Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter 6 – The Witch's Betrayal
"Sire! Sire! King Arthur!" The shout was heard throughout the castle long before the owner of the voice was seen. Arthur and Merlin had been in council together, speaking of magical matters throughout the kingdom, when they heard it, but before either could even rise from their chairs the doors to the council chamber burst open to reveal Sir Leon.
"Sir Leon." Arthur said standing immediately and going to the knight's side. "What has happened? Where is Guinevere?!" His voice rose in urgency when he took in the blood and dirt that covered the knight.
"The Queen has been kidnapped." Leon got straight to the point, though the quickness of his response did nothing to lessen Arthur's worry or anger. He appeared first in shock though it did not last and a nearby chair took the brunt of his anger.
"What happened?" Merlin asked for Arthur seemed unable to.
"We were set upon in the woods, Your Excellency. We thought by bandits, but we now believe it to be the Saxons."
"Saxons in Camelot?" Arthur spoke after destroying the chair.
"Yes, Sire, a woman we heard called Morgause appeared to be leading them. Or one of the leaders at any rate, for Mordred was there as well. Morgause possesses magic, Your Excellency."
"I've never heard of a Morgause." Merlin told Arthur. "But magic is still newly returned to Camelot, it is unsurprising that we have not heard of all magical beings within the kingdom."
"There's more, Sire." Leon said. "Normally I would try to break this to you gently but with The Queen in their hands there is no time." He paused for only a moment to ensure he had Arthur's full attention, though it wasn't needed; with his wife and unborn child in danger, his attention was on nothing else. "They are in league with Morgana. She has betrayed us. And she too has magic." There was no anger in Arthur's features this time, only shock. While Gwen being kidnapped was terrible it was certainly not something he would consider out of the realm of possibility. Morgana, his sister, betraying him however, was unthinkable.
"No, you must be mistaken."
"I assure you I am not, Sire, though I know nothing I say will convince you. You will have to see for yourself when we rescue The Queen. I just did not want you to go in there with no warning."
"Is Sir Elyan with her?" Arthur began to mobilize, making his way out of the council chamber and towards the armoury with both Merlin and Sir Leon at his side.
"No, Sire. Sir Elyan is dead. He died defending The Queen."
"He shall be honoured for it when Guinevere is returned to Camelot." Leon could not help the small smile that formed at Arthur's words that were so like his wife's. "Round up the knights, we leave immediately."
"If I might, I advise against it, Sire." Merlin spoke up.
" 'Advise against it?' " Arthur growled stopping in his tracks to glare at the warlock. "Merlin, my wife and unborn child, and Morgana," he could not help but add. "Are in the clutches of the Saxons. I will need every available man if I am to rescue them unharmed."
"If this Morgause does possess magic you will need a magic wielder to defeat her." He wisely left out Leon's claim that magic might also be needed to fight Morgana.
"Then we will bring you along too!"
"Or we could travel just the three of us and get there a lot faster, and with a force they won't be able to fight against."
"You mean the great Emrys?" Arthur snorted, though not as derisively as he would have them believe; he knew how powerful Merlin was.
"Well yes, but there's also Aithusa."
"Aithusa?" Both Knight and King parroted, both quite happy that Merlin would summon her once more; she'd done much to earn forgiveness for attacking Camelot when she found Morgana. Merlin smiled and motioned for them to follow him and they quickly found themselves in a field outside the city walls. Arthur and Leon shared a look as Merlin turned to the sky and spoke in the language of the dragons that neither of them understood.
"Dragon! Imala! Sungente gumenta! Keshophanekes!" It wasn't long before what sounded like the flapping of giant wings was heard and a large dragon flew over the tree line and landed gracefully before them, much to their shock for this was not the white dragon they knew to be Aithusa.
"What are you doing here?" Merlin demanded.
"What have you summoned me for this time, young warlock?" The dragon spoke and Arthur and Leon's eyes widened further not having expected to be able to understand him.
