Hello readers!

Finally, the end. I hope it doesn't leave you dissatisfied. Now that series 5 has started, I unfortunately have lost all hopes of Mergana. Especially with an adult Mordred… -shudders-

Enjoy reading!

The words hung between them, in the silence. Merlin looked at his lap and wouldn't look at Morgana. He didn't know what Morgana was thinking or doing, but he could feel her eyes on him. For a second he considered telling her the truth, that the old man wasn't Emrys, that he was Emrys, but he just couldn't bring himself to it.

Just like he couldn't tell her that he had magic, he didn't want to scare her with this. She'd think that he'd come to kill her. Perhaps she would even think that he enjoyed her pain. Merlin shook his head to clear away all the thoughts. He cleared his throat.

'You remember that time when you captured me?' Merlin asked after a seemingly endless silence. Morgana nodded and looked at him expectantly. 'I never stopped feeling sorry for you, you know.' Merlin said. He bit his tongue, thinking that he'd gone too far when he saw various emotions cross over Morgana's features.

'I know.' Morgana admitted softly. Merlin sneaked a glance at her and saw that she'd averted her eyes. She seemed insecure. He sighed in relief and she looked up when she heard the sigh. He smiled hesitantly at her and she smiled back. Their smiles quickly turned into smirks.

x.X.x JUST A DREAM x.X.x

'Tell her the truth!' Agravaine ordered, his hand stretched out to Merlin as if he was going to slap him. Instead of slapping him, Agravaine used that one-word spell and Merlin writhed in pain. He had a firm hold on Morgana, who was forced to stand next to him. 'No?' Agravaine asked, raising an eyebrow. Merlin shook his head and bit his tongue stubbornly.

He was only doing this because Morgana asked him to. Every time that Agravaine asked him to "tell the truth", she shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know what exactly Agravaine was trying to force out of him, but it was obvious that she didn't want him to tell it.

Merlin knew what Agravaine wanted: he wanted Merlin to reveal that he was Emrys. Why, Merlin didn't know. Perhaps to scare Morgana, hoping that she would be driven into Agravaine's arms? 'All right then.' Agravaine said on a fake cheerful tone, dragging Merlin out of his thoughts.

He shuddered when Agravaine calmly took a bottle from the table. The glass was darkly tinted and there was no label on it, but Merlin knew that it was hemlock. He put three drops of the poison in a cup of water and Merlin averted his gaze.

'Drink.' Agravaine ordered. Morgana's lips quivered while she brought the cup near. Merlin tightly shut his eyes, but he still heard her cough and choke. He shivered and wished that he was somewhere else, or in Morgana's place. When Morgana kept coughing and choking, Merlin was afraid that Agravaine would let her die.

But he gave her the antidote, combined with some magic and she took deep breaths. Agravaine glared at Merlin and bound Morgana to her place again. It wasn't the first time that this had happened: Agravaine kept trying it. And every time, Morgana made him promise that he wouldn't say a word.

Merlin sighed and he was grateful to see Agravaine leave. After the door had been locked, no doubt with magic, they remained silent for some more minutes. When it was evident that Agravaine wasn't coming back soon, Morgana quietly asked: 'Are you all right?'

He stared at her, his blue eyes wide open. His mouth opened and closed again, for the words refused to come out. 'I should be asking you that.' Merlin replied, hearing the guilt in his voice. There was nothing that he could do to help her, to free her. He couldn't even give his own life, because Agravaine kept him alive, even if just barely.

'I'm fine.' Morgana said bravely, but Merlin could see her lips quiver and the moisture welling up in her eyes. He was about to tell her that she didn't have to be brave around him: he'd seen her cry and could almost physically feel the sympathy that they shared, but he knew that it was her way of going through this without losing her sanity.

Morgana looked at him, her expression freed of the pain that she'd felt earlier. Merlin could see something in her eyes, in the way she looked at him, but he failed to recognize it. He was sure that he'd seen it before, but his thoughts were muddled and he felt as if someone had hit him with a metal hammer more than once.

