shook his head, "Arthur didn't try to kill me. Morgause did."

Morgana laughed. She laughed .

"No, she didn't," she told him without a second of hesitation. This... wasn't good. "Angels and demons can't kill one another, remember? Why would she even attempt such a thing?" she asked and smiled. "I'm sorry. You must be so tired-"

"I'm not!" he snapped and jerked away from her touch. "Morgana, I'm still half-human. She might be able to kill me. Not that it matters because it was her. Arthur didn't make a storm appear from the sky to strike me down," he said and gripped the side of her arms. "Think about it! Has Morgause let you speak with Arthur since you arrested him?" he asked.

"She... said he didn't want to see me. That he was angry with me for taking the throne and upset about his father-"

"Who you burned!"

"Did you not think he deserved it?" Morgana asked, voice rising sharply. Merlin bit the inside of his cheek.

"That doesn't matter. The point is that isn't you, Morgana," he told her, trying to keep calm. "Morgana, she's manipulating you. She's trying to take your fear and make you into something you're not," he said and Morgana shoved his hands off of her. Merlin watched silently as she paced back and forth. The back of her dress dragged behind her, fluttering up as she turned, like wings.

"No," she decided and Merlin's heart sank. "I am of royal blood. Of angelic descent. Of magic . Who better to free our people?" she asked, raising a hand. "Call it a fate or a destiny or my God given right, but I should be on the throne!" she told him. Merlin closed his eyes. "Morgause just wants me to see that… and she told me!" she added loudly. Merlin gave her a weak grimace.

"Told you what?"

"About Arthur's birth. Your birth. The only reason you're defending him now is because you have to. Because you are tied to him and have absolutely no choice in the matter," she shot out, pointing a finger at his chest as she stopped pacing. Merlin felt a swell of anger rise in his chest. Defiance trickled in with a melancholy that felt so human that his magic might burst.

"Just speak to Arthur," he said, raising his hands. "You already killed Seir and Kane. I don't want you to add others to the list."

"Seir and Kane?" Morgana repeated. "I know nothing of them."

"The demons you exorcised." Merlin gritted out. "The ones with Mordred."

"The ones who serve Arthur Pendragon," Morgana narrowed her eyes. "I've seen what they did to Mordred and ensured they paid the price for it," she growled. Merlin felt whatever was left of his resolve snap. His magic jerked to life as the glass around them shattered. The wind picked up with an air of warning that had Morgana pause.

" Morgause hurt Mordred," he whispered. Morgana crossed her arms over her chest. "Morgana. Please. Listen to me," he said and for a second, his skin prickled as a solution began to build in his head. A bad one. A horrible one... But a solution nonetheless. Morgana gave a slight shake of her head, though her eyes were filled with tears. "I don't want us to be on opposite sides," he managed.

"Neither do I," she managed and took a long breath, "But you are so obviously lost," she told him and glanced at the ground.

"People have died."

"People who deserved to die."

"You don't get to decide who deserves it!" he snapped and turned away. One more chance. He could reach her. He could . She accepted him so quickly... There had to be a way. "When Mordred is well enough, speak to him. He'll tell you the truth. That Morgause tried to exorcise him. Hurt him. That she pinned it on Seir and Kane to get rid of them because she hates demons and figured out a way to trick you into killing them-"

"And you don't hate angels?" Morgana said. Merlin's voice faltered. "I know what you think of my kind," she told him. Merlin swallowed. That wasn't fair. Sure, angels were the worst, but he had never held it against her. Besides, she... she was half-angel. It wasn't as if she... His hand brushed to his side where Elyan's holy water sat. He stared back at her.

"I don't like angels, but I do like you," he said, pulling the holy water out. Morgana's eyes flicked to it before giving a small sigh.

"A peace offering?" she asked, and Merlin held up the water with a little shake. "You understand that I'm not giving up my right to rule," she said sternly as she walked up to him. "Nor will I tolerate any more lies about my sister?" she asked and closed her hand around the pouch of water. Merlin didn't let go. His mind felt like it was twisting - not making sense of the world as he tried to figure out what exactly he wanted to say or do or... He bit his lip.

"Don't drink it," he finally whispered. Morgana frowned. "Okay?" he asked.

"Why?"

"You'll need it for something else. Promise me you won't drink it? It will hurt you if you do," he said, and Morgana gave a slow nod before tugging the bottle out of his hand. Merlin stepped back. "Goodbye, Morgana," he told her and turned away. Not before a gust of wind knocked him back though. Ah. There she was. He sat up, fully expecting to find Morgause standing in front of him only to see a priest. He frowned. Priests couldn't control the wind, could they? This question was immediately answered by him turning to see that Morgana had vanished.

"You just take her and go?" Merlin shouted to the emptiness behind him, "Can't even fight me yourself?!" he screamed and instantly gasped when a burning sensation hit him. He jerked away, desperately searching for his magic, but the pain left his brain momentarily frozen as the holy water crawled over his skin. In the back of his mind he could hear a chanting, but couldn't quite hear the words. An exorcism, no doubt. Only he couldn't be exorcised from his own body...

Crap. Would he end up like Mordred? Desperately, he tried to ignore the panic rising in his chest, but his magic stubbornly retreated... Probably due to the fact he was feeling pretty demon-ish with being in tremendous pain from the holy water. More was coming down as the chanting got louder. Merlin let out a low whimper as he reached out blindly for some sort of weapon.

