Chapter 31 The One Where They go to Camelot
"Why won't it work?" Merlin was so angry he almost threw the crystal away.
"Maybe you're doing it wrong." Morgana chirped in much to his annoyance.
"I'm not doing it wrong, Morgana." He clenched his teeth. "I've been scrying crystals for over a millennium. I think I know what I'm doing."
Morgana didn't retort. She just sat down on the sofa beside him and continued eating her bowl of cereal.
It was an early morning and Merlin had decided to try and find answers from the crystal again. He had tried every once in a while since he came to Hogwarts, but every time turned out the same; complete emptiness.
He could see the past and present just like normal but when he tried to scry the future, nothing came up. It was staring to get on his nerves.
"Maybe the Old Religion doesn't want you to see the future." Morgana said while Merlin had a staring contest with the crystal.
"What do you mean?" He looked up at her with a frown.
"What if you were only able to see Harry before because the Old religion wanted you to come here to help him, but at the same time it doesn't want you to know too much because it may cause you to act in a way that will prevent the prophecy to come true?" She shrugged.
"That does make sense." Merlin looked back down at the crystal. "It would also explain why you haven't had a vision since you came back."
"That's true." Morgana nodded before taking a spoon of cereal.
Morgana hadn't had a single vision in her dreams since she came back, which she found was very relaxing. They had wondered why but had chalked it up to her not being truly alive. But Morgana's theory did make sense so Merlin decided to give up on the crystal for now and head out to do his daily chores instead.
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"How's it going?" Harry asked Hermione after he had sat down on the chair besides her in the library. She had been in there the last few days, researching Horcruxes.
"Nothing so far." She sighed. "And I've even gone through the entire restricted area. The closest I've gotten is this book, Magicks moste evile." She said and opened up a book for Harry. "Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction, then why mention it?" She closed the book in frustration.
"I think Marcus knows more then he lets on." Harry mumbled but Hermione heard him.
"You still don't trust him?" Hermione sighed and turned to face him.
"Of course I trust him." Harry answered with a hiss. "But I can't help but feel that he still keeps secrets from us."
"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked and Harry noticed how she swallowed a little like she was nervous. 'I wonder why?' He thought.
"When we told him about the," He looked around to see that no one were eavesdropping. "Horcruxes." He whispered. "He had this look like he knew exactly what it was, but it was gone in a second. If I had blinked I wouldn't have seen it."
"Then how do you know you saw it in the first place?" Hermione stated. "Maybe you've imagined it."
"No, I don't think so." Harry shook his head. "It's not the first time I've noticed weird things about him. Like this whole Morgan and her brother ordeal." He said, eager to voice his suspicions. "I can't help but feel he's leaving something out, something important."
"I'm sorry Harry, but I haven't noticed anything weird. Not since he admitted to being a Warlock." She said but kept her eyes on the book in front of her.
"Hmm," He mused. "Well, I will try and keep an eye on him for now on when we're with him."
"I don't think it's a good idea to interfere in his business." Hermione looked up at him.
"You know something, don't you?" Harry realised.
"No," She shook her head with a look of utter disbelief. "Why would you think that?"
"You do." Harry stated with an air of incredibility in his voice and looked at her. "I can't believe it." He stood up and started to pace. "What did he say that made you promise not to say anything?"
"He hasn't said anything." Hermione stood up as well and met his eyes with a stern look. "It's just not my place to tell you. He will do it when he's ready."
"So there is something?" Harry said with triumph and saw Hermione's resigned look when she sat down again.
"Please don't go and force him to tell you. It will only make it worse." She pleaded.
"Is this why you got so close before Christmas?" Harry asked and sat down to. "You shared his secret and thought that it meant he liked you more than friends."
"No, it wasn't like that." She said silently. "I figured it out on my own around the same time we discovered my Old Magic. It was when we had lessons together, and when he comforted me after Ron and Lavender, that's when I started to realise I had feelings for him. But I don't any more." She directed a stern look at Harry. "It was nothing more than attraction."
"I believe you." Harry said and placed a hand over Hermione's clenched fist. He didn't believe that it had only been attraction that drew her to Marcus, but at least she seemed to have gotten over it.
"Good, so promise me you won't go to Marcus and demand answers." She gave him a look that indicated no disobedience.
