Morgana's POV

I pace up and down my chambers, biting my thumb nail with nervousness. Mordred, Gwaine, and Lancelot watch me with worry, their heads swiveling back and forth at my every step. I stop and curse when another one of the Knights of Medhir are defeated. I can feel the connection slowly dissolve as the knight is destroyed. The control slipping away from my fingers. Only one knight remains. Who's doing this? How are they being defeated.

"Are you alright Morgana?" Mordred asks from his spot by the window. He moves off the wall and starts to approach.

"No!" I shout abruptly, stopping Mordred in his tracks. Even Gwaine and Lancelot turns their heads in horror. I feel my control of the last knight slowly fade away. I try desperately to grab hold, to keep the knight from being destroyed. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The connection fades. Leaving me with nothing. "No, no no no!" I yell again, even louder this time. My magic begins to go haywire, out of control. My eyes shine a bright gold. A chair hovers off the floor. It flies across the room, almost smashing against Gwaine. It would have too, had Lancelot not intervened. He catches the chair in his hands and sets it down gently.

Mordred runs up to me and places two reassuring hands on my shoulders. "Easy there Morgana. Calm down. Take slow deep breaths," he says calmly. I follow his directions. Taking in deep breaths one at a time. "That's it. Just like that. Feeling better now?"

I nod slightly. My eyes are screwed shut while my hands clutch my forearms. I take another shaky breath before I open my eyes which have returned to their vibrant green. I glance around the room and mumble a small, "sorry," towards Gwaine when I see his frightened expression.

He gives a small smile. "It's alright. I'm safe and sound thanks to Lance here," he says, giving Lancelot a pat on the back.

"But are you alright Morgana? What happened?" Lancelot asks.

"It didn't work," I reply solemnly.

Gwaine rises from his chair. His face filled with urgency. "What do you mean? Is Merlin alright? Is he..." He trails off. Not wanting to say the word aloud. The word he knew we were all thinking of.

"I don't know."

Gwaine stares at me in stunned silence, eyes wide in fear. He stays that way for a moment. No ones moves. Everyone's eyes are cast down at the ground. Mordred is the one who breaks the silence. "Then we'll go find him in Camelot. We are not giving up on him," he says with clear resolve.

"Mordred's right. I don't care what Balinor says! We are breaking in to Camelot!" Gwaine declares across the room.

I let a smile cross my face. "You're both right. We can't give up here," I say.

Gwaine grins. "Alright now here's the plan-"

"It doesn't seem like we'll have to raid Camelot," Lancelot suddenly speaks up, cutting off Gwaine who looks at him skeptically.

"What do you mean?"

Lancelot points out the window. We all crowd around the glass that faces down towards the courtyard. There, strolling in through the gates as if nothing happened, is Merlin. My face lights up. A smile graces my expression as I throw open the window and lean out as far as I can. "Merlin!" I call, giving him a wave when he turns around. He flashes me his usual grin and waves back. I can hardly contain my joy. Merlin's alive. He's alright.

We all spin around quickly and start to sprint down the steps of the palace to greet him. A few of the palace workers stare in confusion as we practically shove past them in the halls. Once we reach the courtyard we tackle him to the ground. I can hear a few chuckles from the onlookers as Merlin squirms underneath our weight, laughing and asking us to get off him.

"Merlin, don't you ever scare us like that again," Gwaine declares as we finally untangle ourselves.

Merlin glances away, looking bashful. "I'm sorry to worry you lot so much. I guess I should have sent a message that I was fine," he says with a smile.

"How did you manage to escape Camelot?" Mordred asks with anticipation, expecting some epic tale.

"It's honestly not as spectacular as it may sound. It seems the Knights of Camelot didn't realize I was a sorcerer and they took me back with them to see the physician since I had been injured saving them. I was about to leave when the Knights of Medhir attacked Camelot. I helped to kill them then saved a dragon and rode him back here," he explains.

So Merlin took down the Knights of Medhir... My mind begins to fill with questions as I watch him curiously.

"You saved a dragon?" Mordred stares, mouth agape in awe.

