Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nothing lasts forever. Arthur knew that. He just wished that this could have lasted a little longer. 

It had been 4 hours and 19 minutes since it all had gone wrong. 259 long, agonizing minutes since some terrorist group had broken Cenred King out of the most secure prison on the planet. No one knew how it had happened, he had disappeared just like magic, and Seargent Arthur Pendragon was not happy. 

Neither was his fiancé, Merlin Emrys. “I don’t need a police escort! I can take care of myself. Tell them Lancelot!”

The man in question, who had been the unlucky guy to train the forensic scientist to defend himself, shook his head. “Six months of training self defense is not enough to take on a terrorist organization and a dangerous man who has murdred at least a dozen people so far.”

“And most certainly wants to kill you slowly and painfully, mate.” Gwaine told them helpfully. 

Merlin turned to the handsome detective. “Thank you, Gwaine.”

Gwaine winked at Merlin. “Anytime.”

Arthur groaned. “Merlin, listen…”

“I’m done listening!” Merlin walked to the middle of the room the team was currently sitting in. “It’s all I have ever done. Listening to you guys.” He deepened his voice at a poor attempt to replicate Arthur’s. “We are trained detectives, we know best, Merlin. Do that Merlin. Sit there Merlin so you don’t get a papercut while we storm into this building, guns drawn into the nests of the bad guys.”

The other’s faces portrayed the guilt they were feeling. They knew that they could have done that better. It was just that last time they had left Merlin unsupervised he had ended up getting shot. 

“It’s my life.”

Arthur lowered his gaze. “I know love.”

He got out of his chair to wrap his arms around Merlin’s shaking shoulders. “I know.”

Merlin looked at Arthur. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

Arthur nodded. “I know.” He repeated as he kissed Merlin passionately. The other people in the room looked away awkwardly. Except Gwaine because he was… you know… Gwaine. Instead he wolf whistled which caused the couple to break apart.

Merlin cheeks were red when he looked at Arthur. “I guess, it would not be the worst thing if we walked home together from now on. Just to be sure.”

Arthur nodded. It was not long between their apartment and the precinct because they both often got called into work on short notice. But Arthur would take anything Merlin could give right now. 

***

Two days later both Merlin and Arthur had stayed late working on a case together. It was only when Merlin practically had fallen asleep in Arthur's lap, despite drinking tons of coffee, that Arthur had kissed the raven haired man’s brow and announced that they both needed some sleep.

The clock was just after midnight when they exited the precinct’s door and stepped out into the cold winter night. During the day a layer of glistering and featherlight snow had come to cover the road. Footprints ran to the left and right along the street where the couple walked hand in hand. The moon hovered over them watching them silently.

After a hundred meters of walking in silence, just enjoying each other's company, Merlin stopped causing Arthur to bump into him. 

Merlin’s cheeks were stained with two rose-coloured spots below his cheekbones and his eyes sparkled in the starlight. His wild dark hair was full white snowflakes and he grinned at Arthur mischievously. Arthur thought that he had never been more beautiful than in that moment.

Unfortunately for him, he was too distracted by the thought of kissing those red lips to see the snowball that hit him square in the face a second later. When he shook the snow out of his eyes he heard the bright laugh that followed. It left him with a feeling of happiness he would remember for a long time to come. Later he would wish that he could have just stayed there in the moment forever. Appreciated it. Maybe run up to Merlin with the turquoise eyes filled with starlight he remembered so well and hug him and never let go.

But in that moment all he did was let the moment pass to find the most fitting pile of snow to make a snowball. The snowball fight lasted for a couple of minutes before a round object came flying out of an alley and landed at Merlin’s feet with a metallic clank. 

Nothing lasts forever except the moment when you see the love of your life die in front of you. During the months to come Arthur would replay that second a thousand times. He would play out different scenarios every time. If he had seen it earlier, been more alert, he could have warned Merlin. If he had been a few meters to the left he could have tackled Merlin and saved him. He could have run and thrown away the grenade instead of just standing there. He could have done a million things to prevent his death before that moment.

But that time, the only time that really mattered, there was just the snow-covered street bathed in moonlight and the two of them just looking at each other across the distance. Not a sound could be heard. It was like the world passed for a second before it became an inferno.

***

Countless doctors had told him that he had been lucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to escape with minimal scarring. Arthur was not so sure.

It had been four months since the day Merlin had been murdered. It had been 122 days since he had failed him and he had felt remorse every day since.

The team was not much better. Arthur did not think that he had seen Gwaine sober one time since that day. He could not remember one day that Lancelot had smiled since the funeral, despite Gwen’s efforts. But none of them knew how he felt. None of them knew how it was to have seen it happen. 

They had all drenched themselves in work. Case after case had been cleared with a tempo like none before. It was like not one of them would rest before justice had been served. For Merlin it hadn’t. They had no leads, no places to search and no suspects. But every one of them knew who had done it.

Finally they had had to accept that the trail behind Cenred had turned cold. Some were more accepting than others. On the day after new years eve Arthur was for the first time working on a case not connected to Cenred. New year, new opportunities right? What a crapload of bullshit. 

But Leon had finally told him that if he didn’t stop the self pitying he would tell his father. So what choice did he have?

The case itself was boring. A breakin at a grocery store. Some things were stolen but nothing serious. Some cleaning supplies, some cloth, a bucket… 

He refused to visit the crime scene and instead a forensic scientist, that was not Merlin, had swiped the scene. Arthut would get the results any minute now from Leon and in the meantime he was looking through the security tapes from outside the store. There was nothing interesting yet but there was still hope.

Leon entered quietly through the door. The only sound that could be heard was his shoes hitting the floor. 

“I got the results, sir.” Leon handed him the papers.

Arthur studied them closely. Finally they had a lead because the non-Merlin guy had found a set of fingerprints belonging to a guy named Daegal. 

“Thanks Leon. This is good news.” He tried to smile at his second in command. 

Leon saw right through it. “Merlin would be proud of you, Arthur.” He added softly.

Leon never called him Arthur. He had not since they were kids. Once again his mind was filled with pictures and memories of that smile. The smile that made his heart ache. 

“It hurts, Leon.” He admitted. “So much.”

Leon sat down at the chair next to him. “I know.”

“Why?” Arthur demanded.

“Because it mattered.”

Arthur didn’t answer. What was there left to say anyway? Instead he turned back and resumed the tape. They sat for a few minutes just looking at it.

Suddenly Arthur stopped the tape. He frowned. 

“What is it?” Leon asked, suddenly alert.

Arthur leaned forward and rewound the tape. It was in the middle of the day at the video and people rushed past the store. Arthur did not say a word and instead just pointed at a woman who came out of the store with the back to the camera. She had long, well kept and black hair flowing freely down her back and a long grey coat. Just before she walked out of frame she briefly turned around so they could see her face. 

It was not a face Leon had ever expected to see again. Especially because she was supposed to be dead. You know, rotting-in-a-grave-100-miles-from-there-dead. Not walking around in high heels. But there was no one else it could be. It must be her.

Leon looked over at her brother as he spoke. “Morgana.”

Arthur just nodded numbly.

Chapter Text

Arthur had stared and stared at the picture with his sister's face easily recognizable, that they had printed out, for about 10 minutes now. He had not said a word to Leon. 

Suddenly he had obviously had enough of waiting because he stood up, grabbed the picture and exited hastily through the door without as much as glancing at Leon. The only sound was the loud bang as the door closed, maybe a little bit too hard for Arthur to be alright. But how could he be?

When Leon opened the door, mere seconds later, Arthur was almost halfway up the stairs to the second floor and Leon had a pretty good idea where he was going. On the way after Arthur he almost knocked over a young man that just came into the precinct. He could hear the crash when the man bumped into a couple of boxes when he scattered out of his way.

Leon jogged past the other detectives and got a lot of confused stares at the angry sergeant and worried second in command. Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwen and Percival looked at each other and without a word they hurried after Leon. 