"Get. Away from him," a voice said lowly. The pain began to recede as the chanting stopped.

Arthur. Thank the blood of Hell. He opened his eyes to see Arthur, dressed in full armor, with his sword at the priest's neck.

"Your highness," the man gasped and Arthur smiled. "I… Should you be here?" he asked. Arthur scoffed and lowered his sword, placing himself between the priest and Merlin, to start helping him up. "The queen ordered-" he began but was cut off by a crash.

From somewhere across the room there was a low hiss, and suddenly the priest was thrown back. Or rather, tackled. Merlin sat up just in time to see a spray of blood fly against the walls of the castle. Finally, a girl rose her head, blood dripping off of her face. She licked her lips, using the back of her hand to swipe some of the blood off. Merlin didn't recognize her... but then again, there weren't many people he knew that went around possessing children.

"Kali?" he asked and looked around to find more demons from the gathering jumping through the windows with low hisses. Arthur swallowed as he uncertainly rose his sword.

"Emrys," Kali said and stood up, kicking the priest's twitching body. "How lovely to see you," she said and turned glittering eyes to Arthur. "Hello, human," she said coolly. Arthur stared back. "I hear that it is your fault this child was born of human blood and forced into a life of servitude," she greeted calmly. Arthur winced.

"I… did not ask to be born?" he tried. Kali stared. "I won't make him serve me. He's completely free to let me die," he tacked on. Kali continued staring. "What... What do I say? Why is she six?" he muttered. Merlin immediately grabbed his arm as Kali growled.

"He didn't mean that last bit," Merlin said quickly. He turned back to Arthur. "Tell her thank you for coming, and that you'll help me with the gates," he muttered. Arthur nodded. Kali narrowed her eyes, fingers sharpening into claws.

"I understand your wariness given everything my father has done to you and your kind," Arthur told her, "It is my intention to right his wrongs," he said. Kali paused. After a few more seconds of silence, she rolled her eyes.

"Cross me, and I will eat your tongue out of your skull."

"I haven't heard that expression before," Arthur said, giving a nervous laugh. Merlin grimaced.

"Yeah... That wasn't an expression," he said. Kali turned to where the rest of the demons were waiting for orders.

"I'm sorry," she called and glanced to where the pyres were. The rest of the demons seemed to understand she was referencing Seir and Kane's death and bowed their heads. "We will fight... but I can tell you right now our chances our low," she said, chin jutting out. A few demons gave some growls. "But there is still one of our own to save... For Mordred!" she yelled, punching the air. The rest of the demons yelled the chant back. Arthur jumped at the sound. He only had a second to digest because the demons suddenly shot out in every direction - ripping and flying throughout the castle.

"So," Merlin said after a few beats of silence, "Would you be opposed to a family dinner?"

"Can I answer that after I get my throne back?"

"I don't know why you're hesitating, angel. They're a lovely bunch."

"Oh, you're calling me angel now?"

"It isn't as funny now when one is on your throne, huh?"

Things got... very chaotic very quickly. Merlin wasn't sure how these things usually played out, but this was... Well. It was something. Gwen and the other humans had gathered up those who believed Arthur should still be on the throne, to try and take down the rest of Morgana's forces. Unfortunately, there were also just as many who believed that Morgana should be on the throne.

"Where is Morgana?" Arthur asked as they rushed past another group fighting. His gathering had apparently allied themselves with Arthur, which he was grateful for. It definitely was a helpful boost since most of the castle was a bunch of halo lovers. "Did we check her tower?" he asked. Merlin shook his head.

"We can look, but right now we might need to focus on the dozens of people fighting... and more importantly on Morgause. If we can get rid of Morgause, then we'll definitely be able to speak to Morgana," he said and raised his hand so the people around them soared backwards. "Listen, I know you're worried about her, but one thing at a time, okay?" he said. Arthur pursed his lips. He looked at where fires were rising and blood was splattered on the walls.

"You're right," he said tightly and touched his sword. "How do we get Morgause?"

"Demons and angels can't kill one another, but since I'm more human right now, there's a chance I could do it if I absolutely need to," he said, running a hand through his hair, "But that's only if my other plan doesn't work out," he added. Arthur raised an eyebrow, but Merlin didn't give him a chance to ask. "We could probably summo-" he started only to once again be thrown back. He blinked a few times. Where... Was that magic? It felt like magic. Especially given the fact that he sat up to find himself someplace else entirely. Arthur was on the ground, blood trailing from his cheek from being slammed harshly into the wall of whatever room they were in. From behind them, there was a movement, and Merlin felt a sharp pain as he went to walk forward only for something to hold him back.

"I've always considered myself something of an artist."

Ugh.

"Speak of the angel," Merlin muttered and stood up. He looked down to see paint staining the ground beneath him. "Did you make this sigil for me?" he asked, gesturing around the room. Morgause smiled. "This won't keep me for long," he warned, "I'm not fully a demon. Your stupid trap won't-" he began, but fell silent when he looked over to see Arthur on his knees with a guard holding a knife at his throat.

