A Tale of Fate Unwoven

Chapter I – The rage of the storm, the paralysis of knowledge

Hello fanfic readers! Hope you enjoy, there definitely aren't enough Mergana fics out there! (Hope mine isn't too bad.)

This story is set just after Morgana has been healed – the night before she goes to talk to Morgause – save that doesn't happen in this fic. I think this is a really crucial time in Morgana's journey, because her anger at Uther is a strong driving force for her character, and after a) Being physically weakened after breaking her skull, and b) being emotionally weakened after Uther denies her as his daughter, she was extremely vulnerable. Cue Merlin!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters.

That night in Camelot a storm raged. The wind howled in agony, hurling frail branches at the palace windows. Many men put up the hoods of their cloaks and hurried home, the wind cutting in to their cheeks like knives. It ravaged the city and tore up trees at their roots. And the rain. My God, the rain. It tore at the earth, burst the banks of the rivers and flung itself at the roof of the castle, beating at the windows in an effort to get in.

The very earth itself was crying out in protest of the atrocities already taking place in the heart of Camelot.

The Lady Morgana was near sleep, her head aching with the toll of the past events. As the rain drummed against the windows, she could almost feel fingers drumming on the sides of her head, on her temples. Her head ached with torment and grief, with the despair and hatred that was choking her, sticking in her throat and causing the tears to run down her cheeks. She had heard him. "She is my daughter...she must never know. For Arthur's sake." There was Uther Pendragon. The proud King, who would do anything for his darling son and yet was too ashamed even to acknowledge his illegitimate daughter. Her hands clenched in to fists and she attempted to smash the mirror at her vanity. It barely wobbled, so weakened was she by the fall. She had felt it. She had felt her head break in two and felt the pain blind her with a white hot rage. And she had felt frightened. To know that you are going to die; that the one person who loves you for who you really are is a hundred miles away; it frightened her. For a moment she had seen what life would be like if she did not have Morgause as her guide. Bleaker. Darker. And if she was to survive, she could not afford to feel so frightened again. She would see Morgause, to let her know she was all right, and then Uther was hers. Anger welled up inside her until she felt ready to scream, and ebbed out in to a whimper. She was so tired. Her eyes shut; exhausted from the tears they had shed. The Lady Morgana slept.

Uther sat in his chambers that night. His mind was shrouded in darkness. Deep dark thoughts that were eating away at his soul. His own one, his darling had nearly died that day. Life was so fragile, so short that one so beautiful and sweet could be taken from one in less than a moment. And for once Uther felt remorse. Gaius, whom had saved Lady Morgana, might suffer as a result of what he had planned, what was already set in motion. He knew Gaius had used magic to save her life, both had known that only the deepest of spells could grasp one from the icy clutches of death. His plan had been to reveal this to no one, to watch as those who conspired against him were struck down and exposed as the lecherous tyrants they were. Uther clutched the arm off his chair. Then, all in a moment of weakness, he had told Gaius to use magic. Told him to do whatever it took to save Morgana. And so Gaius would be affected, for succumbing to the King's weaknesses. Uther Pendragon pulled himself up, his mind made up. He would pay a visit to the Physician that night, and explain. He doubted it would affect Gaius seriously – why, he had not practiced magic in the last twenty years save that one night, but Gaius must know, must understand. He sought Gaius's understanding to an extent to which he did not understand, but knew that he could only rest easy should Gaius convince him that what he was doing was for the best. God knows he still needed someone to, even after all these years. With that, the King strode out of his chambers, past the guards and in to the Physician's quarters.