They had just caught up with Arthur when he unceremoniously threw open the door to his father’s office. The other followed him with uncertainty. It was their boss they were interrupting, and interrupting Uther Pendragon never ended well. 

“You can’t just barge in here, Arhur! I was in the middle of a... ” Uther stopped when he saw Arthur's face.

The sergeant slammed the picture of Morgana down at the table right in front of Uther. “Explain. Now.” His voice was deadly calm. Uther did not seem faced at all, as if he had anticipated that this day would somehow come.

“Sit down Arthur.” Arthur did, surprisingly. 

Uther closed his laptop and leaned forward over the table. He took a deep breath. “I have not been totally honest with you.”

No shit, Sherlock! Gwaine thought. He had started to put the pieces together after seeing the picture of the woman who was undoubtedly Morgana.

“I just wanted to protect you. This is dangerous information.” Uther said. Arthur looked less and less pleased by the second. “After your mother and I got married we really badly wanted a child. But we could not. However, Ygraine had ties within the secret service. She knew people that had secrets. Powers no one should have.”

A cold stone settled in Arthur gut. He had never before heard Uther even mention his mom.

“We trusted the wrong people. We were naive and thought that this power could be used for good. It was like a miracle when Ygraine got pregnant. We were in awe of this power. This magic.”

“Magic?” Leon asked.

“Yes, Leon. Magic is still in this world. It feeds on it like a parasite. It killed my Ygraine.” For a moment Uther’s eyes were soft. Then they hardened. “Magic killed my Ygraine. We were betrayed. Magic corrupts and can never be used for good.”

When Uther stopped talking everything was quiet. It was a bit hard to believe. Magic, real. But what choice did they have? Morgana was alive and all these weird coincidences or absence of evidence somehow started to make sense. Magic somehow fit.

“You somehow expect us to believe this?” Arthur asked without a trace of humor in his voice. 

“You can believe anything you want. You asked for the truth and I won’t waste time trying to persuade you.” Uther said as he stood up.

Arthur nodded slowly. “And my sister?”

Uther paused. “She’s no longer your sister Arthur. Magic claimed her.”

“How? I saw her die.”

Valid point. Gwaine did not say that outloud. Despite what others thought he did not have a death wish.

Uther turned around to face his son. “There are two ways to gain magic. The first is to use a magical artifact and steal someone's magic. But to gain true power you need to die. First then can you truly use the power. The more powerful you are, the longer it takes to rise again.”

“Rise again?” Lance asked uncertainty. 

“Be resurrected. Reappear. Re-emerge. Whatever you prefer.” Uther walked towards the door. Everyone hurried to get out of his way.

Before Uther could disappear from sight Arthur shouted after him. “How is it you know this much about magic? And that the rest of the world knows nothing?”

Uther turned around one last time with flames in his eyes. “Because, I have dedicated the last 20 years of my life to hunting magic users down and killing them. There are not many left and those who are are too afraid to do anything. Except for one group, the one Morgana joined.”

With that he disappeared from view. Leaving the team in an uncomfortable silence.

***

Magic. People coming back from the dead. Okay. Okay, Leon could deal with this. Lancelot seemed inclined to agree. He sat in the corner of the room with his head in his hands.

Gwaine dealt with things differently. “Cenred must have had magic. It is the only way that he could have escaped.”

Percival nodded. “Then the terrorist group was not a terrorsist group. But magic-users.”

“They could still be a terrorist group.” Gwaine decided. Leon nodded solemnly. He was too old for this stuff. 

Suddenly Lancelot stood up. “Merlin.” He breathed. His eyes were alighted with excitement and careful hope.

Gwaine seemed to catch on. “He could be alive.” The detective surged to his feet and started to dance around.

Leon shook his head. “The chances are low.”

“Astronomically low.” Elyan agreed.

Some of the hope in Lancelot’s eyes disappeared. “If someone could cheat death it would be Merlin.”

Arhur, who had been quiet all this time, raised his head. Everyone immediately stopped talking. “He is not alive.”

“He could be!” Gwaine bellowed.

“He is not!” Arthur shouted. “He is dead. Gone! We failed him. He’s never coming back! And from what you are saying, that’s magic's fault. Magic can’t be good if it did that. I hate magic!”

Arthur panted when he was done shouting. The other didn’t dare say anything else on the matter. They all knew that it was almost impossible. Arhur looked absolutely defeated when he was leaning against the chair in the middle of the room. He looked nothing like the man he had been. The one he had become with Merlin at his side. It was sad, Lancelot thought, that even if Merlin had been alive he would not recognize the man he had loved in those eyes.

Gwen changed the subject. “I don’t think all magic is evil.”

“No.” Lancelot agreed. “I don’t think we should judge it before finding out more.”

“Princess?” Gwaine asked carefully.

Arthur looked remorseful. “Yeah, sorry. I’m not thinking straight. We need to find out more.”

They all looked over at the abandoned picture in the middle of Uther’s desk. Arthur broke his stare first and ran out of the room and grabbed his coat from the hanger next to the precinct door.

“Where are you going?” Leon asked.

“Where are we going?”  Gwen corrected him.

Arthur turned around to look at them. His eyes were wet and red. His hair was a mess. Despite that he looked more alive than he had in months. More like his old self.

“We are going to the only one with answers.” Arthur said and held up the long-forgotten paper Leon had handed him before they had been dragged into this never-ending pit of magic and sorcerers.

***

Merlin’s body felt heavy. What had happened? He blinked a few times to try to chase away the heavy feeling, the feeling of something being fundamentally wrong. Merlin was met with a clear blue sky with just a couple of clouds far in the distance. Some branches full with pink flowers quietly swayed back and forth over him where he lay. The golden sunlight hit his face from the side and he could even hear birds chirping. It was almost warm in the air and everything felt peaceful. If he closed his eyes he could feel every bird, every plant that was close to him in his mind. It was strange but he felt so alive. It was like the first breath after almost drowning.

The wonderful feeling only lasted for a moment until everything came crashing down. It all came in pieces. The snow. The snowball fight. A cascade of fire. Crimson stains against the white snow. Taking his last breath. Arthur!

Suddenly he jerked upright. Dizziness and nausea hit him almost instantly, forcing him to take a few deep breaths. He was on the street between the precinct and their apartment. The exact spot where he had died. Merlin was confused. What had happened?

He felt a slight tingle in his right hand. When he looked down at it he could see a thin flame dancing and twisting around his fingers. He stared at it in wonder.

That had been a month ago. He had not at first realized that it was magic. It came out of him when he was angry, sad or excited. He had not been able to control it until he had met Kilgharrah. The old man had taught how to make spells and how to hide his magic.

If anyone asked him Merlin would not have been able to tell them why he had not yet visited Arthur. At first it had been that he was afraid to hurt him with his lack of control. After that he was not so sure. It could have been that he was afraid that Arthur wouldn’t believe him. Or worse: wouldn't accept him. Then Kilgarrah had told him about the resistance led by Morgana (apparently not dead either! Did no one stay dead in this town? Not that he was complaining of course) and about Uther. How Uther hunted sorcerers and killed them, for simply having magic. Merlin would not put Arthur in that position to have to choose between him and his father. It was better this way. 

But Merlin knew that was just an excuse. He was a coward.

That was why he was here. He missed Arthur so much. The brown doors to the precinct had never seemed so large and unwelcome as they did in that moment. For a couple of minutes he just stood there, not sure of what to do. 

Then he thought about that smile again and how Arthur’s hair shone when the summer-light hit it from the side. One more second passed before he took the impossible step towards the door. It was early in the morning so he did not think that very many people would be at the precinct. Apparently, he was wrong. Just a second after he entered through the door he saw Arthur run past him. His breath was completely knocked out of him. Every fiber of him told him that this was home, this was right. But his mind screamed. His nose was filled with the familiar smell of old coffee and paper. Merlin took a deep breath and relaxed. Everything would be just fine.

