Kilgharrah flew all the way to Aria's field and gently placed Merlin in amongst the flowers before lowering himself down and allowing Aria to slide down his wing and onto the ground.
Aria went and knelt beside Merlin and noticed that he was becoming paler and had lost a lot of blood.
" Please, can you help him?" Aria asked looking up at Kilgharrah, worried.
Kilgharrah just nodded and gently breathed on Merlin. Aria's eyes widened in wonder and fascination as she witnessed Merlin's wound heal itself and the colour slowly begin to return to Merlin's face.
Aria then stood up and looked up at the Great Dragon with appreciation. "Thank you, for saving our lives"
Kilgharrah just nodded at her again " it is my pleasure, young one."
Aria smiled up at the creature for a moment before her smile turned into a frown and she looked back over at Merlin who was still out cold.
"Will he be alright?" Aria wondered
"He will be fine. He should awaken by morning and I shall be here all night to ensure his safety" Kilgharrah reassured the young princess. "You'd better be heading back to the castle now. I'm sure there are a good number of people who are worried about you"
Aria nodded and began to exist the glade.
" Nerys." Kilgharrah called out before Aria left the glade."Leave the box that Finna gave you with Merlin." Aria nodded and placed the small box that Finna had given her in Merlin's limp hand.
"And remember, young one, no matter what you should face in the days to come, you must always have hope"
Aria looked slightly confused as to what he meant by that but smiled anyway and made her home.
_________________________________________
The next morning, Merlin's eyes fluttered open. He looked around confused for a moment before he sat up and realised he was in the glade. He felt something in his hand and saw the box that Finna had given him and Aria. He saw Kilgharrah standing a few feet away from him. Merlin felt the area where his wound was only to find it had completely headed.
"Thank you" Merlin smiled at the dragon.
"As I told the young Pendragon last night, is my pleasure" Kilgharrah replied
Merlin looked around him and noticed Aria was nowhere in sight. "Where is she?"
"I sent her back to the castle, reassuring her that I would watch over you until you awoke. "
Merlin sighed realising that Aria now knew the truth about what she was. "It's happened. Aria now knows the truth"
"Thankfully not all of it. She still doesn't know about your visions and that is a good thing."
"Why can't she know about my visions?" Merlin wondered
" If she found out about Mordred's destiny I fear the actions she may take while trying to avoid it, would get her killed "
Merlin was quiet for a moment letting the information sink in before he smiled at the dragon again."For a second there, I thought you weren't coming."
"I would never forsake you, young warlock" Kilgharrah almost seemed to smirk at Merlin.
Merlin just chuckled before he looked at the dragon concerned "are you alright?"
"Of course" The Dragon quickly answered.
Merlin didn't believe him. He shook his head as he stood up. "Your wing," he said gesturing to one of Kilgharrah's wings that looked wounded.
"I am tired, Emrys that is all. " Kilgharrah replied, " but I shall serve you and Nerys as long as I have the strength."
"If you're ill, I can heal you" Merlin offered.
"There are some things even a warlock as great as you cannot overcome. I am old, Emrys my time has almost come."
"No" Merlin shook his head in disbelief. Not wanting to believe that Kilgharrah, one of the few people who had helped guide him since he had since he first came to Camelot all those years ago, was dying.
"It is the cycle of life- - no more, no less."
"What will I do without you?" Merlin asked choking back his tears.
"You will remember me"
"Will I see you again?"
Kilgharrah didn't answer him and just flew away.
Merlin looked at the ground in despair before heading back to the castle.
_________________________________________
Back in Camelot, Merlin sat opposite Gaius on a bench in Gaius' chambers. The small box Finna had given him was placed between them. Merlin nodded at Gaius who opened the box and took out a small folded up piece of parchment.
"What does it say?" Merlin quietly aided Gaius as he unfolded the parchment.
"Just a moment" Gaius replied. The writing on the parchment was in a different language so it took Gaius a minute to translate it.
Gaius sighed before he began to read what was on the small page.
"Let loose the hounds of war.
And let the dread fire of the last priestess rain down from angry skies, for companion will slaughter companion, for friend shall murder friend. As the great horn sounds a cold dawn at Camlann. The prophets do not lie. There, Arthur will meet his end upon that mighty plain"
Gaius folded up the paper and placed it back in the box as Merlin looked at the table and sighed devastated.
"So many have... Suffered so that I may hear this" he muttered.
