Title: He Is Mine

A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the late update. I had to write a paper for my English class. But anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter! R&R!

-McDiggin'It

...

Chapter: Twenty-Three

...

Arthur moves through the castle quickly, his eyes peeled for any and all movements. Gaius follows behind him while Princess Ophelia takes up the rear. The Prince peeks down the corridor, making sure it's empty before gesturing for Gaius and Princess Ophelia to follow him as he moves quietly down the hall. They don't have long to go before they reach the entrance to the dungeons.

"Sire." Gaius says quietly as the Prince stops abruptly. A shadow passes through the window several feet ahead of them.

Arthur looks at the Royal Physician. "What is it?"

Gaius nods his head towards the end of the hall. "The dungeons are just below the East tower... that's where Nimueh is right now."

The Prince grits his teeth in frustration. "We must hurry."

Gaius shakes his head at the young Prince. "No... you must hurry. I will only slow you down."

Arthur shakes his head. "No. I can't just leave you here alone. Merlin will never forgive me if I let anything happen to you."

Princess Ophelia steps in then, smiling at the Prince. "I'll stay with Gaius. You go ahead and save Gwen and your father."

"But—".

"We're wasting time." Gaius says sternly. "I may be old, but I know a little thing or two about magic."

Arthur blinks at the Physician in bewilderment. "You do?"

Gaius frowns at the Prince. "I've been living with Merlin all these years, Arthur. Surely you didn't think I had no idea he was a sorcerer."

"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have magic." Arthur murmurs.

Gaius raises his eyebrows at the Prince. "I've used magic long before you were even born."

Arthur makes a face at that. "And my father knew?"

Gaius nods. "He made me promise I would never use it again after the Great Purge."

Arthur sighs and shakes his head. "Right... it seems like my father has been keeping secrets from me all my life." The Prince pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes briefly as he thinks of what to do. After several moments, he turns to look between the elderly physician and the Princess of Ergyng. "Make your way out of the castle and down into the villages. The Knights should still be down there, and it should be safer than in here. I'll get Gwen and my father and meet you down there."

Gaius and the Princess both nod in agreement. "Be careful." Gaius tells Arthur, who nods in return.

"You too." Arthur nods, the turns towards the Princess and offers a small smile. "We will meet up with your father and his men when we make it to the city."

As Gaius and Princess Ophelia makes their way towards the corridor that leads out into the courtyards, Arthur makes a run for the dungeons. He hopes and prays that Gwen and his father are unharmed. They cannot afford anymore casualties.

...

As Morgana turns to head back to Camelot, Merlin pulls her to a halt. She stops, looking questioningly at him. "What is it?" She asks.

Merlin shakes his head and stares at her. "Morgause called me a warlock... and you weren't surprised." He lets go of her hand as he stares warily at her.

Morgana sighs as she offers him a smile. "I was still conscious when Gaius asked you how you were going to stop Nimueh... when he asked if you were going to use your magic."

Merlin blinks at her. "You heard us?"

Morgana nods. "I did... while I was paralyzed, I could still see and hear everything that was happening around me."

Merlin looks down at his feet as worry begins to ebb it's way into his heart. "I'm sorry... I didn't want you to find out that way."

Morgana shakes her head and takes his hand in hers. "I know why you didn't tell anyone... including me."

"I didn't want you to have to worry." He whispers as he looks at her. "I— I didn't know how to tell anyone. I'd been keeping my magic a secret all my life."

Morgana smiles at him and reaches up to caress his cheek with her fingers. "I know... I had some time to think about you having magic. At first, I was confused, afraid, and admittedly, a bit angry at you." Merlin nods, but she shakes her head and takes a step closer to him. "... but then I thought about all that you've been through. I thought about Uther's hatred towards magic and how it made it hard for you to trust anyone with your secret. I thought about your kindness, loyalty, and love." She moves her hand to the back of Merlin's head, gently pulling him down so that their foreheads are touching. "I thought about the worry in your voice when you promised me that you would find a cure for me... and I concluded that you are one of the few people in this world that possesses magic and uses it for good. I know Uther is wrong about magic. I've known for some time. It isn't evil. It just is, and it's up to the person who wields it, whether to use it for good or bad."