"I didn't summon you, I summoned Aithusa."
"You did not summon Aithusa by name and so any dragon could answer your call."
"But why would you come after you've gone to great lengths to stay hidden?"
"I felt it was time to reveal myself, at least to those who are worthwhile." The dragon spared a quick glance at Arthur and Leon before turning back to Merlin. "Now, what is it you need?"
"Queen Guinevere is missing, kidnapped by the Saxons and a sorceress named Morgause." He replied.
"Are you not leaving out someone important in all this? Someone I warned you long ago would be responsible for Camelot's downfall?" Merlin hung his head for a moment, but only a moment as his belief that he'd done the right thing in not killing Morgana strengthened.
"Sir Leon says Morgana betrayed us." He admitted. "But I stand by my decision. Whatever glimpse of the future you saw, I will not condemn someone for something they have yet to do. The future is always changing, you yourself told me this."
"I told you the future was difficult to predict. Some futures are as changeable as running water, others are near set in stone."
"Near being the key word there."
"Hold on." Arthur spoke up once his shock of seeing another dragon up close abated. "What is he talking about, Merlin? And who is this? We know it's not the same dragon."
"Greetings, Arthur Pendragon." The dragon spoke directly to him. "Long have I awaited the reign of The Once and Future King and the peace and freedom it has brought to magic users and creatures alike. You will achieve many great things, King Arthur."
"T-thank you." He replied hesitantly before once again turning to Merlin.
"This is Kilgharrah." Merlin explained.
"You've kept the existence of another dragon from me?"
"I am The Last Dragonlord, Sire, it is my duty to protect them. Besides not everything revolves around you." He mumbled the last bit, though not quietly enough.
"I heard that." Arthur growled but let it go for now. "He spoke of the future…what does he mean?" Merlin hesitated, unsure weather he wanted to be truthful in this instance but decided it was for the best to get everything out in the open.
"Kilgharrah warned me that Morgana would betray Camelot. He said she would be Camelot's downfall."
"And you never thought to tell me?!" Arthur's demeanour of calm disappeared.
"I didn't believe it myself! It was Morgana, Arthur, your sister, our friend. How could I believe that sweet child we grew up with could betray us?" Arthur glared at him a few moments longer but eventually conceded.
"So she really has betrayed us then." His last hope that Leon had been wrong disappeared as well.
"I fear so." Merlin mumbled. "But we won't know for certain until we get there and rescue Gwen."
"And how are we getting there, by the way?" Leon spoke up for the first time since the dragon appeared.
"That's where Aithusa was supposed to come in, though Kilgharrah will do just as well." Merlin said. "He's going to be our secret weapon." The Great Dragon did not appear too pleased with Merlin's idea but given how often he'd lectured Merlin on the importance of Arthur's reign, how Guinevere would play just as important a role, and knowing she was in danger, he could not deny his aid in this venture and so lowered his body enough for the three men to climb on before he took flight once more, carrying them to Gwen's side.
oo00oo00oo
The Queen of Camelot had been left to her own devices since being brought to the Saxon camp. She had been led inside a small cottage, which looked like it had seen better days, with guards posted at the door and had yet to see anyone since. She knew Leon had gotten away, Morgana wouldn't have been so mad at Mordred earlier had he been caught, and would no doubt have made it to Camelot by now and informed Arthur what had happened. She only had to wait until her husband came to rescue her, but the waiting was what was killing her for while she waited she had plenty of time to think about Morgana's betrayal. She could not make sense of it. Morgana had been her best friend since she first arrived at Camelot as a young girl, she'd never shown any animosity or dislike for her, nor had she given any reason for Gwen to believe that the love she felt for her friend was not reciprocated. Wanting answers, and with no better way to spend her time, Gwen marched over to the cottage's doorwar and demanded to speak with Morgana. The guard gave a snort but otherwise ignored her, prompting Gwen to scream as loudly as she could for her one time friend. It wasn't long before Morgana, Morgause and Mordred were drawn by the noise and whether Morgana truly wanted to talk with her or if she was humouring her Gwen could care less for Morgana had left the other two and come to see her.