"I promise." He sighed, but he made a mental note to still be alert whenever Marcus was around. He knew the Warlock knew more about Horcruxes and prophecies than he let on.
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The rest of January went by fast. Hermione still didn't find an answer to the Horcrux dilemma and Harry wasn't closer to figure out what Marcus was hiding. When February eventually came, so did the apparition lessons.
The first lesson was a bust but Harry overheard Malfoy talking to Crabbe and Goyle and he was now even surer that he was up to something.
"Are you going to tell me what it is we're doing?" Ron asked Harry after they had run all the way from the Great Hall, after the lesson, and up to the common room.
"Up here." Harry said and climbed up the stairs to the dormitories. He headed straight to his trunk and began looking for the Marauder's map.
"Harry..." Ron sounded confused and slightly worried.
"Malfoy uses Crabbe and Goyle as look-outs. I overheard when he argued with Crabbe just now. I want to know... ah, there it is." He said when he found the map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good... or at least Malfoy is." He muttered. "Help me find Malfoy." Harry told Ron eagerly.
They searched the map for a few minutes before Ron found him.
"There!" He pointed at the map. "He's in Slytherin's common room, look... with Parkinson and Zabini and Crabbe and Goyle." Harry was at first disappointed but he collected himself quickly.
"Well, I will in any case keep watch over him for now on." He said determined. "And as soon as I discover that he's hiding somewhere with Crabbe and Goyle as watch, I'm going to put on my old invisibility cloak and head out to see what he's..." He stopped when Neville entered the room with slightly burned trousers.
"Do you really think this is such a good idea?" Ron whispered to Harry. "What if he finds out and decides to do something to you?"
"He won't and Marcus thinks' I should keep watch over him, why don't you." He hissed back.
"Maybe Marcus is wrong for once." Ron mumbled but it didn't sound convincing.
"I know he has his secrets, believe me," Harry said quietly so Neville wouldn't hear and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "But he's usually right about these things. I trust him, you should too. Aren't you two planning another prank by the way?"
"We were but it's been put on hold." Ron muttered. "Ever since Morgan came we haven't had time to plan as much as before."
"I see." Harry said and tried not to laugh at Ron's obvious jealousy of Morgan.
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"It doesn't work." Morgana said frustrated.
"Let me try." Merlin said and started to pace in front of the wall on the seventh floor. It was a few weeks into February and he and Morgana were planning on having another lesson with Hermione, but the door to the 'Room of Requirement' wouldn't open.
"Maybe someone is using it." Hermione suggested.
"Yeah, that could be it." Merlin stopped pacing and scratched his head in thought. "That is the only logical solution."
"Then what are we going to do instead?" Morgana looked at Hermione and Merlin in turn. She had looked forward to learning new spells of the New Magic.
"I guess we could read up on the theory instead." Merlin shrugged.
"No, I don't feel like doing that. I did that all day yesterday." Morgana stated.
"I think I will head to the library and do some more research on, you-know-what." Hermione said.
"Yeah, you do that." Merlin said and Hermione began walking away. "See you tomorrow." He called after her and she waved back.
"I think you should tell her." Morgana said as she continued to look at Hermione's retreating figure.
"I can't." Merlin sighed and Morgana could see in his eyes, the conflict he had with himself.
"Why not?" She was staring to get sick of his excuses.
"Because then she would have to tell them how she find out, and when she can't show any evidence from a book, she will eventually be forced to tell them it was me that told her. And I can't explain how I know without telling them who I am, or come up with another lie that will only drive us farther apart if they discover my true identity." He was clenching his teeth so hard, Morgana was surprised he hadn't cracked them yet.
"And is that so bad? I think you have lied enough to them. Why not tell them the truth for once?" He didn't answer her; instead he gave her a stern glare.
"I don't want to have this discussion again, Morgana." He finally said, without stopping the glare. "Besides," He sighed and looked away. "Dumbledore will tell Harry enough when he has retrieved the memory."
Ignoring the last comment, Morgana decided to get a real answer from him for once.
"Then when will you have the discussion? You shut me down every time I bring it up. It's not like Hermione treated you any different afterwards." She argued.
"I just don't think it's a good idea. Not now at least." He didn't sound angry anymore so Morgana knew she almost had him.
"When will it be a good idea?" She pushed.
"I don't know." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"Then why are you sure it's not now?" She stated.
"Morgana." He gave her a look that indicated that the conversation was over and she decided not to push him any more for now, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try again at the next opportunity.
