Note: This is an AU taking place after the first few episodes of Series 3, and thus there are some spoilers for that. Actually, it's an AU of an AU, to my other story It Keeps Getting Easier, so that probably should be read first.

The first few lines are exactly the same, but with a much different outcome.

Nightmare after nightmare plagued Merlin, and he had not slept well for weeks. In every single one of them, Morgana ended up killing Uther, Arthur or both. He had no idea whether they were predictions of what was to come or not, but either way he had to take the initiative before it was too late.

You've done terrible things before, he thought to himself, but it keeps getting easier. Everything you've done was for Arthur, and if anyone gets in his way they must be destroyed. The Dragon was right, he's always right.

As he neared her room, he trembled so much that he had to stop for a moment and breathe heavily. Luckily, nobody was around to see his out-of-character behavior, or for what he was about to do.

There's no other way.

His face hardened, and he became deathly calm, fully resolved in his decision.

Merlin forced her door open, and very unexpectedly, Morgana was directly in front of him. He was stunned for a moment, and only a moment was required for her to mutter an incantation.

He fell to the floor, unable to move or do much of anything else. Morgana then moved in close and slapped him in the face, hard.

"Did you really think that you could outwit me, Merlin? By some providence I didn't sleep last night with the comfort of my bracelet, and do you want to know what I saw, what I dreamed? My own death. I thought it may have simply been a nightmare, seeing as you used magic against me, but I wanted to make sure. And then you barged your way in here exactly as was foretold!"

Merlin could feel her magic pressing against him from all sides, binding him. He had to escape quickly and continue with his plan, there was absolutely no going back now since Morgana knew about his magic. If she left her room alive, it would all be over.

He realized that Morgana used the exact same paralyzing spell that he had planned to use. She was telling the truth, and she really did dream of what he was going to do with her.

"How does it feel to be the helpless one, Merlin? Though it was only a nightmare, I felt every single thing you did to me up to the point where you stopped my heart from beating! I could make your heart stop, but no. Arthur will be here soon, I'd requested him to be after I decided to go through with this test, and I will let him know just exactly who and what you are!"

Morgana then used magic on herself to apply horrid-looking bruises upon her face and upper chest. "He will never believe you over me. After all, you are just a servant and I am of noble blood. You are absolutely nothing compared to me!"

Merlin had to get free, and quickly. Everything had gone wrong.

Wait, she doesn't know that I can move objects with my mind without incantations! I hope this works...

Morgana continued to gloat about how he was going to die slowly and very painfully by the order of Uther, but Merlin wasn't listening. His eyes were on an empty vase, the very same vase that once held flowers he gave to her within.

Just as empty as the hope I had that Morgana could be saved...

With one quick thrust of his innate magic, it flew across the room and shattered into the back of Morgana's head. She fell, face down. Immediately, Merlin felt the effect of her spell leave him and he quickly moved over to check on her.

Several shards of the broken vase were embedded deeply within her head. He checked for a pulse, and there was none.

No! She wasn't supposed to die this way...

Morgana was dead, and with it his plan, for at that very moment he felt a sharp sword pressed against his neck. He had completely forgotten that the door to Morgana's room wasn't shut, and about Arthur!

"Earlier today, she said to me that you couldn't be trusted and that you would try and murder her. I argued with her, of course, that you were my friend and that she was delusional. But now, I can see that she was right about everything. If I had only been here even a moment sooner, she might have lived!"

"Arthur, I..."

"Do not say anything to me, and if you so much as move out of order even slightly I will remove your head. Now, stand and turn around... very slowly."

Merlin knew that his life and destiny was over, for even in death Morgana had won. He had underestimated her severely, and due to his foolishness he knew that Arthur and Camelot were doomed to fall as a result. Perhaps quite soon, when word came to Morgause of what transpired, for she would surely seek vengeance.

To anyone that viewed Morgana's battered body, it appeared as if Merlin beat her severely before finishing her off with a crushing blow to her head, and the fact that one of her breasts was also bruised painted a picture that he had attempted to defile her before he killed her.

It was as if the world conspired against Merlin, for he knew that Arthur wouldn't believe him. Nobody would. Gwen, normally being a kindhearted and cheerful woman, personally requested to Arthur that she be the one to light his pyre ablaze, who in turn asked it of his father. The King agreed without hesitation.

There was no point in trying to escape, or indeed even living anymore. Arthur would never trust him again, nor would anybody else in Camelot.

He had failed. But as he was in the throne room, bloody and broken from repeated beatings, with Uther officially pronouncing a death sentence on him over his crime of murder, he realized something quite fascinating about his whole situation.

Merlin couldn't help himself. He broke into a creepy, eerie laughter that brought a chill to all present, even the King.

After all this, they still didn't figure out that I was a sorcerer!