TOAFK - An Age of Darkness - Part I
Title: The Once and Future King
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Pretty Gen, like The Sword in the Stone, but with eventual (by fan vote) Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Lancelot. Luned/Laudine, Kay/Gareth, Morgana/Urien, Uther/Igraine. Other pairings will be added as chapters with them are posted.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: up to 3x08
A/N: This is a sequel to The Sword in the Stone, and you should definitely read that before reading this.
Summary: Arthur knows of Merlin's magic, but their destiny has only begun. The journey to uniting the lands of Albion is long and filled with danger. Presented in 14 parts. Click Here for Masterpost.
Chapter Summary: While Merlin struggles to understand the changes in his life, a darkness is growing in the north. Morgause is gone but enemies of Camelot still remain and an old friend turned foe marches for Camelot, a small army of magic users at his back. Now Morgana must make a difficult choice and Merlin must attempt to once again change a fate the Great Dragon has foretold. And reunited with Mordred, will Morgana's loyalty to Arthur hold true?
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Now is when you should start asking for any deleted scenes you want me to write, so I can get those done and out to you. Anything you want to see between any of these characters, from chapter 1 to chapter 14.
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Part XII - An Age of Darkness
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Gwen walked through the halls of Camelot castle, passing servants going this way and that, steadily coming closer to the king's chambers. As she entered the hallway where the rooms were located, she heard a clatter and then Arthur's familiar voice.
"You complete idiot! Get out! Get out before I throw you in the stocks!"
Dashing out of Arthur's room, Luke nearly crashed into Gwen. He stumbled to a stop and clutched the wall, eyes wide and clothing rumpled, his cheeks flushed red. The maid wasn't sure if he was terrified or ticked off.
"Luke," she said, shocked, "What happened?"
The young blonde shook his head and scowled. "His highness is having a fit," he said. "Yesterday breakfast was 'too cold' even though it was steaming. He beat me senseless on the training field yesterday afternoon and then let his knights have a go at me too. And now I was stoking the fire and he threw a book at me for moving too slow."
Gwen frowned. That didn't sound like the Arthur she had come to know so well. Something had to be wrong. Now she was even more glad she had come.
Luke glared at the stone. "Merlin said he's a good man and I thought I was beginning to see it, but this is impossible!"
The dark skinned woman placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. His eyes snapped to meet hers. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him."
"To the king?" Luke asked, voice incredulous.
A nod. "Yes. Sometimes he needs to be put in his place, just like everyone else. There are just so few who can do it right." As far as Gwen was aware, only she, Merlin, and Morgana could tell Arthur off without some sort of punishment.
Letting Luke head off toward Gaius' chambers, Gwen quietly let herself into Arthur's room. All of the equipment for stoking a fire was scattered across the floor with a book amidst the mess. Arthur's desk was a battlefield of papers, crumpled and ripped up and ink splattered. And the king himself was sitting in the window, head leaning on the glass and staring down into the courtyard.
At the sound of the door shutting, Arthur snapped, "I thought I told you to get out."
"You said no such thing and I will not obey if you do," Gwen told him in the most authoritative voice she could manage.
Arthur jumped, lifting his head and staring at her with a guilty expression. "Guinevere." He sighed and ruffled his hair. "I apologize. I thought you were-"
"Luke," Gwen interrupted him easily. "Yes. I saw him in the hall looking a bit frazzled. He doesn't understand what's wrong with you."
That got a bitter snort from the king. "That's not surprising," he said, his voice matching his snort for bitterness. His eyes drifted out the window again. "Even I'm not quite sure what's wrong with me."
Gwen took a deep breath and then took the few steps to cross the room to where Arthur was seated. She looked him over, in his white unlaced top with messily rolled up sleeves and wrinkled brown pants - not his most kingly attire. His hair was mussed from him running his hands through it too often and his gaze was distant, a frown pulling at his lips.
