How Merlin Should Have Ended

The Visit

"I found her weakness," Sarrum smirked. He licked the fat from the meat he was eating off his fingers as he spoke, making the whole thing feel very vindictive. "Everyone has one, even a high priestess." There was something in his tone that made Arthur feel like Sarrum was hoping to uncover Arthur's weakness.

"A young dragon," Sarrum continued. "Her love for that creature caused her to suffer more than she ever imagined possible, but not more than she deserved."

Arthur couldn't help but think about that little white dragon that he'd seen helping Morgana on more than one occasion. Even before he found out about Merlin's magic, he'd always known Morgana wasn't a dragonlord - back then he'd believed the last dragonlord had died traveling with them - so he'd always assumed that Morgana was controlling the creature by some other means. From what Sarrum said, it seemed to Arthur that Morgana was controlling this dragon through loyalty and love alone. Even so, it made sense. If these creatures were as intelligent as Merlin said they were, then no doubt suffering for them like that would inspire loyalty.

Arthur couldn't help but hope Morgana's ability to love her dragon meant that there was still a small part of her that wasn't drowning in hate. Arthur could still remember the little girl he'd grown up with, the kind girl who cared for her servants and believed in a fair and just world. Sometimes Arthur missed that girl. He hardly recognized who she was now.

"I knew she wouldn't dare use magic against me - not while her beloved creature was at risk of harm," Sarrum continued, his tone unnecessarily cruel. "Such a shame. All that power. All that beauty. Abandoned and forgotten in a living grave."

"A harsh punishment," Arthur replied. "But it leaves hope of escape. Why not execute the prisoner instead?"

"Morgana is not so easy to kill," Sarrum replied. "I could hurt her for sure, but killing her seemed beyond my grasp. Besides, I prefer it this way. The dead do not scream."

"As the dragon grew the pit became too small," Sarrum continued, unprompted as if he were bragging. Arthur was starting to feel sick to his stomach, and Sarrum's gleeful tone wasn't helping. "Gradually, the creature was crippled, twisted. At night, you could hear its cries. They were even more heartbreaking than Morgana's." He smiled as he finished speaking and turned his attention back to his meal.

Arthur was glad not to have the man's attention for a moment. It gave him a chance to check his expression. Arthur wouldn't wish the things he'd done to Morgana on anyone, not even his enemy. This explained why the little white dragon he'd seen had looked so misshapen. The trouble now was whether or not to tell his dragonlord best friend that their guest was responsible for crippling one of his kin. That was not a conversation Arthur was looking forward to.

After their meal, their guest wanted to see for himself if Arthur was strong enough to fight his own tournaments. Arthur once again found himself holding back a rather rude reply. He was liking this man less and less with every moment they spent together.

It was a relief to have a sword in his hand again, even if it was only Sarrum's champion he was fighting. When Arthur lost to that champion, he wanted very much to believe it had been because his mind was otherwise occupied, and if he'd kept calm during the fight he'd have prevailed. In reality, Arthur knew he'd just been bested fair and square, but he really hated to admit it.

"You fight bravely," Sarrum said as the sparring match ended. Somehow even while giving him a compliment, Arthur felt like he was being insulted.

"That man wields a sword better than anyone I've ever met," Arthur replied.

"I trained him myself," Sarrum explained. "There is no room for failure in the fight against sorcery."

Once again Arthur felt like he was being studied. He was getting the distinct impression that Sarrum didn't want peace with a Camelot that accepted magic. Arthur suspected that Sarrum and his men were only here to hunt for Arthur's weakness. Magic didn't scare Sarrum, but it was making him cautious. Arthur couldn't help but wonder if Sarrum had figured out it was Merlin who had magic and what his actions might be if he did.