The Truth about Merlin

Fiery Flames

"Merlin" Arthur continued to shout but Merlin ignored his friend, his eyes focused on Morgana. "Merlin you're not strong enough. You need time to rest!"

"No I don't" Merlin replied.

"You're not invincible Merlin, remember that" Arthur said and Merlin stopped.

"I have to try" he said. Leon ran over to Merlin and tried to persuade him to stop and rest but Merlin shook his head. The other knights were now sword fighting with Morgana. Her eyes glowed much brighter than usual and her magic flung the knights into the air. Then they heard a rustling from the trees behind Morgana and a pale coloured creature stepped out of the shadows. "Aithusa" Merlin whispered. The knights were shocked to see another dragon and Morgana smirked.

"Do you like my dragon Emrys?" she said, glaring into his eyes. Before Merlin could react, the dragon began breathing fire in the direction of the knights, who immediately ran for cover. Arthur tried to stand with Merlin but Aithusa blocked his path and formed a ring around Merlin and Morgana. Merlin looked around and felt the flames heat his skin but he wasn't afraid.

"That's a nice trick" he said. "But I've got a few tricks of my own." This time he was the one that was smirking and then he took a deep breath and bellowed out his dragon's call.

"No!" Morgana yelled and wafted her hand but Merlin held up his hand and reflected the magic. She tried again, this time with more power behind her attack but Merlin simply cast it aside. Come on Kilgharrah, Merlin thought. The flames around them was getting higher and Merlin began to choke on the increasing amount of smoke. Morgana on the other hand didn't flinch. This is it, Merlin thought as he gripped Excalibur tighter and aimed it at Morgana. Just as he was about to launch himself at her, Mordred jumped through the fiery flames and dug his sword into Merlin's body. He yelped in pain and felt tears begin to stream down his face. He watched Morgana cackle until his vision blurred and he fell limply to the floor.

****

The knights stepped back out into the clearing once Arthur realised Merlin was missing. They gasped when they saw the flames surrounding the two sorcerers and they could just make out Merlin. The dragon was limping back into the shadows of the forest and the knights tried to be quiet; they didn't want it to notice them.

"We need to help Merlin" Arthur said and then a sound echoed throughout the clearing, with familiar words and tone. They knew Merlin was once again summoning the dragon.

"He might not need our help after all" Gwaine said. He smiled slightly but his face dropped and eyes widened when he turned his head. Percival saw his facial expression and confusion spread across his face until he followed his friend's gaze.

"Mordred's gone" Gwaine alerted the others and they stared at the tree, stunned. The ropes were tossed aside and the knights felt stupid for not realising it sooner.

"The question is, where it he now?" Arthur said, still examining the area. Suddenly they heard a sound that tore through the air, with so much agony in the tone and unfortunately, this answered their question. Arthur's heart sank at the sound of Merlin's cries and he immediately ran towards the flames.

"Sire" the knights shouted. They grabbed their weapons and prepared to fight. Once Arthur was close enough to the flames, he charged at them with one of the knight's sword in one hand. He jumped through the fire without fear of getting hurt but with fear of what to expect to find. His feet landed on the ground and he saw Mordred remove the blade from Merlin's body. His servant fell lifelessly to the floor and he heard Morgana's laugh. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Merlin..." Arthur said. He held back the sadness he felt and focused on his anger as he narrowed his eyes at Mordred. He swung the sword at him and Mordred ducked and tried to cut Arthur. His sword still dripped with Merlin's blood. A bellowing roar disrupted the atmosphere and the ancient dragon came into view. He blew on the flames and extinguished them and Morgana stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the magnificent creature. She clenched her teeth and nodded at Mordred. Then, they both used their magic to smack Arthur into a tree. He moaned in pain as his body impacted the floor. Morgana and Mordred turned to flee but the knights had the weapons at the ready. On three, they fired arrows at their enemies. Some arrows had been dipped with poison as they knew their weapons wouldn't kill Morgana but will slow her down long enough for Merlin to do so. The dragon created protection around the knights simply by being there. Morgana and Mordred were caught off guard when he arrived and they had no other choice than to flee with their lives. To help them out even more, Kilgharrah breathed fire at them. Some arrows hit both of them but it was Mordred who was first to fall. Morgana shook him, tears in her eyes but she heard her companion still breathing. She hauled him off the ground and attempted to carry him; she couldn't abandon him there. As they reached the forest so did the dragon's breath. The knights had ceased fire and were already running to Merlin and Arthur's aid. The trees caught alight and a forest fire started.