Fic: Merlin; G/PG; Equilibrium - Epilogue
Title: Equilibrium (Epilogue)
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: G/PG
Wordcount: This part: 948, Overall ~44000
Pairing/Characters: Merlin, Nimueh, Arthur
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, nor any of the characters. The version of Arthurian legend this was inspired by/based on belongs to the Beeb.
Warnings: Vague corruption of Arthurian Legend
Spoilers: Up to the Gates of Avalon
Author’s Note: Huge, unlimited thanks to wrennette who was amazing and did the beta work. This was written before the finale, so… any resemblance to it is purely coincidental.
It’s over… it’s all over, wow. That was odd.
Oh, and this part is sort of connected to canon Arthurian legend, so, be aware.
Summary: In this part: the balance must be restored, although the cost is high and it may be too late.
Previous Chapters: 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9
It had been years since he had been here. The spot did not look much different: the trees were wider and taller, towering over him and crowding in more thickly, and it was the beginning of spring rather than the beginning of winter so the floor was a mass of green shoots rather than a blanket of snow. He smiled at the tiny plants for a second, wondering where all the time had gone.
But Arthur would not save him this time.
He had left the King in his chambers, sleeping soundly after having exhausted himself with a pile of grievances that citizens of Camelot had raised, but only sleeping because of the slight addition to his wine that Merlin had slipped in when he wasn’t looking. He gave Gaius silent thanks, wherever he was, for that. Arthur always knew when he was doing magic, and it was good to do something the old-fashioned way for once, or perhaps that was the new-fashioned way.
She was waiting for him in the mouth of the cave. She looked both the same and centuries older. He no longer needed the spell to aid him in seeing beyond glamours, but he chose to ignore the truth as he bowed deeply to her.
“You look as beautiful as ever, Nimueh,” he told her with a sad smile.
“You could look as young as you wish, Merlin, you have that power,” she pointed out as he walked to her side.
“Arthur has enough vanity for the pair of us,” he told her with a chuckle.
“Does he know you’ve come?”
“The balance is tipping, Nimueh, I can feel that, the world is trying to right itself and I can see what is coming.” He looked past her into the middle distance, lost for a moment in memories of what was to come. “It may be too late, but I will try what I can.”
“You may not be able to stop the turn of the tide that is coming,” she told him, and there was no enmity between them any more. New enemies, shining in the sun, had risen to take her place and all her grievances against Camelot were gone with the death of Uther all those years ago.
“I must try,” he said leaning heavily on the staff he carried, more because Arthur insisted that he look like a proper wizard than for any practical purpose. It did come in handy when climbing mountains though; he must remember to tell him that. Except he would never get the chance, unless, maybe - sometime in the future...He sighed.
“So, the greatest wizard of all time, who could command the stars themselves to move, still serves a mere man,” she asked, and Merlin laughed again to hear the old arrogance in her voice.
“He is so much more than that,” he assured her, “and I will serve him until I die...”
“Destiny is not set in stone, Merlin,” Nimueh said, leading him into the cave. He almost laughed at the irony. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark, but when he did he found that she had taken efforts to make it comfortable.
“It stopped being destiny a long time ago, Nimueh,” he walked over to a large chair, grander than Arthur’s throne and stroked one hand, more scarred and marked with a more lines than it had been all those years ago, along the arm. “It is now, and always will be my choice, as it is yours to eschew society and remain alone.”
“A choice you are now making yourself,” she pointed out as he turned and lowered himself into the chair, feeling a little out of place in the grandeur of the seat.
“Our reasons are a little different,” he said, grinning at her, looking as young as he ever had.
“I have tried to make it as comfortable as possible,” she said and he smiled his thanks, settling back into the chair. “You… if you were to stay, you could stop it…”
“Or I could make it worse,” Merlin suggested. “The balance must be reset… and I am the only one who can do it. I can only hope that this works… Mordred,” his eyes turned bleakly to the south, as though he could see through the stone that stood there. A shape caught his eye and he turned back to Nimueh. “Your scrying bowl…” She nodded.
“In case the world needs you,” she said with a curt nod.
“I doubt that it will for many years yet, this is something Arthur must face himself… I wish…” he paused and sighed heavily. “Court is busy and I expect that I shall enjoy a little time to myself.” He watched as Nimueh retreated out of the cave mouth.
“You are sure?” she asked, as she stood in the sunlight, peering into the gloom. The light seemed to outline her and he smiled.
“A life for a life,” he said with a nod. “I gave you my word and I hold to it.”
“I hope that this works,” she muttered, holding up her hands to the cave mouth as Merlin mirrored her actions. Together they incanted words, the sounds of syllables flowing over each other as they spoke, staring at each other’s eyes.
There was a terrible crack and the stone above the mouth of the cave began to fall inwards, small pieces at first then bigger boulders, piling on top of each other until Merlin was stuck in the dark behind rocks bound by magic.
“I hope so too,” he said to the shadows and closed his eyes. “Good bye Arthur.”
