Well guys, this is it: the big 5-0! This makes Lost In Camelot the second of my stories to hit this benchmark, as well as the first to surpass 200k in the word count - wow. I had no idea when I started this that it would be any kind of record-breaker, and I'd like to thank every one of you who's stuck with me this long.

I also want to wish you all a very Happy Halloween; I'd send you all lots of candy if I could.

Bo, Morgana, and Dyson were already back in the citadel by the time Arthur made it home the following day; as he led his prisoners into the throne room, he noticed Alvarr staring in astonishment at Dyson where he stood off to one side with Bo, but there was no time to wonder what that was about before he found himself standing before his father, who of course wanted a full report on yesterday's battle.

"We searched for the rebels as you commanded, but they found us first and ambushed us," Arthur told him, leaving out the part where he had told Alvarr their whereabouts in the hopes that he could slip away from his men and they could talk things out peaceably. "Most of them were killed with minimal losses to our own forces-" Thanks to Merlin, though of course Arthur left that part out too "-and perhaps a few escaped, but we captured Alvarr and a small number of his men."

As Arthur stepped aside and gestured for the prisoners to be brought forward, he looked over at Morgana's seat beside the throne, wondering how she would react to what was sure to be a death sentence for her fellow sorcerers - but, to his surprise, he saw that she was glaring at Alvarr with even greater hatred and disgust than Uther's, if that was possible. Arthur shivered and took another step back, hoping fervently that Morgana never had a reason to look at him that way.

When Uther pronounced his sentence, Alvarr looked up at the king's ward, meeting her venomous glare with a hard stare of his own. Is it really so easy for you to sit there at Uther's side while he slaughters your kind, Morgana, knowing that one day you might find yourself in my place?

Her eyes widened for a split second when he spoke to her in her mind, then quickly narrowed again. You hurt Bo, tied up Merlin and myself, nearly killed our friend, attacked Arthur without provocation, and tried to turn Mordred into a killer - you are nothing like me. Morgana's hands clenched on the armrests of her chair, her nails scraping against the shiny wood. If Uther wasn't going to execute you tomorrow, I'd kill you myself.

Alvarr raised an eyebrow at her, his head tilting slightly. Yes, you did show an inordinate amount of concern for the druid boy's welfare. I wonder what your king would think if he knew you were in my camp, trying to save a druid?

Go ahead and tell him, Morgana retorted, her lip curling into a sneer. I know perfectly well what will happen if Uther ever discovers the truth about me...but since that day hasn't come yet, he'll never take the word of a criminal like yourself over that of his beloved ward.

Alvarr seemed to realize she was right, because he allowed himself to be ushered out of the room without a word. Once he and his cohorts were gone, Uther resumed his inquiry into the events that had led to their capture.

"Where were you during this battle?" he asked, turning to the onlookers gathered off to the side and peering questioningly at Dyson. "You left with Arthur and the other knights but returned before them, accompanied by the Ladies Morgana and Isabeau."

"I'm the one who sent him away," Arthur interjected. "We came to a fork in the path we were following, and even though I was reasonably certain which one would take us to the rebels' camp, I didn't want to leave any stone unturned, so I tasked Sir Dyson with investigating the other trail."

Dyson then picked up the tale. "Prince Arthur's intuition was right; I never found any trace of the rebels, but I did encounter the ladies. I didn't feel comfortable leaving them out there with dangerous men lurking about, so I decided to bring them home rather than rejoin the search party."

"You made the right choice," Uther said at once, nodding. "Now the only question is-" His narrowed eyes moved sideways to Bo, then to Morgana's seat beside his throne and back again "-what were my ward and her...companion doing outside the safety of these walls? I expected better judgment from both of you."

Not liking the way he was looking at Bo - perhaps it was because she was older, perhaps because he still saw Morgana to some extent as the child he'd raised, but it seemed to her that he was directing the brunt of his disapproval at her girlfriend - she spoke up. "It was my fault. Bo told me we shouldn't venture out until the intruders who broke into the castle were caught, but I wouldn't listen. I persuaded her to go with me."

