Thanks for reviewing everyone. This chapter is probably the most emotional. It consists of anger, rage, sadness, shock but has a few funny parts (when Gwaine is around even the most serious things can be funny). I am going to put all the one on one confrontations in the next chapter as if I didn't this chapter would be a bit long
DawnRuthless- Merlin and Arthur confrontation in the next chapter with Gwaine interrupting. Don't worry King Gremian will get a taste of his own medicine and more importantly it will be Morgana who does it. Your username reminds me of baby Dawn who seems to have vanished. Baby Dawn will be along soon.
TJTMaria- Hahaha Mordred has always been super cool and Morgana not so much. Morgana has a great trial though and acts interesting that even Gwaine takes a mental note.
gorgeousangel- I will make Gwen and Morgana have another showdown but not quite yet. In the next chapter there is going to be an emotional one on one scene between Gwen and Morgana. Hope that's alright.
Mike3207- Emotional scene for Merlin between himself and Morgana in the next chapter.
Autumn Moon Fae- Enjoy the Gwaine banter in this chapter.
So now it is "trial time!" (as Starzinmieyez said).
"You want to know what I'm doing here, my love? Well I'm guarding you but I haven't figured out why I'm guarding you yet," Gwaine mocked. "It's either because you're dangerous or need protecting."
"From what?" Morgana murmured sleepily from under a thick fur blanket. She was still trying to grasp what was going on as the sedative hadn't fully worn off. Sluggishly taking in what was happening at the present moment, Morgana still had not realised that it was Gwaine who was standing outside her cell.
"I don't know but if you haven't noticed the world is not full love and roses. Oh wait... maybe it is. Your a rose and I am in love with you," Gwaine dreamily rejoiced.
"WHAT!" yelled Morgana jolting up into a sitting position. Chains, bars and Gwaine could only lead to one thing- imprisonment in Camelot.
"I reckon I am protecting you from mad men."
"Well you're not doing a very good job of it. You're a mad man," hissed Morgana drowsily. Morgana decided not to try and escape by using her magic until she had enough strength to. "Go away and then you will be doing a much better job."
"You know, I've been thinking about you lately. How rebellious and imperfect you are," Gwaine truthfully said.
Finally, Morgana thought. Torture is over. I can die without this little voice constantly buzzing in my ear.
"But to love is to view an imperfect person perfectly," Gwaine said from the depths of his heart.
Or maybe not, Morgana thought. I don't want him annoying me for the rest of his life.
Morgana felt herself steadily falling back until she was lying on the ground again. She found it unusually comfortable but perhaps this was because of her state of drowsiness. The black, thick, fur blanket protected her from the bone chilling winter winds that swirled around the dungeons.
Gwaine wasn't ready to give up on Morgana though. He had been stuck in the dungeons virtually all day and after riding furiously after Arthur yesterday was exhausted. In fact he was past exhausted. Gwaine was completely hyper. So hyper that he had cracked up at nothing. Hating the idea of Morgana being burnt at the stake, Gwaine sought to try and make her laugh. Hopefully then she would change sides. How very wrong he was.
"Well I'll tell you a bedtime story," Gwaine chortled. Though Morgana had her eyes shut, she still listened to Gwaine. Maybe the witch was hoping that Gwaine would let slip some useful information or just was seeking words of comfort. "Once upon a time there was a handsome knight called Gwaine." Gwaine swished his hair vainly and acted completely narcissistically. "He fell in love with a princess called Morgana and they got married and they all lived happily ever after." Morgana's eyes shot open at this and she drowsily stumbled to a feet. She moved like a drunken woman though alcohol had not even touched her lips in three years.
Wondering how strong a sedative Arthur had injected in her, Morgana used her last ounce to groan, "I've got a better ending. Morgana told Gwaine that she didn't love him so Gwaine jumped of a cliff. Nobody lived happily ever after, not even Morgana, because that is reality."
"Get some imagination," Gwaine chortled as Morgana's legs gave way. "You don't need any to see that I am a handsome knight and I don't need any to see your a pretty witch dressed in black who moves like a drunken idiot." It was too late Morgana had already fallen asleep. Gwaine slammed the bars of the cell in fury and went to sit down on the stool waiting very impatiently until his shift was over.
