Secrets of Draconis - 8/11
Title: Secrets of Draconis
Author: MoonFireFic
Artist: ettoby
Beta Action and Brit-Picking: Milady Dragon
Pairings/characters: Arthur/Merlin, Morgana/Gwaine, Mordred, Kilgharrah, Leon, Aithusa, Others
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 31K
Warnings: Violence, Ghosts, Mythical Beings of All Sorts
Summary: After Mordred aligns himself with the essence of a Dark Dragon Lord, Camelot is lost and magic itself begins to fade. Centuries later, Merlin now working for the British Museum, makes a discovery that could change everything. With the help of Morgana and a few old friends, he begins a race against time to restore Camelot and bring balance to the magic of Albion before darkness reigns forever.
Author's notes: The inspiration for the Dragon Gate in this chapter is the Guangyan Monastery found on Quenchengshan Mountain, which is known as one of the birthplaces of Daoism.
Art link: Link to ettoby's art - go check it out!
Chapter Eight
Dragon Gate
Location Unknown
With a flash of light they stood before a massive gate with three separate arches, and a pair of stone dragons guarding it on either side.
The temperature was much cooler, and a small dusting of snow covered the stone platform atop which the gate stood. The goji, or ‘wolf berries’, grew in thick red clusters near the entrance and the gingko trees grew thick around it, giving the entire clearing a quiet and solitary air.
As the others moved forward, the monk who had helped them pulled Morgana aside and handed her a small jade vase.
“Please take it with you,” he said placing the intricately carved urn in her hands. “It is stronger than it looks and the waters of the dragon well beneath my temple had been blessed by Ao-Qin, the Dragon King of the South Seas, for centuries.” He glanced over to where Ao-Qin was now conferring with Merlin near the central gate. “It has prolonged my life and healed those who have come seeking refuge. Please take it in thanks for what you have done.”
Morgana tried to protest that it had been Merlin, not her, but the monk merely shrugged and walked toward the others, ending the discussion.
“Are you ready for this?” Merlin asked as she put the urn inside her backpack and made her way over to them.
“All who travel through the Dragon Gate must prove themselves worthy,” Ao-Qin warned as the central archway began to fill with a swirl of smoke. “While the Temple of Celestial Winds can be found by all, only those who had reached true enlightenment will pass through her gates.”
“Well I don’t know if I am enlightened enough to pass through her gates, but I’m not turning back now,” Gwaine quipped as he strode toward the archway.
“Heed my warning Wolf King,” Ao-Qin warned causing Gwaine to pause. “While you may bear the mantle of your fore-fathers, a true king is only as strong as the strength of his heart.”
Gwaine’s held his gaze and nodded once before giving Morgana a wink and striding through.
“Right, I better go with him before he gets into trouble,” Morgana said with a sigh as she moved to follow him. As she reached the threshold, she turned back. “You coming, Merls?”
“I’ll be right behind you,” he responded with a smile.
Morgana nodded and stepped through.
Once she had disappeared Merlin turned to Pili. “So not just a street urchin then,” he said with a smile.
Pili laughed. “Oh, I was lost and confused by the human world enough for it to be true,” he replied with a grin. “But it’s not every man who would help someone like me and I thank you Professor for being my friend.”
Merlin nodded and glanced to Ao-Qin. “I take it the two of you will be returning home?” he asked, sad that his friend was leaving.
The Dragon King nodded. “I fear I have been absent for far too long,” he said with a sigh. “And if your quest is successful, the realm of the Dragon Kings is one of the few places that will remember the time that will no longer be.”
“Thank you for your help,” Merlin replied bowing his head in acknowledgement.
“Kilgharrah chose his champion well,” Ao-Qin replied with a twinkle in his eye. “And when you see him, tell the old lizard he still owes me a chest of gold for the nightingale he stole during his last visit.”
Merlin laughed, remembering the little golden bird that had kept Kilgharrah company in his roost high in the mountains beyond the Perilous Lands. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over him as he realized that if he did not finish his quest he would never see him again.
With a sigh he turned back to the gate and squared his shoulders. “If all goes well, I’ll contact Pili and you can tell him yourself,” Merlin answered giving them one last nod before striding through the gate.
“Do you think they will succeed, Father?” Pili asked as Ao-Qin raised his hand and the smoke and mist filling the gate dissipated.
Ao-Qin turned to his son and looked to the monk who nodded to indicate that the urn had been given as instructed.
“We have done all we can, son,” he answered. “Now all we can do is return home and hope.”
~~~~~~~~
Temple of the Shining Scales
“There has to be a way to follow them!” Henri raged as his men searched the temple. They had arrived just in time to see Emrys and the others disappear in a flash of light, no doubt on to the next destination. Once again he had been too late and his people powerless to stop them.
“Perhaps I could be of service?” asked a soft voice from the shadows behind the altar.
“And why would you help me?” Henri demanded as the slim figure of a woman dressed in the attire of a Qin Dynasty noble woman.
“Because the man you seek broke my curse and hindered my revenge,” she answered, her jet black eyes glowing with power.
