Title: The Mad Prince

A/N: Just a fair warning, this chapter will be a little confusing. I am after all, definitely not a good writer. But in the end, I'm sure most of you will be able to figure out how it fits together. Thank you! Please review!

-McDiggin'It

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Chapter Seventeen: His Truth

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Gaius ushers the young Prince from Camelot inside his chambers along with Gwen. He quickly inspects Arthurs wounds for fatalities, finding none. "You have cuts, scratches, and bruises." He explains. "... what you really need is rest."

Arthur sighs heavily and shakes his head. "I cannot rest while my people are suffering."

Gaius frowns at the man. "And of what use are you to your people if you can barely stand? Guinevere told me Morgause arrived in Camelot two days ago." He raises an eyebrow at the Prince. "I take it that you haven't slept since?"

Arthur nods. "A Prince mustn't sleep while his Kingdom is in peril."

Gaius nods as he works quickly, mixing herbs and fluids. "That is fine... with the potion I give you, it should return your strength to you in no time. In the meantime, you should eat something." Arthur looks at Gaius and opens his mouth to reply, but Gaius cuts him off. "And before you say that a Prince mustn't eat while his people are starving, let me remind you that fighting on an empty stomach will do you no good. One hard blow will be like throwing parchment into the wind. You will go down without a doubt. Besides, the potion I'm making is much too strong. Taking it while you are starving will only serve to make you ill."

Arthur sighs as he finally gives into Gaius' advice. Food and water is brought in by two servants, and he tries not to think of his home as he eats. He has no appetite, but Gaius is right. He cannot help in the fight against the evil sorceress Morgause if he's too weak to do that. He eats as Gwen wrings warm water out of a wash cloth and tends to the long scratch along his back. She's quiet, which he notices. Usually, by now, she would've said something. But she hasn't.

He turns to look at her with concern in his eyes. She rinses out the wash cloth and proceeds to dab at the dirt and dried blood on his cheek. Arthur smiles lovingly at her. It has been weeks since he realized how much she means to him. He never thought he'd ever feel what he does for her, but here he is... Feeling everything. He sighs as he puts his spoon down before reaching up to her hand and wrapping his own around it. She finally makes eye contact with him, and he notices the concern in them. "What is it?" He asks softly. Gaius is no longer paying attention to them as he goes about making Arthur's potion.

Gwen shakes her head as tears cascade down her cheeks. "Nothing, Sire." She goes to pull her hand away, but Arthur only tightens his grip.

He gives her a worried look. "It'll only worry me when you refuse to say what's on your mind." He raises his free hand and wipes away her tears. "Tell me." He urges softly.

Gwen sighs and nods to him. "I spent the past two days trying to ignore the fact that Camelot and everyone I hold dear is in danger... but it's been hard." She sniffles as another tear escapes her eye. "Seeing you here, wounded, but safe... it— I can't tell you how relieved I am." Her voice goes up an octave as a tiny sob leaves her lips. "... because I spent the whole journey here, thinking about how you were going to survive Morgause and her army."

Arthur shakes his head as he smiles and pulls Gwen into his embrace. "Shhh..." he whispers softly. He kisses her head. "I'm here now. I'm safe." He pulls away to look at her as he raises his arms beside him. "See? I'm right here."

Gwen nods as she smiles at him through her tears. "I know... I just— I feel guilty for being this happy to see you when I don't even know if my father and brother are alive and safe. I don't even know if they made it safely to the citadel."

Arthur smiles at her even wider. "I made sure they were in the citadel before I left."

At that, Gwen sobs as she hugs her Prince. "You're sure?" She asks against his shoulder.

Arthur nods as he rubs her back. "Of course... they're your family.. my family. I saw to it that they were safe and out of harms way... besides. Elyan can hold his own. I'm sure he'll keep himself and your father safe."

Gwen feels immense relief, finally. It's not permanent, as she knows that Camelot is not out of the shadows. But it's good enough for now.

...

