Twin Brothers

10

Quickly, my pouch of magical goods were packed and ready for travel. It wasn't much, but it was enough for our plan. Morgana had also given me a malachite stone for safe travels in which I stored within my scarf. I was presented with a horse and a few snacks tucked away at its side. I said goodbye to Morgana and Marcus before making the days journey back to Camelot.

There wasn't much to do during the ride, so I went over everything in my head. From entering the city to what I was going to say to Arthur and the king to getting Morgana into the castle. My mind repeated the steps over and over again until it was imprinted into my brain. 'I needed a little trip away from Camelot,' I thought to myself. 'I went to visit mother.' I closed my eyes and let myself get lost in the darkness of my mind. Kill Arthur. Kill Uther. Kill them. Trick them. Know where you stand, Merlin. Know your place. Trick them all. Kill them. Manipulate. Kill. Trick. Kill them. Kill them! KILL THEM!

I winced as my eyes opened. The sun was starting to set, and I was getting close to the city. I knew where I was which meant it was time to continue on foot.

Stopping the horse, I jumped down. I opened the satchel at the horses side and pulling out an apple and a sandwich. The horse nudged my arm lazily. I glanced at him before taking a bite of the sandwich. He nudged my arm again but with more energy. I couldn't help but smile at the mighty thing. I gave him the apple and pet his mane.

Finishing up the sandwich, I checked to see what else Morgana packed me. My eyebrows knit together as I pulled out my chalice. Somehow Morgana put a spell on the thing so that the liquid didn't spill. I also pulled out a single note that read 'Drink up'. I chuckled to myself before taking a few sips of the lot. As usual it made me feel better. Not as much as it always had, but enough for me to feel more confident in our plan.

I sighed as I dumped the rest of the liquid onto the ground, placed the chalice back inside, and pulled out my pouch. I tucked the pouch safely between the top of my pant and my stomach. Taking a deep breath, I said goodbye to the horse and sent it back to Morgana. I turned around and started my journey down to the city.

Once I reached my destination, I put on the face everyone knows and trusts. The face of the old, innocent Merlin. A few citizens waved at me as I made my way through the town. The couple children who were still out playing stopped what they were doing to yell a hello my way. I'd smile and wave hello back to everyone that made the effort to greet me.

A pinch in my heart caused my to wince, but I managed to make it unnoticeable. My stomach flipped again.

'It's just the nerves,' I thought to myself. 'Keep moving forward. Get the plan into motion. Why is my chest so tight? It's the nerves, Merlin. Don't think about it. Just keep walking and keep up with the act.'

I finally made it to the castle entrance. I let my lungs take in a large amount of air before quickly walking to the physician chambers. I'm surprised I made it this far without being stopped. After all, the king wants answers about what went down a couple weeks ago.

I didn't knock when I reached the door. Instead I walked right in. I must have frightened Gaius a little because before I even saw him, I heard a bunch of clatter on the floors. He stared at me with wide eyes before putting a hand to his chest.

"Oh, Merlin!" He exclaimed. He took a seat at the table and tried to catch his breath. Books and glass littered the floors next to him. I pursed my lips together before shutting the door.

"I'm sorry," I spoke truthfully. If I felt bad about anything in the plan, it would be Gaius. I didn't want to hurt the old man. He was like a father to me. He took me in and helped keep my secret a secret since I've lived here. I probably worried him sick leaving so suddenly and being gone for so long. How am I going to lie to him? I mean I've done it before multiple times, but this was different. What I've been up too and what I plan to do is something he would completely disagree with. He would never be okay with me trying to kill the king or prince of Camelot, let alone both of them. If I go through with it, Gaius would never forgive me. I lost one father. How can I lose another? But I have to do this. I can feel the urge to kill both of them running through my veins. If I have to lose him too, then that's just something I'm going to have to live with.