"What do you want?" Morgana asked, a cold look in her eyes which Gwen had seen only directed at Uther when he was at his worst.
"Why? Why would you betray us? How could you betray us after all the years we were family? We love you-"
"You never loved me!" Came the snarled reply. "None of you!"
"What?" Gwen breathed. "How can you…of course we love you, Morgana!"
"No. You merely put up with me. All of you. And then Arthur turned out no better than Uther. The suffering my kind go through under his rule while his lap dog Merlin tells everyone that nothing is amiss, yet all the while he's supressing magic users so that he, the great Emrys, can seem all powerful!" Her words were said with such conviction and such hate that Gwen had no doubt that Morgana truly believed what she said. It made Gwen wonder what had happened to her friend, why reality was so warped in her mind. Unable to truly forget the friendship they shared, Gwen was not prepared to give up on her. If she was under a spell, if Morgana's beliefs were in some way forced upon her, then they could save her, and all could be as it once was; it was a chance Gwen could not pass up.
"We know things are not as they should be, Morgana. But Arthur has only been King a few months. It takes time for years of suppression to disappear, but both Arthur and Merlin are doing all they can for the people of Camelot, all of them, not just those who were allowed under Uther's rule. You must see that! You must see that whatever lies you have been fed are just that, lies!"
"No!" Morgana shouted, physically pushing Gwen back as she rebelled against her words. Gwen stumbled but managed to keep her footing as she turned back to Morgana. "You're just trying to trick me! Everything you say is a lie, I know the truth!"
"Of course you do, sister." Morgause said from the doorway having heard Morgana's shout. "They all lie, that is all they do, and we suffer for it." Morgana nodded her head in agreement and Gwen felt tears form seeing how her friend was manipulated.
"No, Morgana you know us, you know that's not true!
"Do not heed her words, sister. They are nothing but lies I assure you. And now it won't be long until they meet their end." Morgause put an arm around Morgana and led her outside.
"No! Morgana, please!" Gwen cried after them but was ignored, left once again on her own.
oo00oo00oo
For such a large dragon, Kilgharrah flew very silently. They found the Saxons' encampment within very little time and took them by surprise. Arthur very much wanted to have Kilgharrah rain fire down on them from above, but without knowing exactly where Gwen was being held he didn't dare. It wasn't long, however, before they figured out where she was, for those Saxons who did not run for their lives upon seeing the dragon converged around the old cottage. As they got closer, the three men could see two women step forward and raise their hands, using magic to try and stop their approach. However, Merlin was ready for them and it wasn't difficult to stop their assault. Arthur was vaguely aware that one of the women was Morgana but was more intent on rescuing his wife and so seeing Merlin had the magic users well in hand he was paying more attention to those who surrounded where his wife was being kept. When Kilgharrah flew low enough to the ground Arthur and Leon jumped off his back and immediately begun cutting their way through all who stood in the path to Gwen, though admittedly there weren't many left.
"Arthur!" Gwen cried when she saw her husband enter the cottage. Seeing her, Arthur sheathed his sword and ran to her, pulling her to him while Leon dealt with the few Saxons that remained.
"Sweetheart are you alright?" He demanded while looking her over for injuries. "Is the babe alright?"
"I'm alright. We're both alright." She assured him though Arthur still insisted on discovering the truth for himself. Once satisfied that his wife and child were unharmed, Arthur led her outside to see that Merlin and Leon had things well in hand.
"Most of the Saxons ran when they saw Kilgharrah." Sir Leon informed his King. Arthur was not surprised by this, dragons were thought to be extinct though were known to have been incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat; it was unsurprising that the Saxons did not wish to tangle with one. "Mordred escaped with them, as did the one called Morgause." Arthur nodded and looked over those who remained and saw that they were all young, no more than children, and clearly none were in charge; Arthur suspected they'd only been following orders to remain and fight while Mordred and their commanders escaped.
