Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He ran through the forest as quietly as possible, treating each step as a possible sign of danger. The air was crisp and cold, but the ground beneath his feet was soft and muddy. It made sense – it was in spring after all – but he didn’t like it. There was always the risk of footprints, something that would reveal to his pursuers where exactly he had gone. And they would come for him, and they would kill him. Simple as that.

He had hope, once. He held hope for all of them. Hope that this era would end and that this new, barbaric world would be peaceful and just, filled with people who cared about each other. People who loved and lived their lives with purpose and care for others. But now… he knew better than to think that things could ever go back to normal.

The golden age, the once and future king... it felt like nothing but a made-up fairytale at this time. A way for the druids to have hope, when there was none. And it might as well have been built on a lie.

Everything around him spoke loudly of the coming chaos. They were the only things keeping him alive right now – if not from death itself, then because of the knowledge that it would soon arrive. That he wasn't going to live long enough to see the end. He would never get to see this golden age. He would never get to see the once and future king at his brightest. Because it wasn't going to happen.

As he reached the edge of the forest, he stopped to catch his breath. His body ached from running, his muscles cramped and his lungs screamed for oxygen. He looked around for signs of life, but saw nothing, save for an empty clearing. No sign of movement, no noise, no signs of disturbance or disturbance. The land was completely empty. Even the birds had flown away, which could not be a good sign.

He took one more deep, ragged breath, closed his eyes tightly shut, then stepped onto the open field, where the grass was still moist with morning dew. This is where he would fight. With his bare hands, if he had to. Against men like himself – those who weren't able to use magic. Those who wielded swords as weapons instead, relishing in the power that a simple blade could provide them. Those who killed without hesitation and left no evidence of their own existence behind.

His legs trembled as he walked across the small meadow until he finally reached the center. He looked up at the darkening sky – clouds hung low in the distance. He couldn't tell how much time had passed since he had last seen the sun, felt its heat against his skin or taken in the light that it could provide. It had certainly been a while. But then again, it was his own fault for that.

"Merlin?!"

The screams grew louder, more desperate for answers that the warlock was not willing to provide. In a matter of hours everything would change, for the worse. The world would become so cruel that he would wish he had never existed in the first place. The very earth would become a prison, locked forever behind bars with no hope of escape.

It wouldn't be long before the knights found him, he knew. One man alone was a target. The others, the hunters and the hunters' dogs, would hunt based on any chance at survival until they'd caught him. He knew it would come, and he had no idea what he was going to do when that happened.

He hadn't really thought about it until right now.

"He's here!" The voice of sir Gareth rang strong and true, even with a bit of hesitation running through his call.

There would be commotion, he predicted. Knights and horses would appear. The whole army, the entire army would descend upon this tiny patch of grass, searching for a single warlock, who only ever thought that he'd try to help. A single warlock who had once held foolish dreams of hope, of freedom, and of unity.

Merlin, once the most powerful warlock to grace the continent, had given up on all hope when it became clear that such a thing would never happen. He, too, would be punished, executed, killed in front of his own people. That was how these things worked. Merlin was no exception to this rule – anyone with magic was to face the execution stand.

The pyre. The sword. The flames. The stake. It barely even mattered. It was all part of the game that came along with being a sorcerer, and Merlin knew that the only way out of this hell was by dying. That was the fate that awaited a sorcerer who gave up on the world that he wanted so badly to protect. That fate, and death went hand in hand.

There was a small part of him who was curious though, watching as Arthur, king of Camelot, and his four most trusted knights entered the field. Leon, the most trusted knight of all of them, sat firmly in his saddle, his eyes trailing the unfolding scene. Percival, who didn't really look at anything but the blue sky that hung above them. Elyan, who looked like he carried the burden of the world on his shoulders. Gwaine, who tried so desperately to catch Merlins eye, but who Merlin refused to even look at. And Arthur.

So beautiful, so confident, so proud. All of those emotions were so familiar and comforting to Merlin in that moment. Arthur had once been the greatest of warriors, and he'd always been so proud of his abilities. He had led the armies into battle, fought wars and won battles. But he'd also led people to despair and grief.

That Merlin could understand.

Arthur, though, did not look sad in the least. In fact, he appeared almost amused by the situation, as he dismounted from his horse and started walking towards him. When he reached the edge of the field, he turned to face Merlin, his expression unreadable. But Merlin could guess that it was probably nothing good, judging from the tone of his voice.

“You gave us quite the chase, Merlin," The king huffed, "I cannot say that I expected anything less from you. I have to say that I'm almost disappointed that you gave up."

He sounded so sure of himself that Merlin was tempted to laugh at him. Did the idiot really think that Merlin was so incompetent that he would give him up so easily? How stupidly naive, how naïve he must think that Merlin was!

Merlin raised his head and glared at him with a hard gaze, his lips pressed tight together. He was going to stay silent. He had done his job well. He'd tried. He had delivered himself to his end. He was ready to die in this pitiful way, to be sacrificed like an animal. It shouldn't have hurt anymore, but it did, just slightly. Perhaps because it should have ended with him standing before Arthur and the rest of his knights, begging for his life, like they usually wanted. But he wasn't about to go there. Not now. Not this day. Not yet. Not when Arthur still had hope in his eyes. Maybe not ever. So he waited. He let the other man speak.

And Arthur did speak. "I know you're angry at me", he said in a quiet voice. "But that doesn't mean that we can't work this out."

Of course we can't, he wanted to reply. We haven't even begun yet. And then he realized what he was thinking. What was it about Arthur that allowed him to twist words as he pleased? To push Merlin's buttons to make him lash out?

"I understand that this must be difficult for you," Arthur continued, "But this is how it is, Merlin. You committed a crime. You have to be punished for it."

"How can you call my actions a crime, my lord?" Merlin let out, watching as Arthur flinched, "What have I done that has warranted this?"

"You have aided the rebellion," Arthur sighed, "You have broken my heart."

"You broke mine first, the day that you changed, Arthur," Merlin finally met Arthurs eyes, and he could see nothing but darkness in them, "The man that you have become, is not the same man that I married."

"Do you want to know something?" Arthur asked, stepping closer to his enemy and placing his fingers gently under Merlin's chin, forcing the warlock to look him straight into his eyes, "I would have given you the world if I could."

"I know."

Merlin was about to turn around and walk back the way he had come, but Arthur quickly pulled him towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Merlin stood motionless, unsure as to why the king was hugging him. Was he hoping to prove that he still loved Merlin, despite what had transpired between them? Or was he trying to show some kind of affection, some sort of reassurance to him? The latter seemed more probable than the former. Merlin didn't reciprocate. After all, he couldn't care less. There was nothing to prove. He was already gone.

They stayed like that for minutes, until Arthur finally released Merlin. Then he walked away a few steps, looking out over the endless plain, staring down at it as if there was something he wanted to say and couldn't find the right words to express. Finally, after clearing his throat a couple times, he spoke again,

"Merlin..."

"Yes, my liege?"

"...Are you going to leave me?" Arthur asked, his words so soft that it nearly made Merlin jump.

He paused for a second, letting out a breath before turning his gaze towards Arthur once more. There was no trace of doubt within his eyes, nothing of anger or hatred. They were completely devoid of emotion. Just pure, honest curiosity. His gaze remained fixed on Arthur's face as if he needed to confirm that the king truly meant what he had said.

"My lord..."

"Call me Arthur," Arthur insisted, cutting off the end of the sentence. "This isn't fair, seeing as you don't seem to remember our wedding vows either."

A smile played across Merlin's lips despite the ache in his ribs. Of course he remembered, how could he forget? The ceremony itself was one of the happiest occasions of his life, especially for him who hadn't known happiness before. It had been one of the moments where he had been truly happy. He had never felt like that again, since that day.

"I do remember," Merlin nodded, a small smile on his face, "And I also know that it is not over for us yet, Arthur."

His voice was steady and calm, as if speaking in order to reassure himself rather than reassure Arthur. Because the truth was, Arthur already knew the truth. Merlin was about to be sentenced to death, and it would be by Arthurs hand. Husband or not, Merlin had aided the rebellion. A crime where the punishment was death.

"No," Arthur hummed, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, "Maybe not."

The king moved forwards, much quicker than what Merlin was able to register at first. Arthurs left hand caught Merlins shoulder, as their lips connected. Arthurs right hand, on the other hand, was currently holding the hilt of the sword that was currently pierced through Merlins stomach. There was blood flowing freely from the wound, soaking through the fabric of his tunic.

Merlin wanted to cry out, he wanted to scream, but his lips were still locked with Arthurs. Merlin felt tears prick the corners of his eyes, but he stubbornly pushed the feelings aside. He couldn't break down now. Not when things were finally starting to get better.

When they pulled apart, Arthur's eyes held nothing but regret.

"Why?" He whispered, running his thumb over Merlin's cheekbone, wiping the tears away, "Why did you have to betray me like this, Merlin? It isn't fair."

Merlin took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears from falling. His hands grasped the sword, gripping it tightly. "Because I love you." The warlock said calmly, his voice weak as he was blinking the tears away, feeling the blood flow more rapidly through his veins, "Even if you are such a fool sometimes, Arthur. Even if you make mistakes. I love you. And I-I want what's... best for you..."

"It would have been better if you had stayed by my side."

"Maybe... maybe so... it just didn't... work out this time," Merlin managed to move one of his arms up, to wipe away one of the tears that threatened to spill from Arthurs eyes, "We'll... see each other... again..."

Merlin managed to catch another shallow breath, before he spoke once more.

"Gewaca... þe, fram ōðrum worulde."

Arthur's grip around his shoulders tightened, and then he smiled sadly, before leaning forward again and kissing Merlin once more, pulling him closer to his own body there where he sat, on his knees in this wet dirt, tears falling from his own eyes. This time though, he was no longer crying silently, he was sobbing bitterly and loudly, clinging onto his husband for dear life while he fought to keep himself together, fighting off the pain and panic threatening to overwhelm him.

"Goodbye, my prince..."

Chapter Text

Merlin wasn't sure what had happened. One moment, he had had been standing next to Arthur, only feeling a little bit dizzy where he stood but he had just figured that it was the sudden, strange heat that had taken its hold on the kingdom. But the last thing that he could remember, was when the darkness hit, and he could feel someones arms around him, trying to catch him before he fell.

So why had he woken up in the middle of a forest?

Why was he laying on the ground, with no memory of every getting to a place similar to his current surroundings? Where was he? What had happened to him? And most importantly, how was he meant to get home?

"Merlin?" He could feel a hand graze his arm, as a voice spoke up, "Are you alright?"

Arthur sat by his side, his face covered in a light layer of dirt. Merlin followed his gaze and saw that they were lying on a narrow strip of land, that divided one river into two. There were trees all around them, blocking out the sky and making everything seem very dark. In the distance, there were other people milling around. People talking amongst themselves and laughing loudly.

"Where... where are we?" Arthur looked around, before his eyes found Merlins once more.

"I don't... know..." Merlin hummed lightly, his eyes scanning the surrounding area.

There were trees everywhere he looked, and in some places, even branches grew up over the tops of trees. He could feel a cold breeze run over his legs, as the wind picked up speed, and he got a bad feeling about this, as if the winds themselves knew that Merlin and Arthur did not belong here. That they were not welcome and needed to leave as soon as possible.

There was this vague feeling of instability somewhere, making itself known from deep within Merlins core. Something told him that there was more to this place than meets the eye; that there were secrets and secrets hidden deep beneath all of these trees, hidden far in the depths of the land and unknown to everyone except a select few.

"Who are you?" Another voice questioned, this one familiar to Merlins ears, coming from behind them.

"We are strangers to this land," Merlin let out, before Arthur could utter a single word, "Could you tell us where we are?"

"You have entered the country of Camelot. And I urge you to leave, while you still can."

"What? Why?"

"There is no one left who can keep the king from his own madness. No one dares to try, after he imprisoned his sister, and then killed his love, for helping her escape."

"...Didn't your queen ever do anything, before it became this bad?" Arthur let out, his voice weak and sheepish.

"Queen?" The voice sounded slightly confused, "We had no queen. The king used a deal with the druids as an excuse to marry the one man who held a grip on his heart. It was the unity that they were destined to have, being two sides of the same coin and all that."

Merlin paled, feeling his heart beat faster than it should have. His eyes were wide, and his voice shook as a couple of words escaped from his lips, which he suddenly realized were very dry.

"And why didn't... why didn't he do anything?"

"Oh, he did quite a lot," The voice sounded interested in something, all of a sudden, "But enough about that, you need to leave now. Camelot is not safe, least of all for the two of you."

"How come?"

But whoever it was, would speak not a single word to them after this point. Merlin was left to wonder, who this person even was. They sounded like they knew everything, but the way that the stranger spoke to him, made Merlin wary of them.

"Come on," Arthurs fingers wrapped around Merlins wrist, "We have to figure out what's going on."

They walked along the riverbank, both completely lost in thoughts. They kept walking, not caring that they would arrive at some unknown area, where trouble was probably lurking, waiting for them to walk in, completely blind to any upcoming danger.

After a few minutes, Merlin looked up, noticing that the sun was slowly beginning to set in the west, giving his vision almost perfect vision of everything surrounding him, as well. The area was bathing in the gentle light of the sun, and it was comfortable to be here, where the silence was only broken by the occasional crunching leaves or the gentle song of a nearby bird. However, that peaceful nature ended when the sounds of swords clashing were heard.

Merlin frowned, turning to look behind them, his eyes widening when he found a group of men, practicing. It had to be four of them, all four of them carrying a sword in hand. Merlin, out of pure instinct, grabbed onto Arthurs arm, pulling him back before the king accidentally revealed himself to the four, sparring knights of Camelot. And when Arthur gave him an angry glare, Merlin pointed westwards, Arthurs eyes widening when he saw what Merlin was pointing to.

'Let's listen.' Merlin mouthed, and Arthur gave him an approving nod.

They moved silently, their feet slipping through the mud and dirt that was covering the forest floor. When they neared the edge of the woods, they stopped, hiding against a tree trunk each. Merlins heart pounded against his chest, as they watched the practice, paying complete attention to each movement, each word that they were able to pick up.

"It's difficult," Gwaine let out, his voice filled with doubt, "It's difficult to pretend like I don't just want to run my sword through his gut."

"I know," Percival was by Gwaines side, a hand pressing against Gwaines shoulder, "But for now, we can only hope that Merlin recovers swiftly, just so he can deal with it."

"Right..." A sigh left Gwaines mouth, before he continued, "But I can't believe the stupid bastard would claim to love and mourn his husband, after having just run his sword through the poor man! And all he wanted to do was to help Morgana, before that... prat was about to do something stupid!"

"That's enough Gwaine!" Gwaine turned to face his friend, his face falling when he had finally turned to face Leon, "I doubt that any of us are happy right now, but we have no other choice then to play along. We have to get Merlin out of there."

"What the hell has happened here?" Arthur whispered, his eyes fully focusing on Merlin.

"I don't know," Merlin gave Arthur a confused look, "But I have a vague feeling that it involves us now."

"Uhm, guys?" Elyan spoke up, catching Merlins attention, "We're being watched."

Arthur shot a concerned look towards Merlin as he drew his sword, but Merlin could only stare straight ahead. The feeling he felt inside him was telling him that something wasn't right, but that there was nothing he could really do about it.

"Rise," He heard Leon command, "Rise and make yourselves known to the knights of Camelot!"

Merlin shot a look in Arthurs direction, waiting to follow his kings lead. Arthur looked horrified from where he sat, his right hand still holding onto that sword for dear life. The sound of metal clattering together echoed across the clearing, as several pairs of footsteps thudded towards them, leaving the ground shaking with each step.

"If I were to tell you to run..." Arthur let out, glancing towards Merlin.

"I would call you a clotpole for even considering it."

"Got it."

With that, he raised his sword above his head, taking one final deep breath. As soon as he lifted his sword upwards, he brought it down, slashing through the air. But as soon as he swung his sword downwards, Merlin noticed, that something had changed. Even though Arthur was supposed to have cut through the air, there were marks of something, present on the blade of Excalibur.

"I command you again," Sir Leon let out, "Show yourselves!"

Arthur rose first, his movements slow and careful. Merlin, after having gotten over the initial surprise, mirrored Arthurs movements, rising from his spot with both hands over his head. And he got to take in the ever so glorious sight of the four knights, looking between the two of them in pure confusion.

"I am truly sorry if we were a bother to you, sir knight." Arthur let out, a small tone of mockery in his voice.

"How-how is this...?" Gwaine let out, "How is this possible?"

"Merlins final words were a spell," Percival seemed to hum, "Perhaps it was to summon these two... variants of himself and Arthur..."

"Well, we cannot exactly bring them to the king, can we?" Elyan looked among his comrades, "I mean, who knows what he'll do to them!"

"We should bring them to the king, actually" Leon let out, his blade lowered from the area surrounding Arthurs chest, "If this is Merlins handy-work, then it is for a reason. Perhaps this was his last attempt to help Arthur. Perhaps he meant for them to help him, where Merlin himself, could not."

Looking over to his side, he could see this look of hurt and betrayal, mixed in with curiousity in Arthurs eyes.

"A spell? You have magic?!" His king hiss-whispered.

"I-I do," Merlin nodded, feeling suddenly unable to meet anyones eyes, "I can give you the explanation later, because I do not think that this is the time to do that. We need a plan."

Looking around, he could see several trees, the dry grass, he could feel the weak wind that hit his face, and he could see a single way out.

"Arthur," He whispered, "I'll cause a distraction. When it's ready, we run."

"Got it." Arthur gave him a nod.

Merlin focused on whatever power he could bring forth, a desperate attempt to find something to latch onto for his plan. And the momemt the word left his lips, he could see each knight pale.

"Forbearnan!"

The fire had its hold on them within seconds, with every blade of grass being swallowed by the flames. Merlin could only stand there and watch for a few moments, before he could feel the hand that had taken hold of his wrist, as Arthur dragged him along, the duo running as quickly as they could manage.

"They're getting away!" He could hear Elyans yell.

Chapter Text

There was something strange about seeing him lay in his old bed again, his face describing nothing but peace as his breathing was stable once more. Gaius had described it to him clearly, but Arthur had not fully believed him back then. Even someone with Merlins power, had to have some sort of weakness. Nothing could ever be immortal. 

Except for Merlin, apparently. 

Arthur could not understand it. He had struggled to believe it when they had told him. But in this moment, this very moment, he felt... relived. His husband would make it out, and, having technically died before being brought back to life, he would have served his sentence, and he would be a free man.  

No longer being controlled by Morgana, no longer needing to be her personal slave, to obey her every command. He would not serve as the servant she wanted. No longer would he be forced to serve her, and her pathetic attempt of a rebellion. No longer would she use him for her own advantage. Arthur would make sure of that. Once they were back together, Arthur could put an end to this senseless war, and once Morgana was dead, then he could live a good life. A long life.

He couldn't believe how easily his mind had accepted the truth. How simple it all sounded. But then again, he had killed his father. He could easily kill his sister as well. 

Arthur reached for his husbands hand, brushing his fingers across the smooth surface. His mind began thinking, planning, trying to find some kind of solution to all this. Maybe, just maybe, Leon could help him come up with a solution. And he didn't care for keeping it civil anymore. He was prepared for war, with no intention to lose. 

"Gaius?" Arthur called out, his voice bouncing between the walls of these chambers. 

"Yes, my lord?" Gaius let out, and Arthur could hear each step that he took. 

"How is he doing?" 

"There has been little change, sire. He breathes as he should, but I see no sign of his awakening, anytime soon."

Arthur ignored Gaius for a moment, letting his hand run over Merlins porcelain skin.  He wished that he could spend the rest of his life running his fingers through his husbands hair, or whispering loving words into his ear. He wanted to see Merlins smile again, he wanted  him to laugh, and he wanted him to wake up.

His thoughts were interrupted as Merlin started moving. His brow furrowed and his lips parted slightly, as though he was attempting to breathe. Arthur moved closer, his heart in his throat as he reached out his hand, resting it on the others cheek, 

"Merlin?"

No reply. Though it was not like he expected anything. Merlin was unwell, but the fact that he had been moving, his attempts to catch his breath should be good news... right?

"Is he alright?" Arthur asked once again, turning his head slightly to look at Gaius, who was standing in the doorway.

"Yes my lord, he is alright," Gaius hummed, his eyes trailing his former ward, "Seems to me like he just had a nightmare."

"Right..." Arthurs voice fell, revealing the disappointment that had a grip on his heart, "A nightmare..."

Arthur turned back to Merlins body, stroking his cheek lightly, making the mans face scrunch in pain, causing his eyebrows to wrinkle even more.

"Shh... Shhh..." He said, placing his other hand atop Merlins chest, "Merlin, it's okay. You''re safe..."

Suddenly, Merlin let out a loud gasp of air, but showed no sign of waking up. Arthur leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Merlins forehead, hoping to feel movement beneath his touch. He waited patiently, listening closely to Merlin.  He heard the mans breathing, but he could also detect faint whimpers escaping his lips. Was that..

It could only be. Arthur closed his eyes, allowing himself to focus on the softness of his skin. The feeling of his skin. The way it moved when Merlin breathed in deeply. It was all Arthur could remember. But he knew it wasn't enough. There was still another part missing. Something else he needed.

Taking a shaky breath, Arthur lifted his head off from Merlins, letting a small tear trickle down his own cheek. He placed his head back onto the pillows, as he stared back down at Merlin, his eyes locked onto his husband.

"Come on," Arthur let out, lifting his hand to caress Merlin's face, "Please, wake up. I don't know how I'm meant to go on without you."

But, there would come no reply this time either. 

Merlin let out yet another whimper, his breathing growing heavy and short. Arthur frowned, pulling him close once more, as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. But the pain that he could hear coming from Merlin's body, was one that made everything seem so much worse. This was all his fault. His and Morganas fault. 

It wasn't lost on him, the fact that the door opened and someone was walking over. Or when he heard the soft whisper of his name, in a voice that could only be described as nothing but pure comfort. The comfort of a hand found his shoulder and Arthur responded to that by placing his own hand on top of his mothers hand. 

"No change?" His mothers voice was gentle, familiar with the despair that her son was feeling. 

"Nothing." Arthurs reply was short, and he probably sounded bitter.  He could barely hear what she was saying anyway, as he was still focused on Merlin.

"Arthur," He could almost see her smile, and he envied her ability to smile, even when it seemed impossible to be happy, "He is one of the strongest men that I have ever had the honour of meeting. He will pull through this, and he will do so for you." 

"But I fear for what will happen if Morgana gets her hands on him again." 

"We will just have to make sure that it does not happen, my dear. Both Gaius and I will look after him, and I am certain that your knights will do so as well. She will not get her hands on him again. She will be captured, punished as you see fit, and no harm will come to him. He will be safe."

And that was all which Arthur ever wanted, was it not? 

"Of course," The king nodded, a feeling of determination surging through his veins, "No harm will come to him. Never again."

Silence fell on them like a blanket. Arthur looked back at his husband, the last light fading from his eyes as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. And with it, darkness washed over the room, just for the moments it would take before Gaius was able to light a few candles. 

And the doors came open, dragging in some of the light from the hallways outside. Arthur barely bothered to glance at the servant girl who came in, her baby-blue dress covered in dust of some kind. 

"Your... your majesty..." The girl seemed to freeze up, her voice shaking as she took in the group that was already in the room. 

"Honestly girl," His mother let out, her voice ringing with what seemed like disgust, "You should have cleaned yourself before coming to look for the king."

"Oh, no, I-I'm sorry, I..."

"It's alright." Arthur let out, finally turning to look at the girl, "What is it?"

"Oh, uh... the-the south-western patrol, lead by sir Kay has returned..." The girl took a deep breath, "They bring an urgent message from Sir Leon."

"Where is sir Kay?" 

"He awaits your arrival in the throne room." 

"Alright," Arthur rose from his feet, and each step he took seemed to be met with fear by the girl, "Bring me to him."

The girl hurried to follow Arthur as he headed towards the great hall. As Arthur walked down the halls, his eyes fell on many of the knights staring back at him. And the one thing that all of them held in common, would be that they feared him, though he liked to think of it as respect. 

The girl held the door open for him, allowing for the king to enter the room. Sir Kay was standing there, as expected, both hands behind his back. Arthur, being in a hurry to get back to his husband, walked straight past him, heading towards his throne. Only when he was sat down, did he speak. 

"I have been informed that you have a message for me?"

"Yes, my lord," Sir Kay straightened his back, "Sir Leon, Sir Percival, Sir Elyan and Sir Gwaine believe that they might have learnt of what his royal highness, prince Merlins last spell was meant to do."

"Oh?" This had perked Arthurs interest, being one of the few questions that still remained from that incident, "Did he mention what they might have found?"

"Vaguely, my lord. He asked me to inform you of their plan to surround them at the location of the sword, but he was unable to tell me who they were planning on surrounding." 

"Were they going on foot or by horse?" 

"On foot, sire."

"Yes, alright. You," He pointed towards the location of the servant girl, "Fetch my sword. Bring it up to Gaius' chambers."

"Yes, my lord." The girl bowed, and she would be out of the room within seconds.

"And you," Arthur turned to look at sir Kay, "Alert sir Gareth. I want the two of you to come with me." 

"Of course, my lord." Sir Kay bowed as well. 

Arthurs exit from the room was swift, the longing feeling of desire, wanting to be by his husbands side, was what filled his heart. Yet, this lingering feeling of curiousity was what caught his interest. Merlin had done something, something which none of those who had been there, had been able to decipher.

Until now. 

Arthur barged through the door, ignoring both Gaius and his mother, his sight set on the person in the bed. Arthur stood beside the bed, watching as the mans chest rose up and down slowly. The kings eyes travelled around his mans face, his gaze catching on every feature of his peaceful expression. 

"I have to go away for a while," Arthur let out, his hand reaching for his husbands hand, "But I will be back soon. I promise," Leaning down, he let his lips connect with the back of Merlins hand, "I love you."

Turning around, his eyes landed on the servant girl from earlier. And in her hands, lay his sword. A blade which held one of the biggest kill-count in the kingdom, making it the second most powerful blade in all of the lands. 

And whoever these people were, that Leon and his knights were trailing, who Merlin had apparently called to them, they were seemingly after the first one. 

Chapter Text

Each tree passed them by in a blur. There was nothing to distinguish the trees from one another, except maybe the colours of their leaves or how many shades of yellow they had on that particular day. But it didn't really matter; the figures were too far away, and getting further away from them was the only thing that Merlin wanted.

His heart ached terribly with each step he took, and his head pounded so hard he could barely think straight, let alone run properly. He knew this because the pounding got more intense each second that he ran, until the feeling became almost unbearable, and he needed a moment's pause every five steps just to catch his breath.

"Merlin?!" Arthur hissed, stopping just in front of him, "What are you doing?"

"I... can't... breathe!" Merlin let out, feeling his throat close with each word that left his mouth. He gasped heavily, doubling over as his chest grew tight. Had he been injured during... whatever had happened, that brought them here?

"You should have said something earlier," Arthur scolded, grabbing Merlin's arm.

"No… no, I'm okay," Merlin coughed, trying to stand up straight again, "Just... Mægen cræftian."

It was a temporary boost, sure, but it was still a boost of Merlins energy. He'd been running for so long now, he was almost out of breath anyway, and if this little boost kept him going longer than he probably needed, then he wasn't going to complain about it.

"There they are!" Both men turned to look at the treeline, as Sir Leons voice bounced off each tree nearby.

Merlin winced; Sir Leons voice was not something Merlin liked hearing, considering their current situation. The commanding tone he held was effective in getting into people's heads. Both the Leon that they knew, as well as the Leon of this world, seemed to possess this ability, to command the situation with the right tone of voice. It would be their way, or no way, and that was anything but ideal for Merlins and Arthurs sake.

"Come on," Arthur let out, his fingers wrapping around Merlins wrists once more, "We have to go!"

Without any more time to debate the matter, Arthur pulled Merlin along again, running in the opposite direction of the knights. They both broke into a run when they heard footsteps thundering towards them, the same ones Merlin recognised immediately. The knights of Camelot could be a sturdy group, sure, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Arthur," Merlin let out, taking deep breaths in with each syllable he dared to let out, "Diversion!"

"What?" Merlin could tell that even Arthur was beginning to lose his stamina.

"Clearing-" Merlin managed to point to the left, "We have to fight!"

"They'll crush us!"

"No, they won't! Trust me!"

He could trace each line that appeared on Arthurs face, and he would see doubt in each one of them. But, somehow, he knew there wouldn't be much of a choice between the two paths that they had been left with. And so, he allowed for Merlin to take the lead, not a word passing between either of them as their direction changed.

And so, the pair ran, dodging trees and branches in every which way they possibly could. They made their way out of the woods, staying ahead of the knights with the help of trees, branches, bushes, and vines that 'suddenly' popped up out of nowhere.

Now, it wasn't a complete solution.

They had only managed to find a clearing, but it did provide a hint of light for them, as perhaps one of the few places in this forest, where the sun was able to get through and actually shine its light down. But that left another question, fresh in Merlins mind. The grass was cut short, and there was barely anything growing here. But why?

"Wow..."

He could hear Arthurs gasp, and following his kings eyes, he could see why. In the middle of this clearing, stood a stone, tall and proud. And on, or rather in this stone, stood a sword, which seemed to both attract and reflect whatever light that reached it. Merlin's eyes flicked back and forth, from the metal gleaming brilliantly like stars and planets in the sky to the bright gold that decorated each side of the blade. This sword was old…

Very old.

As Merlin watched, he noticed more details, like the intricate carvings on either side of the hilt that made up the blade, inscriptions that it shared with the blade, currently hanging from Arthurs belt.

Take me up.

Cast me away.

"It's Excalibur," Merlin let out, his head moving from the sword and to Arthur, "Your sword!"

"But..." He could hear Arthurs hesitation, as the king struggled to form his words, "Why is it here?"

"Because our king was not worthy of it," Both Merlin and Arthur turned around, as Gwaine entered their field of view, and it was at this time, that Merlin realized how the red cape had been replaced with a black one, "He did not fulfill the requirements to wield the blade."

Gwaine walked towards them, holding himself tall and strong, despite the obvious wear and tear on his own clothes that was apparent after so much running. His eyes scanned them, his lips curling into a cruel grin as he observed their state. Merlin tried not to shiver at those sharp eyes, and focused instead on Gwaines sword.

"Do you really intend to kill us?" Merlin let out, praying that he was hitting the right notes.

He could see Gwaine faulter, really considering the words that Merlin was serving him. Unfortunately, the three other knights had made their appearance, surrounding Merlin and Arthur, pinning them to the sword in the stone. Arthur drew his blade, his eyes clearly begging for Merlins plan to work. The warlock continued on, hoping to keep his mask up.

"If we were brought here by your Merlin, there must have been a reason! And our deaths will ruin whatever plans he had in mind! Do you really want that?" Merlin asked, hoping against hope that he was making his case sound convincing enough.

The Knights of Camelot remained silent, all glancing nervously at each other before they returned their attention to him. He saw Leon turn towards Percival, gesturing for him to do the talking.

"This isn't up to us," Percival let out, "The king will be here any moment now, and we do not want to leave you with him."

"Is he truly that evil?"

"No," Leons eyes fell to the ground, his tone of voice dropping before he dared to look up at Merlin again, "Ever since he murdered his father, he..."

"Now Leon," This new voice made something twist, deep inside of Merlins gut, "Do not give away my entire life story."

"My-my lord!"

Merlin found himself drawing closer towards his own Arthur, whose eyes were wide as plates as his jaw dropped. Behind Leon, there was another figure. His cloak was in the same shade of black as the knights. But where it seemed to do little for them, it made him look horrifying. A complete opposite to the Arthur that Merlin was standing next to.

"So," This other Arthur, though they seemed to only be similar in name, was taking quite an interest in his counter-part, "This is the consequence of Merlins final spell... interesting. He even wields Excalibur, as we were destined to do."

"P-pardon?" Arthur seemed caught off guard, drawing his sword closer to his chest by instinct.

"Well," The other Arthur drawled, stepping forward slowly, like he didn't know exactly what he was doing, but couldn't resist pushing it further, "We can't have a true hero without a villain."

His eyes locked with Arthur's, and Merlin knew he had lost.

"The question is though," The other Arthur spoke in no more than a whisper, "Which one of us will be the hero? And who will be the villain?"

He was playing with them. Every word that would escape from Arthurs mouth would be used against them, either meant to be a judge of their character, or a way to justify calling them a threat. But who was truly the threat in this little stand-off of theirs? That would be for Arthur, Merlins Arthur, to decide.

"Does there have to be a hero, or a villain, in every story?" Arthur straightened his back, allowing for his red cape to shine in the sun, giving the rest of the landscape this sort of red hugh, "Does each person who walks on this land have to hold the role of hero or villain?"

"You ask a good question," The other Arthur hummed, clearly satisfied with the answer, "Unfortunately, we are not allowed a world which can be that simple."

"Then create one. You are a king, and you should be able to change your kingdom for the better, should you not?"

"They say so, but ultimately, it can never be that simple. You should know this. I have no doubt that our stories went the same direction, after all."

Arthur raised an eyebrow with that statement, and Merlin could see that he was studying each knight, as well as the outfit that his counterpart wore.

"I mean no disrespect, however, I do feel like our paths did diverge at some stage of our lives."

"I know what you mean," The other Arthur sounded less pleased, "It seems like the truth about your birth has not reached you, as you still wear his colours."

"I am already aware of what happened during my birth."

"Yet you seem to be okay with it... why?"

"What else am I meant to be? The past cannot be changed for anyone."

"Yet it brings us to our madness, before it ends with our demise."

"There could always be a way out, even for you."

"A way out of what?" The other Arthur looked confused for a moment, "Out of the darkness that has consumed our kingdom? Out of the death that has followed me around all these years? Out of this madness that keeps me awake at night?"

Arthur had no reply to that, leaving his counter-part to go on with his ramble.

"Yes, maybe we'll get one day when we can go back to the way things used to be. Where everything was peaceful and normal, where people loved each other. Where everything worked out for once. Until that day, the darkness that surrounds this world will continue, lead forth by the rebellion."

"The..." Arthur hesitated for a moment, "Rebellion?"

"They hold doubt to my rule, and they will waste no chance in seeing me taken off the throne. Lead by my sister, Morgana as well as her maidservant, they have even gone as far as to use my husband against me."

Merlin and Arthur shared concerned glances, disturbed by the fact that Merlin could feel strong arms grab hold of his wrists. Percival, though with regret in his features, held onto Merlins wrists. And looking back on the unfolding scene, both Leon and Elyan were holding onto Merlins Arthur, as the other Arthur was reaching for Excalibur, desire and greed present within his eyes.

"Þǣre sweorde ne hræd, nū hæfð him geweald!" Merlin shouted, directing his magic towards Excalibur, as well as the other Arthur. It left the king unable to touch the sword, as if the sword would not allow for the king to get near it. The sword itself was glowing bright gold, the light almost blinding, forcing the other king to take a step back, shielding his eyes with his arm. And when the light fell, and Merlin could see his face again, he looked angry.

"Bring them to Camelot." The other Arthur spat out his words, causing his knights to show fear.

"Well," Merlin could have sworn that he heard Arthur whisper, "I think we know who the bad guy is."

Chapter Text

"Gwaine, Percival. Take the other Merlin to Gaius," The other Arthur commanded his knights, his words filled with force, "I will take the other me."

Merlin could immediately feel the shiver run down his spine, the anxiety that filled his heart when his eyes locked with Arthurs.  This was so different. There was no fear in Arthurs face or posture, just anger. It would be hard, but Merlin hoped that if there was an easy way around this, Arthur would manage to find it. Because Merlin was lost.

His breath caught in his throat once he felt Percivals hand wrap around his left wrist. A second later they were moving towards a wooden door, which led into what Merlin assumed was the path to Gaius' chambers. The air smelled stale and musty, the only light coming from torches at the walls, illuminating them in a pale yellowish glow. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as they walked, his wrist held by Percivals arm, and Gwaine walking with his sword in hand.

Were they truly forced to be that paranoid?

Merlin did not dare to speak during their walk towards the physicians chambers.  He didn't trust himself with the words, let alone anything that might come out of his mouth in a moment like this. As they walked closer, he noticed that Percivals grip had tightened slightly on Merlin's arm, to the point that it was beginning to hurt.

It was a relief when the door to the physicians chambers flew open, and Percival would finally let go of him.  The doors closed behind Merlin and the knights without hesitation. He looked around cautiously in the dim light before his eyes landed on Gaius, who looked like he had not slept in weeks.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gaius let out, his voice harsh yet almost absent, "Who is he?"

"He is the product of Merlins final spell. Him and another Arthur, who is currently with the king."

"Oh?" Gaius raised an eyebrow, "I was unfamiliar with the fact that Merlin knows how to do this."

"It took us all by surprise. But it might be that he is the solution to healing our Merlin."

"I doubt that," Gaius hummed, "Our Merlin would never make it that easy. I feel like he had a different motive... you said there was another Arthur as well?"

"He's down with the king, as we speak."

"I see..." Merlin could have sworn that Gaius had gone pale as he turned towards the warlock, "Follow me, please."

And Merlin followed, feeling very uneasy about this entire situation. Unease, which could only turn to horror as they wandered to the back of the room, and Gaius opened the door. Merlin could see himself, or, this worlds version of himself, laying on the bed. He seemed pale, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow.

"What-" Merlin let out, finding himself pausing, just to take it all in, "He looks... awful..."

"He does still live," Gaius spoke, his voice soft, yet bitter, "However, there is no clear indication of what might be wrong. The last time this has happened, he recovered within a day, at most."

"This has happened before?!"

"I'm afraid so," Gaius sighed, "It happens each time he disobeys the king. Each time Merlin does something wrong, Arthur will do this to him, because he knows that Merlin will survive. And each time, Merlin suffers the pain from it. He heals, but he... the scars remain. He is no longer the young man that we knew."

"How bad is it?"

"It has gotten to the point that I struggle to get his screams of pain out of my head."

"And you just allow it?"

This question would be directed more towards all of them, not just Gaius. Merlin did turn around to look towards Percival and Gwaine, noting how both knights looked ashamed, even disgusted with themselves.

"What are we meant to do?" Gwaine finally let out, "We have no way to stand up against the king."

"How did it get this bad in the first place?!"

"No one knows for certain," Percival sighed, "But after his mother showed up again, he-"

"His mother?"

"Yes..." Gaius sounded hesitant, dragging out his letters as he spoke, "Ygraine de Bois. His mother..."

"Did she not die during birth?"

"How do you... know about this?"

"It's what happened in my world. The queen gave her life for her son. Uther felt tricked, causing him to chase after people with magic."

"And when Arthur found out, he killed his father," Gaius nodded, "Yes, it seems like things have gone in the same direction for you and for us."

"Except... my Arthur never killed his father. Morgana was behind his death. She-"

Merlin found himself forced to stop, his eyes wandering around the room, until they finally landed on his counterpart. He could not explain it.  It felt as if he was looking into some kind of mirror, or some alternate version of himself. Would this have been him, had he been unable to stop Arthur from killing his father that day?

Seeing the person he was in this world made him feel sick.  He couldn't tear his eyes away from him, couldn't move his gaze. He wanted, he needed, to reach out and touch him. To hold him, to know that he is real and that all of this is real. But he felt unable to.

There was dark magic surrounding them both. There was dark magic surrounding all of them. It was pushing the other Merlin down, it was what kept him down. It was... strange, just how powerful it had become. How long had it been allowed to flourish?

"No," Merlin let out, his voice holding no more than a whisper, "Not this. Not again."

"Merlin? Is something wrong?"

Gaius' hand found his shoulder, and Merlin, who could only hear his own beating heart, turned to look at the man by his side, his eyes wide in terror. Almost immediately, he could see how the faces of Gaius and both knights fell, yet he refused to utter a single word. He couldn't.

"Where is my Arthur?" Merlin let out instead, silently pleading to be taken to his king, "I want to... speak with my king."

"I-I'm sorry," Gwaine let out, clearly surprised, "We are not allowed to bring you to him yet."

Merlin could only stand there, feeling nothing but the pure disbelief, as well as the urge to send both of the knights flying into a wall, run out of the room, and get to Arthur before his counterpart broke him, just like he had broken all of the people that surrounded him.  He hated feeling helpless, he hated the feeling of dark magic that kept trying to push him down. He hated how clueless they were, he hated how they were cowards, bending to the will of a corrupt king. They weren't able to fight off the darkness. The dark magic that seemed to cling onto everything around him, threatening to consume him entirely.

"No," Merlin let out, his voice in no more than a whisper, "Dark magic has taken hold on him, keeping him from healing as he should be.”

"Are you certain about this?”

“I am.”

“Is there a way to help him?”

The conversation paused for several long moments as the three men stared at Merlin, though none of them could be sure if Merlin would say any more. Finally Gwaine sighed, stepping forward, his posture screaming of defeat.

"Merlin, please," Gwaine pleaded, taking a step toward the dark haired manservant, "If there is anything that you can do for him, then please help him."

"No."

"Pardon?"

"It will mean nothing if this continues," Merlin turned, arms crossed, his eyes glaring into those of the knight, "You have to catch the problem at its source. If not, this will only happen again, and again."

"Are you suggesting that someone is doing this to Merlin?" Percival sounded fairly confused, "But who would dare to do that to the king's husband?"

Merlin cringed, turning around to face him. For once, he wished that the knights knew more of what was going on before they came to Camelot. This was not even his world, yet he had a fairly good idea of the situation, based on how it had happened in his own world.

He knew exactly who was behind this.

"Someone who has been granted power, holding equal value in the king's heart," Merlin hummed, looking between each confused expression, "And this magic covers the entire castle, including all of you. I would think that it is safe to suggest, this person is trusted."

"You sound like you know who it is." Gwaine let out, his eyes lingering on the warlock.

Merlin fell quiet, refusing to speak, while simply staring into Gwaines eyes.

“Merlin. Do you know who it is?”

Merlin would still not speak.

"But you're certain about this information?"

"Yes, I am.”

"We should probably inform the king," Gwaine dared a look in Percivals direction, "He would want to know."

"He will only blame the lady Morgana," Gaius responded, "And he will send you out on another witch hunt, punishing you when you give no results."

"Then what do you suggest that we do?"

"Merlin," Gaius turned to him, determination present in his eyes, "You said that it is magic which holds him down. Can you break it?"

"I am not sure," Merlin replied, "I can attempt to do so, but I have no guarantee that it might work."

"Please do. We need to know what Merlin knows, or else we will be fighting a losing battle."

“I can try, if you can promise me that I will get to speak with Arthur after this.”

“We can try to arrange that.” Gwaine spoke.

Merlin closed his eyes. His left hand was out, palm open and facing the bed.  He closed his eyes, feeling the magic seeping from his fingers. He felt it, slowly beginning to make its way along his fingertips and he could feel as it left him, attempting to break through a barrier of dark magic, to no apparent avail.

Could it work if he tried to flood the darkness with light?

He reached out his right arm as well, calling upon whatever power he felt able to muster.  He concentrated, focusing all of his energy towards that point, hoping beyond hope that he would succeed in breaking through to the dark magic and bringing the other Merlin back.

He could feel himself falling weaker, yet he could see no possible way to break through this wall of darkness. Somewhere in his mind, he could see a vision, two hands reaching out for each other, yet barely able to grace the tips of their fingers together, before they would be pulled apart.

And that was the last thing he could see, before his knees gave out, before his body screamed of his exhaustion, and before his mind decided that it was better for him to black out. 

Chapter Text

"Gwaine, Percival. Take the other Merlin to Gaius," The other Arthur commanded his knights, his words filled with force, "I will take the other me."

Arthur was not about to speak. He would ignore the worried glance from Merlin. He would keep his mask on, and he would find a way for this to end. And it would end in a civil matter, the two would be let go, and Arthur could finally get to question Merlin.

Though he was not happy with being separated from his manservant. His mind swam with possibilities at what Merlin might do in Arthur's absence. He was a strong, capable man, but he was no fighter. There were so many things Merlin would try that Arthur did not want him doing because they would hurt him, especially in a place like this. Where Arthur could do nothing but pray that Merlin would remain civil.

And judging by the fear in his expression, as he was lead out of the room, Arthur was almost certain that he would.

"So," His counterpart smirked, "That just leaves you and me."

"Seems so." Arthur responded, placing his hands on his back, "You, me, sir Leon and sir Elyan."

The other Arthur laughed, his eyes shining with delight as if this were a game. It left Arthur feeling a bit surprised, though he refused to show it. For once, he could feel gratitude for his fathers teachings. He could almost hear his fathers voice in his head.

"Keep a straight face at all times."

"Never let them see you react."

And Arthur was going to keep going like that, until he got the answers that he needed. Because it did not seem like this other version of him had gotten that lesson.

"Yes, of course. I cannot risk falling to your blade, not when your Merlin put a curse on it."

"Right, I understand that."

"Good," Arthur could feel a chill run down his spine, observing the similarities that this man held with his father, "Now, I would like to talk."

"Talk?" Arthur could only tilt his head slightly, "What do you wish to talk about?"

"I wish to talk about our current situation."

"I am afraid that I do not know much about what happened."

"Tell me what you do know, and then I can fill in some blank spaces."

