OK I cut it in half and placed the other half in a new chapter. 14K is a bit daunting for a single chapter.

I wrote this originally as a Christmas present for a friend over at LJ. :)

The woman in red turned to her lackey and asked, "Are they here?"

The lackey, who'd just entered the room, scrunched his face. "They are here, but why you—"

"That is not your concern, is it?" she cut him off. "Bring their leader to me."

"Yes, my lady."

The woman waited a few more minutes before the lackey re-entered the room with a tall, grungy-looking man. The truth was she didn't usually deal with this type of man, but he was what she needed in order to carry out her plan. And her plan would succeed. "Your name," she stated to the mercenaries' leader.

"Ragnor, my lady."

"Well Ragnor, here's the job—you must kidnap the Lady Morgana and bring her to me."

Ragnor paled. "Kidnap her from the citadel?"

"No, you fool. Every year at this time, she visits the grave of her father. She will only have a few knights with her. Your group can subdue them, yes?"

"Knights of Camelot? Y-yes, if we outnumber them."

"Good." She walked over to the table and pointed to a map of Camelot. "Here is the location of her father's grave." Ragnor nodded. The woman picked up the scroll, rolled it up and handed it to him. "Be there in two days' time then bring her to me."

"Of course. And our payment?" The woman walked over to a chest behind them. She withdrew a heavy bag and brought it back to the mercenary. "This is half. You will receive the other half when you return with the Lady Morgana."

Ragnor looked annoyed but nodded. "That is agreeable, my lady."

"Good. Do not fail—you don't want to face my wrath."

He shuddered. "Of course not."

"You may go."

Ragnor nodded and left while the lackey returned to the room. "My lady, may I ask, why Lady Morgana?"

The woman didn't bother turning around, but answered, "Because she is someone I wish to know."

The lackey nodded thoughtfully and left the room. If the Lady Morgana was going to visit, preparations must be made, and there was plenty to do.

xxxXxxx

The Lady Morgana sat staring out her window. She watched Arthur and Merlin cross the courtyard, talking animatedly, and smiled. She'd noted a change in Arthur since Merlin had arrived in Camelot a year ago. The Prince cared more about the people and how his actions affected others. He looked to be on his way to becoming a great king.

She smiled as she thought about how her feelings had changed. When she'd first come to Camelot, she and Arthur couldn't stand each other. He didn't understand girls and hadn't bothered to try. That lasted until they were both fourteen and discovered what hormones did to them. They were each other's first kiss, awkward and fumbling. It had been pleasant though, and they'd experimented a few more times before figuring out that they were better off as friends. They bonded over Uther's parenting, or lack thereof, and even trained together until Uther had banned it for her, calling it "unladylike."

Then Arthur had begun training intensively for his knighthood. He didn't have much time for her anymore and they drifted apart. As he spent time with sons of the nobles at court, their arrogance rubbed off on him. He became filled with pride at his accomplishments, which was justified, but what he did with it was not. His title became something to bully others with, until Merlin came along.

Now Morgana could see Arthur's good side shining through again. Merlin kept Arthur's pride in check by treating him like he'd treat anyone else and refusing to be bullied. And his attitude rubbed off on Arthur. He saved Merlin's life by going against his father. He listened to his better nature to save the Druid boy, Merlin's home village and the kingdom. Morgana found her old infatuation with him coming to life again.

Then the questing beast bit him. Morgana had grieved so much that she didn't go see him at all, but spent time in her chambers crying or praying. She'd sent Gwen to look after him, because she felt guilty for withdrawing so much from him. And when he'd been cured, she'd rejoiced the loudest, flying to his side to hold his hand.

And now she knew—she was slowly falling for him. Even though they considered each other as brother and sister now, her love was changing. It felt so good to watch him, to see him growing into his responsibilities and carrying out his duties. So if Uther decided to marry them, she'd agree with a joyful heart.

xxxXxxx

That night, Arthur lay in bed contemplating his life. He had a good almost-but-not-quite friend in his servant. His father trusted him more and gave him more responsibilities—they even got along fairly well these days. And he found he enjoyed getting to know his people. A few months ago he wouldn't have deigned to know or think what peasants felt or thought, but the more he got to know Merlin, the more he wanted to know others.

And then there was Morgana. Months ago they'd barely interacted, and when they had, it had been forced. Bickering in private and tolerant in public. They'd grown so far apart from their old camaraderie, he had no idea what she liked anymore.

