I promise the month-long hiatuses (hiati?) aren't intentional. Though I can't see it getting much better in the super near future; this is my second-to-last built-up chapter, and I'm coming up on some hairy parts that won't be fun to muddle through. This chapter was pretty fun to write, though, just because I like experimenting with characters and their interactions.

On that note, a million mountain-sized thank-yous to CaraLee934 (who is a pretty awesome author herself, but who has outdone herself as a Beta this time around) for her input on the dialogue. That was what I was most worried about in this chapter, and she has helped so tremendously on that. (Oh, and check her stuff out, if you haven't already. So great.)

I don't own any of the characters from Merlin (they belong to BBC) or Narnia (they belong to C.S. Lewis) and I'm not making any profit off this work. (I feel like a disclaimer should be pretty much implied on a fanfiction site, but in case it's not I'm covering my bases)

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: We Will Not Treat

In which Morgause makes everyone nervous

Morgana backed away, staying out of sight of the witch. It didn't really do any good, but no one corrected her.

Morgause rose from her curtsy.

"I thank you for caring so diligently for my sister – and for aiding in her growth. I assume I have you to thank for that, King Edmund?" Edmund gave no reaction. If it bothered the witch, she did not show it. She smirked and continued, "I suppose I also have you to thank for the squadron of Narnian soldiers snooping around my home? I'm afraid that is no way to treat one's neighbor, Sire."

"State your business, Priestess, and be finished," Peter said, all courtesy and cold civility.

"I come to offer peace. Peace between our two great houses, High King. I am willing to forgive your sins against my family, and start a new alliance. With the might of the Triple Goddess at your back, there will be no power in all of Albion that can stop you." The witch's eyes turned to Arthur and hardened. "Together, we can rid the land of those who would see magic destroyed."

"You truly expect us to treat with you, after the crimes committed against the person of our royal sister?"

"If you refer to Cenred's treatment of Queen Susan, be assured that I had no knowledge of his intentions. I withdrew our engagement the moment I discovered his treachery." Her words were rehearsed and delivered flawlessly, with the bravado of one who knew she would be proved right. It made Merlin's skin crawl just to think of what could have happened under this woman's thumb.

King Edmund chose not to address her lie. "And how do you account for your careless rejection of your sister, the Lady Morgana?" he asked.

"A mere misunderstanding," Morgause said. "I admit my reaction was harsh, but it is the concern of family. I will address it when it is time. My sister is not what we are here to discuss."

"There is nothing to discuss." Lucy stepped between her brothers. She drew herself up to her full height. She only came up to the witch's nose, but she looked no less Valiant for her lack of stature. Again, Morgause smirked. The queen did not acknowledge it; she continued, "We of Narnia will never ally with your Triple Goddess, High Priestess. There is no room for such an idol here, under Aslan's Eastern Sky."

Merlin blinked; he hadn't thought about the Triple Goddess as an actual god, nor had he considered Queen Lucy's Aslan as such. He knew the Triple Goddess was the deity of the Old Religion – Merlin took no issue with it, or with those who practiced it. Apparently, Narnians did – just as they did in Camelot. He wondered if their Lion was any different from Morgause's Goddess.

"Your Great Lion wishes well for Narnia, does he not, Your Grace? I can provide a future for your people that He could never hope to achieve without the Mother's help."

"Do not dare to mock Aslan here, witch," Edmund said darkly. "You have our answer. Our business is done."

"You would ally your sweet Narnia with the Pendragon crown?" she hissed, eyes flicking to Arthur. Merlin saw the malice there, unveiled at last. "You have heard it from this prince's own tongue – he would see my people burn. He would see his sister burn." Arthur flinched unconsciously under her baleful glare. She then turned to Morgana, barely visible between Peter and Lucy, and her face took on a gentle, hurt tone. "I would have given you the world, Sister," she said. "I still can, if you care to look past the perceived slights you have suffered at my hand. You are the eldest of the Pendragon line, and the daughter of a High Priestess of the White Goddess. Your rule would be ironclad, and no one would dare turn against you. There was a time, not long ago, when you would have liked that."

