Sorry for the lateness of this update; I've been suffering from a lack of inspiration and general busy-ness - we're building a barn.
Warning: everyone's favorite OC is back in this chapter. Yes, I'm talking about Sirenia, and she's still a bitch. Also, there's a heart-to-heart between Morgana and Prince Prat - I mean Arthur.
The sunlight looked wrong. Morgana thought it should be midmorning or perhaps noon, yet judging by the light coming through her window it appeared to be just after dawn. It gave her a disconcerting feeling that a long stretch of time had passed without her knowledge, a feeling that was further compounded when she realized she was in her bed, wearing a nightgown. She couldn't remember putting on that gown or getting into bed; in fact, she had no memory of returning to her chambers at all. Perhaps Gwen can explain how I got here.
"Gwen?" Her voice emerged as a croaky whisper. Sucking up what little saliva there was in her dry mouth, Morgana swallowed and tried again. "Gwen!"
Her friend hurried over, breaking into a wide smile when she saw that Morgana was awake. Before she could get a word out, Gwen hugged her as if she hadn't seen her in months. "Morgana! It's such a relief to have you back - awake, I mean, you've been here all along, just asleep. And you're looking so much better... Oh! You must be starving since you missed dinner. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Water," Morgana said hoarsely. "Please." Gwen hoisted her into a sitting position, rearranged her pillows so she could lean on them, poured her a cup of water, and steadied her hand while she drank. Morgana was dismayed to find that she needed help to hold the cup, but pleased that she could speak normally again after moistening her throat. "What happened? My last memory is of being poisoned - by the physician! I need to report him." She tried to get up.
Gwen held her down. "No, my lady, you need rest. He's been...taken care of."
Morgana fell back into her pillows, exhausted by the short struggle. "Did Merlin catch him? I think I saw him there... Yes, I remember now - he saved me. After that..." She shook her head. "Nothing."
Something tightened in Gwen's face at the mention of Merlin. "Yes," she said shortly. "I haven't seen him since. Arthur and I brought you here, and you slept the rest of yesterday and all last night."
"That long? Why do I feel so weak when I can't remember the last time I slept through the night without a sleeping draft, let alone all night and half a day?"
"Edwin's poison nearly killed you; no one expected you to wake so soon. I'm sure your strength will return before long," Gwen reassured her, stroking her arm comfortingly. "If you'll be all right alone, I should go tell the king you're awake. Or I could fetch Freya. She sat with you last night while I slept, so I think she's resting now, but I-"
"Then we shouldn't disturb her. I don't need fussing over, Gwen." Morgana silently cursed Edwin Muirden to the darkest depths of hell. He had caused her pain the likes of which she'd never known, almost ended her life, and reduced her to a pitifully weakened state, all because she'd had the misfortune to be adopted by Uther Pendragon. She hoped she would recover in time to attend his trial and execution. She usually tried to avoid such events, but she would make an exception for him; unlike many of the people she had seen Uther kill, the traitorous physician deserved whatever punishment he received.
Gwen's return jarred her out of her angry thoughts. "Are you feeling well enough for a visitor? The king is here to see you."
Morgana sat up straighter. If anyone came to visit her during her convalescence, she would not have expected it to be him. She had only spoken to Merlin's father twice, and briefly at that, so why was he here now? Why had he chosen to drop in on her when she was clearly not at her best? "King Balinor? Not Merlin or Arthur?"
"No, my lady, I'm quite sure it isn't Merlin or Arthur unless one of them grew a beard overnight."
"Well, I suppose you'd better send him in." She couldn't refuse to see the king, no matter how inconveniently he'd timed his visit. Perhaps he had come to offer a royal apology since her assailant had been a trusted member of his court.
"My lady." He bowed slightly and then stood there looking uncomfortable, at a loss for what to do next.
"Would you care to sit, your majesty?" She glanced at Gwen, silently signaling that she should pull up a chair.
Balinor didn't wait for a chair, though; he simply sat on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?"
"I can't complain, sire - I'm alive after all."
Balinor nodded, feeling new respect for the girl before him. Lady Morgana had already shown that she possessed grace, charm, impeccable manners (in short, she was everything a noblewoman should be) and, while there was no proven method for measuring intelligence, she didn't seem to be a simpering fool, for which Balinor was grateful; though confident of his son's ability to rule with or without assistance from his wife, he wouldn't want Merlin saddled with a useless queen. Now he was sure Morgana was far from useless - no weakling could have survived the curse used on her, so there had to be a strong, determined young woman behind that pretty face.
"May I ask if the physician's trial and sentencing has already been carried out? If not, I would like to be there."
"There won't be a trial."
"Why not?" Morgana asked hotly. "Edwin Muirden tried to murder me-"
"And he's already suffered the consequences. Your maid witnessed the incident, but I suppose she hasn't spoken to you about it. I can't say I blame her; it was an ugly business."