Morgana couldn't help the feeling of relief. Relief that she's finally about to learn the truth that she has been trying to find since she came here. As Merlin leads her into the Royal Garden, she ponders on how this might change everything. The truth must be crucial information if they've kept it from her for so long. She knows that these are desperate times, but she also can't help but wonder why Merlin is telling her the truth now. Why is now a good time to tell her the truth? Why couldn't he tell her earlier? All this time that they've been keeping her from the truth, she'd subconsciously thought that maybe she wouldn't find out until after the binding ritual ceremony. So why now?

Merlin turns to her once they're standing in front of one of the stone benches. He offers a small half smile and asks her to sit with him. Morgana smiles, nodding to him as they both sit down with their hands still intertwined. He sighs as he raises his free hand and runs it through his dark hair.

Morgana watches him silently, taking in his rigid posture and blank expression. He is nervous, she can tell. She squeezes his hand lightly, hoping it will calm his nerves some.

He shakes his head at her. "I've kept this truth for so long... practically all my life."

Morgana nods to him. "I understand. Saying it out loud must feel like a burden."

He looks at her and lets out a small, humorless, shaky laugh. "Where do I even start?"

She turns her body towards him and offers him a half smile. "The beginning."

And so, the Prince begins to retell of all he has kept secret from the world. "As you know, my father and Morgause are twins."

Morgana nods, recalling what King Balinor had told her.

"The first King of Drogomir was the same." Merlin says quietly. "He too, had a twin sister... and so did every other King that came after him."

This, Morgana didn't know. She knows that there is still a lot she has to learn about Drogomir's history. But twins in every other generation in a single family is a rarity.

"Anyway," Merlin continues softly. "My father and Morgause used to do everything together. She was his right hand and best friend. He trusted her." Merlin pauses and shakes his head. "I wasn't born at the time, so I have a hard time imagining Morgause being trusted by anyone." He sighs. "But my mother loved her and trusted her too." he says softly and pauses. He has never spoken of his mother since she died. It makes his heart ache every time, to think that she is no longer with him. He shakes his head and continues. "You may not have known this, but my mother was a very powerful seer."

Morgana raises her eyebrows at that. She'd learned from Gaius what that was. "She could see the future?"

Merlin nods. "Pieces of it, at least. The future is... unclear. Changing every second with every decision. The pieces that fit with the current path, however, are the ones my mother used to see. That was her strength. Her prophetic visions helped her shape our Kingdom. It protected us, made us stronger. When she married my father, she was given the rune of vision, while my father was given compassion. Together, they brought peace to our Kingdom... my father ruled with a kind heart, and my mother assisted with her visions." Merlin trails off and looks away from Morgana, his eyes focusing on the ground. "Until the night my mother had a vision of Morgause attempting to kill her.. she was pregnant with me at the time."

Morgana stares. It's all she can do. She feels her heartbeat beginning to speed up, her palms beginning to sweat. She knows that Merlin is about to tell her everything, about the horrors that King Balinor, and even himself had seen and endured. It fills her with anxiety and sadness.

"She was unsure, at first. Unsure that it would happen. But she knew that she wouldn't have seen it, if Morgause weren't already on that path. So, knowing that Morgause was plotting to kill her, she confronted her. Told her what she saw... Morgause swore on her life that she wasn't plotting anything, that she would never harm her brother's wife, that she is family to her and that family meant more to her than anything... my mother told Morgause she wouldn't say anything to my father for the time being... until she had another vision, this one, about Morgause plotting to kill my father." Merlin stops there and finally looks up into Morgana's eyes. His eyes are sad as he relays the next part. "My mother did not hesitate to tell my father... and though he wanted to believe otherwise, he knew my mother wouldn't lie to him. He knew that because of the ritual and her rune, her visions were not wrong." He inhales deeply and let's out a heavy sigh. "My father had Morgause restrained and taken to the Catha— an order of Priests in the Old Religion who uses magic to successfully torture information out of people. They succeeded after a day, and relayed Morgause's plans. Kill a man and he ceases to live. Kill all that he holds dear, and he ceases to exist."

