Chapter Ten
Morgana would never again be Queen of Camelot.
Morgause thought she would, and the dark haired woman just hadn't the heart to tell her the truth, but Morgana didn't fool herself. It went badly enough the first time… The knights rebelled, the people muttered, and Arthur refused to die. Only Uther had reacted as she wished him to, and she didn't get to finish. Morgana remembered well the feeling of power her station had given her – that swirl of I can do whatever I want lingering just below her skin, mixing up her brain, making her want to laugh all the time – and it made her miss being queen. It made her want it again.
But it simply would not happen twice. No one would accept her. People would not trust her. No one would bow. Even when she was queen, she hadn't had all the control, and she knew it because Arthur was still alive, Merlin was still alive, the knights had never broken.
(And there were times, late at night, curled up alone in her bed, when she couldn't help wondering in her secret heart of hearts, where she kept things that not Morgause or Mordred or even herself could see, if perhaps, just maybe… She had been a bad queen.)
But Morgana did not tell Morgause.
And Morgause still made plans.
Morgana helped her in places, smiling at her sister and giving ideas, but it was all fantasy. So in this plan, Morgana was taking part for a few reasons:
One, Arthur and probably Uther would die.
Two, Merlin would pay.
Three, Morgause was really excited.
"Sister, this time, we will take Camelot! We did not succeed before because we did not know… But now we do! Merlin, the secret sorcerer—"
Morgana bit her lip and sank bank into the comfy chair in Morgana and Morgause's "plotting room." "Are you sure about that, Morgause? It just seems so unlikely!"
Morgause glared at her in a vaguely disapproving way. "Do not doubt me, Sister. I saw his eyes when I hit him… He has magic. That must be what I realized before…" Here she trailed off and rubbed the back of her head.
Morgana felt a spark of anger. "At any rate, no matter who he is, he'll pay for that." Then she calmed down. "Are you sure he can't use any of his alleged magic now?"
"Quite. Those handcuffs were last used by Uther during the Purge." Morgana decided not to ask how she'd gotten them as Morgause went on, "They are less complex than the one on the girl's scarf, and just block all magic from being used, no picking and choosing."
"So what do we do now, Morgause?"
Morgause smiled. "It is simple. We question Merlin about what really happened that day. We question Arthur about Camelot. And then we kill them both."
Morgana had figured as much, but it was a little surprising. Usually Morgause's plans were more… Well, more.
Morgause flicked her shiny locks over her shoulder and lovingly touched her sword, which sat upon the table before her, ready to be picked up. "And then we move on to Camelot."
Smile only a shade fake, Morgana said, "Yes, won't that be nice?"
Arthur woke up in a dungeon, which did not please him in the least. For starters, he had a headache. For seconds, he was chained to a wall. A slimy, hard, rock wall.
Arthur sat up grudgingly and looked around the dungeon.
First, he noticed it was dark, which was only to be expected. It was a big room, bigger than the dungeon he'd been in last time, and there was no bed. It reminded him of the cell where they had found Elyan and Gwen, actually. The chains weren't too tight, but they rubbed on his wrists, and that hurt. They held him close to the wall, his arms restricted from a good deal of movement. Apparently to keep a repeat of last time he was in this castle from happening.
The next things he noticed took his mind off of his wrists and head though: it was the other occupants of the room, both asleep or unconscious or… dead?
Merlin was slouched against the wall, his head back, and Arthur noticed with relief that his Adam's apple was bobbing up and down. He was handcuffed, but not to the wall; his wrists were just cuffed together. His neckerchief was gone… but no, not gone. It was beneath his head, cushioning it, and the cloth was stained dark with blood. Arthur wondered if he had done that or if someone else had.
The other person was a woman, on the opposite side of the room. She was curled up and sleeping (Arthur saw her chest moving through her blousy shirt that had doubtless once been white but was now too dirty to be a real color). She wore trousers, which, though not unheard of to Arthur, was rather odd. Her face was turned away from Arthur, and if not for her stillness and gentle snoring, he would have considered calling to see if she was awake. Her hair was brown.
