Chapter 5

Bloody idiot, Regan thought savagely as she heated some herbs for poultice. Merlin's spell made it impossible for her to leave Gaius' chambers, and she was already bored to tears with the room. Gwen had come earlier but had only been able to stay for a little while, so she had been returned to the deathly boring monotony of grounding rosemary.

Once all her tasks were finished she sat on Merlin's bed and fired one arrow after another at the closed wooden door, each hitting relatively near the small knot in the wood she was aiming for. She liked the bow and arrow; she could release some of her frustrations and it calmed her slightly to hear the twang and thunk of each arrow.

Stupid… bloody… prattish… idiotic… Each insult was punctuated by an arrow embedding itself into the door. As time passed and her aim grew steadily worse as her arm tired, she set her bow down and left the room, still feeling the betrayal and annoyance, but also these feelings were mixed with worry. What if Merlin didn't come back?

She spent the rest of the day trying to contact Merlin with her mind, as Gaius came back and set her yet more tasks, as he was anxious to keep the furniture safe from her anger.

But as she walked across the room carrying boiling hot water to dissolve some ingredients in, she suddenly had a flash of another place over her eyes. A place where ruins were crumbling down around her, and a pale, sleeping Arthur lay propped up on a stone altar. She dropped the bowl, silently crying out as the hot water burnt her hands and legs as it fell, but she was so engrossed in the scene she could suddenly see instead of Gaius' rooms and workbench she barely noticed the pain. She was watching events from Merlin's view, as though she could suddenly see through his eyes. She focussed on the image and when gradually sound came it felt like she had been transported there, except her body was no longer her own.

Merlin saw Arthur lying as though dead and rushed over. Regan could feel the panic flowing through his mind like water, but it calmed as he realized he was alive, and simply sleeping.

'Thank goodness,' he sighed, and was about to say the magic words to lift Arthur to his horse when a velvety voice spoke behind him.

'You didn't think it would be that easy, did you Emrys?'

Merlin whirled around. Lyneve stood behind him, a breeze blowing her long ebony hair sideways, like a black flag. She walked slowly towards him, her deep blue dress and velvet cloak whipping out to one side as well. Regan felt Merlin's hair being tousled by the same wind, his neckerchief blowing over his shoulder.

'I've come for Arthur, Lyneve.' Merlin said, his voice strong. 'It is not his destiny to be killed by you.'

Lyneve smiled, her beautiful face creating the illusion of innocence and goodness.

'Destiny? Hah. Destiny didn't stop our parent's deaths. There is no such thing as destiny, only prophesy. If prophesy is broken, then energy is released. It is science, pure and simple.'

Regan could feel Merlin's head racing.

'Where's your sister?' he asked, trying to figure out his first move.

'She is… indisposed,' Lyneve's smile grew larger and more angelic. 'My sister believes that we are working together. She is still so young and so… gullible. She will receive some of the energy, but I am the oldest and I will be the most powerful.' Lyneve's eyes flashed. 'She has overpowered me once too often.'

'It's never good to go back on someone on your side,' Merlin advised, still trying to work out what he was going to do.

'I'm not going back on anyone,' Lyneve snarled. 'Just… not quite telling her the truth.'

'I can't let you kill Arthur,' Merlin said. 'It's my destiny as well.'

'Arthur will never appreciate all you've done,' Lyneve said, her voice velvety as her cloak.

'Why does everyone keep telling me that?' Merlin said, frustrated. 'He's my friend; one day Uther's reign will end and the era of magic will be back. I am patient enough to wait.'

'Patience is overrated,' Lyneve said lazily, 'and this is dragging on.' She flicked her hand, and a fireball was sent spinning towards him.

DUCK! Regan screamed in his head, but he put out a hand and the fire stopped, shooting instead back to its caster. Lyneve threw herself to one side and it crashed into a stone wall, leaving a scorch mark as large as a person.

'I've already been through this with a much more powerful sorcerer,' Merlin said, in bored tones. .

'But then Arthur was not here to witness it,' Lyneve said, grinning, as she flicked her hand at the sleeping prince. He awoke with a start, just as Lyneve resumed her attack. Unable to perform magic in front of the prince, Merlin ducked instead, grimacing at Lyneve's cackles.

Use magic! Regan ordered him in his head. Arthur will understand.

It's not time, Merlin said as he ducked and dodged the barrage. Arthur was watching in horror, but seemed unable to move.

'Merlin!' he yelled as he struggled against invisible binds. Lyneve halted her attack and laughed delightedly, as Merlin collapsed on the floor panting.