"Fine." She said and walked away with her head held high; pretending she got offended.
"Good." Merlin said and walked after her, his head equally high. Morgana was disappointed that he hadn't fallen for her trick. "Since we have the day off, what do you want to do instead?" He asked when he had caught up and was walking beside her.
"You're letting me decide?" She was genially surprised. "You never let me do that. You always say, and I quote, 'That is a bad idea, Morgana.' or 'You can't do that, someone will get hurt.' or your favourite, 'If you jinx another student, I will let Aithusa cook your next meal." She imitated his voice perfectly but she couldn't hold back the smile afterwards.
"I don't sound like that." He tried to sound stern but the grin on his face ruined it.
"You most certainly do." She laughed.
"Fine, agree to disagree." He said with a huge smile. "Anyway, I thought you deserved to decide what we do today because you have been good lately and haven't jinxed another student since Aithusa served you her freshly grilled rabbit."
"It did actually taste quite good." She said when she thought back." A bit chewy but it went down."
"You took one tiny piece; which you spit out almost immediately; before you ran away to the kitchens." He chuckled.
"We all experience things differently." She said as she studied her nails very carefully and she could see Merlin's grin and head shake at the corner of her eyes.
"We could go somewhere." He suggested after a while. "No one would notice if we disappeared for a few hours."
"I want to go to Camelot." She answered without a second thought and she could see how Merlin tensed up.
"Camelot?" He swallowed. "Why do you want to go there?" He started to wriggle his hands a bit in discomfort.
"It's my home and even though it's only a rumble now, I would like to see it while I have the time." She had started to feel a bit uneasy by the fact that she only had a limited time left on this earth and felt that she wanted to see as much as she could and learn as much as possible during that time. "I experienced a lot of bad things there but also many good ones."
"Fine." Merlin sighed. "We can... We can go to Camelot. But I warn you that it won't be as you expect."
"I think I can handle it." She said determined.
"Fine, but you have been warned." He answered and said the password that opened the portrait to their chambers. She hadn't noticed they had already reached their destination.
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After packing a basked of food and changing into something warmer; they headed out into the grounds and towards the forest. It was the only place they could transport from without ruining anything or getting noticed by nearby students or teachers.
"Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!" Merlin chanted as soon as they had reached the clearing he took Aithusa to when she wanted to change into her dragon form. It only took a few seconds before the wind subsided and the dark trees of the forbidden forest where replaced by the green trees of the Darkling woods. They had arrived at the same clearing Merlin used to call Kilgarrah from, many centuries ago, and the one he most recently had used to call on Aithusa.
"This is..." Morgana was speechless and Merlin smiled silently at her awestruck expression.
"Welcome to Camelot, Morgana." He put a hand on her back and turned her around to face the hill where the castle used to stand.
"It's gone." She said silently. "Everything is gone. There's not even a ruin." Merlin could see the tears that started to gather in her eyes. "You were right," She sniffled. "It wasn't at all as I expected." She turned her head to face him with tears running down her cheeks. "I thought there at least would be a ruin, but there's nothing there. Not a single evidence that there has ever been a castle on that hill."
"Come on." He urged her forward. "Let's go over there and I promise you that it will feel better soon."
They walked in silence through the woods and when they reached the place where the courtyard used to be; Merlin was overwhelmed by the familiar magic that resided there.
"Can you feel that?" He asked Morgana that stood still with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched to the ground.
"Yes, I can." She said and smiled for the first time since they had left Hogwarts. "How is that possible?"
"When Arthur died, Gwen took over the throne. She found out about my magic during the days when I was taking Arthur to Avalon, and even though I never stayed afterwards, she eventually decided to lift the ban on magic." He smiled when he thought about the time he first heard the news. "During her rule, many magic practitioners made Camelot their home again. The land thrived more than ever and the magic soon got embedded in the castle and the houses. So when Camelot fell, the magic was so deeply woven in the ground that it stayed behind even when brick by brick was carried away and put to another use." He paused and took a deep breath that infused his body with more magic.
"Every time I come across a building that has stones made from the castle, I can feel the magic, but it's never as strong as it is here." He smiled.
"I can almost feel the shape of the castle through the magic." Morgana said silently. "And hear the bustle of the townspeople."
"It's quite something, isn't it?" He beamed at her when she opened her eyes again.