Arthur paced his chambers tensely. His own half sister. He was going to condemn her to death.
Fear fills him but it must consume her even more. It would take courage but he felt like he had none. True there wasn't another option but the guilt still squirms inside him. He needs a hand to hold. He can find one but the show of strength is necessary. He feels exhausted. He feels angry. But above all he feels grief stricken. She isn't even dead yet.
A brother's love for his sister is something that shall remain in him forever however much she wants him to be deceased. They are enemies. The love still runs through him. Not through her. Some may say: his loss, her gain. It is the opposite. He still has friends. She has none. She looks for a hand to hold. She shall find none except from her other hand.
In the end. The end of the end. He will have mourners. Have company when he dies. She shall die alone. People will rejoice at her death and very few people will mourn. To be touched by any love is a blessing. She ignores it. He accepts it. To accept it and love back is the best thing you can do. Ignore it. You are alone. Forever.
Memories flood through Arthur of himself and Morgana but he tries to stop them. They haunt him by reminding him of the happy and not so happy times they had shared.
Getting lost in the woods on her birthday. He remembered both him and Morgana arguing over whose fault it had been; her soaking him in a crystal clear pool of water and her also stealing his horse and sword because she thought that she was better at fighting than him.
Her besting him in sword fights numerous times and him getting so humiliated that he would not talk to her for a couple of weeks.
Her devastation from the nightmares she had, had of him dying.
He had failed to guide and protect her so now he was going to pay. Arthur had tried to protect her but she had always resisted him and did what she wanted. His guidance had been almost worthless through her eyes but to be honest she hadn't really needed. On the other hand Morgana's guidance had been completely essential to him. Without it he could not hope to be the King he was. Her protection, he hadn't really needed but it taught him to protect others even to the extent of laying his life on the line for them.
When Morgana woke up the next morning. Gwaine was not there and she began to feel fearful but managed to hide it with great skill. She wanted to know what was going to happen to her and hoped Gwaine was going to be back soon. Or maybe not. It took her a while to figure out how cold she was which was probably the main reasons for her waking up so she snatched the fur blanket and wrapped it round her. Hearing extremely flat singing about broken hearts, Morgana stood up, the blanket still drooping over her shoulders like a cape.
"Witchie! I have a new nickname for you. Ganganz. Pretty cool isn't it?" Gwaine laughed.
"My name is Morgana, Gwaine," Morgana hissed.
"Morgana Gwaine. Your last name is the same name as my first," Gwaine said with a stupid dumbfounded look on his face. Morgana carefully began to think of words to manipulate Gwaine into telling her what was happening to her without asking him directly.
"When I die I am going to have no surname," Morgana snarled. Gwaine suddenly acted completely serious but his ghostly laugh still echoed round the dungeon.
"I have just spoken to Ar- the King," Gwaine said just narrowly managing to avoid Arthur's name. He didn't wish to hurt Morgana's feelings when he teased her but just wanted to make her laugh or even smile. He still hadn't succeeded. He probably never would. No he would succeed. He needed to get more optimistic. "The King told me to tell you to prepare for your trial for this afternoon."
"Consider it done," laughed Morgana coldly. "There is no point. The day I do not get sentenced to death, you might actually shut up," Morgana now needed to get rid off Gwaine so she could try and escape with her magic. She needed to get him to go away quickly. If this ment acting insane and deluded. So what? It might just save her life. "Did you know that a ninety-nine out of a hundred people who hear you terrible voice every day suffer from hearing it?"
"That's good. At least one in a hundred people enjoy hearing my voice. I bet you are one of them," Gwaine chuckled. "I don't understand why my mum and dad taught me to talk and walk because they're spending the rest of their lives telling me to sit down and shut up."
"That was their gravest mistake of their lives," agreed Morgana. Come on Gwaine hurry up and go away.
