Chapter Text
His head was pounding? No, that was the door. Arthur rolled out of bed, ignoring Merlin’s mumbled query, and stumbled his way out into the hallway.
It was early morning, and the police were at the door. Could they take his ‘companion’ into the station for questioning, if you please? All very polite and calm. Merlin’s description matched that of the suspect who had fled the scene at the hospital. Uther saw him snooping around and listening in on the conversations between him and the police and doctors. Then the suspect just vanished. Uther described him clearly. The man later had been seen entering this residence with Arthur.
Arthur’s heart was in his throat, as he went to get Merlin.
”Honest, I didn’t know Uther could see me,” Merlin whispered urgently. “I never thought of it, even later after Lance and the others talked about being around magic users and how that allowed them to see me. I just thought Uther must be staring at something behind me.”
”Look, get dressed and go with them,” Arthur said. “Don’t say anything about magic. And for pete’s sake don’t use magic. I’ll get this all straightened out. I’ll have Morgana find a way to talk to our father, say that you’re my new magical assistant or something, and gone to get information for me while I was bed bound. Since it seems he already knows magic exists.”
Merlin did as Arthur instructed, leaving with a worried look behind him. Arthur closed the door, then watched out the window as Merlin was guided into the police vehicle and driven away.
He covered his eyes with a hand, and breathed a deep sigh. Not a good start to the day. He got a glass of water and his pain meds. Hopefully that would kick in soon. He went through an abridged version of his morning routine, in a hurry to get down to business.
Arthur grabbed a quick coffee and some left-over Merlin-food, as he made several urgent phone calls through the morning. Finally he heard back from Morgana, who had talked to their father and convinced him of Merlin’s status as an employee. Morgana arranged for Percival and Mordred to collect Merlin from the police station. Next she was going to meet with her sister Morgause who hopefully had information on Nimueh’s last known location. Uther had admitted to Morgana that he did not know where Nimueh was incarcerated after Morgause helped him trap her in cold-iron.
When Arthur was taking a break a little later that morning, there was a knock, and Morgause appeared at his door. Arthur let his half-sister’s half-sister in, hoping Morgana had sent her with good news.
”Did you speak with Morgana?” he asked straight off.
”I sent her back to talk to her father again,” Morgause said in a clipped voice. She gazed out the window and seemed fidgety, which was unusual for her. She was toying with her bracelet, the matching one to what Morgana always wore. It was a sister-thing, they always said. “I think he knows more than he let on. But I would imagine Nimueh is dead. She would have died in a cell somewhere, a few years ago.”
”You’re the one who invented the cold-iron handcuffs,” Arthur asked, really trying to understand why she did that. “Do you supposed they eventually killed her?”
Morgause smiled grimly. “Nimueh was a self-centred, egotistical enchantress. She would have taken over the Pendragon legacy and controlled all the magic-users under her wicked thrall. She had glamoured herself to always appear young, but who knows how old she actually was. Without her power to keep up the spell, she probably withered away.” Morgause sounded ambivalent about the fate of the witch.
”From what I’ve been told,” Arthur said, “magic can be used for great good or great evil. I guess, thank you for helping stop Nimueh. I don’t know many others who could have done it.” He was thinking of Merlin, of course. Merlin could do anything. Probably? “But my father kept using the cold-iron to his advantage. Why encourage him? You made him a ring of cold-iron to use.” Arthur really wanted to understand.
”You know, handcuffs weren’t even the first thing I had made with cold iron,” Morgause digressed. “I had been experimenting with it for many years. I was fascinated how it made me feel when I held it. Oh, not how it suppressed my magic, or made me feel all hollowed out. But how I felt after setting it down. There was always a surge of power after letting go of it. The longer I held the cold-iron, the more power I had afterwards.”
”I realized how many people with magic were coming to Camelot, and so many of them were joining the Pendragon conglomerate. I knew Uther could not be left in command, not in charge of the growing magical community. When I offered him an advantage against Nimueh, I made certain he saw the evils of magic. After Nimueh was dealt with, I watched Uther’s suspicious eye turn to other magic-users. So I made him the ring; he loved the power it gave him. Then when the time was ripe, I convinced Morgana to tell him about her own magic.”
”Was that when he decided to step down from the company?” asked Arthur, not liking the sounds of where this was going.
“Oh, yes. She can be very melodramatic when it suits her. This time it suited me. She persuaded him that she could only forgive him for what he was doing if he left his position. Uther bends to her wishes every time, he’s always trying to make up for sins of the past. You can see how I thought she’d be the one taking over the Pendragon empire. She is the favourite child, after all.”
”You’re the one trying to kill my father?” Arthur saw everything clearly now, and he was outraged.
Morgause slipped off her bracelet, and her eyes burned bright white.
”No, you imbecile. You are the only thing in my sister’s way.”
Next thing Arthur knew, she knocked him down and had an impossibly tight and violent grip around his throat. He grasped at her wrists trying to pull her away, but there was nothing he could do. His vision was starting to black out.