'Since I'm short of time, Emrys, I'll put us on a time limit,' she said, drawing an hourglass from the folds of her cloak. She whispered a few words and walked over to the altar, where Arthur was still fighting against his restraints. 'When the sands run out,' she said, gesturing to the glass, 'your heart will stop. You have until it empties.'

And with that, she turned the hourglass over and the sand began to fall.

Regan screamed in horror and outrage in synch with Arthur. Merlin got slowly to his feet and stared at the sand rushing to the bottom of the glass, wondering what to do.

Stop it with magic! Regan screamed inside his head. Heaven help me, Merlin, if you die today I will bring you back to life and kill you again!

But he ignored the voice in his head. Slowly, determinedly, he walked over to Arthur and picked up his sword.

'Merlin…' the prince said, wretchedly, but his manservant ignored him. He walked up to Lyneve.

'If I die, you're coming with me,' he said quietly.

'Oh yes?' she said, raising one perfect eyebrow. Taunting him.

'I can cast magic without speech, Lyneve,' he whispered so Arthur could not hear. 'I am a creature of the old religion and you cannot defeat me. When you die your enchantments will stop and Arthur will be free.'

'You can't kill me with a sword,' she said scathingly, 'when you're dead.' And her words were true; the hourglass was nearly done. Merlin knew what spell he needed; his eyes flashed and the sword glowed for a second, before dimming and becoming normal once more.

'That's it?' Lyneve said, and then she began to laugh.

'The hourglass!' Arthur yelled, and Merlin turned; it was ending, the last grains of sand were falling.

Regan, he said, I… as she sobbed into his head. The last grain fell.

Merlin closed his eyes, but nothing happened. He opened them, as Lyneve's laughter stopped abruptly.

'Merlin?' came Arthur's voice, confused. Lyneve was shaking her head.

'You should be dead!' she screeched, and then the sword he had enchanted flew forwards, directly into her heart. She screamed as she fell, her life's blood leaving her to sink into the grassy floor. It began to rain.

Arthur found he was unrestrained. He got up unsteadily.

'She must have cast the magic wrong,' he said, cautiously. His manservant nodded, still staring down at the sorceress.

'Yes,' was all he said. Arthur wandered over to the hourglass, and picked it up carefully, as though it would break.

'We should take it back to Gaius,' Merlin said, without turning around.

'That's what I was thinking,' Arthur said, bringing it over. 'Let's go, then.'

On the long journey home, which was rather awkward as they had to share the horse, Merlin wondered about the hourglass. He thought about the voice he'd had in his head, Regan's, who had been with him when he needed it most, who he'd almost told he… loved. Almost. Had she regained her voice, now Lyneve was dead? And what about Velindre?

Pondering these loose ends kept him occupied all the way back to Camelot, where they rode through the city in triumph. Arthur was back.

As the Crown Prince went to tell the King the news of his arrival, Merlin returned to Gaius' chambers. Arthur had said very little on the journey back; Merlin suspected he was slightly embarrassed about being saved by his hopeless manservant. He didn't care. All that mattered was that Arthur still had no idea about his magic, and the only thing he had to worry about now was the wrath of Regan. He took a deep breath before entering Gaius' chambers, and he was ready for anything she might attack him with. But nothing would have prepared him for what he saw inside.

'Merlin,' Gaius said, looking up at him from where he sat by the bed. 'You're back.'

'What…' was all he could get out, frozen in horror at the sight.

Quiet and peaceful, the girl on the bed looked as though she was sleeping. Her hair was beautifully brushed and arranged, and she wore a beautiful silk dress, also artistically draped across the bed, which was covered in a clean white sheet. A lily lay clasped between her hands, beautiful and fresh. Small flowers were woven into her hair and scattered about, giving the air an intoxicating scent.

But the girl was not asleep. Her cheeks were pale, with no blush of life, and her chest no longer rose and fell. Merlin stared at Regan laid out before him. Dead.

'I'm so sorry Merlin,' said Gaius, sadly, as he got up slowly from the chair he had been in.

'W-when did this happen?' he asked, his voice thick.

'While you were away. She just… fell. Her heart stopped.'

Merlin recalled Lyneve's words.

'When the sands run out, your heart will stop.'

He had not died, because he had left his heart with Regan. He walked slowly over to the chair Gaius had vacated, and sank onto it, reaching out to stroke her pale cheek. A single, solitary tear escaped and fell onto her arm, where it stayed. Merlin remembered when he had turned her tear into a pearl, and he saw the necklace around her neck.

'No,' he whispered, his own heart breaking and shattering into a million pieces. He remembered the voice in his head, Regan's voice, and that it had stopped when the last grain fell.

