Merlin watched as the opposing forces grew closer. He immediately rose his staff, and sent lightning down to the valley, striking the opposing forces. The groups hit. He could no longer distinguish where Arthur was. Nor Gwain, Lancelot, or Percival. He just sent spells and lightning down on those he sensed as evil. He used his enhanced vision to find Morgana, but he couldn't see her. He looked around, and he recognized Gwain and Percival. But he could not find Arthur or Lancelot. He looked to the opening of the cave where the old man lived, and he was no where in sight.

Merlin panicked slightly, but released Izusa to help. She swopped down to the crowds of fighting men, and she picked up random men who bore all black. She carried them by twos high into the air, and dropped them down to the earth with a splat. Merlin was pleased with her.

As Merlin watched the chaos while shooting them down from above, he realized very quickly that the numbers were uneven. Morgana's side had more surviving than Camelot. He knew that if this were to continue, they would loose.

"Shit." He cursed. "Kilgarrah. Show them what you can do. Burn the enemies to the ground." Merlin commanded. And Kilgarrah did what he was told. He flew to the side of the mountain, and gripped the side. He released his breaths of fire to the large groups of men, and burned with accuracy. He was quickly dwindling the opposing numbers with the help of Izusa. Merlin took a moment's break to scout the ground. He looked, and finally saw what he wanted to see. He saw Arthur riding on Ebony, down the mountain side from the man's caves. Merlin did not know what reason he had for being there, but he was glad that Arthur was still alive.

Once Arthur met the people at the bottom, Merlin went to great measures to strike down anyone commencing battle with him. This went on for hours, although it felt like minutes.

Merlin striked the men down as night fell, and only the light from lightning and the light from the dragon's breath ignited the night. Merlin grew tired soon, and could not muster his energy to flow through his staff. He discarded the staff where he stood, and slide down the mountain.

As soon as Merlin was met with groups of men charging him, he braced himself, and let out his emotions. He held his hands out in front of him, and released flowing blue light. The men were thrust back yards behind themselves, dead. Merlin was so in the moment, he did not dwell on the group murder he had spent his whole life trying to avoid. He just continued. He could feel the anger in his soul swell up. And passing the bodies of Camelot knights fueled it.

All the anger from Morgana, her negligence, her constant need for power. He was fed up. All these men were brainwashed, and if they stayed on this plain, they would continue to go after Arthur. And so they needed to be exterminated.

Merlin continued ruthlessly. Spell after spell, death after death. Soon he was wiping out men by the tens. And soon the overwhelming energy was positive, and not negative. He knew that the numbers of men fighting Camelot were dwindling. Merlin felt weird about the situation.

He knew he was killing sorcerers and druids who worked for Morgana. He could feel more power restore to him. After every wipe out, he felt stronger. And as his killing spree continued, he stopped becoming tired. He started to gain strength.

Merlin looked around, and for once, he could see past the groups of men. Now there could have been less than 50 men still fighting. He saw Gwain and Percival fight against a small group of men. And to the other side, he saw Arthur ride around, slicing and stabbing men as he passed, and Ebony pounced on unsuspecting men, and knocked them down with her many tails. The only person he could not find was Lancelot. Merlin did not worry a lot. He knew that Lancelot could fight for his own without trouble.

Merlin ran with his new found energy, and helped Gwain finish off some men. When he looked behind him, he saw the sight that made his stomach do flips. He finally had found Morgana, but she was battling with Arthur. To the side he saw Ebony on her side, bleeding out from stab wounds. Merlin ran towards the two fighting, but Morgana saw this, and knocked him against the mountain side from far away. Merlin quickly blocked his pain, and crawled towards Ebony. He healed her wounds, and Merlin watched the fight unfold.

Morgana had her own sword. Made of silver, with a golden metal handle. She surprisingly fought hand to hand combat very well. But she used magic to aid her. Merlin could tell that Morgana was playing with him.

Arthur lifted the sword high, and brought it back down with force. It sliced her free arm, and her shoulder went limp. It seems Morgana did not have the magic capability to heal without hand contact on wounds. While she fought, her hand waved limply by her side, unable to raise itself.

Merlin felt an immense pressure onto his forehead, and he clutched his head falling down. His mind raced with visions.

Arthur and Morgana were still fighting in hand to hand combat. Morgana was becoming sloppy as her magic was dwindling and her strength weakening. Arthur became tired as well. They both pulled their swords back, and pushed forward. An odd calming silence enveloped the vision. A sword protruded out of both Morgana and Arthur. Except Morgana was laughing. She stepped back, and the sword slipped out of her gut. She must have had a back up plan. Because she did not die. Merlin looked at the sword that was covered in blood, and the sword that had entered Arthur's chest. Arthur fell to his side, and Morgana was left standing.

Merlin was thrown out of the vision, and he watched the battle. Arthur was fighting differently. He did not move with the sort of fines that he usually did. He was sloppy now. And his steps were uncharacteristic.

