What Future May Hold

An alert came up on her phone. There was a parliament meeting in two days and she was required to show up. She refused to give into the assumptions that since she got married that she would retire and raise babies. A scowl embedded itself on her face. Recruiting had gradually gotten more difficult as the existing witches and druids became skeptical of her claims, and finding any sort of magical being that she could weaponize was nearly a futile effort. She'd been told that magic had slowly started emerging ten years ago. Of course, this emergence was more so the duration of time molasses would move out of the jar even if it was tilted at one eighty. Dragons were accepted to be extinct and the wyvern of Scotland still wasn't found. There was a list of Parliament members she'd drawn up for when she did ascend she'd be able to feed them to whatever creature would be most painful. The idiots and the misogynists would pay their dues. The door to the throne room opened.

She'd scoured for a better psychic and found Eudora. The psychic however irritated her to no end. But she was supposed to be one of the best, and she hadn't been that wrong yet.

"I have news Morgause," Eudora stated. "Morgana has made it to the isle of Avalon."

"Impossible, she hasn't left Emrys' flat in weeks," Morgause hissed.

"She is there, in Avalon. Now we are fighting against time."

"How soon do we have?"

"Time is already running against us. Morgana will rebirth Arthur high spring when the world will fall to chaos. A silent death arriving in his wake. By the summer solstice they will seek to reclaim his crown."

A shadow grew in the room. The darkness under Eudora's eyes hollowed her face.

"And Morgana will unleash a darkness the world has not seen in a thousand years," Eudora said coldly.

"How do I know this darkness is not because she turns on Arthur? That she won't join me?" Morgause questioned.

"This is a power that barely she can control. Great darkness is what I can see in my visions. I have asked the Goddess Divine, Hades, and Freja. This much is true."

Morgause rolled her shoulders in a sigh.

"If that is all you may leave," Morgause said, waving off the psychic.

Eudora glared at her before turning away. Morgause turned to one of the guards.

"Bring in the boy," she ordered.

She had until the solstice to make sure this weapon was prepared if Eudora's predictions were right. Morgause was sure, that if this boy would do, then she would have her claim to the throne solidified before Arthur had the chance to challenge her.

"Alright that's enough for today," Gwen shouted.

Her students realized that she was ending the days lesson and quickly went to pack up their bags. Her blade fell to her side relaxed and she waved goodbye to the students walking out before going into her office.

She'd been having her own dreams of her past life. She assumed. They faded relatively quickly and sometimes she felt lucid in these dreams. There was a reoccurring dream of going to a village and fighting alongside Morgana and Arthur against bandits. Merlin was there too but he seemed to be more of a shadowy presence in them. It seemed as though it was a part of her past life that had managed to manifest in her current one.

Although she was two years younger than the twins, she didn't find herself pressured to have her life sorted out. She did attempt university which is how she met Morgana, and although successful didn't feel particularly empowered by the experience. Her father would've rather her do something worthwhile with her life, become a doctor of some sort. But she felt content in being somewhat a drifter in her career. Anything she put her mind to she felt she was sure to succeed. And the nannying had been a good paying job but not the best of experiences. Moving to South Africa with Arthur seemed to be a logical progression. And she did like that she was able to do something she loved.

Elyan made an effort to video chat her frequently to see how she was. He was always an over protective sort. She thought it made sense with his previous life being one of Arthur's knights. It made missing him and her dad a little more manageable. They would likely go back to England for the hols.

She grabbed her things from her office and unchained her bike. The weather had been nice and the people had been friendly enough towards her. It didn't go unnoticed by Gwen that Arthur struggled with life in South Africa. There were flashes when he was bordering on being hostile and resentful towards her; it scared her. He'd make up for it quickly and it seemed like this dark aspect of himself didn't really exist. She wished he'd try to be more friendly with Merlin. It was the same Merlin who was his past life's almost brother. But he didn't know any of his past life as far as she knew and he didn't seem concerned with Morgana's new relationship with Merlin outside of her safety.

Her mind had wandered and she ended up at the bakery near the house. She parked her bike and went inside.

"Hello Gwen," Lola charmed her. Lola was the cashier she ended up running into the most when she dropped by. Her hair was newly died orange contrasting with her dark complexion.

"Hi Lola," Gwen smiled. "Can I get four to go?"

Lola nodded and got a box ready.

"Two tuxedo's and two red velvets please," Gwen requested.

"How's Arthur? I haven't seen him in a while," Lola asked.

"He's been busy with work and a bit homesick. I'm hoping the cupcakes will cheer him up a bit."

"Here's to luck. And how are you?"

"Oh I love my job here. The kids are picking it up fast and the parents are nice too. And everything feels good right now."

Lola gave a forced smile. She shouldn't have to worry about Arthur but it shadowed everything else.