The door opened abruptly and Gwen walked in, escorted by Lance. They had closed the door behind them, and come further into the room before they saw the two figures on the floor. With a shout, Lance leaped into action, charging at her while drawing a weapon. Morgause released Arthur’s neck with a cry of aggravation. She jumped up and pushed both hands out towards Lance, blasting him back and onto the floor.
Meantime Gwen tried to skirt her to get to Arthur. Morgause blasted her as well, and Gwen was sent flying back behind the sofa. Lance struggled over to Gwen, looking to see if she was okay.
Satisfied that they weren’t going to pose a problem, Morgause returned her attention to Arthur, determined to finish the job. She was reaching out for his neck when she was interrupted once more.
The door slammed open. Percival and Mordred, who had gone to get Merlin released, came in first. Merlin followed like fury. Percival moved off to the side to check on Gwen and Lance. He knew enough to stay out of the way.
Morgause rose up to her feet, and set her jaw, her eyes a stone-cold glare. Mordred and Merlin approached Morgause from either side. Mordred first sent a harsh blast of air. Merlin threw shoes from beside the door like bullets to pelt her. She brushed everything off like she was waving off gnats.
Mordred then ran at her abruptly and tried to tackle her to the ground. Merlin tried to immobilize her with a blanket off the sofa that wrapped around her. She fought and spat and clawed at the blanket, and threw Mordred back with a shout. Mordred hit the wall hard and crumpled. He groaned and struggled even to sit up again. Still, he signalled Merlin to go on.
Merlin eyes flashed an intense gold, and he brought his hands forward to form a spherical shape. Power surged and crackled between his palms. Before she could react, Merlin sent the great ball of electricity at Morgause. It enveloped her, snapping and zapping over her entire form. She writhed in agony and screamed high and shrill before finally falling down. She was a tattered mess. The energy ball dissipated.
Percival immediately took the opportunity to dart over to Morgause and pull her ams behind her back. She fought him, but it was clear her burst of magical power had run out. He locked restraints around her wrists and nodded to Merlin; these would repress her powers. They were all safe.
Merlin immediately swooped down on Arthur, anxiously inspecting his bruised neck and surrounding it in a comforting golden light. His hands whisked all over Arthur with great care, checking for further injuries. He cradled his head and touched their foreheads together, breathing in short gasps of relief.
“It’s over, Morgause,” said Mordred weakly from his spot by the wall. He was clearly in a lot of pain, but couldn’t resist speaking. “You lose.”
”But I did it for the highest good,” Morgause pleaded, struggling still. “I did it for all magic-users. We should be allowed to work in peace at a company run by a magic-user. Morgana is the rightful heir to the Pendragon company. She will make a safe haven for magic. With Arthur out of the way,” she sneered his name, “she’ll be given that chance. We all will! Don’t you see?”
”Sister,” a voice spoke from the door. Morgause and everyone turned to look. Morgana stood there, sorrow and agony etched on her face. “I never wanted to be in charge of the company. I’ve told you that over and over again. I just wanted to be accepted for who I am, with what little magic I possess, and the same for all the magic-users that seek a home here in Camelot. Don’t you see? Arthur might not have magic, but he is our champion. Magic will always turn to him.”
”Morgana,” gasped out Arthur. “Take off that damned bracelet.”
Morgana looked down at her wrist, confused. She always wore this, her sister said it protected her from uncontrolled bursts of magic.
”I don’t understand,” she said, but slipped it off. The sibling she most trusted and loved had told her to do so. All at once, Morgana’s eyes glowed gold, she stood taller, and the air around her shone brightly. Everyone stared, and Merlin smiled in approval. It seemed as if Morgana had finally come into focus.
”Morgause has been blocking your magic for years,” Arthur whispered, a little stronger now that Merlin’s magic was working on him.
Morgana hurried to Mordred’s side, where he was cradling his left arm and looking paler than usual. He looked up at her with a newfound awe and devotion. She placed a hand on his arm, and it began to shimmer. She smiled at him.
********
Percival took Morgause away, the woman seething but helpless. Gwen finally got to check on Arthur whose neck was showing signs of being nearly fully healed. She checked over Mordred as well, where Morgana’s magic was at work healing his broken arm.
Arthur nudged Merlin and pointed to the discarded bracelet on the side table, and to Morgana’s which she had dropped on the floor like a hot potato. Merlin looked at them, and in a blink they had vanished. Then they turned back to reassuring one another. They helped each other onto the sofa, and collapsed in a huddle.
Lance offered to take Gwen home. He seemed very solicitous of her well-being. Arthur shared a look with Merlin; something was up with those two?
Morgana left with Mordred to handle the news media, the police, and Uther. Merlin gave Arthur a nudge. Them as well?
Alone at last, the two snuggled further down into the sofa, hands and hearts intertwined.
”So…” Arthur started. “Magic loves me? Magic will always turn to me?” He raised his eyebrows at Merlin, clearly hoping for a favourable response. Maybe even angling for a kiss.
”Magic just really wants to know how Top Gun ends,” Merlin whispered under his breath, tucking his nose into Arthur’s neck. But Arthur heard him.