Art Belongs to @paige.draws on Insta
{Yn POV}
I could hear the bells in the background as Merlin yelled at Douxie and I
"Have you any idea what you've done? I knew my apprentices were ignoramuses, but traveling through time? Time!" Merlin shouts in disbelief
"I think we handled ourselves just fine, all things considered." Douxie tries to reason
"And besides," I step in, "It was your idea for us to travel through time. You're the one who told us to use the time map." I point an angry finger at Merlin
"Well, then, you two must have botched it up! My planning is flawless." Merlin says pointing a finger back between the two of us
I am angered by his accusation, but I bite my tongue to avoid an unnecessary argument. There was no winning when it came to Merlin and his pride.
I could see Douxie was also a bit annoyed at Merlin's comment
"For the record, master, I had nothing to do with this," Past Douxie piped up, "Neither did Yn, in fact, she didn't even know what was going on until I filled her in a few moments ago! They did, which is us, and... ugh! Time travel, so confusing!"
I roll my eyes. I can't believe I loved this idiot back when he was like this. He has definitely matured.
Merlin walks over to his safe and pulls out the time map
When he opens it, it turns red and Merlin flinches back
"Aah! The timelines are in complete disarray!"
"Look, Yn and I can fix this, I swear!" Douxie says as Merlin places the time map on the table
"Ah-ah, your meddling has already wreaked enough havoc on history," Merlin says sternly
"Then surely we can use the time map to change things back, and then it'll all be as it was." Archie offers as we all stare at the time map which at the moment was a bright red
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Magnus says
"Magnus is correct, the map only offers glimpses of possible futures. There are no detailed instructions." Merlin tells us. The time map returns to its original blue color as Douxie reaches for it
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad,"
Merlin slaps Douxies hand away from the time map. He focuses once again on the map and gasps in shock.
"Aah! By my beard, not that bad, eh?' he moves out of the way and shows a dead Arthur being projected
"Oh fuzz buckets," Douxie and his past selves say in sync
"That is a bit of a problem," I add with a nervous smile
"A little problem? Your little dungeon break must have changed fate. Now, unless I stop it, the king will die!" Merlin states angrily
Both Douxie and I along with our past selves look at each other in fear.
-Time Skip-
Douxie and I look out of the horse stall to see all the knights gathering together their supplies and rations.
"They're hunting Jim! If they catch him he'll be killed!" Claire says to us
"I know, and he's not the only one. Because of us, Arthur's now fated to eat the big one too!" Douxie says
"It's all our fault," I say quietly. Claire doesn't seem to hear me, but Douxie does as he looks at me with a sad look in his eyes.
I don't notice him reaching out to me when Steve walts in, grabbing all of our attention
"Eat the what? Oh, no, was I supposed to bring food?" He asks confused
"He'll be eating a death sandwich, Steve," Douxie tries to clarify
"Ugh, who would eat that? Gross," Steve says, still not understanding
I sigh out
"He will end up like Caption Montgomery at the end of Space Invasion 2, the Aliens Bite Back," I say trying to get him to understand
"Oh. my. god. Not like Captain Montgomery! He still needed to save all those aliens!" Steve shouts in fear
Douxie rolls his eyes and I give him a cocky smirk
Douxie then pulls out the time map once more to show everyone
"Look. If Arthur dies, we lose the Battle of Killahead and the war," He says glumly
"Gunmar will have free rein of all the world and with Morgana, they may bring eternal night to this time period and greatly screw up our future," I add
"Indeed, if the war were to be lost and things changed too drastically, you may mess up time so much that-" Magnus begins
"-that you'll never be able to return home." Archie finishes
I reach out and swipe the time map forward. It flickers red and then lands on a photo of Toby
"Oh, no!" Claire says as the photo begins to fade, "Toby! What's happening to him?"
"The future-" Douxie starts
"-our future-" I correct
"-is vanishing," Douxie finishes as the time map turns red once more
Douxie begins to mess with the map when it suddenly turns blue and lands on a new image. One where Arthur and Morgana were standing, holding hands, and waving to the people.
"What's that?" Claire asks
"Well- well that wasn't there before. It's a new timeline, one where Arthur and Jim live."
