As always, thank you very much for the reviews. It really means a lot to me to get feedback. In response I'm glad you liked the outfits. I had a lot of fun looking for them. For this chapter if you would like to then the you can see the dress Morgana is wearing. It will be the third in the list under red gold dress. The falling slowly will be explained in the nest four chapters or so, I haven't forgotten about it. Also yes, of course Morgana is going to try and push her magic. This will be the slightly evil thing she dose for now, the way she goes about it. That though will not happen for two more chapter. Hope you like this chapter.
The cold winner had broken into the start of a cool spring. The air was crisp and fresh. It was always such a surprise how quickly the people of Camelot were able to adapt to the changes that came their way. They coped with Morgana's leaving and her return with the same quite determination it get on with their day to day life's. Morgana was watching them now from the window of her chambers, where she spent almost all of the time. She had been back for almost a month. She was aloud to leave her chambers for dinner with Uther, Arthur and sometimes Gwen in the main hall, That was about it. So that she could keep a eye on her, a door had been made to join Gwen's chambers with Morgana's. The door locked, but only on Gwen's side. Gwaine was also, except for three hours out of the day when he could leave to eat his meals, was always outside her main door.
Growing bored of watching the comings and goings of the people below her, Morgana moved away from the window to sit in the chair at her dressing table. There was a candle on the dressing table, which she set her eyes on. This apart from her dreams had been the first piece of magic she had done, so it seemed like a good place to start. She knew what Gaius had told her, that her magic would only work if she used a large amount of it. She had tested this the day after he told her. She was looking out from her window and saw the stake in the court yard. She focused on it, and it burst into flames. In burst down in only a few seconds, the fire was so intense. Uther didn't know it was her, Arthur suspected, but didn't say anything. He could understand why she would want to get rid of the constant reminder that she was a prisoner here. The day after that, Uther had a new one built. She didn't see the point in burning that one down. It would just become a circle of burning and rebuilding. So the new stake still remained in the centre of the court yard.
The candle in-front of her didn't light, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't try very hard out of fear she could case her chambers to catch fire. There would be no way she could avoid suspicion if that happened. After a few minutes her frustration grew, and she leaned back in her chair, swiping at the candle with her arm as she did. The bronze candle holder crashed on the stone floor. Causing a echo, the only sound in the room to bounce off the walls. The echo was so loud she didn't hear the door being opened and someone entering her chambers.
"Another temper tantrum, princess." She didn't have to turn around to know that it was Gwaine talking. He had brought her a tray with her lunch on it. He moved further into the room to place the tray at the larger table by the fireplace in the far corner. She still didn't move to look or even glance at him. "Aren't you going to eat any lunch either. You'll hurt the cooks feeling if you keep this up."
"You eat it them." This was some of only a few words she had said to him since the feast to welcome her back to Camelot.
"And miss my chance to get away from here for an hour, I don't think so."
"At least you can get away. I'm stuck in here all all day, everyday. I might as well be back in the dungeon."
Gwaine carefully moved towards her. She had still not turned to look at him. "Am I meant to feel sorry for you."
Morgana finally moved. There was only so much company she could stand from anyone these days, and Gwaine was about to cross her limit. "I don't care what you feel. If you hate me or not. All I care about it getting through this."
He crossed his arms across his chest, and leaned back against the table. "Good, that's the only way your going to get through this. How does it feel."
She was finding him more irritating than she had the first time they spoke. pulling herself to her full height, still a good few inches shorted than him, and let out some of her pent-up frustrations. "How do I feel, I feel like a prisoner. Like a monster. I can't breath in this dress he had made for me. My hair is pulled back to tight, I can't think straight. My wrist with this stupid bracelet, is digging in and cutting my wrist, it is so itchy, but I can't take it off. I feel like I want to scream, and bring the whole castle down with me, with everyone in it. That wouldn't do any good, so I have to hold it all in. that is how I feel."
A crocked smile spread across the knights face, as she pushed himself off the table and took a few steps toward her. Closing almost all of the distance between them. "Well then, we need to get out of here. Get some air. So yo better let your hair down, and we can go."
"What."
"You better loosen your dress as-well." Anger flashed across her eyes and face. He was just able to catch her hand, before she slapped him across the face. "It will help you breath. You just said you couldn't breath in it." The anger almost completely left her face. She still looked very confused. "We better get moving if you want to sneak out. I can get two hours away now. Go through Gwen's chambers and I'll distract Lancelot while you make your way to the stables." He pulled out a bundle of keys from his pocket. It was only now that she really noticed he was not dressed as the other knight wear in armour. "Use this key." he held one up for her, then turned to leave.