'I know you're lying.' Merlin said quietly, their eyes locking. Morgana blinked rapidly, but still managed to give him a quivering smile. He wished that he could get nearer to her, so that he could hold her hand, hold her, comfort her. That's the second time I'm thinking that. Merlin thought to himself, while he frowned.

Morgana smiled. 'You still didn't answer my question.' she said cockily. Merlin grinned and found that he was admiring her soft, white skin and her dark, raven-black hair and quickly averted his eyes. It's just because I'm held captive with her, he tried to convince himself. When you're with someone for a long time, with no-one else to talk to you, you'll start feeling attracted. he almost nodded at himself, but managed to keep himself from looking like he was losing his sanity.

Am I all right? Merlin wondered for a few seconds. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head. 'The hemlock brought back memories.' he said softly, averting his eyes once again. He feared that what he'd said would awaken Morgana's old hatred. Then again, he couldn't help it that Agravaine choose to use hemlock as tool for torture.

Morgana nodded, even though Merlin couldn't see it. 'I know.' she whispered, her voice breaking. Merlin looked up and longed to comfort her. He just didn't know how. He couldn't tell her about his magic, he couldn't tell her that he was Emrys, what could he tell her?

Most certainly, he couldn't tell her about Arthur. His hopes were that Arthur would start looking for him. What if the ban on magic was lifted early and the king would come looking for him? But Arthur would most certainly start with Ealdor and then the druid camps, Merlin guessed and that would take him far away from Morgana's hovel.

He sighed and wriggled with the ropes again. They'd loosened a bit more, revealing at least five inches of space between the ropes and his skin, but his hands were too big. Maybe I should find a way to cut my thumbs off, then I could get my hands through. Merlin thought sarcastically. He slumped against the hard wood behind him and stared at the ceiling.

They'd discussed most important things now, from the way how she'd resurrected Lancelot and gotten Gwen to kiss him, to Aithusa and how he'd healed Morgana when she was on the brink of death.

Merlin had even made fun of himself, mocking his skills as an assassin when Morgana had used the Fomorroh on him. Eventually they'd made peace and accepted all the things that they'd done wrong to each other. Now, they were basically out of things to talk about.

He closed his eyes and he noticed how his own weight seemed to be dragging him down. It felt like he was being pulled under water, deprived of air for a long time. Too long. He faintly heard Morgana calling for him, but it was like she was very far away.

'Merin! Merlin!' Morgana yelled again and finally her desperate tone seemed to get through to Merlin. He opened his eyes weakly and had to fight to keep them open. 'Hmm..?' he muttered, wishing that Morgana would just leave him be so that he could sleep for a very, very long time.

A small part of his mind realized that this wasn't good, not good at all and that there must be some kind of dark magic involved, but that part didn't get through to the rest of his mind. 'So… tired. Want to.. sleep.' he muttered weakly and Morgana's eyes filled up with tears.

He could barely keep his eyes on her, but because she was so sad, he managed it. A strangled sob came from between her lips and Merlin felt sorry. In a last attempt, he fiddled with the ropes again, but he still couldn't get his hands out. A frustrated sound left his lips as he slumped against the wood again.

'No, you can't fall asleep, you hear me? Don't fall asleep!' Morgana pleaded, but it was to no avail: Merlin closed his eyes and could barely stay awake. She started sobbing and pleading again and Merlin felt even sorrier. Sorrow washed over him and it dragged him down even more.

'Merlin I- I need to tell you something. It's important.' Morgana's quiet voice, laced with uncertainty called him back into reality partly. He forced his eyelids to move and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, silently letting her know that he was listening.

He felt almost peaceful when a comfortable warmth spread through his limbs, accompanying the strange heavy feeling that had already settled on his body. He couldn't remember where he was, or what he'd been doing, let alone with who he'd been there, wherever there was. In a last attempt, he used a spell in his mind and felt the last magic rush through his veins. He knew that it would fail even before it had left his body.

'I… I love you.'

The three words were enough to cause a very different, life-giving warmth to rush through his body. He no longer felt dragged down by his own weight. Magic rushed through his veins, re-awakened by something that Merlin could only know as love. His lips automatically formed a wide smirk and he knew that he would feel eternally grateful for those three words: he would treasure them forever, no matter what tomorrow would bring to him.