If there's a timeline where they live, is there a possibility that there is a timeline where Magnus lives
I can't help but think to myself as I glance in Magnus's direction
He catches my eye and walks over to me, rubbing his head against my thigh
I smile slightly and begin to pet him as I turn my attention back to the map
"-I thought she was destined to become mistress doom," I hear Claire saying
"She is, but only in our future, which we already messed up anyways. Now, she has the chance to be something better," I say to Claire
"It looks like there's a possibility if we get Arthur and Morgana to reconcile, then, somehow, nobody dies," Douxie says happily and closes the time map
"Squire Steve! We are all thirsty!" Galahad calls out
"I'll keep an eye on Morgana. Douxie, you work on Arthur. And Steve, make sure they don't kill my boyfriend," Claire instructs, "Yn, will you help me with Morgana?"
I freeze at her words as memories flood through my head
"Morgana, what are you doing?" I whisper as the shadows restrain me
My breath begins to pick up
"I'm sorry my dear, but sacrifices must be made. I can't let him win."
Everything goes fuzzy as my knees become weak
"YN!" I hear through the trees. Douxie then runs up to me, tears in his eyes
I feel strong arms catch me as tears flood my face
"I'm sorry"
Her words echo through my head as I try to forget
"Yn" I hear a soft voice, "Just focus on me, focus on my voice."
I focus and I look to see Douxie looking down at me, a soft smile on his face but concern in his eyes
I shift in his arms so I am leaning on him
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, calming myself before looking back at Douxie
He moves his hand and wipes the tears from my eyes.
I smile and whisper a soft thank you
Douxie turns to Claire. Steve had since left to fulfill his duty with the knights.
"She'll stay with me for now. She and Morgana don't exactly have the best past relationship" He tells her
She nods in understanding
He then looks at me
"You ready Yn? We need to head off if we want to join Merlin"
I nod
He helps me to stand and he keeps his hands on my waist for a minute, making sure I'm set
I give him a smile
"I'm alright, let's go before they all leave"
He grins and takes my hand, rushing us out of the stables. Arch and Magnus follow closely behind.
"Let's save history- whoa!" Douxie shouts as magic lifts us off the horses we had been attempting to mount
"Oh, no you don't, children," Merlin says sternly
"But master Merlin, we can help! We're 900 years smarter- tougher-" Douxie tries to reason
"Nine hundred years crazier, clearly. I must focus on protecting the king's life," Merlin moves us around with his staff and then drops us into a couple of barrels, "So, I'm talking an apprentice who won't mess up the fabric of time."
Past Douxie walks forward at Merlin's words
That's right, at this point past me is with Morgana, learning her magic and helping her to protect the trolls.
"L-lets do this master!" Past Douxie says enthusiastically as he leads a couple of horses
"Him? But he's just a moppet with a man bun!" Douxie argues
"Someone's just jealous they don't get to ride on the horse," Past Douxie says as he mounts the horse backward
The horse trots past us and farts in past Douxie's face causing him to shout in surprise
I let out a slight laugh in disappointment as my Douxie looks at himself dumbfounded
A fanfare plays as Arthur approaches
"It's time we root out every last enemy in our lands."
He leads the knights behind him off towards the woods
Merlin mounts his horse and begins to follow them
Douxie shakes his barrel side to side and then grunts as it falls to the ground, freeing himself
He stands up and dusts himself off before helping me out of my own barrel
We then race forwards and hop onto the back of Steve's wagon
Magnus shrinks to his cat sizes and turns to me
"I am going to join past you before she begins to worry." He tells
"Of course," I say in understanding.
Magnus flies off leaving me with Douxie and Archie.
We ride the wagon up until we get close to past Douxie
"What a beautiful day for a ride. It just makes you want to-" Past Douxie suddenly falls asleep as he falls off his horse and onto the bridge, mumbling to himself
"You do know that repeated sleep spells can cause memory loss permanently," Archie says to Douxie
"Huh, don't remember that. No matter." Douxie jumps onto the horse and then holds out a hand and helps me onto the horse, I place my hands around his waist to keep myself mounted "Let's go! The king needs us!" He shouts as the horse gallops down the bridge
While we are riding I conjure a cloak for myself
"What's that for?" Douxie asks, glancing back at me
"I can't let Morgana see two me's and I don't exactly want to take past me's place right now," I say in reply as I cover myself in the cloak, concealing my identity
Douxie nods in understanding and we race to catch up with the group.
