If It Turns To Chaos

Chapter One.

'Why are you doing this to me?' Gwaine recognised that instantly as Morgana. But at the same time it didn't sound like Morgana at all. It was a broken plea, weak. Not hard and cold and cruel.

With a fleeting, longing look down the empty corridor and his escape route, he moved closer to the door, careful to avoid the shaft of light cast by the open gap and damning his curiosity all the while. He could see her there, tears streaming down her face, glistening in the candlelight. And she was on her knees. She looked exhausted, fragile even. This was not the wicked sorceress Gwaine had fought before. Who was she?

'Please, just let me go.' She was begging. At that point Gwaine pressed himself closer to the wall as if to melt into it. If Morgana, of all people, was begging then he didn't really want to know who was standing over her. Her hands suddenly came up to her head and she screamed as if in pain, sobs tearing from her lips. 'No please, no!' Regardless of what she had done in the past, the sound made Gwaine's heart twist painfully. He passed it off as the screams of any pretty woman – and he had to admit, underneath her callousness and hate, Morgana was a pretty woman – were enough to drive him mad. But another part of his brain, the part he usually tried to kill with ale, told him he was a goddamn liar and that it was something more.

Morgana's screams stopped. And then there was another voice, cold and commanding like he had come to associate with Morgana. 'It seems you have grown stronger sister.' Sister? But that could only be Morgause. And Morgause was supposed to be dead. There was no mistaking it though; she circled Morgana and came into Gwaine's view, Morgause was alive and had Morgana as her prisoner.

'Exactly,' spat Morgana, a little more like the woman Gwaine knew. 'We were supposed to be sisters. How could a sister do this to me? When I thought I had no one else you were supposed to help me. But you used me! You took everything from me: my home, my friends, my family. You destroyed me!' The slap was resounding, causing Gwaine to cringe, and it sent Morgana to the floor. She only just managed to catch herself before her head collided with the stone. All of a sudden it seemed to Gwaine that everything they thought they knew about Morgana had been turned upside down.

'Here's how it's going to be, sweet sister.' Morgause sneered. Morgana pushed herself back up to her knees, her lip curled in defiance. 'You are going to let me back into that pretty little head of yours. And then you are going to kill Arthur, and anyone else who gets in my way.' Morgause crouched in front of Morgana, placing her hands on either side of the younger girl's face, muttering an incantation that made her eyes glow gold. Morgana's expression contorted in pain again, her own hands coming up to try and pull Morgause's away.

'No!' Morgause was thrown away with an invisible force, incredibly strong, that Gwaine was sure he felt through the wall. 'No, I won't let you hurt them.' Morgana's chest was heaving with her efforts. But Morgause only cackled when she stood again and righted herself.

'You seem to be tiring there, Morgana,' she giggled, an off sounding giggle that sent shivers through Gwaine. 'How much longer do you think you can hold me off?' Morgana didn't answer. 'Come on, surely you want to help me. These people betrayed you. Why protect them?'

'They never meant to hurt me. They haven't betrayed me like you have,' Morgana protested.

'Uther–'

'Uther's dead.' Morgana shot coldly. Gwaine didn't pretend that Morgana, with or without Morgause's influence, harboured any kind feelings towards the late king. He knew how tyrannical Uther had been and himself would have happily seen him dead. He was sure Morgana was the same; Merlin had told him once – briefly and reluctantly – of Morgana's punishments for speaking out at the hands of her guardian. However, revenge against Arthur and Camelot now didn't seem to be something she was capable of.

'Uther lied to you. Denied you your rightful place as a daughter and a princess. He persecuted everyone like us and he would have seen you executed. And Arthur! Arthur stood by did he not? Stood by and let you be treated that way.'

'Arthur protected me when he could. You know nothing of what you speak.'

'Stop deluding yourself sister.' Morgause's words were harsh, yet she seemed to be revelling in each proverbial knife she drove into Morgana's heart. 'And lets not forget Merlin. That meddling servant pretended to be your friend, but he turned you away when you needed him most, and then he poisoned you–'

'To save Camelot from you!' There was another slap. Gwaine had frozen. If what he was hearing was correct, all this time Morgana had been in some way controlled by her sister, forced against Camelot and Arthur, when all she really wanted was to help them. He slumped against the wall. This was bad. Very bad, and Arthur needed to know about it.

