Woot! This is my very first fanfiction! Thank you for giving an interest in this little fic. This has 0% of happening on the show but I wanted to write a little angst. I've watched the preview so many times that I memorized every detail already. I hope Saturday comes soon!

If you want review, please DON'T GO EASY ON ME unless you think the fic really deserves it. I want to improve my writing and I can only do that if you guys give me honest comments. ;)

SUMMARY: AU to 4.06. Merlin, enchanted to kill the very man he protects, decides that there can only be one possible outcome for this. Before his magic kills the king, drastic measures are to be taken. This is based only on the preview of the episode.

Again, this story is 100% fiction and is not the ending of the said episode.

WARNING: If you haven't watched the preview on Season 4 Episode 6, there are spoilers.

DISCLAIMER:

Reporter: Is it true that you have bought the rights to BBC Merlin?

Me: *smug* Ah, yes. I've bought it from Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. I'm so very rich, you see. *evil laugh* BBC Merlin is mi—

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Me: *pounds on the snooze button* Well, that was a nice dream.

Enjoy~

~~~~~~~~~/F\/R\/I\/E\/N\/D\/S\/\F/\O/\R/\E/\V/\E/\R/~~~~~~~~~

"You can't trust anyone." he found himself saying, absently tying a belt around his waist.

He heard some swooshing noise behind him where Merlin was tinkering about in the room. However, his mind was elsewhere, memories of the past years replaying before his eyes. Morgause . . . Morgana . . . Dragoon. The people—vile sorcerers and sorcerers—who have fooled him. He was so idiotic back then.

But no more. He needed to be wise now. He needed to know who to trust and where their loyalties lie. And as the king went back through the years of trauma and drama, there had been only one person who he was sure was loyal to him.

Merlin.

The more he thought about it, more memories flooded him. The battles they've fought, the losses they've experienced, the moments of bliss and every other event. His manservant was always beside him, smiling that goofy grin of his and saying the wisest of things.

"In fact, I think you, Merlin, are the only person I can trust." he blurted out without thinking.

Then, he realized what he said. Merlin was uncharacteristically silent about it. Arthur just knew he was grinning ear-to-ear behind him.

Clearing his throat, the king decided to backpedal. "Of course, if you weren't such—"

"Sire!" Leon barged in the room uninvited, along with the other Knights of the Round Table.

Posture tensed, their eyes widened as they landed on him. The loaded crossbow on Leon's hand was quickly raised and aimed in his direction. It was Arthur's turn to be surprise.

The knight released his hold on the arrow, sending it towards their king.

Arthur's possibly last thought was, Oh gods, have I knighted the wrong people too?

But then, the deadly arrow whizzed pass his right ear, missing his face by mere inches.

A cry of pain and a clatter of something metal echoed right behind him.

Whipping his head, Arthur was met by the sight of his bleeding manservant. The projectile had grazed him on his right shoulder and embedded itself into Arthur's desk. A hand covered the wound, trying to stop the bleeding or trying to ease the pain, Arthur didn't know.

Merlin hissed, stormy blue eyes glaring hard at Arthur and his knights. The king's mind spun as he spotted his very own sword on Merlin's right hand which now lay limp because of his injury. The sword, however, was still gripped tightly.

What had Merlin . . .? His brain refused to catch up. Because there was nothing to catch up to. There must have been a misunderstanding. Yeah, that was it. Merlin must have been trying to give him the sword and his knights thought the servant was attempting to kill him.

However, those hopeful thoughts plummet down to the ground and were stomped on as Merlin lunged at him.

Arthur barely managed to dodge it. Shock was made his body numb and his mind unable to function.

"Ahh!" Merlin raised the sword with both hands, preparing to strike the king once more.

