Morgana's entire body tensed as Kyulds reached for Excalibur. She closed her eyes, not content with her death, but unable to think of a reasonable way of escape. Her only hope was that after her death and Kyulds reset everything to try again, her new self would be able to find away to break this cruel cycle. She wondered how many other versions of herself had had this exact thought before Kyulds drove Excalibur through their hearts.
However, before she could feel an impaling sensation, she heard a violent shout coming from in front of her. She opened her eyes to investigate what could possibly be keeping her from death.
"Morgana! Take Merlin and the king and get out of here!!" Her brother was in front of her, his own blade straining under the force of Excalibur's shadowy wielder. He gritted his teeth as he mustered his remaining strength. "Morgana! Run!!"
Morgana didn't need him to say it again. She grabbed Merlin's arm and began to pull him in the only direction of escape, the nearby open window. They were trapped in a dead end, the hall they had come down completely barricaded by jagged chunks of stone and ceiling. She didn't bother attempting to drag Uther along as well, he would only slow them down.
"Morgana, how do we get down?" Merlin gasped as he stared at the courtyard far below. Darkness had set in. The ground could only be made out by watching the reflections of lamp light bouncing off the rain soaked cobblestones. Thunder rumbled beyond the citadel walls and flashes of bright lightning accompanied the blasts.
"We're going to have to jump!" Morgana called over the noise. She stepped carefully over the sill and placed herself precariously on a thin slippery ledge. She reached out her hand to Merlin, helping the injured boy balance beside her.
"Jump? Are you insane!?"
The clanging of metal could be heard from inside where Arthur still stood his ground. He swiped his sword towards Kyulds who used Excalibur to block, once, twice.
"Why won't you fight back?!" Arthur growled. "What kind of game are you playing?!"
Kyulds continued to defend himself in silence, attempting to get past the fierce Pendragon to no avail.
"Fight me! Why won't you use magic!" Arthur shouted at him, growing more and more frustrated and confused at his opponents seemingly lack of gritted enthusiasm in their fight.
"Let me pass, Arthur. This is not your fight."
"No!" Arthur swiped again, landing a nasty blow along the side of Kyulds face. However, the man's face was already battered and bloodied by years of anguish that the new scratch was unnoticeable.
"I will not fight you, Arthur. I do not have it in me," he said sadly. "You're only delaying the inevitable."
Morgana turned her attention back to the precarious situation she found herself in, her feet dangling off the edge of rain slicked stone. "I know a spell that might be able to help us!" she shouted to Merlin.
"Alright then!" He held on tight to her arm. "Then do it!"
She shook her head. "No, I can't! I don't have complete control over my magic and if I mess it up then we're going to fall!"
"Then what is it?! What's the spell?!"
"It's, befón et betreppan mé! Have you got that?!"
"Befón et betreppan mé," Merlin repeated. "Befón et betreppan mé." His eyes burned gold.
Morgana knew this was their chance. "Jump!" Together Morgana and Merlin hurled themselves away from the window and towards the courtyard below. Morgana prayed that the spell had been enough. Kyuld's shouts from above her rapidly faded into the night.
"You will fail, Morgana!" he said. "Give up now! Continuing to fight will only make it more painful!"
Their descent slowed, their flailing bodies calming as even the rain seemed to freeze around them. Their faces were inches from the cobblestones. Morgana sighed in relief. Merlin had pulled it off. The calm air and floating sensation was gone as soon as it arrived. Merlin and Morgana tumbled down the short distance left between them and the ground, receiving only minimal scrapes and bruises.
"You alright?" Morgana asked.
"Yeah," Merlin said hoarsely. She helped him up, wearily watching as he staggered to his feet.
"Are you sure?"
"Well," Merlin looked down at his wound. "I've still got this gaping hole in my chest," he said matter a factly, swaying where he stood. "But other than that..."