Finally, we come to Merlin, kept awake by the thought of what Prince Arthur will do if his armour is not polished for tomorrow. He polishes with fervour, as if scrubbing at his soul. For Merlin's soul has been blackened in the course of past events. In his dreams he is haunted by the look of terror and betrayal in Morgana's eyes as her throat closed up and caught fire. The one person whom she thought she could trust absolutely, who loved her in spite of who she was becoming, had poisoned her. He knew that, and he kept polishing. He remembers the sudden gasp she gave before she tumbled down the stairs, collapsing at the bottom like a broken doll. Oh he hated her. He hated her because she would not offer him forgiveness, her terms were unconditional and ruthless. Those who had hurt her must suffer. And he had hurt her, there was no denying it. But for a moment, as she had crumpled to the floor, the blood pooling around her head, he had seen where destiny had lead him. To this, a broken young girl crumpled at the bottom of the staircase. Oh she was evil, ruthless, she was beyond redemption. But she was still the girl who had told him that she was coming with him to Ealdor and to hell with the consequences, the girl who was still frightened at what she could do. He would not do her the disservice of pitying her, not when she was so strong, so powerful and free. So instead, he hated her.

The door burst open with a bang. Merlin, startled out of his reverie, quickly hid in an alcove as Gaius moved towards the door, adorned in a rather attractive nightcap. Merlin heard a voice, low and full of urgency, and Gaius closed the door shut. Merlin's eyes widened in surprise. It was Uther.

"I trust we are alone here, Gaius?" Uther asked, his apprehension evident in his voice.

"If you mean Merlin, he is sound asleep, and is unlikely to disturb us, if I know anything about his sloth-like sleeping habits." Merlin snorted, before remembering he was supposed to be asleep in bed. He quickly turned it in to a snore.

"Gaius, I come here to tell you that a couple of months ago I took serious action against sorcery in Camelot. After being so grievously affected by the Mandrake root I was determined that sorcery should have a hold over Camelot no longer. In light of what I am about to tell you, I wish to state now that I feel no remorse for what I have done, but merely wish to protect an old friend and advisor, one who has served me well." Gaius's silence was ominous, and Merlin listened closely. Uther began:

"I was approached by the Sarren, he who hates magic with a such a fierce loathing that even I cannot comprehend it. We fell to talking, and I questioned his regime. How was it that sorcery had been so utterly banished from his kingdom, when the poison of magic seeped through the cracks in my kingdom? What was it that he had done that I in turn could repeat in my own lands? He smiled, and told me that it was simple. Sorcery itself. Not my use of it, nor the use of any third man, but turning the sorcerer's magic on itself and using it to eat away at their very being. There was a substance – I forget its name, but when used would use a sorcerer's magic to inflict such torment, such suffering that the sorcerer would beg for the end. From there, he said, it had been easy. All those who suffered were killed by his men, powerless to stop them. Not a single man, woman or child had escaped." Uther paused, and Merlin could imagine the king's steel gaze fixed on Gaius. When Gaius spoke, he was not enraged or resigned, as Gaius so often was in matters addressing the king. He was fearful. One could hear it in his voice.

"Sire, I have heard of such substances, but I also know that it is nigh impossible for this to have universal effect. Surely it has to be administered to the sorcerer in person, and yet you said you took this action months ago?" Merlin could hear the barely concealed glee in the King's voice as he said,

"Oh see now, this is exactly what I said to the Sarrum when told of this substance. And he gave me an answer so perfect, so fitting that I could not at first believe the sheer simplicity of it." His voice lowered to a whisper, and Merlin strained to catch the King's reedy tone.

"Simply put it in the water."

Merlin slumped against the wall in shock, his heart frozen in fear. He barely heard Uther's apology to Gaius, his assurance that the effects of the poison would be limited to someone like him, who had used magic once in the last twenty years. All he could hear was a voice in his head, screaming for him to get out, to run as hard as he could away from Camelot. He dimly registered the door shut behind Uther, and was brought to his senses by Gaius shouting,

"Merlin, can you hear me? Get up, now!" Merlin scrambled to his feet and ran to Gaius, hoping to see some sign of reassurance in his face. Instead, he was met with the old physician's frown, his face crumpled with the pain of losing the boy who had become like a son to him. Merlin spared Gaius the pain of revelation.

"Gaius, I heard everything. I know what Uther has done." Gaius withdrew a large volume from his bookshelf and poured through it until he came to the passage he sought.

"Merlin, this substance turns your magic against you, it violates that which makes you who you are, but for most it will not have serious effect, merely cause severe discomfort for a day or two whilst soldiers round up those who show symptoms."

