Melody (Merlin)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Warning/s: None

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: I went out today to celebrate getting my GCSE results and my eyeliner was on point like my wings were amazing

Fires had been started, by which side Merlin couldn't say. They lit up the ground where the men were fighting like beacons, making it all the more possible for her to see what was happening. With the help of some of her magic, she was able to hone in on what was happening. She had limited knowledge of wars but it seemed to her that the Saxons were winning, at least by how far forward they had pressed. Another few metres and they would easily be able to overwhelm the citadel.

Merlin bit her lip. She could tell that the Camelot knights were heavily outnumbered and it would be disastrous if they won. All of the innocent people of Camelot had been escorted into the castle grounds to protect them, and Merlin was determined not to let them suffer in anyway. She could see them permanently from her window, sleeping in the stables and courtyard for the castle's great hall was being reserved to heal the wounded.

Merlin had been down there previously, helping Gaius to heal the wounded, but he had a new apprentice now who had far greater skill than Merlin, and Gwen had joined in as well, and Merlin felt she was more of a hindrance than a help with her clumsy hands and mediocre skill. So she had retired to her room quietly and was now watching the battle from afar, hoping that she would be able to use her magic from a longer distance than usual if needs be.

She had not yet found Percival amongst the fighting mass but she knew that her magic would tell her if he was wounded or even overwhelmed. He was fine for the time being, at least physically, which set Merlin's heart at rest. Her next priority was Arthur, and to her relief the King was uninjured and fighting ferociously.

She stood at the ready though, her hands twitching from the lack of action and her stomach twisting even as she fought against the nerves. She was so intently focused on what was happening out of the citadel that she barely registered a loud crash, and then a thud that followed only a few moments after. In fact, she only came back to her senses when she heard a myriad of screams along the corridor outside of her room, and she hurried to the doors.

Opening them, she saw guards ushering people along the corridor, panicked looks on their faces. "What's happened?" Merlin asked in astonishment. Some of the people had plaster dusting their shoulders and hair, others had minor injuries.

"Some of the Saxons came over the wall," one of the guards grunted back at her. "Blew the top of it and it all came crashing into the castle. Few people were in the way, got hit. The rubble is holding them back for now." Merlin nodded and pushed past the people. She understood what the guard meant; the damage would be blocking the Saxons path for as long as it took to escort the citizens to safety, but not for much longer after that.

She managed to slip away unnoticed, which made her job a lot easier. Rounding the corner, she came across a small puppy that was lying on its side. Merlin frowned and knelt down to investigate; it whimpered when she touched its side gently, and her hand came away bloody. Merlin ripped off her scarf and wrapped it around the puppy's side, cooing at the creature a little. It was a beautiful golden colour, and its hair was slightly curly. Merlin hated seeing animals in pain. Once she was satisfied she had stopped the bleeding, she muttered two spells under her breath; one for healing and pain, and one to transport the puppy back to her chambers. She would be able to take care of her properly later.

With the puppy dealt with, Merlin hurried along to where the wall had been thrown in. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the mess; one of the Saxons at least had magic. This couldn't be done with any siege weapon. Now she had several options: get rid of the Saxons and repair the walls; get rid of the Saxons and somehow make the damage look better; or get rid of the Saxons and leave the wall in disarray, meaning that they could get back in again.

She decided against the first immediately; too many people had seen the damage first-hand. The second was tempting, just so the clean-up crew had less work to do and the castle could be repaired easier, but the third had the advantage of keeping the Saxons out.

In a split second, Merlin made her decision. She threw up her hand and blew back the chunks of wall with a fierce wind. The hole was cleared immediately and the Saxons gave a roar, seemingly not caring how this had happened. Merlin's anger fuelled her next spell; she didn't think of words, just acted instinctively, and the Saxons were thrown backwards with the sections of wall.

Then, not wasting any time, Merlin threw up a protective ward all around the castle walls, to ensure that this couldn't happen again. She felt weak from the powerful spell and staggered a little, holding onto the wall. She took in several deep breaths to regain her balance and began to make her way back to her room, where she could keep watch again to make sure that her ward didn't fail.

She barely had the strength to swing open the oaken doors, and once inside her chambers she collapsed, closing her eyes. She had severely underestimated how much strength it would take to cast this spell. Suddenly there was a dampness on her cheek; her eyes fluttered open and she laughed weakly when she saw the puppy licking her face urgently, trying to get her to wake up.

"I'm alright," she reassured, stroking the small creature, and used all of her strength to stand up, the door propping her up. She scooped up the puppy and cuddled her against her chest, stumbling over to the bed and flopping down on it.

"I must stay awake," Merlin told herself sternly, even as she found herself yawning. Her magic buzzed underneath her skin, making her feel even weaker, and Merlin found herself slowly slipping into a deep slumber, still holding the puppy to her torso.