Morgana put both hands on his shoulders to steady him. "And I wish we could stop to treat it, but I'm afraid we don't have time. Kyulds will brush Arthur away in a matter of seconds! I'm surprised he hasn't done it already."
Both tensed at the sight of a group of knights running in unison near them. They shuffled back into the shadows and continued their discussion, making their way discretely back into the citadel.
"You're right. The only reason Arthur has been able to hold him off for this long is because... he's me. I wouldn't use magic to hurt Arthur. Never."
"Then we've got to think of something quick, before we run out of time!"
"We need to find a way to kill him... or at least get rid of him."
An idea struck Morgana. "A few weeks ago, the Great Dragon warned me of the danger of Kyulds. Perhaps he would know something that would help."
Merlin shook his head as his eyes hardened. "The last time I went down there to see Kilgharrah, the tunnel had caved in. Looking back, it was probably Kyulds who caved it in in the first place so he wouldn't be able to warn me."
Morgana bit her lip. "But it's our only option."
"How are we going to clear the rocks?"
Morgana smiled slightly. "Emrys and a high priestess? I think we can muster up the strength to clear some boulders."
Merlin grimaced. "A high priestess who's lost control of her magic and an Emrys who's young and inexperienced...? That makes it a little different..."
"We won't know if we don't try."
<<>>
Their pace was slow as Morgana and Merlin made their way down the many stretches of dimly lit corridors, occasionally ducking behind pillars and rushing into hidden closets to avoid the watchful eyes of the patrolling knights. There weren't too many patrols, as most of the men were busy trying to clear the hallway to the kings chambers. Both Merlin and Morgana kept their eyes peeled, terrified that Kyulds might seep out of the shadowy patches of hallway at any moment.
"This isn't right..." Merlin muttered under his breath.
"What?" The citadel shook with the sound of the distant thunder.
Merlin stopped and look back in the direction they'd come. He gulped. "We're not alone."
Morgana followed Merlin's gaze, but saw nothing. She tugged on his arm. "Come on, we have to keep going," she urged, not wanting to believe that Kyulds had already caught up with them.
Merlin indulged her and let her lead him down another hall and down a few flights of stairs.
"Come on, we're almost there..."
They were now passing through a part of the castle that was decaying with lack of use. Cobwebs and dust stretched across the crumbling pillars and tombs of royals who were long gone.
"Stop!" Merlin said suddenly, thrusting out his hand to stop Morgana from pressing forward.
"What, what is it?!" Morgana said, slightly frustrated. "We need to keep moving, Kyulds could be on our trail and... and..."
"He already is..." Merlin pointed in the direction they were headed, in the direction of the darkened archway that lead to Kilgharrah's cave. "He's there."
Morgana peered into the seemingly empty doorway. Her breathing quickened as her body began to shake. She grabbed at Merlin's arm to steady herself. She didn't know what they would do if Merlin was right and Kyulds really was waiting in front of them. How were they supposed to get past a being that seemed to be pure magic, anger, and hate?
"What do we do?" she whispered. "Are you sure?"
Merlin nodded. "I can feel him... I can feel... me..."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know exactly. There's some sort of pull..."
The pair took a few tentative steps back. "I know I've already said it... but I'll say it again..."
"What do we do?" Merlin finished for her.
Kyulds' figure began to emerge slowly from the archway, accompanied by the hissing sound of Excalibur dragging on the stone behind him. Kyulds breathed in and exhaled with a large sigh.
"Morgana... Morgana..." he laughed dryly. "Did you really think you could run from me?" He came closer, his stance and demeanor communicating his unhinged state. "I've been here before, remember? This is far from my first attempt. And it is not my first time having to kill... you."
Merlin stepped in front of Morgana. "Stay away from her."
Something flashed beneath Kyulds' mismatched eyes. Could it possibly be fear? Morgana wondered. It was gone as soon as it appeared. Kyulds brought the sword forward and held it aloft, but it was far from a steady fighting stance. Excalibur swayed in his hand.