The knights swiftly grabbed his arms and forced the sword out of his grasp. He struggled aggressively and yelled profanities and the knights had to grip him tighter than necessary. His wound seemed to have no effect in his conviction whatsoever.

"Merlin, mate!"

The knights—people who were close to Merlin, people who treated him equally as a friend and close confidant—were trying to mask their . . . what? Worry? Pity? Anger? Sadness?

It snapped Arthur out of his shock. His heart ached angrily with every beat and his mind blocked out any denial he could think of. A dream? A hallucination? A joke, maybe? Merlin and Gwaine trying to pull his leg? No. His blood felt like it was boiling with fury and at the same time turning cold with dread and betrayal. His chest felt constricted, lungs refusing to function properly. Black dots appeared in his eyes and he was sure he would collapse.

Merlin had tried to kill him.

Merlin, the bumbling, goofy, cheerful, loyal to a fault, his friend—closest friend—, the person he trusted the most had tried to freaking kill him.

He felt tears gather at the corner of his eyes and swiftly blinked them away.

His features hardened. He opened his mouth to shout, to yell, to command, to do something to make this nightmare end when he saw it.

His friend's irises glowed golden.

By the pause of the other knights, they saw it too.

A stupid bubble of hope sparked in his chest. He wanted to crush it because that could have been anything. A trick of the light maybe . . .

Then, it happened again. Far away, the noise of shattering glass came unnoticed by the group.

"He's been enchanted." Leon said, stating it like a fact. Oh how they love it to be true. Leon gazed at them, sincere. "Gaius told me he started acting weird after coming back from the forest the other day."

". . . Must kill Arthur Pendragon." Merlin growled out, speaking something coherent for the first time. Burning gold glared at the king and Arthur suddenly felt a certain pang of fear. He brushed it off.

"It must be the work of Morgana." Elyan said, expression hard. "We must take him to Gaius."

The knights dragged the struggling servant with no little effort towards Gaius' workshop. Arthur resolutely followed, face carefully blank. Not a word was spoken.

The news of Merlin being enchanted gave him slight relief. Merlin had been forced to do something against his will. He hadn't wanted to kill Arthur.

But at the same time, he was secretly anxious. Will Merlin stay like this, thirsty for his blood? Will he need to be restrained forever? And, oh gods, was the real Merlin still alive? He had seen enchanted people before. Sometimes, the spells destroy the spirit of the person, leaving him to be an empty shell when the spell was done.

And what had driven Morgana to do this to Merlin, a mere servant?

Ah, but he isn't just a mere servant to you, isn't he? a voice at the back of his head piped up.

Yes, Merlin had been more than just a servant to him. He had been his friend all these years to whom he shared his deepest troubles and inhibitions. He knew the idiot would gladly lay his life for him and he would do the same.

Apparently, Morgana had noticed this and used it to her advantage. He had been caught off guard when Merlin attacked him.

This was his fault. Recently, since he was crowned king, he had been openly showing his friendship with Merlin and love for Guinevere. A pang of guilt stabbed his heart and he cursed himself for his foolishness.

As Arthur came to his senses, he was staring at the familiar room that was the infirmary.

"What happened?" Gaius asked, sounding worry but also sounding like he had an idea.

"You were right, Gaius. He is enchanted." Leon replied, face twisting into a frown.

Leon pulled back hand which was grasping Merlin's right arm. Blood coated his fingers, dripping to the floor. The brown jacket was being continuously soaked in crimson but Merlin gave no indication that it hurt. Both of Gaius' eyebrows shot up.

"We had to shoot him." Perceival supplied, tone apologetic.

Gaius nodded in understanding and gestured to a cot near the fireplace. The knights placed him there, holding him down as he continued struggling. Arthur, not wanting to be idle, immediately helped in subduing him. His movements grew desperate as the king touched him and Gaius gently pushed Arthur away from Merlin. The king frowned but said nothing and remained in a safe distance.

