Chapter Text
As Merlin came through the door, he was hit by the sound of swords, clashing against each other. And the thought crossed his mind, that these were mostly civilians, who had taken up arms against the very knights that were meant to protect them. He could almost be proud that they were finally standing up for themselves, had it not been for the disgust he felt, over the fact that they had to do so in the first place.
Merlin moved further into the room, trying his best to avoid the heaviest fighting. For he knew, and he knew it well, that it was best not to interfere, not unless he really had to. This was Camelot’s fight for freedom, and Merlin did not want to take this away from them.
This fight was a long time coming.
But despite knowing that the people of Camelot needed to fight this fight for themselves, he did find himself incapable of just standing by. For every time he spotted a knight attempt to take a civilian by surprise, and earn themselves an easy kill, Merlin would use his magic to send them flying.
Had he thought it realistically possible, he would have saved everyone. But with how the situation was set up, and how little he could actually see of what was going on, it did not seem realistic.
And in the middle of all this, he was still searching for anyone he recognised. Anyone, like Gwen or Morgana, though he would also take any of the knights. And though he knew it was strange of him to care about the people who were actively trying to hurt him; he could not help it. They were still his friends, were they in his universe, or another.
The first person he recognised, was Leon. Leon, with his sword in hand, with the tip of the blade hovering over the chest of a civilian. And with an expression that spoke of how much he wanted to not do it, to not kill the frightened person who lay at his mercy.
So, Merlin did the only reasonable thing he could. He gave Leon a gentle push with his magic. It sent the man about two windows further left than where he had previously been standing, and he looked around in confusion, before his eyes landed on Merlin.
So, just in case, Merlin made sure to move, using the chaos as a way to hide himself away. He did trust that Leon could keep his sudden appearance in the battle a secret, but there were too many other factors in play, so he found it safest to stay as hidden as possible for the time being.
He kept moving, trying to stay as out of the way as he could physically manage. He dodged knights and civilians, some alive and some dead. And at some point, he could see that Percival and Gwaine had joined the battle, probably to search for him. For a moment, he found himself wondering where Lancelot was, but he let that thought pass, as he was forced to dodge a sword.
Looking up, he could see the knight draw his sword back in horror, before he was forced to defend himself once more. And Merlin could only speed past the battle, continuing his hunt for either Morgana or Gwen… or preferably, both of them.
Though, he would not mind if Arthur was here, somewhere. That being his Arthur, not the Arthur that they were fighting against.
He made it over to the steps to the throne, and he made sure to dive behind the big chair, before he ever dared to look out over the room, and the group of people who were currently locked in combat. At a guess, he would assume that there were at least fifty people fighting, in this room alone.
But he could also finally see Gwen, who was currently locked in combat with her brother, Elyan. He could make out the tears in his eyes, as well as the movement of his lips, as he whispered constant apologies to her. And he could see the tears in her eyes as well, something telling him that she was not fighting for the country, as much as she was fighting for her brother.
But something drew his attention away from them. Morgana, to be precise. She was locked in combat with Lancelot, for he had now appeared. Merlin took notice of how Lancelot was not as much attacking, as he was merely defending himself from her attacks.
Finally, and kind of expectantly, there was no sign of either Arthur. And that was beginning to concern him, despite the fact that he knew that Arthur could very well take care of himself. But Merlin had no sign of life, not after his disappearance, and the fact that he had supposedly taken the life of the other Merlin. That was the last, guaranteed sign of life that he had from Arthur, and it was not even guaranteed.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone screamed. It was a loud, piercing scream, which could only mean that someone was injured, or that someone had died. And he dared not to look, for fear of who it could be.
When he finally chose to look out there, he could see that the battle had practically stopped, as people were gathering around a sobbing mess. Merlin rose to his feet as slowly as he could manage, which was when he could see Elyan stand there, covering his eyes with his arm, his sword aiming at the ground. And he could hear the man sob.
Making the decision now, Merlin chose to leave his hiding spot. He traversed through the crowd, who mostly just let him pass, until he was standing inside of the newly created circle. Elyan still stood there; his breathing hitched as the tears came out. But now, Merlin could also see Gwen.
She laid on the ground, looking quite peaceful considering... well, everything. The wound in her chest was gaping, and Merlin had to bite back the urge to step away by forcing himself to step towards her. It was only when he got closer, that he could see the marks of a sword having graced the skin on one of her legs as well.
Merlin knelt down next to her, taking Gwen’s hand into his own. There was still some strength in her grip, but it was ebbing away at an alarming speed. And he cursed himself for having remained hopeful, when he had physically seen the wound inflicted on her, and he should have very well known better than to hope.
He dared not even think of how Elyan was feeling in this moment. Or how Morgana would feel, when she finally made it over here. And speaking off, why had Morgana not made it over there? Had she not yet realised?
But just as that thought passed, he could see Morgana fight her way through the crowd. Fortunately, her eyes found Merlin’s first, but then her gaze shifted away from him, and over to the body that laid next to him.
And Morgana’s whisper was barely audible, “Gwen…”
“I am truly sorry, Morgana,” Merlin whispered to her as she approached, “There was nothing we could have done.”
That was a lie, and he knew that. But Morgana did not know where Merlin had been throughout the battle, and she would not know that Merlin could, in fact, have prevented Gwen’s death, had he not gotten distracted, and stopped paying attention to the fight she was leading against her brother.
But it seemed like Morgana did not hear him either way, as it was with tears in her eyes, that she looked at Merlin, “But there must be something we can do!”
“I truly am sorry, Morgana,” Merlin shook his head, “By the time I got here, she was already gone.”
Morgana’s gaze remained on his own for a bit, but then she threw herself to the ground, crying into a part of Gwen’s shirt that was currently not covered in blood. Though Merlin had a feeling that she would not have cared, even if it was covered in blood.
From the corner of his eye, he could also see one of the knights try and sneak up on her, with his sword raised, and his aim locked. But Merlin could only send him flying back, using more force this time, than when he had done this to Leon.
He had only meant to disorient. But in this case, he would not have cared if he killed the knight. For as it stood, he would interfere with anyone he could see who tried to gain a quick kill by going after an unsuspecting person, or even someone who was mourning a lost one.
But as he observed the knight, he also caught a quick glance at the doorway, just in time to see an older man run past. Following him, he could see Arthur run into frame, his head moving barely as if he was just casting a glance into the room, before he ultimately stopped.
Looking at the way he was dressed, as well as the sword in his hand, it was clear to Merlin that this was his Arthur.
Merlin could feel his heartbeat quicken as they kept their gazes locked on each other. Arthur was alive. Thank the Goddess, Arthur was still alive!