Merlin took another step forward. "I said, stay away," he said, doing his best to sound intimidating, but his voice betrayed him.
Kyulds smiled, but didn't stand down. "I know, more than anyone, what you are capable of, Merlin. I suggest you stay away."
"Why should I?!" Merlin yelled. "You've already admitted you can't kill me! Why should I be afraid of you?!"
Kyulds' smiled faltered. "I may not be able to kill you myself, but I can inflict pain beyond what you could possibly comprehend!"
Merlin didn't budge, standing his ground protectively in front of Morgana. "This has to end! You... you have gone too far!
"You're wrong," Kyulds said coldly. "I haven't gone far enough." Kyulds spread his fingers as white lightning began to crackle between them and along his palms. "I'm giving you a final warning." He paused and met Merlin's hard determined gaze. "But what did I expect?" he said, a melancholy tone in his voice. "I never new when to give up."
Merlin held out his own hands, ready to defend himself in any way that he could. Morgana could sense his fear and apprehension as he prepared to fight an older more powerful version of himself. Kyulds and Merlin stared at each other, both daring the other to make the first move. Kyulds' lightning continued to crackle along his hands and up his arms, illuminating Excalibur with brilliant flashes of heat and light. Merlin's eyes shimmered from blue to gold.
All Morgana could do was watch. Watch as Kyulds' free hand shot out with speed and precision. Watch as his lightning arched through the room, bringing broad daylight to the dark chamber. Watch as Merlin made his own movement, running forward towards the frightening blast, his eyes bristling with power and light. He reached out and grabbed Kyulds' storm bearing hands with his own. There was a blinding flash of golden white light. Morgana ducked and shielded her eyes with her hands. A powerful ringing filled her ears. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear. She called out to her friend, but got no response, not even able to hear her own terrified shouting.
"Merlin!" Her own voice was a distant haze. "Merlin!" She opened here eyes only to find that the chamber was consumed by darkness once more. "Merlin!" she called again, looking frantically in the direction she had last seen him. The world was spinning. She tried to stand, but her legs were too shaky to support her own weight. "Merlin?" She crashed back into the floor and felt her leg connect with something sharp. She cried out and shied away from the source of the pain. She squinted, trying to get a better look. It was a sword, a silver blade with beautiful gold markings down the center. Could it be? She reached out, but before retrieving it she scanned the area, looking for the person who was wielding it only moments ago.
"Morgana!" She heard his voice echoing from the side, but in her haziness she couldn't tell if it was her enemy or her friend.
"Merlin?" Her ears were still ringing.
"It's me! It's me!"
Her vision began to improve as the face of Merlin began to appear above her. He smiled.
"Thank goodness! I thought I killed you."
Morgana sat up, cautiously. "Are you alright?"
"I... I think so..." Merlin said. "A little confused, but..." He looked down at his chest. "No worse off than I was before..." he held a hand to his head and squinted at the ground.
"Are you sure?"
"Uhh... yeah... yeah... I think..."
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
"Where's Kyulds?"
"I... I don't know."
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know!" Merlin shouted. He looked towards the archway where Kyulds had emerged from only moments ago. "Come on, I think the blast cleared the rocks that were in our way." he helped her to her feet and they both sprinted as fast as they could towards Kilgharrah's cavern.
Together, they shoved the remaining sharp rocks and boulders from their path and continued down into the depths of the citadel.
"Kilgharrah!" Merlin called out frantically. They had reached the place where Morgana remembered speaking to the Great Dragon, but it had changed drastically. The cavern, which used to be illuminated by by a faint blue light, was now pitch black, the few places that allowed sunlight to seep through completely concealed by debris. "Bærnam," Merlin said forcefully. A flame appeared in his balled fist and he held it aloft like a torch. "Kilgharrah!"
A rumbling echoed from somewhere below the platform, rocks and boulders scattered as something struggled to break through.