Morgana gives Merlin a confused look, which he instantly understands.

"Morgause's original plan to murder my mother, was meant to break my father. She knew how much my father loved my mother; how much she meant to him. She sought to take away from him, his heart instead of his life. Take that away and his legacy would've ended there, as a King who withered away with madness. An empty husk, unfit to rule the Kingdom. It was the perfect plan to get the throne. A King unable to rule would be forced to step down. She would be the next in line to take the throne... but my mother saw what she meant to do, and so Morgause changed tactics. She was forced to take a more desperate approach, knowing that my mothers gift as a seer would not afford her a well planned assassination attempt."

Morgana takes that all in. It's not even half of the story, but it's already a lot to take in. "What happened to her?"

"She used dark magic to summon an army of wyverns... in the night, they wreaked havoc on Drogomir, slaughtered hundreds of people, freed Morgause, and abducted my mother."

Morgana continues to listen intently as Merlin continues on.

"Morgause then used dark magic on my mother, and possessed her with an evil spirit that would lead her to a shrine."

"A shrine?"

Merlin nods. "I'm sure Gaius told you about the Erilaz?"

Morgana bites her lip in thought and nods. She remembers Gaius mentioning them. "The rune masters who created the runes for the first King and Queen of Drogomir."

"Yes." Merlin confirms. "And Gaius told you of the price they paid to get the runes?"

Morgana shakes her head. "No, just that it was a very high price."

Merlin nods again, "The price... when their first son was born, they were to deliver him to the Erilaz."

Morgana gasps at that, asking incredulously. "They gave up their firstborn son for some runes?"

"Not just any runes. The runes they wanted were not binding runes… he wanted runes that would grant him unimaginable power, and eternal life."

Morgana shakes her head at that. "Wait, what?" She hadn't expected that. Now she's not sure how things tie into the binding ritual that Drogomir practices.

Merlin sighs, pulling away and nodding his head. "The first King of Drogomir sought out the Erilaz because he wanted to become immortal. He wanted the Kingdom of Drogomir to remain in his possession for all of eternity. Hence later on, his rune was power."

"But the Erilaz didn't grant him that, did they?" Morgana concludes. Obviously, the first King is no longer alive.

Merlin shrugs. "They did… but he did not keep his word. When his first son was born, he refused to pay the price of his immortality. The Erilaz did not take kindly to being deceived, and not only took the powers of immortality away, but also sent a plague that killed his first son."

Morgana stares at Merlin. None of this was in her lessons with Gaius. She asks, "Why aren't any of these in the history lessons Gaius taught me?"

Merlin doesn't miss a beat. "Because he was forbidden from telling you. The version he told you was watered down. Our true history is a dark one... a cursed one… my father and every King that ruled after the first King was ashamed of our history. Ashamed of the curse our Kingdom bears."

"Curse?" Morgana asks uneasily. "I thought you said the first King's son was killed by the Erilaz anyway?"

Merlin nods. "Yes… he was… and in his rage and grief, the first King wanted revenge."

Morgana gasps, her eyes widening at the realization of what that means. "He— He didn't." she whispers.

Merlin nods. "Our first King took his army there, slaughtered everyone, and burned the temple to the ground. Some years later, the Druids, a peaceful community of sorcerers and sorceresses, took it upon themselves to build a sacred place, in the place of the temple, so that the Erilaz may find peace in between our world and the spirit world."

"The shrine." Morgana says softly, connecting the dots.

Merlin says nothing for a long moment as he looks down at the ground in front of him. He digs the toe of his boot into the soil and nods. "The people of this land and every land near here knows that the Shrine of the Erilaz is a place that no man or creature should disturb." He shakes his head and closes his eyes. "The spirit that possessed my mother that night, knew that, and took her to the shrine, just as she went into labor."

