Chapter 7 An Awkward, Itchy Beginning
A/N: Edited and revised May 2021
Arthur paced at the head of the room as his private council assembled themselves around the newly commissioned round table. Merlin stood to the side, studiously avoiding Gwen's and Elyan's eyes. Leon, Gwaine and Percival sat at their places, looking intently at the carvings that adorned the table's edge. Merlin had put his neckerchief on as best he could one handed; he thought that Gaius would probably be more suspicious if the beloved article was missing. He rarely went without one these days. Morgana had yet to say a word, still concealed as she was under the blanket. Merlin was surprised that she seemed eager to hide slightly behind him on his right side, their bound hands between them. Morgana surprised him further by grasping his upper arm with her free hand. The gesture seemed instinctual, and yet, more intimate than Merlin had thought possible.
When the heavy wooden doors at the end of the room opened and Gaius hurried through, Merlin hastily hid his and Morgana's bound hands behind his back and stepped almost entirely in front of her. He couldn't be sure that his mentor wouldn't recognise a dragonfasting if he saw one and he wasn't entirely eager to test the theory, much to Gwaine, Leon and Percival's amusement. Merlin assumed the most innocent expression he could muster and smiled as Gaius took in everyone already seated around the table and Arthur pacing at the other end of the room. Then the physician looked for his ward and Gaius' eyebrow raised straight to his hairline as he fixed Merlin with an unmistakable what-did-you-do look.
Merlin's stomach sank. The euphoria he had been experiencing with Arthur's acceptance of his magic had disappeared when he realized that he still had to reveal himself to Elyan and Gwen. Not to mention having to tell them just who he had unexpectedly found himself married to.
"Good, we're all here," Arthur began, pulling out his chair and sinking into it. "We have important things to discuss. The least of which is lifting the ban on magic."
Elyan's mouth opened in shock, but Gwen let out a startled gasp. Arthur smiled reassuringly at his wife and her brother. Gaius, however, fixed his gaze on Merlin who had yet to take his seat, still tangled as he was with Morgana.
"Merlin, aren't you going to sit down?" Gaius asked, curious about who Merlin was sheltering.
"No, I'm quite comfortable right here. I've been sitting on a horse all day, after all," Merlin said hastily.
"Who's your friend?" Gaius pressed.
"Oh, um, funny you should ask, Gaius," Merlin struggled to answer.
"For pity's sake Merlin, we're all here and most of us know already. Just tell them," Arthur ordered.
"Right. Ah, well..."
"Do you mean to tell me that after everything we've witnessed in the last two days, you're afraid of Gaius, Elyan and Guinevere?" Arthur smirked. Merlin scowled.
"Need I remind you that I've been taught since birth to tell no one? I've voluntarily told two people in my entire life! Two! Everyone else has just sort of stumbled upon it."
"Fine, I'll tell them," Arthur said, turning to Gwen and Elyan. "Merl-"
"I have magic!" Merlin burst out before Arthur could finish.
"What?" Gwen asked as Elyan's eyes widened in surprise. "No, you can't have magic," Gwen said, fear for her friend clear in her eyes. She had watched Morgana's goodness rot from the inside out when she had started using magic. Gwen didn't want to see the same thing happen to Merlin. He was too good, too kind-hearted.
"Merlin!" Gaius called out, a frustrated and frightened expression on his face until he realized that none of the knights at the table were reacting. Except for Elyan, whose face was hard as he stared in Merlin's direction. Percival put a hand on Elyan's shoulder and shook his head when Elyan moved to stand and pull his sword. Everyone else turned to see what had so enraged the mild-mannered knight and Gaius received the second great shock of the day. There beside Merlin, finally revealed, was Morgana. And she was glaring at Merlin.
"Morgana?!" Gaius exclaimed, looking incredulously at Elyan being restrained by Percival.
"What is going on here?!" Elyan asked, looking at Arthur and his fellow knights as though they had gone mad.
"Patience," Arthur commanded. "We'll explain everything."
The king nodded towards the tense pair at the side of the room. They seemed to be having some sort of stand off, neither relenting in their glare, unwilling to be the one to give in.