But then Merlin had gotten himself poisoned and Morgana reminded him of what was important. How common people could be important. They began spending more time together after that and he began to remember how they'd bonded as teenagers. So when she'd gotten ill, he was devastated. He would never have asked the suspicious-looking Edwin for help before, but now he would, every time. She was constantly reminding him to look outside himself, to make his own decisions about what was right for him and his people. Because one day he'd be responsible for every single one.

By joining Merlin's cause, she'd inspired him. He'd learned so much from that trip and from her example. It seemed natural to resume their old friendship and he found that Gwen and Merlin fit right in too. Both servants enhanced it and he found himself listening to their ideas and changing his mind because of them.

Then the questing beast had bitten him. He still remembered his fevered dreams from the time he'd spent unconscious. Many made little sense, but Morgana had featured in them. He'd seen her in her finest moments—standing up to his father, caring for the Druid boy, pushing him to get the flower for Merlin . . . she'd really brought out the best in him. How could he not notice? Old feelings began stirring in him and he wondered if he could be falling for her again.

When he woke, she was there by his side, holding his hand. She soothed his brow and needled him to lift his spirits. He realized he did care for her more than he had before. Certainly more than he had as a teenager, and she appeared to feel the same way. His heart took flight at this, and he knew if his father forced them to marry, he would do so gladly.

xxxXxxx

"Morgana, you look so sad. Is there anything I can do for you?" Gwen asked. She'd entered the room walked over to stand next to her mistress.

The Lady smiled, halfhearted, then turned to her maid and friend. "No, Gwen. I'm sorry for being so glum. It's just that time of year again …"

Gwen looked horrified that she'd forgotten. "Oh, Morgana, how silly of me. Your father, of course. We're going to his grave tomorrow."

"Yes."

"We should get ready. Is there anything specific you want to take along?" And Gwen was off in a flurry of packing.

Morgana smiled at her friend and turned back to her window. The only thing that could improve this trip was if Arthur could come along. He'd asked Uther at breakfast yesterday but had been shut down almost before he'd gotten the request out. The King insisted the half dozen knights he was sending were sufficient and he couldn't possibly spare Arthur too. Morgana thought it was Uther's way of maintaining control over his son; he'd obviously sensed Arthur pulling away.

Still, Arthur had tried. He'd been much more attentive lately, knowing what time of year it was and how it affected his foster-sister. It meant an awful lot to Morgana. She remembered with fondness the flowers Merlin had brought her that morning, at Arthur's request. She smiled and began conversing with Gwen, suddenly glad for the company.

xxxXxxx

Arthur grumped through the day. He was still irritated his father had denied his request to accompany Morgana. He wanted to go anyway, but the King, unfortunately, had a point. Several new knighthood candidates had arrived and it was his job to assess them. And since Uther had to keep his nobles happy, the new men couldn't sit around for long.

He sat as his desk, attempting to do paperwork. Merlin was quietly- for him -moving about the room doing the chores Arthur had given him. He was almost sorry his bad mood had meant more work for Merlin, but shook it off and spoke up. "Merlin."

"Yes, Arthur?" the servant appeared at his side. Somehow he'd let Merlin become much too informal with him. It was useless to correct him now.

"You did pick flowers and give them to Morgana, yes?"

Merlin gave him a mock-offended look. "Of course!"

"Good. She's been feeling down lately, because the anniversary of her father's death is tomorrow."

"I noticed that."

Arthur made a decision. "Help me think of other ways to cheer her up since I can't go with her tomorrow."

Merlin pulled a chair over from the table and plopped himself into it. "All right, let's see . . ."

Arthur wasn't sure when or why he'd started using Merlin as a sounding board, but he did notice he was doing it more and more often. He was surprised at the knowledge his servant seemed to have, but was glad he had it—he was proving himself very useful now.

xxxXxxx

The morning of Morgana's trip dawned gray and promised rain later, but that never stopped her. Arthur met Morgana at the bottom of the front steps while they waited for the horses to be brought round.

"The way is clear," Arthur told her. "A patrol just came back through there last night and reported no bandit sightings." He took both her hands in his.

"Thank you, Arthur," she replied.

He reached out a hand to lift her head up. "Don't worry—you're going with the best knights I have to spare."

