They brought the party Arthur had sent out back by morning. Eight had gone out to scout the coast, four now lay buried at the dunes, another along the road to Camelot. They brought her the last three.

Morgan covered her mouth and nose to lessen the foul smell of rotting flesh that came from the youngest knight. Without looking at his wounds she knew he was beyond saving. A drought of nightshade and white willow bark would lessen his pain and bring him a quick death.

The second man had a long gash in his upper leg but whoever had found them had treated the wound well. She could see that it was already healing.

The third man made her heart heavy. It was Gawain, her sister's second son. He was the only one awake when she approached him.

"The King…has to know…" he told her, exhaustion colouring his face.

"Tell me", she said calmly. She knew he wouldn't rest until he had given his message.

"Saxons….ships….hundreds of them….the coast is burning….Cerdic…."

"Yes", she said, "the King has received news of this kind from the east as well. Rest now. I will go and tell him." She gave instructions to her apprentices how to treat Gawain and the other knights before gathering her skirts and making her way to the throne room.

Morgan could hear them as she was walking upstairs.

"How much more Arthur?" Guinevere asked, her high voice easily recognisable between Arthur's and Kay's. "There are not only the Saxons but Angles and Huns, my father sent news of hordes of Franks and Goths claiming territory in the west. Do you really think you can keep them out of Britain with a handful of soldiers and even less knights?"

"You keep singing the same song", Kay said disdainfully.

"Because you're still not listening", Morgan replied, entering the room. Arthur and Kay were standing on one side of the round table, Guinevere on the other. Morgan, as so often in the last year, took her place next to her instead of Arthur. "The scouts have returned. Saxons ships were seen on the South coast . There are more every day. Their leader is a man named Cerdic."

"Now we have a name. Let's go and fight him", Kay grinned, putting his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Call him to the table to negotiate. The Huns are devastating the continent. Those Saxons will not turn back", Guinevere advised, glaring at Kay who still grinned unrepentantly.

"Morgan?" Arthur asked, looking up. He seemed to age years with every passing week now and it frightened Morgan. She had many draughts but none against life.

"I believe the Queen is right. Her plan seems more feasible."

"Feasible!" Kay rolled his eyes. "We drove them Romans out of our country with their tails between their legs. What are those Saxons compared to the Roman Empire?"

Guinevere hit her hand against the table top. "Why are we even discussing this? You have already made your decision", she said to Arthur. "As long as the Great Arthur of Camelot will go down glory who cares about what happens afterwards?"

"How else will I be remembered?" Arthur asked sharply. "Not through my children, that's for sure."

It was a low blow and Morgan thought that Guinevere looked like she would break into tears or slap Arthur, or both really, any moment now.

"Enough!" Morgan said before either could happen. "If you go to war with the Saxons you need to settle your succession first."

"Will you ever not have your own agenda, witch?" Kay asked furiously.

"Leave us", Arthur commanded.

"But-"

"I said leave us", Arthur repeated. "Both of you."

Guinevere took her leave without another word but Kay sent her another glare before stomping off. As soon as his steps faded away, Arthur slumped in his seat. Morgan filled his cup with thin wine and made him drink. It was tempting to let Arthur be, to stave off this discussion for another day but she held her duties to the kingdom as precious as her brother did.

Suddenly she longed for the days of intrigue and diplomacy through finely spun political manoeuvring that had been his early reign as opposed to the constant war they were facing now.

"You should reconsider your decision", she said, more softly now that Kay was gone and she didn't have to keep up the façade.

"I can't. The knights and nobles would never let me stand by idle while this land burns."

"Then don't let it burn", she urged him. "These people don't simply come to pillage and plunder. They're bringing their wives and children. We need to negotiate with them."

But Arthur shook his head again. "The council decided."

"The council"; she spat, "the council your Queen is no longer part of. The council I am no longer a part of. With Kay as the ringleader of course you will go to war."

"Don't speak of him in this tone", he told her harshly, his voice rising. "He's as much my brother as you're my sister."

"He's your foster brother. You are my brother by blood", she replied coldly and took a deep breath. "Arthur, the succession…"

"The council decides the succession", he interrupted her.

"And should you fall on the battlefield we will tell the Saxons to come back another day or week because we'll be busy to decide your heir by popular vote. We'll ask them to go an conquer something else in the meantime." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm but it managed to let a small smile appear on Arthur's face.

"I will heed your advice but I'm king. I cannot just listen to you."

She knew she was dismissed and took her leave. As she walked down the stairs again she felt old, older than she was, as old as Arthur appeared to be. Where her hair was still dark his was nearly completely grey even though she had eight winters on him.

Kay waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. "Have you given your treacherous advice to him, witch?"

"It was you, wasn't it, who called for war. Who told Arthur to ban me and his own wife from the council?"

"How can he listen to the advice of a woman who fails to bear him children and carries on with one of his knights right under his nose and his sister who shames him by leaving her husband? Go back to Urien and your place in the council is yours."

"Urien was never my husband"; she hissed. She had only given herself to one man and that hadn't been the husband her stepfather had picked for her.

"He claims differently", Kay grinned smugly. "And I notice that you don't deny that the fair Queen betrays your brother with the handsome Sir Lancelot."

"That's none of your business", she told him dismissively. She wanted to walk past him but Kay grabbed her arm and pressed her against the wall.

"Not my business?" He gritted out between his teeth. "Everything that concerns Arthur is my business. He needs Urien's support, he needs an heir. What have you ever given him? Where's your loyalty?"

"I am loyal to the kingdom first"; she countered. It was something her father had taught her, not Uther but Gorlois.

"How convenient for you", Kay sneered. "You will never be Queen of Camelot, witch."

"And neither will you be King", she replied but Kay only shook his head and let her go.

/

Two weeks later she watched the army leave from the top of the castle. Arthur led them, easily distinguishable by his red cloak, followed by the blue of Kay and the green of Gawain. In the morning sun the army looked massive and unconquerable but Morgan's bad feeling hadn't left her yet.

Guinevere stood in front of the great hall bidding the men goodbye. By her right Morgan should have stood beside her but she had left before morning to send a message north, asking Morgause to send her oldest son, Mordred, to Camelot. She wouldn't let her family's kingdom fall and with her nephew's help she could ensure that it wouldn't.