"Um... yes. His name is Kilgharrah."

"And you say that's not spectacular?" Gwaine asks.

Merlin shrugs.

"Merlin my friend, you have one exciting life. Trade with me?"

"Sadly I do not wish to be a drunkard in the tavern Gwaine but I'll keep the offer in mind," Merlin chuckles. I hear Lancelot start to laugh as well.

"What is going on out here?" A loud voice booms behind us. I turn to see Balinor heading down the steps of the castle. He stops abruptly when Merlin moves into his line of sight. "Merlin..." he whispers before running and giving his son a hug. "Thank the gods you are alright. What happened?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Merlin reassures him as he hugs him back.

Balinor breaks the embrace quickly. He moves back and gently pats the top of Merlin's head, ruffling his hair in the process. "I'm glad to see you are well."

"I do have something to discuss with you about later. Perhaps at dinner?"

"Of course. I suggest you go see you mother. She's quite worried about you."

"I will. Thank you for the warm welcome everyone." With that he turns and heads up the steps.

Balinor follows after him while Gwaine throws an arm around a reluctant Mordred and Lancelot. "This calls for a celebratory drink at the tavern! Wish to join us Morgana?" He asks.

"Not today. I still have some business to take care of," I reply with a smile.

"Come on Morgana, you can do those things later."

"Sadly they cannot wait."

Gwaine frowns. "Fine, but come when you're finished. Oh, and bring Merlin too!"

I give him a nod and head into the palace. I feel like there's something Merlin isn't telling us. Why would he choose to save Camelot from the Knights of Medhir? He detests Camelot almost as much as I do. There wasn't any innocent people that he needed to save. The knights didn't attack the townspeople. I made sure of it. Any people they kill would only be Knights of Camelot. What made him defend the kingdom that he hates?

-----

Arthur's POV

I sit quietly by my fathers bed. My hands are clenched in front of me as they rest on my thighs. I'm shaking with nervousness as the Court Physician examines the wound in my fathers side. He hovers around the bed, his face falling deeper and deeper into sorrow the longer he looks. Finally, he steps away from the bed and turns to me. I stand immediately. My face revealing all the hope I had in the man. The physician bows his head. "I'm sorry my lord. It seems there is nothing I can do to save him," he explains with regret.

The hope drops from my face. I stagger back and land, hard, in the chair. I feel my hands tremble even more. I have no doubt that the fear is clear in my eyes. I can't maintain the blank mask anymore. The regal expression of a prince, a king. I'm going to lose him. The only family I have left. I cast my eyes down at the floorboards. "Leave," I say. I can hear the small crack as I say the word.

The physician bows again and leaves, casting one last glance back before finally shutting the door. Now that I'm finally alone I let my sorrow out. I feel a warm tear land on the back of my hand which is fisted in my lap. I can't lose my father. I can't lead Camelot yet. I'm not ready. I'll only let them down. More tears start to fall. Is there nothing I can do? Nothing at all? No other cure, or remedy? I lift my head up to see my fathers unconscious figure. His breathing is hitched. There's sweat on his brow and his face is contorted in pain. I'm not giving up on him. There has to be another way! I glance around the room, hoping I would find some other option to save him when my eyes land on the sword propped against my fathers desk. Merlin's sword. Merlin. Magic. I can use magic!

I leap up from my seat with newfound hope burning through my veins. I lean over my father until our foreheads are practically touching. I have one hand cupped against the side of his face. "It'll be alright father. I'll save you. I won't let you die," I whisper despite knowing he can't hear me. I move away from the bed and glance out the window. The moon is high in the sky already, casting a faint and eerie gleam over the courtyard. It's much too late to go find Merlin now. I found out he left after the attack from those strange knights, most likely headed home. I'll probably find him at the waterfall tomorrow at our usual time. It seems to have become a daily ritual without either of us knowing. I just hope my father can hold out until then. As I lower my gaze from the sky to the courtyard below, the white light from the moon begins to blend together with an orange glow. I raise a quizzical eyebrow until I see the dozens of towns people gathered at the base of the palace steps. Candles burn brightly in their hands as they mourn for the dying king. I feel my fists clench beside me as I stare at the flickering flames. How can they lose hope so quickly? My father will live. He will show them.