". . . Kill . . . Pendragon." Merlin's voice sounded much weaker than before and it made the cold weight of worry heavier.

"May you . . .?" Gaius cued on to Merlin's sleeves.

Perceival easily ripped the sleeves of the brown jacket first, then, Merlin's tunic while being careful not to further jostle the injury. Gaius observed the wound before getting a piece of cloth and a basin of water.

"You have to clean his wound." Gwaine immediately accepted the cloth and basin of water.

The physician left him to it while he grabbed several bottles of herbs and remedies on his shelves. Feeling useless, Arthur decided to speak up.

"Can you remove the enchantment?" Arthur asked, trying and failing to keep the worry away from his voice.

"I'm not sure." Gaius replied, mixing the herbs together. "I'll look through my books."

It eased his and the knights' anxiety a bit.

"Arg!" A couple of bottles shattered noisily. The other bottles were unharmed but shook ominously.

All heads snapped to the enchanted man on the cot. They were just in time to see the gold fade on Merlin's eyes.

"Is this part of the enchantment?"

"Must be" the old physician muttered, head bowed. Arthur stared at him suspiciously for a moment.

"Gaius . . ." the voice was soft, broken and hoarse. The struggles grew weak.

Had it not been for the silence, they would have missed it. Everyone immediately jumped into action.

"Merlin?" Gwaine called out, hopeful. "That you, mate?"

"Merlin?" Arthur sounded breathless, even to himself. "Merlin?"

"Gaius . . ." The movements of limbs stopped altogether. Eyes glazed and unseeing stared into space, almost gasping as he breathed. "Gaius . . ."

"I'm here, my boy." the knights made room as Gaius kneeled down beside the bed.

The physician leaned in and tilted his head to the side to hear better. They saw Merlin's mouth moving, words inaudible to them. Gaius' eyes widened as seconds ticked by. He pulled back abruptly, as if burned. Again, Arthur and the knights worried at this reaction.

"Now, listen to me-" Gaius stopped himself.

Then, with renewed fervor, the struggles came back. Caught off guard, the knights temporarily lost hold of the body. Again, a flash of gold. A strong gust of wind entered the room, knocking several potions down their respective shelves. But just as sudden as the wind came, it disappeared. Arthur and his knights exchanged confused and apprehensive glances.

"Now, Gaius!" Merlin shouted, face pained and desperate.

"What is it, Gaius?" they asked. "What did he say?"

Gaius turned away, walking rather slowly at a certain cabinet. With trembling fingers, the physician grasped a potion, this one filled with blackish liquid.

"He-" Gaius cleared his throat. "He told me how to dispel the enchantment. Just a bit of thyme, actually."

Relief flooded them and they couldn't help but grin. Arthur felt warmness spread from his heart to his whole body. It felt like he could breathe again.

Of course everything would be alright. This was Merlin after all.

Gaius approached the bed and knelt again. He removed the cork of the bottle, hands shaking a bit. He forced Merlin's mouth open and hovered the potion near it.

The physician paused, hesitating and hands still shaking.

"What's wrong, Gaius?" Leon voice out, laying a hand on Gaius' shoulder.

"Nothing's wrong." he replied a bit too quick.

Arthur and the knights, too excited to get Merlin back, let it slide.

Gaius, with eyes oddly blank, poured the whole content unto his open mouth. Merlin spluttered, his enchanted mind refusing to take in the cure. But with the help of Gwaine and Perceival, they manage to make Merlin swallow a lot of the liquid.

Merlin's struggles ceased almost instantaneously, limbs calmly lying on his sides. The hands on him cautiously loosened their grip. When he showed no signs of being crazed, they released him. The servant's eyes became clear but still pained. Gaius stood up, stepping aside.

"Thank god, Merlin!" Leon exclaimed, a smile on his face.

"Be careful in the woods next time." Elyan advised.

The others gave their own comments, too relieved to do anything else. Merlin managed a small smile through it all, breathing returning to normal.

"You almost killed the Queen here." Gwaine teased, pointing a thumb at Arthur.