She stood frozen to the spot. Was this all a trick, would he set her up to be caught trying to leave the castle. No, she was sure he wouldn't do that. She still found him hard to read, but she knew that he wouldn't do that. She was pulled from her thought by his voice calling loudly to his fellow knight. "Hello Lancelot." This was for her benefit. Without thinking any more, she turned to towards the other door in her chambers. As she did she pulled at the hair pin that held her hair up, throwing it onto the vanity table as she slipped from her chambers into Gwen's.
"Gwaine." Lancelot was not a big talker. Something Gwaine had grown to like about him.
He moved towards his friend as he drew closer to him. Gwaine placed his hands on his shoulders, and turned him round, so he couldn't see the door to Gwen's chambers. "Mate. I need to ask you a favour." A familiar look came across Lancelot's face. It was the look he got when he asked someone for something, they wanted to say no, but knew they would say yes. "I need a break, to get out of here. Can you watch the princess for a little longer, so I can..."
"Go to the inn." Lancelot did now him to well under normal circumstances that would be where he would go.
He saw the door slowly opening and Morgana slipping her head out, while he had been asking Lancelot to do him this favour. It seemed to her that everything he refereed to her he always did it by calling her princess, and doing it in that tone that sounded like an insult. She as quietly as she could slipped out of the door, closing it behind her and then made her way along the corridor and done the satires.
"No, of course not. I just want to go for a ride, get some air. What do you say."
Lancelot like Gwaine knew he would nodded his head. "Fine."
a huge grin came across Gwaine's face, as he patted Lancelot on the shoulders. "Thank you." He then turned and almost ran after Morgana. A sense of excitement came over him, for the first time in a long time. He had always thought that being a knight would be a little more exciting than he found it to be. He did feel a little sympathy for her being locked up like she was, but it was mainly just a chance for him to have a little fun.
When he reached the stables. Morgana was saddling her old white horse. He had never seen many women, especially not noble women saddling their own horse. He also noticed that her long hair was now lose. This brought a grin to his face. "Sorry to bother you, but I don't think it would be a good idea to take you horse. It would be to obvious if anyone saw it was gone. We'll just have to take mine."
Morgana patter her horses head as she moved towards Gwaine he moved towards his horse. "Are you saying, that we have to ride the same horse."
Gwaine was now in the saddle looking down at Morgana. Who now stood just below him, arms crossed. "Afraid so, princess."
"Stop calling me that."
He let out a soft laugh. "It is what you are isn't it." He lowered his head a little closer to her. "Or would you prefer, Queen."
She took a step back. As she lifted her head back up to look at him, she had a slight smirk. "Witch. If you have to call me any name, it should be witch. You could also call me by my real name, Morgana."
He held out his hand for her, to help her onto the horse. "Not the lady Morgana."
Once she was on the saddle, she wrapped her arms around his waist. She also tilted her head to whisper in his ear. "Just Morgana. Sir Gwaine."
"That's just Gwaine." With that he give his horse a light kick and he was off. Morgana held onto him a little tighter, covering her head in the back of his jacket,so no one could see her. The stable was close to a side door that lead out of the castle. Once through it they were free. From their titles, past actions, they were really just Morgana and Gwaine. Like they wanted.
The further away from the Camelot they got the fasted the horse went. Morgana loosened her hold on Gwaine, leaned her head back. The air speed through her hair as it trailed behind her. She didn't care where he was taking her. She was just so happy to be out of her chambers, out of the castle and out of Camelot. She closed her eyes, letting the wind blow over her. It had been so long since she had ever felt this free. Gwaine felt the same way. He did enjoy his life in Camelot, his new friends. He also missed his freedom, being able to go anywhere he wanted any time he wanted. Merlin was right he couldn't live like that forever, that's why he stayed, but he did miss it sometimes.
He didn't really know where he was taking them. As far away as they could get from Camelot, and still he back before any one got suspicious was all he knew. The road they were travelling down started to become familiar, they where heading to the lake. That seemed like as good a place as any. The sky was clear, so the water looked very blue. The trees around it were string to turn green, making the whole scene look very bright almost unnatural.