'Merlin?'

Merlin opened his eyes slowly, when he was absolutely sure that the magic that had caused him to die was gone. He was sure that he had been dead, because for just a few seconds, he'd been freed from the pain and his soul had been traveling to a very different place.

'Morgana.' Merlin replied, more warmth spreading through him when her name left his mouth. His tone was filled with compassion, love and a loyalty that would never die. The humongous grin on his face gave him away and Morgana exhaled the breath that she'd been evidently holding.

'I thought I'd lost you.' Morgana whispered, he saw that her shoulders were shaking and his eyes found the streaks of tears that went down her cheeks. He decided that he wouldn't tell her that he'd actually been dead, that would only scare her. 'You saved my life.' Merlin said, noticing how the amazement and admiration filled his voice.

Morgana smiled, but shook her head furiously at the same time. 'No, really, you did.' Merlin argued. He didn't know how he could explain it without revealing his magic, but every single instinct was telling him to reveal himself. He had to bite his tongue in order to keep himself from spilling every secret that he had been keeping for so long.

Things about Camelot, that she didn't need to know. How Kilgharrah had told him that she was evil and had to be killed, the things he knew about the supposed alliance between her and Mordred, every prophecy that he'd received in the years after the great battle. All the secrets wanted to jump out of his mouth and Merlin had trouble with holding them back.

'Thank you, for saving my life, Morgana.' Merlin said, watching how a smirk equal to his own came to her face. Somehow her love had revived his magic and he wondered if his love could revive her magic. Merlin yawned and grinned. Leaning his head against the wood, he glanced at Morgana. 'Now I'm allowed to sleep, right?' he asked jokingly.

Morgana grinned back at him and pursed her lips. 'Only if you tell me you love me.' she said sweetly, defiantly. Merlin almost choked on the air that he'd been drawing into his lungs and tried his best to not gawk at her. Where does she get her confidence from? he wondered, awe-struck for just a few seconds before he grinned inwardly. 'Now why would I do that?' he snapped, faking disgust.

Morgana's smile faltered and her lips started to quiver. Uh-oh he thought.

'I love you!' he exclaimed, before she would begin to cry again. Her eyes widened and Merlin grinned sheepishly until she glared at him with eyes that spat fire. If looks could kill… Merlin shuddered inwardly. 'Sorry,' he apologized. 'I was just… teasing you.' he said uncomfortably, fearing that he would never be able to make up to her.

He was confused when her face split into a major grin. 'And I was teasing you.' she remarked. Merlin glared at her. 'But I- You- You scared me half to death!' Merlin argued, stumbling over his words as he tried to finish at least one sentence. Morgana laughed at his expression and raised an eyebrow at him. Merlin mumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes.

While Morgana was laughing, Merlin was once again trying to find a way to them out of here. His forehead creased, there had to be a way. Most of all he just wanted to have his hands free so that he could kiss Morgana, but he decided against telling her. He had no idea how she would react if he even touched her, for four years of sexual abuse must´ve traumatized her in some way.

Merlin sighed and Morgana seemed to pick up on the way his mood was headed. ´Do you think you´ll ever get out of here?' She asked cautiously. He shrugged and met her eyes. 'I hope so. But with this ropes around my wrists I can't- The ropes!' he exclaimed suddenly, clearly startling Morgana.

He met her eyes with a fierce determination. 'Morgana,' he said slowly, making sure that he had her attention fully. Morgana looked at him questioningly and raised an eyebrow. 'Do everything you can to make Agravaine attack me with magic.' he pressured. 'But, Merlin-' Morgana began, but he cut her off.

'It's hard to explain. If he uses enough magic on me, the ropes might not be able to hold.' he said quickly, hoping that it was enough for Morgana to trust him. She still looked doubtful and Merlin sighed. 'Can you do that for me, please? I'm afraid it might be the only way to get us out of here.' Merlin asked while he shuffled over the floor uneasily. Now that he had a chance, as small as it was, he wanted to get on with it.