"Let them go." He said, unwilling to be the killer of children. "Though know your lives are forfeit should you ever return to Camelot, or come within a hundred leagues of our Queen ever again." The Saxons nodded and ran off once released from Merlin's magic, which he'd used to bind all those who remained. With no other matters to postpone the inevitable, Arthur then turned to Morgana. He tried to look nothing but the formidable King he was in battle, though looking at the woman he'd called sister for most of his life, he could not quite manage it.
"Why, Morgana?" Was the first thing he said to her, much as Gwen had. Morgana said nothing and merely glared at Arthur so Gwen stepped in.
"She said we never loved her. She's convinced that you're no better than Uther and all you'll bring to Camelot is pain and suffering. I think she's bewitched." She addressed Merlin when she said this. "Nothing she says makes any sense, especially given everything we've shared over the years, but she's convinced it's the truth." Merlin nodded and said a few words, his eyes glowing gold briefly and a wind was felt as it surrounded Morgana. When it disappeared, Merlin looked no happier than he had before and Gwen felt her hopes disappearing.
"She is under no spell." He said. "If her mind or her memories have somehow been tampered with it is not with magic."
"Nothing has been tampered with!" Morgana spat out. "I merely know the truth now, I am no longer blind to all the harm you cause!"
"Morgana-"
"No! I don't want to hear any more of your lies. Just get on with whatever you are going to do to me." Arthur merely looked at her for a moment, knowing she expected him to kill her, but not being able to do so not matter the circumstances.
"Leave." He muttered. "You are banished from Camelot."
"I would caution against this course of action, Arthur Pendragon." Kilgharrah said from nearby where he had landed. "The Witch is too dangerous to be kept alive."
"Her magic is quite weak." Merlin spoke up. "The assault came mainly from this Morgause and I do not sense great power in her." Like Arthur, Merlin could not fathom killing his friend.
"Do not allow your former friendship to cloud you senses, or your judgement, young warlock. You ignored my warnings once before and it has led to this. Leaving her alive only invites death and destruction to Albion. And there are ways to hide one's magic as you well know." Merlin could not deny that last bit for he had indeed hid his magic all his life until only recently, and it was not only from Uther he had had to hide it but other magic users who could sense the magic in him as he could them. Merlin looked to Arthur, conveying to him his acceptance that The Great Dragon was right that Morgana could be more powerful than he thought.
"I cannot kill her, I won't." Arthur said with little hesitation. "However, as you have said your warnings were ignored once before and I agree they should not be ignored again. She will return to the castle with us and will remain in our keeping till the end of her days. Merlin, you will find some way to block her magic." Arthur had no idea if that was even possible but his tone brooked no argument, a way would have to be found.
"What if Morgause or the Saxons come for her, Sire?" Sir Leon said. He did not like the thought of killing Morgana, but aside from Kilgharrah he was the only one thinking clearly. "Having her in the castle could be dangerous and leave us vulnerable to an assault."
"An assault won't be necessary." A voice spoke and all those present turned to see Morgause. She stood alone but showed no signs of fear or concern that she was outnumbered. Arthur moved swiftly and pushed Gwen behind him as he and Leon drew their swords, preparing to fight. "Those won't be necessary either." She said and with a wave of her hand the two swords went flying, landing several feet away. Merlin chose that moment to try and counter with his own magic but Morgause had obviously been prepared, for it did no good. While blocking Merlin's magic, she waved her hand again and the magic binding Morgana lifted, allowing her to scramble to her feet and retreat to be beside Morgause. "I did not return to fight you, Emrys, I merely came for my sister. And now we will leave you." Although he tried, Merlin was unable to stop their retreat and both Morgause and Morgana disappeared.
"Now what?" Sir Leon asked as he retrieved both swords, returning Arthur's to him. "Do we go after them?"
"No." Arthur said as he sheathed his sword once more. "We have no idea where they are and there is no army with us. We return to the castle."