"I thought that might keep you still," Morgause said dryly. "Try using magic," she smiled brightly, "Or moving outside this circle. I'll have his throat cut before you have a chance," she hissed, eyes flicking to a bright white as her hands crackled with annoyance. "I've had enough of your games, demon. I've had enough of all of your kind," she told him. "And you ," she growled, spinning to Arthur. Merlin gave a hiss, but it was a little hard considering he was pinned down by a bunch of ugly ass circles and lines painted to the ground. "I've tried to be sympathetic given you didn't ask to be born of greed and sin. I've been merciful, but I've reached the end of my patience. You may think you're different from your father, but the same evil in him resides in you," she said, voice rumbling across the room. "How could you ever think that your place is on a throne when you're allied with demons ," she sneered. Arthur jutted out his chin. "It isn't your decision," she said "Just like it wasn't Emrys' decision to be loyal to you. You have the child of a demon on your side, you could never be allowed on the throne," she said haughtily.

"Neither can you," Arthur said from his place on the ground, "I might be able to accept Morgana as Camelot's ruler... as Morgana . Not your puppet," he hissed. "You've spilled blood, Morgause," he ground out. "Innocent blood. I can't look past that."

"Innocent blood,” Morgause scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, “Demons are hardly innocent. That is why they’re demons,” she sneered and locked eyes with Merlin, “And once Morgana‘s rule is secure, I’ll wipe them all out. With Hell closed they have nowhere to run to. I’ll gladly cut them piece by piece,” she said and Merlin hissed back. “Starting with you.”

"You can’t kill me,” he reminded her with narrowed eyes. Morgause shrugged.

"We’ll soon see,” she said and gave the guard a curt nod, "Make sure you make it bloody," she ordered and gave a small sigh. "I'm sorry, your highness," she told Arthur and walked over to place a finger under his chin. "Just rest in peace with the knowledge that your death will start a new age," she promised. Merlin's magic was rising, panic quelling any focus he once had.

"Morgause. Morgause, don't. Hey. Hey, don't -" Merlin began, but she was gone before he could even blink. Stupid angels and their stupid teleportation. He reached out to use his magic as the guard lifted the knife, but he could still feel the weak wall of the sigil holding him back. He gave a sharp noise of pain before the guard collapsed. He stared as Arthur gasped, falling forward onto his hands.

"You did it," he managed. Merlin stared.

"No... I didn't," he said slowly and turned to the door. It was open now. "Morgana," he whispered. Arthur jerked his head up. "You were listening," he said and gave a weak laugh. "I knew Morgause couldn't use magic," he whispered. Morgana was staring forlornly at the ground in front of her. "Hey... Are you okay?" he asked a little nervously. He was still trying to shove his way out of the stupid trap. He could feel it crumbling easily now that he was no longer panicking and flinging around, but... If Morgana did something, he wasn't sure he would be quick enough to stop her.

Wordlessly, Morgana moved forward and kicked the line holding Merlin in. There was a rush of air as Merlin felt the curse break.

“Morgause mentioned that she was heading here because she thought you might try and kill Arthur after what happened with Mordred,” She said and swallowed, “Which was strange given what she told me earlier about the deal Balinor and Ygraine made… So, I… I thought I would come here as well. To see for myself.” She explained, looking down at her hands. Merlin grimaced, a bit unsure of what to say to her there. Not that he was given much of a chance.  "Are you hurt?" she asked Arthur as she moved closer to him. Merlin turned to see him sit up before shaking his head, looking at where the knife had fallen to the ground by the guards' body. He kicked it away. "Arthur..." Morgana began and closed her eyes. Her voice broke and she looked away. From outside the room, they could hear screams of triumph and pain alongside the clanging of metal and hisses. Morgana flinched at them. "I thought you hurt them," she whispered.

"I know," Arthur said cautiously, "It was Morgause. Not you," he said firmly. Morgana shook her head.

"It was me. I ordered..." she began and gave a shaking breath. "Everything she said just made so much sense," she began, voice moving so quickly that Merlin could barely understand her. "I didn't mean for it to go like this. I didn't think-"

"It's alright," Arthur said firmly, "We can fix it. Just order your men to stop fighting," he reasoned. Morgana pursed her lips. The castle rattled.

"I... don't know if I can. Morgause blessed them before it all started," she whispered. Merlin groaned.

"Blessed them?" Arthur asked. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Angels can do this thing where they bless people and it makes them a 'servant of heaven'," he said, using quotation marks with his fingers. "If she blessed them to fight, then they won't stop until the angel dies or their purpose is fulfilled," he explained. Arthur made a face. "I know. They're the worst," he said and then looked at Morgana. "Sorry," he added. She gave a weak shrug.

"Given recent events... I'll forgive it," she said and ran a hand through her hair. "Though there is one other way to break the blessing," she said nervously. Merlin tilted his head. "Morgause said that blessings used to be less powerful back when Hell was around because people could be persuaded by heaven or hell." She explained. Oh, come on . "So if the gates were fixed..." she began.

"You're kidding."

"Where are the gates?" Morgana asked reasonably and the castle shook again. "We can get you there."

"I don't know!" Merlin said, a little panicked as he lifted a hand to stop a stone from falling from the ceiling to hit them. "I can't see them," he said and raised his hands to freeze the debris raining from the air. "But I know that wherever the most demons are, is supposed to be where they appear."