Then her eyes traveled out the window to where the king was looking. The courtyard. Surprisingly, the courtyard was mostly empty at the moment. A serving girl was carrying a basket toward a side hall's entrance, but other than that there was only one person down there. Merlin was dressed in his usual Court Sorcerer outfit - dark pants, blue shirt, red neckerchief, all made of fine fabrics he could never have dreamed of wearing as a peasant. He was frowning down at an open book in his lap and leaning against one of the stone statues at the base of the main stairs. As she watched, Gwen saw Luke come bounding out of the doors and hurry over to him.
Arthur let out a long breath that, from anyone else, Gwen would've called a sigh. Then he leaned his head on the glass once more and shut his eyes.
"Why are you doing this?" Gwen asked quietly.
"Doing what?" Arthur asked, his voice tired.
"Shutting Merlin out," Gwen explained briefly. Arthur tensed but didn't respond. "He doesn't understand, you know? He thinks he's done something wrong but he doesn't know what it was so he doesn't know how to fix it."
For a long moment, the room was silent. Gwen almost thought she wouldn't get an answer and would have to ask again.
Then Arthur took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "He can't fix it," he said, "because there's nothing to fix."
Gwen frowned. "Well that's a lie if I ever heard one." She got a piercing look for that and put her hands on her hips. "Arthur, you're actually trying to write your own speeches," she said, aghast, pointing at the parchment cluttered table, which made Arthur blush. "You never do that. As long as he's been here, it was Merlin's job to write your speeches. And he's sitting out there reading a book and looking miserable because you won't talk to him. You haven't talked to him since you all got back from The Temple of the Sun."
Arthur frowned. "I have to-" At Gwen's withering look his sentence trailed off. This time there was no other word for what Arthur did except sigh. "Things changed at the temple," Arthur said. "I'm not sure how to behave now."
"What happened?" she asked. "No one seems to want to talk about it." Not even Lancelot would tell her, only saying she should ask Merlin or Arthur about it.
The king didn't answer. Instead he got up and moved to throw away all the ruined papers on his desk. Gwen watched him work for a few moments, his movements stiff and deliberately slow. Whatever had happened must have been awful for Arthur, and it involved Merlin. And that meant really only one thing.
Walking over to Arthur, Gwen grabbed him gently yet firmly by the upper arm and forced him to face her. "Arthur," she said, her tone matching her grip. He looked her in the eyes. "Merlin may have been hurt on that trip," and she didn't miss the way Arthur flinched but tried to hide it, "but what you're doing now? That is hurting him too. Remember that."
Tension flooded from Arthur and his shoulders dropped several inches. "I know. Trust me, I know."
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There were many things Morgana's gift of foresight allowed her to see in advanced. Thus, she was hardly ever surprised. But having Merlin turn up in her room just before she would begin to prepare for bed was one of those rare moments. One look at his serious face and Morgana sent Gwen away to fetch something from the kitchens. While her friend and maid was not fooled by the nonchalant request at all, she did leave them alone without question. It was likely she would spend some time with Lancelot before venturing back to this room.
"What's wrong?" Morgana asked as soon as the door was shut. Had he had a vision again?
Merlin shook his head. "Morgana," he said, and his voice sounded lost. It was a tone that scared Morgana more than many of her visions had. "I don't know what to do."
"About what?" the lady asked, her voice less demanding than it had been a moment ago.
Merlin looked down at his hands and then clenched them into fists. "You remember the phoenix egg? And how you saw me die? And you begged me not to go but I didn't listen? And I died?"
She nodded. It wasn't that long ago that Merlin had left on that fateful trip. And it was hard to forget her vision of Morgause killing him, of Merlin lying lifeless on the stone floor in that room, clutching the phoenix egg, of Arthur's pained cry when he didn't get back up.
Oh. Was this about Arthur, perhaps? Morgana had noticed how Arthur avoided Merlin, no doubt due to some misplaced guilt or fear left over from Merlin dying. When Gwen had mentioned noticing the same behaviors, Morgana had encouraged her to go speak with Arthur about her concerns. Gwen had returned seeming pleased but concerned, so Morgana had to assume the talk went at least mildly well.
Unaware of Morgana's thoughts, Merlin continued. "Something happened in the temple. The phoenix brought me back to life, but something changed." He shook his head. "I don't know how big the changes are, and I don't know what to do about them."