"Alright, uh..." Arthur got this strange, uneasy feeling, "I was with Merlin, when I heard this voice speaking... nonsense. I turn around, and I see Merlin pass out behind me. I catch him, and the next thing I know, we are both laying in the forest."

"I must assume that the voice you heard came from the spell that my Merlin casted, before his death."

"Your Merlin is dead?" Arthur let out, struggling to hold back the surprise in his voice.

"No, no," The other Arthur shook his head, a small smile present on his face, "Merlin is unable to die."

"Pardon my asking... what?"

"Has he not told you?"

"It seems that there are a lot of things that he has not told me," Arthur crossed his arms over his chest defensively, his eyes narrowed, "But I struggle to see why that matters."

"Ah, yes," The other Arthur sighed as if this was obvious, "He struggled to tell me as well. Even after we got married, it took him a long time to gain the courage to speak."

"Yeah, if you do not mind me asking... why did you marry Merlin?"

"Why would I not?" Arthur could not help but swallow, observing his other self and taking in each word that was thrown his way, "It is our destiny. It is how things were meant to be."

He did try, but whatever reply that Arthur wanted to give, fell flat on his tongue. What could he even say? He knew nothing of destiny, he knew nothing of his own fate, and he knew nothing of why that should lead to a marriage with Merlin, of all people.

Arthur wanted to scream, to shout in outrage at this side of truth that was suddenly thrust upon him, but he kept his mouth shut. If he were to be honest, he was still trying to comprehend this entire situation himself, even now.

"Should I assume that your Merlin neglected to tell you about that?" His counterpart had his head tilted, and Arthur could tell that he wanted to smile, to laugh.

"I wish to speak to him about this," Arthur struggled, but managed to regain his composure, "I wish to hear this from Merlin."

"Of course, that is fair. I understand."

"Thank you," Arthur let out, though he got this strange feeling, telling him that this subject was not about to be let go just yet, "Now, if I may request it, would it be possible for me to go and talk to Merlin?"

"No." A chill went down Arthurs back, his eyes lingering on the king as the room seemed to fall cold.

"Pardon?"

"I can understand that you wish to protect him. I would have wanted to do the exact same thing, had it been me. However, I am not satisfied with our conversation," The other Arthur had a cold aura to him, one that Arthur recognized very well, "You hold the truth tight to your chest, Arthur. Never allowing for anything to slip. I admire that. However, I urge you to drop it."

Arthur felt his heart stop, and his breath caught in his throat. The other Arthur said things like that, as if he understood what Arthur was feeling. But he had no idea. He had no god damn idea of what went on in Arthurs mind.

"I do not know what you mean, my lord."

"Let me spell it out for you. You shield yourself behind this mask, refusing to speak as you believe that whatever word might escape from your mouth will be what causes it to crack," The other man raised his eyebrows at Arthur, "It might be a short-term solution, however, you forget that I can have both you and your manservant killed, if I am left unsatisfied."

"I have little care for my own life," Arthur wanted to smile, but he kept that down, "And from the sound of it, Merlin cannot die. Though I can assure you, he will bring hell upon you, if you were to harm me."

The other Arthur rolled his eyes, and Arthur wondered if he had angered him somehow. Or perhaps it was the mention of Merlin that caused him to lose his cool.

"It is quite irritating, how protective he is of us," The other man sighed, "Though I guess that comes with the part of being Emrys."

Emrys. That rang a bell. He could remember Morgana mentioning that name once. He could remember her mentions of his name, as if he was some sort of guardian angel, protecting them from her. He could even remember, though it was vague, that his father had mentioned that name, while reading through a document. And what had he called him?

"The most powerful sorcerer in all of the five kingdoms..." The words escaped Arthurs lips, though as no more than a whisper.

"So you do know about him?"

"Vaguely. Though I had forgotten about him, by the time I came to meet Merlin."

"I see," He smiled, but Arthur could see the dark tone underneath, "Then I guess it was your father who told you about him?"

Arthur did not get the chance to answer, as a door opened. He had no interest in looking in said direction, his eyes trailing the other Arthur, who was looking towards the door. He waited, his body ready to act, as the person who had entered stepped into their view.

His mother.

He could not breathe. There was no air in here, no air anywhere in Camelot, he thought bitterly, as he watched his mother walk up to his other self. Was she not meant to be dead? Had she not died, giving birth to him?

"Oh, mother," The other Arthur reached for her hand, "I would like to introduce you to... well, I guess he is me."

Arthur could feel his heart race, as her head turned towards him. Her eyes were so gentle, like they always were. Her hair was still long and blonde, her face pure and bright. In that moment, it seemed that it was as if everything in his world disappeared. He could only observe her, the kindness of her movements, and her curiosity.

"Hello, dear," She spoke, her voice tender and gentle, "It is very nice to meet you."

"You too, my lady."

Arthur could not help but bow. Not because she demanded it of him, but because something inside of him screamed out that she deserved an apology for what her son had done. But he held back on his words, reserving his thoughts to bowing.

"Arthur here, was telling me of his own Camelot," The other Arthur let out, "It seems like quite the place."

"He seems like such a fine, young man, I could only imagine what sort of kingdom he leads."

Ygraine had let go of the other Arthurs hand, and she had her direction set on Arthur. He could feel his body freeze, his eyes lost in her caring gaze, feeling a sudden longing for his mothers touch. Her hand was out, reaching for his face, when,

"Sire!"

The doors burst open, and Arthur could tell that it was Gwaine who had dared to enter the room. He forgot about his mother for a moment, as all of the people in the room turned towards the door, and the knight who stood there, his heavy breaths revealing signs of an emergency.

"Sir Gwaine? What is going on?" The other Arthur let out, his voice being somewhere between annoyance and worry.

"The other Merlin, he-" Hearing the mention of Merlin, his Merlin, sent Arthur into a minor state of panic, "He might have been able to figure out what is wrong with the prince!"

A silence fell among the group. No doubt, Arthur wanted to say something, but he remained quiet, waiting to hear whatever reaction which could come from the rest of the people who stood within the walls of this room.

"Did he say anything about what it was?" The other Arthur let out, hope filling his voice.

"Very little. He mentioned something about magic," Gwaine had to catch his breath, "From what little we were able to make out of it, this magic is strong."

"What more could he tell you?"

"I believe he might have some idea of who is behind it."

Arthur could not help but feel proud, a small distraction from the overwhelming urge to exit this room and try to locate Merlin.

"Have him moved to the guest chamber in the southern wing, once Gaius is finished," Arthur commanded, leading to a bow from Gwaine, "And Leon? Bring this Arthur to the same chamber."

"As you wish, my liege." Leon bowed as well.

It was strange, unsettling even, to watch how beat down these knights were. He remembered a time when he would have taken pride in seeing Leon's face turn red in embarrassment, or Gwaine's anger and fury when he failed to find the source of his frustration during the night. They were good men, loyal friends; they were nothing like this.

And the Leon who walked with him, down each hallway, past each servant, was somehow being even more serious, as well as on edge, than the Leon that Arthur had grown up with, and come to call his friend. It was something which Arthur did not even see possible, yet here it was, right in front of his eyes.

"If you do not mind me asking," Arthur dared a look in Leons direction, "Is he always like this?"

"No," Leon did not even look at him as he opened the doors to the guest chambers, "He feels forced to be kind to you."

"Why?"

"You carry weapons which would destroy us all, by your own command. Your sword is the one thing which can actually kill Merlin. And Merlin can kill the rest of us, with ease. He taunts you, sure, but he never lashes out. Because he knows that if he pushes you over the edge, it will lead to his death, our deaths, and the death of Camelot. To him, it will mean that Morgana wins. And he does not want that."

Arthur wandered into the room, his eyes landing on his manservant, who was resting in the bed. His skin was pale, almost sickly compared to normal flesh, a deep frown was placed onto his brows. Arthur looked away, knowing his gaze could not hold onto the manservant for long without his breaking down.

"This is a game," Leons voice pierced his ears, even though his words were quiet, "We are pawns, manipulated into following their every order. We are slaves. We are disposable, just like any weapon. And you can't stop us from being used."

"It should not have to be like that." Arthur let out, daring to glance at Leon again.

"No," Leon let on a smile, the first genuine one that Arthur had seen on any person since they came here, "You seem like a fair king. A nice man. I guess that is why my king fears you."

Chapter Text

Merlin laid in that bed, fully awake. He could hear it when the door opened, when Arthur came in. He could hear him speak with Leon, though he did try to ignore them both. It was not his conversation to be a part of, and he was not about to make himself known.

Instead, his mind wandered to what he had seen. What he had felt. Such dark magic was not something which he felt familiar with. Yet here, in this world, it was everywhere. Been given time to spread, before anyone could figure out what had happened. Like roots, it held a firm grip on the kingdom, as well as on her king.

"You seem like a fair king. A nice man," He could hear Leon speak to his Arthur, "I guess that is why my king fears you."

No, Merlin wanted to reply. But he remained quiet, hoping for Leon to exit these chambers, so that Merlin could have a few words with his own king. He had no interest in speaking with the other Arthur as well. So, he waited, barely daring to breathe until he could hear the door shut, leaving the two to be alone.

"Finally." He let out, opening his eyes.

"Merlin?" Arthur stared at him, surprise present in his voice, "Were you just pretending to have fainted?"

"No, that did happen. I just pretended to have been out for longer than what I was-" Merlin sat up, resting his back against the wall, "-Because we need to talk, and I would rather that happen alone, then with you... the king, standing over our shoulders."

"Okay..." He could almost hear the doubt in Arthurs voice, "What is it?"

"There is magic. Dark magic, which holds the other me down,” Merlin paused for a moment, just to see if Arthur gave a reaction, only continuing when he got none, “If I can be honest, I cannot see him navigate out of that while on his own."

"And you could not help him?"

"This has been building for a long time. It has grown stronger than even my magic."

"So whatever we have to go up against is stronger than the most powerful sorcerer? How are we meant to beat it?"

"There is... how do you know about that?"

Merlin could feel his heart stop, feel his throat become dry, feel himself stop breathing. He looked at Arthur, saw the look in his eyes, and could not understand how Arthur could know about it. It was not meant to go like this!

"The other me. He told me bits and pieces," Arthur shrugged, "Pieces which I will admit that I would have preferred to hear from you, but that cannot be changed. For now, I would like for you to explain it."

"Explain what?"

"How did you end up as the most powerful sorcerer? And why did you come in Camelot?”

“Oh, we are there,” Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I could use magic before I could speak, which is not normal. Confused my poor mother, though she tried to make me hide it, because of the laws within Cendreds land. She did not want to lose me.”

“So you were born with it?”

“Yes. I was born into a destiny, same as you were. And I came to Camelot, because my power grew stronger, as I grew older. So, my mother sent me to Gaius, so that I could learn to control it.”

“Despite the risks? Despite my fathers laws against your kind?”

“Well… yeah. I managed to hide myself well though, did I not? Either way, you had a habit of convincing your father that I did not have magic and was, instead, an idiot.”

“Merlin…” Arthur shook his head, though a smile did find its way upon his lips, for just a few seconds before he spoke up again, “When were you gonna tell me?”

"When I found it safe to do so," Merlin sighed, "I am everything that your father was against. And I did not want to put you in a position where you would feel the need to choose between your father and me."

"It was that, which worried you?"

"It was."

"Why are you like this?" Arthur looked fairly disappointed, "Why do you always put others before yourself? Why could you not just have come and talked to me?"

"I-" Merlin stopped himself, "What good are words, when you don’t know how to use them? And even if I knew what to say, what good are words when no one believes in them? I could have come and told you, but with everything you’ve been through, what guarantee did I have, that you would have listened to me, and not just brushed me off, or put me on the pyre instead?”

He could see the urge that Arthur felt, wanting to protest. But he could also see that Arthur agreed, strangely enough. It was an unusual sight, one that Merlin found both interesting and frightening. Yet it ended with a smile, one which the warlock found comfort in. He was even able to return it, just as Arthur opened his mouth to speak.

And it was all disturbed by a knock at the door.

"Sir Arthur?" It was Elyans voice, "The king and Lady Ygraine wishes to see you."

"What for?" Arthur spoke in reply, and Merlin could hear the hopefulness in his voice, which caused Merlin to feel anxious.

"They wish to dine with you."

Arthur gave a quick look to Merlin, as he slowly rose to his feet. The younger man tried his hardest not to show how much his stomach clenched with nerves at the prospect. But he struggled to hold it back, reaching out and grabbing hold of Arthurs arm. It caused Arthur to turn around, his eyes filled with confusion as a question formed on his lips.

"Arthur," Merlins fingers wrapped around Arthurs wrist, and he knew that he was shaking, "I would understand it if you struggle to believe me right now. However, if there is even a small part of you that still has trust in me, trust me now. Do not accept the invitation.”

Merlin was playing on every trick that he could think of, his words no more than a whisper, yet Arthur looked horrified, as if Merlin had yelled each word that had fallen from his lips. His eyes were as wide as they would go, clearly conflicted by the urge to trust his friend and the longing feeling of wanting his mothers touch.

"It is not Ygraine," Merlin whispered, his voice lower than before, "It's Morgause."

"How do you... know?"

"Remember how you tried to kill your father, after we met with Morgause? Well he actually did it. And when his mother returned, he took a turn for the worse. It has to be connected!"

"So you think...?"

"I do." Merlin nodded, making sure to remember the pained look in Arthurs expression, "She wanted someone she could use, to get to power. In our world it was Morgana. Here, it seems like she got to you."

"But... why?"

"A promise of freedom, I guess. While I can't say much on your... feelings for me, I can say that both you and Morgana were longing for the ability to live, without having to fight your father at every turn. And Morgause is a manipulator. She would use that desire against you. In our world, she got to Morgana. In this one, she got to you."

"Merlin," Arthurs eyes were dark, "Are you sure about this?"

"I cannot be absolutely sure until I've seen her, myself. But yes. I am pretty sure."

"Okay. I believe you," Arthur managed a small smile, "What do you suggest that we do?"

"Refuse the invitation. Tell Elyan to tell them that you want to stay with me. If they are desperate, then they will come here."

"Okay," Arthur turned his head towards the door, raising his voice as he spoke up, "I am very sorry, however, I must decline the invitation."

"The king will not be happy." Hearing Elyans voice, Merlin was unsure on if it was meant as a warning or a threat.

"I stand by my decision, and if there is a problem, he can come to me and we can discuss it."

Elyan would not reply to that, and Merlin could hear it as the knight made his exit. And that was also when Arthur turned back to him, a look of determination and a hunger for knowledge and adventure being present in his eyes.

"Okay. What do you think will happen now?"

"Now, we wait. We do not allow them to touch us, if it can be avoided. And we play this game, until we can escape it."

Arthur would move a chair to the side of the bed. He collapsed into this chair, reaching a hand out and taking hold of Merlins. And Merlin, sensing Arthurs anxiety, allowed his magic to roam free, asking it only to try and ease Arthurs anxious thoughts. He waited, watching as Arthur seemed to look more peaceful then he had.

"Is it you, who is doing that?" Arthur let out, seeming to be a bit more at ease when their eyes met.

"If it is of discomfort, then I can..."

"No, it... is nice. Thank you."

Not another word was spoken for a few minutes. Because a few minutes were what they were allowed, before there came a knock at the door, once again. And following that, came the same, overwhelming feeling of magic, leaving Merlin dizzy.

"Merlin?" Arthur whispered, his eyes filled with worry, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... yeah, I am. There is no need to worry about me. Just get through this."

"Okay," Arthur looked up to the door, "Enter!"

The doors creaked open, and two figures entered the room. First, Merlin recognized the familiar features, but he took note of the second figure. A woman, who looked fairly similar to Arthur, and who looked a bit older than the Ygraine which Morgause had conjured up, so many years ago.

"My lord." Arthur let out, and a quick glance revealed that he was not amused.

"I was wondering what would make you decline my invitation," The other Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin, "I am happy to see that you have joined us once more, Merlin."

"Thank you, your majesty." Merlin had to force his voice above a whisper.

"Now, I have been informed that you might know of who, and what, is keeping my husband confined to the land of dreams?"

"I, uh... believe so, yes."

"Alright. What can you tell me?"

Merlin was unsure of how to phrase his thoughts. A quick look in his Arthurs direction did show that Arthur was hesitant about this as well. However, his king nodded once, his hand squeezing Merlins.

"There resides a layer of dark magic on him. One that has been there for a while, leaving it to grow too strong for him to break through. And when I tried to break through it... well, we can see what happened."

"That damned witch," Ygraine spoke, through gritted teeth, "Having to result to cursing the prince, just to force the kings hand!"

"Thank you, Merlin," The king held a smile, "Your input has been helpful. And we will make sure to catch the culprit."

"Who is your suspect?" Arthur let out.

"The rebellion, of course. Who else would have held motives to curse the prince?"

"I just find myself curious, because... in our world, Morganas actions were decided by the high priestess Morgause, and her influence."

"No," Lady Ygraine broke in, "This is Morganas doing, as she has no other interest, other than to get her hands on the crown."

"Right, yes, I am sorry to suggest it, my lady. Curiosity got the better of me."

"It is quite alright."

Her steps were small, yet quick, as she tried to reach for the side of Arthurs head. Arthur, however, moved back, which seemed to cause confusion for her.

"Lady Ygraine," Merlin spoke up, hoping to take her attention away from Arthur, "May I just ask you a question?"

"Oh, of course!" She seemed to be slightly confused, yet also interested.

"In our world, queen Ygraine passed on, while giving birth to Arthur," Based on the expression which crossed her face, Merlin could tell that he was entering dangerous territory, "So I feel the need to ask... what was Arthur like as a child?"

"Merlin." Arthur rolled his eyes, but from the relief behind his eyes, Merlin could see that he knew what the warlock had wanted to do.

"Oh, well, he was... a child filled with joy, ready to take a whole new world upon his small shoulders," She chuckled, "I remember how he would run around the castle, asking the servants to race against him."

"He must have been a sweet child."

"He truly was. He was, and is, the light of my life. And I am happy that he managed to find someone to give his own heart to."

"Of course. Thank you for sharing this with me."

"I just wish you could have heard it from the mother of your Arthur."

"So do I, my lady. Unfortunately, fate would not allow that."

"Now, mother," The other Arthur grabbed onto his mothers arm, "I think we should leave these two to be at peace."

"Oh... right... of course," She gave both boys one last glance, "See you soon, my boys."

Once the doors closed, the silence was back. Merlin would give it a few moments, just to make sure that they were truly gone, before he decided to speak. And even then, his words came out strained, and his eyes were resting on his own hands.

"What do we do now?”

Chapter Text

It was unfair.

Arthur walked through the corridors of his castle, feeling himself rage, with a feeling of despair creeping up on him. His heart was broken, and each time he laid his eyes on those two… new friends of theirs, summoned by his husband, he found himself wanting to run a sword through himself.

Why were they allowed happiness? Why was that other him able to carry the sword, when Arthur could not? Why did he get to keep Merlin by his side, and have him be loyal, when Arthurs Merlin was not?

Why could that other version of him not see how lucky he was? Had he truly been this blinded by misfortune, that he backed away from seeing the things that were there to make him happy? Was this other version of him really this much of a coward, that he preferred to hide within the safety of his own heart, instead of confessing to what Arthur was sure that he already knew?

He hated them both. It was plain and simple, he despised the other Merlin, and he despised his other self for insisting that he had to stay by his warlocks side. He hated his other self for not seeing the man that was right there, right in front of him, and he hated the other Merlin for allowing himself to be forgotten.

“Arthur, honey,” He heard the gentle voice of his mother, as she trailed behind him, “You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”

“It strikes me as strange, that there can even exist a reality where I never fell in love with Merlin,” Arthur hummed, “I can understand that he was unaware of the feelings that he was feeling, and unaware of his destiny, but that Arthur seems closer to denial than anything.”

“That is a version of you who was never shown love, honey,” His mother was smiling, he could tell without even having to look at her, “You heard so from Merlin. That Arthur lost his mother, and he was left in the mercy of his father. The fact that he even cares for his manservant, despite his magic, is a miracle.”

“Yes,” Arthur nodded, though he struggled to find himself convinced, “But I still believe that he holds himself above things such as love. He is confused. And I fear that it might ruin him, some day.”

“But why should you care about that? He is not something we should concern ourselves with.”

“Yet I feel the urge to protect him. To guide him onto a path that he has stayed away from,” Arthur finally turned around, his eyes meeting with his mothers, “He must have done something right, which I do wrong. After all he was worthy of Excaliburs loyalty.”

“Arthur, that sword is nothing but a mere fairytale. Its power is only a legend.”

“Then why would that other Merlin put a curse on the one that his king carries, just to prevent it from being taken away?”

When his mother fell quiet, Arthur let out a sigh. He could feel a headache building on, and he felt a great urge to retire for the night.

“We know nothing about them. We know nothing about their lives, or where they diverge from ours. But I do know one thing, and I know it quite well. Merlin leaves few things up to chance. And in his mind, things have gone so poorly, that he felt the need to call upon help. And no more than a couple of days later, we are left to deal with those two, whom we know nothing about. Yet it takes them mere minutes to figure out our situation.”

“I do not see how that is related to the fact that they are not married?”

“There is a difference between me and him, which allows me to love who I want to love, and allows him to protect those that he cares for. I am merely questioning what that might be.”

“You are overthinking a scenario that you should never have been forced to deal with, Arthur,” He could see his mothers bright smile, as she reached a hand out, resting it against the side of his face. Arthur placed his own hand over hers, unable to contain a weak smile, “We might never know what Merlin has in store for those two. But he would not bring them here to oppose you. He loves you too much to do that. He would never want to harm you like that, Arthur.”

“You’re right, mother,” Arthur chuckled, “Of course you are.”

“Now, I think I shall turn in for the night. I suggest you do the same.”

“Later, perhaps. I might just visit him first.”

“Of course. Good night, honey.”

Arthur could only wave goodbye to his mother, as he was left to stand there and watch her walk away. He watched on, as she moved away from the windows, and away from the last remaining light that crept into these hallways, instead finding some shelter in the shadows.

When she was fully out of his sight, he found himself turning around once more, having set his sights on Gaius’ chambers, and the place where his husband was currently resting. And he walked over there, in complete silence, and ignoring the urge to run. He was a king. A king should not run, unless there was an emergency.

Arthur opened the door to Gaius’ chambers, walking past the old man, who barely bothered to even shoot him a glance these days, as the king wandered into the room of his husband again. He could hear the older man mumble something as he entered, but Arthur ignored it, as it was probably only some sort of recipe that he was trying to memorize.

Merlin was still laying in that same bed, his hands resting over his chest, and his features showing no sign of the troubles that Arthur had been told off. No, he seemed peaceful, and it might have looked like he was merely taking a nap and he would wake in a few hours.

“My love,” He let out, his hand reaching for Merlins, “I have returned to you, once again.”

Merlins hand was cold, as it always seemed to be these days. Had it not been for the fact that Arthur could see his chest move up and down, he might have believed him to be dead. Merlin seemed so pale, so cold, so… lost.

Merlins path had always seemed so… strange. So uneven. He was lost in the fog that he had been told to call destiny, and he had always taken this so seriously. But reaching to the point where he had to bring in people who lived in a whole different reality? Dragging them back to him, for absolutely no reason?

How bad did he think that things had gone, that he would feel forced to call for help like this? And why had he not come and spoken to Arthur about it? Were they not supposed to trust each other? Arthur had told Merlin each struggle that he faced, so why did Merlin feel unable to do the same?

“What is it that you know?” Arthur found himself whispering, “What is it that you will not tell me?”

And it had not escaped his notice, how it seemed like those other two knew something. He had chosen to not bring it up in front of his mother, but he was certain that they knew something which they were not sharing. He found it hard to believe that things were as simple as what Merlin had described. They never were.

And then there was the mention of Morgause. Just thinking about her made Arthurs blood boil. Yet he found himself to be curious. If she had truly had an influence on Morgana over there, could she not have done the same thing to the sister which Arthur once knew? If he removed that curse on her, could he bring her back?

He could only flinch, as a sudden wave of pain seemed to hit his head. He had felt no pain like this before. And it had come with no warning. Yet he wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out for Gaius. He wanted to close his eyes and just never wake up.

“What is going on?” The words fell out of his mouth, but in no more than a whisper.

He dared another glance at the man who was laying in this bed, his skin a pearly white, his eyes, which used to hold such a positive light, now forced to remain closed. And his chest, moving up and down slightly, just to indicate to the outside world that he was, indeed, still alive.

“I need you, Merlin.” Arthur whispered still, not wanting Gaius to hear him.

No response. But of course not, he knew that Merlin could not answer. He could only hope that Merlin could hear him, and that he knew how much Arthur loved him. He wanted to hear Merlins laugh one more time. He wanted to watch as Merlin brought life into the castle again. He wanted to feel the warmth that Merlin brought with him, whenever he may enter a room.

But most of all, he wanted to kill Morgana, for forcing this nightmare upon them.

Chapter Text

Merlin stood by the window, his eyes looking over the darkness that surrounded Camelot. The only source of light came from the moon, the stars, and this one house, somewhere down in the village. It interested him greatly. What could one person, or family, be doing awake at this time?

It gave him a small feeling of comfort, knowing that he was not the only one in this world, who struggled with sleep. He had no idea of who these people were, and maybe he never would, but there was a feeling of relief within him, just knowing that he was not completely alone in the darkness.

Arthur let out a soft snore, coming from the bed which Merlin had already abandoned. He looked so calm, so peaceful. Well, as peaceful as he could be, considering their unusual situation.

Merlin quickly turned his gaze away from Arthur and back to the window. The tiny light was still visible, despite the darkness outside. His curiosity was burning inside him, and it truly pained him to ignore it. But he figured that it might be the safer choice for now. He had no desire to leave Arthur alone.

“Merlin?” It scared him, to hear Arthur speak, however low and tired his voice sounded, “What are you doing?”

“Just… thinking.”

“About what?”

“I can't really decide if we are alone or not.”

“It may just be the fact that it is the middle of the night,” Arthur spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose, “But that made no sense to me.”

“Well, the only ally which we happen to know of is currently in Gaius’ chambers, and who knows when he might wake,” Merlin looked back towards the window, “And the only other people we know of, who are against… well, Arthur, is the rebellion. And we somehow have to find them.”

“Right… and how are we meant to find them?”

“I wish I knew,” Merlin crossed his arms, “Though it is probably better to discuss it in the morning, when you can keep up with me.”

“Agreed,” Arthur was staring at him, “So, are you coming back to bed?”

“No, I… am not tired.”

“Do we have to go and visit Gaius, just so we can get you a sleeping draft?”

“No, I can manage,” The warlock sighed, “I really don't want to wake him.”

“Excuse my lack of care, but I really do not care about that,” Arthur sounded more awake now, “I need you, Merlin. And you can't exactly do much, if you can barely keep your eyes open.”

He was left to stand there and watch, as Arthur pulled the blanket off his body, then turned his entire body to the left, planting his feet onto the floor. He rose from his seated position, walking towards the door in a stride which only a king would walk.

“Come on.” He looked at Merlin, keeping his hand on the doorknob.

“I get no say in this?”

“No.”

Merlin sighed as he made the short walk to join Arthur. Arthur opened the door that was behind him, stepping outside. Yet he held the door open for Merlin, who was caught by surprise by this act.

The hallways were not too dark, the only light coming from the torches that were hanging on the walls. Arthur started walking forward with assurance, and so Merlin followed.

They finally arrived at the chambers of Gaius, and Arthur knocked twice on the door. After a short moment, the door opened up slightly revealing a half-asleep old man peering out from behind it.

“Oh, hello!” He looked between Merlin and Arthur, “What can I do for the two of you?”

“Do you have a sleeping draft, for Merlin?” Arthur spoke up, sounding a bit too calm, “A moderate one, if that exists.”

“I should have one, yes. But may I ask why you need it?”

“Merlin is struggling with sleep, and our Gaius would usually give him a sleeping draft,” Merlin had to turn around and stare at Arthur, who shot him a stern look before continuing, “And since our Gaius is not here, with us, Merlin has not gotten his draft and is therefore struggling to sleep.”

“Ah, I see.” And yes, I know the issue,” Gaius let out a chuckle, “I had to give our Merlin a sleeping draft for weeks before their wedding, just to make sure that he actually slept through the night.”

“Was he… anxious about the wedding?”

“I believe he was more anxious about having to step into the public eye. And there was, of course, a fear of letting the people, and Arthur, down.”

“It sounds terrible.”

“It was. But he powered through it, because of his love for Arthur. But then lady Ygraine returned, and Arthur changed. And I fear that Merlin got caught in the middle of something which he was unprepared for.”

“Do you mind if I see him?”

“Of course not, he is right in there,” Gaius was pointing towards the door, “Just… make it quick, please. I doubt the king will be happy to see that you are out of bed at this hour. I will find your sleeping draft in the meantime.”

“Of course. Thank you, Gaius.”

Arthur strode across the room, his leather boots slapping against the polished stone floor. He paused just before the door and signalled for Merlin to follow him into what lay beyond. Merlin gave him a swift nod, his steps quick and uneasy as he walked up to the door.

Arthur was swift to open it, as if he was expecting some sort of attack from beyond the door. Instead, Merlin, who was positioned a bit behind him, could see Arthur fall pale, as his eyes landed on the man in the bed.

“He…” Arthur paused, hesitating, “He is so… so…”

“Lost. Alone,” Merlin let out a small sigh, “Dead.”

“Yeah… that," He could hear Arthur sigh, “Is there really no way to reach him?”

“Not that I am familiar with.”

“So, he calls upon us for help, and we cannot even figure out how to help him,” Arthur let out a laugh, “Some rescue team we are.”

“Gaius told me that this kind of stuff happens often,” Merlin found himself walking towards his other self, reaching for his hand, “Arthur changed at some point, after their wedding. Are we sure he would have done this, had he been within his right mind?”

“You try to claim insanity?”

“I would just like to have the idea out there.”

“Here you go, Arthur,” Gaius had appeared in the doorway, holding a small vile, “A sleep draft. As requested.”

“Thank you, Gaius,” Arthur accepted the vile, holding it in his hand as his eyes returned to look at Gaius, “Do you know how we can find the rebellion?”

Gaius took a step back, his eyes wide and it seemed like he might be unable to take his eyes off of Arthur. And Merlin understood the feeling, fighting back the urge to slap Arthur.

“If I may…” Gaius let out a cough, “Why you want to find the rebellion? And what makes you think that I know where they are?”

“I would not know. It is just a gamble. However,” Arthur glanced to Merlin, who gave him a confused look, “You know things. And something tells me that you would not stand back and watch, as Merlin got hurt like this.”

“Wow…”

“So? Do you know?”

Gaius turned to glance at the closed door, his eyes fearful. Merlin could not help but glance towards it at well, as a small feeling of anxiety reached his chest. And when it was revealed that there was, indeed, no one in the room, Gaius managed to nod.

“Can you bring us to them?” Arthur spoke, his voice lowered to a whisper.

“It does not work like that, Arthur,” Gaius looked tired, sure, but at least he was speaking to them, “You two must go back to bed. Do not speak of these things, or I will have to report you to the guards!”

“Of course,” Arthur reached for Merlins hand, “Thank you, Gaius. And good night.”

“Good night.”

Arthur walked first, dragging Merlin after him. They would not speak a word as they walked, through quiet corridors, past no one but the occasional guard, though they were luckily ignored by them all.

Arthur opened the door that lead into their room, and Merlin followed, finally being released from Arthurs grip. Arthur stayed a bit behind, closing the door behind them.

“That was…” He spoke, though Merlin struggled to hear him, “Something.”

“Yes,” The warlock let out a sigh, “It is nothing sort of a mess in this world.”

“I noticed.”

“Yeah… and if you do not mind me asking, what made you realize that Gaius is connected to the rebellion?”

“I just compared him to the Gaius in our Camelot,” Arthur let out a chuckle, “And the Gaius in our world would rather give his life for you, than let this happen.”

“So you took a risk, hoping for them to be the same person?”

“They are the same person,” Arthur let out a yawn, as he walked towards the bed, “As you told me.”

“So, do you think he will do it?”

“I think that we have put an idea into his head. Now, it rests upon the decisions that are made by the leader of the rebellion.”

“Morgana.”

“Yes, Morgana,” Arthur was still watching him, “Are you just going to stand there?”

Merlin, who was not expecting to hear those words, was left to stand there and stare, as Arthur placed his hand on the free space that remained to his right.

“Are you… are you sure?” Merlin managed to force the words out, as uncertainty slipped into his voice.

“It is the safer option. I would prefer to keep you close,” Arthur crossed his arms, “Besides, it is not exactly like we have not done so before.”

“We have never shared a bed before.”

“It is only one night, Merlin,” Arthur merely shrugged it off, “And tomorrow night, we will hopefully be out of here.”

Merlin could only sigh as he found himself walking towards the bed. He was unsure of what exactly it was, but he was left with a feeling of uncomfort, or a feeling of pure anxiety. This was not how he had expected his night to go.

Yet, as he climbed into bed, trying to take as little space as possible, he could feel this small, strange feeling of warmth cross him, and he felt oddly safe. It was a feeling which he had not felt in such a long time.

The two of them lay there in an awkward silence for what seemed like eternity until Arthur finally broke the silence.

“Do you think you can manage to fall asleep on your own, or would you like the draft?”

“I think I can manage,” Merlin found himself smiling, “But thank you.”

Chapter Text

Merlin knew that things had gone wrong, the moment he woke up and his eyes met with Arthurs. Not the Arthur who was right next to him, sleeping peacefully. But instead, his eyes met with King Arthurs, who was just standing there… staring.

“Your-your highness!” Merlin found himself speaking, trying desperately to sit up, “May I ask what you are doing here?”

“I had a thought,” King Arthur moved closer to him, his movements reminding Merlin of a snake, “And I would like to hear your opinion.”

“Okay… what is it?”

“Would you care to join me for a walk?”

“I… what? But what about…?” Merlins eyes flew to Arthur, his Arthur, who was still asleep.

“Oh, he will be fine,” King Arthur was smiling, “We will only be gone for a few minutes.”

Merlin hesitated for a moment before he finally nodded. He slowly climbed out of his bed and followed King Arthur out of the room. But as they walked, he came to realize how much regret he was feeling, just by leaving Arthur alone.

As they walked down the hallway, Merlin came to notice how heavy king Arthurs movements were. He walked like a king, sure, but he did also walk like someone who was about to do something which they would regret.

But why?

He recognized the direction they were walking to. He recognized Gaius’ chambers, sure. He recognized the door. It was all the same as it had been, last night. The only thing that differed, was all of the guards and knights that could be found by the door.

“Is he in there?” King Arthur shot a glance in Leons direction.

“Yes, my lord,” Leon bowed, and it made Merlin feel sick, “He is in there, tending to the prince.”

“Okay, thank you, sir Leon,” King Arthur turned to Merlin, “Follow me, please.”

King Arthur had determination in his steps as he walked up to the door. And Merlin, unsure of what else to do, followed. He had no interest in doing anything which could make king Arthur upset.

“Hello, Gaius,” King Arthur greeted the physician with a smile, “How is he?”

“He does well for now, sire,” It sounded like Gaius was busy, “Though he shows no sign of waking up soon.”

“Not that I was expecting that anymore. Guards!”

That was when the guards, as well as the knights, barged into the room. Merlin, his eyes wide, could not help but watch as two knights grabbed onto each of Gaius’ arms.

“Your majesty?” Merlin could feel his heart skip a beat, when he heard Gaius’ voice, “What is going on?”

“Gaius. It truly pains me to say this,” King Arthur did not sound like he was in pain, “But you have been found guilty of conspiring with the rebellion.”

“What?!” Merlin found himself speaking, “But there has been no trial? How can he have been found guilty, if there has been no trial?”

“Because he was spotted by knights of the round table, when he was making arrangements with a known rebel,” King Arthur was glaring at Merlin now, “Which leads to an automatic verdict of guilt.”

“But how is that fair?”

“I suggest you stop talking, Merlin,” Merlin swallowed when he saw the hand that was resting on the hilt of King Arthurs sword, “For while it might not kill you, I have it from a good source that it is truly painful to have your head cut off!”

“Do as he says,” Gaius coughed, “This is not your fight, Merlin.

Merlin made sure to keep quiet, only managing a glare in the direction of the king. King Arthur made sure to ignore it though, as his focus seemed to shift back to Gaius.

“Now, I believe that you are aware of the punishment for your crimes-” King Arthur spoke slowly, drawing his sword, “-So let us finish this.”

King Arthur circled the physician, until he was sure to be behind him. That let Merlins eyes meet with Gaius’. And he was calm. Too calm for comfort. It almost terrified Merlin, who so desperately wanted to step in and save him.

“Merlin?” Gaius spoke, his voice calm, “Please tell him that-”

Merlin was forced to watch, as life slowly left the eyes of his mentor. It was not even his Gaius, yet it might as well have been. And just the sight of Gaius, laying on the floor of his own chambers, as his own blood was escaping him, made Merlin want to kill anyone and everyone who was nearby.

“Now you can see what happens to those who go against the laws,” King Arthur spoke, not looking at Merlin as he pulled his sword out of Gaius’ back, “I hope this makes you, and that Arthur of yours, realize that you have to play by my book.”

Merlin found himself taking heavy breaths, trying to keep his magic at bay. His eyes kept staring at Gaius, taking in the sight of his mentor while also trying to ignore the fact that his boots were slowly being soaked by blood. For all the power he had, wanted to spill through and crush them all, just because of this. Just because they had killed Gaius.

“Merlin,” He could hear Gwaines voice in his ear, as a hand found its way onto his shoulder, “Calm down.”

“Why?” Merlin found himself whispering, slapping the hand of the knight away, “Why should I have to calm down? Am I not allowed to grieve? ”

“If you want to have any chance of seeing your Gaius again, you calm down and you stay calm. Okay?”

Merlins eyes met with Gwaines for a split second, yet it was enough to make him fall quiet. Quiet and obediant. God, he felt like he was slowly going to turn into someones pet!

“Very good,” King Arthur gave him that sickening smile again as he walked closer. He was too close for comfort, when he finally stopped, and Merlin could feel his breath on his face, “This is what happens to those who defy me. Let us make sure that it does not happen to your Arthur as well.”

“You will not kill him,” It surprised Merlin, just how calm he felt, and he even managed to smile as his eyes met with King Arthurs, “You would not dare.”

“Would you like to bet on that?” King Arthur was laughing, “Would you really bet on my kindness? For I promise you, my kindness has a limit.”

Had it not been for the fact that he had just watched this man kill Gaius, he might have called him out on said bluff. It was clear to him, that starting this by killing Gaius, by allowing their shoes to be drenched in the blood of one of the men that Merlin, that Emrys, cared for most, King Arthur was making a statement.

But was it meant for Merlin and Arthur, or for his knights?

“Take him back to their chambers,” King Arthur was smirking, “I am sure that your Arthur would like to hear about this.”

Elyan grabbed onto his upper arm, and pulled Merlin out of the room. And it surprised Merlin a lot, that Elyan was allowed to escort Merlin back, all by himself. He would have thought that because of who he was, there would have to be at least two of them. Maybe even more.

“Why does he do that?” Merlin spoke, as soon as they were out of earshot, “Why does he take pleasure in the suffering of others?”

“He is the king,” Elyan sounded so abscent, “He is allowed to.”

“But it makes no sense! My Arthur is also king, yet he is better than his father was, not worse!”

“Unfortunately, we were left with different Arthurs,” Elyan let out a sigh, “Sometimes I wonder if Merlin only married him to try and keep him in line.”

“Seems like that might have failed.”

“Yes, it did. And I am so sorry that you and your Arthur had to be dragged into it.”

Elyan opened the door to the guest chamber, and Merlins eyes landed on Arthur. Arthur, who had clearly been pacing around the room. Arthur, whose tense expression softened, the moment he laid eyes on Merlin. Only to go tense again, when Elyan shut the door behind them. But his eyes never left Merlin, as he ran over to the warlock. Which was good, because Merlins legs could not carry him for much longer.

“Merlin?” Arthur managed to catch him as he fell, his hands holding onto each of Merlins arms as both of them fell to their knees, “What happened?”

“You will not be able to rely on Gaius for help,” Elyan spoke up instead, “Though you should know that he gave his life to try and help you.”

“Wait… you knew?” Merlin became aware of his weak voice, as his eyes tore away from Arthur, landing on Elyan, “Was it you who gave him in?”

“No, that was not me. Sir Kay was the one who saw him, but from what I know, he was able to give out your message before he was captured.”

“And he lost his life because of it!” Merlins eyes fell to the floor again, his eyes focused on the blood that coloured his boots, “He lost his life because of us…”

Arthur gave him a quick look. Then, seemingly giving up on whatever he was thinking, Merlin could hear the sigh that escaped from Arthurs mouth, as his king embraced him. He could feel one of Arthurs hands on the back of his head, lightly playing with his hair. The other one was resting on his shoulder, his hand resting on Merlins back, just below his neck. It took Merlin by surprise, and he could feel his heart beat faster.

“No,” He could hear Arthur whisper, “I was the one who decided we should go there. I was the one who decided to ask him. This is no ones fault but mine.”

Chapter Text

Arthur and Leon had left Gaius’ chambers together. Arthur walked in front and Leon trailed behind him, barely able to keep his composure. Arthur could tell, quite easily, that Leon wanted to question his decision, in one way or another.

“Go ahead,” He sighed, “Just ask.”

“Do you really think that this will deter them from rebelling against you, my lord?” Leon gave him a strange look, “Would this not just… encourage them?”

“Perhaps it will,” Arthur shrugged, walking along the corridor, “I certainly hope so.”

“Do you have a plan, my lord?”

“Let us just say that it might be time to prepare the knights,” Arthur was smiling, “I believe that we might have visitors soon.”

He could see Leons hesitation, but the knight was smarter than to say anything about it. He merely nodded, as he kept up with Arthur.

“I will go and inform the knights,” Leon said finally.

“Do so,” Arthur nodded, “We should be ready when they arrive.”

Leon bowed his head and walked off in the direction of the knight’s quarters. And Arthur could not help but stand and watch him for a bit. He seemed so tense where he walked. So… conflicted.

“Arthur?” Arthur turned around, his eyes meeting with those of his mother, “Is something wrong?”

“Hello, mother,” Arthur managed a small smile, “I hope you slept well.”

“A mother never sleeps well when her son is in despair,” His mother reached for his hand, “What is troubling you, honey?”

“There is nothing to worry about mother. Everything is under control.”

“Well, if everything is under control, then you might join me for breakfast on this early morning?”

“I am really sorry, but I cannot do that today, mother,” Arthur looked around, “Things are moving quite quickly now, and for your own safety, it would be better if we are not together at this time.”

“Ah, I understand,” She took a step back, still smiling, “Well, my dear. Good luck.”

With a final nod, Arthur turned and walked off in the direction of the throne room. He knew his mother would understand. She knew, probably better than anyone, just how urgent it would be for them to squash the rebellion, as quickly as possible.

He threw the door open, and there she was. Her hands were placed behind her back, while her back was turned towards the door.

“Hello Arthur,” Morgana spoke up, slowly turning around, “You have made quite some changes to this room,” She gave the room a look, “I do not like it.”

“I thought it might need a change of style-” Arthur took slow steps towards her, “-just as a way to finally be rid of my fathers legacy.”

“You know that there is no way to do that.”

“There is always a way.”

“Arthur,” He could hear the anxiety in Morganas voice, and he loved it, “What have you done?!”

“I killed Gaius,” Arthur shrugged, “He was always too lenient, too easy to manipulate.”

“No… do you honestly think that this is what Merlin would have wanted?”

“You do NOT get to say that after everything you have done to him!”

“How am I at fault for what has happened?”

“You have poisoned his mind, trying to turn him against me,” Arthur placed both hands behind his back, “And that is what has led us to our current… predicament.”

“I did no such thing!”

“You cannot honestly expect me to believe that, can you?”

The words left his lips, just as the doors behind him flew open. Arthur did not have to turn around, to know that it was Sir Leon, who had made an appearance.

“Sire!” His first knight was calling for him, “The rebels have broken into the castle! They have the…”

His first knight had stopped. Arthur could only assume that it was because his eyes had finally found Morgana.

“Leon!” There was hope in Morganas voice, as well as her features, “You still live!”

It seemed like Leon was about to answer, but he stopped when Arthur put his hand up.

“All the knights survived,” Arthur grinned, “They just do not work for you anymore.”

“What have you done to them?!”

“Now, why would I tell you that?”

“You removed their free will,” He could hear Morgana gasp, “You have essentially killed them all.”

“And I will kill you,” Arthur was calm, quiet as he continued, “Just as you killed me.”

“Arthur…” She gave him a sad look, though it quickly changed to a look filled with determination, “I will save you. All of you. Even if it is the last thing I ever do.”

“Let us hope that it is.”

Those were the last words they spoke to each other, before Morgana vanished. That left Arthur and Leon alone in the throneroom, staring at the spot where the woman had just been.

“She holds so much hope,” Arthur found himself shaking his head, while also smiling, “It will be what finally kills her.”

“Sire?”

“Tell me, sir Leon,” Arthur turned around, his eyes locked with those of his knight, “What would you say that her plan is?”

“I would say that her plan is to use the other you and Merlin, sire.” Leon tilted his head, looking slightly confused.

“That is my thought as well. So, why should I let them go?”