From the back, I cant see what's happening, but the group stops near Killahead bridge and we all stay silent
I see my past self next to Morgana on a horse, Magnus on the back. Claire is on Morgana's other side.
Arthur suddenly shouts "Get them" and we all take off hurriedly towards what I presume to be escaping trolls.
Douxie brings our horse next to Merlin as he tries to explain himself
"Merlin! Merlin, you have to look at the time map! We found-"
"You! And I assume the young Yn is under that cloak. You two defy my command when the king's life is in jeopardy? Need I remind you that we trespass in Gunmar's territory?" Merlin says annoyed and angry at our disobedience
Merlin pushes his horse faster, but Douxie quickly catches up
"But, master, I found a new line of fate! We can save everyone if we get Arthur and Morgana- whoa! whoa!" Our horse rears up suddenly
I grip tighter onto Douxie to avoid falling off
Merlin gallops ahead and I look to see foggy woods ahead of us
"Wild Wood," I say quietly, looking up to Douxie
He looks back at me and then leads our horse slowly forwards, keeping with the rest of the party
"They've entered the Wild Wood. Abadon the horses. We head on foot!" Arthur instructs
We ride up next to Merlin once more as he turns and addresses us.
"Changing fate is never that simple. I'll deal with you two later. What's most important is that I keep Arthur safe from harm."
Merlin dismounts his horse and walks over to the king
"Okay, good chat sir!" Archie calls after him
"Always is" I mumble
"Forget him. Stick to the plan. I'll take the King." Douxie says as he leads his horse over to Claire
"I'll cover Morgana," Claire says
Douxie hops off the horse with Archie on his shoulder
I turn to Claire
"Just make sure not to mention anything about the future around her or the past me. Past me is not very trusting and may complicate things," I say to her
Claire nods in understanding
I then hop off the horse myself, fumbling with my cloak until I was satisfied that I was concealed
"And let's just focus on getting these royal siblings to hug and make up," Archie says as we all look towards the king and his sister forging ahead
"And not die," Claire adds
"Uh, yes, that too." Archie agrees
Douxie and I make our way over to the group. I make sure to stay slightly behind Douxie to avoid unnecessary attention.
Douxie walks up to the king and clears his throat to get his attention
"Eh, enjoying the hunt, milord?" he asks awkwardly
Arthur sighs in exasperation
"You again, boy? No. I'll feel better after dealing with my sister,"
"Wouldn't you say life's too short to hold grudges?" Douxie tries to reason
Arthur sighs out and angrily steps towards Douxie who laughs awkwardly and steps back slightly in response
"I mean... family's so important, isn't it? You're lucky you've got one. Closest I ever got was him," Douxie says motioning toward Archie
I let out a chuckle at this and Arthur glances at me suspiciously but says nothing
He turns around and continues forward, humming in response to Douxie
"Please, sire. Morgana was only looking out for those poor creatures. Is all this really worth hurting her?"
"I will speak of this no more," Arthur says, pushing Douxie back and walking away
Douxie sighs in disappointment and looks at me, I look back at him sadly
"Maybe Claire will have more luck," I say
"Maybe," Douxie says, looking over at her
We continue our trek through the woods and after a little while we pass by Claire
Morgana was distracted speaking with past Yn
Claire shrugs her shoulders at us, telling us she wasn't fairing any better with Morgana
"Mm, not much love left between them. If only you could make him remember the good old days." Archie says
I suddenly get an idea, "Maybe we can!"
I rush over to a large tree we were standing by and brush some leaves aside to reveal the names Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana carved into the tree.
"Morgana told me about this tree. If we set a visual memory spell and get Arthur to interact with it, we can show them how much they used to care for each other!"