"You have magic?" Morgana finally spoke through gritted teeth. "And you never told me?
"I couldn't tell you then," Merlin defended himself. Morgana scoffed.
"You knew how frightened I was!"
"So was I," Merlin countered.
"I told you everything! I thought I was becoming a monster, I needed help! I trusted you and you couldn't find it in you to do the same for me? To help me?"
Merlin's shoulders sagged and he pointedly studied his boots.
"I wanted to tell you," Merlin said, raising his head to meet Morgana's hurt gaze.
"And yet you didn't," Morgana said, steel in her voice, condemnation in her eyes. Merlin's glare returned, his defenses raised.
"You were the king's ward, his daughter!"
"That's no excuse!" Morgana cried. It was Merlin's turn to scoff.
"You might have been safe from Uther's wrath, but me?" Merlin laughed humorlessly. "He would have burned me without hesitation. Uther probably would have chopped off my head and then burned me for good measure if he thought I was the one to teach you magic, to corrupt you."
"I wouldn't have told," Morgana protested. Merlin shook his head.
"The more people who knew, the more dangerous it was for me to simply exist and I couldn't risk that."
"Then why learn magic at all, Merlin?!" Gwen interjected, standing abruptly and reminding the warlock that he and Morgana had an audience. "Magic has hurt every single one of us here. Why?" The queen was near tears. Merlin broke his glaring match with Morgana and turned to his friend.
"Gwen, there was never any other choice for me. I've had magic from the moment I was born. But I am not evil and I never will be, because that's my choice. I control my magic, it does not control me. You say it has hurt all of us here, but what you don't realize is that magic has helped everyone in Camelot. Magic has saved all our lives more than you'd probably care to imagine."
"As Merlin brilliantly put it, 'magic is like herbs,'" Arthur mocked. Gwen and Elyan looked even more confused. Merlin rolled his eyes and tried to explain.
"You've proven yet again, that you are a cabbage-head. I don't know why I bother with you," Merlin began, then turned back to Gwen and Elyan. "Used properly, herbs can help us and heal us, keep us strong and healthy. If we don't use them properly, those same herbs can be a deadly poison.
"Magic is the same; it is good or evil depending on the intent of the user. Sometimes it isn't the user's fault, though," Merlin finished, looking towards Morgana sadly. She sniffed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes surreptitiously, glaring at anyone staring at her with a hint of doubt in their eyes.
"I'm still not certain about magic or Morgana, Merlin, but I know you, and I know you'd rather die than hurt Arthur, or Camelot. I'm willing to try and see things your way," Gwen said, reclaiming her seat and giving her best friend a cautious smile.
"And that brings us to the next item on today's agenda," Arthur said, smiling at Guinevere before turning back to those gathered around the table. "Morgana accosted us in the forest last night and tried to do naughty things to poor Merlin here."
Morgana turned her glare on the king. Now that Arthur was removed from the situation in the forest and he'd had several hours to process everything, Arthur felt he could afford to tease Merlin and Morgana about it like any brother should. It helped him to see Morgana as his reclaimed sister, rather than his enemy.
"Naughty things..." Gwaine chuckled.
"Then why is she here?" Gwen ground out, uncharacteristically angry. Elyan nodded in agreement, gripping the pommel of his sword and glaring icily at the woman who had once tortured him.
"Why isn't she in the dungeons where she belongs?! She has brought us nothing but misery and pain!" Elyan finished for his sister. Gwen was nearly trembling in her fury. Morgana hung her head in shame.
"She wasn't herself these last few years," Merlin explained when Morgana refused to defend herself. "Remember the formorroh?" he asked, subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck. Gwen nodded, grimacing at the memory of the gruesome extraction of the snake head in Merlin's neck. Morgana closed her eyes at the reminder; it was the second time Merlin had mentioned it, which was helping her to remember the incident better. Unfortunately, she now vividly recalled the way Merlin had screamed. Morgana shuddered slightly, squeezing Merlin's arm tighter in apology. His free hand covered hers momentarily, understanding the gesture.
