Merlyn's Final Truth

The Darkest Hour P5

Arthur wasn't quite sure how he and his knights had managed to get out of the tunnels alive, but he was hardly going to complain about it. Splashing cold water onto his face from the stream running around the caves, Leon crouched beside him, he experienced a potent sense of deja-vu.  It seemed strange to see the parallel, especially considering how much had changed in the past few years. Still, here he was, squatting in front of a stream, fighting for something he loved, the loyalest of men by his side. He wasn't sure if the thought was refreshing, or incredibly depressing.

"They need to rest, sire." Leon broke him away from his thoughts, jerking his head towards the others. "Even Gwaine's gone quiet."

Personally, Arthur thought that it was an improvement.

"Sounds like a good reason to keep going." he smirked, wiping his hands on his trousers. With more effort than he was willing to admit, he stood, ignoring his aching muscles and the annoyed huffs of his men as he stepped over the stream. As much as he himself would like to rest, he knew that his people were dying. Merlyn may have given up her life for this mission; it killed him to realise that he wouldn't survive to know if she had lived.

~

Merlyn had never felt so alive. Her magic hummed, oddly content considering her close brush with death. Lancelot had explained how she survived; the witch couldn't quite believe her luck. As she rode through the forest, following the billowing, crimson cloak of the knight in front of her, she longed to let her magic spring free, flowing through the endless parade of trees, a golden light amongst the greenery. Still, she held back, knowing that, no matter how she may feel, her body must still be healing. It would be unwise to waste such energy, especially with the trying time ahead.

She had no intention of letting Arthur down, especially knowing exactly what he was planning. Merlyn wouldn't let him die, not when the crown had finally started to rest easily upon his head. Still, her enthusiasm didn't extend to the horses; if she wanted any chance of catching her prince before he did something stupid, dying being the first thing that came to mind, they would need to be rested if they were to be pushed hard the next day.

Finally, they arrived at a small hut, the clearing rather silent compared to the rest of the forest. Merlyn shivered despite the warm air, a feeling of dread sitting in the pit of her stomach. There was something off about this place, something wrong.

"Hello?" Lancelot raised his voice as he opened the creaking door, pushing his sword out in front of him. Merlyn shuffled uneasily behind him, biting her lip, doing her best not to voice her nerves. The knight used his blade to brush away a piece of hanging fabric, the facade of a wall separating the area of the small hut. There, sitting at the table, was a man, his back to the pair of intruders. Merlyn frowned, transfixed by the hollow soul frozen in place, alone in the middle of the woods. She tried to ignore the fact that this could have been her, that if she was without magic, without a destiny, her fate wouldn't be dissimilar to the peasant man before her.

Lancelot lay him on the floor, placing a blanket over his terrified face. He'd have died so very scared, uncertain of the true dangers that lurked in the night. Merlyn couldn't get his face out of her head, wondering how long it had taken for his blood to crystallise, freezing in his veins, stopping his heart. She wondered how long it would have taken for her to meet the same fate.

"We can't stay here." she murmured, eying the covered body of the dead man.

Lancelot sighed, likely just as uncomfortable with the idea as she was, although, he tried not to show it. "There's nowhere else, Merlyn."

He took off his cloak, walking through the wall of cloth and throwing it over the table. "We'll make a fire. It'll keep us safe and dry."

Merlyn almost laughed when the knight picked up a few logs from a small pile next to the door. It seemed so strange, to have such an abundant supply when they didn't even need it.