"Great Idea Yn!" Douxie says with a smile
We both set our bracelets to the spell needed
I place my hand on the tree first and Doux then places his hand on top of mine
I blush slightly at this but shake it off as we set the spell
"Alright, now to get one of them to interact with it,"
"Leave that to me," Douxie smiles as he turns to Arthur
"Say, my liege," he says gently, "Didn't you used to spend time in this wood?"
Arthur turns around annoyed, but his face softens when he sees the familiar tree
"Yes, as a boy," He says as he walks up to the tree, "Much time was lost in this accursed forest, I often fled to these woods to escape from my growing responsibilities."
Arthur touches the carved names and gasps as blue and F/C magic flow from them
I stand watching when I am suddenly pulled back into some bushes, a hand covering my mouth
I get ready to defend with my magic but I stop when I realize it was just past me
"What are you doing here," She asks me, accusation in her voice
"You're going to need to specify. Why am I in these woods specifically? Or why am I in this time period in general."
"This time period," She clarifies with annoyance, "Douxie informed me about what happened to an extent, but I want answers. I want the full story."
Speaking of Douxie I look to see if my Douxie noticed I was gone, but it seemed his focus was on Arthur at the moment.
"Look," I address myself, "We are here on accident. We tried to escape some bad people in the future and somehow got ourselves lost in time."
"mhm, and why haven't I seen you near Morgana, if you're really me you wouldn't feel so safe walking around without her at your side."
I debate telling her the truth but decide its best not to
"I trust Douxie a hell of a lot more now than I do Morgana. He has been there with me through a lot of tough times and has helped me get past them. He is the best person I can be around."
"Things must have changed a bit then," She says with a small chuckle, "Douxie is great and all but he definitely isn't capable of protecting me as much as I've seen your Douxie protect you,"
"Yes well, he will get there. Eventually." I say smiling slightly.
I then hear someone yell troll and chaos ensues
Amongst it, I hear someone shouting my name
I look to my past self and she nods slightly
"I don't fully trust you, but you need to get back. I should probably meet up with Morgana anyways."
We nod to each other and then head our separate ways
I run up to Douxie who was looking around frantically
"Oh thank Merlin, you're alright. I got so worried when I turned around and you were gone," He says rushing up to me and holding my hands in his
"I- I'm sorry. Past me pulled me aside and questioned me," I said honestly
"I suspected that would happen eventually," He says with a chuckle
I smack his shoulder lightly in response
We both laugh at our own antics and we slowly stop as we gaze into each other's eyes
Time seems to slow as I see him start to lean forwards ever so slightly
Suddenly a shout startles us, pulling us out of our trance
We both look to see a gumm gumm had been hit
We both run forward worriedly
We reach the group in time to see the gumm gumm turn to stone in the patch of sunlight he was chained in
I gasp out, covering my mouth with my hands
I remember the harshness of battle from the past, but it has been a while since I saw such ruthless killing. And in reality, you never get used to death. Even knowing those trolls were really the bad guys, it was still painful to watch.
Douxie puts a comforting hand on my shoulder as his gaze hardens on Arthur
We watch from the sidelines as Bular fights Arthur and his knights
Arthur is knocked back, his sword knocked out of his hand
Bular walks up and picks him up by the throat
"I'll carve you open, let your guts spill out!"
Everyone shouts for the king and right as Bular is about to kill him, Douxie uses a magic lasso to grab hold of the sword
"There's no spilling anything today." He says, straining to hold the sword back
Merlin jumps in and uses his magic to drop a trap on top of Bular, freeing Arthur
We all stand back and watch as Arthur approaches the troll
"The spawn of Gunmar, I won't dull Excalibers edge with you. Drag this monster back to Camelot! I have plans for him. The rest, with me! My blade hungers," Arthur instructs as he marches further into the woods.
"As you wish, milord. Onward!" Lancelot addresses the other kights
Douxie and I walk over next to Steve, Claire, Morgana, and past me as Morgana looks on to her brother
"Who's the monster here?" She asks
We all look after the group. Fear and worry written on our faces
Ok, imma try not to do many author note things but I have to say. Steve's a real one. Let's be real here. He went from bully, to creepslayer, to wingman of the guardians of arcadia. Like he legit slapped Lancelot bc of a "mosquito" to save Jim who, he only learned recently, was a fucking troll. Like. And this is just one example in this episode alone! My man is the best. Anyway. Just wanted to give him the appreciation he deserves. Back onwards.
