King of the World!
The Dragon has taken Merlin away from where he was bound in chains by Morgause and under attack by evil creatures. Now high up on a cliff and free from the chains, Merlin suffers from poison and is being healed by an enchantment the Dragon casts using the old magic. It will take him some time to recover from the poison, so the Dragon lets him rest until he is healed. When he awakens, Merlin and the Dragon talk about the similarities and differences between the magic Merlin and Morgana possess. Merlin impresses upon the Dragon his need to return to Camelot and warn Gaius of the sisters’ plot. The Dragon brings Merlin as close as he can to the castle without endangering himself and departs.
Merlin wakes Gaius up and tells him about Morgana and Morgause’s plot, and takes him to the king’s room to show him the mandrake root. but when they arrive they find Uther naked and huddled in a corner in his room, which he trashed trying to fight off the visions in his mind. Merlin grabs the mandrake and throws it into the fire, the squeal of its destruction heard only by Merlin. Gaius sees to the king, giving him a potion to help him rest, and warns Merlin that he cannot accuse Morgana of anything to Uther once he recovers – especially without proof. Not sure what to do next, Merlin returns to his chores as Arthur’s servant.
Morgana spies Merlin walking about the citadel with Arthur and is worried. She doesn’t know how he survived the fate Morgause left him to and he knows she is plotting with her sister. She runs to Uther’s room to check on him, sneaking a peek under the bed and sees no mandrake root. Gaius startles her, telling her that they discovered the source of his illness. Frazzled, she leaves the room and seeks out Merlin. Morgana threatens his life should he breathe a word of what happened in the forest.
Arthur prepares for a siege
Word comes from the head of the royal guard that Cenred’s army is only a two day march from the castle, boasting nearly twenty thousand men. Arthur tells his men to prepare for siege and to bring as many people from the outlying villages to the castle as possible. Someone must lead them while his father is recuperating, and Arthur vows to his father that he will have a kingdom to rule once the siege is over.
Once more, Morgana slips out at night to meet with Morgause. She tells her sister of Merlin’s return to Camelot and that the mandrake root no longer exists. They talk about Morgana’s role in the battle to come, and Morgause bestows upon her sister a staff created from a rowan tree filled with a mystical power.
With the battle only a few hours away, Merlin finds Arthur at this father’s bedside. They must prepare the prince to face Cenred and his army. While Merlin helps Arthur suit up, Merlin tells his friend that he trusts in Arthur’s destiny and talks of his prince’s fate. He reminds the prince to trust in himself, words Gwen had spoken to him as well when she came across him in his room. Arthur then gathers his men and starts out to defend the city.
The Rowan Staff
While Arthur and his men take on Cenred’s army, trouble is brewing within the citadel. Wielding the rowan tree staff, Morgana manages to get away from Gaius’ watchful eye. She uses the staff and calls forth an army of undead, thus bringing an enemy within the castle to face in addition to the one outside. Merlin hunts her down and tries to talk some sense into her. When that fails, he finds a chance to cast a spell without her knowledge that knocks her out and cuts the staff, bringing an end to her army. Cenred sees this as failure on Morgause’s part and calls off the siege.
With Uther now recovered and still oblivious to the evil that is Morgana, he takes her on her word that she was the one who destroyed the staff and praises her before his people. Only Gaius, Merlin and Morgana know the truth.
Box sets for Season One and Season Two of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon
from Amazon