Chapter 14

She was becoming more aware of her world now. It was strong and warm and had a good, steady supply of food in it. For some it may have seemed plain and unappetising, but to her it was delicious; subtle and nutritious – calm and reassuring.

Her mother would check on her often, and the little one looked forward to such visits. However, their kind generally grew up alone and relied on their own world – their hosts – for all their basic needs; rarely interacting with their parents until they were old enough to leave their nests.

And then something changed and a nasty taste begun to intrude.

"I do not like that food, World," she called out. "Please can you take it away? I don't think it will do either of us any good."

"I don't understand," the world replied. "I can't hear what either of you are saying if you both talk at the same time."

"Do not listen to her," she pushed. "She's the one trying to poison us."

She did not think he could hear her, and now she was beginning to panic. "Mother, where are you?" she asked. "I really need your help right now."

And then there was a loud noise and, mercifully, the nasty taste quickly went away. It seemed as if everything was going to be alright.

~o~0~o~

Arthur was fully aware he lead a charmed life. He was the Prince of Camelot with wealth, power and influence and all the good things those benefits offered, but that didn't mean to say his life was easy or that he was always happy about his position. He was more fortunate than most citizens and probably happier too, it was true. His life was luxurious and he had friends and family he cared about. He loved being a knight and everything that involved and, although he found Uther and Morgana frustrating at times, he did care for them both greatly.

But there were distinct disadvantages in being part of the nobility and one of those was the idea of arranged marriages. He'd grown up assuming he and Morgana would be wed and his opinion on that had changed as often as the weather. Then, more recently, his father seemed to put pay to those rumours by suggesting other alliances for him and Arthur knew he shouldn't make a fuss but, despite appearances, the thought of marrying a stranger really did go against his nature.

He may give the impression of being uncaring, self-centred and unromantic but that was mostly a front he put on and something he'd been taught by his father and tutors. They had always told him not to show his feelings and not to reveal his emotions.

That didn't mean he didn't have any.

And he had fallen in love with a girl he would not be allowed to marry and, no matter how hard he tried, he could not reconcile his duty with his heart.

And so, when Morgana had hinted that there was something suspicious about the Lady Charlotte, Arthur had to admit to being secretly relieved.

"What is it?" he asked her. "What happened? You do look very pale."

"Well she... I mean..." Morgana looked uncharacteristically embarrassed. "It's just a feeling," she managed, eventually.

Arthur shook his head. "You'll have to do better than that."

"I think she may have magic." She whispered it.

"Are you sure? You know what my father's like if that word is even hinted at in his presence."

Morgana nodded. "Yes, which is why I'm reluctant to bring it up but, Arthur. Something is definitely not right and... I don't think you should go ahead with this marriage if there's even the slightest doubt."

"Well, you'll hear no complaints from me, obviously."

"So, will you talk to Uther?" she asked. "I'm sure he'll take it far more seriously if it comes from you."

"Well, I'm not sure about that but, yes, of course, I'll mention your concerns to him."

~o~0~o~

"I know what this is, Arthur," Uther complained. "Don't think I haven't noticed how pleased you've been when other, recent marriage deals have fallen through. This is your duty to Camelot – you do not have the luxury of choice."

"I understand that, Father, honestly I do, but that's not why I'm mentioning this. What do you know of Charlotte's family? What is their history? You know we've made many enemies over the years, so are you sure we're not making a mistake by giving this family so much power?"

"There was conflict between our houses once, it's true, but that was many years ago. The whole point of arranging this alliance is to bring an end to that part of our family's history. The old lord is dying and Alis is to take over soon. In the future you and he will be able to start afresh and build a new, strong alliance."

"What was the nature of this conflict?" Arthur asked.

"The family questioned the need for a magic purge at the time," Uther replied. "But all of that is in the past."

"Really?" Arthur asked sceptically.

"Of course. Especially now it's obvious to everyone how peaceful and prosperous Camelot has become since I implemented such rules."

Arthur shook his head, still not convinced of this 'peace' his father constantly bragged about. What about all the magical attacks? What about all the very personal vendettas against him and his family over the years? Surely that was even more dangerous than sending your army out to battle and risking a possible defeat. Still, Arthur had long since realised there was little point in mentioning such things to his father.