"Kilgharrah!" Merlin said more excitedly.
The dragon groaned. "Young Warlock," he said weakly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He seemed exhausted, his usual bright scales covered by fragments of dirt and dried blood.
"Something's happened!"
"Evidently." His golden eyes spotted Morgana, who remained on the stone ledge. "Has the witch finally come to her senses?"
Morgana shuffled, uncomfortably. "I... I... yes..." she said shamefully.
Merlin looked between them. "Kilgharrah, we need to know how to kill Kyulds."
The dragon narrowed his eyes. "I presume you have uncovered his true identity?"
"Yes..." Merlin began. "Yes and no. I know he's me, or, some version of me..." he trailed off.
"We know that he is what Merlin becomes in the future."
"Yeah." Merlin scratched the back of his head, refusing to make eye contact with Morgana or Kilgharrah. "We know that, but I just don't understand..."
Kilgharrah nodded. "Kyulds is an extremely dangerous enemy. I warned you to stay away from him, but it seems the situation has escalated beyond anyone's control."
"Kyulds is trying to kill me so he can reset time again." Morgana said. "He's been trying to use me to kill Merlin more than just this one time."
"Interesting..." Kilgharrah muttered. "And he needs to kill you in order to reset the timeline, in order to try again?"
Morgana nodded. "I believe so. I don't belong here. I'm time's anomaly. It makes sense if getting rid of me would set things right."
"Kilgharrah, I just don't understand!" Merlin interrupted. "How could Kyulds be me?!"
Kilgharrah looked at the young warlock and sighed. "I understand how you must feel-"
"No, how could you possibly understand?!" He brought a hand to his forehead and took a few stumbling steps back. "I think I've only just realized..."
"Merlin," Morgana tried, "I know it's shocking, but-"
"Shocking?! No. Finding out that you were from the future and here to kill me, was shocking. This... this is..."
"But Merlin, Kyulds is not you. Not quite," the dragon said.
Merlin furrowed his brow.
"Kyulds is only a part of you. He is your fear, your anger, your sadness, and your magic. He is not whole without the rest."
"I don't understand."
"In the future, Emrys, when your heart became too full of anguish and despair, you attempted to take your own life. Unfortunately, this attempt was thwarted by destiny, but it wasn't a perfect job. You we split in two, ripped into fragmented pieces. As Emrys, you are magic itself, but you are also more than that. As well as magic there is a person inside you. A person that is lost to Kyulds. He bears none of your kindness, none of your love. He brings only your pain."
"But it's still my pain, it's still me."
Kilgharrah nodded slowly. "Yes, young warlock, I'm afraid so."
Merlin's expression darkened. "How do we kill him?"
"It cannot be done."
Merlin's eyes narrowed. "No! There has to be a way. There has to be a way to stop him!"
"If we don't, he will continue to try to kill Merlin again and again until he succeeds!" Morgana added.
Kilgharrah looked around the cavern, as if the monster in question was hiding behind one of the many shadows cast by Merlin's torched hand. "Where is Kyulds?"
Merlin and Morgana looked at each other worriedly. "We... we don't know," Morgana said.
"How could that be possible?"
"It was... it was Merlin actually. On our way down here Kyulds confronted us, but Merlin was able to fight him off."
Merlin massaged the back of his neck. "Well, actually... I didn't fight him off."
"What?"
"I just kind of... I don't know..." He looked to the dragon. "I just touched him and... there was an explosion of some sorts."
Kilgharrah seemed unfazed. "That reaction does not surprise me. You posses the part of Kyulds that makes him incomplete. The only problem is, there's already something filling that space. You are not broken."
"And?"
"And... think of two magnets. If pushed together at the wrong side-"
"They propel each other."
"Indeed."
"But did this contact hurt Kyulds?"
Kilgharrah shifted his position. "I doubt it. It most likely just stunned him."
