Merlin: The chance to change fate

The Fomorroh

The three Knights bust through Gaius' chambers holding an unconscious Merlin.
"What in the-" Said Gaius as he got up from where he was sitting, his back facing the door. Once he saw Merlin he quickly changed his words. "Over here." Gaius then pointed to the bed that Merlin was in once before. The knight laid Merlin on the bed, then Gaius came over and quickly started to examine him. "What happened?"
"We don't know," said Percival, a little shaken up, "he just knocked on our room door and we saw him like this."
"Who do you think could have done this?" Asked Gwaine.
"I'm not sure, many people actually, but," said Gaius, he paused after that.
"But what Gaius?" Leon said abruptly.
Gaius took a deep breath and then spoke, "but there was only one person who needed to speak with him, who sent for Merlin."
"And who is that?" Asked Gwaine.
"Arthur." Said Gaius sadly.
"Arthur?" Said Leon surprised, "Arthur would never beat up anyone, especially not Merlin. Isn't it possible that he could have just been jumped?"
"Of course Sir Leon, anything is possible," replied Gaius, "but if Merlin got jumped on the way to the Throne room, then the guards that took him would be wounded too, did you see any guards passed out on the ground on your way here?"
All three Knights shook their heads.
"Why would Arthur do this?" Asked Percival almost heartbroken.
"Maybe it was Arthur, but it wasn't really him." Said Gwaine loudly, deep into his thoughts.
Everyone put there eyes on Gwaine.
"What do you mean Gwaine?" Asked Gaius, his eyebrows raised.
"Maybe he was enchanted." Said Gwaine nervously.
"Possibly, but how would you have come up with that?" Gaius asked suspiciously.
"I went to visit Arthur in his chambers a few days ago, He acted so different, as if he hated Merlin. I also saw something in the back of his neck, I didn't think anything of it until now." Said Gwaine.
"What did it look like?" Asked Gaius.
"Black, oval, looked kind of like it was moving," said Gwaine.
"A fomorroh," said Gaius sighing.
"What's a fomorroh?" Asked Leon.
"A snake like creature that a powerful sorcerer puts in the back of someone's neck, if they tell the person with the fomorroh in their neck to do something, they will do it and won't stop at nothing," said Gaius worriedly. "It all makes sense now, why Arthur was acting strange when he came back to Camelot, why his story didn't add up, he was captured by Morgana and she put the fomorroh in his neck telling him to kill Merlin."
"Why would she want Merlin dead?" Asked Gwaine, "she has always wanted to kill Arthur, and the moment she had him she didn't kill him, but instead wanted him to kill Merlin."
"Because the only thing standing between her and the crown is Merlin," said Gaius, "The only way to make sure she can get it is if her rival is dead, she can't do it herself so she got the person closest to him to do it, someone Merlin trusts."
"But Merlin's just a boy, how can he be a threat?" Asked Leon.
"The only way Merlin could be a threat to Morgana is if he has," said Gwaine not completing his sentence.
"No, that's impossible," said Percival looking at Gaius, his head was down, "is it?"
"That's not for me to say," said Gaius, "Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do," Gaius turned around and started to clean Merlin's wounds. The Knights just stood there, wondering if their little friend could have Magic.
"Huuuuh!" Is the sound Merlin made as he quickly sat up, "ahh, ahhhh!" He screamed holding onto his ribs.
"Merlin!" Yelled Gwaine rushing over to him, the rest of the Knights followed.
"Lay back down my boy," said Gaius as he picked up Merlin's shirt, he then saw the skin over his ribs were bruising, "Some of your ribs are broken."
"Merlin," said Gwaine curiously. Merlin then looked up at him and they made eye contact, "who did this to you?"
"Ar-Arthur," said Merlin, a tear falling down his eyes.
"Merlin," said Gaius, "Morgana put a fomorroh in Arthur."
"That explains it," Merlin replied while breathing heavily.
"Do you have magic Merlin?" Asked Leon curiously.
"No," said Merlin sharply, he was taken by surprise.
Leon nodded in understanding.
Merlin wasn't ready to tell his friends about his magic, he knew that Leon was so loyal to Arthur that he would tell him that he had magic. He couldn't risk it especially when Arthur was like this.
"How do we get rid of the Fomorroh?" Asked Percival.
"We have to kill the mother beast," Said Merlin, "but first, we have to kidnap the King."