Uther's frown deepened, but at least it was fixed solely on her now. "Leave us," he commanded, his gaze never straying from her face. "I need to speak privately with my ward."

Bo and Gwen hesitated, both casting worried looks at Morgana and her obviously displeased guardian, but Arthur, Dyson, Lancelot, and Kenzi urged them forward, and soon they were all swept away in the tide of knights and courtiers who were moving to obey the king's order.

When the last of them were out and the guards had closed the double doors behind them, leaving Uther and Morgana alone, the king stood up in order to face his ward directly, glowering down at her. "I scarcely know where to begin... You've already been abducted once this year, snatched from within these very walls, and been the target of another attempted kidnapping when you visited Gorlois' grave; you of all people should understand the dangers we face, yet you chose to leave the protection of the citadel and ride out into the woods without a single guard, when the outlaws who broke into our home only three nights ago were still at large? Honestly, Morgana, what were you thinking?!"

She had flinched back in her seat as his voice rose, because his anger scared her now in a way it never had before even though she knew it was nothing compared to the wrath she would face if her secrets were exposed, a mere foreshadowing of what was to come... Now she bowed her head in a show of contrition, understanding that, to anyone who didn't know the real reason for her excursion - which she obviously couldn't explain to Uther - her actions must indeed seem inexcusably reckless.

"I know I shouldn't have gone, I just... I wanted to be alone with Bo." Even as the words left her mouth, Morgana realized that bringing up her grudgingly tolerated, officially forbidden romance in order to justify actions Uther already considered unacceptable probably wasn't helping her case - an impression that was confirmed when his disapproving expression intensified - but it was the only explanation that fit the cover story she, Bo, and Dyson had concocted on their way back to the palace, so she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and doubled down.

"It's just so hard to get any real privacy here; there are so many people in the castle at all hours of the day and night, and even in my own chambers or hers, there's always the chance of Gwen walking in on us or Arthur barging in without even bothering to knock or some other courtier seeking me out for one reason or another... You don't know how hard it is to see her every day yet have so little time to be with her in the way I want."

She peered up at Uther through her lashes, wondering if she was laying it on too thick, and saw that he was still frowning at her, though his eyes now held a hint of concern as well as disappointment.

"I had no idea your feelings for Lady Isabeau were so strong." He paused for a moment, watching her closely, but when she said nothing to alleviate his worry, he spoke again, this time with an almost imploring note in his voice. "Surely, Morgana, you must see that this...whatever it is you share with her, whatever you think you feel for her, it cannot last. Sooner or later it must end."

"Why?" Morgana got to her feet, unable to sit there meekly now that her usual passion and conviction were flowing back into her, overriding her apprehension. "What I share with Bo is not merely some youthful diversion that I'll eventually outgrow or cast aside like a dress that's gone out of fashion, nor are my feelings for her some figment of my imagination. I love her!"

"You're barely more than a child; what do you know of love?" Uther retorted in a patronizingly dismissive way that made her want to scream. "This is nothing more than a fantasy, and yes, it must end because Lady Isabeau cannot provide for you. She has no lands here, no castle, no vassal lords to command. In point of fact, neither do you. Gorlois' holdings may be yours in name, but as a woman you have no authority to muster a fighting force and lead men into battle if called upon by your king. You'll need a husband to fulfill those duties for you, to be master of your domain."

"Why?" Morgana asked again, more sadly than defiantly this time. "Why can't things go on as they are?"

Uther's face softened as he met her beseeching gaze. "I wish they could, child, but that's not the way of the world. Right now you enjoy a privileged position here as my ward, but one day Arthur too must marry, and then it will be up to his bride to run the royal household as she sees fit. When that happens, I fear there will be no place for you."