Yes, big changes were occurring. Arthur had been forced to imagine life without Merlin and now was stupidly trying to get used to that life without needing to. Arthur was more aware than ever of his feelings toward Merlin and was handling them poorly. But hopefully Gwen had helped mend that void a bit.
Morgana smiled and moved to take Merlin's hands in her own. He jumped and looked into her eyes. "I know my brother can be a bit thick at times," she said, "but don't worry. This is a big change for him, as you said. Give him time and he'll come around. You haven't lost him." She squeezed his hands. "Arthur could never stay away from you for long, Merlin."
For a moment, Merlin just stared at her without blinking. Just when his blank stare was beginning to worry her, Merlin closed his eyes. He nodded, rough and only once.
"Right, yes, of course," he said, a feeble smile fighting for purchase on his face. "Right. Arthur. He-I hope it doesn't take him too long."
He only stayed a moment longer, just enough time to thank her, squeeze her hands in return, and leave. Morgana was left feeling like she had missed something obvious. It wasn't an emotion she was used to having and she didn't like it. Merlin had come to talk to her about Arthur, right? About the changes occurring in their relationship? Or maybe not. Maybe he'd been trying to say something else and Morgana had blown right past it.
From now on, she would need to pay closer attention to Merlin and her brother in order to figure it out. She didn't enjoy being in the dark. She wanted to help.
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The next day found Merlin and Arthur brought together once more, but for official business. In the throne room, a man in a dark green robe stood before Arthur on the throne, Merlin at his right hand. There were guards at the door as usual.
"Greetings," Arthur said amiably with a nod toward his guest. "I was told you requested a meeting with both myself and the Court Sorcerer. Who might you be?"
The man nodded, his brown hair shaking where it hung to his chin. He pulled the hood from his cloak off, revealing a middle aged visage and shadows under his eyes.
"My name is Accolon," he introduced himself with his head held high, "and I am here as an emissary for my people."
"And who are your people?" Arthur asked.
"My people are all those who still practice the Old Religion, the magic users across your land," Accolon stated proudly. "We have decided that it is not your right to sit upon the throne of Camelot, to rule Albion, when you have persecuted and murdered so many of our kind."
Merlin jolted beside the king. Neither he nor Morgana had heard of such a decision, had any visions, or been approached at all. Surely one of them would have been asked to a meeting if magic users had doubts about the king?
Arthur was steady in his seat. "And what would you have me do?" His voice was calm, a leading question with an answer he thought he already knew.
"You must abdicate from the throne and allow a magic user of our leader's choosing to rule in your place," Accolon said.
Their leader? Who was the leader of all magic people? Merlin had been hailed and bowed to by many druids and magic users, but even he didn't think he was considered a leader of sorcerers.
"And who would your leader choose?" Arthur questioned.
Accolon gave them both a mildly wide eyed look, as if the answer should be obvious. "Why there is only one person the young lord Mordred believes capable," he said. "The Lady Morgana, a powerful seer and witch with royal blood running in her veins."
Arthur barked a laugh. Always Morgana. Morgause had wanted Morgana on the throne and so did Mordred. No one demanded he give his throne to Merlin, despite his apparently legendary status, perhaps because Arthur had claimed him as part of the prophesy surrounding his reign.
"Morgana has noble blood," Arthur said, "but it isn't a king's blood. Why are you so insistent that she is the one to rule?"
Now Accolon gave Arthur a look he wasn't used to - as if the slightly older gentleman thought he was slow in the head.
"Of course she does. The Pendragon bloodline runs within her as it does in you. Uther Pendragon fathered you both," he announced. "And she will be made queen of Albion or all of Camelot will face the consequences."
While Arthur's mind was reeling, attempting to reconcile the sudden fact that the woman he had always considered a sister was actually his sister with what he'd always known to be true, Merlin continued the conversation with their guest.
"And what are the consequences?" he asked, his deeper voice echoing in the hall.
Accolon looked him directly in the eyes, expression hateful toward the sorcerer who willingly stood by Arthur's side. "We all have magic. If you do not comply, we will raze Camelot to the ground and build a new shining capital upon its ruins. You have three days to leave before we come for the throne."