Morgana swallows hard as the truth begins to come into focus. One of the things she'd learned in her lessons with Gaius, is that a shrine is sacred, and should never be disturbed, because the consequences can be deadly. That in itself, scares her. She watches Merlin's eyes as she dwells on his last word. Labor. She lowers her eyes to his hands, shaking as they ball into fists. She can see how much this is hurting him. She reaches out and closes her hand over his rigid one. She swipes her thumb over his knuckles before his fist finally loosens and color begins to seep back over the back of his hand. Reaching her free hand up, she places it over the back of his neck and pulls him towards her. She presses her forehead against his temple and she closes her eyes. He won't say it, but she knows… so, she says it. "You were born there… at the Shrine of the Erilaz."

He doesn't say anything but nod. Morgana feels a tear escape her eye and fall down her face. She reaches her hand up and smooths down the hair in the back of his head.

"My birth there tethered several spirits to me. The Erilaz sought to take me as atonement for the first King's sins against them… but my father and his Knights found us just in time, or at least they thought they did."

Morgana pulls away to stare at him with sadness. "You were just a baby." She breathes softly.

Merlin looks at her and smiles. "They did not see age. All they saw was the same blood that coursed through their murderers veins, in me... and so they took what they wanted."

Morgana shakes her head at the Prince. "No... you're— you're right here. You're safe."

Merlin places his free hand over Morgana's. He looks down as Morgana turns her hand to intertwine with his. "I died, Morgana." He says hoarsely. "My father took us home, but I stopped breathing that same night."

Morgana inhales sharply, remembering what the King told her.

'Had I been stronger, I would've been able to save my wife and my boy.'

Morgana shakes her head in confusion. "You died." She whispers. "What do you mean you died?"

Merlin shrugs. "Exactly that... My mother was distraught. She begged my father to do something. He'd told her..." Merlin pauses and his jaw clenches, the muscle in his cheek twitching. "He'd told her that the price to pay would be high, but she didn't care. She begged him to do everything and anything; pay whatever price they demanded. So he went to them— to the shrine. He begged for my life. He groveled on his knees..." Merlin trails off once again and he makes a small strangled sound in the back of his throat.

Morgana knew what Merlin was about to say. The price that the King paid in exchange for his only son. "They wanted your mother." She says in a small whisper.

Merlin shakes his head. "They wanted my father… He willingly gave up his life for me. When he returned, I was alive and well. He told my mother of the price they demanded. He told her that he'd agreed to pay it— that the spirits agreed to give him until the dawn of the next day." Merlin's lips tremble as he continues in a hoarse whisper. "In the night, after she'd made sure my father was asleep, my mother snuck out, journeyed back to the shrine, and struck a different deal with the spirits."

Morgana could almost feel his pain. But there's something that doesn't quite add up. "What deal?"

There's a long moment of silence before Merlin suddenly lets go of her hands and gets up off the bench. He paces in front of her several times before he finally answers. "She never spoke a word of what happened that night. She returned home, unscathed. But we knew she'd made some sort of deal with the spirits. Dawn approached and passed, but my father was still alive. When he went back to the shrine, the spirits did not take him. They didn't even make their presence known… he knew that my mother had something to do with it when he found the sleeping draft she'd slipped in his goblet the night before, in her dresser. But she never told him what it was. Although, he suspected it."

"She bargained her own life." Morgana whispers sadly. At Merlin's nod of confirmation, she flashes back to something the King had said to her about his wife's death. 'Her death was sudden, but not unexpected.' She then remembers what Madeline had told her on that second day in Drogomir. "But— I thought she was— murdered."

Merlin digs his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he raises his eyes to the ceiling. "Madeline tell you that?" He asks.

Morgana shrugs. "I asked her."

He looks down. "Madeline doesn't know about anything that happened. She doesn't know our family history. When she comes of age, she will get to read from the book, and learn of our curse…". He shakes his head as he continues. "But she's smart... Morgause's actions led to my mothers death... that is murder, and Madeline is right." he says with contempt. Morgana can see that his anger is beginning to grow and show once more.

She stands up too, facing him as she reaches up and places her hands on either side of his face. She wordlessly urges him to look at her, which he does. "You mustn't let your anger control you."

