When Arthur reached the meeting spot, Morgana was already there. She was sitting on a tree stump, just as gracefully as she'd sat on a throne so many years before, but there were lines on her face and strands of grey in her hair.
"You came without your pet sorcerer," she said without looking up at him, twirling a wild violet in her fingers.
"You asked for a private meeting," Arthur replied. "Here I am. What did you want to tell me?"
It hadn't been easy to persuade his men to leave him go alone. Merlin had been growing almost paranoid lately and had attempted to forbid Arthur to go, resulting in quite the screaming match.
Now that he was standing in front of the woman who had been his sister, Arthur wondered if he'd made the right choice by coming to such a remote spot in the woods.
"It's not a trap," Morgana sighed, as if reading his mind. She motioned for Arthur to sit next to her, but he shook her head and leaned against the oak tree in front of her, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it," he replied. His mouth was set in a thin, hard line. "Only one week ago, you tried to murder me in my sleep."
Morgana drew her cloak closer, though the afternoon wasn't cold at all. "That was different, we were trying to take Camelot," she said. "Killing you here would be meaningless. One of your lords would take your throne. Maybe your queen would continue this war in your stead," she added bitterly. "Why did you come if you thought it was a trap?"
Arthur hesitated. He himself wasn't sure of the reason, but in the end he decided to be honest. "I know people change," he said. "But I remember how it was back then, when we were kids. You were my sister. I owe you this much at least."
Her sudden burst of laughter startled him. "How funny you should mention that," she said. "I'm here for the same reason." She hesitated for the briefest moment, but Arthur guessed what she was about to say before she spoke. "Morgause is dead."
"She killed a dozen of my guards and attacked me," Arthur said, bowing his head. "Do you expect me to say I'm sorry?"
Morgana shrugged. "You could pretend," she replied. "For my sake."
"Like you pretended to be sorry when you killed my father?" Arthur snapped, more harshly than he'd meant. Even after all this time, the memory still stung.
She laughed again. "Our father," she corrected him, "never cared much for me. Morgause was different. We were going to rule together."
Arthur ignored the fact that she was talking about taking his kingdom from him. "What are you going to do now?" he asked instead.
"The only thing I can do," she replied.
Before he could react, she tossed back her cloak and raised her arms to cast a spell.
"Stand back!" Merlin yelled, jumping in front of Arthur. He had probably been hiding behind some bushes. His counterspell clashed with Morgana's, filling the clearing with sparks.
"I thought you had very clear orders to stay in the citadel," Arthur told Merlin, drawing his sword and keeping his eyes on Morgana.
Merlin just grinned. "Some things never change," he replied, keeping himself between Arthur and Morgana. "You're still trying to kill him and I'm still not letting you."
"I had to try," Morgana said. "For my sister."