"Oh I quite agree, ganganz. Telling me to sit down and shut up is defiantly the gravest mistake anyone can mistake," Gwaine said. "I wrote a song about you, my dear:
When I met you,
All my dreams came true,
Cau-"
"My dreams all come true because I am a seer but none of them revolved round you. You are not a seer, therefore your dreams can't come true," Morgana irritatedly triumphed at making Gwaine look like a fool. To be honest Gwaine didn't really need any help to look like a fool because it just came to him naturally. Morgana was getting rather impatient now and just wanted Gwaine to get out of the dungeons. "Five seconds and you better go away or else I will kill your friends," Morgana rashly threatened softly.
"One, two, three, four, five," counted Gwaine staying stationery. "I'm not going anywhere. How are you planning to kill my friends when you are stuck in there? I like the optimistic attitude but it's not really you. Face it, witchie, you live in the past and are very pessimistic but I still love you."
"Quiet," ordered Morgana. It was almost like magic but Gwaine stopped speaking for two whole seconds. Perhaps he wanted to please Morgana but he was probably more likely to have stopped speaking because he was suffering from shock. He hadn't seen that side to Morgana before. Well, he had seen her ordering people around when she had been Queen for the second time but not firmly like she just had done.
"If being in love with a witch is a crime, then I am going to put my life on the line just to be in love with you," Gwaine charmingly announced. Nor Gwaine or Morgana had noticed a guard creep in from behind.
"BE QUIET!" yelled Morgana."
"Sir Gwaine," the guard pompously said. "I do not think you should be talking to it."
"Pay her some respect," snarled Gwaine thinking that the guard had ruined his plan of getting her to change sides. "Morgana is a human. Whether nice or nasty she has feelings. It is not your place to tell a knight what to do. When guards 'guard' the prisoners they always seem to escape because you are so quiet and seem to always count sheep. It is what the guards do all day isn't it because they never ever seem to do their jobs so they just count sheep and try and get to sleep.
The guard looked very taken aback but nonetheless said, "I know you and Morgana are in love bu-"
"Is it just me or is everyone stupid these days. I suppose the guards of Camelot have always been stupid," Gwaine blankly interrupted just managing to keep a straight face. "Go away and count sheep." The guard obeyed Gwaine and departed the room but before that he gave Gwaine a rather concerned look wondering if Gwaine had a severe mental issue.
"Have I been here for two whole weeks," asked Morgana.
"I thought it had been two whole years," laughed Gwaine. "I mean no apples, no attacking beehives, no drinking any alcoholic drinks and no swordplay. Instead I just have to act like a stupid guard and count sheep to try and get to sleep. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep..."
Ten minutes later.
"Three hundred and five sheep, three hundred and six sheep, three hun-"
"Gwaine," hissed an annoyed Morgana. "It is time for my trial."
"Three hundred and eight. RIGHT! HOWEVER THOUGHT THIS UP IS A COMPLETE IDIOT! THIS WHY ALL THE GUARDS OF CAMELOT ARE IDIOTS!" yelled Gwaine who did not notice Arthur entering.
"Hello, sire," welcomed a irritated Gwaine. "I didn't just say that all the guards of Camelot were idiots.
"No you clearly didn't say," assured Arthur. "You shouted it. Let us a conversation outside which concerns counting sheep and flirting."
"Yeah," Gwaine said enthusiastically.
Finally, Morgana thought. I have escaped the living hell. She tried to open the cell door with her magic but it didn't work so she tried again.
Panicky slightly Morgana muttered, "Leoht," but the light in her hand in her hand that usually appeared did not appear.
"It won't work, Morgana," Arthur called strolling back. No-one else was here apart from the two of them.
"My dear brother. You are growing less stupid in your old age," Morgana whispered dangerously.
"At least I am not growing more stupid like you. Why did you release the giant that killed hundreds if not thousands of people," asked Arthur sadly.
"What giant?" wondered Morgana looking very puzzled.
"The giant of the mountains in the Saxon kingdom."
"That was not me. It was King Gremian. I heard him talking about himself sacrificing his people for nothing. He sent the giant out to trap you and you were stupid enough to destroy it," Morgana laughed softly. Arthur looked deeply into Morgana's eyes and could see that she was telling the truth.