Merlin stares at her with deeply saddened eyes. "Anger is all I have, Morgana… If I let go of my anger, what do I have?"

Morgana shakes her head at him, her eyes silently asking if he really can't see it. "Your father. Your sister. Gaius. This entire Kingdom…" Merlin rolls his eyes at her, but she takes a step towards him and presses her body against his. "And me... you're not alone."

Merlin blinks at her as he whispers. "And what if I don't want to let go of my anger? My mother died to save me. To save my father… all because Morgause wanted to rule over a cursed Kingdom."

Morgana shakes her head. "Don't say that."

"It's the truth." Merlin says forcefully. "My mother passed away shortly after Madeline's birth… Madeline didn't have the luxury of knowing a mother's love. But that makes her the lucky one, for I have known what it's like to be loved. I've known what it's like to have a mother. I've known what it's like to be held in the arms of the only woman who has ever loved me… until all I had known was taken from me." Merlin looks down between them. "I'm cursed."

Morgana leans up and looks into Merlin's eyes, putting her in his direct line of sight. "You're not cursed, Merlin."

Merlin leans down and presses his forehead against hers. "You don't understand, Morgana… my mother's death, Morgause's betrayal, the ritual… it's all part of a curse that no one but the Royal Family knows about."

This is news to Morgana, who stares at him confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

"There's a place, in the White Mountains…" Merlin says with a wary expression. "… the Grove of Brineved. Three soothsayers called the Disir reside there. They are the mouthpiece of the Triple Goddess— messengers. They alone are able to pass judgement on those who have wronged the Old Religion... many centuries ago, they passed judgement on the first King."

"The first King… for what he did to the Erilaz?"

Merlin nods in reply.

"And their judgement?" Morgana asks softly.

"It's complicated." He says with an air of exhaustion.

"Try." Morgana pushes softly.

Merlin scrubs a hand down the side of his face before proceeding. "The binding ceremony that we hold every full moon," Merlin begins in a small voice. "... is only a piece of the judgement passed by the Disir."

The crease between Morgana's eyebrows deepen as she frowns. The truth she'd been expecting was not this. She was expecting more of it to focus on Merlin, his mother, father, and Morgause. This, whatever all of it is, dates back to the very beginning of Drogomir. It has more to do with the first King. "You mean to say that you're still paying for what the first King did?"

Merlin smiles sadly at her. "The Royal Family... my family... we're cursed. Stuck in a history that repeats itself. A never ending loop that can't be broken." Tears well up in his eyes, and Morgana notices. It breaks her heart to see it. He'd always been stone cold, stubborn, tough. Now, she finally sees all that he and his entire family have to endure for their Kingdom. Rulers, Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses... and yet, they carried burdens that aren't their own for the safety of their people. Merlin sighs. "We are destined to watch our people fall prey to our curse. That is the bigger piece of the judgement passed on us. Those who marry into the family never know about our curse until the binding ceremony is done."

"Because they'd never agree if they'd known." Morgana says softly.

Merlin nods and stares intensely at her. "But you know now."

Morgana stares back at him, her eyes widening slightly as she realizes what he's saying. "You don't think I would agree to go through with the ceremony."

"I would not blame you if you didn't."

She shakes her head at him. "I'm not leaving, Merlin." she says sternly.

Merlin stares at her through glassy eyes. "I haven't told you the other piece of the judgement that was passed by the Disir. The part of the ritual that binds us. The runes that the Disir gave as judgement."

"You don't have to." Morgana replies. "Whether it be another curse or other…" She looks down at his chest and places her right hand over the place where she knows his heart beats. "… I'm staying."

Merlin sighs as he shakes his head at her and takes a half step back. "Love is a luxury I cannot afford."

Morgana blinks, her eyes moving to meet his. "What does that mean?"

Merlin stares. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't need to. In the next second, another voice replies from somewhere behind Merlin. "It means you're free." Morgana breaks away from Merlin to look at the other person.

"King Balinor." she says with surprise, having not expected him there. Merlin turns to face his father.