Merlin sighs softly as he closes his eyes and smiles with relief. When he opens his eyes again, he asks tentatively. "So your feelings for me... have they changed?"

Morgana chuckles. "You promised that you would tell me the truth later... it may not have happened the way you planned, but I know you would've told me eventually. As for my feelings for you," she pauses to smile up at him. "They will never change."

"I feel the same way." He smiles, then pulls at her hand gently. "I want to show you something."

Merlin takes Morgana towards the clearing where Aithusa had dropped him off. He doesn't need to call her, for a short distance away, she stands majestically with her wings folded behind her.

Morgana gasps as she stares at the creature. "It's— It's a dragon." She breathes softly.

Merlin smiles at her and nods. "Her name is Aithusa."

Morgana looks at him questioningly. "How do you know?"

Merlin turns towards the white dragon and raises his hand in front of him. "Because I named her." Aithusa immediately raises her head, looking at Merlin and Morgana from where she waits patiently, before bounding towards them.

Morgana goes to take a step back, but Merlin stops her by taking her hand in his. "It's okay." He says softly. "She's harmless."

Morgana watches in awe and wonder as the magical creature comes to a stop directly in front of them. It doesn't wait as it takes a step back before bowing its head towards Merlin. Merlin smiles fondly at the creature.

"What do you mean you named her?"

Merlin nods towards Aithusa. "I hatched her. She's only a little over a year old."

Morgana stares at Merlin in awe. "Sorcerers can do that too? Hatch dragons, I mean."

"Dragonlords." Merlin corrects. "I am the last of the dragonlords."

Morgana gapes up at him and raises her eyebrows. "Dragonlords?"

"I have the ability to speak to them, understand them." He raises his hand and touches Aithusa's snout as he smiles fondly. Aithusa immediately nuzzles closer to him. "I am her kin."

Morgana takes several moments to process that new information. When she finally lets it sink in, she laughs softly and shakes her head. "And you were all of these things, a sorcerer and a dragonlord, while in a kingdom that bans it." She raises her hand and caresses his bicep. "My gods, you really have a bad boy streak going." She giggles.

Merlin smirks at her and winks. "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

Morgana couldn't help leaning up and placing a kiss on his lips. "Hmmm... perhaps you should show me some more of your many talents later on." She purrs.

Merlin swallows as his eyes widen marginally. "Perhaps." Aithusa snorts, interrupting the young couple. Merlin then looks at Morgana and smiles. "You up for a dragon ride?"

Morgana eyes widen comically. "Absolutely not." She shakes her head and backs away. "There is no way I'm going that high."

Merlin chuckles as he pulls her close. "I won't let you fall, Morgana... I promise." He holds his hand out to her.

She knows he would never let any harm come to her. Even before she found out about his magic. She always felt safe when he was around. And maybe a part of her always knew that he is so much more than just a servant. She nods as she places her hand in his. "How could I say no to that face?"

Merlin smirks as he helps her onto Aithusa's back. Morgana immediately grabs hold of the only thing she can— Aithusa's scales, as Merlin climbs up behind her. As soon as Merlin sits down, Aithusa starts off in a run before taking off up into the sky.

Try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a high pitched scream of terror. It's rather embarrassing, but then Merlin wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her against his chest. She slowly relaxes against him as Aithusa rises higher and higher up into the sky. The scenery below is breathtakingly beautiful, and she couldn't help but wonder how many times Merlin has seen it all from the back of a dragon.

She hadn't even noticed that she was gripping his arms tightly until Merlin whispers into her ear, "I won't let you fall."

She relaxes even more, letting go of his arms to reach behind her and pull his head down over her shoulder, before turning her own head and pressing her lips against his. It's all so romantic, riding off into the sunset together with the love of her life. But they have a mission to accomplish.