"But..." Merlin groaned. He could always hear when Gaius had a but coming on.

"Merlin, you were born with magic; your magic is a part of your soul. For your soul to turn on itself – I do not know what he consequences will be but for all I know they could rip your very body apart." Merlin paled as he heard this, and sank in to his chair. He felt his face being grabbed by Gaius.

"You will have about a week until the poison sinks in. You must flee Uther's kingdom, head for Ealdor, head for anywhere, just get as far away from Camelot as you can." He put his hand on Merlin's shoulder, his expression deadly serious.

"There will only be one other affected as you will be. And you know who that is." Merlin staggered back in horror at where this was leading him.

"Morgana...Gaius, what can I do? How can I..." he spluttered for about a minute before Gaius cut in,

"Merlin, I cannot make this decision for you. We have both witnessed your attempt at changing the future, to be frank; we have both witnessed your complete and utter failure. There is only one way of changing the future, but I cannot tell it to you, you must find it out for yourself."

"She's evil Gaius," Merlin said, his voice weak, "I have done all I can to see the best in her, to make her better. You cannot ask me to do this." Gaius raised an eyebrow.

"I am not asking you to do anything, Merlin. I am simply stating the facts. Uther's love for his daughter will not extend to his tolerance. Either he will blindly ignore her condition and she will die, or he will kill her. The Uther who wept at her bedside is one who sees her as weak and frail. For that image of her to change – for him to feel that she had betrayed him for magic – I would fear for the Lady Morgana." Leaving Merlin to ponder over this, he began to gather up supplies for him. "Sagewort, oliander, I will put some basic medicinal herbs in but you will really need to do most of the gathering yourself." He looked at Merlin. "When the poison does strike, you will need someone with you. You will be in no state to treat yourself nor gather the things you need. I cannot tell you what you must do, I can only advise you. Don't take the horses, they will only attract attention. Just run in to the forest, eke out your supplies and head as far east as possible before the poison sets in." Merlin's eyes welled with tears as he looked at the man who had done so much for him.

"Gaius, I...thank you." The two men embraced, before the old man gestured for Merlin to go.

"My dear boy, God be with you!" Merlin took one final look at the place which had been his home, and ran off in to the night.

Merlin ran. He ran as hard as he could, until the sweat dripped down his back and his breath came out in short gasps. Because if he slowed down, he would have to make a decision. A decision he could not possibly make. If he ran, he would be well in to the forest before the regret kicked in. The wildly forming plan disintegrated in his mind as he heard something that chilled him to the very bone.

"No, no, please help me! I – I can't breathe!" The whimpers and moans crescendoed in to a scream and Merlin recognised the tone as the Lady Morgana's. He had heard of her nightmares from Gaius; knew of the torment they caused her – but had never imagined her screaming like that. A heartbreaking cry rang out. Merlin, without a second's hesitation, sprinted up the stairs.

Morgana tossed and turned in her chamber as the nightmare raged. She had not had a nightmare in a year, but her gold bracelet lay forgotten on her dresser. The visions came at her with a clarity they had never had before.

It was dark. Very dark. She could feel the sweat on her brow as she panted and tried to break free. Her own body was a prison, a torture chamber. And yet the cry that escaped her lips shocked her, so guttural, so animal was it. She could hear a voice beside her.

"Morgana, I can't hold out much longer. It has come, I can't, I can't get up, I can't. Morgana I'm sorry.

Just, just... lyf suiten braeth in maydene fairne. Baren mion I praye, trouthe mortale bismotered martir asit semed mion!" Morgana tossed and moaned at the sound of those words, not knowing who said them or what they would bring on her, only knowing that in the dream her heart was breaking at the sound of those words.

"No, please..." Morgana woke, drenched in sweat and sobbing wildly. She reached out blindly in to the darkness only to find strong, tentative arms around her, awkwardly whispering words of comfort. She clung to the presence, feeling her tears dampening his jacket. Suddenly she started to her senses, springing away from the man and preparing the incantation that would send him flying through the window.

