They stayed with Morgana for two days, warily waiting for the strange limbo they were in to end and for the inevitable battle between the three of them to restart.
But up until the third morning, nothing had happened.
When they woke up, Morgana was gone, missing from the space she had been occupying on the bed for the last few days.
"Merlin!" Arthur hissed, waking the warlock abruptly by throwing his boot at him, "She's gone."
"Who's gone?" Merlin asked tiredly.
"Morgana." Arthur growled, "We need to find her."
Merlin shook off the tiredness still hanging over him and forced himself to his feet, pulling his boots on as he went, Arthur doing the same beside him.
They didn't have to look far, when they walked outside they found Morgana sitting on a tree stump, gently holding her horses hoof in her hand.
"What are you doing?" Arthur asked her, a bit harsher than he intended, feeling ridiculous at having ran out the cottage in a panic when all he had to do was look out the window to see where she was.
Morgana just held her hand up to quieten them, whispering soothingly to the horse as she carefully prised out the stone before releasing the limb, standing, and offering the animal an apple that she had hidden away ready.
Scratching at his ears affectionately, she brushed off her hands and turned to look at the two men stood behind her, smirking at their dishevelled appearance, "I take it you didn't bother to look in a mirror this morning."
Self-consciously, they tried smoothing down their wrinkled clothes but with a small smirk and a shake of her head, Morgana told them quite clearly that that wasn't going to help.
"Well I was worried, I woke up and you were gone." Arthur defended.
"How sweet, the gallant knight of Camelot was coming to my rescue." Morgana laughed, crossing her arms, "Tell me, did you think to pick up your sword before you ran out here?"
"I take it you're feeling better then." Merlin cut in, before Morgana could take any more shots at Arthur's pride.
Nodding, she tapped at her side where the wound was almost completely healed, "My magic purged the poison last night whilst I was sleeping, the wound itself is no more than a scratch now."
"And now that it's healed?" Arthur asked her warily, nervous now she was practically shining with health and vitality and they had lost the advantage that had been easing their fears for the time being.
Tilting her head to the side, Morgana considered them both for a long moment before her lips twisted into smirk, raising an eyebrow mockingly, "You are aware that you're both edging backwards right? After three nights in my home, are you truly so stupid to believe that I haven't been capable of killing you if I wished at any point I chose?"
Hand twitching towards the spot at his waist where his sword hilt usually rested, Arthur shook his head, "You needed us Morgana, we were there for you, you don't need to do this." He reasoned, holding his hands up in front of him defensively.
They were both surprised when it was Morgana who took a step backwards, and if they hadn't known better they would think it was an expression of hurt flashing across her face.
Shaking her head slowly, she turned on her heel and stalked off into the trees, disappearing from sight.
Merlin and Arthur exchanged a concerned look, "Where is she going?" Arthur hissed, stepping forwards as if he intended to go after her.
Catching his arm, Merlin pulled him back, "You really want to follow an angry witch into a forest?" He asked his friend, "If you really want to speak to her then we need to just wait here, if she does decide to attack us we can't do anything unless we can see it coming."
Reluctantly Arthur nodded, taking a seat on the same tree stump Morgana had been using once Merlin released his grip.
They waited for over an hour, with Arthur pacing anxiously at regular intervals.
The sun was at it's highest point in the sky when Morgana finally returned, and to say she looked shocked to see them still there would be an understatement. She froze in place, staring at them with a perplexed grimace, before brushing past and going into her cottage, slamming the door behind her.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur attempted to follow her, only to find that the door had been locked behind her.
"Morgana don't be ridiculous let me in!" He called through the wood, pounding on it with his fist, his impatience catching up with him.
"Go away Arthur!" She yelled back, which was all too familiar to similar moments they had had growing up. Her response to feeling hurt, confused, or unsure was always to lock herself in her chambers and block him out.
"You're acting like a child." He growled in frustration, leaning his weight against the door in an attempt to force it open.
He nearly fell through it as it swung open abruptly, yanked open by an increasingly irate witch. The only thing that stopped him falling on her was the long, pointed nail of her index finger as it jabbed him in the shoulder, driving him back.
"You are being completely unfair." She snarled, advancing on him as he stumbled back into the centre of the clearing outside her home. "You come here, you act like my brother, you pretend everything's normal. And then the next thing I know, as soon as you're done feeling pity for the way my life's gone to hell, you're back to accusing me of things that I haven't even thought about doing. You're so selfish, King Arthur." She said the last part sweetly, making a mockery of his title.
Merlin tried to intervene, to get between the two of them before one of them said something they couldn't take back and it descended into a blood bath. But before he even got within two metres of them he was being flung back and pinned against a tree.
His magic rose instinctively but he forced it down, from the look on her face, Morgana wasn't even aware of what her magic was doing, it was operating purely on impulse and whilst he was uncomfortable, her magic hadn't moved to actively hurt him.
"I'm selfish?" He scoffed furiously, not backing down now they had started, "All you have tried to do in these last years has been torment me, my father and my people. And for what? So what, you can rule over everyone and make them as miserable as you are?"
He could tell he'd hit a nerve with calling her out on her misery, because her eyes widened for a moment and tears started to collect, but she refused to let them fall.
"You know what Arthur?" She laughed bitterly, clenching her fists as she stared him down, "You're completely right, I am miserable, because I am alone and unwanted, cast out by everyone that I used to love. I really loved Camelot, I loved it's people, what it stood for, and I would have died to protect it. But with magic? Not a single one of them would have lifted a finger to protect me had Uther found out what I am. Camelot is my home, and I want it back, and if I have to tear it apart piece by piece to do that then I wil."
Blinded by anger and frustration, Arthur didn't fully register what she had said. A small part of him, locked away behind the wall of rage, was screaming to listen, that it was time to actually talk on a level playing field. But that part was a long was off, and it's voice was too easily drowned out in the moment.
"You want us all to believe that's really what's driving you Morgana? You're homesick?" He growled out, "You have done awful, awful things. Camelot is my home, and you're the one it needs protection from."
Eyes narrowing hatefully, Morgana punched him, his head snapping to the side before he hit the ground.
Completely taken aback by the unexpected physical reaction to their fight, Arthur lay there stunned, holding his aching jaw as she stared down at him.
"You don't deserve to be King, you're just like your father." She hissed.
"Our father." Arthur corrected, unable to help himself.
"Both of you need to calm down now!" Merlin finally cut in, as he saw Morgana gearing up to hit Arthur again, although why she hadn't thought to use magic yet he was unsure.
Finally remembering his presence they turned to look at him, both with matching expressions of shock at the way he was pinned in place.
Raising a shaky hand to her mouth, Morgana's eyes glowed gold as she waved her other hand to release him, stepping forward as he sank to the floor, the pressure released.
"Merlin, I didn't mean to-" She started, not even sure herself why she was bothering to explain.
Arthur shook his head, "You cannot seriously expect us to believe that you just accidentally used your magic on Merlin."
"It doesn't matter if she expects us to believe her or not," Merlin stopped him before Arthur could restart the fight that him pulling Morgana's attention away had broken off. "I already do."
Arthur looked like he was going to argue back again, but Merlin waved his hand quickly, "I mean it Arthur, she had no idea that it happened, she was so busy arguing with you that her magic just tossed me across the clearing so I wouldn't get in the way when I tried to interfere."
Morgana watched Merlin curiously for a moment, wondering at just how he was so sure, before remembering what had been happening just before he interrupted. "I think you should both leave." She told them, "And it's probably better if you don't come back."
Then she walked back into the cottage and shut the door, both of the men knew without trying it that it was locked again, and this time there was no way it was opening until they were long gone.