Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 44

Kilagarah brought them to a cliffside on a mountain, far from Camelot, laying Merlin down and providing Miriam with some fire for warmth as they waited for her brother to wake, the dragon having bestowed an enchantment on Merlin to help him heal from the Serkhet's poison.

"Thank you, Kilgharrah," she said genuinely.

"You are welcome, Miriam. You had the power to force me into helping and yet you gave me a choice. You are becoming the person you are destined to be with each passing day."

"And what kind of person am I destined to be?" she asked but before Kilgharrah could reply Merlin began to stir.

"Ow. my head," he groaned as Miriam gently lifted it onto her lap. "Mira?"

"That was a close one, big brother," she smiled as she wiped at his forehead. "Kilgharrah has given you an enchantment to help you heal from the Serkhet's poison, but it will take time."

"Kilgharrah ?" Merlin questioned as he lifted his head up to see the dragon.

"You're the magic one Merlin. I wouldn't have been able to save you from so many scorpions otherwise," Miriam explained.

"Ok," Merlin muttered before promptly passing out.

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Miriam jerked awake as Merlin did, having fallen asleep shortly after, Kilgharrah keeping a watchful eye on them both.

"You shouldn't have let me sleep," Merlin said as he jumped to his feet.

"We had no choice, young warlock. The venom was too strong even for your great powers," Kilgharrah explained.

"We don't have time! We need to get back to Camelot," Merlin said to his sister with urgency. "The kingdom is in danger and it's my fault."

Miriam smacked his shoulder, making her brother flinch.

"It's Morgana's fault. And Morgause's for keeping her alive," she corrected.

"Still, I should've listened to you. I should've never trusted Morgana," Merlin said to the dragon.

"You did what you thought was right and that shows great courage. But trust is a double-edged sword," Kilgharrah replied.

"I thought, because she has magic, I thought we were the same," Merlin said as his sister squeezed his hand in support.

"In some ways, you are," the dragon said.

"No. I will never be like her," Merlin assured him.

"You have learnt an important lesson, Merlin. Your determination to see the goodness in people will be your undoing. But I fear that your futures are now joined forever. She is the darkness to your light, and even your sister's heart didn't see it until she became a Dragonlordess."

"Miriam doesn't fit into mine and Morgana's destiny, does she?" he queried.

"Of course she does," the dragon said. "But know that your heart will never steer you wrong."

Miriam gave the dragon a smile as Merlin said, "We need to get back to Camelot."

"You are not yet fully recovered and it is more than three days walk," Kilgharrah said and Miriam smirked as her brother groaned.

"Merlin," she said as she nudged his shoulder. "Who said anything about walking?"

And Miriam couldn't help but laugh as her brother sat behind her on Kilgharrah 's back, screaming for joy as they flew over the five kingdoms. And then, of course in true Merlin fashion, he almost fell off before resuming his vice-like grip around his sister who grinned.

This was definitely her favourite way to travel.

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The second they returned to Camelot, they got Gaius, the physician having been worried sick when both of them went missing for two days.

Uther's chambers were a mess, the king himself curled on the floor as he begged his dead wife and a horde of dead and drowned children to leave him alone, before Merlin ran and plucked the Mandrake root from under the king's bed and hurled it into the fire.

After getting him back into bed, Gaius fed him a sleeping tonic.

"Stay! Stay!" the king pleaded as he gripped Gaius and Miriam's hands, the three of them exchanging a glance.

"I'll stay," Miriam said as she sat on the edge of Uther's bed. "Go," she urged and the two boys left.

Miriam began humming to herself as she stood to light a candle, knowing that it would bring the king serenity to have some light should he wake in the dark.

"Mira!"

She almost dropped the candle in her hand as she turned to see the prince behind her.

"Arthur, you scared the life out of me," she sighed, a hand on her chest.

"That's all you have to say after being gone for two days?! Where've you been? I've been worried sick!" Arthur exclaimed as he wrapped the girl in a hug.

"As much as I love the fact that you were worried for me, you would not believe me if I told you."

"I doubt that. Tell me," Arthur urged, hands still on Miriam's biceps, her skin warm under his touch.

"I can tell you that your father is going to be alright. Gaius, Merlin and I discovered and broke the enchantment that was tormenting him."

The relief on Arthur's face was great, a massive weight lifted from his shoulders as he stared at his father's sleeping form.

"So he'll be alright?"

"Yes," Miriam assured him as his eyes returned to her.

Cupping her face he said, "Mira, please, tell me what happened to you."

She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to drop it.

"Believe it or not, Arthur, but, Morgana was the one that did this."

The prince was taken aback as he let go of her.

"That's impossible. You don't know what you're talking -"

"She also tried to kill Merlin," Miriam interrupted. "That's where I've been. Rescuing and nursing my brother back to health. Had I been minutes later, my brother would be dead right now. All because of her. I'd put money on the fact that she was the one who enchanted your father."

"Leave!" Arthur spat, having turned his whole body away from her, rage boiling his blood. "LEAVE!"

Miriam was unfeeling as she moved towards the door, having known this would happen.

"Just for the record, this was the reason why I didn't want to tell you, my prince," she said with a curtsey before leaving and leaving Arthur torn in two.