The Philosophy of Decyphering
"Welcome, dear brother. It's been far too long." Morgana got up and walked toward him. "I apologise if you had a difficult reception. It's hard to know who to trust these days."
Morgana stopped in the middle and Arthur approached her slowly. He raised Excalibur with an open hand to show he's not attacking her, and she watched his warily until he placed the sword in his belt. He met her in the middle.
"What happened to you Morgana?" Arthur asked her softly.
Morgana looked him in the eye almost regretfully, the hurt plain on both their faces and in their voices.
"I thought we were friends." The king went on.
"As did I." Her voice was soft at first, but it hardened afterwards. "But alas, we were both wrong."
"You can't blame me for my father's sins."
"It's a little late for that. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind. You're not as different from Uther as you'd like to think."
"Nor are you." The witch became angry and backed away.
"Stupid kids!" They heard a soft voice and soon all the glances were directed towards the throne and met the blue of a child's eye. A sweet, little girl.
"Who are you?" Both Arthur and Morgana asked surprising each other.
"You're sitting on my throne." Morgana pointed out in a half furious half amused tone. That girl looked so sweet and so innocent that the witch felt she couldn't be too harsh with her, though the way the girl had called them and the fact she was sitting on HER throne annoyed Morgana.
"Your throne?" The girl uttered amused. "But it's not yours and neither yours, Arthur."
"What you mean?" Merlin couldn't help but asking.
"Hello, Merlin. Don't you see how stupid you are? All of you. It's just a chair."
"But it means more than an ordinary chair." Merlin went on.
"Which one of them is really up to what this chair stands for? Be honest, Merlin."
"Arthur is learning and…" the warlock babbled. The girl stopped him.
"Nothing is certain, Merlin. Do not speak about past or future things because past is long gone and future may never exist. Speak for now and only for this very instant."
"He has a lot to learn." Arthur watched him surprised and a bit disappointed, but deep inside he understood.
"Morgana could learn too, couldn't she?"
"She's too bitter and cruel; so full of hatred that she has forgotten what she was fighting for."
"And you haven't?"
"I...that's how it has to be. Some choices are easy, some…"
"Stay with you forever." the girl finished the sentence.
"How?"
"I've been watching you for a while. It's not the choices that are difficult, but to face your worst fears and do the right thing." The little girl supervised everyone with her glance. "Deep inside you know what you need to do. Each of you does."
"I don't get what Merlin has to do with all those? He's just a servant." Morgana spoke visibly annoyed by this conversation. Though, the girl ignored her.
"And Arthur? What about him? Is he really a fair king?"
"He's still young and inexperienced."
"So is Morgana." The girl cut him.
"In fact, I don't understand why they have to fight. They used to be friends. Together they would have turned Camelot into a better place." The warlock pointed out, causing Morgana to burst out.
"I have magic, Merlin. You can't understand." The High Priestess cried.
"Could you stop supposing you know what I can or can't understand? Would you ever stop supposing you know what other people think? Have you ever tried to speak with him?" Merlin burst out.
"Have you?" The question caught the warlock unprepared, although neither Morgana nor Arthur understood what the girl meant.
"What you mean? Merlin is the biggest idiot I know. There's nothing I do not know about him." Arthur pointed out.
"Do not be so sure." Morgana put on her disdainful voice.
"What has whole this conversation to do with me?" Merlin asked.
"It has. You've pointed out their mistakes, although you haven't been completely honest about Arthur. Am I right?" He nodded.
"Arthur keeps living in his father's shadow. He have never dared to question his decisions and he still is unable to see his father's errors." It was the first time Arthur heard him speak like that. Deep down the king knew he wasn't perfect, but that was a little too much. "But he's learning."
"And what about you?"
"Me?"
"Are you really able to complete your destiny?"
"My destiny? I will serve Arthur till the day I die."
"What if this is not your destiny?"
"It has to be."
"Kilgharrah showed you the path which was convenient to him, but it's up to you whether you follow it or not. Does it feel right? Are you happy?"
"That's not about me."