"Yes. I think I know that's going through your mind, Merlin " Gaius said as he stared sadly at the young man he saw as a son. "That your destiny's almost too much for one man to bear."
Merlin chuckled quietly and nodded slightly. "Yeah. You always did know me best, Gaius."
"Be assured of one thing. There was never anyone more capable than you, Merlin. You will not fail. Especially now that Aria knows the truth, she can be of more help"
Merlin shook his head. " I'm not so sure, Gaius. She going to be so angry with me when she finds out I kept this from her. And she will soon"
Before Gaius could say a thing else the door to Gaius' chambers burst open and Aria stood in the doorway with no emotion on her face. She had her hair slightly pinned back and she was wearing her red dress.
"Merlin, can I have a word?"
Merlin gave Gaius an 'I told you so' look making the old man just sigh.
"I think I'll just go for a walk in the lower town." Gaius stood up from his seat, gave Merlin a reassuring pat on the shoulder before passing Aria and closing the door behind him.
Aria just stayed where she was staring un-emotionally at Merlin with her arms crossed.
Merlin didn't say anything either. He didn't want to anger her more than she already was.
"Did you know?"
Merlin avoided looked at Aria and hesitantly nodded. That's when Aria exploded on him in a fit of rage.
"You knew! You knew all along and you never told me! Merlin, how could you?! " Aria yelled while approaching him.
Merlin sighed. It was time to come clean and tell her everything. He stood from his seat and faced her before explaining everything the dragon had told him about her and her destiny. The only part he left out was that Mordred was destined to kill Arthur.
Aria just stood there and listened, getting more and more angry with her friend.
When Merlin finished explaining Aria remained silent. She was breathing heavily through her nose, trying to control herself from lashing out.
"Please say something" Merlin begged
Aria scoffed " what do you want me to say?! How could you keep this from me, Merlin?! I thought you were my friend?!"
"I am your friend"
"If you really where then you wouldn't have lied to me!"
"Aria, I didn't have a choice!" Merlin finally yelled back.
"You always have a choice, Merlin!"
"This time I didn't! I didn't tell you because it wasn't time for you to know!"
"I think I have a right to know about something this big! Is it because I have this destiny that you're so cold towards Mordred?! Because you think he's a distraction for me?!"
" No! Aria, he's dangerous in ways you wouldn't understand and I am trying to protect you and Arthur from it!
"Protect us from what?! What could make Mordred so dangerous that you had to act so cold towards him?!--"
"Because he is destined to kill Arthur!"
Merlin froze and Aria's expression suddenly changed from angry and betrayed to confessed and shocked.
"What do you mean, destined to kill Arthur?" Aria asked no longer yelling.
Merlin stayed silent. Aria wasn't supposed to know any of this. The dragon warned him of what would happen if she ever did find out. Aria was not pleased with Merlin's silence.
"TELL ME!!" Aria screamed as tears began to form in her eyes.
"I had a vision, when we went to Ismere, it was of a battle. I saw Mordred and Arthur fighting, I saw Mordred kill Arthur while you watched. That's why I tried to keep you away from him. I didn't want to see you that hurt. " Merlin confessed thinking if Aria knew that the man she loves would eventually kill one of the only family she had left then maybe she would not trust him as much as she did. Oh, how wrong he was.
"The future is not set in stone, Merlin. Chances are that the vision you saw won't even come true" Aria said as a few salty tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"Aria, it's Mordred's destiny and no matter how much you may want to you can't change destiny."
"Well, I can certainly try!"
"Aria, it's either Mordred dies or he kills Arthur. Which would you rather?!" Merlin asked her
"Neither!" Aria exclaimed " I'm not going to choose between my brother and the man I love. I don't care what you say, Merlin. But I will defy destiny and I will make sure that both Mordred and Arthur survive, I can promise you that."
Merlin didn't even get a chance to reply as the warning bells sounded and Gaius, Leon, Gwaine, Mordred and Percival came rushing through the door. The knights were carrying what seemed to be a body that was covered in a white blanket.
"Place him over here" Gaius ordered pointing to one of his workbenches.
The knights placed the body down on the table and Gaius uncovered the blanket to show the dead knight's face. Aria let out cries of fright at what she saw and Mordred immediately comforted her. Aria hid her face in Mordred's chest as he held her tightly in his arms.
The knight was completely unrecognisable. His skin looked like it had been stretched over his face, covering it completely.