“You should not.”

“Usually, no. I should not.”

“So why did you?”

“I suspect that trust will not come easy to our visitors. They have alluded to the fall of their own Morgana as well, when she came into contact with the sorceress Morgause. So why would they trust our Morgana?”

“And you are certain of this?”

“No. But if I was, where would the fun be? Rally the knights,” Arthur kept his hands behind his back, “For very soon, we will go to war.”

“Without a physician? Should we take that risk?”

“You can focus on doing what I tell you to, Leon,” Arthur placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, “And let me worry about the rest.”

“Yes, sire.” Leon bowed before he left the room.

Arthur was left to stand there and watch the knight leave. And much to his own surprise, he found himself wondering about something.

What would be the best way to refer to them in the speech?

Chapter Text

Merlin had not been able to understand, just why Elyan had decided to stay with them. In his eyes, the knight would probably have had some other, more important things to take care of. And King Arthur had not exactly mentioned a need to keep them guarded, so why…?

There was the sound of footsteps outside. Probably guards running around, doing… guard things. Yet Elyan stood there, guarding them. As if they were some sort of valuable treasure. Which, to be fair, they probably were, but it felt wrong.

“Elyan?” Merlin sat back, watching as the knight seemed to sigh at the mention of his name, “May I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Elyan nodded.

“Why did you not leave Camelot with Gwen? As you are her brother, I would have thought that you would leave… together.”

“Things do not always work out like that,” Elyan sighed, “I miss her a lot, but my duty is to Camelot and to her king.”

“What about the duty you have to your family?”

“It comes second.”

“How is that fair?”

“It is what I signed up for when I became a knight of Camelot.”

“Or you could tell it as it is,” Merlin turned around, confused by the tone of Arthurs voice, “It is not duty. It is not honourable. It is cruel. This whole place is cruel.”

“I can agree with that,” Elyan answered, standing straight and not looking at them, “However, it is not something that we can do anything about.”

“And that is not right.”

“Well,” Merlin had not noticed that the door was open before now, when Gwen stepped into the room, “At least there exists an Arthur who has morals.”

Behind Gwen came Lancelot, wearing a smile on his face. It reminded Merlin of their own Lancelot. But then he had died, and they had lost the light he would bring him. And then came the shade, and Merlin suddenly realized just how poor the choice of who would come and rescue them was.

“Arthur,” Merlin turned to Arthur again, only to be met with the wide eyes of his king, who seemed unable to speak, “Breathe. Remember, it is not our Gwen and Lancelot.”

Arthur was just glaring at him now, but would still not say a word. And Merlin realized that he had forgotten to tell Arthur about the shade. He should probably have done that earlier.

“Is… something wrong?” He could hear Lancelot speak.

“No, everything is fine,” Merlin tried to put on a smile, “Everything is… alright…”

“Good. For we would not have time to work through it, if something was wrong,” Gwen walked towards the window, “For we have to get you two out of here…” She turned back to Lancelot, “Too high.”

“Then I guess we have to take the front door.” Lancelot shrugged.

Merlin wanted to challenge that, but he found himself focusing his attention on Arthur. Arthur, who after recent events would surely struggle to trust these two. And Morgana. He would definitely struggle to trust Morgana if they were fortunate enough to meet her. Though Merlin knew that he would also struggle, he also knew that he could bite his distrust back. He was less sure of if Arthur would manage the same.

Merlin watched Arthur for a bit, before speaking.

“It is a bit funny though, isn’t it?” He let out a weak laugh, “How alternate an alternate universe can be.”

“What are you talking about?” Arthur looked at him, his eyes telling Merlin everything Merlin needed to hear.

“Think about it. We are about to be rescued by people who, in our universe, betrayed you… well, some of the people who betrayed you.”

“Right,” Arthur sighed, “Most of them.”

There was some chill in his voice, making it clear to Merlin that Arthur was talking about him. He did not know about Agravaine… but he also had no idea of the truth about Lancelot and Gwen… Merlin was meant to tell him that, but he… never dared to.

“Can we leave now?” Lancelot was looking around anxiously, “I really don’t feel like being caught by the knights.”

“Lead the way.” Arthur extended an arm, though he didn’t sound pleased.

Lancelot walked ahead, his sword held up in the air. Arthur decided to follow that move, by keeping his own sword ready in his hand. And, much to Merlins dismay, he kept close to the warlock, sending anxious looks up every hallway they passed.

But much to his own surprise, they met no resistance. There was not a single knight or guard in any of those hallways. There was not a single person to be seen anywhere.

“What is going on here?” Merlin could hear Arthur whisper, “Where are they?”

“Either they had a really good distraction ready,” Merlin whispered in response, “Or the King wants us to escape.”

“But why would he want that?”

“I guess we were just too annoying for him to want to keep us.”

“Or, you reminded him too much of the man he lost.”

“I would prefer to not think about that.”

“Me neither,” Arthur sighed, “So, here is another idea. The moment we get out of the castle, we run.”

“Run? Run where?”

“I don’t know and I cannot say that I care. I want to get away from this place as soon as possible.”

“Arthur,” Merlin stopped, causing Arthur to stop with him, “Gaius gave his life so that this could happen. The least we could do is honour his memory by helping them.”

“But can we trust them? You saw what happened to them back in our Camelot.”

“I-I know,” Merlin sighed, “And I have a vague feeling that you will be upset when you find out what… actually happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“I will explain everything, I promise,” Merlin looked around, “But not here. It is not safe to do so here.”

Arthur looked around nervously as if sensing danger in the air. He nodded in agreement and they both ran in a last effort attempt to catch up with Gwen and Lancelot. Only to realize that Gwen and Lancelot were lost in the crowd outside of the castle gates.

“Looks like-” Arthur looked around, “-We are on our own for now.”

“Right… what do we do?”

“Head for the woods,” Arthur let out a shallow breath, “Head for the trees and do not look back.”

Merlin nodded, and Arthur grabbed his hand as they ran together, past confused citizens of Camelot, towards the woods. At this moment, Merlin could fully believe that Arthur had no care for what anyone might see. He just ran, holding onto the hand of his servant for dear life.

And Merlin made a mental note of how there was not a single guard on their post. Nowhere, while they were running through the city, did he see a guard.

Once they had reached the edge of the woods, he dared to look back. But once again, there was not a single guard to be seen anywhere. It all but confirmed that King Arthur wanted them out.

“Seems like we should be safe here,” Arthur slowed to a walk, still holding onto Merlins’ hand, “Wherever here might be.”

“Now to worry about Gwen and Lancelot.”

“They were ahead of us. They should have made it out of there as well.”

“But why would they leave us?”

“No idea,” Arthur sighed, “We can think about that when we have found a safe place for us to hide.”

“We could try the Crystal Cave.”

Arthur stopped, turning to Merlin with a slightly confused look. Merlin decided to smile as he pulled Arthur after him. Almost like a child, wanting to show something to another child. It surprised him though, that Arthur was allowing Merlin to drag him around like this.

“How do you know that the cave will be exactly where it is in our Camelot?” Arthur spoke up suddenly.

“It is a guess,” Merlin was looking around, “But it seems like nature is the same in both places. Our actions created a different outcome.”

“It still surprises me that I would have married you, if I had killed my father that day.”

“Trust me, I am just as surprised as you are,” Merlin chuckled, “I would have loved to see how it ended up this way.”

“Could you not use your magic to… see it?”

Merlin stopped walking, his eyes landing on a tree ahead of them, while his mind raced with questions. Was there a way for him to conjure up illusions of a wedding which he had never seen?

“I doubt I would be able to do it right now,” Merlin hummed, “However if we do find the Crystal cave, it might be possible for one of the crystals to show us.”

“Really?”

“It is a big maybe.”

“You know what?” He could see some light in Arthurs eyes, “I’ll take it.”

Relieved, Merlin smiled and continued walking, with Arthurs hand still in his. He decided to keep going like that, just to see how long it would take for Arthur to notice and say something.

Besides, as long as they walked hand in hand, it would be difficult for them to lose each other. Something which Merlin was sure they both preferred.

Chapter Text

They walked with terror in their steps. At any moment, a knight could jump out and attack them and they would end up back with the king. A reality that both of them were aware of, but neither of them wanted to think about.

Now, Merlin knew where to go. The Valley of the Fallen Kings. And it should not have changed, just because things were different here… unless, of course, King Arthur had decided to light the place on fire.

“Well,” Arthur whispered, taking a few steps to get closer, “This is it. The Valley of the Fallen Kings.”

“Which means we’re near.”

Merlin was the one to walk in front. He made sure to ignore every single possible place where there could be a trap, which he could tell was making Arthur stressed.

“You could be a bit more mindful of where you’re walking!” Arthur hissed.

“There is no one here,” Merlin turned to Arthur, wearing a smile, “It looks safe enough to me.”

Arthur seemed hesitant as he approached Merlin. Merlin could see the worry in his eyes and the wonder. It made Merlin smile even brighter.

“Okay,” Arthurs eyes moved back to Merlin, and he seemed to be taken by surprise. Though he collected himself pretty quickly, “Go ahead. Lead the way.”

Merlin nodded and stepped forward, taking the lead. He could feel Arthur following close behind, as if he was protecting him from something unseen. Merlin knew that feeling all too well; his travels with King Arthur were always full of surprises, both good and bad.

The two made their way through the foggy Valley of the Fallen Kings until they reached the entrance of the cave. Merlin stepped in first, and he smiled, reaching a hand out towards one of the crystals. It lit up, just by being near him.

“This is it?” Merlin turned to look at Arthur, whos eyes were watching everything but where he was walking.

“Yeah, this is it,” Merlin chuckled, “This is the birthplace of magic.”

Arthur turned to Merlin with such force that Merlin found himself to be concerned, “Really?”

“Yeah. Or, so they say.”

“Wow… and this place exists in our Camelot too?”

“Yeah. And you have been there… unconscious, but you have been there.”

Arthur gave him a look that Merlin had to place somewhere between annoyance and disappointment.

“But, we are not here for that, are we?” Merlin straightened his back, “Come here.”

He waved Arthur towards a nearby crystal. Arthur, more confused than anything, was quick to walk over, and just stand there for a bit.

“Now, I am not sure of how this is going to go,” Merlin gave Arthur a stern look, “But if I remember how to do this, and I believe I do, this crystal should be able to show us what we want to see.”

Arthur nodded. Merlin placed a hand on the crystal, and took Arthurs hand in his other hand, just to be safe.

“Keep your focus on the crystal,” Merlin waited until he was sure that Arthur was looking, before he turned to the crystal and started speaking, “Aetiewe me tha the ic sece.”

————

There was a celebration going on in Camelot. People were in the streets, showing their support for the king on his big day. Noblemen head to the castle, where a king is pacing around, while his sister attempts to calm him down.

“Come on Arthur,” Morgana stood in Arthurs chambers, her hair falling gracefully along her beautiful, red dress, “Everything has been planned, down to the smallest detail. There will be guards everywhere. Nothing will happen. You just have to enjoy your big day.”

Arthur was standing by his closet, and he kept straightening his clothes as if that would change them somehow.

“It is not that which worries me,” Arthur sighed as he turned to Morgana, “I just… I worry, because… what if he does not actually love me? Or even worse, what if I am lying to myself and I hold no love for him? What if I am just doing this to spite our father?”

“The fact that it is a concern of yours, means that it is false,” The sound of heels echoed through the room as Morgana walked over to Arthur and placed a hand on his shoulder, “And Merlin loves you. I promise you, he would not have agreed to marry you if he did not love you.”

Arthur smiled softly, and Morgana watched him with a reassuring look in her eyes.

“You are right, I guess," Arthur said as he gave a heavy sigh, “How do I look?”

“Like a man who will do his duty well,” A smile grew on Morganas lips, “I am so proud of you, Arthur.”

“Thank you, Morgana.”

“Well, as you are the groom-” There was a small laugh coming from Arthur, as Morgana continued, “-What do you say we head down there and start this thing?”

“I would love nothing more.”

Arm in arm, they went to the throne room, where a crowd had already formed. Luckily, Arthur was able to make it up front, without anyone really realizing that he was there. And Morgana stood a bit behind him, wearing a bright smile on her face. He could even see Geoffrey there, waiting for this to start.

Now, they were just waiting for Merlin.

Arthur found himself looking around at the people in this room. His most loyal knights were seated in the front. Alongside them sat Hunith, and that would also be where Gaius would be. Morgana would be behind him, while Gwen would be behind Merlin.

Morgana had called it a symbol. Arthur had yet to understand what she meant, but Merlin had apparently realized it within seconds of the idea being spoken. And he had laughed. So, Arthur made sure that it was the way they did things.

And there, the doors opened. Everyone were seated, and Arthur watched as Gwen jogged along the left side of the room, before placing herself as close to the wall as she could, once she reached the stage.

Arthur straightened his back, as his eyes observed the door, waiting for his fiance… future husband to walk in. The people in the crowd were quiet, and then…

There he was, walking into the room with Gaius, looking like he had yet to realize that he had walked into his own wedding. Arthur wanted to laugh, watching as Merlin hesitated for a moment, before he stepped up front to join Arthur.

“Are you okay?” Arthur whispered, recognizing the anxiety in Merlins features.

“I will be,” Merlin managed a smile… somehow, “When there is not a crowd, staring at me.”

Right. Merlin had never actually enjoyed being the center of attention. Arthur felt a bit guilty for forgetting that.

During the whole ceremony, Arthur kept sending Merlin glances. But it seemed like he had forgotten about the crowd, focusing all his attention on Geoffrey. Arthur figured that he should do the same.

He was very relieved when the ceremony was over. There were people in the crowd who were interested in chatting with them. But Arthur saw none of that. His focus was on Merlin, his husband, who looked like he was shaking.

“Hey,” Arthur smiled, gently placing a hand on the side of Merlins face and turning it towards Arthur, “The crowd is gone. It is just you and I, now.”

“Great,” Some tension seemed to vanish as Merlin smiled, “How did I do?”

“You were wonderful.”

“Good. Because I do not want to do that again.”

“And you will never have to,” Arthur placed a kiss on Merlins cheek, “Now, come on. Morgana arranged a feast, and personally, I am starving.”

Merlin let out a laugh, which caused a visible reaction of surprise on Arthurs face. But that soon fell back into a smile, as he left the room, hand in hand with his husband.

————

“He seems like such a different person here,” Arthurs comment dragged Merlin back to reality, “He got along with Morgana. He laughed with Merlin. And from what I could see, he was not violent, or anything like he is now.”

“No, he was not,” Merlin sighed, “I guess we were looking at the wrong part. Maybe we should have been looking at the feast.”

“I mean, we still can.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Merlin placed a hand on the crystal again, waiting until he was sure that Arthur was still looking into it, “Aetiewe me tha the ic sece.”

————

Merlin sat in his chair, with his mother and Gaius at his side. His mother looked as terrified as he felt, though she was doing her best not to make it obvious.

“I can’t believe that my little prince has gotten married,” She laughed, placing a hand on top of his, whispering, “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

“Thank you mum,” Merlin gave her a smile, “I could not have been happier.”

He had a feeling that Arthur had gone tense at his other side, and a knowing smirk found Merlins lips. He turned to his husband, still wearing that smirk, which was now poorly disguised as a smile.

“Were you listening to a private conversation?”

“Maybe…” Arthur had a knowing look in his eyes, as a smirk appeared on his lips as well.

“You should know better than that, right? Or-” Merlin let out a fake gasp, “-Did… did I just get married to a king with no manners?”

“I guess you have been a bad influence,” Arthur placed a hand on top of Merlins, “My father would have hated you.”

“Pretty sure he already did.”

Arthur did not respond, only staring into Merlins eyes. And Merlin found himself staring into Arthurs deep, ocean blue eyes. If this was love, Merlin would never want it to end.

But it always had to end. And in this case, it was the opening of a pair of doors that brought Arthur and Merlin away from each other. Both pairs of eyes went, by instinct, to the door. And Merlin had to squeeze Arthurs hand, the moment he recognized who it was.

Ygraine Pendragon had walked into the room, heading straight towards the table at the end. The table where her son was seated.

Arthur rose to his feet. Maybe it was because he was about to run around and greet her? Maybe it was to protect those he loved? Or maybe it was to stand even with their new guest.

“Hello, Arthur,” Ygraine held a hand over the right side of her chest, “My son.”

Merlin and Morganas eyes met for just a few seconds, but it was as if a thought passed between them.

“M-Mother?” Arthur looked confused, “But… how are you here?”

————

Merlins eyes opened and he drew his arm back. That woke Arthur as well, who was holding onto his hand as if he had just burnt it.

“What was that?” Arthur asked between deep breaths, “What happened?”

“Sorry, I…” Merlin was struggling to breathe as well, “Couldn’t hold it.”

“It’s okay,” Arthur placed a hand on Merlins shoulder, “We know more now. That has to count for something.”

“Yeah…”

“But how could he not see that it was not Ygraine?”

“He missed his mother,” A new voice filled the area, causing Merlin to swallow and Arthur to turn around, “And Morgause used that against him.”

Chapter Text

It was unsettling to see Morgana at the entrance to the cave. Merlin was quiet, just staring at her. Arthur was also staring, but he had his hand on his sword, ready to attack her if needed. And Morgana seemed to have noticed, if her sudden reluctance was anything to go by.

“I am a friend, I promise,” She held both hands up as she took the first step into the cave, “Gwen and Lancelot said they lost you, and I thought you might hide out here.”

“What reason do we have to trust you?” Arthur asked before Merlin could.

“None, I expect. But you have seen what my home has become. Can you blame me for wanting to save it?”

“Those… those memories,” Merlin was the one to speak up next, “Are they real?”

“Oh, I would not know what you were shown,” Morgana was smiling as she stepped closer to the crystal closest to her, grazing it with her hand, “But we both know that the crystals can show you the future, the present,” She looked up at him again, “… or the past.”

“So it was real. That was our… their wedding night.”

“Oh, you saw that? Saves me some time, trying to explain everything.”

“You mean about Morgause pretending to be my mother?” Arthur was the one to answer that.

“Y-yes…”

“Have you figured out her motive yet?”

“What is there to figure out? She wants to use Arthur as a puppet, keeping her in control of the kingdom,” Merlin shook his head, “Her magic has festered on them for so long that I fear the only way to break her spells would be to kill her.”

“You know we cannot kill a priestess!” Morgana hissed, "Trust me, we have tried everything."

“We can’t,” Merlin could not help but smirk, his hand signalling to himself and Morgana, “But someone who wields Excalibur can. And we just so happen to have that.”

Morganas eyes moved from Merlin to Arthur, to the swords still resting on Arthurs hip. And Merlin could spot the realization as it dawned on her, followed by a vague hint of relief in her eyes and a small smile on her lips.

“I knew Merlin must have brought you here for a reason!”

Merlin was about to protest when a hand came over his mouth. He sent Arthur a quick look, but Arthur was not looking at him. No, he was still keeping an eye on Morgana. As if he was expecting her to attack them if he kept his guard down.

“Perhaps we should have this conversation back at camp,” Morgana looked between them again, worry touching her features, “I doubt Gwen and Lancelot would want to miss this.”

“Okay…” Arthur nodded, “Lead the way.”

“Oh, there is no need to walk,” Now Morgana was smiling, “Not when we have magic to play with.”

Merlin found himself looking around, watching as the walls faded around them. In their place were trees, the smell of stew, and people running around a small campsite. It almost reminded him of a druid camp, except… less lively. The mood of this camp was somber, and Merlin almost felt a bit out of place.

Merlin had to pry Arthur's hand off his mouth, “How did you do that?”

“A spell Merlin taught me,” Morgana gave him a curious look, “Do you not know it?”

“No?” Things would have been much easier if he did.

“Odd. Either way, here we are. Home sweet home.”

“Morgana!”

Gwen had run straight to Morgana, her hands flung around the body of Morgana within seconds of their arrival. Merlin found himself watching them with a bit of curiosity. Could this have been their Morgana and Gwen, if Morgana had not turned against them?

“I told you I would find them,” Morgana was smiling as Gwens eyes found Arthur and Merlin, “They were in the Crystal Cave of all places.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Gwen let go of Morgana, “After we lost you, we thought you might have been captured!”

“No, we made it out,” Arthur replied, refusing to meet Gwens eyes, “No injuries.”

“Great!” Merlin noted how Arthur became stiff, the moment Gwens arms came around his body, “I’m glad.”

“So, Morgana,” Merlin decided to try and turn to something else, “How long did you stay before abandoning Camelot?”

“Oh, about a month, I believe,” Morgana looked sad, just by the thought, “Both Merlin and I tried to warn Arthur of our suspicions, but to no avail. By that point, it was too late. And so, we fled.”

“But Merlin returned, didn’t he?”

“He did. In exchange for my release,” Lancelot was the next one to speak, his voice calm, yet filled with regret, “I was released from Arthurs claws, as Merlin returned to Arthurs side.”

“Merlin was always the better one at negotiating with Arthur,” Morgana had a faint smile on her face, “That would be why Morgause prevents him from recovering this time. She thinks he might bring Arthur back to us. ”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged looks. Merlin did notice a hint of terror on Arthurs face, though that was quickly disguised by this empty, blank look. A look he sometimes held when he was deep in thought. He placed a hand on Merlins shoulder and leaned in closer to his ear, whispering a few words.

“A weapon… And no way to stop it from being used.”

He recognized the words, echoing what Leon had told Arthur previously. But why would Arthur bring it up now?

“What?” Merlin whispered in response.

“In a game of war like this, everything can be considered a weapon. And as Leon was so kind to mention, most weapons, and people are disposable. But before we came into that room, he told me something else. There are two weapons, more important and more deadly than any other. Excalibur and you.”

“Right…?”

“So, she took those out. Merlin’s down, Arthur’s under her control. She is using Merlin as a weapon to keep Arthur in line. And maybe Merlin knew it would happen. So, he tries to call for help, someone to use as a weapon of his own. Maybe that is why we were brought here.”

“Right… and he gets an Arthur and a Merlin from a universe like his, but where the roles are reversed between yourself and Morgana. Why?”

“I haven’t quite worked that out yet.”

“I think you’re right though. But Morgause should have known about this, and she... showed no sign. Why did she let us go?”

“I don’t know, and it worries me.”

Chapter Text

Arthur and Merlin were in a minor discussion of their own when Lancelot spoke up.

“Well, what has happened, happened. There is little to do about that now,” Lancelot was eyeing Arthur, “Care for some sparring?”

“Sparring?” Arthur looked a bit hesitant.

“Yes, sparring,” Lancelot nodded, “If I can get an idea of your movements, maybe I can figure out our Arthur.”

“It sounds like a great idea,” Gwen clapped her hands together, still smiling, “The more we can figure out how you move, the closer we get to figuring out his style.”

Arthur sent a look of slight panic to Merlin. And Merlin could fully understand Arthurs hesitations. The more they revealed themselves, to anyone, the more vulnerable they would be when the time came.

There was also the whole thing of Arthur having zero trust for any of the people around them, but Merlin would get to that.

“Our paths diverged years ago,” Merlin tried to chime in, “They have probably developed different styles within said years.”

“True,” Lancelot nodded, “But what other choice do we have?”

A lot, Merlin kept thinking. But he was not about to say that out loud.

“There is a nice field over there if it could be of interest,” Lancelot pointed to somewhere in the forest, “What do you say?”

“I… guess?” Arthur shrugged.

It was strange to see Arthur pull away from Lancelots attempts to be friendly. Arthur looked so lost, yet he kept glancing back at Merlin as if waiting for him to follow. And Merlin was actually about to follow them. But Gwen stopped him.

“Let the two of them get it out of their systems,” She gave him a kind look, “I want to talk to you for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“So,” Gwen started walking, prompting Merlin to walk as well, “What do you think of our world so far?”

"A lot is the same and a lot is different from my home," Merlin spoke up, walking alongside Gwen, "I guess the thing that puzzles me the most though is, why did Arthur decide he wanted to marry Merlin?"

"Oh, I could not tell you," Gwen chuckled to herself, "I guess, after spending so much time together as they had, it just sort of happened."

"Right..."

"Merlin was just... always there. The only other person in the room when it happened. The one to attend to him when Arthur was grieving. He was the one who saw Arthur at his worst, while also bringing out his best. I guess that had something to do with it."

"And no one was surprised when it happened?"

"Are you kidding?" Gwen chuckled again before her eyes met with Merlins, and her smile fell, "You are not... Merlin, they were barely apart for so long and they were always flirty with each other. If Arthur was upset or mad, he only had to look at Merlin before he was happy again. The signs were always there, so of course no one was surprised."

“But that’s just… banter.”

“Not always,” Gwen shook her head, “And from what I saw, there was something more there. At least there was for them. Though I do see the same signs in you two.”

“Are you sure that is not a wish to find your Merlin and Arthur in us?” Merlin sounded a bit more accusatory than what he meant to, something that he came to regret right away, “That might have been a bit too harsh, I am so sorry.”

“No worries. You might have a point. Maybe I am just looking at you two as if I was looking at them. I think most of us would be, and that is truly unfair to you,” She stopped, turning to Merlin and tilting her head slightly, “But I can argue that you are blinded by a wish to keep the status quo, and is therefore blind to the signs of Arthurs affection. And who would be right?”

Merlin opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again, just as quickly. He could see a growing smile on Gwens lips as she started walking again. And Merlin, unable to think of anything he could reply with, started to follow her as his mind filled with questions.

He and Arthur? And it was obvious? Well, was it like this to the people back in their own Camelot? Was it… was there people who expected him to marry Arthur? It was starting to feel like someone was taking the ‘two sides of the same coin’ phrase too literally…

The person they met on the first day here… what had they said again?

"He used a deal with the druids as an excuse to marry the man he loved. It was the unity that they were destined to have as two sides of the same coin."

Or something like that.

“You have got to be kidding me-” Merlin groaned, causing Gwen to give him a concerned look, “-Does that mean…?”

“What?” Gwen tilted her head slightly to the left.

“Well, either you lot have the prophecy all wrong,” Merlin swallowed, the mere thought making him feel uneasy, “Or we do.”

Now, normally, Merlin would not mind being wrong. He might not be the happiest person in the room, but in the end, there was no harm done by being wrong. And as long as it was kept to a limit, it would be fine.

But the whole prophecy had been so clear, or so he had thought. A clear path. Keep Arthur alive so he can bring forth the golden age. No one had ever bothered to mention that they would wed, and looking at the ongoing disaster, it did not seem like it would work either way.

So did they have it wrong? Had the other Merlin been told a twisted version of the tale?

But they had only ended up here because of Morgause and her influence. Had she not shown up, the other Merlin could have reigned Arthur in and kept him on the right track. None of this had to happen. The golden age would have happened.

So, did they have it right, and it was actually Merlin who had been told a twisted version of the tale?

“I doubt it matters,” Gwen shrugged, “At this point, the whole prophecy is nothing but wishful thinking.”

“That might be, but-“ Merlin paused, “Are we talking about the same prophecy?”

“The one where Arthur is supposed to bring the Golden Age.”

“Right…”

“Either way, all prophecies concerning Arthur has fallen void,” Merlin could hear some hint of sadness in Gwens voice, “Merlin held faith and look where that got him.”

“But it is all because of Morgause, right?”

“Yeah… but Arthur might be slipping.”

“Slipping? What do you mean, slipping?”

Gwens eyes met his and he could see nothing but sadness. Her silent reply made Merlins heart beat faster. Her implications were clear, and Merlin was unsure of how to feel.

“That is not confirmed though,” Merlin had not seen Lancelot approach them, “When Morgause is gone, Arthur might just become himself again.”

“No one knows,” Gwen continued, a small smile present on her face, “According to Morgana, this kind of scenario has not actually been recorded. At least not for this long. So, no one knows what might happen.”

That was not very helpful, Merlin had to admit. Just the thought of this world losing its Arthur left him questioning, what would have happened if this was his world? Would he be able to kill Arthur? Would Gwen, Lancelot, or any of the other knights of Camelot be able to use the blade on their friend? Would the Morgana, who was unaffected by Morgause, be able to kill the man she had known since childhood?

“Where is Arthur?” Gwen spoke up suddenly, which may have caught Merlin off guard.

“Oh, he said he wanted some time alone,” Lancelot looked back at the part of the forest he had entered with Arthur earlier, “I tried to ask him about the other worlds me, and he became angry. Did I-“ Lancelots eyes met with Merlins, “Did I do something wrong?”

Merlin sighed, “No, the fault is mine, I fear. Do you know where he went?”

“There is an opening by the river,” Gwen let out, “He could be there.”

“Great. Thanks. And don’t worry,” Merlin patted Lancelots shoulder, “I’ll talk to him and sort this out.”

Merlin waved his goodbyes as he started walking towards the forest. If he could just find the river, it was just to follow it. The only problem would be if the openings were not visible from where they were supposed to be sparring. Would he then have to go upstream or downstream?

There seemed to be several open fields in the forest. Some small, some big. The first one was not too far from camp. From the looks of things, including the grass that was cut short and the missing bark on one of the trees, it seemed like this small field had been used for sparring quite recently.

When he reached the other side of the field, he could find the marks of what looked like arrows. Small holes, making their mark on a few of the trees. It seemed like this was the place where the rebellion practised their skills with weapons.

Merlin ventured on.

He could hear the birds sing from somewhere, far away. He could hear the wind around the trees, playing with the leaves as if the forest was its playground. No sign of a river though. And even then, he had no guarantee that Arthur would be there.

He closed his eyes, only opening them again to let his magic check the path for him. Past quite a few more trees, past another open field, past a cluster of big rocks, and a few more trees there was indeed a river. But no sign of an open field… or Arthur. Still, it was a start.

Merlin started running. Past quite a few more trees, through the open field, climbing over the cluster of rocks. He could hear the water as he passed the cluster of rocks. It was still a few more trees between him and the river, but there was a river. He found it.

Now, to find Arthur.

He closed his eyes. Summoned his magic. Asked it to guide him to Arthur. And when he opened them again, he could feel it leave him, going in all directions as it searched for Arthur. Merlin focused on the path going against the river’s current. But trees were going for ages. No sign of an open field, or Arthur.

He turned around. Focused on following the waters current. It took a while, but he could see an opening down there. And there, by the river, stood a certain, blonde man. Merlin blinked once. And then he started running.

Chapter Text

Arthur was sitting on his horse, having confined himself to watching the rebels. Things seemed peaceful down there as if they had no clue of the number of knights that were resting a few hundred metres away. All of whom were waiting for his orders to strike.

He could see Guinevere up ahead. She looked as if she was holding a lecture of some kind . He was tempted to ride to her and kill her, but there was a bigger prize here. Suppose his intel was correct, which he did not doubt that it was. He could almost smell victory in their path.

This might not have been what he had originally planned, but the outcome was more than welcome. Actually, any chance he had when it came to stopping the rebellion was welcome.

And it looked like they had saved him the trouble of getting rid of those two doubles. So that was nice. One less thing to worry about.

“Arthur!”

Arthurs movements were slow, unbothered as he turned his head towards the man who was making so much noise.

“Really, Lancelot? Do you have to be screaming at this time of day?”

“What are you doing here?!”

Lancelot had always been such a brave one, back when he was still a knight. His bravery had been a great feature for a knight, and Arthur had been proud to help him foster that bravery. It was the one thing that had apparently survived when he deserted them.

“Well, right now, I am watching another group of rebels learn why they should stay in their places.”

“But your majesty, you are going to kill them!”

“They should have known the risks,” Arthur sighed, a small smile creeping up on his lips, “But not to worry, my friend. This will mark the end of the rebellion.”

Despite standing on different sides, Arthur could look at the man in front of him and feel a sense of pride. He had a part in making this man. Nothing could ever change that.

“Arthur…” Arthur could see the sword in Lancelots shaking hand, “Do you think Merlin would have wanted this?”

“We might never know,” Arthur shrugged, “Not until Morgana releases the spell she has on him.”

“Why would Merlin teach her a spell that would basically kill him?!”

“Some things are more intricate than you could ever understand, my old friend.”

“No,” It seemed like Lancelots hands were not shaking as much, “You just do not know, do you? You have made up this whole story, but you know it to be wrong. You have to know, because your story does not make sense in any way!”

“Oh, really?” Arthur made sure to smile, “Are you sure it is not Morganas influence? I did say she was a bad person, did I not?”

“Morgana is not the problem, sire. You are.”

“You should tell that to the other version of me. See how he reacts,” Arthur crossed his arms, “There is a reason they do not trust any of you.”

He could see Lancelots chest rise and fall a few times. The anger was pumping through the veins of the former knight, he was sure of it. But there was a spark of curiosity as well.

Yet the sword remained in his hand, as visible as a fire in the forest. It was not held steady anymore, but it was there. His fingers were holding onto it as if it would bring him any kind of safety.

“I see you expect a fight,” Arthurs smile grew just a bit, “Unless having such a grip on your sword as you speak to a friend has become a normal thing for you?”

Something that looked like pure confusion flashed across Lancelots face. His head moved slowly, but just enough so that his sword should have crossed his line of sight. His grip on his sword loosened, though it was still tight enough that Lancelot could throw it. If he wanted to, of course. Arthur still made sure to keep the horse between them as he climbed down from it.

“Much better, Lancelot” Arthur clapped his hands together as he rounded the horse, “Now, where is the other me and his Merlin?”

“We think they might be by the river,” Lancelot looked confused still, as a hand flew over his mouth, “Wait, why did I-?”

“Just because we traded you for Merlin, does not mean we released you,” Arthur grinned as he turned back to his horse, “How else do you think we found you and your new group so quickly?”

“So, you mean…?”

“The urge to see the good in others is a blinding factor, Lancelot,” Arthur made sure to keep himself looking a bit sad once he got onto the back of his horse, “In reality, every one of us is a devil in disguise. I think you could do well in remembering that.”

Arthurs hand found the reigns, but his eyes remained on the knight, who looked so lost where he stood. He was still holding his sword, though the tip had fallen to the ground. And the spark in his eyes had faded so fast that Arthur had not even been allowed to witness it!

“You are a remarkable man, Lancelot,” Arthur shook his head, “Usually, destroying the hopes and dreams of rebels is fun. But now, I feel…” What was the word again, “… pity!”

“Does this mean you finally see the error of your ways?”

“No, it means I feel sorry for you,” Arthur groaned, “Did I really need to spell it out for you?”

Lancelot remained silent, only glaring daggers at a man who paid him no mind.

“You should probably head back to camp. I doubt Guinevere would like it if you were found here, with me.”

Lancelot nodded. Then, he bowed. And in true knightly fashion, he turned around and started his walk back to camp.

Arthur kept an eye on him as he went. He looked defeated where he walked. If that was Lancelots way of trying to expose the fact that Arthur was there, then Arthur would make sure that Lancelot was the top priority of people on his list.

But suddenly, Lancelot seemed to carry himself just a bit too well. And it took quite a while before Arthur could make out the reason why. He could see Lancelot pause for a bit, before ultimately joining someone else.

His traitor of a sister. Now, he had no eyes on her, but he was almost sure that she was worried about something. He had known her for long enough that he could read her like an open book, even from this far away. So something had happened, and it was causing her concern.

Well then. Useful information.

Arthur turned his horse around, as a sudden feeling of joy found its place within his chest. For soon, his heart would ache no longer. Soon, he would have his husband in his arms again. Soon, there would be no one left to believe that they knew better.

It was the only thing he was truly looking forward to.

“Your majesty?” He could hear Leons voice coming from somewhere.

“Yes?” Arthur wanted to yell, but he kept his voice low, “What is it?”

“We are ready to launch the assault, sire,” Leon bowed, the moment their eyes met, “I just want to be sure I have your directions correct. We are not to kill the other version of yourself or his Merlin?”

“Correct.”

“But is it not dangerous to leave them alive?”

“No, I have a plan for them,” Arthur smirked, “It appears that they are still useful to us, after all.”

“I understand, sire. I shall alert the men.”

Arthur was just looking at Leon for a bit. Taking in the sight of a man who thought he understood it. When in reality, things were much too complicated, and he should probably just stick to following orders instead of trying to understand them. Some things were just not meant to be understood by some people, and this one, was only for Arthur to know.

Arthur did not say this out loud.

Leon made his leave after a quick bow. He looked like he was lost in thought. There were visible wrinkles on his skin, making him look like he was much older than he actually was. Arthur took note of this. He would have to investigate this later.

Arthur turned back to his view. He wanted to see what Lancelot was doing. The knight, who currently looked like a commoner, walked around with his sister. Arthur hated the sight. It looked so… familiar. Like it sent him into a stage of Déjà vu, from when they were still loyal to him. Back then, though, it was Morgana and Merlin, walking around the training fields. Back before…

“No,” He slapped his hand against his cheeks, “Not now.”

He had to be ready for war. And no soldier, especially not a commander, would perform well if they spent their last moments before the attack, worrying about their spouse.

He looked over the sea of tents one last time. And then he decided to ride back to their own camp, where his men were awaiting his instructions.

Chapter Text

Once he actually found Arthur, Merlin found it safer to keep his distance for a moment. Not because he thought that Arthur would harm him. More so because he wanted to be sure that Arthur would be willing to listen.

Arthur was standing by the riverside, just holding his own cape in his hands. He kept looking from it, to the water, as if he was considering just letting it get taken by the river. And if Merlin knew Arthur as well as he thought, that meant Arthur was questioning himself.

He had yet to get rid of his cape. But Merlin knew of times were Arthur wanted nothing to do with that cape because he felt like he did not deserve to wear it. Frankly, it made no sense to Merlin, but it apparently had something to do with the morals it stood for, or something like that.

Either way, it was probably about time for him to step out. Before Arthur did something drastic.

“Hey,” Merlin made sure to make himself known as he approached Arthur, “Lancelot was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“He said you walked off in a bad mood after he asked you about our Lancelot.”

“I just wanted some time to myself,” Arthur sighed, “The risk of telling him about Lancelots betrayal was too high.”

“I understand. In fact, I do think that the more we tell them about ourselves and our Camelot, the greater the risk of it being used against us. However,” Merlin took a step forward, “We will get nothing done by being dishonest with each other.”

“If you are about to tell me that I should tell Lancelot of how his counterpart betrayed me, then you can just keep it to yourself.”

“No… you may want to sit down.”

“Merlin,” Arthur was glaring at him now, “What are you not telling me?”

Merlin just sighed, closing his eyes. Maybe it was better to just speak up and get it over with.

“Lancelot never betrayed you.”

Merlin could hear the water move and the wind twirl around them. But his eyes remained on Arthur, who had gone silent. His eyes were full of doubt, but it seemed like no words were able to escape from his mouth. Merlin decided to take the chance and keep going.

“From what Gaius and I were able to gather, Lancelot was a shade. Created by Morgana and kept in line by Ag- the traitor. He gave Gwen some enchanted bracelet, and it caused her to fall for him again,” Merlin sighed, “It was very well planned, Arthur. Every way we tried to stop it, backfired.”

“So what you are saying is that it was not Lancelot, and Guinevere was under a spell?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know this?”

Merlin could hear the hurt in Arthurs voice. He could have sworn he heard Arthurs voice shaking. Though it was Arthur, so he would probably deny it, if it was brought up. But Merlin took note of it, deciding to be as careful with his words as he could.

“Gaius confirmed the bracelet, and…” How was he even meant to explain this, “A -a shade can only know what the person who made it knows. The shade showed a lack of knowledge to… things that Lancelot should have known.”

“So, you just suspected?”

“No. There is a way to check for this. It is complicated, so I doubt I have the time to explain it now,” Merlin may have lied there, “But listen, it was not them. They were both innocent.”

“Yeah, I hear that,” Arthur looked defeated as he sighed, “I have really messed up.”

“You had no idea,” Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, considering his words to the best of his ability, “I will explain everything to Gwen as well, and we can probably figure something out.”

Arthur barely had a reaction to Merlins words, making the latter wonder if he had even heard him. He could see some faint sadness in Arthurs eyes though, which left him confused. What was plaguing his mind this badly?

“Arthur…?” Merlin tried, “What is it?”

“Sorry, what?” Arthur seemed like he had been in a whole different world.

“You seem sad still. What is bothering you?”

“Ah, nothing. I was just thinking.”

“Right… anything you want to share?”

“Not really.”

Merlin kept quiet as Arthur was back to looking at the ground. He was quiet, just staring at the world beyond. Though he had let go of his cape by now and Merlin noticed how it went down his back again, sometimes moving because of the wind.

“If you are comparing yourself to him, I implore you to stop,” Merlin spoke up again, crossing his arms over his chest, “It will only bring you down.”

“Too late.”

“Yeah, I thought so,” Merlin sighed, before continuing, “Listen, you are past the point of ever becoming like him.”

“I know that. But the fact that he exists means that whatever makes him like this also exists within me.”

“It existed. But you grew up.”

“Are you trying to tell me that he has not?”

“Well, you cannot stand there and try to convince me that he has,” Merlin hummed, “He reminds me a bit of how you were, the first time we met.”

“Yeah, I know,” Arthur looked up for a moment, though he refused to meet eyes with Merlin, “The fact that I did not turn into him, is a miracle in itself.”

“I would call it a sign of morals, but you can think that if you want to.”

“You think he has no morals?”

“He probably does. After all, you wanted your father dead because of what happened to your mother, and to the innocent people with magic, following her death. I can only assume he wanted the same.”

“I was going to do it too, you know,” Arthur sighed, “Before you came in.”

“I know.”

“Do you regret it? Stopping me?”

“No.”

“What?” This was probably the first time in this conversation where Arthur willingly met eyes with his servant, “Why not?”

“You would never have been able to forgive yourself,” Merlin shrugged, “I think you would have been plagued by doubt, and guilt, and we see where that went.”

“Yeah…”

“And if I hadn’t stopped you, Uther would not be alive to grant me the title of an ally in the fight against magic,” Merlin paused, “Though he did threaten to hang me less than five minutes later, so I guess that title was stripped away again.”

That got a laugh out of Arthur. And it eased Merlins heart to hear, as the man seemed to constantly blame himself for things that had nothing to do with him. But it seemed to have eased the tension, as a small smile seemed to settle on Arthurs lips.

“That sounds like my father, alright.”

“I wonder what he would have said if he knew who he was talking to.”

“Nothing. He would have tried to kill you on the spot.”

“That man did not know how to thank people.”

That earned another chuckle from Arthur, who seemed to have cheered up a bit. The silence that followed was now a comfortable one, as Merlin was left with his own thoughts for a bit.

His mind drifted back to Gaius, who had given his life to get Arthur and Merlin out of there. He deserved so much more, yet he had lost his life because of a mistake. Merlin wanted to make sure that he was remembered and that his sacrifice was not made in vain. He might have another Gaius, waiting for him back in Camelot, but these people did not. Not anymore.

Merlin rose to his feet. Ignoring the fact that Arthur was watching him, he walked over to the edge of the forest. It took him about a minute of looking around before he located a batch of Wood Anemone. He walked over to the batch and picked two of them, before heading back to the river.

“What are you doing?” Arthur asked him as he approached.

“Paying my respects to Gaius. You are welcome to join me if you want,” Merlin replied, “Might not be the right flowers for the job, but I doubt he would mind.”

Merlin held up the two flowers he had picked, observing as they both bathed in the small amount of visible sunlight. Arthur looked confused for a second before he seemed to see them, only to then rise to his feet. He walked over, so he was side-by-side with Merlin, and with a smile on his face, he nodded. Merlin nodded as well, a small smile forming on his own lips.

He turned around so that his entire body was facing the river. Arthur did the same. And Merlin closed his eyes. He thought about Gaius, who always had some sound advice. He thought about the man who was caring for his dying nephew. He thought about the man who was brave enough to risk his life, just to save two men whom he essentially did not know. And he tried his best to avoid mixing in the memories of his own Gaius.

“Thank you, Gaius.” Merlin whispered.

And then he dropped the flowers into the river.

Chapter Text

Morgana walked along the camp for a bit, looking around. Specifically, she was looking for the other Merlin and Arthur. There was something she wanted to discuss with them both. But it was like they had vanished into thin air. She was almost convinced that she had looked across the entire camp, yet she could find no sign of either one of them. Had they abandoned them already?

Gwen had last seen them when Merlin had run off to go and get Arthur to come back to camp. From what she had said, he had reacted to something Lancelot had said, and Merlin had taken the blame for it, only to run off and look for him. And now, they were both gone. As was Lancelot.

Had her faith in them been misplaced?  

Morgana kept walking, secretly hoping for the solution to just come to her. She was tired. Tired of all of this. She just wanted to rescue her family. She wanted to keep her friends safe. She wanted to keep Gwen safe. Why did it have to be so hard?

“My lady!”

Morgana looked up, her eyes finding the concerned eyes of Lancelot. His eyes revealed secrets, things that he probably never meant for Morgana to know. But Lancelot was one of the people who wore his heart on his sleeve, even if he was unaware of it himself.

“Hello Lancelot,” Morgana made sure to smile as she saw him, “Is something the matter?”

“That was what I wanted to ask you,” Lancelot did seem a bit hesitant as he approached, “You seemed a bit tense.”

“I have just lost count of where Arthur and Merlin are,” Morgana tried her best to show a genuine smile, “I am sure they will show up eventually.”  

“Will they?” Lancelot looked tired, “Or did they take the chance and run off?”

“That is quite a negative look on things, Lancelot. Did something happen?”