"You can't-" Morgana began and Merlin narrowed his eyes at her. "Right. Sorry. Come on," she rectified and pulled his arm towards the exit of the room. "If you need demons, we can get you demons," she told him and grimaced as the door flung open to reveal a plethora of fighting groups outside. Merlin watched as few demons took down guards while Elyan and Lancelot fought various knights.  "You said demons were loyal creatures, right?" she asked. Merlin nodded. "Right... Then we know what to do with her," she said, jerking her head to where Kali was ripping someone's throat out. Merlin stared.

"...you're kidding, right?"

"You have a better idea?"

"You-" Merlin said and groaned before pointing at her, "You're not my favorite person right now."

"I'll get over it."

Walking out into the citadel was an experience that Merlin wasn't sure what to make of. The sky had turned a dangerous red with clouds twisting together like a hurricane forming over the land. The crowd beneath certainly looked like the sea with the fighting going on below. The good news was that their side had somehow decided to be the morally superior one of the pair. Leon would disarm their enemies before Gwaine appeared to knock them out with one punch. Elyan and Gwen had teamed up as well as Percival and Lancelot. To Merlin’s absolute pleasure, Ulric was there as well. He gave a bright wave upon seeing Merlin before going back to using his spear to jab at another guard's legs.

"DOWN WITH THE ANGELS!" He screamed. Merlin gave him a thumbs-up as Arthur did a quick doubletake. He opened his mouth as if to ask more but then shook his head instead. From Merlin’s other side, Morgana looked over the chaos, face going white at the violence below.

"Go find Mordred," He told her quietly, "Morgause will be suspicious if she sees us all together... or that Arthur is even alive," he mused.

"Mordred," Morgana repeated and frowned, "Is he doing better?"

"My mother and Gaius were treating him. He's in good hands. You should be with him to explain everything," he said. Morgana nodded, though there was a flash of daunted anticipation in her gaze as she squeezed his arm before turning back into the castle. "Alright," Merlin said to Arthur. "I'm going to try and kill Morgause. You, uh, go fight?" he suggested as he ducked when a burning arrow flew overhead. Arthur pursed his lips.

"Where is Morgause?" he asked. Merlin smiled.

"I have an idea," he said and looked over to where the pyres were still sitting innocently among the fighting crowd. "Come with me," he said and tugged Arthur towards the pyres. Arthur stumbled after him, cursing under his breath as they went.

"Be careful!" he called and pulled Merlin back from tripping over a body on the ground. "Easy," he scowled, "What is the plan here?" he asked. Merlin situated Arthur up the steps in the hay by the wooden pole. "Merlin?" he asked as the demon stepped back. Merlin pointed at him.

"HEY LOOK!" he shouted at the sky, "ARTHUR PENDRAGON IS ALIVE!"

There was a pause.

"...that was your plan?" Arthur asked and crossed his arms, "I hate you," he said and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky. Merlin pulled him away as the hay caught fire, sending the pyre up in white flames. "Ah, well. Okay," he said as he glared at the pyre. "It was still a bad plan."

"Only bad if it doesn't work," Merlin grinned and shoved him away. "Go swing your stick. If you need help, I'll rip their throats out," he smiled. Arthur scoffed.

"And if you need help, I'll come cut her wings off," he said and let his hand lightly touch Merlin's arm, "Good luck, vlǔj," he added, smirking a bit. Despite the circumstances... Merlin felt himself flush. It appeared that Arthur had moved past whatever remaining anger he felt… for now anyway. 

"Deal," he grinned and spun back towards pyre. Morgause was already there, donned in her armor with a long sword in hand, the end glittering gold and hair blowing with the flames behind her. "Hello," Merlin greeted and skipped a little closer. "I've missed you since we last spoke. Did you see Arthur is still alive? Hey. One second, I'll... Hey! Arthur! Say hi!" he called. Arthur rolled his eyes as he stopped his strike to give a half-hearted wave. Morgause's scowl deepened.

"I should have made sure you were dead," she growled and flicked out her sword so it gleamed red as it reflected the sky.

"Demons and angels can't kill one another," Merlin said, tilting his head, "Or did you forget that in your angel lessons?" he asked. Morgause's eyes burned brighter with irritation. "Come on," he goaded. "Throw me your best," he whispered.

"I'll take whatever humanity there is in your pathetic demon shell and burn it," she said, lifting her weapon to point the tip at his neck.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said and narrowed his eyes, lip curling to bare his teeth, "Do I looked scared to you?" he asked. Morgause's smile faltered. "I'm not entirely sure if I can kill you," he said, stepping towards her, eyes flicking gold, "But you are out of your goddamn mind if you think I won't try," he hissed. Morgause tilted her head, eyes glittering as she twirled her sword around her wrist.

"Morgana is backed by her blood and angels," Morgause said, gesturing around them. "They might not all be here, but they are watching. Waiting," she said. Merlin rolled his eyes. Waiting. Of course, they were waiting . Angels had no sense of loyalty. Only ambition and justice. "What do you have to offer? You don't even belong to your kind anymore. They've abandoned you," she scoffed, raising a taunting brow. Merlin smiled.

"Perhaps I don't," Merlin said with a shrug, "But I have some allies of my own," he told her. Morgause opened her mouth to respond, but a loud screech cut her off.

