Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or anything to do with Arthurian Legend.
A.N.Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue! I'm glad you like it! I hope you enjoy the first chapter!
Chapter One
Two and a Half Years Previously
Morgana lay on the cold ground, staring up at the sky long after the little dragon, or, at least what she assumed was a dragon, though it made little sense, had flown away.
Arthur had won, she had been defeated and Camelot was once again in the hands of her brother. And she had almost been killed. Not by Arthur's hand. Not by Gwen's or Merlin's or any of Arthur's most trusted knights. Not even by the hand of Emrys. No, she had nearly died at the hand of an anonymous guard who was no longer alive to receive the glory.
That was unacceptable.
And it would be completely unacceptable if she were caught and killed, so soon after her unlikely salvation, because she was too tired to move to a safer place. Her hovel was out of the question and she was still too weak to travel much further. She'd have to find somewhere that she could conceal herself in the cover of darkness whilst she regained her strength.
The aftermath of a magical healing was always exhausting, much like recovering from a long illness, except that, after a decent number of hours sleep, she was usually brimming with energy. But right now she could not afford to sleep.
Gingerly, she pushed herself to her feet and probed at her tender side with still bloody hands. If anyone had looked at her now, they would not have seen the evil witch of Camelot, but instead a woman with wonder, and perhaps a hint of confusion in her eyes. Why had that dragon saved her? Was it even a dragon at all? She had thought that Uther had driven the species to near extinction with Arthur finishing off his fathers' work. Morgana shook her head, now was not the time to ponder over such things- she needed to move.
Steadying herself briefly against the trunk of a tree, she began to move forward. All she had to do was keep placing one foot in front of the other and everything would be alright.
Her magic had returned. She wasn't sure when nor how, but sometime between her miraculous healing and when she had started to make her way to what she hoped was safety, Morgana's magic had returned to her. She had discovered this when she had first started to cover her tracks and decided to try using magic, just in case.
To say that she was glad to have it back was an understatement, but she was slightly resentful that it had abandoned her when she had needed it most.
Nevertheless, she would live to fight another day and right now, that was what counted. She had continued walking until darkness had made it almost impossible to see where she was going, making it difficult for her to find her own trail to cover it. Deciding she was far enough away from the citadel for the time begin, she curled up in the shelter of a tree, inside a rotted and hollowed out tree truck. Not the cosiest of beds for the night, but with a few protective wards around the general area, it would suffice.
She was too tired to gather wood for a fire, and it would make an obvious indicator for anyone who was looking for her, so she curled up, with one last look at the sky for a fleeting glimmer of white and finding none, and fell into a deep sleep.
When Morgana woke, the sky was still dark and she did not feel refreshed in the slightest. She didn't have to wonder why she had woken- she knew instinctively that someone, or something, was close by. She doubted it was an animal, even they stayed away from her wards.
Carefully, quietly, she lifted herself up and peeked out of her hiding place- and gasped.
If she had thought today's events could not get any more bizarre, she was wrong. For there, mere feet away from her, was her unlikely saviour. Hoping not to startle the creature, she crawled forward for a better look.
It was a dragon, it had to be. She felt her amazement grow in her chest, filling her completely. At some point she had convinced herself that there had been no dragon at all, that it was just an apparition from the depths of her subconscious mind, a hallucination. And the healing? Well, she was dying- her magic had kicked into self defence and acted without her need to control it.
But all her excuses had been for naught, for here, right in front of her, was a tiny, white, baby dragon!
A tiny, white, baby dragon that seemed to be trying to light a campfire of soil and dead leaves, and was chirping its frustration every time the flames from its mouth caught on the leaves, then guttered and died.
Morgana couldn't stop the giggle that rose in her throat. The dragon turned at the noise then chirruped happily and made its way towards her with a jump and a flap of its wings, without any compunction. She held out her hand and it nuzzled against the palm happily. Morgana felt the scales of its face and head, and traced them with a finger. They were smooth, warm and softer than she had expected. The dragon must be very young indeed, she thought, as she had heard that a grown dragon's scales could repel all sorts of weaponry.
That, and the fact that the little creature was now attempting to curl up in her lap like a child.
Morgana lay back down inside her hiding place, the dragon now curled up beside her, and slept a little warmer.
In the days that followed, Morgana began to wonder whether she had acquired a pet dragon, on the dragon had found a pet human.
She, for the dragon was a she (Morgana had felt bad calling her an it, even in her head, so one morning she decided to check whether the little one was male or female, much to the dragon's disgust), had taken to fluttering around Morgana during the day whilst she travelled, occasionally darting off to chase a rabbit or a hare. As dusk approached she would hunt, and often brought back more than enough food for both herself and the Priestess. The first time she had disappeared for a few hours, only to return with a dead plump hare clutched between her jaws, she had ripped it apart with ease and dumped a good portion of it right in Morgana's lap before going back to the half she had kept for herself, devouring it with a satisfied smile on her face. She had, however, seemed somewhat insulted when Morgana insisted on cooking the meat over their camp fire, but it didn't stop her from bringing back food for her new friend each night. It also didn't stop her from curling up on Morgana's lap after her meal and dozing by the heat of the fire until Morgana was tired enough to sleep.
The little dragon's appearance had brought a sense on peace to Morgana's life that had been missing, as of late. With her, there was no deception, no scheming. She had a wondrous innocence that Morgana admired, and truthfully, was somewhat envious of. It had been so long ago that her own innocence as to the ways of the world had been shattered that she felt a growing need to protect in her young companion.
But the peace the white dragon had brought with her had a companion of its own- contemplation, something Morgana was sorely in need of. Since her sister's death, she had begun to drive herself mad with an overpowering need for revenge. Revenge that had almost resulted in her death. Her failure at the hands of Emrys had made her rethink her previous plans and she was beginning to see where he had an advantage over her. Emrys had not only power on his side, but experience and obvious learning. He had to, to have been able to strip Morgana of her powers so completely. Morgana was sure that if it wasn't for the appearance of the little dragon, her powers would have been lost for good, not to mention her life.
Morgana, on the other hand, had only a handful of tools at her disposal. Yes, Morgause had taught her much, especially in the last year they had together. Morgause had been steadily weakening and had accepted her fate long before Morgana had. It had driven her sister to teach her all she could with what time she had left. But the words of the kind druid, Aglain, who had been mercilessly slaughtered by Arthur's men, came back to her. That it would take many years for her to understand her powers, let alone use them.
It was this particular line of contemplation that had allowed Morgana to form a new plan- one that didn't include the death of her half-brother, or the claiming of her birthright. It was time for her to expand her education. Time for her to explore her powers to their fullest extent. Time for her to become a High Priestess of the Old Religion in more than just name.
Morgause had a series of old haunts where she had stored away various artefacts, tools, and most importantly, books. Morgana's plan was to visit these refuges, or at least those that she knew of, and gather what she could. Then she would find a place to settle, perhaps one of her sister's hideaways or perhaps the Isle of the Blessed. And there, she would study, striving to learn all she could so that she wouldn't be caught so unawares again.
As for Emrys, he was an old man. Perhaps, by the time she had finished her education and was ready to overthrow Arthur's rule, he would have keeled over and died in whatever hole in the ground he had appeared from in the first place.
A.N. Sorry it's such a short chapter! Next time Morgana begins her education, not only on magic but also on dragons! After this, chapter's should be much longer, I promise! Please let me know what you think!
~Sweetdeath04
