The Mad Prince

by McDiggin'It

After years of war between Camelot and Drogomir, an alliance is finally formed. As a token of his loyalty to the alliance, King Uther of Camelot sends the Lady Morgana, his Ward, to wed the Drogomirian King's son, Merlin... the mad Prince. Told from Morgana's POV.. mostly. MERGANA

10. Her Trust

Title: The Mad Prince

Chapter Ten: Her Trust

...

Morgana wakes up to find the Prince already gone. She thinks nothing of it as she goes about getting ready for the day. Freya delivers her breakfast and assists her with her attire, a silky, violet dress, before disappearing again. Morgana has given up on asking random people questions. She has learned enough about the people here to know that asking questions will get her nowhere.

As she eats her breakfast alone, she thinks of her conversation with the Prince the night before. Something has changed between them. Last night, they'd had a normal conversation. No screaming, fighting, or jumping out of windows. It makes her smile. The change, had it been with anyone else, wouldn't have been such a big deal. It would've been a very small step. But with Merlin, it's a gigantic leap.

She nibbles on some toast as she stares at nothing, the gears and cogs in her head, spinning furiously as she ponders their newly formed deals. In the span of a day, they'd managed to unknowingly find a way to make things work between them... okay, maybe not work, but at least to start on a path there.

She was pleasantly surprised by Merlin's deal. He wants her to tell him honest truths about him so he can improve himself. The fact that he even wants to improve himself is a huge improvement. She finds warmth in her chest at the knowledge that he's trying. Perhaps maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he just needs someone to guide him through whatever darkness he'd willingly sank into. And she finds that she wants to be that someone.

As she finishes her breakfast, a knock on the door breaks her concentration. She rises from her seat at the table, making her way to the door. When she swings it open, she finds the young Princess Madeline looking up at her.

"Madeline." She smiles pleasantly. "Good morning."

"Not really." Madeline says as she looks past her, inside the chambers. "I think you should come with me."

Morgana's forehead creases in concern. "Is everything alright?"

The Princess shakes her head. "No." She pauses, then sighs. "Yes. But no."

Morgana is unsure of what that even means. She follows the little girl as she retreats further into the corridor. "What happened?"

Madeline leads the way down the corridor and out towards the training grounds. "It's Sir Alvarr."

Morgana blinks confusedly. "What about him?"

The Princess says nothing as she points across the training grounds. Morgana's eyes follow the direction she's pointing until she's staring at a fairly crowded field. At first, she couldn't tell what she was looking at. It's odd that there's a crowd there, but it's not exactly extraordinary. People gather for the oddest things. She keeps following Madeline towards the multitude of people, and Morgana finally gets a good look at the reason for the crowd. In the midst of the field, bloodied, bruised, and nearly unconscious as he hangs from shackles around his wrists, is Sir Alvarr.

Morgana's eyes widen as she sweeps the crowd with her eyes. The man she's looking for isn't there. Turning her eyes to the Princess, she asks. "Madeline, where is Prince Merlin?"

Madeline looks up at her somberly. "He's in the Great Hall with father."

Morgana swallows hard as she looks back up at the horrific sight that is the leader of the Knights of Drogomir. "Please tell me he had nothing to do with this." She pleads softly, once more looking at the little girl by her side.

Madeline shakes her head as she looks down at the ground. "I cannot."

...

Just when she thinks he's changing, he goes and does this. Just when she thinks that maybe he isn't entirely mad, he goes and tortures a Knight, then strings him up for the whole Kingdom to see. Morgana sighs frustratedly as she takes a seat by the Princess's side on the stairs in front of the castle. She feels sickened when she recalls yesterday when she'd been sparring with the Knight. Had the Prince seen them? He, in no way, indicated that he did. But if he did, he hadn't shown any anger towards her for it. She wracks her brain for any and all other reasons for why the Prince has gone and done something like this, but she can't think of one that is valid.

It's still fairly early when they see a bunch of guards escorting the wounded Knight through the city. Morgana watches guiltily as he is thrown to the ground, the side of his head hitting the hard stones harshly. The guards leave immediately, leaving the Knight to bleed into the street. She wonders what happened, for this is not just some unimportant commoner. He's the leader of the Knights. Why would the guards treat him in such a way? Granted, Sir Alvarr is not exactly the most innocent of men, but to treat him like filth? He must've done something horrific.

Morgana looks at Madeline, who looks back at her with a worried expression. "I don't know what's going on." The Princess murmurs softly. "...but we can't just leave him there."