'No,' he said, louder, and he jumped up, rushing to get the hourglass. As he ran back he misjudged the corner and slammed into a wall, scaring the life out of a passing woman. He carried on, and when he reached Gaius' rooms he dug out his magic book from under the floorboards.

'There must be something,' he muttered, flicking through it. But there was nothing. He ran down to visit the great dragon, but he was no help.

'Her question was answered,' was all he would say, before flying up and away where Merlin could no longer speak to him. He returned, but he still did not give up. He searched the book again and again, until his head rang with words and magic and his eyes could no longer see the page. The parchment of the book soon became drenched with tears and he sank back down.

Arthur came in at some point; he was very sorry, he told Merlin, and asked him when he would be coming back to work. Merlin ignored him, and Gaius had shooed the Prince out.

The last day of the wake passed with nothing. Merlin still could not accept her death, and continued to sit by her body.

'You will wake up,' he said softly, taking one of her cold hands. 'You will'

There was no answer, as usual. Merlin knew that soon the men would come to place her in a coffin and bury her, so he reached inside himself and drew on the power the dragon had given him to defeat Cornelius Sigan. With that knowledge, he closed his eyes and whispered the words. When he opened them, he found himself in a very different place.

'Merlin?' Regan asked, astounded. She was sitting on a bed with an embroidered duvet, surrounded by yellow walls and a lot of books.

'Regan!' he said, his mind racing. Without thinking about it, he ran over and swept her up, kissing her furiously in a way he had never expected to do again. She didn't resist, but looked at him quizzically when he finally let go.

'I've missed you so much,' he said, hugging her close, pressing her to him.

'How long have I been gone?" she asked, looking worried.

'You've been dead for three days,' he told her, and her mouth dropped open.

'Dead?' she asked, horrified. 'But I just came back to my own time…'

'When the sands ran out, your heart stopped,' he explained, 'not mine.' Her mouth opened in silent shock.

'I've been home for over a week,' she said, looking confused. 'I've missed you too. More than I expected. I miss all of it.'

'Come back,' Merlin said, pleading now. 'Come back to us.'

'I don't know if I can,' she said, biting her lip. 'I found out what I went for, and the book filled up,' she said, holding out the velvet bound book.

'I can bring you back,' said Merlin, and he knew he could. He could feel the magic singing in his blood.

'No time passed here,' she said, hopefully. 'Maybe I can spend some time here and some time there…'

'I don't think I can take you back,' Merlin said, solemnly. She sighed.

'I'll never see my family again,' she said, looking towards her closed doors and the sounds her parents and sisters getting ready to go out. If she left with Merlin, she would never see them grow up, never see their children. Her friends would think her dead, and her parents…

But then Regan looked at Merlin, his love shining brightly in his eyes, and she realized that without him she wouldn't have a life. She reached out and took his hand.

'Here we go,' she said, smiling through her tears. Merlin grinned back, the familiar cheeky smile, and she knew she'd made the right decision. Then, slowly, gently, the most powerful wizard ever to have lived led her back to Camelot. Back to her home. Back to him.

Epilogue…

The rain fell in sheets, running off old stones and fallen buildings in rivers. The beautiful young girl walked slowly out from under the small shelter half a roof still provided, the water immediately soaking her silver dress and golden blonde hair. The water ran down her cheeks, mixing with the salt water that fell from her eyes as she walked towards the body lying on the grass.

Lyneve's hair was straggling over the grass, her pale face upwards towards the dark skies. The blood had nearly all washed off, and the sword was gone, wrenched from her breast by the very prince who should have been killed.

Velindre knelt by her sister's head and stroked one cheek. She was a little girl again, watching from behind her sister's skirts as her parents were dragged away, for simply being who they were.

She was older, and her sister was explaining about their magic, about how to use it, why their parents had died…

Her sister was no longer around to keep her safe and sheltered. She was alone, abandoned in a world that was against her very being. Yet she did not cry.

Cradling her sister's broken body in her arms, she looked up at the sky, the thunderous clouds and the lightening that stabbed from within them.

'Emrys,' she whispered, her voice drowned by the patter of rain. 'You will pay for this. Camelot will fall.'

She looked down at her sister one last time, before she stood up slowly, and ended the storm with one wave of her hand. She left the Isle in the small boat, a column of smoke undulating in the sky behind her as her sister's body burnt upon the altar. She left her grieving on that Island; as the boat drew closer to the land a smile curved her beautiful red lips. Revenge would be sweet…

AN: The end of this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review to tell me! It doesn't take too long. I am in the process of writing a sequel, and if you want to read and review my other Merlin fic, Nothing Like the Sun, which a lot of people have said is better than this one, please do.

Meg