...

Arthur's heart hammers wildly in his chest, paranoia getting the best of him as he descends the staircase leading to the dungeons. He can hear and feel the rumbling of the towers above him as the evil witch in the Dragon's body wreaks havoc. "Gwen!" He calls down into the dark corridor.

"Arthur?" Gwen emerges, holding a bloodied cloth in her hands. Her eyes are wide with fear and the front of her dress is equally as bloody as the cloth she holds.

Arthur's heart plummets as he rushes towards her with worry. "You're hurt!"

Gwen shakes her head to him as she leads him towards the back of the dungeon. "The blood isn't mine." She looks down at the gash on the outside of her right forearm. "Not all of it, at least."

Arthur pulls her towards him and hugs her. "I'm sorry you got hurt." He whispers into her hair.

Gwen shakes her head against his chest. "It's nothing, considering there's a dragon trying to kill us all."

Arthur pulls back slightly as he looks around. "Where's my father?"

Gwen points towards the corner of a cell. "He's hurt, but I think he'll be okay."

Arthur lets go of her to go to his father. The light is dim in the cell, but it's just enough for him to see the blood on the side of his head. He stops and drops to his knees beside the King. He immediately notices where the blood is coming from. Under the thin bandage around his head, his right ear is missing. Arthur swallows hard as he looks into his father's tired and fearful eyes. "What happened?" He asks worriedly.

Gwen answers immediately. "More of the invisible creatures showed up in the city. The Knights fought them off as best they could, but there were too many. Gwaine and Elyan got us back to the castle before leaving again to help, but one of the creatures managed to follow us." She looks down at the King and shakes her head. "It attacked us."

Uther looks past his son at the maid who had nearly died to protect him. "She saved my life." He says hoarsely. "Pushed me out of the way just in time. If she hadn't, it would've been my head and not just my ear that'd been severed."

Tears collect in the young Prince's eyes. Despite his anger at the things he'd learned about his father and all his wrongdoings, he couldn't help but feel immensely relieved and glad that he's alive. They can discuss all of that later though. He helps sit him up. "I don't doubt that for a second. Gwen is one of the bravest people I know."

Uther nods as he reaches up to touch the cloth that Gwen had wrapped around his head to stem the blood flowing out of the hole where his ear once was.

"Can you stand?" Arthur asks as he gets up.

Uther nods, and with the help of his son and Morgana's maid, he finally leaves the corner he'd been slumped in for the past half hour.

Arthur leads them out into the corridor and up the staircase. "We must hurry. It's only a matter of time before the Dragon gets down here."

...

As Aithusa lowers to the ground, Merlin could see the mouth of the cave from where they are. He climbs off of Aithusa's back before helping Morgana down. Morgana smiles as she moves to follow him, but Merlin stops her with a hand on her arm. "Maybe you should stay here."

Morgana blinks at him incredulously. "And do what? Guard the dragon?" She asks sarcastically.

Merlin sighs and gives her a look of concern. "You heard what Morgause said about the cave."

"And?" Morgana asks with raised eyebrows.

"And it's dangerous." Merlin replies. "I don't— I can't lose you...". He pauses to scrub a hand down his face. "If anything happens to you in there, I will never forgive myself."

Morgana's features soften as she smiles lovingly at him. She pulls him close by the front of his tunic and kisses him once again. "Then don't let anything happen to me in there." She says softly, before letting go of his shirt and walking past him towards the cave.

"Wait." Merlin calls to her. She stops and looks expectantly at him. Merlin lifts his tunic up to reveal a sheathed dagger tucked into the waist of his trousers. He pulls it out and walks around to the front of Aithusa.

Morgana watches curiously as he whispers something to the white dragon. It sniffs at the dagger before Merlin pulls it out of its sheath and holds it up over his head. Before Morgana could ask what he's doing, Aithusa opens her mouth and lets out a string of fire at the blade. She nearly screams, worried that Merlin's hand would burn, but he doesn't even flinch or make a sound. That's when she notices the state of the fire. It shimmers and glows, like the sun filtering through stained glass. It's beautiful.