"But what of Morgana?"
"We know of her treachery and will treat her accordingly should she ever return." Arthur insisted. "Let us hope it does not come to that." He murmured for Gwen's ears only and she knew that like her, Arthur did not think he could kill Morgana, even if she returned with a Saxon army at her back. "I do not even understand how it came to this. Why would she betray us? I know what reasons she gave, but how did she even come to believe them herself? Are you certain she is not under any spell, Merlin?"
"Quite certain, Sire. The only magic I felt within her was her own."
"Which brings me to another question: she has magic? You were not able to hide your magic from me for very long, how on earth did Morgana? Did you know she had magic?" Arthur demanded of his Court Mage.
"No, My Lord, I had no idea. As Kilgharrah said there are ways to hide one's magic."
"Alright so she has magic. I can accept that." The King said slowly. "What I still do not understand is why she betrayed us, and how she came to the beliefs she has."
"Perhaps they messed with her mind while she was in the Saxons' care." Leon suggested.
"No, we've already established she's not under a spell."
"There are more way than one to alter a person's mind, King Arthur." The Great Dragon spoke up. "Ways that do not include the use of magic."
"Then she was tortured into insanity?" He guessed. "If that is true then she is not in her right mind and cannot be held accountable for her actions."
"I do not believe so. The Witch has always been a threat to you and to Camelot; she has always had the potential for betrayal inside her. I do not sense insanity within her, but rather that her potential for betrayal has been exploited; the Witch betrayed you of her own free will."
"And you do not believe there to be another possibility?" Arthur asked, all but begging for another reason.
"She says she's of Uther's blood." Gwen spoke up, remembering when Morgana had confessed to being Uther's bastard.
"What?" Arthur asked.
"She said that Uther is her father. That she is his bastard that he never claimed."
"So she believes that she has a right to the throne?" Leon asked.
"Perhaps. But I still cannot find reason within her betrayal." Arthur said. "The fact remains though that she has betrayed us, and let us say no more on the subject for now. Come, let us return to the castle."
oo00oo00oo
Merlin let himself into the royal chambers early the following morning. He'd received a summons from Arthur over an hour ago when the sun had not yet risen. However, by the tone of voice of the servant who had brought the summons, he knew whatever it was could not be urgent and so had dragged his feet to annoy Arthur for pulling him out of bed so early. Apparently though he had taken too long for when he entered the antechamber it was to see Arthur fast asleep at the table by the hearth.
"Arthur." He said quietly, noticing also that the door leading to the royal bedchamber was ajar and Gwen could be seen sleeping within. "Arthur." He shook The King's shoulder and Arthur abruptly came awake, muttering incoherently as he tried to orient himself.
"There you are, Merlin." Arthur whispered. "Next time I summon you it shall be with a bucket of water to waken you if this is how long it takes for you to get here."
"Well maybe if you waited until a decent hour, like when the sun is up, then I wouldn't have taken so long.
"I am The King of Camelot, Merlin, and you will answer any summons I give you promptly no matter what time of day or night."
"Oh, well you're in a good mood, somebody obviously got up on the wrong side of the table." Merlin laughed at his own joke, while Arthur stared at him blankly. "Wrong side of the bed, but you slept on the table…"
"That is extremely clever and funny, Merlin, there really are no limits to your wit." He deadpanned in a whisper. "Now will you shut up? I don't want to wake Gwen."
"Why don't we close the door then?" Merlin suggested, moving to do just that. "You see, if there's a barrier sound doesn't travel as well, then we won't have to be so quiet."
"No!" Arthur called sharply while still trying to keep his voice down. Both men froze momentarily when movement was heard in the other room, though they thankfully saw that Gwen was merely turning over, not waking. "Will you just get back here and sit down?"
"Why don't you want to close the door?" Merlin asked when he did as instructed.
"I…" Arthur began though it took a moment for him to get it out. "I know you'll never let me hear the end of it, but I don't want her out of my sight right now. Not after yesterday." All joking vanished from Merlin's face and he answered quite sincerely.
