A/N: As promised, now updating on both Friday and Monday. Hooray!
Sorry, though, for the shorter chapter. This is another "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" chapters, if you will, but it is neccessary. Hope you enjoy anyways. ;)
Chapter 6-In Which Two Witches Discuss Time Again
Morgana stood at her window and gazed down at the guards as they scurried around the courtyard of the castle, hurrying to the streets of the lower town to search the homes of the people there for the missing prince. Torchlight played over their metal armor, and their red capes fluttered in the night breeze as they marched in formation with grim haste. The corners of Morgana's mouth tugged upwards. All was going well.
"My lady?"
Gwen's voice was gentle and tinged with anxiety. Morgana turned around to see the servant girl standing behind her, hands folded, eyes tired and worried.
"I was just thinking," Morgana said with a light smile. She let it fade however, her brow creasing in what she hoped looked to be worry"They still haven't found Arthur."
Gwen looked down at her feet, and Morgana watched her carefully. After a moment, the servant recovered herself.
"I'll ready your bed," she said, but Morgana shook her head.
"I won't be sleeping yet," the noble lady said, looking back through the window down at the guards below. "That will be all, Gwen."
For a moment, Gwen looked out the same window Morgana stood by, her eyes distant and worried.
"Do you think they'll find them?" she asked, softly, voice wavering just a tiny bit. Morgana smiled sympathetically at her maidservant.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure everything will be okay."
Gwen tried to smile in agreement and curtsied to her mistress before turning and leaving. Once the door to her chambers swung closed, Morgana looked back out the misted glass window and smirked. She'd see Morgause tonight, and tell her that her plan had indeed come through.
She only hoped the dissapearence of Merlin wouldn't be an issue.
Morgana waited for the right time before she dared to sneak out into the dark corridors of the castle to make her way to Morgause's chosen meeting place. Her beloved sister had told her to meet her in the dungeons. Morgana had been wary at first of such a location to meet. After all, wouldn't the guards be able to see them? But as she had thought about it, she realized that Morgause had made a good decision. The guards would be searching the town for signs of Arthur, not in the dungeons tonight. And it would have been too dangerous for Morgana to leave the castle with the knights searching like they were. It was best they held their meeting inside Camelot.
Morgana pulled the hood of her purple cape over her head and slipped off down the hall. She liked to wear a cape when sneaking around. It made her feel better hidden. Even just sneaking through the castle tonight, she preferred to wear it.
It didn't take long to reach the dungeons, and Morgana found them safely clear of any guards. She found herself wondering if Morgause had taken measures to make sure that any guards unlucky enough to be present for their reunion were dispatched. But Morgana didn't think about that. After all, they were just guards.
A shadow moved in her peripheral vision, and Morgana turned to find her blonde-haired sister standing, waiting for her, the light of a torch playing over her face. At seeing each other, both women's faces immediately lit up, and they embraced. Morgause pulled away first.
"What news do you bring me, Sister?" she asked, her voice soft even in the empty chambers. Morgana spoke with the same volume.
"Your plan worked," she said. "Arthur disappeared this morning, and our famous Knights of Camelot have been unable to find him."
"Excellent," Morgause said. "You have done well."
But Morgana's eyes betrayed her thoughts, and Morgause immediately noticed the slight crease of her brow, the slight uncertain glimmer in her grey-green eyes.
"But something is troubling you," she said, her own brow furrowing in interest and worry. "What is it, Sister?"
"It's Arthur's servant, Merlin," Morgana told her sister. "When I said the spell…Merlin ran in and grabbed the bracelet, too. They both vanished. Arthur's servant is now with him in the future."
"That boy has been a constant problem for us," Morgause growled, turning from her sister. Morgana stepped forward.
"Could Merlin be able to ruin our plans?" she asked. "Surely it's not possible. He's just a servant."
"But he's smarter than he looks," Morgause reminded her. "I think precautions should be taken."
"What are you going to do?" Morgana was slightly worried for her sister. Morgause turned back to Uther's daughter.
"I will go into the future as well," she said. "I will find Arthur and make sure that this Merlin doesn't even have the chance to find a way to get his prince back to their own time. I won't let a simple servant ruin all we've worked for."
At Morgause's words, Morgana grabbed her sister's hands, a deep fear gripping the young girl's heart.
"You will go into the future, as well?" she asked. "Won't that be dangerous?"
"I have seen the future, Morgana," Morgause soothed her sister. "I will be able to find my way."
"How will you find Arthur?"
"The bracelet will have left a mark on him," Morgause told her. "A magical signal that I will easily be able to trace. It will not be hard to find our young Pendragon."
"But, are you sure it will be safe?"
"Trust me, Sister," the blonde woman told the younger girl. "The future may be strange, but it is no more or less dangerous than the present."
Morgause reached into the folds of her cape, just as she had the previous night when she had presented Morgana with the silver bracelet.
And just as before, she produced a similar bracelet. Morgana's eyes widened.
"You said that the bracelets were very rare," Morgana said with awe. "How do you have another?"
"I have my ways, Sister," Morgause simply replied, her brown eyes sparkling. "Trust me. I will find our young prince and make sure that not even that meddling servant of his can save him."
At the thought of Arthur's death, Morgana's fears for her sister stilled a little. She smiled and grasped Morgause's hands in hers.
"Arthur will never be a nuisance to us again?" she asked, hopefully. Morgause smiled at her younger sister.
"I promise, Sister," she replied. "Arthur will never see Camelot again."
Morgana's smile broadened and she watched as Morgause stepped back and held the silver bracelet up in front of her. The flickering light of the torch played over the glowing blue gem set in its center, identical to the one Morgana had used to send Arthur – and Merlin – far away. Now she watched as Morgause prepared to do the same.
"Amser aros am unrhyw ddyn," Morgause chanted, and Morgana watched the magical golden flash color her brown irises. Suddenly, a strange mist seemed to swirl out of nowhere, wrapping around the blonde-haired sorceress and hiding her from view. Morgana gasped and stepped back in surprise, and there was the same flash of light as there had been when Arthur and Merlin had disappeared. Morgana raised her arm to shield her face from the blinding flash, closing her eyes and turning away. After a moment, she lowered her hand and looked tentatively at the place where moment before, her sister had stood.
But Morgause was gone.
