Author's note: Let me set this straight I really liked The Darkest Hour part one. Danger, suspense, Merlin whump, what' s not to like? Part two however had so many plot holes and deus ex machina I was practically screaming at Arthur for not noticing that something's up with Merlin. I swear that boy must have been dropped on his head as a child. I'm not going to enumerate the holes here, if you want a list your can PM or see if you can spot them as I fix 'em with my story. Here's my fix for Darkest Hour part two.

No Mortal

"No mortal has ever survived the touch of a Doroca." Gaius -"The Darkest Hour, part one"

Arthur looked in shock at Merlin's frost covered face, several of the villagers they'd found had the same blank stare, but then Merlin blinked, it was slow almost like he'd closed his eyes, but then he opened them again. Lancelot put his hand to Merlin's chest.

"He's alive Arthur," gasped Lancelot, "we have to get him to the fire."

"There may be more Doroca," said Elyan.

Percival carried Merlin back to the almost depleted fire, while the others defended grabbing wood in turns. They made it back to the fire without incident and Elyan banked the embers and added the new kindling. Percival laid Merlin close to the warmth, and soon the frost had melted from his face. He hadn't moved or said anything, the only indication that he was still alive was the rattle of breath that he managed to heave every few minutes.

"He's frozen," said Lancelot checking Merlin's forehead. "We should cover him and keep him warm."

The knights piled all their sleeping rolls and blankets on him and they stoked the fire as hot as they could.

"How is he even still alive?" asked Gwaine staring at Merlin through the firelight.

"Perhaps the Doroca are getting weaker," said Lancelot.

"Speculating will do us no good," said Arthur, "we need rest. We'll take shifts keeping the fire going during the night and in the morning we'll see how Merlin is and decide how to proceed."

Morning came weakly scattering grey light on the exhausted knights. Elyan was on last watch as the sun rose. Merlin groaned beneath the piles of blankets.

"Hey sleepy are you awake?" asked Elyan. Merlin blinked at him but didn't make another sound.

After few minutes the rest of the knights were up and Merlin was sat on a pile of blankets propping him up.

"He needs medical attention," said Arthur, "one of you will take him back to Camelot."

"No!" said Merlin in a harsh whisper, his head flopped forward on his chest. He didn't seem to have any control over his body at all.

"Merlin," said Arthur kneeling in front of him, "you need help, we need to get you to Gaius."

"No," said Merlin again his head lolling to one side now, "Gaius said no cure, touch Doroca and death. Going to die, Arthur. Sorry."

"No, Merlin you can't talk like that you've survived this long, you can be strong," said Arthur.

"Strong enough to reach the isle and my death will close the veil," Merlin managed to life his head to look Arthur in the eye this time.

"No, it's not your time," said Arthur.

"That's not your choice," said Merlin his head dropping to his chest, "I choose, to save you, to save Camelot. Let me have this last…please," Merlin gasped heaved three breaths and collapsed into the blankets.

"Merlin!" cried Arthur shaking him, "Don't you die now, Merlin, come on!" Lancelot knelt down beside them and checked Merlin's pulse and breathing.

"He's alive," said Lancelot, "but I don't know for how much longer," Lancelot turned to Arthur, "What he said about the veil will closing it require a sacrifice?"

"I believe so," said Arthur, his eyes never leaving Merlin's limp form.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Lancelot.

"We need to keep going," said Leon.

"We have to find help for Merlin," said Arthur standing up.

"Merlin is in no shape to travel," said Lancelot, "the journey back to Camelot may kill him."

"Merlin is going to die, if we don't repair the veil," said Arthur.

"He might die anyway," said Leon, "and hundreds of others will die if we don't complete our quest."

"We're only a few hours away from the isle of the blessed, we can take Merlin with us," said Gwaine, "there might be a cure for him there, and if not at least he'll die with his friends."

"It's what he wants," said Lancelot.

"What he wants is irrelevant," cried Arthur, "he's, he's just a servant he shouldn't have even been out here."

"He's Merlin, Arthur," said Gwaine; "you couldn't have stopped him if you tried."

"Healing the veil requires a sacrifice," said Lancelot, "Merlin has made his choice and we should honor it."

"Is that true?" asked Leon to Arthur.

"It's what Gaius believes," said Arthur.

"So one of us was always going to die on this quest," said Elyan.

"Yes, me," said Arthur, "it's my duty to do whatever it takes to save Camelot."

"We should do what Gwaine said," said Elyan, "go to isle to see what needs to be done, there may be a cure for Merlin and another way to seal the veil."