Merlin felt deja vu. Everything went silent in Merlin's ears. He ran forwards to the two. Morgana had not even noticed. Merlin watched helplessly as he ran to them. They both pulled back their swords. Merlin was too far away. Then it happened.

Merlin stopped in his tracks, just a couple feet away. Arthur and Morgana stood there shocked, a sword both extending out of them. Morgana pulled back laughing, and Arthur fell down. Merlin rushed to his side, putting pressure on the wound. Morgana could see that Merlin was trying to heal his wounds.

"Don't even try Emrys. My sword was also forged of dragon's breath. No magic can heal his wounds now." She cackled. Merlin felt tears run down his face. He desperately tried healing him, but the wound did not close. He looked to Arthur's face, and saw it morph.

Merlin thought that his face was softening, but it was in fact changing. His hair turned dark, his skin color darkened, and he sprouted a soft beard. Soon his face represented Lancelot. In fact. It looked just like Lancelot. It couldn't be. Merlin stopped sniffling, and looked to Morgana confused.

Her eyes widened, scared.

"But that has to be Arthur. Where is Arthur?" She asked, voice trembling. Merlin watched as she took another step back, and suddenly, a sword sprouted out of her chest. She coughed blood, and dropped to her knees. Behind her, was Arthur. Morgana was sputtering blood, and Arthur released the sword. Merlin looked between the two. Lancelot was on the ground, wearing Arthur's armor, and with a blood covered sword. Merlin shakily wiped off the blood from his sword. His eyes widened even more.

The sword was bare. Not a single piece of inscription. No gold imbedded. Just a normal ordinary sword.

"Only the sword, forged from a dragons breath, can kill anyone the strongest magic. So only the real Excalibur could strike down a witch who sold her soul for immortality." Merlin heard Arthur say. He looked behind himself, and Arthur stood there, in Lancelot's clothing. Merlin looked between the two bodies, and Arthur.

"But how could this. What happened?..." Merlin trailed off. Merlin had no idea what to make of the situation. His vision. It showed Arthur dying, and Morgana living. But here Arthur was alive, and Lancelot and Morgana were dead.

"Can someone please explain this... Have I gone mad? Is this some sort of mirage, or am I in heaven?..." Merlin whispered. He was holding Lancelot, whom he thought was Arthur, and Arthur was standing behind him. Arthur kneeled down, and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. This freaked him out, and he scooted away.

"You're not real. You're just some figment of my imagination. A spell to stop the pain." Merlin told Arthur. Arthur shook his head.

"I'm real. Morgana is real. Lancelot is real. I'm sorry, but we had to play some kind of switch up so Morgana would not win." Arthur told Merlin. He seemed extremely sad.

"So Lancelot is actually dead?" Merlin asked. Arthur nodded.

"Morgana got her hands on a dragon's breath sword, and Lancelot fought with a phony. I killed her with the original." 

Merlin looked between the three, and started putting together two and two.

It makes sense. At first Arthur and Lancelot were missing, then only Lancelot was missing. Arthur was hiding somewhere, and Lancelot was fighting as Arthur. It explained his different fighting styles. And the fact that he grew tired, more quickly than Arthur usually would.

The fight had just ended. The Camelot knights and druids had finished off the last of Morgana's army that had stayed and not fled. And the only people standing were the light side.

In the horizon, the sun rose. The night had passed, and the morning sun rose. Merlin did not know whether to be happy or sad. Arthur was alive, but his second friend to know he had magic, the one to really understand him, even if it were for a week before they separated, was dead. Passed. And would not wake up. Merlin looked around the battle field, and the rest of his friends still stood. Many Camelot knights stood, many druids stood, and many sorcerers stood. As they looked at Arthur, they rejoiced. For victory. Camelot had won, but at immense costs.

"Someone must fall. And it was Lancelot." Merlin said. He noticed the many bodies littering the ground. So many men, and occasional women. Even if the majority were the enemy, it made Merlin sick. To see so many bodies. Many charred bodies, many dead without anyone noticing. And many of them dead because Merlin sentenced them.

He became very dizzy. So much overwhelming power. So much positive energy. So much mourning. So much despair. It was too much. Merlin looked down at Lancelot, one of his best friends. He had died for Camelot. Merlin spiraled, and found the earth tipping. First he saw Kilgarrah, then Izusa, then Lancelot, then the ground, then nothing.

Merlin woke up very slowly. His hearing was muddled, but he still heard the voices of people. He could hear them speaking. When Merlin opened his eyes, his vision was doubled and blurry. He could see some people, but could not easily decipher who was who. When his eyes adjusted, he groaned slightly.

"Wait. Merlin's awake." He heard someone say. It sounded like Percival. He was starting to get his feeling back. His body was sore and heavy, and his vision and hearing were clearing out. He could finally recognize everyone. He was laying down in his own bed in the castle, but the curtains were most likely pulled back because natural light fled the room. Merlin saw the faces. Gaius, Gwen, Gwain, Percival, and Arthur. They all stood there, watching him.

"Do you feel alright Merlin?" Gaius asked him. Merlin opened his eyes more, and he tried to pull himself up to a sitting position, but he was too weak. His arms felt like rocks, and his head weighted himself down.

