"But I don't like the idea of you going without me," Merlin sighed. He was laying naked in her bed, wrapped up in her sheet. The sun was just beginning to shine through her curtains.
"I can take care of myself," she huffed in offense, rolling over and turning her back to him.
"I know that," he grumbled, pulling her closer. "But I don't want to take care of myself."
She laughed. "I'll only be gone for a week, two at the most. I'm sure you'll survive without me."
"I'll never survive without you," he said into her hair, reaching under the sheet between her legs. She too was entirely naked but for the silver bracelet on her wrist. "I'll do nothing but pine for you."
"Mmm," she said with as much disapproval as she could muster. While he was distracting her so deliciously, she knew he was nervous for her safety. But she could handle any problems, and Merlin needed to stay to protect the King.
She knew she should be getting dressed; she would be keeping Leon waiting. But Merlin rolled her over slightly and pushed into her, taking her from behind. She savored every thrust, every gentle nibble across her shoulders, his left hand so deftly stroking her core until she came, screaming his name into her pillow. He finished moments after she did, pulling out and rolling over to his side of the bed.
He was still breathing heavily as he told her, "Go on then, better get dressed. Leon's probably standing outside the door pretending he can't hear how loud you just shouted my name in ecstasy."
She groaned. "He probably is, isn't he." She kissed him and quickly washed up and dressed, weaving her hair into a tight braid.
"I love you," she said, kissing him.
"I love you, too. Be careful," he said, seriously.
. . .
Morgana was relieved to find that Leon was still packing the horses when she went down to greet him. Arthur was with him.
"Merlin really should be going with you," Arthur frowned.
"No, Merlin's place is to protect the King. I will be fine. Sir Leon will make sure of it," Morgana said.
"As will I," Gwen said, with a grin.
"I have no real authority as King, do I?" he huffed.
"No," Morgana and Gwen answered in unison.
"Keep these two out of trouble, Leon," Arthur called, as they mounted their horses.
"Of course, Sire," he said, kicking off his horse, with his squire and the ladies following behind.
. . .
The trip to Lady Gonilda's keep was two days' travel to the east. The first day of travel was uneventful, and not unpleasant despite the cool drizzle of rain. The days had begun to get shorter and evenings cooler. Fortunately, their trip was along main roads and included several small villages along the way, so it would not require camping.
They finally reached a small village at the half-way point at dusk, barely making it to the Inn before the sky was completely dark. Leon and his squire Iain took their horses to the stable to be looked after, while Morgana and Gwen paid for their rooms. The Inn was so empty, they were able to each have their own room.
Leon and Iain joined them by the hearth for a hearty meal of stew and ale. They had just finished their dinner, with Iain telling them amusing stories involving his recent training regimen, when a raucous began outside. They heard a woman shouting.
Sir Leon motioned for Morgana and Gwen to stay put while he and Iain went to investigate. They exchanged a look, and followed behind him.
"Trouble from the brothel, I'm afraid. Ever since it opened up, all sorts of bad characters end up over there. It's hurting our business here," the innkeeper explained.
"He's hurting her!" Gwen exclaimed, peering over Iain's shoulder. "Hey! You lot! Leave her alone!"
"My Lady, please," Leon said gently, his hand on his hilt. He walked into the street. "Sir, I would ask you to unhand the woman."
The large man tossed the prostitute he was manhandling onto the ground. "You think I'm scared of some pissant knight?" He came towards Leon, and drew his sword.
Leon quickly unsheathed his sword and dispatched the man with little effort. He repeated the action with the man's two companions. This only infuriated the men who had come out into the streets to see what was happening.
"Uh oh," Iain said, taking a deep breath and unsheathing his sword.
Morgana sighed. Men.
Leon and Iain were doing fine on their own until suddenly they weren't. Iain had taken an unlucky swipe across the leg, and was quickly being piled on. Morgana and Gwen both pulled the swords they had on their hips to defend him.
Morgana had intended to let it be a fair fight until a man hit Leon from behind while he was fighting three in front of him and, as she pivoted to fight his rear attacker, she felt a sword scrape down her forearm, cutting her and tearing her sleeve. She decided she'd had enough and was no longer amused. She sent the man flying through the air at least 30 feet and dared the next one to come near.