'I'm afraid that he'll kill you.' Morgana confessed quietly, concern and fear etched on her face. Merlin nodded thoughtfully. 'Maybe it will. But it's our only chance.' he said, determination lacing his voice like never before. If Morgana wouldn't help him, he would enrage Agravaine himself, no matter the consequences.

x.X.x JUST A DREAM x.X.x

The old man stood proudly in the centre of the room. His shoulders were straightened, his chin held high, his back arched. The ache that he usually felt when he was old had faded away, perhaps forgotten by the current situation that unfolded itself in front of him.

The last bit of magic that had been needed had hit him. It had almost cost him his life, but he couldn't care less. 'Agravaine.' he said, his composure calm and deadly. The ill-made man turned on his heels from the woman that he'd been about to torture and he gasped. He staggered backward until his back was pressed against the table. The old man stretched out his hand, palm faced toward the man that had tortured her. He was determined to seek revenge for everything that he'd done to her.

'May you die feeling the same pain as the pain that you have inflicted.' the man spoke in the tongue of the Old Religion, his tone almost sincere as he weaved his web of magic, ready to command him. 'May every little wound, every drop of poison that you've ever used on your victims be brought back into your body to bring you a violent and long lasting death. May the Darkness that I wield consume you and destroy your soul for all eternity.'

Agravaine gasped as an electric blue spear of lightning came soaring in his way. The man roared one last word before the magic and the Darkness consumed him.

'Emrys!'

Morgana gasped awake, startling Merlin in the process. The young warlock looked at her with wide eyes, watching as she gasped for air and forced it into her lungs. Her body was trembling, her hands were still slightly purple and her face possessed the colour of a corpse.

'Morgana! It was just a nightmare! Just a dream!' Merlin yelled to her in an attempt to calm her down. She continued to tremble, but he saw that her eyes found his and he didn't break the eye-contact. Slowly, she stopped trembling and took in deep, slow breaths. Her eyes were still wide in horror and fear, but Merlin thought that she would be all right.

'What did you dream about?' Merlin asked worriedly, but Morgana just shook her head and looked away. Merlin's forehead creased and he knew that it had something to do with them being in the hovel, he could just feel it. He feared that she'd dreamed about him getting killed, about him using magic or anything as horrible as that.

Merlin sighed and fumbled with the ropes. Maybe if I close my eyes and use silent magic… he thought, but then he remembered that it would only work if the magic came from an outer source. In the past days, or weeks - for Merlin had lost track of time and had no idea how long they'd been in the hovel – he'd considered summoning Kilgharrah, but decided against it.

He was pretty sure that the dragon wouldn't show up. Perhaps he would, but he knew that he wouldn't risk getting close to Morgana's hovel. Merlin had insisted that she'd been alive and the dragon hadn't agreed, nonetheless the ancient creature of magic would be careful. If he found out that Merlin had summoned him while he was in the hovel, Kilgharrah would suspect that it had something to do with Morgana.

Merlin sighed and leaned his head against the wooden pillar behind him, closing his eyes. Sleep had never been far away from him and it came to claim him now.

x.X.x JUST A DREAM x.X.x

When Agravaine entered the hovel and closed the door behind him three days later, Merlin could feel it. Every fibre of his body, every inch of his skin was aware: today would be the last of Agravaine's games. If he didn't act now, he and Morgana would both be dead before the dawn of the next day.

The man, Arthur's ill-made uncle, smirked at the paleness of Morgana's skin and the infections that slowly began spreading over Merlin's body. Even if Agravaine didn't choose to kill them, Merlin knew that he wouldn't last long. The infections would kill him. Even though he was no expert at medicine, like Gaius was, he knew that he wouldn't last a week, not without help.

The magic that had been re-awakened by Morgana's love rushed through his veins and he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. His lips formed a thin line as he glared at the man that had caused all this. Cruelty seemed to be a family trait and Merlin prayed that Arthur hadn't inherited it.

'Ready for another game?' Agravaine asked them. Merlin refused to reply, nor did Morgana. Agravaine grinned wickedly and began untying Morgana slowly. When her hands were loose, she lurched forward and clawed at his face, embedding her nails into the flesh of his cheeks harshly.

