Warning: MAJOR cliffhanger ahead! Probably the most major one since Edwin poisoned Morgana or the one where she woke up with her bed on fire…so I'll shut up now and let you read it, shall I?
Morgana felt as if she'd barely lain down to sleep when Gwen appeared and shook her awake. "Morgana, wake up! I've let you sleep as long as possible, but you really do need to get up now. You're having your wedding gown fitted in fifteen minutes!"
Morgana's eyes shot open. "Good Lord, Gwen, why didn't you wake me sooner?"
"I tried, my lady," the harried-looking maid explained. "You grumbled at me, rolled over, and went back to sleep."
Morgana remembered none of that, but nevertheless apologized for her surly behavior. She bounded out of bed and dressed in record time thanks to Gwen's very efficient assistance, then hurried down to her dressmaker's workroom, gobbling a few pieces of fruit from the breakfast tray Freya had brought on the way. Once there, she had to strip down to her shift and stand stock-still while Mistress Flora and her assistants draped yards of fabric over her. Some of it was still held together with pins rather than thread, and they poked her in very uncomfortable places. Morgana gritted her teeth and held herself motionless as a statue, and at last it was all over. An assistant helped her back into her clothes while Mistress Flora chattered away.
"…And you're such a good customer, dear, not like that awful Prince Merlin. Never can stay still more than five minutes at a time, and always complaining about how he doesn't need new clothes - if he could get away with it, he'd no doubt be happy to wear things until they're as ragged as a servant's clothing!" She tutted loudly. "Always insists on wearing that horrid black too, but never you worry, dear, I won't let his lack of taste spoil your wedding. I'll slip some color into his outfit whether he likes it or not!"
Morgana smiled. "I look forward to it."
Then she was whisked off to study with Theodosius, who said he thought she was ready for the royal council's entrance examination.
"Examination?" she repeated. With everything else that had been going on, she'd completely forgotten about that and had devoted most of her attention to her magic lessons, which were far more interesting.
The elderly historian's furry eyebrows bunched together, resembling two white caterpillars. "Of course, my lady, I told you of it when we first commenced our work together. We cannot simply allow any high-born cad to sit on the council, else the king would be getting advice from an assembly of imbecilic ignoramuses!"
"That would be an undesirable state of affairs indeed. When will the examination take place?"
"I shall schedule it at once, so it should be within the week."
"Excellent." I had better start brushing up on Dagon's law and economic concerns right away.
###
Morgana's favorite princes - though she insisted that term was only loosely applied to Arthur - met her outside the library. Her heart skipped when she saw Merlin, but she ordered it to calm down; he was definitely not going to kiss her in front of Arthur. "Hello, boys. What brings you here?"
"I wanted to give you these." Merlin held out his hand, which had been hidden behind his back, presenting her with a bouquet of red and yellow roses, violets, and carnations.
Morgana gasped. "Merlin, these are gorgeous! What's the occasion?"
"Do I need a reason to give you flowers? But if you want one, they're to congratulate you - Father told me he heard from Theodosius that you've completed your education."
"Now you get to spend all day drafting laws and calculating tax revenue in a stuffy chamber with stuffy old lords," Arthur interjected. "Though I suppose it'll seem exciting to someone whose principal hobby used to be brushing her hair."
"Scoff all you like, Arthur, but the council's work is important. When you have a king who's only interested in hunting and hitting things with swords, someone must attend the business of the kingdom."
"You'll be the one with all the real power then, while Merlin learns to hit things with a sword instead of just waving it around blindly and hopefully not taking anyone's head off."
"I wasn't talking about him," Morgana said pointedly.
"And I've never taken off any heads I didn't mean to," Merlin muttered.
"Does that mean you've done it intentionally?" Before Arthur could ask who or what Merlin had decapitated, Gwen joined them. The prince of Camelot and the maid became tongue-tied upon seeing each other, and Arthur suddenly remembered he had urgent business elsewhere and rushed off.
"What was that about?" Merlin wondered aloud, studying Gwen as if she might provide some clue to her and Arthur's strange behavior.
Gwen blushed and squirmed under his scrutiny, so Morgana decided to rescue her. "Gwen, aren't these flowers Merlin gave me lovely? Would you put them in water for me, please?"
"Of course, my lady, right away."
Morgana handed over the flowers, freeing her hands, which she then placed on her hips as she fixed Merlin with a stern glare. "Are you positive you didn't put any memories you shouldn't have into Gwen's and Arthur's heads last night?"
"No - I mean yes, I am positive; I didn't create any false memories at all. All I did was make them forget seeing you leave your chambers and getting knocked out when they tried to follow you. Then I suggested a different reason for why they were there and let their minds do what they would with it. That's the best way to alter memories, you know; I could have invented an entire conversation, but my idea of what Arthur and Gwen might say to each other wouldn't feel as real as if I let them come up with it themselves. If they think something embarrassing happened between them, it's their doing, not mine."
Morgana found that piece of information extremely disturbing.
