Characters/Pairings: Merlin/Morgana, Arthur/Gwen, Gaius, Uther
Prompt: Winter
Written for Team Hearts Battle 2 Game of Cards Phase 9
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In The Dead Of Winter
Morgana sat up in bed and looked around in fear. Her breathing was ragged and she was covered in cold sweat. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down but it wasn't working as well as it usually did.
Finally, she got out of bed. She had to get out of the castle and think. The dream seemed so real this time. It wasn't the first time that she had it but the images were clearer than they had been before. That was what disturbed her.
She pulled on her riding gear and went out to the stables. She saddled her horse and took off into the night. She didn't know where she was going but it didn't matter as long as she could get the images out of her head.
Merlin woke to the smell of frying eggs and burning herbs. He sat up and looked out the window at the falling snow. "Great! Training in the snow. I better find my extra pair of socks."
"Gaius, where is Merlin?" Arthur's voice sounded strained through the door.
"He hasn't come out of her room yet." Gaius' footsteps on the stairs made Merlin jump out of bed. The door swung open and Gaius glared at him. "Merlin! Get up! Arthur is here. You're late again."
Arthur pushed past Gaius. "Merlin did you secure the horses last night?"
"Yes." Merlin pulled a shirt over his head. "Why?"
"Morgana's horse is gone and she is missing." Arthur looked around and wrinkled his nose. "You need to clear this place up. It's a mess. Hurry up and get dressed. Father wants us to meet him in Morgana's room to look for clues as to where she has gone."
Merlin fastened his pants and stepped into his boots. "I'm almost done." He reached down to fasten the buckles on his shoes. "There. All done. Come on Arthur. We need to hurry." He pushed past Arthur picked up a piece of bread and put some of the egg on it and headed out the door.
Arthur sighed and shook his head as he followed Merlin out.
In Morgana's chambers, Gwen stood nervously looking around the room. She was the one that alerted the guard that Morgana was gone and now she was wondering if she should have done it at all. It wasn't like morgana had taken early rides before but something felt off this time.
"Are you sure she was here last night?" Uther glared at Gwen.
"Yes Sire." Gwen nodded. "I put her to bed after she took her sleeping draught. She told me to go home for the night. She insisted that she didn't need me to stay."
"Arthur, there you are." Uther looked over as Arthur came into the room. "What have you learned?"
"The horses were all in the stables last night but this morning Morgana's horse is missing." Arthur glanced over at Gwen. "Merlin secured them last night."
"Are you sure they were all there?" Uther questioned merlin.
"Yes Sire." Merlin nodded. "I put blankets on all of them because it felt like there was a draft. Morgana's horse tried to bite me when I put a blanket on it. It always tries to nip me when I'm in the stables."
Gwen bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Uther scowled at Merlin then turned to Gwen. "Is Lady Morgana's riding gear missing?"
"Her boots are gone and her heavy cloak." Gwen waved her hand at the cupboard. "There aren't any of her clothes missing. Nothing in the cupboard has been touched."
"What about her breeches and tunic that she sometimes wears when she travels?" Arthur asked.
Gwen went over to the trunk to check. "They're gone and her dagger is gone as well."
Merlin walked around the room looking for anything strange. He didn't see anything.
"Morgana wouldn't have just gone off like this for no reason. Something or someone must have made her leave. We need to send out search parties." Uther said. "If she hasn't come back by now then she may be injured. Find her Arthur and bring her home."
"The snow is coming down heavily now there won't be any tracks to follow." Arthur took a breath. "Do you know which trails she usually takes when she rides Guinevere?"
"Yes I go with her often." Gwen nodded. "I could go with you and show you her normal route."
"Dress warmly. We leave in half an hour." Arthur put his hand on Uther's arm. "I will send patrols along the road and the river as well. We won't come back without her. Come on Merlin. We need to ready the horses."
"Yes My Lord." Merlin pocketed a hair comb from Morgana's dressing table on impulse. If they can't track her by normal means he would enchant it to find her.
Merlin gave Gwen a sympathetic look as he left the room with Arthur.