At that point, the men took the hint they were outmatched, despite it being four against twenty-five, and disbursed.
"Yeah, 'at's right! And don't you bloody come back if you don't have the coin!" one of the women from the brothel shouted. She was an older woman, and she approached Morgana and looked at her with suspicion. "You're a sorceress."
Morgana looked down at her. "So what if I am? Sorcery is legal in Camelot now."
"I didn't say it was a bad thing. Useful tonight for sure," she said. "Your lad there needs stitched up, and so does your blouse. Ay, you've a bit of a scrape yourself. Come inside, we owe you a drink and a mend."
Sir Leon pursed his lips together with mute displeasure as Morgana followed the woman inside. Gwen helped support Iain into the brothel.
"Have a seat there, lad, prop your leg up, let's have a look," the woman said. The red-haired squire sat down on one stool and propped his leg up on another stool.
"There's no need, I can heal him," Morgana explained. "If you're okay with that, Iain?" The young man nodded. She put her hands on his thigh and recited an incantation, and the wound closed up. The skin was still red, but would cause him no further pain.
"Well done, lass. Now, take those britches off, laddie, and we'll mend them."
Iain looked horrified, and looked at Sir Leon in response.
"That won't be necessary, either," Morgana laughed. "Here, allow me." She again, held her hands over him and mended his pants.
"Either way, the lad could use a drink," the woman grinned. "Surely you can't make ale appear."
"If only I were so powerful," Morgana returned her smile. "I agree, he fought bravely, he deserves a drink."
"Only one," Leon nodded.
"What about your arm, Morgana? Can you heal yourself?" Gwen asked her.
Morgana shook her head. "I'm afraid I've never quite figured that one out. But my magic does make me heal incredibly quickly. It'll look better by morning, certainly."
"Tis but a scratch, I'll clean it for you, lass," the woman said. Morgana pulled her bracelet from her wrist and laid it on the table, as the woman opened up her torn sleeve and cleaned the wound. They brought her an ale as well.
"Not many folks around here willing to risk their hides for a whorehouse. Who are ye?" the woman asked, applying a clean bandage.
"I'm Princess Morgana," she said. "This is my Lady in Waiting Guinevere, Sir Leon of Camelot, and his very brave squire Iain."
The woman almost laughed but then realized her male companion was wearing the red of Camelot knights. "You're serious."
"We are traveling to heal a sick young man, and are stopped here for the night. We heard the commotion from the Inn," Gwen explained, as Morgana winced from the substance the woman was using to clean her wound. She knew it was effective by its smell, but it certainly stung.
"It's true then. You're the Princess Morgana and you have magic?" a young girl asked her. She could be no more than 16, with braided brown hair. Morgana was shocked she could be living in such a place at her tender age.
"Yes, I have magic," Morgana answered.
"I do too," the girl whispered.
"Show me," Morgana encouraged.
The girl looked around the barroom, and with a wave of her hands, all of the tables were cleared and cleaned, the cups cleaning and stacking themselves in the corner with the wash bin.
"Marvelous," Gwen clapped, and laughed. "Oh how much better chores are with magic!"
"I won't be in trouble for using magic?" the girl asked, suddenly worried.
Morgana took the girl's hands in her own. "Never again. My brother, our King, has made it safe for all of us to use magic again. But only if we use it for good."
The girl nodded. "I will."
"What's your name, my dear?" Morgana asked.
"Kara," she said.
"Does your mother work here?" Gwen asked.
"No, Milady. My parents are both dead. They were killed by the king," the girl said, a rage simmering just below the surface that Morgana knew all too well.
"By Arthur?" Gwen asked with surprise.
The girl shook her head.
"Uther," Gwen sighed. "Oh, dear girl, I know your pain. I lost my father too."
"Gwen didn't lose her father, Uther killed her father," Morgana said bluntly. "My father committed terrible atrocities, and I am truly sorry about your parents. My brother and I are trying to make amends and change Camelot, so that what happened to your parents, doesn't happen to anyone else's parents, and won't happen to you."
