Chapter 10

Gwen was making her way back to Gaius' chambers; she had just finished her daily errand. She was glad to have finished early today; she hadn't seen Marina properly since the return of Lady Morgana. Gwen only saw her friend at night in their chambers; even then Marina returned very late and was always exhausted. Despite all, Gwen was proud of her friend, she hadn't moaned once yet; however Gwen knew Marina well enough to know that such attitude would not last.

"Gwen!"

Gwen heard her name being called behind her, but she didn't need to turn to know that it was Prince Arthur. She had grown very accustomed to hearing his voice. It seemed to send a chill through her body that made her shudder lightly.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Have you completed your work for today?" asked Arthur.

"Yes, I have, sire."

"Well, I wanted you to come to the Knight's training ground today." Arthur said.

Gwen looked at the prince in disbelief. Not this again.

"Sire, I really do not want to train with the Knights... I thought-" Gwen began as frustration crept over her. Why did Arthur seem so persistent about her joining Knight training despite their deal to train alone?

"No no Gwen, you've misunderstood me... I want you to watch the Knights train, not to train with them. It would help you pick up a few more routines." Arthur paused to study Gwen's face change from being clearly troubled to relieved to embarrassed all in one sequence. This amused the Prince; he seemed able to read Gwen like an open book, her eyes constantly betrayed her emotions, making life a lot easier for Arthur. He hated having to guess what a woman was thinking or feeling, it made his head ache. "And it would be more than useful to have our selves a physician on site." Arthur's tone had become light-hearted and humorous as he watched Gwen's reaction to his choice of words.

"Of course, Sire. When is the training?" Gwen asked.

"Right now." Answered Arthur, "Would you care to accompany me there?"

"Of course, My Lord." replied Gwen as her face was invaded by a deep shade of red. She found herself focusing on the corridor floor in attempt to control her breathing.

oOo

Marina felt exhausted. How could serving the Lady Morgana be draining her of all her energy? She had decided to go for a walk; watching over her Lady sleeping, confined within the four walls of her elaborate chambers, made her feel like a prisoner. If she was completely honest with herself, there was another reason, something that had been bothering her for a while now, a feeling she couldn't shake off. No matter how much effort she made to dismiss it, it was still there, resurfacing every time she saw Lady Morgana. Truth was, whenever she laid eyes on the Lady, it wasn't her beauty or grace that hit her, but rather an unfathomable strong sense of déjà vu, as if she knew her, had seen her before...

Once outside, a breeze washed over Marina, which seemed to lift her exhaustion and troubles away, up into the skies. Marina breathed in deeply, allowing herself to relax as the wind blew playfully around her, lifting her dark curls and swaying her dress. She hadn't felt this revived in days! She began walking around the outside of the castle, taking in the sound of silence that seemed so comforting. Marina wished she was accompanying Gwen on a long stroll as they used to do in their village. Gwen would have appreciated this scenery more than that of their village, yet Marina was sure that they both missed home more than anything. Of course, they had been beyond fortunate this past year, and Marina hadn't felt this secure or content since the last attack on their village, but she knew that the days from her past, shared with Gwen in their little hut, would never return.

Marina was pulled out of her trance as the peaceful silence was interrupted by the sound of metal swords crashing against each other mercilessly. Marina looked around her to see that she'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't realised where she had been heading. Ahead of her, the knights were training. Marina was just about to turn to leave when she glimpsed Gwen standing on the peripheral of the field watching on intensely. Well this was odd. Curious beyond words, Marina made her way toward the Knights and found herself standing beside Merlin.

"Hello, Marina. What are you doing here?" Merlin asked while he sat, sharpening arrows.

"Hey Merlin. Well, I'm just curious as to what Gwen's doing here...She hates knights, I don't see why she'd be interested in watching them inflating their egos by trying to tear each other into pieces..."

"Oh, Arthur asked her to watch him train, so she could pick up some moves, apparently." Merlin grinned at Marina as they both looked knowingly at each other.

"Oh, of course. I see now, that clears everything up." Marina commented sarcastically.

Arthur was blindfolded in the middle of the field as he stood poised with his sword ready to fend off two of his knights. Marina scanned for Gwen, only to see her friend completely engrossed in the Princes training, her eyes screwed with concentration.

"Must change weapons." Arthur ordered as he began pealing the blindfold off his face.

The prince made his way toward Merlin and Marina, a grin spread across his face.

"What did you think?" asked Arthur.

"Seemed better." Merlin answered simply, making Marina smile beside him.

"Course, well you are the expert at fighting with your eyes closed." Arthur replied mockingly.

"You didn't see what I did when we were rescuing Morgana!"

"Because you were hiding behind a tree." teased Arthur.

"No, I was not!"

Arthur looked at his servant pointedly, before turning to face the other Knights.

"I'm not going to use the blindfold; I'm going to fight like Merlin here."

Arthur started to whimper towards the centre of the field, towards the two other trainees, as he staggered hiding behind his sword. "I'm Merlin, don't hurt me, don't hurt me!"

Laughter erupted around the prince as he turned his head to grin mockingly at his servant. Marina looked on in sheer disgust.

"What did you call him in the woods again? Was it dollop head?" Marina asked.

"Yes. Yes it was. A pretty accurate description don't you think? Just you wait and see." Merlin answered as Arthur continued his training.

Marina looked questioningly at Merlin as she tried to decipher the meaning of his last remark. Suddenly, his eyes turned golden as he focused on Arthur's sword. Marina turned to see the Prince's weapon fly out of his hand on to the floor, leaving him defenceless. Within seconds, Arthur lay on the ground with mud pasted on his face, after he had been struck by a knight with a mace, in his stomach.