All Agravaine did was laugh as he roughly shoved her away. She hit her head on the wall and Merlin flinched when he thought he heard something crack. Blood trickled down into her hair, but she remained conscious and Merlin realized that she looked strong. She looked like a warrior princess, ready to fight again.

She stretched out her hand and yelled something in the tongue of the Old Religion. Her eyes didn't flash golden, Agravaine didn't even flinch. Then the dark-haired man burst out into cruel laughter and Morgana's shoulders slumped. Merlin couldn't do anything when Agravaine tore the black cloak from Morgana's trembling form.

Painfully slowly, he forced Morgana to walk toward the bed. He efficiently tied her wrists above her head to the bed and her feet to the other side of the bed. Because the bed was in line with Merlin's current entrapment, Merlin had no choice but to watch.

Morgana pleaded and cried, but it was to no avail. Agravaine slid his hands between her legs, stroking slowly up and down, lengthening her suffering. He grinned when he slipped a finger into her core and laughed when she tried to look away, forcing her with a hand under her chin to look him into the eyes.

'Look at me, my love!' Agravaine snapped when Morgana closed her eyes tightly. The man buried his manhood deep inside her and a strangled sob left her lips. He started moving, up and down, moaning all the while. Merlin swallowed and bit his lip to keep himself from screaming, yelling, cursing.

Morgana pulled at the ropes that kept her shackled and Agravaine slapped her. Her head snapped away and she sobbed. Then Agravaine drove his nails into Morgana's breasts. Morgana's body trembled with sobs when Agravaine bit into her nipples.

All the while, Merlin was shaking with unconcealed hatred. He wanted to kill Agravaine so badly. He wanted to burn the man alive, to give him the most dishonourable death possible. He would feed him to stray dogs if there had been any. But before he could do that, he had to get himself loose first.

'Agravaine!' Merlin yelled, struggling to keep the hatred out of his voice. The young warlock noted how he sounded very close to hysteria and forced himself to calm down. The man looked over his shoulder while he thrust his manhood into Morgana again.

'Yes?' he asked, a bit out of breath when he thrust again. Merlin had to force himself to keep his eyes open, because he wanted to close them so badly. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up, finding out that it had all been just a dream. Maybe if he closed his eyes and let himself be killed, then the suffering would stop. I can't do that. Merlin thought and he knew it was true, so true.

'Morgana doesn't want to be with you because she loves me!' Merlin said on a fake-cheerful tone. Agravaine roared and closed his hands around her neck. Morgana gasped, but no air would come into her lungs. She struggled against the ropes, but it was to no avail. Merlin saw her face become blue.

'It's true, you know. She loves me and I love her. I got something that you'll never get: her heart!' he continued after gulping. No matter what, he had to get Agravaine away from Morgana. Even if he only loosened his grip… He couldn't let her die!

Instead of releasing her, he leaned toward Morgana until their faces were only inches apart. Morgana's eyes widened and she tried to crawl away. 'I gave you everything. I even brought you him,' the man whispered on a dangerously cruel tone, gesturing toward Merlin.

'And yet you still don't love me.' Agravaine whispered while his grip around Morgana's neck tightened. Morgana's eyes flashed toward Merlin and he could see the fear in her eyes. Her pale green eyes were wide and filled with tears and sorrow. He understood the message: Get out of here. But he shook his head stubbornly.

'It's not her that you should hurt. I'm the cause of all this, you know? Without me, she wouldn't even be here!' Merlin said, noting how a slight hysteria slipped into his voice. A nervous giggle bubbled up inside of him but he pushed it away.

He breathed out in relief when Agravaine's grip loosened and Morgana gasped and coughed. The tears that had welled up in her eyes rolled down her cheeks, leaving a pathway of streaks on the pale skin. Merlin braced himself when the man slowly walked toward him.

'So you love her and she loves you.' Agravaine said cruelly. Merlin braced himself and nodded. Agravaine laughed triumphantly, something that confused Merlin deeply. Agravaine grinned and spread his arms. 'So all I have to do is kill you and then she'll love me!' the man laughed.

