Until forever comes

Constellation of tears

A/N

I just want to say a MA-HU-SSIVE (yes that is a word) thankyou to everyone who has stuck with it and reached this chapter!

There is some sad stuff in this chapter hence the name but, you know, just go with it :)

Happy reading and LONG LIVE MERLIN

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''We are going to escape this place, find our way back out of the labyrinth, get back to Camelot, stop Vivian and just generally save the day!'', said Arthur. We all looked at him. ''Sure, sounds easy'', I said sarcastically. Arthur just gave me a look that said 'whatever'. ''Well I'm not hearing a flood of ideas for the first part'', said Merlin. Arthur sighed, ''I thought I told you to shut up''. Merlin held his hands up defensively and feigned defeat. There was a long awkward silence when everyone was thinking hard. Finally someone spoke. ''So I guess we could...dig our way out?'', suggested Gwaine. Unfourtunately he was deadly serious. Percival tapped his boot on the hard stone floor and shrugged, ''Not likely, little man''. Gwaine shrugged too. ''Climb out?'', asked Leon. Arthur ran a gloved hand over the perfectly smooth and very high wall and shook his head. There was another silence.

Just then, Gaius made an 'aha!' sort of noise which made everyone jump and he produced a vial of purple liquid from somewhere. Everyone looked at him questioningly, yet without a word he moved over to the wall and began to splash the liquid on the wall. There was a loud fizzing sound where the wall was splattered. After a while the fizzing subsided and a section of wall was full of cracks. Gaius looked at Arthur expectantly. Arthur moved closer and carefully pushed the cracked wall witih his hand. The wall disintegrated and the prince's hand went straight through it. He stared at Gaius in amazement. ''It is a compound designed to dissolve sandstone and, by the looks of it, this wall was sandstone'', Gaius explained. ''Gaius, you are an absolute genius'', I said, smiling. Arthur continued to work on the wall until there was a crude doorway shaped in it. ''You see'', he said triumphantly, ''easy''. Merlin shook his head and leant over to whisper in my ear, ''How is it that he always seems to claim the glory?''. I laughed and said, simply, ''Because he is Arthur''. 

Labyrinths. Why?. I was lost again, except this time, I was surrounded by six other people who felt just as frustrated as I did. The sky was beginning to fade into darkness and it was becoming increasingly difficult to see way ahead. Then, a strong wind burst into life behind us and six heads whipped around to see. The whirling tornado grew larger and denser before abruptly stopping, dead calm. Where the whirlwind had previously been, stood a figure in red. ''Princess Vivian'', said Arthur. It was a statement, not a question. She smiled evilly. Without warning she threw up a hand and her eyes flashed golden, sending Gaius, Gwaine, Leon and Percival crashing to the ground. ''They're making a habit of that'', I said. She turned to stare at me and my half smile fled from my face. ''And you are?'', she asked. I opened my mouth to reply but I was cut off by Merlin's curt voice, ''Nobody of interest''. To be honest, I think Arthur, Vivian and I shared the same expression of confusion. Merlin eyes met mine and his stare spoke volumes. It was saying, ''Don't tell her who you are''. Eventually Vivian scoffed, ''I wasn't asking you. Why don't you leave us too so I can settle some business with his royal highness''. Without a word, she repeated her previous actions and Merlin fell to the floor. She then spun around and sped off in the opposite direction.Arthur turned to me and gestured to those behind us, ''Check on them, I'm going after her''. Before I could answer, he had begun running after the red witch.

I knelt beside Merlin's still form and took felt for a pulse on his wrist. Nothing. My own heart rate quickened and I feeling of dread began to seep it's way into my stomach. I checked his breathing but his chest was still. Merlin. Emrys. Was dead. I felt my heart tear in two and my eyes filled with water at the loss of my only friend in this world. I looked up at the darkness and saw, not stars, but constellations of frozen tears, as if even the sky itself was crying with me. ''But...it doesn't end here...it can't'', I choked out. Just then, Arthur skidded back around the corner. I looked at him with tear-stained eyes and his face turned white as snow.