Morgana

I hear Mordred's footsteps beside me, rustling in the leaves that cover the forest floor. In the moment that dragon tried to fry us I managed to transport us to a safer part of the fortress. From there I located Aithusa, and the three of us fled, unsure if Arthur would follow. Thankfully he was too preoccupied with his pathetic servant. With Emrys.

All I know about Merlin is that Arthur rode away with his dying body on the dragon. If they found a way to heal him, I am unsure. The fact that I was so close to absolute victory, only for it to be snatched away, is absolutely infuriating. I am hiding in the words like a bandit, unsure if my enemy is dead or somehow lived.

"I want him dead, Mordred. Arthur has thwarted me far too many times. I want to chop off his head, put it on a spike and let it rot. I'll feed his body to the dogs and burn those loyal to him. They will all pay for what they have done. No one will be pardoned. If they so much as gave him food they will die like the scum they are!" I growl, voice rising with my emotion. Aithusa nuzzles into my hand, and I absentmindedly stroke her head.

"What are we going to do?" Mordred asks from behind me.

"Go to war. Kill them all."

"Do we have a plan? We cannot just run into battle, we have no forces and Arthur has strong knights -"

"We will gather all the sorcerers that are loyal to their kind. Surely there has to be a good amount. With them we will gather other men to fight. Aithusa will burn Arthur's ranks before they can fight back. We will attack villages, leading Arthur to our place of battle; he will not be able to refuse us. As for the place," I say, turning to face Mordred. "We will gather at Camlann."

Merlin

(Two months later...)

"Morgana has been attacking ruthlessly left and right. Countless dead, in a number of villages..." Arthur trails off, rubbing his forehead.

"Is there any sort of pattern, sire? Any reason she is doing this?" Leon asks from his place at the round table, where we all sit. Arthur added a seat for me, so now I have a place on his right, even though the table was crowded enough before.

Things have been different lately, since I've gotten back from Ismere. There was the awkward discussion of if I would still remain Arthur's manservant, but it was settled that I would continue my job, especially because I can just use my magic for just about everything. Gaius insists that I should do work by hand, as it will 'strengthen me in the long run'. So I just do my work - with magic - away from his judgmental eyes.

It has, in some ways, been very awkward as well. Arthur doesn't know what to do with a manservant and friend who can do magic, let alone at my level. I still feel self-conscious about doing magic in front of him, and when I do he often looks away, only to watch again in obvious wonder. Besides that, however, we have been doing our best to keep our friendship the same with stupid jokes and name calling. Not to mention the fact that Arthur has continued to enjoy throwing things at me, something that he seems even more inclined to do now that he knows about my magic, saying that if I'm so strong I should be able to take it like a man. The conversation always ends when I say a spell to make the carpet trip him up or his bed curtains to fall on top of him.

"Does Morgana need as reason to kill people?" Gwaine grumbles. "After all, she has an obsession with wreaking havoc wherever she goes."

"Her attacks began pretty close, and she has been moving in a reasonably straight line since then. She must be trying to lead us somewhere, but where and why I can't guess," Arthur replies dejectedly.

I rub my wrist absentmindedly; something I have been doing a lot lately. Gaius was able to fix up my cuts, and I quickly set my broken fingers with magic. The only thing that we could not find a remedy for is the brand on my forearm. I don't know if Morgana put a spell on the rod - which seems likely - but nothing worked to get it off. The ugly, crude circle stays imprinted there, with an intricate crisscross pattern in the middle. I hate having it, constantly reminding me of what happened. Since getting back I always wear long sleeved tunics; which is normal for me anyway. My friends were furious when they saw it for the first time, the fact that Morgana would go so far as to mark me like property too offensive for them to accept.

The large doors burst open, and a Camelot guard stands in the entrance, looking as if he just ran up many flights of stairs. "Sire!"

"What is it, Edmund?" Arthur asks, rising apprehensively to his feet.

"Sire," Edmund repeats, gaining his composure before pressing on. "A villager from the last town Morgana attacked just arrived with a message!"

"Where is he? Bring him in!" Arthur orders immediately, eyes widening.

"I can't, sire..." Edmund says regretfully. "He died once the message was delivered..."

"What did it say?" Arthur asks apprehensively, afraid to know the answer, I'm sure.

"It is from the witch herself. She said that she would not stop burning villages down unless you met her in battle."

"That awful, treacherous, little -" Gwaine starts, quickly cut off by Percival's elbow.

Arthur sits back down slowly, sighing deeply. "Is there more?"

"She said to come to Camlann, and there she would claim Camelot once and for all..."

My heart sinks to the floor at the words. Camlann, where I was told Arthur would die at Mordred's hand. The very place I cannot allow him to go. Because if he does...

"Arthur," I start. "We cannot battle Morgana there."

He turns to me in surprise. "Why?"

I take a deep breath. "There is a legend that says a druid is...destined to end you. And that druid is Mordred -"

"Does the legend say anything about Camlann?"

I nod. "Mordred will kill you in Camlann. So you cannot go there! Camelot needs you alive, you are the king -"

"And as king I must protect those who live in my lands. I cannot just ignore this, Merlin! Morgana is killing innocent people to get to me; and it's working. I won't just let families die because of this!"

"Arthur, you do not understand!" I say heatedly, jumping from my chair to my feet. "This will happen if you set foot in that place. The prophecies don't lie!"

Arthur grabs my arm and pulls me back down, staring me into silence. "I will not lead an army into battle without their King, Merlin. That is a coward's way of fighting."

"Your father didn't go into battle."

Dead silence falls in the room at my biting comment. "My father," Arthur presses on coolly. "Had a bad shoulder, plus he grew too old for fighting in large battles. I am, however, perfectly healthy and young enough that it is my duty to stand among my men to face this threat."

"Arthur," I say slowly. "Your survival is more important than your honor."

"I will prove this 'prophecy' wrong, Merlin. There must be a way, and I will find it. Believe me, I do not wish to die."

"Arthur -"

"I have made my decision!" The king shouts, silencing me. "We ride to Camlann first thing tomorrow."

End of Chilled Magic.

Sequel "Empty Magic" is up on my account.

Thank you so, so much for all your AMAZING support over the course of this story! It means a lot and I am so glad so many people have been enjoying it!

I figured I had already gone off story; I might as well finish it how I wanted. I don't remember the episodes that happened in-between Ismere and Camlann.

In other, random news - the CAPS button on the family laptop I like to use best (out of the two, we don't have like, 4 or anything. lol) is acting up. When the 'on' light is off, CAPS is on, and vice versa. It's annoying because I don't like the light to be on. It messes with my head.

It is so weird to think that this story is over! I feel like I've been writing it for so long now! (Which is true, I suppose, as I don't update on a good schedule). Again, thank you so much for your incredible support throughout this story!