Merlin's smile grew as he glanced up at the sky to see a blur of red hovering above, soaring for a moment, before dipping down. There was a roar and a column of fire spiraled down between him and Morgause, letting the flames rise high between them before settling into a charred crisp of smoke. Behind him, Merlin could smell the pyres also lighting from the heat, crackling as they began to burn empty and ignored. Morgause glowered up at the sky.

"A creature of the Old Religion," she muttered and sneered. "No doubt a soul you stole."

"Oh, of course. It's a dragon," Merlin laughed, "Who wouldn't steal it's soul?" he asked before giving Kilgharrah a bright wave. The dragon had landed a few feet away, letting the ground shudder as its talon dug into the cobblestones.

"I warned you, young warlock," the dragon said as he turned his head to look at him with golden eyes, "You cannot escape your destiny."

He was so goddamn annoying. Merlin ignored him to focus on the figure sliding off of Kilgharrah instead, landing gracefully before taking one look at the chaos of burning pyres, fighting men, and screeching demons then turning to Merlin.

"Emrys," Balinor greeted. He glanced over at Morgause before flicking her off. "I'm sorry for the wait," he said casually, ducking as a spear went flying overhead. He stepped over a few bodies to make his way over to them as Morgause began steaming - quite literally. Her hair burst into flames as she raised her hand threateningly. Balinor seemed nonplussed by the reaction and merely flicked her off again. "I would have arrived with Kali," he said, wrinkling his nose at the name. Merlin nodded. He had guessed it was Balinor who went to the gathering leader after Morgause had gotten Mordred and the others. "But when I heard you had a dragon's soul," he said and waved his hands, "Who wouldn't want a dragon's soul?"

"Right?"

Kilgharrah growled.

"Ah, my bad," Merlin waved. Kilgharrah sniffed before blowing more fire. "I didn't realize you could control his soul since I made the deal," he added curiously. Balinor shrugged.

"As your father I have some stake in the deals you make... though it is very weak," he admitted and raised an arm which was freely bleeding. "He bit me," he added as an explanation. Merlin winced. Morgause threw her arm out and there was a sharp change in the air as hail began to fall. Merlin rose his own arm to freeze it in the sky. It hovered for a moment before Merlin let his hand fall and the hail all burst into water. He turned to smile smugly at the angel.

”Dragons and banished demons aside-” she began and then stopped as she quickly snapped her head to the side. Merlin wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but Balinor’s smile told him he was going to enjoy it.

”Emrys and I may not be on the best terms with demons at the moment,” he said casually, “But Kali is.” 

The sky went black.

Now. Merlin had seen plenty of demons in his lifetime. His gathering had a lot. He had visited other gatherings that consisted of up to a hundred. This though? Had to be at least a few thousand. The blackness of the sky seemed to move as they all dove down in wisps of smoke as Balinor gave a delighted laugh. Morgause screeched. Grinning, Merlin felt a ray of hope rise in his chest. At the very least he could bring back the gates with this... given that he didn't totally screw it up.

Morgause must have realized the same thing because she abandoned all pretense and launched herself at him.

Admittedly, Merlin didn’t see this coming so he let himself be thrown to the ground with Morgause’s full weight on him. There was a hot burning as their skin touched, almost to the point where it was cold. He bared his teeth as he bit her arm, ripping it so that she shrieked and went to claw at his eyes.

In response, Merlin cursed in Syeri before using his magic to throw her off of him. As she flew back, he slammed his hand into the ground. Morgause plummeted down quickly, her head snapping back against the stone.

"That’s for Kane,” he growled and when Morgause went to get up, picked up a fallen arrow and threw it, using his magic to guide the shaft right into her hand. She screamed and more lightning flew down, shattering one of the castle’s towers. “And Seir,” he added. Morgause ripped the arrow out of her hand, but he was ready. With another burst of magic, he moved the falling debris of the tower onto her with a thud.

"Emrys!” came a muffled screech from underneath the rocks. Merlin couldn’t help but snort at how pathetic it was. Angels. What power did they really have?

"This,” he said, using his magic to lift the debris, “Is for Mordred,” he hissed as he took one of the rocks to slam into her face, “And Nimueh,” he added, throwing it to the side, “And for Morgana,” he growled, letting his hands grow into claws as he swiped down. Morgause caught his wrist, but he could feel her getting weaker. She struck back so that her nails ripped open the skin on his shoulder. He didn't even wince at the pain. The anger was too overwhelming. He ripped his hand free and tried again. “And for trying to steal Arthur’s throne," he hissed, mind going blurry with rage. Morgause’s nose was bleeding, her blood sliver as it dropped onto the ground. She tried to sit up but faltered.

"Well?” she asked between shuddering gasps. “Go on. Prove a cambion can kill an angel,” she said, spitting on the ground. Merlin tilted his head. It would be kinder to kill her... if he could.

He didn’t feel like being kind. 

"Morgause!" Morgana yelled, and Merlin felt his chest clench suddenly as she dashed across the field. Her eyes met Merlin's, and she gave the smallest of nods, confirming everything Merlin had both been hoping and fearing at once. Mordred stood behind her, looking pale and weak... but alive. "Sister," she said, kneeling beside the angel. Morgause groaned and sat up weakly. "Here," she whispered and pulled out the water Merlin had handed over earlier. "Drink," she whispered, lifting it with a trembling hand.

A voice in the back of his mind whispered he should feel bad for allowing Morgana to have a part in this. The other part didn’t really care. 

