Chapter Ten
A/N: No reviewers.
The ball had been set in motion, speaking metaphorically, which meant that, in the literal world, Arthur and Merlin's clever scheme had been put to play, with a great deal of help from Gaius, of course. The physician had been working tirelessly, both night and day, scouring his books for a sign of a spell that could accomplish what Vivienne's had done, so that they could find a counter spell for it, and could bring Morgana back to this time and place, where she truly belonged.
It had taken a long time for Merlin to explain to Gaius what had happened, as the man did not remember Morgana to any more of an extent than anyone else did, anyone but Arthur and Merlin, of course, who remembered it all, give or take. However, once the boy had clarified the final details of the situation, or at least those they knew of them, the physician was extremely susceptible to the idea of returning the situation to its proper place, and Morgana to her home along with it all, the most important thing for the lot of them.
True to the plan, which he claimed all credit for, it had been Prince Arthur who had started it all, asking his aunt if she would come to see her daughter's grave with him that evening, as he wished to pay his respects to his cousin and friend. She had answered in the positive, tears surfacing in her eyes, and he had arranged to meet her at the grave at sunset, where they would hold a service in the presence of Gaius and Merlin, as his father was indisposed. Or he would be, at least when the next step of the plan was completed, though as it was the turn of the servant to achieve success, all might well go to pot very soon.
However, it seemed that he had been mistaken about Merlin's ability of deception, and his part of the plan went just as smoothly as his own had done, much to the prince's dismay, as the man always liked to be better than anyone else, particularly when it came to the forming and carrying out of plans in the castle, which he knew better than the back of his own hand. The servant met him in the courtyard, with Gaius alongside, whispered that his part of the deal was done and the three rode off in the direction of Willowdale.
When they finally reached the grave, just as the sun began to sink below the horizon, they found Lady Vivienne to be already sat beside it, her cheeks stained with tears as she gazed upon the truth of her youngest daughter's death, or what she thought to be the proof in any case. Though she heard them approach, she did not acknowledge them, merely sat in utter silence and stillness, reading over and over again the words that were left for the child she had borne.
"Thank you for coming here, Arthur." she sighed soon after, though she still did not turn to face him. "You don't know how much it means for me to know that someone else still wants to remember her. It seems that all your father wants to do is forget."
Though he did not quite like the fact that his lady aunt was speaking against his father, he could see her point in doing so. After all, it was certainly true that his father did not speak of Morgana at all if he could help it, as if just doing so was a further dagger in his heart, or an act of twisting the one that was already there. He could understand the point of the man himself, though, as he imagined that, had he not known that this was not the way it should be, he would have felt precisely the same.
"He is suffering, Aunt Vivienne. In any case, she was his niece, and he loved her, just as much as the people did. Even after all this time, no child has ever set foot in the castle that was quite the same as Morgana, nor anywhere near as beloved. I doubt that there ever will be now, or at any point in the future, no matter how many years will pass. She could not be replaced, and she never will be." Arthur's speech came flooding from his mouth like a river when the dam had been broken, as would have done the water from his eyes, had he not had managed to summon up enough self-control to be able to hold back the tears.
"No, she will not be." the woman responded, stroking the stone as tenderly as she would have done the face of her daughter, had it been possible for her to do so. Merlin and Gaius looked on, a little uncomfortable with the emotional moment that would most likely have been hidden from them in the castle. "And I will ensure that, because I know what you want of me, Arthur. I know what you have been planning, I know why we are here, and I know that you remember my daughter, from a time long after she died."
Suddenly, everything became clear to the group, all of whom had become more than a little confused by the display of emotion she had shown, as it was not a typical characteristic of the woman, who preferred to remain a little more secretive, or so Gaius recalled her as doing, at least, and Arthur, if only a little.
"Are you saying what I believe you are saying, my lady?" the physician questioned, seeing fit for him to be the one who asked the most important question of all, as he was the one who had known the woman for the longest by far.
At first, she only responded with a nod, but after a second, she spoke, giving the answer that they had all wished for, yet that none of them had expected. "Yes, I am, Gaius. I want you to bring my baby back."
A/N: Wow. Please review!