“Apparently, asking about the other world was what it took to offend Arthur,” Lancelot shrugged, “Merlin said it was his fault, but I cannot help but wonder…”

“About what?”

“Do they actually trust us?”

A feeling of doubt was festering inside of her. Had something happened, that she had just not seen? And if that was the case, how was she meant to handle it, going forward? In moments like this, she wished that Merlins instructions, his wishes and his reasons were clear. For how was she meant to lead a rebellion if there was a level of mistrust in the people he recruited to help her?

Well. They were not actually recruited. They were just… caught in the crossfire.

“They have no part in this war, Lancelot,” Morgana tried to smile, “They were just dropped into it. Of course, they will be weary of us. I would have done the same, had I been in their shoes.”

“Right, yes,” Lancelot nodded, “My apologies for doubting them.”

“We all have our doubts,” Morgana sighed, looking away, “I just fear that we are at risk of letting our doubts and our fears consume us if we keep on this path.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Tell me something, Lancelot,” Morgana paused for a moment, as if considering her words, “You knew my brother very well. Do you think he could be worthy of Excalibur?”

“Of course. It is his destiny.”

“Ignore the thought of destiny for a moment. Could the man we know as Arthur Pendragon be worthy of wielding Excalibur?”

Something about the hesitation in Lancelots expression was concerning. If one of Arthurs closest friends was this hesitant about the possibility of Arthurs recovery… what did the rest of them think? Everyone else who had joined the rebellion, or even those who had not… did they hold no faith in Arthur? Was it foolish of Morgana to have faith in him?

“Sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing,” Morgana found herself speaking again, “Are we sure there is no other way?”

“I wish there was,” Lancelot looked as uncomfortable as Morgana felt, “But they would never have allowed you to live. Not after everything .”

“I know,” Morgana sighed, “I just wish there were other options.”

“So do I.” Lancelot looked down.

Morgana watched him for a moment. Lancelot, who had been forced to abandon his closest friends, his brothers in arms to fight for what he thought was right. He had to watch as they, still kept under Arthurs control, tried their best to kill him. What kind of a life was that?

Morgana cleared her throat, adamant to change the subject, “Any word on Mordred?”

“There is still no trace of him. It is very likely that he was either captured or killed.”

“No,” Morgana shook her head, “Until we can recover definite proof of his death, I want us to treat his situation as if he is still alive.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

Morgana could understand why Lancelot looked so concerned. But she wanted to believe that Mordred was safe. She could barely handle the idea of Merlin, alone in that room and unable to wake up. So to add the fact that Mordred could have perished… she did not want to think about it.

It might not be the best thing for her to hang onto this one, bleak hope that Mordred might have made it. But it was the one thing that kept her going. That, and the idea that Merlin could be rescued. For why did it seem like the universe was so adamantly against the idea of a happy ending? She had lost her parents… though one of them had been a moment of celebration, more than a moment of sorrow... she had lost her brother… her friend and mentor was slipping away from her… how was she meant to handle any more losses? She was only human.

“Hello,” Both Lancelot and Morgana were quick to turn to the sound of Merlins voice, “We’re back.”

Merlin was wearing a smile on his lips, while Arthur looked a bit ashamed. He seemed eager to avoid the eyes of Lancelot especially. Morgana had never seen her own brother look so shameful, so to see this Arthur look visibly ashamed was truly a new experience.

“Hello,” She made sure to smile in return, “I was looking for you.”

“Oh? What for?”

“I wanted a word with you… in private, preferably.”

“Of course. We will join you in a moment,” Merlin turned to Arthur, bumping his elbow into the other mans arm, “Arthur? The stage is yours.”

“Right,” Arthur cleared his throat before looking up, at Lancelot, “Lancelot, I must apologise to you. You were just asking an innocent question, and I overreacted. I am truly sorry about that.”

“Hey, it is alright,” Lancelot was smiling, “But if you do not mind me asking… why did you react like that?”

Morgana picked up on how hesitant both Arthur and Merlin seemed. Had something happened to the Lancelot of their world?

“We lost our Lancelot,” Merlin was the one who found his words first, “He gave his life to protect all of Camelot from these beings called the Dorocha.”

“Oh… I am so sorry to hear that.”

“He died, saving the rest of Camelot,” Arthur was smiling a sad smile, “And then his memory was tarnished in an attempt to hurt me.”

Both Morgana and Lancelot had fallen quiet. Morgana took in the sight of Arthurs sad look. And then there was the fact that Merlin looked so stone cold. Yet his eyes were empty. It left more questions than answers. But she could tell that neither Merlin nor Arthur would be willing to answer any question of hers.

“He sounds like an honourable man.” Lancelot was smiling as well.

“He was,” Arthur nodded, “The most honourable man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

There were a few moments of absolute silence as Merlin moved closer to Morgana. He seemed to be more determined than anything as he got close enough for her to hear him whisper.

“So, what did you want to talk to us about?”

“Right, yes,” Morgana had to take a moment to catch up, “Well, I mostly wanted to ask for an opinion from you. You see, I have been thinking about ways to break the spell on the knights.”

“Is that safe?”

“The only reason they are loyal to Arthur is because they are forced to,” Morgana shrugged, “I assume you have been in contact with the spell. Do you have an idea of how to break it?”

“Sever the magic from the magic user. Unless you know what spell it is, you have no way of knowing how to break it.”

“And it is not like Morgause would willingly tell us,” Morgana hummed, several thoughts running through her mind, “Is there a way of identifying it?”

“Not one that is accurate enough. As a high priestess, she probably has had access to spells that we would never know of,” Merlin sighed, “No, the best way is to either kill the caster or destroy the thing the spell is attached to.”

“Is there a way of figuring out what that might be?”

“Possibly,” Merlin looked like he was lost in thought for a moment, “Yes, I can think of a few ways.”

“Great!” Morgana was smiling, “I love the days were all goes well.”

Chapter Text

Merlin sat on the field, finding himself unable to do more than watch as people moved about. There was something about the silent noise that made it much easier to think. Even though his mind kept going to the most random places, which made it difficult to keep track.

This was not helped by the fact that he kept seeing Arthur walking around, doing whatever he felt like. Merlin was sure he had watched Arthur wander around the area at least three times, eaten one bowl of stew and helped Gwen round up a few of the kids. And now, as it was approaching night, Arthur was carrying firewood around.

Meanwhile, his servant had been sitting in a field for at least a few hours. The switch of roles was kind of ironic.

He might have felt some envy. Arthur had been able to clear up the thing that had bothered him. And then there was Merlin, who had not been as lucky. His mind kept going back to that spell Morgana was talking about. But every time, he had to conclude that he had no answer. And then the cycle would repeat itself.

He had told Morgana that the best way was to kill the person who cast the spell or break the object it was contained in. That had been an hour ago now, and Merlin felt nothing but regret for his statement. There were probably several other ways to stop Morgause, that required no one to die. And in the end, that was the goal, wasn’t it? Limit the deaths.

“You have barely moved for over an hour,” Merlins eyes flew up to look at Arthur, the moment he heard his voice, “So either you’re just being very lazy, or something is bothering you.”

“Hey, Arthur,” Merlin tried to smile, “Did you need something?”

“Something is bothering you then,” Arthur gave him a strange look as he sat down, “Come on. Out with it.”

“While I appreciate the offer,” Merlins smile fell just as fast as it had formed, “I doubt you would be able to help me.”

“I am full of surprises,” Arthur was still smiling ever so brightly, “So come on. What is it? Maybe I can help.”

Merlin opened his mouth, prepared to shut the idea down. However, the look in Arthurs eyes made him pause. A few hours ago, he was doubting himself, questioning the very morality of his character. So how was it possible for him to sit here now, his eyes shining so bright that one could almost think nothing was wrong?

Merlin sighed, forcing his eyes away from Arthurs, “The spell Morgana mentioned. I have been trying to think of different ways to break it.”

“Why? Did you not have a plan for that already?”

“Well, yes… but you would have to kill someone who wears the face of your mother. And I cannot ask you to do that.”

“She might be wearing the face of my mother, but that does not mean that she is my mother,” Arthur was barely smiling, turning his head to the camp and the night sky, “And though it will… hurt… I find comfort in the thought that the antics of a person like Morgause can no longer tarnish her memory.”

A soft breeze tugged at Arthurs hair, but he seemed to not mind it. He seemed to be lost in the world of the stars that coloured the cloudless sky. He sat there, bathing in the light of the dying sun, almost reminding Merlin of a god.

“I probably say this a lot,” Merlin made sure to draw his eyes away from Arthur, “But you are a good man, Arthur Pendragon.”

Arthur gave Merlin a blank stare for a few moments before a chuckle escaped him. And there was something that drew Merlins eyes back to him.

“I could say the same to you,” Arthur replied, “Though you do sometimes behave like an idiot.”

That got a chuckle out of Merlin, “I guess that makes us both idiots.”

From the corner of his eye, Merlin could see Arthurs expression warp to one of concern. He could also hear Arthur take in a deep breath, before speaking again.

“If you are suggesting-“

“Why did you try and catch me?”

This seemed to leave Arthur dumbfounded, “What do you mean?”

“When I passed out, right before we came here. You tried to catch me. Why?”

“Well, you looked like you were about to faint,” Arthur crossed his arms, “Should I have just let you fall to the floor?”

“Sorry,” Merlin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I was just thinking about how you could have been safe in Camelot right now.”

“And you would have been out here on your own,” Arthurs tone had fallen, making him sound like he was sad, “Look, in hindsight, it might not seem like I made a wise decision. But I hold no regrets. In fact, I should thank you, for bringing me away.”

“What?” A small smile was creeping its way onto Merlins lips, “Not interested in trying to find a future queen for Camelot after all?”

“Listen, it is not often that I get to be part of a coup against the king of Camelot,” Arthur was smirking, “And who knows? Maybe when this is over, and we can go back home, I can take what I have learnt here and make our Camelot a better place.”

Hearing Arthur talk about the ways he could change Camelot was not an unusual thing. It was something he would often bring up when he had an idea. But this time, it caught Merlins attention. For what had he learnt here that would not be counted as a horrible lesson?

“Do you want to fill me in, so I can be prepared to plead my case to Morgana if I have to?”

“Wow, I am wounded!” Arthur was still smiling as he held a hand up to where his heart was, “To think that my own manservant has such low trust in me.”

“Well,” Merlin made sure to drag the word out for a bit, “You do sometimes act like a complete clotpole… sire.” He made sure to end that line with a smirk.

“A… clotpole?” Two heads turned as Lancelot approached them, “Is that a word?”

Arthur sent Merlin a half-serious glare, “I am pretty sure he just made it up as a way to insult me.”

Merlin put on his brightest smile, “Someone has to make sure your ego does not get inflated.”

“And to think that just a few minutes ago, you gave me a compliment.”

“And to think, you would make up such vile rumours about me,” Merlin gasped, fighting to keep himself from laughing as Arthur rolled his eyes, “I thought you were better than this.”

“Oh, Merlin,” Arthur shook his head, his smile returned to him, “Please, whatever you do, don’t change.”

“We’ll see where things… Lancelot, is everything alright?”

From his reaction, it did not seem like the man thought anyone would notice. The sadness in his eyes, as he kept looking between Merlin and Arthur. The fact that he was so tense that just standing still almost looked unnatural for him. And that would not even be mentioning his clumsy attempt to look at ease, once Merlin had called him out.

“Yes,” He even sounded tense enough that Merlin was unsure of if he was even trying to sound convincing, “Yes, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure?” Arthur straightened his back a bit, “You seem very… tense.”

“I guess it was just the feeling of watching the two of you squabble like they did,” Something about how fast the words came out of his mouth, did not leave Merlin convinced, “It just reminded me of them.”

“Yeah… we tend to do that,” Merlin replied, a bit harsher than he meant to, “You know, sharing the same face and all that.”

“Right, yes… I am sorry, but I should go,” Lancelot turned his back to them, “Morgana wants a quick word with you two.”

Merlin kept quiet, watching and waiting as Lancelot walked away. Waiting for Lancelot to be out of earshot, so that it would be safe to bring it up. And maybe, just maybe, Merlin was just being paranoid. It had become a habit of his. But this time… it didn’t feel like it.

“Well…” He heard the hesitation in Arthurs voice, “That was weird.”

“It was…” Merlin nodded, still watching Lancelot, “Either he is a different Lancelot to the one we knew, or he is a very bad actor.”

“Please, do not tell me that you think Lancelot has bad intentions.”

“I suspect everyone of having bad intentions,” Merlin shrugged, rising to his feet, “What do you think has kept you alive for this long?”

“Merlin…”

“Now, I do believe we should let the subject rest for a bit. After all, I believe he said that Morgana wants a word?”

“Are you trying to get out of the conversation?” Arthur rose to his feet.

“That might be. Though mostly, I just want a nap,” Merlin made sure to yawn as he finished his sentence, prompting a disappointed smile from Arthur, “Think we can convince Morgana to cut this discussion short?”

“If you want to try, be my guest. But as she is a lot like our Morgana, I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Eh, it’s worth a shot.”

Chapter Text

The news had reached far and wide. Everyone he met recently had heard of the duplicates. And the idea of duplicates running around, especially ones dressed as the king and his husband… well, one could not be human and not find the idea interesting… okay, that may have been a stretch. But it was pretty close.

But it was not that, which had caught his attention. It was the news that the prince of Camelot had fallen into a coma and was currently lying in a bed in the castle ahead. There was… he just had to see it for himself.

It was a strange feeling to be back here. Back where he had once spent several days of his life, exploring a country he didn't know, in the days before things went… well, south. This place had once been so beautiful. So full of life that one could only dream of coming here. And the people had been so kind, so caring… what happened?

He walked through the crowd of people, taking in the sight of every one of them. They seemed so tired, so sad… like life itself had abandoned them. And yeah, it probably had. From what he had heard, things had just worsened with each day that passed.

Life was slowly leaving this land, and the people could do little more than just let it happen. And that was unfair.

Then there was the castle up ahead. Once bathing in sunlight, it seemed to be drenched in the shadows cast by the loss of a man, once able to light the sky itself. He was meant to be their salvation, but he was stopped before he could even try.

It was difficult to look at the road ahead and not think of him. His smile as he walked around, entertaining the children with his powers. His light as he defended the people from any threat that may be coming their way. That love in his eyes as he walked alongside the king, aiding his majesty with whatever was needed.

And to think that now, he was locked in a room in that castle, trapped in an eternal slumber. At least that was what the rumour had said.

Now, if someone wants to break into a castle, the most important thing is to get in and not be seen. If he was seen, the guards would come after him, and they would keep him in the dungeons until they could set up a time for his execution… maybe it was better to just not break into the castle in the first place.

No. He had to see him. He had to see the man who had given his life for the safety of everyone else. Even if it would cost him his life, he had to see him.

With his hood to cover his face, he marched in. Now, the most important thing was to not attract attention, which could be hard, seen as he was covering his face. Things like that have been seen as suspicious these days, ever since the ‘bandits’ that broke Lady Morgana out of her cell.

There was no reaction from any of the guards as he walked through the castle gates. There was no reaction from anyone as he walked up the stairs. No one spoke a word when he made it into one of the hallways. It seemed like most of the people were just trying to ignore him at this point. Maybe there was no one who wanted to deal with the trouble of reporting him to the guards?

Keeping to the dark, he was able to slowly make his way up to the chambers of the physician. Now, Gaius had always treated him with kindness… well, most of the time. So Gaius would probably let him see his patient, even if just for a few moments. He opened the door, and…

The smell of blood was not easy to ignore. But the room was spotless, with no sign of any blood anywhere. One could say that Gaius had done a very good job at cleaning up the room.

His steps were slow as he walked towards the room in the back. When his hand was resting on the door, he could hear another door open. Turning around, his eyes landed on… someone who was not Gaius.

“Hey!” The man was staring at him, “Who are you?”

His reaction was quick, “Swefe nu.”

The man fell forward, his face hitting the table and knocking down a few vials. Footsteps could be heard coming in their direction, but upon their arrival, there would only be one person in that room. The other one had already hidden away behind the door in the back.

The room was dark… but there he was. Resting in a bed that almost seemed too big for him… had the king forced that bed into this tiny room?

“Hello,” His voice was soft and clear, even though he knew that he could not be heard, “I thought I may find you here, young one.”

He placed a hand on top of the hand of the prince. It was so warm…

“What have they done to you…?”  

He knew they wouldn’t have long. But he couldn’t just leave him like this. After everything that had happened, everything he had done to try and help everyone… he didn’t deserve to be abandoned like this.

But what could he do? It was clear that Arthur had intentionally left him in a tower, as it would be extremely difficult to move him out of there. It would make any attempted kidnapping extremely difficult unless you managed to go unnoticed by every single guard in the castle.

“I’m sorry,” He started whispering as he was looking around, trying to think of any way to get the sleeping man out of there, “There is nothing I can do for you… I’m sorry.”

The fact that guards had not shown up so far was a miracle in and of itself. One would think he had made quite a lot of noise by now. Maybe it was about time to stop wishing for miracles. It seemed like every time they were granted one, there was always someone ready to steal it away.

Here he was. A wanted criminal, standing in the most difficult area of the castle to break out of. A man who had lost his name and his face the first time he had willingly stepped into this god-forsaken place. And who would probably lose his life, simply because he dared to enter it again.

He could only wonder if Emrys was proud of him for his hope. But he wouldn't ask for it. After all, Emrys had his own issues to deal with right now. He shouldn't have to worry about both of them.

“You were only a child,” He found himself speaking over the sound of someone knocking on the door... why would they knock? “The entire world hung on your shoulders, but you were so young. How is that fair?”

He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to hurt him. But he couldn’t just stand by and let him suffer like this. He had been told to come here and help him. There had to be something he could do to help him.

Maybe the only way to help him would be to kill him.

No, there had to be something else. There had to be some other way to help this boy. He kept repeating this to himself as he walked over to the bed. And he sat down next to the sleeping boy, using a finger to clear some of his hair away from his face.

“I never thought I would come back here, you know?” He chuckled, “But then, you never thought things would go like this when you married him, did you?  Maybe in another world, you got to have the peace you deserve. I’m just sorry it couldn’t be here.”

Chapter Text

It turned out that Morgana was already asleep by the time Arthur and Merlin had arrived. Having made the decision that she deserved her rest, Merlin and Arthur made a quiet exit… as quietly as they were able to, considering the fact that Merlin lost his balance and would have fallen flat on his face, had Arthur not decided to try and catch him. It probably looked ridiculous, as Arthur was only able to reach Merlins arm. And if he was aware of the fact that he was twisting Merlins arm, he did not say so.

“Merlin,” Arthur let out a sigh, “You have to be more careful.”

“There is no one awake,” Merlin whispered in response, “Trust me, if there were, we would know.”

“Yeah, well you don’t want to wake everyone, do you?”

“If everyone in this camp wakes up because someone has lost their balance, then they were probably not asleep in the first place,” Merlin jumped to his feet, having to take a second to steady himself, “But if you think we might wake them, maybe we should find someplace else to talk?”

“Or we can find our tent and get some rest,” Arthur yawned, “It has been a busy day.”

“You know where it is?”

“I helped set it up, while you were brooding.”

“I was not brooding!”

“Then what were you doing?”

“…thinking…”

“You were brooding,” Arthur was smirking, “But back to the point. I know where it is, yes.”

Arthur started walking in a random direction and Merlin followed. They walked past quite a few tents, almost to the edge of the camp, before Arthur stopped. And Merlin, having already zoned out at this point, crashed right into him, causing Arthur to stumble forward. Luckily, he was able to keep himself on his feet.

“Merlin!” Arthur whispered, looking at Merlin with a slightly confused look, “You need to watch where you are walking.”

“Sorry, sorry. My mind was elsewhere,” Merlin looked around before settling on a tent that looked less worn down than the other ones, “Is this it?”

“Anything I need to worry about?”

“Nothing that cannot wait until tomorrow.”

“If you say so,” Arthur looked a bit conflicted as he took a step aside, “You go first. You look like you are about to fall asleep where you stand.”

Merlin nodded. He kept his silence as he walked in. It was empty. A patch of grass, surrounded by some monochrome walls that looked like they could fly away at any minute. But this small area felt like a blessing for a man who was as sleep-deprived as Merlin felt. He was about to lie down and close his eyes when he heard Arthur speak again.

“What was that...?”

Merlin could feel his whole body ache as he lifted himself back up to his feet. What he could see when he got out was that Arthur had not moved at all. Yet he seemed lost in a trance, watching something that Merlin could not see. But for some reason, he held no doubt that Arthur had actually seen something. Arthur was not one to lie about things like that.

“Did you see something?”

“A shadow, I think. Over there,” Arthur pointed to the darkest part of the forest, “Perhaps we should go and check it-”

“Let us wait five minutes,” Merlin mumbled, trying to suppress a yawn, “Just in case.”

“Why five minutes?”

“In case it is a person who just went out to relieve themselves,” Merlin shrugged, “For all of our sakes, I suggest we wait for five minutes.”

“Alright,” Arthur nodded, “Five minutes.”

If anyone were to walk past them, they would be met with the sight of Arthur, arms crossed, staring at the edge of the forest. And by his side stood Merlin, who was truly struggling to keep himself awake at this point. He looked like he could be asleep where he stood.

Silence had a grip on the air, as it seemed like everything had stopped moving. Merlin could hear no wind, no birds, no sound of any human or other animal walking about. The only thing he thought he could hear, and this was debatable, was Arthurs breathing. Calm, collected, yet also a bit worried. Ready to spring into action in case he needed to.

Merlin had almost fallen asleep when he heard Arthur say, “That was five minutes.”

“Right then,” Merlin sighed as he started walking, “I guess we should go out there.”

He could see that Arthur was resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. And Merlin was running through every spell in his mind, trying to pick out the ones they may need. He was ready for battle, and it seemed like Arthur was too.

They had reached the edge of the forest when a shadow came into view. Arthur, who had somehow made it in front, held an arm out, causing Merlin to stop in his tracks. He did not dare to breathe as Arthur drew his sword out.

Arthur cleared his throat, “Who goes there?”

It was quiet. Too quiet. Nature was holding her breath, as Arthur and Merlin were sneaking along the border between the open area and the trees. There was no sign of anyone out there, not anymore, yet Merlin was left with a feeling that someone was watching them. Waiting.

“We know you are out there,” Arthur called out, “Show yourself and you will not be harmed!”

That was… certainly a threat. Not one that Merlin thought they could act out on, but hey, whoever was out there, they had no reason to not believe it. Nor a reason to believe it… Merlin would still be alert. As would Arthur. General life had taught them to do so if they planned on getting home in one piece.

Call it a hunch, call it paranoia, call it whatever it might be. But something was out there, something was watching them. Be it an animal or a human.

There was a movement in the corner of his eye, causing Merlin to stop and turn his head towards the general area. A loud thud could be heard, which only made his feeling of worry strengthen.

“What was that?” He whispered, his eyes meeting with Arthur.

“I don’t know,” Arthur looked almost lost in thought, “I will go and check. You stay here.”

“But-,”

“You can cover my back much more effectively than I can cover yours,” Arthur didn’t even look at him, “Because of your… magic.”

“Alright,” Merlin sighed, “But be quick.”

Arthur nodded, a look of determination in his eyes. He was looking around, considering everything before he walked past the border between the open area and the forest. Merlin might have held his breath, waiting for someone to pop out and attack him. But… nothing.

Arthur kept walking, slowly but with determination. His steps seemed carefully planned, every step thought through with caution in mind. He was steady, expecting an attack from whatever angle would suit his enemy best.

Shadows felt like a threat, but Arthur made sure to carefully step around them. He kept to the little light that the moon could bring down in the forest, while also making sure that Merlin could see him at all times.

“I see something,” Arthur called out, his voice shaking a bit, “It seems… oh… it seems someone has lost their life tonight.”

Merlin could feel his heart drop, “Who?”

It was quiet for a few moments, though Merlin could see Arthur rise to his feet… and in his arms, Merlin could see the body of a man. A face that Merlin had no memory of having seen before, frozen in the expression of whatever emotion he had felt before he died.

“He may have been one of the guards,” Arthur only spoke up when he had cleared the forest, “Hiding in a tree as he kept watch.”

Arthur laid the body down on the grass, allowing Merlin a better chance to have a look at the victim. Merlin sat down next to the body, taking a moment to check for any injuries that might provide a cause of death.

“His neck seems to be broken and there are marks on his hands,” Merlin shot a glance in Arthurs general direction, “There are no visible marks of an arrow or a knife. And I suspect the broken neck comes from when he landed on the ground.”

“It is possible that something spooked him, causing him to lose his balance,” Arthur had his arms crossed, looking like he was in deep thought, “We should have another look at the scene.”

“Not right now,” Merlin hissed, “We should tell someone that one of the guards is dead before we start investigating what happened.”

“Right,” Arthur nodded, “You do whatever you can for him, while I go and wake either Morgana or Gwen.”

Merlin was about to ask what exactly he was meant to do, but Arthur had already set out running. Merlin sighed, letting his eyes fall back on the man in front of him. He made sure to close the man's eyes, but except for that, he had no idea what else Arthur expected him to do.

He kept replaying the events of the night in his head. There was that shadow, the one that Arthur had seen. Then there was silence for a while before the man had fallen from the tree. Merlin and Arthur had been right there, and they had not seen a thing. Nothing had happened.

But something did happen. And as Merlin looked out on the darkened forest, he found himself wondering who or what was out there. And what was their intent-

Chapter Text

Sleep had become a rarity for most of them, but especially for Morgana. Having over 150 people under her protection, while also being hunted down by the man who was her brother, had made her become more paranoid.

She could not recall when she had fallen asleep. Usually, she was aware of her surroundings, but right now… all of that seemed gone. She could recall nothing from the past few hours, not after she laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

And this, she was only aware of because of Arthur.

“Morgana,” There was a hand on her shoulder… shaking it, “Morgana, you have to wake up.”

Now, ever since meeting with this Arthur for the first time, Morgana had taken notice of how he seemed anxious at all times. And it would probably sound silly to most, but she could have sworn that in this moment, he sounded more worried than usual.

“Arthur?” Morgana did her best to sit up, trying not to wake up Gwen in the process, “What is going on?”

“Someone has died,” Fear held a grip on her heart as the words hit her ears, “Merlin is checking on him as we speak.”

Morgana was quick to her feet, sleep be damned. If Arthur spoke the truth, and someone was dead, she wanted to know how and why. How had they died? Where had they been? What had they been doing?

She emerged from her tent, pausing for just a moment to let her eyes adjust to the total darkness of the world outside. Arthur had walked past her, and she could see him walk in a random direction. She had to jog over to catch up with him.

Her words were quick, her tone being one of urgency, “How did he die?”

“Fell down from a tree. Broke his neck as he landed,” Arthurs words were as cold as her own, “We suspect something may have made him fall, though we have yet to investigate the area. Merlin wanted there to be other people nearby, in case there are people in the forest.”  

So, they were suspecting foul play? Morgana would have to keep that in mind. Not to speak ill of the dead, but there were people in the camp who would think to do things like climbing the trees to hide from whoever. So if they were suspecting that he was murdered...

“Yes, of course,” Morgana nodded, the tone in her voice sounding both faint and lost, “I will… I will be there.”

Upon reaching the border between the forest and the camp, Morganas gaze settled upon a body. It was a man she had barely been given the chance to get to know, yet he had given his all to the cause… and she could not even remember his name.

“He is one of the guards,” She laid a hand on top of his, finding some heat, “He was one of the more eager ones. Always gave it his all. It truly is a shame that he was the one to go.”

But there was another matter, equally as pressing as this. One that had crossed Morgana's mind the moment they arrived, and one which Arthur had seemed to be aware of before they had even made it over to the body.

Where was Merlin?

Arthur was looking around, and she could recognise that worried look in his eyes. She had seen it before, after every time her brother had lost track of their Merlin. But that had been long ago. So, to see it again, today, was almost a surprise.  

“MERLIN?!” Arthur was almost spinning around, trying to look to every side at once, “Oh, where did that idiot go?”

“I doubt that yelling will do anything, Arthur,” Morganas words caused him to pause, “I doubt he would be able to hear you.”

“Why do you think that?”

“We are talking about Merlin,” Morgana shrugged, “The only way to avoid the wrath of his magic would be to knock him out.”

She observed how Arthur paused, considering her words for a few seconds.

“Magic without the use of a spell,” Arthur nodded, his expression having gone dark, “I have to find him.”

“We will,” Morgana placed a hand on his shoulder, “I promise you; we will find him, and we will save him, whatever it takes.”

Arthur used a hand to take her hand off his shoulder, “Not we, Morgana.”

“Well, you are not going alone!”

“Merlin is my responsibility. I will go after him.”

“Think about this for a moment,” Morgana crossed her arms, “I know you want to help him, but rushing off without a plan or back-up is not the way to do it.”

Arthur looked… well, he looked… rageful, mixed in with the sadness, mixed in with annoyance. But he knew she was right. She knew that he knew that she was right. And once his rage and regret had settled, they would come up with a proper plan. A plan that would not lead to anyones death.

“Merlin will be fine,” Morgana continued, hoping that her words could reach Arthur somehow, “He can take care of himself.”

“I guess I have to take your word for it," Arthur let out a breath, “How far apart are the people on look-out?”

“Around 25-50 meters, depending on the terrain.”

“So, there would always be two people watching,” Arthur seemed to be deep in thought, “The blind spot would be narrow.”

“How narrow?”

“I would give them a few meters on each side,” Arthur was looking at something which Morgana could not see, “It is reasonable to assume that person a and c would assume that person b would be covering… let’s say, the 5 meters where person a’s area ends, and person b’s area begins.”

“At least we know which direction to head,” Morgana tried her best to smile, “Let us wake up Gwen and some of the men, so we can begin our search.”

Morgana made sure to wait until she saw some form of acknowledgement coming from Arthur. Only when she saw him nod, did she start walking. And each time she turned around, he was there, walking right behind her while throwing cautious looks in each direction.

He was acting like a bodyguard of sorts.

Arthur and Morgana reached the tent where Gwen was hopefully still asleep. And Arthur, being the gentleman that this Arthur apparently was, decided it best if he went off to find Lancelot. Morgana found herself watching him for a bit as he walked away. And the one thing that stuck out to her was the way he was holding himself… it seemed so tense.

Gwen, on the other hand, seemed to be in a deep, peaceful slumber. Her hand was resting on the spot that Morgana usually occupied, seemingly not aware that Morgana was no longer there.

She sat down on the edge of Gwens bed, moving her hand along Gwens back, “Gwen? You need to wake up.”

Gwens eyes were barely open, her lips curled up in a smile, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Morgana made sure to smile, as to not worry Gwen too much, “When you are ready, could you come outside, please?”

Gwen had sat up, “Has something happened?”

“I fear so,” Morgana was back on her feet, “One of the men on duty has passed on, and Merlin is missing. Arthur and I are going to take a few men and go search for him.”

“Merlin went missing? When?”

“About 30 or so minutes ago, I believe.”

“Well, what are you wasting your time for?” Gwen had already leapt out of bed, “Go on. You have to find him!”

Morgana made her exit, followed closely by Gwen. In the corner of her eye, she could see Arthur… and he was running towards them, at a speed that would suggest that something was wrong.

“Lancelot is gone,” Arthur spoke up the moment he was within earshot, “I cannot find him anywhere.”

“Him as well?” Morgana sucked in a breath, “Well, we will just have to manage without him.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Somewhat of a plan,” Morgana decided it best to ignore the sceptical look on Arthurs face, “We were not completely unprepared for this kind of scenario, you know.”

“I thought not,” This was the first time in a while where Morgana had seen Arthurs smile, “So, what is the plan then?”

“There is a hill up ahead,” Morgana nudged her head in the general direction, “It grants a pretty good view of the camp, as well as the area surrounding us. If they are still in the area, we may just be able to spot them from there.”

“You better get moving,” Gwen was giving Morgana a slight glare, “The longer you wait, the further away they can get.”

“Right you are,” Morgana turned her attention to Arthur, “Are you ready to go?”

She was not sure why she had even bothered to ask. Going by the expression on his face, the answer was already clear enough.

Chapter Text

Merlin woke up in a daze. The world around him seemed so grey, though he supposed the smoke, that was also forcing its way down his throat, had something to do with it.

He tried to push himself up on his feet but found that he was unable to move his arms. Trying to pull on one of his hands revealed that his hands were tied up, leaving him laying on the ground, struggling to force himself up on his legs. He probably looked quite ridiculous as he struggled.

From somewhere beyond the fog, he could hear, “Don’t struggle. Please.”

“Lancelot? What is going on?”

“It breaks my heart that I have to say this, Merlin,” He could hear Lancelot sigh, “But this is a kidnapping.”

“A kidnapping?”

“My orders were to keep you away from the rebel camp, until Arthur and the rest of his knights can burn it down. Then, I am meant to bring you to the king, who will use your life-force to bring back his own Merlin.”

“With some help from Morgause, I assume.”

It seemed like Lancelot had not expected to hear those words, as when Merlin finally got a fix on where he was, he could see the look of pure horror that had taken its place on Lancelot’s face. It almost scared him to see it, but then, he spoke.

“Y-yes, I would assume so,” He cleared his throat, probably as an attempt to distract from the fact he was caught off guard, “However, you will be doing our kingdom a great service. Your sacrifice will not be in vain.”

“Forgive me if I struggle to believe you, Lancelot,” Merlin sighed, “However, that seems like nothing but a waste of time and energy.”  

Lancelot seemed to falter as he asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Taking away someone’s life force to give it to someone else, does not work, when the person you are giving it to, is not dead,” Merlin paused, taking in the look on Lancelot’s face, “There is also the question of, if he tries to take my life force away, which version of me will die? After all, there are two of us, and we are pretty much identical.”

“It would be you, would it not? After all, you are the outsider, and the only one currently awake.”

“But could that not work against the other me? I am, as you say, the outsider. Is it not then to be expected that the version of me who belongs to this world, who is in tune with the magic here, would be the one to go?”

Lancelot fell quiet, giving Merlin the impression that this was not something he had thought much through. Merlin could just hope that Lancelot believed him. For this was a subject that not even he was too sure about. He had only dabbled in it once, and it had certainly not gone his way back then.

“If you want a suggestion,” Merlin spoke up once more, catching Lancelot’s attention, “Set me free. Tell Arthur that I overpowered you. I will find my Arthur, and we can just conveniently vanish for a bit.”

“It is not that simple, Merlin.”

“It never is,” Merlin sighed, “Okay. What is the matter?”

“If I let you go, I can no longer complete my task,” Lancelot took a deep breath, before he continued, “And I will die because of it.”

Now, it was Merlin’s turn to fall quiet, unable to take his eyes off Lancelot. The knight looked so scared and so full of sorrow, that Merlin found himself forced to believe it. But he had never heard of a spell so powerful and so cruel before. Was there just no equivalent in his world?

“So, let me see if I have my facts correctly,” Merlin waited until Lancelot was looking at him, before he continued, “If you do not bring me in, you will die.”

Lancelot nodded, “Yes.”

“Is there some kind of time limit, or how does it work?”

“I cannot say.”

“As in, you do not know?”

“No, as in, I physically cannot answer your question. Arthur forbade us from discussing the details.”

“But why would you agree to be put under a spell like that?”

“We never did,” Lancelot shook his head, “We were given no choice in the matter.”

“You just woke up one day, to be told that you were put under a spell like that?”

“Pretty much, yes.”

“Then your king is either cruel, or a genius,” Merlin sighed, “Either way, it makes things much harder for us.”

“Why can’t he be both?” Lancelot shrugged as he pulled forth a dagger from his side, “Sit still for a moment.”

Merlin did close his eyes as Lancelot approached, something which the knight did unfortunately notice. Merlin could just hear him sigh, before he could feel the pressure from his arms just vanish, and he was able to move his arms again.

“There,” He could see Lancelot take a step back, “You are free to go.”

“And this will not have any effect on that spell of yours?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then why take the risk?”

“Merlin,” Lancelot was smiling, “If there is one thing, I know to be true, it is that we are in dire need of help. And I will gladly let go of my life, if it means that we get the help we need.”

Merlin found himself unable to speak for a moment, as he was left to just watch Lancelot. For a moment, he could hear his own Lancelot speak those words, just before walking into the realm of the Dorocha. It was… unsettling, to say the least.

And Merlin had apparently had some visible reaction to it as well, as when his eyes met with Lancelot’s again, he could see the worried look in the eyes of the knight.

“Merlin? Is something the matter?”

“No, sorry,” Merlin forced a smile, “So, as you still seem to be alive, perhaps it is time we think of a plan?”

“Yes, right,” Lancelot clapped his hands together, “But my orders were to hand you over to Arthur. How are we meant to get around that?”

“Every deal has a loophole. Just say… you were chased and had to take another route. And then got lost because of it.”

“He would never believe that.”

“I said it was a loophole,” Merlin shrugged, “Not that it was a good one.”

“Alright… and what exactly will we be doing in the meantime?”

“Well, it is up to you,” Merlin forced himself back up on his feet, “However, if you are open to suggestion, I would suggest we go back, find Arthur and Morgana, and clear this up with them.”

“You do know that Arthur is unlikely to let you go back to Camelot, right?”

“Oh, Arthur knows that I can take care of myself,” Merlin found himself smiling again, “Also, at this point, I am fairly convinced that he would be following right behind me. He has some… issues, with his other self, not that I blame him.”

When Merlin took a moment to breathe, he noticed how Lancelot was looking at him, with a small smile on his face. It was a smile that Merlin had not seen for such a long time now, and something he had not even realised that he had missed.

But that smile seemed to have vanished, just as soon as it had appeared.

“We should get moving,” Lancelot’s whole demeanour changed in an instant, “If we are lucky, we might make it in time to help with the evacuation… and Merlin?”

“Yes?”

“Make sure that Arthur, my Arthur, does not see you,” It almost looked like Lancelot was shivering, “I fear the alternative would not end well for either one of us.”

Chapter Text

When Arthur and Morgana had set out, they had, admittedly, not thought things through that well. They had wandered out with no plan in mind, and no idea where they should even begin to look. Which was probably not one of the best decisions that Arthur had made. But Merlin had vanished whilst under his protection, and Arthur was not willing to let him go without one hell of a fight.

Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, he had no real idea of where to start looking. They had walked out of the circled border, as Morgana had called it, but had run into nothing but trees and long strands of grass on their way.

Morgana had attempted to use magic to make the grass part way for them, which had terrified Arthur, who had honestly forgotten about Morgana’s magic. Luckily, she had not seen his hand rest on the hilt of his sword, though Arthur had considered apologising for it either way. And through all the time he had spent following her, he had to constantly remind himself that she was not his Morgana, and that she was actually an ally.

Arthur had been so focused on that, that he had not noticed her stop. It was only pure luck that he had noticed the hand she held up in the air, which did cause him to stop.

“Morgana,” He spoke, “What-,”

“Shhh,” Morgana held a finger in front of her mouth, “Listen.”

Arthur paused, and he listened. And the first thing he could hear, was someone scream. Someone, who sounded horrified. As if they had just seen death of some kind.

“That came from the campsite,” Morgana whispered, having gone white as a sheet, “I’m sorry, Arthur, but we have to get back there.”

But Arthur did not respond. For he had also heard something else. Something, which made him pull Morgana after him, into the cover of the nearby bushes… which may as well just have been tall strands of grass at this point. But whatever it was, it was enough to shield them from the knight of Camelot that was lurking about.

“Knights of Camelot?” Morgana gasped, “They found us?”

“Seems so,” Arthur whispered, “Which makes me think that the other me is here, somewhere.”

“I… Arthur, I cannot do this,” Morgana whispered, “I have to get back to my people.”

“Your people need you here, Morgana. Look.”

Arthur pointed out to the sea of people that were streaming towards them. Tens of people, who would run straight into the arms of Camelot’s knights. It was a trap, which they had fallen straight into. And that was not even considering the people who had gone all the other ways, and the people who may not have been able to make it out in the first place.

He was considering how wise it would be to bring up the fact that he had not yet seen Guinevere, but he got distracted, when he suddenly heard someone speak.

“I do not understand,” It was strange to hear sentences spoken in his voice, when the words did not come from his mouth, “Would they really send the refugees out here on their own?”

“Might they just be using these men and women as a distraction, my lord?” Elyan suggested, his voice trembling slightly, “They might have snuck around, whilst the men were busy with the captives.”

“No,” Arthur sounded so sure of his words, “Sneaking away is not my sister’s style.”

“Could it be that she has not yet made it back to the camp? The other you may have seen reason, and refused to let her go back, once the attack begun.”

“I doubt it… Morgana would never leave her precious people without a leader for long.”

“Then could it be that she left someone else in charge?” Elyan sounded like he was hesitant to continue, “Perhaps like Gwen?”

“Her handmaiden?” Arthur let out a laugh, “No, the idea is absurd.”

If Arthur was unhappy with his counter-part’s comments, then Morgana was absolutely furious. In fact, she looked like she was just about ready to go out there and demand a duel of honour. So, just to be safe, Arthur placed a hand on her shoulder, just so he would know immediately if she tried to rise.

“Even if they are hiding out in the forest, they will not be for long,” The other Arthur continued, “No one can survive the rage of the flames.”

Rage of the flames? Had they set the forest on fire?!

“Of course, my liege,” Arthur could hear a tone of grief in Elyan’s voice, “The problem will be gone in no time.”

There was silence for a bit, before the other Arthur continued, “I understand the grief of losing your sister. In fact, I share it with you. But remember, this is for the best.”

Arthur was struggling with the fact that these words were coming out of his own mouth. He was hearing them spoken with his own voice, as a man with the same face as him, said them. How could Arthur become this? This… selfish man, who seemingly did not care for the loss of others, unless it benefitted himself to do so. How could this be him?!

That was not even counting for the heartache Arthur felt, when he heard Elyan’s reply.

“Yes, sire,” The tone of his voice sounded so forced, “It is for the best.”

Arthur turned to Morgana, “We need to leave, before I strangle him.”

“Agreed,” Morgana nodded, “But we have to free the prisoners first.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“No,” She shrugged, “But I learned from Merlin that sometimes, you just have to wing it. So that is what I intend to do.”

Arthur knew that in the end, he would never be able to hold Morgana back, but that did not stop him from trying to. He feared that without a plan, Morgana would be caught, and if she was, that he would not be able to help her. He wanted her to wait for a bit, but it seemed that she was not willing to do that. At least not until they could hear the other one speak again.

“Elyan, do you see that?”

“Yes, sire,” Elyan replied, sounding amazed, “That looks like… like Merlin.”

Arthur and Morgana exchanged a look. If Merlin was back… then what the hell was he up to?

“But how can it be? Lancelot was meant to keep him far away from here!”

At this, Arthur could see the rage come back into Morgana’s eyes. And in that moment, he decided that he would not stop her, if she decided to go on the offensive. She was, after all, the one who was watching everything crumble before her own eyes. And the one who had magic to aid her, if needed.  

“Could it be that Lancelot was killed?” Elyan proposed.

“No, he would never do that. That Merlin is too righteous to do something like that.”

‘That Merlin’… so he was talking about Arthur’s Merlin. Which meant that it was highly likely that it was his Merlin who was down there, doing something stupid. And Arthur had to find him.

It seemed like Morgana recognised this, as she just nodded, “Go! I can handle things from here.”

Arthur nodded as well, and then he was off. Running through the tall grass, trying to dodge every knight in his path. He was prepared to fight them if he had to, but the sound would probably attract some unwanted attention, which he would not risk. No, it was better to dodge them for now.

He was fully aware of the fact that he might miss Merlin. But something told him that this would not be the case, and he chose to trust that feeling instead. After all, it had not failed him yet.

Chapter Text

The plan was simple.

Step 1: Separate Merlin and Arthur.

Step 2: Get Merlin as far away from the encampment as possible.

Step 3: Get Arthur out of there as well, but not far enough that he could not see what was going on.

Step 4: Destroy the encampment.  

Step 5: Capture Arthur.

Step 6: Use him as bait to lure Merlin back to Camelot.

(Arthur was not expecting Lancelot to quell the mighty Emrys for long)

Step 7: Publicly execute his traitor of a sister, and that traitor of a handmaiden she insisted on keeping around her.

Step 8: Force Merlin to give up on his magic to save his other self.

Step 9: Destroy the rest of the rebellion.

And there may have been other steps somewhere between there, but that was the general plan of attack. That was Arthurs key to victory.

Now, steps one and two had gone off without a hitch. Step three as well, though Arthur had not been pleased to see Morgana go with him. But oh well, threatening her precious handmaiden was probably enough to bring Morgana back. And oh, how he wished to face her again, one final time. Just to see the terrified look on her face, as he finally destroyed everything she had worked for.

It was time to begin with step four.

He turned to Sir Leon, “Begin.”

The knight began to shout orders to the men. And Arthur got to watch as a legion of men ran into the general area of the traitorous camp, swords drawn. Some were holding torches instead, ready to burn up everything in their paths.

Oh, this would turn into a bloodbath.

But that was alright.

After all, it was only the blood of traitors that would be spilt on this night.

He could hear someone scream.

It was like music to his ears.

He could hear Sir Elyan gasp behind him… he had almost forgotten that Gwen was Elyan’s sister. But she had turned her back on Camelot, and on her brother. Did she not deserve the fate she would be given on this night? In his mind, she would survive if that was her fate. And if not… well, tough luck.