"Emrys," Kali said sharply and he turned to her, "Your hands," she whispered. He looked down to see the subtle glow beginning to form. Flames. Black flames. His brows furrowed as he turned to her while she took a long breath. "You... What did you do?" she asked and Merlin gave a weak smile.

"An act of wrath," he said quietly. Kali stared. "Morgause loves angels so much... I wondered what it might be like for her to be killed by one," he whispered and winced as the flames grew around him, turning blacker and thicker as they crawled up his skin. "I need to summon the gates soon," he said. Kali raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you say that you needed to be more human to use magic?” she asked and gestured up and down at Merlin. “Committing an act of wrath, no matter how impressive, seems to be a blockade,” she pointed out. Merlin smiled at her before letting his magic give a crackle of energy.

“As it turns out,” he shrugged, “Wrath is a very human emotion,” he told her. Kali didn’t have time to look too impressed by that though. Merlin cut her off before she could react, “I’m just not sure if it is human enough," he added and pushed passed her. "Arthur - where is - ? Ah. There you are," he said, dragging Arthur away from where he was in the midst of chopping people down as humans tended to do. "Right. So, I need to be super human right now, and you make me the most human," he prefaced, and Arthur opened his mouth for a moment before pushing them both out of the way of a wayward arrow. "So..." Merlin prompted.

"What am I supposed to do right now?" Arthur asked, "Uh. Human stuff... I... Think of your mother," he tried and did a double take as Merlin nodded. "Why are you covered in black flames?" he asked warily. Merlin glanced down. Right. Yes. That was something that was happening.

"Um, I committed an act of wrath by getting Morgause betrayed by her own kind," he explained and wrinkled his nose. "I don't know if it's working," he said. Arthur frowned.

"You... Does this mean you're going back to Hell?" he asked. Merlin bit his tongue before giving a helpless shrug.

"If I can bring it back, then maybe," he answered and sighed. "I'm not sure it's working, Arthur. What else? Or... Hey. Kiss me real fast," he said, impatiently tugging on Arthur's arm.

"What? Now?" Arthur asked, still trying to maneuver them away from danger. "Merlin, we're in a battle and I'm covered in blood."

"Yeah, it's super romantic," Merlin said impatiently. Arthur groaned but leaned forward so that their lips met before pulling away. "That wasn't long enough!"

"If it was any longer, we would both die," Arthur assured him. Merlin sniffed. "Merlin, humans don't even know what it means to be human. You kind of have to form your opinion on that," he sighed and spun around to stab someone. "It's a huge oxymoron. There is no real definition at the end of the day," he told him. Merlin felt the panic rise. He was telling him this now? They had no time! This was the worst news possible!

From behind them, Morgause gave a scream of pain. Right. The poisoning was going well then.

"I am distressed," Merlin announced to nobody in particular. Being human felt like a scam. He looked around towards the jerking smoke of demons and screams among both sides. He turned back to Arthur. "I'm not sure I can do this," he said quietly. A horrible realization, really. Arthur paused in his own panic to look at him, eyes intently studying the black flames licking off Merlin's body. He smiled. Merlin wasn't sure why.

"Yes, you can," he said with a confidence that Merlin didn't think was reasonable for him to possess. "And if you can't, I'll... still tolerate you," he said simply. The trepidation currently wading over him suddenly took a dive at the words. The flames on him dimmed. "I'll make magic legal, and we can get hundreds of sorcerers together to bring back the gates. It doesn't have to be you, okay? Morgause is already dying. You’ve done enough," he promised. Merlin stared. "And you can go back with your family. Or not. Whatever makes you the happiest," he added. Merlin's stomach clenched. He hadn't... Of course, Arthur would.... He was an idiot. Merlin was so caught up in everything going on, he didn't think what his act of wrath would look like to everyone else... and Arthur hadn't even blinked. He just went with it as he did with everything. No matter how painful or different or scary...

Arthur... was truly one of the most accepting people this world had to offer. Maybe it was because of the deal his parents made… or something else entirely. Whatever it was though, he was truly grateful for it.

"I love you," he decided. Arthur faltered in blocking a hit from one of the guards to look back at him. "And... I'm not going to Hell," he said, flicking his wrist. The rest of the guards flew back at once so Merlin could stand in front of him. "I don't want to go even if I am demon enough to," he said. Arthur smiled a bit before nodding. "Okay," he murmured, though he wasn't sure if it was to Arthur or himself.

He looked back over to where Morgause was still lying in Morgana's arms, eyes slowly dimming as her form began to glow. Morgana seemed torn between mourning and victory as she held her still. Merlin pulled back his shoulders and walked over. The magic was practically crackling on him now. It had stopped both sides completely as they all turned to stare at him in wonder as the black flames grew around him while bursts of lightning snapped at his hands. Morgause looked up at him.

"Came to gloat?" she asked, voice hoarse. Merlin stared. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel here. Pity or sorrow or regret or triumph... Whatever it was... It didn't matter now. He knelt down beside her and reached out. "You better make it quick," she whispered. "I'm dying. What are your last words to me?"

...well. That particular answer came to him easily.

"Stay blessed, bitch." He smiled and clenched his hand.

At first... nothing happened. Which was super awkward. Merlin looked back towards Morgana. She shrugged. Huh. Okay. Um. So. Maybe he should have done more recon or something. The demons all looked around, murmuring among one another. Kali put a hand over her face. 