"What is that?" Elyan asked, the only one to have not heard the story. Gaius saved Merlin from having to explain.
"That was in your neck?" Elyan asked, mirroring his sister's grimace and looking at Morgana in disgust. Merlin nodded and moved ahead with his explanation.
Gwen gasped and put her hand over her mouth as she heard the warlock's story. The queen's tears finally spilled over as she looked compassionately at the woman that she had once considered her best friend. Gwen slowly stood once more and made her way around the table, much to Elyan's discomfort. Arthur watched proudly as his ever-loving wife approached the two magicians and hugged them both tightly for a long moment; they returned the embrace gladly.
After Gwen returned to her seat, Merlin went on to give a rough outline of what had happened in the last two days, from the druids inadvertently revealing that he had magic, to his control over the dragons and their assistance in breaking the enchantment over Morgana. Everyone listened with rapt attention, especially when Morgana finally spoke for herself.
"I believe that my memories are slowly returning," Morgana mused.
"Then you remember what you have done to us all?" Elyan asked stiffly. The witch closed her eyes regretfully.
"I do remember many of the things I've done. I am very, very sorry about it. Truly and utterly ashamed."
"As well you should," Elyan replied.
"Elyan!" Gwen interjected, scolding her brother. "You heard Merlin's explanation!"
"Thank you Gwen, but I deserved that," Morgana interjected before the siblings could argue further. "I did torture him, after all."
"You clearly regret your actions. Holding onto our anger only hurts us," Gwen replied, eyeing each person in the room in turn.
"You seem to be remembering more?" Merlin asked, breaking the silence. Morgana nodded slowly, squinting as she concentrated on her own mind.
"Sort of? But I feel very disconnected from the memories. It's like I'm watching someone else in a dream. They're dim and fuzzy. The clearest memory I have is from four years ago, when the Knights of Medhir attacked."
"How terrible!" Gwen said, her empathetic heart hurting for her old friend.
"Yes. It's a terrible memory of betrayal," Morgana agreed, then turned to Merlin and glared at him again. Merlin scoffed at Morgana's continuing anger over the incident, considering what she had done to him in the ensuing years, then shook his head in frustration.
"What is wrong with your arm, Merlin?" Gaius asked, interrupting Morgana and Merlin's staring match. The physician's curiosity had been driving him near to madness, but Merlin hadn't revealed their hands even once during his explanation.
"Well, there was a bit of a side effect to Aithusa's assistance," Merlin stalled, watching his mentor warily. Gaius' eyes bore into Merlin's, waiting for his ward to elaborate. Merlin smiled, trying to convey that he was innocent.
"Let me see your arm," Gaius insisted, complete with raised eyebrow. Merlin raised his left arm and waved it around with an innocent grin, only to falter when he received a stern glare from his foster father.
Leon, Percival and Gwaine grinned at the sight of the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth being cowed by an old man. Arthur was struggling to contain his mirth; it seemed entirely inappropriate for the situation, but the king couldn't deny that it felt good to find humor in the situation. Merlin finally gave in, sighing in defeat as he pulled his right arm and subsequently Morgana, from behind his back. Gaius' reaction was immediate.
"MERLIN!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Merlin denied. Gaius was not assuaged.
"That had better not be what I think it is!"
"What is it?" Gwen asked, alarmed.
"A dragonfasting, if I'm not mistaken," Gaius answered, eyeing Merlin in stern annoyance.
"It's not like we asked Aithusa to do it!" Merlin argued. Morgana rolled her eyes and tried to cross her arms, yet her arm and Merlin's were still bound, resulting in yet another minor bout of tug-of-war.
"Do you have any idea how to undo this, Gaius?" Merlin asked, gesturing to his and Morgana's struggling hands exasperatedly.
"I'm assuming you know that the rite is unbreakable?" Gaius asked.
"Yes, for all eternity, mind and soul, now how do we undo this?" Merlin said quickly, gesturing to the glowing tie about their forearms. Gaius frowned at Merlin's apparently flippant attitude towards such a permanent and life-altering situation.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Gwen yelled, then she slapped a hand over her mouth, surprised at her own outburst. "I'm so, so sorry," she apologized.