"What was she thinking, going off in the middle of the night like that? She knew that was foolish especially in the dead of winter." Arthur ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"So you believe that she left on her own and she wasn't taken?" Merlin asked. "I had the impression that Uther thought otherwise."
"My father thinks that Morgana is a delicate flower that can do no wrong. I know better." Arthur scowled. "She is trouble most of the time."
Merlin grinned. "She's a woman. They are all trouble of one kind or another."
Arthur gave him a surprised look. "She's not a kitchen maid, Merlin. She is a noble born woman."
"That just makes her even more troublesome." Merlin grinned.
Arthur signed. "You may be right about that."
A half an hour later, Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen were mounted on horses and riding down a path in the Darkling Woods.
Merlin put his hand inside his pocket and whispered a spell to enchant the hair comb. He saw the trail that Morgana had taken appear before him.
"I think we are going in the right direction. I can feel it." Merlin said as he rode out a little ahead of Gwen and Arthur.
"Don't worry. We will find her." Arthur said to Gwen.
"I'm not worried." Gwen looked down at the horse's neck. "She didn't take her gloves. Morgana always takes her gloves when she goes riding. She must have been upset to have left like that."
"Whatever it is, we will find out and take care of it." Arthur reached over and brushed the snow from the top of Gwen's hood. "She is going to have a lot of explaining to do when we find her."
"You mean, if we find her." Gwen sighed. "She has been acting strangely for a while now. I don't know what it is. Do you think she eloped?"
"Who would want to marry Morgana?" Arthur wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I feel sorry for the man that takes her on. She is not as sweet or as nice as my father thinks."
Gwen laughed. "I'm sure she says the same thing about you."
"I'm the Crown Prince and a Knight of Camelot. I'm not supposed to be sweet and nice." Arthur sounded almost offended at the thought. "I'm a trained warrior."
"Sorry." Gwen chuckled.
"Where is Merlin going?" Arthur nudged his horse to move faster. "That isn't part of the trail."
Gwen followed Arthur to where Merlin was sitting on his horse looking around.
"What are you doing Merlin?" Arthur asked as he caught up to him.
"I think she went down this way. I was just waiting for you to catch up." Merlin glanced at Gwen then gave Arthur a knowing look.
Arthur glared at him. "Why do you think she went that way?"
"There's a piece of fabric on that branch that looks like one of her cloaks." Merlin pointed to the scrap of green cloth on a small tree.
Arthur got down off his horse and went to get the cloth. He passed it to Gwen. "Do you recognize this?"
"Yes. It's from the cloak she took." Gwen passed it back to Arthur. "Why would she stray from the path in the middle of the night?"
"We shall have to ask her when we find her." Arthur got back on his horse and looked at the ground. "Merlin, you better be right about this because I don't see any tracks at all."
"It's a hunch." Merlin led the way deeper into the woods. He had an idea where she may have gone to. There was an old hut at the end of this trail. He and Morgana had met there once or twice in secret.
The trio made their way over the terrain slowly. The snow was deep and it made finding a safe path difficult for the horses.
After a short time they reached the old hut. There was smoke coming from the chimney of the wood and thatch hut.
Merlin was the first to dismount and go to the door. "Morgana, are you in there?"
The door opened and Morgana's smile faded when she saw Arthur and Gwen. "Merlin, why did you bring them here?"
"Father is worried about you, Morgana." Arthur dismounted and went to help Gwen down from her horse. "You should have left a note to say where you were going. What is this place anyway? I don't remember it being here before."
"I found it when I was looking for herbs for Gaius." Merlin said.
"That explains how you knew it was here but how does she know that it's here?" Arthur pointed at Morgana.
"We meet here in secret sometime." Morgana glared at Arthur. "And before you try to shame me, I know that you and Gwen have secret meetings at her home. So if you tell Uther about me and Merlin then I will tell him about you and Gwen."
"Can we all just get out of the cold?" Gwen shivered.
"I'll take the horses to the lean-to where they can get out of the weather." Merlin took the reins and walked the horses around to the back of the hut.