We continue to race along the path when Arthur spots a troll and shouts to his knights, promising a reward for the troll's capture
They all race after them. I catch a glimpse and see it's Jim and the green troll from before.
"Wait!" Douxie shouts to the group
"My king, it's not safe!" Merlin shouts as well
Douxie and Merlin race off towards the kings, but I opt to stay back and watch the others.
"Oh, no," Claire says, looking after everyone
"Come handmaiden and apprentice. Not a moment to lose!" Morgana says to Claire and past me.
Morgana begins to turn off with past me in close pursuit
Claire speaks before she follows
"What are you gonna do if you catch him?"
"Whatever I have to," Morgana says, activating her shadow staff
A past me nods as if to confirm her agreeance with Morgana.
They all race off.
I climb a tree close to me and begin to branch hop as I follow everyone through the woods.
Morgana catches up to Jim as he falls down a hillside
She jumps down to him, past yn right behind her
"There you are," She says to him
Jim scrambles away as she approaches.
"Morgana?" He asks confused
I hear Claire call for him and I look over to see her racing through the brush
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. Neither of us will," She says nodding her head towards past yn as she reaches out a hand to him and helps him stand
Jim looks confused, but he refocuses when he sees Claire running toward them
"Jim! Don't kill him! You said-"
"I'm sorry you were ever in a cage," Morgana says to Jim as Claire runs up and hugs him
Past me and Morgana share a look and then turn their attention to the approaching knights
"Go, we will draw away the others," Morgana says to the pair
"Go!" Past me encourages
I stand ready to fight if needed as the inevitable battle grows near
"I'll find you," Jim says to Claire as they share a short kiss
I fail to notice Arthur standing behind the group when he knocks Jim back
"Arthur!"
"Jim!"
Arthur points his sword at Jim
I decide I need to intervene as I place a protective shield around Jim, just in case.
Arthur speaks to his sister
"So, sister. Your true loyalties stand revealed at last. I warned you not to return with a clean sword,"
Arthur raises his sword to attack Jim, but it bounces off my force field.
Morgana takes the opportunity and locks his sword in place with her staff
"What- what are you doing?" Arthur asked incredulously
"What I should have done years ago," Morgana says, enraged
"You dare raise arms against your king?"
The two siblings begin to fight one another and Claire takes the opportunity to help Jim escape
Past me is busy watching Morgana's back, so I jump down from my place in the tree as knights begin to pursue the couple
"Oh no you don't," I say, conjuring a sword with my magic and beginning to fight the knights, keeping them at bay
Lancelot tries to kill them from a higher angle, but luckily Steve is there to stop him
Claire and Jim keep running as I take down knight after knight. Looks like sword fighting classes had been worth it
Once the knights are down I look to see Arthur and Morgana still fighting. I step back into the shadows of the trees and observe.
"I knew it was you! You defied me, freed those monsters, and now attack your own blood? What possesses you?"
"clarity of mind, brother," Morgana replies as she blocks Arthur's sword with her staff
Merlin runs toward the two
"Morgana? She takes Arthur's life,"
Douxie runs through the brush toward everyone
"No, no! No, wait, wait! We don't have to figh-"
He is interrupted as Merlin launches him backward with his staff
Douxie slams into a tree along with Archie
I let out a gasp and rush over to him
He stands up, holding his head
"Are you alright?" I ask worriedly as I do a quick look over him for any injuries
"Yeah, I'm alright. I just-"
He looks over to where everyone is still fighting.
I put my hand on his shoulder and give him a nod, letting him know he has to try
He nods back and then rushes into the battle, I stay back and continue to observe.
Morgana gets angry as she is surrounded by the people she trusted.
Past me stands strong by her side, however.
"-we of magic are not lesser creatures, we are more!" Morgana says as she shots a ray of golden light into the air and uses it as a whip to attack the knights.
Claire shouts out to her
"Stop! We found another way!"
"We can do this peacefully!" Douxie adds in as he reaches everyone
"The time for peace ended long ago," Morgana says sternly
"Morgana," Caire shouts, gaining her attention, "he's not the enemy."
