Chapter 5
MORGANA
She hates Uther Pendragon.
The day had started well, but since Morgana set foot outside her quarters, everything had gone from bad to worse. Arthur was being irritating as always and mumbling about plans to track down and defeat the 'Queen's Servants', a group of rebels who had been giving Camelot a headache for as long as Morgana could remember. Your dear Guinevere was too busy tending her father's forge and couldn't serve you today. Which brings her to the third reason why her day was going badly, the maid, Madeleine, the young girl saw that Morgana was looking a little pale today and tried to help her, the problem is that she did it in front of the queen, big mistake.
Of course, Morgana understands that any form of magic is frowned upon by everyone under Uther's rule, but the poor woman wasn't even a magic user and was just trying to help, Gaius had said that thanks to young Morgana's potion it didn't take a serious heatstroke, but, of course, Uther was unable to see beyond his own belief and pride, and young Madeleine was condemned to burn. The queen, Ruth, tried to plead with her husband, but of course it didn't work.
Because she was no more than 16 years old, Uther would normally have held back and sentenced the girl to a quick beheading. But unfortunately, Lady Graciela was on her way to Camelot and Uther loved to impress. Of course, this just means that the best way to impress a lady is to burn a teenage girl in front of all her subjects.
Ugh, Uther was annoying him.
Knock-knock
“It’s open.”
“It’s Arthur.”
“Then it’s closed, turn around and go back where you came from.”
Arthur sighed from the other side of the door.
"Gana."
“Warth” The door opened and Morgana hid behind her partition screen, she said she did not wish to see Arthur again today, and she was a lady of her word.
“Ghana, can we please act like adults for once?” Her prince's eye rolling was always amusing to her, even if she wasn't able to see it now. “Ghana, stop this nonsense, applications and talk to me.”
She pretended to think, making a loud, “hmm…” sound before responding with a loud, “No.”
“Morgana.” Threatened, “Come and talk to me!”
"No."
“That’s an order, Morgana!”
"No."
"Please." Arthur tried more gently, but it didn't work.
"No."
“I just want to talk, you can’t really be so hurt!”
The fact that this idiot thinks this is what makes her even angrier.
"No."
“Saying “no” doesn’t even make sense!”
"No."
“Stop saying no!”
"Negative."
“Gana, please!”
She allowed herself a smile.
“No, uh.”
Her prince's footsteps started to rise, he was planning to invade her space. She quickly ripped off the top part of her training tunic and threw it in Arthur's face.
“Hey, I'm changing, Arthur, how fashionless of you!”
“You just took off your clothes when there was a man in the room, you’re the inelegant one!” He retorts, but walks away and doesn't try to go through the divider again.
He continues trying to talk to her, but Morgana ignores him and focuses on changing out of her workout clothes and getting dressed into something more appropriate for resting.
“Are you dressed yet?” Arthur questions after a minute.
“Why do you want to know? Interested?"
“On you? It seems like it.”
She allows herself to laugh. Going back to playing with Arthur almost made her forget why she was mad at him.
“We have to talk about the witch, Gana”
Ah, she just remembered why.
“We have nothing to talk about.”
“Nonsense, I know you’re irritated…”
“Oh, you think so?”
“Petulance doesn’t look good on you, my lady.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t make you more attractive either, sir.”
He sighs, for a moment he looks exhausted, as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders; she knew he hated it when his father and her argued, Arthur was sentimental like that, but he always seemed so affected by it that he managed to get her to apologize to Uther later.
Her prince might be brute and stupid, but hearing him sigh like that was always something Morgana couldn't bear. She decided to take pity on him, a little.
“Hey,” she calls after him, “be a good boy and tie your dress for me, please.” She turned her back and Arthur came behind her to do as he was asked.
“I can give a strong bond or...”
“Loose will do, I won’t try anything too radical today, I’ve already had my training sessions.” She hears him murmur an agreement and allows herself to relax in his presence.
“I… I’m sorry you had to watch the maid die after she saved you.” He starts a little hesitantly, his deep voice is almost lower than a whisper, but she can hear it clearly.
"But?" Question, because with Arthur there would always be a: "but" when it came to magic.
“But I’m not sorry for her. She was just a mere servant, not to mention a witch, Gana, she was already doomed anyway.”
“Convicted or not, Uther has no right to kill someone so young, not in the way he will. Furthermore, Madeleine, the "mere servant", wasn't even tested as a witch, Madeleine just made an elixir to help with my skin, the sun is very strong, and I'm very pale, she saved me from heatstroke, but she didn't use magic at any time!” Her response is quick and angry, she knows that Arthur agrees with her, but Uther was still her father and no matter how much he loved her, Arthur would always be on the king's side, just as Morgana would always be on the queen's side.