Morgana looked over at Gwen, who had busied herself with some small, unnecessary task so as not to give the appearance of eavesdropping. "No, Gwen's told me very little, and my own memories are scattered at best."
"Well, Merlin needed the bloodstone Edwin cursed you with, and he didn't hand it over willingly. They fought, and he was killed."
"Merlin killed someone in a fight?" She had trouble picturing it.
"To save you and Prince Arthur, yes, he did."
"Arthur?" Morgana hadn't even known Arthur was there, much less that he'd been in any danger.
"Edwin attacked him as well once he realized he'd been caught. He wasn't hurt." After a short pause Balinor added, "I can't tell you how sorry I am for all this."
"It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, your majesty," she assured him.
"I do bear some responsibility though - it was I who gave him the position through which he got close to you. For years he lived and worked here, and I never realized how deep his bitterness ran."
"He hid it well; I too was blind to his ill intent toward me until it was too late. I'm just grateful Merlin was able to thwart him."
"We all are. I'll leave you to rest now." As Balinor stood up, he felt Morgana's slender fingers on his wrist.
"Sire, why isn't Merlin with you? I wish to thank him in person."
The king looked down at her hopeful expression and sighed. "He hasn't left his chambers since yesterday; you must remember that he was Edwin's friend and student. Killing him wasn't something he took lightly."
Morgana instantly felt ashamed - she'd been pleased to hear of Edwin's demise, though a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to watch. Not once had she stopped to think of how taking the life of his friend must have affected Merlin. Of course he didn't take it lightly - he's not a killer by nature yet he had to do it anyway, poor thing. She wished she could go to him and console him, but she still needed to recover; Balinor's visit, brief as it had been, had tired her. Leaving her bed was out of the question, so she would have to wait for him to come to her instead.
###
A steady stream of well-wishers passed through her chambers that morning. Lancelot came to pay respects on behalf of all the knights, though Morgana noticed his eyes drifting to Gwen once or twice, and even Theodosius ventured out of his library to see her; she suspected he was verifying that she truly was unwell enough to justify missing her lesson.
Finally, just when she thought she going to get some peace - there couldn't be more than a handful of people in the castle who hadn't already told her how happy they were that she was still among the living - she received one last unexpected, unwelcome visitor: the Lady Sirenia.
"What are you doing here?" Morgana demanded as the witch approached.
Sirenia's copper-colored eyebrows arched elegantly. "Why, I came to see how my future queen fares, naturally, after that failed attempt at poisoning by our poor, hideous physician. Such a pity."
"A pity that I was poisoned, or that he failed?"
"Are you suggesting that I might wish his plot had succeeded?" Sirenia clicked her tongue chidingly. "Dear me, I fear whatever dark magic was used on you has addled your feeble brain in addition to the external damage - your skin is looking especially sallow today."
Morgana pressed back into the mound of pillows behind her, wishing she had her dagger; the predatory gleam in those gray eyes as they moved over her face and their owner's obvious glee at finding her weak and vulnerable sent chills up her spine.
Sensing her discomfort, Gwen said, "My mistress needs rest, and she hasn't been able to get much with all the people wanting to see how she is. I think you should go."
"You think?" Sirenia repeated incredulously. "When did they start allowing servants to do that?"
Gwen moved closer, an uncharacteristically steely look in her eyes. "Morgana wants you out. Now, you can leave voluntarily, or-"
Quick as a striking snake, Sirenia's hand came up to grasp Gwen under the chin, her sharp nails digging into the maid's skin. "You are most impertinent," she said conversationally. "You remind me of a maid I had once; she could never keep her tongue still either-" Her voice suddenly sharpened and became decidedly menacing. "-Until I cut it out. You wouldn't want something like that to happen to you, would you?" Her hand slid upward, bringing her nails dangerously close to Gwen's eyes.
Morgana tensed, preparing to force her body out of bed. Recuperation be damned, she was not going to sit by and let this madwoman maim Gwen. But before she could actually move-
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, though I thank the gods every day that I'm not. Get away from her."
"You're just a stable hand," Sirenia snapped at Gwaine. "You don't tell me what to do!"
"I do if you're outnumbered," Gwaine retorted, gesturing at Freya and Will, who had come in with him. "You're not even the only one here who can do magic."
"This isn't your father's province," Will added, "so you can't get away with doing whatever you like. But if you prefer the way things are in Stonecliff, I can get Merlin to arrange for you to go back."
Sirenia let out a low, angry growl, but she released Gwen and stormed out. Freed from the subtle spell woven by the witch's touch and her own fear that had rooted her in place, Gwen collapsed on the bed. Morgana pulled her into a comforting, protective embrace. "Did she hurt you?"
Gwen shook her head. "I thought she was going to, but she didn't."
"That woman," Gwaine declared, "ought to be face down in a dung heap."
"If you believe she's even a woman. Personally, I think she crawled out of the Black Lagoon and enchanted Lord Syrus into thinking she's his daughter," Will said while Freya nodded fervently.
"The Black Lagoon?"