"Since you are my sister, I am granting you the opportunity to change sides," Arthur seriously announced. "Mordred would ensure that you stick to all the rules and if not then you will be sentenced."
"I've got a few things to say about that. One I am your sister and isn't there a law saying that you shouldn't give your friends or family a benefit because you know them and two I would rather become a charcoaled mess then be allies with you," Morgana spat.
"Well if you would rather become a charcoaled mess that is fine by me and everybody else," Arthur laughed. He did not like being this mean to Morgana especially when she was about to die but he hoped if he was this mean then Morgana would become allies with him. Arthur highly doubted this but he had hope. Unlike his father and sister.
"My last wish is for you to remove Gwaine from guarding my cell because it is the worst torture you can give me."
"I shall not," Arthur firmly said. "May the rest of the days be subdued to Gwaine's mindless chatter."
"And may yours be filled with the sadness that you condemned your half sister to death," Morgana laughed silkily.
"I shall not feel any remorse about this. GUARDS!" Arthur shouted and a few guards came immediately to his side. "Take her up to the throne room." Arthur unlocked the cell and the guards took off her manacles to reveal her red irritated skin. The guards dragged Morgana not because she was unwilling to walk but because they did this to everyone. By the time they had done this Arthur had no doubt disappeared to the throne room.
"Guards," screamed Gwaine who was still waiting outside the dungeons. "Morgana can walk. You should only be dragging her like that if she refuses to walk. Let me do it." The guards had no choice but to let Gwaine do it. Gwaine took his sword out of his sheath but did not point it menacingly at Morgana. In fact Gwaine and Morgana just walked up to the throne room side by side like friends would. "There," Gwaine smugly said. "Am I a genius or am I a genius.
"Neither," a guard replied. Ignoring Gwaine's quiet protests and dragged Morgana into the throne room. As soon as the guards opened the door to the throne silence fell among everyone. A deathly silence. No one moved. It was like everybody had been struck immobile. As Morgana was dragged down the isle, she tried hard not to look at anyone but she couldn't help glancing at some people. All of people in the hall were glaring at her with looks of pure loathing on their faces. This did not unnerve Morgana but she couldn't help this sinking feeling. She had never wished to be loathed by everyone like this. What had she done? Or more like what lies had Arthur told them about her. The walk seemed to take a century long. A witch was what she was and she was going to tell them that. Pushing her into a kneeling position, Morgana purposely collapsed lying down on the stone cold floor. She refused to kneel before Arthur and Gwen even if it meant lying on the frozen stone floor. Arthur just ignored this but Gwen looked sad.
"We are all gathered here to discuss the fate of Morgana Pendragon wh-"
"I don't have a last name," Morgana calmly said. "Our father disowned me so I refuse to have that name for a surname."
Arthur ignored Morgana again and carried on, "Morgana has committed treason several times and therefore her sentence will be grave. Do you agree to illegally becoming Queen and ruling Camelot?"
"No," Morgana hissed. "I defiantly have never been Queen of Camelot. Do you have any evidence to support this accusation." Arthur did not ignore Morgana this time but gave her a bewildered stare. Gwaine was in the corner making a mental note to copy what Morgana was doing.
"Do you not remember creating a immortal army or allying with a warlord," Arthur formally asked.
"Now you mention it I do. I also remember the throne being very comfortable too."
"Do you admit to plotting against your king and queen."
"I do," Morgana said in a bored tone of voice.
"Do you admit to to trying to kill your queen and king."
"I do."Gwaine who was standing at the back of the hall had his hands over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. It sounded like Arthur and Morgana were getting married and he could barely help resist saying 'As knight of this realm I announce you man and wife'.
"Do you admit practising magic."
"I do but this is getting ridiculous. Gwaine shutting up is actually more likely than me not getting sentenced to death and that's saying something. Just hurry up and sentence me to death," Morgana stated impatiently. Gwaine could barely conceal a laugh and a few people near him turned and stared at him.