~o~0~o~

Shortly after Morgana had collapsed in the woods, Arthur talked to Uther again and, this time, was a little less subtle. She had been with Charlotte at the time, he told his father, so what if the lady had been the one to cause her harm? What if it wasn't just a medical issue but something far more sinister?

Uther didn't immediately agree, but Arthur knew his father was now a lot less certain. So, he was able to report back to Morgana and tell her that a seed of doubt had now been planted, and they should both keep a close eye on Charlotte and continue to report any suspicious incidences to the king.

"Not much chance of that with me stuck in here," Morgana complained with a sigh.

"How are you feeling today?" Arthur asked.

"Not much better, to be honest. This buzzing is getting even louder, despite Gaius' potions."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the prince replied sincerely. "You rest now and I'll keep a careful eye on her.

Arthur returned to his chambers to find the lady in question waiting outside for him. "Charlotte," he said. "What an pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

"I was here mainly to ask after Morgana," she replied. "But I didn't want to overwhelm her."

"She's resting," Arthur said with a smile. "I'm sure she'll be up and about in no time. She's more frustrated than anything, to be honest. Morgana is not one to enjoy being idle."

"No, I imagine not."

Arthur started to open the door, about to politely dismiss the lady with a comment about seeing her later at dinner but, before he could say a word, Charlotte had opened the door the whole way and invited herself in. Arthur shook his head and followed.

He was quite determined to have her leave, but he equally didn't wish to be rude and, after a little while, he begun to forget why he'd wanted her to go in the first place. Things became a little vague then as the room started to feel more distant and two different female voices seemed to vie for his attention; both trying to persuade him to do something, whilst all he really wanted to do was to fall asleep.

And then he was suddenly, fully alert, his attention rudely gained by the door slamming open.

"Arthur!"

"Merlin! Don't you ever knock?"

~o~0~o~

Charlotte jumped up, looking at Merlin wide eyed. Was that shock, surprise, guilt? Arthur wasn't sure but, something hadn't been right a few moments ago, of that he was quite certain.

"I came to get you ready for... that thing..." Merlin stammered, his eyes wide as he tried to get Arthur to play along. He had no idea what his servant meant but, considering his current confusion, he definitely wasn't going to object.

"Oh yes that... thing," he agreed. "Sorry, Charlotte. I forgot all about it."

"No, no, it's quite alright," she replied, although he thought she seemed a little flustered. "I really need to be going myself."

She made to leave but, to Arthur surprise, Merlin approached her. Not that he should be surprised by now as he knew his servant well enough by now to know he rarely showed any respect to his superiors, but there was something about his interaction with Charlotte which seemed suspicious. Had Morgana shared her fears with him? Or with Gaius? Perhaps the physician had examined Morgana and thought her dizziness was suspicious too.

"Are you quite well, my lady," Merlin asked as he moved over. "You look very pale. I do hope you're not going down with the same illness as Morgana?"

"No, of course not." Her tone with him was abrupt, suspicious, but Merlin just smiled brightly. A little too brightly perhaps?

"Here, let me help." He gently held her arm and guided Charlotte out, looking as if he was supporting her, although Arthur was quite sure she was being firmly escorted out. He shook his head. Would he ever fully understand his servant?

"Arthur," Merlin said, turning back and coming closer. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. What was all that about?"

"Are you sure?" Merlin was even closer now, staring at him intently. "Did anything odd happen before I came in?"

"Well..." Arthur paused, trying to remember. "Things were a bit off for a little while. I think I felt sleepy and then..." He shook his head.

"Did you hear voices? Whispering?"

"Yes." He looked up, suddenly recognising the description and realising what Merlin was suggesting. "What is it? What has Gaius discovered? Has that sickness reached the citadel after all? Is that what Morgana's suffering from?"

"He's not sure yet," Merlin replied calmly. "But, he is looking into it."

"What about Charlotte?" The question, Arthur realised, could be interpreted in a few different ways.

"Don't worry, he's keeping a close eye on her too."

So, apparently, could the answer.

~o~0~o~