Merlin's POV

I wake with a start. I bolt up into a sitting position on the bed, startling a tired Gaius by my side.

"Merlin!" He says with a smile before giving me a warm hug. I can see Lancelot, Morgana, Mordred and Gwaine standing around me, a look or relief on all their faces.

"Um... what happened?" I ask, one hand pressed against my head to ease the slight throb that still persists.

"You collapsed during training. You gave everyone there a huge fright," Gwaine says with a small small, trying his best to hide the worry from his expression.

"How are you feeling my boy? Any pain?" Gaius asks.

I shake my head. "I'm feeling better then before. My head still aches but it'll pass," I reassure him with a smile.

Gaius smiles in return. "That is good to hear but I suggest you rest for the duration of the day. Wouldn't want you passing out again."

I frown. I still have duties to attend to. "But-"

"No buts, Merlin. Your health comes first. I'm sure Balinor will understand."

"Besides," Gwaine interjects, slumping down beside me on the bed and slinging an arm over my shoulder, "everything's been quiet for sometime now. You can take a day off. Relax, drink some mead with your old pal Gwaine."

"I don't think Merlin needs a hangover in addition to that headache," Lancelot points out, pulling Gwaine to his feet. "And, we're are going to be extra busy in order to fill in for Merlin's absence. I don't think you'll have time to drink."

"There's always time for mead, Lance."

Morgana rolls her eyes. "I'm surprised Merlin or Balinor hasn't sacked you yet," she says, receiving a chuckle from Mordred.

"It's my charm. Very hard to resist if I do say so myself." He wiggles his brows at Morgana who backs away slightly towards the door.

She rolls her eyes and leaves the room. Mordred gives me a small wave before jogging after her.

"Come on Gwaine. We best get going as well. Merlin needs his rest," Lancelot says, dragging Gwaine from the room.

The door shuts behind them, leaving me alone with a busy Gaius to ponder my thoughts about my encounter with the Disir.

------

Arthur's POV

I race out of the cavern and mount my horse. I turn it to face, what I hope, is the direction to the Resistance village. My horse gallops across the forest swiftly, weaving between trees with expert grace. My cloak billows behind me in a blur of blue, while snow swirls around me. I ride as fast as I can. I need to find my father and stop him before it's too late.

-----

It's dark now. The sun set an hour ago and I'm now riding through complete darkness. After a while longer of bolting around trees I manage to see a large castle come into view. It was smaller then the citadel in Camelot, of course, but grand nonetheless. Three, snowcapped spires can be seen protrude from the base of the castle. A large courtyard surrounds the area which leads to a lower town. A wall stretches around its perimeter. Even from this distance, I can see many guards that are patrolling the walls crying out in panic at the army at their gates. A large army. I can see the distinct red of Camelot banners spread out among the masses. Torches are held aloft while campfires burn bright, revealing the group of armed men surrounding the town.

I race down to the army as quickly as possible. Forcing my horse to continue its gallop for just a while longer. I can hear a few shouts sound as I approach. A few knights appear in front of me, swords brandished in a threatening gesture. "Declare yourself!" The guard in the lead shouts, driving the point of his sword closer towards me.

I remove the hood that obscures my face. The knights gasp and quickly lower their swords. I can see the panic stricken across their features as they realize they just threatened the Crown Prince. "We apologize, sire! We did not realize it was you!" One of the guards say in a panic.

"You're all forgiven. I need to find my father, where is he?" I ask, dismounting my horse and handing the reins to one of the guards.

"I'll show you to him. Follow me."

I do as he says and trail behind him as he weaves in and out through the camp that was in the process of being taken down. We stop in front of an elaborate tent much larger then the rest. The knight gestures to the tent before leaving.

I enter without bothering to announce my presence. My father is hunched over a map on the table, a goblet of wine in his hands. He turns when he hears me enter, a look of irritation at whomever may have intruded. His eyes widen when he sees who it is. He slams the goblet down, hard, on to the table. The wine almost spilling onto the map under it.

"What are you doing here, Arthur?" He asks, his tone dangerous.

"I heard about you planning on attacking Balinor," I say, crossing my arms over my chest, "I came to convince you to reconsider."

"You were not to leave your chambers."

I scoff. "You expect me to wait in my chambers, twirling my thumbs while you launch an attack? There are innocent civilians within those walls!"

"They are sorcerers!" My father snaps, "Heretics who wish to destroy Camelot. I will burn the sorcerer who has enchanted you and save Morgana from the clutches of that dreaded dragon lord."

"I am not enchanted! Morgana may be in there but how do you know that she wants to be saved?"

Fire burns in my fathers eyes. "Why would she not?"

"She's always been against your teachings. She's hated how you treated sorcerers. Perhaps she had run away on her own."

"You will keep your mouth shut! Guards!" My father shouts angrily.