###
The very next day, she was tested by Balinor and three of his highest-ranking council members, who found that her knowledge of Dagon's infrastructure was sufficient for her to make decisions affecting it. She would therefore be part of the next meeting of the royal council. She stood there for a moment as her examiners got up to leave, the nervous anticipation draining out of her. After all the preparation and anxiety leading up to this examination, it seemed to go by remarkably fast. Then it finally sank in that she had passed the test - she had earned her place on the council, she was going to have real power in her new kingdom, and nobody would ever again see her as merely a pretty face with nothing of substance behind it - and elation filled the void left by her vanished nerves.
Someone took hold of her arm as if to hold her down in case she gave in to the temptation to jump for joy - not that she would ever do something so undignified anywhere she might be seen - and she raised her eyes to meet Balinor's. "Congratulations, Lady Morgana."
"Thank you, my lord. I can hardly believe it's over, much less that it ended so well after I was up all night agonizing over it."
Balinor laughed. "You're too modest; I've known for a long time that you have the makings of a great leader. You'll be a valuable asset to this kingdom. And you should know that no prospective councilor sleeps the night before their examination. They all seem to have it in their heads that it's some harrowing ordeal."
"You think otherwise?" Morgana asked incredulously.
"Now that I'm the one administering it, I do. I still haven't forgotten when it was my turn to prove that I understood the kingdom I was to inherit one day. I spent the night before in a cold sweat, convinced I was going to humiliate myself in front of my future subjects," the king admitted.
Morgana stared up at him in awe mixed with admiration, impressed that he'd made such a confession. She couldn't recall Uther, the only other king she knew well, ever admitting to feeling unsure of himself; prior to meeting Balinor, she'd thought kings were born with some sort of brain defect that made them immutably convinced they were always right. For that matter, future rulers in Camelot weren't required to show that they were ready for the responsibility that came with their crown.
She supposed that was fortunate for Arthur, who wouldn't survive poring over books of law and history as long as she had. Still, she had to admit that Arthur's heart was in the right place even if his head was full of sawdust; there were worse people who could inherit the throne of Camelot. I just hope for the people's sake that he has competent advisors…perhaps I'll suggest implementing a similar system to what they have here…
She left the council chamber on Balinor's arm and was immediately pulled away by Merlin, who swept her into a hug so tight it left her breathless. "Congratulations, Morgana! I knew you could do it!"
"Hold on, son, I haven't told you if she passed the test yet."
"Well, I may have used a spell that let me hear through the wall," Merlin confessed, turning a somewhat sheepish but mostly unrepentant grin on his father. Balinor looked disgruntled at being deprived of the chance to deliver the good news personally. "It was all I could do not to tell you the answer when you forgot what to do if you find yourself in a room with a priestess of our order and a priest of the Catha."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Balinor growled.
"Relax, Father, I didn't give her any help."
"Out of curiosity, what does one do if they should find themselves in the same room with a priestess and one of those Catha people?" Morgana asked.
"Find a table to hide under," Merlin said promptly. "Listen, you've worked so hard for this; now that it's over, what do you say we go for a ride, just you and me? And Gwen?" he quickly added when he saw the look on Balinor's face.
"I would like that very much." Arthur would trust Gwen to chaperone them, but she wouldn't be as obnoxious about it as he would. "Shouldn't we invite your father to join us, though?"
"That's very generous, but I have to decline; a king's work is never done. Enjoy having the freedom to ride out whenever it suits you while it lasts."
###
The woods were refreshingly cool and open after all the time Morgana had spent cooped up inside stone walls, and she was overjoyed to at last escape the castle's confines. More than that, she was happy to be with Merlin and Gwen, who stayed within sight of them but kept her horse back enough that she wasn't in their way; Morgana almost forgot she and Merlin weren't the only ones trotting along the sun-dappled woodland trail.
"This is wonderful, Merlin. Thank you."
"You're pleased?"
"Without a doubt. Are you?"
He smiled contentedly. "If you're happy, then so am I. Watch out for that branch!" Merlin pulled his black stallion to a stop and stood in his stirrups to lift a low-hanging tree limb that was about to snag Morgana's hair.
She rode under it, circled Justinia around, and curtsied as best she could while sitting in her saddle.
Merlin plucked off a few pink apple blossoms before releasing the branch. "A humble token of my admiration for your ladyship," he said playfully.
"Why thank you, kind sir," she replied in the same tone of mock formality as she arranged the blossoms in her hair. Perhaps pink wasn't such a ghastly color after all…
Gwen's horse trotted up and thrust its nose into the air between them, spoiling the moment with an impolitely loud snort. "My lady, sire, what do you suppose that is?" Gwen asked, frowning as she pointed at something ahead of them.
Merlin and Morgana looked where she was pointing and saw a large, ragged-looking black bundle at the base of a pine tree. "I can't tell from here…" Morgana nudged Justinia farther along the trail, and Merlin followed, albeit reluctantly. Although he didn't know why, that odd black shape made him uneasy. As she got closer, Morgana thought she heard a faint moan. "My God, I think it's a person!"
