Freed

Freya

"Freya?" Lancelot looked bewildered.
"You're Freya?"

"I am."

"But... you're dead!"

"Sorry, who is Freya?" Morgana joined in the conversation.

Lancelot opened his mouth to answer her, but realized that he had no clue what answer to give. Freya answered for him.

"I'm a friend of Merlin's. We knew each other a long time ago. He helped me at a time when no one else would. Now it is my time to return the favor."

Freya moved forward to sit beside Merlin, but Morgana stopped her.

"Wait! I don't even know you. Why should we trust you?"

"We can trust her Morgana," Lancelot answered.
"She has helped us in the past, and she wouldn't harm Merlin."

"Morgana," she turned to face Freya, "I know how you care for him. I once cared for him as you do now. I will always do everything in my power to help him, just as you would."

Morgana looked up at Freya and then back at Merlin. His face was scrunched up as if he was in pain. He probably was. She turned back to Freya with resolve.

"What can I do?"

"You can be ready when he wakes up. I need to remove the spell on his mind. Once it is removed he will wake up. However, I cannot remove the damage that has already been done. You need to get him to the Crystal Cave and finish his quest, by any means necessary. You cannot win this war without him."

Morgana nodded in understanding. Freya sat down next to Merlin and put her hands on either side of his head. Closing her eyes, she began to speak foreign words over him. Even Morgana could not understand all of what she was saying. Slowly, Merlin's breathing started to even out and he seemed more at peace. Freya opened her eyes but didn't remove her hands.

"I have to leave. He is now in your care. Good luck."

"You won't be here when he wakes?" Lancelot thought to protest.

"No. It is not my destiny to be with him. It is you that must guide and comfort him."

She looked at the two of them before walking back into the middle of the stream. She turned back to them just before she faded away.

"If you think of it, tell him I miss him."

They didn't have time to comprehend what she said before she was gone. I'm fact, they didn't have time to comprehend anything. Just as Freya's glowing figure disappeared, Merlin awoke.

He gasped as if he was just coming up for air. His eyes looked around wildly as he tried to understand where he was. At first, Morgana was glad at seeing Merlin wake. She shook his shoulder to try and gain his attention. Then he started fighting. He was thrashing and trying to push his friends away. Both Lancelot and Morgana instinctively held on to him to keep him from running away.

"Let me go!" Merlin yelled. "Please let me go! I didn't do anything!"

"What's wrong with him?" She asked worriedly.

"I don't know!"

With all of Merlin's thrashing, water was getting everywhere. He was so out of it that Lancelot had begun to worry that Merlin would manage to drown himself.

"Okay, we need to get him out of the water," Lancelot explained as he continued to hold Merlin down.
"Help me hold him and we can try to drag him on dry land. Then, I guess we'll have to wait until he begins to calm."

Merlin still had no idea what was going on. He knew it was cold- maybe a dungeon or a well. He knew it was dark- were his eyes closed? He knew he was being held- probably guards. Next thing he knew he was being dragged- to his execution? That's the only thing that made sense. He tried to fight was all his might, but he was getting nowhere. His feet kept slipping and the hands holding him were too strong. He tried yelling, pleading, and calling out for help, but he knew it wouldn't matter. It never did.