Defeating the Darkness (A Merlin Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, credit to BBC 1

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Merlin! You're needed in the dining hall," Gwaine shouted.

Merlin set down his book and quickly stood up, pushing the stool he had been sitting in backwards with a loud squeak. Gaius looked up from the table and watched as Merlin hurried out of the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Turning the corner into the dining hall, Merlin saw the knights and various other royal family members gathered around the central table, studying a map of the kingdom. They all looked up expectantly as Merlin entered. Everyone but Gwen, who was in her throne with a distant look in her eyes. Arthur was nowhere to be seen; his throne was empty next to Guinivere's. 

"Thanks for coming, Merlin. We need your assistance; there's been a crisis in Camelot."

Merlin scanned the crowd to find the source of the voice. The man smiled at him when Merlin saw who it was.

"Agravaine," Merlin growled. "What are you doing here?" Agravaine had proved himself long ago to be a traitor; he was the last person Merlin wanted to see in Camelot, besides Morgana.

"Well, I'm helping, of course. Arthur put his complete trust in me before he died to help run the day to day operations of the kingdom." 

"Before he died?" 

The knights stared at Merlin like he was crazy.

"Well, of course," Elyan said, stepping towards him. "Gwen rules the kingdom alone now."

Gwaine stared at Merlin, who had a look of complete disorientation and bewliderment plastered across his face. "Yes, he died using the de industria petram on our last quest... Merlin, have you lost your mind?"

Merlin was falling. The stone floor got closer and closer to his face as his knees gave way under him. "He's not dead... he's not dead..." 

Through all the fuzziness, Merlin could vaguely hear various people calling out his name as they ran to him.

"Merlin! Merlin! Merlin!"

"Merlin!"

He snapped his eyes open, bolting up straight and looking around wildly.

Gwaine was walking in front of him, holding a bundle of sticks. "Get up. It's past dawn."

Merlin saw Elyan and Percival chatting on a log a couple yards away. Leon was feeding the horses.

Arthur was hunched over the fire, dropping twigs into the flames.

It was a dream. Arthur was not dead.

"Crazy dream, eh?" Gwaine grinned at Merlin.

Merlin returned the smile. "Not as crazy as Arthur doing work," he said, glancing at the king, who was trying to help the fire grow.

"Hey!" Arthur chucked a stick at Merlin, hitting him square in the chest.

Merlin grinned, disregarding the physical abuse, and headed over to his horse. He grabbed the sack containing food and fed his horse and then walked back to Arthur with a pot and some vegetables. Merlin set the pot above the fire and held his flask over it, filling it with water. He looked at the king.

"Arthur."

"Hmm."

"You can't use the de industria petram."

Arthur sighed and sat down. "Merlin, we've been over this."

"Yeah, and I can't let you do it. I'm going to use the rock."

Arthur looked up and furrowed his eyebrows. "What? No, that's crazy-"

"Is it?" Merlin cut him off. 

"Yes, it is."

"The rock might not kill me, Arthur, I'm willing to take that chance."

"Well, so am I, and what makes you think you can control the rock better than I can?"

Merlin resisted the urge to say, Because I have magic and can probably cut off the connection before it kills me.

"Because I had a dream last night that you died."

Arthur stared at Merlin like he was mad. "And...?"

"In the dream, you had died from using the rock, and Gwen was left to be the ruler, and there was a crisis in Camelot and nobody knew what to do because you weren't there to guide them."

Arthur looked down for a split second and then briskly stood up and walked around the campfire. "It was just a dream."

Merlin followed him. "Yes, but that's the thing. It's not unrealistic, Arthur. Camelot survives when you are there to help it, and if you take this risk and die, that dream could very well become a reality. Camelot would burn to the ground without you as king."

Refusing to meet Merlin's eyes, Arthur said, "As king, I am needed to protect the people of Camelot, and if I can do that by using this rock and ridding the kingdom of its biggest threat, then that is what I must do."

"No, it is what I must do, so that you can remain alive to protect Camelot."

"Sometimes I'm caught off guard by your bravery, Merlin. Even if you are the worst servant I could have possibly been offered." Arthur to turned back to attending to the fire.

Merlin looked at Arthur. He knew the king would never budge, and he would just have to try to make sure Arthur didn't get to the de industria petram before he did.

Merlin sat down next to the fire and threw the contents of his sack into the pot of water. Vegetables floated to the top of the soup. Merlin waited, head in his hands, for the water to boil. 

"Hey, Merlin, you got some breakfast over there?" Percival called.

"Almost ready," he yelled back.

When the soup was heated and the knights had been filled, they started to pack up camp. After giving their horses a last long drink, they abandoned the clearing where they had slept the night and headed north.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------