Merthur - Love in the Time of War

Chapter 17 - People Change

Morgana's POV

I pace up and down my chambers, biting my thumb nail with nervousness. Mordred, Gwaine, and Lancelot watch me with worry, their heads swiveling back and forth at my every step. I stop and curse when another one of the Knights of Medhir are defeated. I can feel the connection slowly dissolve as the knight is destroyed. The control slipping away from my fingers. Only one knight remains. Who's doing this? How are they being defeated.

"Are you alright Morgana?" Mordred asks from his spot by the window. He moves off the wall and starts to approach.

"No!" I shout abruptly, stopping Mordred in his tracks. Even Gwaine and Lancelot turns their heads in horror. I feel my control of the last knight slowly fade away. I try desperately to grab hold, to keep the knight from being destroyed. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The connection fades. Leaving me with nothing. "No, no no no!" I yell again, even louder this time. My magic begins to go haywire, out of control. My eyes shine a bright gold. A chair hovers off the floor. It flies across the room, almost smashing against Gwaine. It would have too, had Lancelot not intervened. He catches the chair in his hands and sets it down gently.

Mordred runs up to me and places two reassuring hands on my shoulders. "Easy there Morgana. Calm down. Take slow deep breaths," he says calmly. I follow his directions. Taking in deep breaths one at a time. "That's it. Just like that. Feeling better now?"

I nod slightly. My eyes are screwed shut while my hands clutch my forearms. I take another shaky breath before I open my eyes which have returned to their vibrant green. I glance around the room and mumble a small, "sorry," towards Gwaine when I see his frightened expression.

He gives a small smile. "It's alright. I'm safe and sound thanks to Lance here," he says, giving Lancelot a pat on the back.

"But are you alright Morgana? What happened?" Lancelot asks.

"It didn't work," I reply solemnly.

Gwaine rises from his chair. His face filled with urgency. "What do you mean? Is Merlin alright? Is he..." He trails off. Not wanting to say the word aloud. The word he knew we were all thinking of.

"I don't know."

Gwaine stares at me in stunned silence, eyes wide in fear. He stays that way for a moment. No ones moves. Everyone's eyes are cast down at the ground. Mordred is the one who breaks the silence. "Then we'll go find him in Camelot. We are not giving up on him," he says with clear resolve.

"Mordred's right. I don't care what Balinor says! We are breaking in to Camelot!" Gwaine declares across the room.

I let a smile cross my face. "You're both right. We can't give up here," I say.

Gwaine grins. "Alright now here's the plan-"

"It doesn't seem like we'll have to raid Camelot," Lancelot suddenly speaks up, cutting off Gwaine who looks at him skeptically.

"What do you mean?"

Lancelot points out the window. We all crowd around the glass that faces down towards the courtyard. There, strolling in through the gates as if nothing happened, is Merlin. My face lights up. A smile graces my expression as I throw open the window and lean out as far as I can. "Merlin!" I call, giving him a wave when he turns around. He flashes me his usual grin and waves back. I can hardly contain my joy. Merlin's alive. He's alright.

We all spin around quickly and start to sprint down the steps of the palace to greet him. A few of the palace workers stare in confusion as we practically shove past them in the halls. Once we reach the courtyard we tackle him to the ground. I can hear a few chuckles from the onlookers as Merlin squirms underneath our weight, laughing and asking us to get off him.