The Revelation of Emrys, Chapter 18. He's Dead...

Arthur
I pounded a fist against the portcullis... I couldnt help it. We had just started to win the fight, when Morgana retreated with the remainder of her men into the citadel... I have no idea why, though if I had to bet, it would be on it having something to do with Merlin... Wait... someone just cried out... It sounded like... Gwen? I run over to where she stands and freeze... Gwaine is standing there, holding Merlin, who looks... No... he cant be... I find my voice,
"Gwaine... What happened?" I strain to hear his every word as the clamouring and whispers start spreading... I get the basics... Merlin stopped the demons, but something happened to him when he did... and now Gwaine cant feel his heart beating... I think all of this through as Gwaine lies him down in a nearby house... As much as I trust Gwaine, I need to see for myself... Placing two fingers on his neck and a hand on his chest, I strain to feel a heartbeat... any sign of life... but nothing... He is... Merlin... I wrench myself away and punch the wall... feeling it crack beneath the force I put behind it, I feel the grief and rage filling me but keep it down... its hard, and I feel tendrils of it snaking through and take the form of tears and trembling musces... but I manage it... and Im going to use it against Morgana... I feel Gwen behind me and turn, enfolding her in a hug, letting her feel the pain Im feeling... the only person who I know will be able to do anything about it... Facing the wall, I let tears fall from my eyes and down my cheeks... after  few moments I feel something change and the grief turns to rage... letting go of Gwen, I wipe the tears from my face, filled with a new determination... Enough... I have had enough...

With a final glance at Merlin, Arthur turned and made his way out of the building, his grief making a near return as Gaius rushed past him. In fact, the looks of grief and disbelief seemed to give him a new strength. Shouting orders, he made his way to another of the secret openings that led to the tunnels beneath the castle. Smashing his way through the timber that blocked his way felt good... letting out some of the anger and loss... A young man haned him a torch and he stepped into the tunnel, pleased to see that his plan would work. Within a few minutes, he had a group of men with mallets smashing away at the wooden supports and the layer of rock around the tunnel. Sure enough, in less than half an hour, he heard a slight tremble from within the rock itself and ordered everyone to clear out. Taking  malet, he swung a few times at one of the last wooden supports and turned to run out of the tunnel as it gave way. He dived out of the way just as rocks and dust came spweing out of the mouth of the tunnel. The resuts were better than he could have hoped for.  The weakened support must have started a chain reaction in the entire tunnel, which was now dragging down the foundations beneath the wall of the citadel. Witth a resounding crash, an entire section of the wall came crashing down, littering the courtyard inside with rubble, and leaving a huge gap in the wall. With barely a glance at Arthur, the men started to camber through.

It was over in minutes. Morgana's men were either dead or trussed up in the stables and Morgana herself had barricaded herself and her copie into the castle, no doubt trying to come up with a plan. Elyon had said as much to Arthur ten minutes after the last of the men had been rounded up, but Athur had told him not to worry about it. He had said nothing else, but Elyon had seen the dangerous look on his face, and felt pity towards whoever got in his way. Now Arthur was sat at the far side of the courtyard, obviously impatient for Morgana to reappear. The rest of the knights had assembled at the rubble strewn remains of the wall and were lounging about. Gwen, Elyon, Gwaine, Percival, Peredur and Leon were all sat together discussing Merlin. Gwaine had retold them of what had happened with the demons, and they were all reacting differently to Merlins death. Gwen had tears streaking down her cheeks, and was huddled up to her brother. Leon and Percival were sat, silent, sharpening their swords, and Peredur was pacing back and forth through the rubble, kicking out at the stone, but was staying well clear of Gwaine. Gwaine was sat, stock still, with his back to the rest of them, string back towards the town. He blamed himself for what had happened, believing that if he had just stayed and let Merlin deal with it, he would still be alive... Nothing the others said could swy hi mind, and they ad eventually just left him in peace. Most of the other knights, those who had not known Merlin so well, but knew him enough to miss him, were either leaning against piles of rocks, silent, or else throwing stones and other debris in an attempt to take their mind off of it.

What most of them would never admit was tht they all had a strange feeling... as if something was coming and a sense of finality hung over them.

Morgana stood at the window of her old rooms, struggling to find a way out of her current predicament. Now that that fool Merlin had freed the Demons and she had very few men left at her disposal, there was no way she would be able to fight her way out... there were too many of them, and the copies of her had diminished her abilities. Then again, Merlin was dead... A plan suddenly came to mind as she recalled a story he had read a few years ago... One line in particular... If you cut off the head, the body dies with it... If she killed Arthur, the rest of the men would fight, but be distracted. It should... no, would work. She sent the copies of herself out into different parts of the castle and walked down the the dungeons. The tunnel there shoud give her plenty of time to escape as her copies killed off Arthur and made their own way out, destroying the rest of knights... She could then return at her liesure to clean up the remnants. Yes, she liked this plan a lot...