When Aithusa closes her mouth, she lets out a puff of smoke through her nostrils before bowing her head. Merlin smiles and thanks her, patting her head fondly. "We'll be right back." He promises.

He makes his way over to Morgana and holds the dagger up to her.

"What was that?" Morgana asks curiously as she takes the blade and inspects it. It's warm to the touch. Insignificant, light, and not the sharpest weapon... but it felt powerful in her hand. There's almost a steady hum to it.

"Dragons breath." Merlin nods towards the dagger. "Can turn a mortal blade into a weapon that can kill that which is immortal."

Morgana raises her eyebrows. "And you're giving it to me?"

Merlin nods. "I have my magic. I thought you should have something as well... in case something goes wrong." He shrugs, trying to act nonchalant. "Unless you want to stay here, where there's less of a chance of anything going wrong." He looks down, avoiding her eyes.

Morgana smiles at him and shakes her head. "I'm not staying here, Merlin. You know I will only follow you if you leave me here."

He looks up and raises an eyebrow at her. "What if I magically bind you to that tree?" He points towards the nearest tree.

Morgana snorts at the small tree. "I will take the bloody tree with me into that cave if I have to." She grabs his tunic and pulls him against her again. "I'm going." She says one last time. She leans up, kisses his chin, before turns, and continues to the cave.

Merlin sighs as he watches her for a moment. She really is the bravest, fiercest, and the most beautifully stubborn woman he has ever met. He smiles as he follows her to the cave, but his worry continues to grow. Once at the mouth of the cave, he stops to ask Morgana if she's absolutely sure she doesn't want to stay outside where it's safe.

Morgana shakes her head at him. "I'm not changing my mind." She tells him sternly. "We'll do this together."

Merlin nods and smiles at her, despite his concern for her safety. "Then stay close." He says, before continuing to lead their way in.

He holds her hand, making sure to keep her close behind him as he raises his hand in front of him and commands a ball of light to illuminate their way. Morgana says nothing as she stares at the ball of light in awe and wonder. Merlin stops when he hears a thud echo from inside the cave. He breathes in deeply, closing his eyes as he mutters an incantation under his breath. His eyes glow as he uses his magic to see further into the cave.

When the glow of magic fades from his eyes, he blinks and looks behind him at Morgana. "There's a presence ahead, but I can't see what it is... it's distorted somehow."

They venture deeper into the darkness, Merlin's ball of light floating just inches in front of them. Just as Merlin crosses past a few boulders, something above them stirs, and Merlin looks up to find hundreds of bats begin to drop from their place in the ceiling. He quickly turns, pulling Morgana against his chest as the winged mammals disperse above and all around them. Morgana screams, causing more of the bats to take flight out of the cave.

When the area is clear, Merlin releases a breath of relief as he pulls back to look at Morgana with concern. "Are you okay?" He asks worriedly.

Morgana looks up at the ceiling and nods her head. "Yes... I just wasn't expecting that."

Merlin hears yet another thud and he turns in time to see something move in the shadows beyond them. The ball of light follows, and so does he and Morgana.

He picks up the pace, holding his hand up in front of him at the ready. He feels Morgana's hand tighten around his as they venture deeper into the cave.

It's the sound of scuffling feet that makes him stop again, but this time, he can see what the sound is coming from. Just up ahead, he sees a pack of wilddeoren coming straight towards them. There are five or six of them. They're too close, and knowing that they don't have time to hide, Merlin releases Morgana's hand and with all his might, uses his magic to stop the creatures from getting to them. However, he did a little more than that.

Morgana gasps as the giant, disgusting rats practically disintegrate in front of them. Merlin looks at her and shakes his head. "I only meant to push them away. I didn't think they'd disintegrate."

Morgana blinks at him in confusion. "Why are you explaining? I'm not complaining. They would've eaten us, from the looks of it."