Morgana nods in agreement. They move swiftly, making their way down the street towards the barely conscious Knight. Morgana kneels down beside him, feeling horrible for him. He looks almost unrecognizable from all the swelling and bruises on his face. She takes his face in her hands, turning his head so he's looking up at her. "Can you stand?" She asks.

He nods briefly, wincing as he sits up with her help. Princess Madeline trails behind them as she leads the Knight to his home with his directions. Morgana tries not to cringe every time she gets a whiff of his blood, but it's useless. The smell is so strong, it makes her head swim. She momentarily wonders why the smell of Merlin's blood hadn't really affected her as much as the smell of Sir Alvarr's. Perhaps maybe because there's also a distinct odor coming from the Knight that isn't exactly blood. She can't quite figure out what it is, so she ignores it.

Once they've managed to get him to lie down, Morgana fills a pot with warm water and sits beside him, cleaning his bloodied face. She's reminded of when she'd tended to Merlin three days ago. She quickly pushes the thought from her mind. She can't think of him when he's the reason this man is hurt. Sir Alvarr stares at her as she cleans his neck and face. It makes her uncomfortable, but she doesn't say anything to hurt him even further. Hoping to get an answer from him, she asks, "What happened?"

The Knight shakes his head, then turns it away and coughs. When he turns his head back, he laughs humorlessly, crinkling his barely open eyes. "It's my fault."

Morgana continues to wipe the blood from his cheek. "What's your fault?"

"The Prince." He replies.

Princess Madeline shifts in her seat beside Morgana, and Morgana instantly could tell that she's already feeling defensive about her brother.

"He was upset that you were spending time with me."

"Spending time with you?" She asks, bewildered. "We've sparred only once."

"Prince Merlin may not have seen it that way."

Morgana's jaw clenches as she drops the cloth into the pot of water and leans back, exhaling slowly through her nose. She wants to go straight back to the castle and confront Merlin, but she has to hear Alvarr's side first. "Did he say that?" She asks.

Sir Alvarr shrugs. "No. But he didn't need to."

Morgana tenses as she stares at the Knight. "What do you mean he didn't need to?" So he's just assuming things now? "What exactly happened?"

Sir Alvarr sighs. "I was out late last night, polishing my sword. One moment I was wiping my blade down, and the next, I was being magically thrown across the field."

Morgana frowns. It makes no sense. "Just like that? He didn't say anything?"

The Knight shakes his head. "I wasn't even given the chance to defend myself."

Madeline fidgets some more. She looks at the Knight, "My brother would not do such a thing without good reason." She says defensively.

Sir Alvarr looks at her and nods. "I know he is your brother, Princess. But people have been known to do the most gruesome of things out of jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Morgana asks with narrowed eyes. "You think the Prince attacked you because of jealousy?" She doesn't wait for him to answer as she scoffs. "The Prince and I may not see eye to eye, but I agree with Princess Madeline. He would at least have a reason for why he attacked you. And I don't think jealousy is a reason at all." She's just desperately grasping at anything to justify the Prince's actions now. Morgana realizes how much she wants to believe in the Prince. Maybe it's because she has no choice but to become his wife. Maybe it's because she wants to believe that he's trying to be better. Hell, maybe she just doesn't like the way Sir Alvarr speaks about Merlin. It's no secret that they don't like each other. But whatever the reason, Morgana is going to find out from the Prince himself. There are two sides to every story.

Alvarr shakes his head. "He told me to stay away from you after he put me in shackles. I don't know about you, but that's a clear indication of jealousy."

Morgana tries and fails to find reason in Merlin's behavior. But, "That's not a clear indication of anything." She says honestly. "What reason would he have to be jealous?"

Sir Alvarr suddenly looks at her with big eyes as he reaches over and takes her hand in his. Morgana blinks at him. "He probably saw us yesterday. No doubt, he had seen the unmistakable connection between us."

Morgana blinks again before she rips her hand from the Knight's grip. She rises abruptly from her seat as she glares at the Knight. "We sparred once, Sir Alvarr. I don't know what you think you felt between us, but I assure you, there was no connection whatsoever." She looks at Princess Madeline to find her glaring at the Knight. Morgana moves further away from the Knight and his downtrodden expression.

He nods. "I understand that you feel the need to suppress your emotions because of your situation, but—".

