Anyone else ever notice that Morgana and Morgause have a deadly tendency to re-explain their plans to each other? It's like Uther, who insists on making plans 'privately' where anybody can overhear. *Rolls eyes*

I hope that everyone gets an alert for this; I think that ff net is messing up again.

Chapter Eleven

Arthur surfaced from a dream he was having rather suddenly, and his first instinct was to struggle against the hand he felt covering his mouth until he could get to his sword.

"Arthur, don't freak out! It's me!"

The words were whispered, but spoken with a voice that Arthur trusted, even half-asleep. He stilled immediately, his eyes opening as he finished waking.

His eyes met Merlin's, and Merlin drew back. "You awake, then?"

Arthur nodded but kept his mouth shut. His senses on high alert, he tried to look around for danger without turning his head, and, seeing none, he began to get mad. What was such a big deal that Merlin had to wake him up in the middle of the night?

Someone had better be dying, he thought with an inward sigh.

"What is it, Merlin?" He glanced around again, his eyes falling on two empty blankets. "Where's Morgana?"

Merlin's eyes followed Arthur's to the blanket, and he suddenly looked a whole lot less sure of himself. "Arthur, I want to show you something."

"Where's Morgana?"

Merlin relented. "Okay, I want to show you Morgana…"

"Is she hurt?"

"No… Arthur, just… Be quiet. Follow me. This is important."

It was on the tip of Arthur's tongue to remind Merlin who was the master here, but for some reason he didn't. Perhaps it was because Merlin was taking him to the missing Morgana. Perhaps it was the nervous look on Merlin's face. Perhaps it was the way Merlin slunk quietly into the trees—Uncanny! Where was that stealth when we were hunting?

Arthur stood up quickly and followed just as silently. Where are we going? he wondered. What is Merlin not telling me?

The woods were dark and silent, creepily so. Arthur didn't see any little animals, probably because of the people trekking through. He nearly walked into a tree once, not used to sneaking around in the dark. Strangely, Merlin seemed perfectly comfortable. It was strange.

Eventually Arthur just shrugged it off, and just at that moment he noticed something ahead of him. He crouched lower, noticing that Merlin, a little ahead of him, did the same. He tried to be even quieter, looking down every time he took a step and praying that Merlin didn't trip, as he was prone to do.

Is that Morgana? It is… but what is she doing? Who is she talking to?

Arthur froze and listened. Within seconds, he wished that he hadn't.

Morgana greeted her sister with a hug.

Morgause peered at her, as though worried. "Did Merlin make any trouble?"

Snorting, Morgana shook her head. "How could he? What could he say with Arthur there?"

"So they accepted your story?"

"Why shouldn't they? Do you have it?"

Morgause passed something cloth-covered to Morgana, who took it and studied it. "What is it, Morgause?"

"A poultice. It looks mundane now, but just speak the magic words I taught you over it, and it will begin to glow, and look very magical."

"And is it?"

"Yes, but the spell in it will only cause nightmares if put under someone's pillow. Of course, Arthur does not need to know that." Morgause's smile was so wide that it was almost hard for her to talk. "When you find 'proof' that his own manservant is dabbling in magic, he'll be furious. And you know what to say then?"

Morgana smirked. "Arthur will be putty in my hands. He'll kill Merlin."

Morgause took the brunette's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "And with no Merlin around to warn him, Arthur will never see the attack coming."

"You'll be queen within the week, Sister. Do you have a place to hide it until the morning?"

"Yes," said Morgana, tilting her chin up.

For a while, Merlin watched Arthur's face as they listened to the witches' conversation. At first he looked confused, but when Morgause mentioned Morgana using a spell, his expression changed to horror. It remained there until they heard Morgana said the sentence that let Arthur know without a doubt where she stood:

"Arthur will be putty in my hands. He'll kill Merlin."

Merlin had to look away, his face feeling hot. Prince Arthur very rarely looked vulnerable, but Merlin knew that he wouldn't have looked more hurt by an arrow to the chest than he did in that moment. Merlin felt as though he'd driven a knife into his friend, and suddenly wished he hadn't woken Arthur.