A few seconds later and Arthur found himself getting rather lonely.
"Merlin!" he called, hoping the manservant would wake up. He wanted to know how bad that head wound was.
Merlin started and his eyes fluttered open, wide and scared. "Ar…Arthur?" He sat up, hissed, and sank back down, his eyes squeezed tight.
Arthur eyed him with some concern. "You alright?"
"Yeah… My head feels like… like… like Gwaine threw a party last night. But worse."
Relieved, Arthur actually managed a chuckle. If Merlin was making jokes, he couldn't be dying. "You were bleeding, from what I can tell. How bad is the wound?"
Merlin looked over at Arthur, realized he couldn't check for himself, and gingerly reached up to touch the wound. He hissed again. "It's not bleeding anymore. Hurts, but I'm not dizzy or anything and I don't feel sick… Surely that's a good sign?"
Arthur gave a noncommittal noise, his fear partly at rest.
Merlin continued, "It must have happened when Morgause… Oh gods—Morgause." He turned and looked at Arthur, eyes wide again, and saw the prince glaring at him.
"That's who we're up against, Merlin? Morgause? And you didn't see fit to tell me? Is Mor…" He choked a bit on the name. "Morgana with her?"
"Er, probably. Sorry, Arthur."
Arthur glared. "If I wasn't chained up in a strange castle, I would strangle you."
"You would never have let me go if I told you, Arthur!"
"No, maybe I wouldn't. I'd wait until we were home and have you flogged and then strangle you! What were you thinking?" Merlin winced, but Arthur didn't really care if he was alarmed. The prince was just getting started, his face beginning to redden, wishing he had his sword. Not to cause any real damage, but just for show. "What kind of rescue mission—"
A groan from the other side of the room cut him off, and Arthur and Merlin turned to look at the girl as she shifted. Arthur looked suspicious, and Merlin, overjoyed.
"Xyla!" he exclaimed.
"Who?"
"I'm sure it's her!" said Merlin, standing up and forgetting that he was in the middle of being scolded. He made his way over to the girl, kneeling in front of her and bending over to see if she looked like she was about to wake. "Xyla…?" he started tentatively…
And then she attacked, leaping forward with her arms grabbing onto Merlin.
Well, at first he thought that she had attacked the manservant, and Arthur surged forwards in his chains, wanting to help. Then he looked twice… And… What?
Attacking would have made more sense.
The girl had sat up, thrown her arms about Merlin's neck until he had fallen nearly on top of her, and then she'd kissed him.
As a matter of fact, she was still kissing him.
It had been a second or two, and she still had her lips pressed firmly against the servant's, and Merlin wasn't complaining.
And then, finally, she broke away. Grinning at Merlin, she said with a strange, almost babyish voice, "Surprised you, didn't I?"
Merlin laughed – yes, actually laughed, as though strange women kissed him everyday! – and nodded. "I see you were awake then."
She giggled, pushing Merlin off of her at last, to Arthur's profound relief. "Oh, Merlin, it's good to see you, but I wish you hadn't come…" Turning her head to the side, she caught a glimpse of Arthur, and her face fell. "Oh, and you brought the prince. Not what I hoped, though…" Her face had gone a bit white at seeing him, and she drew back from Merlin even more.
"Merlin, is this the person we came to save…?"
Arthur had been staring at her in confusion, but when her face went pale and still like that, it seemed familiar. And with Merlin leaning over her, and her leaning back, nearly lying on the ground…
Arthur suddenly recognized her.
Only he couldn't have. That didn't make sense.
Because the last time he'd seen her, she'd been dead.
A/N: Thanks to Dodo123, Naisa, and Laffy-Taffy the Grape for reviewing last chapter! Please drop me a review and tell me how I did!