Work Text:
Rewind
Merlin didn't know what to do as he stood there, still entrapped in Lancelot and Gwaine's hold. Arthur scrambled backwards over the floor, away from Merlin. Morgana gave a high, chilling laugh.
"Oh I have to admit I was just as surprised as you were Arthur," Morgana said, stepping across the floor to stand in front of Merlin. "Who would have guessed? That all along he was hiding this?" she stroked a cold, thin finger down Merlin's cheek and he recoiled.
She laughed once again and turned away, moving to stand over Arthur.
"Doesn't betrayal hurt?" she asked softly, "to be left alone by the people you trusted? To be hated? To hate yourself for ever thinking you could be so stupid as to think someone would always be there for you?"
"Morgana," Arthur began, but Morgana would not let him speak.
"Where were you when I was alone Arthur?" she cried, "oh I will enjoy this, I will relish in it. The moment when you realise you're going to die here, alone and afraid."
As Morgana raised her hand to cast the curse, Merlin wrenched himself from Lancelot and Gwaine's grip and cast a spell. The very air seemed to crack and explode and Merlin fell to the ground, shielding his head from the rubble that was falling. He heard a shout and a scream but then a rock caught him on the side of his head and everything went black.
~ ~ ~
Upon waking, Merlin was dazed and confused. He lay where he was for a moment, then opened his eyes. Sunlight blazed in through a crack in the wall and he squinted, his confusion deepening. It was late, why hadn't Gaius already woken him?
Something twisted at the back of his mind, a vague memory of Morgana and Arthur and the sound of rock falling …
He rolled slowly onto his back and felt a slightly pain in his left temple. He put his fingers up and touched it and when they came back they were satined with blood. How had that happened?
As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw he wasn't in his room in Camelot at all but in a tumble-down shell of a castle. Something was clawing at the edge of him mind, a very important thought, but he couldn't quite place it. As he sat up, the memories began to come back to him. Morgana's attack in the woods, being brought to the castle, the escape, his revival and lastly, like a punch in the stomach, the fact he had revealed his magic to Arthur.
Arthur.
Merlin crawled over the rubble, shifting sections aside and scraping through the stones and rocks. At last he found Arthur, his face was bloodied and he was partly trapped under a section of stone but by using his magic, Merlin managed to free him.
He dragged him away from the wreckage and sat him up against one of the wall that was still standing. He checked over his wounds and was relieved to find them not too bad. Merlin moved on to uncover Lancelot and Gwaine and then looked towards the largest pile of rubble which must be hiding Morgana. She couldn't possibly have survived …
He heard Arthur stir and raced to his side, half concerned, half afraid of what Arthur might say or do.
As Arthur's eye lids flickered open Merlin waited in silence for the verdict.
"Merlin," Arthur mumbled, "what happened?"
Merlin tilted his head on one side, barely daring to hope …
"You don't remember?" he asked.
"I remember coming in here and Morgana … but then, nothing."
Merlin let out a soft sigh of relief, Arthur didn't remember.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Arthur asked sharply.
"No reason, none at all," Merlin replied quickly.
Arthur pushed himself to his feet and then stumbled over to Gwaine and Lancelot, to check they were alright.
"What happened?" he asked, gesturing at the room.
"I'm not sure," Merlin lied quickly, "I think one of Morgana's spells went wrong or something."
Arthur's eyes roamed over the rubble, alighting on the spot where he guessed Morgana should be.
"We should get her out," he said quietly.
Merlin moved to stop him.
"Arthur, there's no way she could be alive under all that rubble. Maybe we should leave her."
Arthur looked indecisive then turned away.
"Help me revive the knights," he said curtly, "we should be getting back to Camelot."
~ ~ ~
To Merlin's utmost surprise, neither Lancelot nor Gwaine had any memory of what had happened between him, Morgana and Arthur. Arthur seemed none the wiser and it did not seem that his memories were returning. In confusion, Merlin turned to the Great Dragon for advice.
~ ~ ~
"No one seems to remember," he said, as he looked up at the great golden beast, "anything."
The Great Dragon chuckled lightly.
"What?" Merlin asked impatiently.
"The Thaestine gave you more power than you realise," he said. "May I ask what spell you cast when trying to save Arthur from Morgana?"
Merlin shrugged, "I can't remember, it was more like I just wanted to turn back the clocks, make it all go away."
"And that young warlock," Kilgarrah, "is exactly what you did do."
Merlin frowned quizzically.
"You made them all forget young warlock."
Merlin shook his head in amazement, a small smile coming to his lips, "you mean I have that power?"
"You young warlock, have more power than you could possibly imagine, but it will be sometime before you truly discover it."
Merlin nodded his thanks to Kilgarrah and then stood back as the Great Dragon soared up into the air.
~ ~ ~
Morgana woke to darkness. When she tried to move she found her limbs trapped under stone. In a panic she screamed out a spell and the rock exploded away from her.
She found herself alone in a ruined castle. Shaking and afraid, she sat up, wondering what could have happened. It was night and the last thing she remembered was discovering Arthur and his knights attacking her home in the woods. How did she get here?
She stumbled to her feet, shaking with cold and fright looking with wondering, confused eyes on the devastation around her.
Scrambling out of the wreckage she disappeared away into the night.
~ ~ ~