He brought the horse to a stop by a large tree. Before he had a chance to dismount, and offer her a helping hand, Morgana had jumped down from the horse and was walking towards the lake. She bent down, and ran her hand over the water. He tied the horse to the tree and walked over to her. "What is it like...having magic."
Morgana pulled her eyes form the clear water to look up at him. No one had ever asked her that question. It was one she expected to be asked, had a answer already for it, but no one had ever asked her. She had forgotten her answer. "What's it like to don't have magic." Gwaine looked a little confused. "How hard it is for you to answer that question, is how hard it is for me to answer yours. I don't know what's its like. It just is, its who I am. A part of me. Magic isn't evil, its not. It just is, it is up to the person to choose how they use it."
Gwaine had lowered himself to sit by her while she spoke. "How did you choose to use it."
"I made the only choose I could. It was the only way I could see, if I could have seen another way then..."
"You would have done something different."
"It would be good if I could say that, but I can't."
Now leaning back on his arms, Gwaine let out a laugh. "At least your honest. A honest noble, that's rare."
Morgana let herself fall back so she was sitting down properly. Her feet rested just at the edge of the water. "You always sound so bitter. Why is that."
"Not always, just with nobles. Your one to talk, you are the most bitter person I know."
"If you knew me, that wouldn't surprise you."
The smile that he used when he was trying to be his most charming crossed his face. "I know you. I have heard about you. What you have done, the good and the bad. So it doesn't surprise me that you are bitter."
"So why are you. Why do you hate nobles."
He turned to face her. "You already know. Arthur told you the night of the feast. Don't do that." A odd kind of smile came to her face as she turned away from him and looked back at the lake. She picked you a stone near her hand, and through it out into the water. "What can you do."
"You mean with my magic."She never turned to look at him.
"Yeah with your magic."
"I can see the future."
"Really."
"In my dreams yes. I cant control it though."
Gwaine found himself being drawn into this. He was interested in knowing more about magic, her magic, her. "What else."
"A lot of things. I'm apparently very good at healing. If I had my magic, I told freeze this lake or move the water out of it now."
"Must be hard to lose that kind of power."
She didn't answer. It was like he was trying to catch her out, but it didn't feel like he was. "In a way. Its the freedom of making my own chooses that I miss."
While they had been talking she had been throwing more stones into the lake. One of the them had skipped once they sunk. Gwaine had been watching this. "Ok that is getting pathetic. Let me show you how to do it." He got to his feet, picking up a stone as he did. He lifted his arm back, then let it go. The stone didn't skip, it sank.
"Was that what I was meant to see. That stone sinking." For the first time she laughed.
He had never heard he laugh. He wasn't even sure if she could laugh. Turned out she could, and it was a nice laugh. "That was just practice." He bent down and picked up another stone. This time he got it to skip twice. He then looked down at Morgana, then held out his hand. "Your turn." She chewed her lip, like she was making a decision. She then looked up at him, and placed her hand in his.
He pulled her up with a lot of force casing her to lose her footing. She almost fell into him. Once they were standing steady, he bent down and picked up three stones. He handed her one. She moved to copy the way he was standing. The stone skipped once then feel.
"Like this." He showed her again. This was his best throw let, it skipped three times. He gave Morgana the last stone. When she moved back into her stance, he moved behind her, placing his hand over hers. He pulled her arm back and then forward. She released the stone, and skipped the water four times. The record of the day. "See, its not hard."
Morgana slipped out of his hold. "Why are you doing this."
"You mean taking you here." She nodded. "I felt sorry for you. I also wanted to get out of there too." He moved back to his horse. "We should head back. I'm starving and you haven't eaten today, we can stop at an inn."
Words of protest were on her lips, but she never said any of them. Gwaine was already of the horse moving towards her, with a hand held out. This time she took his hand and was pulled onto the horse. There was a village near by that he headed towards. The rhythm of the horse galloping, along with her lake of sleep sent Morgana into a deep sleep. Her arms where around Gwaine's waist, so when he felt then loosen he placed his hand overs hers to make sure she didn't fall off.
She saw the inn before they got there, in her dream. She saw Gwaine sitting at a table. A guy came over to talk to her. He got aggressive, so Gwaine got into a fight with him. The guy he fought lunged at him with his sword. Her eyes shout open, as she woke just before Gwaine feel to the ground after being hurt in her dream.
"We've here." She became aware of his hand over hers. She then noticed the inn in-front of them.
