Two days had passed and no one else had visited Merlin. He understood though; Arthur probably banned anyone from coming down. The only people Merlin saw were the grubby middle-aged guards, who came to deliver his daily food of stale bread and lettuce.
Gaius had seen him once on the first day he was inside, to check on his bruised arms. Thankfully the painful swelling had gone down considerably, yet it was still pretty sensitive to touch.
However this didn't bother him. The fact that the food was atrocious didn't bother him. The fact that he was cut off from society (which made him feel more alone than ever) didn't bother him. Even the stench from his bucket for a toilet didn't bother him. What did bother his mind however were the circumstances of why he was in there in the first place.
Merlin knew that it was pressure from his father that made Arthur so brutal. He was sure that if it wasn't for Uther, Merlin wouldn't be in there. He even thought that if it wasn't for Uther, Arthur may have helped Lancelot also...
The stone that bore on his chest had been burning upon his skin a couple of times, before cooling down. It was as if it was breathing; alive. A slight glow occurred when it heated, and Merlin still wondered about the curious object, and why Gwen had given it to him; even how she had it in her possession. Surely, she must have known the magic inside it?
He sighed, and said to himself that he would just never know.
Abolishing his thoughts, Morgana came into view of the bars. Taking Merlin by surprise, he clumsily stood up on his stiff feet and wobbled slightly, before straightening out his spine.
"Lady Morgana?" Merlin said, rubbing his tired head, and not sure on how close to the bars he should go. However she beckoned him to come closer, so he did as she commanded.
"Merlin, how are you?" she asked, looking with sincerity at him.
"Yes, I'm okay," he lied, "What are you doing down here? Does Arthur know you're down here?"
Merlin knew that if either the King or Arthur knew she was down here, she may even end up in a cell herself; like when last time she disobeyed the King's orders. But she knew what she was doing; she wasn't foolish, and she knew of the consequences.
She looked around her briefly, before returning to Merlin's query. "I do not take orders from Arthur."
Merlin believed her. He knew her to follow her heart in any situation, and Merlin applauded her for this. She was a strong young woman, maybe even just what the Kingdom needed; a bit of fairness.
"Merlin, I am actually here on behalf of Gwen."
Merlin's brain began ticking. Could Gwen have told Morgana about the kiss? Maybe she felt guilty about it, or was upset? Or maybe it was about the stone, and maybe she had told Morgana because she knew there was some kind of power in it. He waited rather impatiently for Morgana to continue.
"She told me she gave you a certain type of necklace, a stone necklace." Said Morgana; sweeping her long hair out of her face. Her eyes were penetrating Merlin's own, and he found it difficult to keep eye contact. He felt down to his chest and grasped the necklace, which still felt like it was breathing, the warmth caressing his cold finger-tips. He lifted the necklace up so Morgana could see. Morgana breathed calmly, her eyes glistening from the shine of the stone.
"Here," said Merlin, "She just gave it to me, I'm not sure why."
Morgana was encapsulated by the beauty of the small rock. It engulfed her; her body and her soul. She smiled at it, her eyes reflecting it, and Merlin saw her expression change.
And he didn't like it.
He covered the stone with his hand and Morgana snapped out of her trance. She felt embarrassed and turned away from him momentarily, allowing the rising colour in her cheeks to pass. Merlin placed the stone back under his tunic and waited for Morgana to turn back round, to explain her asking of the mysterious stone.
"The stone originally was given to Gwen's father by someone; a sorcerer." Morgana turned back round to see Merlin looking at her, intrigued. Morgana looked unsteady for a few seconds, before continuing.
"You remember, before he died, he was helping Tauren the sorcerer." Morgana started, keeping her eyes against Merlin's. There was a slight uncomfortable nature in her voice when she said Tauren's name, and Merlin picked this up slightly.