"I'm not suppressing anything!" Morgana snaps, absolutely outraged by his insinuation. "Sir Alvarr, I'm sure you're a good person, deep down on the inside." She pauses to really look at him. "But I do not, nor will I ever, feel anything for you or anyone else for that matter. My emotions are reserved for one person alone." She can see that her words are beginning to affect the Knight. His swollen face scrunches up to a sour expression. Morgana sighs. "The Prince is my betrothed. He is to be the one I will marry and call my husband. I apologize if I've somehow led you to believe that there was something between us. But there isn't, and there never will be."

Sir Alvarr looks down, avoiding her eyes. "If that is how you feel, then I will respect it."

Morgana nods swiftly. "I hope you'll feel better." She takes Madeline's hand, leading her out and back up to the castle.

Princess Madeline is quiet for a long while until they reach the corridors leading to the Great Hall. She looks up at Morgana and asks, "Do you believe Sir Alvarr?"

Morgana looks down at the little girl and sighs. "I don't know... he's a trusted Knight of your father's. Doesn't that count for something?"

Madeline shrugs. "My father also trusts Merlin to not use magic to harm people, but he did it anyway."

At this, Morgana slants her a curious look. "What did you really want to ask me?"

Madeline stops and turns to face Morgana. She scratches the side of her head. "Sir Alvarr seems to think my brother is jealous of you spending time with him..." She trails off and digs the toe of her shoe into the floor, her blue eyes staring at anything but Morgana. "Does my brother have any reason to be jealous?"

Morgana's heart literally lurches at the look on the Princess's face. She kneels down in front of the little girl, taking her hands and pulling her close. "Madeline," She says softly. She pauses to pick the girls chin up so they're looking right at each other. Morgana shakes her head profusely. "Sir Alvarr was completely out of line for saying that your brother was jealous. I'm sure Prince Merlin isn't feeling any of that at all. Also," She gives the Princess a reassuring look as she continues with a confidently honest declaration, "... your brother has absolutely nothing to worry about. No matter how much he pushes me away, or how much of a gentleman any other man is, I am here for your brother, and your brother alone."

Madeline frowns deeply. "Right... because of your duty to your Kingdom."

Morgana smiles in amusement. The young Princess really is too smart for her age. Morgana bites her lip as she reaches inside her dress, pulling the dagger Arthur gifted her from the strap around her thigh. She shows it to the Princess, who in turn quirks a questioning eyebrow at her. "This was given to me as a gift by a man who I consider my brother." She looks down at the blade, smiling to herself. "Now I'm giving it to you." She hands it over to the Princess, watching as she turns it over in her hand.

"It's beautiful." Madeline mutters softly as she admires the intricate designs along the handle of the blade. "Why are you giving it to me?" She asks curiously.

Morgana straightens and gives her a trusting look. "Because I no longer need it. I carry it with me for protection... and I'll admit, I was mostly carrying it for protection from your brother. But it's clear to me now that he is not the monster I thought he was. He's... different. Difficult, yes. But I've realized that he's also capable of caring for others, even when it doesn't seem so."

"He's just special." Madeline says softly, her expression sad. "I know that I complain a lot about the way he treats me, or about his very odd love for books, but he really is a good brother."

Morgana's heart warms at the little girls words. "I know... which brings us to why I'm giving you this dagger. It's not a gift that would normally be given to a young Princess such as yourself, but I know you would rather have this than a hand mirror or a hairbrush." Madeline grins, nodding in agreement. "I'm giving you this as proof that I am trusting your brother, my future husband, with my life. As proof that I trust him enough to be my protection... proof that I will no longer treat my relationship with him as a duty to my Kingdom, but as a duty to my heart."

Madeline's eyes light up as she smiles at Morgana. To Morgana, it looks like the weight of the world had just been lifted from her tiny shoulders. "Really?" Madeline asks with hopeful tears shining in her eyes.

Morgana nods confidently. "Yes."

Madeline sniffles, quickly swiping away her unshed tears. "Good." She smiles. "I really like you, and I don't usually like people all that much..." She trails off and shrugs, looking down at the ground once more. "...and I guess I also want Merlin to be happy."

Morgana grins as Madeline admires the dagger once more. As they finally continue towards the Great Hall, she thinks, she too wants Merlin to be happy. Which is why she needs to know why he did what he did to Alvarr. Her conscience won't let her ignore the fact that Merlin seemingly injured someone for no reason.

...

