A/N: I couldn't sleep when I finished the series, so I was up most of the night planning an alternate ending and a 6th season. This version of the final episode of Merlin will contain a lot of the same content, conversations etc that were seen in the original episode. It picks up a few minutes into the episode, at the point just after Emrys has arrived at the scene of the battle, right where Mordred finds Arthur. It will be in segments divided up sort of like they might be on the actual show, with breaks between chapters where there would probably be commercial breaks. No copyright infringement intended, obviously.

Arthur stopped to crouch beside a dying soldier.

The man's breath shuddered raggedly as he made one last, colossal effort; he raised a shaking hand, one finger extended. Arthur swung around to see what the soldier was pointing to.

Mordred had emerged from hiding behind him.

Arthur rose swiftly, ready but not aggressive. "Mordred. You're helping Morgana?"

"You gave me no choice." The young knight's voice rang cold.

"There's always a choice." Arthur raised his sword warily.

"Then this is my choice!" Mordred bounded across the space between them, sword flashing.

Arthur gave ground, parrying a shower of blows. "I know you're good at heart, Mordred! Morgana is manipulating you." He threw his opponent back and they circled, eyes locked. Mordred made no response to the king's words, so Arthur tried again. "I won't kill you, Mordred!"

"You won't have the chance!" The younger of the two moved in to attack again with a swift succession of thrusts and sidesweeps.

Arthur retreated again, deflecting one blow after another, backing in a wide circle. "I'm sorry for what I did."

"Of course you are now!" Mordred feinted and stabbed sidelong toward Arthur's chest; the king twisted aside and the swordpoint glanced off his breastplate, riving along his left shoulder instead. The chain mail gave way easily beneath Mordred's blade and blood began to run down Arthur's arm.

Arthur reeled away, face twisted. Mordred came on, brandishing the sword Morgana had given him. "You can't withstand this blade, Arthur. This is Clarent; it was forged in a dragon's breath!"

"So was Arthur's."

The voice rang between the cliffs, resonating powerfully through the two combatants. Mordred and Arthur both wheeled toward the newcomer.

The old wizard was moving toward them as quickly as he could, stepping over bodies to impose himself between Mordred and Arthur. "Mordred, you don't know what you're doing."

"I'll kill you, too, if you don't get out of my way!" Mordred's arm swept around. Emrys' eyes flashed; the enchanted sword clattered to the ground several steps away.

"There is a prophecy." He moved forward, eyes locked on Mordred's. "You are destined to kill Arthur here, at Camlann."

Mordred was down on one knee, picking up his sword. The words spilled out of Merlin. "Think what will happen to Camelot and all of Albion with Morgana on the throne! No matter what you think of Arthur you can't want that! Only you can change your destiny, Mordred; I can't save Arthur from you. Only you can! You have to save Arthur!"

"Why should I do that?" The young knight lunged upward, sword in hand again. The wizard flicked a hand open; Mordred was thrown backward, still gripping Clarent.

Glancing over his shoulder to be sure Arthur was alright, Emrys kept moving toward Mordred. "Arthur did everything he could to save Kara. He couldn't ignore the law, Mordred! You must know that – the king has to enforce the law. He didn't want to kill her."

"He did anyway!" Mordred roared, surging upright and rushing at Merlin, sword upraised.

Arthur lunged past the old wizard; Excalibur rang as it swept Clarent aside. The blade was thrown from Mordred's hand and Arthur forced him away from it, sword ready. Merlin circled, ready to intervene if the Druid had any opportunity to harm Arthur. The king stood over Mordred's sword, allowing the younger man to back away. "Mordred, I can't sleep nights when I think about what happened to Kara. I did everything I could. I wanted to spare her, truly I did. She wouldn't let me, Mordred! If I had known what would happen I would have left her in the cave where I found her."

Mordred stood several steps away, glaring, hands hanging uncertainly at his sides. His eyes were red-rimmed; he was on the verge of tears, though whether they were of indecision or bitterness couldn't be told.

Without warning, a massive force slammed into Emrys from behind. He was hurled clear across the narrow gorge and slammed into the cliff, dropping like a rag doll to the ground.

Arthur swung around, sword upraised once more. Morgana was limping toward them, arms still outstretched after the blow she had dealt Merlin from several meters away.

"Arthur!" Blood was running from the corner of Morgana's mouth. Her eyes seemed possessed, her face was filthy, and her hair looked like it hadn't been cared for in months. As she strode toward them, an expression of demonic triumph on her face, both Arthur and Mordred took an involuntary step back. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this?"

"Morgana . . ." The king began, but she cut him off by snapping one fist shut; he found himself on his knees. Her hand twisted and he slammed down onto the ground, then flew through the air and hit the cliff behind him. Because of his armor, the collision didn't stun him as it had Merlin; he crumpled to hands and knees, gasping. Mordred moved to where Arthur had been standing to pick his sword up again, staying submissively back from Morgana.

