A/N: So, surprisingly, it hasn't been ages since I last updated this (only about a month, that's not too bad). I kind of really want to end this story. While I'm proud of all the work I've put into this, I've grown so much as a writer since I posted that first chapter back in 2010, that I cringe whenever I reread A Woman's Touch. That said, I have some (tentative) plans on how to end this, and it will be within this story arc. I'll probably write another 4 or 5 chapters, and then this story will be officially over!

Funny story, back when I began this, one of my friends told me I'd never finish it, because I'd never finished a multi-chaptered story, let alone one that's divided over 2 stories. Hah, take that!

Anyway, enjoy the story!

Chapter 20: The Witch's Quickening – part 1

Over the next few weeks, Morgana made a sport of making excuses for Arthur and I to be alone together. It'd be sweet if it wasn't also very, very embarrassing. One of her favourite tricks was asking Arthur to dinner, only to be mysteriously absent when he arrived, or making an excuse halfway through the meal and insisting I take her place.

"Isn't this a good thing?" Gwen asked indulgently when I complained to her about it. The dark-skinned woman was busy making an elixir of some sort while I paced the floor of Gaius' chambers.

"It's not that I don't appreciate her efforts, it's just that it makes everything so awkward!" I sighed. "When she leaves we're just sort of left with this awkward silence. And sometimes we can laugh about it, and everything's fine, but other times, we just sit there."

Gwen hummed as she measured out another ingredient. She patted the desk next to her, probably looking for a vial but unwilling to take her eyes off the potion. I walked over to the cupboard and handed her and empty one. "So talk to her about it, I'm sure she'll understand. You can do it during your lessons," Gwen suggested, smiling gratefully.

"I supposed I could…" I said. "But Morgana's been so happy about all this, I don't want her to feel like… I don't know, like she's useless or something?"

"Who's useless?" Gaius asked as he walked in.

Rolling my eyes, I stopped pacing. "No one, but that is my cue to get going, I was only supposed to pick up Morgana's tonic. I'll see you tonight, uncle." And with that, I left the physician's chambers to return to Morgana's.

It was getting late, so I fetched the Lady's dinner first and then made my way to the royal's wing. When I got there, Morgana was sitting up in bed, her hair slightly mussed, but still in her day-clothes. "Everything alright, milady?" I asked, concerned. I put down the tray of food on the table and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her.

Shaking her head, Morgana swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm fine, Merlynn, just… It was just a strange dream."

Growing instantly more concerned, I put a hand on Morgana's shoulder in support. "Another nightmare?"

"No," Morgana said, shaking her head. She was looking off to the side, clearly focussed on whatever it had been that she'd seen. "It was just… strange. Mordred was there. I dreamt that… I was hugging him, he was alright, and he'd come back for me… he was going to take me to live with the druids."

My eyes softened. "That sounds nice… although you'd be leaving your friends and family behind."

Morgana's face hardened slightly. "I have no family here."

"And here I thought you and I were like sisters, especially considering Arthur is almost like a brother to you," I said without thinking. As soon as I realized what I'd implied, I blushed.

Morgana – ever perceptive as she was – smirked at me. "Oh? Do I hear wedding bells, then?" she teased.

I rolled my eyes, but it was hard to hide my embarrassment. "No," I said, emphatically. "But if you did – many, many years in the future – you had better be there, Morgana, I couldn't possibly get married without you."

Morgana's smirk melted into a genuine, soft smile. "I wouldn't dream of missing it, Merlynn," she said sincerely. And then the mischief creeped back into her eyes. "After all the work I'm putting into getting you and Arthur together, you'd better believe I won't miss the end result. And I fully expect to be the godmother to a least one of your children!"

I really couldn't help my blush then, so I got up and started setting up the table. "Yes, well, that's still quite a few years into the future."

Morgana laughed, but ceased her teasing and sat down to eat.

I picked up Morgana's laundry – already neatly in a basket as opposed to Arthur's habit of throwing it wherever he pleased – and tidied up a little. I needed to wait for the Lady to finish her dinner so I could take the tray back to the kitchens, so I was stalling. I didn't want to make two trips.

"You can go ahead and go home, Merlynn. You can collect my tray in the morning. Just be sure to drop off my laundry and you're free to go," Morgana said.

I bit my lip. "Are you sure? I could come back and sleep in the ante-chamber in case you have a nightmare."

Waving my concern away, Morgana turned back to her dinner. "I feel fine, Merlynn, honestly. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

I hesitated for a moment more before nodding and bidding my friend a good night. I was going to complain about a little extra time to myself.

After I dropped off the laundry, I debated going to see Arthur, but I decided against it. His servant would still be there, and I didn't want to start any rumours by going to see him too often. So, I set off for Gaius' chambers. It would be nice to turn in early for once.

/*/

It turned out that going to bed early was a good decision, because around midnight, I was woken by a voice in my head. I couldn't quite understand what they were saying, so it was likely not directed at me, but that just worried me more. Quickly throwing on some breeches and a tunic, I set off into the castle, following the voice.

As I neared the royal's wing, my concern mounted, even as I heard the voice more clearly. Where had I heard it before? And then I heard them mention Morgana's chambers, and I didn't hesitate. I sprinted to the Lady's room. But before I could get there, I ran – quite literally – into Arthur.