"Can everyone feel it?" She looked around over the nearby fields where some sheep where grazing on the few blades of grass that had managed to grow after the recently melted snow.
"No, only Old Magic users." He answered. "Mundane people can feel the calm it brings and often come here when they need to relax from the stress and bustle of today's society, but they can't feel the magic. New Magic users can sense the magic in a way, but they don't understand it. Their magic gets more activated and easier accessible, but that's it."
"Maybe that's for the best." Morgana said. "If everyone could feel the magic here as easy as you and I, they would either abuse it or ruin it by building things here. As it is now, it's more of a sanctuary."
"You're right." He said and followed her gaze out over the fields. "Would you like to see the cave where Kilgarrah lived?" He asked after a few minutes.
"It's still here?" She asked with excitement in her voice.
"It's hidden under a few boulders but it's here. I put a spell on it to hide the entrance after Camelot fell." He explained and took her hand to lead her to the opening.
"How do we get in?" Morgana asked when they stood beside the boulders, no opening in sight.
"Watch." Merlin said and moved his right arm over the closest boulder while his eyes shone gold. When he was finished, an opening had appeared that led down into the cave. "After you, My Lady." Merlin said and bowed, with his left arm outstretched towards the opening.
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Morgana stepped forward and leaned down to see into the opening. It was dark but she could make out a staircase. She placed one foot hesitantly on the first step, but when she noticed that it was stable, she began walking down with confidence. She heard how Merlin walked down after her, a few steps above.
When she reached the end of the staircase, the opening closed behind them and they were surrounded by darkness.
"It's a safety mechanism." Merlin explained to her when he stood beside her. "It's to keep unwanted visitors from finding it."
"But we can't see anything." She said, afraid to move in case she would trip.
"I know." Merlin said and then she heard how he shuffled his foot away from her. She was about to tell him not to leave when all of a sudden, the light from two torches shone up the area around them. "Here." Merlin handed one to her and then began walking deeper into the cave.
"Another safety mechanism?" She asked when she followed him.
"Sort of." He turned his head around and grinned at her. "They are enchanted to never stop burning unless you want them to. There will always be as many torches as there are people coming down here."
"I see." She said and he turned to face her again with a grin. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Morgana was eager to see the place where Merlin had spent so many hours during his first years in Camelot. She also wanted to know more about the dragon that lived there. The dragon that convinced Merlin to keep his magic a secret from her.
After a while they came across a junction; the path split in two, but when she looked down the left path, she could see it was caved in a few paces in. She did recognise it though; it was the way down to the dungeons.
"It caved in when Camelot fell." She heard Merlin say. He had walked a little further ahead but where now looking at her with an undecipherable expression. "I had to make a new path down to the cave afterwards; the original way is down that corridor."
She didn't answer him, just nodded and they continued their walk.
"We're almost there." Merlin broke the silence after a few minutes. "It's just around this corner."
Morgana didn't believe her eyes when she stepped out onto the ledge at the end of the path.
"I can't believe this has been under the castle the entire time." She dropped the torch on the ground and looked around in awe. It was so big and vast. She could see down the bottom, a few hundred meters down, and there were an underground river down there. When she looked up, she could see several hidden alcoves in the walls but no light anywhere. "How long did he live down here?" Her voice almost broke with unshed tears. She couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel to such a majestic animal. He may have been a vengeful old dragon but no one deserved to be chained up like that.
"Around twenty-two years, give or take a few months." Merlin answered and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. He had also put his torch on the ground.
"I can't believe Uther did this." She said and tried to wipe away her now falling tears. "Aithusa and I spent two years locked in the Sarrum's well, but that was nothing compared to what he must have gone through."
"I know." Merlin said and moved so he stood in front of her and embraced her in a tight hug. She clung to him like her life depended on it.
"I wish I could have had the chance to meet him." She sniffled and grabbed the back of his shirt with a tight grip. 'I am a strong woman. I have lead armies; I shouldn't break down like this over a long dead dragon.' She thought angrily to herself. She didn't like to unravel herself like this, especially not in front of other people. Then again, Merlin wasn't just anyone; he knew what she was going through and even if she would never admit it; he meant a lot to her.