Without waiting for any response from either man, Accolon turned and walked from the room with the air of a man who had done everything he was meant to, or perhaps more.
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"Morgana!" the king shouted as he banged on her door.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Could you be any louder?" he quipped.
Arthur glared at the door for just a moment, and then it opened to reveal Morgana herself standing on the other side.
"What in Albion are you doing?" she snapped. "The kingdom had better be in danger for that level of racket."
It seemed Arthur, for all his rushing up here and banging, had frozen stiff beside Merlin. The dark haired man nodded for him.
"A sorcerer came and demanded Arthur give up the throne because magic users had decided he wasn't fit to rule and told us that their leader wanted you on the throne," he informed her quickly.
Morgana blinked at him for a few seconds. Then she let out an aggravated sigh and let them in. As the door shut behind the two men she said, "You know, I once had aspirations of ruling the kingdom. Now I wish everyone would stop trying to make them come true. I'm tired of everyone trying to replace Arthur with me. It only causes trouble."
Merlin grinned. "Well, personally, I thought the attempts would stop now that Morgause is gone," he paused, "but I forgot you have another fan."
The dark haired lady lifted a curious eyebrow. "And who might that be?"
"Mordred."
Now Merlin had two speechless royals on his hands.
"The visitor, Accolon, said that their leader was 'the young lord Mordred' and that he had personally chosen you for the throne," he continued. "I'm guessing he never forgave Arthur or I for the attack on the druid camp, so he doesn't believe Arthur really means it when he says magic users aren't to be persecuted anymore. And he remembers your time together as well, how kind you were to him."
Morgana walked over to her vanity table and tapped the desktop thoughtfully, staring down at the wood grain. "I never thought we would be on opposing sides," she murmured. "Even when I considered leaving Camelot to go live with the druids, it never really occurred to me to turn against Camelot. Not until Morgause appeared did I begin to believe that was the only way. So to think Mordred would-"
"You were going to leave and live with the druids?" Arthur piped up suddenly.
Morgana turned to look at him, her gaze unconcerned. "Yes," she nodded. "When I began to realize that my dreams were based in magic, I feared for my life. I thought perhaps leaving would be the best idea. Obviously, my plans were interrupted and I didn't go, but I did try."
"You would have gone, even though you are a Pendragon?" Arthur asked, his voice harder than a moment ago. It wasn't an accusation, not quite, but it clearly displayed both his confusion and his aggravation that he had to learn about it through an enemy sorcerer.
As for Morgana, she was shocked. Her eyes widened for a few long moments as she collected her thoughts. Then, in an oddly shy move, she lowered her gaze to the ground.
"At the time, I didn't know I was Uther's daughter," she said quietly.
Arthur jerked, even though he had expected a similar response. "So when I called you sister, or referred to myself as your brother-"
Morgana smiled. "You weren't lying, even though the way you meant it wasn't the truth. If it makes you feel better, Arthur, I only learned about our familial connection shortly before you convinced me to leave Morgause."
There was a moment of quiet where brother and sister stared at each other. Morgana wore a patient expression while Arthur looked as though he were seeing Morgana for the first time. After a full minute, Arthur took the three steps between them and wrapped Morgana in a hug, surprising both magic users in the room. Arthur wasn't big on hugs.
"I'm sorry," Arthur said.
"For what?" Morgana asked, unsure of whether to hug him in return or not.
Arthur shrugged. "For not being your brother when it would have mattered most, I suppose."
Now Morgana laughed once and used her hands to grab Arthur's shoulders and peel him off her. He went willingly.
"Arthur, you have been exactly who and what you are for every moment of my life. You were always my sibling when I needed you to be," she assured him with a light lilt to her voice and a teasing glint to her eyes. "There's no need to be overly sentimental."
Merlin cleared his throat to remind them that he was in the room. "This means I've been surrounded by Pendragons on all sides for years," he quipped. "There was never any chance of escape for me."
Morgana gave him a disbelieving look. "As if you ever really wanted to leave."
And Merlin had to give her that. Even when Arthur had been at his worst, Merlin hadn't truly ever considered leaving. The only time it really crossed his mind was when Freya had been in town. Other than that, nothing had ever been worth enough or bad enough to make him take one step outside of Camelot without Arthur at his side or awaiting his return. Not even Arthur's belligerent attitude or lack of proper shows of affection bothered Merlin for long.