Henri turned to the Alphonse who had gone pale as the ghostly witch moved closer and sniffed in his direction. “Tell Vali the time has come,” Henri ordered, ignoring her odd behavior and eager to enact the last phase of his master plan. “We may not have an exact location, but if Vali is in place, the stones are as good as ours.”
Alphonse nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping away to relay the message.
“He has magic,” the witch observed watching him from across the room. “The spell will require more than I now possess. I must have his as well,” she explained turning her gaze back to Henri.
Henri stared into her fathomless eyes as he heard Alphonse end his call. While the valet had been invaluable to him in the past, Henri was so close to finally reaching his goal, that the sacrifice of his magic seemed a pittance to secure the Draconis Stones at long last.
“Do it,” he said keeping his gaze firmly forward as the witch raised her hand. Alphonse screamed out in pain behind him - then all was still.
“It is done,” she stated and Henri forced himself to turn around and look at the empty husk of the man who’s unwavering loyalty and now death would now aid him in finally reaching his goal.
Henri motioned for strongest of his remaining henchmen to join him and ordered the rest to meet them at the rendezvous point. “We’re ready,” he said at last, turning to where the witch waited and bracing himself for what came next.
The witch merely nodded and raised her arms to encircle Henri and his men in a funnel of wind. As the wind tore at his clothes and burned his eyes, Henri swore he heard Alphonse’s calling out to him. Deciding he was mistaken, Henri chose to ignore it until the voice made a final promise.
“An eye for an eye,” the voice whispered into his ear like a lover. As the Temple of the Shining Scales disappeared from view Henri closed his eyes and stroked his ring, allowing the voice of Drasgal inside his head calm his fears and urge him on to claim his destiny.
~~~~~~~~
Temple of the Winds
Himalayas
Gwaine emerged from the gate first and found himself inside the courtyard of a large temple covered in snow. As he turned around to get his bearings, a gust of wind rose up and pushed him forward, edging him towards an open door and thrusting him inside, slamming the door shut behind him. Alone in the darkness, Gwaine started searching for a way out. As he felt his way around a corner, he saw a lit torch in the distance and made his way towards it.
When he reached it he saw that the torch in fact marked the entrance of a large sunken chamber full of barrel upon barrel of wine and ale, with an elaborate feast set upon a table before it and a trio of beautiful women standing at attention, ready to wait on his every need.
Gwaine smirked and swaggered his way forward, smiling to himself as the women filled his cup and massaged his back as he picked up a leg of mutton and moaned in satisfaction at the savory taste of the meat.
As he chewed he looked around him and saw that there were other people in the room, huddling against the far wall: an old woman, several children, and others, all malnourished and staring at him with hungry eyes.
Disturbed by the sight, Gwaine stood up and gestured for them to come closer. After they took a few hesitant steps forward, Gwaine heard a cry and noticed that one of the women attending him had disappeared. As the old woman shuffled forward, he heard a crash and one of the barrels of ale crumbled to dust. Gwaine held up a hand and the group stopped their advance, only starting again when Gwaine gestured them forward once more. As they moved, another barrel disappeared along with the other two women. Gwaine halted the group again and gathered everything he could carry from the table and moved forward to hand it to them. As soon as he reached the group, they grabbed the food and ale from him and fell upon it like a pack of hungry wolves. Gwaine turned around go back for the rest of the food and found that everything else had disappeared. When he turned back to check on the others, he found himself alone; everyone else had disappeared.
The flicker of torchlight near an open door near the far wall caught his eye, and after scanning the walls for another way out, Gwaine began to cautiously move toward it. Once he turned the corner past the torch, he found himself in a new room with two doors. Morgana stood before the door on the left and the Queen of the White Mountain Clan before the one on the right.
“You must choose Sire,” Viorel advised as he appeared at Gwaine’s side. “The kingdom must have an heir.”
Gwaine turned back to where the two women stood. Yuan-Ki, Queen of the White Mountain Clan, turned her icy gaze in his direction and he felt a shiver of cold blow through the room as she gave him a thin smile.
“Our union is inevitable,” she said as if it had already been decided. “I am the only mate worthy of your line. Together we will build an empire that no mere human would dare challenge and give wolf-kind the power that we deserve. ”
Gwaine turned his gaze towards Morgana who merely glared back at him.
“I am no wolf,” she declared raising her chin haughtily in the air, prompting Yuan-Ki to sneer at her in disdain. Morgana ignored her and carried on. “Whoever I bind my soul to must meet me as an equal.” She lifted her hand and a wall of fire sprung up around her. “Are you strong enough to burn with and through me to make me your own?” she challenged.
Gwaine stepped back from the fire and felt an icy wind wash over him to protect him from the blaze.
“Come,” Yuan-Ki entreated holding out her arms. “While passion may burn bright, it quickly fades. Chose the path of your ancestors,” she pressed as her eyes flashed amber. “Only a true wolf can cool your heart and stand beside you to rule until the stars fade.”
Gwaine glanced back over to where Morgana stood, flames dancing in her golden eyes. Turning back to observe the regal elegance and cool demeanor of Yuan-Ki he made his choice.
