Bound

Chapter 17

Edith set a barrier between the spectators and the two sorcerers fighting. She didn't want to risk anyone losing control and hitting her. Using magic she unlocked Morgana's cuff.

Morgana could once again feel the magic flowing through her veins. It felt free. It felt powerful. She looked up at Merlin with determination. No matter how 'peaceable' they might have been earlier, it was now time to fight him. The great Emrys, under the control of another.

"The fight will begin... now!" Edith shouted.

"Astrice!" Morgana shouted.

Merlin flew through the air and landed hard on the ground. He groaned attempting to sit up. Seeing as it was hard to stand without being thrown around by magic, this proved pretty difficult. As he was taking his time to recover, Morgana advanced. She held her hand up getting ready to make another attack.

"Throw her back!" Edith yelled.

And that's exactly what happened. She slid almost to the wall, giving Merlin more time to recover and stand up. There was a shield sitting in the corner of the room. Edith ordered Merlin to launch the shield at Morgana with his magic. Before it could hit her, Morgana caught it with her magic and flung it into a wall.

"Friosan!" Morgana yelled.

Merlin found that he could no longer move. He was frozen to the spot. However, his magic was still stronger. Edith had him conjure up a whirlwind that blew towards Morgana. She soon lost focus being flung back by the storm, and Merlin was free again. She muttered a spell to stop the windstorm. She then sent a fireball hurtling at Merlin. It broke a few feet from Merlin, due to a shield that he had cast. Morgana was losing her traction. She knew she couldn't hold out forever. As a last resort, she tried to strangle Merlin with her magic. For a second it seemed as though it could work.

"Pin her against the wall!"

Merlin's eyes flashed and Morgana was thrown against the wall. She was completely unable to move. There was a pressure on her making it hard for her to breathe as well. She feebly tried to throw the discarded shield at Merlin again but he easily got ahold of it with his magic before it could reach him. By that point she was out of strength her and almost out of breath. This was it. There was nothing left she could do. That's when Edith gave the order.

"Finish it."

A fireball. That was the spell she wanted. Merlin could feel the magic wanting to release, but this time he couldn't. Edith could not kill another person through him. So, he stood firm. He could feel his magic burning under his skin, almost as if the fire was inside of him.

"Blast her, Merlin!"

"No!" He yelled through gritted teeth.

The pain was excruciating now. His vision was going dark and he couldn't tell if he was standing or laying on the ground. He could see Morgana, with tears streaming down her face. He could faintly hear Lancelot and Gwaine in the background, yelling at him to fight. Somehow that gave him the strength he needed. He knew that he just had to make it to the point that he could no longer cast the spell. He could feel himself being torn apart, everything in him burning and twisting. With one last burst of energy he gave a yell. It was a pain worse than he could ever imagine.

Then everything went black.

Once again, bright golden light burst from Merlin, this time even stronger than the first. It sent everyone, even those behind the barrier, taking a few steps back. Then, he fell to the floor unconscious. Morgana fell to the floor, hardly breathing and trembling. The guards quickly rushed to her and put the magic blocking cuffs on her. Morgana didn't fight. In fact, she could hardly move. The wind had been completely knocked out of her by that blast, but at least she was alive.