Merlin didn't agree with that statement, but he remained silent. The man chuckled. 'So be it.' he said darkly. Morgana gasped and cried. 'No, no! Merlin!' she cried desperately. Merlin bit his tongue to keep himself from replying and instead followed Agravaine with his eyes, who walked toward him.

He was forced to look up at the man that towered over him. His expression was dark and cruel, but triumphal as well, as if he'd already won. 'Please!' Morgana sobbed, but Agravaine ignored her. He stretched out his hand toward the young, defenceless warlock on the floor and barked that word.

The warlock couldn't keep himself from screaming, the sounds of agony being torn from his throat. It felt like someone was sawing through him, as if a fire was consuming him from the inside. A fire fed by Agravaine's insane hatred, or perhaps just his insanity. The word was used again and again and Merlin subconsciously tried to get away from the pain.

The ropes bit into his wrists, but every time the pain struck, they loosened just a bit more. Merlin blocked out Morgana's sobs and focused on the pain entirely. He focused on the feeling of the inner flames that were consuming him and followed the tendrils of magic when they slipped into the ropes. He felt the resistance that the ropes made when the magic collided with the fibres.

'Any last words, Emrys?' Agravaine enquired in a low whisper while he crouched in front of Merlin. Merlin was barely conscious, but managed to catch the last word. Agravaine had whispered it so soft that even he'd hardly heard it.

Merlin pushed the pain away and straightened his shoulders. He opened his eyes and locked eyes with Agravaine. A smile appeared on his face. 'Yes,' Merlin said calmly, confidently. Confident enough to make Agravaine waver.

His river blue eyes darted toward Morgana and they locked. Blue to pale-green. Warlock to witch. Magic to magic.

'I love y-'

Before he could even finish his sentence, Agravaine roared a spell that Merlin knew would end his life. The warlock braced himself and closed his eyes tightly. The spear of lightning hit him square in his chest and he barely even felt the pain.

The young warlock's body bolted forward by the extent of the pain. Then he fell back against the wooden beam and his head hung to the side, his eyes closed, his expression almost peaceful. His chest didn't rise and no air was pulled into his lungs.

'Merlin!' Morgana yelled desperately, tugging at her shackles even harder than before. 'No! No!' she whispered, before she started sobbing. Her entire body shook violently and pain coursed through her veins so intensely that she thought she would die by it alone.

Agravaine turned his attention toward Morgana and walked toward her calmly, with long strides. He took a knife from the table and when he'd reached Morgana, she looked up at him with only hatred in her eyes. There was no fear, no fear at all when Agravaine lowered the razor-sharp blade toward her neck.

Her pale-green eyes followed the deadly weapon and widened when it touched the skin on her neck. She averted her eyes, looking up at the ceiling instead. Merlin, I'm so sorry. she thought when she felt the steel cutting into her skin. I love you so much. she closed her eyes and waited, a soft sob escaping through her lips.

Suddenly, the blade on her neck was gone. She felt a droplet of blood trickling down her skin, but the deadly blade no longer rested on her skin. Morgana didn't want to open her eyes just yet, confident that it was just one of his games, to make her feel hopeful so that he could crush that hope.

But she could hear something heavy crashing into a wall and she couldn't ignore the sound of breaking and splintering wood. When she opened her eyes and craned her neck, she could see Agravaine, laying in a heap on the floor. Her eyes darted toward Merlin and she saw him.

Her eyes widened when she saw him standing in the middle of the room. His shoulders were straightened proudly. His head was held high. Realization crashed through her even before Agravaine called him by his name.

'Ah, Emrys. So stupid of me to think that you were dead.'

Merlin blinked and ignored the comment. He watched when Agravaine crawled to his feet slowly, testing every muscle and carefully putting weight onto his feet. His eyes followed Agravaine's every movement when the man made his way toward him.

Agravaine was guarded and didn't dare to come any closer than eight metres. They looked at each other, studying each other to find their weak spots. Finally, it was Merlin who spoke first.

'I am Emrys, king of Druids. Manservant of king Arthur, the Once and Future King. The Last Dragonlord. And they say that I am Lady Morgana's destiny and doom. I will certainly be your doom, Agravaine. Your power over Morgana ends here, as do your days on this Earth.'