The transaction was quick and Gwen waved goodbye before putting the cupcakes in the basket at the front of her bike. Arthur usually went for the tuxedo cupcakes while she was loyal to the red velvet.

There was no doubt in her mind that she and Arthur would get married soon. And that when the time came she would become Queen as well. That's what destiny, fate, had in mind for her, right? She wondered if she would be content with the duties of a Queen after finding solace in South Africa.

The cottage had been secluded and Morgana woke up to Merlin next to her and the sun creeping through. Her arm was bent above her head and she looked around the room. The walls were cream and as empty as the ones in his flat. She rolled herself over and grabbed her robe.

Morgana made sure her steps were light as she walked through the house. The night before had gone by in such a blur she hadn't been able to notice much in the cottage. There were a few paintings of seashores on the walls. It was the most character the place had with it's simple furniture and cream walls. Her hands floundered with the cupboards as she tried to find a cup for tea. She wondered how much of Merlin's life in as a servant in Camelot affected him. At least he wasn't sleeping on a bed no better than a stone anymore.

A glare came from the kitchen window.

Outside a flock of unicorns ran outside near the lake. The horns varied between a sort of silver and gold and she saw a few younger fouls that had budding horns.

"They've taken years to get their numbers anywhere close to what they were before Camelot," Merlin said, walking up behind her. "They'll drift apart during the day after this."

"They're beautiful..." Morgana sighed.

"Get ready, we have a lot of people to meet today."

Merlin started to make breakfast in the kitchen and Morgana finished making her tea before taking it upstairs with her. She decided on a pair of grey colored trousers and a white button up along with a pair of brown combat boots that looked like they would work for the terrain.

Tristian's head poked out of his room as she started walking back to the kitchen.

"Was that?" he murmured.

"Merlin's making breakfast," Morgana said. "Wash up before you come eat."

He nodded his head and closed his door again.

It was more so Tristian asking the questions about Avalon at this point during breakfast. Morgana had let slip the unicorns which led to a very over excited Tristian. Merlin as a result promised that they'd encounter the unicorns later in the day.

There was a village around the hill and Morgana grabbed her peacoat before walking out the door. She scolded Tristian to grab the windbreaker they had bought him as he had intended to walk out wearing a hoodie. There was a cobblestone path that led to the village and Tristian walked ahead of them. Morgana had her hand linked around Merlin's bent arm. Briefly she wondered if she really needed to have a baby of her own. Tristian was technically her cousin, a fact he didn't really need to know, but taking him in made them feel like a family.

"What are you thinking about?" Merlin asked her.

"I'm thinking it's odd that the nature is so preserved here," Morgana said.

"The magical barrier deflects mortals."

She shrugged. They came across the hill and Tristian was beaming and jumping.

Below the hill was a small village. The architecture was on the older side, with a few buildings looking closer to mid twentieth century.

"There have been a few architects that have had influence on the village over the years being magical themselves," Merlin said.

The village moved slowly as they entered. Morgana noticed the bakery and a school among the complexes.

"Why is there a distribution center?" Tristian asked obnoxiously.

"There's a number of refugees here," Merlin explained. "A few go into the town over for supplies so they aren't exposed."

"So, you're keeping illegals here?" Tristian asked curiously.

"No one is illegal, Tristian," Morgana corrected.

"Yvonne is a lawyer in town and she's working on establishing visa's and documentation for a lot of the people," Merlin said.

"Oh, that's good," Tristian said.

They walked into the plaza where it seemed like everyone was gathering. Morgana's eyes widened. The village was indeed small. But there seemed to be a larger group of younger people as well as a number of older and middle aged as well. Some had more blonde and eurocentric features but the majority seemed to be from outside the European continent.

"You helped all these people?" Morgana asked Merlin.

"I've had help," he said.

And he made sure the people knew Morgana and Tristian as friends, and that Tristian was a reincarnated Knight that was to help. And then the people came up to them, wanting to introduce themselves and know the newcomers. Morgana felt a warm glowing energy coming from these people and she felt as though she was reconnecting with family. She'd never felt so welcome or at home before this.

She was introduced to people that work with the apothecary and other tasks among the village. Then there was Cynthia, another run away youth, who had deep red hair and freckles and blabbed about going into town as well whenever she didn't have to go to school. Merlin encouraged her to show her magic and Cynthia created a small wave of butterflies. Tristian was impressed and Cynthia blushed deeply.

"Cynthia, would you mind showing Tristian the village? We're quite new to this," Morgana encouraged.

"But..." Tristian fumbled.

"I'd love to!" Cynthia beamed.

Cynthia grabbed his hand and they ran into town. Morgana smiled.

She said hello to the last of the villagers before she and Merlin walked around. It impressed her how Merlin had been able to work with the people to create such a place. Magical lessons took place during the day for older people and a sort of traditional education was made for the younger children, and night classes were for the older crowd as well who wanted to get an education. There was a further intricate system that didn't seem to register in her brain as fast.