She looked him in the eye. "It's not that."

"What is it then?"

"I—"

Gwen came up at that moment. "My Lady, it's time to go." She curtsied to Arthur. "Your highness."

Sometimes Arthur noticed Gwen watching him then looking away when he glanced at her. He wondered if it had anything to do with what she supposedly hadn't said to him while he was ill. He was flattered by the attention, but she was a servant and he couldn't see her like that even if he was inclined.

Morgana was saying something, which pulled him back into the present. "—see you later this evening then, Arthur."

"Yes. Goodbye, Morgana."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek then quickly stepped away. He was surprised, and lifted a hand to touch where her lips had just been. When he glanced round to find her, he saw one of his knights helping her to mount her horse. He watched her settle into the saddle and look back at him. He smiled and waved. She smiled back and turned around to nudge her horse into movement.

He stood there watching her until she was almost at the gate. She turned in the saddle again to look at him. She looked utterly melancholy and he wanted to rush over to hold her in his arms. Then she turned away and was out the gate. Visiting her father's grave would be good for her mood, he thought, hoping for Morgana's sake that it would.

xxxXxxx

After they'd ridden for a while in the woods, Gwen looked over at her mistress. The look on Morgana's face indicated she was deep in thought, and not about something happy. But she didn't think it was due to the somber occasion for their ride, either.

"You look troubled, Morgana."

"I'm fine," the Lady replied.

"You're very secretive these days. I'm beginning to think there's a man involved."

Morgana snorted. "When do I get to meet any decent men?"

"All the time—at banquets and such."

"Trust me Gwen, hardly any of them are decent."

"That's too bad."

That started a discussion of the various men of nobility in and around Camelot. It lasted most of the way to Gorlois's gravesite. One of the knights alerted them that they were getting close and they stopped talking. Morgana regained her melancholy expression.

Once there, the group tied their horses to a cluster of trees. The knights followed Morgana and Gwen, who walked to the grave, then surrounded them in a wide circle. They wanted to keep her safe while maintaining a respectful distance.

The two women knelt at the grave. Lost in her grief, Morgana reached out her hand to touch the stone, but a sudden cry made her look up.

A large group of men had ridden up and had engaged every single knight. There appeared to be four bandits to each knight, which meant the knights would probably lose. Gwen cried out in alarm and turned her back to Morgana. She spread her arms wide and said, "Stay behind me, my lady!"

Morgana now had her back to her father's grave stone. Her eyes roved all around the grassy, hilly area, watching the men from Camelot losing their battles. Before long, every man in a red cape was on the ground and the bandits made their way toward the women.

"Stay back!" Gwen screamed.

The bandits just laughed and ignored her, continuing to advance. They eventually stopped and a single man came forward until he stood right in front of Gwen. He chuckled and reached out a hand to touch Gwen's face. She flinched away as far as she could, but didn't move away from Morgana. "As pretty as you are, my dear, I'm not here for you." He turned his head to his men. "Remove her."

Two men strode forward, grabbed her arms and pulled her away from Morgana. The bandit leader whistled neatly. "You really are as beautiful as I've heard."

"Get away from me, you pig," Morgana spat.

"Well, well, the beauty has spirit too."

"I've got a lot more than that." Morgana leapt at the man, reaching for his throat. She'd just gotten her hands around it when two more men pulled her away from their leader.

The man rubbed his neck briefly and turned to face Morgana. "Why you little—" he raised his hand and made as if he was going to backhand her. But he stopped right before he touched her face and instead caressed it. "You're going to be fun to manhandle."

A vicious look came over Morgana's face. "I demand that you release us immediately!"

Ragnor chuckled. "I don't think so. You're coming with us. An interested party very much wants to meet you. And as we can't have you knowing where we're going . . ." he snapped his fingers and a man handed him a long, thick piece of cloth. "You'll be blindfolded. Hold her still." He ducked behind her and tied the cloth over her eyes and around her head.

Morgana heard Gwen start to protest and the leader told someone to silence her. "Let me go!" Gwen yelled. Suddenly a rough hand clapped over her mouth and cut her off.

Footsteps sounded as the man walked away from her, probably toward Gwen. "Listen carefully, maidservant. You're to tell Uther that the Lady Morgana will be held indefinitely. We want no ransom and will release her at a time of our choosing. He is to send no one to follow us or she will be harmed. Do you understand?"