It was true that if Arthur married some foreign princess or highborn lady of Camelot, such a woman probably would not want him to support his unwed foster sister forever, might even see Morgana as competition since, as the closest thing Uther had to a daughter, she had been the highest-ranking noblewoman in the castle for years. However, Morgana also knew that if Arthur was allowed to marry the woman he loved, Gwen would never turn her away - having been raised as a servant, she would be glad to have her best friend's guidance as she adapted to her new role - but of course Uther would never let that happen any more than he would grant any form of recognition or acceptance to Morgana's relationships with either of the people she loved, let alone both of them, and she felt tears pricking her eyes at the unfairness of it, at how they were all to be denied the happiness that could be attained so easily if not for the inflexibility of the man standing before her.

"I'm sorry, Morgana," he said gently, and to his credit he actually sounded like he meant it. "It gives me no pleasure to do this, but if your feelings for Lady Isabeau are clouding your judgment to such an extent that you would put yourself in danger, I cannot allow your liaisons with her to continue."

"What?! No!"

"Fear not," he went on, raising his voice above her shocked protests, "she will be taken care of. Sir Leon's aunt, the Lady Ermengarde, has written to me several times in recent months, requesting that I impress upon him the importance of finding a wife and taking a more active role as the head of his house now that his father has passed." Uther paused for a moment, grimacing as he recalled the increasingly waspish tone of the letters he'd received from the irascible, sharp-tongued old woman before finishing his thought. "I believe he and Lady Isabeau will make a fine match."

"Bo and Leon?" Morgana repeated incredulously. She could think of a dozen reasons why this was a terrible idea, chief among them being the fact that Bo would never agree to it. "You can't. I know her; she won't marry a man she doesn't love simply because you tell her to."

"She will if she wishes to continue living in my kingdom."

"What are you saying - that you'll throw her out if she refuses? You promised to help her-"

"And I've made every effort to fulfill that promise. I've spoken with every traveler who has passed through Camelot, and none of them have even heard of the land she hails from. After all this time with no word of her homeland, I can only conclude that it lies so far from the entire realm of Albion that it can only be reached by...the same means through which she arrived here. Since I cannot return her to her home, the most I can do is to ensure that she lives out her days here in comfort, and any right-thinking person would agree that marrying her to Sir Leon will satisfy whatever obligation I have in that regard," Uther pointed out reasonably. "He is a fine, honorable man whose family is one of the wealthiest in the land. If she refuses the most generous offer I can make her, no one can say that I owe her anything more. As for her companion, Lady Kenzi may remain here until she finds a husband of her own, or she may join Lady Isabeau at Sir Leon's estate if he is amenable."

Morgana lowered her head to hide her mounting frustration, her hands clenching in the folds of her skirt. Uther was correct, of course - by society's standards, he was being incredibly generous, but to her it just felt like one more way that he was attempting to trap her, to force her to be something she wasn't, and now Bo was getting pulled into it too.

"I've given a great deal of thought to your future as well," he continued, oblivious to her unhappiness. "Bayard of Mercia contacted me last month to express his interest in arranging a betrothal for his heir, Prince Urien. My initial feelings on the match were...uncertain - Mercia is farther from Camelot than I'd like - but in light of recent events, I'm inclined to give it more serious consideration."

"You want me to marry Urien?" Morgana exclaimed, Bo's plight temporarily forgotten in the face of this greater horror. "No! I won't do it!"

Uther scowled at her, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"My lord, Urien is not a good man. He's haughty and-"

"You've said similar things about Arthur in the past," Uther interrupted. "It's been years since you last met Urien; whatever youthful follies you remember, I'm sure he's outgrown them by now." Before Morgana could explain that, while Arthur's unpleasant behavior could indeed be attributed to immaturity, she had sensed in Urien a genuine cruelty that only seemed likely to worsen with age, he continued, "He is also the heir to a great kingdom, and as his wife, you would be afforded every luxury you could wish for. I haven't made a final decision yet, but if I decide you are to marry Prince Urien, you will obey me. In the meantime, your dalliance with Lady Isabeau must end at once, for her sake as much as yours. Do I make myself clear?"