"Camelot's throne holds no more appeal for me," Morgana replied, coming forward before Arthur or Merlin could pull her back. She stepped around Peter and stood beside Lucy. "The price you put forth is too high, Sister."

"I offer a world where those who choose to practice magic may do so freely, without fear of the pyre. No price is too high."

"A world where those who do not choose your way are executed, just as magicians are now." Morgana's voice hardened. "Your world would be no better than Uther's."

"The lady has the right of it, Priestess. We shall not treat here with you, not while you carry your goddess with you." High King Peter subtly placed a hand on Lucy's wrist – Merlin would have missed it if he weren't staring at the man from the back – and she fell back, Morgana with her. The kings again stood with their shoulders together, blocking the witch's view of their guests or their sister, and the High King continued, "If that be all, Lady Morgause, we bid thee depart." He inclined his head, a clear dismissal that booked no argument.

The witch's face changed to one of wicked assurance. She smiled a knowing, saccharine smile and said, "You will come to understand, Sire, than refusing an alliance with me would be... most unwise. The Goddess, while certainly my most powerful, is not my only ally." She curtsied once more. "Until we meet again, your Majesties."

With a swirl of her skirts, Morgause turned and sauntered off.

Narnians parted to let her pass, sensing she wasn't to be hindered. They hadn't heard what happened, but they doubtless saw their Monarchs staring stonily after the woman, and they wisely let her alone.

Not a word was said, not even after she had disappeared from view. Merlin didn't know how long the five of them sat there, but it felt like hours. He remembered vividly the last time he had seen the witch – cradling a dying Morgana and demanding to know what she had taken, so that she might heal her. Scared as he had been at the time, Merlin had felt some relief that his friend would survive. He knew that there was a good chance she would come back to them with a changed heart, but he had been willing to take that risk, if it meant her life would be spared.

At the time, Morgause seemed to care so much for her sister, but now... after hearing Morgana's story and seeing the way Morgause spoke with her just now, as if she herself were blameless in the whole thing... in the end, even her sister had been thrown in with enemies, tossed aside almost without a thought as soon as she proved useless in Morgause's crusade.

Eventually, after who knew how long since she left, Morgana faltered, and the spell was broken. She sank into a chair and rested her head in one pale hand. Edmund and Arthur were at her side in an instant, and King Peter had is arm around Lucy. The crowd, still parted from where she had passed through, finally began to dissipate with low murmurs and uncertain grunts. Eyla and four other Cats crept forward – Merlin assumed they were the brothers' guards, and Morgana's – and lay directly at their charges' feet. One, a spotted Leopard with an eye gouged out, crouched at Arthur's feet, and Merlin realized Queen Lucy must have assigned their guest a protector, as well. Arthur didn't acknowledge the beast, but the Leopard seemed not to mind.

Before anyone could speak, a red Fox loped into the tent, panting.

"I've just returned from the Cair Wood, Sire," he said, addressing Edmund. The king nodded for him to continue. "The Dryads say the Red Witch is at the Two Hills. She only left there an hour ago, Sire. The Lantern Waste Dryads were relaying the message even while she was here, speaking with your Graces."

"Magic," King Edmund nodded, unsurprised. He didn't use the same suspicious, prejudiced way King Uther did, but his tone said there was a problem – and there was. Even Merlin hadn't mastered the art of teleportation, and if Morgause could traverse the entirety of Narnia in less than an hour, she had even more power than Merlin had guessed. The king continued, "She'll be back in that fortress now."

"What are your orders, Sire?" Merlin found it odd that the Fox addressed only Edmund – he didn't spare Lucy or Peter more than a quick nod of the head, and neither seemed inclined to speak to him, either. They simply listened while King Edmund conversed with his informant.

