Fight For Me

Chapter 1

"Merlin?" comes the voice of Gaius.

Out from the smoke emerges a figure, sinister looking, but Gaius can't tell whether it's the person or just the setting.

"Oferswing!" comes the voice of Merlin, or what seems to be Merlin.

With a thrust of Merlin's hand, and the incantation, Gaius is thrown back.

"Sigan," Gaius croaks, from the ground, staining to sit up.

Merlin smiles a cruel, twisted smile, an expression so unlike him, it was ominous sitting upon his face.

"You won't get away with this." Gaius sounds pained, but not just from the ache in his bones and back and muscles.

"Who's going to stop me?" Merlin sneers. "Who has the power? Only Merlin. But, oh, look..." The wicked smile returns, uncanny and unnatural on the young, kind face of Merlin. He gestures to himself. "There's no one, Gaius. No one to stop me. Camelot is mine."

"No!" says a voice from the mist. There's a couple of heavy steps, the sound of the air slicing, as a sword flies towards Merlin. Merlin merely raises a hand, creating a barrier, where the sword bounces harmlessly off.

"Arthur Pendragon," Merlin grins. "How wonderful it will be to finally kill you."

"M-- Merlin?" Arthur croaks, a look of betrayal on his face.

"Surprised?"

"B-- But... You-- You did this?" he says, incredulously.

"Yes. Your idiot servant did all this, then killed you," Merlin replies, simply.

"But-- N-- No..." Arthur stumbles back. "No."

Of all people, Merlin is the one to betray him? And so spectacularly, too? Merlin, his clumsy, bumbling, kind, caring manservant, a sorcerer? A sorcerer about to take over Camelot, about to kill him? Faking his care for Arthur, faking being his friend, faking it all.

If I can't trust him, Arthur thinks, then who? Who can I trust, if not Merlin?

His world lost, now just a broken, young, confused prince, Arthur picks up his sword, wipes away a tear, and prepares to protect his kingdom.

"I will not let you take Camelot," he says, firmly.

"Oh, Arthur. You say it like you have a choice."

The taunting tone... The smirk... All unfitting to such a warm character. This isn't Merlin. It can't be.

Then, without the use of a spell, Merlin thrusts forward his hand, causing Arthur to fly back, dropping his sword in the process. He crashes to the floor, bruised, angry and betrayed. He stands almost as quick as he fell, to see Merlin approaching, eyes golden. Arthur crashes into the pillar behind him. He tries to pull away from the stone, finding his arms and legs and body are stuck. He glances worriedly as he pulls, only to return his gaze to an ever closer approaching Merlin.

His eyes glow like the stars, hypnotising Arthur by their beauty. If it weren't for the anger in his eyes, if it weren't for the hate there, Arthur would have stared a lot more than he should have.

"It will be a joy to kill you, my lord," Merlin mocks, his mouth twisting into that cruel smile with gives Arthur a terrible feeling. A look like that shouldn't be on Merlin's face. How could Merlin do something like this? How badly had Arthur misjudged his character?

Or maybe it was how Arthur treated him. That's where this unbridled hate came from. But why had he never acted before? Why now? What was so special about now?
And to think, all this time, Merlin was a sorcerer--