Someone must have removed his hand from Gwen's mouth, because Morgana heard her say a weak, "Yes."

"Good. Take her to her horse and let her go." Footsteps trailed away from the group, and Morgana thought, at least Gwen will get away.

"The rest of you separate into your groups and ride in your designated directions. We'll rendezvous at the place. Good luck."

There was a lot of talking as the large group of men went away to wherever they'd stashed their horses. Footsteps approached Morgana again. The hand came off her mouth and she opened it to speak her mind again, but was interrupted.

"Now, my dear Lady Morgana, you will come with me. We'll ride to meet my patron, who will probably treat you well, so you need not fear. Come."

The men holding her began to pull her forward. She dug in her heels, but they would have none of it and just lifted her. She finally gave up, put her feet on the ground and began walking in the direction they were shoving her.

"Help her up," the leader's voice said from above her. She started to struggle, so the man ordered the others to bind her hands. Between the pulling and pushing of the men around her, Morgana found herself sitting astride a horse, the body of the leader behind her. "Be good now," he told her, "my horse is fairly sensitive. Who knows what will happen if she's disturbed too much?

She had no way of knowing whether he was lying or not, but she couldn't take the risk. She was trapped with this mercenary and his underlings for the foreseeable future.

xxxXxxx

The guards watched Gwen in surprise as she rode alone through the gate. It was nearing dusk and the whole party should be back now, not just one lone maid. But Gwen ignored them and rode right into the courtyard. Arthur had been watching from his window and ran down to meet her as she flew inside, out of breath.

"Gwen, what is it?" he queried.

"I . . . have to see . . . the King . . . Morgana . . ."

Arthur's heart dropped to his stomach. "Morgana? Where is she? Why are you alone?"

"Bandits . . . waylaid us . . . at the gravesite. They . . . killed the knights, took Morgana . . ."

"Come, let's get you to my father. He's in his chambers." Arthur grabbed Gwen's elbow and gently pulled her along, up the stairs and down corridors until they stood in front of Uther's door. "Ready?"

"Absolutely not."

"Okay, here goes." He knocked on Uther's door and waited until he heard an "enter" from inside. Then he pushed the door open and strode in, Gwen a pace behind him. He inclined his head and said, "Father."

"Arthur," Uther replied. He looked up at his son, curious about the cause of the interruption. "Why is Morgana's maid here? Where is Morgana?"

"That's what she's here to explain, Father."

Uther's eyes flitted over to Gwen. "Please do so."

"Your majesty," Gwen said and curtsied. "I accompanied Lady Morgana to her father's gravesite this morning. Our party was set upon by bandits, sire, and all the knights were slain."

"What?" Uther stood, alarmed.

"Sire, they restrained myself and Lady Morgana. They blindfolded her and led her away, to ride somewhere I do not know. I was allowed free on the condition I give you their message."

"What is it?"

"They plan to hold her indefinitely and want no ransom. Their leader—he said to send no one to look for her or she will be harmed."

"How will they—" Arthur started.

Uther cut him off. "Arthur, gather the knights immediately, we must go after her at once." He started walking toward the door but Arthur stopped him with a hand.

"Father, did you not hear the warning?"

Uther looked at his son, incredulous. "Of course I did. We can't let that stop us."

"But a large group of knights—Father, they would be highly visible. The enemy would know and they would hurt her . . ."

"She must be rescued. If not by a large force of knights, then how?"

"I'll go by myself. You know I'm the best tracker we've got."

"Yes, but—"

"I'll have a greater chance of finding her on my own than with a squad of knights." He could see he was changing Uther's mind. "Please, Father."

"All right," Uther finally said. He reached out a hand to Arthur's shoulder. "But Arthur . . . please be careful. I couldn't bear to lose both of you."

Arthur nodded. "I will." He turned to Gwen and gestured for her to follow him out. They walked almost all the way to his chambers before he spoke again. "Is there anything else you can tell me that will help me find them?"

"I'm not sure, sire. I think they planned to split up into different groups. But they sent me away before I saw them do anything." Her head fell to her chest. "I'm sorry sire."

He put a hand on her shoulder; she looked up. "It's all right, Gwen, that does help, believe it or not." She gave him a small smile. "Now, could you find my lazy, no-good servant and send him to me? It appears I have a trip to pack for."