Morgana nodded; though he didn't come right out and say it, the implicit threat that Bo would suffer the consequences if she defied him was perfectly clear. Fighting to keep her voice steady - and mostly succeeding, apart from a tiny, barely detectable tremor - she asked, "If that is all, my lord, may I go?"

Uther peered searchingly into her face, but she kept her expression blank, allowing no hint of her true feelings to show through, and after a moment he gave his assent. As she spun on her heel and started to walk away, he called after her, "I know this seems harsh, but one day you'll understand that everything I've done is for your own good."

Morgana didn't let herself look back, afraid she wouldn't be able to maintain her composure if she had to face him again. Keeping her chin held high and her spine rigidly erect, she made her exit as swiftly as she could while keeping to the graceful, stately gait of a highborn lady. She could break down later, away from the prying eyes of the guards waiting outside the throne room's door, but first she needed to find Bo.

###

"Are you serious? Uther wants you to marry a guy named Urine?"

"Urien," Morgana corrected with a halfhearted little smile, "although your interpretation is a better fit for his personality."

Bo winced. "That bad?"

Morgana nodded grimly, all traces of humor vanishing. "Uther doesn't see it because he's very skilled at presenting a flawlessly polite, charming facade to his equals and superiors, but I believe anyone who is beneath him in any way sees a very different side to the prince of Mercia. During his last visit to Camelot, I noticed that the servants in his retinue seemed terrified of him, and Gwen confided that she found one of the scullery maids crying in the kitchens one night. The girl said Urien tried to force himself on her."

"And none of you told anyone?!"

"The girl begged Gwen to keep it quiet," Morgana explained with a regretful shake of her head. "She was afraid of losing her position if she spoke out against a visiting prince. Gwen wouldn't have said anything to me if I hadn't seen that something was troubling her and pressed her on it, and even then I couldn't persuade her to divulge the girl's name."

"So this prick just got away with raping her?" Bo asked angrily.

"No, he was interrupted before it went that far, but the incident told me everything I needed to know about the sort of man he is. I already suspected that he held an unsavory attitude toward women, though; when I went riding with him and Arthur, he spoke at great length about how he enjoyed breaking horses, taming and bending them to his will... Then he mentioned that I reminded him of a particularly spirited mare he'd recently acquired. No doubt he thought me too stupid to understand the comparison." Morgana shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "I laughed and told him I would be harder to break in than any horse, secure in the knowledge that he couldn't lay a finger on me...but if I become his wife, I'll be entirely in his power, and he'll be free to do with me as he pleases."

Bo's indignation at Morgana's perceived inaction faded when she heard that, replaced by worry. "You don't think he would..."

"What, rape me? No, of course not." Just as Bo started to relax, Morgana went on bitterly, "Don't you know it's impossible for a man to rape his wife? If she doesn't perform her marital duties willingly, he has every right to take what is his."

"That's horrible, and sick, and... I promise we'll find some way to make sure this asshole never gets his misogynistic mitts on you, no matter what."

Bo had enfolded Morgana in a protective hug while she spoke, and the younger girl took several minutes to enjoy the solace she found in her embrace before speaking again. "I appreciate that, although I still have some hope that my fate may not be sealed just yet. At least Uther doesn't seem to be as dead set on marrying me to Urien as he is on your betrothal to Leon."

"Oh yeah...that." A grimace flashed across Bo's face as she recalled part two of the double whammy of bad news Morgana had delivered, though as they broke apart, she quickly smoothed it away before the other girl saw. "Well, it could be worse. Leon's a good guy."