"Find Queen Susan immediately," he said. "Wake her guard and see her safely here, before anything else. End the festivities for the night – use Queen Susan's fatigue as an excuse, if you must, but don't let on that there is anything else wrong. We do not know enough to justify a panic. It shouldn't throw things too far off, since the rest of the feasts and parties were to be held in the Cair anyway. See to it that everyone makes it home safely, Sir Fox. I want none of our subjects caught up with her. Then recall the Lantern Waste troops. If the Priestess is about in the woods, I do not want my scouts to stumble upon her. Have the Dryads set a watch, and alert us of any movement that may point to Morgause. She cannot catch us off guard again, am I understood?"

"As my King commands," the Fox bowed and loped off into the night.

"She mentioned more allies," Lucy noted from her seat. "Here," she said quietly, offering a goblet of red wine for Morgana. The lady took it, but did not drink.

"We will look into it," Peter said, coming back into the foreground. "There is little that can be done tonight, but I want you and Morgana back inside the Cair immediately. No detours for anything, Lucy." The queen nodded solemnly and took Morgana's hand in both her own, pulling her up. Peter looked at the Cougars lying at his feet. "Rhol, walk with them. I want an extra guard with them at all times, for all shifts. See to it that happens."

"Yes, Sire." The larger of the two – which was saying something, because Merlin had never seen cougars as big as these – stood between Eyla and Morgana's tan Panther as the ladies made their way back to the castle. Peter turned to Arthur.

"Sir Rhol is the best in the Royal Guard, and Eyla and Challa have been training under General Oreius since before the Thaw. They will protect your sister with their lives, if it comes to it."

"I truly appreciate that, Sire," Arthur said, standing. He smoothly maneuvered the crutches under him, heedless of Merlin's hasty rise to help him. "And... thank you – Lady Morgause could easily take Camelot with the might of Narnia behind her, and you denied her that, making an enemy out of her besides. It seems I am in your debt again."

"Narnia has no need for territory west of the Mountains," the king replied. "And my sister had the right of it – while we will not forbid any of our subjects to worship as they please, we cannot condone an alliance with Morgause's Triple Goddess. We will justify no one who claims power over our Highest King. Besides, we are hoping for an alliance with Camelot, and we can hardly accomplish that if we side with one who would usurp the throne."

Everyone wasrestless that night. Queen Susan reappeared just as the kings were preparing to go find her, with the knights in tow. They had been far from the whole event, and only became alarmed when the crowd began to disperse more suddenly than they had expected. Now, however, they were alert and wary, flanking the queen almost unconsciously. They were still obviously confused, but now attuned to Arthur's own anxiety. Nothing was explained on the walk back to the Cair, for fear of being overheard – Arthur understood that. The kings did not want to worry their subjects. A panic right now would do more harm than good, and if the situation were the same in Camelot, Arthur would be doing just this.

The short walk from the pavilion to the Cair was tense, but the moment they crossed the threshold, Arthur felt it relax. A Centaur guard bowed deeply at the waist before his kings. This one didn't seem as... noble as the one they had met on the road, but it was still a majestic creature, one that Arthur would not wish to meet in battle. Even now, with this new development heavy on his mind, he found himself wondering when he had become so comfortable around Narnia's inhabitants. He supposed Queen Lucy's plan had worked.

"Have Lucy and Morgana made it in?" King Peter asked.

"Yes, Sire. Her Majesty said she would be in the solar with the Lady, and asks that you join her."

"Thank you, Pylon." By unspoken consent, Arthur and Merlin remained with the siblings, though the knights left the entourage when they passed the guest wing.

They walked farther into the castle than Arthur remembered going before, but they slowed their pace to compensate for his crutches. Queen Susan fell behind her brothers so that she could walk beside Arthur.

"Rest assured, your Highness, you and yours will remain under the protection of the Thrones. Morgana's guard has been doubled for all shifts, as yours shall be."

