Merlin's Secret

Chapter 23 Madness

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Arthur's POV

Gwaine, Sir Isaiah and Merlin watched from behind Vivirae's throne in one of the secret passageway tunnels.
I stepped up more towards Vivirae's throne.
"You need to step down from this throne, and give the country back to your little brother." I stated in a loud voice.
He focused his eyes more on me. He was tall, taller then me. Whereas Merlin was lanky, his older brother was gracefully tall and strong looking. His dark hair was longer than Merlin's, but his eyes were the exact same size and shape as Merlin's eyes.
I remembered whet Merlin told us about the conversation he overheard in the parlor room, when he thinks Viv went wrong.
As Vivirae was about to speak, I chuckled suddenly.
Vivirae frowned.
"What indeed is-"
"Forgive me, your Highness. I was just thinking that it's impossible that you were adopted. You look exactly like Merlin." I interrupted him.
I don't know what my face looks like, but it must be ferocious, not even Mordred would meet my eyes as we walked in.
"SILENCE! I look nothing like that fool!!!" He yelled at us.
What...the actual hell.... He's a freakin mirror image!
"Yeah. Sure, Vivirae." I snorted.
"Speaking of that little tyke, where is little Prince Emiris Merlineayn Inglaei Antrym III? I don't see him in your little crew..?" He said, half hopefully.
    "No, we're not possibly that dumb. Let's talk about how you got to that throne." I said, starting to sweat. This had better work.
    "No, let's not. I was there, I remember how I came by this lovely, comfortable chair." He smirked.
"How do you sleep at night?!!" I asked loudly.
"It's easy. In silk sheets, with a kingdom at my feet."
"Don't you know what you're doing to your people?"
"Ruling them. I am their king."
"I know better than anyone, that the people make the king, not the other way around. You can't rule if everyone is dead!" I said.
He was starting to get agitated at me.
"Why do you care so much?!"
    "You hurt a lot of people, Vivirae." I told him.
    His eyes hardened. "What I did was for his own good!!!"
    My ears caught the word, and I looked directly into his cold, hard eyes.
    "His? Mister Antrym, you just said 'his'. " I said.
    He looked stunned a little, and went pale.
    "My. My own good. That's what I meant."
    "Is it? Is it really?"
    "YES! Don't you DARE come in here thinking you know everything, you're just a random Knight Merlineayn picked up on the way here!!"
    "Excuse me, or don't, I don't really care, but this man happens to be His Royal Highness Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot!" Mordred exclaimed.
    "I care not. Why are you here?"
    "To call you out in contempt of your actions." Arthur continued the dialogue.
    "You have no right!"
    "I have every right! Do you know just how much pain you have caused your siblings?!" I yelled. That one one thing I could not forgive.
    This whole thing was kind of like my situation with Morgana. You shouldn't ignore your siblings, or cause then more pain then necessary. If I had known that earlier in life, I could've changed so, so much.
    Vivirae looked struck by my words.
    "No. NO! The boy is lying!! Do not listen to this...this LIE!" Vivirae yelled.
    "Sir... Who are you talking to?" Sir Sirach cautiously asked.
    His head whipped towards ours.
    "None of your business!" He hissed, sounding unearthly. His voice was so beautiful that it made him sound actually unpleasant.
    Suddenly, his eyes changed. We watched as they shifted from blue to black. The blue in his eyes shrunk, like they were being boxed in by the black, until the blue was only a cats eye slit.
    I gasped at he sudden change.
    "You're not....you're not Vivirae!" I said. I meant to say it softly, but my voice echoes around the big room, and I heard an audible gasp from the back of the room.
    I was so close to facepalming. Come ON Merlin! It's your plan, so get it right. I closed my eyes for half a second before continuing on, but when I opened them, I saw Vivirae's eyes slide over to these try tunnel door.
    I knew he knew, and he knew that I knew that he knew. So naturally, we both pretended not to know.
    He said, "Yes. Yes I very much am Vivirae, more so than Vivirae himself is."
    I think I looked just plain confused with what was going on here.
    "I know you heard me, Vivirae." I heard. I turned towards the left side of his throne, where Merlin stood there, looking like he belonged.
    I ignored the pang in my heart when I thought all that he was hiding from me, and still is. That "price" that The Sands was talking about... Let's just say I know it wasn't a trip through memory lane.
    "Why? Why did you do this?!" Merlin begged of Vivirae.
    Vivirae stood impassively, never once turning towards Merlin.
    "Why do you care? You serve a new kingdom now." He answered quietly.
    "I won't abandon my family, Vivirae, not like you did!" Merlin yelled back.
    Vivirae finally snapped.
   "I DID NOT! HE DID, NOW ITS TOO LATE AND HE CANT GO BACK NO MATTER WHAT!!" He yelled.
    I looked at Merlin, and he was stunned. Was he talking about their father?
    "Vivirae, are you talking about our father? Cause he...he's dead." Merlin said softly.
    I hated to see Merlin look so defeated.
    "Mom too. She died awhile back."
    Vivirae looked shocked, and he finally looked at Merlin. Immediately, his eyes went back to normal.
    "She's...dead?"
    "Yes."
    "And dad, too?"
    "Right in front of me."
    It's kind of hard to say this, especially now, but Vivirae looked pained at the thought of his little brother going through something like that.
    "Don't you dare act all innocent in this!" He yelled.
    ...And evil Vivirae was back. Jeez, it's like he had a split personality!
    "W-what?" Merlin stuttered at the sudden change in Vivirae's eyes.
    Vivirae smirked triumphantly.
    "That's right. Synaeke was told to keep in contact with The Bringers."
    I could see Merlin visibly shudder at the name. I think he once mentioned vaguely that they were the group that kidnapped and brainwashed him.
    "I know what you did, Merlineayn, and you do too. How can you walk in here righteously when you know what you've done?!"
    It sounded pretty bad, but I have faith in Merlin, I really really do.
    "That's right, little brother. I know about those people you killed." Vivirae smirked.

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