He was almost run over by Leon who ran past him. He took a step back and bumped into a couple of boxes filled with what looked like old case files. Merlin’s heart started pounding. He pressed his back against the wall. When he looked around the corner all he could see was the backs of his own team stepping through the door of what Merlin knew was Uther’s office.

After he had made sure that there was no one left in the room (magic was useful in that way), he quietly walked up to the door and pressed his ear against the cold metal.

Merlin could make out the voices of Uther and Arthur. They were talking about Morgana. And about magic. A cold hand wrapped itself around Merlin’s heart. Suddenly he could hear stepps coming towards the door. He threw himself to the side just as Uther Pendragon opened the door. Arthur shouted after him. 

Merlin did not even dare to breathe when he saw how Uther turned around through the crack in the door. After what seemed like forever Uther turned around the corner and disappeared from view. Merlin let out a breath he did not even know he was holding.

It was first when he heard his name being mentioned that he started to pay attention to the conversation again.

Arthur’s angry voice could be heard clearly even through the thick door. “...gone! We failed him. He is never coming back! And from what you are saying, that’s magic's fault. Magic can’t be good if it did that. I hate magic!”

At first it was like Merlin’s brain did process what was being said. Then a wave of hot anger flushed through his body, but it was gone as fast as it arrived. All the fight, gone, just like that. It was replaced with a strangely empty feeling, like all air had been knocked out from him. What had he been hoping for really? 

For forgiveness? For Arthur to want to be with him, despite the person he had become?

His vision became blurry and he could feel hot tears running down his cheeks. He quickly dried them. This was not the time nor the place. Still every word Arthur said hit his heart like a bullet. 

Some mean that it is painful to wait for someone you love, some say that it is painful to forget someone. But the greatest pain is when you don’t know whether to give up or keep fighting. Merlin could never give up on Arthur, even if Arthur had given up on him. Even if Arthur would never accept who he is. Even if he had to protect him from the shadows.

Somehow it all became easier like this. This empty feeling was better than pain and suffering, the worst was over. Or that was at least what Merlin tried to tell himself. 

So he pushed all these thoughts down, down, down deep into a dark corner of his mind until nothing remained of the old Merlin. The weak Merlin. It was better this way. Easier this way, if no one cared if he lived or died. He had a job to do.

***

Arthur squatted alongside a brick wall, trying to catch his breath. In the meantime he was trying to process everything his father had told him. It was all so unbelievable. But still, it made sense. Long story short, he did not know what to think. Though he did not need to. Arthur was in first hand a soldier, always had been. People like Merlin and Gwen had always been the ones that thought about things and speculated before doing anything. Most of the time, at least.

He had always lived with the danger, the rush of adrenaline. Taking quick decisions while in action had always been what he had been good at. Not thinking. That was why he now sat here, leaning against the rough wall, trying to stay alert. He needed to see the action himself to believe it.

A sudden sound rapid footsteps tore him from his train of thoughts. At first, all he could see was the busy street filled with civilians trying to get from or to their jobs and apartments. Then his eyesight landed upon a young man, around 18, running across the street. People jumped out of his way. The man, with chocolate brown hair and an orange scarf (just like in the picture, he noted), kept throwing worried glances over his shoulder. Must like Arthur had suspected, Gwaine came running after him.

Arhur surged into action, running to cut Daegal off. He pushed through the crowd shouting to the ones ahead. “Police. MOVE!”

The sea of people parted like the sea before Moses had. When he was just around 20 meters after Daegal, the boy suddenly turned right into an abandoned alleyway. Arthur slowed down when he turned around the same corner. It was a dead end. The concrete walls that surrounded the whole alley except the opening at Arthur’s back, were too high to climb and there was nothing in the alley except a few dumpsters. Daegal had nowhere left to go.

Yet he did not look scared. Arthur holstered his gun and showed Daegal his hands. He walked slowly towards him, like one does not to scare a wild animal. Daegal was holding what looked like a necklace, Arthur noted. The pendant glowed in a strange, deep gold. Pendants don’t usually glow that way.

Arthur did not have time to throw himself to the side as Daegal raised the necklace. A golden and shimmering light abrupted from it and hit Arthur square in the chest. It felt like a horse had kicked him in his stomach and Arthur was thrown a couple of yards backwards. 

Huh. Unexpected.

Daegal tried to run while Arthur lay on the ground but Gwaine (appearing out of nowhere) tackled him before he could get very far. He cuffed him while Leon helped the Sergeant to his feet.

Lancelot came trailing behind them. “It’s real.” He whispered in awe.

“A bit too real.” Arthur muttered, rubbing the sore spot on his chest.

Leon turned to Daegal. He looked small and scared and young next to Gwaine. “Are you going to use magic again?”

Daegal slowly shook his head. “No.”

“Why?”

Daegal blushed. “I don’t really have magic. That’s just a magical artifact. Filled with magic to be used only once.”

Leon eyed him skeptically. “Who gave it to you?”

Defiance crept into the boy's eyes. “I won’t tell you! They will kill me.”

“Who will kill you?” Arthur pressed.

The boy just shook his head.

“The terrorists? Morgana?”

He just shook his head more violently. They could not get another word out of him. Finally they had to give up.

“Let’s take him to the station.” Arthur decided.

It felt for every step forward they took two steps back.

***

He was as perfect as he remembered. His boyfriend, his king, his love, his life. And still, he would never love the person he had become. Or always had been, Merlin realized. Arthur had fallen for him unaware that his life was made of lies.

And now he would hate him if he ever found out the truth. So he never could. Merlin would make sure of that. Maybe it was selfish but he wanted Arthur to remember him as he had been.

Merlin turned left when he came to a familiar alley. He continued walking along the empty street until he found himself before the apartment that had worked as his home for the last month. Kilgharrah originally owned it but had deemed Merlin in more need of it than he was when he used it as a storing room.

The apartment itself was not special. It was in fact quite small but Merlin thought it only made it cozy. The walls were painted in a vibrant green colour and the apartment consisted of only one room and a small kitchen. Merlin did not own a lot of furniture, just a small bed and a couple of bookcases filled with a bunch of odd stuff. Still he adored it. It was his home.

Merlin crossed the messy floor, filled with open books about magic and artifacts that he had not had the time to clean up, to get to the fridge. He was starving. 

Just as he was about to take out a sandwich he heard a creaking sound. That did not come from something he stored in his apartment. Merlin froze. Someone else was here. They must have found him. Not good, Merlin decided after a moment of consideration, not good at all. He started whistling to try to act like he hadn’t heard the intruder. Merlin looked down at the sandwich in his hands. Not the most efficient weapon. His eyes glowed gold as he put a quick and silent spell on the sandwich. 

When he heard a sound that was undoubtedly the cock of a gun he spun around and threw his sandwich in the general direction of the intruder. He ran as fast as his legs could bear him as his improvised sandwich-bomb exploded and he heard a lot of swearing. Then he heard a loud bang. The bullet missed him by an inch. 

Merlin kept running.

***

Arthur was not having the best day of his life. He was in fact quite angry and excited and awed and frustrated and …

All in all Arthur was confused. No scratch that. He would not lie. He was very, greatly, deeply confused. So. There. He had said it.

On the other side of the van Elyan must have seen his baffled expression. “Sir, are you alright?”

“Of course he is not all right.” Percival answered. “He just found out that his long-lost sister is alive and his father lied to him all his life.”

Bless him.

Of course Gwaine ruined the moment. That’s just how he is. “Sooooo.... magic? I have personally seen many strange things. And done many strange things. Things even I am ashamed of...”

Percival got a sudden glimt in his eyes. “Yes, like the time you arrested that duck...”

Gwaine looked deeply offended and gasped. “You swore to never talk about that again after the hot dog incident. We had a pact!”