Arthur came in and went over to the fire in the hearth to warm up. He reached out to Gwen. "Come warm yourself."
Gwen nodded and took off the snow covered cloak before she went to warm up.
"This is a nice place." Arthur looked around at the well-stocked shelves and the fur covered bed. "So you and Merlin are…..?"
"None of your business." Morgana glared at him. "Gwen, I made some tea would you like a cup?"
"I would love some." Gwen nodded. She looked at Arthur and shook her head. "Don't antagonize her. She knows our secret. If she tells, the King wouldn't hesitate to kill me for being with you."
Merlin came in with an armful of firewood. He put it down by the hearth and looked at the others. "So are we going to tell each other's secret?"
"No.' Arthur said. He pulled Gwen close to him. "Morgana, your secret is safe with me as long as mine is safe with you."
"Agreed." Morgana held out a cup of steaming tea to Gwen. "I suppose I should tell you why I left so suddenly."
"Yes. You should." Arthur rubbed Gwen's arms to warm them. "We came out here in a blizzard to find you after all."
"It's snowing. It's not a blizzard." Morgana rolled her eyes.
"Morgana. Please." Merlin was getting impatient with all the bickering.
"I've been having this dream where I'm being executed for sorcery. Each time I have it there is more and more detail. Last night, I could feel the flames as I was burning. I just didn't want to stay there anymore. I know Uther will discover my secret soon and my dream will be a reality."
"He might decide to lop off your head." Arthur smirked.
"Arthur!" Merlin shouted. "This is not a joke. She is afraid and rightly so. It's a crime to have magick in Camelot."
"Merlin, Morgana doesn't have magick." Arthur scoffed.
"Yes I do." Morgana held out her hand and lit the candle on the table across the room.
"So do I." Merlin reached out and snuffed out the candle with a flick of his wrist. "That is why we come here. We come here to be ourselves for just a little while before we have to go back to hiding who we really are."
Arthur stared at them both then looked back at the candle. "I understand. Morgana you and Merlin cannot go back to Camelot. It's only a matter of time before you are found out. You can't stay here either. One of the patrols may find you here."
"Where would we go?" Morgana started to cry.
"Go to Ealdor." Gwen glanced back at Arthur. "You won't be in Uther's kingdom. You could elope and have a simple life. It's what I would want."
Its what we both would want. Arthur nodded. I will tell father that I couldn't find you. That you must have fallen off your horse and frozen to death as the snow covered you. We will mourn your loss and move on."
"What happens in the spring when there is no body found? Does the search resume for me again?" Morgana asked. "And what about Merlin? How does he get away from Camelot without raising suspicion?"
"I'll sack him and he will go back to where he came from." Arthur shrugged.
"Arthur, you can't do that." Gwen elbowed him in the ribs. "Merlin is your friend. You should tell Uther that his mother is ill and he is needed at home. Gaius will back him up when Uther questions Merlin about his mother. I assume Gaius knows about your magick, Merlin."
"He knows about both of us." Merlin confirmed. "Morgana can't go with the patrols out. They will find her. We should all just stay put until the snow dies down." Merlin turned to Morgana. "Arthur, Gwen, and I can leave in the morning. Morgana, you can stay here for a few days. Keep the fire low as to not attract attention with the smoke. We should take the horse back and say we found it wandering loose."
Arthur nodded. "I will give you a horse and plenty of provisions when you leave. That way you don't have to travel in the cold and snow for long."
"Thank you." Morgana leaned against Merlin. "You and Gwen should use this place. It's well stocked. You might be seen coming out of her back door one night in the lower town."
Gwen looked around. "I think that might be a good idea."
Arthur nodded.
The next morning, Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin rode into the courtyard with morgana's horse. Uther was waiting on the steps as they dismounted.
"Where did you find it?" Uther walked down the steps and stroked the horse's nose. "Where is Morgana?"