"Now you may present evidence to say that you are innocent or you may agree that you know you are guilty," Arthur announced. Morgana had never seen a trial quite like this as she had never seen the 'criminal' get to back up why they committed the 'crime'. Uther generally just sentenced them to death with barely any thought.
"I am innocent but I have nothing to say to you except that magic is a gift not a crime. Imagine your children were born with it and one by one they were burnt at the stake. They had done nothing wrong and they were reduced to ashes because they all had magic." Though Morgana did not realise it, the speech had come from the depths of her heart. Beneath that heartless, vengeful person there was still a good and kind heart. The kindness was seldom seen but if it was it was almost gone as quick as it came. These seldom moments of vulnerability had been visible when Agravaine had died (though a lot of it had been fear too) and when she had nearly condemned Mordred to death.
"Is that all," questioned Arthur. Though most of the people in the throne room thought the witch was speaking total nonsense, a few looked emotionally moved.
"Yes," Morgana sighed. "So dear brother, sentence your much loved sister to death. This trial is extremely irksome and pointless."
"First I shall need to have a witness to say why you you are guilty," Arthur announced.
"Why? Because you are too stupid to realise that I have broke your preposterous laws," Morgana mocked. As Morgana said this a teenager stood up and walked to the front.
"I, Thomas Hawthorn, aged seventeen, am witness to Morgana's treachery. Due to your bloodthirsty harshness I have lost four members of my family. I luckily am able to fend for myself and keep the farm I have going but that will not bring back my father, little brother, two little twin sisters and the many friends you have killed back. When your immortal army smashed through or village many of my friends were killed but my family were luckily one of the only families that weren't killed or wounded. During your first reign of terror, the knights of Camelot wouldn't obey you so you ordered your soldiers to shoot arrows randomly at innocent peasants. My father was in the town that day collecting herbs to make medicine for my little brother who was very sickly and was killed by one of your soldiers. My father's body was never returned to us. When I realised that my father wasn't going to come back I set out to get the life saving herbs but I was too late. By the time I arrived back home my little brother was dead. He was only eight years old and died with only my two three year old sisters for company and they just cried because they were too young to understand. A year later my two twin sisters were killed because of the ghosts that you let loose into the world. The first night of those ghost killing people one of my sisters were killed. I tried to take me and my other little sister to Camelot for safety but we did not make it in time and that night my other little sister was killed. I remember my little sister's last words which were, 'Where is Maisie'. Maisie was my other little sister who had died the night before. Now thanks to you all of my family are dead except from me." Thomas's look of pure loathing could kill and even Morgana felt sorry for what had happened to him.
Arthur stood and said, "This leaves me one option." Morgana who was still lying on the floor had slithered her way behind Arthur before standing up and pushing Gwen's throne right over. Fortunately Gwen could sense the throne tipping a jumped off it before it took it down. Morgana then collapsed on Arthur's throne and lounged until she was quite comfortable. Gwaine ran towards Morgana with a fleeting look of laughter on his face.
Arthur bolted around and seized Morgana's raw red wrists. He hauled her onto her feet and murmured into her ear. "Enough Morgana." It was like Arthur could see through all Morgana's confidence and evilness. He could see that she was terrified of death. Arthur's words were said soothingly but they just infuriated Morgana. She smirked at him evilly and kicked at his ankles.
"Not likely," Morgana muttered back in Arthur's ear as the two guards hauled her away from Arthur.
"You must be burnt the stake," Arthur stated before striding out the room and having a mental breakdown. These words hit Morgana like lightning. Though she knew what was coming it still gave her a shock. She felt Gwaine grasping her arms above where she was sore and guiding her back to the dungeons. Her body felt numb but her legs kept moving without her telling them too. Morgana was terrified. She didn't know what death would be like. It would painful but she wondered if the world would just suddenly black out or if her soul would remain in her. Morgana felt herself falling and Gwaine yelling her name. After that she just felt darkness, everywhere.
Thanks for reading and please review! Gwaine is the only person who is actually being nice to Morgana, Morgana's magic has mysteriously vanished and Gaius and Merlin have seemingly disappeared. Merlin was going to be in this chapter but it was a nine hundred word scene so that scene is going to be in the next chapter.