He shook his head, as much to get himself back on subject as to erase the hint of bitterness that was climbing up his throat that Morgana got a hug from Arthur while Merlin had never felt that brand of comfort from his king.
"Mordred's got men, sorcerers, ready to attack Camelot," he said, moving the conversation back on subject. "We'll need all the magic on our side that we can get."
In all this time, Morgana had never revealed to anyone that she was magic, not even since Arthur lifted the ban or appointed Merlin his Court Sorcerer. It was easy to forget no one else knew since the three of them did, and Luke and Gaius - though it was possible a guard or two knew, they never said a word. But if Morgana fought at Merlin's side in three days, her secret would be out. The entire city, the entire kingdom, would know she had magic.
Morgana nodded, her dark hair falling over her shoulders. "I'll work with Luke and Gaius on possible spells and strategies the sorcerers might use, and I'll make some potions for the knights to take that will increase their natural abilities a bit, but...I'm not sure if I'm ready to let everyone see me as I am yet."
Arthur lightly and briefly touched her arm, drawing her attention from Merlin.
"Your assistance is much appreciated, Morgana. Anything you can do is enough."
Morgana snorted at his soft tone and smacked him in the arm, earning a petulant frown. "I said don't get sentimental. I can still beat you with a sword. I don't need you to treat me like a flower now that you know we're related."
Now the king looked like he'd been slapped. "I-You-That's-You cannot beat me with a sword!" he exclaimed. "I am the greatest warrior in all of Camelot."
"Shame, isn't it?"
Merlin would've chuckled at their familiar banter except that he had just realized that Arthur hadn't looked at him or spoken to him at all since they nodded greetings to each other in the throne room. What had he done?
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For the next three days, Merlin stayed holed up in Gaius's chambers reading every magic text he could find in the city. Morgana worked with Luke, teaching him how to make the strength enhancing potions and one to increase his own magic abilities for a short time - though she warned that it would exhaust him once the effects wore off. Gaius prepared bandages and salves and creams and medicines for those who would be injured in the coming battle.
Arthur didn't come to the tower chambers. Morgana told Merlin he was talking strategy with his knights and having meetings with his council, but Merlin never saw him. There was something wrong about that, but they didn't have time to fix it right now. Still, the sudden cold distance made Merlin feel hollow, as if part of him was missing.
He wanted to go directly to Arthur, impending battle or not, and demand to know what had changed. Arthur had been Merlin's friend for years, he had been Arthur's confidant and consul. They had spent the Festival of Love together, for gods sakes. Merlin had thought they were on a path together, the one Miss Dwynwen had spoken of when she foretold Merlin's love life even. Now Arthur was acting like Merlin didn't exist and Merlin thought it probably hurt more than being beheaded would. What had gone wrong?!
After the battle. Merlin would confront Arthur after the battle. The battle mattered more right now. He had to focus.
During the second morning, Merlin found the spell he had wanted. It would create a barrier equal in strength to the sorcerer who cast it, and the stronger the caster the bigger the barrier could become. The downsides to the spell was that if the barrier was breeched, the caster would be too weak to defend themselves from any other attack, and that any other spells he used would be weaker while the barrier existed. But if Merlin was strong enough, if the spell was done just right, he could save so many lives.
He spent the remaining time before the battle practicing making small barriers around his bed or discarded clothing. By the time the sun had begun to set on the third day and the warning bells began to ring, Merlin thought he had it down pretty well. He was as ready as he would ever be.
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"My lady?" Gwen called as she knocked on Morgana's chamber door and entered the room. Morgana was standing by the window in a pose reminiscent of Arthur's only days before. "You sent for me?"
Morgana nodded and turned from the fading light to wander into the middle of the room. "Arthur has been king for many months now," she started, running her hand along the post at the end of her bed. "You are aware that an army of sorcerers is on its way here in an attempt to overthrow him?"
A nod. "Yes." Gwen closed the door softly, understanding that whatever Morgana wanted to talk about was serious and best kept in private. "The knights have been training tirelessly and I haven't seen Merlin in days."