The girl nodded.
"It doesn't bring them back though, does it?" Gwen said gently.
"No," the girl said stiffly.
Morgana frowned. "You aren't working here are you? As in…"
"No, Milady. I'm just the wash girl. For now," she said grimly.
"Besides your parents, where are your people? The Druids?" Morgana said, pointing to the markings on her forearm.
"I don't know, Milady. We had been traveling for supplies, when my parents were discovered and killed. I had no way of knowing how to get back to my village. Mistress took me in and hid me, pretended I was her own. That was two years ago."
"That was kind of you," Gwen said to the woman, as she brought them fresh drinks.
"I'd been in her place once, I didn't want the child to suffer what I had, even though knowing what she is put us at risk. If she stays here, she'll work eventually, but not until she chooses. But now that magic is legal, maybe she can find her people instead," the woman said.
"Would you like to come with us?" Morgana offered. "We are beginning to welcome Druids into the city, surely someone knows where your people are."
"I'm not sure…," the girl looked at her mistress, nervously.
"It's your choice, girl. You can make your future here, or make it there," her mistress said.
"Do I have to decide now?" the girl asked.
"Of course not. In fact, we will be returning here after we visit the sick boy Morgana is going to heal. That could give you time to decide," Gwen offered.
The girl nodded.
"We should go, we have an early start to our day, Your Highness," Sir Leon said.
"Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mistress…"
"Morag," she answered.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Morag. We will return to see Kara within the week," Morgana said.
. . .
"Why isn't the spell working, Morgana?" Gwen asked, worriedly. "He's looking worse, he's, oh my god!"
The young man began convulsing, the rotting flesh of his feet permeating the air.
"I don't know! Why isn't it… no! NO!" Morgana cried, as he finally stopped seizing and stopped breathing.
"What you have done, you witch!" his mother wailed. "You've killed him!"
"No, I didn't mean to! It should have worked! It should have!" Morgana said in a panic.
"Morgana, what is this around his neck?" Gwen asked, touching the amulet to examine it. A cursed object, Morgana realized. She'd seen one before, in her dream. The way she'd killed Uther. Oh goddess, just by trying to heal him, she really had killed him. It was all her fault.
"Don't touch my son, you witch!" Gonilda slapped Gwen, knocking her backwards, the amulet still clutched in her hand.
Morgana knocked the woman back with a burst of magic as a reflex, then looked down at her hands in horror. "I'm so sorry, Lady Gonilda, I didn't mean…"
"You witch! You murderer! I don't care that you're the king's sister, you should burn for what you've done!" the woman screamed, as Morgana and Gwen fled from the room.
Frightened, she and Gwen ran out quickly to find Sir Leon and Iain. A crowd was gathering as Lady Gonilda continued to scream accusations, and they were beginning to throw rocks at them. Leon put up his shield, but one rock had already cut Gwen on the face. As he moved to better shield her, another rock hit Leon's head with a resounding crack. He dropped the shield as he lost consciousness and fell to the ground, his eyes still open in shock.
"Leon! No!" Morgana cried, cradling his body. It was too late to heal him; he was gone. Her rage built and as she was pelted with more rocks, she engulfed the crowd in flames.
"Morgana, no!" Gwen cried, blood running down her face from the cut on her forehead. "There are children among them! Stop! Morgana! Please! Stop!"
The children's screams were horrific as the crowd burned, and they kept getting louder…
"My Lady! My Lady! Morgana! Wake up!" she felt someone shake her, and realized the screaming was coming from her.
She sobbed into Leon's chest as he held her tightly, the room lit only by the candle he had brought in when he'd heard her scream. He rocked her and shushed her like a child, muttering words of comfort.
She finally calmed down enough to speak. "I'm… sorry…" she hiccupped. "It's been a long time since I've had one."
"Your nightmares, I know," he said, kindly. "Do you wish to speak of it?"
"They aren't just nightmares, they're prophecies. My dreams come true. Glimpses of the future," she shivered.
He frowned, and held her firmly by the shoulders. "Tell me. What peril did you see?"
"You… you died," she admitted.
