Look at that, another chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to finish this before I start school again because once I start revising for GCSEs I won't be able to update as much and it'll probably end up being another year until I update again... sorry in advance for that...

Looks like it's gonna be another 3 part event. enjoy :)

Chapter 13

'What will we do with it?' Morgana asked.

Merlin thought for a moment. 'The best thing to do is to hide it. If Uther learns of its existence he will only use it as further proof of Tom's guilt... There is little hope isn't there?'

'There is no hope, Merlin,' Morgana sighed before rushing off to hide it.

In a desperate attempt to save Gwen's father, she stole the prison key from Arthur's chambers and slipped the key to him telling him the Gwen wished only to see him free. That night he escaped the prison cell but got no father. The guards killed him on sight. The next morning Morgana watched through her window as Gwen ran to her dead father with tears streaming down her face. In her anger, a mirror shattered which pulled her out of her blind rage and allowed her thoughts to take a more focused route – anger at the man who had ordered this to happen, Uther Pendragon.

'Morgana,' Merlin called as he saw her storming through the halls toward Uther's study. 'What are you doing?'

'Get out of my way, Merlin; I have to talk to the king.'

Merlin's blood ran cold at the way she snarled Uther's title. It wasn't the girl he knew and loved, this was something else, something dark. 'Morgana,' he repeated, grabbing her arm and making her stop. 'Morgana,' he said again as she tried to get away from him. 'You need to calm down, Morgana before someone gets hurt.'

'I want someone to get hurt, Merlin, don't you see? Uther is the monster and he needs to be stopped. I can stop him,' she snarled.

'Morgana, you're upset. Just breathe. You'll feel differently when you've calmed down. Don't do anything you'll regret later.'

'I won't regret this later, Merlin! Now let me go,' she replied.

'Morgana please,' Merlin begged.

She finally stopped struggling and took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry, Merlin,' she sighed. 'Uther just makes me so angry.'

'I know. And I'm sure Arthur will have a few choice words for him too. Just don't put yourself in danger. Can you promise me that?'

Morgana nodded. 'I promise.'

Once Merlin released his grip on her arm she turned to continue in the direction of the king's study. 'Where are you going?' Merlin asked.

'I'm going to talk to Uther.'

'Morgana you promised,' Merlin sighed.

'I'm just going to talk to him, Merlin. Don't worry yourself.'

Merlin watched as she stormed toward the study. He thought briefly about listening in but decided against it, not wanting to look suspicious. The next thing her heard of Morgana was that the king had thrown her in the dungeon and no one would tell him anything more than the fact she had gone against Uther.

'Father is getting out of hand,' Arthur admitted that night as Merlin prepared his bed. 'First it's Gwen's father and now this. I don't know what to think.'

Merlin wanted to agree with Arthur and tell him what a truly awful person the king was. But he couldn't. He knew there was nothing anyone could do without causing more trouble than it was worth. 'The king has always done what he believes to be right,' Merlin sighed. 'What he did to Gwen's father was unforgivable but he was only trying to protect the kingdom...'

Arthur sighed in frustration. 'Fine, I can accept that. But locking Morgana up in the dungeon isn't protecting anyone from her; she poses no threat!'

Merlin allowed himself to relax. If Arthur though Morgana posed no threat, that meant that what people had been saying was true and Uther had imprisoned his ward in because she has spoken out of term to him and not because she had been caught using magic. 'Is there no way you can get her out?' Merlin asked.

'I'll speak to my father; try to talk some sense into him.'

'Good.'

-0-

'Uther will never learn, will he?' Morgana fumed as Gaius treated her wounds the shackles had caused her from her night's stay in the dungeon.

'The king is set in his ways,' Gaius allowed. 'You shouldn't hate him for his actions, he always does what he believes to be right.'

'In light of recent events though,' Merlin wondered aloud. 'Would anyone really mind if he were to die?'

'Whatever would make you say that, Merlin?' Gaius asked.

Merlin shrugged. 'Look what he's done to Morgana over some petty disagreement.' Merlin's own anger was beginning to match Morgana's which in turn allowed Morgana to calm herself.

'Merlin,' she sighed, touched that Merlin felt so strongly about this. 'Gaius is right...' as she said these words however, she realized how wrong they felt to say. 'You shouldn't be angry at him,' she continued anyway.

'If you're sure,' Merlin said reluctantly.

'Uther has been kind to me over the years,' Morgana said, trying to convince herself that Uther wasn't the evil one and yet none of the words she spoke to Merlin and Gaius seemed right.

Later that night Gwen burst into tears as she made up her bed. She explained to Morgana that Tauren would kill her if she didn't take a stone to him in the dark forest. Morgana, enraged at her servant's suffering, assured her that it wouldn't be her that Tauren met in the forest; it would the guard of Camelot. She didn't tell Gwen that it was she that planned to meet him with the stone; she wanted to work with them and kill Uther.

Once Gwen had left, Morgana retrieved the stone from its hiding spot and snuck away from the castle to meet Tauren. As soon as she touched the stone, however, its power was invoked and Merlin sensed it. Curious, Merlin set out to follow the sense again in order to find out who had the stone, failing to believe that Morgana would do anything with it.

Much to his horror, when he reached the source of the power it was once again Morgana that he saw. This time he thought it best not to say anything and keep his presence unknown. Still he followed after her and into the dark forest. He watched as Morgana plotted with Tauren to kill Uther.

He knew Morgana and how if she set her mind to achieving something she would stop at nothing to achieve it. Now she had set out to kill the king and Merlin didn't know what the right thing to do was. Morgana was not a force to be reckoned with and now she was allied with a renegade of powerful sorcerers. Would it really be so bad if Uther died?

What do you think? should Uther die? tell me in a review!

sjritts: Gwen's father's death was a tragic but necessary thing I'm afraid. It was a fixed point, couldn't be changed.

yesthenLucky9: You're right, what do you think? should he die?

ProcrastinationIsMyCrime: Teamwork is often a good thing. It makes me angry that Gaius never let Merlin tell Morgana about her powers or help her in the TV show. I know Morgana being evil is kind of part of the whole legend thing but it all could have been avoided if Merlin had been there to guide her!