"We can't go in there. You are going to get into a fight..."
"Probably." Gwaine now slid off the horse.
"I'm serious. I told you I dream of the future. I saw you getting stabbed."
"Not going to happen. Now are you coming in to get something to eat or not." He held his hand out for her. "You have to be hungry, so come on." She still refused to move. "I have you to watch my back, I'm not worried. I am hungry though. Now come on." After letting out a deep sign, she took his hand and was helped down from the horses. As they walked towards the inn, she felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding.
"If anything happens, it is all your fault."
"The last words I hear can he you saying I told you so, just come on" He warped his arm around her shoulder, leading her into the inn.
Once in, she choose a table in the corner, but a group of men took it before they could reach it. The only table that was free was the one she saw them at in her dream. She walked towards it like she was headed to the stake. She couldn't understand why she felt so worried about this, she was in no danger from what she had seen. When they sat down, they where in the same places she had seen, so she made him switch a few minutes later the waitress came to take there order. She came up behind Morgana, very quietly, making her jump. Gwaine ordered for her. Something that would normally annoy her, but she didn't seem to notice now.
Gwaine was about to say something, ask her a question, when the guy she had been scanning the room for came up to them. "Am I interrupting something."
"Yes you are." Gwaine looked like he was about to stand up.
Morgana spoke before he had the chance to do anything. "It's fine, you should just go." Her old cold tone started to seep in.
Gwaine realised before she did that she had made a big mistake. She had let him think he had a chance. The guy grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her to her feet. "Why don't we go into the back to talk." She tried to free her hand, but couldn't get it lose. So she did all she could, she kicked him in his most delicate area. He let go of her arm. When he recovered a little he reached for his sword. She had embarrassed him she had to pay. Before he could get his sword out, Gwaine had grabbed hold of him by the collar and thrown him onto the table. He moved or to Morgana, but the guy was on his feet before he reached her. His sword out now. He lunge for Gwaine, but didn't make it. A chair came crashing down onto his head.
Once the guy fell to the ground, he stopped blocking her from his sight, and Gwaine saw Morgana standing behind him, with a broken chair in her hands. She had a look on her face that wasn't what he had expected. She looked happy, the happiest he had seen her. He reached across the fallen thug, took her hand and pulled her out of the inn. They ran to the horse and speed away.
As they did, she again leaned into his ear. "You where trying to help me." It took him a while for him to understand what she was saying. She meant in her dream, he had been trying to help her in her dream.
They made it back to Camelot just in time, any longer and Lancelot would have gone looking for Gwaine. They made it onto the corridor of her chambers, just as he stood up from his seat outside her door. Gwaine pulled her into an alcove so they weren't seen. He noticed her about to start laughing, so he warped his arm around her head, hand over her mouth. When she stopped getting close to laughing he removed his hand. Their heads were very close now. She looked up at him, seeing his dark eyes for the first time. His head moved closer to hers, and hers so him. There lips touched for the briefest second, before Gwen's voice was heard talking to Lancelot down the corridor. They pulled their heads back quickly. Gwaine gave her a smile. As he slipped out of the corridor, he took her hand. When he let it go she found a green hellebore flower in her hand. A crocked smile spread across her face. The flower suited her much better then the red roses Merlin had given her when she came back. She had no idea where or when he could have gotten it.
As he distracted Gwen and Lancelot, Morgana crept into Gwen's chambers and back into hers. The tray of food and the fallen candle holder were where they had been left. She walked over to the dressing table, and placed the flower through the carvings around the mirror. She caught sight of her face in the mirror, she was smiling with colour in her checks. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy.
She feel asleep fairly easily that night. After she had slept for a few hours, a voice came screaming into her head. It was Mordred. He was asking here to come, Morgause was leaving going somewhere. She had to stop her. When he screamed her name again, she shout up, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't talk back to him with the bracelet on. A tear slid down her face. She had forgotten about them, her sister, Mordred and the druids. They had saved her, accepted her for who she was. She had done nothing to reply them. She had to go and see her sister and Mordred, no matter what she had to do.
Again thank you for reading, hope you liked it. This is the longest chapter I have written, I don't think the others will be this long, not for a while anyway. I just thought all of this stuff should be in one chapter. Morgana is my favourite character, but I have to make sure that I don't write her as a Mary sue, that's why she is a childish and selfish at the start of the chapter. Please review let me know what you think.