"Merlin, yes, exactly," Morgana said with a small smile, relief lightly dusting her expression like the perfect blush. "How much do you know about what Merlin has been doing lately?"
Gwen had wondered, months ago now, how much Morgana knew about Merlin and his magic. Arthur had told her to ask Morgana about it, but she had been uncertain how to broach the subject. At first, she had wanted to fully come to terms with Merlin's magic before she brought it up to anyone else so that she didn't say something she didn't mean in a fit of nerves. It had taken a trip to pick flowers for Morgana, where Merlin had made flowers bloom all around her, for Gwen to stop flinching whenever he moved unexpectedly.
It wasn't until Merlin was named Court Sorcerer that Morgana admitted she'd already known about his magic. Gwen wasn't upset with her, though Morgana had obviously felt guilty about keeping it hidden from her best friend, because she had known and hadn't told Morgana either. But still, they rarely talked about it, unless Merlin had done something specifically noticeable with his magic, like the rings for the festival or training Luke or something of the like.
"He's...doing something with magic, I would assume," Gwen said slowly, not sure where her friend was going with this.
Morgana nodded. "He's looking for ways to better defend the king and the city," she said. "But while he's been doing that, others have also been using magic to prepare as well. Gaius is preparing medical supplies with a charm to encourage healing and prevent diseases. Luke is busy making potions to increase the strength of the knights temporarily. But Merlin is busy with his own business and he's never been very good at potions in any case, and Gaius' magic is old and weak from disuse. So..." Morgana took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself before continuing. "I've been helping him in their stead."
For a few moments, Gwen just stared at her. She seemed to be implying that she had magic, that she knew how to mix potions, that she was a sorceress. The stiff way she held herself and the way her eyes were fixed on Gwen's shoulder instead of her face told Gwen all she needed to know about Morgana's nerves.
But Gwen had been working for Morgana since they were both children. Morgana should really know better.
"You first asked me to stay in the antechamber overnight when we were thirteen," Gwen stated simply. The strange topic was enough to make Morgana actually look at her. "We stayed up far too late. I brushed your hair until it felt like silk and you braided flowers into my curls. You even let me try on one of your gowns, though I was terrified Uther would come in at any moment. In the end we only went to bed because you couldn't keep your eyes open and fell asleep mid-complaint about being told you couldn't practice swordsmanship anymore."
Gwen walked until she was only two steps from Morgana, at the other end of the foot of the bed. She mimicked Morgana by putting her hand on the post, then met the lady's eyes.
"I had barely laid my head down when you started screaming," she continued. "It was the first time you had a nightmare that wasn't about your father. And you were so frightened that you told me all about the man in red who was speared by a boar. Two days later, one of the squires was killed during a hunting party, and you made yourself sick by not eating or sleeping for days."
Morgana gave a bitter smile. "Uther ordered Gaius to give me sleeping droughts after I collapsed in the hallway." She shook her head. "About all that. Gwen-"
"I've been with you for years and you've had countless nightmares since that night," Gwen interrupted, only feeling mildly guilty about it. "I thought for awhile that you were cursed by some evil sorcerer. For a short time I entertained the idea that you were a banshee, able to sense death and chaos before it happened. But I didn't say anything, to anyone, because I feared what the king would do to you."
"Gwen," Morgana said softly, her gaze warm. She made to reach out, but stopped herself, and Gwen frowned.
"Morgana. What I mean is, if my second guess was closer to the truth...If your dreams are prophetic and you have magic, I don't care," Gwen assured her, taking Morgana's hand in both of her own. "It hasn't corrupted you. You aren't evil. You are my friend, as you always have been. All this means is that you have a special gift, just like Merlin."
A tear slid down Morgana's cheek. "Oh, Gwen," she whispered before pulling the servant to her in a fierce hug. "If only I were as brave as you."
This didn't feel like bravery, but Gwen didn't contest it. She wrapped her arms tight around Morgana in return. "You are," she whispered into dark hair. "You're one of the bravest people I know."
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And again, livejournal says the post is 'too large.' Once more unto the breach.