Merlin took a deep breath. Before he could talk himself out of it he knocked on the door to the Lady Morgana's chamber. She opened the door almost immediately.
"Merlin, what are you doing here" she asked.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you at this late hour my lady."
"There's no need to apologize Merlin. I haven't been sleeping much lately" she shuddered.
Merlin could only imagine how awful she must feel. She had powers she couldn't understand or control. First she started the fire and then the vase exploded. Merlin didn't know how she was coping with all of this all by herself. When he first discovered he had magic back in Ealdor he thought he was loosing his mind. He was a monster. A freak of nature. A threat to everyone around him. If it wasn't for his mother Merlin wasn't sure he could've made it through. Morgana's situation is much worse then his was. Not only does she have no one to turn to but she's living in the castle of man who would execute her without a second thought should he learn the truth about her. Gaius and the Dragon have warned him against telling his secret to Morgana. But they don't know what it's like. Merlin couldn't bear to see his friend feel so scared and isolated.
"May I come in?" Merlin asked.
"Yes of course" Morgana let Merlin inside. "Is something wrong?"
"No I just ah wanted to talk to you about your nightmares."
"If you're going to tell me I'm going crazy then don't bother. I get enough of that from Arthur. Even Gaius seems to think I've lost it. He just keeps telling me to drink the sleeping drafts he prepares. But they don't help. Nothing helps."
"You're not crazy Morgana. You're just afraid of the unknown. You're afraid that you have magic."
"Magic" the word echoed around the chambers. "It feels so good to hear someone say it aloud."
"Once you learn to control it, magic can lead to wonderful things. And your nightmares will be a thing of the past."
"But if the king finds out I have magic he will cut my head off."
"Uther is blinded by fear. Magic and the Old Religon should be celebrated. It is an integral part of who we are. Don't let him take that away from you. You're powers are what makes you special Morgana."
"Thank you Merlin" she smiled. "You're a great friend. It's nice to hear that I don't have to be afraid of who I am."
"If you ever need anything my lady. You know where to find me." Merlin started to leave the room.
"Merlin, wait. H-how do you know so much about magic? And what did you mean when you said 'we'?" she asked
Merlin slowly turned around to face her.
"Because I was born with it." Merlin held out his hand. His eyes glowed a brilliant gold. Flames appear on his palm. Morgana took a step back.
"You have magic," she gasped.
Merlin's blood went cold. Maybe it was a mistake to tell her. Maybe Morgana couldn't be trusted. Perhaps he should've heeded the advice of Gaius and the Dragon.
"This is wonderful," she cried. "You have to tell me everything. When do you first know about your powers? What kinds of magic can you do? Do you have a spell book? When you cast a spell is there like a wand involved or not? What even is the purpose of the wand?"
"I don't quite know to be honest." Merlin answered. "I've never needed to use one."
Morgana's questions continued: "Do you know other sorcerers? Are all servants in Camelot a part of a vast magical rebellion? How do you live a double life? Does anyone know your secret? Does Arthur?"
"No one knows except you and Gaius. I've wanted to tell Arthur so many times but I don't want to put him in the position of choosing between me and his father. I hope that someday Camelot will become a place where people with magic wont have to live in the shadows. It will be a fair a just land with Arthur as king."
"I would like that very much" Morgana agreed.
"Well I need to hit the hay. I don't even want think about all the chores I have to do in the morning. You should try to get some rest too. I hear there's some sort of tournament going on tomorrow. Arthur's going to have me running around crazy like a-"
Morgana wasn't even listening to Merlin anymore. She couldn't believe she had found someone like her. Someone with magic! And to think he had been right in front of her this entire time. She didn't have to be fearful anymore. Merlin was her friend and he would guide her through it. Nothing bad was going to happen to her.
"Merlin" she interrupted him. "Would you mind teaching me how to control my magic?"
"It would be an honor" Merlin said those words without his usual tone of gleeful sarcasm. "We will start tomorrow evening after the tournament is finished. I'm sure Arthur will just think I've gone off to the tavern should he go looking for me."
"Excellent and I'll give Gwen the night off" Morgana exclaimed. "Hopefully together we can eventually change people's attitudes toward magic. Maybe one day people will come to see magic as a force for good."
"That's the dream" Merlin winked "Good night Morgana"
"Good night Merlin."
This was the first night in a long time that the Lady Morgana slept soundly.