"What happened? Where did you find him?" Gaius demanded.
"Well, we found him just inside the border," Percival answered.
"Merlin, fetch my gloves, please," Gaius said turning to Merlin who had gone and stood behind him.
Merlin quickly went to get Gaius' gloves.
" do you know what it is?" Percival asked Gaius.
"I fear so" Gaius answered " the skin has grown across his face until he suffocated"
Merlin came back with Gaius' things as Arthur came into the room. He noticed his sister hiding her face in Mordred's chest and when he looked down at the dead knight he understood why.
"Gaius?"
"The disfigurement is not as a result of disease or infection. It's the result of powerful magic." Gaius replied. Merlin and Mordred shared a worried looked as Mordred held Aria close " In the old days, there was a punishment known as Ragaid. The ultimate warning from the high priestess to her enemies"
Aria looked up from hiding her face in Mordred's chest when she heard the word, high priestess. That obviously meant that Morgana was responsible for this and Aria was saddened that her sister would now do such a thing.
"Why was this knight chosen? What had he done?" Arthur asked the old man.
"He'd done nothing" Gaius replied " except be a knight of Camelot. It's a warning, Sire. A warning to the whole kingdom..."
"....Morgana has declared war"
_________________________________________
Later that night, Aria was lying on her bed in her chambers just staring at the wall. Ruby lay next to Aria, whimpering slightly, knowing that Aria was upset. She had changed into her nightgown and had tied her hair into a messy braid.
Ruby perked up when there was a knock at the door. Aria looked at the door but didn't bother sitting up.
"Come in"
Mordred walked in and shut the door behind him. He had changed out of his chainmail and was just wearing a simple white shirt and trousers.
For once, Ruby didn't jump up to greet him and just stayed where she was laying beside Aria.
"Ari, are you alright?" Mordred asked as he sat beside her on the bed.
"I'm fine" Aria muttered
"Aria, you are not fine. You disappear for a couple of days and return looking miserable. You can tell me anything, Aria, you know you can" Mordred said
Aria finally sat up and faced him properly.
"Did you know?" Aria asked.
Mordred looked at her confused.
"Did you know that I am Nerys and that I have magic, that I can't even use yet?"
Mordred sighed "Yes I know"
Aria felt like someone had punched her in the chest.
"And you didn't tell me?" Aria whispered her voice breaking as she tried to hold back her tears.
" No I didn't, but Aria I was only doing what Merlin told me to," Mordred said holding Aria's hand.
"What?"
"The day I was knighted, Merlin told me to not tell you anything about your destiny or that you are Nerys. I wanted to tell you, believe me, I did. I wanted to tell you so badly but I knew if I did then that would just give Merlin another reason to hate me."Mordred looked down at his and Aria's intertwined hands, sadly.
" I still don't understand why he didn't like me to begin with "
" I do," Aria said quietly
Mordred looked up at Aria shocked.
" Merlin recently told me that you have a destiny of your own. But yours isn't like his or mine." Aria told him.
Mordred didn't say anything and just listened so Aria sighed and continued.
" Merlin had a vision. Of you and Arthur. You were fighting against each other in a battle. He told me about how he saw you kill Arthur while I watched." tears began to escape from her eyes.
Mordred just sat there, shocked and turned his head away, not saying anything. Aria placed her hand on Mordred's cheek turning his face to look at her again. Mordred had tears in his eyes after hearing this. That he would one day murder one of his own friends.
"Mordred, listen to me. As I told Merlin, the future is not set in stone. There is a chance that it won't happen- -"
"And did he tell that there is no escaping destiny. No matter how much you want to, it's just not possible" Mordred replied in despair.
Aria remembered what Finna had said. What her mother had told her.
"Mordred, nothing is impossible as long as you have hope." Aria smiled reassuringly at him
"...I don't want to kill Arthur," Mordred shook his head choking back his tears.
"And you won't. We'll make it through this Mordred. I promise." Aria hugged Mordred tightly and he gladly returned the hug, burying his face in the crook of Aria's neck as Aria combed her fingers through his dark curls soothingly. They sat like that for a while until Mordred fell asleep in Aria's arms.
Aria gently took off Mordred's socks and shoes pulled back the covers and placed Mordred's head on her pillows. She then got under the covers as well and snuggled into Mordred's chest before slowly being lulled to sleep listening to Mordred's heartbeat.