Two knights enter the tent. They look between us nervously, feeling the tension in the air. "Restrain him! Make sure he does not leave this encampment!" My father orders before leaving the tent to rally his troops.

"Father, please! Call off the attack."

"No. My mind has been made. This war ends, today, and Camelot will emerge victorious." He ignores the rest of my complaints. He leaves the tent, abandoning me with the two knights by my side.

------

Merlin's POV

I wake to the chiming of a bell. More specifically, the warning bell. I sit up quickly, looking around the room for Gaius in hopes that he would know what was wrong but he is no where in sight. His medicine bag is not on its usual peg by the door and a few of his potions are missing from their place on the shelf.

I throw the blanket off and climb out of bed. I race out of the chambers as fast as I can, darting through the corridors until I find someone in the halls. The first person I see is a young serving girl. She carries a bundle of blankets in her arms as she rushes down the stairs. I grab her shoulder, causing her to yelp in fear and drop the blankets down the steps. She turns to look at me, eyes wide with fear before they quickly fill with relief.

"Merlin! Thank goodness. I though you were a Camelot knight," the girl says, her shoulders relaxing.

"Why would you think that?" I ask, fearing for the answer.

She gulps. "You haven't heard? Uther is attacking. There's an army charging into the lower town as we speak!"

What? A whole army?! Why has no informed me of this? "I need to go. I'm sorry for scaring you," I say quickly before running back up the steps.

I head up to my chambers and hastily throw on my chainmail. I grab the spare sword by my desk and head up to the ramparts. There are archers positioned across the walls, arrows notched at the mass of red below. I gaze out from the battlements in fear. The army surrounds us. They block out the whole north and west ends of the town. They're charging in, steadily getting closer and closer to the main citadel. I can see our own armies numbers begin to dwindle, even with the help of our magic there is simply too much to handle. We need to fall back. The safety of the castle walls would give our sorcerers the upper hand and hopefully, buy us enough time so the townspeople can escape.

I turn and race back down the stairs. I arrive in the main courtyard to find many wounded fighters being carried inside to the castle by their comrades. Grim expressions are stuck on all the faces of the people nearby. Hopelessness lingers in the air. We all know we aren't ready for a full on assault. We will lose and the citadel will fall but we have to try. If we can't win the battle then we must protect the people.

I race out of the gates and join in with the army. I raise my sword, missing Excalibur already, and begin to cut through the enemies attempting to push us back. I create a divide between our two armies using fire, making the knights of Camelot reel back in surprise but I know it won't be long before they find a way to diminish the flames.

"Fall back!" I shout at the army.

They all turn and dash back to the safety of the walls. Using magic, I drop the portcullis down when the last man enters. I turn to face the panting men then. "Sorcerers! Head up to the battlements. Keep the army at bay for as long as you can. The rest of you, I want half to evacuate all the civilians to the southern entrance! Escape into the forest, find the Druids, and the other half, defend the western walls." The men all nod and move into position.

I turn and am about to head into the citadel to find my father when a hand clasps my shoulder. I turn to find Gwaine looking at me with worry. "Merlin? Why are you here? Gaius said to rest for the rest of the day!" He says.

"I'm fine, Gwaine, really. There's no time for me to rest. I need to help. The people need me," I say and turning before he can respond to race up into the citadel.

As I enter, a large explosion reverberates through the castle. The ground quakes from the sudden force and I'm almost knocked off my feet. I manage to steady myself by gripping the edge of the wall in the last moment. What was that? Judging by the direction of the noise it must have come from... the west wall!

I spin on my heel and rush towards the source of the noise. I grit my teeth in frustration. Things just keep getting worse and worse.

-----

Arthur's POV

I sit, cross legged, on the ground in the tent. My eyes shift between the two guards standing watch over me. I can tell they're nervous. One has a hand constantly hovering over the hilt of his sword while the other has sweat lining his brow. I don't quite understand why they're so nervous. Do they believe that I am enchanted and that I might go crazy? Or are they simply worried about the war that's currently taking place?

I really need to get out of here but I don't wish to hurt them. A trick then perhaps? That's when an idea pops into my head. It could work, if these knights were absolute idiots. Which may or may not be true. never hurts to try.

I stand lazily, and stretch, trying to feign boredom. The two men whirl on me, hands ready at the hilt of their swords. "Is there something you need, sire?" one of the men asks.

"I need to... you know...go," I say.

"We are under orders to not let you leave, sire." The man raises his eyebrows skeptically.

"No, I mean I have to pee."

"Oh..." The man looks away, slightly embarrassed.

"Unless you want me to go here I'll-"

"No, no no no no! Please, go ahead." The man holds aside the tent flap, looking more then a little red to the face.

I smile at him. "Thank you."

I leave the tent and roll my eyes. Idiots indeed. Over a week gone from training and this is how my men become? I'll need to discipline them properly later. For now, I must find my father.

I turn and sprint off towards the castle looming in the distance.