"Tauren gave this necklace to Gwen's father, as a gift of kindness, so that her father would agree to help him. Of course, he had no idea that what Tauren wanted was his skills for his own dark magic, but her father gave not much notice to the stone, and put it away for Gwen's Birthday. He just believed it to be a precious stone, maybe worth a bit of money, and thought his Gwen would like it."
Morgana had another glance round the empty corridor, listening intensely for the guard's voices. This way she would know that they were not listening to her conversation. To her relief she heard the horrid gruffness of one of the guards, and continued.
"However, Gwen's father was caught before this date, and was executed a month before her birthday. So then one day she was cleaning out some old drawers, and she found the necklace hidden in a little satchel. She told me how she had worn this necklace for a few weeks, and how small things had happened: When she went on an errand and the sky was full of heavy clouds, the sun would blister her skin as soon as she stepped out of her door. And how when she did a task, she found she did it in much less a time, and to a much better standard than usual. These of course are all little things, but things none the less."
Morgana stopped for a breath, which gave Merlin a chance to catch up with his thoughts. If Tauren had given this necklace to Gwen's father, then it could very well have had some magical properties already within, hence why the stone helped him out when he wanted to help Arthur in the tournament.
"She then felt like the stone needed to go to you. On quizzing her on this, the only thing she tells me is 'Merlin needs the luck more than I do'. But Merlin-"
Once again, Morgana checked the company around her, she obviously felt unsure about what she had to say, and Merlin was now very intrigued in her every word.
"I believe the stone to be of much more power than just 'luck'. I think, maybe, whether Gwen's father knew it or not, that this stone possesses magic."
These were Merlin's thoughts exactly, yet he was curious even to say this to Morgana, who had come up with the suggestion. He didn't know what to say; he knew himself that the stone possessed some sort of magic, as he had seen it with his own two eyes. But discussing this with Morgana? He felt uneasy, as if it were a trap – but he knew that Morgana would not be that disloyal.
"Aren't you going to say anything Merlin?" Morgana said after a time. Merlin hesitated, caught up in his own thoughts.
"I don't know, I mean, I'm not really sure."
Morgana looked almost annoyed. She knew he must have felt something from the stone. She gazed at his chest, and at the lump the stone made under his tunic, and she felt the over-whelming sensation fulfil her again.
"Maybe, maybe I should look after it for you Merlin. Just in case the guards find out-" Spoke Morgana, a different tone lining her voice. Merlin backed away from the bars slightly. He looked down to where Morgana's gaze fell and he saw the brilliant light from the stone had now shone through his thick tunic and dazzled in Morgana's pupils.
"I don't think that to be necessary, Lady Morgana," Merlin said, whilst simultaneously covering the stone with him palm. Again, Morgana blinked away the control over her and this time did not look away, but stared back to Merlin. Her expression seemed placid, but inside her head was filled with confusion; what was the stone doing to her?
"I believe the stone to just be a curious object, and the luck it brings to be purely coincidental." Merlin said, obviously not believing a word of what he had just said, however if he wanted to keep his secret from Morgana, he thought he had best play the fool.
Morgana simply nodded.
"But remember what I said Merlin, some would think the stone to possess such powers. And if the stone did possess such powers, then it could help a few endeavours of the bearer."
Morgana turned to leave, yet before doing so, turned back to Merlin, however with a light smile hanging on her lips.
"Plus, I heard it also gave you a little luck a few days ago, with the lovely maid in question."
All Merlin could do was blush and look away. Morgana sighed, before turning on her heel and exiting the cells.
Merlin didn't know what to think. Of course, Morgana was right, and the stone did obviously possess such magic powers. But why did it have such an influence over her, and not Gwen? And why exactly did Gwen want to give if it him?
As these ideas whirred through his head, one thought stopped them all in their tracks.
It was too simple. And yet he hadn't thought of it earlier. A phrase which Morgana spoke: "It could help a few endeavours of the bearer" sprung to his mind, and then realised another importance of the stone, and how lucky in certain circumstances it could become. He looked at the thick metal bars that encased him; and smiled.