Marina pressed her lips together, her eyes gleaming with laughter, as she watched Gwen run towards Arthur.

"Good one."

oOo

The council chambers had been elaborately decorated ready for the feast in tribute to the return of the Lady Morgana. Tables of food and drink were lined up in front of the king's throne. Camelot's colours decorated the walls of the chambers as the room buzzed with laughter and chatter. The King stood between his son and his ward smiling broadly ready to speak.

"Standing here and seeing so many happy faces, I can tell you I have not felt like this in a long time." Uther began.

"What drunk?" Arthur teased.

"Drunk with happiness" replied Uther as he struck Arthur lightly on the arm.

"I would have searched the entire world, the seas, the skies, the stars, for that smile" Uther continued as he looked down lovingly at his ward, his eyes shimmering with delight. "To have it stolen from me was like a blade to my heart. Morgana, there are no words. You mean more to me than you will ever know. The Lady Morgana." the King called out, as the guests toasted his ward.

The room erupted with cheers as Morgana got up to hug her guardian. Gwen stood beside Marina smiling at the scene in front of her eyes. Since her arrival she had not seen the King look this content, even Marina, who was very cynical of Uther and his laws against magic, looked on happily.

"I need some air." Uther announced before turning to leave the feast.

Gwen and Marina continued to serve the guests, making sure everyone was comfortable, as Merlin walked around them, in time with the music, smiling to himself.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Everything froze.

oOo

Gwen could not help but feel protective of the King as Arthur struggled to carry him to his bed. They had found him rolled up in a tight ball in the court yard, crying and mumbling to himself. Gwen had prepared a strong sleeping draft on Gaius' orders.

"Careful." Morgana instructed as Marina helped her to rearrange Uther's bed sheets. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked.

"He should sleep 'til morning" Gaius reassured.

Arthur looked down on his father, his face riddled with concern. He needed to know what had happened.

"Marina, stay with your Lady and see to her and the King's needs." Arthur ordered, before turning to leave his father's chambers followed by Gaius. Merlin and Gwen looked at each other, silently confirming their permission to follow.

"What could have made him like this" Arthur demanded as he looked beyond Gwen and Merlin, straight at Gaius, who he felt knew more than he was telling.

"I have no idea." Replied Gaius as he started to make his way to his chambers.

"Gaius, he was laying on the ground crying." Arthur said in exasperation.

Gaius paused and turned to face his Prince,

"Exhaustion."

"Gaius!" warned Arthur. "What aren't you telling me? What's wrong with him? Tell me!" Arthur had walked up to his physician; he stood inches away from him eying him intensely.

"When I found him he was mumbling, most of it was incoherent, but..."

"What?"

"He kept mentioning your mother's name"

"He never talks about her!" Arthur mused.

"He claimed that he saw her... in the well." Gaius explained.

"Did the guards see him in this state?" Arthur asked after he had looked around him, making sure that only Gwen and Merlin were within earshot.

"I think you are worrying too much." Gaius said calmly.

"If the people get to know about this..."

"...we say that he was ill but now he's recovered" interrupted Gaius as he attempted to reassure Arthur.

oOo

Marina was about to leave for bed when she noticed that Morgana's chambers were still lit. She decided to check on her mistress before heading for the servants' quarters. As she approached, Marina could hear rustling from inside.

"My Lady" she called out as she entered the chambers. "I saw the light; I wanted to make sure you were alright." Marina explained as she smiled politely.

"I'm fine" Morgana answered quickly.

"You're still dressed." Marina made for her mistress, ready to help her change.

"I will prepare myself for bed."

"Are you sure?"

"That will be all, Marina." Morgana answered sharply as her eyes flashed dangerously.

Marina looked into Morgana's eyes. They seemed to extend deep into her soul; although not quite like Merlin's. They seemed to be laced with something more, something dangerous. Marina blinked once to clear her mind before bowing awkwardly and heading for the door.

oOo

Gwen sat in her bed, a candle beside her, reading through an anatomy book that Gaius had lent to her. She was so fully engrossed in it, that when Marina slammed their bedroom door, she jumped in shock. Gwen looked up in surprise as Marina hurried towards her and sat on the edge of her friend's bed.

"What's wrong Marina?" Gwen asked with concern.

"I'm not sure" replied Marina as she frowned deeply, her thoughts miles away.

"What do you mean? I know that look; something is bothering you. Just tell me."

"It's Morgana."

"What about her?"

"I don't know... it's just that she seems to be pushing me away from her...I know I'm a replacement and that she doesn't know me very well yet but...I feel like there's something more to it..." answered Marina, her eyes fixed on her hands as she tried to make sense of her own words.

"Well, maybe she just sees you as her maid and that's all" suggested Gwen. She hated seeing this confused and worried Marina who was so different to the friend she knew: the bubbly and confident Marina who never failed to make her smile.

"No, I feel like she's hiding something, something bad which she doesn't want me to find out about." Marina finished before looking up to study her friend's face. Gwen was focused on every word that Marina had spoken. She stayed silent for a few moments as she processed Marina's worries.

Finally she spoke,

"Marina, I trust your instincts as should you. So when you tell me something is off about Morgana, I believe you. No shadow of a doubt. But you have to be careful."

Marina smiled softly at Gwen as her heart ached with love and appreciation. This was why she trusted Gwen with her life. She always understood her, better than anyone else.

""Yes I will be, Gwen." Reassured Marina, "But don't you think I should do something... I don't know what but—"

"Marina, I think the only thing you can do is keep an eye on Morgana. You're her maid so it's only natural for you to be at her side as often as you can. That could easily be your cover but don't forget what I said before, you need-"

"To be careful, I know." Marina interrupted as she winked at her friend before getting up for bed.