"Merlynn?" he said, steadying me by my shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"Morgana," I gasped, out of breath. "Chambers – they're there."

Arthur didn't hesitate, didn't question me, he just ordered his men to follow and went straight to his foster sister's chambers. When we got there, Arthur moved to kick in the door, but I held up a hand to stop him. "Arthur, it's a Lady's chambers, you can't just barge in!" I protested as I pulled out the key.

I opened the door and slipped in after motioning for Arthur to stay behind. "Morgana, are you alright?" Morgana by her bed and quickly slipped back in. "Why were you up?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just had a nightmare, that's all," the Lady protested.

I glanced around the room, but saw nothing out of place. "It's fine, Arthur, there's no one in here," I called out. Arthur still walked in, though, his sword drawn.

"What on earth are you doing in here?" Morgana asked. She seemed both annoyed, but also… nervous?

"I heard voices, Morgana, they said they were heading for your chambers, so I warned Arthur. Was anyone in here?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Obviously, there isn't." Morgana threw me a look that said she'd explain later. I frowned. Something wasn't right here.

"Right," Arthur said, looking embarrassed. "Sorry to have disturbed you, Morgana." He threw me an annoyed look I ignored and left the room.

I probably should have followed him, but since I was Morgana's maid, I did have an excuse to stay. "Morgana, what's wrong, you know you can tell me," I pleaded.

For a moment, it looked like she might actually say something, but then she looked at something over my should and hesitated. I followed her gaze, but didn't see anything. "What's wrong?" I asked again.

She shook her head. "You're a good friend, Merlynn, and I appreciate your concern, but it was just a nightmare, I have them so often they don't bother me that much anymore."

"That's poppycock and you know it. Whatever it is you don't want to tell me… I just hope you'll be careful," I said quietly.

I couldn't force Morgana to tell me whatever was going on, and staying and trying to make her wouldn't help anyone, so I just sent her another worried look and went for the door. "You know where to find me if you need me," I said, and left the room.

/*/

I tried to stick close to Morgana the next day, but my chores did require me to be in and out of the Lady's room all day. And when I was cleaning the floor, Morgana was free to leave, and I wasn't.

"I'll only be a moment, I just need to speak to Lady Olivia about something," Morgana said. And before I could protest, she was out the door.

I bit my lip. On the one hand, I trusted Morgana, she was kind-hearted and loyal, but on the other… she was so easily tempted by revenge and I was worried. So after a moment of deliberation, I cleaned the rest of the floor with magic and followed after her.

Except, I had no idea which direction she'd taken. Great, now what?

I eventually found Morgana outside Arthur's chambers. "Merlynn!" She seemed startled. "I thought you were cleaning the floor?"

"I was. Turns out it was less work than I originally thought," I replied. She was acting suspiciously, but I didn't want to distrust my friend. "Morgana, are you sure everything is alright? You know you can tell me anything," I said softly.

The Lady bit her lip, seemingly unsure. Whatever she was planning, at least she was hesitating doing it alone. I held my breath as she decided, but eventually, she nodded. "Not here," she whispered, and took my hand, leading us back to her chambers.

Once there, we settled onto the bed, and she told me what had happened. Apparently Mordred had visited her with a man named Alvarr, and they wanted her to steal a crystal for them.

For a moment, I couldn't even react. What was I supposed to say to that? "Morgana, I know you've had it hard, but holding all of Camelot responsible for the actions of its King isn't like you," I protested. "Giving outsiders a weapon to use against Camelot will only result in the deaths of innocents. Do you even know what this crystal does?"

Morgana frowned. "Uther should pay for what he's done to my kind, he's killed thousands of us; women and children!" she protested.

I sat back. This wasn't the Morgana I knew and loved, this was a version of her who was bitter and angry, who would seek revenge if she could. "And magic users have killed at least as many. It's not about who's wrought the most carnage, it's about being better. Not all magic users are good, just as not all normal folk are. Magic is a tool to be used, and it can be used by any man, be they evil or kind," I said calmly. "How do you even know you can trust this Alvarr?"

Morgana huffed. "Mordred trusts him, therefore, I do."

I fought not to roll my eyes. "Mordred is a child, how do you know Alvarr isn't lying to him?"

"You just don't understand what it's like to hide who you are! To be afraid every day that you'll be killed simply for existing! I just don't want to be afraid anymore!" Morgana argued, unshed tears in her eyes.

And that definitely struck a nerve, because I did know what that was like. And I wanted to be free as much as the next person. "I may not be like you, Morgana, but I do understand. I just don't think that this is the way."

Morgana turned away and glared at the floor.

"I'm your friend, aren't I? You trust me?" I asked.

Reluctantly, but still without looking at me, she nodded.

"Then tell me where to go and I'll meet him." Morgana looked up in surprise. I could hardly believe what I was saying myself. "If he really is as good as you say, then I'll listen. And perhaps we can work together on this. If he really means to do what's best for Camelot, I'll help you."

A/N: As you can see, the story arc is definitely going to change in the next few chapters. The plans I've made are somewhat tentative, so nothing concrete, so I really hope I can pull this off! Reviews help with that!*shamelessly trying to extort reviews from readers*

See you next time!

Edit: tentative plans are no longer very tentative, I've written out the whole storyline. It might take up more than just 5 chapters, though...