Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
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Arthur found himself incredibly unnerved after his conversation with Aggie. They were the daughters of Emrys. The kingdom had flourished since their return. How could they bring about his fall? Like her sisters and her mother before her, she was much wiser than she seemed. Agatha was the second youngest, a mere girl of thirteen years. Yet she had as much wisdom as her older sisters. Arthur would be lying if he said that the girls had never frightened them with their beyond human inner nature. Her words rattled in his head like a haunting song. She stayed firm on her choice to leave; she was going to convince her sisters too. She kept speaking of a fate waiting them if they did not leave.
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Arthur no longer shared a room with Gwen; he hadn't for a long time. His bed was always empty and cold. It lacked the perfume of magic that was unique to Merlin or the earthy scent of Gwen. He still slept like the dead and late into the morning until he was shaken awake by his latest manservant. This morning he was being shaken awake more severely than usual. Arthur blinked awake, away from a dream with his Merlin, to the frantic face of his manservant. Arthur managed to sit up and muttered a question. After a few minutes the servant's words began to register. When they did, it made his heart sink and grow cold.
"The Queen is dead!" Arthur jumped out of bed and stood over the quivering little man.
"What?" He demanded.
"The Queen, she was found dead this morning in her bed!" Arthur shoved past him, rushing to his wife's chambers. Disputes or not, Gwen was still his wife and he cared about her. He ignored the cries of the servants trying to keep him from the ugly truth lying in the bedchamber. He stormed past them all, moving into the room where Gwen slept alone now. She was sprawled out on the bed, her face contorted slightly. She had suffered when she died. But it was clear she had not been disturbed physically. Coreen was standing at her bedside, holding her hand over the dead queen. She was searching for disturbances with magic. It was clear she had found something based on her expression, but was refusing to believe it.
"Your majesty…." She whispered.
"Did magic kill her?" He asked, his voice wavering. Coreen looked away, unable to move for a moment.
"Coreen." Arthur warned.
"Yes, it was nasty spell that did her in."Arthur tensed.
"Is there any way you can trace the magic?"
"That magic, it's beyond me." Arthur bit his lip.
"Finish examining the body then, come to the throne room. I'm holding court there and we'll see who did this. Do your best to trace." Arthur said dismissively.
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Arthur sat on his throne in all his regal glory. His hands were trying not to shake; his wife had just been murdered, just like his mother, with magic. His son Lohot stood with him while Uther was crying in his rooms. Freya stood by his side as well. Freya dressed like princess, stood regally as her brother and father if not more so. Hunith was also at her side. They all stood stiffly in light of the recent events. Queen Guinevere, the suspected murderer of Merlin Emrys was dead. Her own death caused by magic. Coreen came into the room, her head bowed and her frizzy red hair overshadowing her plain eyes and face. She stopped as she stood before Arthur on his throne. The throne next to him was absent, the throne for his queen. The court was filled with just about every inhabitant of the castle.
"Coreen, what are your findings?"
"The Queen was killed by a very harsh curse."
"What is the nature of this curse?"
"The curse is meant to inflict great pain, to torment the victim with their darkest and most painful moments. It is meant to cause them pain just short of driving them mad. Then it kills them." Arthur stiffened; Gwen had been so brutally killed.
"There is something else, your majesty."Coreen continued.
"Yes?"
"It was dark magic, but the spell originated among the druids." Coreen reported, her eyes flitting to Mordred, Saoirse, Raelyn and Agatha where they stood together. Guilt filled her plain features.
"What are you suggesting, Court Sorceress?" Freya snapped. Her body stiffened.
"I am suggesting that only those with knowledge of druid magic would know such a spell. It inflicts the mind and causes mental battle." Freya drew herself up even taller, carrying the regal blood of her father and mother.
"Is that your only evidence, Coreen?" Freya snipped. Coreen paused. Freya wasn't done.
"With all due respect, you once served my mother and with great loyalty as well if I recall correctly."
"That is true, My Lady."
"I'm sure, like many have heard the rumors of the Queen being responsible for the death of my mother."
"I have heard rumors."
"Is it true that you believe this greatly, because it was Queen Gwen who asked you when a witch can be killed with mortal means?" Freya asked, stepping down from her place at her father's side to stand at the level of Coreen.
"With all due respect, Lady Emrys, this is hardly the time." Coreen attempted.
"No, I want to hear what you have to say, continue."
"It is true."
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her…."
"Yes?"
"A witch is at her weakest during and immediately after childbirth." Coreen answered. The daughters winced. Arthur sighed heavily.
"Perhaps, when it became clear why the Queen had asked you that so many years ago, you felt responsible to avenge your Mistress."
"Your Majesties, this is not why I have said this. I did not kill her!" Coreen sobbed. Coreen fell to her knees and all but crawled ton the feet of Freya.
"Please, My Lady. I admit the Queen did ask such things of me, but I did not know of her intent until it was too late. I swear it, Lady Freya; I served and loved your mother dearly! Please, I swear, I did not kill the Queen. Even if my loyalty to Lady Emrys came first, I swear I would never harm the queen!" She wept into the hem of Freya's red dress. Freya knelt and pulled the witch to her feet.
"I believe you, I needed to be sure."
"Oh, My Lady."
"Bu I refuse to believe that my Master or my sisters were involved with this murder."
"My lady, you have greater power than I. Perform the trace, you can do it." Freya nodded. Coreen handed her the lock of hair containing the curse. Freya nodded and accepted the hair. A couple of apprentices brought Freya tools to perform the spell. Freya drew the necessary marking on the floor, pooling herbs and powders in certain spots. Then came the crystal. Arthur glanced up when Hunith nudged him.