The King nods slowly towards Morgana, then looks sadly at his son. "I take it you've told her about your mother?"

Merlin nods. "I have."

"And she knows about the curse?"

Merlin nods again, but doesn't reply. Morgana takes that as her cue. "I don't care about the curse, King Balinor. I know that the Royal Family is doomed to repeat history… I know that the ritual is a part of the judgement that the Disir passed on the first King and every King that comes after him. I also know what Merlin is trying to do." she looks at the Prince once more. It had only just clicked, why he decided to tell her the truth that they've all been hiding from her. "I know now why he's telling me the truth."

King Balinor nods as he offers a small, sad smile. "It is the least we can do, Lady Morgana… after all that we've put you through, taking you from your home, forcing you to accept this Kingdom as your own, and now, putting Camelot, a place I know you hold dear, at risk. Merlin and I agreed that we've put you through too much."

Morgana shakes her head again. "Isn't that for me to decide?" she asks in exasperation. She looks from Merlin, to the King, and back. "You've told me the truth about the ritual. About your past, and the curse… but there is still something you haven't told me."

King Balinor looks at Merlin, his eyes questioning. Merlin silently shakes his head at his father before turning his eyes towards Morgana. "Your part in all of this." he finishes what Morgana was going to say.

Morgana nods and looks at King Balinor. "You said I was the most important person in the Kingdom right now."

King Balinor nods in agreement. "You are."

"Why?"

Merlin looks at her worriedly. "Because History repeats itself."

"I don't— I don't know what that means." Morgana says honestly.

King Balinor moves towards them and looks at her with much concern. "The first King had a twin sister, like I did... he went on to have one son and one daughter... his Queen died shortly after his daughters birth. His son went on to be the King, who married a woman who became the death of his father's twin sister. They went on to have twins as well, and so forth."

Morgana stares, her eyes widening slowly as she lets the King's words sink in. It finally makes sense to her. "I am to be the death of Morgause." She says slowly.

Merlin says nothing but stare at her for a long moment. He then shakes his head. "Only if you ascend the throne. Should you become Queen, you will go on to be the doom of Morgause. We will have twins, and the rest... well, you know the rest. It is a loop we cannot break. A fate we cannot escape. The paths are different, but the destinations are the same."

Morgana feels her tears welling up in her eyes again, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I am destined to die after the birth of our daughter?"

Merlin shakes his head. "I would not wish that upon you... upon anyone. The Kings before my father have all tried desperately to break the curse... none have succeeded."

Morgana stares incredulously at him. "So you would have me give up on you?"

There's a silence as Merlin looks at his father, his eyes pleading for something. His father shakes his head towards his son. Merlin finally looks back at his betrothed. "There is no other choice."

Perplexed, Morgana shakes her head at him. "No... no— that can't be it. There has to be another way! There has to be a way to break the curse!"

"There isn't." King Balinor interjects softly. "King's have tried leaving, they've tried killing themselves to save the people, they've tried outsmarting the ritual, changing it even. They've tried to stay as bachelors... but it all ended in the death of countless innocent people, and the curse would continue to the very next King...This, Lady Morgana, is our curse. We are destined to sit on the throne, but we can never truly find peace and happiness."

Morgana has never felt so much sadness in her heart. Sadness for the Prince, the King, their entire family. "I had no idea." She whispers. "This whole time, I thought everything was much simpler. I thought— I thought that the ritual was the only thing I didn't know about. But this— curse— it's so deep inside your family bloodline."

King Balinor smiles at her with a deeply sad look in his eyes. He appeared older than he is in that moment. "I have tried like my father and every King before him, to find a way to break the curse. We've returned to the Grove of Brineved multiple times to seek out the Disir... but their answer has been the same. The curse is not their doing, but ours."

Merlin rolls his eyes then. "The first King dealt the blow, and we have to pay for it."

King Balinor pats his son on the back and looks at Morgana once more. All of this is why I must apologize for my behavior in the past few weeks. When I first brought you here, I avoided thinking about what it would mean for you to become Queen... and as I grew to care for you— as Merlin grew closer to you, I felt a deep guilt."