"Oh," was all he said, releasing his grip on her.
"It was my fault," she sniffed.
"Surely not, My Lady," he smiled kindly, bringing her a handkerchief from the dressing table.
"When I went to heal the boy, he was cursed. I didn't see it under his shirt, but he wore an amulet that would reverse any spell I cast to heal him. Instead of healing him, I killed him. Lady Gonilda… didn't take it well."
"And I died?"
"Defending me from an angry mob."
"It would be my great honor to do so, My Lady," Sir Leon said seriously.
"It won't be," she sniffed again. "And after you died in my arms, I burned the crowd, all of them, and I took great pleasure in it. Those barbarians. Those monsters. I was glad to see them burn, just as they've burned my people for so long."
Leon frowned. "But now that you know about the amulet, you can change the outcome. You can save the boy. We won't be met by an angry mob."
"I believe so. But someone is trying to set us up, murder the boy with magic. Regardless of their intention, this is far more dangerous than I realized, and not only have I brought you and Iain into it, I've brought Gwen into it as well."
"The way I see it, we now have the advantage. We know what they'll try to do, so we're already a step ahead of them."
She nodded and exhaled, beginning to calm but still trembling.
Leon looked at her with sympathy. "These nightmares you have, these premonitions, are overwhelming, aren't they? Are they always of bad things?"
"There hadn't been a lot of good things over the years to dream of, at least not until more recently. Until I dreamed of Merlin, once I knew we would fall in love," she said, with a small smile.
"He's a good man. The good premonitions must be outnumbering the bad these days," he said.
She looked at him quizzically. "Why do you think?"
"None of the guards have heard you have nightmares in a long time. Since back before Uther died," he said, pulling a blanket from the end of the bed to wrap around her.
"What's strange is I never dreamed of his death. And honestly, I haven't really had any premonitions… oh, ouch," she murmured, as Leon accidentally brushed against her arm.
"Oh, my apologies, My Lady, I forgot about your arm, is it still very sore?" he asked, wrapping the blanket around her more gently.
She pulled her arm out to look at it. "It's better, nearly healed, just a little sore." She sighed with the sudden realization. "Oh, how careless. I left my bracelet on the table at the brothel, from when Morag cleaned my arm."
"We can retrieve it in the morning before we set off. Was it special?"
"My sister gave it to me awhile ago, it was my mother's. I've worn it every day since she gave it to me…," she gasped with the sudden realization. "Oh no, why didn't I see it before now? It's supposed to be a healing bracelet, it should calm my nerves but not suppress my visions, but I think it's more than that. She's obviously enchanted it."
"The bracelet?"
"It must be dampening my prophetic visions. I never put it together until just now. Dammit, I'm such a fool," she grasped the blanket tighter around her. How could she have been so stupid?
"Are you sure she enchanted it? If it belonged to your mother and was already enchanted, would your sister have known its power?"
"As a high priestess, I can't imagine she wouldn't."
He nodded. "And her intention would be to keep you from having visions?"
"I doubt it was for a restful night's sleep," she frowned. "I've worn it or had it near me ever since she gave it to me. If I hadn't been careless with it tonight…"
"I'd be dead in two days' time, as would a lot of villagers," he said, grimly.
"I won't let that happen," she said with new resolve. "You're right, we have the advantage."
"I'll leave you to your rest then, My Lady. I don't wish to linger much longer, lest anyone find me in your room in such a state and do harm to your reputation," he said sheepishly.
She smirked at him, noticing his bare chest was a bit damp where she had been crying against it just a few minutes ago. Good thing Merlin wasn't the jealous type. "I think it's a bit late for salvaging my reputation at this point. I'm sure you know by now I've had undressed men in my bed for far less innocent purposes, Leon."
He smiled. "Your brother has frequently complained of one, yes."
She laughed, and then said, seriously. "Good night, Leon, and thank you, for your duty, and your friendship. I am honored by both."
"You have my unwavering friendship, My Lady," Leon began, but trailed off.
She gave a sad smile. "I hear an unspoken 'but.' Speak freely. I value your opinion."