By the time they make it to the Great Hall, the place is already empty. Morgana lets Madeline follow her to hers and Merlin's chambers, only to find it empty as well. The next place she thinks to look is the library, at which point, Madeline disappears with a hurried excuse of hunger, although Morgana has a feeling the little girl just doesn't like being in the library... or maybe she just knows that a fight is about to ensue between her and Merlin, and she has no desire to be caught in the middle of that. She doesn't blame her.

Morgana enters the spacious library alone. Her step is fast and her mouth is already forming her argument. She hadn't wanted this, but the Prince is leaving her no choice. She finds him at the very back, sitting in the exact same spot, in the exact same chair where he'd sat the day before.

She stops abruptly in front of him and asks immediately. "Why did you do it?"

Merlin does not answer her, choosing instead to ignore her by pretending to keep reading. This annoys Morgana. She snatches up the book in front of him and shuts it. The loud thud echoes through the room as dust particles whizz rapidly out of its thin pages.

Merlin finally looks at her, and his expression is one she expected, although she has no idea why. His eyes are dark, his mouth is set in a thin line, and his jaw is clenched so tightly, she can see the muscles in his cheeks bunching up. She does not give into the slight fear she feels.

"I thought you were trying to improve yourself. To become a better person. What you did to that Knight is in no way getting you there."

The Prince continues to say nothing as he stares at her.

"Why did you attack Sir Alvarr?" Morgana asks a little less forcefully.

"Is that your first question?" Merlin asks wearily as he rises from his seat and walks towards a shelf in the corner.

Morgana stares confusedly at his back. "What?"

"We had a deal, remember?" Merlin runs his fingers down the spine of a particularly large book as he sighs. "You may ask me any two questions in return for your honesty." He looks over his shoulder, but his body remains facing the shelf. "So, is that your first question?"

Morgana glares at him. "No. This has nothing to do with our deal, and quite frankly, I wouldn't have been asking that question if you hadn't attacked someone, and then left them in the middle of the training field for everyone to see."

Prince Merlin turns his gaze back to the shelf in front of him. He pulls a book out and opens it. "That could be your general question then." He says dismissively.

Morgana scoffs. "That's not fair!"

Prince Merlin's eyes are glued to the book in his hands as he shrugs his shoulders. "Life isn't fair."

Morgana rolls her eyes. "No. You owe me two answers. Our time hasn't even started yet."

"I didn't realize we'd established a time frame for our agreement to begin."

"We don't have to." Morgana returns sternly. "As your betrothed, you owe me an explanation for why you attacked—".

"I don't owe you anything." He cuts her off sharply. "You are my betrothed. Not my wife."

Morgana stares with her mouth open. Honestly, that stung. But he's right. She runs her fingers through her hair in frustration. She needs a different, gentler approach. He's like a wounded animal. If you approach him wildly, angrily, or threateningly, he won't hesitate to attack. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Morgana calls forth the truth she feels in her heart. It leaves her feeling defenseless, but maybe that's exactly what the Prince needs her to be. Honest and defenseless. "I don't know why you do the things you do." She begins softly. "Quite frankly, I don't understand you most of the time. But I am trying here. I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you deliberately make that hard for me by ignoring me and pretending that I'm the bad guy." She sighs, taking a step closer towards him. He's still facing away from her, suddenly as still as a statue. "I'm here because I had no other choice. I didn't want to marry you because I did not know you, and to be honest, the rumors I've heard about you didn't exactly paint you in a positive light... but I'm willing to stay now because I want to believe that you're willing to make this work between us."

Merlin turns slowly, his eyes leaving the pages of the book in his hands to meet hers. She knows her eyes are reddening quickly, because try as she might, she can't stop herself from feeling so self-conscious and vulnerable in that moment. He cocks his head to the side, eyes squinting slightly as if trying to read her like the book in his hands. His eyebrows scrunch together, and then he shakes his head at her. "You're a fool."

Well... she'd expected a more understanding reply, but it is Merlin.

"Many have tried and failed to find the good in me. Many have tried and failed to change me. You're a fool if you think you'll be the one to succeed."

Morgana doesn't even bat an eyelash as she replies with confidence. "Then I'm a fool." She pauses only to let out a soft, humorless laugh. "But if I'm a fool, then you're a fool too."

Merlin narrows his eyes at her.

Morgana continues sternly. "You think I'm a fool for seeking out the good in you. I think you're a fool for thinking I won't find it."

He stares at her, his eyes, the image of confusion and his lips parting slightly.

She continues softly but sternly. "I know there is good in you. You may disagree with me all you want, but we both know that you do care. You care about your father, your sister, Gaius... your mother." She adds warily.