The entire area was covered in this orange hue. Yet the sky above them had gone grey. Arthur could only assume that it was the smoke which had caused that. After all, the fire had grown rapidly enough that he was sure only the rain would be able to put it out.

They had also started to see signs of the stream of people that were fleeing from the camp. His guards picked up the odd one, here and there, and Arthur was looking forward to personally execute each and every one of them later.

Interestingly enough though, they had yet to see signs of Arthur, Morgana or Guinevere. He had expected to see one of them by now, but apparently not.

“I do not understand,” He spoke, mostly to himself, “Would they really send the refugees out here on their own?”

“Might they just be using these men and women as a distraction, my lord?” Elyan suggested, “They might have snuck around, whilst the men were busy with the captives.”

“No,” Arthur shook his head, “Sneaking away is not my sister’s style.”

“Could it be that she has not yet made it back to the camp?”

“I doubt it… Morgana would never leave her precious people without a leader for long.”

“Then could it be that she left someone else in charge?” Elyan sounded like he was hesitant to continue, “Perhaps like Gwen?”

“Her handmaiden?” Arthur let out a laugh, “No, the idea is absurd.”

Elyan had fallen quiet after this, which was probably for the better. Arthur chose to turn his attention back to the show, as the nearby trees had already caught on fire. He could only smile as he saw this.

“Even if they are hiding out in the forest, they will not be for long,” He told Elyan, “No one can survive the rage of the flames.”

“Of course, my liege,” Arthur could hear a tone of grief in Elyan’s voice, “The problem will be gone in no time.”

Arthur took a step back to Elyan, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I understand the grief of losing your sister. In fact, I share it with you. But remember, this is for the best.”

“Yes, sire,” Elyan nodded, “It is for the best.”

“Good. I am pleased-,”

Something had caught Arthur’s attention. A person, within the camp. Standing in the middle of what looked like a ring of fire, with his raven-black hair covered in an orange hue. His gaze seemed locked on the ground, but Arthur could clearly see his fists.

“Elyan, do you see that?” He pointed out to the person.

“Yes, sire,” Elyan nodded, “That looks like… like Merlin.”

“But how can it be? Lancelot was meant to keep him far away from here!”

“Could it be that Lancelot was killed?”

“No, he would never do that,” Arthur shook his head, “That Merlin is too righteous to do something like that.”

Arthur’s attention fell back to Merlin, once he could see Merlin’s head move. Slowly, but surely, Merlin was looking up at them. And his eyes looked like they were burning, lit up by both the surrounding fire, and the possible magic that he was using to keep himself safe.

“Capture him!” Arthur ordered, “I want him brought here. Alive.”

He should have known it not to be possible. Not one of his knights were able to move. And neither was Arthur himself. It was a strange sensation, best described by the idea of nature attempting to hold them back. Which, normally, would have been a stupid idea. But they were dealing with Emrys, so anything was possible.

He had to look down at his feet to see if they had actually been held back by nature. Which was not the case. But as Arthur regained the feeling in his legs, and he looked up, he could see that Merlin had already vanished. In fact, there was no trace of him ever having been there.

“What the hell was that about?” He could hear Elyan mumble.

“I cannot say,” Arthur replied, “Spread out. Search the area. I want him found!”

As the knights spread out, Arthur caught a quick look at the prisoners. Most sat there, with a look that told Arthur that they felt sorry for themselves. But there was one, a young boy, who kept glancing into the bushes. Now, what would he be doing that for?

The boy looked horrified, when he realised that Arthur was approaching. But he said nothing, as Arthur drew up his sword and jammed it into the bushes that the boy had been staring at.

And out of the bushes, popped his traitor of a sister, much to Arthur’s delight.

“Morgana,” He made sure to smile, “How good of you to join us.”

“Arthur,” Morgana seemed barely able to acknowledge him, “Why is a sword your answer to everything?”

“The sword is my weapon, as magic is yours. But it is not my fault that I am forced to use it. And now,” He turned to two of his knights, “Tie her up.”

Arthur got the pleasure to watch as Morgana was forced on her knees, next to the people she called her allies. He could see the boy whisper some apologies, but those seemed to go mostly ignored by Morgana, who’s gaze was fully locked on him instead.

“And this,” He turned to the people, “This, is the person you chose to lead you? This is the person you expected would bring you a better Camelot. She, who could not even defend this small area that you called your home?”

Morgana tried to refute, “The Golden age-,”

“The Golden age has already happened,” Arthur told her with a smile, “It is not my fault that it was not to your liking.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see that sir Gwaine was conversing with another knight. He decided that sir Gwaine would do.

“Sir Gwaine,” Arthur called, “Prepare to start the executions. Let my dear sister see the light disappear from the eyes of the people she call her friends!”

Sir Gwaine looked uncomfortable as he walked over. What confused Arthur, was that he was walking towards him instead. Had he not heard what Arthur had said?

“Sir Gwaine, did you not-,”

“I bring news sire,” Gwaine sighed, “It seems that Merlin has disappeared.”

"So we know. We just saw him.”

“No, sire,” Gwaine took a breath before continuing, “Merlin has gone missing. From Camelot.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, Lancelot, answer me honestly,” Merlin groaned, “How far is it?”

“Not long now,” Lancelot replied, back still turned to Merlin, “And we have not been walking for that long, Merlin.”

“May I remind you that I am not a trained knight? And that you are practically running?”

“Am I?” Lancelot paused for a moment, taking the time to slow his pace, “My apologies.”

“Thank you.”

He could understand that Lancelot was anxious to get back. After all, with the risk of an attack on their friends looming over them, anyone would be anxious to get back and to try and help. But if they were rash about this, it might just lead to even more trouble, and then what would they do? They were already toying with fate as was.

Merlin was a bit hesitant with how far he dared to push Lancelot. After all, with this whole ‘curse’ thing, Lancelot could be expected to die on him at any moment, and Merlin did not want to be the cause of another Lancelot’s death. He preferred his Lancelot’s alive, as one should.

But he could also tell that this was something that Lancelot wanted. After all, who would want to be a slave to a tyrannic king, who dared not think of anyone but himself? Who would willingly put his knights into this sort of situation, on his own accord? Who would want to follow someone, who kept forcing you to ignore your own morals, in favour of staying alive?

Merlin could truly understand Lancelot’s willingness to go against his king, once given the chance. He could only hope that their little loophole would keep working, and that he would not end up with another dead Lancelot on his consciousness.

But why was it always Lancelot whom ended up in situations like this?

“It is up here,” Lancelot pointed up a hill, “However, I fear we might be too late.”

“Yes, I smell it,” Merlin nodded, “It seems they may have lit the place on fire.”

“We might still be able to help with the escape,” Lancelot started running, “Come on!”

It seemed like running was a classic in this world as well. Merlin did not say anything, as he hurried up the hill, just behind Lancelot. He could sense Lancelot’s panic, and he knew the knight well enough to know that it was genuine.

And as they had feared, the camp was on fire. Streams of people passed them both, trying to escape the flames, which had taken not only the camp itself, but had spread to the entire nearby forest. It almost looked like they had entered a ring of fire. 

“There are still people in the camp,” Lancelot pointed, “Look! Gwen is there still.”

And Merlin could see her. It looked like she had passed out at some point, but from what Merlin could see, she looked to still be alive. They just had to reach her, somehow.

His gaze lifted to the hillside, “Arthur and Elyan are watching.”

“Damn it!” Lancelot stomped his foot on the ground, “What can we do?”

“I think I know,” Merlin found himself smiling, "You just focus on reaching Gwen, and leave Arthur to me.”

Merlin ignored Lancelot’s concerned look as he stepped out of his hiding place. He could walk among the burning tents, walk alongside the burning remains of people’s lives. And he walked, until he stood in the middle of the camp. But he dared not to look up, in fear that he would lose his focus if he looked up.

Merlin had a plan. Or rather, he had a desire to scare Arthur. And he had magic.

He could not stop the fire from burning... or, he probably could, but that would take energy he did not have to offer. But one thing he could do, was force the flames to keep away, just long enough for Lancelot to be able to rescue Gwen. He did also make sure that the smoke moved in a way that would shield the knight from the onlookers, moving his head slowly in an attempt to guide the smoke to its right place.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Lancelot move in. But he lost sight of the knight for a few minutes, before he could suddenly catch a glimpse of the knight running back towards the forest, carrying the unconscious Gwen in his arms.

Merlin had expected Arthur to send some men after them. Which was why he looked up. He intented to leave one final spell on them, before disappearing behind the cover of smoke he had crafted for himself. He kept his gaze locked on the people up there, a small smile on his lips as he watched them try, and fail, to move. He could only imagine how annoyed Arthur was.

Unfortunately, he had other things to do. So, Merlin made sure to slip into the smoke, using it's cover as a chance to make his way over to where Lancelot was waiting, still carrying Gwen in his arms.

“How is she?”

“I cannot say,” Lancelot looked at him in worry, “You cannot be thinking…”  

“Lay her down over there,” Merlin pointed to a patch of grass, “And keep watch for any other knights.”

Lancelot did just that, and Merlin sat down next to her. He did everything he could think of, from checking her pulse, to listening to her breathing, to checking if she had any external injuries. Internal injuries were not as easy to check for, but Merlin could make an educated guess.

“She has inhaled a lot of smoke,” Merlin did not dare to face Lancelot as he spoke, “She is alive, for now, but I cannot say that she will remain so.”

“But is there nothing you can do?”

“I fear not,” Merlin shook his head, “The best we can hope for is that she pulls through this on her own.”

“Oh, Gwen,” Lancelot shook his head, as if in mourning, “She did not deserve this.”

“Gwen is one of the strongest people I know,” Merlin lifted himself back to his feet, “She will pull through.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Merlin nodded, turning away from Lancelot as he mumbled, “But would it not be better to let her go?”

But as he looked out there, he could see movements within the treeline. Something, or someone, was moving in there, and a quick glance back, revealed that Lancelot had seen it too. The knight had his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it if needed. And Merlin readied his magic, just as a person moved out, revealing themselves to be…

“Arthur?”

Arthur, who had his sword in his hand, did not say anything. But Merlin did not miss the confused look he had on his face, as his gaze moved between Merlin, Lancelot, and the unconscious Gwen. He was breathing heavily, and Merlin got the distinct feeling that he had run into trouble on the way.

“Merlin,” He let out a breath, and Merlin was almost convinced that Arthur was smiling, “I was wondering where you went.”

“And hello to you too, Arthur,” Merlin gave a quick nod, before asking, “Do you have an idea of what is going on?”

“Unfortunately. Most of the camp was lit on fire, and they have gained several hostages,” Arthur cast a glance to Lancelot, “I think Morgana was captured as well. And I overheard a knight tell Gwaine something about the other Merlin, and Kilgharrah… though I am not sure what that means.”

“Kilgharrah?” Merlin gave Arthur a look, “That is the name of the great Dragon, in our Camelot.”

“And why are you on a first name basis with that beast?”

“You are focusing on the wrong thing here,” Merlin crossed his arms, “If the dragon is in play, we may just have gained ourselves a powerful ally.”

Lancelot spoke up, his voice quiet, “Uh, Merlin? How are we meant to control a dragon?”

“Well… if we are lucky, I can still use my dragon-lord abilities.”

“Your…?!” Arthur shook his head, “Is there anything else I should know about you, Merlin?”

“If I can think of something, I’ll let you know.”

“That would be nice.”

“You have a solid plan,” Lancelot chimed in, quiet enough that Merlin had not heard him properly at first, “But Arthur forced humanity on the dragon years ago. I doubt he would be of much help.”

“But it is the best shot we have,” Merlin replied, “If not for his magic, then for his knowledge.”

“As much as I hate the idea of seeking help from a dragon,” Arthur sighed, “Merlin is right. He might be able to offer up some help.”

“I suppose it is worth a try,” Lancelot nodded, “But what about Gwen?”

“We just have to bring her along with us,” Merlin shrugged, “You can carry her, right, Lancelot?”

Chapter Text

Not even a month after her previous escape, Morgana found herself back in the dungeons of Camelot, her arms held by chains. And in the cell across from her, sat every child who had found refuge in the rebellion. Every child who had found a new family, after Arthur took their former ones away. And now, he had come for the children.

She could only guess that Arthur wanted her to remember how she failed them. And he wanted them to remember her at her lowest. Not as the woman who saved them, who took them in. But the woman who had led them to their graves.

Some of the younger ones seemed unaware of the danger they were in, brilliantly led astray by the older children. But she could see the terror in the older children’s faces, this terror that none of them should know, but that all of them knew too well.

And she felt guilt for leading them here. For not protecting them, as she had promised their parents she would. And for letting the next generation of citizens of Camelot die, because she was not careful enough with her actions, and got them all caught.

And that was not even accounting for however many were caught and killed, trying to flee the fire. Morgana had no idea how many might have escaped, and how many were caught up in it. She had no idea if Gwen…

She bit her tongue, trying to force herself out of it. She was the leader of a rebellion, and she could not let her main goal be lost, just because she felt emotional over something that might have happened. She could not allow herself to grieve until she knew for certain, who were dead.

Until then, there were living people who needed her. Like the group of children in the next cell, or the people who had been able to flee the fire. She needed to be there, to help them.

But first of all, she had to find a way out of this cell.

A click caught her attention, and as her gaze moved over to where the door was, she caught sight of Ygraine Pendragon… or rather, Morgause. Wearing a long, white dress and a face that did not belong to her.

Had it not been for the chains, Morgana would have attacked the woman right then and there, sister be damned. Unfortunately, those stupid chains got in the way, leaving Morgana unable to either fight or flee. Something she could only guess that Morgause would find pleasure in.

“Morgana Pendragon,” She even spoke in Ygraine’s voice, “How lovely to see you again.”

 “The feeling is one-sided.”

If she was hurt, she did not show. Instead, Morgause walked closer to Morgana, to the point where Morgana could feel her breath hit her cheek. To the point where if Morgana waved her hands around, she just might be able to land a hit…

“I need to speak with you,” Morgause whispered, “And I want you to listen.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because what I am about to tell you is important,” Morgause cast a glance over her shoulder, “Important enough that it might cost Arthur his victory.”

Morgana scoffed, “What are you talking about?”

“Emrys has left the castle,” Morgause whispered, “He is in the hands of the great dragon.”

Suddenly, it felt like Morgana was unable to breathe. She had no idea that the great dragon was still alive, much less in the country. And now he had Merlin, their Merlin, with him? But how had he been able to get to the prince of Camelot, much less take him away?

“What? Kilgharrah was able to just walk in and take him?”

Morgause smirked, “You could say it like that.”

“But… why are you telling me this?” Morgana found herself asking, “Are you not currently siding with my brother, against me?”

“Yes, I suppose so. But even I can see the tyranny I have brought forth, and even I want it gone,” Morgause hissed, “So right here, right now, I offer my skills and my knowledge, to aid the rebellion.”

Morgause. Wanted to join the rebellion. She wanted to join the rebellion… who were rebelling against a problem she created. Morgana wanted to laugh at that, but there was also a part of her who expected there to be a trap. There had to be some logical explanation for this, unless Morgause had just suddenly grown a heart.

“Alright,” Morgana nodded, slowly, “Tell me then. How does Kilgharrah intend to wake up Emrys?”

Morgause cast yet another glance over her shoulder, before whispering, “In three days time, Merlin, Lancelot and Guinevere will be brought to the castle, leaving the other Arthur unaccounted for.” 

“What? How does that-,”

But Morgause placed a hand over her lips. And Morgana fell silent, almost immediately. She watched as Morgause straightened herself up, just as the door to the cell opened.

“My lady,” The guard spoke hesitantly, “I am afraid your time is up. The King wishes to speak with you.”

“Yes, I thought so,” Morgause sounded more formal than before, “Thank you for your time. I will return if I have any more questions.”

As she watched Morgause leave, Morgana felt like she had been left with more questions than answers. But she could only watch as Morgause strolled out, with a guard in toe. For now, she was no longer Morgause. She was Ygraine Pendragon, once again.

And that thing she had said… Merlin, Lancelot and Gwen would appear in three days, but the other Arthur would not? How was that related to Kilgharrah and their Merlin? Was Kilgharrah going to kidnap the other Arthur, and set up a new universe or something?

No, that idea was just absurd.

But she had one thing to be thankful for. According to Morgause, her friends were alright. Now, Morgause was not a trustworthy source, but Morgana did not currently care. Merlin, Lancelot and Guinevere were alive, and it was a safe bet to guess that Arthur was too.

And if the dragon was able to wake Merlin up from his slumber… well, Morgause would be correct in stating that it would cost Arthur his victory.

But these were words coming from the source who had corrupted him in the first place. Sure, Uther had never been a good influence, but was it not Morgause who was the reason why Arthur had become this… tyrant? Was she not the one who had ruined him?

Even if she truly believed that Morgause felt remorseful for her actions, she would never be able to forgive her. But she seemed to be remorseful, and she had even requested to join the rebellion, knowing that it went against whatever her original plan had been.

Oh, this was giving Morgana a headache.

Chapter Text

Merlin would not be the first one to admit that there was a flaw in his plan. In fact, he might not admit it at all. He had already dragged Arthur and Lancelot through the forest, searching for… well, they had no idea if Kilgharrah was a dragon or a man. And if he was actually a man and not a dragon… well, they would cross that bridge when they got there.

For now though, they were stuck on trying to navigate through the densely grown forest they were in. Arthur was walking in front, using his sword to cut away any branches, or anything else which might lay in their path. Merlin was in the middle, for… some reason. And Lancelot was in the back, carrying Gwen in his arms.

“Merlin,” Merlin’s attention was drawn to Arthur, “I have a question about the curse.”

Merlin jogged up to Arthur, asking, “What is it?”

“You said Lancelot had to bring you to Camelot, otherwise the curse would kill him,” Arthur was whispering, “But how can that be, when we are going in the opposite direction of Camelot, and he seems to be completely fine?”

“Well, I was not sure before,” Merlin cast a glance back to Lancelot, “But based on how this has been laid out to us before, Lancelot should be dead.”

Merlin could almost hear Arthur’s sigh, as he asked, “Does this mean that the spell is actually just bogus?”

“One would think so,” Merlin found himself pausing, “I am not yet sure myself.”

“And I take it, we have no safe way to confirm any of this?”

“Well, there is. But then, if we are wrong, we will be responsible for the death of a good knight.”

Arthur fell quiet for a bit, and Merlin could only assume that he was trying to think of some other plan. So, he waited, in silence, for Arthur to speak once more. Which took about… twenty seconds.

“Do we even know where we are?”

Merlin dared a quick look around, but there were only trees, as far as the eyes could see. Apart from the trees, all Merlin could make out, were shadows. It was quite unpleasant, but they could technically keep going. It was not as if they had not walked through much worse. But if they got themselves lost in the process…

“We should stop,” He looked to Arthur, “Find our bearings. Time is of the essence, and if we get ourselves lost in the process…”

“A bad situation will become even worse,” Arthur nodded, raising his voice as he continued, “We stop here, for now.”

“What?” They could hear Lancelot speak up from behind them, “Why?”

Merlin turned to him, “We have lost track of where we are.”

“We are not far from Ealdor.”

That caused both Merlin and Arthur to pause, “What?”

“If there is one place the Great Dragon would bring Merlin, in his current condition, it is to Ealdor. To his mother.”

To Merlin’s surprise, Arthur nodded, “It makes sense. He would be in better hands if left with his mother, than he would be with anyone else.”

“The only safe place left for him, is with his mother,” Lancelot sighed, “She does not expect things of him, not like the rest of them… us, do.”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged a glance, before Arthur spoke, “What do you mean?”

“Everyone read the prophecy differently,” Lancelot let out a dry chuckle, “Everyone held different expectations of him. And then Arthur found out… and things just got worse.”

Arthur looked like he was about to ask, but Merlin spoke up before he could, “He found out about the prophecy.”

Lancelot nodded, “Morgana told me you had seen their wedding night in the crystals. She did not tell me how much you knew, but I get the feeling that she was not sure of that, herself.”

“No one has yet wasted any words on a good explanation,” Arthur replied, “So even if we did see… whatever you are thinking about, it would probably benefit us to hear about it.”

Lancelot did not say anything at first, instead choosing to lay Gwen down on the ground. Only after that, did Merlin see him reach for his sword. Arthur, most likely out of instinct, tensed, but Lancelot seemed content to just ignore that as he… pried a crystal off the handle of his sword and tossed it to Merlin. How he had been able to hide it, Merlin would never know.

“It is a crystal from the cave,” He explained quickly, “Merlin told me to keep it with me. I think he knew this would happen.”

“It seems he was prepared for just about everything,” Arthur replied, “This must have been a contingency plan.”

“That might have been,” Lancelot nodded, “At some point, he stopped sharing his plans with us, so I cannot say for certain.”

“What happened, to make him lose his trust in everyone?”

Lancelot looked away, looking to be slightly ashamed, “You will soon see. Merlin?”

Merlin was only halfway paying attention; his attention having been elsewhere for a while. But, as he looked up, he could tell that both Arthur and Lancelot were waiting for him to say or do something.

“Right,” Merlin held out the hand with the crystal in, “Come on Arthur. Seems we are doing this again.”

Lancelot chuckled, “You sound like you do not approve.”

“It does not matter,” Merlin sighed, “Arthur?”

And Arthur put his hand on the crystal. Merlin did catch the worried look on his face but chose to ignore it, in favour of focusing on his given task.

“Aetiewe me tha the ic sece.”

-----

Arthur sat on his throne, a tired look on his face. And to his left, stood Morgana. She looked a bit annoyed, but also curious. Meanwhile, Merlin and Gaius stood to the side, looking like they might be in a heated discussion. And finally, Ygraine stood in front of them, looking quite proud.

“Arthur, my dear,” Ygraine looked like she was fighting the urge to walk up to him, “Age has been kind to you.”

“Mother…” Arthur paused, sounding like he was about to weep, “I was told you were dead.”

“Whatever made you think I died?”

“But if you were not dead… where were you?”

“That does not matter now,” For the first time, Ygraine dared to step towards Arthur, “I am here now. Is that not what counts?”

“I must know, mother. For the sake of Camelot, I must know.”

Ygraine sighed, before looking up at Arthur again, “The Druids guided me back here. They told me that Emrys would keep me safe.”

At the mention of the name, Gaius, Merlin and Morgana all perked up. Arthur turned to Gaius; confusion evident in his tone as he spoke.

“Emrys?”

 “He is said to be the most powerful sorcerer to walk this Earth, sire,” Gaius sounded nervous, “But I cannot imagine that he would be here, in Camelot.”

“But of course he is,” Ygraine replied, “Gaius, I would think that you of all people, knows both where he is, and who he is.”

All attention was on Gaius now, as Arthur spoke, “Gaius?”

Gaius sighed, “I am aware of who Emrys is, and where he is.”

Merlin turned to Gaius, and could see him pause, a look of confusion appearing on his face as he placed his hand over his mouth. He looked… shameful.

Arthur continued, “And where is he?”

“Arthur, wait-,” Merlin began, though he was soon interrupted as Gaius spoke again.

“He is here, in this room.”

Once again, Gaius placed a hand over his mouth. Merlin dared a glance in Ygraine’s direction, and he could see the hints of a smirk on her face. Was she doing something to him?

“Arthur, stop,” Merlin looked over to the man on the throne, “Something is wrong, here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gaius,” Merlin spoke up again, before anyone else could, “Are you answering these questions voluntarily?”

“No,” Gaius looked directly into Merlin’s eyes, “I-I cannot stop myself…”

Morgana moved over to them, placing herself next to Merlin as she spoke, “Could someone has slipped him some form of truth serum?”

“Seems likely,” Merlin replied, turning to face Arthur again, “We should isolate him, until the serum wears out.”

Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was considering it. But then, he rose to his feet.

“Gaius. Who is Emrys?”

“Emrys is… he is…” It seemed like Gaius was trying to stop himself, but he could not, “Merlin.”

Merlin could only close his eyes, as a heavy silence hung over the room. Everyone was probably staring at him now, waiting for him to do something. React. Run away. But Merlin did none of that. He let someone else make the first move.

That someone, being Morgana.

“Merlin? Is this true?”

“It… unfortunately, it is.”

“Why do you say it is unfortunate?” Morgana placed a hand on his shoulder, “Merlin, there is nothing unfortunate about this.”

“It is unfortunate that it came out,” Merlin finally opened his eyes, daring to look into Morgana’s, “Power like this could be abused, and-,”

“And we would never do that,” Morgana turned to Arthur, “Would we?”

“No, of course not,” Arthur made his way over to them, “This changes nothing.”

-----

Arthur pulled his hand away, and Merlin could see the look of pure shame, that rested in his eyes. He did consider trying to comfort Arthur but decided against it. There was no guarantee that it would not make things worse.

But Arthur was looking at Merlin as he said, “I understand.”

“Yes, I thought you would,” Lancelot replied, “You seem much more grown up, than he was.”

“Arthur was given time, which your Arthur was not,” Merlin explained, “He was given the time, and the proper influence, which would lead him to become a great king.”

“Where we failed our Arthur.”

“And you will make it up to him by knocking some sense into him,” Arthur looked around, “It is late. We should set up camp here and continue to Ealdor in the morning.”  

Chapter Text

Arthur sat under the tree; his gaze locked on the fire in front of him. He was meant to wake Lancelot a while ago, so that the knight could take over as guard. But Arthur had forgotten. His mind was elsewhere. Far away from here.

He had come to accept the part about Merlin being a sorcerer. He had even come to accept that Merlin, his bumbling servant, was the worlds most powerful sorcerer. And he could accept the part about the prophecy… if given time.

And he could, somehow, believe that he was capable of these things. That he, somehow, would have become this person, had Merlin not stopped him. As shameful as he was to admit it, he could believe that he would spiral… but would he really have become this monster, and could he willingly hurt his friends in the way his counterpart was?

And how could Merlin so easily justify everything they had seen? Everything, that he knew Arthur was capable of doing? How could he so easily justify this reality, which could have become their own? How could he look at all of this, and still have faith?

He could be so much more… do so much more… yet he stayed the servant of a man who could become corrupted so easily… and was not even aware of that, himself.

And Morgause… had this been her original plan? Guilt him about the death of his mother, and let him kill his father? Have him take the throne, and then disguise herself as his mother, to come and use him? Would he really fall that low, and allow himself to become a puppet to Morgause?

He could believe that he was capable of the things his counterpart had done, because when desperate, people could do vile things. He knew this. But he could not believe that he would let himself be tricked like that. He knew that his mother was dead. He knew better than… than that!

So why had his counterpart fallen for it? Would he have fallen for it, had he been in his counterparts shoes?

“Arthur…”

Arthur perked up, almost immediately. It sounded like the wind was speaking his name, but that… that was impossible, was it not? A quick glance revealed that Merlin, Lancelot and Guinevere were all still asleep, so it was not them. Was it just his imagination, playing tricks on him?  Maybe he should wake Merlin though… just to be safe.

He scanned the area one more time before he sat down again. There was no reason for him to be paranoid, not yet. He was probably just imagining it. And Merlin would have confirmed just that, had he actually been silly enough and woken him up.

“Get it together,” Arthur told himself, “You are not scared. You are a knight of Camelot.”

“Arthur…”

Okay, he was beginning to get scared now. But he could also still be imagining it. There was no real reason for him to worry just yet. If someone actually wanted his attention, they would come to him.

Less than a minute after that, he could see a shadow move around, not too far away. Arthur sprung up from his spot almost immediately, holding onto the hilt of his sword for dear life. If that was a knight of Camelot…

He leaned down next to Merlin, just about to wake him. But then, he stopped. Did he really need to wake Merlin up? Could he not handle this one himself? He was a knight of Camelot, after all. And this would only take a few minutes.

So, Arthur rose to his feet once more, and he started walking in the direction of that shadow. But as he moved, it moved. It seemed to move at just about the same pace as he was, stopping when he was… as if it was keeping an eye on him. As if someone, whoever was casting that shadow, wanted him to follow.

It could be a trap. Most likely, it was a trap. But Arthur found himself curious. He wanted to know, just what was going on? Was this the person who had whispered his name, and why did they want his attention? Why had they not shown themselves before?

So Arthur kept walking. Though he made sure to keep his sword in his hand, and he looking around every few seconds, should there be people in the bushes. He would have a few seconds to react, before any hypothetical person would be able to land a hit. And these were the seconds he was counting on.

Unfortunately, with how everything looked the same, Arthur quickly lost track of how long he had been walking for, or how far away from camp he was. He found himself pausing again, wondering if it was best to turn back, when he finally spotted something.

A cave. And there was light coming out of there. As well as the shadow of a man, which looked identical to the shadow he had been following for a while now.

So, against his better judgement, Arthur found himself wandering over to the cave. But before he could reach it, a figure stepped out. An older man, who was staring directly at him… had he been expecting him? It almost seemed so.

“Arthur Pendragon,” His voice was raspy, but he seemed pleased, “We were expecting you.”

“Pardon me… who are you?”

“My name is Kilgharrah.”

“You are the dragon?”

“I was, once,” The older man chuckled, “Before your counterpart made me human.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I could not tell you. But that is also not why I called you here,” So it was him, “Come with me.”

Arthur stepped into the cave, staying right behind Kilgharrah as he walked. He found himself hesitant. Should he not have gone back to get Merlin and Lancelot? Was this not the person they had been searching for? And if Kilgharrah knew Arthur was there, should he not also know that?

“Merlin has his role to play,” Kilgharrah spoke up suddenly, “Unfortunately, it differs from yours.”

“You… you can read my mind?”

“Yes. I do still retain some of my magic,” The man chuckled again, “I take it, you and I never met in your world?”

“Well… you did try to destroy Camelot, and I did end up killing you… though I now have a feeling that it was not the case… but we have never spoken, if that is what you mean.”

“Pity. You should ask Merlin to introduce us.”

“I will… think about it.”

“It is up to you.”

They kept walking in silence, before Arthur could muster up the courage to ask, “So… why did you call for me?”

“I will explain in a moment.”

Great. So he would not be getting any answers out of this. Maybe he should just turn around and walk back to the camp, before Merlin or Lancelot wake up and realise that he disappeared.

“I would not run out of here, if I were you,” He had already forgotten that the dragon could, and would, read his mind, “If you do, I cannot help you.”

“But I fear I am not sure why Merlin wanted to see you.”

“I believe Merlin wants me as an ally, in the final fight against Arthur.”

“He did say he wanted your knowledge, but I do not know what for.”

“Well, as it stands, I do know how to send you both home,” The older man shrugged, “Could it be for that?”

“I… suppose. But I do not know.”

“Well, I am willing to put myself in your service, if you do something for me first.”

Well, Merlin did want him on their side. So, if he was willing to aid them, Arthur saw no problem in helping him in return. It could not be that bad, could it? If he wanted Arthur specifically, it must be something that Arthur would be capable of doing.

“Alright,” Arthur found himself nodding, “What do you need me to do?”

The man… dragon… he said nothing, as he walked into a larger pocket of this cave. Arthur cast a quick glance around, and he could see the signs of someone having lived here for a bit. How long had Kilgharrah stayed here though? For it seemed like he had stayed here for much longer than Arthur had originally thought.

But then Arthur spotted it. In the corner, on what looked to be a bed, laid Merlin. The other Merlin, he guessed, still asleep. Almost identical to how he had looked, back when Arthur had first laid eyes on him. This was where he was hidden?

He looked over to Kilgharrah again, “How did you get him out of the castle?”

“Most of the knights were out, burning up the rebel camp. So, I could just walk out with him,” Kilgharrah crossed his arms, “Now, you might be wondering why I am showing him to you.”

“Do you want me to help you hide him?”

“No,” The man shook his head, seemingly staring straight ahead, “I want you to kill him.”  

Chapter Text

“I want you to kill him.”  

Those six words rang in Arthurs mind, over and over and over again, as he watched the older man in front of him. He was not sure if he had heard correctly. Had this man actually said that he wanted Arthur to kill Merlin?

Arthur took a deep breath before asking, “Why do you want me to kill him?”

“Because the only way you can thwart the plans that Morgause has put into motion, and stop Arthur’s tyranny, is if he dies.”

“You will have to find some other way,” Arthur shook his head, “I will not kill him.”

“There is no other way. You hold the sword,” Kilgharrah pointed to the sword, which Arthur was still holding in his hand, “You are the only person in this world who can kill Emrys.”

Arthur could hear the anger in his voice, but that did not match with the look of sorrow that had found its way into his eyes… it was as if Kilgharrah was trying to convince Arthur of something which he did not quite believe in himself.

But maybe he was just imagining it. For whatever he thought he had seen in the eyes of this man, whatever remorse he thought the man displayed… it was gone within seconds. But Arthur had seen it. He was sure he had seen it.

“I refuse to have a hand in his death, be it that he is my Merlin or not.”

“So you choose to doom our universe, just for the sake of one person?”

“No,” Arthur shook his head, “I refuse to stoop down to the level of my counter-part.”

And with that, he let go of the sword. But he did not take his eyes of the older man in front of him, not as he heard the sword make impact with the ground, nor as Kilgharrah turned his head. Arthur was ready to fight, if he had to. For though he might not be a dragon, Kilgharrah could still be dangerous.

But then, the Dragon could only laugh. That sweet, old, ‘I fooled you now’ kind of laugh, that caught Arthur completely off guard. And he turned away from Arthur, away from Merlin, and away from the sword. Arthur could, technically, take the sword and run it through him. But his confusion held him in place.

“Well done, my boy,” He spoke in a tone that reminded Arthur of Gaius, “You truly are a better man than I thought.”

“You were testing me?”

“Of course I was.”

Arthur had to take a moment to collect himself, before finding the courage to ask, “Why?”

“I needed to know that you were not like the Arthur of this universe. That you were better,” Kilgharrah was smiling, “And I can confidently say that you are.”

Should he be insulted? Arthur was, for a split second, considering if it was worth it to be insulted. But then he shook that thought off, for there were more important things to do.

“What about him?” He nudged his head in Merlin’s direction, “Do you know how to help him?”

“Merlin is beyond help at this point. The only thing that can break this spell, is the sword that you tossed on the ground, before.”

“So, what you mean to tell me, is that the only way to break him out of his slumber, is to kill him?”

“That is exactly what I say, young Pendragon.”

“So either way, I would have to kill him?”

“He is as good as dead already,” Kilgharrah kept his arms crossed, “All you would do, is release him from the thing that keeps him on this world… that keeps him in pain.”

Arthur wanted to believe that there was another way, but he had this feeling that the man was telling the truth. Looking at their previous, and current situations, it would not surprise him if this was the case. So maybe, it was the right thing to do after all.

He had listened to the dragon speak, and he was aware of the danger that this could be a double bluff. But if there was even a chance that he was telling the truth… he had to consider that as well. Despite his previous statement, if it was more humane to kill Merlin, if he was suffering like this… Arthur could not stand for that. He could not let that keep going.

Arthur remained quiet as he knelt down, intending to pick his sword up from the ground. His gaze remained locked on Merlin, who had not moved in the time which Arthur had been here. Could he bring himself to run that sword through Merlin, knowing what his counter-part had done to him before?

Before today, the thought of murder had never bothered him much. He could kill when needed, if his own life was in danger, or for the good of the many. And he would not even hesitate to do so. But now, knowing what he now knew, and what this man had been through before… Arthur could only look at this man, like he was his own Merlin.

Merlin, who was the first proper friend he had made. Merlin, who had spent his time in Camelot, fearing for the day that Arthur would learn of his secrets. Merlin, who had done so much behind the scenes, just to ensure that Arthur even made it to be king. Merlin, who deserved so much more than this.

Arthur kept on repeating that final part as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and as he walked over to where Merlin laid resting. His hand graced Merlin’s quickly, before he had to pull his hand back. The man was cold, almost as cold as ice. If Arthur did not know better, he would say that the man was already dead. And maybe he was.

Which was impossible, seen as the man was also immortal.

But maybe it was this spell everyone was talking about, that was keeping him alive. Maybe, he should have been dead ages ago, but because of his immortality, he was never allowed to die.

Arthur positioned his sword over Merlin’s chest. And he could feel the tension as the man behind him sucked in a breath. This was it. It was time for Arthur Pendragon, to make his decision.

He closed his eyes.

He counted to five.

1

2

3

4

5

He could feel the blade slip from his hands.  

Arthur kept his eyes closed as he heard the blade slice through his clothes, his skin, before finally making contact with the ground. He wished only that he could forget this moment, that he could forget having ever heard these sounds. For a moment, he thought he could hear Merlin’s heart beat, before ultimately realising that it was his own heart he was listening to.  

He only opened his eyes when he could feel something tug at his leg. The first thing that caught his eyes, was that Merlin was covered in his own blood. As was the ground, and even Arthur had some of Merlin’s blood on him now.

Second, he could see the hand that laid on his boot. He knelt down, taking this hand into his own, before ultimately turning his attention to the owner of said hand. And he was met with a pair of tired eyes, almost coloured a faint grey, looking at him with a sense of gratitude.

He could barely hear the man, as Merlin whispered, “Thank you…”  

And Arthur could only squeeze his hand, hiding his urge to scream behind a fake smile. He could find comfort in the fact that the last thing Merlin saw, was the face of his husband. Arthur was at least happy that he could do that for this man, who had loved his husband enough to summon extra help for him.

“We will help him,” Arthur whispered, more to himself than to Merlin, “I promise.”

Though Merlin could not say anything else, Arthur caught sight of the smile on his lips as he closed his eyes. And both Arthur and Kilgharrah knew, almost right away, that his eyes would never open again. But Arthur still held onto his hand, until he felt it go limp. Only then, did he place Merlin’s hand by the wound on his chest.

Arthur cast a quick look at his blade. His blade was drenched in the blood of the man he had slaughtered, and how was Arthur now meant to face the rest of the rebellion? He had just killed their symbol of hope… how was he meant to face Merlin, after this?

He pulled his sword out of the wound and took only a quick second to look at the blood that covered the blade. Then, without thinking, he stabbed his sword into the ground, allowing himself to fall to his knees alongside the blade as the tears finally made themselves known.

And he could only scream, as loud as he could manage. He could only scream until his voice was hoarse, and his lungs ran out of air.  

His fathers voice rang in his head, telling him to stand up. To not cry for this man, whom he had just slaughtered. After all, he was just a peasant, a threat to the kingdom, whom Arthur should have slaughtered ages ago.

And maybe that was why Arthur was screaming. To drown out the voice of his father, so that he could not justify what he had just done. He did not want to feel better about this. Nothing would ever make Arthur feel good about watching the life drain from an innocent man, who had frankly suffered more than anyone ever should have.

The echoes of his own voice bounced around the room, until it was the only sound to fill his ears. So he could hear when his voice was giving out. And when the cave finally fell into an uncomfortable silence, he could hear the moment Kilgharrah chose to walk over, before finally putting a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur was not sure if this was meant to be comforting or not, but it was definitely anything but.

Chapter Text

Morgana kept trying to use her magic, despite knowing that it was futile. But she could not bring herself to stay here, knowing that her allies, her friends were in danger. And the children… she had to get them out.

But there was a small part of her who knew that escape was futile. She had been held in these iron chains before, and it had only been because of Mordred, that she had escaped. But Mordred was missing, and Morgana was on her own.

So all she had left was her own mind and spirit. Those were her only weapons.

But then the door opened. And though she kept her back to it, on purpose, Morgana had a feeling that she already knew who was standing behind her. She only had to imagine that gleeful expression, and it made her skin crawl.

“Good morning, Morgana,” Morgause was standing behind her, though she was probably disguised as Ygraine still, “Slept well?”

“You know that I did not,” Morgana sighed as she forced herself to not curse Morgause out, “Why are you here?”

“Must I need an excuse to visit my favourite sister?”

“Do not call me that! You are no sister of mine!”

Morgause gasped, though Morgana got the feeling that she was taunting her, “You wound me.”

“And you disgust me,” Morgana took a breath, though her disgust was still clear as she asked again, “Why are you here?”

“Well, if you must know, I got Arthur’s permission to take you out on a walk,” Morgause gave her a sickeningly sweet smile, “You have spent too much of your life in this cell.”

“And I would rather stay here, thank you very much.”

“I fear you have no choice.”

Morgause snapped her fingers, and the chain that was keeping her cuffs stuck to the ground, seemed to break. Morgause knelt down and picked up the piece that was still attached to the cuffs on Morgana’s arms. And despite how hard Morgana fought, she found herself forced to follow Morgause.

It was quite embarrassing… but that was probably the point, was it not? Parade her around her former home, have her walk in chains while the people who trusted her, watched. So many people, the guards, servants, they were not aware of what had transpired before this. They only knew that Morgana had rebelled, and that now she was in chains.

So perhaps it was intentional, that Morgause had them walk around the castle. She had intentionally ensured that every single person in the castle would see Morgana at her lowest moment. Though, it was worth it to note that Arthur was not to be seen. Morgana should probably have been concerned about that.

She caught sight of sir Leon and sir Elyan. Two of Arthur’s favourite knights, and probably the two that were suffering the most because of everything. They both held blank expressions, and they were both stiff in their movements. It almost seemed like… they were not quite there. Not quite aware of what they were doing.

Morgause gave them both a nod, “Knights.”

“Lady Ygraine,” Leon greeted her in return, “How do you do?”

“Very well, thank you,” Morgause was smiling now, “Carry on.”

And Morgause dragged Morgana along behind her. Morgana caught Elyan’s eye for a moment, and she could see the sorrow. Which was understandable. In the chaos, his sister had gone unaccounted for, and he was given no chance to go and look for her. So, as far as he knew, she might be dead.

Only Morgana and Morgause knew how that was not the case. And Morgana was not even sure if Morgause had been telling the truth or if she had just made it up.

Finally, they made it to wherever Morgause had wanted them to go. The castle grounds. Which were essentially empty, except for the two of them.

“Feel the fresh air, my sister,” Morgause spoke, “For it might be the last we will feel of it in a while.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Can you not feel it?” Something about the confused look in that woman’s face, made Morgana anxious, “Mother Nature holds her breath, as the decision is made.”

“What decision?” Morgana tilted her head, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, have you not figured it out by now?” Morgause rolled her eyes, “Today is the day Emrys dies.”

“Right…” Morgana wanted to laugh, “Because that can happen. Must I remind you, Emrys is immortal?”

“You forget about Excalibur. The legendary blade, forged in the breath of a dragon. The only blade in existence, which can kill Emrys.”

“You would still need the Arthur who carries the blade to run it through him. And since no one knows where he is, nor where Emrys is, it seems unlikely that they will find each other.”

“Unless you have a dragon-turned-human call the shots?”

That gave Morgana pause, “What?”

“Oh, honestly,” Morgause was laughing, “Did you really think that old man was able to just walk out of the castle while carrying one of the most important men in this kingdom, over his shoulder?”

“You… arranged it?”

“I promised to lift the curse that restrained him, if he made sure to get rid of Emrys for me.”

“But why?”

“With Emrys out of the picture, Arthur will no longer be tied down to what he might think. He will be filled with rage, and he will make it easier for me to take over.”

Something about the sugary sweet smile on Morgause’s lips, made Morgana want to throw up. But, she remained composed somehow, taking a deep breath as she took in the sight of the area.

If she was right… if Emrys would die today… what would they do, moving forward? She was right, of course, when she said that Merlin was the only thing holding Arthur back. At a guess, the thought of having to face him again, was the only thing holding Arthur back from being atrocious. So if Merlin died…

Morgana looked up from the ground, “You told me yesterday that in three days’ time, Merlin, Lancelot and Gwen would appear here. But not Arthur.”

“Yes? What about that?”

So the decision was Arthurs, and Arthurs alone. It was a pretty good idea, of course. Take him away from the people who knew what the repercussions might be, and have him make this decision whilst under pressure, and completely in the dark. Except, of course, for the words of a dragon, who was probably working against him.

She looked up at the clouds. It looked like it might rain at any moment, but Morgana did not care. For just as the world held its breath, she held onto hers. It seemed like Arthur had yet to make his choice. And Morgana could not help but smile, thinking about it.

Arthur was probably the least knowledgeable about magic, out of the group. But Morgana knew well that this Arthur was not stupid. He was an observer. He was a strategist. And he took the lives of others into account when he made his plans.

But then she felt a drop hit the tip of her nose. Then another one hit her shoulder, before a third one hit the top of her head. And she could hear Morgause’s cruel laugh as Morgana was trying to work out just what had happened.

“He is dead!” Morgause smirked, “He is finally dead!”

And Morgana could only stare at her blankly as she celebrated. She was repeating her words, laughing loud enough for everyone nearby, including Gwaine, to hear her. But unlike everyone else, Gwaine actually jogged up to them, confusion evident on his face.

“Who is dead?” He asked, “Who are you talking about?”

When he got no answer from Morgause, he turned to Morgana. And Morgana had a feeling that he already knew the answer, based on the anxious look on his face.

“Merlin,” Morgana fought to hold back her sob, “Merlin is dead.”

Morgana had never seen Gwaine look as defeated as he did just then. And she dared not to think about what her brother’s reaction would be, once he found out. The kingdom was about to head into a dark age.

But she could only ask herself, what had Arthur been thinking? He knew that they had worked so hard to save Merlin, so why would he agree to take his life instead? He had seemed so different from their Arthur, but then he had gone and done this?!