"You have a good heart. If I should die protecting you, or if Iain does, or even if Gwen does, please don't do us the disservice, don't do our memories the disservice, of becoming the very monster you've always hated. Let our duty and our sacrifice mean more to you than that. You can control your power, and your rage. It doesn't control you. I have faith in you, Morgana, as do the rest of the Knights of Camelot. As does the King. As does Merlin."
She looked up at him in the candlelight, his tousled mane of hair and kind face, and was struck by how lucky she was to have such friends to speak such bold truths. In her dreams, the Knights were loyal to Arthur and would not serve her, let alone love her. That emptiness in her original vision of her future, where she was alone and only full of rage and ambition, is so different from what she has now. But she also knows how her heart could turn dark so easily; she's seen it happen so often in her dreams.
"Thank you, Leon. I will live up to your vision of me, you have my word," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Good night."
"Good night, My Lady," he said, picking up the candle and closing the door behind him.
. . .
The next morning, they found Kara waiting for them as they came downstairs from their rooms.
"Kara! Have you decided to join us?" Gwen asked, smiling broadly at the young girl.
"I believe so, yes, Milady. I would like to return to the city with you, but if I may join you after you finish your journey to heal the sick boy," she asked.
"Of course," Gwen said. "We'll be returning here within the week."
The girl looked unsure that was true. "I will look for you then. Princess Morgana, Mistress asked me to return this to you. You left it last night," she said, pulling the bracelet from her skirts.
Morgana smiled. "That's very kind. The bracelet was given to me by my sister, it belonged to our mother. How about you keep it safe for me? Then you'll trust we'll return."
"Of course, Princess," the girl said, giving an awkward curtsy. Morgana and Gwen exchanged a smile.
"We'll see you soon, Kara," Morgana smiled.
Morgana paid the innkeeper to secure their rooms in advance for their return, and asked him to arrange for the purchase of a small horse for the girl upon their return, then they set off to cure Lady Gonilda's son.
On the ride, Morgana told Gwen about her dream, and about the true nature of the bracelet.
"Then, if you hadn't been wearing the bracelet, you might have foreseen Uther's death," Gwen gasped.
Morgana nodded. "Does it make me a terrible person that part of me is glad I didn't?"
"Oh Morgana, of course not. He did terrible things, like what he did to Kara's parents…"
"And your father," she sighed.
"And if Uther was still alive, you couldn't live openly. Sorcerers would still be executed. You certainly couldn't marry Merlin! And I couldn't marry Arthur!" she said, then immediately blushed.
"You couldn't, could you?" Morgana said, eyeing her suspiciously. "Have you merely come to accept your destiny, or did my brother finally come to his senses and propose?"
Her bronzed face flushed crimson. Morgana gasped.
"He did! He proposed!" Morgana laughed. "And you two are keeping it a secret, because you don't want to take attention away from my wedding!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell you," Gwen groaned.
"Nonsense! I'm thrilled. We're going to be sisters!" she said, reaching across and grabbing her hand. "I promise to act surprised when I officially hear the news."
"You can't tell anyone else! I mean it! We want all the attention on you for your wedding," Gwen admonished.
"I won't tell a soul, not even Merlin, I promise," she smiled. "Sister."
"Sister," Gwen grinned.
. . .
It was just after dark when they arrived at the gates of the keep.
Lady Gonilda ushered them in and her maid showed them to their rooms. Because they had packed light to travel quickly, she set out gowns for Morgana and Gwen, and respectable clothing for Leon and Iain. Her servants poured their baths and brought them supper to their rooms.
Lady Gonilda knocked on Morgana's door as soon as the servant removed her dinner tray.
"Princess Morgana, I wanted you to meet our physician, Griswold. He has been treating Ackerly. I thought you might have some questions for him before you went to see Ackerly in the morning. He has taken a turn for worse."
"Of course, that is an excellent idea, My Lady. Shall we?" she gestured to the sitting area.
Griswold explained the boy's condition. It began with fatigue, blurry vision, terrible headaches and wounds that would not heal. His urine had a strong sweet odor, and he could not quench his thirst. And despite an increase in appetite, he began losing a great deal of weight. His eyesight began to deteriorate. Yesterday, he began vomiting profusely and, this morning, he could not be roused from his bed.