Merlin half-blinks several times as his breath quickens just a tad. Finally, he chuckles. "You are something else, Morgana."

"Yes." Morgana grins falteringly. "A fool among other things... but what I'm not and never will be, is a coward. I will not be easily intimidated, and I will not let anyone make me feel like I'm useless." She stares him down. "I may not have your magic, or your brains, nor your brawn... but I have heart, and I'll be damned before I let you think I'm just going to sit here and do nothing." She's breathing heavily now, he heart hammering wildly in her chest. She refuses to break under the Prince's gaze as she finalizes softly, but unwaveringly, "I'm not your wife yet, yes... but when I am, I expect you to give me the respect I deserve. And if you don't like that, then you can go ahead and break off this entire engagement."

Merlin exhales softly as he continues to stare at her long and hard. After what feels like the longest stare down since the beginning of time, he finally nods his head. "You're stubborn." He states as his lips twitch into not-really-a-smile-but-it's-good-enough-for-her as he nods.

She can tell that he's impressed, and she's pleased.

"Fine." He says. "I will tell you why I attacked Alvarr." He waves a hand at her, gesturing for her to take a seat. Morgana does so, and he continues. "I suppose you've spoken to him." He says quietly. "And he told you some lame story about how I attacked him without him knowing. That I did so without reason."

"And did you?" She asks, adding as an afterthought, "... have a reason, I mean."

He turns away from her again, closing the book in his hands and placing it back on the shelf. He clasps his hands behind his back as he replies. "I saw you with him yesterday."

Morgana's eyes widen. Is that why he attacked Sir Alvarr?! She opens her mouth to ask him just that, but he cuts her off.

"And before you ask, that is not the reason why I attacked him." He rolls his eyes to himself. "Yes, it annoys me that you're spending time with the likes of him, but as I've said, I do not care what you do or who you spend your time with."

"We sparred. That was it." Morgana tries to explain. Merlin doesn't seem to care for her words as he waves dismissively.

"It's no matter. My reason for attacking him is justified. He's lucky to be alive. My father stopped me before I could chop his head off." He scowls.

Morgana shakes her head disapprovingly at the Prince. "So what is your reason?"

Merlin's jaw clenches and he replies, "I caught him using dark magic."

Morgana blinks. "What?"

The Prince turns and looks at her. "Dark magic is forbidden here. I'm sure you know that by now."

Morgana nods in reply. Gaius had gone over a whole book on dark magic and why people should never use it. The consequences far outweigh the gains. "He told me he was polishing his sword when you attacked him."

"And you believe him?" Merlin asks defensively.

Morgana sighs heavily, getting up out of her chair and walking towards the opposite wall from Merlin. "I don't know what to believe, Merlin. I woke up this morning, thinking my life was finally going to take a positive turn. I thought I was going to finally understand you. But then I find out from your sister of all people that you've attacked someone, and I'm suddenly right back to where I started!"

Merlin drops his hands to his sides as he walks towards her. Morgana backs away slowly as he gains on her, until she finds her back against a wall. The Prince stops in front of her and narrows his eyes. "You're right."

Morgana blinks. She hadn't expected that. "About?"

"I found him polishing his sword. And then I saw him use dark magic on it. A spell that is just as dangerous and dark as the one Morgause uses for all her weapons, including her army of Wyvern's."

Morgana's eyes grow wider by the second. A spell as dark and dangerous as one that an evil sorceress uses must be, well, dark and dangerous. Not to mention, forbidden and evil. She wonders, as she tries to wrap her mind around the fact that a dark spell could be used so easily within Drogomir, what exactly would a dark spell by Morgause do? She asks Merlin exactly that, curiosity getting the best of her. "What does Morgause's spell do?"

Merlin doesn't seem to react or do anything but stare at her, as if trying to decide if he should answer her question. Just as Morgana begins to think he's not going to answer, he suddenly moves, taking the hem of his tunic and pulling it up and off. Morgana gasps softly as she is now staring at his scarred upper body. She's seen his naked chest before, but never like this. Never while the Prince is aware.

He places a finger over a particularly noticeable scar below his heart. "This scar is not something I can magically get rid of. In fact, it's healed on the outside. But it's infected and festering on the inside."

Morgana shakes her head, she doesn't understand. "What do you mean?" Morgana gasps again when he suddenly takes her hand and pulls it towards him. He guides her fingers, placing them on the scar. The moment her hand comes into contact with the scar, his skin begins to redden and swell. Morgana's eyes widen in horror as his skin begins to tear apart beneath her fingertips, forming an open wound. No blood seeps out, but Morgana can clearly see why. The wound is infected and darkened like a burn.