"Right." Merlin nods and gestures for her to follow him again. A shadow passes ahead, and Merlin runs after it, causing Morgana to run as well.

Just as he rounds the corner, he's met with a ghastly looking beast. One that he'd never seen before in real life, but he recognizes from one of Gaius' books.

"What is that thing?!" Morgana asks fearfully as the creatures growls at them.

"An Afanc." Merlin backs up, taking Morgana with him as the creature begins to slowly approach them.

"What do we do?"

"I'm not sure." Merlin's mind races back to what he'd read in Gaius' book, and he loudly recites the only thing he remembers. "It's conjured with elemental magic."

Morgana grips Merlin's shoulder as he backs them right against a wall. "Elemental?"

Merlin nods as the creature gets closer and closer. "Yes. From earth and water."

"That's only two of the four base elements." Morgana points out. "Perhaps fire and air will kill it?"

Merlin turns his head abruptly and looks at Morgana in amazement. "That makes sense." He grins widely. "That's a really good—".

"Merlin, perhaps we could discuss this after we kill it?" She points in front of him to the Afanc as it's now only a few feet away.

"Right." Merlin turns, raising his hand in front of him. The ball of light that illuminated their way disappears for a second, only to be replaced by a ball of fire at the word, "Forebearne". The creature suddenly rears back, letting out a loud roar of anger and fear.

Merlin leans forward, muttering a spell under his breath. "Lyfte sy þe in bǽlwylm ac forhienan se wiðere!"

The ball of fire explodes towards the creature as air filters from its surroundings to wrap around it. It screeches loudly, swinging its arms back and forth as the fire consumes and disintegrates it, instantly turning it into a pile of ash.

Morgana slumps forward against Merlin's back, feeling as though she'd been the one to fight the monster. "I didn't do a thing, but I'm suddenly exhausted." She murmurs against his tunic.

Merlin grins and turns to look at her. "Nonsense. You figured out how to kill it."

Morgana rolls her eyes. "I figured out that two of the elements weren't used to create it."

Merlin sighs and takes her hand. "You gave me strength to defeat it."

She couldn't help but smile. "Watching you defeat it was kind of alluring."

The sound of rumbling rocks stops Merlin from saying what he'd wanted to say.

Merlin and Morgana both turn their heads towards the sound, to find the ground under the ash-Afanc begin to crumble and rise into something akin to an anthill.

"What the bloody hell now?" Merlin says loudly as he moves to stand in front of Morgana once again.

The very top of the mound begins to crumble away, revealing hundreds and hundreds of beetles, crawling out of it and towards them.

Morgana lets out a loud groan. "It just had to be beetles."

Merlin sends the floating ball of fire towards the little critters, turning them to dust, but they continue to flow out of the ground like water from a fountain. "There's too many." Merlin says in a slight panic.

Morgana looks around, trying to find another passageway or something they could take. There's no way they'll be able to get past the bugs from hell. That's when she notices something coming from the other end of the cave. Coming from where they came, and faster than anything she had ever seen. She didn't even have time to alert Merlin before it jumps out at them. She screams at the top of her lungs, causing Merlin to instinctively turn and pull her against him as he turns them both.

She doesn't know what happened. One moment she's in Merlin's arms, momentarily safe from harm, and the next, she's standing alone in the dark. Morgana turns around, eyes searching for anything, but she couldn't see a single thing. Raising her hand, she tries to get a look at it, but she can't see a thing. There are no sounds, no crawling beetles, no tiny evil creature, and absolutely no light. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face! Fear begins to set in as she whispers into the darkness. "Merlin?"

No answer.

"Merlin?" She tries again,and still no answer. On the third "Merlin?", she takes a step forward, but her foot catches on something and she ends up falling forward, landing on top of something that felt vaguely like a body. She hopes and prays to all the gods that it's Merlin, alive. She grunts as she pushes herself up on her knees and uses her hands to feel around in front of her.

It doesn't take her long to figure out that the body is indeed Merlin's. She sighs in relief when she feels the rise and fall of his chest, which is the part of him that she'd ended up falling diagonally across.