A surprised laugh escaped Lancelot’s lips. “You arrested a duck?”

“Oooh, yes. It started with…” Percival began with a shiteating grin.

“NO!” Gwaine moved closer to Percival to try to hit his arm. All he succeeded with was to fall over beside a wide eyed Daegal. The boy yelped helplessly. “Ducks are evil. They sound funny. Their waddling is straight from hell” Gwaine muttered.

“Just because…” Percival started saying.

Arthur cut him off. “I don’t think magic is evil.” He said quietly. 

Lancelot nodded. “How could it be? Evil is only in the heart of men.”

“My father is wrong.” Arthur sounded more certain this time.

“Do you really mean that?” Daegal asked, eyes wide. They seemed like a family. Much like one he had longed for all these years. He desperately wanted to be a part of it. But he knew he never could. 

“I think so. I don’t have the whole picture but I am willing to try.” Arthur said.

Daegal considered for a moment. He was tired of running, of hiding. It had started because he needed the money but he had known they were not right. Now he could make it right, if he had the courage. “And you promise to protect me?”

A shadow flickered past Arthur’s eyes for a moment. This time was different. This time he was prepared. “Yes.”

“Then I will tell you anything.”

If Arthur was surprised he didn’t show it. 

“It all started because I needed the money. They said they could offer me a job. High pay and I needed minimum experience. Of course I took it. It kept me off the streets.”

Gwaine leaned in closer. “Who are they?”

“I suppose you would call us..them terrorists. Or murderers. That’s not what w...they would call themselves though. They prefer freedom fighters or the resistance.” 

The worst part of it all was how Lancelot almost could understand them. They fought for a community where they were accepted. Where they would not be killed for simply existing. The line between terrorists and heroes were fine. 

“History is written by the winners.” Arthur simply said. The line was often defined by who won.

Daegal nodded. “I can agree with the motives, please don’t kill me.” He added quickly. “But they are doing it wrong. There are magical people living freely without hurting or killing people.”

Leon looked around the room before his eyes finally settled at Arthur. “We can stop them. We can stop the violence. The killing. Hopefully without killing them.”

“What they are doing is wrong.” Daegal said simply and shrugged. As if he did not care any longer.

“I know.” Arthur said with conviction. “But if we killed them it would be just as wrong.”

“Okay. Then you need all the help you can get. Have you noticed how the attacks have stopped recently?”

They nodded. It was weird. They had no clue why they suddenly stopped about three weeks ago. Before that there had been frequent breakins and bombs and shootings. Just like the one Merlin had died in.

“We don’t know who it is, but someone has been sabotaging our supplies and missions.”

“How?” Elyan asked.

“They seemed to know where our storages were. Where we store the bombs and the Gean Canach bullets and…”

Leon looked back at them from the driver's seat. “Wait a second! Gan Canush… No, I’m not even going to try.”

Daegal smiled slightly. “We just call them Gean-bullets. They can suppress magic for a while if they hit you.”

Interesting. “Can they entirely rid people of magic?” Gwaine asked.

“Not the bullets. The bullets are covered in a poison from the Gean Canach. If one drinks the poison the person’s magic will disappear. The poison is really rare. There are just a few bottles left in the world.”

Arthur's eyes lit up. Maybe there was hope for them after all. If they could somehow rid their opponents of magic this might be a fair fight. “How many bullets does it take until the magic is gone?”

“One. Usually. But if they’re stronger it might take 2 or 3. I think Morgana told me that the most a person had been hit with and still could use magic was 5. I think his name was Cornelius…  something.”

Gwaine smiled. “Okay. Back to this person. Has he been fighting you?”

“Not openly. His identity remains a secret to this day. The reports have been different. What we know so far is that he has either long white hair and a beard or short black hair.” Daegal started counting on his fingers. “He is either tall or short. Oooh, ooh and he is either old or young.”

Elyan laughed. 

“So you are experts then!” Lancelot, Lancelot, added sarcastically. Lance was never sarcastic. It must be one of the 10 warnings of the apocalypse. 

Let him put it this way: if a bilogist had found a virus that rare he would be sent to Sweden to receive a Nobel prize. 

Daegal smiled at him. “Yeah. We just call him the warlock.”

“Why?”

“He has a ton of magic. Only warlocks have that much magic.” Daegal looked longingly at his hands that refused to even light the smallest fires.

“More than Morgana?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that they are obsessed with catching this man. To steal his magic.”

Realization dawned on Arthur. “If it really is as much as you say, they would become invincible.”

Daegal nodded. “That’s not even the worst part. Before you caught me, thanks for that by the way,” Gwaine bowed mockingly. “I was going to an apartment near the docks. The apartment we know belongs to the warlock.”

No, no , no. Despite everything they might be too late. “Can you give us the address?”

“Yes.” Gwaine handed him a paper which he scribbled something down at. 

“Leon!” Arthur yelled to the driver. “Turn the car around!”

Arthur had a weird sense of deja vú. 

Despite the tense situation Gwaine laughed when they got pressed against the wall as the van turned. They all knew that he lived for the adrenaline. 

“We’re all probably going to die.” Elyan declared. “So I need to know: what is the hot dog incident?”

Gwaine shook his head violently. “Never!”

“It’s a dying man’s last wish!”

“What happened in Liverpool stays in Liverpool.” Percival told him stoically. Gwaine just nodded gravely with a horrified expression.

***

Merlin had never run so fast before in his life. He had considered staying and fighting, he knew he was stronger then most of them, but quickly abandoned that idea when he counted at least a dozen black-cled figures with guns running after him. 

The warlock stumbled over a thick wire when he ran through the entrance of the docks. The others were right after him. This was not ideal. 

A sharp pain exploded through his right arm. The dirt tasted coppery and bitter where he went down. The gravel made his palms sting. But he ignored it and surged to his feet. The blood loss made him dizzy. He quickly reached over his chest and put a hand over the bleeding gash in his arm. His eyes glowed golden and the wound started to knit together. Merlin swayed slightly. Usually, he did not get this tired when he used that little magic. That was when he realized. 

They were not using regular bullets. Were they not trying to kill him? That would mean…

Wild panic and fear coursed through his body. They could not take his magic. Once again he was a small and lonely child when his mother had died. And for the first time in a very long time he was afraid. As if he could run away from that feeling he started sprinting again despite the poison coursing through his body. What other choice did he have?

***

Arthur and the team jumped out of the black van the moment it came to a sudden stop. Their tactical gear was on including black bullet-proof vests and earpieces if they somehow ended up getting separated. Despite the heavy protection gear they only had one or two guns each. They had all agreed that this could not wait so they did not stop by the station to pick up the heavy arms. At least they could run better with light equipment.

“Okay!” Arthur yelled. Easily once again slipping into his role as the commander. “Listen up,”

They all gathered around him, buzzing with energy for the upcoming battle. That was what it was to them. A battle. 

“We do not shoot unless necessary. And if we do, we use tranquilizers. They may be out to kill us, but today we will not return the favour.”

Their heads all turned to the docks full of containers in vibrant colours when they heard the faint echo of gunfire. They needed to leave.

“We don’t know how powerful they are.” Lance pointed out. 

“No. But we are aiming to arrest them. Nothing more!”

He looked around at his team. Grim faces met him but they all nodded. They were ready. Pride coursed through his body, there was no one he would rather die with.

“It’s not a duck, Gwaine. But it will have to do.” Arthur added to lighten the mood. It was the first joke he had made in months. He felt truly alive here, at the brink of danger.

“I hate you so much.” Gwaine answered. But he smiled. He could feel it too.

***

Merlin had lost count of how many times he had been hit. But for every bullet that penetrated his skin he could feel his magic recoil. It became harder and harder to heal the wounds. The exhaustion was so complete that he had given up defending himself with magic. In the beginning he had been throwing blasts of raw magic backwards as he ran to try to stop the magic users. It had worked, for a while. Now he barely had enough magic left to heal his injuries.

