Merlin Imagines

Regrets Chapter 6

Requests are Closed!!Number Of Requests: 16 — Regrets: Chapter 6

Electric wind swirled around Merlin as everyone pressed themselves against the prison walls, fearful of their friend's wrath.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted over the storm. "Merlin, it's us!" Merlin didn't answer him. He continued to scream as lightning crackled from his hands. Arthur exchanged a concerned glance with his knights. If Merlin continued to display this much power...

Arthur shuddered the thought. Then he steeled his nerves, took a deep breath, and cautiously stepped forward. "Merlin..." He began slowly. "Listen to me. I know you're in pain. And believe me, if I knew Will would..." He trailed off, staring at Will's body. "If I knew he would be taken from you, I would have never let him come with us. You have to know that. I am so, so sorry that this happened, but I know that if Will were still here, he wouldn't want you to be like this. He'd want you to fight. He'd want you to get out of here! So that's what you need to do. If not for you, then for Will. It's what he would have wanted." Arthur finished. Merlin had stopped screaming, and the wind slowly died down. Arthur slowly approached the wizard. "Merlin?" The wizard didn't answer.

Instead, he fell to his knees and started to weep.

...

Eventually Merlin regained his composure. The knights and Arthur were huddled in a tight circle, discussing strategies on how to escape. Merlin sat nearby, next to Will as he listened.

"Does everyone understand?" Arthur asked after he laid out the plan. Everyone nodded, save Mordred.

"One little observation?" Everyone turned to the youngest knight. "How are we getting out of the cell?" Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I can do it," aid a quiet voice in the corner. They all turned to Merlin, who was standing awkwardly. "If you'll let me." He added nervously. Everyone was still. Then, after a few moments of agonizing silence, Arthur nodded.

"I can't think of any better way," Merlin relaxed and smiled. Then he turned back to Will.

"I'll come back for you." He told his friend. "I promise." He smiled sadly. Then he stood up and made his way over to the cell door. He held his hands out and covered the latch. He stiffened, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Then, his eyes (now a brilliant gold) snapped open, and the gate effortlessly swung open. He checked the corridor, then motioned for his friends to follow. They quickly and quietly made their way through the fortress. They hardly ran into anyone, and it was very easy to subdue those they did come across. They just began to suspect they were lost when they came across the front doors.

"We're almost there!" Arthur shouted. "Hurry!" The group broke into a run. They crossed the threshold, cheering as they left the confines of Morgana's castle.

That cheering quickly stopped, however, when Aithusa swooped down, dropping Morgana directly in their path. Everyone skidded to a halt save Merlin, who took up a defensive position between Morgana and his friends.

"Let us through." He said softly. Morgana smirked.

"Now why would I do that?"

"I won't repeat myself, Morgana. Let. Us. Through." She tapped her chin with her finger as she thought. Then she smiled.

"No." Merlin growled and shot a fireball at her. She dodged it and returned with a fire ball of her own. Merlin effortlessly caught it and multiplied the power until it was three times the size of his head. Lightning crackled in his palms and he fired it back. It his Morgana in the stomach and she doubled over, caught between a scream and a gasp.

"Go now!" He shouted over his shoulder. "I'll distract her."

"But Mer—" Arthur started, but Merlin cut him off.

"GO!" He turned back to Morgana just as she fired another blast at him. It caught Merlin off guard and he was knocked back into a tree. The knights cried out in dismay and tried to get to him, but with a wave of his hand an invisible wall formed to protect them. They beat their fists against it, but they couldn't get past it. Merlin pushed his hands out, and the wall began to move backwards, pushing the knights along with it.

The last thing Merlin and the knights saw was Morgana holding a sinister-looking ball of energy in her hand as she stood over him, smiling.

...

As soon as the wall dissipated, they knew.

As they ran back towards the castle, they knew.

But when they came across him, it was still a shock.

He looked like he was sleeping. Or at least he would've, if it weren't for the blood covering his chest and face.

"Percival. Gwaine," Arthur said quietly. "Do you think you can manage to get Will from the dungeon?" The knights nodded and departed without a word. "Mordred, I want you to ride to Camelot."

"Sire?" Mordred asked.

"Tell them Merlin of Ealdor is dead." His voice cracked on the last syllable. Gwaine and Percival returned, with Will, supported between them. Arthur looked at them questioningly as Mordred rode off.

"The castle was gone. It's just an abandoned field. Morgana is nowhere in sight." Gwaine explained. Arthur nodded and motioned for Leon to help him with Merlin's body. They silently lifted the wizard between them, and started to walk.

"Where are we going?" Elyan asked quietly.

"Avalon," Arthur said simply. "They deserve a proper burial. It's the least we can do."

The rest of the journey was silent.

...

Hours later, everything was prepared. Two wooden boats floated side by side. Merlin and Will were each laying in one. Elyan wordlessly approached Will's boat and gently pushed it away from the bank. As it drifted away, Arthur nodded and Gwaine loosed a flaming arrow. The boat ignited as it slowly grew smaller.

"Farewell, Will of Ealdor." Arthur murmured. "Camelot will never forget your sacrifice." Everyone remained silent to how respect.

Then the time came to send the second boat to the afterlife. Arthur stepped forward and stared down at his friend. His eyes began to sting, and he blinked furiously. "I am so sorry," He whispered softly. He went to push the boat, but stopped suddenly. He quietly removed his red cloak and laid it over Merlin's body, covering him up to his neck. "Forgive me, Merlin."

He quietly pushed the boat out, then he took the bow and arrows from Gwaine. He lit the end of the arrow, notched it, and took aim. No one moved.

"Sire," Gwaine said softly. Arthur looked over. "You're hands. Maybe I should..." Gwaine took the bow and arrow from Arthur's shaking hands. Arthur let out a shaky breath as Gwaine fired the arrow. They watched the boats until they disappeared into the mist. The knights all turned to leave, but Arthur stayed put.

"Your Majesty?" Leon asked.

What happened next shocked all the knights.

For the first time since he was a boy, King Arthur of Camelot fell to his knees.

And cried like he'd never cried before.