She smiled and nodded then turned and left. Arthur went inside his chambers and shut the door behind him. As soon as the door had closed, his calm façade fell from his face. He sat in his favorite chair and tried to plan ahead, but all that went through his mind was, Morgana is missing.

His pattern of thought was disrupted as Merlin barged into the room. "Did I hear Gwen right? Morgana's been kidnapped?"

Arthur took a deep breath before answering. "Unfortunately, yes. But I'm going to rescue her and you're coming along."

"Great. Just great. So we're going into the woods for an unknown period of time to who-knows-where."

"You assume correctly."

"And we're facing bandits?"

"Mercenaries, more like. They killed six knights."

"Terrific! And, of course, we have no idea who hired them."

"Nope. Could be a vengeful king, a bloodthirsty warlord or a scheming sorceress."

"This just keeps getting better and better. I'll—"

"Merlin, just shut up and pack my things. Then pack your things and some food. We'll leave at first light."

"Do we leave at any other time of day?"

"Merlin!"

"Shutting up, sire." And amazingly, he did for the rest of the time he was in Arthur's chambers.

Eventually Merlin left to do his chores for Gaius. Arthur sat at his table with various documents he meant to read spread out in front of him. But he stared at them, uncomprehending, as the calm, princely façade faded from his face. Morgana's in trouble.

The words intensified the ache in his stomach and it spread upwards to his chest until he had trouble breathing. He suddenly had to force himself to breathe while his heart beat wildly. Morgana might die.

He put his head in his hands and threaded his hands into his hair. What does this mean? This, this . . . anxiety? Because whatever this was, it went deeper than worry for a friend or sibling. He tried to objectively asses his feelings and came up with only one.

Love. He was in love with Morgana. To his surprise, he discovered it hadn't been sudden, but building over the last few months. He'd tried to deny it before, when he thought of it, but he should have figured he couldn't fight it. Those feelings had roared back to life again and he didn't think he could tamp them down any longer. He knew when he saw her next he'd have to tell her and not think about the consequences. He just hoped she felt the same or . . . he didn't want to think about it.

xxxXxxx

Morgana's ride was, at best, uncomfortable. The man behind her didn't hold her too tightly, at least. But they'd already ridden some distance and she could tell by the air temperature that night had fallen. Finally the man reined in his horse and said, "We'll stop here for the night."

The Lady was manhandled off the horse. She put her feet on the ground and stood there, waiting for someone to direct her someplace. If they were going to make things difficult for her- bound and blindfolded -she was going to make things difficult for them.

She heard men walking all around her, unpacking the horses, starting a fire . . . but no one paid attention to her. "Excuse me," she prodded.

There was some raucous laughing as footsteps finally approached her. "Something vexes you, my lady?" the leader's voice said close to her.

"Yes. You've placed me here, where I can't see, and have given me no direction. Where am I to sit? What am I to eat? Where am I to sleep?"

The leader chuckled next to her. "My, my, aren't we touchy? Shall we prepare a place of rest for her ladyship?" There was more laughing but also the sounds of people moving various objects around. "This way," the man said finally. He pulled Morgana to the left and gently pushed her downward.

She found herself on a soft something. "We have dinner. If I untie your hands will you fight me?"

Morgana was surprised at his gentleness and shook her head. She felt hands at her wrists, untying the rope. Once she was free, she reached up to pull off the blindfold, but was stopped by a pair of hands. "No you don't. Keep it on or I'll bind you again and feed you myself."

She sighed but nodded. "Fine."

A bowl was placed in one of her hands and a rough spoon in the other. She managed to feed herself well enough by bringing the bowl relatively close to her face. She heard the men laughing and joking and sighed. She missed Camelot dearly right now, Arthur, Gwen, Merlin . . . she pushed back tears and sat her bowl down.

The bowl was whisked away and the leader's voice came again. "You should lay down and get some rest. Someone will be watching you all night, so don't think of trying to get away."

Another blanket was pushed into her hand, so she spread it over herself and laid back, feeling for the edge of the bottom blanket. She curled up on her side and lay there listening for a while. The men were careful not to talk about where they were or where they were going. She slowly drifted to sleep.

She was woken when a rough hand and the leader's voice saying, "Time to go. Will you keep your hands to yourself again?"

"Yes. But when will we arrive?"

"Oh, probably just after midday."

"Do I get to know any more than that?"

