How Merlin Should Have Ended

The Waiting

Merlin felt horrible for the way he'd forced Arthur to agree to spare Kara's life. The look of betrayal on his friend's face haunted him, but he also knew Arthur wouldn't have agreed under any other circumstances. Merlin just kept reminding himself that this was all about saving Arthur's life. He could live with his friend's resentment if it meant keeping him safe.

What was done was done. Merlin had to focus on what was coming. He knew Kara was still a danger and decided it was best to have someone he trusted more than Mordred keep watch over her. He ran this idea by Finna, and she volunteered to be of assistance.

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked her. "I don't know how the next few days will unfold."

"It is my destiny, Emrys, to serve you until the end," she replied. "I could wish for nothing more."

"Alright then," Merlin said, slowly. He really wasn't used to the way the Catha revered him, but he needed the help. "Now we just need to find and tell Mordred."

They found Mordred in the knights' armory, looking rather lost. The second Mordred saw Merlin he perked up, moving closer and asking how it went with Arthur.

"He won't let her go," Merlin began. "But he won't be executing her either. She's going to be held prisoner for the time being."

"Thank you," Mordred replied. "That's something at least."

"I have asked Finna here to keep watch over Kara to make sure everything goes smoothly," Merlin continued, making it sound like protecting Kara was the goal so Mordred would agree. There was no need to tell him that Finna's real job was to protect others from Kara.

"How long will she be locked up?" Mordred asked.

"I'm not sure," Merlin replied. "A while. I'll see what I can do to make the cell more comfortable for long term use. Camelot has never had a long term prisoner before, and there aren't any better holding areas."

"What about a guarded guest chamber?" Mordred asked.

Merlin was reluctant to agree to such a thing. It seemed to him that it would be far easier to escape from chambers than from a prison cell.

"Maybe in time," Merlin lied. It was important that Mordred have hope if his loyalty was to remain with Camelot. "For the moment, I must be going, but I'm leaving Finna here to monitor things."

And with that, Merlin made his exit, while Finna stayed behind. He was very grateful she was willing to do the everyday task of watching over the potential disaster he'd created. Despite his being able to prevent Kara's death, Merlin still had this sinking feeling in his stomach like everything was about to go wrong.

But what did that help? A gut feeling was useless if he couldn't act on it. Even if he knew Morgana would attack, he couldn't tell from where, and Arthur had already strengthened all their borders. Merlin just wished he could know where the attack would come from. Without that information, all they could really do was wait. Merlin hated waiting, especially when he wasn't sure where he would be most useful.

Merlin was passing back and forth in the hallway now, unsure where to turn or what to do. Should he be researching magical protection spells? Or maybe going to the border himself to watch for Morgana, but which part of the border should he try? Merlin couldn't be everywhere at once. His mind went round and round in circles so that by the time he realized his feet had carried him home, Merlin was already standing at the door to his and Gaius's chambers.

"I'm back," Merlin said as he walked in the door.

Gaius was there. He turned to give Merlin a very pointed look. "And how did changing the king's mind go?" Gaius asked, still with the disapproving look on his face.