I'm sorry I've taken so long! But here it is: the long-awaited Morgana chapter.

There's absolutely no Merlin appearance, so I'm sorry, but there is a much-needed conversation taking place.
This is the point where things deviate pretty heavily from canon, character-wise, and hopefully that is explained here. I'm excited about this chapter; I've been working on it for a while.

I can't make any promises regarding the next update, but I am working on Chapter 10. That one probably won't have much in the way of action, either, but there is much-needed and hopefully-not-boring exposition coming up, which I have to get out of the way before the real good stuff comes along.

As always, special thanks to my wonderful Beta, CaraLee934.


Chapter 9: Bonding Time

Or: Morgana Has a Surprise for Everyone.

In which a Lady has some explaining to do and a Prince doesn't see this one coming.

"Morgana..." Edmund pinched the bridge of his nose, kicking himself for not having pressed this sooner. When he met the woman, it had been obvious that she was high-born. She carried herself too well, and her outrageous pride was something that could only ever come from being told since birth that she was better than those around her. Edmund had assumed that she was the daughter of a baron, or perhaps a low-ranking noble - and, just like the rest of his siblings, he had taken pity on her when she said that magic was persecuted in Camelot. It was obvious that she had been through something traumatic, so they hadn't bothered her too much about her past.

"I should have told you when we first met," Morgana said now. "I should have warned you."

"Yes, you should have," Edmund sighed. He stood up and walked from the window to Morgana's divan and back. The hound standing guard lifted his ears in reaction to his king's distress, but did not abandon his post. "But you didn't, and now there is a problem. What solution do you propose?"

"I..." Edmund understood why the lady had been taken off guard. She had seen him angry before, but he'd never been cross with her, and he knew that his ire could be unnerving. Still, right now he was more concerned with the fact that he had essentially been harboring the princess of Camelot under his roof and had not informed her guardian of it. He didn't think Prince Arthur would be particularly happy about Morgana having been kept from him these past eight months, when she could have been in her own home.

"Let me talk to Arthur. I will explain that... that you didn't know. That I kept my identity a secret because..."

"Will you tell him that you have magic? Because he is going to ask why you kept quiet about this, and I will not lie for you."

"Arthur doesn't trust magic," Morgana scoffed. "His father's hatred has blinded him, and he has no desire to open his mind.

"You cannot keep it from him for long," Edmund warned. "'Not in this court. Too many people know that you have magic to keep it a secret." Morgana did not answer. "It's too late to deal with this tonight," Edmund continued. "But you are going to have to confront him. Lucy says he will sleep most of the day, but you will be expected to appear at the dinner tomorrow night. I suggest speaking to him before then." The lady nodded and Edmund left, feeling significantly heavier than he had coming in.

He took a breath and made for the common room, hoping that at least one of his sisters was still awake. As much as he hated to burden them with this problem so late, he knew that there would be little chance the next day of speaking to either of them privately, and neither would appreciate hearing this particular piece of gossip through the grapevine. Besides, Susan had always been good at thinking on her feet, and she tended to handle this kind of stress better than he did.

The common room was deserted, and they had long since created a strict 'no-matters-of-State-after-nine-unless-it-is-an-emergency' policy that Susan refused to break for anything short of an attack on the castle, so the king sighed and returned to his chambers. He wrote a quick note for each of the girls, and asked a pair of Mice to please deliver them to the Queens, but to be careful not to wake either. The Mice saluted and scampered away, ever eager to please, so that all Edmund had to do was wait.


The next day, Morgana intercepted Lucy and her guard before she could make it to Arthur's chambers.

"Morning!" The queen said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Lucy — have you spoken to Edmund today?" the lady asked.

"He told me about your conversation last night," Lucy acknowledged. "And he gave me your reasons."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner..."

"I understand why you kept your peace. I assume you wish to speak with Arthur?"

"If he's well enough... I don't want to overwhelm him if he's not up to it." Part of her almost wanted Lucy to say that no, it would really be better to wait until Arthur had gained a little of his strength back before giving him any more of a shock. Of course, she didn't really expect any such luck. Especially not when Lucy grinned.

"I still have to check his leg, but there shouldn't be any reason he can't see you. I'll be quick — would you like to wait here? It shouldn't take me more than a few minutes."

Morgana sighed and nodded with s small smile. Lucy knocked in her patient's door and entered, leaving Morgana at the door.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, suddenly faced with a strange mixture of dread and excitement. She did miss Arthur. She missed their easy banter, their comfortable silences. She missed teasing him about his pigheadedness. But she knew that the moment she walked through that door, everything about their relationship would change. Arthur might never trust her again — and he would almost certainly demand that she return to Camelot. How would she return to Uther's court, after having experienced the freedom of living in Narnia? Would Uther even want to see her once he found out about her magic?