"One of the strangest places in Dagon, my lady," Freya explained. "The stories say horrible creatures live in it - leeches as big as your arm and such things. Mind you, they're only stories since no one goes there if they can help it."
"I can certainly believe Sirenia came from such a place. Did she really get away with cutting out her maid's tongue?"
"Who knows? Merlin's never found any of her maids missing a tongue - gods know he's looked - so she either made it up or...did something else with the girl. Either way, there's no crime without a complainant."
"I don't know how she planned to stop me and Gwen from complaining, but I'm thankful for your timely arrival nonetheless. Did you come for anything in particular?"
"Will has something for you."
The manservant produced a slightly crumpled wildflower bouquet from under his jacket, and Gwen jumped up to fetch a vase. Morgana was stunned. Of all the people she expected to bring her flowers, Will was at the bottom of the list. "I know we got off on the wrong foot-"
Freya gave a loud, obviously fake cough.
"-Due to my being an ass. There, are you happy now?" She nodded. "Anyhow," Will continued, addressing Morgana once more, "what Edwin tried to do to you wasn't right, and I'm glad you're not dead."
"Thank you, William." It wasn't an outright declaration of acceptance, but it was a definite change from his previous attitude. Morgana was pleased; at least one good thing had come out of her nearly being murdered.
###
Barely surviving an assassination attempt, Morgana discovered, could make anyone (except Sirenia) be nice to her. Not even Arthur was immune to this phenomenon; for the first time in living memory, he hand-delivered her lunch.
She smiled sweetly as he balanced the tray over her lap. "How thoughtful of you, Arthur. It's almost as if you've learned to be kind and considerate."
"Almost. Listen, can we talk? Alone?"
Her curiosity piqued by Arthur's seriousness, Morgana dismissed her maids. Arthur reached inside his jacket and produced a letter bearing the Pendragon seal. "This just arrived from Camelot. My father wants to know if we're settling in well, how you and Merlin are getting along."
"So now he cares, does he? I don't recall him worrying about how we'd get along when he ordered me to marry Merlin before I'd even met him."
"Morgana, do you have to be so harsh?"
"Yes! He traded me away to a complete stranger like chattel, and I cannot forgive him even though I've grown to like Merlin."
"You have?"
"He's been nothing but kind to me; I believe he'll make a good husband."
Arthur frowned. The Morgana he knew had never concerned herself with finding a good husband, had actually said once that she didn't think she needed one. It was a ridiculous notion - Uther wasn't going to let his ward become an old maid - but Arthur had secretly admired her for daring to entertain it. Had her forced engagement broken her independent spirit already? He couldn't let that happen, not even if taking action to stop it ruined his new friendship with Merlin. "Do you know how he killed Edwin Muirden? He used magic to crush the man's body! It took the servants all night to clean up the blood and...other remains."
Morgana recoiled. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because my father will be furious when he finds out the court physician of Dagon tried to kill you. If I tell him, I think I can persuade him to break off your engagement and let me take you back to Camelot. You won't have to go through with this marriage after all."
"Then you had better not tell him."
"What?"
"Everything I said still stands - Merlin may not be perfect, but he is a good man." She drew herself up, eyes flashing. "If I refuse him Uther will eventually find another to force on me, and I've seen enough women trapped in loveless marriages to know that is not a fate I want."
"Wait, are you saying you love Merlin?"
The realization that she had inadvertently revealed her feelings - to Arthur, no less - hit her like a bucket of cold water, dousing the fire of her temper. "One day I might. Tell me, Arthur, would that make you think less of me?"
"No, I think you're lucky - too many people of our station never know love. If you're happy, then I'm happy for you."
"I'd be happier if I knew how he feels about me. He's polite and kind, as I said, but for all I know he might only be acting out of a sense of obligation."
Arthur began to feel embarrassed; he hadn't talked this much about emotions in...well, he didn't think he ever had. Going on about their feelings just wasn't something princes did. He would have squirmed, but princes didn't do that either. "I'm sure Merlin likes you. Didn't waste a moment in saving you, did he?"
"Since when he's avoided me," Morgana pointed out, fists clenching in frustration. "You don't suppose he resents having to kill his friend to save my life, do you?" It seemed absurd - she hadn't asked Edwin to attack her - but as the hours went by with no word from Merlin she'd started to wonder, and worry.
"How should I know? Look, I need to write back to Father. Eat your soup." He ruffled Morgana's hair, ignoring her indignant exclamation, and left feeling that he had fulfilled his duties as a surrogate brother and temporary guardian - at least the ones that required him to actually endure Morgana's company. All that was left was for him to write a letter telling Uther that she was happy and safe in Dagon and getting along well with her fiancé, but he wasn't going to do that right away. First he had to go see a warlock.
Next up: Arthur and Merlin have a friendly chat, Merlin's all angsty, and his relationship with Morgana continues to be complicated - so no declarations of love shouted from the rooftops, I'm afraid. But if I feel generous we may get an Arthur/Gwen moment.