Sunlight shone on the dark, dank corridors of the Castle of the Witch Le Fay. A rat ran out of a hole in the stone wall and raced through the various chambers. Soon, the rat skidded to a stop in front of a door that was opened slightly and peered within. The room was dark, save for the lights of many candles, the majority of which stood in a circle at the center of the room. Within the ring lay a little boy, not five months of age, with a crown of dark hair, upon a stone cradle with scarlet cushions. Towering over the babe was a beautiful woman, her ivory skin lit by the candles. Her blood-red lips were turned upwards in an evil smile, her dark eyes glowing with cruelty and twisted humor.
"Mordred, my son," her voice was silky and horrible. The rat twitched at it, but find itself rooted to the spot, enchanted by the dark beauty before him. "The day shall come when thou shalt bring thy father and uncle, King Arthur, to ruin. Thou shalt reclaim the throne that was rightfully thine. And I shall rule by thy side. One day, my son, all of Camelot shall be thine." The child, Mordred, began to cry as thunder and lightning roared and flashed as dark magic rose out of the shadows to ruin the lovely day that had been.
"Hush, child, I, too, hate the sun," the mother told him. Her scarlet dress rustled as she looked about her, her black bodice coming into the light. Out of the dark clouds of magic rose beautiful young women with long black dresses and black cloths stretching from hand to hand behind their backs. The woman in scarlet's eyes flashed when the women bowed to her.
"Mistress Morgan," they said in unison. She nodded once and musicians rose from the remaining clouds and, as the rat watched, began to play a dark, haunting tune. The woman, the Sorceress Morgan Le Fay, opened her scarlet lips and began to sing.
"Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry you down into sleep
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry you down into sleep."
The women in the room began to twirl, the cloth flowing out behind them like wings as they circled the room. Morgan, too, began to circle her son, whose eyes followed her movements, just as entranced as the rat was.
"Guileless son, I'll shape your belief
And you'll always know that your father's a thief
And you won't understand the cause of your grief
But you'll always follow the voices beneath."
Morgan was spinning in slow circles as she walked around the ring. The thunder crashed outside and the shadows on the walls danced with the tune of ghoul-like musicians' instruments.
"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty Guileless son, your spirit will hate her
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me.
The flower who married my brother, the traitor And you will expose his puppet behavior
For you are the proof of how he betrayed her.
The rat scampered quietly into the room, and followed the dancers as they leaped and twirled around the room. The small, dirty creature was both frightened and awed by the spectacle before it. Morgan was cackling softly between verses.
"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me.
Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep
And carry you down into sleep
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry you down into sleep."
Morgan reached between the candles and lifted the babe out of his crib, holding him in the air, her ivory arms blending almost fully beneath his small arms. She spun him around, her evil smile growing wider as she continued to circle the ring of candles. Rain blew in from the windows, turning black as the dark of the room absorbed it. She laughed loudly, the horrid sound bouncing off the walls.
"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty Guileless son, each day you'll grow older
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me.
Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold
The child of my body, the flesh of my soul
Will die in returning the birthright he stole.
The rat felt burdened by the heavy magic and the loud sounds ringing its ears. It stared around itself, squeaking as one of the dancers nearly stepped on him. The door was closed, and the rat raced frantically around the room, searching for an exit from the fear that raced through its every fiber.
"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me.
And carry you down into sleep
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep,
And carry you down into sleep.
The music began to fade and the dancers became mere shadows as the last verse was sung. Morgan laughed again as the wailing wind streamed through her hair.
"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me."
The rat felt lighter as the dark magic faded and the candles in the room went out, Morgan's laugh the last sound heard in the room as it echoed off the walls. And then, there was silence as the small babe, Mordred, was lain down to sleep.