Arthur took pity on Merlin, who was awkwardly gaping like a fish.
"A dragonfasting is an ancient rite, performed by dragons," Arthur explained.
"Yes, I gathered that much," Gwen said, raising her eyebrow and waiting for someone to elaborate. Arthur looked at Merlin expectantly, though the warlock was still pinned under Gaius' irritated glare.
"It's especially reserved for dragonlords and their brides," Gwaine interjected, looking pointedly between the king and his queen. The queen gasped in shock.
"You mean to tell me that Merlin and Morgana are married?" Gwen asked, eyes wide.
"Yes! Now please, Gaius, do you know how to undo this wretched thing?" Merlin pleaded with the old man. Morgana glared at Merlin.
"So being tied to me is wretched?! Let me tell you, Merlin, you're not so great to be tied to either!"
"I am not the one glaring at you every five minutes!" Merlin groused, returning the glare.
"You aren't exactly the picture of innocence here, Merlin," Morgana scoffed. Merlin's mouth dropped open.
"What makes you think you are?!" he asked irritatedly.
Everyone watched the heated exchange with wide eyes. Arthur was about to pull them back to the topic at hand when Morgana pushed forwards.
"I am the victim here, you tell everyone about how I wasn't myself before then you're complaining about how wretched I am!"
"I never said you- forget it. Gaius?!" Merlin asked exasperatedly, pointing to their hands.
"I should have thought that was obvious, Merlin," Gaius said as dryly as possible.
"Do I have to call Aithusa to undo it?" the dragonlord asked.
"No, she cannot undo it, only you and Morgana can."
"Great, how do we do it?" Merlin asked again, his patience thinning.
"Merlin, what is the first thing a newly married couple does immediately following a handfasting ceremony?" Gaius asked pointedly. Gwen's eyes widened in realization. Merlin shrugged, exasperated.
"They share a kiss as husband and wife," Gwen provided helpfully.
"You mean to say we've got to kiss?" Merlin asked, straight-faced, waving his free hand between himself and Morgana.
"We have to kiss?!" Morgana asked as well, scowling. Merlin looked at her in astonishment.
"You wanted to do a lot more than kiss last night!" Merlin exclaimed, then turned a brilliant shade of Camelot red as Arthur, Gwaine, Percival and Leon snickered and tittered at his embarrassment.
"I obviously wasn't in my right mind," Morgana growled. "Let's just get it over with, I need to go to the privy."
"How romantic," Merlin said sarcastically. Both of them scowled at one another, while everyone else struggled not to laugh. Neither of them made a move, though, and a silence fell upon the room as everyone watched the pair with baited breath.
"You may kiss your bride, Merlin," Percival offered, not at all cowed when both Merlin and Morgana turned their glares on the knight. Merlin huffed and took a deep breath turning back towards Morgana, who raised her eyebrow in challenge.
Steeling himself, Merlin took Morgana's face with his left hand and quickly pecked her lips before he could lose his courage. Merlin reddened when Gwaine whistled and Arthur slowly, facetiously applauded them. However, both Merlin and Morgana were distracted when the glow of the binding seemed to dissolve into a smoky essence and sink into their skin. Suddenly, their hands were free. The witch and warlock stepped back a few paces while rubbing their wrists and glaring at one another.
"How romantic, indeed," Arthur said dryly, hoping that eventually, for the sake of his friend at least, the new couple could at least come to respect one another.
"We need to plan how to reintroduce magic and Morgana to the kingdom, sire," Leon said somberly. "This could cause turmoil amongst your father's staunchest supporters in the nobility."
"I agree," Arthur said, looking at everyone around the table in turn. "Thoughts?"
"You can't just overturn the ban on magic over night," Elyan said, but Gwaine shook his head.
"How is that fair to Merlin?"
"Elyan's right," Percival said. "If you move too fast, the whole kingdom will think you've been enchanted."
"We need to take this gradually, I agree. Gaius? What would your suggestion be?" Arthur asked.