"Thank you, your Grace," Arthur replied as the group stopped. They were in front of a nondescript door he would have missed, had he been on his own. Rhol rose from the shadows to greet his kings and queen.

"They are within, Sires," he said with a bow. "Halia is with them." Peter nodded and opened the door, stepping aside to allow everyone entrance.

Lucy had a merry fire going, and was working her fingers through Morgana's hair when they walked in. She looked up with a small smile and nodded toward the rest of the room. Morgana didn't acknowledge them; she was staring into the depths of her wine, still cradled in both hands.

"I had Mrs. Badger fetch us more food and drink," she said. "I don't know who's eaten, but it's there for whomever wants it." The others nodded or murmured their thanks, but no one seemed inclined to partake. Lucy took a look at everyone's faces, then sighed and sat back. Peter and Arthur joined Queen Susan on the sofa, but Edmund walked straight to a bookshelf and ran his fingers along the titles, searching for something in particular.

"What made her think we would help?" Susan asked, at last broaching the subject everyone seemed wary to touch. "After what she did to Morgana? Did she think you would not tell us about her plans?"

"I... I think she was counting on it," Morgana replied. "She did not address them at all – and she tried to use the love you all bear for Narnia. She said that no price was too high."

"She threatened us," Lucy said. "We need to know who her allies are, what gives her so much confidence."

"During her siege on Camelot last year," Arthur said, "she brought with her seven undead knights. She cursed the entire country to fall into a deep sleep – at the time we thought it was a plague – and those of us that stayed awake were too busy fighting an enemy that would not die to pay Morgause any heed."

"Morgana told us about her last day in Camelot," Edmund said. "The Priestess' curse will not work in Paravel, and I do not think her knights could enter, even if she could summon them again. Harmful magic cannot be wrought at the home of the Four Thrones."

"You found a way to ban magic from the castle?" Arthur asked, leaning forward. "How?"

"It was not of our doing. As far as I can tell, it was the same Deep Magic that made the Stone Table so powerful. Deep Magic runs all through Narnia, but there are places where it is more potent – and the Deep Magic is more powerful than anything alive today, even Aslan. Cair Paravel was built to withstand anything, including magical attack. The White Witch tried everything in her arsenal to bring this place down, and her most powerful spell had no effect on the castle."

"It's how I've been able to control my own magic," Morgana continued. "While I was still learning to manage it, the Deep Magic kept me from hurting anyone else – or myself – until I was in full control."

Arthur frowned; that didn't help him with Camelot at all.

"At any rate," Lucy said, "I don't think Morgause was talking about magic. Do you think she might have treated with the Tisroc before coming here? She sounded as if she had someone powerful on her side."

"It is possible," Edmund said. "There is nothing for it tonight. We should rest – we'll reconvene on the morrow, and we can work with fresh eyes." The Sovereigns nodded, and Arthur found himself agreeing. The night was getting old – it was easily one or two in the morning – and his leg was starting to bother him again.

As if she could read his mind, Lucy turned to him while the others filed out. "Might I have a look at your wound before you retire, Prince Arthur? Only to make sure nothing went wrong during the night."

"If it please my Lady." The queen nodded and asked him to lay down, so that she might access it more easily.

"Well, good tidings on this front," she said, prodding gently. "The sutures are fine, and it looks as if the skin is behaving well. I still recommend that you stay off of it for two weeks, but you should be fit to ride by Sixthday, if you take care. I will have someone bring you a soothing tea that may numb the irritation while you sleep – it will relax you, as well."

"Thank you, Majesty," Arthur said as he sat back up. "And thank you for tonight. No matter how it ended, I did enjoy the show, and the company."

"Of that I am glad," Lucy said, folding the bandages and placing them on her lap. "I am going to leave this open for tonight, let it breathe a little. Take care not to burst the thread, but you shouldn't experience anything alarming. As for the show, Lady Nerya is always glad to perform for an appreciative audience. Alright, there you are. Sleep well, your Highness."

"And you."