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Emerald and Sapphire	By : Christina_Potter_09 Category: M through R > Merlin (BBC) > Merlin (BBC) Views: 3093 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin BBC, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Emerald and Sapphire
Chapter Four – Queen of Spades
Camelot was a different place from what Merlin had first saw when he joined the Pendragon court. Someone would expect that after the tyranny of Uther’s and the dark eight days of Morgana’s reign, Arthur would have been the one to fulfill the great destiny they all knew he had ahead of him, yet nothing great was happening, on the contrary, the kingdom was falling apart little by little no matter how hard Arthur tried to keep it united.
These were Merlin’s thoughts as he entered the court by the great gates. He had been away for the past days, out in the forest to collect some herbs he needed as after Gaius’ execution, Merlin was the one to deal with injuries and traumas until a better physician could have the position.
Merlin sighed at the memory of his beloved Mentor, after Morgana’s disappearance with Morgause in her arms, and after Uther Pendragon had recovered from what had happened, he had became more paranoid than ever against magic, the thought of his own ward, his own daughter being a witch under his nose drove him in the edge of sanity and he desperately wanted to find at least one person –beside himself- to blame, and that person had been Gaius.
Gaius once practiced magic, like Uther was very well aware of, he also knew that Gaius had helped in Morgause’s survival, and he was the one to know about Morgana’s dreams from the very beginning, he was the one to help her with her nightmares, these unconnected with each other facts made Uther believe that Gaius had helped the two half sisters to materialize their plans against Camelot and soon, the stake he once had achieved to avoid was set for him, and none had made it to save him.
After that, Uther drowned in his own fear and paranoia over what Morgana was doing and when she would strike, the final blow came after a few short months, when Arthur returned injured by a fight with the druids and Uther’s heart failed at the sight of his son almost dying. They never knew if this attack had been mastered by Morgana or someone else. There were whispers about her going to Avalon for a while and returning deep in the forest, whispers of all the magical races of humans and semi-humans with magical powers wanting her back on the throne and happily accepting her as their queen, even if she had been dethroned.
And on the other side, Merlin thought, there was no Queen as Guinevere had failed almost everyone. Merlin never understood why Arthur and Gwen didn’t make it, at first, they had seemed like Phoenixes, rising from the ashes Morgana had left behind her, but shortly after, they too, were falling apart and there was none to blame but the loyal couple for that, the couple and maybe a knight of Arthur’s, Lancelot.
And along the marriage of no significance, more problems had arose for Camelot. Gwen was of the New Religion, like Arthur, but the neighboring kingdoms knew well that a king and a servant’s marriage means nothing in alliances and treaties, and soon, they were clamming parts of Camelot. This along with the magical problems inside the country but out of the city’s walls, had Arthur away from the castle for long periods and his knights worried of seeing the army being depleted day by day by different forces.
After yet another long period of time, Arthur had returned not to find his Queen but an empty room and a note on a nightstand, explaining briefly that their differences were greater than what they once felt and that their marriage would lead nowhere.
What had scared Merlin the most, was that Arthur hadn’t been devastated as someone would expect of the young King to be. He was angry, furious, humiliated, betrayed, but not sad, not devastated at the loss of the woman he supposedly loved with all his heart, he was furious at her betrayal and the way Lancelot repaid him for making his finest knight, but apart that, Arthur was not sad.
And Merlin, with a fear in his heart knew why, deep down, he knew, he had heard Arthur whispering Her name in his sleep, when he would get inside the royal bedroom to take the dirty laundry. And he knew Gwen –while she was in Camelot- had heard him as well. Arthur’s thoughts were back to Her, the woman he clearly could not have, his sister, his traitor, his nemesis, Morgana.
Morgana, one name, so many faces, so many ways to describe that woman. She had been a friend, maybe even a crush, an enemy, an ally, a lost soul, the nemesis of Camelot, and yet, the people out of the palace still wanted her back on the throne, still saw her as the hope of their kind, and how could Merlin blame them? Uther had been so heartless towards them, Merlin’s kind and one of Uther’s children had given those people hope while the other hadn’t convinced them.