Then there was a low rumbling that silenced the group. Merlin curiously glanced around to see what the other reactions were. A few of the demons had gone completely still as the rumbling grew louder - accompanied by a shaking, that caused the ground to tremble, and a few of the humans to fall on their knees. Arthur grabbed Merlin's forearm warily. Then it stopped. Merlin gave a huff. This was a real whirlwind of disappointments and hopes that were -

Whatever else he was about to think was cut off by a scream.

Well, a scream wasn't the right word at all. Like... multiple screams. Harmonized and drawn out... almost like a song. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things Merlin had ever heard. The demons all gasped at the sound, moving closer together as the humans yelped and clapped their hands over their ears. Morgana flinched before covering her ears. Arthur's grip on Merlin got tighter.

"You did it," Mordred whispered from his place near Morgana. Merlin wasn't sure how... but something in his gut told him that he was right. Almost immediately the ground began to chip away, falling into the earth as a hole began to form. Merlin peered inside. He had heard tales of Hell before. Kali used to describe it to him in painstakingly long details while teaching him how to peel back someone's eyelids. Still, it was one thing to hear about and another to... Well. Experience it. The circle in the ground burned - metal covering it like the top of a woven basket with moving parts and glittering jewels embedded deep into the metal. Lava bubbled at the sides, gurgling as a few demons gave wails of triumph.

"Whoa," Merlin whispered. Mordred gave a slight shudder beside him. "They..." he whispered and let his hand reach over the hole. "It worked," he managed and looked over at where the demons were all standing. "It worked," he repeated louder.

"There is only one way to know for certain," Kali said and from beside her, one of the demons stepped forward. Everyone fell quiet. The demon moved forward to the edge of the circle before jutting his chin out and holding his arms open as if accepting a hug.

"My name is Thant," he shouted loudly, "Demon of the seventh circle of Hell. I have committed many acts of true violence. Allow me entry," he demanded. The metal over the hole hissed before shifting slightly. Thant opened his mouth and a black smoke came out of his body, letting the human to crumble to the ground. Lancelot ran forward to drag the host away as the black smoke circled around the gates before diving in. Kali smiled.

"He's in?" Merlin asked her lowly. She nodded.

"He is," she confirmed and the crowd roared. Immediately, everyone started crowding the edges, shouts of names and their various acts being thrown as they abandoned their hosts. There were growls from various animals, shouts from human hosts... Merlin couldn't digest it all as he tried to keep track of everyone. From his side, Mordred was edging forward. Kali looked at him.

"You were born a full demon of Hell,” she told him, “Meaning you may enter, but you won't be able to come back to this host," she said. Mordred bit his lip.

"I... haven't been outside of a host," he admitted slowly and wrung his hands. "Not that I remember anyway," he said. Kali nodded, but didn't offer anything more as she watched him. Slowly, Mordred turned to look at Merlin... and then to where Morgana was solemnly watching. When their eyes met, she smiled weakly. "What about Merlin?" he asked. Kali didn’t answer. She must have already known. "I see," he said and stepped away. "Perhaps... not today."

"No?" Kali asked, sound surprisingly amused by the decision. Mordred glanced at the figures pouring into the gates before giving a much firmer nod.

"I can come back whenever I'm ready. For now, I need to make sure the angel stays in check," he sniffed and spun back around to where Morgana had brightened. "She may seem docile now, but you never know," he added. Arthur snorted. Of course. Morgana ran a fond hand over Mordred's hair before looking at Kali.

"I know given recent events... you may think me too naive to watch out for him," she began, and her voice fell as she looked back at the pyres. Kali followed her gaze. "I won't mess it up with him," she whispered. Mordred tilted his head at her before giving a wary glance towards the other demon.

"Morgause paid for Kane and Seir. If anything happens to Mordred..." she warned and Morgana nodded. Kali's eyes flicked to Arthur. The words weren't said, but Arthur seemed to get the message loud and clear because he gave a nod too.

"Hey," he said when he looked back at Merlin. "I… What the Hell is that?" Arthur asked, voice rising in alarm. Merlin looked around. "You... There is gold coming out of you. Is gold supposed to be coming out of you?" he asked and put a hand on Merlin's gashed shoulder in alarm. Oh. Yeah.

"It's just blood-"

"Blood does not look like that," Arthur said and ripped off the bottom of his tunic to start dabbing at it. "Do demons bleed like this? What does it mean?" he asked. Merlin gave a bemused snort. "This isn't funny!"

"I've always bled like this," he said with a shrug. Arthur stared. Merlin smiled brightly. "I don't really know why... I'm sure it's fine though," he told him, prying his fingers off his shoulder. Arthur slapped his hands and continued to put pressure on the wound stubbornly. Kali watched, deeply unimpressed.

"Are you certain it must be him?" she finally asked. Arthur spluttered. "That other one seems much more... rational," she spoke and pointed across the field to where Lancelot was speaking to Leon while nodding eagerly. He glanced over, noticing Kali's hand before giving a small wave. Arthur scowled.

"I'm certain, Kali," Merlin told her fondly. She shrugged. "You'll visit?" he asked. The gates were vibrating now. "I mean, you'll at least visit Mordred, right? He's still part of your gathering even if I-"

“You aren’t one of them,” Kali said, interrupting Merlin. “You aren’t one of us either,” she added. Merlin swallowed. “You are... something else entirely.” 