"No. Only that you'll be treated very well and unharmed—unless your King sends someone to find you."

You'd better hope he doesn't, she thought. Uther would want to send half his knight corps but Arthur would talk him out of it. He'd want to come himself, probably alone. Well, alone with Merlin. She fought back a smile; it wouldn't do to alert the man to her thoughts. Arthur would find her and rescue her, whatever measures these men had taken.

xxxXxxx

Dawn came way too early for Merlin, who just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. But he'd seen how worried Gwen was for Morgana and couldn't let her down. Arthur was also acting a little more concerned than normal, but Morgana was practically his sister if nothing else. So he rolled over and got out of bed, dressed and grabbed his bag. The Prince would be extra crabby if he didn't get woken on time.

He found the Prince awake and standing at his window. Though unexpected, it made Merlin happier—even on a good day Arthur was reluctant to wake. "You're up early," he commented.

"Didn't sleep well," Arthur replied. That could be for a number of reasons, but Merlin thought it was probably worry for Morgana.

"Sorry to hear that. Let's get you dressed and we can go." Arthur opened his mouth to say something but Merlin stopped him. "I know, nothing to show you're from Camelot. Easier said than done, since I packed most of that yesterday." He got Arthur dressed and they were quickly out the door with the portable breakfast Merlin had brought.

Surprisingly, the King was waiting for Arthur at the front steps. He put a hand to his son's shoulder and said, "Be safe." Arthur just nodded and walked down the steps to his horse.

In short order, he and Merlin had packed the horses and left, heading up the main road north. They'd soon turn westward through the Darkling Woods. But for now, they rode, mostly in silence. Arthur appeared too distracted for banter and Merlin knew it would be a bad idea to try it.

At midmorning, Merlin was ready for a break. He was loathe to bring it up to Arthur, but felt it worth a try. "Arthur." No answer. "Arthur."

"What is it, Merlin?"

"Can we take a short break? We've been riding for hours."

"We're nearly there."

"I guessed that, but I'm getting drowsy." He had been there before, though Arthur couldn't know that.

"Really? This should help." Arthur opened his flask and threw water at Merlin's face. His aim, of course, was excellent.

Merlin glared. "Thank you. I feel so much better."

"Morgana's life is at stake. We cannot afford to waste a second."

"Ugh," Merlin relied. He dried his face with his neckerchief and rode on at the accelerated pace Arthur had set.

They reached Gorlois's grave about an hour later. Arthur stopped at the bottom of the hill and tied up his horse. Merlin followed suit and they began searching for tracks.

Fortunately it didn't take them long. Unfortunately, the tracks spread out in several directions. The mercenaries had pulled an old but good trick by dividing up into several groups. It was aggravating, but Arthur made a few guesses. "They probably wouldn't let her ride alone, so we've got to find a set of tracks that are twice as deep as the others. That'll indicate someone riding double."

Merlin was awfully glad Arthur was around to think of these things. He'd probably have tried something magical that would have taken longer. As it was, it took them less than an hour to single out the doubly-burdened horse's prints. And It was Arthur who'd found them. They took a short break to eat a cold lunch then rode off again.

Arthur was in full tracking mode now; he rode with his eyes mostly on the ground. He was this way all the way through the afternoon until they finally stopped at what looked like an old campsite. The Prince dismounted and checked the campfire, saying "it's been dead since morning. He looked up and noticed the lateness of the hour—near dusk. "We might as well stop here for the night. It's obviously a good place to camp."

While Merlin set up camp, Arthur went to hunt something fresh for dinner. He came back with a pair of rabbits, which Merlin dressed and cooked. After dinner, they sat and talked for a while about inconsequential things, but Merlin could tell Arthur wasn't relaxing. In fact, it got exhausting to watch and he finally told his master he was ready to sleep. Arthur had already claimed first watch and sat back against a tree to stare at the fire. He remained in that position until Merlin fell asleep.

xxxXxxx

The mercenaries rode all through the morning, only stopping once for a break. At last the air seemed to change around them and Morgana could tell they'd made it to their destination. That, and the change from dirt to cobblestones beneath the horses' feet.

"We're here, my lady," the leader said behind her. He dismounted carefully then pulled her down after. It felt nice to have stone beneath her shoes, but then she remembered she was in hostile territory and couldn't relax.

A new voice rang out. "Welcome back, gentlemen. If you could bring our, ah, guest this way please."