She tried to sound hopeful for Morgana's sake, not wanting to dwell on her own problems when her girlfriend might be facing something much worse, but the truth was that regardless of Leon's good qualities - of which, admittedly, there were many - he was all wrong for her. Part of the reason Uther thought so highly of him was that he was a rule-follower to his core, which was completely antithetical to Bo's worldview and how she lived her life. As if that wasn't enough, there was also the fact that she wouldn't be able to sustain herself on the amount of chi a single non-magical human could safely provide; she would have to feed on other people, something the straitlaced knight was unlikely to understand or tolerate.

Of course, Morgana saw right through her pretense, and proceeded to add another item to her list of concerns. "Yes, Leon is a good man, but his duties as Camelot's first knight will keep him here a great deal. You'll be left at his estate with his elderly aunt, Lady Ermengarde, who may be pestering Uther about how it's time for her nephew to settle down, yet I doubt she'll be eager to cede her authority as lady of the castle to you. She's ruled over that household with an iron fist ever since she came to live with her brother, Leon's father, after her own husband died at only thirty-four years of age. Gaius' official verdict was that he suffered from some heart defect, but most people believe his wife hounded and henpecked him into an early grave. Gaius did say his condition could have been exacerbated if he was under stress, and I imagine living with Ermengarde would be very stressful."

"So Leon comes with an aunt who'll basically be the mother-in-law from hell," Bo summarized with a forlorn sigh. "Great. Maybe I can talk Uther out of this, if I get him alone and use my special brand of patented succubus persuasion." She underscored her meaning by wiggling her fingers. "It got him to let Lancelot stay."

Morgana made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a scoff, refusing to be consoled so easily. "Yes, but then Uther wasn't as strongly opposed to Lancelot remaining in the capital once he was assured the man had no further aspirations of rising above his station. He's settled into his new life as Dyson's servant and so the king has been content to forget about him, but you and I... Now that I've told him I love you, he'll always see you as a threat to his plans for me. Even if you dissuade him from betrothing you to Leon, it will only be a temporary reprieve. He'll find some other knight or lord to chain you to, or ship me off to Mercia... He won't rest until we're separated forever."

She paused there, breathing hard now that she had worked her anger up to a fever pitch, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms. "Sometimes I truly think I hate him, Bo," she confessed in a whisper, her voice trembling. "It frightens me."

"Don't be scared." Bo came to stand directly in front of her and held her hands out, palms up. "I can help take the edge off...if you trust me to do that."

"Of course I trust you." It took some effort to uncurl her fingers, but at last Morgana placed her hands in Bo's. She inhaled sharply as the first waves of Bo's power flowed into her, then seemed to deflate as the tension drained out of her body.

Bo stepped forward to catch her as her knees buckled, wrapping her arms around the younger girl and rubbing her back in slow, soothing strokes. "It'll be okay; we will find a way out of this," she murmured in her ear. "When Merlin comes back, we'll run away together if we have to."

It was a tantalizing idea, should such an escape prove necessary, to leave the dangers and restrictions of Camelot behind and find a place where she, Bo, and Merlin could live together without the fear of being forced apart by a king determined to control every aspect of her life...all for her own good, of course. She was under no illusions that Uther would let her go just like that - in fact, she was certain he would pursue her to the ends of the earth - but with hers and Merlin's combined magic, surely they could stay one step ahead of him.

She just hoped Merlin would come back soon, so that the three of them could face their suddenly very uncertain future together.

So this officially concludes the canon events of The Witch's Quickening, and Uther still managed to ruin his relationship with Morgana even if she doesn't care about Alvarr's fate...but we knew it would happen sooner or later, because they're just too opposed to each other in every way to not reach a breaking point over something. Besides, things have been going pretty great for the OT3 lately, so it's inevitable that a wrench would have to be thrown into their plans, because them just waiting around for Uther to die of old age and Arthur to become king and fix everything wouldn't make for a very exciting story.

The name of Morgana's prospective fiancé came from traditional Arthurian legends, many versions of which had Morgan le Fay unhappily married to a King Urien; the unfortunate anagramming of his name was purely coincidental. Let's just hope our Morgana can avoid her legendary counterpart's fate, eh?