"I have seen this before, Gaius has a patient who manages the condition by eating no grains or fruits. But never so severe," Morgana said.
"Can you heal him? With your magic?" Griswold asked.
"I believe so. If I can figure out how his body is not working. Can we visit the boy tonight instead of in the morning?"
"Of course, My Lady," he said.
She followed the rotund middle-aged man through the halls until they came upon the boy's chambers.
She sat on a stool beside the boy's bed, and laying hands upon him, she closed her eyes.
"Griswold, I am going to spend the night here observing the boy to see what I can discover about his condition. If my escorts need me, will you please let them know where to find me?"
"Of course, My Lady," he said, closing the door as he left.
She opened her eyes and searched the boy. The amulet was already around his neck. She took the cursed thing off the boy, and searched him head to toe for any other magical impediments. She then searched the bed, including under the bed, and through the rest of the room. Satisfied the amulet was the only cursed object, she held it in her hands, her eyes glowing gold. She felt the dark magic die in her palms.
"Now, little Lord Ackerly, let's find out what's the matter," Morgana said, placing her palms on the boy's chest and focusing.
She stayed in that position for the better part of the night, tracing the toxins through his body, until she located the source and all parts that were affected. Once she was confident she had found how to treat him, she was ready to begin the spellwork. Gwen entered with Lady Gonilda.
"Oh, Princess Morgana, Griswold says you've spent the entire night working. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the effort you've gone to, just to help him."
"I think I understand the cause of his illness, and I believe I can treat him," she said. Just in case, she had slipped the amulet into Gwen's hands.
She placed her palms on Ackerly's chest and began the incantation. Her eyes glowed and her lips moved but no sound came out at first. As she continued, her voice got louder, until she the incantation was a shouted command. The boy glowed under her hands, until suddenly he gasped and opened his eyes.
"Mama?" he said frantically.
Lady Gonilda sobbed, grabbing the boy to her chest.
"You did it," Gwen said, beaming with pride.
"He'll be okay," Morgana sighed, relieved.
"Griswold! Lord Ackerly! She did it!" Gonilda shouted.
Griswold and the elder Lord Ackerly came into the room to see for themselves. The Princess Morgana, Court Sorceress of Camelot, had performed a miracle.
Morgana and Gwen stepped out into the hallway to give the family some privacy. Sir Leon peeked in.
"No mob violence then?" he asked, visibly relieved.
"No, not today," she smiled.
"What do we do with this cursed thing, then?" Gwen asked, holding up the amulet.
"I'm going to hang onto it, until I find its owner," Morgana said, taking it back from Gwen. "And now, I'm going to eat something and sleep the morning away."
"I'll have the servants bring your breakfast," Gwen said, leaving her at her bedroom door.
. . .
This time it was Gwen who heard Morgana's screams.
"Morgana? Are you all right?" she called frantically, throwing open the door.
Morgana gasped and woke up, eyes wide. "We've got to leave, we've got to get back."
"Oh no, is it Arthur? Is he okay?" Gwen looked alarmed.
"No, it's Kara. She's in trouble. Get Leon, we've got to go," Morgana said, gathering her belongings, and changing back into her riding attire. "I'll check in on Lord Ackerly, and give our excuses to Lady Gonilda."
"Of course," Gwen said, hurrying out of the room.
Morgana checked her reflection in the mirror. Exhausted, she thought. The bracelet may have had nefarious intent, but she couldn't argue that she slept better all these months.
"I came to check on our patient, how is he today?" Morgana said, walking into Lord Ackerly's room.
"Oh, he's doing beautifully, thanks to you!" Gonilda gushed. "We shall throw a banquet in your honor!"
"I'm afraid I cannot stay, My Lady. There is trouble in your border town, I've seen it in my dreams. They're going to burn a young girl for witchcraft if I don't intervene, a girl I promised to keep safe," Morgana sighed.
"Oh no, that's terrible. My Lord Husband will send his men to keep the peace. We will protect sorcerers in our lands; we take the orders of the King seriously. When must you leave?"