"I would never mock your love and concern for her. Not when everyone in Camelot feels the same way. We'd all die for her."
"Someone already has." Arthur muttered.
"Elyan is greatly missed." Merlin said. "He was a good friend, and a great knight. He was so proud to wear the Pendragon sigil, and no doubt was honoured to not only die for his Queen, but also for a women he loved as a sister."
"The manner of death is irrelevant when the fact remains that he is gone."
"No." Merlin disagreed. "How can you say that, Arthur, when as a knight yourself you know the code you all live by? If a knight cannot live to die of old age-"
"Then the only death he can accept is an honourable one." Arthur finished. "I know you are right, Merlin, but that does not stop the fact that Elyan is dead, and it is all my fault."
"Not yours. Morgana's." Arthur was silent, the betrayal of the woman he had called sister far too fresh in his mind to discuss her.
"This is not why I called you here."
"Then why did you?" Merlin let the subject drop, it bringing him pain as it did Arthur, though Merlin knew that they could not avoid the subject forever.
"It was something the dragon, Kilgharrah, said yesterday. I was too concerned with saving Gwen at the time to give it any thought but now…" Merlin leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "You know. You know what he was talking about." If Arthur had had any doubts before that Merlin knew more than he let on about things the doubt was gone. "Tell me. Why did the dragon call me The Once and Future King?"
"Because that is who you are, Arthur." Merlin answered after a moment, and continued when Arthur waited silently for an explanation. "The ancient prophecies that name Emrys, they also speak of The Once and Future King. This King will bring forth an age of peace that has never before been seen, nor will be seen again until he rises once more. That is why he is called The Once and Future King. The prophecies foretell that when peace is greatly needed in the land, The Once and Future King will reign once more and his second reign will be as peaceful as the first."
"We are at war, Merlin." Arthur reminded him. "How can I possibly be this prophesized king of peace when we are at war?"
"The era of peace merely has not arrived yet. That is where I come in." He admitted.
"What do you mean?"
"The prophecy of Emrys, The Immortal Mage, and The Once and Future King are bound together. It is said that only with the help of Emrys can The Once and Future King achieve the peace he strives for. It is my destiny, Arthur, to help you become the great king you are meant to be. I suppose that is why Emrys is called The Immortal Mage. He, I, will be there when The Once and Future King, you, rises once more. However many years, decades, or hundreds of years from now that may be." Arthur stared unseeing at the table not sure if he believed what he was hearing.
"Perhaps you cannot see it, Arthur, but I can." A soft voice said from across the room.
"Guinevere." Arthur jumped up and went over to his wife. "You should be resting."
"How can I possibly rest when something as important as this is being discussed? Quite loudly, by the way." She added and laughed quietly when Arthur sent a glare at Merlin. "Arthur," She brought his attention back to her. "You are destined for great things. I have never once doubted that. But you will achieve great things because of you and you alone, Arthur, not because of any ancient prophecy. Being this Once and Future King changes nothing save that now you know that even before you were born people knew you were destined for great things." Arthur smiled softly and clasped Gwen's hands in his, bringing them to his lips.
"You always know exactly what to say, sweetheart." He said. "Though I will contradict you on one thing. It will not be me alone who achieves great things, as you say, but us. You, Merlin, Leon, Percival, Gaius, the people of Camelot…anything I achieve will be because you all stand by my side and believe in me. I could do none of it without you." Gwen smiled up at her husband knowing he meant every word.
A/N - I don't have a better explanation for Morgana's betrayal. Like in the show her time while she was held captive, or missing, changed her way of thinking and she returned convinced that Arthur is just as bad as Uther, that the throne is rightfully hers, etc. Unlike in the show she doesn't have the excuse here that magic is still banned, but she's still convinced the throne should be hers and that Arthur doesn't deserve to be King. It's just one of those things that when you think about it it really doesn't make any sense, and yet people still believe it.