"What happened?" Merlin asked quietly. Gwen went to his side, and helping prop him up with some pillows.

"It's been a week since we fought Morgana. You've been asleep the entire time. We have the townsfolk help in repairing the city, and we're trying to clean up the space. Getting rid of whatever Morgana added. We even put Ebony and Izusa to work. They're helping carry around stones and wood to repair the houses." Arthur told him. Merlin nodded slightly. He was just absorbing the information slowly.

"How come I've been asleep? Was I in a coma?" Merlin asked.

Gaius interjected. "I checked your symptoms, and you were not in a coma. You moved around somewhat, as if you were sleeping. But nothing would waken you. I believe that all the emotional and physical stress you went through had put so much of a strain on your body, that you could not stay awake. But you're magic has woken you up finally."

"Then how come my body is so sore and heavy. Surely my magic should be blocking the pain." Merlin said.

"You're magic can block pain that is physical, but sometimes when we feel very depressed, or guilty, your body can feel pain that is imaginary. You are in pain, but your magic cannot detect it because it is psychological." Gaius explained.

Merlin nodded. He had felt more calm now. He remembered what he had done, and he remembered Lancelot. He felt so guilty.

"What really happened? When I saw you die. Then you turned into Lancelot. Then you were alive? I'm so confused." Merlin asked, looking to Arthur. He almost couldn't believe that Arthur was still alive.

"A couple minutes into the fight, Lancelot pulled me off of Ebony, and he dragged me away from the fight. It was in the beginning, that many of our forces were waiting to meet fighters, so we were relevantly safe. He did not explain, but he pulled he up the mountain side using some ledges, and we arrived to the mouth of the cave where the old man lives. Lancelot dragged me to the man." Arthur explained. "The man just started to speak about this vision he had just received. It said that if I continued to fight, I would die at Morgana's hands. Lancelot explained that he did not want that to happen. He knew how happy you were, and knew that if I die, you would be unhappy forever. I tried to tell him that whatever happens, should happen. But Lancelot would not let me go back to the fight. The man said that he could make Lancelot look like me, and Lancelot could fight in the battle. We devised a plan to stun Morgana, then have me sneak up an kill her. I was such a coward. I did not want to die. And so I hid. While Lancelot played as myself, I stayed with the old man until I saw the two fighting in hand to hand combat. I slid down the mountain, and finished her off. But you were there. You looked so horrified. Then to see that he was dead and I wasn't, you blacked out." Arthur recollected. He looked sad himself. Guilty. Merlin understood. It was a brilliant plan. But deadly nonetheless. Either way Camelo would have won, but in this version, Arthur lived.

"So Lancelot did this on his own accord?" Merlin asked. The group nodded.

"He spoke to me while you were gone to retrieve the sword. We split up, and he told me that he felt that Camelot needed Arthur. And that if anything were to happen, Lancelot would take his place so Arthur would live." Gwain told him. "I didn't think he was serious at the time."

Merlin nodded. "How was Morgana when she arrived?" Merlin asked Gwen and Gaius.

"I convinced her not to lock me up." Gaius said.

"I faked being loyal to her. I faked some stories saying Arthur was horrible and I still valued her friendship. We shared a room together as if we were sisters. A disgusting witch she was to everyone else." Gwen told him. Merlin could understand. The only person she did really trust was Gwen. Even when Morgana did not know she was magical, Gwen was the first person she went to if she had a problem.

"So how many died?" He asked.

"About 100 or so. Not to include to small amount that disobeyed Morgana and were executed. We took all the bodies in the valley, and buried them in a mass grave, with the help of Kilgarrah. And we arrested anyone whom we found in the castle that was a loyalist to Morgana. So the whole city is somewhat back to normal. Just a little emptier without as many people and standing buildings." Arthur told him. He tried to identify everyone, but it was impossible since some were unrecognizable post mortem.

"And what happened to Lancelot?" Merlin asked.

"As soon as we got back, we got him dressed, and we sent him floating in the Lake of Avalon. We did not know when you would wake up, and we didn't want Lancelot to decompose. We had the funeral the next day after our arrival." Percival told him. Merlin agreed. It would be a horrible thing to have Lancelot decompose before he was burned.

"Is there anything wrong with the kingdom? Is help needed?" Merlin asked. He felt sort of selfish for asking this question for the reasons that he had. Gaius shook his head.

"Everything is running smoothly. We've had a candle light vigil every night since that morning. The city is nearly back to new. We had some help from a neighboring kingdom, but not much is needed anymore." Gaius told him. It was a positive step. The kingdom was nearly finished being restored and back into running order.

"That is fantastic." Merlin told them unenthusiastically. "I think I'll just stay in my room awhile longer." He looked down and fiddled with the sheets. "I want some time alone." He decided. The others were a bit shocked to hear that from Merlin, but they respected it. They said goodbye, and everyone left the room. Once the door closed, Merlin closed the curtains, and laid in bed again.

This time he did not sleep. He cried.