The people out of the city’s walls saw her as the Crescent Goddess’ Priestess, the one to save them from the stake and the fear, the one to make Camelot what once was, a fee country of Magic and the Old Religion… None accepted to refer to her as Morgana Pendragon, even if she was the one, the youngest, yet the only female of the line, everyone knew her of her maternal name, Morgana le Fay, the princess, the Queen, the Sorceress to lead them all. The whispers with her titles screamed the truth, Camelot had two kingdoms, one of the simple people under Arthur’s commands and the other, the mystical, the magical of his sister, Morgana’s.
Merlin snapped out of his thoughts as a maid rushed close to him and stopped before him before she could speak.
‘The king wants to speak with you, immediately, in the throne room.’ The maid said and Merlin looked at her quizzically. Usually the first person he was to see after his return was Arthur, he never needed someone to summon him to see the King, obviously Arthur had ordered to see him the soonest.
‘I’m on my way,’ Merlin said finally and moved towards the chamber of the throne, he had thought firs to go to his quarters, where he and Gaius once stayed but he guessed it was something important so he decided to do that later.
The doors of the room were opened by the guards and Merlin wondered how there were so few servants around the corridors he had walked through, he pushed the thought out of his head, like every other thought, at the sight of Arthur, seated on the throne and by his side, none else but Morgana was standing, one of her hands holding the back of the throne while the other was firmly held into a fist close to her hip.
Merlin was shocked, his feet led him before the Pendragons on their own accord, he couldn’t believe his eyes. After a year and a half, she had kept her promise, this wasn’t over.
‘Wha—what- is she-‘ Merlin stammered but the young woman with the same piercing emerald eyes spoke before he could force himself to complete a sentence.
‘Surprised to see me here, Merlin?’ she asked with a cold voice, the same voice she had screamed in furry and pain while she cradled her sister, the woman Merlin had killed, his stomach kicked uncomfortably but his heart literally dropped at the sight of Arthur’s calm demeanor.
Morgana watched Merlin’s shocked face in wild satisfaction, the fall of a traitor, what goes around, comes around and now it was time for the young warlock to feel how she had felt, multiple times, betrayed, suffocating, threatened, terrified.
‘Arthur, what… is she doing here?’ Merlin finally asked and Morgana bit on her tongue hard not to speak yet as it was time for Arthur to deal with this. She had returned just a few hours prior and Arthur and she had decided to deal with Merlin before anyone else, Arthur was already a step away from annulling his marriage to Guinevere. He would have another meeting for him and Morgana to start over, a heated meeting Morgana was sure of but she couldn’t wait, after Merlin, to take care of that snake, Sir Leon.
‘Morgana, is back, Merlin, here in Camelot, she will be my Queen, we’ll unite the nation, we’ll unite Albion.’ Arthur said calmly and Morgana felt her chest filling with even greater joy at Merlin’s widening eyes. A rush of emotions was painted on his face, fear, disbelief, regret, disgust.
‘This is impossible… she’s your sister… she dethroned you… you must be under a spell, Arthur,’ Merlin said in a shocked voice, a voice beaten by the shock and the terror, how could this sunny day turn so dark?
‘And how you’re going to find out, young warlock? Ask the Great Dragon? Or use some of the tricks Gaius taught you?’ Morgana finally snapped without being able to stop herself, this young man had the nerve to speak of her enchanting Arthur when he was the one using Magic literally under Arthur’s nose for the past years.
A dead silence fell between the three young people, Merlin’s eyes were looking between the half-siblings, both in their royal clothes like they once were, and them looking at him with wild eyes.
‘You owe me explanations,’ Arthur said in a cold voice he usually used on foreign ambassadors when yet another rival was announced. Merlin felt his heart kicking harder than ever before. Somehow, in the few days he was gone, Morgana had returned to Camelot and revealed to Arthur a lot of things, she once had the weapon of him try to kill her, now she had used the weapon of knowing of his nature.
‘You thought I wouldn’t find out, Merlin? Apart of a Sorceress, I’m also a Seer… for how long would you hide?’ Morgana asked in the same cold tone Arthur had used.