Taking deep breaths, she tries to calm herself and think of something. Now that Merlin is unconscious, there's no one to keep the ball of light or fire up to illuminate the cave. She has no idea what happened to the beetles and the thing that attacked her Merlin, but she's glad they're not there. Without light, she won't be able to see where Merlin is hurt. She only hopes that it'll be something she can fix.

She has no idea what to do. She has no torch. All she has is a dagger. Merlin has his magic, but he's unconscious. She tries shaking him awake as she repeatedly calls his name, but she gets nothing but the gentle puffs of his breath as he breathes. She closes her eyes once more, breathing in deeply. The only chance she has, is Merlin's magic... magic.

Morgana opens her eyes. It's no different from having them closed; it's so pitch black. Magic. Her mother had said she was special like Morgause. She has magic. She remembers the spell Merlin had used to create the fire. "Okay... I can do this." Shaking her hands in front of her, she prepares her mind. It shouldn't be much different from focusing on sword fighting. Just focus.

Closing her eyes once more, Morgana begins to mutter the spell. "Forbearne." She opens her eyes to find darkness again. She tries again, this time really focusing on the image of fire. Burning, hot, red, orange, yellow, flames. She focuses on the warmth, the power. "Forbearne." She confidently commands. She feels it, the rush and the tingling in her chest. Magic.

She feels it before she sees it, grow into a small ball. It's much smaller than the one Merlin conjured, but it's good enough for now. Morgana blinks as she immediately looks at Merlin. He's definitely unconscious, eyes closed, and skin surprisingly paler than ever. Morgana frantically looks around for open or obvious wounds, finding none. She goes to sit him up so she can check his back, but that's when she notices a tiny speck of blood on his neck, surrounded by a faint bruise.

She stops and leans towards him, inspecting it. Wiping the speck of blood away reveals a tiny hole behind it. She checks his pulse, finding it faint. Worry begins to rise up in her chest as she tries to think of what to do. He's much too heavy for her to carry back out of the cave, and she simply cannot leave him here by himself.

Morgana raises her head, looking around for something that could give her an idea, and that's when she notices something odd. The beetle hill was gone, and so were the ashes of the Afanc. And it wasn't just gone. It looked like it had never been there. The ground is completely solid, no large beetle holes or anything anywhere.

Looking back down at Merlin, Morgana begins to suspect something, but she's not sure. There's only one way to find out. Morgana looks down at Merlin and places her hand over his chest. She closes her eyes, focusing on waking him up. She pictures him in her minds eye, sitting up, opening his blue eyes, inhaling deeply. She pictures him looking at her. She imagines the feel of his arms around her. "Come on, Merlin." She whispers. "Wake up."

"WAKE UP!"

Merlin gasps as his eyes snap open. He first sees Morgana, and then he sees the fire in her open palm. He sits up, then notices the humming sound of scuffling.

"Merlin!" Morgana pulls him up, but he suddenly wobbles, loses his footing and goes right back down. "What the—!". Morgana screams as beetles spew back out of the suddenly open ground again, crawling their way towards Merlin.

Merlin hears another sound and looks up right in time to see something vaguely familiar coming right at him. He's much too weak to even raise his hand. He's lightheaded and feels like throwing up before taking a long nap.

Morgana, seeing the creature that attacked Merlin coming right back at her beloved, thinks on her feet and unsheathes her dagger. It lunges towards Merlin while she lunges towards it, impaling it right in the neck just in time. It lets out a high-pitched shriek before it begins to convulse and turn into ash.

Merlin gasps a second time as a shot of pure adrenaline shoots through his body. He snaps up into a sitting position, suddenly feeling a hundred times better than a moment ago. "Forbearne!" He shouts as he thrusts his hand forward and disintegrates the beetles. The whole lot.

Morgana drops to her knees beside him and lets out a long sigh of relief.

Merlin looks at her and asks, "What happened?"

