Merlin Alternate Ending

Chapter 9: Kilgharrah

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kilgharrah's POV

I am relieved when I see the glint of the sun on the Lake of Avalon in the distance.

Merlin and Arthur have been quiet for a long time, but I don't think they're sleeping. I lower into the clearing by the lake and gently lay my passengers on the grass by the water before setting down on the ground next to them.

I nudge Merlin with my snout. "Merlin. Merlin, wake up."

"Hmm...." he rolls over and his eyelids flutter open. He takes in our surroundings, glancing over at Arthur's pale, limp form. "We're here....Arthur!" he tires to sit up and winces. I push him back down.

"You're injured. let me--"

"No! No, I have to heal Arthur!" he struggles to sit up again and this time I help him. He holds onto me and manages to get to his feet, then limps over to Arthur and kneels besiide him.

Merlin galnces up at me nervously. "What do I do?"

"I cannot answer that, Merlin, because I do not know. But you will. You can do this." I assure him.

He places his hands on Arthur's chest and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

A high-pitched cry echoes through the air.

I glance up. A small white shape is barreling through the sky toward us. Merlin and I growl at the same time "Aithusa."

Merlin rises from Arthur's side. I start to stop him, but then I see the golden glow of his eyes and step back. The young warlock knows what he is doing.

As Aithusa nears, a low growl rises in Merlin's throat. Then, with a blast of power, words erupt from his mouth. "Aithusa! Relinque! Vade, et non malum, neque Camelot Cornelius iternum!"

The white dragon skids to a stop in the air in front of Merlin. Aithusa screeches once more and flies off.

Merlin's shoulders slump. he starts to fall, but I run up and catch him, supporting his weight with my shoulder. "Arthur..." he mumbles. I know it is pointless to protest; if i don't help him, he'll crawl to the king's side.

I lower Merlin to the ground as gently as I can, but he still grunts in pain. He shakes Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur. Arthur?" He places his hands on the king's chest and closes his eyes. "Sana." he whispers. A falsh of golden light glows under his hands, but Arthur's face remains pale and tight with pain. Merlin opens his eyes and looks at me desperately. "We need to get him into the water. I can't--"

He doesn't even have to finish his sentence. i pick Arthur up gently in my mouth and carry him to the water. Merlin follows me and holds Arthur's head above the surface of the lake as I carefully release him, submerging his whole body in the clear water. Merlin kneels, cradling Arthur's head, and begins chanting.

"Et sanavi eum. Et ipse est amicus meus, rex, et non moriatur. Vivat. Vivat!" His eyes glow, giving off a steady beam of golden light that falls on Arthur's face. He finishes his spell and the air is thick with magic. We wait.

Nothing happens.

"Arthur?" Merlin asks. There is no response. he places two fingers on Arthur's neck, then looks up at me in horror. "No pulse. No. No!" His voice is ragged. He buries his face in Arthur's hair and begins to sob. "Arthur....Arthur!"

Merlin's sobs tear at my heart. I wish I could do something, anything to stop the young man's pain, but I am just as powerless--if not more so--as he is.

The sobs continue to rip from Merlin's throat. Teats stream down his cheeks in a heavy flow, soaking Arthur's face. He begins shaking him, violently, desperately. "Arthur! Please, Arthur. Ican't lose you! You're my friend!" he shouts. Then, in a ragged whisper, "Please."

Suddenly, a flash of golden light bursts from the water, centered on Arthur's chest. The beams of light trickle out, illuminating Merlin's tear-stained face until it is too bright to look at. I blink against the light, closing my eyes. AWhen the glow coming through my eyelids dims to a bearable brightness, I open my eyes again.

Merlin is still kneeling in the water, his body bent protectively over Arthur's. As the light dies, he unfolds himself and looks down at Arthur's face.

"Arthur?"

His eyelids flutter.

"Merlin?" he murmurs.

tears spill over the edges of Merlin's already red-rimmed eyes, but this time they are tears of relief, joy, not pain or sorrow. He smiles.

"Arthur!" he embraces the king. "I thought you were dead."

Arthur's eyes are fully open now, and he hugs Merlin back, sitting up out of the water. "I would be, if it weren't for you, Merlin. You saved me. I'm sorry for the way i treated you."

The two of them look up at me and I laugh at their joy-filled expressions. Despite the light in his eyes, Merlin looks spent. Just as I remember that he is injured his face goes pale with pain. He glances back at Arthur, and I can tell he is fighting to keep his eyes open.

"You're really alright?" he asks. As soon as Arthur nods, Merlin closes his eyes and slumps into a surprised Arthur.

"What--?"

"His wound." I explain. "Bring him up here and I'll see what I can do."

Arthur gently lifts Merlin out of the water and carries him toward the shore. Suddenly, I notice a figure lying in the water a little to the right. I girl in a tattered red dress.