-Twenty-Three-
The Order of the Round Table
"Where is he?" Uther asked, leaning forward. There was such eagerness in his eyes, and Morgana reminded herself he was still a father. No matter what he had done in his past life, it could never be said that he didn't love Arthur. "Have you spoken with him?"
"He's safe," Morgana said. "But you already knew where he was, didn't you? You sent men there to retrieve him."
"It was just a guess. I'd looked everywhere else for him. I knew Merlin and Amaryllis would lead me straight to him. I assume he's with them now?"
"Yes. He'll come to you when he's ready. He's safe with Ryll and Merlin. They're his friends and they care deeply for him. They're not going to corrupt him with magic if that's what you're afraid of. Arthur made his own choice before. He chose to accept magic. After Ryll died, he did everything he could to bring equality and peace to those with magic. No one forced him to do that. He's different from you, Uther. He is able to forgive and move forward. You're not a king here and you have no right to make decisions for anyone except yourself."
"Not even when the fate of this world is involved?" Uther asked.
"What do you mean?" Morgana asked with a frown.
"I haven't been entirely honest with you," Uther said, leaning back. Morgana quieted her retort. Of course he hadn't been honest about everything. She'd known that. "When I was first brought into this land, I was given a purpose. Yes, reunite my family, save my daughter, but then I was shown something – a vision I suppose – and in it I saw the magic consumed and unleashed upon the world. I saw the world crumble. It must not fall into the wrong hands."
"Whose hands?" Morgana asked. "Please don't say Morgause or Nimueh."
"No," Uther said, shaking his head. "Merlin."
…
Lancelot stopped his car outside of the old hunting lodge that lay twenty minutes outside of White Castle. It was hidden deep in the woods – long retired from serving guests. He saw movement from inside the building and then a man stepped outside to meet him. Shaggy, dark hair framed his face and his brown eyes held their usual mischievous glint.
"Have you heard the news?" he asked by way of greeting. "Our king is returned to us. He made his escape from Uther's men just this morning accompanied by none other than Merlin and Ryll."
"Good to see you too, Gwaine." Lancelot took the proffered hand, and the two hugged briefly. Gwaine had picked up on all the modern greetings and hand signals and etiquette quickly from thumbs up to 'bro hugs' as he liked to call them. He dressed in jeans and a band T-shirt that Lancelot didn't recognize. He hadn't had as much time to acclimate to the new world. In the three years since they'd all arrived, Gwaine had already found time to get kicked out of three pubs and break a string of hearts all over White Castle. Somehow he'd still managed to remain under Uther's radar no doubt thanks to the others who were constantly trying to keep him out of trouble.
"Are the others here?" Lancelot asked. "I have news." He was glad to hear Arthur was in safe hands. He knew Merlin and Ryll would help him adjust and keep him out of the fray. He'd had no choice but to tell Uther that Ryll and Merlin had located the young king, but he'd also spread word to another group that held Arthur's best interests at heart. They called themselves The Order of the Roundtable after the knights they had once been.
"Lancelot's here," Gwaine called as they entered the building. The others appeared from different rooms. Leon, Elyan, Percival and, the youngest, Mordred. Lancelot had not known Mordred during his time in Camelot, but the others had filled him in. Mordred was a druid once saved by Morgana when his guardian had been executed by Uther. He'd joined Morgana before the last battle where Ryll had fallen and had later been knighted by Arthur for his bravery on the battlefield. It was one of the first steps toward truly uniting the magical and the non-magical. The young druid's bright blue eyes were always a little unnerving, Lancelot had thought. It was as though he could see right into your soul. He was quiet as they sat down to talk, observing, listening.
"Uther means to destroy magic as you know," Lancelot said. It was old news by now. "But I know how. He's trying to destroy the Crystal Caves."
"Those are where Merlin was able to see into the future, right?" Gwaine asked.
"Right. They're made of pure magic. It's said anyone who gazes into them may see the future. Right now they are the major source of magic and, even so, they're failing. I don't know how Uther intends to destroy them. I think he already has men working on it, but I don't suspect they'll be easy to destroy."
"Emrys has returned," Mordred said. It wasn't a question, but Lancelot nodded anyway. "He knows more about the caves than any of us," the druid boy continued.
"We'll get in touch with him," Lancelot said. "He'll know what to do."
"And Morgana?" Mordred asked, the tiniest hint of emotion in his tone.
"She's here in White Castle," Lancelot said. "I've spoken with her."
There was relief in Mordred's eyes. "She will help us defeat Uther," he said without hesitation.
"She's not here to defeat him but to forgive him," Lancelot said softly. "Trying to destroy him before is what destroyed her. She's changed."
Mordred frowned. "Uther will never accept her even if he claims he's changed. He's just desperate to have control over his family. Arthur might have been king when he died, but now neither of them are, and Uther thinks it's his responsibility to claim an inexistent throne."
"We won't let him do that," Percival spoke up.
"Do we have a plan?" Leon asked.
"I need to speak with Morgana again, tell her about the caves. She's in contact with Ryll and Merlin. Merlin will have a plan. I'm sure of it."