A blast of magic came from the side as he rounded a blue container. He tried to shield himself but the golden shield just flickered weakly for a few moments before dissolving completely. The black-haired warlock was thrown a few meters backwards. A loud crack marked the moment he stopped falling and crashed into a container. 

The man that had thrown him laughed deeply. Merlin knew he had nowhere left to go, he could not even move his arms. No other card left to play. It was only a small relief that the tall and bald man seemed to be the only one nearby. 

The man smiled, showing a couple of yellow teeths. “You have nowhere left to run, boy. Nowhere but to me.”

He had no energy left to even be afraid. For the last time he tried to stand up only to quickly fall down again. 

Well, he did at least go down fighting. So he looked the man straight into his small, brown eyes.  

“Give me a break. Are you proud of yourselves? I’m barely 25. It took you more than a dozen well trained, grown magic users and a bunch of guns to bring me down. And I have been practicing magic for less than a month. I see this as an absolute win!” He flashed the other man a smile just because he knew how much it would annoy him. Like he suspected, the man became the same shade as a tomato. The joyous feeling only lasted for a second.  

“Your death will be slow and painful. We will take your magic first though. It will taste delicious.” He licked his yellow teeth. That was disturbing.

When the man stepped forward and grabbed his arm Merlin finally closed his eyes. I am sorry, Arthur. I tried my hardest.

The pressure against his arm suddenly slacked. He looked up to see a dart sticking out of the man’s neck. Some of the strength had returned to him after sitting down for a while so when he tried to rise he found that his shaking legs actually could bear his weight. He looked around. No sign of his saviour, or doom for that matter. 

He leaned against the container and took three deep breaths as he thanked whatever god that watched over him for that moment to gather his strength. After what felt like no time at all he heard someone yell.

“That’s him!” 

Merlin felt the need to sigh. This again. But it was not over yet. So he gathered what strength he could muster and fought for his freedom.

***

The team ran in the long and winding corridors of shipping containers. On both sides the colourful walls flashed by in an alarming speed. The first sorcerer that went down was a short man with a tattoo across his brow. 

On his other side a young woman with stripy brown hair got hit by a dart. She did not get up again. Still the team continued running.

When they came across crossroads they split up to cover more ground. They did not even need to utter one single word, this was their homeground. This was what they were born to do. Together they advanced into the docks, moving not as individuals but as a unit.

After the fourth sorcerer they had taken down everything started to go downhill. It seemed like they had lost the element of surprise. Still they had not come across the warlock. It could have been Arthur’s imagination but he could have sworn that he had caught a glimpse of a raven-black hair and a brown jacket in the corner of his eye. He had not had time to investigate it because just after that he had been attacked by a sorcerer coming out of the same alley. 

Now he had a bleeding gash across his cheek. The sorcerer lay unmoving at the bottom of his feet. Still breathing, thankfully. 

Leon’s muffled voice could be heard from the piece in his ear. “I think I have located the target. They have him.”

There was a quiet sound when Leon’s gun was fired. 

“Report.” Arthur said. He waited in tense silence.

“He is okay. Approaching…”

At the same time as Leon was talking there came an agonizing scream. “Gwaine’s down.” Leon reported. “I am the closest. The warlock can wait.”

Arthur kicked the container closest to him. Damn it. They had been so close. He started running towards where he knew Gwaine had been.

***

The silence unsettled him. At this point, he had gathered as much as someone else had entered the docks if the unconscious sorcerer he had almost fallen over was any indication. Probably, he had not shot himself hence someone else must have. 

He leaned against a wall for a moment to catch his breath and pride himself on his amazing detective skills. Arthur always told him he would make a lousy detective. Ha! He just showed him.

Merlin continued walking forwards, a bit slower this time. No one had attacked him for a good 2 minutes. He counted it as a new record. A movement at his right caught his eyes. He could not be sure but it almost looked like Arthur stood at the far end of the container. Gun in hand and his light hair shining like a halo. Merlin shook his head. When he opened his eyes he was gone. The blood loss must be getting to him.

A moment of weakness was apparently all it took for his enemies to catch up to him again. He could make out at least 6 black shadows moving towards him at the end of the line of blue containers. Damn it. There goes the record. 

The man in the middle started chanting.The ground beneath his feet started vibrating. Merlin turned around and started running again. At least he had a few hundred meters of head start this time.

Merlin rounded the corner of a container and suddenly came to a stop. The impact with a hard, warm body knocked the breath out of him and he fell down backwards. A pair of familiar blue eyes peered down at him. Oooh, bugger. 

Now he knew who the other team was.

***

They found Gwaine behind a yellow container. They also found an unconscious sorcerer behind him. From Gwaine’s leg, blood was flowing freely and his green pants were already covered in it. Lancelot used a stripe from his shirt to make a bandage and tied it around the leg.

Elyan, Leon and Percival were already there and watching for intruders. Arthur was just about to tell them the next step of the plan when someone collided with him from behind.

Years of training kept him on his feet but the other man was not that lucky. The raven-haired boy tumbled to the ground.

He turned around slowly with his gun raised, ready to shoot if he needed to. He never got that far. The only sound that could be heard was the loud clang of his gun hitting the ground when the whole team looked at Merlin with wide eyes.

Merlin looked terrible. His blue shirt and brown jacket were ruined. They were torn in multiple places and blood stained most of his chest and right arm. Dirt and blood was smeared across his face and made his sharp cheekbones even more visible. Arthur could not see where he was bleeding from. It seemed like it was from all over.

A heartbeat passed when they just stared at each other. Two, three . Merlin counted in his head.

Gwaine broke the silence. “Am I hallucinating? I could have sworn that he looks like Merlin.”

Arthur could have laughed at the bizarre situation. But shock held them all tight in their grip.

Nothing breaks shock like a hoard of angry and murderous sorcerers rounding the corner into the corridor you are sitting in. No one had time to raise their guns as a giant fireball surged for Arthur's chest.

Just before it hit them a thin golden barrier appeared before them. The fireball bounced harmlessly off it. He knew in his heart where the shield had come from before he turned his head to see Merlin standing there with one leg in front of the other and hands lifted with his palms directed at the sorcerers. His eyes glowed the most intense shade of gold he had ever seen.

Arthur could hear multiple gasps coming from behind him. He was inclined to agree.

Merlin turned his golden eyes towards him and said a single word. “Run!”

His voice was a curse and his salvation at the same time. How he had longed to hear that voice again. It was so familiar and yet strangely filled with power. It was his unleashing. 

Therefore he was not proud of what he did next. He turned towards his team and ordered them to “go, Go, GO!”

He ran with the warlock protecting his back for what may have been the first time. Yet it seemed achingly familiar. And maybe, just maybe, like it was meant to be that way.

***

Merlin knew that he could not last forever. No one can. But his team was at his back, getting to safety, so he would fight till his dying breath. His magic seemed to agree. It rose again to his defense, fighting the poison that tried to push it down.

The sorcerers opened fire, both magical and with guns. Every hit against the shield felt like it slammed into his own body. The first bullet that penetrated the shields flew over his head but left a hole in the already thin golden layer.

The next one did not miss. Still he kept the shield up. Until he shook with pain and exhaustion. Then he started counting the seconds. It was okay. They had gotten away. It was all that mattered. It would be okay. Tears started flowing. When they hit the ground they sank into the earth with a low fizz. It would be okay, he repeated it like a mantra until nothing else filled his head. It would be okay. He would get to see his mother and Will again. Just one more second.

When the shield finally gave in he turned around and ran. They immediately started shooting after him. He saw the exit and a familiar black van when they caught up with him. It haunted him that he had been so close to freedom.

Then Arthur was there. Like a knight in shining armor, firing his gun at the sorcerers, grabbing his arm and screaming for him to run. Swearing loudly when his legs couldn’t carry him fast enough.