------

The citadel steadily looms closer and closer as I make my way through the lower town. Bodies of both sorcerer and knights of Camelot lay strewn all over the path. This shouldn't be happening. This is all my fault. If only I had managed to protect my father from those black knights then none of this would have happened.

I soon begin to hear shouts echoing from further ahead. Plumes of fire erupt into the night sky every so often along with blinding strikes of lightning. This doesn't look good. I need to hurry.

I sprint down the path as fast as possible. I'm can just barely make out the crowd in front of the gates before a loud chorus of cheers rise up over the masses. The thundering of boots against stone as the army breaches the gates quickly drowns out the noise. I quicken my pace, attempting to keep up with the red army.

The group fans out the moment they reach the courtyard. Numerous men charge the battlements, tossing sorcerers from the walls as easily as sacks of flour. Some charge the knights waiting inside with swords brandished while the rest, including my father, storm the citadel. I follow after him.

My father parades through the hall with pride. The knights in front of him plow through the incoming waves of enemies with ease. Leon is of the knights in the lead. I can see the look of guilt on his face with each men he cuts down. It's good to know he hates this senseless slaughter as much as I.

My father turns the corner then and that's when I rush forwards. I throw myself in front of the door he was about to enter, shooting him a glare. My father looks only remotely surprised at my sudden appearance. He sighs and glares back.

"Move," he growls, his face permanently set in a scowl.

"No. Father please, this is madness!" I say, outraged.

"I am the King! You obey my orders, and I am ordering you to step aside!"

I stiffen at his words. Half of me shrivels back in terror from my fathers rage, conditioned to obey like the good prince, while the other stands tall, defiant. Unwilling to let myself be trampled upon. I hold my ground and glare back with equal intensity. My father shoves me away, pushing me to the floor and proceeds to enter the chambers before him.

At this moment I remember the words from the Disir. Seizing the throne from the tyrant king... To kill my own father. That was the only way to stop this they had said. For the first time I'm tempted, but it only lasts for a heartbeat before I return to my senses. There is always another way. Always.

I get up as my father swings open the doors and the knights stream in, cutting down the few guards in the room quickly. I enter the chamber after them. Standing in the center of the council chambers are a man and a woman. The man has brown hair and a beard. He seems ragged and tired, ashamed even. Beside him, hand in his, is a beautiful woman, her hair is tied atop her head in a bun and a blue dress flows around her. They were clearly husband and wife. I've never met them, yet they seem familiar. Like I've seen bits and pieces of them on another person.

My father steps forward with a look of triumph. "Balinor Ambrosius," my father says, a cold smile on his face. "It has been quite a long time."

Balinor steps forward, reaching a protective hand over his wife. "Indeed it has."

My father unsheathes his blade. "You will pay for what you have done to my kingdom, my son, and to Morgana."

Balinor turns to look at me in confusion. "Your son? I have done nothing with him."

"Do not play your silly games with me. You have enchanted him. Now undo the enchantment."

"I cannot undo what does not exist. What ever is ailing him was not my doing."

"Lies! There is no other explanation for his behavior!"

"Father! He speaks the truth!" I say, stepping forward.

"You shall stay out of this!" My father shouts at me.

Balinor chuckles. "It seems your son sees more sense then you ever have, Uther."

My father turns, face red with anger. "If you will not undo this enchantment then there are other methods," he says, raising his sword.

Balinor looks unfazed by the threat. He keeps his chin held high. "I am not afraid of death. You can kill me if you wish but I only ask that you leave my people alone."

Uther gives a low chuckle. "You are in no place to make demands." He lifts the sword above his head, ready to strike down.

"Father! Don't!" I surge forwards, scooping up a bloodied sword from a dead sorcerer.

------

Balinor's POV

I brace myself for the inevitable blow. My body was tired and drained from the abundance of barriers I had placed around the castle which had, unfortunately, fallen. Magic could not save me now.

I can see the prince running forward out of the corner of my eye, sword in hand. A good lad that one. Unlike his father in almost every way.

I give Hunith's hand a gentle squeeze. She returns the gesture. I just barely catch her smile and the whispered, "I love you" before the sword slices across my chest. I collapse onto the floor. My mind flooding with pain.

The next thing I hear is a shrill scream and another body falling down beside mine. I don't dare look over, fearing for what I am sure to see but my head turns on its own volition. The physical pain vanishes, instead, it is replaced with something much worse. I can feel tears roll down the sides of my face at the sight of Hunith's limp form beside me, a red rose blooms around her bosom. That Uther... shows no mercy whether it be man, woman, or child. I raise a trembling hand and gently touch the side of her face.

"I love you too," I manage to say with a strangled breath.

That's when I hear a door swinging open. I try to focus my vision on the figure that runs in but it's slowly fading. I hear someone shout in desperation, pain stricken through each syllable.

Merlin...

I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.