"In the mean time we need to see if we can slow Uther's men," Gwaine said.
"We can't risk an all out war," Lancelot warned him. "This isn't about defeating anyone. It's about a second chance. Uther's back too, so yes, that means he gets a second chance just like us. Whether he takes it or not isn't up to us."
"What if Morgana and Arthur can't change his mind?" Elyan asked. "What then?"
Lancelot sighed heavily. "We protect Arthur first and foremost. But we also work on protecting the world because the world isn't ready for Uther."
…
"Merlin would never…" Morgana tried to wrap her mind around what Uther was telling her. "He's only ever sought to keep the world – and Arthur – safe."
"Then perhaps he does not destroy the world intentionally, but I saw it nonetheless." Uther folded his hands. "I know you don't want to believe your friend could do something like that, Morgana, but I swear to you that I speak the truth."
"There's more to it, there has to be…" Morgana protested. Byron's suspicions crept into her mind then like unwanted guests. Merlin had not died. He had been around the entire time while the Second Coming had been just a thought. Did he know more than he was letting on? Whatever the answer, she wanted his side of things too even if Uther was telling the truth. "I need to think things through," she said, standing.
"If it will ease your mind to speak to Merlin, then please do, but trust me when I say I'm only doing what I can to protect my family."
"Have you ever considered that we don't need protecting?" Morgana asked from the doorway. "We're not children anymore, Uther. We can make our own choices."
She left him with that thought, tracing a path back to the front entrance. She stopped short as a man pushed through the front doors looking harried. "Morgana." It was Lancelot. His expression turned to relief when he saw her. "I'm glad you're here. I need to speak to you." He didn't question why she was there, just accepted it.
"I need to speak with you too, but not here."
"My car's outside or…Uther has some horses in the stables out back. There are some trails behind the castle…" He looked unsure, but right now the familiarity of being on the back of a horse sounded wonderful, so Morgana said, "Let's take the horses."
Uther had six black and bay horses each well built like a warhorse. Morgana picked a bay with a mane and tail that fell in glossy waves. Lancelot led a black one out. They saddled the horses and Lancelot led her away from the castle and into the woods. The land was a bit steep, but a trail led down the side of the hill and into flatter land laced with trees and shrubbery. They rode in silence for a long while until Lancelot turned to Morgana and asked, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"You first." She didn't want to tell Lancelot of Uther's vision. Merlin was his friend, and he'd never believe that he could destroy the world even by accident. Morgana wasn't sure she believed it either, but the look in Uther's eyes told her he wasn't lying. He wasn't trying to turn her against her friends, just warn her, keep her safe.
"I found out how Uther plans to destroy magic," Lancelot told her, and she could tell it had been weighing heavily on his mind.
That momentarily distracted Morgana from her own worries. "How?" she asked when he didn't immediately tell her.
"The Crystal Caves. They hold the remnant magic and he thinks if he destroys the caves then he destroys magic."
"The caves…" It couldn't be coincidence. "When I was in Ealdor last, I found Byron. You didn't meet him-"
"I remember him," Lancelot cut in. "From when I was a wraith."
"Right…" Morgana shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Well he got his memories back when I did, and he wants to help. I told him that Ryll didn't get her magic back and he suggested we try to retrieve the crystal she once used to channel her powers. There's a store beneath her flat-"
"The Crystal Caves, right, I've seen it."
"When we entered, the shopkeeper knew just the crystal we were looking for. She said she had been waiting to give it back to its rightful owner. She said I needed to use it in order to free magic and only then would Ryll get her magic back. She told us to go to the Crystal Caves and that all of our questions would be answered there."
"It seems like that's the place to go then," Lancelot replied.
"That's not all though. I came back to speak to Uther, and he told me he'd been given a vision when he first came back. He saw someone taking the magic and destroying the world with it. Whether on purpose or not, he didn't know. But Lancelot, the one he saw in his vision was Merlin."
Lancelot's face predictably clouded over. "Merlin would never use magic for such a dark purpose," he said, tone hard.
"I know," Morgana rushed to say. "I know he wouldn't, but I don't think Uther was lying. He might have misinterpreted what he saw, but he saw it. There's still so much we don't understand, but it's time for answers. The answers are in the Crystal Caves. That much is clear."
"So we go there and we get answers."
"I think we should keep this between the three of us for now – you, me, and Byron. It's not that I don't trust Merlin. I do, but the more people we get involved, the more complicated this gets."
"But we might need Merlin to guide us through the caves," Lancelot objected.
"I think this is something I need to do. Byron insisted on coming and if you want to come I won't stop you, but the woman was very specific. This is something I need to do."
"Who was she? You trust her? Just like that?"
"It was her destiny to tell me this information," Morgana told him. "She told me a prophecy. In that prophecy she said I was a hero in this life. Do you…" she faltered here, scared to force the words out, but she did anyway. "Do you think there's any way she's right?" she asked. "Could I really be a hero?" She hated the doubt in her voice, the need for validation.