While he spoke, his tone became lower, more dangerous, more cruel. His eyes had darkened and a cruel smirk spread over his face. Agravaine paled and took a step back. 'Not so fast.' Merlin said while he stretched out a hand. His eyes flashed golden dangerously and bound Agravaine to his place.

The man couldn't move, not even an inch. His eyes widened and for the first time Merlin recognized the fear in his eyes. Merlin knew no place for fear. He felt only hatred and the humming darkness that spread through his veins.

He chuckled evilly and pointed at Agravaine. 'You didn't really think that you could keep me captive like this, did you?' he asked, his tone sounding flat and almost bored as he glared at the man that stood before him. His expression was one of boredom, arrogance and hatred all mixed together.

Agravaine couldn't move, couldn't speak. The man couldn't even blink, he was lucky to be able to breathe. Merlin shrugged and waved a hand at Agravaine, only to result in a flood of curse words to be aimed at him. 'How boring.' Merlin muttered as he waved his hand again, silencing Agravaine without much effort.

The young warlock ignored Morgana completely when he circled around Agravaine stealthily, like a predator. Agravaine's eyes followed the young man as best as he could, until he disappeared behind him only to reappear in his sight again a few seconds later.

When Merlin opened his mouth, his tone was low and sinister, laced with cruelty. 'May you die feeling the same pain as the pain that you have inflicted.' the man spoke in the tongue of the Old Religion, his tone almost sincerely as he weaved his web of magic, ready to command him.

'May every little wound, every drop of poison that you've ever used on your victims be brought back into your body to bring you a violent and long lasting death. May the Darkness that I wield consume you and destroy your soul for all eternity.'

Morgana shivered behind him. A spear of electric blue lightning sprouted from Merlin's hand palm and collided with the man at full force. The lighting erupted into a ball of white energy, blinding both Merlin and Morgana. The lighting sizzled and melted anything that was closer than three inches. When the blinding light faded away, everything around Agravaine had been burned to a crisp and there was nothing, absolutely nothing left on the place where Agravaine had been standing.

Merlin's shoulders slumped. He felt hollow and cold, his heart was coated in a layer of thick ice. He felt as if someone had destroyed everything that he'd ever cared for. He turned around, his blue eyes sliding over Morgana's body as if he was looking straight through her.

'… Merlin?' Morgana asked hesitatingly, when he advanced on her. She tugged at the ropes that kept her hands and feet bound in vain. Her breaths came in short gasps and her pale green eyes widened in fear when he studied her, his face pale and his expression unreadable.

'Morgana.' he said and his voice caused her to shiver. Not because of arousal, but in fear. He whispered that word to her and her screams echoed through the hovel. Her body lurched upward, hollowing her back until it seemed like her spine would snap.

She trembled in fear when Merlin placed his hand on her chest, just beneath her breasts. He whispered words in the tongue of the Old Religions, words that she didn't understand, words that awakened things that had been buried deep inside her. Long forgotten memories, of her brawls with Uther, sword fights with Arthur, talking to Gwen.

Memories of smouldering looks with Merlin, the way how his eyes seemed to widen, how he licked his lips when he saw her. She saw the guilt in those eyes, she could feel it and most of all she felt the magic, his magic that soared through her veins the minute when his hand touched her skin. The Lady gasped and gritted her teeth.

No. There couldn't be magic running through her veins. She felt her bracelet burn and screamed when the skin beneath it started to boil and melt, the power of the Darkness pressing down on her like a thick, smothering blanket. A sob left her lips and her eyes rolled back when the power hit her with full force. Please. No! Merlin! No…

x.X.x JUST A DREAM x.X.x

Merlin wailed and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. He sat on a chair next to the bed, with his elbows on his knees and his head leaning on his hands. He watched Morgana and couldn't fight the guilt that arose inside him. The bracelet around her wrist was gone. When he'd tried to remove it, he'd realized that it had melted into Morgana's skin.

Terrified, he'd carefully used more magic to soak it off her skin. Then he'd gritted his teeth and tried his best to heal all of her wounds. He was glad that she'd lost consciousness and feared the moment when she'd wake up. The darkness was gone and Merlin was thankful. Though he felt a chill now and then, most of him felt warm and comfortable and the layer of ice around his heart had melted away.

