It was no surprise to Merlin; Morgana was headed straight for the hall. Arthur was trying to get her to turn around and face him. It still hadn't occurred to him that Merlin was also present.
"I won't let you do this..." Arthur snarled, his voice low and calm, but with rage burning just underneath as he drew out his sword. "I won't let you have this kingdom!"
Morgana looked at him with pure evilness in her eyes. "Brother dear," she said with a joyless grin. "We have already won. After all, you should know by now that your little sword won't do you any good against us."
Arthur looked like a madman. Merlin knew what Arthur was about to do, so he tried to push away his fears and be brave as he screamed on top of his lungs: "ARTHUR!" And it worked. He caught their attention.
"Merlin, go away!" Arthur shouted as Merlin entered the hall, apparently in a staring competition with Morgana. The only one who looked up at Merlin was Caelan. Her eyes were full of mystery and darkness.
"Never far from your master, are you?" she asked him. "You're always there like a little puppy, Morgana says, slave bound to your duties your entire life... Still, you have no business here, servant." She paused for a moment. "You will watch your beloved king die. I promise you shall be next. Even though you have magic, you will not defeat me." She moved her arm quickly, as if swinging a rope, only the rope was sent flying towards Merlin, tying him up to one of the great pillars.
Morgana scoffed. "It seems that not even Emrys can help you now, Arthur," she said. The smile on her face almost made him vomit; he did not understand how anyone could become so evil, so full of hatred.
The king stared back at her, his anger almost as great as hers.
"How did you manage to hide this boy from Uther?" she asked. "How can you accept him?" She circled him once, then coming back to face him.
The expression on Arthur's face didn't change. He didn't even look at Merlin.
A delighted smile spread on Morgana's face. "Ooooh, of course;you didn't know, did you?" she chuckled. "You were deceived once again." Now, her eyes turned cold. "Of course you didn't know. Otherwise the boy wouldn't be alive... Doesn't it make you feel betrayed? To know that even your best friends can turn against you - JUST LIKE THAT - and then you have no one left. How does that feel, dear brother?"
"I should run you through," Arthur replied, not even blinking.
Morgana raised her eyebrows. "Then you shall have the chance, of course..." She stretched out her arms to free her chest, giving Arthur every opportunity to attack. He took a moment to look at this coldhearted woman he once considered to be his sister. He tightened his grip on his sword, raising it over his head, his eyes still fixed upon Morgana in wrath. The sword in his hands trembled, but stayed in place.
Morgana was pleased. "You can't even make yourself do it, can you? Are you to weak?" In the corner of her eye, Morgana could see a dark shadow moving towards the king with a silver dagger in her hands. It got difficult for her to hide the victorious smile on her face as the shadow came closer... Merlin desperately tried to get free of the strong ropes that held him prisoner. He knew it would take seconds for Caelan and Morgana to finish Arthur off. And they had many ways of doing it.
Caelan raised up the silver dagger, yelled a short, but precise spell, which as her eyes turned golden, flew straight towards Arthur.
"NOOO!!" Merlin roared as he broke free of his bonds, jumping straight into the dagger's reach. He fell to the floor right before Arthur's eyes.
The king's jaw dropped. "Merlin!" Arthur got to his knees beside Merlin, staring at the dagger in his chest. He desperately tried to stop the bleeding as Morgana's voice sounded again:
"Change of plans!" She moved forward. "I guess it will be servants first. Now; what are we going to do with you now, dear brother?"
Arthur looked at her as if she had actually stabbed him with the dagger. "I am NOT your brother!" He got to his feet and ran towards the sisters, his sword pointing at their hearts. But he didn't get much further than that. Caelan simply raised her hand and made Arthur freeze where he was stood, making him unable to move.
"You never learn, do you little king?" she said and still considered him nothing but a great big fool. "You cannot defeat us." She was about to cast a spell that would make the sword stab Arthur in the chest and turn until he did not move another inch. But what she could never have foreseen was that Merlin was still conscious. He used all the power he could collect... The sword, which was still in Arthur's hands, pointing at Caelan's chest, began to move closer. Arthur looked to Merlin, realizing what was happening. Scared, Caelan tried her best to stop it, but was unable to do so. Her opponent was too strong.