He nodded. That was probably... correct. As painful as it was. Felt a little unnecessary to point it out right now though.

“But,” she continued, voice softening, “Do not believe that means you don’t belong,” she said to him and reached around her neck to pull off her necklace. “I believe this is yours,” she told him. Merlin felt his mouth dry as she dropped the chain into his hand. A lump caught in his throat, and it took everything inside of him to push it back down.

"You... Thank you," he said quietly, "But I broke… well, a lot of rules," he said weakly and jerked his head towards Arthur. Arthur rolled his eyes. Kali ignored him.

"Perhaps, but much can be overlooked given certain circumstances," she said, and a coy smile crossed her lips, "After all, we are demons. Rules aren't particularly our forté," she added and gestured across the cavern. "Even banishments can be undone," she told him, and Merlin narrowed his eyes to see... Balinor? It was definitely the host he originally occupied, only his eyes were no longer red. Hunith stood beside him, a hand placed fondly on his cheek before stepping away with a wave. Perhaps Balinor felt his gaze because the demon looked up and smiled at him before zipping into the hole to join the others. "You know," Kali continued, "When your child saves our kind, then certain leniencies can be expected," she told him. A few seconds of silence followed before she finally said the words they were all waiting to hear. “Be well, Emrys,” she said quietly. "Don’t let the humans have it too easy."

”Never.”

"And you," she added to Arthur, “Don’t try anything," she warned and stepped up to the edge of the circle. Arthur gave a weak wave.

"Wasn’t really as creative as some of the other threats I’ve heard demons say," he muttered. Kali’s head spun - completely backwards as she growled.

"I’ll put your eyes through your ears so you can see me drive a wedge in your brain," she told him. Arthur gave a weak thumbs up in return. Kali didn’t bother with more decorum as her host fell to the ground. Morgana walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I owe you an apology," she began, but was cut off by Mordred cackling loudly by her side. "What?"

”We forgive you," he giggled and tilted his head back to snicker more, “Get it?" he asked, “Because usually angels like to forgive, but now we get to?" he said eagerly. Arthur stared down at Mordred thoughtfully before nodding to himself.

"Yeah," he finally said, “I like him.”

"That’s great to hear," Leon said as he marched up, coated in a layer of blood, “This thing isn’t going to remain in the citadel forever, is it?" he asked, gesturing to the gates. Elyan gave a short nod from where he was holding an injured palm. Ulric also clambered along, hopping over debris and unconscious hosts before glaring fiercely at Morgana.

“Hello, angel.” He greeted with a sniff. Morgana looked up at him for a moment before turning to Merlin.

“Oh, she’s cool now, Ulric.” He said and the guard held out his arms, “Turns out she was a victim of angelic propaganda too.” He explained. Ulric’s expression melted into one of understanding as he turned to give Morgana an apologetic smile. “As for the giant hole to Hell… I think it looks nice," Merlin continued with a snort of laughter. Elyan stared at him. Tough crowd. "No, once the demons leave, it will go away," he sighed, smiling a bit when Gwaine clapped him on the shoulder. "Um," he said as the rest of the humans began to gather around. Silence followed. "What now?" he asked. The group all looked at one another.

"Well," Lancelot said from Percival's side, "I suppose... we must go to our normal lives-"

"No," Arthur cut him off, "I will be knighting you," he said sternly and Lancelot's eyes widened "If, of course, you accept," he added. The rest all looked at one another before giving brisk nods and overwhelmed acceptances. Lancelot immediately knelt to claim fealty right then and there. Gwaine rolled his eyes, but didn't seem as opposed to the idea as Merlin thought he might have once been. "Also," Arthur added lightly as he leaned into Merlin's side, "I'm… pretty tired," he shrugged. Merlin blinked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he frowned and moved to the side. "I should let you sleep."

"I - wait. No. Merlin. I'm tired."

"Yes, I heard you."

"No, I'm tired," Arthur emphasized. Merlin stared. "Tired," he repeated. Merlin wrinkled his nose. He didn't understand. "As in, I want to sleep. Like, you know, dreaming," he told him flatly. Oh. Oh .

"I'm exhausted," Merlin agreed, interlocking their pinkies together. "I better sleep too," he said eagerly. Gwaine gave him a thumbs up.

"Yeah," Elyan sighed from where Gwen was now wrapping his hand in a cloth, "Well, the rest of us are going to clean up after the battle because we aren't disgusting," he muttered. Gwen hit his shoulder. "Do you hear them?" he asked her, voice going high. " Do you?" he repeated and glowered at the pair. "Shame," he whispered.

"We're not under an angel regime," Merlin objected, "Leave us alone."

"No."

Arthur snorted, but didn't humor the argument as he grabbed Merlin's hand. Not that they were actually going to sleep yet. Merlin knew him too well for that. The castle would need to be meticulously cleaned, and the aftermath of the battle cleared before he did anything fun. Also, well, there was technically still a coronation to be held. Morgana would need to recover from her sister dying and the whole 'trying to take over Camelot' ordeal. They were far from done with anything. Though, despite it all, there was at least one good thing to come out of all this... He had met Arthur Pendragon. And Balinor was right...

He would be incredibly easy to, well, you know… tolerate.