"Though Freya specializes in healing, she out of us shares the same powers of mother. She might be the strongest of us, though we suspect similar things of Saoirse." Arthur nodded his gaze falling back on his eldest child. He watched as she ran her hands over the symbols and powders, whispering the sacred words under her breath. The crystal floated and Freya cupped in her hands, it hovered and span as she continued chanting, her eyes steadily gold. Freya stood, the trance of her state overcoming her senses. The crystal spun and spun. Finally it ceased and Freya followed its path. Arthur watched her walk across the throne room.
Straight to Mordred and the young daughters.
Freya started to falter but shook her head to remain focused. She walked forward biting her lip until the crystal pointed to Mordred who held Saoirse in his arms. Freya looked up at him, her gaze betraying her thoughts. Mordred did not turn away or look guilty. He returned her gaze steadily. Freya dropped the crystal where it crashed. Freya brought her hands to her mouth, shaking her head rapidly. She was muttering, Arthur couldn't hear her but he could see the desperation of her features. She backed away.
"No, no, please, tell me you didn't. Master please!" Mordred did not so much as flinch. He reached out and stroked her face.
"Master, please…." Mordred slowly let Saoirse down who was shaking her head rapidly too.
"Take care of my little cuckoo bird, won't you? My sweet dove, will you do this thing?" Freya snatched Saoirse against herself.
"Master." Arthur stood, he had enough.
"Arrest Druid Master Mordred." Mordred did not even resist as the guards came upon him. Arthur walked in front of him.
"Mordred…. You have your daughter to look after why would you do this?" Gwaine hissed next to him, who was clinging to Raelyn and Agatha. Mordred never broke eye contact with Arthur.
"That woman killed my Emrys. Do you know how Arthur?" Arthur did not dignify him with a response.
"She didn't even have the guts to do it herself. Once learning that a witch is weakest in childbirth, she threatened a midwife, no more than a mere girl to kill her. One small cut was it took. A well placed cut during childbirth would kill a woman. During childbirth a witch has no magic to spare, not enough to heal themselves if something went wrong. Because of this, Gwen conspired to kill my Emrys, in the jealous rage of woman."
"Master…."
"Father!" Saoirse screeched fighting against Freya.
"I don't regret it." He said casually as the men led him away.
X
"Please, Father, let him go!"
"You know very well I can't do that, Freya." Freya shook violently and fell to her knees, weeping.
"How could he do this to us?" She screamed.
"Freya, darling, Mordred is a troubled man. He knows not what he does. Mordred only saw revenge; revenge for the one he believed was his. He didn't care about how it would affect you and your sisters." Freya slapped him.
"Don't you dare tell me he doesn't care!" She screamed. Arthur stumbled backwards, holding up his hands.
"Freya!" He exclaimed.
"Don't say that! Mordred loved us; we were his children for intents and purposes! There was not a day that passed in which he didn't give us the best of everything! Mordred kissed our scrapes, tucked us in at night, told us stories of Mother, he gave us hugs and quieted our nightmares. Whether you like or not Father, he was and is our father, even if it was only association. He raised us for eight years, you've never raised us."
"Freya, please," Arthur reached out for her but she swat his hands away.
"No, I refuse to believe this is cut and dry. Mordred loves us; he would never leave us if he could help it! If anything, he would sooner blame someone else so he could keep us. He's selfish that way, but at least he acknowledges what he wants and moves to grasp it." Arthur opened and closed his mouth like a fish.
"Which is more than you do."
"Freya."
"Sorry, that's exactly what you do, except you hurt a lot more people in the process." Arthur snapped and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her.
"Don't say such a thing, you know nothing!"
"Why did you make me? Why did you make any of us, with her, with Mother? You made your choice, you married Gwen! Why did you sire us, knowing we could never call you Father, knowing we would be mocked and Mother along with us? I love you, Father, but you've hurt me more than anyone else. They're all right! I will never be given honor as your child, never loved by relatives or acknowledged by nobility!"
"Freya please!"
"Do you think I don't know how I came about? How we all came about! I do, because Hunith told me! I was conceived on a bedroll the eve before the battle, like something from a sappy romance story! Hunith was conceived on your throne, with my Mother being treated like some bedwarmer! Raelyn was conceived in the armory and Agatha in the middle of the woods. Saoirse was the only one of us conceived in a goddamn bed like legitimate children are! She isn't even your daughter, and her conception was the only one with any respect for my mother or her honor!"
"Freya, I, I uh…."
"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Freya screeched like a banshee and ran off, crying.
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Princess: Gwen is dead, the queen is dead! She was murdered by magic, just like Igraine! Holy crud, so much drama! Mordred has been accused, but did he do it, did he not? Was this his plan all along or did he have other thoughts in mind. We also get to see Freya's attachment to Mordred and her own resentments against her father. Hurrah.
Name: Saoirse Emrys
Age: 8
Hair: Black, Straight
Eyes: Blue
Father: Druid Master Mordred
Mother: Lady Merlin Emrys of Ealdor
Aliases: Youngest Daughter of Emrys
Other Skills: Necromancy
Personality: She's very dark and morbid for someone of her age. It's due to her nature as a necromancer and the melancholy from being born from death. She has no full blooded siblings, only half-sisters. She never knew her mother but sees her eldest sister as such. She is cold to everyone except her immediate family.
Reviews:
cheekysorcerer: I doubt that Arthur will ever let go, it's not his specialty. And thanks for the kind thoughts.