He did not know how he possibly got there but he felt the rough material of the van underneath his fingers and a pair of strong arms reached out from the inside and pulled him up. Into the van. Into safety. Then Arthur was not yelling at him anymore but at Leon to drive. 

The doors slammed shut and Merlin finally gave in and let the darkness claim him.

***

Leaning against the now closed doors to the van, Arthur breathed heavily. 

Lancelot’s eyes were wide. “You went back.”

Not really a question, he answered anyway. “I could not leave him.” 

Looking over at Merlin’s sleeping form, he had to tell himself that it was all real. It was not just a dead body, despite the stiffness and blood smeared all over.

A newly awoken Gwaine stared at Merlin’s limp body. “Shit. SHIT. How many times was he hit?”

How no one had checked that yet was a testimony to their shock and confusion. Lancelot walked over to him and quickly examined his injuries. His eyes were big and sad when he looked back at the team.

“Too many.”

“How many?” Arthur’s voice was cold.

“At least a dozen.”

A dozen. How was he not dead? He should have bled out hours ago. Stupid. Arthur wanted to kick himself. Magic. He must have been healing himself as he ran.

“He shouldn’t have been able to run, or use magic.” Daegal, who was still in the van, pointed out. Arthur had somehow forgotten he was there. The information was unnecessary. They all knew that anyway.

Lancelot smiled to himself. “It is just like Merlin.” He said, as if he tried the taste of the name against his tongue again. But it was. Brave, selfless Merlin would do anything to protect them. It was just like him. That made him wonder what had changed. Would he be another person? Did he still love him?

God knows Arthur still did. And it scared him beyond measure.

***

He was not fast enough, they would catch up to him. Then they would take his precious magic. It was like he could not get anywhere. He was running in what felt like jelly. The cries of the sorcerers made his ears ring. 

He was not fast enough. His breathing quickened. Arthur was calling out for him. 

But it was not with terror. A soothing hand lay on his arm. The bed was smooth and comfortable underneath him.

"Merlin, Merlin. It's just a nightmare. I'm here. Please come back." 

His whole body relaxed. Arthur was here, he had saved him. Nobody would hurt him. Merlin tried to open his eyes. All he had the time to see was Arthur sitting on a grey chair next to the bed and a worried Lance standing behind him before his heavy eyelids fell shut again. 

"It's okay sir. He will wake up. The magic just exhausted him." Lance said quietly. Yeah, that seems about right. It was an exhaustion like none before.

"I know." Arthur answered, his hand never leaving Merlin's arm. "I have so much to tell him."

There was a silence in which Merlin assumed Lancelot must have nodded or smiled at the sergeant. It was kind of hard to know when he had his eyes closed. 

"I saw it in his eyes, Lance. He was scared of me. As if I would ever hurt him. If Merlin has magic, magic can't be evil."

Merlin once again fell asleep with Arthur's words echoing through his head. 

***

The light stung in his eyes the next time he awoke. Breathing in, he could feel the welcoming fragrance of someone cooking dinner in the big kitchen he knew was next to the room he lay in. Merlin was home, or in the huge apartment that had been his and Arthur’s home a long while ago.

Taking the first step out of the soft and warm bed felt almost impossible. His limbs felt heavy but after walking a lap around the room he felt better. His stomach growled.

Merlin was STARVING. On his way towards the wonderful scent of hot food he almost ran over Gwaine.

Gwaine yelped and jumped backwards. His face lost all colour when he looked at Merlin.

“You look like you have seen a ghost, Gwaine.”

“Maybe I have.” Gwaine answered uncertainty.

An invisible force hit Merlin’s lungs. How he had missed his friend. Merlin reached over and put a hand on the detective's shoulder. “Don’t worry. I will protect you.” With that the warlock let a hint of gold be seen in his eyes. A golden flame danced between his fingers. He winked.

The brown hair flowed down his back when Gwaine tilted his head backwards and laughed deeply. “It’s good to have you back. It has been boring without you here.”

Merlin’s stomach protested once again. Gwaine nodded. “Yeah, Gwen thought you might be hungry when you woke up. Something about spending all your energy fighting sorcerers?”

Merlin had the good judgement to at least look a little guilty.

“Don’t EVER do that again.” Lance came up to them and shoved Merlin backwards. Before he could fall he was wrapped in Lancelot’s arms. “You scared me half to death!” He pulled Merlin roughly towards the kitchen and manhandled him into a chair. 

Gwen put so much food before him that he was certain that he could feed a whole army with it. Lancelot pointed to the mountain of meatballs, sausages and lasagna. “Eat!”

Not daring to disobey Merlin began shoveling food into his mouth. People usually thought Gwen was the most scary of the pair because Lance was often a literal angel in disguise. But Merlin knew better. That man was bloody terrifying when crossed.

Halfways through a tower of Gwen’s finest pancakes he realized what was wrong. A certain blue eyed, golden haired sergeant was missing. “Where’s Arthur?”

Elyan stared down at the table, not meeting his eyes. “He went to the station to pick some equipment up.”

A cold stone dropped to the bottom of his stomach. Leon misread his expression. “He wanted to be here when you woke up. He did not leave your side for a minute during the first day you were unconscious.”

Merlin was already halfways out the door before anyone could react. “Something's wrong.” There was no doubt, he could feel it in his very bones.

That sobered them up. Gwaine hurried after him. “I’m coming with you.”

“Me too.” Lance grabbed his black coat, despite the warm weather, and ran to catch up to Merlin. 

When they reached the door of the precinct it opened silently without anyone touching it. The warlock’s eyes returned to their normal blue when he hurried through the bullpen, aiming for the office at the far end.

As always, the sergeant’s office was neatly cleaned and everything was sorted in alphabetical order. Merlin had always been bothered by how clean Arthur kept it while he just threw his clothes everywhere at home.

A dagger stuck out of the wall, nailing a paper to it. Merlin crossed the room and pulled it out. His stomach turned. It was smeared with ruby red blood. The paper itself was thick against his thumb. The bright white colour reminded him of a night a few months ago. The night when he had lost his life. Just like he was now. That dread became worse for every word he read.

Merlin, it said, I never wanted it to end like this. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse at 6th street at noon. Come alone and unarmed if you ever want to see Arthur again. I will be waiting.

Morgana

Just like he remembered, Morgana’s handwriting was elegant and cursive. A slight stain of blood covered the last A. Rage like none before coursed through his body. A flash of gold was all it took for the note to disappear in flames.

When there was nothing left but ashes he turned to the two detectives leaning against the doorframe.

“I need to go!” He informed them. They did not look happy.

“No.”

“She said I needed to come alone.” How were they not understanding the importance of this?

Lance shook his head. “No! We will figure it out together.”

Gwaine nodded. “We are a team.”

The annoyance lingered. But he was not getting anywhere with those two, he knew that. “Okay.”

Relief could be seen in Lancelot’s eyes. Merlin felt guilty. He hated to do this to his friends. But what choice did he have?

***

“I’ll talk to him.” Gwaine announced after watching Merlin pace between two desks worrying about Arthur. There would soon be a whole in the floor, Gwaine decided. He placed a tender hand on the warlock’s slim back and escorted him out of Lance’s view.

Ten minutes later he returned, without Merlin. At Lance’s worried expression Gwaine just smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine. I talked him out of going. He just needed to go to the bathroom and then we will wait for the backup.”

Putting a hand on his brow, Lance sighed heavily. This was going to be a long day. He took a deep breath and fixed the other detective with a stern look.

Gwaine seemed confused. “What?”

Just to confirm his suspicion Lance started running to the bathroom. 

“Oh, oh, shit…” The long-haired detective looked over at the blue-painted door. “Is he still there?”

A thick silence was his only answer.