"That's why you avoided me."

King Balinor nods. "I am sorry, Lady Morgana."

Morgana nods, "I understand, Your Grace. There is no need to apologize." She tells him.

She then looks at Merlin and asks, "If not me, then who will you bestow this curse upon?"

Merlin inhales deeply. "I— There is a Princess from another Kingdom... Nemeth. She is willing to become my betrothed."

Morgana couldn't help the way her heart sinks, or the way her eyes fill with hot tears yet again. She knew that the truth would change everything... but she had no idea it would change like this. She had not an inkling that she would end up having to give up on Merlin. "So you're giving up on me." She cries weakly.

Merlin gives her a look of bewilderment. "Giving up on you?— Morgana, I'm giving you the chance to leave. To be free of this curse. A chance to live your life the way you want!"

"And what if this is what I want? What if I choose to remain here?"

"No." Merlin dismisses the question. "I will not watch you die."

Morgana stares. She couldn't believe it, so she doesn't dwell on it. Her head feels like it'll explode from this very complicated truth. "So the women you were betrothed to before me... their deaths are whose doing? The ritual?"

Merlin stares at her. "I cannot tell you that."

Morgana huffs incredulously. "Why not?"

"Because of the final part of the Disir's judgment."

"There's another part?" Morgana asks frustratedly. Okay, this is just ridiculous!

Merlin nods. "I told you. It is complicated."

King Balinor then steps in and offers Morgana an apologetic look. "I know you wish to know more about the ritual. But this is the one thing we cannot tell you. The consequences are dire... and despite us telling you everything and giving you an out, this is a truth that we simply cannot risk getting out."

Merlin stares at her with a deep look of regret. He takes a step back and bows to her, his body almost folding into a perfect 90 degree angle. When he straightens, he speaks softly as his father nods to them and leaves the Royal Garden. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am for dragging you into all of this. It is a burden I did not wish to bestow upon you, but I know that you deserve the truth."

Morgana can only stare. What else can she do or say? Merlin has basically just broken off their engagement. She is free to leave when she wishes, and she doesn't have to be a part of all of this. She can be free of this Kingdom, this family, this curse... just a few weeks ago, she would've jumped at the mention of leaving... so why does she feel like crying? Why does she feel sick to her stomach? Why does her heart hurt so much?

The Prince bows his head at her silence. "I trust that you will not tell anyone about the things I've just told you today".

She can only nod.

He half smiles sadly at her and nods. "You and your friends may remain here for as long as you need." He tells her quietly. "As for the fight against Morgause, you can leave that to us. This is, after all, our fault."

Morgana continues on in silence, still unable to wrap her mind around the fact that she really has nothing to keep her here. She doesn't know what to do or say. She'd been so sure that she was going to marry Merlin, that she hadn't even thought about the possibility that she would somehow end up not marrying him at all. She doesn't even know whether she should help Drogomir fight Morgause, or if she should just be on her way back to Camelot.

As Merlin escorts her back to the Great Hall, Gaius breezes up to them from down the corridor, followed closely by Arthur and Gwen. He stops in front of them and bows.

"Sire," he says with an air of confidence. "We've completed the binding spell."

Merlin nods to the Royal scholar and gestures for him to follow them into the Great Hall. "I'm sure the King will be glad to hear."

Morgana looks up and sees Gwen and Arthur staring at her with worried looks in their eyes. That's when she realizes that she probably looks as horrible as she feels.

...

A/N: Phew, this chapter was exhausting to write. I always disliked writing lots of talking, but it's better than absolutely no dialogue. Also, this chapter was probably confusing, as I kind of jumbled the order around, but it should make sense in the next update or so. Anyways, I know there is still some truth to tell, and yes, I know that the plot is completely out of whack and a lot more complicated than I let on in the previous chapters, but I promise I will do my absolute best to tie the entire story together in the end. Also, I know I was supposed to update He is Mine before this fic, but I'm still working on that. I'll update it soon! Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review!

-McDiginn'it