Morgana shakes her head at him and swallows. "The creatures... I think their life-force is connected to you."

Merlin blinks confusedly at her. "What do you mean?"

"When you were attacked by that— thing—".

"It was a manticore... deadly magical creature."

Morgana nods. "Yes. You passed out and the creatures disappeared."

Merlin's eyebrows knit together as he gets up and helps Morgana stand as well. "Disappeared?"

Morgana nods. "Yes... they were just— gone."

"It could've just been the dark."

Morgana shakes her head. "No. When I was able to get a small ball of fire to light the darkness, I noticed that the ground where the beetles came out of was back to being smooth. The hill and the hole was gone. So were the Afanc's ashes, and so was that ugly thing that attacked you... and as soon as you regained consciousness, the beetles and the other creature just reappeared like they never left. And when I killed the thing, you regained your strength immediately."

Merlin shakes his head. "The other parts don't make sense. As for me regaining strength when you killed the manticore, it's because killing it is the only cure for its venom."

Morgana lets out a shaky breath. "It's bloody good thing you gave this dagger then." She says as she puts it back in its sheath.

Merlin nods, then smiles at her. He creates his own ball of fire when Morgana's flickers out. "You used magic." He points out in an impressed tone.

Morgana widens her eyes at him. "I did! Oh my gods, I panicked when you passed out, and I just— I used the spell you used to command fire."

Merlin's smile widens. "I suspect you're just like me... I didn't need to learn magic to use it. It was just there from the moment I was born."

"I don't know. I've never felt it before. The rush of power."

Merlin pulls her into his embrace. "And yet it's there... you saved me."

Morgana smiles, opening her mouth to reply, but getting cut off by a horrendous and spine chilling scream. They break apart, looking down the dark cave.

"And it's back to fighting evil." Merlin murmurs.

...

Arthur, Gwen, and Uther has to take a secret passageway out the back of the castle after discovering that the front entrance is completely sealed off with rubble from the main towers remains.

Arthur hopes that Gaius and the Princess Ophelia have made it safely out to the city. He's still unsure of the current status there, but it can't be worse than inside what's left of the castle.

He looks at his father and Gwen for a moment, checking that they're both looking strong enough to continue, and that's when he hears the sound of multiple footfalls coming towards them. They all stop, waiting with bated breath as Arthur's hand goes to the sword at his hip.

The three let out simultaneous sighs of relief when they see the King of Ergyng emerge with about 7 of his men, plus Gaius and Princess Ophelia.

"King Athrwys!" Arthur calls out.

The King looks around beside and behind them. "Where are the others? The Knights?" He asks.

Arthur shakes his head warily. "Last I heard, they're in the city."

King Athrwys nods in thought before he holds up a small, rolled up piece of paper. "We received word from my army. They managed to find a shortcut across the Forest of Ascetir, and should be arriving by dawn. We just have to hold off the dragon and the invisible creatures until then."

Arthur nods as some of King Athrwys' men helps his father towards the fort they'd built against the wall behind the castle. Arthur takes Gwen over to Gaius and asks if he could take a look at Gwen's wound before checking on his father's. He trusts that Gwen did a good enough job on his father's wound. No one has looked at her wound though, and he wants to make sure it's not in any danger of infection.

As Gaius tends to Gwen and Uther with Princess Ophelia's help, Arthur takes the time to speak with the King of Ergyng about a battle plan.

King Athrwys shakes his head as they gather around a table. "There's not much to begin with. My daughter has filled me in on the evil sorceress taking on the body of the dragon that's currently wreaking havoc on the castle. My men can fight off the invisible creatures, using Merlin's methods. We managed to find a way to use the oil and a catapult to launch it into the air. But there's only so much oil left in stock. I'm afraid that once it runs out, we'll be sitting ducks." He sighs and looks up at the back of the castle. "As for the dragon, I'm afraid my army won't be a match for it. I've read about them. Their armor— the scales on its body, is very much impenetrable. I'm not sure we'll be able to defeat it."