***

Something was not entirely right with your life if you were used to waking up with a concussion. Arthur might need to reevaluate his choices. When he had been little he had not imagined that his career would lead to sorcerers and not-really-dead fiancés. Being handcuffed to a chair in an abandoned large house with his not-really-dead-but-definitely-mad sister looking at him as if he was prey might not have been on his top ten things to do either.

But alas, when did he ever get what he wanted? Arthur looked around the house, which he now suspected might be more of an old warehouse. It was a windy space with a high roof with a lot of soot-covered windows. Some of the windows were broken and the golden light that shone through them hit the floor diagonally making the shadows of all the junk thrown into piles against the walls very long. In the middle there was a huge empty space where he sat in the chair, surrounded by at least a dozen sorcerers. Including Morgana and Cenred. 

“Finally awake, dear brother?” Morgana drawled from behind him. 

“You can’t keep me here! My team will find you and then you will be sorry. Surrender now and we might go easy on you.” Arthur said with as much authority as one tied-up person could do surrounded by enemies that could kill him with less than a thought. That realization had been… fun .

Morgana’s answering smile made him less proud of that accomplishment. “That’s what I’m hoping for. Let him come.”

A sick feeling settled in Arthur’s gut. Him. He was bait. He changed his tactive. “Don’t! Please. I beg you Morgana. Kill me instead.” 

Arthur had never begged before in his life. And Morgana knew that. “How sweet. Arthur Pendragon, protecting a sorcerer. It’s a shame you didn’t do that earlier. At the very beginning.”

“I would have accepted you Morgana. You’re my family.” He answered. It was the truth.

Morgana grinned. “Silence. You’re your fathers son. I’m doing the right thing. I must be.” She said uncertainly, as if convincing herself.

A sorceress in a red dress with bright flowing hair stepped forward and put a hand on Morgana’s shoulder. “You are, sister.”

That must be Morgause then. Uther had briefly described her to Arthur. “It’s not too late Morgana. You can still be good.”

His sister laughed maniacally. “Poor Arthur, there is no good side. It was destroyed the moment your kind started hunting us like animals for simply existing.”

The worst part was that he actually could understand Morgana. But she was not right. It’s what you do that matters. Merlin had taught him that. “Morgana, I am…”

He was cut off when Morgana lit a flame in her hand and brought it close to his left cheek. Warmth radiated from it. “Shut up. We’ll wait. Merlin is certainly already coming here. And when he does, I will drain him of his precious magic. Then I will kill him in the most painful way possible for what he did to us, while you watch. I will keep you here until you understand how alone and hurt I have been so you can feel the same. Only when you beg for death I will kill you, as a mercy. Then you will at last understand why storms are named after people.”

The flame that burned in Morgana’s eyes had nothing to do with the fire in her palm. Then Arthur finally understood. This was not his sister. The creature she had become was not either magic’s fault. It was mostly his father’s for driving her away. But it was also Morgause’s for twisting her thoughts. 

Light footsteps echoed through the warehouse. Morgana smiled. No, no, no…

As Merlin stepped out into the light, Arthur could feel the tip of a gun pressed against his head. His face was grim as he beheld Arthur but he held his head high when he stepped closer to the awaiting bunch of sorcerers. He wore a plain black shirt and his ice-blue eyes met Arthur’s and stayed there. Merlin tried to say everything he never would be able to through that stare. I’m sorry, I love you. Arthur understood, he just wished that Merlin never would have showed up. God knows what they could do with his magic.

The sorcerers seemed to think the same. They circled around the warlock as vultures, hungerly looking him up and down. Morgana smiled smugly for she knew she had won. Arthur thought he even saw Cenred lick himself around his mouth. 

The sergeant closed his eyes, it was truly over then, they had won. His sister pressed the gun even harder to his head, forcing it to bend to the side.

“Don’t even try, Merlin. If you just make one wrong move he dies.” 

The wind ruffled Merlin’s black hair where he stood. He smiled grimly. “Come on then Morgana.”

Two of the larger men in her crew grabbed Merlin’s shoulders and forced him down on his knees. He let them. Fight back , Arthur wanted to scream. Don’t just willingly sacrifice yourself. Don’t just stand there and let them kill you.

The defiance in those turquoise eyes were clear, still Merlin did no such thing. Though, he raised his head and looked straight at Morgana. “You have me. Now, let Arthur go.”

Putting a hand in the pocket of her pants, Morgana smiled. “I was going to. But I changed my mind. It'll be more fun this way.”

At the last word she pulled out a crystal from her pocket and quickly, before anyone could react, she pressed it to Merlin’s upper arm. The room was buzzing with energy, but nothing happened. Morgana’s face fell. 

“Wha…why?” Looking down at the still empty chrystal she frowned. 

Merlin raised an eyebrow before pulling something out of his own pocket. Though he did not smile despite the win. Because he knew what was coming next. 

All eyes were drawn to the empty vail. They all recognised it. Poison from the Gean Canach. It slid between Merlin’s fingers and dropped to the floor. Millions of glistening pieces spread before Morgana’s feet.

Arthur realized too late what would happen next. A piercing scream echoed through the room. Merlin was lifted from his knees and thrown backwards into a glass table. He went straight through it and thousands of small shards dug into his body. Arthur started struggling against the restraints.

Before Merlin could rise on his shaky legs Morgana once again raised her hand and sent Merlin’s limp body flying.

***

It was only for Arthur he would have done it. Now the empty, black hole where his magic had been felt like it was devouring his very being. It hurts, losing one of your senses. Or what might have been his soul, even before he had died. Even if he had not known what it was, it had always been there.

But it will be over soon. His body was only an empty shell anyways. If Arthur only lived, it would be worth it a hundred times around.

Therefore, he could not give in just yet. Even if he was so tired and the empty darkness seemed so welcoming.

Merlin’s already battered body screamed when it crashed into a wall. Some dust descended and covered him in a thin layer. He coughed. 

Suddenly, he was being pulled backwards by an invisible force. He tried to crawl forward or in any way stop it, but his nails could not find any cracks in the concrete.

Merlin stopped before Morgana’s feet. She towered over him. “You should have joined us when you had the chance.”

Merlin coughed. Blood sprayed onto the floor before him. That could not be good. “What happened to you Morgana? You were so kind, so compassionate.”

The green eyes turned golden and Merlin was hoisted into the air. His toes could barely touch the floor. A force pressed against his throat, making it almost impossible to breathe. The only sound that could be heard was his rasping attempts at taking a breath. 

He clawed at his throat. Some of the sorcerers laughed at his pointless effort.

“You’re going to die now, Merlin.” Morgana sang teasingly. Cenred laughed while Arthur struggled against his bond helplessly. I love you, Merlin mouthed to him. Arthur stopped and stared at Morgana with hate in his eyes. 

But all Merlin could see was the girl that had helped him on his first day at the police station, the woman who had protected those she loved so fiercely. 

His friend.

“I know, and I forgive you, Morgana.” Merlin managed to croak out.

Morgana’s eyes widened. “Take that back.” She cried frantically. “Take. That. Back.”

Her mouth was a thin line. When Merlin just shook his head the pressure against his throat disappeared. The relief was only temporary. He was once again thrown across the room. 

His body hit the wall with a sickening thud. Though Morgana did not let him fall down to the floor. Instead thick metal bands wrapped themselves around his ankles and wrists. They kept him nailed against the wall. He could not move even a centimeter. 

“I can make you take that back.” Instead of raising her hand once again she grabbed her gun. She whirled around and aimed at Arthur’s head. Before Merlin could do anything, even scream, she squeezed the trigger.

The sound was deafening. And it split his heart into two. 

The bullet surged for Arthur. Power like none before rose up inside him. The metal bands shattered as if they were made of glass.

***

The bullet, which would soon penetrate his skull, slowly came to a halt. Not more than one inch from his brow, it stopped completely. Everyone watched as it clattered to the ground.

Behind Morgana, Merlin glowed like a newborn god. 

