Memory Jar

Chapter 14

(A.N.:// I just realized I didn't post this chapter beffore Chapter 15. Yikes. Here you go )




Arthur didn't have the energy to explain. All he could do was order his two best knights (even though they technically weren't even knights) to follow him.
It seemed like on every crossroad, every camp they passed, the shadow had done his work.
Hundreds of corpses, half a dozen empty villages. Only here and there they could hear and see a few survivors.
Some who were leaning against trees, too shocked and traumatized to move.
Others screaming and crying and wailing at the sight of their dead loved once.

"Merlin did this?", Gwaine asked. His voice was high and choked, as they passed through the villages.
He asked every single time. Because he couldn't believe it.
He couldn't believe the power his best friend had. Gwaine had JUST accepted magic for Merlin. Now he saw what Merlin himself did with this.

"It's not his fault.", Arthur answered quietly.

"Then whose is it?", Gwaine asked. Because quite frankly, he didn't know who Agravaine was.
"It's mine.", Arthur responded and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.
Because if they had been faster, if they WERE faster, maybe they would reach the villages soon enough to warn them.
Maybe they would reach Camelot before Agravaine, instead of an hour after their chaos had been invoked over the innocents.

Arthur knew that with every life taken, Merlin fell farther and father out of his reach.
"Arthur, this isn't your fault! You must realize that!"

"Lance, I appreciate your concern. But we're wasting more and more time.
I should never have gone on that walk. This IS my fault."
His tone was absolute. And his eyes were hardened.
The benefit of regaining his memories was that Arthur was reminded on what it was like to be a warrior.
He remembered his very first order from his father. How his knights hadn't respected him then. And how many innocent druids had been killed despite his every attempt to stop them.
His look on the world had changed so significantly back then.

"Arthur..."

'Every choice I've ever made, made me who I am. Every choice – no matter if right or wrong, no matter if by order or not, every choice had been my choice.
Every choice had been Arthur.
That's why I forgot everything about myself. Merlin erased my choices from my mind to protect me. He erased me from everyone else's mind, to protect me.', Arthur thought.
And in an afterthought, his mind unhelpfully added: "he freed me from my destiny."

"Let's hurry.", Arthur shook his head and moved forward.

They were already tired, it was dark and they had marched for almost two days in a row. But burning feet (Arthur's cut open feet were already going numb from all the ignorance on their behalf) weren't going to stop them.

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"Kill them!", Agravaine said, again and again.
And once more, Morgana and Mordred formed a shield to protect themselves.
This had been going on for a while. And Morgana knew, panting and holding on to the little juice of magic she had left, that if Mordred wasn't on her side, she would have long been dead.

Merlin looked utterly broken, as he send spell after spell after her.
He broke the shields, Morgana and Mordred recast it.
This went on for an hour. Spells flying back and forth. The energy was so bright and big, that at some point it began to ripple the walls apart.

Even Leon couldn't hide under the table anymore. He stormed out the room to eventually find a few other sorcerers to help.
After all, magic was legal now. Which meant that sorcerers and witches were part of the court.
On Mordred's orders, of course.
Also, someone had to inform the knights that they needed to barricade the citadel.
It was clear that with such chaos among the royals who lead this country, it was impossible to fight a war this intense.