‘Tell me that she’s lying, tell me that you didn’t try to kill her twice, tell me that you’re not a warlock and you haven’t been using magic all this time…’ Arthur said before a tantrum could erupt between his once best friend and his future Queen. Ever since Morgana had left for the forests, Arthur had considered the ups and downs of creating a union with her, and even if indeed, Morgana and he had the same blood, he couldn’t feel like it, he knew her since he was a boy but for years, he was in love with her, for years, he desired her, and the simple truth of being half related meant nothing to him before his love for her and the future she had promised him, the future Camelot deserved. But along with that future, more things had been revealed, things of the past and present. ‘I am waiting, Merlin,’ Arthur added and Merlin took a deep breath and tried to think of somehow getting out of this situation, once the Great Dragon had told him that his future had been intertwined with Morgana’s, he just had no idea how much.
‘I… I – She’s—I did it all only to protect you and many times to protect your father,’ Merlin tried and Morgana snorted but Arthur raised his palm for her to pause her reaction as he needed to hear both sides of the story. Merlin tried to feel encouraged but failed as he knew the next question wouldn’t be an easy to answer.
‘Why you never said a word? Why you hid such a thing from me?’ Arthur asked and Merlin looked back at the man on the throne in fear, apart Morgana’s return and the unknown to him ways of her standing there now, between them, Merlin knew deep down that sooner or later, this time would come, of him explaining to Arthur why he never trusted him with the secret, while he asked, if not demanded of trust and friendship.
‘Because… because I saw many times how you countered magic, how you saw magical people, I… just wanted to protect you,’ Merlin tried and Arthur remained cold, unmoving, as if taken some of this coldness from the woman in green by his side.
‘Why you wanted to protect me so much? What was the motive?’ Arthur asked and Merlin sighed, now that he thought about it, it was impossible to explain to Arthur that the Great Dragon had spoken of his destiny and now that he considered in the cruel light of reality, it was selfish.
‘I have seen in the future that you and I will have a great destiny, it was to fulfill my destiny and in the meantime to help you become one of the best kings history ever spoke of.’ Merlin this time said and Morgana snorted again.
‘And this was revealed to you by the Great Dragon? Did the beast forget to tell you that there are so many futures before us that hardly more than one or two are accurate? I guess the one to be materialized will be the one I saw… because you will be sent to the stake.’ Morgana finally said in furry but Arthur held her hand as to stop her from launching on the young man before them.
‘Morgana… enough, please,’ he said in a serious tone and the young woman looked furiously at the warlock before her.
‘You killed my sister, you poisoned me and made me fall from the stairs, you made me reach the edge of insanity when the only thing I needed was some comfort, a thread of reality in what was happening to me, yet you knew and never said a word, you knew and you hid yourself in your rat-hole while Uther executed the people of our kind!’ Morgana now was screaming and Arthur wasn’t just holding her hand, he was clasping at it for her to remain by his side.
‘You would have killed us all,’ Merlin found the strength to argue, only to make Morgana even more furious.
‘I was aiming for Uther! YOUR betrayal and my sister’s spells drove me against you all! You all used me!’Morgana shrieked again, she knew she had been manipulated by Morgause but she had followed her sister’s last words, she couldn’t hate her, after all, Morgause was the only one who had accepted Morgana for what she was and not whose ward she was.
‘How could I possibly know about your sister’s spells?’ Merlin finally argued back. ‘I tried to stop you…’ he added as he remembered their fight in the core of the castle.
‘And even then you used magic against me, I have seen all the things you have done!’ Morgana screamed back. ‘You lied to me again and again when you had the chance to help me by telling me the truth! You could-‘ she tried to keep up but Merlin interrupted her.
‘You would have used that against me, like now!’ he screamed back at her, one launching arguments to the other.
‘Oh so you wanted to hide from Arthur forever?’ she asked smartly, wanting to remind him that now he was before the king.
‘SILENCE! BOTH OF YOU!’ Arthur finally bellowed and both Morgana and Merlin looked at Arthur with wide eyes as he still held her hand but his eyes were on Merlin. ‘You have both hidden your nature from me, you have both lied to me, but you are my friend and you are my …love.’ Arthur said and Morgana waited for him to continue, she didn’t like where this was going.
‘Merlin, you have been a loyal servant and friend to me and Morgana, you have been the person I know the most in my life,’ Arthur added but didn’t finish as Morgana spoke.
‘I require his punishment, he killed my sister,’ Morgana demanded and Arthur looked up at her from where he was seated.