Merlin grits his teeth as he watches Morgana watch him. He finally lets go of her hand, and Morgana's hand practically flops back down to hang at her side. She stares at the wound as it begins to close and heal again before her eyes. "The healing is an illusion." She mutters under her breath as she looks at his other scars.

Merlin nods. "They will never heal. The potion in the blue vial slows the process of infection down, as well as lessens the pain... but it does not heal them. I use a spell that only forms the illusion that they are healed."

"They." Morgana's eyes trail towards his many other scars. She looks up at his face as she hesitantly raises her hand again, touching another scar just inches below the one she'd touched before. Almost immediately, the scar begins to redden, and she abruptly pulls her fingers away, letting the reddened scar pale once more. Her eyes meet the Prince's blue ones, and she whispers, "She inflicted all these scars?"

The Prince says nothing, only staring at her.

Morgana tries to piece together what that means. "She... she attacked you before. The night before you came back wounded," she looks up into his eyes, remembering the first time she saw his scars magically heal. "... you had cuts on your skin... she did that to you."

Merlin shakes his head. "Not her."

Baffled, she asks, "Well then who? Alvarr?"

Merlin looks down at his chest and replies. "Anna."

Morgana gasps. "Anna?" She shakes her head profusely, disbelievingly. "No... she— she was so quiet and kind. So polite... she even seemed to be on your side when I wasn't! She can't be capable of—".

"She's not." Merlin says quietly.

Morgana's forehead wrinkles as she waits for an explanation. "What?"

"She's under Morgause's spell." He begins. "I checked. It's dark, powerful magic..." he folds his arms across his chest. "It's why I had her exiled on an island where she can be of no harm to anyone. It's also why Gaius is not here, but on the island with her, examining the extent of Morgause's magic."

That's why Gaius can't resume lessons with her! "Won't it be dangerous for him to be there then?" Morgana asks, genuinely concerned for the elderly scholar. She'd gotten used to his oddly fatherlike antics.

Merlin chuckles and shakes his head. "Aside from my father and myself, Gaius is one of the most powerful warlocks in Drogomir... in the entire Five Kingdoms, actually. And he's not alone. He took some of our finest Knights with him."

Morgana breathes a sigh of relief, but then feels another concern begin to form inside her. "Will Anna be okay?"

Merlin looks at her for a few moments before he replies quietly with, "I do not know... she's under some really strong magic, but Gaius is working on sorting it all out."

"And if Gaius succeeds in breaking the spell on her, what will be done to her?"

Merlin blinks at her. "What is to be done to anyone who assists the evil witch, Morgause."

Morgana's eyes widen immediately. "But she's under Morgause's spell!"

Merlin huffs and rolls his eyes. "She will get a fair trial, yes... but there's no way for anyone to know if she didn't act under the pretense of a spell that didn't really need to be there."

"You think she's pretending to be affected by an evil spell?!"

Merlin glares at her. "Gaius will return soon with results, Lady Morgana. Until then, we will speak of this no more."

Morgana blinks at him, realizing that he is truly annoyed now. He seems to only use her title when he's not in a good mood. She chews her lip as she backs down for the moment as she tries to piece all this new information together. There's a lot she still wants to know, but there's time for that later. Right now, the only other thing she continues to be bothered by are the Prince's current, magically concealed wounds. "Can you take away real scars?" She asks shakily. "Ones without the influence of dark magic?"

"As if they've never been there." He answers.

"And scars caused by the spell Morgause used?"

He shakes his head. "Black Magic always leaves a mark." He looks down at his chest. "As you can see. But for these particular wounds, they can't be healed. All I can do is conceal them."

Morgana shakes her head as her breath becomes shallow. "What if the infection spreads?"

Merlin shrugs as he pulls his tunic back on over his marred, but sculpted body. "Then I'll die." He says bluntly.

Morgana widens her eyes at him, unsure if he's serious or not. There's no telling with him. "There has to be a way to fix that, right?"

"The only way for the wounds to heal properly is if I kill the person who casted the spell."

Morgana exhales slowly, a hundred thoughts swirling in her mind. "So you must kill Morgause."

The Prince nods. "That is the plan, yes."

"And Sir Alvarr?" She gives him a curious look. "You said he used a spell similar to the one Morgause uses... what exactly did he use?"