***
In Camelot, the King awoke with a start, alone in his chambers.
-
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: G/PG
Wordcount: This part: 948, Overall ~44000
Pairing/Characters: Merlin, Nimueh, Arthur
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, nor any of the characters. The version of Arthurian legend this was inspired by/based on belongs to the Beeb.
Warnings: Vague corruption of Arthurian Legend
Spoilers: Up to the Gates of Avalon
Author’s Note: Huge, unlimited thanks to wrennette who was amazing and did the beta work. This was written before the finale, so… any resemblance to it is purely coincidental.
It’s over… it’s all over, wow. That was odd.
Oh, and this part is sort of connected to canon Arthurian legend, so, be aware.
Summary: In this part: the balance must be restored, although the cost is high and it may be too late.
Previous Chapters: 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9
It had been years since he had been here. The spot did not look much different: the trees were wider and taller, towering over him and crowding in more thickly, and it was the beginning of spring rather than the beginning of winter so the floor was a mass of green shoots rather than a blanket of snow. He smiled at the tiny plants for a second, wondering where all the time had gone.
But Arthur would not save him this time.
He had left the King in his chambers, sleeping soundly after having exhausted himself with a pile of grievances that citizens of Camelot had raised, but only sleeping because of the slight addition to his wine that Merlin had slipped in when he wasn’t looking. He gave Gaius silent thanks, wherever he was, for that. Arthur always knew when he was doing magic, and it was good to do something the old-fashioned way for once, or perhaps that was the new-fashioned way.
She was waiting for him in the mouth of the cave. She looked both the same and centuries older. He no longer needed the spell to aid him in seeing beyond glamours, but he chose to ignore the truth as he bowed deeply to her.
“You look as beautiful as ever, Nimueh,” he told her with a sad smile.
“You could look as young as you wish, Merlin, you have that power,” she pointed out as he walked to her side.
“Arthur has enough vanity for the pair of us,” he told her with a chuckle.
“Does he know you’ve come?”
“The balance is tipping, Nimueh, I can feel that, the world is trying to right itself and I can see what is coming.” He looked past her into the middle distance, lost for a moment in memories of what was to come. “It may be too late, but I will try what I can.”
“You may not be able to stop the turn of the tide that is coming,” she told him, and there was no enmity between them any more. New enemies, shining in the sun, had risen to take her place and all her grievances against Camelot were gone with the death of Uther all those years ago.
“I must try,” he said leaning heavily on the staff he carried, more because Arthur insisted that he look like a proper wizard than for any practical purpose. It did come in handy when climbing mountains though; he must remember to tell him that. Except he would never get the chance, unless, maybe - sometime in the future...He sighed.
“So, the greatest wizard of all time, who could command the stars themselves to move, still serves a mere man,” she asked, and Merlin laughed again to hear the old arrogance in her voice.
“He is so much more than that,” he assured her, “and I will serve him until I die...”
“Destiny is not set in stone, Merlin,” Nimueh said, leading him into the cave. He almost laughed at the irony. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark, but when he did he found that she had taken efforts to make it comfortable.
“It stopped being destiny a long time ago, Nimueh,” he walked over to a large chair, grander than Arthur’s throne and stroked one hand, more scarred and marked with a more lines than it had been all those years ago, along the arm. “It is now, and always will be my choice, as it is yours to eschew society and remain alone.”
“A choice you are now making yourself,” she pointed out as he turned and lowered himself into the chair, feeling a little out of place in the grandeur of the seat.
“Our reasons are a little different,” he said, grinning at her, looking as young as he ever had.
“I have tried to make it as comfortable as possible,” she said and he smiled his thanks, settling back into the chair. “You… if you were to stay, you could stop it…”
“Or I could make it worse,” Merlin suggested. “The balance must be reset… and I am the only one who can do it. I can only hope that this works… Mordred,” his eyes turned bleakly to the south, as though he could see through the stone that stood there. A shape caught his eye and he turned back to Nimueh. “Your scrying bowl…” She nodded.
“In case the world needs you,” she said with a curt nod.
“I doubt that it will for many years yet, this is something Arthur must face himself… I wish…” he paused and sighed heavily. “Court is busy and I expect that I shall enjoy a little time to myself.” He watched as Nimueh retreated out of the cave mouth.
“You are sure?” she asked, as she stood in the sunlight, peering into the gloom. The light seemed to outline her and he smiled.
“A life for a life,” he said with a nod. “I gave you my word and I hold to it.”
“I hope that this works,” she muttered, holding up her hands to the cave mouth as Merlin mirrored her actions. Together they incanted words, the sounds of syllables flowing over each other as they spoke, staring at each other’s eyes.
There was a terrible crack and the stone above the mouth of the cave began to fall inwards, small pieces at first then bigger boulders, piling on top of each other until Merlin was stuck in the dark behind rocks bound by magic.
“I hope so too,” he said to the shadows and closed his eyes. “Good bye Arthur.”
***
In Camelot, the King awoke with a start, alone in his chambers.
-