How… how could he do this? After everything he had seen, how could he do this?

Chapter Text

The first thing Merlin noticed as he woke up, was the rain. He could feel each drop that hit him, as well as the fact that it felt like his shoes were already soaked. And he could hear the drops of water bounce off the metal that was Arthur’s armour and Lancelot’s sword.

Wait, no… no, it did not sound right.

Merlin forced himself to sit up, turning in just about every direction that he could. And almost immediately, he could account for Lancelot and Gwen, as they were both seemingly still asleep. But he checked twice, then thrice, and he could still see no sign of Arthur.

“Arthur?” He shouted, moving away from the rest of the group, “Arthur? Where are you?”

But the only response he received, was the echo of his own voice, shouting his words back to him. There was no response from Arthur, as well as no physical sign of him.

He would confess that he was starting to get worried. Arthur was usually not one to go missing out of nowhere… well, from Merlin’s perspective at least. But if something had happened, Arthur would have woken them up.

Unless, of course, he had been taken by surprise.

But the problem he had with that idea was, why would they only take Arthur? They had two rebels and the alternate universe variant of the prince of Camelot, who was also the world’s most powerful sorcerer, sleeping right next to him. So why would they only take Arthur, and not all four of them?

Again, he shouted, “Arthur?!”

And again, he got no reply. However, from behind him, he could hear some rustling. And then there was movement, though from Gwen and not Lancelot. Merlin stood there for a bit, only watching as Gwen turned to lay on her side, before finally seeming to just give up and sit up.

“Merlin?” She was just looking at him for a bit, before turning to look around, “What is going on? Where are we?”

“The forest. According to Lancelot, we are on our way to Ealdor.”

“Why are we going to Ealdor?”

“Because he thinks the Great Dragon would take the other Merlin there.”

“Merlin has been taken from Camelot?!”

“From what Arthur told us,” Merlin took a quick look around again, “And listen, I will answer the rest of your questions, but I think Arthur has gone missing during the night, and I am a bit worried.”

That caused a swift reaction from Gwen who, much to Merlin’s surprise, practically jumped to her feet. She walked over to him, carrying herself like a woman on a mission, and once she got close enough, she paused, though she met eye-contact with him.

“You seem quite stressed, Merlin.”

“Yes, of course I am. Arthur is-,”

“Close your eyes,” She gave him a stern look, and Merlin could only do as she said, “And breathe.”

He took in a breath and held it for about five seconds, before he let it out.

“Now think. How can we try and track down Arthur’s movements?”

At first, Merlin’s mind drew blank. Had he not thought of anything yet, it seemed highly unlikely that he would be able to come up with something… but then, it clicked.

He let go of Gwen’s hands, though his eyes remained closed so that he could force himself to concentrate. And when he finally opened them, he could hear Gwen gasp, though that was something he chose to ignore for now.

Instead, he could see himself move down a seemingly pre-determined path, past trees that were both new and old, through a darkened forest, which only seemed to fall darker, the further in that he went. But he did also take note of how much of this forest seemed identical.

But the further he went out, the stronger was the feeling that something was trying to hold him back. He got this feeling that something, or someone, did not want him to know where Arthur was. For it was either that, or Arthur was being held at a spot with such a large about of magical activity, that Merlin could not get to it, by use of his own magic.

It would simply be confusing… and it was giving Merlin this grand headache.

He forced his eyes to close, taking a deep breath as he did so. And he could feel Gwen place her hands on this arm, though she said nothing. She remained quiet, until Merlin opened his eyes, and their gazes locked once more.

“Something has happened,” Was probably not a good way to start, but Merlin had already said it, so he just had to continue, “I am not sure how well I can explain it, but it seems like wherever Arthur is, there is also some form of… magical congestion.”

“What does that mean?”

“Wherever Arthur is currently, there is so much magic there, that it is impossible for me to use my magic to track him.”

“But how can that be?”

“Well, I see two possibilities right now…” Merlin found himself pausing, wishing that he did not have to continue as he was not sure what to say, “Either, there are a lot of strong, magical beings there, using their magic at the same time… or…”

“Or what?”

“Or… my counterpart has died.”

He could hear Gwen gasp, and he could feel her hands release his arm. He could also see her take a step back, her hand covering her mouth as the news seemed to settle. And suddenly, the rain felt appropriate, as it disguised the tears.

“How can that… he cannot be…” He heard Gwen mumble, her expression pleading as she spoke up again, “Say it is not so!”

“You know as well as I do, that only Arthur’s blade can kill him,” Merlin turned to her, though he did not move towards her, “And on our first day here, I enchanted it so that the blade cannot be taken from him... or at least, no one should be able to take it.”

“But that does not have to mean… it does not have to mean that Merlin is dead.”

“No, but it seems to be the more likely option. I truly am sorry, Gwen, but we cannot rule out the possibility.”

“Yes, I know that!” She seemed to pause, wiping away what was either a tear, or a drop of rain, “It is just… not the words that I wanted to hear today.”

“I understand,” Merlin moved towards her, placing a hand on her arm, “And I am really sorry. I truly hope that I am wrong.”

“There is no need to apologise, Merlin. You were not at fault,” That was the first time in days, where Merlin had seen Gwen smile, “And I suppose, if Arthur actually did do it, he must have had his reasons.”

“I just hope Kilgharrah did not trick him into doing it.”

“Kilgharrah?”

“The dragon we went to Ealdor to look for,” Merlin chuckled to himself, “Though, I suppose that now we know where he is. So, there is no real reason for us to head for Ealdor after all.”

“What do we do instead?”

“The only thing we really can do,” Merlin let go of Gwen, “We wake up Lancelot.”  

Merlin moved past Gwen and over to where Lancelot was somehow, still sleeping. He knelt down next to the knight, for a moment debating if he should wake him up softly or not.

He settled on softly. Merlin shook Lancelot’s shoulder for about five seconds, until the knight seemed to jolt up, looking around in horror as if he thought he was about to be kidnapped, or eaten. But then he seemed to settle, until the moment where his gaze landed on Gwen.

“Gwen,” Lancelot jumped to his feet as well, “You have awoken.”

“Yes, I have,” Gwen nodded, “Unfortunately, we have a problem.”

And Merlin could only force a small smile, in an attempt to hide his fear as he spoke, “Arthur is missing, your Merlin might be dead, and we are about to travel back to Camelot.”

That caused the attention to fall back on Merlin, as both Lancelot and Gwen spoke, “What?!”

“Well, there is no need for us to take that trip to Ealdor, now that we know Kilgharrah is still within the borders of Camelot. We are only going to have to trust that Arthur can convince him to come along.”

“Wait,” Lancelot was just staring at him blankly, “Arthur is with the dragon?”

“It is the current theory, based on… well, it is a long story, but yes, I think so.”

“Should we not join him?”

“We have no idea where they are,” Merlin picked up Lancelot’s sword, and handed it to him as he spoke, “The best chance we have, is to get back to Camelot and try to help the people that the king took captive during the raid."

“Merlin… I know it might not be your thing, but it would be nice if you could fill in some gaps... for I am still not sure what is going on."

Gwen just patted Lancelot on the back as she said, “We will explain on the way.”

Chapter Text

Arthur sat on the ground, leaning up against the cavern wall; his gaze locked on something ahead. He did not care about what was ahead of him. The only real reason he was looking in this direction, was because it meant he was not looking at the body of the man whom he had just killed.

Looking at the blank state that was the grey walls, he could instead wonder about what his Merlin was doing. Was he awake? Were him and Lancelot making their way to Ealdor, hunting for the man who was not there? Were they somehow aware of the new mess that Arthur had caused?

He could hear Kilgharrah rummaging around behind him, but Arthur was doing his best to ignore it and ignore him. Sure, the nice thing would be to help him with… whatever he was doing, but Arthur could bring himself to do that. Not when he would risk catching sight of the body.

“Well, you look like a ray of sunshine over there,” He barely bothered to cast a glance in Kilgharrahs direction as the man spoke, “And I know that is not because of my tardiness. So, what is it?”

“Nothing,” Arthur shook his head, “Could you please just hurry up, so that we can back to Camelot and finish this?”

Kilgharrah remained quiet for a bit, though from the corner of his eye, Arthur could see him pick up a bottle, open it, and drink from it. And though Arthur had no idea what was in that bottle, he had a feeling that it was not water, nor any other liquid he was familiar with.

Kilgharrah swallowed it before saying, “You regret killing Merlin.”

“Of course I do,” Arthur replied, gazing ahead, “How could I not? He did not deserve this torture.”

“And death was the only thing that could bring him out of it,” Arthur could hear some footsteps, before Kilgharrah appeared by his side, “Arthur, you did him a favour.”

“No,” Arthur shook his head, aware of the tears that were forming in his eyes, but trying to ignore them, “If I did him a favour, I would have helped him. I would have found some way to bring him back to a safe Camelot, where he could live in peace with his friends, and not have to worry about death every minute of every day!”

“So you would deal with Arthur. Then what? How would you clean up the mess your counterpart has caused?”

“Oh, I haven’t a clue yet,” Arthur barely dared to breathe, “But I would figure it out!”

“Should you not figure out what to do with your Merlin first?”

That caused Arthur to pause, “I beg your pardon?”

“As you very clearly just stated, this one-,” Kilgharrah nudged his head in the direction of the body, “-did not deserve the fate he got. But instead of focusing on the ‘what if’ situations, why not put that energy into helping the Merlin who is still alive? I am fairly sure he would appreciate it, if he could come back to Camelot without fearing for death.”

“Yes, I- of course I intend to take care of that!”

“Good. Because that is the Merlin you are responsible for. That is the one you need to worry about, for it is he who holds your love, not this one.”

“Yes, I… hold on a minute, love?!”

Did this man… this dragon just imply that Arthur was in love with Merlin?! They were sitting next to a corpse, with a battle on the horizon, and Kilgharrah wanted to discuss the fact that Arthur may be in love with Merlin? Was this really the time for a discussion like that?

Kilgharrah rolled his eyes, “Yes, love.”

“Do you think I am in love with Merlin?”

“Well, even if I did, I would not have the faintest idea of if that were the truth,” Kilgharrah shrugged, “However, the fact that your first reaction to my words was to become defensive, I must say that I think so, yes.”

That was just complete and utter nonsense. Merlin was his servant and his friend. Sure, he was probably the one Arthur found it the easiest to talk to, and sure he might find himself enjoying the time he had spent with Merlin. Especially now that he was getting to know the real Merlin. But that does not have to mean…

Does it?

It might do.

Arthur was not the most knowledgeable on the subject of love. He could be wrong about this. It could just be his urge to protect Merlin, combined with the desire to learn more about the person underneath the disguise that he previously knew as Merlin. But love?! Was that not taking it a bit too far?

And even if he could justify this as love… it did not have to be romantic love, did it? That did not have to be what the dragon meant, did it? For sure, Arthur cared about the man. He was a friend, just like the knights were his friends.

But no, Arthur had a feeling that Kilgharrah was talking about actual love.

But what about Guinevere? He had fallen in love with her too. He was even set to marry her, before… well, before everything happened.

Did he actually love Merlin? But then, what about everything he had seen here?

Could he ever allow himself to love Merlin, after all of this? Could he allow himself to love anyone; after seeing all of the pain that he had caused the people whom he claimed to love?

He ignored the fact that Morgana needed help.

He exiled Guinevere, which also forcefully separated her from her brother.

And Merlin had spent all that time in his service, fearing for his life.

And that was not even mentioning the horrible things that this universe’s version of Arthur had done. Torturing Merlin, the man whom he claimed to love, or forcing Morgana and Gwen to go on the run, simply for disagreeing with how he was ruling the kingdom. And that was not even getting into whatever he was doing with the knights.

Arthur rested his head in his hands, unwilling to let the man next to him even think that Arthur was struggling with this. But his head was spinning, for what exactly was he meant to make out of this? That he was a terrible person, undeserving of love?

For that was the lesson he was currently left with.

Arthur looked up, trying his best to blink away whatever was making his eyes feel so itchy. He cast a quick glance around him, taking in the room once more. Suddenly, he found that he was not as eager to leave. In fact, he would not mind staying here for a bit longer.

“Arthur,” Kilgharrah’s raspy voice broke through, “I haven’t the faintest idea of what is going on in that head of yours. But as I doubt it is good, I urge you to stop, and to think.”

“About what?” Arthur let out a hoarse chuckle, “About how everyone in this universe seems to think that I have fallen in love with my servant? About how terrified I am, because of the mere thought of it? Or about how the only thing I am good at, is hurting the people I love?”

“Well, no…”

Arthur rose to his feet, “I need some fresh air.”

Ignoring Kilgharrahs protests, he walked past him, following the previous corridors until he made his way outside. There, he collapsed once again, resting up against the mountainside for support as his gaze was locked on the clouds above.

If he could just sort himself out, he would be fine.

So, according to Kilgharrah, he might be in love with Merlin. And he knew that others had probably made those very same statements. If he was not mistaken, his other self had implied it, as had probably Gwen, or Morgana, or Lancelot, or really anyone else.

Arthur was no longer sure.

But even if he was, he knew that he did not deserve Merlin’s love. After all, had he not just killed Merlin?

But that was not his Merlin. His Merlin was busy, doing who knows what. He could be going to Ealdor. Though if Arthur knew him as well as he thought, he would guess that Merlin was on his way back to Camelot, intending to sort out this mess somehow.

Wait, what?!

Arthur jumped back to his feet, immediately turning back to the cave and running in, sprinting through the corridors like his life depended on it. Screw trying to figure this mess out, they had to get back to Camelot, as soon as humanly possible!

Immortal sorcerer or not, he was not willing to let Merlin deal with this fight on his own.

Chapter Text

As she was dragged into the room, Morgana caught sight of Arthur, sitting on his throne. He looked as royal as ever, and she could tell that he was watching her every movement as she walked. Morgause, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

“Sire,” Gwaine was not looking at Arthur as he spoke, “Morgana is here, as you asked.”

“Thank you, sir Gwaine,” Arthur was tapping the armrest on his chair, “Please, let go of her.”

And Gwaine did that, much to Morgana’s surprise. Though, she supposed that if she were to try something, Gwaine was still close enough as to run a sword through her… not that she was really in the mood to try something. And maybe Arthur knew that.

“So, Morgana,” Arthur looked like he was about to rise, but had changed his mind last second, “Why do you walk around, claiming my husband to be dead?”

“Because he is.”

“And whatever gives you that idea?”

Knowing fully well that she could not tell him the truth, Morgana instead replied, “What we know as rain, is the tears that nature sheds. And tears carry memories.”

“So what you are telling me, is that you believe my husband to be dead, because the rain told you so?”

“I am merely working with the information I have,” Morgana glared at Arthur, who seemingly noticed, “Or has your mother told you who has died? For if she has, I will gladly admit to my mistake.”

“My mother has not yet told us anything. Which is why I thought it best to ask you,” Arthur crossed his arms, “But I understand now that it was futile, seeing how you have apparently decided it best to lie to me.”

“And how can you say that I lie to you, my lord? Where is your proof?”

“Morgana, Morgana,” Arthur was shaking his head, “You and I both know that Merlin is immortal. There is only one blade in this world that can kill him, and-,”

“There are technically two blades,” Morgana knew that she had made a mistake the moment she interrupted him, but Arthur seemed too caught off guard to protest, “Or have you already forgotten that there are two variants of the legendary blade?”

She knew that he would never admit to having forgotten about it, but there was a moment where Arthur’s expression revealed that he had, in fact, forgotten about the second blade. But then he sat up straight, ready to pretend like he knew it all along.

“I suppose you are right, and that I may have forgotten,” Never mind, that was a new one, “But there is not a world where he would dare to do it.”

“Then you seem to not know him well, or at all.”

“Not know him?” Arthur laughed, “Morgana, I am him, as he is also me.”

“Yet I have spent enough time with both of you to know that you are two completely different men.”

“Yes, because you are the only person in this kingdom, who knows how to judge people,” Arthur was still laughing, “Morgana, I tell you now; if it ever comes to it, that man would never be able to take Merlin’s life. He would much rather take his own life.”

“Yes, your majesty, you are correct about that,” Morgana nodded, “However, you forget something. It was not his own Merlin, whom he would have to run a sword through. It would rather be our Merlin, the one who is connected to the magic of this world, whom he would have to kill in order to sever the ties.”

“So, you seem to think that he would kill any Merlin that is not his own?”

“Yes, because he knows when to make sacrifices that will work for the good of the many.”

“And I do not?”

“Well? Do you?”

It looked like Arthur was about to reply, and Morgana was getting ready to have yet another argument with him. So, it was much to her own surprise, when he closed his mouth again. Then, he sat back in his chair, giving Morgana a thoughtful look that sent chills down her spine.

“Alright, so tell me. What would you consider to be the good of the many?”

And if she could be so honest, Morgana was flabbergasted. Did Arthur, the Arthur who had spent so long working against her, working to arrest anyone who disagreed with him… did he just ask her for advice? Was there a chance that things could improve, right here, right now?

She had to remind herself to not be too optimistic, as she replied, “There are a lot of people who feel unsafe in the kingdom. Be it the fact that they feel unable to approach the king in regard to their troubles, or the fact that the guards and the knights look away when there are incidents going on in the lower town.”

“And could you clarify on that last part?”

“The mass starvation, the diseases that have spread through the city… people, mostly women and children, have been taken off the street, or taken from their homes, only to be sold off to the highest bidder. People buy and sell each other, like they would common goods. How can you not know about this?”

“Yes,” Arthur sent a glare in the direction of where Leon was standing, “How could I not know about this?”

“Well, sire… there was a lot going on at the time, and… we never got around to investigating it properly.”

“But you knew that there was a chance, that something like this might be taking place?”

“Uhm… yes, sire.”

“And were you ever going to tell me about this?”

“Uhm…-,”

“Of course not,” Morgana spoke up, “Several knights of Camelot have actively been using this as a way to get rid of people they wanted to be rid of.”

Arthur, still observing Morgana, asked, “Anything you want to say to this, Sir Leon?”

“It, uh… it is possible, that there are knights of Camelot who are involved with this…”

“Yet you never thought to tell me about it.”

“Well, no… I am truly sorry, your majesty.”

Arthur took a deep breath, before stating, “Once we are done here, you and I are going to go and get this sorted.”

“Yes, sire.”

“And as for you,” Arthur’s attention was now back with Morgana, “How did you come to know about this?”

“How could I not? Every single child in that cell down in the dungeons, is a child which Merlin and Mordred were able to rescue from that market.”

Arthur nodded along, and there was a moment there, where Morgana dared to hope that her brother was still in there, somewhere. It looked like he was about to do the right thing, and at least sort this out. If not for the people of Camelot, then at least for Merlin’s sake.

But then he took a breath, “Unfortunately, we seem to have gotten away from the matter at hand. Your previous statement, that Merlin is dead.”

“Yes,” For it would always come back to that, would it not, “Not that I know what more there is to say about it.”

“Well, I am still struggling to understand why you believe Merlin to be dead.”

“As I am struggling to understand why you are questioning me about this. Ask your mother who she was talking about. If I am wrong, I will bow down at your feet and apologise, if I must.”

“Oh, dear God, no,” Arthur shook his head, “There is not a person in this kingdom who wants to see that.”

Arthur fell silent again, resting his head on his hand and looking like he was deep in thought. And the knights that were still there, dared not to speak. It felt like the entire room was holding its breath, waiting to find out what Arthur would say or do next. So, Morgana ceased the chance.

“May I ask a question?”

Arthur barely looked up at her, with the only audible reply being a quick, “Hm?”

“What… what happened to Mordred?”

 “To Mordred?” Arthur just stared at her, “Remind me.”

“The druid boy who kept following Merlin around, until the day you suddenly decided to make him a knight and have him be Merlin’s personal guard.”

Arthur was still just staring at her, and Morgana was beginning to wonder if she had somehow grown a second head or something. Or was this Arthur’s attempt to make her feel nervous? She could never quite tell. But then again, it seemed like she did not have to.

A knight burst into the room, drawing the attention over to him instead. He looked like he was struggling to breathe, like he might have run all the way here. But it was the first thing so far that actually got Arthur to rise from his throne, so at least there was that.

“Intruders-,” He sucked in a breath, “Rebels spotted by the city limits. Matching the descriptions of the previous citizens of Camelot, in Lancelot, Guinevere, and Merlin.”

Arthur spoke up, “And there are only those three?”

“Ye-yes, sire.”

He looked to the knights at his side, “Well go on! Arrest them and bring them in here!”

And as far as Morgana could count, every knight except for two rushed out of the room. And the two that remained, one of them being Sir Gwaine, looked quite uncomfortable as he watched the knights slowly pour out of the room.

“Well,” Morgana did not turn as she heard Arthur speak, “It seems we will be getting some proper answers in a few moments.”

Chapter Text

The moment Merlin, Gwen, and Lancelot had arrived in Camelot, they had been separated. He had no idea where Elyan, Leon and Percival were taking Gwen and Lancelot, but Merlin had been guided down a different hallway… and he was fairly sure that Gwaine was not leading him to the dungeons.

But he could not help but notice those constant stares as they walked, and the guards that kept on looking at him like they felt sorry for him. Though, if he were honest, he was beginning to tire of their general presence. They were not exactly doing much, were they?

Yeah, sure, they had to make sure that he did not escape, but that was what the dungeons were there for. Making sure the prisoners would not escape. So why was Gwaine leading him into an empty room instead?

“Why am I not in a prison cell?” He turned to look at Gwaine, who looked uncomfortable where he stood, “You clearly think of me as a prisoner, so why am I currently being held in one of the guest rooms?”

“The king does not want you to think of yourself as a prisoner,” Gwaine sounded nothing like himself, “He wants you to feel comfortable, when he questions you.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “Right… I assume he wants to know what I know about Arthur and Kilgharrah, and the death of his Merlin.”

“I do not know what he wants, I fear,” Gwaine hesitated, a sight unusual to Merlin, “He will be here any minute now. Do you think you can contain your anger, just for the time he is here?”

“And why should I do that?”

“The King wants to talk to you. I am not yet sure what he wants, but it would be appreciated if you would contain your anger, and at least hear him out.”

Something about the pleading look in Gwaine’s eyes, and the fact that he was even forced to ask this of Merlin in the first place, did speak to him a bit. But Merlin was not completely willing to make promises where he could not guarantee his ability to keep them, so he just crossed his arms, stating,

“I will try… but it depends on how much he tries to annoy me.”

And Gwaine seemed to withdraw a bit as he replied, “Fair enough.”

Merlin thought he heard the sound of something click, just before the door opened. Gwaine straightened his back, both arms held as tight to his body as he could manage. Merlin, meanwhile, rolled his eyes, an action clearly caught by Arthur as he stepped into the room.

“Someone is not happy to see me,” His smile was filled with venom, yet his words were filled with sugar, “And here I brought a gift for you.”

Merlin remained quiet at first. He was curious to see whatever gift Arthur thought to bring him. Was it something meant to keep him here, something to win over his allegiance, or perhaps something that would make Merlin feel extra furious?

But then, he was handed a red cape. A red cape, eerily similar to the one that Arthur, his Arthur, would usually wear. Down to the fabric and everything.

“We thought it would be a nice gesture for you to have it,” The king was watching him, probably waiting for Merlin to react, “It was unfortunate that it had to come to this.”

And though Merlin did not dare to show it, internally, he was panicking. It had been a long while since he had last seen his Arthur, and he had no idea where the man had disappeared to.

Unfortunately, there was always a chance that he had been captured. But would Arthur really go as far as to kill the man who shared his face and story?

Once he was handed the cape, Merlin unfolded it, just to get a better look at it. He wanted to see the state of it, to see if there was any sign that it may, or may not, have belonged to his Arthur. For he had stitched the thing up enough times by now, that he knew exactly what to look for.

“Oh, you are just too kind,” Merlin made sure to let Arthur catch his glare, “Giving me a random cape, as you try to fake someone else’s death… because you do not want to admit that you do not actually know where he is.”

Arthur looked like he was chewing on something for a moment before he sent a disappointed glance in Merlins direction, “Sarcasm… It really does not suit you, Merlin.”

“And intimidation does not suit you, but you keep trying,” Merlin shook his head, a small smile crossing his lips, “Or did you honestly think that I would not know where every wear and tear is, on the cape that I have maintained for several years now?”

Somewhere, deep beneath Gwaines mask of neutrality, Merlin could have sworn he saw this not too unfamiliar look, praying to the universe that Merlin would go quiet, and fall in line. But beneath that again, he swore there was a look of pride, both seen as Merlin was able to see through the lie, but also because he made sure to make it known.

“You have so much courage when Arthur is not nearby,” Arthur hummed, watching Merlin with a look of great interest, “Yet you only bark. You never actually bite… do you?”

Arthur turned to Leon, who Merlin had yet to actually notice was also there. Gwaine seemed to swallow, a nervous look taking over. And Merlin couldn’t help but wonder, what were they so afraid of? What could Arthur actually do?

“It seems we will be in need of something to quell the beast.”

Arthur turned back to Merlin, a sly grin taking over his formerly calm expression. And Merlin shrugged, trying to remain as calm and collected as he could. He just had to keep barking, so he wouldn’t have to bite… no, wait…

“Quell the beast,” Merlin repeated Arthurs words, “I thought I was all barks, no bite. Does that mean you fear me?”

“Fear you?” Arthur laughed, “As if you would hurt me.”

“Oh, never say never,” Merlin shrugged, “I feel like, every time we end up in the vicinity of each other, I walk out of there with the urge to tear you apart, limb by limb.”

Alright, that was taking it a bit too far. Even Merlin would admit to that. But the thought had crossed his mind at some point, and Arthur had been standing there, stating that he was all bark and no bite… so why not give him this victory, and prove him right? Just this once.

Arthur was just looking at him again, as silence seemed to overtake the room. He was probably thinking of about 50 different ways he could hurt Merlin or make him step in line with the rest of the people, whom he would claim to be protecting. He might even be thinking about actually killing Arthur, once they finally figured out where that prat had gone off to.

But he must have figured it out by now. If he killed Arthur, Merlin would not hesitate to take him out, with no warning beforehand. If Arthur died, that meant that both Arthur’s would die. And that was a promise he had every intention to keep.

But then he seemed to have figured something out, as he turned on his heel and walked out. Leon stayed close to him, as expected. And Merlin made sure to not move, not until the door was shut, and Gwaine spoke to him.

“Remember when I told you to quell your anger?”

“Yes, I remember,” Merlin turned to him, holding out the cape in his hand, “But that was before he tried to fake the death of my Arthur. A plan I must assume that you were aware of, considering you told me to quell my anger.”

“Merlin-,”

“No, Gwaine. I am truly sorry, but I cannot care less about what the mighty king might be thinking or feeling, not when he just pulled that stunt. And it is not like he can really do anything to me either way, so why should I care about how he decides to punish me?”

“Because what he cannot do to you, he will do to those you care about!”

“He cannot even find the damned prat, so how is he meant to punish him?”

“I do not mean Arthur,” It sounded like Gwaine was about to start pleading with him, “He will go after Gwen, and Morgana, and us knights. Just like he did with Gaius.”

That caused Merlin to pause, considering his words for a moment. Then, he turned to face Gwaine, who’s expression had warped from one of terror, to one of mild surprise.

“What were the exact orders you were given?”

“Pardon?”

“You were ordered to guard me. I want to know the exact order, word for word.”

“Oh, uh… stay with Merlin, and ensure that he does not escape… why do you want to know that?”

“From my experience, dealing with this while with I was out with Lancelot, there exists loopholes to these orders,” Merlin could only smile as he said it, “So in theory, you can take three steps into the hallway, and ask a servant to fetch Percival, as long as you are also ensuring that I do not escape.”

“Yes, I suppose...” Gwaine nodded cautiously, “But why do you want Percival?”

Chapter Text

Morgana could only observe the chains that kept her hands down. She had heard that they were used to stop a person with magic, from using said magic. But there was a difference between hearing about something, and actually feeling the effects of it.

Magic was not a reliable ally, not while these chains were holding her back. But even if she knew how to pick a lock, she could not remove them. Removing them would require that Morgana move her hands in a way that was made impossible by the chains. So, for the time being, she remained practically useless.

Morgana barely bothered to look up when she heard the commotion echo through the hallway. It was probably just another prisoner, who had decided to pick a fight with a guard. There was, after all, not much else they could do around here. And their lives were already as good as finished. So at this point, most of the prisoners did not bother listening to the guards.

But then she heard the voice… or rather, the owner of said voice noticed her.

“Morgana!”

And Morgana could not have looked up faster, just in time to catch the moment Gwen walked by her cell. Morgana flew up from where she was seated, practically running over to the door, just to catch a glance off the woman she had not seen for days.

She watched as Elyan guided Gwen into the cell that was next to the children. She could also watch as Elyan whispered something to her, before closing the door and leaving. Gwen looked mildly disturbed afterwards, though that look fell away quickly, as her attention was turned to Morgana.

“I have been so worried about you,” Gwen told her, “After what Merlin and Lancelot told me, I feared the worst.”

“I could say the same about you,” Morgana made sure that Gwen saw her smile, before she continued, “But this is important. Where are Arthur, Merlin, and Lancelot right now?”

“Oh, uh… Gwaine took Merlin away, while Leon and Percival took Lancelot with them. And Arthur… well, from what I can gather, he has gone missing.”

“Missing?!”

“Yes,” Gwen nodded, a hint of terror present in her voice, “Essentially, he has gone AWOL.”

“So, he… when was he last accounted for?”

“According to Merlin, he went missing the night before I woke up. Then, the morning after, Merlin also said that he thought our Merlin… had died.”

“Yes, it seems very likely that such is the case,” Morgana sighed, “However much I hoped that it would not be so.”

“Morgana?”

“Yes?”

“What do we do now?” She could see Gwen cast a glance to the children, “With Merlin now dead, and then also Arthur missing, and Lancelot’s betrayal… not to mention that we have no idea as to what Arthur is doing to Merlin.”

“Hang on, Lancelot’s betrayal?”

“Yes. It was Lancelot who took Merlin, on Arthur’s orders. It seems like Morgause never got rid of the curse, so he has been under the order to feed information to Arthur.”

“Right, I should have expected so,” Morgana glared at the wall, “So, Merlin’s sacrifice was for nothing. Lancelot remains trapped in the chains of knighthood.”

“At least he seems to be very apologetic about it,” Gwen tried, “He kept apologising as we walked back to Camelot, even to some crimes that I was not aware had been committed.”

But that did not help Morgana’s doubts. For how far had this corruption gone? How much of what they had done, had Arthur actually been aware of? How many times had he stepped in, and made the entire situation worse for them?

What other reason would he have to go back on that agreement, and do that?

So it was quite possible that Morgana was angry. But she felt justified in her anger, not directed at Lancelot or any of the other knights. Even though she was angry with them too, but they could not do anything about their situation, she understood that. But her anger remained.

“Morgana?”

Morgana looked up, her gaze locked with Gwen, “Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course I am. Why would I not be?”

Gwen sent her a look, “You cannot lie to me, Morgana. I know you too well by now.”

Morgana envied Gwen’s ability to see through lies like this. She would have loved to be as aware as Gwen was, and to be able to nip the problems out before they became problems. Had she held that ability as well, they might not have ended up in this situation in the first place.

Morgana’s gaze moved to her left, as she could once again hear footsteps echo off the wall. Morgana stepped back from the door, barely able to catch sight of Gwen doing the same. It was safer to remain away from the door, shall they be unlucky enough to encounter a guard.

But then he came into view… and it was Lancelot!

“Morgana! Gwen!” He looked at both of them, relief present in his expression, “I have been looking for the two of you.”

“Why?” Gwen was by the door within seconds, “Has something happened?”

“Yes, but that is not important,” Lancelot held out a set of keys, “I have come to right my wrongs, and to set you free.”

Morgana spoke before she could think, “You can do that?”

Lancelot did look a bit hurt at the question, but he did reply, “Yes. Merlin and I figured out that there were loopholes, and I am betting on one of them.”

That made absolutely no sense, but Morgana did not bother to think about it. Things were looking up for them now, and Morgana was not willing to let this chance go to waste. This was their chance of freedom. This was their chance to help Arthur. This was… well, it was a lot of things.

Morgana watched, as Lancelot unlocked Gwen’s cell. Then, he handed Gwen the keys, and pointed her over to the cell that Morgana was in. Morgana could not quite hear what he told her, but Gwen’s expression seemed to fall. Even so, she nodded, as she walked over to Morgana’s door.

“It is up to you two now,” Lancelot cast a glance to Morgana, “I fear our roads separate here, for the time being.”

Morgana, who had been watching Gwen open the door, asked, “What do you mean?”

“Merlin is being held in the castle somewhere, and I need to figure out where,” Lancelot replied, “Plus, there is also Arthur to take into account.”

“Arthur? Which one?”

“The nice one. The king seems rather sure that he will show up fairly soon, and he wants to be prepared to kill him,” Lancelot let out a sigh, as the wall suddenly seemed extra interesting, “What he intends to do with the other Merlin, I cannot say.”

“Nothing nefarious, I would hope?”

“Morgana. It is Arthur, we are talking about. Nothing is too nefarious for him,” Lancelot shuttered, “And this Merlin seems more driven than ours was. My fear, is that we will end up in this same situation again, except that this time, it will be done intentionally.”

“And then, what would happen to their world?” Gwen mumbled as she tried to free Morgana from her shackles, “When they are stuck in ours, and with one of them losing their life here, what will happen to the versions of us, from their world?”

“Nothing good, I would say. Well, to you two,” Lancelot shrugged, “Apparently, that version of me has already passed on.”

“Well, let us not add another Lancelot to that count, alright?” Gwen was finally able to get the shackles open, “There.”

Morgana drew her hands closer to herself, taking in that feeling of being free from her chains. Her wrists hurt, as red marks dragged across her skin, but at least she was free.

Gwen helped her to her feet, even though there was no need. But Morgana appreciated the gesture, as well as the touch that confirmed to her, that Gwen was real. She was real, she was alive, and if Morgana’s arms had not been as sore as they were currently, she would have dragged Gwen into a much-needed hug.

It seemed like Gwen would do it for her, as she threw her arms around Morgana, resting her head on Morgana’s shoulder. It was a gesture much appreciated, and very much needed, and Morgana would have returned it if she could.

“I need to go and try to track down Merlin,” Lancelot gave them both a look, “Can I rely on the two of you to cause a distraction?”

Gwen gave Lancelot a look, before she nodded, “Give us ten-fifteen minutes, and we should be ready.”

“Great,” The man walked over to Gwen and handed over his sword to her, “Just in case.”

Then he turned on his heel, and he walked away, saying not another word. And Morgana watched as he left, noticing how stiff he seemed to be as he walked. If she did not know better, she would almost assume that there was something else that was wrong, and that he was not telling them about it, for whatever reason.

Trust was hard, considering what she knew now. She might not be able to look at Lancelot as the same, reliable ally that she had previously thought him to be. But she could also acknowledge that he had taken a big risk, by coming down here to break them out of the dungeons. So, there may be hope still.

“Okay,” Gwen’s voice caught Morgana’s attention as she also moved the set of keys in her hand, “We should probably get started.”

And Morgana nodded, “Yes, we should indeed.”

Chapter Text

Arthur was cutting random branches off the trees, or the bushes as they walked past them. It was the only thing he could do to keep his anxiety at bay, as they were walking too slow for his preference. But unfortunately, because of Kilgharrah’s age, and the complications that followed with all that, they could not go at a speed that Arthur would have preferred.

No, he did not blame Kilgharrah for that. But he was anxious about this entire thing, which was not helped by the fact that Kilgharrah was talking about… something. Something that he had honestly tuned out ages ago, something which the man next to him had seemingly not realised yet.

He had no idea how long it would take them to get to Camelot. Nor did he know how things were looking over there. They could be deep in a battle, for all he knew. Though, there was also the chance that Merlin, Lancelot and Guinevere had not made it back to the city yet.

“Well Arthur,” Kilgharrah spoke from right behind him, “Did you get that?”

“Get what?”

“Oh, please do not tell me that you were not even paying attention to what I said!”

“I am afraid that I was indeed, not paying attention,” Arthur admitted, “I’m sorry.”

“Well, I suppose your mind is elsewhere,” Kilgharrah just sighed, “But when we get to Camelot, I need you to ignore whatever troubles you. And if the battle has started, I need you to ignore it as well. If we are to have any chance of coming out of this victorious, you need to go straight for Morgause.”

“But where am I meant to find her?”

“She will either be by Arthur’s side or, if the battle has indeed begun, she will be in her chambers. Arthur would never dream of allowing her near the battlefield.”

“A notion which I understand well. After all, she is a civilian, at least as far as he is concerned.”

“In his eyes, she might as well just be a goddess,” Kilgharrah let out another sigh, “Oh, sometimes I feel bad for that boy. He has not been given an easy life to manage.”

Arthur did consider replying but found that it was of no use. For in some way, some strange, twisted way, he found himself agreeing with Kilgharrah. He too, felt bad for his other self, and it was not because of the life he had been given. Rather, it was because he was so… alone. Sure, Arthur did not condone his actions, but still. The poor man looked so alone; it was almost sad.

And Arthur could not help but wonder if he knew, just how alone he truly was.

“Kilgharrah?” He spoke up, casting a glance to the older man, “What will happen after we kill Morgause?”

The man looked thoughtful for a moment, before simply replying, “When Morgause is out of the picture, we can start to unravel some of this web she has cast on the kingdom.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that each spell she has cast will be hanging loose. Think of it like a thread,” Kilgharrah gave him a look, “When a thread comes lose, it is still attached to part of your shirt. But when you cut that thread away, it is merely a thread. Merlin’s death let the thread come loose-,”

“And Morgause’s death will remove it?”

“Exactly!”

Okay… when he explained it like that, Arthur could get some idea as to why they were doing this. Releasing the knights, releasing this world from the thread that was Morgause… and Merlin…

Silence reigned on for a few minutes, and Arthur remained unaware of the fact that Kilgharrah was watching him. But he did not register anything beyond what was going on in his own mind, which was simply just himself retelling himself the story incident that happened mere hours ago. And cursing himself for making the action that he made.

He did, in fact, not notice that Kilgharrah wanted his attention, until the man physically poked him with a stick, “Hey, Arthur!”

Arthur yelped back, glaring at the man as he answered, “What?!”

Kilgharrah just watched him a bit, and Arthur could see his face fall as he said, “You were thinking about Merlin.”

“No… yes… of course I am thinking about the man that I just murdered!”

“And I suppose that telling you he does not resent you, and that it was necessary, will not help your guilt?”

“Would it help yours? Had you been in my position, would it help you to hear that?”

“Arthur,” Kilgharrah shook his head, almost disappointed, “I do not feel guilt.”

“… what…?”

“However, I am curious about something. Why has Merlin’s death impacted you as much as it has?”

“Because… well, he is my friend. And he did not exactly do anything wrong, so the fact that I had to kill him…”

“Was for the greater good.”

“Yes, you keep saying that. But it does not feel like it.”

“Arthur,” The man went quiet, causing Arthur to look up at him again before he spoke, “Could it have anything to do with the fact that you love him?”

“Oh, what is it with the people of this universe and thinking that everything can be explained away with love?! Love is not always the answer!”

The man merely blinked, giving Arthur a strange look, “But does it?”

Arthur sighed, “Alright, yes. It is… well, at least it is part of it.”

“Thank you,” The man gave him a quick nod, “Oh, and to answer your question, it stems from the fact that you two are not as slick as you seem to think that you are. It is, in fact, quite obvious.”

“Do not lie to me. Not on top of everything else.”

“I speak no lie, Arthur.”

“Is that why my Merlin seemed so… hostile, at the mere mention of you?”

“I cannot speak for my counterpart. I cannot speak for the dragon that your Merlin has had to deal with. Just as I can only speak for my Merlin, and I can tell you that I never told him a lie. So why would I tell you one?”

Arthur considered it, and of course the man was right. As far as he could tell, Kilgharrah had not yet lied to him. According to what he knew, Kilgharrah was… well, just an eccentric, old man. And Arthur found that he really dreaded the day, where he would meet this man in dragon form.

“Alright,” He sighed, “I might have fallen in love with Merlin…”

“I am glad to hear you finally admit to it.”

“Yes, but I cannot exactly do anything about it.”

“Oh?” The man tilted his head slightly, “And whyever not?”

“Have you seen the mess we were dragged into? Have you seen the way the other Arthur treated his Merlin?”

Kilgharrah nodded, “I have, in fact, kept an eye on them.”

“Yes, and I cannot exactly take the chance. For what if I step out of line, and become just like the other Arthur? The only difference between us, is that I can actually kill Merlin.”

“Is it really? For as far as I can see, there is another.”

“Oh, really? And what is that?”

“Unlike him, you can kill Merlin. That is true,” Kilgharrah nodded, “But unlike him, you would do anything to make sure that Merlin comes out of trouble unscathed.”

“Oh, I am sure that, if push came to shove, he would give his life for Merlin.”

“Maybe so. But he never showed it. In fact, he relied too much on the fact that Merlin cannot die, and he spent all his energy saving his mother instead.”

“Wait… what?”

“Oh yes. And though I doubt you were aware of it; Merlin might not be able to die. But that does not mean that the things that would kill you, does not harm him. He has spent hours, even days in excruciating pain, because Arthur would choose his own mother over him.”

“Every time?”

Kilgharrah nodded, “Every time.”

Arthur looked away, forcing himself to take a breath. Sure, he had guessed that Merlin would still feel the pain, even if it would not kill him. But to hear the fact that the other Arthur had let this happen, so many times… it was infuriating.

Arthur could not even imagine using that, unless it was absolutely necessary… and why was his mother, or Morgause, even put into that much danger, in the first place? If he truly cared about her, should the other Arthur not have spent the time, making sure she did not end up in danger, instead of constantly having to sacrifice Merlin, just to save her?

“Oh, look at that,” Kilgharrah pointed ahead, “I see Camelot, up in the distance.”

Arthur looked up, and sure enough. There was the castle, shining in the light of the sun. Almost as beautiful as the Camelot he came from, only ranked down by its current leader, awful politics, and people who remained in pain.

Oh, if Arthur could only stab a sword through his own head… however awful that sounded…

Kilgharrah turned to him, caution present in his tone as he asked, “It is time for the battle. Are you ready?”

And Arthur nodded, “Of course, I am.”

Chapter Text

Merlin had made the very real decision of pacing around the room, remaining in deep thought, as he waited. Meanwhile, Gwaine was standing off to the side, looking like he may just have abandoned the idea of even looking like he was meant to stand guard. He was instead just leaning up against a pole, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Merlin pace.

“Alright,” Gwaine would also be the one to break the silence, “I get that you have to think on your feet a lot. But Merlin, what you’re suggesting is absolute madness!”

“Mad as it may be, we are about to go to war, Gwaine,” Merlin paused, his gaze meeting the gaze of his… considering the circumstances, could they even be considered friends? “War makes one do things that would, under normal circumstance, be considered absolute madness.”

Gwaine opened his mouth, but Merlin knew that he would not argue about this. He knew the stakes, possibly better than Merlin himself did. And he could see no world where Gwaine would not want to do what he could, to help out.

There was a knock on the door, drawing their attention away from each other. And as the door opened, Merlin could see Percival walk in. But as Percival walked over to Gwaine, Merlin found himself observing the servant who closed the door behind him. She looked haunted, scared even. Was she about to tell the king? He hoped not.

“Alright Gwaine, I’m here,” Percival announced, “What do you need?” 

“Nothing,” Gwaine pointed to Merlin, “It was actually Merlin here, who wanted to talk with you.”

“Wha- Merlin?” Percival turned to the man behind him, who barely reacted at the mention of his name, “Okay… what do you need, Merlin?”

“I need to know what your current orders are.”

Percival just stared at him, before uttering the words, “Nothing, as far as I know… why do you want to know that?”

“Because, I have a plan that I need your help with,” He cast a glance to Gwaine, “Both of you.”

“I still say it is madness,” Gwaine sighed, as he lifted himself away from the wall, “But Merlin was our friend, and I am sure he would want us to help you.”

“And I might not yet know what the plan is,” Percival spoke up as well, “But I agree with everything Gwaine just said. We are at your service… for as long as we can be.”

Merlin could only smile as he nodded, “Thank you.”

“Alright… so what is the plan then?”

Gwaine answered before Merlin could, “He intends to use the old cape that the king gave him, to climb down a floor and sneak into a room downstairs.”

Percival just stood there for a moment, before it seemed to click, “I… what?”

“The plan-,” Merlin cast a quick glare to Gwaine, though it went unnoticed, “Is to make it seem like I knocked Gwaine unconscious, so that I can flee. The window part was just the best idea I could come up with, as I was explaining the actual plan.”

“Alright, I understand… though, if you do not intend to go out through the window, how do you intend to get out of here?”

“I, uh…” Merlin cast a quick look around, before letting out a sigh, “Alright, I suppose it will have to be the window then.”

“So your plan is to escape to the floor beneath us. And then what?” Gwaine crossed his arms again, “What exactly are you planning on doing, once you get out of here?”

Merlin paused for a bit, pretending like he was considering his options before he ultimately replied, “I intend to do absolutely nothing. After all, the mere fear of my escape, should be enough to get things moving.”