"You don't deserve death, Arthur!" She screamed. The cliffs shook. "I'm only killing you now because I've waited to kill you for too long!" Suddenly regaining her self-control, she stalked across to him and stood immobile until he slowly raised his head to look up from where he was crouching at her feet. A crazed smile lit her face. "Don't worry, though; I'll give Gwen and your knights the punishment I should have given you."

Her brief moment of calm was gone; she began raging, her frenzy increasing by the second. "Gwen will pay in years of blood for what you've done to me! Emrys will pay! Your knights! Every man in your army! They'll pay! All of Camelot will pay for what you've done, Arthur! I will bring every man, woman and child to their knees at the foot of my throne! The five kingdoms will bow to me!"

Arthur's chest heaved as he raised himself to his feet to look into his half-sister's eyes. "What have I done, Morgana?"

Her hand closed in front of him; he took in a sharp breath of air, drawing up rigid in agony where he stood. She tightened her fist slowly to emphasize her words. "You have sat on the throne which is rightfully mine for years, Arthur! For years! You have hunted and butchered and trampled on my kind!"

"Those with magic." He gasped, translating her statement. "But it's not vengeance for their wrongs that you seek, Morgana. All you want is to rule Camelot."

"And I will!" She screamed. The gorge trembled again. "No one will stand against me! Anyone who dares oppose me will burn forever!"

"Morgana." Merlin, slowly coming to his senses, lifted a hand weakly from where he laid at the foot of the cliff. "Don't do this."

"You will pay more dearly than all the others combined, Emrys!" She raged. "You will beg for death before I have even begun to punish you!"

"Morgana." Mordred spoke from behind her.

She turned toward him. "What?"

Clarent plunged through her body.

Released from the magic she had been holding him with, Arthur staggered a step forward, fighting for breath.

A thrill electrified Merlin; the strength began to flood back into him.

Morgana stood, face painted with utter shock. She swayed; Mordred caught her by the shoulder with his free hand, steadying her as he held onto the hilt protruding from her stomach. "I'm sorry, Morgana, but there's nothing left of you but hate."

"You're one of mine!" She gasped, sagging in his grip.

"I won't let hate turn me into what you've become." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "I forgive Arthur for what he did. I choose the way of love, Morgana."

Her trembling hand rose toward his face. She took an anguished breath – and closed her fist. Arthur, standing behind her, gasped as he was jerked forward onto the sword protruding from her back.

A shout of pain tore from Arthur and another of horror from Merlin. Morgana went limp. Mordred, aghast, tried to free Clarent as the weight of its two collapsing victims dragged it to the ground.

After an instant's struggle, the blade came free; its tip had broken off. Mordred tossed it aside, kneeling over Morgana as Arthur stayed on his knees, doubled over in agony.

"How . . . could you?" Morgana's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry." A tear dropped from his face to hers. "I had to."

"You – you bring this . . ." Her voice trailed away; she could only mouth the words "on yourself."

"Wh – " He began, but was cut off as her eyes flashed one last time and a dagger flew from her waistband into his side. He reared back with a cry somewhere between a sob and a shout.

Merlin, a victim of tragically unfortunate timing, or perhaps suddenly freed from Morgana's magic, shook off the effects of slamming into the cliff even as she died. He rushed to Arthur's side and dropped to his knees beside him as the king sank back on his heels, head hanging.

"No! No, no, Arthur, this can't be!" Merlin felt tears running from his own eyes. "You have to be alright!"

"You . . ." Arthur frowned weakly. "You were the one that killed my father."

Merlin had all but forgotten that he was still under the effects of the aging spell. He lurched forward to catch Arthur as the king's legs suddenly gave way and he fell sideways. "I tried to heal him! Morgana had put a spell on him that reversed my magic! But Arthur, you can't die!"

"Why . . . why . . . did you . . . help?" Arthur's eyes fluttered closed as Merlin lowered his head to the ground.

"No!" Merlin 's shoulders shook. "You can't die, Arthur!"

"He's not dead yet." Mordred's voice shook with the effort of speaking. He was crouching beside Morgana, clasping the handle of the dagger buried in his side.

Merlin swung around. "You defied the prophecy!"

"But I didn't change anything." He closed his eyes wearily. "Arthur is dying by my sword."

"I can save him." Merlin swiveled back toward Arthur. "I have to save him."

"Go, then." Mordred's voice was a murmur. "Leave me."

"I'll send Gaius." The wizard promised. "You'll be alright."

The boy nodded feebly in understanding. "Save Arthur."

Merlin hauled the king's arm over his shoulder, got an arm behind his back and another under his legs, and slowly rose to his feet. With a last look at Morgana and Mordred and an involuntary glance at Clarent, he made his way back toward the camp of Camelot's army.

Please review, even if I've posted other chapters after this one or finished the story. Even if you don't have a lot to say, I'd just like to know you read it. :)