Hi! Thanks for your reviews. I haven't intended to turn Arthur into a bad character. He was just confused. Deep down he wanted to believe Merlin, but he didn't want to be betrayed again.
Hope you like this chapter.
Morgana had managed to finish her chores. She'd been punished to clean the stables and take care of the pigs. Pigs? She'd never seen a pig in her life (except for pork meat, but it didn't count as pig). She'd never done something more disgusting either. The stables were relatively clean and the pigs were quite friendly. Quite nice in fact. Especially the small ones. They kept running around their mother and they were so pink and clean and playful as well as noisy and curious. However, it didn't last for long as they escaped in the mud and in just few minutes they were all gray and dirty, but happy –even the small ones tried the mud bath with such pleasure.
For the witch, though, it was a disaster. At first, she'd refused to obey the orders Miriam had given to her. She wasn't going to allow anybody to make a fool of her. But there were guards at the entrance and Miriam had made her clear that she wouldn't be allowed to go out until she finished the chores. Moreover, the lady had made it clear for Morgana that if she refused to complete the punishment she would have no chance of gaining a job in the future. As a result, she would have to beg for some food and a clean shelter which was hardly suitable for someone of noble blood as her. When she finally decided to face the music and do as she was told, everything went from bad to worse. First, she got dirty; then she forgot the gate unlocked and the pigs opened it and went out… and they ran directly to the first rain poll they could find. But it wasn't just that. The pigs refused to go back and she had to try her best to catch them. As soon as she was close to catch one, the pig would run and she would fall in the mud. When the pigs were finally in, the witch was already exhausted and the floor was dirty again. So Morgana had to clean again….
Much as she wished to completed her chores and go back to her chambers, the thought that she would have to face those stupid serving girls again, that she would have to spend the night with them again, the fear that they would try to take revenge on her; all those things made her want to postpone that moment. And so she would.
The witch made her mind to have a tour of the country. She decided that if she were to spend some time there, at least to learn something about this place. Even without her powers, Morgana could still feel the woods vibrating with magic. Under the moon light, the place was serenial. As she wandered through the woods she kept having the feeling that she was watched, yet it didn't scare her. She sensed no animosity in that unknown presence. There was no one, but she knew there had to be. It mostly felt as if she was followed by a curious child. Indeed, from all around; from under the old leaves on the ground, from behind the tree, from the rain-pools, from bushes, from flowers, couples of eyes followed every of her moves.
Eventually, the witch arrived to a tiny field,right in the middle of the woods. Around the huge rain-pool, thousands of flowers covered the ground. Morgana was enchanted by the numerous lights that dance over the water. Bridges made of spiderweb crossed the great mirror of the lake and there, tiny creature walked undisturbed. They were too small to be clearly seen from distance, so Morgana had to come closer. They had strange forms, but despite of their unusual appearance they seemed quite cute. They looked as if they were made of the finest silk, tiny fluffy balls of silk, as silver as the light of the moon, carried by six spry feet. And those speedy creatures watched her with the biggest eyes she'd ever seen on any other being alike. Then, one by one, the tiny creatures started to gather together, climbing one on the back of the other, building something that resemble with a snowman, just it wasn't made of snow. Morgana watched with awe as the little man started to gain a form and started to move as if it was a single creature, not thousands. Now she noticed that some of them were pink while others were black or bleu. The pink once gathered to form its mouth while the blue once drew its big, cute eyes. The tiny creature smiled at her and she smiled back.
As she thought that nothing could surprise her even more, a pixy emerged from the flower near to her and settled on her hand. Morgana just smiled at her guest and soon many of the pixy's friends came to join her. Apart from being that small, they were hardly any different from a human child. They sang and dance as they flew in the air. Others kept inspecting Morgana's necklace. Its glittering green stone must have looked quite fascinating to these tiny girls. The witch tried to take it off in order to offer it to the pixies, but there was no way to do so. To her complete astonishment, the pixies started to inspect her clothes and her hair, but soon ran away disgusted by the horrible smell. Their reaction amused Morgana. Yet they returned, carrying water and flowers and they called their sisters as well. They kept singing as they started to wash Morgana.
As she stood there, another magic being dared to come closer. It was a unicorn – the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Then, the spirits of the wind, of the water, of the ground and of the fire joined this strange group. They all welcomed her in their land and they offered to present their villages to her. Morgana was mesmerized by the beauty of their houses and of the joy that ruled over their tiny country. She wished she could stay there, among pixies, among mushrooms – that proved to be some sort of magic beings, as well – and among thousands of different creatures which were willing to display their magic in front of her. Some of them control the four elements and they never get tired of making a real show right there, in front of their new guest. Others controlled the weather and the cycle of nature. While others were just magic.
However, when she asked them if she could stay with them, the spirit sent her back to the castle, to Emrys. They spoke about how good the king had been with them and about how happy they had been since they'd moved there.
"You have to go back. Go and make peace with your own people. There is a lot of magic there as well." One of the elders spoke. "Emrys needs you and you need him. Together you can create a better world; a world where your kids could enjoy our company as well. Is it worth all that pain, all that hatred, all that fear? You've been granted with magic by the gods. But you are more than that. You are gifted with the ability to control the most powerful enchantment that had ever existed. Love." The elder continued. "Do not ruin it because of pride and hatred."
"But I can't go back. They don't want me. Where should I go?" Morgana admitted for the first time that she was lonely and unloved. And that realization made her suffer. Till then she'd covered it with hatred. She'd pushed everyone away because of her desire to look strong. She'd looked down to everyone that could have accepted her, including this country and its people, Merlin….
"You already know where." Echoed the forest.
On her way back she was guarded by same sort of magic cats, whose fur could shine as bright as sun, as well as by some baby dragons that reminded her of her little Aithusa.