CHAPTER TWO: RETURN TO CAMELOT

The next day Morgana saddled her horse and left Prycrest before the city had woken up. As she rode down the nearly silent streets she thought about how similar Camelot was to her city. Both were centered around a castle, with a town spread out around it. However, where Camelot's palace was white, hers was gray stone, and square where Camelot was circular. The town was also constructed mainly of wood, while the wall that was being built around the entire thing was of dull red granite. The entire city was steeped in magic, from the magicians, witches, and sorcerers who lived there to the spells that were being woven into the wall as it was built.

She didn't stop riding all day; she wanted to get as close to Camelot as possible before night fell. Morgana knew she was a powerful witch, but she didn't want to be forced to deal with any bandits who thought to take advantage of her, despite the sword that hung reassuringly by her side.

Night came, as it always would, and she stopped her horse so she could eat and rest. If she rode hard the next day she would reach Camelot around noon. With a muttered word she lit a fire and pulled her food from her saddlebag, tying her horse to a tree.

As she ate, she was reminded of how much she hated traveling over long distances without magic. But on this trip she needed to appear as a real traveler, so that meant that she would practice no obvious magic, and that included having a horse and looking travel worn. It meant no magical transportation into or out of the city. Also she needed to take time to adjust to returning. Camelot was presumably under Arthur's rule now, so she didn't expect the measures to be as harsh as they had been under Uther, but nothing was set in stone. She still had misgivings though, especially due to the way Uther had died.

Before she settled down to sleep, she set up protective wards around her campsite. They would hide her, the fire, and the horse from prying eyes and if anyone came near, she would be woken. She laid down and put her head on her rolled up cloak, then slipped off into her sleep. She dreamed

Arthur ran through the castle in Camelot, calling for someone. The city was collapsing around him, stones tumbling from the towers into the courtyard. Screams echoed from the city. The vision shifted. Gwen lay in a wide bed, wearing a simple white dress. She was very pregnant, her stomach swollen with child. The coverings were sumptuous, and the room seemed to be part of the palace. White rock fell like snow past the ceiling, but before she could get a better look, her Sight shifted again, to the man in the room. This time, he was bent over a large book, his hair pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of his skull. Morgana seemed frozen. Merlin looked up at her and seemed to see her, as though she was actually before him.

Morgana jerked awake. The sun had not yet come over the horizon, but the sky was lightening in the east. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The fire had burned out in the night; all that was left was a small pile of charred sticks. She stuffed food into her mouth, not really caring what it was, and resaddled the horse, her desire to reach Camelot growing, especially with the dream of the night before. She needed to talk to Gaius. He, if anyone, would know what had happened.

By noon she was approaching the city, and turned off the path. Her plan was to disguise herself magically and sneak into the palace. She tied the horse to a tree and set to work with her magic. Instead of changing her appearance entirely, she cast a spell that would make people not notice that she was there. Their eyes would slide off of her like they'd seen her every day, like she was of no consequence. She knew that using magic was dangerous, but figured that using magic to make people not notice her was less obvious than moving between places instantly. That said, she would use magic if threatened, no questions asked.

Finished, she began the walk into the city. As she drew closer to the gates, she was passed by more and more people. Some were clearly knights while others drew carts of goods to sell at the city markets. She got past the gates no problem and worked her way through the lower city to the entrance of the palace. Everything was exactly as she remembered it. Her eyes scanned the windows overlooking the courtyard and located the one that used to be hers. She remembered sitting there during the weeks after Merlin's execution.

Wrenching herself from the past, she made her way around the edge of the courtyard to the winding staircase that led to Gaius's chambers. He had previously supported her and had loved Merlin like a son, so she had no doubt that he would help her now. If not, she could always leave. Leaving by magical means meant that she might never be able to return though, so it was sort of a last resort type option.

Morgana pushed the already cracked door open and stepped inside. Gaius was standing at his table, facing a young girl no older than fourteen. "And take this to the queen. She's been complaining of back pains and headaches." The girl nodded and took the bottle he was holding, nodding politely to Morgana on her way out the door.

"Gaius," Morgana said, tasting the word. It had been many years since she'd said it. As she spoke, she let her magical shield drop.

"Yes?" he said, turning around. "Can I help you?"

She slid her hood off and stepped out of the shadows. "Hello, Gaius."

"Morgana!" he gasped, his eyes traveling her body. "My goodness child, it's been years!"

"Yes it has," she said, getting her first good look at him. He looked ages older, his face more lined, his back more stooped. His gnarled hands twisted together, fingers tangling in each other. His hair was cut shorter than before. "How have you been doing? And who was that?" She gestured after the girl.

"I'm fine. That was Charlotte; she's my new assistant." He stepped forward and then grabbed Morgana in a hug. "I'm so relieved that you've returned!" he said. "I want to know all about your child. We get almost no news from that corner of the kingdom."

"Thank you Gaius, but that is a conversation for a different time. What has happened here since I left? I have had no news."

"Where to begin?" He said, sighing, moving to the table and sitting down. He motioned her to take a seat opposite him and she did so, settling down on the other side of the table.

"You could begin at the beginning," she offered. "What happened right after I left." She intentionally didn't mention Uther's death, but it was surely at the forefront of Gaius's mind.

"Okay," he began, taking a deep breath. There was nowhere but there for him to start. "You did an excellent job magically poisoning that dagger; there was no cure that I could find. And that's saying something, because I know an awful lot about magic." Before he could go on though, the door of his chambers banged open and Arthur strode into the room.

"Gaius!" he shouted. "I need you!"

Morgana stood up, but hadn't the time to recast her obscuring spell before Arthur's eyes found her face and his mouth dropped open.

Once again, short, but the chapters do get longer I promise. Reviews are always appreciated!