Morgana floats in the air with past yn by her side still
"I trusted you! Now you side with my brother over your own kind? You're just one of them. You're all against me, but I am more powerful than you know."
Past yn looks up, hurt in her eyes as Morgana raises higher into the air and shouts a spell
Her outfit is turned into golden armor and a ring of magic surges over everything
"Morgana, I am on your side!" Past me tries to tell her, but Morgana only glares at her and sends her flying back with a wave of her hand.
I got to run after her when a cold hand holds me back
I look to see a shadow of Morgana holding me
I pull out of her grip and raise my arm quickly as she swings her staff, hitting my rune band
I summon a sword once more as she goes to attack once again
I swing at her causing her to jump back but she just smiles wider and swings at my legs, catching me off guard
I manage to stable myself but not before she hits me across the face, reopening the wound Douxie had closed, causing blood to run down into my eye.
I swing blindly and make contact with her knee
I wipe my eye clear and refocus
I hear everyone begin to rush out of the forest, so I knock shadow Morgana back and rush towards the cliffs as well
I believe the goal was to get into the sunlight to destroy the shadows, but that fails as we reach the edge and the shadows are still there
The sounds of battle rage around me as everyone fights their own shadows
I turn back to see the shadow I had been fighting standing still, watching me.
I look back confused before I am hit square on my back, knocking me forwards into the ground
I raise my head and look over my shoulder to see the real Morgana behind me
"You lied to me. You say you're on my side but you have done nothing to prove it"
It clicked. She thought I was past me. The one she had sent into the woods.
I then realized my cloak had been pulled off during my fight
"I am on your side," I say to her, trying to stand up, "I always have been,"
"Liar!" She shouts, knocking me back onto the ground. This time, I make no move to get up
"You are just as bad as my brother," She says as she floats back into the air and watches over her shadows
She shouts out as do some other fighters, but I can't understand any of it as I had been lifted up by my neck by the shadow Morgana who had returned her attention to me
I gasped out as I struggled to get out of her grasp, unable to focus on my magic
I realize I need to calm down if I am to get out of this, so I relax my body and shut my eyes as my mind starts to clear
The second it's clear enough for me to focus I open my eyes and push shadow Morgana back with a blast of my magic
Unbeknownst to me, my eyes had turned a faint F/C shade, but it faded as I turned around to see the others still fighting
I then gasp out as Arthur is thrown over the cliff, only barely catching himself.
Arthur stood up angrily and shouted as his sword lit up and launched a ball of magic into the sky
The magic falls back onto his sword as Arthur thrusts the sword into the ground shouting
"Enough!"
A wave of magic flows across the area and all of the shadow clones are destroyed
Everyone is thrown back
I yell out as I land in a bush
I sit up immediately and look to see Douxie was right beside me
He was looking at something so I followed his gaze to the now open time map
My gaze snaps back to the king as I hear Morgana yell out
"You outlaw magic, but fight with an enchanted sword! You sniff out any power that isn't yours, but I won't go so quietly," Morgana says as she and Arthur once again begin to attack one another
"I denied your true nature for so long because you are my sister, but when I look at you now, all I see is a demon! A witch!"
"And all I see is a little boy driven mad by hatred and prejudice!"
I look back over to see Douxie holding the time map, now flickering between red and blue
I rush over and see a dead Mogana laying on the map
"Goodbye, brother!" Morgana shouts as she forms a rune and points it toward Arthur
"Morgana! No! No, no, no!" Douxie shouts as he runs at the siblings
Arthur swings his sword to meet the rune and magic explodes, sending Douxie backward.
He lands where I was standing and I help him up.
We look over as Morgana shrieks and holds her now handless arm
"No..." Arthur says quietly, reaching out toward her
Morgana steps back, but she had forgotten she was near the cliff's edge.
"Brother?" She asks before she takes one last step and falls over the edge
She yells out as she falls and Arthur rushes over to the edge, reaching out toward her
"Morgana!" Douxie and I shout
"No!" Claire shouts
"No!" Merlin shouts
Arthur looks down at his sister, laying dead in the sand at the bottom of the cliff
He angrily turns to his sword, still glowing with magic, and proceeds to slam it onto the ground, shattering it.