"He did not!" Arthur denied.

"Arthur . . . I-I have something . . ." Merlin's voice was still soft and Arthur had to lean forward to hear it.

"What is it, Merlin?" Arthur asked, rolling his eyes. His friend was probably going to say something sentimental or foolish.

"Prat . . . you-you're not . . . a great king yet but . . . you will be soon." he started. "Al-Always follow what's here." Arthur felt a weak jab on his chest. "As I s-said . . . I'll be glad to-to be . . . your servant 'till the day that I-I die."

Arthur frowned, staring to pull away but a weak grip on his tunic prevented him. "Do-Don't trust Agrrevaine." The grip slackened and he straightened up.

"You sound awfully like your saying good-bye." The words tumbled from his lips before he could prevent it.

As if the statement was a switch, his vision suddenly went overdrive. He started noticing the littlest of things. Merlin's breathing was not returning to normal but was getting shallower. His fingers twitched once in a while but there was no other movement besides that. His complexion took in an unhealthy pallor. Sweat formed profusely on his face and body. Half-lidded eyes stared at him, painfully knowing.

"I'm sorry."

The sentence made their blood ran cold as if it was replaced by ice. Their hearts plummet to the ground as dreaded realization dawned to them.

"What are you saying, Merlin?" Gwaine grabbed the lying body by the shoulders, shaking them. "What-"

Their eyes widened. All heads turned to the physician silently standing in a corner.

"Gaius?" He didn't . . . He couldn't . . . No, he wouldn't . . .

"What. Did. You. Give. Him?" Arthur sounded murderous, the possibly painful truth driving him to anger. Gaius was unfazed, briefly closing his eyes.

"It is the only way." They were shocked as tears escaped the old man's eyes. "Morgana's spell was . . ."

"You will not give me that excuse!" Arthur shouted, unsympathetic. "Where's the antidote?"

"Ar-thur." Merlin half-smile. "I'm so sorry."

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"No, Merlin!" In a blink of an eye, he was by Merlin's side. "Don't say that like-" his voice cracked and he couldn't say anything anymore.

Breathe in . . . Breath out . . .

"I-I'm sorry." he repeated.

Breathe in . . . . . . . Breath out . . . . . . . Eyes fluttering close . . .

"I'm very happy to have been your friend, Sire."

Breathe in . . . . . . . . And they watched as Merlin's chest rose for the last time.

"Merlin?" Arthur softly whispered. "Merlin?"

Gwaine and Elyan ran off the scene but not before a few tears escaped them. Perceival and Leon bowed their heads.

Arthur felt numb. He felt like he was detached from the world.

Merlin wasn't going to wake up.

Merlin wasn't going to bicker with him anymore.

Merlin wasn't going to break any more of his goblets and plates.

Merlin wasn't going to bring out those surprisingly wise words of his anymore.

Merlin was gone.

He was dead.

The numbness disappeared as soon as his mind wrapped around the concept. It was replaced with heart-wrenching grief and sorrow. Air was knocked out of his lungs and he couldn't seem to get any in. Someone was stabbing his heart at every beat. His eyes felt like they were burning.

Arthur cried for an hour.

But he will grieve for many years.

In all the lands, druids, sorcerers, enchantress, pixies, nymphs and all magical creatures alike felt the loss. They gazed skywards as the heavens cried.

Emrys was dead.

~~~~~~~~~/D\/E\/A\/T\/H\/\I/\S/\/A\/\P/\A/\R/\T/\/O\/F\/\L/\I/\F/\E/~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading! To those who aren't busy, it would really be a great help if you answer the following questions if you want to review:

1. Have you noticed any grammatical and spelling error (Even in my notes)?

2. Are the attitudes/emotions of the characters inconsistent? Like, do they sound like a bipolar, have split personality or simply not human?

3. Is the way I phrase things confusing, not understandable or redundant? How so?

4. Is it too long that you got bored or too short that you feel it lacking?

5. Did you feel any strong emotion while reading or just like 'Meh'?

To those who would answer these, I really appreciate it! Thank you, thank you thank you. Constructive criticisms are welcome!

~Vividpast