‘And he stopped one of the most bloodied battles Camelot has ever seen, I don’t blame you for what had happened because I know it was mainly the bracelet and the magic you were under, I know if you could, you would have only killed Father, and even if I hate that fact alone, I see your reasons, but Merlin saved Camelot back then and indeed, like I do with you, owe him my life as he saved me in several occasions…’ Arthur said and she stiffened in furry. He once had felt that he had failed to save Morgana, when the one saving her was the woman he hated so much, Morgause and she had saved Morgana from Merlin and his poison. He was also the one to pick up the semi conscious and broken Morgana after she had fallen from the stairs, it had been an accident, but an accident caused by Merlin and for that, Arthur was furious at the young man but right now he needed to find some lines between the three of them.
‘You can’t expect of me to live with him in the same castle, he tried to kill me,’ she tried her next ace and Arthur remained calmed.
‘Indeed and I know he won’t dare do such a thing ever again,’ Arthur started, all the while turning a glare on Merlin before his face could soften and look at Morgana again. ‘But yes Morgana, I expect of you exactly that, there is only one Camelot as far as I know and if we want it united, as you and I promised to each other, we first need to be united within the castle’s walls. I need you both here as both of you have seen great things in the future and I know that your interference in each other’s versions of the future will only help Camelot, you Morgana have seen us ruling rightfully, and you Merlin have seen a great future, a great destiny...’ Arthur said but both Merlin and Morgana seemed unhappy and unconvinced, obviously, they were done tolerating each other but they were not done trying to kill each other, even through Arthur, they were two powerful forces meant to collide all the time. Merlin was Arthur’s best friend and Morgana was his love, both needed in his life for a long time now.
Morgana finally growled in frustration and took her hand away, storming out of the throne chamber, passing by Merlin without a second glance, much like she once did after her arguments with Uther… Arthur knew he would have to talk to her later, when they’d be alone, when the subject of her hatred would be back in Gaius’ chambers.
‘She is your sister… you can’t possibly get married… this is incest…’ Merlin tried weakly but Arthur didn’t accept to speak about it with him.
‘What you have done is treason,’ Arthur started, when the doors were closed again, Merlin shut his eyes as he knew, he wouldn’t get with what he had done for so long that easily, and advising the king about how he felt for Morgana wasn’t a good idea as it was proven. ‘And the punishment is exactly what Morgana desires the most for you…’ Arthur added and Merlin looked at the man he considered a friend if not a brother by now.
‘In the near future, there will be many conflicts and a lot of troubles with the changes Morgana and I wish to establish.’ Arthur went on and Merlin kept looking at him. ‘I know you hate each other, but if she is to be harmed in any way, Merlin, I will consider solemnly you responsible and I swear in my mother’s memory, that your head will rot on a spike as a reminder of what happens to the ones who want Morgana’s harm.’ Arthur finally said in a dead serious voice.
He was willing to follow Morgana’s path, the one she had shown as the only possible for the union of the Albion and Mordred’s downfall, and if Morgana was to be with his child, he needed to protect her by literally everything and everyone, not an easy task when her greatest enemy lives in the same place with her. ‘Am I understood?’ he finally asked and Merlin looked gravely sorrowful at him and finally nodded and bowed.
‘Yes, Sire…’ he said before Arthur could dismiss him with a wave of his hand, both men needed time to think over what had been finally revealed and Morgana’s part in this. Merlin left with his head bowed out of the chamber.
He hadn’t moved more than ten steps down the corridor when a hand wrapped around his forearm and dragged him in a corner, much like it had happened a long time ago, Morgana looked at him with furious eyes.
‘Do not think that you escaped with what you have done to my sister, my people and myself… If I was in your shoes, I would start sleeping with one eye open!’ Morgana hissed at him with venom in her voice and Merlin only looked at her, as if nothing had changed, before, while she had looked at Arthur, her gaze was gentle, but for him, like always, her gaze was full of hatred, full of furry.
She didn’t let him reply in any way as she took her hand disgusted and moved away, her green dress floating behind her like air as her long hair danced down her back. Merlin remained like that, knowing he had to meet with the Great Dragon immediately.
‘Likewise…’ he whispered without even realizing it.
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Emerald and Sapphire