Chapter 4

The Last Step

They slept under the trees that night. They had come to a stop in a patch of forest that Morgana had spotted in the distance, and it seemed like the safest place to stay for the evening. They would be out of sight and would get some shelter from the weather, which had suddenly turned harsh. The cold wind had picked up just as the sun was setting, bathing the sky in blood, and a steady drizzle began to fall shortly after darkness set in.

It was the roughest night so far for Morgana, even though Merlin had decided to take the risk of being spotted and light a fire by using his magic to keep them warm, but there was nothing to protect them from the rough, damp ground, and it was still a chilly night. The pattering rain kept Morgana awake for hours, and for the first time she longed to be back in the shelter of her tower, at least there she would be warm and wouldn't have the occasional drop of freezing rain fall down onto her head. But she brushed the thought away immediately. Any place would be better than that prison under the guard of that King.

Morgana turned restlessly onto her side, trying desperately to get comfortable, and saw Merlin sleeping peacefully and silently beside her. It hit Morgana then what the young boy must have been through in his short life, if he was able to sleep so easily on the hard, damp, cold ground, with the constant sound of rain bouncing off the leaves above him. This was almost an normal night's sleep for him.

Morgana gazed up at the dark tree tops, and wondered if she should get used to it too. Would the rest of her life be sleeping under the trees like this, always on the run?

That night, Morgana had a nightmare that soldiers were running through the forest searching for her, their feet pounding on the ground, every step thudding through her head. Every now and then there would be a flicker of light when one of the soldiers holding a torch rushed by. Illuminating the trees with an eerie orange glow as if they were on fire. The soldiers were shouting something and it took her a while to work out what they were saying.

"Morgana! Morgana!"

Morgana froze, terrified, at the sound of her name echoing off the trees. Once again the soldiers had come so close, and this time they were shouting out her name, there was no point trying to pretend they were looking for someone else. They sounded desperate too.

But she and Merlin couldn't run, they would surely be spotted. At any moment though a soldier might catch a sight of their fire, now nothing but smoking embers, or either trip over one of their bodies. If that happened, surely the game would be up?

Merlin, who also seemed to have been awoken by the soldiers, found Morgana's hand through the darkness and gripped it tightly. Morgana shut her eyes and tried to remain as motionless as possible, praying that they would not be found.

However when she opened her eyes again Morgana found daylight streaming down on her from between the trees, and birds chattering above her. She couldn't help but sigh with relief, it was just a dream.

She sat up, aching all over from the rough night, and shivering a little. Merlin was already up and offered a hand to help her get onto her feet. Morgana took it gratefully, but as she looked around she saw, with a great leap of terror in her heart, muddy footprints all around them.

She really hoped it was nothing but a dream.

Merlin didn't seem to notice, but perhaps he had decided to ignore them. If it was real, it was a pretty nasty scare, it probably wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Morgana wondered, if it wasn't a dream, how they had managed to stay hidden, but supposed that Merlin's magic probably had something to do with it.

After a brief and silent breakfast they were on their way again, the sun warming Morgana as she walked. They passed through the small forest and came out once more into a field, which slowly sloped uphill. At the top of the hill was once again a magnificent view of the world beyond. Morgana noticed how the open fields were beginning to disappear, replaced by dark clusters of trees, some stretching as far as the mountains which set the backdrop of the scene.

"Well, this is it," Merlin suddenly announced. Morgana looked at him, confused. "This is the edge of Camelot's land." He explained. "Take another step and we're across the border. You'll be officially free."

"Oh," this took Morgana by surprise. She didn't realise they had reached the end of Uther's land.
She had expected there to be some sort of sign, a stone wall, a gate, even a boulder with words carved upon it saying that they were no longer in Camelot. Something to tell her that this was the border, but there was nothing.

Morgana looked down at her feet and couldn't see any difference between the patch of grass she was standing on and the grass just before her. How did people even know when they were leaving Uther's precious ground?

Merlin took a confident step forward and began strolling down the other side of the hill. But then he stopped and realised Morgana wasn't following. He turned back.

Morgana was frozen in place. Staring down at the ground. Of course, Merlin had left Camelot many times, but for Morgana, who had came to the Kingdom when she was a child and then was locked away for years, had not. It was difficult enough to decide she wanted to leave the tower, now she was leaving the Kingdom all together, something she had only dreamed of doing, and probably never believed.

One step, and everything would change. It would be like entering a new world. It would be the start of Morgana's freedom, and there would be no turning back.

And those thoughts were scary.

Merlin offered out his hand, something he had done on many occasion now with Morgana. His mind flashed back to the one time she did the same thing to him, it was when he was about to leave the castle, and probably never come back. That move was as important to him as this one was to her.

"It'll be all right," he said, smiling. "I promise."

Morgana took a deep breath. This was it.

She took another step forward. And she suddenly found herself smiling.

She was out of Camelot. She was free.

Short chapter this time, and not a very interesting or eventful one, but it's a significant moment for Morgana, as she's now officially left the Kingdom. That also means that now the story will pick up pace too! :)

And I'd just like the say my thoughts are with those who have been/are affected by Hurricane Sandy. It's pretty scary just watching it on the news, so I hope that you and your families are safe.