"This must be done delicately; I must admit, this is something that I have pondered many times since Merlin entered my life, so I have many suggestions. First, you need to make public what you did for the druids," Gaius offered. "Once it becomes known that the druids are no longer enemies of Camelot, you stop arresting people for having magic. Once it becomes known that magic itself is no longer a punishable crime, fear of sorcery will lessen in the people. Within a few months, you could lift the ban on magic and bring Merlin and Morgana out of the shadows."
"I feel this is the wisest course of action," Arthur agreed.
The conversation continued for several more minutes. However, Merlin was no longer paying attention. Instead, he was worrying about things like where Morgana would live. What exactly did this marriage bond require of them? Would they have to live closely together, or would Morgana run away, leaving them alone and unable to move on with someone else. In the grand scheme of things, Merlin hadn't realized just how awkward being unexpectedly married would be.
Was it now his responsibility to provide for her since they were married? Would she want that? Would her title and dowry be reinstated, and if so, where did that leave Merlin? In some sort of limbo, too lowly for any sort of title, but not low enough for his fellow servants to still want to associate with him? Not to mention that Morgana was still glaring at him every now and again, which if he was honest, did hurt. He had healed her, blast it, and she was still treating him like he was her worst enemy.
"The people are going to need to be approached with this subtly," Gaius argued, pulling Merlin back to reality and the discussion of revealing Morgana's presence in Camelot. Arthur was of a mind to make an official announcement of Morgana's innocence in conjunction with her pardon. The knights wanted to have at least a mock trial, open to the people, so that Morgana's innocence could be explained fully. Merlin was of half a mind to take her away somewhere to avoid the situation entirely.
"If anyone cares, I still need to visit the privy," Morgana interrupted. The men in the room all looked at Merlin.
"Don't look at me, I can't take her to the privy," Merlin objected. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Guinevere, could you take pity on poor innocent Merlin here and take Morgana to the privy? I'd ask a servant to do it, but I'd rather keep her identity under wraps for the moment."
"Of course," Gwen agreed, squeezing his hand and giving Arthur a kiss as she stood from the table. Elyan stood as well, clearly not entirely forgiving or trusting just yet, and intent on accompanying the two women. Gwen looked at Morgana shrewdly, weighing what she had witnessed of Morgana's fall against what she had just been told. Gwen's instincts had always served her well, and she couldn't deny that she felt that it wasn't a mistake to give Morgana another chance, if nothing more than for Merlin's sake.
"Hang on," Merlin said, bending to retrieve the blanket Morgana had been concealed in and holding it out in front of him. "Ic i bredan þes wæstling, æpuldran hacelan."
Gwen's eyes widened in shock as the rough, grey, woolen blanket lengthened and transformed into a deep-blue, velvet, hooded cloak.
"If you can do that, why do you wear such rags?" Arthur asked incredulously, eyes fixed on the elegant fabric now in Merlin's hands.
"Because that wouldn't be suspicious at all," Merlin said sarcastically. "You know what my wages are. If I suddenly had such nice clothes you'd have wondered where I had gotten them from. Course, maybe you wouldn't have. After all, you didn't realize I had magic for nearly seven years, even though I admitted it in front of your father's council and alluded to it several times... Not to mention all the times I've saved your life."
"Merlin."
"Shutting up, sire," Merlin said cheekily, handing the cloak over to Morgana who pulled it from his hands with a scowl before wrapping it around herself. Merlin folded his arms and sighed as he watched Morgana, Gwen and Elyan leave the room. Arthur took advantage of Morgana's absence to summon a servant to request platters of food to be brought for everyone to eat.
Just as the food was arriving, Merlin realized that he was suddenly very itchy. He started to fidget and squirm, trying to relieve the sensation, but soon he was absentmindedly scratching. Then, as the council doors shut behind the last servant, it was like a fire had been lit under his feet and he couldn't stand still, pacing back and forth and chewing on his fingernails. Arthur, Gaius and the knights were watching him with undisguised curiosity, but he paid them no notice. The itchiness and the anxiousness seemed to alternate and intensify in stages until he was pacing and scratching simultaneously.