“I never was one to follow tradition,” he said with a smirk and stepped forward.
~~~~~~~~
Morgana stepped through the gate and ducked as a fireball flew past her head to slam into the wall behind her.
Bitter cold winds blew through the courtyard, tossing about snow and hail, making it impossible to see her attacker. Hoping that Gwaine had found somewhere to hide, she heard a shout and saw Merlin hiding behind the immense Buddha that dominated the left side of the courtyard and crouching low started to make her way towards him.
“You alright?” he asked her as she caught her breath and another volley of fireballs slammed into the marble statue causing it to shake with the impact.
“Fine,” she answered. “Where’s Gwaine?”
“Haven’t seen him,” Merlin replied before sending a blast of energy in the direction of their attackers. “Been a bit busy.”
Morgana nodded and stole a glance around the statue, trying to determine who was attacking them, but only vague outlines were visible amidst the swirling snow.
Suddenly the winds began to subside and a voice rang out across the courtyard.
“Give us the Dragon Lord!” called out Henri as he stepped into view. Morgana glanced over at Merlin who was narrowing his eyes in his direction. “You can stop pretending now, Morgana,” he continued as a group of armed men started to surround them. “You have fulfilled your mission to gain Emrys’ trust. I am sure Mordred would be most grateful.”
Merlin turned to face her and Morgana shook her head. “He’s lying,” she said, hoping he would believe her. “I swore an oath, remember?”
“Come Emrys, you must have known she would break even the strongest oath to satisfy her vengeance,” Henri scoffed. “She even betrayed Aithusa to secure your trust.”
“You’re a liar!” Morgana cried out as she stepped from her hiding place to confront him.
“A leopard doesn’t change its spots and neither did you,” Henri replied with a smile as Merlin moved from his hiding place to join her.
“You can’t have him,” Morgana answered pushing Merlin behind her. “Mordred took his vengeance too far. This ends now!”
Henri laughed and flung a ball of black fire in her direction. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” he asked with a sinister grin as she slammed her fists against the energy field in which she was now trapped, trying to escape. “After all this was your plan, Morgana,” he added causing her to stop and stare at him in disbelief. “Altering your memory so that you would forget; it was pure genius and made you the perfect weapon.”
Merlin’s face was stony as he turned to face her. “Is this true?” he asked, his eyes stormy with an anger she had not seen in centuries.
“No!” she answered, hoping he would believe her. “I made a promise, Merlin. I’m not that person anymore. I would never turn my back on you.”
Merlin searched her face and smiled. “I trust you, Morgana,” he whispered before turning to face Henri. “Release her,” he ordered.
Henri smirked and raised his hand. “No.”
Morgana screamed as a blast of dark magic slammed into Merlin before he could raise his hand to stop it.
The walls of her prison shattered and she ran forward to pull his head into her lap as she desperately tried to heal him.
“Come on,” she pleaded as she whispered spell after spell to no avail.
“You can’t save him,” Henri informed her as he crouched before them.
“The hell I can’t,” she whispered, blasting Henri away from them as she gathered her strength and uttered one last spell, an incantation that would trade her life for his.
As the spell took hold and as Merlin’s eyes fluttered open she greeted oblivion with a smile, knowing that her friend was safe.
But the darkness only lasted a moment.
The first thing she registered was being enclosed by a pair of strong arms, quickly followed by the warmth of a mouth capturing her lips in a fiery kiss that caused her magic to tingle all the way down to her toes.
As she came up for air, a familiar voice chuckled and Morgana quickly pushed herself away from Gwaine as she tried to get her bearings.
“So waking the fair maiden with true love’s kiss was not another challenge then?” Gwaine questioned as Morgana caught her breath. “Pity,” he said with a small pout, ignoring the glare he got in return. “Still, if you’re the real thing and so am I, we must have passed,” he observed, noting that the winds that had assaulted him upon arrival had finally died down.
“But where’s Merlin?” Morgana replied trying to change the subject and doing her best to not stare at Gwaine’s mouth.
A crash came from behind them as Merlin burst out of the temple doors to join them in the courtyard.
“Everyone alright?” he asked panting for breath and looking like he had seen a ghost.
“Fine,” Gwaine answered. “You?”
“Bit of a surreal experience but I’ll survive,” he replied glancing at Morgana. “You look a bit flushed, are you okay?”
Morgana stole a glance in Gwaine’s direction and tried not to blush. “I’m fine,” she snapped reaching down to grab her backpack from the ground. “Let’s get moving shall we?” she added before turning on her heel and making her way towards the other side of the courtyard where another archway led deeper into the mountains.
Merlin saw Gwaine frown at her attitude before following suit. Still shaken from his experience within the halls of the temple, Merlin shuddered at the thought of what he had seen. Adjusting the strap on his satchel, he pushed his fears aside and followed his friends. As they stepped through the archway and made their way towards the long suspension bridge that hung over the chasm at the edge of the temple, he promised himself that after today if he ever saw the real Arthur again, he would tell his friend the truth about just how deep his feelings ran and damn the consequences.
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