“You’ll pay for that.” His voice echoed through the room. The rage on his face was world-ending. 

The warlock unleashed himself upon them. The other sorcerers did not stand a chance. Four went down without Merlin even having to raise a hand. The rest scattered in panic. One even threw his gun away and kneeled at the floor. Merlin spared him.

The only ones that stayed and fought were Morgana, Morgause and Cenred. Unwise decision, really. 

A strong wind surged into Morgause when Merlin raised his hand. She flew across the room and hit the wall. The witch did not rise again. 

Morgana screamed in rage and attacked Merlin. Both of them disappeared behind some storage shelves, the occasional flares of magic the only sign that they were still alive. After seeing what Merlin was capable of, Arthur was not that worried. 

He had bigger problems anyway. Cenred had stayed behind and were now advancing towards Arthur. His handcuffs were nothing but splinters, thanks to Merlin, so when Cenred pulled his gun and aimed for Arthur, he dove. The bullet flew over his head. 

His knees screamed at the impact against the hard floor, but he rolled around before getting up, gun in his hand. 

“You’ll never hurt anyone ever again.”

Cenred smiled. “I escaped once. What tells you I won’t again?"

"Call it intuition." Or his super-powerful and magical boyfriend. Both works. 

Cenred raised his gun. "I won't come willingly. Maybe I can take you down with me." 

It would be so easy to shoot him and tell people it was self defense. Then he would not ever be able to hurt people like Merlin and Freya again. 

Arthur fired first and cursed over his good conscience. It was Merlin's fault, really. 

The bullet hit home and knocked the gun out of Cenred's glove clad hand. 

"Down on your knees and put your hands behind your head." When Cenred did as told, Arthur grabbed his handcuffs and walked towards him. 

"You'll pay for this." Cenred hissed when Arthur bent over to cuff him to a robust pipe. 

Arthur backed away and smiled down at him. "Give it your best shot."

With that he turned around and left the cursing man behind him. Something told him it would be a long time until he saw him again. And Arthur did not mind at all. 

A scream and a loud bang drew his attention to the fight going on in the other end of the warehouse. He jogged over there with his gun loaded and ready for use. Dust and small debris whirled around in the air, making it impossible to see anything at all. 

When it started sinking to the ground he saw the cause of the explosion. A perfectly round hole had been cut out of the roof. Golden sunlight illuminated the debris on the floor. On the top of it stood Merlin whose cheekbones looked razor sharp in the light. His head hung low, looking at Morgana who lay motionless sprawled on the ground before him. 

For a second Arthur panicked. "Is she…" 

Merlin shook his head but did not meet his eyes. "No, merely unconscious." His voice was hoarse. 

A million thoughts raced through his head. But one figure was in all of them. "Merlin, look at me." 

The raven coloured head turned slowly. When the turquoise eyes met his Merlin let out a low whimper and fell to his knees. 

Arthur was moving before Merlin hit the floor. Gently he pulled away the bloody and dusty hands from his cheeks. 

Merlin tried to pull away but Arthur held tight. Merlin's broken body settled nicely against his. 

"I love you." He told the broken warlock. 

A tear escaped down Merlin's cheek. "How could you? I have done horrible things. I'm broken beyond repair. I'm a monster."

Arthur knew that feeling. And he would do anything, anything at all, to wipe that expression off his face. "No one's perfect."

Merlin shook his head. "You don't understand. I've made so many mistakes."

"Everyone has made mistakes." Arthur told him simply and smiled. 

Despite the solemn situation a smile started to tug at Merlin's lips. "Stop it! I'm trying to tell you. You can't love me despite the mistakes I've made."

Arthur sobered up. He took Merlin's face between his hands. "Merlin, I don't love you despite your flaws. I love you because of them. They made you who you are and I love who you are. Therefore I love them." Merlin's eyes sparkled. He opened his mouth to say something but Arthur was not finished. "I see all of you. I see your flaws and strengths. And I love all of it. Nothing you could do would ever change that."

Arthur was met with an armful of happy and sobbing warlock. He smelled so good, despite the sweat and blood. Arthur was home, in this windy and cold warehouse. Finally. 

"I love you Arthur Pendragon. Please don't ever leave again."

"I'll stay as long as you need me." He vowed. It was a vow he knew he would keep. 

Merlin's warm lips met his. "I'll always need you." He murmured against his mouth. 

Arthur pulled back just long enough so he could look in Merlin's eyes. "Then I will stay forever."

***

A few minutes later the door was kicked down. Arthur was up at his feet in a nanosecond, ready to defend Merlin.

He lowered his gun when his team welled into the building. 

"Sir! You're alive." Lance exclaimed happily. 

"We took down two sorcerers outside. Where's the rest?" Elyan informed him. 

Their faces fell when they looked around the room and took in the dozen unconscious sorcerers sprawled around the room. 

"I see that you got that part covered." Leon laughed a little breathlessly. 

Merlin yawned behind him. "I took care of that." 

"Oi! I helped." Arthur protested. 

"A little bit." Merlin winked at him. 

Gwaine interrupted them. "I'm glad you're back to normal. But we need to call someone that can pick these ones up." 

Gwaine had a point. And if Gwaine's the only sensible one, things are bad. 

***

It took a few hours to take care of everything and explain what had happened to the confused department. It also took a bit of lying and a strategically placed explosion and maybe a bit of magic until they were able to go home. 

Outside the air was cold and the world was lit by a silver moon. They walked slowly across a silvercoloured meadow, Arthur’s arm around Merlin’s waist. He held him close under the million of stars that twinkled against the bottomless night sky. Everything was peaceful and truly beautiful.

In that moment it wasn't so hard to believe magic existed in this world after all.

***

It had been 6 months since they had defeated Morgana. 6 months full of hard explanations with forgotten teacups getting cold on the counter, voice cracking confessions mumbled into pillows and amazing, undeniable happiness. Easy smiles and roaring laughter followed Arthur everywhere. Merlin thought it was beautiful.

Nothing lasts forever. Merlin knew that. And was eternally grateful for it. Without change nothing new or wonderful would ever happen. His magic would never have happened, Arthur would never have happened. He would not trade it for anything.

His hand touched Arthur’s where they walked. Easy, slowly, lazily as if they had all their lives to do that, as if it were the first of many days like this to come. 

Unfortunately for them, they did not have all the time in the world for that right now. It rustled from an alley nearby when someone ran in the yellow and red leaves that covered most of the ground.

First a tall man with red hair came sprinting out of the alley, quickly followed by Gwaine. After a second Percival and Leon also came out, guns drawn.

The man turned around and his eyes glowed golden. A brick rose from the ground and flew towards an unaware Gwaine.

“Gwaine, DUCK!” Percival shouted.

Panic could be seen in the handsome detective's eyes. “Where, where?” He looked around with narrowed eyes. Percival just sighed and tackled him to the ground. The brick flew over their heads.

The sorcerer ran for the couple. It was unclear if it was to hurt them or beg for help.

His intention became clear when he started to chant and pointed his hand towards them. Merlin was faster. Golden eyes flashed and the sorcerer was thrown backwards towards where Leon was standing ready with handcuffs.

Arthur sent him an appreciative look. Merlin’s whole body was filled with happiness. It happened every time he used magic nowadays. No one had become scared of him. No one hated him or was readying to take him to prison. No one had even flinched.

Merlin had been afraid, many times. Scared of failing, scared of telling the truth, scared of loving, scared of losing.

Scared of falling down and not having the strength to rise again.

But it was okay. He looked over at Arthur who gave him a small smile and a questioning glance. The warlock shook his head. Arthur turned back to Lancelot, but his hand found Merlin’s and gave a quick squeeze. As if to say I am here, I am with you.

Maybe it was okay to be afraid. Maybe it was okay to be scared of falling. For he was certain of one thing.

Arthur would always catch him when he fell.