"Wait a moment. Who's this Kilgha...whatever his name is?" Arthur asked confused by the conversation.
"This is about you. The way you perceive these actions, actions that reflect upon you and upon the world, has everything to do with you. Does it feel right?"
"No...I mean I like serving Arthur, but...I just...I don't want...I can't sacrifice more….it hurts." As he spoke those words every glance in the room was directed toward the warlock.
"Make it right then. You have the right to be happy. I'll give you a chance to all of you. You'll travel in the future and you are going to meet two people who will make you see the world differently. You all have the right to be happy, but you can't do it alone. Good luck."
"What have you done, Acheflow?" The old lady asked both amused and worried.
"I've always wondered what feels like to meet your older version and realize you're going to do exactly what you think you would never do."
"You are mad on me, aren't you?" Morgana asked on a childlike tone. "Now I feel bad. I wish you had won."
"No, I'm not mad and that's how it has to be. You won and I'm okay with it." Merlin said and he pulled her closer to him.
"Yes, but you want to go."
"Though you don't and you won. You accepted to play this game and I think it's fair this way. If I had won, you would have to go despite the fact you didn't want to."
"Though, you're sad. I can't understand. I never win."
"Yet you have now. And I'm not sad, Gana."
"I feel so bad. See what you do to me. I'm sad, too. I've thought I would be happy should I win." The High Priestess cuddled in his arms. She felt really guilty.
His phone rang and Merlin let her go for a moment, so he could answer.
"Hi, Ava!"
...
"No, we're not going anymore."
...
"We got….a little busy."
...
"Thank, Ava, but I think we could handle."
...
"No, really, Ava. It's okay."
...
"Fine. Here she is." And he handed the phone to Morgana.
Morgana was unable to hear a word Avalon was saying, though she guessed what her friend might say.
"Hi, Avy! How are you?" The witch tried to avoid the subject.
"You should go. I'm not going to take no for an answer. I'll help you. Just tell me what I need to do." Avalon declared. Her voice was firm.
"Avy…"
"Okay. We'll speak later. Don't forget I'm still here."
"Do not dare to miss it." The witch heard Chris shouting. "I'm not joking, Gana. I'm really dangerous when I'm furious. Ask Avalon."
"Thanks, you troublemakers! We'll considered. Bye! See you tomorrow." Merlin interfered.
"They want us to go." Morgana said after he finished the call. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to go. But Ava seemed so enthusiastic about it. And you want to go, don't you?" He pulled her closer and laid her on the bad while covering her face and her neck with kisses.
"I don't want anymore." Merlin whispered between the kisses.
"You're ruining my make-up, Merlin! Can't you just kiss me gently. You not only ruined my lips gloss, but you spread it all over my face. And you're mad. Do not lie to me, Merlin!"
"Now, I'm not allowed to kiss you."
"No, when I'm furious."
"Fine. I leave you alone. I'm in my office. When you decide to be more cooperative you could find me there."
"But I'm sad."
"What you want me to do. You won. Is it not enough?"
"No, I don't want to win."
"But you do."
"Damn it, Merlin!"
"Okay. Bye."
Under normal circumstances he would come back and would have ruined her make-up and her hair and the bed sheets, but now he went.
"I'll go." She declared as she entered his office.
"Are you sure?"
"I don't want you to be so sad."
"I wasn't. It was your imagination. What took you so long? It usually works easily. You're such stubborn."
"What you mean?"
"I let you win because I knew you wouldn't go if I were to won. So, I let you win and you feel guilty and…."
"You blackmailed me!"
"Not really."
"This is emotional blackmail. I felt sad for you and you took advantage of my feelings."
"Honestly, Morgana!"
'Look what you're doing to me!"
"So we go?!"
"I hate…" she couldn't finish the sentence as he stole her a kiss and then another.
"I need to bath and…"he kissed her again. " Merlin, let me go!"
"Two hours."
"That's not enough."
"It has to be. May I receive a kiss."
"You've stolen enough today." And the High Priestess hurried to the bathroom while he stood there with a smile on his lips.