He then falls to his knees and cries out in pain.
I hear a rustling in the bush and I look back in time to see Magnus riding away with past me sitting on his back
I turn back to the king as Douxie grips my hand tightly in his
Tears stung my eyes as I pull Douxie into a hug, resting my face on his chest
He holds me tighter as he leans his head down to rest on my shoulder
We don't say I word but I can feel his tears soaking my shirt and I am certain he can feel mine.
We pull apart as the group begins to head back, but Douxie and I stay hand in hand as we follow
As we enter Camelot the knights go their separate way leaving Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad, Claire Merlin, Douxie, and I
We walk across the bridge and I hear Arthur say to Lancelot
"Now magic has truly taken everything from me,"
"She's gone. We failed," Claire says
"No, I failed. Master I- I'm so sorry." Douxie says, looking down and letting go of my hand
"This is why you don't meddle with time," Merlin says
"But we tried. We tried to fix it," I say as I sunk to the ground, Douxie sinking down beside me as he opens the time map he had been holding
Merlin stops and clenches his hand as he speaks, turning toward us
"Don't you see? There is no 'fixing' anything. Every change has consequence. Knowing the future is a responsibility to bear with caution, lest you cause worse things to happen."
The time map dies out and Merlin walks away
Douxie sighs and I lean my head on his shoulder
"Morgana's dead, Excalibar's broken. That never happened," Douxie says sadly
"We are in uncharted territory," I say as I lift my head from his shoulder
I flinch as I feel a pain in my head, raising my hand to feel the cut from before
"Yn? Are you alright?" Douxie asks, noticing my flinch
I bring my hand away from my head to see blood covering it
Douxie gasps as he turns my face so he can take a look
"Your cut reopened!" He says
"I didn't notice," I say sarcastically, earning a small glare from Douxie
"Sorry," I mumble out
He raises his hand and I feel relief as his magic closes the wound once more
"Any other injuries I should know about?" He asks with a slightly stern tone
"Other than some bruising, no. I'm ok. How about you Mr. Worry-wart? Got any injuries I should know about?"
"Nah, just some bruising to the ego." He says, standing up
I laugh as I accept his outstretched hand and we begin to walk back to our room.
When we arrive I am so tired that I fall onto the bed and immediately start to fall asleep
Before I do I hear a faint voice say to me "Sleep well, my love"
I am then out like a light
{Douxie POV}
I smile to myself as I lay a blanket over Yn's sleeping form
I stare at her for a moment before a knock at the door surprises me
I walk over and open it to see Claire
"Oh, what's up Claire?" I ask her, surprised to see her.
"Hey, Douxie. Can we talk?"
"Sure," I say, stepping back and allowing her to enter the room
"I just wanted to ask about Yn. What happened at the stable today? Is she ok?"
I sigh out
"Ah. Well, you see, Yn didn't have the best experiences in this time period. She has a lot of bad memories from Camelot. For some reason, her magic causes her to remember these memories vividly. So wherever something reminds her or her past, she has this sort of episode where it's like she relives her past in quick snapshots,"
I hear a small whimper and look over to see Yn curling herself into a ball as tears pour out of her eyes
"They are the worst at night because her memories turn into vivid nightmares. It only recently got better, but now that we are back here it's reminding her of everything she tries to get away from."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Claire says
"There's no need, it's something neither of us can fix. No matter how much I want to." I mumbled that last part but Claire still seems to have heard me
"You really love her don't you?" She asks
Without hesitation, I answer
"Yeah, I really do." I then pause and look back over at Claire. This was the first time I had really said it aloud, "I love her more than she knows."
"Then tell her. I have a feeling she feels the same,"
I look back to Yn whose nightmare seems to have worsened as she begins to struggle
I walk over and grab her hand which seems to calm her down at least a little
I softly brush some of her hair out of her face as I admire her
"Maybe I will," I say softly and look back to see Claire had already left
I return my gaze to Yn and decide I can't let her sleep alone. Not right now.
I lay down next to her and pull her into my arms, her face resting on my chest
I let out a soft sigh as I drift off into sleep, the love of my life safe in my arms.