"Of course you can, Morgana. You've shown you can change and it gives hope to the rest of us. Forget what the history books say, forget who people expect you to be. This is your life."
They had slowed their horses to a walk but now Morgana pulled her horse to a stop. Lancelot stopped his horse as well and met her gaze. "Thank you," Morgana said. "I can't tell you how much your faith in me means. You've trusted that I could change from the start even after what I did to you."
"We all made mistakes in our past life. I'm not going to hold that against you. It does no one any good holding grudges. I'll come with you to the caves, but only if you agree to call Ryll and tell her where you're going. She'll know if it's the right time to tell Merlin our plan or not. I don't believe he's capable of using magic in such a way, but we don't hold all of the answers yet, so perhaps there's something we aren't seeing. Perhaps he's a victim of some evil that Uther could not see in his vision."
"Will Uther notice you're gone?" Morgana asked.
"I'm not his slave," Lancelot said. "He'll be busy for the next few days."
"What do you mean?"
"I have some friends who are going to look into slowing down his men. You might remember them. Leon, Percival, Elyan, Gwaine, and…Mordred."
"Mordred?" Morgana's heart leapt. "He's alive?"
"Yes. He became a knight after you left Camelot. They're still loyal to Arthur."
"I have a feeling we'll need all the help we can get. When should we leave?"
"Do you know the location of the caves?" Lancelot asked.
"This crystal came from the caves. I can use a locator spell to find them," Morgana said, pulling out the crystal she had retrieved.
"Let's leave tomorrow morning," Lancelot suggested. "Call Ryll and Byron and catch them up. Are you staying with Morgause tonight?"
"Yeah, I have a room there. I'm not going to tell her about any of this," she added. "I want to because she's my sister, but I don't want to give her a reason to wage war against Uther."
"I know it's hard keeping secrets from people you care about, but sometimes it's necessary."
"I just hope we're doing the right thing."
Lancelot nudged his horse into a walk. "You can't really know that until the end, but if you have good intentions then you're doing all you can."
"Sometimes I just wish this was all over, whatever it is that needs to end. I want to start my life but I don't feel like I can until everyone else has found their purpose. I'm afraid everything would fall apart if I left and that sounds selfish, I know."
"You're tied to the center of this, Morgana. It doesn't sound selfish. There's a lot of weight left on your shoulders, but just know that you don't have to carry it by yourself."
Morgana smiled. "I made that mistake before," she told him. "I'm not making it again."
…
After Lancelot and Morgana returned the horses to the stables, he drove her back to A.V.A.L.O.N. headquarters. Morgause was relieved to see her, and Morgana wondered if she'd been getting ready to storm Uther's castle in search of her sister. "I'm fine," she'd told her over and over. She'd finally gotten a chance to head to her room where she pulled out her phone and called Byron.
"Did you find him?" Byron said without preamble.
"Lancelot? Yes. He's coming with us," Morgana told him. "But I need to fill you in." She told him everything including Uther's vision and his quest to destroy the Crystal Caves in order to eradicate magic.
"We need answers. I know you want to call Ryll and Merlin and tell them everything, but right now there are too many questions – questions about them."
"You're saying you don't trust them? Even Ryll?" Morgana asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"I trust Ryll. But she is even more in the dark about all of this than us. And you know she has a tendency to go rushing into things trying to save everyone and putting herself at risk. It's our turn to take the risks."
"Says the boy who got himself killed taking a risk," she retorted.
"Morgana, please. If we're going to work together, we need to agree on one thing. We keep Ryll safe. She sacrificed everything to ensure we got a second chance even if she didn't know that's what she was doing. We owe her big time."
"We do. She never gave up on me no matter what I did. I want to make this right."
"We don't even know how to fix this or what ending is the right ending," Byron said. "We need answers."
"Then we get them and then we call Ryll and Merlin. I don't want to keep secrets. If she calls me and asks, I'm going to tell her. I'm not going to lie to her."
"We won't."
"Did you call her earlier?" she asked him.
Byron was quiet for a moment. "No," he finally replied. "I almost did. I typed in the number, but I couldn't quite press 'call'."
"A phone call isn't the same as seeing someone in person."
"Maybe that's why I couldn't do it. I don't want to hear her voice without seeing her face or being able to pull her into my arms and hug her to death."
Morgana smiled. "Lancelot and I are heading out tomorrow morning. Meet me at the A.V.A.L.O.N. Agency at 7am." She gave him the address.
"We're going to get to the bottom of this," he told her. "We're going to find answers."
"I hope so," Morgana said. "I'm tired of going around in circles."
"You're sure we can trust Lancelot?"
"Yes. The woman in the Crystal Caves shop seemed to think so too. He's done nothing but help me. I trust him."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Byron said before hanging up.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow Morgana would learn the truth. Maybe the caves would tell her if a villain could truly become a hero or if Morgana would be haunted by her past deeds forever. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the truth because she realized no matter what she'd done in the past and no matter what would happen in the future, she really wanted to be that hero the prophecy had spoken of.