“So, let me see if I have understood this correctly,” Percival gave him a look, “You want us to help you break out of here, just to… do absolutely nothing?”

“I suppose you can summarize it like that, yes.”

Gwaine and Percival just glanced at each other for a bit, before Gwaine spoke, “Well, that is the sort of plan our Merlin would come up with.”

“So I have heard,” Percival nodded along, “So, I only have one more question. How do you intend to injure Gwaine?”

“Percival!”

“Well-,” Merlin glanced at the knight with a smile, “We just have to fake it, and make it seem like I used my magic against him. Hit him on the back of the head, and have him fake falling unconscious, and it should do the trick. Unless, of course, it is better that I actually send him flying into a wall.”

“No!” Gwaine was shaking his head frantically, “No, we are not doing that!”

The expression on Percival’s face was a clear request that he decide to do it. But Merlin did not really have a proper reaction to it, as his mind had wandered elsewhere.

He found himself walking over to the window, staring out of it for just a few moments before he opened it. And he leaned out, feeling the wind tuck at his hair as he searched for the nearest window. He did his best to ignore the distance to the ground, which was hard, seen as he was forced to look down.

He dragged himself back up. Then, he reached for the cape, as he searched for a hook, or anything to attach it to. But it was already clear that he would need something longer.

So, while Gwaine and Percival were just watching, Merlin strolled across the floor until he was standing next to the bed. Then, he took whatever he could get from there and dragged it back with him. And he attached whatever he could to the base, until he got… something.

Yes, this was a terrible plan. No, Merlin could not guarantee that he made it down to where he wanted to go. But at this point, he was in too deep to not try.

“Now, we have that covered,” Merlin turned back to the knights, “So, there is only one thing left to do.”

Gwaine sighed, “Right. Let us just get this over with.”

“Yes… and thank you,” That caused both Gwaine and Percival to look at him with a look of confusion, “I know we are technically enemies, and that once I am out of that window, we go back to being on different sides… but thank you for helping me.”

Gwaine shook his head, smiling, “We were always on the same side, Merlin. Even if we were never able to prove it to you, and to your Arthur, we were always on the same side.”

“With the same goal,” Percival added with a smile of his own.

“Yes,” Merlin nodded, “And we will see this to the end.”

“We have every bit of faith in you, Merlin. You and Arthur will be what saves us, as you were always meant to be.”

“Okay, not that I want to interrupt this moment-,” Gwaine spoke after a bit, “-but should we not get this ball rolling?”

“Yes, he is right,” Percival nodded, looking at Merlin, “You go and get ready. I will handle Gwaine.”

Merlin nodded, as he turned around and walked back over to the window again. He took the sheet into his hand, just as he heard Gwaine let out a yelp. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that Gwaine was holding onto the back of his head, as Percival was holding onto his sword. It looked like, from what Merlin could see, that Percival had just hit Gwaine on the back of his head, using his sword.

Merlin could only observe for a bit, as Percival was about to turn and walk out of the door. But he must have caught onto the fact that Merlin was still there, as he suddenly turned to him instead.

“Go!”

And Merlin could only give him a quick nod. Then, as Percival disappeared from his line of sight, Merlin climbed out of the window. His grip on the sheet tightened, as he also caught onto it with his other hand. It still took a bit for him to stabilise, and he was almost convinced that it would give out, once the make-shift rope had to hold his entire weight.

But surprisingly, it didn’t. And Merlin was standing semi-well on the wall of the castle, relying on a sheet and an old cape to ensure that he did not fall to his death… well, whatever he would fall down to.

He tried to take a step down, and he could feel the fabric slide in his hands as he did so. He could also tell that his balance was not going to be reliable during this escape, yet he still took that very next step. And then the next one, and then the next.

He was going steady, at least for the time being.

Chapter Text

Merlin was cold.

Well, that was expected, seen as he was currently trying to climb down the castle, using a sheet and a cape as a rope to do so.

What he had not accounted for, was the wind. He should have expected there to be wind, considering he was quite high up, yet it still took him by surprise. Feeling as his make-shift rope followed in the winds direction, as well as feeling the cold wind hit his hands, which made his hands feel even colder.

Merlin could have tried to heat his hands up, using his magic. But there was a chance, and he was well aware of this, that he would lose focus, and possibly plummet past where he wanted to go. And that was not a risk Merlin felt willing to take at this point.

And it was not like it was freezing outside. There was no snow, and nothing the likes of it. There was rain, of course, and Merlin was expecting it to rain for days on end. But the drops of rain were not as cold as they could have been, even if each drop that hit his skin, sent a chill down his spine.

In this moment, Merlin wished he had thought to ask for some warmer clothing, or at least some gloves of some kind. He could feel a burning sensation in the palms of his hands, but he had to bite that back, in favour of continuing his journey down the walls of Camelot.

It was a strange sensation, he would admit. Climbing down the walls of the castle was something he had done before (not that he could specifically point out when that was, but he had a clear memory of doing so before), but it still felt strange to climb down the walls of the castle. Even if he was just going to the floor beneath.

Occasionally, his gaze flew to the open window. There was still light coming from that room, and the window remained open. Which had to mean that Arthur had not yet returned to the room, meaning that he could do so at any minute. Merlin should probably speed up, unless he felt like getting captured again.

But then his heel seemed to kick against something, as the wall seemed not as flat anymore. Merlin stepped over it, and he could feel the glass underneath his feet. He was standing on the window of a room, with no idea as to if there was someone in said room, staring at him.

He was, however, made suddenly aware of the shouting coming from the room that was one floor above. Several voices, in fact, shouting several things that Merlin could not quite make out. But the room seemed to have grown more lively within those few minutes that Merlin had been away.

Instinctively, he started to kick. If he could shatter the glass of that window, before anyone in that room above caught on, and actually looked out of the window, he would be fine. But he had minutes, and possibly no more than seconds, before someone was likely to notice that something was up.

He kicked the glass once, then twice, before adding as much force as he could manage into his third kick. By now, he could hear someone shouting from the open window above. It made him feel anxious, but by his fifth attempt, Merlin had managed to break the window.

He landed on the windowsill, just in time to look up and see Arthur stare at him. That vile look in his eyes was almost enjoyable, and Merlin could not resist the urge to stick his tongue out, something that only seemed to make Arthur furious.

Merlin let go of the rope as he climbed into the room, ignoring the fact that Arthur was barking orders at the men who was in the room with him. He knew better than to stick around, so Merlin ran over the floor, making it over to the door without really looking at whatever room he had made it to.

He opened the door with whatever force remained, ignoring the fact that he ought to close it, as he moved down the hallway, in the opposite direction from where the stairs were. Not that he fancied another trip down the outside walls of the castle.

Fortunately, there were several ways to get down to the dungeons. Merlin just needed to take the chance and get Arthur and the knights off his scent. He could not have them trailing him, as he worked on… whatever he had to work on.

As reluctant as he was to admit it, Merlin did not have a plan beyond his escape. This… he was improvising most of this, and regretfully, it was working out well for him. A bit too well, he would say, which usually meant that it would blow up in his face later on. But for now, though, Merlin just had to keep moving.

But then it hit him. It was not unlikely that Arthur would expect him to go down to the dungeons. That was, after all, where Arthur was keeping Gwen, Morgana, and possibly Lancelot. Was it not then expected for Merlin to go down there, and try to rescue them?

Instead of continuing forwards, Merlin pivoted to the right, with only a vague idea of what he would find as he ventured down the corridor. Somewhere, there may be something that could clue him in on what to do, or where to go. But for the time being, Merlin was merely wandering.

A few servant girls passed him, and he could see how anxious they were. They were silent, and from what he could tell, they did not even dare to look up from the floor as they passed him. For a moment, Merlin was almost worried that they were afraid of him, and he found himself trying to figure out why.

Then he remembered.

And he kept walking.

The hallways were surprisingly empty after that, making Merlin wonder if he should expect something to go wrong very soon. He looked around, and he tried to listen for people, but the only thing he picked up on, was his very own footsteps.

Had the castle been evacuated? No, that could not be. Evacuating the castle would take more time than the knights should have had, before Merlin escaped. And then there were those two servants, who should have been evacuated as well. No, something else had to be happening here.

He found the answer to his questions, when he reached a different hallway. He recognised it, as the hallway with the opening, giving a view of the throne room. An assassin’s dream, if they wanted to execute the king.

But in this very same area, he could hear the sound of swords clashing, of someone yelling, a scream that pierced his ears, and what he could only assume were several speeches given at the same time, meaning that Merlin would not be able to make out a single one of them.

He could feel himself run, with panic having taken hold of his heart. And as expected, he was met with the sight of battle, down in the throne room. Groups of people were still pouring in, swords in hand and an urge to fight. It almost looked like they were trying to overwhelm the few knights who were there.

The room was becoming a mess, and it was getting difficult to make out any one person in the soup of people down there. Merlin tried his best to see if he recognised anyone. Maybe Morgana and Gwen. He would even settle for one of the knights, as long as he knew where he should be watching.

Should he have gone down there and gotten himself involved, instead of standing on this platform and watching? Yes, of course he should have. But one could not fault him for his choice, not when the element of surprise was his biggest weapon.

So Merlin remained up there, observing the scene as it unfolded on the floor beneath him. He saw no sign of Arthur, of either Arthur, which was a relief. The threat of the king’s appearance was still looming over them, but with a great advantage, the fighters may just be able to snag a victory.

But then he saw it. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Morgana and Gwen, valiantly fighting side-by-side, with a knight each on the other side of their blades. Merlin was able to clock the knight that was locked in combat with Morgana as Leon, while Elyan was the one that Gwen had to fight.

Merlin observed them for a bit, waiting to see what would happen. Until he saw the knight that was trying to sneak up on them, probably with the intention of getting a clean kill. But it seemed like neither Gwen nor Morgana had spotted him yet. So, Merlin stepped in.

Using his magic, he forced the knight back into the wall. Then, for the sake of it, he pushed Elyan and Leon away as well, leaving Morgana and Gwen as the only ones standing. He could see them look around in confusion. Then, he could see Gwen whisper something to Morgana, before he watched them both move away from that area.

And it was just about then, that Merlin decided he would need to step in and lend a hand. With reluctance, he abandoned his post up on that walkway, deciding it was time to figure out how to get down there.

Arthur and the lot were probably too preoccupied with the battle, to really care about where Merlin went.

Chapter Text

When Arthur and Kilgharrah made it to the gates, they found the entire area to be void of guards. There was no man in sight.

“They have abandoned their posts,” Arthur stated, not looking at the man next to him as he did.

“Yes, I suppose they would have,” Kilgharrah hummed, “I assume Arthur has called them in to battle.”

“You believe the battle has begun?”

“That is not what I said-,” Kilgharrah gave him a look, “But that assumption is not an illogical one.”

“You need not waste so many words, Kilgharrah. A simple yes, or potentially, would suffice.”  

That did earn him a glare from the old man, but Arthur cared not about it. Instead, he walked in. Past the empty guard stations, and into the city. Only to be immediately met with what smelled like smoke crawling around them and making visibility low.

Arthur could hear Kilgharrah cough next to him, and he found himself instinctively to be covering his nose and mouth. Not that he thought it would do anything, but he could at least pretend like he cared about self-preservation.

He could make out the ruins of a house as they passed it. In fact, he was fairly sure they were walking past a line of ruined homes, where the only remains would be ashes and dust. But there was still no sign of people, no sign of life. One could almost be convinced that Camelot had been abandoned, for one reason or another. But had it actually?

He took each step with caution, as somewhere in the back of his mind, the thought that he might step on a body had made itself known. It was a thought not easily shaken, especially considering everything else they had seen in this world.

The only reason Arthur did not mourn the fact that he had to think like this, was because he knew that the death toll could get much higher if he took the time to mourn things like this. But he would remember to do so later. That was a promise.

Until then, he would have to keep walking with precautions in mind. For as unfair as it was, this was the reality they were up against. And reality would not adapt for them.

He could see a torch up ahead. He could see several in fact, plus a lit fire… it almost looked like whoever was over there had just lit a building on fire, which would explain the smoke. But why would they have lit a fire in the first place? And had they taken out all of the other homes Arthur and Kilgharrah had passed on the way here?

Ignoring the voice in the back of his mind, telling him to conserve his breath, Arthur jogged over to what he soon discovered to be a sort of parade, with the townsfolk carrying torches… and apparently burning guard posts. At least from what Arthur could make out of it.

He could hear someone shout as he approached, though what they said, he was not sure. But soon enough, all eyes were on him, and he could feel the intense glares coming from each and every person in that parade. He was also sure that someone was considering lighting him on fire as well, though he could not point to anyone in particular.

Fortunately for him, there was someone in the crowd who recognised him as himself, not that Arthur Pendragon.

“It is not him,” It sounded like a woman was shouting, “That is the duplicate!”

“Are you sure?” Someone else shouted in response, “He could be lyin’!”

“No, I am. The sword on his hip is not the same sword, as the one the king carries. That is the duplicate.”

And all of a sudden, the tension seemed to vanish from the crowd, as they approached Arthur. He could feel someone pat him on the back, and he could hear a lot of people speak, but he could not quite make out what they were saying. He was not really sure what to do next, as he saw no way out of the newly formed crowd. Not until…

“Alright all of you, stand back!”

The crowd seemed to part as Kilgharrah walked, with anger showing clearly in the way that he moved. He seemed annoyed, both with Arthur, but also with the crowd that had him surrounded. And Arthur was sure he was not the only one who had noticed this, as the whispers seemed to return.

Kilgharrah took hold of his hand, glaring at him before stating very loudly, “Must I remind you that we have a king to overthrow?”

Now, Arthur was sure that his choice of words was deliberate. It would rile up the population, leaving an uncontrollable mess that they would be forced to deal with, at a later time.

The applause from the crowd was immediate, and loud. Arthur would guess that they could hear it inside of the castle itself. And he could not help but wonder if Arthur could also here it, wherever he was. What were his thoughts on this, on how much the people seemed to hate him? Did he even care?

But then again, if he did hear this… what would then happen to the people if the revolution lost? Arthur dreaded the mere thought of it.

Kilgharrah dragged him away, not stopping until they were inside of the castle gates. He only let go of Arthur’s hand when they were standing on the steps to the castle, where there was surprisingly not a single soul to be seen.

“Alright, you remember the plan?” Kilgharrah gave him a look, “Go in, kill Morgause, get out.”

 “I hope you mean that we go in, kill Morgause, and then help out with the fight,” Arthur crossed his arms, “Or do you intend for us to be cowards and flee?”

“That was exactly my thoughts. The others have it handled in here.”

“A fight like this is too unpredictable, and far too important for any of us to be thinking like that,” Arthur crossed his arms, “Either way, I am not leaving here without Merlin. And neither are you.”

“Arthur-,”

“When we met, you told me that you would help me and Merlin get back home, if I helped you. Which I have done, and which I will now do again. So, is it not fair that you uphold your end of our bargain?”

Kilgharrah gave him a strange look, and Arthur did consider if he had to draw his sword or not. But then, the man seemed to just sigh, as he nodded.

“Yes, you are right, of course,” His eyes met with Arthur’s, “Alright. We go in, we get rid of Morgause, and then we get Merlin, and we get out of here. Does that sound better?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“Good. Now, you had better draw your sword.”

Arthur did just that, ensuring to keep it ready as Kilgharrah opened the door. And immediately, the sound of swords hitting against swords, found it’s way into his ears. Arthur and Kilgharrah could barely step into the hallway, before spotting a guard, who had gotten into a sword fight with a boy who looked no older that 12, and a girl who may just have been 14.

There were, in fact, several children who had taken up arms against the guards. Arthur spotted a group of boys, who looked like they may have been just eight years old, overpowering a guard by merely being stronger in number. He could not defend himself from five attackers at once, because he dared not hurt the children.

They kept moving along the corridor, sticking as close to the walls as possible in order to avoid getting caught up in the battles. There was one attack which Arthur had to deflect, but from what he could gather, it had come from a knight who had lost his balance, getting caught up in a fight against two of the older children.

They managed to sneak around the corner, where there were fewer people, which also meant fewer attacks to worry about. But even with the lack of people, the sound of swords clashing seemed to have grown much louder. It seemed likely that the main battle was somewhere nearby.

“I think we can safely say that the battle has begun,” Kilgharrah, who had somehow ended up in the front, was staring at Arthur, “Which must mean that Morgause is in her chambers.”

“Then that is where we must go.”

“Yes,” Kilgharrah looked around, seeming a bit nervous as he continued, “This way, I believe it is.”

As Arthur had no clue as to where Morgause’s chambers would even be, he could only follow Kilgharrah. Further down the hallway they went, with Kilgharrah looking extra nervous, or sometimes confused, which each step he took.

Often, they had to stop just so Kilgharrah could recount their steps. It left Arthur with this strange feeling that Kilgharrah, despite all the previous talk, did not actually know where Morgause had her chambers. And that they may, in fact, be lost.

But then came the scream, that echoed through the hallway.

Arthur had no idea where it came from, though if he had to guess, it came from somewhere up ahead. He could see Kilgharrah shake his head before speeding up, into what could probably be considered a run. And Arthur could only run after him.

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!

Chapter Text

Though he was not sure what to make out about the scene in front of him, Arthur could see the relief in Merlin’s gaze. And he was sure that the thought in Merlin’s mind at that time, was one that mirrored his own. He was alive. Not safe yet, but he was alive.

Arthur wanted to run over to him, to hug him, and to apologise for everything. He just wanted to march out there and beg the man for forgiveness, despite knowing that Merlin was not someone who bore ill will towards anyone.

But then he heard Kilgharrah hiss, “Arthur!”

And he was brought back to reality in an instant, forcing himself to break eye-contact, in favour of continuing on. After all, this fight was bigger than them both, and he would see Merlin later. For now though, both had more important things to take care off.

Merlin had that fight to handle. And Arthur had Morgause.

So, he followed Kilgharrah up the stairs, dodging every person that he could, as they ran through the corridors. Now, despite the fact that he knew this castle in and out, Arthur still felt lost. It might have been all the people who were fighting in the hallways, or the fact that it got seemingly darker the further they went, but Arthur felt lost.

But unlike him, it seemed like Kilgharrah now knew where to go, as he suddenly stopped outside of one of the doors. Arthur did consider asking him how he knew where Morgause's room supposedly was, especially as he had seemed rather lost before, but then the man opened the door. And inside of that room she was, staring out of her window as the battle raged on.

She spoke without turning around, “I see that the citadel has become a battle ground.”

Kilgharrah glanced to Arthur, urging him to reply. And Arthur did, doing his best to keep his voice as neutral as he could, “That was to be expected.”

“Oh well. It was best to get it out of the way.”

Arthur stepped into the room, “And what does that mean?”

“Honey, I know that you care for them, but they would never see you as their king. Not as long as your sister’s rebellion still stands,” She hummed, “But when you come out of this battle victorious, they will have no choice but to respect you.”

Arthur cast a glance to Kilgharrah, who merely looked confused. But of course, she had yet to turn around, so she had not an idea of which Arthur Pendragon she was speaking too. And Arthur did not mind keeping the charade up, for just a bit longer as he gained some answers.

“As It was the way my father did it.”

“As it was the way your father did it,” Morgause nodded, “He would be so proud of you.”

“Except, I used magic as aid.”

“Oh yes, but did he not do the same?" Morgause shrugged, "In fact, I would say you have shown great restraint, by only ever putting a spell on those two knights of yours.”

Two knights? So, this spell, whatever it was, only counted for two knights? Arthur was beginning to wonder if she knew who he was, and that she was messing with him. For why would you only cast a spell on two of your knights?

“Remind me again, who they were?” He tried, “Then I know who to assign to aid in your escape.”

“But my dear boy, I do not need escape,” She chuckled, “For I am sure you will ensure that the rebels never reach me.”

And that was Kilgharrah’s cue, as he crossed his arms, “Oh, I would not count on that.”

Only now did Morgause turn around, and her smile seemed to vanish the moment her eyes met with Arthur’s. But Arthur remained stoic, though his grip on his sword seemed to tighten, just a bit. And though he did not look at him, Arthur could tell that Kilgharrah was amused.

“Just your luck, Morgause,” He chuckled, “Spilling vital information to the wrong Arthur.”

“Yes, but you forget,” Morgause smirked, “Arthur will not use that sword against me.”

“And whatever makes you think that?”

“For if he did, he would have to watch his mother die by his hand. I imagine watching Merlin was hard enough,” Morgause turned her attention back to Arthur, “Can he truly add his mother onto the pile?”

Now, if he was completely honest, Arthur wanted nothing more than to run his sword through Morgause, right then and there. And he knew it was Morgause, though she wore his mother’s face. But he also knew that Morgause would use that to her advantage, adding onto Arthur’s already high pile of guilt. And unfortunately, that thought made him hesitate. Which, the witch noticed. 

“I knew it,” He caught glimpse of the smile on the woman’s face, “In fact, I doubt the two Arthurs are as different as he wants them to be. In the end, neither one of them could ever harm their mother.”

“You are not my mother,” Arthur spat back.

“Then why are you not attacking me? Why do I not currently have a sword sticking through my stomach?”

And Arthur only bit his tongue. Patience, he had to have patience.

At least Morgause seemed just about ready to move on from him, instead wandering over to Kilgharrah, “And you… well, I must admit, you did your duty well. Though, it seems your allegiance have changed, since we last spoke.”

“Oh, my lady. My allegiance never changed,” Kilgharrah replied with a smile, “It was just never with you.”

“Even so, you did exactly what I wanted. So, I will still hold up my side of the bargain.”

Arthur caught the man’s gaze. And it seemed like Kilgharrah could sense some hesitation within him, as Arthur only received a glare, followed by a slight nod.

So, now that her back was turned to him, chanting words that Arthur would never understand, he took the chance, and he ran his sword through her. And she stopped speaking, attempting to turn to face him, but she could not make it all the way before Arthur pulled his sword out, and she collapsed to the floor.

“A-Arthur…?”

“Congratulations, my lady,” Kilgharrah wandered around her, so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with Arthur, “You have just been slain by the blade that was last used on the mighty Emrys. Do you not feel blessed?”

And Morgause only cast him a quick glare, before she turned her head back to Arthur. But as her illusion had worn off when he stabbed her, Arthur saw only the rageful eyes of a woman whose life was slipping away from her. He knelt down, so that they were eye to eye.

“I think I understand now, Morgause,” He could only shoot her a quick smile as he continued, “You must loathe the idea that you are not the strongest person when it comes to magic. But there was no other way for you to gain the means to kill him, and then there was the half-sister who slipped away… and what were you left with? A shattered king, and a rather big list of people who wanted you dead. So of course you had to embrace the role as his mother, for at this point, you could be nothing else. Not if you were to ever stand a chance of getting what you wanted.”

Morgause could only glare at him, and Arthur suspected that she had lost the strength she would need in order to speak. But it could not be long now; little more than mere minutes, until death would come for her too, just as it had come for her victims before. But he had one more thing to say to her first.

“Had it not been me, it would have been someone else. Either way, you would never have made it out of this alive.”

He rose to his feet, remaining unaware of if she had heard him or not, as he turned his back to her. Kilgharrah stood behind him, a look of pride in his eyes, as his arms remained crossed over his chest.

“If I can say, you handled that wonderfully.”

“Thank you,” Arthur gave him a small smile, “And I truly am sorry that you lost your chance to become a dragon again.”

“Oh, she had no good intentions with that spell,” Kilgharrah cast a look around, “Had she preformed the spell in here, it would have brought down this room and the next.”

“And I would most likely die.”

“I believe that was the only reason she had any intention of preforming that spell, yes.”

“Either way, I am sorry.”

“Well, if you truly are,” Kilgharrah placed a hand on his shoulder, “Then head down there and make sure that my sacrifice was not made in vain.”

Arthur gave the man a quick nod, not bothering to clean the blood off his sword as he hurried out of the room. If he was lucky, Merlin would still be in the same area as he had been, when Arthur had seen him last. He could only hope that was the case, as Arthur had quite a lot of information that he thought Merlin might like to have.

Chapter Text

Merlin was barely able to react to the fact that he had just seen Arthur leave, before someone pushed him. He landed on the floor, and was given just enough time to look up, where he could see a sword as it was pierced through Gwen’s body… and realization struck, that had he still sat there, it would have pierced through him instead.

He jumped to his feet, as Gwaine tried once more to land a hit on him. With every step that Merlin took, Gwaine would follow, swinging his sword around in front of him, as he tried to somehow find a way to mirror Merlin’s movements. If he was trying to land a hit, or intentionally trying to miss, was currently up for debate.

But that was not the thing that truly got to him. The thing that got to him, was that look of pure agony in Gwaine’s eyes, where each step he took looked like it was more painful than the last.

And as aware he had been of the fact that the knights of Camelot would have to fight against the people they had sworn to protect, as well as a cause they had seemed rather eager to support, it had not quite settled until he laid eyes on Gwaine. In this very moment he realised what that feeling, what that pain, must have meant to them.  

And then there was this. For sure, Merlin had been aware of the fact that he could not rely on the knights in this battle, as they were aware that they could not be relied on. But to be faced with the fact that Gwaine was trying to run a sword through him, was still difficult.  

From behind him, Merlin could see that Morgana had risen to her feet as well, though she was blocked from interfering by both Elyan and Arthur, who had apparently decided that the best way to hold her back, was to attack her together. He could only assume that they were trying to overwhelm her, but it was very clear that their attempts were not working.

But Merlin was also made suddenly aware of the fact that Gwaine was also pushing him towards Percival and Leon, who were essentially just waiting for him, with their swords in hand. Meaning, he would have to think of some kind of plan fast, less he wanted to be cornered by them.

He was also suddenly aware of the fact that he had no sword. And his mind was suddenly going blank, as he could not remember a single spell that could get him out of this, without also gravely injuring the knights or anyone else in the vicinity.

Well… there was always…

“Ahatian!”

He could see Gwaine stop and just stare at him for a moment, before seemingly registering what he had done, as the sword fell to the ground. Merlin took the chance to slip away and run, remaining fully aware of the fact that both Leon and Percival would be chasing after him. But that was okay. Doing it like this gave him some more time to think.

He did consider as many of his options as he could. He checked for the chandelier, only to find that it had been removed at some point. He did also consider leaping out through the window, and then just running back inside. But he dared not leave Morgana to herself, not so soon after Gwen’s death.

Glancing at one of the unlit torches, he came to realise that he could summon a fire. If it was strong enough, that might be enough to distract Leon, Percival, and Gwaine, the latter of whom had recently rejoined the chase. And if they were distracted, he might just be able to slip away from them.

At this point, it was worth a try. So, he held his arm out, aiming at the unlit torches as he yelled,

“Forbearnahn!”

The torches lit on fire as Merlin passed them. And he turned around, only watching as the fire reached out to stop the three knights, practically holding them in place and giving Merlin just the time he needed to slip away.

If only there was someplace, he could slip away to. But no, that would require him to leave the room. And as much as he wanted to leave, and to head out there to search for Arthur, he knew very well that right now, Morgana needed him more than Arthur did. So, it was by her side he would stay. Plus, Arthur knew where he was.

But all this meant, was that Merlin would not truly be able to get away. For the knights would catch sight of him at any moment, and they would once again lay chase. So all he could realistically do, was prepare to stun them, in one way or another.

Unfortunately, he had spent his time lost in his own mind, therefore not really paying attention to where he was going. Which was how, he almost managed to get himself decapitated by the sword of a random man, who had not seen him coming.

Merlin managed to stumble around him, but in the confusion, he had not realised that Leon, Gwaine, and Percival had located, and were now trying to encircle him again. He could, of course, try his former trick again, but he had this strange feeling that it would not work this time.

Oh, had he just picked up a sword on his way.

Looking around at the three of them, he could see sadness present in their expressions. Though it was especially clear in Gwaine and Percival, he could see it well in Leon as well. They did not like this, but what else were they meant to do? They could not rebel, no matter how hard they tried to.

“Merlin,” Gwaine spoke up, his voice low and hoarse, “Please, forgive us.”

Despite knowing that he was not talking about him, but rather the other Merlin, he could still not stop himself from replying, “I do. I forgive you.”

And he closed his eyes, awaiting the pain that would usually follow, when people tried to kill him. But he could not feel anything, and the only thing he could hear, was the clinging sound of a sword, hitting another sword. He opened his eyes, and…

Arthur…

Arthur was standing in front of him, having managed to block both Leon and Percival’s swords, before they made contact with Merlin. And Merlin could see that Gwaine’s sword was laying on the ground, next to the very confused knight. He could not resist the urge, so he used his magic to push it further away, before turning his back to the knight.

“Arthur!”

“Merlin,” Arthur only bothered with a small smile, before asking, “Care to give me a hand?”

Arthur was able to hold the two knights at bay, giving Merlin the chance to send them flying. And with Gwaine now lacking a sword, as that had flown off to who knew where, that gave Arthur and Merlin some time to catch up.

After a hug, of course.

“Okay, okay,” Arthur forced himself free after a few seconds, “I am really happy to see you too, Merlin. But keep in mind, we are still on a battlefield.”

“Trust me, I have not forgotten,” Merlin caught sight of an older man as he walked towards them, “Hold on. Is that-,”

“Kilgharrah? Yes, I am afraid so.”

Kilgharrah reached out a hand to Merlin, “Hello, young warlock. It is an honour to meet you.”

Merlin took his hand, though hesitantly, “You too…”

It was strange to see the Dragon in human form. He looked… old. Sure, Merlin knew that Kilgharrah was old, but to actually see it reflected… it was a different, semi-indescribable feeling, and something that Merlin knew he would bring up with their Kilgharrah, whenever he saw the dragon next.

His attention was drawn back to Arthur, when the man said, “It seems like we might have missed a thing or two.”

“Funny,” Merlin replied, “I was just about to say the same thing to you.”

And it looked like Arthur was almost shrinking away, looking like he was afraid to talk about whatever had happened. But Merlin could see him nod, at least acknowledging that something had happened.

“Arthur, you did what you had to,” Kilgharrah spoke, “His death was necessary.”

“And so you have said,” Arthur cast the man a glare, “Repeatedly. For the past twelve hours, as we walked back to Camelot. And then again, for the five minutes it took us to get from Morgause’s chambers, and down here.”

And Merlin could only look at Arthur as he asked, “Wait… what were you doing in Morgause’s chambers?!”

“We confronted her… and then, I killed her,” Once again, Arthur sounded sheepish as he replied, “Oh, but she did say something about the curse.”

That made Merlin’s heart beat much faster, excitement present in his tone as he spoke, “What did she say?”

“When she thought I was… well, the other me, she said that Arthur only had two of his knights cursed. But she never told me which ones.”

“Which is a shame,” Merlin shook his head, “It means we will still have to treat them all as cursed.”

“Yes, but- woah!”

When Merlin looked up, he could see Arthur, both Arthurs, with their swords drawn, clashed against each other. One of them working defence, as the other one, who’s anger was as clear as day, tried to find an opening.

“MY MOTHER-,” He screamed, “-HOW DARE YOU KILL MY MOTHER?!”

Chapter Text

Arthur could feel the anger of his other self, each time their swords met. For each time they did, he seemed to be hitting him just a bit harder than before, almost acting as if taking out Arthur would somehow bring his mother back to him.

“FIRST MY HUSBAND,” He hit his sword against Arthur’s again, “THEN MY MOTHER,” And again, “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO-,” And again, “-TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME?!”

Arthur could feel himself be pushed back a bit with each hit, but he was able to maintain his defence… well, as well as he could. He was trying to find some way to disarm him, but he could tell that any attempt in doing that right now, would lead to the other Arthur gaining the chance to split his head open.

Arthur tried his best to match each of his counterpart’s sudden movements, whilst also trying to stay in place. He knew that Merlin and Kilgharrah had been behind him, but he was not sure if they currently still were. So, he wanted to play it safe, until he could be sure as to where they were standing, to avoid giving the other one any kind of leverage.

The attacks were becoming almost relentless. And Arthur was forced to step back, just to give himself the leeway to handle it. Fully aware of the fact that he needed to go on the offense, or else he would be stuck until either he tired, or the other Arthur tired… and it was very clear, who would tire first.

But then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Merlin. It looked like he wanted to step in, but how the hell was he meant to do that, without injuring both Arthur’s in the process?

Either way, it gave Arthur the chance he needed.

When the other Arthur lunged at him once more, Arthur decided to step to the side. Then, when the other one held his sword up again, Arthur was faster. This time, he was the one to go on the offensive, swinging his sword as fast as he could, whilst also focusing on maintaining his balance.

Arthur moved as swiftly as he could, pushing the other Arthur in the direction he wanted to go. For he had no actual intention of fighting him, and especially not injuring him. No, this man was far enough down, without Arthur having to make the situation worse.

But in his anger, it seemed like the other Arthur had forgotten about something important. Something, that Arthur was intending to use to his full advantage, when it came to disarming the man, who could very clearly not be talked down from his rage.

When one is walking backwards, especially while in a fight, one should generally try to be aware of their surroundings. If not, it is very easy to make the mistake of falling over a surprise obstacle, that one was previously not aware of.

Like a step. However small it is.

Arthur watched as the other Arthur fell to the ground, dropping his sword as he did so. He did consider it. He did consider running this sword through the man’s chest. But had he not killed enough people these past few days?

Morgana appeared beside him, stopping only to pick up the other Arthur’s sword before she made her way over to the two men. And Arthur could see the conflict in her eyes, as she stared down the man she called her brother, with some strange mixture of anger and tears in her eyes.

“So,” She seemed to have settled with glaring at him, “Now it is your turn to be the one on that side of the blade.”

There was no reply, but Arthur could feel the intense glare, even if he was not looking at his counterpart’s face. He was still looking at the man’s hands, or his feet, as he spoke.

“Let us end this quietly,” His gaze moved up slowly, taking in the state of the man in front of him, “Which two knights did you have cursed?”

“Is that really all that you care about?!” The other Arthur asked, his tone mocking, “They are knights! They are meant to die!”

“But not like this,” Morgana countered, “They are meant to die in combat, or preferably by old age. Not because they have better morals than the king.”

“But they have also given themselves to service, Morgana. You must understand that, when they give themselves up to service, they also give the promise to do whatever the king asks.”

“Yes, but this… what you have done here, is absolute madness!”

“And we want this to end,” Arthur spoke up before the other one could, “So just tell us who you got Morgause to curse, so we can finish this!”

“Oh, Arthur, Arthur,” The man shook his head, “Whyever would I tell you that?”

“Because deep down, you actually do care. Maybe not about them, but you care about Merlin, and having spent five minutes with him-,” Arthur was glaring at the other one, just praying that he did not catch onto the lie, “- I know for a fact that he did not want this! As we have been trying to tell you all along!”

Morgana chimed in, “So please, Arthur. Do this one thing right. For Merlin.”

Arthur’s gaze seemed to drift between them both. Then, he closed his eyes, as any sign of his previous rage seemed to vanish, replaced by a strange calmness that was almost scary to see.

“Only my mother knew who it was,” He finally told them, “So, if it is true that she is dead, that information died with her.”

It was like someone had shot an arrow through his heart. And though he could not afford to look around, Arthur could imagine the reaction of the people who were standing around behind him. They were not out of the woods yet, and if what they had just been told was true, the knights were still in danger.

“So, you have nothing?” Morgana was staring at him, “You just… you left all of this up to your mum?!”

“Yes, I did,” He nodded, “For at least I could trust that she wanted what was best for me.”  

“She really didn’t-,” Arthur shook his head, “-she used you, Arthur. She used you, because that was the only way for her to remain safe. She had nothing else.”

Arthur was just staring into his own eyes, watching as whatever determination, whatever hope that had been there, was now slowly ebbing away. He looked lost. And staring at him like this, almost made Arthur miss what happened next.

But he moved his sword just in time, managing to hit the person lunging at Arthur in the chest, using the fuller part of the blade. And he could only watch, as Lancelot stepped back, right into the waiting arms of Percival.

“Lancelot!” Morgana glared at him, “What are you doing?!”

But Lancelot said nothing, though notably, he never took his eyes off Arthur either. But the king did nothing, just staring at the man like he was longing for death. Again, it was a pitiful sight, and it almost made Arthur sad to see.

It almost looked like Lancelot was in a trance of sorts. He was waving his arms, attempting to free himself from Percival’s grip, ready to jump at king Arthur like he was a hunter, trying to hunt down and capture his prey.

Arthur glanced over at Merlin, and he could see that same worried look in his eyes, as the one Arthur currently sat with. That feeling that somehow, someway, they were not all going to walk out of this in one piece.

But he had not been prepared for it to happen as quickly as it did.

Gwaine and Leon had moved in, in an attempt to help Percival gain control of Lancelot. But because Lancelot was waving that dagger around, they had struggled to get too close to him. And… Arthur was not really sure about what had happened next, or especially not how it had happened. But before anyone knew it, Lancelot had managed to free himself…

And Percival fell to the ground.

The incident had apparently also shaken Lancelot out of his apparent rage, as he now stood there, staring at the body of a man he had once called a friend. Behind him, Gwaine moved swiftly, gaining control of the weapon, as well as Lancelot’s arms.

But it did not matter that much now. Lancelot seemed to be frozen in shock, staring down at the body of Percival. All while Leon sat next to him, trying to assess the damage, before finally looking up at the crowd that was awaiting news.

“He… is dead.”

Morgana was the first one to regain her voice, “H-how?”

“There is blood on the dagger,” Gwaine remarked, “Is there a sign of where it might have hit?”

“Uh… yes,” Leon nodded, “There is blood on the side of his neck.”

Arthur cast a glance towards Merlin, “Merlin?”

“Oh, uh…” Merlin looked deep in thought for a bit, before their eyes met, “If Lancelot hit the right area... it would be possible for Percival to die from the injuries.”  

“So he-,”

“Would have died because he was silently suffocating,” Merlin replied, “If I should guess, the injury happened about one-two minutes before he collapsed. No more than three.”

“Was there any chance of saving him?”

Merlin shook his head, “No."

Chapter Text

The death of Percival would prove to be the end of the battle. No one saw any reason to fight anymore, now that the king had been captured. 

People were mourning, as the bodies of their friends were scattered around the room. Arthur had seen someone cry, but it had been so silent, that he had frankly almost missed it. Which meant that he had almost lost track of who lived, and who died.  

And if there was anything about the aftermath of this battle that bothered him, it was the fact that the people mourned in silence. He had expected them to cry, or to actually say something. He had expected to at least hear it, because he knew that families had been ripped apart over this. And he was almost sure that Elyan was not the only one who had taken the life of a relative. 

Looking around the room, the first thing he saw was that Morgana and Elyan were trying to handle Guinevere’s body. But they were failing, as both of them seemed lost, and rather out of it, struggling with every attempt they made to move her. Yet, Arthur did not dare to offer to help them. This was something he knew they wanted to do on their own, and he would respect that.

Next, was Lancelot and Gwaine, trying their best to handle Percival’s body. Arthur was still not sure just how Lancelot had managed to take Percival’s life, as from where he was when this happened, the injury did not look fatal. But he would acknowledge that he was wrong about that. And by just looking at the scene, he could tell that this was something Lancelot would have to live with for quite a long time. But he would pull through.

The third thing that caught his eye, was Merlin. He was standing off to the side with Kilgharrah, whispering something that Arthur could not quite catch. But he could guess that it had something to do with the fate of this world, and with Merlin trying to work out how to get them home to their universe.

He suspected that Merlin was doing his best to avoid the grief. He was rushing through this, because he did not want to deal with the consequences of the battle, or the fact that he had watched his own friends die. Even though he would be able to go back to their Camelot and see them again, it was not quite the same. For he would still have seen their dead bodies, and that would be all he could see when he looked at them.

It was a feeling that Arthur had come to know well by now.

The final thing worth noting in this room, was the king himself. King Arthur, sitting on the stairs that lead to his throne as Leon stood guard of him. He was probably the only one who did not look like he was grieving, despite the fact that he had lost both his husband and his mum, during the last… what would it be, two days? Arthur was losing count.

But maybe this was the thing that pulled Arthur over in his direction. The desire to figure out what was driving the man who shared his face. Especially now that he had seemingly lost just about everything that he had previously claimed mattered to him.

The man barely acknowledged him as Arthur sat down, but he could see that Leon, Morgana, and Merlin were all keeping a very close eye on the situation. But Arthur chose not to care about this. For just a few moments, it would only be himself, and… well, himself.

But why did it surprise Arthur, when his counterpart spoke up first?

“I thought I understood you,” The man did not look at him as he said this, “There was a while there, where I really thought I had you figured out.”

Arthur glanced in his direction, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” The other Arthur nodded, “And I suppose you disappointed me, as much as I must have disappointed you.”

“I take it, you blame me for the deaths of your husband, and of your mother,” Arthur sighed, “Have they shown you the body of your mother yet?”

“No. I assume it is still in the room that you killed her in.”

“That might be…”

Silence fell between them, as both Arthur’s were just staring ahead. And Arthur did consider saying something else but found that the words would not come. And even if he did know what to say, was there ever a guarantee that he would actually get a proper response, that did not also double as extremely cold, and almost tactical?

But then, he heard it. The laughter. And he could not help it, as he turned his head, searching for the source of it. Only to find that the source of it, was the man sitting right next to him. Going by his facial expression alone, it was quite hard to tell if he was actually humoured, or in great pain. And the laughter did not help.

“I lost everything,” Arthur thought he could hear him whisper, “Absolutely everything…”

“No, you have not,” Arthur spoke up a bit louder, trying to speak over his laughter, “You still have your sister, and friends who want to help you.”

Arthur could tell that they had just caught the attention of just about everyone that was nearby. He could also tell that both Merlin and Morgana were considering if they should step in or not. But Arthur could not bring himself to take his eyes off the man next to him.

As much as he had wanted to try and figure out what drove this man, Arthur found himself back on guard, almost expecting this man to attack him at any moment.

But Arthur only paused, giving his counterpart a strange sort of side-eye, “If they wanted to help me, they would not be looking at me as if they feared me. And neither would you.”

“Yes, yes, you are absolutely right,” Arthur nodded, though he remained on guard, “But you must realise that with everything going on, everyone will be on guard for a bit. At least until things settle down.”

“Arthur,” Merlin had stepped closer, “Arthur, I think it is best if you leave him alone.”

“Yes, your servant might be right,” The man next to him nodded, “Perhaps you should leave me alone. After all, we would not want to risk the face of Camelot, would we?”

And just like that, the other Arthur swung a dagger at him. Now, where he got that dagger from, was unclear. But Arthur could only fall back in surprise, as Leon practically tackled him to the ground. He was watching as Leon, who was soon joined by Elyan, tried to wrestle the dagger out of his hand, while the king was waving it around like it was a mere toy.

Arthur’s hand rose to his face, though very slowly. And he let his fingers brush against the sudden tear on his cheek, which was fortunately just a flesh wound, from what he could tell.

Merlin was by his side within moments, and Arthur could suddenly see just how clear his eyes were. But they were also filled with worry, as he reached his hand out. And Arthur did consider not moving, but he knew what Merlin was after. So, he moved his head a bit to the side, to let Merlin get a look at the wound, and to hopefully ease his worries.

Merlin stepped back, “Looks like it is just a flesh wound.”

“Yes, I figured,” Arthur chuckled weakly, glancing past Merlin, “I doubt he could do much to hurt me.”

But as he caught sight of the scene that was ongoing behind Merlin’s shoulder, he froze. For, he had now idea what had happened, but he could see Elyan and Gwaine wrestle Arthur to the ground. And just behind them, he could see Lancelot turn the body that could only belong to Leon.

Leon seemed quite lifeless where he was. Though he seemed completely fine, except for the fact that Arthur had apparently managed to plunge his dagger straight into Leon’s eye. Arthur could see some blood, or at least something that he thought was blood. But Leon did not make any visible movements… did that mean he was dead? Or was it just the shock?

Merlin had also turned, and Arthur could feel his grip tighten against Arthur’s bicep. But Merlin made no sound, as neither did Arthur, nor Lancelot, nor anyone else at the scene. There was only the other Arthur, who laid there on the ground, fighting against the knights as he seemed to cackle to his heart’s content.

Arthur had to remind himself to breathe. And he remained locked in Merlin’s grip, as Merlin remained locked in his. For he feared that if either of them let the other one go, then one of them would fall for temptation, and go kick the other Arthur.

Arthur could not help but wish that Lancelot had succeeded, when he went in for the kill.

Chapter Text

The only audible sound, the sound that truly echoed through the entire room and pierced the ears of the people in there, was the sound of the other Arthur’s cackle. Everyone else had gone quiet, and the few grunts made by Elyan and Gwaine as they attempted to restrain him, was lost in the sound of Arthur’s cackle.

Some were looking over Leon, who seemed rather chipper considering how he had just lost sight in one of his eyes, while others where trying to figure out what to do with the other deceased. And it was evident that Lancelot was still trying to comprehend the mistake he had just made, as his expression looked confused, his gaze moving between Percival’s body, and the dagger drenched in blood, that currently lay by Leon's feet.

Merlin caught Arthur’s gaze, and though his reaction was one of mourning, as expected, Arthur noticed how he did not truly seem as fazed about this, as everyone else was. Which, of course, made sense as Arthur was also not as bothered. They did, after all, have their own friends to go back to, all of whom were still alive. But even so, Merlin seemed a bit too unfazed by it.