"It was wondering loose in the Darkling Woods." Arthur stuck to the plan. "Father, I fear Morgana must have fallen from her horse and hit her head in the dark. There was no sign of her. The snow must have covered her body. It was deep in the woods and drifting high. We searched all night with but we couldn't find her."
Uther nodded. "Then she is lost to us." He slowly started to walk away without a word. He stopped and wiped his face with his hands.
Gaius came outside and looked at Merlin. He knew right away that there was something going on. He looked at Uther.
"Sire, is there anything that I can assist you with?" Gaius asked.
"No. Uther said quietly. He turned to look at Gwen. See to it that the decorations have been taken down. There will be no celebration of the Winter Solstice this year. I will never celebrate it again. It was Morgana's favorite holiday and now it marks her loss."
"Yes Sire." Gwen nodded and rushed inside to take care of his request.
Uther walked away from them and went into the castle.
"Father…" Arthur started to follow Uther but Merlin grabbed his arm and held him back.
After Uther went inside, Gaius went to make sure that he was out of hearing then came back to Merlin and Arthur.
"Tell me the truth. Did you find Morgana?" Gaius looked at them both and raised an eyebrow. "One of you needs to start talking."
"Not here." Arthur looked around. "Let's go to your chambers."
Gaius led the way to his chambers and shut the door when both young men were inside.
"Speak!" Gaius glared at them.
"We found her in the love nest she and Merlin have been keeping in the middle of the woods." Arthur glanced at Merlin. "She's fine but she can't come back. How long have you known that she has magick?"
"I have had my suspicions since the dreams started years ago." Gaius sighed. "Are you going to tell Uther?"
"No. Arthur took a breath. "We need your help. Merlin's mother is going to be ill and he will be returning to Ealdor. We need the name of a disease that is grave but not life threatening to tell my father."
"I see and Merlin is going to meet her in Ealdor then what?" Gaius looked at merlin.
"We marry and live a simple life." Merlin shifted on his feet. "You had to know that I have feelings for her."
"I did but I didn't know it was on her part as well." Gaius shook his head and sat down. "I will miss you merlin."
"They will return when I am king." Arthur looked at Merlin. "Magick will not be a crime then. I promise you that."
"We will tell Uther she took a bad fall. That is enough to say for him to believe," Gaius said.
"Thank you Arthur." Merlin sighed. "I have to pack."
"I will see you off in the morning." Arthur patted Merlin on the shoulder.
"You will have George to deal with tomorrow. Try to be nice to him." Merlin smiled.
Arthur rolled his eyes and started for the door. "If I must."
Three years later to the day, Merlin and Morgana returned to Camelot with two small children. They were met by King Arthur and his new Queen, Guinevere, just inside the castle.
Morgana bowed low to Arthur and Gwen. "I come to ask forgiveness for the pain that I have caused you. I only wanted to be free and safe from harm."
"Rise Lady Morgana. You are forgiven. Your family is safe within these walls." Arthur looked at Merlin holding the hand of a boy and cradling a baby in his arms. "Introduce me to your children but not to your husband I know him all too well. Hello Merlin. I see you've been busy."
Merlin chuckled and brought the children closer to meet Arthur and Gwen.
"Arthur!" Gwen elbowed him in the ribs. "Behave yourself."
Merlin nodded toward Gwen's rounded belly. "I see you have been similarly occupied. When is the heir to arrive?"
Less than a month. Gwen smiled. "What are their names?"
"Devon and Anna." Merlin smiled. "We will need that cottage back, if you don't mind."
"You will stay here in the castle as my advisor to magick and court physician." Arthur said. "Gaius needs to put his feet up. We will raise our children together."
"Where are the Winter Solstice decorations?" Morgana asked. "It should be festive in here by now."
"We haven't celebrated the Solstice since you left. Father forbade it." Arthur motioned to the guards to open the doors to the throne room. "Now we will celebrate your return and Winter Solstice as well."
Morgana walked into the throne room and gasped.
The room was festooned with garlands of holy and pine tied with big bright red ribbons. There were candles burning everywhere. Tables were laid with sweet and savory treats.
Morgana smiled and turned around. "I'm so glad to be home."