He could escape, now, easily. But with a glance back at the broken princess he knew he could not. He knew he'd never forgive himself for leaving her behind. He had no weapon, no defence, and slim to none chances. He had always liked those odds before, had he not? So gathering the best of his courage he pushed the door wide and strode in to confront the two women.

'Now, don't stop on my account,' he grinned. Inside he was hard and calculating as how best to get himself and Morgana out of this mess, but the glib comments on the outside made him feel better. Getting guards involved in this probably wouldn't be the best idea, so he closed the heavy door behind him, leaving the three of them alone.

'What fun,' Morgause mocked. 'Tell me Morgana, would you like to kill him or should I?' Morgana looked like a frightened child, staring at Gwaine in shock.

'Aw come on now, surely it doesn't need to come to that.'

Morgause advanced on him, hands raised, ready to send him flying across the room or whatever else she did with spells, when Morgana stepped into her path. Morgause stopped as if stunned. 'You would protect him,' she asked. 'You would protect this drunkard knight–' Ok, Gwaine supposed that may be true. '–A womanising, good-for-nothing stain on society.'

'Hey, now that's not very nice!' But amusing, Gwaine couldn't help but laugh.

'Yes.' That was all Morgana said, never moving from in front of Gwaine. With a bark of laughter Morgause asked why. Then Morgana smiled, a coy little smirk and Gwaine swore he had never seen anything more beautiful. He could almost see it: the most beautiful woman in Camelot's court wearing a jewel-toned dress and that smile, entering a feast with all eyes on her. 'Because you said it yourself, sister: Gwaine – so handsome, so selfless.'

Gwaine didn't have very long to be shocked by Morgana's response. Oh, he remembered all right. The first time he heard that, he'd been told by Morgana, or he supposed it was actually Morgause, he'd have to sing for his supper. Morgause had been mocking him then, but it was the way Morgana said it now, as if it were an admirable truth, that surprised him. Not as much as when she lunged at Morgause though.

Morgana managed a fistful of her sister's dress and was able to send them both tumbling to the floor. It was almost clever; Gwaine was sure Morgause had been prepared to fight this battle with magic but Morgana, it seemed, had other ideas. They struggled for a time, until Morgause looked as if she was getting the upper hand and Gwaine hauled her away. Usually he would never lay a hand on a lady, unless invited, but he wasn't quite sure Morgause deserved such a title or consideration anymore. She dodged the swing he aimed at her head, but not the blow to the stomach, and she doubled over in pain.

'You think such crude methods can defeat me?' Morgause spat, raising a hand. But she was blown back again, this time all the way across the room. Morgana had stood, her arm outstretched and eyes ablaze. With one last twist of her hand, Morgause's head cracked against the stone wall and was knocked out cold.

Gwaine could hear the distant rumbling of guards becoming aware of the commotion they had caused. Morgana continued to approach her sister. 'Morgana,' he said but she didn't turn. 'Morgana.' Gwaine crossed to her, stepping between her and Morgause and placing his hands on her shoulders. 'I get that you want her dead. I do. She deserves nothing less,' he told her urgently. 'Can you hear that? That is Morgause's guards figuring out something is wrong between my absence and the raucous we've caused in here.' Their footsteps were heavy in the halls. 'Morgana, listen to me: either we kill her now and get captured, or we run and live to fight another day.' Morgana looked lost, unsure, and there was a dangerous glint in her eyes that said she was willing to die if it meant Morgause died with her. Beseechingly, his hands tightening on her, he asked, 'Please run with me.'

In some part of him it wasn't just a ploy to get her to escape because it was right or chivalrous or whatever the Knight's Code said he was supposed to do in situations like this. In some part of his heart he meant it, truly wanting them to make it out of this together for no other reason than to see her safe. It worked though, snapping her out of whatever bloodlust she had been immersed in. She swept a set of manacles from the ground and offered them to him. 'I can't fight anymore,' she said. 'I can't – please, act a prisoner and we can walk out of here.' It might have been stupid to trust her so soon, but Gwaine let her fasten the chains around his wrists without a second thought.