Merlin sighs and shakes his head. "It's too complicated to explain."

Morgana stares. "Try."

He frowns at her. Morgana quirks an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to deny her an answer. He rolls his eyes at her stubbornness. "The spell is to ensure that any and all who comes near him and his sword, will fall prey to his control."

Morgana blinks, her nose scrunching up as she asks, "What exactly do you mean by control?"

Merlin fidgets, looking down suddenly. Morgana can tell that he's not keen on answering that question, which only makes her want to know the answer even more. "Merlin?" She presses softly.

The Prince inhales deeply and looks her dead in her eye. "It means that if he so wants to, he can control your thoughts, emotions, even your heart." He looks down at her, his eyes taking her appearance in fully. "It means that if he wants you to take your gown off and lay yourself bare to him, give your body to him... he can make you do exactly that, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it."

Morgana swallows hard as she takes in the Prince's answer fully. So many thoughts and concerns fill her head as she shakes her head slowly, trying to sort them all out. "Why would he use such a spell?"

Merlin gives her a look that looks an awful lot like an 'Are you serious?' look. "Isn't it obvious?" He asks incredulously. "You've sparred with him once. What's to stop him from finally getting you to fully give into him?"

The thought of giving into Alvarr, the thought of being under his control, unable to control any of her thoughts, emotions, or body, utterly repulses her. So much so, that she almost gags. She makes a face as she stares at the Prince and asks, "What is to be done to someone who uses black magic here?"

The Prince stares at her for a long moment before he asks. "So you believe me then?"

Morgana looks down between them. He'll never admit it, but she knows that he wants her to believe him. She wants to take his hands into hers and say something along the lines of 'I trust your judgement', which is only a half truth, but is better than nothing. But she knows not how that will be received by the Prince. She knows that he has boundaries that he expects her to automatically know about. So she doesn't risk it. Instead, she just nods and replies, "Yes." And it's true. For this in particular, she believes him.

He raises his head, swallowing silently. "My father wants to give him a day to recover, just enough that his... injuries won't affect his ability to explain himself. Guards are already posted around his home, making sure he does not flee in the middle of the night. By tomorrow evening, he'll be taken to the Great Hall for trial."

Morgana nods slowly. That seems fair. What doesn't seem fair, is how Sir Alvarr had kept that tidbit about dark magic out of his story. Did he think she wasn't going to find out? "Do you— do you think he's a traitor?"

Merlin purses his lips. "I think he's an idiot and a manipulator." He folds his arms across his chest again. "From the moment I met him, I knew there was something off about him. I always thought he was secretly a fraud. An impostor or something. Turns out, he's just secretly using dark magic for his own personal gains." He wrinkles his nose in disgust. "I cannot have that man leading my father's army."

Morgana nods slowly but keeps her eyes on him. "That doesn't answer my question though."

Merlin sighs heavily as he pushes his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "He's untrustworthy, deceiving, and he has the most annoying face in all the Five Kingdoms... but no. I don't think he's a traitor." He pauses, pursing his lips, before adding, "At least not where Morgause is concerned."

That really surprises Morgana. The part about Merlin not thinking Alvarr is a traitor. The other part is completely understandable. She stares at him as she shakes her head in wonder. "I really thought you would answer that question differently."

Merlin quirks an eyebrow at her. "Just because I loathe him with every fiber of my being, doesn't mean I'm going to let my personal issues cloud my judgement."

Morgana cracks a smile at him. "I guess you aren't completely a horrible Prince."

Merlin frowns at her, and for a moment, she thinks she's overstepped his boundaries; but then he rolls his eyes at her and sniffs in nonchalance. "Even if I was a terrible Prince, your 'guess' hardly means much of anything. I'm a Prince by blood, not choice." He gives her no time to come back with an angry retort before he moves towards the table. "I believe we have lessons on the language of the Old Religion?" He asks, signaling the end of their current discussion.

Initially, his comment makes her seethe. But then she thinks about the latter part of his words.

'I'm a Prince by blood, not choice.'

She can't help but wonder. Did he ever want to be something other than a Prince? Does he have dreams and ambitions outside of his duties to his Kingdom? Does he even want to be King? Or betrothed? Does he even want a wife? Children? Or am I just reading too much into what he'd said? She sighs as she sits down in the chair across from his. Maybe he was just being his usual, rude, unfiltered, mad self.

...