"Stop – Morgana, it's me, Merlin." Morgana widened her eyes, and hissed,

"I don't know what you are playing at Merlin, but get the hell out of my chambers this instant! Astride..." she was about to send him flying in to the storm when he clapped his hand over her mouth. She struggled, twisting out of his grip before biting down on his hand. Hard. Merlin roared and pulled his hand away.

"Morgana, tonight I promise you that I come as a friend. I mean you no harm, I swear on my mother's grave." Morgana laughed bitterly,

"You never do mean me any harm, do you Merlin. Well? Where is the poison? Or have you decided to be kind and finish me off with a dagger." She watched in satisfaction as he writhed in discomfort, looking at her with loathing.

"Well, my lady, if you choose not to come with me, then that is your decision. I'm sure I don't care. God knows I've tried Morgana, I..." his tone softened. "My lady, both of us are in danger – the gravest of danger – if we do not leave Camelot this instant. You have to trust me, Morgana." His eyes were so earnest, his tone so pleading that she felt herself softening, despite her heart contracting in fear at his words.

'Give me one reason I should trust you Merlin." She was frightened by his intensity, although she took great pains not to show it. He groaned, knowing that he would have to do what he had put off for years now. He raised his hands and whispered.

"Forbaernan." The torches in Morgana's room sprung to life, allowing Morgana to catch the golden glow of Merlin's sapphire eyes. A small cry escaped her lips and her heart was numb, staring bleakly at the glowing torches. Shock and disbelief were etched on her face, as she struggled to comprehend what she had just seen.

"Morgana, the second great purge will come upon us soon. You have no choice but to trust me. If you stay here, you will die. If you come with me, there is a chance for us both." Slowly nodding, she pulled herself up, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head. Morgana would not bring herself to look at Merlin, but thrust some warm clothes in to a bag. She arched an eyebrow at Merlin.

"I must get dressed." He was shocked at the coolness of her tone. She had spoken to him in so many ways, but never had there been coldness between them. Merlin brushed off his hurt. He welcomed the change, rejoiced in it.

"As you wish, my Lady." He gave a short bow and left to wait outside the door. Worried as he was over Morgana, he could not help but feel the relief that washed over him. Part of the guilt he had felt over Morgana for so many years had been absolved; she knew of his magic and he no longer had secrets from her. A small part of him hoped that this would be a new beginning for them, that they would find the companionship – nay, love - that they had lost after he had poisoned her. But no. She was evil, the darkness to his light. It was their destiny, and no matter what Gaius said, that could not be changed. Merlin closed his eyes and sank against the door.

As the door shut behind Merlin, Morgana dropped to the floor, allowing tears to briefly well up in her eyes. Hurt, betrayal, anger coursed through Morgana's veins, and the mirror smashed in to a thousand and one pieces as her eyes glowed gold in her fury. But no. If what Merlin said was true, then she had to get to Morgause quickly. Then she could kill Merlin, and go and live with Morgause; be with the one she loved. Her features hardened in to the cold mask she had adopted just moments ago with Merlin, and she slipped on a simple shirt and trousers, tying her hair back in to a tight knot. Merlin was going to pay for hurting her like this, one way or another. In fact, why wait until she got to Morgause? Go with him in to the woods, and stab him when his back was turned. She smirked. That was the way to do it. Morgana slipped her dagger in to its sheath, stood up and prepared to go out and win Merlin's trust. She put on the sweet simper she had adopted with Uther – but found she could not bring herself to use it with Merlin. Better to be cold, silent. Grabbing her cloak, she pulled up her hood and pulled open the door. Merlin scrambled to his feet.

"Morgana...please say something. Anything?" Morgana averted her eyes, blinking fiercely. After all the times he had betrayed her and their kind, she should be used to it by now. But it still hurt.

"We should go on foot. The horses will be too easy to follow." She strode ahead of Merlin, determination etched in her forehead. Merlin pulled on a hooded cloak he had acquired, and together the pair set off in to the night.

OK, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will see a massive confrontation between Merlin and Morgana, and a resolution...please review!