She grunted, frustrated. If Lucy didn't hurry up, she would lose her nerve and flee, and then she'd never get this done.

Just as Morgana was about to give up and leave, Arthur's door opened once more and Lucy came out with a smile. She nodded to Morgana.

"He's healing well," the queen said. "He'll be able to walk himself to dinner tonight."

"Good," Morgana found herself saying. She stood in front of the door, unmoving. Lucy placed a gentle hand on Morgana's arm.

"Do you want me there?" she asked. "Or you could bring Eyla." The panther flicked her tail in displeasure.

"Prince Arthur was unnerved by my presence, Highness," she said. "I do not think my being there would help the Lady with her confrontation."

A large, childish part of the lady wanted her friend to come along, but Morgana knew she had to do this on her own. So she shook her head grimly and set her shoulders, feeling very much like she was marching to battle. Or to the executioner's block. Lucy offered one last encouraging smile and left Morgana by herself. She took one last deep breath and opened the door.


Arthur waited curiously for the visitor Lucy had announced, wondering who it could be. He didn't know anyone here, in Narnia. Well, besides the monarchs, but he didn't think Lucy would be so mysterious about their arrival. Merlin or one of his knights would just enter; they wouldn't need to be introduced. And while he didn't know the queen particularly well, Arthur did know enough about women to recognize the slight air of mischief that she'd sported. It was subtle, but he'd noticed that Lucy was a bit of an open book, and her face read, "I know something you don't know."

The prince didn't have to wonder for very long, for only a few moments after Queen Lucy left, the door opened again.

Whatever Arthur had been expecting, his missing foster sister hadn't been it.

She entered the room slowly, so that at first he couldn't tell it was her. She wasn't dressed in the fashion she had sported in Camelot – the clothes she wore now were far less revealing and, if possible, more flattering. But she still wore her hair the same way, and her face wasn't one anyone could forget, so it only took him a moment to recognize her.

He didn't know what to say at first. He could only stare, gaping like a fish at the woman he never thought he'd see again.

"Hello, Arthur," she said quietly. He didn't respond but she didn't seem to mind. She walked to his bedside and sat in the spot Lucy had just vacated.

Finally, Arthur managed to gather his wits, and he reached for his friend, afraid she might disappear.

"Morgana?" he asked. She smiled weakly and nodded. "What – how… how are you… here?" he asked "We thought you were dead – we looked for you!" Morgana winced and drew a shaky breath.

"It's a long story," she said.

"Tell me."

"What do you know? What is the last thing you remember?" She didn't have to specify. Arthur remembered well the day she had gone missing.

"You, Merlin, and I were in the throne room," he recalled. Morgana pressed her lips together, but said nothing. "We were… trying to hold off Morgause's forces… we were losing. Then I passed out, and when I woke, you were gone. Merlin said Morgause had taken you." Morgana closed her eyes ad nodded before shifting into a more comfortable position. She made her way to the head of the bed and leaned back, so that they were side by side. Arthur didn't press her – he knew her well enough to recognize when she was gathering her thoughts.

Eventually, she said, "Merlin was right. Morgause took me and left Camelot – when she left, the plague ended. I didn't know until later, but she had cursed me so that I was the source of the plague."

"What did she want with you?" Arthur asked. He remembered the lady knight well – she'd been a worthy opponent in the duel, and a dangerous enemy. However, he'd never known her to show any kind of interest in Morgana.

"It's… complicated," Morgana warned, before launching into description of her lineage – how Morgause was the daughter of Lady Vivienne and some soldier or other, sent away to the Isle of the Blessed before she could shame her family – then of Vivienne's tryst with Uther, and his reason for sending Gorlois into battle

Arthur wanted nothing more than to stand up and shout, 'Enough!' and deny everything Morgana was saying – that she couldn't possibly be related to Morgause, and, more importantly, that she wasn't related to him at all – but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Morgana had always displayed a stubbornness that was reminiscent of Uther, and while it was easy to explain it as Uther's influence on her, it made far more sense that her personality was hereditary. And as much as he may have wished it otherwise, Arthur knew his father hadn't always been faithful to Ygraine. Was it really that hard to believe that he would sleep with his best friend's wife?

"Wait…" Arthur said, when Morgana had finished. "Morgause is a sorceress. She has magic. And you said that your mother sent her to the Isle of the Blessed, to become a Priestess of the Old Religion – but Gaius said that the order only accepts its own."

"My mother was a High Priestess," Morgana stated. "That's why Uther had her killed. You know that."

Arthur vaguely remembered the trial – he hadn't cared quite so much at that time, and he hadn't been old enough to connect the death of Lady Vivienne to Morgana's appearance in court.

"Then Morgause got her magic from Vivienne," Arthur began. "Why didn't you?" Morgana looked down.