Morgana felt a hand grab her elbow to steer her in whatever new direction the voice had indicated. They went up steps and through a doorway, she supposed, because the door shut behind them. So she was now inside. "This way," the voice said again, and they changed direction a couple more times.

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally stopped. "Here," the voice said. Another door was opened and she was hauled inside and pushed forward until her shins hit something hard.

"Sit," the leader's voice commanded. Morgana turned and sat down on the thing, which turned out to be a cot. She put her hands out to feel around her when the man spoke again, "Sit still."

She felt hands working at the back of her head and the blindfold suddenly slid off her face. Finally she could open her eyes and she stared, blinking, at her new surroundings. She was in a small room with a barred window high up on the wall, a chair and the cot she sat upon. "Where am I?"

"That's not important. But our host will be visiting you soon and they will reveal all they wish you to know." He looked up over her head for a moment then back at her. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." He reached behind her head; she swiveled to see what he was doing and saw manacles attached to chains.

"Please don't," Morgana whispered.

"I'm sorry." He attached a manacle to each of her wrists then stood back to look at her. He then shook his head and left the room. The sound of a key in the lock felt ominous to Morgana and she sat back, prepared to wait for her mystery host to reveal her purpose here.

Several hours later, the sound of footsteps outside the door startled her from a doze. A voice said "Sceadu mec wreoþ" then the key turned in the lock again.

A figure stepped through the door but Morgana couldn't see it clearly. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, but the figure didn't get any clearer. A shadow appeared to be hanging over him or her—she couldn't tell which at this point. It appeared to be wearing a dress though it could just as easily be wearing robes.

"Good evening, Morgana," a female voice said, pulling Morgana's attention away from her contemplation.

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

"You call yourself a friend? Yet you put me in these . . ." she shook her manacled hands, "and obscure your face with magic? No friend does those things." Even as she spoke, an odd sense of familiarity crept over her. The woman felt familiar somehow, like Morgana should know her. But since she refused to reveal her face . . .

"I hope we can become friends, at least."

"Not very likely, unless you release me . . ?"

A bubbling laugh came from the woman. "Why would I do that? We've only begun to be acquainted."

"Why me? Why kidnap me?"

"That's such an ugly word, Morgana. I've merely detained you for a few days so I could get to know you. I wanted to know if you're worthy . . ."

"Worthy of what?"

"You'll see."

"But . . ."

"Sleep now, Morgana. Onslӕpe nu."

Morgana's eyes closed against her will and soon she was sleeping peacefully.

xxxXxxx

Merlin had fallen asleep against a tree and was just beginning to rouse when he felt something cold and liquid-y on his face. He opened his eyes to see Arthur standing over him, flask in hand. "Merlin," he said.

"What's happening? How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough."

"You didn't wake me." He looked his friend over. "And you look terrible—didn't you get any rest?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Merlin made an educated guess. "I've never seen you like this. About anyone."

"What are you talking about?"

"Morgana. You really care about her, don't you?"

"She's like a sister to me."

"That's not what I meant."

Arthur gave him a frustrated growl. "What I care about is not wasting any more time talking. Let's get moving."

Merlin smirked but got up. They had some leftover rabbit and dried fruit for breakfast, then packed up. Arthur looked around for the now day-old trail and found it without too much trouble. They mounted up and resumed the activity of the previous day—tracking the mercenaries.

Merlin fervently hoped they didn't have too far to go. His bottom didn't get used like this very often. But there was no way to tell until they reached their destination. At least Arthur was being a little more talkative. But he avoided the topic Merlin really wanted to know about—how much did he care about Morgana? He thought things had cooled between them but it was obvious he was wrong.

After a couple hours, they stopped to refill their water flasks. Arthur took a few minutes to wipe down his face and neck. He looked distracted and Merlin wanted to help him out of that. And maybe poke fun at him, if the opportunity arose. "Why don't you just admit your feelings for Morgana?"

"What?"

"It's so obvious. A blind man could see it." He paused for effect. "Is it really that hard to admit you like her? Just say it."

"I can't! How can I admit that I think about her all the time? Or that . . . I care about her more than anyone. How can I admit that . . . I don't know what I'll do if any harm comes to her?"

"Why can't you?"

"Because I'm so rubbish at feelings! Have you heard me try to talk about my feelings?"

