"Ssshhhhh! Walk softly Igraine, we don't want the guards to come running after us now do we?"

Maya chastised her younger sister before resuming her walk up the spiral staircase, footfall as silent as the deer Igraine had once spotted while playing in the woods.

It was an hour past midnight and every little sound made her heart flutter, but she still kept following her sibling through corridor after lowly lit corridor till they finally reached their destination.

A thick layer of dust and grime covered the wooden doors of the perpetually locked chambers. Iron chains held the clasp securely in place and every window around the room had been barred with steel.

Maya shook her head in a 'tsk tsk' motion. "All this security and for what? As if anyone would be foolish enough to try and enter after hearing the stories."

"What stories?" Igraine asked, even though she knew the answer.

The heir to the throne smiled as she whispered, "The stories of the Black Witch."

Those two words sent shivers down her spine and Igraine scooted closer to her sister. "How can you be so sure they're true? Nobody's ever seen her!"

"But they can hear her. She's been haunting these halls ever since her death." Maya's brown eyes glittered with fascination. "The servants say that in the dead of the night, when only a handful of lonely souls are wandering around, you can hear her chanting her spells. Shining light escapes beneath these heavy doors even though a candle hasn't burned inside her chambers for over a decade."

"How?" Igraine was equal parts mesmerized and terrified.

"Like this." Maya closed her eyes, brought her palm to her lips and whispered, "Forbearne." When she opened them and a fire wasn't glowing in her hand, she sighed half in disappointment, half in relief.

"All they had to do was say words in an ancient language and objects would fly, flowers would bloom, soldiers would fall and creatures from the earth would rise. Magic, beautiful, dangerous, and deadly all at once."

"Is that why Father had it banned?"

"Oh it had been banned long before Father could say the word "evil". It was outlawed the the day after he was born as it was believed that magic caused our grandmother to die in childbirth. After that there was a war where Camelot prevailed, and the remaining magical creatures were forced to go into hiding. This is why it was such a big shock when the King's ward herself turned out to be a witch!"

Maya took a pause, the next part of the story always left a bad taste in her mouth and she was troubled by many parts of it.

After a while she continued. "Some say she wasn't only the King's ward. Apparently she was…she was actually the King's illegitimate daughter and Father's half-sister. But I refuse to believe that since I can't ever picture Father burning his own sister alive." she said fiercely, as if the rougher her tone the more truth there would be to her words.

Igraine gasped. "He burned her? Surely they could've found a cure for the King's ward."

She also refused to believe the Black Witch could've been her aunt. She looked at Maya and could never imagine wishing any harm on her, couldn't even imagine her life without Maya in it, no matter if she suddenly possessed magical powers one day. She would stick by her side through it all, as she knew her sister would do the same.

Maya shook her sadly. "Don't you get it Igraine? There is no cure. Being born with magic is like being born with two eyes, one nose and two ears. You can't tear it away permanently, maybe for a while, but not forever. Otherwise do you think Father would still burn those stray magic users in the pyre like he did yesterday?"

Both Pendragon children had become desensitized to the executions and hangings, but the burnings still made them turn away sometimes. Only magic users were burned, the harshest death reserved for those freaks of nature.

"What was her name?"

"Morgana."

As soon as the word left her lips a strong gust of wind rattled the windows and Igraine jumped closer to her big sister. Maya wrapped her up in her arms.

"They say she was the most beautiful woman in all of the Five Kingdoms. Bewitching green eyes, flowing black hair and winter white skin. She would turn every head in any room that she entered. But the long, tiresome war left her severely damaged, and she was but a shell of the vivacious woman she used to be. By the end she was almost unrecognizable."

Maya lowered her voice as she said, "Maybe that's what made it so easy for Camelot to slaughter her own daughter. They couldn't even tell it was her."