Morgana was probably the only one looking at her brother, as Arthur could hear her mumble, “He has truly gone mad.”

“Yes, it appears so,” Arthur nodded, “I am beginning to understand why Merlin wanted to die.”

And that seemed to be the next thing to catch everyone by surprise, as even Merlin seemed caught off guard by his statement. But Arthur’s gaze moved to his counterpart, who’s cackles seemed to have gotten caught up in his throat, as he joined the group of people who were now staring at Arthur, waiting for an explanation.

Only Morgana seemed to dare to speak, “Merlin… wanted to die?”

“Explaining it like that does not give the story justice, but yes,” Kilgharrah spoke up when Arthur did not, “Merlin was not unaware of what Morgause was doing to him. In fact, had he not been aware, and acted accordingly, he would have fallen much sooner than he had, leaving us all in the never-ending nightmare that Morgause wished to enact upon us all.”

“I… am really not following.”

“Merlin knew what he was doing in those last moments,” Arthur explained, having finally found the words, “He knew that he would have to give up his life for Camelot. And for all of you.”

Those few moments of confidence that Arthur had, seemed only to shatter the moment he saw the tears form in Morganas eyes, or the fact that Lancelot had stopped fighting, and was now leaning on Gwaine for support. And his gaze lingered on the man that shared his face, who looked like the world had just shattered right in front of him.

Arthur, deeming him to be less off a threat than previously, decided to approach him once more. He sat down on his knees, so that he was at eye level with the man in front of him. And the man looked up at him, allowing their eyes to meet for just a moment, before he uttered a single sentence.

“He did all of this… because of me?”

Arthur was not sure how to respond to that at first. Hearing the man sound so shattered, so unsure, and not like the man they had dealt with over the past week caught him off guard. But by now, he felt like he had gained a fairly good understanding of the character that was his alternate self. So perhaps it was best to just be blunt about it.

“He did all of this because he loved you,” Arthur replied, “Because despite how awful you were, despite how much of a prat you… that you could be, Merlin would still be there, loving you as much as he loved the world itself. And he only wanted the best for you… even if that was a world without him in it.”

“But how could he think that the best world for me, is a world without him?”

Arthur could only look into the eyes of the person in front of him, who suddenly seemed so lost and confused, and not at all like the man, the king, who had tried to kill them all just hours ago. And though he truly wanted to hand this conversation over to someone else, it might just be for the better if the words came from Arthur instead.

“I suspect he recognised that your bond was not healthy,” Arthur held a hand up when the other him was about to protest, “Upon your father’s death, you sought comfort in the only other person who was with you through it all. It led to an unhealthy bond where I believe you became too dependent on him. And when he acted out of line, by your standards, you would use your sword to teach him a lesson… that is not healthy, nor is it love.”

And when Arthur fell silent, he made sure to keep his attention on his other self. Who was no longer looking at him, but instead, staring out at who knows what, looking like he was deep in thought as a tear spilled from his eye.

Arthur did want to hope that his tears were a sign of regret, but at this point, he dared not to be sure about it. After… well, after everything this man had done, Arthur dared not assume that he would not try to fool them again. He could not bring himself to.

“Listen to me,” Arthur spoke up again, attracting the attention of the man in front of him, “There is no reality where this is not your fault. A lot of people have been hurt, or even killed, because of your actions. And I doubt you will ever truly be able to make it right. But if Merlin still had faith in you, then I am choosing to have faith in you too. For as annoying as he can sometimes be, he has a tendency to be right about most things.”

Arthur sat back a bit, taking a moment to observe the silent reaction of the other Arthur. 

It was not that he could not handle it. It was not that he could not look into what was essentially just his own eyes, filled with pain that he could understand very well, yet also not at all. But he did understand it, even though he was not the one who currently had to deal with it.

It had been in the back of his mind for a bit now, that perhaps Merlins and Arthurs love was not as… genuine as it seemed at first glance. He would not deny that there might have been feelings there, but if there was, it was still a relationship built on the bonds of a shared experience, that was also a traumatic thing for one of them.

And that trauma had spilled into the relationship, leaving Arthur lusting for Merlin to the point where he would become violent and abusive if he thought that Merlin had left him, and an empty shell of himself, once it was confirmed that Merlin was dead.

“You have a lot of self-improvement to do,” Arthur continued, staring into the eyes of the man that sat in front of him, “Things are not going to be easy for you in the foreseeable future. But I urge you to take this chance you have been given and turn things around. And one day, when you come face-to-face with Merlin once more, show him that you could improve. Show him that you can be someone which he could be proud off.”

Arthur made the choice to step back, sure that he was not the only one who wanted to speak. And he watched as Morgana took his place in front of her brother, seeming exhausted, yet also relieved. She placed a hand on her brother’s knee, speaking not a word until Arthur looked up at her.

“Arthur,” She spoke, her tone soft, “We want to help you. And somehow, we will get through this. Together, as it should always have been.”

“How can you be so forgiving? After everything-,”

“I recognise that you just wanted a happy life, like the rest of us. But that desire, it… it turned you into a monster. And though that is a truth we need to acknowledge, and handle, it does not mean we need to turn our backs on you. You are still Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot, and the man who brought most of us together. And you were just as much a victim of circumstance as the rest of us.”

Arthur did not listen to any more of what was said, choosing this to be the perfect time to slip out of the room. No one was really paying attention to him anymore, and it seemed like a chance worth taking, if only to gather himself.

For it is not often spoken off, how much something like this could affect you. Though that was probably because not many had to fight an alternate version of themselves, kill their alternate universe husband and woman posing as their mother, and barely be afforded a minute to gather themselves afterwards.

Arthur just needed a minute to sit down and process… well, everything that had happened in the past few days, and he would rather to so alone. He did not want to draw the attention away from the Arthur Pendragon who actually needed help in this moment.

He would catch up with the group later.

Chapter Text

Arthur had no idea how long he had been here for. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours. He had not seen a single soul in that time, though that was probably because no one knew where he had gone. He had just… left. He had sought refuge in what was his room… well, at least this was his room, back in his Camelot.

He cast another glance around the room. This room looked so much like his own that it was almost frightening. For where were the signs that there had once been another one here? Where were the signs that another person had lived in this room, had slept in that bed, and had eaten at this very table? Why did it look so much like Arthur’s chambers, if it was shared by two of them?

Arthur could only close his eyes, resting his head in his hands as he just sat there. For faced with the possible reality of the thing he had feared for a bit now, he needed just a moment to take it in, and to mourn. 

And a moment was all he was given.

“There you are, Arthur,” Arthur barely bothered to look up, as Merlin walked into the room, “I thought you went to get some fresh air?”

Arthur sighed, bracing himself for the oncoming conversation, “I took a wrong turn.”

“I know you better than that, Arthur,” Merlin pulled out the seat opposite of the one Arthur sat in, “What is bothering you?”

“Nothing,” Arthur replied, “I am just… tired, I suppose.”

But it was clear that Merlin did not believe him. And if he was honest, Arthur would not have believed himself. The words that came out of his mouth had sounded too forced, and everything but convincing. But he was not about to have a heart-to-heart, not here. Not now.

“Tired and full of surprises,” It seemed clear, however, that Merlin had no intention of letting it go just yet, “But I actually think you got through to him. And that there are a lot of people downstairs, who have a lot of reflecting to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind that,” Merlin sat forwards, resting his elbows on the table, “Arthur, I can tell something is bothering you. What is it?”

“Shame, I suppose,” Arthur let out a dry chuckle, “All this, everything we have seen here, could have happened in our Camelot too. I could have caused this to happen to my people.”

“Yes, but you did not do so. You were better.”

Arthur gave Merlin a look, “I wish I could defend myself as easily as you seem able to. Especially considering how I took your counterpart’s life, just a few days ago.”

“Well, someone has to keep a clear head, considering how you seem to be drowning in guilt,” Merlin sat back, “Because I do suspect that this goes beyond the simple guilt of what your counterpart did, or the lives you were forced to take, in order to stop it.”

“And you would be right again,” Arthur finally looked at Merlin properly, which seemed to cause the other man to sit back a bit, “I am afraid, Merlin. I am afraid to love, because it seems like the only thing I can give those I love, is pain.”

“I am sure Gwen will forgive you, once she finds out what actually happened.”

But Arthur’s expression remained stoic, as he replied, “I did not mean Guinevere.”

“Alright… then who were you talking about?”

Arthur sighed, but he did not respond. But his gaze remained locked on Merlin, as he tried to keep his annoyance in check. He did not think, nor did he want to spell it out for the man in front of him, but he was faced with the fact that he might just have to do that.

“Arthur,” Merlin’s words caught his attention, “I’m sorry, but I am struggling to understand.”

“You,” Arthur finally replied, a hint of sadness present in his voice, “I meant you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Arthur sat back, “Honestly Merlin, these past few days have been amazing, and I am truly honoured to have been given the chance to get to know the real you. And when you do not hide away, you are a truly amazing person, with a kind smile, a great attitude and a sense of justice, unlike anything I have ever encountered before. And that is only scratching the surface of it all. Honestly, it is practically impossible to not fall in love with you.”

And as the words escaped from his mouth, Arthur paused. He could see a look of cold confusion in Merlin’s eyes, studying his own as if he was trying to work out whether Arthur was serious or not. And Arthur could probably fake it, pretend like he was not serious. But he did not want to do that.

He took in a deep breath, before continuing, “Do you now understand, why I am scared?”

“You are scared, because you have seen what can happen if you allow yourself to listen to your heart,” Merlin’s eyes met with Arthur’s, “Am I right?”

“Yes,” Arthur nodded, “You are spot on.”

But much to Arthur’s surprise, Merlin’s expression softened, as he placed a hand on top of Arthur’s. And when Arthur did look up, he could see a small smile on Merlin’s lips.

“Do you remember, back when we first arrived here? The stand-off with Arthur and his men?”

Arthur nodded, “Yes, I remember.”

“As much of a jumbled mess that conversation was, you said something that day, something that stuck with me,” Merlin paused, seemingly to make sure that Arthur was actually listening to him, before he continued, “You told Arthur that you were fine with your past, with the things done under the emblem of your cape because the past cannot be changed. Because Uther’s actions cannot be changed. Do you remember that?”

Arthur nodded again, a bit confused, “Yes, I remember.”

“Yet here you sit, worried about a past that was not even yours. Arthur, as Uther’s actions cannot be changed, neither can the actions of that other version of you. But you should not let that define you, as these actions were not your own,” Merlin squeezed his hand, “And the actions that are yours, were only made in response to the choices of others.”

“So, what you mean to suggest is that I have had no autonomy, when it comes to my own choices?”

Merlin looked puzzled for a moment, “No… well, I suppose... what I meant to say was, you should not look at the actions of the past, and especially not actions you had no part in, and take the blame for them.”

Arthur somehow managed a smile as he said, “Well, you did not explain that properly.”

“I know, I know,” Merlin sighed, before his gaze settled on Arthur again, “Do you think you will be alright?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Arthur sighed, withdrawing his hands as he leaned back into the chair, “After all, I take it we are leaving soon?”

“Soon enough, yes,” Merlin nodded, “Kilgharrah seemed rather eager for us to leave as soon as humanly possible.”

“Did he now?” Arthur let his gaze land on the roof, “Sounds exactly like the man I have spent the last day with. He really seems to hate it here.”

“Not that I blame him,” Merlin semi-shrugged, “He has not exactly been treated well here.”

“I suppose not… I suppose I should apologise to the Kilgharrah of our world, once we return?”

“Yes, I suppose that would be ideal,” Merlin shrugged, “As annoying as he can be, he is also quite a valuable ally. When he is willing to lend a hand, of course.”

“Ah, so he is a stubborn one.”

“From what little I have seen of him and spoken to him, the Kilgharrah of this world does indeed seem much more willing to help than our Kilgharrah does.”

“Well,” Arthur placed his palms on the table, lifting himself up from the chair, “I cannot wait to meet him. If we are ready for that.”

“Not quite,” Merlin admitted, “I need another word with Kilgharrah first, before we go. He is downstairs, helping with the cleaning.”

“Alright then,” Arthur moved around the table, “Shall we go?”

And he could see Merlin smile, as the man approached him. Then, to Arthur’s complete and utter surprise, Merlin planted a kiss on his cheek, before stepping back, almost beaming with pride.

“Indeed, we shall,” It sounded like he was struggling to hold back his laughter.

Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin had taken Arthur’s hand into his own. He was practically dragging the man out of the room, and Arthur got no say in it. Not that he minded. He was ready to follow Merlin to the ends of the Earth, knowing full well that Merlin felt the exact same.

Chapter Text

It was quiet outside. Truly quiet, as to the point where at one point, the only thing Arthur could hear was the sound of his own footsteps, as he stepped on the rubble that nearly covered the ground.

The sky was free of clouds, leaving the moon and the stars to light up the sky. And Arthur could not help but look up and observe; take in the sight of it all, as he waited for Merlin to join him.

It was finally time. They were going home.

Sure, it might not be the best show of manners to leave so soon, but both of them had agreed that it was now, or never. The people of this land needed to recover, and figure out how to go on, and they needed to do this without the interference of Merlin or Arthur.

Arthur turned, as he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him, followed by Merlin’s sudden appearance by his side, “They are handling things well in there. I think they will be fine.”

And Arthur could only look around with a smile on his face as he replied, “I am relieved to hear that.”

“Me too,” Merlin let out a breath, “Well? Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes please.”

Merlin took Arthur’s hand into his own, and Arthur could only squeeze his hand in response. After everything that had happened recently, with what they had faced and the realisations they had to deal with, Arthur just wanted to go home, to his own Camelot, and sleep in his own bed.

Still, it felt strange to leave these people. To leave this kingdom, which seemed so similar, yet so different to his own. They had spent goodness knows how many days here, fighting for the freedom of these people, only to pack up and disappear the moment the battle was over. Only to go back to a Camelot where this battle never happened.

The city was silent, cast in darkness, with only Arthur and Merlin walking about. The people were probably, either helping out in the castle or resting peacefully in their homes. Either way, silence reigned in this kingdom, which had not known peace for decades at this point.

Arthur and Merlin were able to make it out of the city with not much difficulty. Though as they continued, Arthur let Merlin take the lead. At least he seemed to be walking with a goal in mind, whereas Arthur felt like he was walking for the hell of it.

So, it was into the forest they went, as Arthur was gaining some idea of where Merlin wanted to go. A spot not far from Camelot, a spot where one river was divided into two. Where, on their first day, a person who had never shown them a face, had told them to get out.

And he could see the spot up ahead. One river split into two, with a small island stuck in the middle. It was quite a long strip of land too, all things considered.

“Well, this is it,” Merlin spoke first, “This is where our adventure started. Felt fitting that it would end here as well.”

The water was cold, sure, but Arthur did not mind. It was a great reminder that this was real, and that they were, in fact, going home. But it also served as a sort of victory, a way for Arthur to clean some of the guilt off his boots.

“So, you have returned at last,” The voice they had heard once before spoke again, “And it appears that instead of listening to my warnings, you decided to topple the government of Camelot.”

“Well, we have sorted out the issue,” Merlin replied, looking around for a source of that voice, “Camelot is free, and her king will get the help that he needs.”

“Yes, I suppose that is correct,” The person hummed, “You are owed thanks from all of us.”

“Or perhaps an explanation as to why you are out here, and not back there-,” Merlin let out a breath, “-Mordred?”

There was probably a reason as to why Merlin recognised him, despite not having seen the boy since he was around eight, or ten years old. Arthur, on the other hand, had not connected the dots until Merlin had spoken the boy's name. But what surprised Arthur the most, had to be the fact that Mordred did not seem surprised that Merlin had figured him out.

“Well, it is hard to stand by when you know your friend is in danger,” Arthur could see the boy... who looked like a boy no longer, step out of the shadows, “But Merlin told me bluntly to stay here and await your arrival.”

Merlin swallowed, “And your warnings?”

“Were meant to deter you from heading into the kingdom, so the rebellion could come and find you,” Mordred looked like he was about to tear up as he continued, “But then I got a look on your faces, and I… I could not do it.”

“Maybe not,” Merlin looked like he wanted to approach him, yet he did not, “But it worked out in the end. Merlin got what he wanted.”

“Yes,” Mordred let out this cold, sad chuckle, “He got to help his friends, his loved ones, even if it cost him his own life.”

“The life he was living was not worth a life worth living, and I suspect he did not realise until it was too late,” Arthur spoke up, having finally found the words to do so, “And as much as I will ever regret having to be the one to do it, Merlin’s only way out at that point was death, as it was the only thing Arthur did not want, and Morgause could not afford. But at least now, he is at peace.”

“But he is not really dead,” Merlin cast Arthur a smile, “He has become one with the magic of nature. He will always be here, somewhere.”

He could see Mordred actually tear up, as he gave them both a smile, “Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”

“It was our pleasure,” Merlin told him, “Now, I am sure that if you want, they will welcome you down in Camelot-,”

“Of course we will,” Arthur and Merlin both turned at the sound, as Morgana and Kilgharrah walked up the hill, “Now that we know you are alive, I was actually going to insist that you come back with us.”

Merlin crossed his arms, a smile present on his face, “And I gather, Kilgharrah told you we were about to leave?”

“Yes, and I wanted to tell you, it is rather rude to leave without saying goodbye, would you not agree?”

“If we ever end up in this situation again, I will keep that in mind.”

“Good. That is all I ask.”

“And what about you?” Arthur asked, before he could really think about it, “What is your plan?”

“Well, I suppose we need to rebuild the kingdom and help Arthur, so that he will one day be ready to be king again,” Morgana cast a glance to Kilgharrah, “Then, I suppose we need to figure out where Hunith is, and what actually happened to Agravaine-,”

“Wait, Agravaine?” Merlin interrupted, “No one mentioned that Agravaine was involved in this. What was he doing?”

“He was Arthur’s man on the inside, before Lancelot was. And when we caught him, he vanished… from what I heard from Lancelot, Arthur had a go at him before leaving him with Morgause, and then he was never seen again.”

“So Agravaine remains the same in every universe,” Merlin crossed his arms, “At least that is something.”

But something about that caused Arthur confusion, as he turned to Merlin with a confused look on his face. And Merlin, apparently realising that he had said something he should really not have, looked guilty, yet also oddly satisfied.

Arthur’s voice was dripping with anger as he asked, “You mean to tell me… the traitor is Agravaine?”

“Yes, I am afraid so,” Merlin nodded, now looking a bit frightened.

“And you never thought to tell me?”

“Where has that gotten me any of the other times?” He gave Arthur a look, one that Arthur knew meant that this would not be blamed on Merlin, “And either way, I told you that once this was over, I would tell you.”

“Yes… but my uncle?!”

Morgana looked between Merlin and Arthur, a slight look of confusion on her face as she spoke, “Oh… so you have an Agravaine problem too?”

“Afraid so,” Merlin let out a sigh, “Though our Agravaine has not been easily caught yet, despite all the random stunts he has pulled.”

“Oh, our Agravaine was the same. He was only caught when Merlin spotted him at one of those markets, for... goodness knows what reason.”

Both Merlin and Arthur just stood there, mouths agape until one of them was able to utter the words, “I beg your pardon?”

“It is a rather long and uncomfortable story. And you two should really get moving. It seems Arthur here, has an uncle to confront.”

Arthur crossed his arms, “Yes, it would appear I do.”

“Farewell you two and thank you for everything,” Morgana bowed to them, “The people of Camelot owes you so much.”

“But I would say we owe you more,” Arthur replied, “Goodbye, Morgana. Kilgharrah. And good luck.”

“And thank you, Kilgharrah, for actually being helpful,” Merlin chimed in, “We will miss you. All of you.”

But there were no hugs in order, as the river seemed to come to life. The amount of water that passed between them seemed to increase, with its speed increasing to match. Arthur cast a glance behind him and found that the same thing was happening on the other side.

“Well?” Merlin gave him a look, and a small smile, “Are you ready?”

"Yes," Arthur nodded, his gaze locked with Merlin's, "I am ready." 

Arthur let Merlin take both of his hands. And then he closed his eyes, listening to the water as it flowed around them. He did not utter a word, though he could hear Merlin utter many, in a language that Arthur did not understand, and that he would never understand.

But he could feel his body attempt to drag him down, as the water was suddenly by his ancles, then at his knees, then at his hips. Yet he could only keep his eyes closed and his hands locked with Merlin’s, as what else was there to do? He could only assume that this attempt to drown them, was Merlin’s doing.

And if he ever found the time, and they survived this, he would ask why getting to this universe and getting back home, were such different experiences.

Chapter Text

Arthur opened his eyes, only to find himself sat on the grass, staring at the castle that was a bit up ahead. It was yet another thing that made little sense to him, for this was not where they had been, when they were taken. Yet they had gone back to the area where they had first landed, when they arrived in that other universe. So, how come, upon their return, they would end up outside of Camelot, when they had been taken from inside the castle?

Glancing to his side, he caught the moment when Merlin opened his eyes. The man sat up quickly, looking around in horror before his gaze seemed to settle on Arthur. And Arthur could not help but smile at the sight, earning a quick smile back from Merlin.

“Well,” Merlin was also the first one to tear his gaze away from the other, “It would appear we have made it back home.”

“Yes, thankfully,” Arthur rose to his feet, and Merlin rose alongside him, “Come on. We have a lot of work to do.”

And that, they did. For Arthur had made the promise, both for himself and for the people who had died during the battle, that he would be better. He would be a better king than his counterpart, and he would run a kingdom that he, and all the people who lived here, could be proud of.

There were excited shouts as people were made aware of his return. Now, Arthur had no idea how long they had been gone for, but he could make an estimated guess. Which was why he wanted to get the first thing on his list done as soon as possible.

He walked with Merlin for a while, until they reached the chamber where Arthur was fairly sure a meeting was currently being held. And as he put his hand on the door to open it, the voice of a man whom he had once trusted, rang through. One must almost wonder just how loud he felt he had to talk, to sound genuine. 

“As much as it pains me to say this, it is not unlikely that the king is dead.”

Arthur retracted his hand. He was aware of Agravaine’s connections to Morgana, as well as his wish for more power. And he could tell that this was a step in that direction. And maybe the fury of the betrayal was the reason as to why Arthur now wanted to turn this whole thing into a spectacle.

He turned to Merlin, “What do you say, we make a show out of this?”

Merlin titled his head slightly, but Arthur could see signs of a smirk on his lips, “What are you thinking?”

“Something that scares my dearest uncle, as well as any other council member that might think about going behind my back.”

He could tell that Merlin was chewing on the idea for a few moments. But it was mere seconds later, that Arthur could see him smile and nod, stating, “You do what you have in mind, and I will follow your lead.”

“Perfect,” Arthur took a step back, “Now, if you do not mind…?”

Arthur had started to enjoy watching Merlin use his magic. It seemed like Merlin enjoyed using his gift to help people. And even when he was not helping anyone, Merlin would still glow when he used his magic, simply because he was allowed to do so. It made Arthur feel bad for ever having taken part in denying Merlin this right.

The doors flung open, causing several heads to turn in their direction. Arthur stepped in first, but he could tell that Merlin was right behind him, slipping right into the role of a servant. And it crossed Arthur's mind suddenly, that none of the people who were currently watching them, except for Gaius, knew what this man was truly capable of.

“Arthur,” His uncle sounded… so happy to see him, “You have returned.”

“So I have,” Arthur cast a glare in Agravaine’s direction before he let his gaze wander, “And you seem to have become quite comfortable in my seat.”

“Yes, well, someone had to take over in your absence,” He could hear a small crack in Agravaine’s voice as the man left his seat, “Speaking of, where have you been, my lord? We- I have been worried sick about you.”

“That is not something you need to concern yourself with, Agravaine. What is important, is that I am back now,” Arthur cast a glance over to where Merlin stood, “Both of us are.”

“And I am truly happy to hear that, my lord,” Agravaine tried to approach him, “You haven’t a clue how much I have missed you.”

But once Agravaine was close enough, Arthur drew his sword, pointing the tip of the blade towards Agravaine’s chest. His uncle tried to step back, but Arthur only followed his movements, ignoring the sound of other councilmembers rising from their seats.

“A-Arthur?”

“Do you take me as a fool, Agravaine?”

“Of course not, sire! What could even compel you to think such… such heinous thoughts?!”

“So, you have not been working with my sister, Morgana, have you?”

For a split second, fear had manifested in the eyes of his uncle. But Arthur was aware that it was just as likely to have been something which he had only imagined. And even if it was not, he was not about to let himself be fooled by this man. Not now, and never again.

Agravaine turned to Merlin, practically glaring at him, “If that boy has told you anything-,”

But before he could finish, Arthur slapped him. Which, sure, it was not his proudest moment, and from the corner of his eye, he could see that Merlin looked concerned. But only Arthur knew the truth as to why that was, and he turned to Merlin quickly, mouthing ‘Trust me’.

Was that the best thing to say? Probably not. But Merlin gave him a quick nod in response, and Arthur could safely turn his attention back to Agravaine.  

“You dare to lie to me, Agravaine?”

“I tell no lies, my lord.”

“Really? For you seem to have told me nothing but,” Arthur glanced back, locking eyes with Leon, before snapping his fingers and pointing at his uncle, “Restrain him.”

It was not often he saw his knights move at the speeds they were moving now, but within the span of about ninety seconds, Percival had Agravaine restrained, with his hands firmly locked behind his back. And Gwaine was standing right next to him, looking like he was just about ready to stab Agravaine in the chest, if the man dared to even breathe the wrong way.

“Alright,” Arthur kept his focus on Agravaine, “Are you ready to tell me the truth now, or must we wait until your head has come off your shoulders?”

“You would… really execute your own flesh and blood? Your own family?”

“You lost the right to call yourself a part of my family, the day you decided that your loyalties would lie with my sister instead,” Arthur cast a quick glance in Merlin’s direction, “I have found my true family, one which you have no part of.”

It felt like this was the day where Arthur would see the truth about his uncle’s cowardice. But Arthur could only ignore his pleas, as Agravaine’s words were not of any interest to him anymore. Instead, he chose to turn his back on the man, instead turning to address his council.

“There will be some immediate changes to how things are done,” Arthur let his gaze wander around the table, taking in the sight of both interested and horrified expressions on the faces of his councilmen, “Magic will once again be free in Camelot. We will welcome both magic users and magical beings, and unless they commit another crime, they will be left in peace.”

“My lord, you cannot be serious,” Another councilman dared to speak, “Your father would be rolling in his grave if he heard you now!”

Arthur watched the man for a bit before replying, “What care have I of that? If my father has any issues with how I chose to rule this kingdom, he shall need to come talk with me. Dead or not.”

Hearing that snicker from Merlin warmed his heart. He could even see some of the men around the table struggle to hold back their smiles. The only one who seemed unamused was, of course, the man he had just spoken to.  

“But your majesty-,”

“Since you seem so eager to remind me of my father’s wishes, let me return the favour by telling you that not even he cared about his own laws, if it benefited him to look away. So, if you have allowed yourself to be fooled by the idea that he was fully against magic, I urge you to reconsider.”

When he received no response to that, Arthur cleared his throat. Then, he turned to address the council once more, and he sincerely hoped that there would be no more interruptions like that. He was not sure he could take it, without blowing up at someone.

“Now, does anyone else have anything they want to say?”

There was no reply. Though he did notice that some people looked a bit worried, with anxious glances being cast between the councilmembers. Probably because people were realising that Arthur was not in the mood to deal with their complaints.

“Oh, and whatever orders, or plans Agravaine might have come up with while I was gone, will stop. Nothing that my uncle has put forth in my absence will be continued. Do I make myself clear?” He waited until he saw everyone nod, “Great. Meeting adjourned.”

Excluding Gaius, every nobleman or woman in the room filed out. However, Gaius, Leon and Elyan remained, as did of course Percival, Gwaine and Agravaine himself. And Merlin.

Arthur turned again, so that he was looking at Agravaine now, “Now, what do I do with you?”

“You can let me go, and we can forget that this ever happened?”

“So you can go back to Morgana and tell her about everything that has happened here? No, we are not doing that,” Arthur cast a glance in Merlin’s direction and caught sight of the fury in his eyes, “Merlin. You, out of all of us, know the most about the crimes that my uncle has committed, while he served this council. What do you think would be a fitting punishment for his treachery?”

Merlin looked from Arthur, to Gaius, to Agravaine before he replied, “Death.”

“Then so it shall be. Agravaine shall be hanged at sunrise, three days from now. Take him away!”

Agravaine shouted, “You-you cannot be serious!”

But Arthur did not respond, merely glaring at Agravaine as Percival, Gwaine and Elyan dragged him away. It left Leon as the only knight left, and he looked a bit lost where he stood. And glancing at Gaius, he could see that exact same look. So, he took a step back, so that he could look at them both.

“Anything I can do for you two?”

“My lord,” Leon bowed quickly before asking, “While I approve of your choice, I am just a bit confused as to why you have suddenly made this decision.”

“Well, that is quite a long story,” Arthur cast a glance in Merlin’s direction, making a silent attempt to ask how much he should share, “But in my time away, I have come to recognise the good that magic can do for the people of Camelot. It is a gift we should embrace, not one we should throw away.”

Leon seemed a bit hesitant still, as he nodded, “If you think so, my lord.”

“I do,” Arthur nodded, “I will work out the details of it later. For now though, I ask that you bring the knights to the training grounds, once they are done with my uncle.”

Leon took a step back, making a bow as he said, “Yes, my lord.”

And the room fell silent once again, as Leon jogged out of the room, leaving Arthur, Merlin and Gaius as the only ones left. Arthur turned his attention to Gaius now, silently wishing that whatever Gaius wanted, would not take them a long time to go through. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do. 

“Well, you both must be exhausted after your journey,” Gaius looked to Arthur, “So I would suggest that you both get some rest, or at least some nourishment before-,”

Merlin interrupted, “He knows, Gaius. He knows everything.”

“Ah,” Gaius nodded to himself, “Yes, of course. I should have thought so.”

Only a few seconds of silence passed, before Merlin dragged Gaius into a hug. One that Arthur knew that he sorely needed, and one that seemed to surprise Gaius. Though he did return the hug, only casting a quick, confused glance in Arthur’s direction.

But of course, when Merlin let go of him, Arthur could not stop himself from doing the same, dragging Gaius into yet another hug. Something which clearly confused the older man, though he dared not yet to ask. And once Arthur let go, he turned his attention to the both of them.

“Though I am now willing to accept magic into Camelot once more, I would prefer that my knights know of how to deal with it, shall the need arise. And as I am not as well-versed in the subject as you two are, do you have any suggestions for how I can get this done?"

Chapter Text

There was something special about returning home to a clear sky and some comfortable temperatures; to a sun that shone as brightly as it wanted to, and a gentle breeze that tugged on Merlin’s hair. And to the sound of clashing sword, that for once did not mean that there was a battle to the death, happening somewhere nearby.

No, Arthur had decided that he wanted to run a training session, mere hours after they had come back. And if it was to hone his own skills, or to improve the skill of his knights, Merlin was not quite sure. The third option was that Arthur wanted to practice, should he need to fight against his knights again. Or there was always the option that he wanted to prepare them, should he suddenly be incapacitated in ways like his counterpart was.

But whatever Arthurs reason for doing this was, it was not going so well for the knights of Camelot. Merlin was almost left to wonder exactly what Arthur had picked up, during their time away, that had led him to treat this training session as if it were a matter of life and death.

And he was not the only one who had noticed this, as Merlin caught sight of Gwaine shaking his head, stating, “One would think our dearest princess was somehow replaced, during his time away.”

In response, Percival also shook his head, though he seemed rather disappointed. And Arthur did not acknowledge the comment, nor anything really, as he waited for Leon to pick up his sword and rejoin the ranks with his fellow knights.

“Well, this has been…” Arthur paused, looking deep in thought before he continued, “Not great. In fact, I fear we will need to pick up the slack, starting right now. Fifty laps around the courtyard.”

Looking at some of their expressions, Merlin was expecting to hear someone protest. In fact, he was considering protesting on their behalf, because they had already been going for a couple of hours. Running fifty laps, hours into their training session, with no proper breaks, while wearing armour, could not be good for them.

But not one of the knights protested. All he could hear were a few groans, before all of them set out running, doing just what Arthur had asked of them. Could they tell that there was something deeper here, something other than just a punishment for having fallen behind on their training? Was that what it was?

Merlin did not know for sure. But he could see that Arthur was now walking in his direction, only stopping when he was standing next to him. But he did not speak at first, instead only turning around to watch the knights as they did their laps.

“Are you not going a bit hard on them?” Merlin found himself asking, not taking his eyes off the knights either, “They know not of what you have learnt, yet you seem to act as if they should always have known.”

“As knights, they need to be prepared to face the unknown,” Arthur replied, “Tough as it might be, there will be people who depend on their ability to do their job well. And if I, a familiar, can take them down as quickly as I did today, how will they fare against someone much stronger than I? Someone like Morgana, or-,”

“Or me?”

“…I was going to say Percival.”

That caused Merlin to look at him, “You expect Percival to betray you?”

He could hear Arthur chuckle, “Percival has a level of physical strength that goes beyond the rest of us, and it is always better to be prepared, should we encounter someone of similar strength. That does not mean I think Percival plans to betray me.”

“And here I thought you had uncovered some sinister ploy that I was not aware of,” Merlin was now smiling, “Which leaves me wondering, how do you intend to go beyond the physical strength?”

“I will… figure that out another time,” Arthur sounded less sure of himself as he said this, turning to Merlin as he continued, “With some help from yourself, I hope?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Merlin shrugged, “If I am honest, after how you walked out of the room earlier, I thought you were planning to have them go against magic right away.”

“Well, I will admit that I did consider it,” Arthur was still looking at Merlin, and there was this sense of care in his voice, “But that would mean exposing your magic to them, and I did not want to do that, as your secret is yours to tell. If and when you are comfortable with it, of course.”

Merlin thought about it, as he had done so many times before. Of course, there were both positive and negative points to this argument, and he had thought through each and every one of them at an earlier time. But that was before he had Arthur by his side, and before Arthur had made the choice to bring magic back to the kingdom.

Maybe this change would be smoother, if Merlin stepped out of the shadows first. Who could really say?

Merlin took a deep breath, as he could feel Arthur place a hand on his shoulder, “I would love to tell them, and I suppose they do deserve to know. Yet I cannot help but wonder…”

“If they will accept it?”

“Yeah…”

“Well,” Arthur moved his arm so that it came around Merlin’s shoulders, pulling him closer, “I think they care too much about you, to let something as minor as magic get in the way of how they look at you.”  

And Merlin could only smile, because of course Arthur was right. And Merlin knew the knights well enough to know that Arthur was right. Yet he could not shake that feeling...

“You should probably let them take a break,” Merlin nudged his head in the direction of the knights, “Gwaine looks like he might be about to pass out.”

Arthur turned to the group, looking around for about two minutes, before shouting, “Alright, that is enough! Take a break and drink some water before you pass out.”

Merlin could see the knights, men who usually carried themselves straight at all times, do anything but as they walked towards the side of the field. Gwaine in particular, seemed to be dragging his feet behind him, partially supported by Elyan as they made their way off the field.

“Looking at them now, you might have been right,” Arthur remarked, arms now crossed over his chest, “Perhaps today was not the best day to begin with the excessive training.”

“You did choose a rather strange way to go about it, what with no breaks and all,” Merlin shrugged, “It was bound to go south.”

They looked quite unwell where they stood, gulping down their water as if they had not had a taste of it in days.

“Perhaps it would be best to give them the rest of the day off,” Merlin suggested, “I doubt Gaius would be very happy to hear about how you overworked them, and brought them to the point of exhaustion.”

“You have got a point there,” Merlin could hear Arthur hesitate, before finally calling it, “Okay, men! That will be all, for now!”

Merlin had a feeling that they were rather relieved with this decision, despite not making it known. Though he could see Gwaine collapse onto the ground and just lay there, making no movements for a while. Had he passed out?

The scene was left almost frozen. The only one who moved was Leon, who moved to Gwaine’s side. And when Merlin’s mind caught up to what was going on, he swiftly abandoned his previous position, running over to where Gwaine was laying, and where Leon sat.

He collapsed onto his knees, right next to Gwaine, observing as Leon was searching for any sign of life.

“He is alive,” Leon looked up at Merlin, “What do we do?”

“Get him up to Gaius,” Merlin looked up to where Percival and Elyan still stood, “Find his waterskin, and bring it up to Gaius. It might be easier to rehydrate him, using his waterskin.”

Percival moved quickly, picking up the unconscious Gwaine, and running towards the entrance of the castle. Leon and Elyan meanwhile, were both scanning the field, looking for the correct waterskin, as there was now a pile of them left right next to each other.

As the rest of the knights had dropped theirs when Gwaine had fainted, it had taken them a moment to figure out which one Gwaine had drunk from. But once it was found, and they were sure it was it, Elyan took it, and he ran after Percival.

“Leon,” Arthur appeared from behind Merlin, “Did you see what happened?”

“No, sire,” Leon shook his head, “He was doing fine for most of the session. But then he took a sip of the water, and he was out within seconds.”

Arthur looked over to Merlin, “That does seem a bit strange, would you not say?”

“Who can say?” Merlin shrugged, “I should probably head up to Gaius, and see if he needs any help. I will send Percival and Elyan back, if you want.”

“Yes, that would be great,” Arthur nodded.

Merlin could just give Arthur a quick nod in response, before he too set out running towards Gaius's chambers.

Chapter Text

After the training session and Gwaine’s trip up to Gaius’s chamber, Merlin had not seen Arthur. Like, at all. He had been busy, helping Gaius figure out what had happened to Gwaine, while Arthur had apparently been busy with other things.

But now that Gwaine was stable and left to rest, Gaius had sent Merlin to give an update to the king. Which was only proven difficult, as Arthur was a particularly hard man to track down. It got to the point where Merlin had to give up and wait for the morning of the following day, so he could ambush the king in his waking moments.

He had spent the spare time doing some investigating. And he was rather eager to tell Arthur what he had found.

But now, it was the following day. And Arthur was already on the move, as when Merlin had stepped into his chambers to look for him, he had found Arthur’s bed to be empty. It looked untouched, as in, it had not been touched since before their travels, which Merlin suspected was the case.  

He had a feeling that he knew exactly where Arthur was as well. In fact, he was rather willing to bet on the fact that Arthur was currently standing in the throne room, listening to some noble complain about his decision to unban magic. By now, that is the explanation for just about everything.

So that was where Merlin was going, mentally preparing himself to handle a rather exhausted and probably quite angry Arthur.  He would not be surprised if there was some knight there as well, ready to step in and prevent Arthur from accidentally murdering whoever he was talking to.

He made it to the door, but he did not need to walk through it, before he could hear the two men shouting on the other side. Merlin could only take a deep breath, closing his eyes and reminding himself that as much as this argument was about him, it was not about him. Then, he opened the door and walked in.  

Arthur was standing by his throne, his back turned to the man who was currently shouting at him. Merlin did not bother to listen to what he was shouting about; he had a feeling that he already knew. Instead, he walked across the room, making sure to stay close to the walls as he did so.

He did not envy Arthur’s position. It seemed rather exhausting, dealing with men and women who had never heard the word ‘no’ before in their lives.

“… and I tell you now, your majesty, that the risk outweighs the reward!”

Arthur, arms crossed, turned around to look at the man in front of him, his eyes revealing a look of fury, “Is that meant to be a threat?”

Wait, what?... maybe Merlin should have paid attention after all...

“Not as much of a threat as these people of magic will be, if you let them roam free within the kingdom! Just look at the lady Morgana, and her-,”

“I am well aware of the situation with my sister, thank you very much,” Arthur let out a sigh, looking like he was about to roll his eyes, “But she does not represent all people with magic, a fact that should also be accounted for when we make laws that affect other people.”

“And what about the people who do not have magic? How are they meant to defend themselves against this threat?!” The councilman shook his head, “Honestly, Arthur, you used to be reasonable! Whatever happened to you during your absence?”

“That is none of your concern, and frankly, you are stepping out of line here.”

“You mean the line you erased, when you chose to dishonour the memories of all those who died, in the fight against magic? That line?”

Arthur sighed, casting a quick glance to the side, and he seemed surprised as his gaze landed on Merlin. Merlin also froze when he realised, unsure if he should dare to move any further, or turn around and walk out of there again.

“Ah, Merlin,” But Arthur spoke as if he was expecting him, “I was wondering where you were.”

Merlin cleared his throat, “Did you require anything, my lord?”

“No, it is fine... although, now that you are here, could you please show the councilman out of here?”

“Of course,” Merlin gave Arthur a quick nod, abandoning the walls as he walked towards the councilman, “If you would be so kind as to follow me, sir.”

The man was looking at Merlin as if he had personally offended him. Then, he turned to Arthur, seemingly ready to keep on shouting about laws, magic, and whatnot. He was the prime example of a man who had never been told no before, and he would make sure everyone knew that.

So, Merlin did the only logical thing he could. When the man was not paying attention to him, Merlin held a hand out, merely whispering the words,

“Swefe nu.”

The man fell to the ground within an instant, looking like he had just passed out from something simple. Something like dehydration or exhaustion. Merlin made sure to keep those excuses in mind, as he looked over to Arthur again.

“Thank you, Merlin,” Arthur shot him a smile, “I was beginning to think that he would never stop talking.”

“Shouting, you mean,” Merlin responded, “I could hear him from the other side of the door.”

“Yeah. Seems he was rather displeased to hear of my plans.”

“Which was to be expected,” Merlin was smiling as he walked over to Arthur, “They were never going to change in a day.”

“Yes, I expected that. But I never thought my father’s fears would be engraved so deeply within the rest of the council.”

“Well, I suppose they were on his council for a reason,” When Arthur turned away from him, Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder, “But this is your council now. This is your kingdom. And if things take a bit longer than you want them to, then so be it. As long as you do what you deem important for the kingdom.”

This caused Arthur to turn to him, and Merlin could see the fear in his eyes, “I am just afraid of accidentally taking the wrong step.”

Merlin moved his hand from Arthur’s shoulder, so that he was instead gracing his cheek, “Arthur, there is no right or wrong step, is there? You need only do what your heart tells you to.”

And Merlin could see a smile form, as Arthur took Merlin’s hand into his own, planting a kiss on it as he did so.

“If only it were that simple.”

“But you will never know what the wrong step might be, if you do not try to step at all,” Merlin replied, as he also used his free hand to pick up a small crystal from his pocket, “Which reminds me, Lancelot gifted me something.”

“Is that-?”

“The crystal Lancelot carried with him. We might not be able to see what happened over there after we left, but I have been assured that it will retain everything from before,” Merlin smiled, holding the crystal up against the light, “Consider it… our own little history book, from another world.”

Arthur sounded like he was in awe, “That truly is incredible.”

“Yes, it is. A grand reminder of what was, and what could have been,” Merlin turned to Arthur, a stern look in his eyes, “But also a great reminder to take that step, be it a good or bad one. For in the end, you will never know if it was a good one, if you never take it.”

“Point taken,” Arthur replied with a small laugh, “Which reminds me, how is Gwaine holding up?”

“Right, Gaius was able to identify that there was some form of foreign liquid in his waterskin,” Merlin replied, and he could see Arthur’s previous smile fall, “He was able to administer a temporary treatment, which Gwaine is responding to… however, what the liquid itself was, he cannot tell for sure.”

“You mean to tell me he was poisoned?”

“It seems likely.”

“But you said he is responding to treatment?”

“For the time being, sure,” Merlin nodded, ever so slowly, “But there is no way to tell how long that will last. And Gaius cannot administer any kind of treatment until we can figure out what Gwaine was given.”

“Alright. Do you have any clues as to what it might have been?”

“Only one,” Merlin dragged a small vial from his pocket, “I found this vial in Agravaine’s chambers. I have no clue what might have been in it, as there is not enough left to effectively tell, but it is better than nothing.”

Arthur took the vial from him, and Merlin could see him turn it around in his hands for a few moments before he looked up at Merlin once more.

“I suppose he must have gotten it from Morgana.”

Merlin nodded, “That is my working theory.”

“Then I suppose we will have to pay her a visit,” He could hear Arthur let out a sigh, “And here I was, hoping for a bit more time.”

Arthur looked conflicted. Really conflicted. And Merlin could not blame him for that. Morgana had been a sore spot for him ever since she turned her back on Camelot.  

“I can go on my own, if you would like that,” Merlin gave Arthur a look, “Then you can take a few knights with you, and go fetch Gwen from Ealdor-,”

Arthur shook his head, “No. I am not letting you out there on your own.”

“Arthur-,”

“I will send Percival and Elyan to Ealdor, to fetch Guinevere. And while they take care of that, you and I will ride out to see Morgana,” Merlin was about to respond, but Arthur was faster, “I can understand that you are used to working behind my back. But that is not going to work for me. I am not going to be able to just sit back and do nothing, while you go up against mortal peril on your own.”

His statement was fair. Of course, it was fair. He wanted to be included in the affairs of his kingdom. And he was aware of the danger, yet he still wanted to be there. He wanted to be in the know.

“Alright,” Merlin nodded, though it was not easy to do so, “When do we ride out?”

“Once Elyan and Percival have been sent to Ealdor.”

A flicker of guilt was present in Arthur’s gaze, and Merlin could not help but wonder why. But it disappeared as soon as it had appeared, quickly being replaced with a small smile.

“Thank you.”