His sigh was filled with relief when her eyelids fluttered and opened. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other, blue eyes to green eyes. Then she tried to sit up and Merlin put a hand on her back to support her. The sheet that he'd wrapped around her fell down and Merlin blushed and looked away.

When he looked up at her again, the sheet was wrapped around her tightly and securely. A small smile played at his lips. 'How are you feeling?' he asked her, his voice uncertain and soft. Morgana look up at him and blinked a few times, biting her lip.

'I feel… fine.' she said carefully. 'But… the last thing I remember… You… and the bracelet, it…' she stumbled over her words and Merlin reached behind him with a hand, showing her the melted silver with an uncertain smile on his face. Her eyes flashed from the bracelet to his eyes. 'Oh.' she whispered. She averted her eyes and looked down at her hands.

Merlin shuffled on his chair uneasily. He didn't know what to do, what to say and Morgana didn't know either. So they just sat in silence, until a sob left Morgana's lips and she threw herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her shaking body tightly, resting his head on her shoulder. He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes, whispering soothing words into her ears while he gently stroked her hair.

x.X.x JUST A DREAM x.X.x

Their bodies moved in unison. His fingers gently brushed over her naked skin, hovering inches above her nipples until she moaned. His lips moved across her jawline, toward her shoulder and down to her breasts, kissing each one lovingly and tenderly. Her hands brushed through his raven-black hair and his tongue swept over her nipples carefully, softly. They hardened under his touch and he admired them in silence before moving on.

Merlin's fingers softly caressed her waist and he took his time to comfort her when she was startled or panicked. Morgana whispered his name softly when his lips trailed over her neck again, her hair tickling and a strand brushing over his closed eyelids. Her hands moved over his bare shoulders and he leaned back to admire her pure beauty.

Morgana opened her eyes and smiled at him. 'Emrys.' she whispered longingly and Merlin smiled back at her. Not long ago he'd taken her outside, shocked when she'd struggled against him when the sunlight had touched her skin. She'd been blinded and scared to death by a feeling that she hadn't experienced for four long years. But now she'd fully recovered and they were ready to make love together for the first time.

She pulled up her knees and spread her legs, all the while gazing into his river blue eyes. Merlin gasped and he felt his body react and his manhood stiffen and shift at the movement that seemed so unimportant but meant so much in its own perfect way. 'Morgana…' Merlin breathed, his voice barely more than a whisper.

'Are you sure?' he asked, afraid of what her answer might be. But she nodded and pushed herself upward on her elbows to plant a soft, but firm kiss on his lips. Merlin nodded silently and positioned himself just outside her pounding core. A moan left her lips and she leaned back in his arms, in anticipation.

He entered her slowly, slipping in carefully. 'Yes.' he heard her whisper and he couldn't keep back a moan of his own when her pelvis rose up at meet him halfway. Merlin put his hands next to her head, one on each side and leaned forward to kiss her on the shoulder. She gasped and he bit softly with just enough pressure to make her shudder.

He pulled back and thrust himself forward seconds after, her moans bringing him pleasure. A scream left his lips when he came and exploded inside her, the world blurring around him and for a moment only he and Morgana existed in the world.

Minutes later they laid in each other's arms. They shared a passionate kiss and Morgana smiled up at him. 'Never leave me.' she whispered, her eyes pressing and desperate. Merlin nodded and smiled at her reassuringly.

I promise that I'll never leave you. Leave you, leave you…

Morgana awoke with a gasp, the sheet tightly wrapped around her body. 'Merlin?' she asked while her hand reached out for the empty spot next to her. Her heart pounded against her chest firmly, as if it wanted to jump out. Agravaine's dead. she told herself. He can't hurt me. The bed was cold. Something was pushed out of the bed by her reaching hand and tinkled on the wooden floor loudly.

She leaned forward and saw the piece of silver, shaped in a circle big enough to fit around her wrist. It was her healing bracelet.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So was it all a dream? Or was it real? I'll leave that for you to decide! –evil chuckle-