I move away from the window, not wanting to see the hopelessness of the townspeople below. I retire to my chambers, thinking of ways I can persuade Merlin to save the king of Camelot.

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Merlin's POV

I yawn loudly, stretching my arms out into the air. I rub the sleep from my eyes as I roll out from bed. I had stayed up late last night talking to my father about my experiences in Camelot. I had told him about freeing Kilgharrah and how the Knights of Medhir had attacked. He seemed to have been just as confused as I was about who may have sent the Knights. Morgana seemed to be watching me through the entire duration of the day. There was a suspicious gleam in her eyes as well. I have no clue as to why she's like that. Did I do something to offend her?

I sigh. I dislike having Morgana treat me this way. After all, we are friends are we not? Perhaps I should consult her later. Ask her what's wrong. With my mind made up I head behind the partition in my room to change. 

----

I find Morgana later in the day after training. I jog up to her in the corridor, sweat still dripping from my hair. "Morgana!" I call to her, a smile on my face. She turns and grins back, though not with one of her usual smiles, no, this one lacks her usual cheerfulness. This one seems faked, forced. I approach her nervously. I scratch the back of my neck before turning my gaze back up to her. "Um... I've noticed you've been acting strange lately. Are you alright? Has something happened?" I ask.

Morgana gives me the same fake smile. "Everything's fine. What makes you think somethings wrong?" She asks innocently.

I start to chew on my bottom lip. "It's just that you seem angry with me. Have I perhaps done something wrong?" 

"Of course not Merlin. Why would you think that?"

I can tell she's lying. The tone of her voice sounds much to... innocent, practised. "No reason. I saw you giving me a few odd looks is all."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just wondering why you suddenly decided to save Camelot. I understand your concern with the Griffin. The beast was a wild creature. It could have harmed the innocent, but the Knights of Medhir... they were attacking only the Camelot Knights. They were not attacking the innocent. Why would you save those men? Save the killers of our kin?" I can see the way her eyes narrow at me, almost accusingly.

Now it's my turn to glare at her suspiciously. "Morgana," I say, my voice gravely low, "how did you know they never attacked the innocent? I haven't told that to anyone yet."

I can see her stiffen. Her eyes are blown wide as she realizes her slip up. "I- I..."

"Morgana, what did you do?"

"I summoned them," she says, a small quiver in her voice. "I summoned them to try and save you when your father wouldn't. Is that something so wrong?"

My gaze hardens. "And you chose to order them to kill every Knight of Camelot they saw?"

"Oh please it's not like they wouldn't do the same to us. They would kill us all without a second thought."

"Morgana-"

"Why are you defending them anyways? Have they messed with your head? This is Camelot. The kingdom that caused the Great Purge. The kingdom that has caused us all so much suffering!"

I hesitate. I know what Camelot has done. I know the pain and suffering they have brought to sorcerers throughout the whole kingdom and I'm not going to deny it, but perhaps... things can change. I think of Arthur. I remember how he has changed his perspective on magic because of me. How he accepts me. Perhaps... perhaps the rest of Camelot can change too. Perhaps they'll be able to see that they were wrong. That magic is not the root of all evil but simply a weapon. "I know what they have done Morgana. I know that they hurt our kin but people can change. Everyone can change. You just have to give them the chance. That's why I defended them. That's why I saved them. I want to give them that chance."

She scoffs. "You really believe that Merlin? You really believe Camelot can change?" 

I look at her with clear resolve. "I do. I do believe Camelot can change, and you should too."

Morgana's eyes burn a hole through my chest. "You are a fool to believe such a fantasy. I know my father and I know he will never change. So long as he is on the throne we will all live in fear." With that she storms off down the corridor. Her eyes blazing with fury. 

I watch her form recede down the hall. No, Morgana's wrong. I believe that Camelot can change. They just need to see the good magic can do.

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A/N - I'm really sorry guys that chapters are coming out slower and slower. I'll try my best to update more quickly from now on. >.<