The Old Religion, Morgana is not really surprised to find out, is probably the most difficult language she has ever heard of. Not because of the way the words are spelled, or even how they are pronounced, but because Prince Merlin isn't even really teaching her the actual language.

So far, all she has done for the past couple of hours, was read, answer questions, listen to magical ancient stories, learn about the history of the language, and then read some more. By the time dinner rolls around, Morgana was ready to bolt.

She all but sprints out of the library before Merlin could even finish dismissing her. He catches up to her in their shared chambers, eyeing her curiously as she looks through her dresser for something to wear to dinner. Customs here are a little tighter than Camelot's when it comes to attires. Queens, Princesses, and Ladies of the court are not to wear the same gown to dinner as they did the beginning of the day. She doesn't mind it so much, but with the Prince's eyes following her everywhere she goes, she's beginning to feel very self conscious.

After several long minutes of searching for a gown, Morgana finally chooses a dark red one. When she turns to go to her changing screen, she finds Merlin still standing in the same spot he'd been in when she started looking for her gown, and still staring at her. She frowns at him and asks, "Are you going to just stare at me until I'm done?"

He doesn't seem fazed at all. If anything, his gaze intensifies. He finally speaks, his tone, stern and his voice, smooth. "Red looks good on you."

She stares, her mouth slowly falling open. Had he just knowingly complimented me? She quickly snaps away from that question. It's odd for him to compliment her, and since she can't deal with oddness, she asks, "Are you trying to be nice to me?"

She should've just taken the bloody compliment, she thinks, as soon as the Prince straightens and scowls at her. "No. The other colors just don't look very good on you. In fact, they're ghastly." He doesn't say another word as he marches straight into the bath chambers and closes the door immediately behind him.

Morgana stares at the door for a long moment before releasing the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She huffs as she finally moves towards her changing screen to slip out of her current gown and into the red one she'd chosen.

Just as she's done pulling her gown on, she hears the door to the bath chambers swing open, followed by the sound of soft footfalls on the stone floor. She takes a deep breath, smoothing down the nonexistent wrinkles in her gown before finally stepping out from behind her changing screen. Her breath hitches in her throat as she's met with another one of Merlin's intense stares.

He clears his throat quickly and blinks when she smiles a little at him. He turns, offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

Morgana smiles as she places her hand around the inside of his bicep, feeling the hardness of his lean muscles. Her breath quickens as he leads her out of their chambers and down the corridor towards the Great Hall.

Morgana inhales the fresh air as a small smile graces her lips. Her eyes crinkle at the corners as her mind whisks her away to something of a dream; wishful thinking. Wishing things were as simple as they feel in that moment. Wishing that someday, she can truly feel happy here, next to this man, holding his arm, and proudly calling him her King.

Her thoughts are shattered at the sound of thundering footsteps, and she turns her head to see several armed guards hurrying down the corridors towards them. Merlin stops with her, waiting. The guards each come to a halt in front of them, bowing towards them before the one at the very front looks fearfully at the Prince and says, "Your Grace, your father requests an audience in the Great Hall."

Merlin looks down at Morgana for a moment, pursing his lips before looking around at the guards suspiciously. His eyes narrow particularly towards the guard who spoke. "My father wouldn't have sent more than two guards to fetch me if it weren't an emergency. What has happened?"

Morgana silently watches, taking note of Merlin's harsh, biting tone and the guards shaky demeanor. She mentally reminds herself to speak to Merlin about the way he speaks to the people.

The guard avoids the Prince's eyes as he replies shakily, "Sir Alvarr has disappeared, Your Grace."

Merlin's eyes widen for a fraction of a second. He turns his head and looks at her. His face remains calm and impassive, but his eyes give away his concern. He takes her shoulders in his hands and looks her in the eye. "Return to our chambers. Do not come out, do not speak to anyone, and do not open the door." He turns, ordering two of the guards to escort her back to their shared chambers.

Morgana wants to protest and demand that he let her come with him, but she only has time to see the Prince's clenched jaw, before he's pushing his way past the guards and down the corridor, disappearing almost immediately around a corner.

...

A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter. I know the story is kind of dragging on, but I promise that it'll all come together very soon. Anyways, thank you so much for reading and reviewing the previous chapters. I really appreciate it, you guys. If you liked this chapter, pls let me know why, and what you'd like to read in the next chapter. Some sure fire things to expect next are Morgana and Merlin's growing bond, manifestation of their deals, and maybe (?) an intimate moment. (Vote on that last one, Y or N! Thank you again! I'll be updating He is Mine next.

-McDiggin'It