Merlin turned to Morgana. "Do you think we could use this to our advantage? At least until we find a way to get rid of him for good, I can keep him away from you and-"
"No, young warlock, you mustn't risk doing that again!" Kilgharrah said, sternly.
"Why on Earth not? It saved Morgana's life!"
"Yes, for now, but it was extremely dangerous. Knowledge on this subject is few and far between. It isn't possible to know what might happen if you try that too many times. It could break you, just as Kyulds is already broken."
"But you don't know that for sure..."
"I know enough to advise you strongly against it. I'm surprised it didn't affect you this time."
Merlin shrugged. "It just felt strange."
"Kilgharrah's right," Morgana stepped in. "If I die, yes, Kyulds will have another chance, but so will we. But if something happens to you..."
"The witch speaks the truth, young warlock."
Morgana scowled at Kilgharrah, offended by the name.
Merlin clasped both hands to his templed, the weight and suddenness of the situation obviously taking its tole. "I'm sorry this is just..."
Morgana reached out and put a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Merlin. I understand what a total shock this must be for you."
"Only hours ago I was trapped in a wardrobe and I thought the worst of my problems was Morgause running me through with Excalibur."
Morgana cringed at the memory, remembering how she had driven the sword through her sister's heart. It wasn't the Morgause she knew, she thought, or was it? Maybe it was Morgana who had changed. "I know you must be overwhelmed right now, a lot has happened."
"You've understated it."
"But we've got to muster up what it takes to destroy Kyulds."
"I know, I'm sorry." He pushed away hair that was melted to his forehead with sweat. He nodded to Morgana. "I'm okay."
"You don't have to apologize."
They both turned back to Kilgharrah. He narrowed his eyes. "If you're looking to me to give you a solution to this mess..." He sighed. "I'm afraid I don't know how to help you."
Merlin bit his lip. "Come on, you can't be serious. You've got to know something that can help us!"
"I... I'm sorry, young warlock. For once, I am at a loss for what to tell you."
Merlin began to pace, occasionally leaning up against the stone wall, trying to catch his breath. He clutched at his chest, obviously still dealing with the pain from his wound. He brought his fist into the wall with all the force of frustration his already weakened muscles could muster.
Morgana hadn't moved. A thought was brewing in her mind. She looked up and met the Great Dragon's golden gaze. "Kilgharrah... if Kyulds is only half of Emrys... where's the other part?"
"What do you mean?"
"If Emrys is Merlin and Kyulds put together, and Kyulds is only Kyulds..."
This perked Merlin's attention. "The missing piece of him has to be somewhere!" Merlin exclaimed.
"That's exactly what I was thinking... but there's something else..." Now she began to pace. "When I went to visit the woman in the lake and she gave me Excalibur and the box, she told me that she was going to help me, but not in the way I thought she was going to help me. I didn't understand before, but I think I do now."
"So, you did speak to Freya?" Merlin's voice was small and fragile.
Morgana nodded. "She gave me the box that I gave to Kyulds, the one with the strawberry in it. I thought she was helping me by giving me the sword, but that wasn't it. It was the box, that strawberry, that was really the help I needed." She locked eyes with Merlin. "Seeing that fruit seemed to have an affect on Kyulds, it made him change back into his real form. Is there any significance to strawberries?"
Merlin nodded slightly, losing the eye contact. However, he did not give any further answer, and based on the defeated look in his sagging shoulders, she didn't think pressing him would be a good idea.
Morgana looked back to Kilgharrah. "If I'm not mistaken, you said that Kyulds was comprised of only magic, fear, bitterness, and anger... but seeing the strawberry, something from Merlin's past..."
Merlin nodded in agreement. "I could see it in his eyes. It affected him in a way that shouldn't have been possible if he was, in that moment, only hate."
Kilgharrah narrowed his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"
"I think... I think the missing part of Kyulds isn't missing after all." Morgana's fists tightened as determination closed in around her. "I think we owe another visit to the Lady of the Lake."