Secrets of the past - Prince Merlin fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"NO!" Merlin shouted.

Rage poured into his veins when he saw Arthur falling to the ground. His figure not moving.

Ignoring Morgana completely he ran to Arthur's side. Pushing the king's blade away Merlin settled beside him to listen to his heartbeat. With one hand on his chest and one on his neck, he holds his breath while observing any movements.

For a second panic rose within him. But finally, he saw Arthur's chest rising slowly sending a wave of relief through Merlin. He sighed quietly and tried to calm his heartbeat.

He could feel Morgana's eyes on his back. The witch was standing a few feet away. Clearly, she wasn't as concerned about Arthur's state.

But Merlin had to get her to come closer. Otherwise, he couldn't complete his plan.

He started fake sobs. If Morgana thought that Arthur was dying, she might come closer to them.

"Is this really what you want?" He asked with despair in his voice. "I've never realised why you have become so desperate to kill us. You're so full of hatred and fear that your life has been miserably lately."

Morgana thought for a moment before answering: "Those who have suffered at the hands of Uther and Arthur deserve justice." Every word she spat with venom.

"And what have I done?" Merlin asked confused.

The witch's glare deepened. "You have stood next to him while he hunted those with magic. You never tried to stop him."

"You don't understand-."

"You betrayed your kind. You never helped me when you discovered that I had magic," she interrupted him harshly.

"Just let me explain," Merlin pleaded but Morgana wasn't ready to listen. The hate had blinded her judgement, leaving only a shallow shell of the Morgana who had once been full of love and kindness. This new version had only one goal in life and that was to destroy the people she thought were responsible for her suffering.

And Merlin realised that rational speech wasn't going to change anything. No matter if Merlin would try to explain himself, the old Morgana was already long gone.

"You should at least look at Arthur considering you spent many years as friends," Merlin suggested. At the same time, his fingers curled around the hilt of Arthur's blade.

"I don't owe anything to him. I'll simply look at him when he draws his last breath because I've been imagining for it to happen for a long time," she said while taking slow steps towards them.

Merlin still had his back to Morgana in a hope that she wouldn't attack before they were face to face. His skin prickled when he sensed Morgana's nearing figure. Dry leaves rustling on the ground told her exact location.

And now when she's attention was on Arthur, Merlin had the perfect opportunity. Only one step and she would be in the reach.

"Finally, Arthur pays for-." But she never finished her sentence.

Merlin had spun around and thrust the sword in Morgana's stomach. She gasped while instinctively putting her hands on the sword's blade.

"What? I'm a high priestess," she struggled to form words. "No mortal blade can kill me."

Her wide eyes looked at Merlin. The thought of dying hadn't even occurred to her. Now suddenly facing the fear of death, Merlin could see dread in her eyes.

"This is no mortal blade. Like yours, it was forged in a dragon's breath."

It was the exact same sword that Merlin had put in a stone after they had defeated Morgana's and Morgause's immortal army. The one Arthur had pulled to prove himself worthy of being the king of Camelot. The sword in the stone. Merlin had had a weird feeling that they might need the sword so he had ensured that Arthur would take it with him before they had left towards Airasan. Even though he hadn't known they would encounter Morgana, he had made the right choice by trusting his instincts.

Merlin watched how the witch breathed shakily before the light burned out from her eyes. Gently, he closed her eyelids.

"Goodbye, Morgana."