"I did," she said quietly. Arthur jerked away, as if he'd been burned. He looked at Morgana with wide eyes and almost asked if she was joking. But he knew Morgana wouldn't joke about an issue as serious as magic.

Suddenly a lot of her behavior began to make sense. She'd always been sympathetic toward sorcerers – she'd openly defied Uther several times over the issue, and Arthur knew she'd secretly undermined him plenty as well. At the time, he'd simply dismissed her rebellion as just that – her way of acting out or offending Uther, simply because she could get away with it. But now…

"Arthur, before you judge, listen to me," she pleaded. "Please."

More because it was Morgana asking than anything else, Arthur nodded. He was willing to hear what she had to say – there wasn't really anything he could do about it, anyway. Besides, if Morgana wanted to hurt him, she would have done it already. Arthur found it hard to consider that Morgana could cause him harm. She may have been spiteful and vain, but never cruel.

"Explain this. Morgana. – you're saying you are a sorcerer?"

"I was… I was born with magic. I didn't have a choice – I was a danger to myself and everyone around me. Do you remember when my bedroom caught fire, and we thought it might have been a sorcerer – and the night after that, when all of the glass in my room shattered?"

"I remember." That night had been among the more unsettling of Uther's witch hunts. The idea that a sorcerer had not only managed to get past the guards and into the Citadel, but also to make his way into Morgana's bedchambers had everyone on-edge. "That was you?"

"It was the first time I suspected," Morgana said. "I found out later that I was born with magic – which has become rare anywhere outside of Narnia." Arthur frowned, unsure how he should take this new information.

Eventually, he decided that, as important as her revelation was, it wasn't the answer to his question. He would file her confession away and examine it later; when he wasn't still reeling from the shock of finding out Morgana was alive.

"But how did you come to be in Narnia?" he asked. "If Morgause had you…"

"She…she tried to convince me to join her. To destroy Camelot. At first it… what she said made sense. Sorcerers shouldn't be punished for their choices. Magic could be used for good just as well as it could be used for evil. I'd believed that for a long time, even before I found out I had magic. But… she started talking about… taking things to another level. She believed that magic users deserved to be elevated and that those who did not practice magic should be… eradicated. I never wanted that. That world would be just as horrible as Uther's. Then she told me about her plan… a plan to put me on the throne. Because I am Uther's firstborn, I have a claim on his throne. And for a while… I agreed. But she was… too intense. And I told her as much. My sister was… less than pleased when I said I wanted nothing to do with her plan. She told me that, unless I agreed to do things her way, I wasn't leaving. Of course, I…" Morgana chuckled. "At that point, I think half of my reaction was just to spite her." Arthur smiled despite himself. He had long since learned not to give Morgana an ultimatum. She would invariably choose the other option on principle. "Needless to say, Morgause didn't react well. She hadn't been planning on my refusal. But she was true to her word." Morgana took a deep breath and plowed on, "I spent the next month in King Cenred's dungeon. I think I'd been there two weeks or so before Susan was thrown in there, as well. Cenred had kidnapped her in hopes of forcing her hand in marriage. When Peter and Edmund stormed Cenred's castle, they saved my life along with their sister's. I've lived here, in Narnia, ever since."

Well. Arthur wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react. There was no part of Morgana's tale that didn't merit some kind of action on his part. Part of him wanted to take Morgana back to Camelot and keep her under house arrest, so that she couldn't get kidnapped again. Part of him wanted to mount his own siege on Essetir, and make Cenred pay for what he had done. Part of him wanted to accept her magic and say nothing more on that matter, though he knew he couldn't drop the subject. Part of him wanted to demand an explanation from Uther – it was one thing to conceive a child with the wife of one's most trusted advisor, but it was something else to intentionally send that man into battle to avoid facing that mistake.

The only thing he could do at this moment, though, was to thank his hosts – once more – not only for rescuing Morgana, but also for allowing her to stay in Cair Paravel this whole time.

There was something else that had been bothering him, though, since Morgana first came back.

"Why didn't you come home?" he asked. Morgana turned to face him.

"I was scared," she answered simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I was terrified of what Uther would do when he found out about my magic. I'd been afraid since that night when my bed caught fire. I wasn't willing to go back to that. Not after I'd lived here, where magic is accepted. Edmund – he helped me to control it. And Susan and Lucy had been such good friends to me. Better than any I had in Camelot. I was welcome here, in a way that I never was in Uther's court." Arthur understood how she felt – Morgana had often voiced such sentiments, back before she had disappeared. Still, he had to admit that he was a little hurt, that she hadn't come to him about her magic. He would have helped her – right?

Still, he couldn't bring himself to be angry with her. Not right now, anyway. Right now Arthur only wanted to hold his sister – it did feel right, calling her that – and make sure she really was safe.