Background:
When Morgana is 13 she has a dream, so vivid and horrifying that she confides in her father. The story she tells is of woe, of death shadowing the King. Her father is concerned, and when an aspect of Morgana's dream becomes true, he believes her power. He rushes to warn Uther, but the King has a hatred of magic and instead curses Morgana as a witch, to be dealt with as any other sorceress. But Morgana's father pleads for her life, and Uther grants a concession, he will allow the girl to live, if, and only if, she is his prisoner, locked away beneath the rock of Camelot like the...monster... the dragon... which also dwells there.
This is the story of what happens when Arthur, following Merlin on one of his mysterious trips to the dungeons, finds a beautiful and enchanting maiden, entrapped by his father.
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Arthur held the torch higher above his head, brandishing it as a weapon against the shadows which threatened to swallow him whole. He was deep beneath the castle now, water seeping through the rocks around him, creating an eerie atmosphere. He cursed to himself, how could he have let Merlin slip from his sight?!, and then stopped suddenly; the echoes of his voice, ricocheting off the rock walls, did nothing to improve the ambience of the air which swirled around him. Everything fell deathly quiet again, and Arthur paused, taking deep breaths to subdue the wild thoughts which whirled through his head. He knew what sort of monsters dwelt down here, he had fought one himself! His free hand moved towards his belt, and he visibly relaxed as he felt the hilt of his sword bite into his palm. There was nothing that could harm him, he was fine, he just needed to stop and retrace his steps. Arthur picked up his foot, about to step backwards, when he froze. A sound, not one made by himself, flitted down the tunnel. He replaced his foot onto the floor, and found himself taking a step closer, away from the exit to these dark tunnels. Arthur halted himself, undecided about what course of action to follow. The sound may be... alluring... but that could be a trap, couldn't it? He paused, listening to the sound for a moment, and realised it was someone singing, a girl singing.
'How much harm could a maiden cause to me?' He thought smugly, and then his grin dropped as his memory reminded him of a certain fairie girl he thought was harmless too. But; this voice, it was so enchanting, it was so.... sad.
Without a conscious command to do so, Arthur's feet shifted, taking him closer to the source of the mythical sound. The tunnel twisted around him, construing his ideas of north and south, until it came to an abrupt corner. He paused, and realised that the wall opposite it was bathed in the light glow of a candle which hovered around the bend. Reluctant to do so, but not wishing to announce his arrival with a beacon, Arthur dropped his torch on the floor and silently stamped on it. He slowly drew his sword, cautious of any snare he may have walked into, and crept towards the mystery which lay ahead of him.