The prince would never forget what he just heard. Perhaps it would have been better if only Merlin knew, if only Merlin had to deal with Morgana's betrayal.

Merlin only listened to the rest with half his mind, trying not to look at Arthur. He felt angry with himself, though he tried to remember how he had felt earlier: that it was time for Arthur to know the truth about his half-sister. It was harder to be sure of that when he could practically feel Arthur's betrayed eyes glued onto the girl he would give up his throne for.

Is that how he'll look at me one day?

Merlin was only jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Morgause promise that Morgana would be queen soon. That meant they were wrapping things up; only a few minutes of conversation were left, and he and Arthur needed to get back to the camp before Morgana saw them gone.

"Come on, Arthur," he hissed nearly inaudibly as he latched onto the prince's arm and dragged him away, still moving as silently as possible. Arthur didn't struggle or complain, just followed his servant silently.

Until they got back to camp. Morgana was only minutes away, perhaps even coming back at that moment, but Arthur didn't hurry to bed. He jerked his arm back from Merlin, and the servant turned around to meet his eyes.

"She's enchanted," said Arthur, not bothering to lower his voice.

Merlin swallowed, knowing that if he agreed, it was just going to be harder on Arthur later. "No, Arthur," he said quietly. "She's not."

If before Arthur looked like Merlin had stabbed him, now he looked like Merlin was twisting the knife, torturing him. "She must be!" he growled, but didn't sound as convinced.

"She lived with Morgause for a year while she was gone," pointed out Merlin, making excuses.

Arthur stared at the blankets for a second. "You think, in that time…?"

"Yes, I do. Arthur, we have to look like we're sleeping before she gets back—"

The prince had thought of something else. "You knew?" He glanced back up. Merlin looked away. "Since when?"

Merlin shrugged. "You see why I couldn't just tell you, Arthur? You never would've believed me."

He looked back and saw the struggle Arthur was going through. He still didn't want to believe it. He was trying desperately to be the competent prince that could handle any sort of shock, but the part of him that was just Arthur wanted to curl up and cry, to yell, to deny it.

He didn't have much time. He had to think straight. He didn't think he could. "You knew, but you didn't tell me."

Merlin winced as though he had hollered, instead of speaking calmly.

"Morgau—That woman said she could use magic and called her sister."

"Yes."

"Morgana wants to kill you?"

"Because I know about her, I think."

"And if she… killed me, she would be… be queen… of Camelot?" Arthur was feeling very light headed.

"She… Morgana…" Merlin couldn't say it. He couldn't do that to Arthur, too. Not after how much he'd hurt his friend already tonight. Merlin felt hot wetness pressing up through his eyelids.

"Tell me." Arthur looked up, and those anguished blue eyes must've had their own kind of power, because Merlin said it before he realized.

"She's your father's daughter."

Arthur collapsed. He didn't make a sound, didn't cry or do anything else he wanted to. His legs just gave out underneath him, and he was sitting on the floor, his face hidden behind hands that clutched his hair.

Then Merlin looked up and whispered, "Arthur, she's coming."

Merlin had always known Arthur was strong, but he found new respect for the man in the next seconds. By the time Morgana got back to the camp, Arthur was lying on the ground where he'd been sleeping, looking for all the world as though in deep slumber. Merlin, curled up in his own blanket, noticed that he didn't as much as twitch when she swept into the camp, looking around with contempt.

The prince was still as she got into the blanket assigned to her, though he must have wanted to leap up and demand answers, shake her until she turned back into the kind-hearted woman she had once been. He didn't do a thing as she went back to sleep, content in her treachery, leaving two heavy-hearted men awake.

As Morgana's eyes closed, she smiled. This will be easy.

But it was anything but easy for the rest of her companions. Merlin turned "in his sleep," determined that Morgana would not see the tear on his face. Arthur pressed his own face into the ground, struggling madly to keep his breathing sounding normal and untroubled.

There was silence.