“The law says that magic users must be burned so that all evil is extinguished.”
“The law also says that all criminals, no matter their crime, must undergo a trial before the court, a jury and the king. Madeleine was just condemned, and you don't even know if she is in fact a witch or just an alchemist, in fact, for all we know, she could very well be just a doctor's apprentice.”
With her dress tied, Morgana moves away from Arthur, but does not turn to look at him.
“I understand where you may have seen injustice, but the king is the highest authority in the kingdom, Morgana, any act against the law is an affront to the crown, that is, to the king himself. And if he said that the girl must be condemned, then it is because he has already completed his trial.”
She hears him walk away, his footsteps are close to the door when she decides to speak again.
“In Camelot, the magic’s gone. In Camelot, the magic’s Gone, the king’s decree, a tyrant’s song.” He hummed, his prince's steps stuttered. “He hates the spells, the mystic arts, no justice here, it breaks our hearts.” She sang louder. “The wizards hide, the sorcerers flee, in shadow deep, they long to be free.”
Arthur is approaching again, footsteps heavy and noisy.
“The king’s iron fist, it rules the land, no magic left, by his command.”
Arthur is now face to face with her, his usually bright blue eyes are now almost black, clouded with negative feelings, but she doesn't care, just as the prince doesn't care about the life the king will take.
By the end of the little uplifting song, Arthur looked ready to kill someone. He always defended the king, he was always a daddy's boy, and he hated it when people didn't understand the man.
“You…” His voice sounded low and thick, almost a growl, but it didn’t finish the threat. She smiled, the prince's bright blue eyes glowing with fury now.
“You can’t hit me, we’re not training, and it would be dishonorable.”
Arthur clenches his fist, and for a moment his eyes leave hers to stare at his own hand in horror. He moves away from her as if he's scared of himself.
“I'll be in my chambers, in case the queen asks for me” And there went the king's darling, taking his idiotic prejudice far away from her chambers, great.
Tired of all today's arguments, and with nothing better to do, Morgana decided to stretch her legs and walk a little. Her purple pajamas were flashy, but elegant enough not to be perceived as one, so she didn't change into them.
During her little walk she greeted many servants she passed, all of whom she already knew, but there was a moment when something new caught her attention.
A majestic red canary flew past her, he seemed intent on following that corridor. Right behind him, a figure followed him until they both collided.
“Oops!” The voice sounded that, if it hadn't been so loud, she could have sworn was inside her own mind. The man skidded and almost threw her to the ground.
He was interesting, completely different from anyone Morgana had ever seen in her life, almost as if he wasn't human. He was tall, much taller than her, his skin was almost gray, it was so pale, he looked like he had never seen sunlight, and his eyes, dark as obsidian stones, looked enchanted at her.
Great, another sycophant, that's what she thought, but what came out of the man's bruised lips were things totally different from what she usually hears.
“Oh my gods!” His face lights up with a huge, toothy smile, “I loved the colors of your dress, it really matches your skin tone” This caught her off guard, but in a good way.
The man's eyes wandered away from her, and it was at that moment that Morgana knew who he was, because all he did in the next few seconds was said goodbye and run away without bothering to give her another compliment or try to bow, attracting attention everyone in the process.
Excited to have the chance to meet Gaius' famous apprentice, Morgana turned on her heel and marched back to her quarters, she couldn't wait to tell Leon who she had met.
If only she had known how unexpected their second meeting would be.
When the knights knocked on her door, she opened it without thinking twice, not even noticing when Merlin shrank like a child.
“Milady.” He greeted Sir Leon.
“Leon, what happened? Any problems?”
“A suspicious man ran away from us a few minutes ago, he seemed completely out of it, he came from this direction, so I needed to come and see if you were okay.” His eyes went from Leon to Merlin, and it didn't take him long to put the facts together.
“And this man” He began slowly. “Would you happen to have eyes as black as obsidian, skin as pale as the face of the moon, and a scarf on your head?” “Well, yes, but like you”
“And he looks as tall as a tower?”
"Yes!" He agreed, now more confident.
Morgana rolled her eyes and then pulled Sir Leon inside.
“Thank you for your concerns, boys, dismissed.” Morgana waved to the other knights and one of them tried to speak, but she had already closed the door.
“Leon!” He jumped in surprise when she slapped his arm.
“What’s wrong, what’s the matter?”
The terrified sob is the answer to the knight's question.
“He’s…” He started, but was interrupted by a slap from Morgana. “Aww! Madam, what is this for? He’s the fugitive from before…”
“I already noticed, Leon.” She rolls her eyes. “He's also Gaius's apprentice, haven't you noticed? It’s Merlin.”