In the end there was no other choice, separating the group was pointless, it just made them more vulnerable to the Doroca and sending someone back with a barely ambulatory Merlin was suicide. They tethered Merlin to his horse, though he seemed to rouse enough to hold the reins, Arthur chose to lead his horse and Merlin's both. Merlin didn't have the energy to complain, he just laid his head on his horse's mane and closed his eyes.

The trip to the isle of the blessed took much longer, partly because they stopped frequently to try and get Merlin to eat or drink something, but he wasn't getting any stronger. They also stopped because they were all exhausted from the night before. They reached the shore just as the sun peaked in the sky, though the world still looked grey to the group. A boat sat at the waters edge and an old man waited for them.

"We wish passage to the island," said Arthur, tossing the boatman a bag of coins

"I know," said the old man as he caught the bag, "get in." Percival carried Merlin into the boat and the rest of the knights got in behind him. The boatman pushed off the side with his staff and the boat glided over the smooth surface of the lake. The boatman had no oars, and at any rate with their number there was no room to row, yet the boat made it across the distance on that one shove of his stick.

Arthur didn't say anything about this obvious magic, his gaze was too fixed on Merlin lying in the front of the boat, he'd lost consciousness again, his face was ashen and his lips were blue. Arthur couldn't think about anything except getting Merlin help, he tried not to listen to the voice in the back of his head repeating Merlin's last clear thought, to let him go.

The castle seemed to at turns be magnificent and un-aged, and also crumbling around them. It was huge and covered the entire island, they crossed a courtyard and Arthur noted a scorch mark near a stone altar, it wasn't fresh so they moved on. They didn't know where they were going, but they all moved to the same room anyway.

The Kalix stood in tattered robes by the tear in the veil a huge black cloud billowed behind her. Her eyes fell first on Merlin's limp form, then on Arthur.

"Lay him on the altar," she said.

"Wait," said Arthur, "we're here to heal the veil. Merlin was touched by the Doroca, we were hoping you could help him too."

"No mortal has ever survived the touch of the Doroca," said The Kalix, she smirked, "He's lucky. Lay him on the altar," she said again.

Arthur nodded to Percival and he laid Merlin on the altar before the Kalix. She waved her arms over him. "He is weak, the Doroca took most of him," she said, "why is it you want to save this boy? He is not a knight, not one of your own."

"He's my servant," said Arthur, "and a good man. He saved my life."

"A debt you can never repay," said the Kalix nodding. Merlin was awake, he opened his eyes and a soft groan escaped his lips. The Kalix bent down and Merlin whispered in her ear. She laughed and shook her head. "He offers his life for yours to seal the veil."

"No!" cried Arthur, "That's not why I brought him here."

"What if I told you I could not save him, that he could linger here in this state for many months before death?" she asked.

"If you cannot help him, then we will find another way to do so," said Arthur, "If I must sacrifice myself to heal the veil then so be it."

"Arthur you cannot do this Camelot needs you!" said Lancelot, and he stepped forward. "I will go in his place."

"So noble," the Kalix mocked them, then her voice became serious, "you know nothing of the old religion, of the balance I'm required to maintain."

"Why don't you explain yourself then," said Gwaine getting impatient.

"I can help the boy," said the Kalix smoothly, "but there is a price."

"Name it," said Arthur.

"A death on this altar tore the veil open, the balance requires a life to close it."

"I don't understand," said Arthur.

"If I heal the boy, his life will be bound to the veil, to the spirit world itself. His life will stitch the world back together."

"What will that do to Merlin?" asked Lancelot.

"That is for him to discover, the effects of being connected differ from person to person," said the Kalix. She looked down at Merlin who had passed out again. "Time grows short, he will soon be too weak for me to heal him. What is your choice?" she looked at Arthur.

Arthur looked from Merlin to the Kalix, and the tear in the world behind her.

"Do it," he said closing his eyes.

The Kalix turned to Merlin and began reciting a spell, the room cooled and then a wind sudden picked up, blowing around the Kalix and the altar. A whirlwind was quickly formed and the knights were knocked off their feet. Arthur felt himself lifted and thrown back the last he knew was a sharp pain when his head hit the wall.

End Notes:

There you have it, chapter one. I appreciate all kinds of feedback, please be gentle with me this is my first foray in Merlin fanfic up 'til now I've been strictly SG. But as I said up top, these plot holes were impossible for me to ignore.

More to come stay tuned.

Cynic.