"As soon as I take a look at the younger Lord Ackerly and make sure I haven't missed anything," Morgana smiled at the boy, who was looking at her wide-eyed.
"We haven't had the pleasure of being introduced," she said, approaching the bed. "I'm Princess Morgana. Your mother asked me to come visit you, to help heal you. How are you feeling?"
"Much better, My Lady, thank you," the young man said. His voice had the screech of a developing adolescent, and above his lip a slight dusting of hair.
"I healed the organ that was troubling you, but it may come to pass that it troubles you again. As I already discussed with your physician, to stay healthy, you should eat mostly meat and green vegetables. Try to avoid bread, potatoes and fruits, or eat just very little. And avoid sweets, except maybe on special occasions. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course, My Lady," he said.
"I am so very glad you are well, My Lord," Morgana smiled. "But if you are unwell again in the future, please call for me, I will come to your aid again."
"Thank you, My Lady," the boy said.
"Thank you," his mother said, weeping.
"Throw that banquet, Lady Gonilda," Morgana said, turning back before she left. "The boy deserves the celebration. As do you."
Morgana met up with Gwen, Leon, and Iain at the stable, the horses already packed.
"We must arrive before nightfall, I'm certain what I saw occurs tonight," Morgana explained. They took off to find Kara.
. . .
The ride was hard, and sure enough, when they arrived, there was a mob outside of the brothel.
Morgana swiftly dismounted and faced the crowd.
"I am Princess Morgana of Camelot, sister to King Arthur, his heir and his proxy. What is the meaning of this?" she roared to the crowd.
"This witch stole from me!" a red-faced man screamed. "She'll burn for it!"
"You touch her, and it will be your life that's forfeit," Morgana hissed. "Now, what has she stolen?"
"My coin," he said.
"He's a liar!" Kara shouted. "He came without coin. He always comes without coin! He cheats the women after he abuses them! He only accuses me because of my magic!"
"Is this true? Do you cheat the women you use and abuse them?" she asked coldly.
"It's true, Milady, he's a violent brute. He beats us and steals from us all the time!" a woman shouted.
"Check his pockets!" another shouted.
"Sir Leon, if you please," Morgana said.
Leon searched the man. "The women speak the truth, Your Highness." He held out his hand. In it, was Morgana's bracelet.
"Do you know who that bracelet belongs to?" she asked.
"It's mine," the man said defiantly.
"No, it's mine. I gave it to the girl to keep while I was traveling, since I had nearly lost it here. It was my mother's, it bears the crest of House Gorlois, my father's crest. You are a thief, a liar, and an abuser of women and magic users. By the power of the crown of Camelot, I hereby sentence you to death."
"Morgana," Gwen gasped.
"Shall I carry out the sentence, Your Highness?" Leon asked.
"No. I shall," she said. "You would have burned an innocent girl to mask your treachery. You will die as you would have done to her."
She used her magic to force him to the post, and with a command, lit the pyre. After his screams began, she snapped his neck with another flick of her wrist. The fire consumed his body. The execution seemed to quell the crowd's blood-lust and the people soon left.
She wrapped an arm around Kara, who was trembling, and walked her back to the brothel and into Morag's arms, with instructions to meet them at sunrise prepared to leave.
Leon and Iain followed behind Morgana and Gwen as they walked to the Inn to claim their rooms.
"Morgana, was that really necessary?" Gwen asked, visibly distressed by her display of power. "Could you not have shown mercy instead?"
Morgana shook her head. "I saw her die, Gwen. I watched her flesh burn from her bones as she died screaming in agony."
Gwen closed her eyes, trying to shut out the image. "So you would do the same to him? He didn't kill her. You stopped him."
"I showed him mercy by giving him a quick death and not letting him burn painfully, as he would have done to her. And what would you have me do with him? Release him? He would just kill another in her place once we'd left. Gwen, you're going to be queen, you'll have to learn to impose justice, even when it's unpleasant," she huffed.
"Arthur wouldn't have…"
"Arthur would have used the sword instead," she said firmly, and went to her room to sleep, this time slipping the bracelet back on her wrist.