The sword pierced her heart. She fell to the floor, dead, and gone with the wind.
Morgana felt the rope tie her up, as she gave a deafening scream. "NOOOOOOOOO!"
Merlin's hand was still raised as Arthur withdrew his sword. Still, the king felt paralyzed. Whether it was fear, joy or anger he did not know. He barely noticed that Percival, Sir Leon, Elyan, Gwen, Gwaine and Gaius had just joined them. Merlin's eyes began to close and soon he too, was lying dead upon the floor. Every single mouth in the room was silent, every face pained, but also numb and every eye seemed to have found a tear by the sight of their dead friend. Then Gaius stepped forward. Never in his life had he thought he would cry again, but what he now laid eyes upon proved otherwise. He examined Merlin's body. The dagger had probably gone straight through the heart and made the blood stream out. Even if Merlin had still been alive, Gaius wouldn't have been able to save him. It was already too late. Instead he decided to do his apprentice one last honor. Gaius got up, so he that he could face the king.
"Sire, you must know this: it was his destiny to watch over you, so that you could one day unite the land of Albion," he said. "Don't forget this." Gaius looked Arthur in the eye and dried away the tear on his chin.
Gwen's had tears streaming down her face as she rushed to Merlin's side, closely followed by the knights. Gaius wanted to shake his head in despair, but it felt like a heavy stone.
"Arthur," Gwen said. "He's really gone." She reached down to close Merlin's eyes.
"He was the bravest man I've ever known," sounded Percival's low voice. "A true hero."
"Indeed," Gwaine said. "I knew he had it in him, though..."
Elyan looked at Arthur, who still couldn't take his eyes off of Merlin. "He deserves to be honored, my lord. The people should know of his greatness."
The king said nothing.
As Gwen got up, she caught Arthur's eye. To show her support, she took his hands in her own and said: "They are right, Arthur. He's still our friend and-" Her voice broke.
Arthur blinked fast a couple of times before he spoke. "Why?" he said and faced Morgana, who was so shocked, her eyes had become distant. "Why, Morgana?"
It took all her strength to gain a cold face. "Because he was Emrys, my supposed doom, but look at him now. He was really nothing but a pathetic little servant."
"YOU MURDERER!" Gwaine shouted. "YOU CARE FOR NOTHING BUT YOURSELF! HOW COULD YOU EVER HOPE TO BE A TRUE QUEEN?"
Morgana didn't answer. It wasn't because she didn't want to; she simply wasn't able to. It was unexplainable. Caelan was lying dead a few meters away from her, but she didn't turn to look. Some minutes passed by in complete silence, before Morgana found her voice again.
"He lied to you," she whispered, sounding more and more desperate. "He lied to every single one of you and yet you treat him as a hero! He wasn't trustworthy, he never was! Friends don't lie to each other, Arthur Pendragon! He was nothing more but a traitor! And trust me; I know when I see one. So give him to me, dear brother, and you shall never have to lay eyes upon him again! Give him to me and I will make sure he is properly disposed of!"
The knights were worried about the king's answer. They knew how much he hated lies and secrets. Arthur said nothing at first. He felt hurt. Like some part of him had been torn out of his body. It was unexplainable.
"Merlin didn't lie, Morgana. He protected my life as well as he protected his own. The only traitor in this room is you. You have pretended to be my father's ward for many years, you were even like a sister to me, but in reality you are nothing more than a pathetic little girl, trying to take her undeserved vengeance. You are the very essence of hatred."
For just a second, Morgana looked stunned. Then the anger set in. "They will betray you one day, Arthur! Many more will wish put an end to your life, just as I do!"
Arthur couldn't look her in the eyes as she spoke those words. Instead, he waved some guards forth. "Take her away," he said. "Chain her up and enchant the cell if necessary. I do not wish to see her again - ever again. " As a last honor to the friend he once had in her, he looked her in the eyes and said. "I am truly sorry it has to end this way."
Her response was blinding rage, as two armed guards picked her up from the floor and pulled her out of the room. A third dragged away the lifeless Caelan.
The door slammed behind them. To the grieving it felt as if the sound got magnified by the heartbreaking silence. It was as if all voices had left the room, only their owners stayed behind. There were no words that could express how they felt. No words at all.