There was a small gazebo on the water that Merlin led her to. He had a beaming smile excited to show it to her. She wasn't sure why but she followed him regardless. The white wood had designs carved into it. Swans swam in the lake.

"I think it's strange how there's so many people here," Morgana mused. "I don't think the isle was ever intended to be occupied to this extent. I mean, the castle fell into ruins back when Camelot was strong."

"There was a sorcerer I found, Rhys, he encouraged me to work with him to develop it into a safe haven," Merlin said. "He's the reason for a majority of the buildings in town. Perhaps back in Camelot we didn't need to be under Avalon's protection because the world seemed so big. But it's gotten more modern, more advanced, and we needed some place to grow."

"There wasn't a Rhys in..."

"He died. Ten years ago. Just age caught up with him."

"I'm so sorry."

"It happens."

"I'm really glad you turned Avalon into a sanctuary. The world needed some kindness."

A dark shadow passed over the lake. Merlin grumbled. Morgana held onto the railing of the gazebo and looked up. The clouds were dense but they hadn't left the darkness on the lake.

"That was strange," Morgana said.

"I think someone wants to meet you," Merlin sighed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not really a good thing either."

"Wait, I thought we met everyone in town?"

He opened his mouth as if to explain where his caution was coming from before closing it again. Merlin grabbed her hand and they started walking again. His reluctance to introduce her unnerved her. Moreso his reluctance to explain. She wanted to pick at his brain but had to focus on walking the unmanaged earth.

The wood had been cut back a bit for agriculture. Morgana noticed a stable but noticed there wasn't a sort of space for agricultural animals.

"Some of the villagers came from the Middle East. It also didn't seem efficient to raise cows and pigs in the area here anyway," Merlin said as if to read her mind. "And I would get one of the horses but where we're going it doesn't seem to be the brightest of ideas."

"So, we're still walking," Morgana huffed.

If she'd known they would be walking this long she would've ran into town for a canteen of water. She pulled her pea coat over her as they walked through the wood.

It wasn't a mountain side they came to, not really. There were a few goats on the side of the cliffs. And then they came to a large cave opening. There were a few scattered pieces of wood as they came to it which Merlin grabbed. He enchanted it to become a torch before they approached the cave. Morgana held onto his hand, walking behind him. There was the dripping of water the deeper they went into the cave.

A set of large gold eyes came face to face with them. Merlin shouted another spell and torches lit up the side of the cave as well. A large black dragon was in front of them.

"Morgana, this is Astarot," Merlin said. "He's the only son of Aithusa."

Her hand raised to cover her mouth. Aithusa had been one of her strongest visions and the love she'd had for the dragon resurfaced.

"Hello Morgana," Astarot said. His voice wasn't juvenile but he didn't sound outrageously wise.

"Hello," Morgana cried. "I'm delighted to meet you."

Astarot had strong features and his large fanged teeth stood out to her. She could see gold and red hidden in his scales hidden with the light of the torches.

"I am glad to meet the reincarnated family of my mother," Astarot said.

Morgana had let go of Merlin's hand and walked closer to the dragon. It was a strange sort of pull. As though she was meant to meet Astarot. He dropped his head and closed his eyes as Morgana's hand stretched out to him. She could feel the magic in him and an overwhelming heat from his scales. His eye opened concentrating on Morgana.

"Morgana, we should go!" Merlin called out. Worry was evident in his voice.

Her hand dragged itself across Astarot as his body laid down. His magic was overwhelming her in a way that Merlin didn't.

"Were the Pendragon's ever dragon riders?" she asked.

"The dragons grew too proud, but at one point they did. Long before Uther and his father," Merlin responded. "Morgana, we need to go!"

She didn't think she wanted to listen to him. It was a strange sort of climb with the spiked scales that came from Astarot. And she was on his back holding onto his scales. Her body jerked as she noticed that Astarot was taking off with her. The sunlight assaulted her eyes as they came out of the cave.

Authors Notes: Okay this update took longer than expected. Morgause is back to scheming again and I wanted to give some time to Gwen's perspective in this story. I think some of the difficulty came in from "ok there in Avalon now and I've had this mapped out but how is this execution supposed to happen?" In the following chapters more of the Avalon residents are going to be explored and introduced, I think this chapter was just setting up the ground work more so. I also think that because a lot of the residents came from varying backgrounds that although they are now a part of this magical utopia, it doesn't cancel out their culture. Can you tell I've been working on bringing Astarot into this story? :)

I'm also leaving to my parents again in a few days. I don't think I'll be taking my laptop with me, and I'm debating on investing in a sort of iPad for situations like this, so I do believe that the next update will probably be in October the soonest. And I think that because I've worked in a few plot lines this chapter it shouldn't be a drastically long hiatus after that. I'm hoping.

Definitely feel free to leave a review, it does end up being motivating knowing people are still reading this.