"I don't think you would have wanted that." Merlin said with a weak chuckle and gripped her tighter back. "I doubt you would have liked him. He liked to call you the Witch and demand that I would not help you with your magic, saying that 'if the witch finds out the full extent of her powers, she will be claimed by the dark side'." He said with a voice she suspected was his attempt to sound like the dragon. "As it turned out, my lack of helping was what caused it." He said grimly. "I wish I hadn't listened to him."
"Don't blame yourself for that." She leaned back so she could look him in the eyes. "I know the poisoning had its part in it but I'm afraid Morgause would have found other ways. Don't take me wrong," She said when she noticed Merlin trying to interrupt her. "I loved my sister, still do, but I can now see the errors in her way. Perhaps if you'd told me you had magic,"
"Morgana..." Merlin started but she pushed through.
"Perhaps if you'd told me you had magic, thing would have turned out differently, but it was my destiny to be the darkness to your light. I doubt much would have changed that." She looked up at him and tried to make him see that she didn't blame him anymore.
"You know about that?" He averted her gaze.
"One learns quite a lot while stuck in Avalon." She gave a humourless laugh. "If you had acted differently, destiny would have found another way to make sure what happened, happened."
"I guess you're right." Merlin sighed and looked her in the eyes again. "Every time I try to alter the future, I end up causing it instead. No one can alter the ways of the Old Religion and its prophecies."
"Being a seer, I have learned that to be the truest words one can say about the Old Religion." Morgana said and was about to reach up to wipe away a streak of dirt over his cheekbone when she realised what exactly she was doing and quickly retracted her hand.
"What about Arthur's and my destiny?" Merlin said and brought her out from her stupor. "It never became reality." He looked very sad, just like every time the subject of Arthur came up. "Every other prophecy surrounding it came true instead."
"Well," She tried to come up with the right things to say. "Maybe your destiny is too big to happen at once."
"What do you mean?" He looked confused.
"The part about uniting Albion and bringing peace to the land did happen, thanks to your guidance of Arthur." She explained. "Maybe the last part of brining the Old Religion back will come true this time around. Maybe that has been the plan all along."
"But Kilgarrah never mentioned..."
"He may have been a dragon, but not even he can know the true plans of the triple Goddess." Morgana raised an eyebrow. "You have read the books about the Arthurian legends right?"
"Yes, but..."
"They all have one thing in common." She said with a half smile. "The Once and Future King is to return when Albion needs him the most. Well," She quirked her head. "Maybe it's not Albion that will need his help but the Old Religion."
"Never thought about it that way." Merlin looked deep in thought and Morgana was about to say something when she felt the hunger setting in. "That's our cue to get back." Merlin chuckled softly when her stomach growled in hunger.
"Yeah, let's go." She said and loosened her grip and stepped out of the embrace. She picked up her torch and headed to the opening without waiting for Merlin.
The way out was tougher because of the constant uphill, so when she finally reached the staircase and the opening revealed itself, she was so tired that she sat down on the ground without caring about the wet snow that still lingered despite the blue sky and warm sun.
Merlin stepped out of the cave only a few moments later, and much to Morgana's annoyance, he didn't seem tired one bit. He closed the opening with a wave of his hand and then stepped in front of her, blocking the sun.
"You can't sit there." He said and pulled her up. "Come on, let's find a dryer place." He walked with one arm around her waist, to keep her from keeling over.
"You don't need to support me, Merlin." She said and tried to sound annoyed but it came out as amusement instead. "I can walk."
"Of course you can." He replied but didn't let go of his hold. Morgana sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn't try and get him to lose his grip again. "This looks like a good place." Merlin said when they reached a tree without any snow underneath. He conjured up a blanket with a flash of his eyes and then sat her down on it. "Wait here, I will get the basket." He said and jogged back to the boulders. She hadn't noticed he left it there.
They ate in silence and watched as the sun set down over the horizon. When it was almost dark outside, Merlin took her hand and brought them back to the forbidden forest in a whirlwind.
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"This was a nice day, Merlin." Morgana said after they had settled in for the night in their chambers. "It was emotional but I needed it." She lay on her side and looked at Merlin.
"You're welcome." Merlin said and turned so he to lied on the side, facing her. "We should take a week when the school is out and try and find all the places from Camelot." Merlin said.
"Like my hovel." She laughed.
"Yeah, like your hovel." He said softly and looked into her eyes. She tried to ignore the tightness of her chest when he did that.
"That would be fun." She said quietly and changed so she lay on her back instead.