"Um . . ."

"See! You know I'm telling the truth. Besides, she'll never believe me. She knows me too well."

"I didn't know things were so serious."

"Well they are, okay?"

"What if she feels the same way?"

"That would . . . that would be amazing. But I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Have you seen her act differently around me? At all?"

"Well . . . "

"See, I told you." He glanced away. "Now come on, let's get going again. I have a feeling we're getting close."

"You do, do you?"

"Yeah." He stuck his tongue out at Merlin and got on his horse.

Merlin just shook his head and mounted his horse. It probably was futile to needle him further, especially if he wanted any peace.

It was close to noon when they discovered it—a small, abandoned-looking keep. They stayed well back from it, in the forest, so they weren't spotted. There was no one guarding the outside that they could see, and nothing, like smoke, to indicate it was inhabited. They circled around the thing, just to be sure, and to scout for entry points. Then they went back a bit into the forest to discuss how and where they'd get in. It was looking more and more like magic was involved in Morgana's capture.

xxxXxxx

Morgana woke in the morning, groggy from all the extra sleep she'd gotten the day previous. She looked around the room to find nothing new, except a plate of food sitting on the chair. She quickly devoured the fruit, bread and cheese since she'd missed dinner last night.

A short while after she'd finished, she heard the same incantation outside her door and the key in the lock. The same shadowy female figure entered and saw the plate on the chair. She waved her hand and the plate disappeared. To where, Morgana had no idea. She merely sat on the cot and watched the woman sit.

"Good morning, Morgana. How are you?" she said.

"Groggy. I slept too much and I have a headache," Morgana replied. It was the bald truth.

"I'm sorry about that. I can heal you."

"How? With magic?" Morgana backed away as far as she could, to the wall.

"Yes, with magic. It is nothing to fear, please believe me. The visions you experience at night, they stem from your magic."

"My magic?"

"Yes, Morgana, you have magic. And are you evil?"

"N-no."

"Then how can magic be evil? Perhaps it is time you reconsider what Uther has taught you."

She thought for a moment. "All right. You can heal me."

"Thank you, Morgana." A shadowy hand reached for her and lay against her forehead. "Ge hailige," the woman spoke.

Morgana instantly felt better. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. You don't sleep well very often, do you?"

"No, the nightmares- visions -wake me at all hours. I often don't go back to sleep."

The hand on her head brushed her hair back then vanished as the woman sat again. "I'm sorry. Until you learn to control the visions, the seer's gift is often more of a curse."

"Can you help me?"

"I'm afraid I know very little about your particular gift, I'm sorry."

Morgana's face fell. "Oh."

"Will you converse with me? I wish to know all about your life."

"I have nothing better to do." Morgana told her story of being born in Cornwall and the disappearance of her mother. She explained how her visions started and how she saw her father die when she was ten. She continued with her move to Camelot, getting to know Uther and Arthur as well as the ins and outs of court life. The woman stopped her there, but said she'd be back after lunch.

After a couple hours spent examining her cell for weak points, the woman came back, shadowed as usual. This time the woman wanted to know all about Uther and Arthur, their personalities, habits and so forth. Morgana gave her several facts, but only general ones. She was smart enough to know when she was being plumbed for information and knew not to give too much. Still, the woman seemed satisfied and got up to leave again, telling her she'd be back in the evening.

Morgana couldn't help dozing again; they'd left her with nothing to do besides sit, think and sleep. So sleep she did, knowing the woman would probably offer to heal her again if she needed it. She was woken after a few hours by the sound of the door opening and a plate being slid across the floor. This meal consisted of meat, bread and cheese and filled her nicely.

The woman came back after dinner, as promised. She asked Morgana about the things she studied as a child and the activities that consumed her days. Morgana related her sword training and how she'd beat Arthur more than once. She told her about gardening, weaving, sewing, and her work with Camelot's poor. The woman seemed satisfied after that and bid Morgana good night.

Morgana stayed up a little while, thinking. What could this woman gain by asking her all about her life? If she'd wanted to harm Camelot, she would have asked about its defenses, numbers of knights and fortifications. But she hadn't. Or maybe she was saving that for another day.

Whatever it was for, Morgana seemed to have little choice in the matter. Who knew what would happen if she refused? This dire thought consumed her mind until she fell into a solid sleep.

Continued in Chapter 2. :)