Leon stares at the giant crying on the bedroom floor, and after a while, he seems to realize who he's staring at.
“Gods!”
"I know."
“Wow, he really knows how to make an entrance, he barely seems to have arrived at Camelot, and he was already being chased” The knight comments excitedly, but seems to notice the young man's anguish. “Why is he crying?”
Morgana's slap hits him in the back of the head this time.
“Milady!”
“Men, honestly, you are all the same.”
She kneels beside the young man's trembling body and tries to get his attention.
“Hello, Merlin, hey, look at me, please.”
He obeys, his red and swollen eyes looked at her, but didn't keep their focus on her, he seemed much more worried about Leon than Morgana.
“Hey, focus on me, okay?” She asks, the boy's eyes tremble, but don't stay on her for any longer than necessary. “Can you tell me what he did that scared you so much, Merlin?”
His eyes were completely drawn to Leon, staring shamelessly now.
“Merlin, what did he do that scared you so?” Her voice comes out stronger now, she needed an answer, and she could only help if he spoke.
The boy sighed shakily and began to shake his head from side to side, his breathing even weaker than before, she could practically hear his heartbeat from where he was.
“He is out of his mind. Sir Leon, call the-” His door opens with a thud and the red canary enters with Gaius following close behind.
"Oh Gods, Lady Morgana, Sir Leon, I'm so sorry about this, my apprentice must have gotten lost, I'm so sorry..." Gaius tried to speak in a formal voice, but failed when he saw Merlin on the ground, shaking. “Oh, my boy, what happened to you.”
Gaius' sweet reaction only served to worry Morgana more, the old doctor was, in general, always very strict and professional, using his calmer and gentler voice only in unresolvable situations or when dealing with injured children.
Gaius crouched down beside the young man and reached out his hand, only to hesitate and pull back slightly.
“Merlin.” He called. “Merlin I need you to calm down, understand, I need you to breathe, can you do that for me?”
Again, with an extremely soft and serious voice, Gaius addressed the apprentice. Merlin still didn't seem to hear.
The doctor took a deep breath and, with trepidation, turned to Leon and Morgana.
“Milady, Sir, do you mind if I have a minute alone with him? I mean, I know this is your room, but…” She interrupted him.
“It’s okay, Gaius, we’re going, come on, Leon.”
"But..."
"Now." They left the room and started walking again, they walked with their arms tied and in silence for a few minutes before the knight turned to look at her with concern.
“With all due respect, my lady, but you seem a little too calm about this situation.” He lowered his voice, they were both the same height and didn't need to get so close to hear. “Was there another dream? Like those from months ago?”
She looked around, only a few servants were walking around, she leaned slightly closer to her knight and whispered.
“I didn’t dream about anything today.”
“Then why…”
“But I dreamed a few days ago, and it was about Merlin, but…” she hesitates. “I dreamed of a woman first. She was similar to him, but her eyes were bright and silver like…like the moon, you know?”
Sir Leon tensed, for a moment Morgana remembered who she was talking to and then tried to correct herself.
“It’s just a comparison, stop being so nervous, Leonel.” He mocked, and his knight relaxed a little, but now he looked at her a little suspiciously.
“What happened in your dream, my lady?”
They continued their little walk.
“The young woman of my dreams was chained to a cell, I don't know how to explain it, but I was facing her, as if we were lying in reflection of each other.”
Morgana still remembers the dream. He remembers feeling the woman's anguish and fear. She looked Morgana straight in the eyes and repeated the words "King", "Arrested", "Princess" and, most strangely, "Asterion", the young woman repeated these words without stopping throughout the night and continued to repeat them over the next few nights until stop suddenly and never come back.
“Well, what happened during this dream involving Merlin?”
They went through the back doors of the one that gave the view to the back gardens, there was a beautiful landscape that only royalty, Uther, Ruth, Arthur and herself were allowed to be in, Leon often accompanied Morgana, as now, for example.
“Merlin was there too, at least after the penultimate night of dreams, he didn't speak, but I spent nights listening to him just cry. I have to say, it was scary.”
Leon frowns, his expression one of confusion or deep thought, you never know, sometimes she just mistakes it for an expression of anger.
“And your dreams…” He began a little hesitantly, “Did they… did they show you why Gaius’ apprentice was so afraid of me and my men?”
They stop walking and turn to enjoy the hemlock trees swaying in the breeze. Memories of his last dream come back to haunt him, Merlin being dragged by two knights with rags that barely covered his thighs, red and purple marks belonging to men covering everything from his thin arms to his bare buttocks.
She swallows hard and prays, to whatever deity can hear her, that Merlin hasn't suffered what she imagines happened.
“Honestly Leon? I’d rather not know.”