AN: Update - I continue to not own Merlin.
Hi again!
Here's this chapter - it's a little shorter than I thought...hmm.
Anyway, here.
Before Arthur could react, he felt himself flying backwards. Struggling to sit up, he found himself resisting invisible bonds. Tugging fruitlessly at them, he glared up at the two priestesses.
"Morgana, stop this!" he said angrily. "Enough already!"
His half-sister's lips twisted into a sneer. "No, brother, it is not enough. It will not be enough until I ruin our dear father."
Said father also appeared to be fighting a spell. "Get away from me, sorceress," he spat as Morgause advanced on him. She observed him with uncaring eyes.
"You must learn, Uther Pendragon," she replied, "that when you seek to destroy magic, it will only destroy you."
Uther's face was filled with hate. Morgause turned to her sister.
"Ready?"
Morgana gave a small nod.
The ancient book in her hands fell open. Even from where he was, Arthur felt an inexplicable need to edge away from it.
Eyes glowed once more, and this time spells they recited sounded much more sinister. At first, nothing happened.
Then they felt it.
The air around them seemed to ripple, a strange feeling to those who had not felt so much as a light breeze since they had died. Both priestesses continued their chanting, weaving some curse of unknown intent.
As Arthur continued to pull at his restrictions, he noticed the spell was becoming more concentrated. More specifically, it was encircling his father in a field of energy.
The former king's eyes widened as he too noticed it. "What are you doing to me, witch?" he spat.
Neither priestess answered him.
Uther suddenly stiffened. "Stop!" he ordered, flinching in apparent pain.
"Father!"
Arthur was forced to watch helplessly as the curse took hold. "Morgana, please!"
She ignored him.
It was then that Arthur noticed that Uther was beginning to disappear.
A few moments later, he was gone.
0o0
Unknown to the former kings and priestesses, someone else had been watching.
Quite frankly, Igraine had wanted to stay out of this conflict. Though she hadn't been ecstatic to learn that her death had been a result of magic, she didn't agree with the massacres that had been her husband's way of coping. She remembered his death – upon arriving in Avalon, he had been surprised by the welcome he had received from her. They had been rocky ever since, and Uther's actions when he had been called back to Earth by their son with a magic horn.
But this was worse than she had imagined.
She had always felt some sympathy for the girl who's fear had evolved into hate. But her actions now were as bad as her husband's.
She turned and left the scene, searching for an old friend and hoping there would be no hard feelings between them.
0o0
Freya didn't know how long she remained under the control of Morgause and Morgana's spell. It hadn't been that long, though, she knew that much. She was finally brought out of it by yet another high priestess.
"Thank you, Nimueh," she said, shaking off the last of the dark magic.
Her fellow sorceress watched her, the former queen at her side. "I hear Morgana and Morgause have been stirring up trouble."
"Unfortunately, yes," Freya grimaced. "They're still waging war against Arthur and Uther."
Nimueh took this in. She knew she would not be welcomed by Uther, but, unlike Morgana and Morgause, she knew Arthur's destiny had to be fulfilled. He had yet to rise again – and apparently, he needed protection, even in death.
"Well, they must be stopped then."