She dismounted and ran over to help. The bundle turned out to be an old woman whose stick-thin body was almost totally concealed in the folds of her tattered black cloak. "Help me," she whispered weakly.
Morgana put an arm around her and helped her stand, taking most of her weight when it became clear that the old woman's legs could barely hold her. "What happened to you? Merlin, come here and help!"
The hairs on Merlin's arms and the back of his neck were standing on end; all his senses told him this was a harmless old woman, possibly the victim of some bandit's attack, and he knew objectively that he should help her, yet every fiber of his being resisted taking even one step closer. All he wanted to do was snatch Morgana up and get as far from the old woman as possible.
"Merlin, what is wrong with you? Come here!" Morgana turned around to see what was keeping him. The instant her back was turned, a flash of gold lit the old woman's eyes, and Morgana collapsed against her, unconscious.
Fast as quicksilver, the old woman - who had suddenly found the strength to not only stand unassisted, but to support Morgana as well - pulled a knife from under her cloak and pressed it to the vein in the side of Morgana's neck.
"Unhand her!"
"I think not. Off your horse, Prince Merlin - now," the woman commanded in a voice that didn't sound like it should belong to someone of her age. She divested herself of her shabby cloak with a shrug, revealing an elegant crimson and silver gown underneath. The years fell off her just as easily; her gray hair transformed into glowing blonde curls, and her weathered skin became smooth and unlined. Under her disguise, she was as beautiful as any woman could ever hope to be.
"Who are you?" Merlin demanded.
"I am Queen Morgause of Escetia, and you are now my prisoner. Dismount this very second, or I shall slit your beloved's throat."
Merlin obeyed at once; Queen Morgause's blade was so close to Morgana's skin that even if he forced Morgause to drop it or summoned it to him, it would probably still open Morgana's veins. Besides, if the tales he'd heard about the fearsome sorceress who had been cast out of the order of the Old Religion because of her unbridled lust for power and disregard for the people she hurt in her quest to obtain it had any truth to them, she might be able to counter any move he made. A woman like her wouldn't have come to capture him without a plan in case he resisted.
"Good." Still holding Morgana and her knife with one arm, Morgause reached a gloved hand into a pouch belted around her slim waist, removed a gleaming set of manacles, and tossed them at Gwen, who had dismounted and moved to Merlin's side despite not having received any orders. "Put these on him, girl."
Gwen looked uncertainly from Morgause, to the chains, to Merlin. She didn't want to restrain him, yet she understood that Morgana's safety depended on it. She just hoped he wouldn't put up a fight, because she didn't think she could chain him by force.
To her relief, Merlin took off his riding gloves and held his hands out. "Do it, Gwen."
She snapped the first cuff onto his wrist as gently as possible, but the sorcerer still hissed in pain. "Sorry, is it too tight?" She was too afraid to even register how absurd apologizing for not binding Merlin's hands comfortably enough was.
"No, it's not that." His eyes were clenched shut as if trying to block out what was happening. "These chains were made to bind a person's magic, not their body, and it hurts."
"It will feel like a gentle spring breeze compared to what I have in store for you," Morgause snapped. "Finish it, unless you wish to see this forest painted red with the Lady Morgana's blood."
Merlin winced. "Hurry up, Gwen, please."
"Are you sure? Without your magic, you'll be powerless against her!"
"She has Morgana; I'm already powerless. I can't retain my freedom at the cost of Morgana's life. Put the other one on!"
Gwen locked the second shackle around Merlin's wrist, and his magic, which had fought to escape while it still could, retreated into him. He could feel it writhing desperately under his skin, but he could no more let it out than he could break down a dungeon wall with his bare hands. He was trapped, caged, and, as Gwen had said, completely powerless. Merlin had never felt this way before, and it was terrifying - but at least Morgana was safe. "You have me; now let Morgana go," he demanded, struggling to keep his voice from shaking and betraying how much having his magic bound hurt.
"I think not," Morgause said again with a malicious smile. "Morgana will be coming with us. Don't worry; I have no intention of harming her." Her brown eyes wandered to Gwen and fixed on her for the first time. "I suppose I may as well take the girl too - Morgana will need her maid. Come here, both of you." She put away her knife, apparently confident that she no longer needed Morgana as leverage to ensure Merlin's and Gwen's compliance. "Closer."
They came near enough to touch her, which Merlin deduced was so that she could more easily cast a transportation spell on them. "Where are you taking us?"
Morgause turned to look at him, and the dark intent in her eyes made him shiver. "Why, Prince Merlin, I am taking you into oblivion."
Just to clarify, Morgause did not mean she's going to kill Merlin when she said she's taking him into oblivion - she has much more horrific things than death planned for our beloved warlock. So…Morgause! The major villain has finally arrived to wreak havoc! Don't you just love how I gave Mergana a romantic moment together, then promptly crapped all over it by introducing an evil sorceress? I have such fun destroying my favorite characters' happiness…
Next up: Morgause whisks our heroes off to her castle of horrors and starts in on Merlin. Don't worry, I promise there'll be no torture porn; the whump is more emotional than physical. And what will Morgana think when she wakes up?