Arthur shakes his head and looks at the King with a hopeful look in his eyes. "The dragon won't be a problem."

King Athrwys blinks at the young Prince. "How do you figure?"

Arthur smiles a little. "Merlin... he'll find a way to defeat it. Or at least, he'll find a way to defeat the sorceress inside it. The real dragon is apparently a friend of his."

The King smiles at that. "Merlin and his magic has proven to be more beneficial for this Kingdom than not." He looks over at the King of Camelot. "When this is over, I hope your father will see it that way."

Arthur turns and looks at his father as he nods. "Me too."

Screeches from a short distance away pulls the two from their conversation. King Athrwys draws his sword and looks at Arthur. "More of the invisible creatures are on the way."

Arthur draws his own sword and nods. "Is there no end to them?"

King Athrwys shakes his head. "They come in waves... as if the sorceress had commanded them to do so. It's been like this since the moment the dragon arrived."

Arthur makes his way over to Gaius, Gwen, the Princess, and his father. He gets them under cover and pleads for them to stay out of the fight. Gwen begins to protest, saying that she can help, but he was having none of it. "No. You've helped plenty, Gwen." He smiles at her and raises a hand to touch her cheek. "Now it's my turn to do my part." In front of the party from Ergyng, Gaius, and even his father, Arthur pulls her towards him and without a moment of hesitation, he places a quick kiss to her lips. "Stay here." He whispers, before walking off towards King Athrwys and his men.

...

Merlin and Morgana find themself face to face with a dead end. Merlin backtracks several yards, trying to find a fork that they'd maybe missed, but he finds none. When he makes his way back, he finds Morgana touching the end of the cavern.

"What is it?" He asks curiously.

Morgana shakes her head. "I'm not sure... there's like— a hum in the wall."

"A hum?" Merlin asks as he approaches it and puts his hand against it. Almost immediately, he feels it. It's subtle enough that it would've taken him several moments to feel it if Morgana hadn't told him about it. But it's strong enough that it's unmistakable. He pushes his hand against the dirt, feeling it's dampness. He rubs his fingers together as he remembers what Kilgharrah had said about the sound of water coming from somewhere near him. "It's wet." He mumbles. "The wall— there's water coming from somewhere behind it." We're close.

Taking a step back, he looks at Morgana and tells her to get back.

Morgana does so and looks questioningly at him. "What is it?"

Merlin looks at her with a look of hope in his eyes. "I think this is where their bodies are... everyone who died in the Great Purge." He looks at the wall. "Our kin." He closes his eyes and tries to focus on what's on the other side of the wall. The presence of souls. "I can feel them."

Morgana looks at the wall as she closes her eyes and focuses on what Merlin is feeling. It's not long before she feels it too. Like countless restless souls trying to find their way out. An overwhelming sadness and sorrow fills her heart as tears quickly collect in her eyes. She looks at Merlin. "Uther did this... he— he killed all these people and had their bodies discarded here." She shakes her head. "I can't blame them for wanting to see Uther's downfall." She says honestly.

Merlin takes her hand and offers a small comforting look. "I know... but their anger and sorrow is hurting more than just Uther."

Morgana sighs and swipes at her tears. She doesn't want to discuss Uther anymore. That's something she'll have to deal with later. For now, she just wants to get this over with so they can get out of there. "I'm assuming Nimueh's body is in there somewhere."

Merlin nods. "If we find where the water is coming from, we can find her body and the Stone of Mortem near it."

Morgana takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "How do we get to them?"

Merlin looks up at the wall again. "It's dangerous, but— The only way is through."

Morgana nods as she squeezes Merlin's hand. "We'll probably need the Stone Morgause gave us earlier." She tells him.

Merlin smiles and holds up his other hand. The stone sits in his palm as he nods. "Way ahead of you."

...

A/N: Okay, so I wanted this chapter to be a little bit longer, but I think I've made you all wait too long. So I'll write out the rest of it later and post it as a separate chapter. Hope you all like this chapter! I'll update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!

-McDiggin'It