"Gaius?!" Merlin called, growing more anxious. "What is wrong with me?!"
"I have my suspicions, though I think we're going to have to wait a few minutes to confirm my theory."
"What is your theory?" Leon asked curiously.
Gaius looked apologetically at his ward. "I believe Merlin misses Morgana."
"What?! Have you seen the looks she keeps giving me? The way we argue? She may be my wife now, but she hates me. Why would I miss her?"
"Yes, there's certainly some tension between you," Gwaine drawled. Arthur snorted into his goblet, though Gaius pointedly ignored him.
"Perhaps it's more accurate to say, the bonded misses their bondmate. It's the nature of the dragonfasting, I believe."
"How in the hell is this helpful?!" Merlin asked. Gaius raised an eyebrow, then sighed when Merlin didn't understand his subtle hint.
"Dragons owe their existence to the dragonlords who call them from their eggs. It only makes sense that a magical binding such as a dragonfasting should work to encourage the continued existence of such a beneficial symbiosis."
"By making me itchy," Merlin said doubtfully.
"It's a certain kind of itch," Gwaine offered roguishly. Gaius pinned the knight with a stern glare, then turned back to Merlin in frustration.
"Merlin, how is the gift of the dragonlord passed on?"
"From father to son upon the death of the father, what has that got to do with itchiness?!"
"Merlin, surely you cannot be so obtuse. Use your head boy! The symptoms only started following your separation from Morgana. A significant separation, such that you can no longer see or touch her," Gaius urged, not wanting to voice his rather embarrassing suspicions. Arthur, having been taught from his boyhood the necessity of an heir, caught on.
"It pains me to admit it, but Merlin surely isn't that obtuse, Gaius," Arthur defended. "However, he is that innocent," Arthur said, losing the battle to hide his grin, and feeling entirely grateful for once that Guinevere was out of the room for this conversation. Merlin glared at the chortling king and the snickering knights.
"Merlin, why do people get married?" Gaius tried another roundabout explanation.
"Usually, because they love each other," Merlin said, missing the point entirely.
"Yes, yes, but then, what inevitably follows marriage?" Gaius widened his eyes and nodded his head at Merlin, willing him to understand and save Gaius from the indignity of explaining the facts of life to a man well into adulthood. "I suspect the anxiousness and the itching sensation is meant to foster close contact."
Thankfully, Merlin caught on, and then burned the deepest shade of red Arthur had ever seen on the warlock.
"Is that what a dragonfasting is traditionally for, then? To ensure continuation of the dragonlord gift?" Merlin asked, carefully observing the stonework in the ceiling to avoid meeting anyone's eyes.
"That is my belief, yes," Gaius said gratefully. Merlin nodded, eyes still fixed to the ceiling.
"I suddenly feel like a stud horse," Merlin said offhandedly.
"Look at the bright side, Merlin," Gwaine encouraged. "At least you're a stallion and not a gelding."
Arthur and the knights all laughed uproariously at Gwaine's wit.
"Great! Now that's sorted," Merlin said, trying to reclaim his dignity. He forced himself to sit down but couldn't stop fidgeting. Therefore, Merlin decided to busy his hands by serving plates of food to everyone, omitting himself out of habit. After that was done, he sat down, bouncing his foot and rolling his shoulders until Gaius placed a full plate in front of him. Merlin began rapidly devouring the food when Gwen, Elyan and Morgana returned.
Morgana was rolling her shoulders and wringing her hands, glancing around the room until she found Merlin. Then she stormed over to him and tore the cloak off of her body, revealing a fresh dress underneath. Morgana growled as she balled up the navy fabric and threw it in the astonished warlock's face.
"What did you do to that infernal cloak?!"
"Nothing! You heard me enchant it! I merely transformed it!" Merlin defended himself.
"Then why was my whole body itching? I felt like there were bugs crawling all over me!"
"Morgana," Gaius interrupted the witch's rant before it could go any further. "Merlin was suffering from the same malady, and you'd do well to realize that you are neither of you suffering any longer."