Igraine gently squeezed her sister's hand and Maya gave her a sad smile. "I can't really understand why her story fills me with such melancholy every time. After all, the laws of the land are there for a reason and they have to be obeyed. Perhaps it's the tragic love story that gets to me."

"Love story?"

"Oh well not exactly a love story. More like a story that could've happened had the circumstances surrounding the two people not been so cruel."

"She had a lover?"

"No, not a lover. Just someone who used to love her. But he couldn't love her enough to save her. The servants say that the days leading up to her execution he would visit her cell everyday. She wouldn't even acknowledge his presence but he would sit by the bars for hours on end. Pleading, begging, doing anything to persuade her to renounce the Old Ways and at least try to act like she would do her best to give up magic. Even though it wasn't possible, but he implored her to lie for the sake of her life. He knew Father had a soft spot for her despite all that had happened, and would even be willing to pass a milder sentence not involving death had she shown remorse. But Lady Morgana was as prideful as she was beautiful. She would never bow down before those who sought to wipe out magic. She'd rather die a rebel than live the life of a bird in a gilded cage. The life the one who loved her had been living for years."

"If he loved her so much why couldn't he save her?"

"Because he also loved the King. And the Queen. And Camelot. The Black Witch could've given up his secret easily but she knew her words would fall on deaf ears. Instead she chose to suffer in silence, not even deeming him worthy enough to shout at. He wanted her to rage and yell and curse him for all the times he'd wronged her, but she wouldn't even spare him a glance. She was smart, perhaps she knew this punishment was just as much his as it was hers. When the flames touched her skin a ragged scream echoed through the halls of Camelot and every window shattered to pieces. People thought it was her doing but she calmly let the fire consume her, content with the fact that this anguish would stay with him till his last day. Her memories, her thoughts, her presence would always be a part of him. Would always be a part of Camelot." said Maya as she placed her hand on the chains that kept Lady Morgana's chambers locked away from the rest of them.

Igraine did the same, and sighed. "I wish I could hear her spells." she said as she leaned her head against the door. They both held their breaths and listened hard for a moment, but the only sound that could be heard was the distant whine of the wind roaring outside.

"I thought you would be scared that the ghost of a witch haunts these chambers."

"Initially I was, but it's more tragic than scary Maya."

Her sister agreed. "It is. Grief coiled like rope around her lover's heart and he was never the same again. Sure he was loyal to a fault and served the King and fulfilled his duty. But he never gave his heart to another."

"Who was he?" Igraine asked, despite having already put together the pieces of the puzzle.

Maya opened her mouth to answer but the sound of soft footsteps made them both freeze.

"It's quite late princesses." Uncle Merlin emerged from the shadowy corridor holding a lantern. "You should be in bed by now." he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

The girls exhaled and exchanged a look. Without a word they stood up and followed their Father's most trusted advisor to their rooms.

Igraine looked back at Lady Morgana's chambers as they turned the corner, and then quickly sped up to catch Uncle Merlin's hand.

"Is it true?" she asked fervently. "Is it true that the Black Witch haunts these halls?"

All three stopped walking as Uncle Merlin set down the lantern and sat on the floor so he was at eye level with Igraine and Maya.

He gave them that same weary smile and shook his head. "No my princess, the only one the Black Witch haunts is me." he said as he felt the ghost of her breath warm his neck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So, as I'm sure ya'll can guess, basically this is a depressing season 5 AU where Morgana is captured and executed (Merlin had feelings for her and it was mostly one sided) and Merlin never reveals his secret (judging by the way his character was portrayed all through s5 I don't think it would be far-fetched to assume he ends up staying quiet and fighting against magic by King Arthur's side as his advisor) Maya and Igraine are Arthur and Gwen's kids and in my little headcanon Maya grows up and falls in love with a magical peasant/outcast and magic is eventually restored after the crazy older generation dies. And all the while aunt Morgana looks down at her proudly from Avalon :D

whether the halls are actually haunted or if it's all in Merlin's head is up for you to decide, lemme know your thoughts!