The Castle of Fyrien

The Castle of Fyrien is the seventh episode of the third series of Merlin.

Synopsis
Gwen finds herself with an impossible dilemma when she is forced to choose between Arthur and her estranged brother, Elyan. With one of them certain to die at Cenred's hand, who will Gwen choose? The love of her life, or her only sibling?

Loyalties are tested to the limit and friendships are thrown to the fore as Arthur, Merlin and Gwen work together to try and find a way out of the situation. But with Morgana and Morgause doing all that they can to scupper the threesome's plan, can good conquer evil, or will Gwen lose another of those she loves?



Plot


After putting out Morgana's bedside light, Gwen makes her way back to her house only to be confronted by two of Cenred's guards who knock her out and carry her out of Camelot on horseback as Morgana watches. The next morning, Uther notices that Morgana is troubled and she reveals that Gwen did not turn up for work that morning but she secretly smirks when no one is watching. Although Uther expresses no concern for Gwen, Arthur is visibly upset and asks Merlin to find out what is wrong. Gwen is brought to Cenred and is surprised to find her brother, Elyan there as well. Cenred tells her to bring him Arthur Pendragon in exchange for her brother's life. Merlin finds a scrap of cloth in Gwen's house that is capable of knocking a person out and brings it to Arthur. Arthur is convinced that Gwen has been kidnapped and begs his father to spare a few men to look for her. Merlin bumps into Gwen and is relieved that she is safe, however he soon realises that something is amiss when he notices the rope marks on her wrists and her terrified expression.



Gwen tells Merlin of Cenred's demands and he suggests that she tells Arthur. Arthur immediately decides upon a rescue mission to save Elyan who he is sure is held at the Castle of Fyrien. During the night Morgana visits Morgause and tells her that Arthur has chosen to rescue Elyan and Morgause tells her that when Arthur goes to rescue him, they will kill Arthur and Morgana will become the sole heir to the throne of Camelot.

Merlin is dismayed to find that Morgana is accompanying them on the trip but Arthur points out that she would be more capable of defending him in the event of an attack. Along the way, Arthur and Gwen share a moment when Gwen reveals to Arthur her worry of losing her brother. Showing her love for her brother, she says "That's what you do when you love someone", implying that she would help him even if getting captured was his fault. Meanwhile, Merlin confronts Morgana in the forest and tells her that while she would betray Arthur and Gwen, he would do whatever it takes to protect them. Merlin and Morgana then collect firewood and return to Arthur and Gwen. That night, Morgana visits Morgause again, who gives her a magical ring which she should use to summon Cenred's guards to capture them. The next day, Merlin tries to stop Morgana from coming with them by making a snake scare her horse with his magic, causing her horse to push Morgana off and she hurts her ankle when falling, but his attempt fails.

Morgana uses the magical ring given to her by Morgause and summons Cenred's guards who capture them and take them to the Castle of Fyrien. After Morgana pretends to be captured, she is reunited with Morgause and Cenred, who would do anything to please Morgause, while Arthur, Merlin and Gwen are all held in cells. Later on, Arthur and Merlin escape from their cell through a clever plan and teamwork. Once Gwen and Elyan are saved, Arthur returns for Morgana. Upon hearing that their captives have escaped, Morgana plays the role of an innocent victim about to be killed by Cenred. Morgause then conjures a column of fire to kill Arthur, however Merlin returns and reflects the fire creating a magical explosion which knocks Morgause and Cenred unconscious, allowing Arthur and Merlin to escape with Morgana. While escaping, Merlin forcibly drags Morgana, who struggles due to her injured ankle but Merlin is indifferent about it, forcing Arthur to carry Morgana outside before they return to Camelot with Gwen and Elyan.



On the way back to Camelot, Arthur once again stresses that Camelot was built on trust and it will "never be defeated". Later on, in Arthur's chambers, Gwen once again thanks him for his help in saving her brother, saying that "he means more to me than you will ever know". Arthur replies that "It's like you said, Guinevere, that's what you do when you love someone". Arthur and Gwen exchange smiles as Gwen exits his chambers.

Main Cast

 * Colin Morgan as Merlin
 * Bradley James as Arthur
 * Katie McGrath as Morgana
 * Angel Coulby as Gwen
 * Richard Wilson as Gaius
 * Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon

Recurring Cast

 * Emilia Fox as Morgause
 * Tom Ellis as Cenred

Guest Cast

 * Adetomiwa Edun as Elyan
 * Jody Halse as Fermin