Gaius explained his theory once again. Thankfully, Morgana was also entirely too aware of a noble bloodline's need for heirs and so the explanation went much faster the second time around.
"So now I've been reduced to a breed mare," Morgana groused, to everyone's amusement.
"What are the chances they'd both refer to themselves as horses?!" Gwaine asked, guffawing into his plate. Merlin rolled his eyes and ignored them.
"So they may feel this way until there is an heir?" Gwen asked reluctantly.
"Isn't that what Morgana wanted in the first place, what started all this?" Arthur asked. Merlin and Morgana both glared at the king, who merely raised an eyebrow at them.
"I don't remember what I wanted, let alone what I did last night," Morgana argued.
"I suspect you will," Gaius admitted, ignoring Arthur's grin and pulling their attention back on track. "You will probably recall more and more, most likely through your dreams. And you are most likely to feel out-of-sorts until an heir is conceived, though it seems to be under control as long as you're in close proximity, so I don't think there's any need to be hasty in anything."
Both Merlin and Morgana looked at Gaius, appalled.
"I don't think you'll need to worry about that, Gaius," Merlin said.
"What, am I so horrible?" Morgana scoffed.
"Pardon me?! You're the one who keeps glaring at me every chance you get! I tried to be considerate and give you a nice cloak to cover you instead of a scratchy blanket and you threw it in my face!"
"You? Do something nice for me?"
"I've healed you and helped you when Kilgharrah said I should have just let you die. I have risked a dragon's wrath and commanded him to grant me a spell to heal you, even though I knew you were loyal only to Morgause. And most significant of all, instead of killing you outright last night, as I very well could have, I made the effort to break through the enchantment in your mind, so don't tell me I don't do anything nice for you!"
"You claim to do those things and yet you STILL POISONED ME!" Morgana shrieked.
"I DIDN'T HAVE ANY OTHER CHOICE!" Merlin defended himself. The windows rattled ominously in response to their anger. The rest of the round table council watched the argument with wide eyes and bated breath. Merlin and Morgana were two entirely stubborn, strong-willed and powerful people. There was no telling who would win the argument.
"Choice? CHOICE?! If you wanted a bargaining tool so badly, you could have held a knife to my throat! Morgause would still have negotiated."
"That wouldn't have broken the-," Merlin broke off, suddenly realizing the problem. "You didn't know; she didn't tell you."
"She didn't have to, I remember you insisting that I drink from the water skin! Morgause explained to me how you waited until I was unconscious and then bargained with my life for her to lift the sleeping spell and call off the Knights of Medhir!"
"Morgana, you were the vessel!"
"I... What?!"
"I didn't poison you to use you as a bargaining tool," Merlin said softly, every trace of his ire gone.
"I don't understand," Morgana said, her eyes wide and frightened at what Merlin was saying.
"I gave you hemlock because Morgause focused the sleeping spell on you. You were the vessel," Merlin repeated. Morgana's eyes widened in horror.
"Morgause loved me," she argued feebly. "She was the only one who cared. She wouldn't have done that to me." Merlin shook his head at Morgana's naivete.
"She was not the only one who cared for you, you just couldn't see it beyond your own fear. Morgause risked your life simply by making you the vessel for such a large and powerful spell. She very well could have killed you herself. Furthermore, that wasn't the worst thing she did to you, or don't you remember the reason we're in this mess?"
"Vessel. What does that mean?" Gwen asked, looking between Merlin and Morgana in confusion. Merlin spared a moment's glance for his queen before he continued.
"Powerful, wide ranging, magical spells such as the one that was causing all of Camelot to fall into an enchanted sleep, require a great deal of magical energy. They have to be anchored somehow, and once begun, those enchantments cannot be broken or ended. The spell has to fulfill its purpose or the vessel has to be destroyed."
"You had to destroy the vessel, that's why you poisoned Morgana," Gwen gasped in realization.
"Yes," Merlin admitted, dropping his head in shame.
"Did the thought of killing me at least give you pause?" Morgana whispered, her eyes full of tears.
"It did," Merlin confirmed, his own eyes filling with tears at the memory. "You were my friend. I waited until there was no other option. The knights of Medhir were in the castle, literally banging on the door to the great hall. Arthur, you and I were the only ones awake, and we were fading fast. I had to choose, Morgana. You or all of Camelot. Believe me, it wasn't an easy decision."
Morgana covered her face with her hands, crying harder as the truth hit home. Merlin sighed and stood up, pulling her into his arms as he did that fateful day that he convinced her to drink the hemlock. But this time, she didn't fight him. Morgana melted into Merlin's chest and sobbed as he stroked her back and murmured apologies into her hair as he rocked her side to side.
"And that, gentlemen, is how you comfort a woman," Gwen said, startling Merlin and Morgana out of their bubble. The other men in the room were looking pointedly elsewhere, avoiding the emotional scene. Morgana wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"Back to the matter at hand," Merlin said, pulling out his chair and allowing Morgana to sit in it. Gwen smiled proudly at him.
"Which of the many matters would that be?" Arthur asked, causing the knights to chuckle. Merlin rolled his eyes.
"If we're going to get all itchy and anxious whenever we're out of sight of the other, how am I going to perform my duties? Morgana can't exactly follow me around whilst I bring you meals, scrub your socks and your floors and muck out the stables."
"Technically it's not entirely appropriate for you to do those things anymore. I'll have to get a new servant," Arthur interjected.
"What?! You're sacking me? Have we not already established that bad things happen when you sack me?!" Merlin argued, much to everyone's amusement.
"I can't exactly have my brother scrubbing floors and mucking out horse stables, now, can I?"
"Your brother? You're not serious," Merlin said, watching Arthur for any sign of humor.
"I'm not joking, Merlin. You are now just as much my brother as Elyan."
"What am I to do then? I'll drive Gaius insane if I don't have something to do, and we can't exactly announce that we're now brothers-in-law."
"We could call you my advisor. You do enough of that already," Arthur said.
"And what about when you go out on patrols? Or am I to protect you from the council room now?"
"Why does Arthur need your protection?" Elyan asked, confused.
"Because he's the Once and Future king, and it is my destiny to protect and assist him."
"Destiny?" Morgana gasped, overwhelmed by a sudden memory of the Cailleach speaking to her, calling Emrys her destiny and her doom. Everyone focused on Morgana, stunned to see her trembling in her seat. Merlin pulled her chair around and knelt in front of her.
"What's wrong, Morgana?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"Emrys!"
"Yes?" Merlin replied. Morgana shook her head, not understanding.
"He is my destiny and my doom," Morgana said, her voice trembling in her terror. Merlin's confusion melted at her explanation, and his face softened.
"Calm down, Morgana, you've nothing to worry about," Merlin reassured her.
"No, the gatekeeper, the Cailleach, she said Emrys was my destiny and my doom."
"Morgana, you don't remember what I said last night?" Merlin asked, grasping Morgana by the shoulders.
"No, I remember light, just lots of light."
"Morgana, you have no reason to fear Emrys anymore."
"Yes, I do! He's tried to kill me already!" Morgana was starting to panic, wondering when the old man would emerge from the shadows.
"Morgana, calm down, you've nothing to fear," Merlin reassured her again.
"You don't understand!" Morgana insisted. "Emrys is more powerful than you can imagine, you don't have the strength to go against him. I... I think I nearly died the last time I fought him..." Morgana put her hands to her temples, massaging, trying to ease the memory.
"Emrys is nothing to fear, Morgana," Merlin repeated.
"Did you not hear a word I just said? Emrys hates me."
"I never hated you, Morgana. I hated what you had become."
"That does not reassure me! Emrys is the one I'm concerned about!"
"And I'm trying to tell you that you don't have to be."
"How can you possibly know that ?" Morgana asked, confused.
"Because Emrys is what the druids call me."
"What?! You?! You're Emrys?!" Morgana gasped, her eyes widening before they rolled back and she slumped forward into his arms, unconscious.
A/N: Reviews are appreciated.
