A/N: I really, really, really, really, really, really, want to watch season 4. Obviously.

"Hmm. Do you ever wonder at the similarity in our names, Morgana?" Morgaine paced around her prisoner. Morgana was bound in chains, like those Morgause had bound Merlin in so long ago, and her breath was labored.

"No." It sounded as though just saying it taxed her. Morgaine idly waved a hand, and a thin cut appeared over Morgana's collarbone. Morgana whimpered.

"But you do. I see into your mind, child, and you are not entirely idle. We even look alike…" Morgaine waved a hand again, and air solidified into a mirror. "But we are not the same. You are driven by petty emotions and misguided advice, confusion, desperation, weakness." Morgaine tipped up her chin. "But I will have this land on it's knees before me."

"You will not." Morgana whispered. "Arthur will stop you."

"With the help of those little allies you sent him?" Morgaine laughed. Morgana flinched. "No, Arthur is blinded by ignorance. Not even Camelot's wizard can save him, as he was saved from you."

"You are arrogant, and it will be your undoing."

"As it was yours?" Morgana's sleeve burst into flames, and she cried out, unable to move. "No, I am not relying on a cup of blood. And I think that you have no more information but this faith in Arthur Pendragon, and this pathetic longing for the past." Morgaine looked down at her. "You let the hate go, little fool."

"You are nothing inside." Morgana spat at her as two guards gripped her by the forearms and roughly lifted her. Morgaine smiled.

"And you are different? Throw her back in the dungeons, and I will prepare my own prison."

Merlin woke with a start.

Morgana had looked terrible. Her face hadn't been the normal ivory, but a sickly grayish white. Her hair was burned and mussed, and her eyes bloodshot. But she was speaking for Arthur, and she had somehow sent him allies, and Morgaine was punishing her for it.

She had to be rescued.

"Merlin, wake up." Gaius pushed open the door. "Good, you're awake. Arthur needs you, the knights are planning a strategy."

"Good morning Merlin, would you like some breakfast, no that's fine I'll just hurry off to his highness." Merlin muttered. It didn't feel like he'd slept at all, just stood in Morgaine's shadow and watched Morgana suffer.

Then he told himself to quit complaining, there was a war going on. Merlin pushed himself out of bed and used magic to splash water in his face. He would need to think on how to help Morgana later.

"We will join Kai's troops on Badon Hill as soon as war is officially declared." Arthur said. He tapped the mark on the map. "Leon says we can raise 20,000 men and gather more from the nobles as we go."

"I've sent out for troops." Leon stepped forward. "Men from the outer provinces are pouring into Camelot, and with them healers."

"Really?" Arthur blinked. Elyan stepped forward.

"Real ones. Doctors, Physicians, learned men and women. Those who would not have been required to fight are volunteering. Gwen has been spreading word, and collecting supplies from the lower town to help them."

"Oh." Merlin grinned at Arthur. The Prince managed a smile. "The people are not angry?"

"They are enraged. They are furious that anyone would dare challenge your throne, and march against nobles who knew nothing of the attack." Leon reported. A smile lurked at the edges of his mouth. "Walking here, I heard a woman say that she wished she could be a soldier, just so she might have her chance to wreak some vengeance."

"That's…heartening." And brought back memories of Morgana, who had once been so eager to fight for Camelot. Arthur saw Merlin's troubled expression, and thought that he was thinking the same. "Ready them. And Percival."

"Yes sire?" Arthur sighed.

"You are, out of all my knights, the best woodsman. I have heard from Sir Kai, and he says that Lady Conduiramour never reached Caer Gal. I cannot spare many troops, nor can I go myself. But I also cannot abandon her. Would you be willing to journey to the north and search for her?" Arthur sighed. He hated to lose one of the strongest knights at a time like this, but losing a noble bothered him. And Percival was, for all his strength, no strategist. It was easier to lose him than Leon or Gwaine.

"It would be an honor. I will set out immediately." Percival straightened his back. "And when I find her and escort her to a place of safety, I shall try to meet with your troops."

"We will watch for you." Percival left the room. Arthur turned to his remaining knights. "Leon, I trust you will relay the situation to the knights you train." Leon nodded. "Gwaine, Lancelot, go with him and help asses them. Report back to me as soon as you finish. Elyan, fetch the supplies from the lower town. Give them my thanks." Arthur paused. "Merlin, you're being quiet?"

"Hmm? Oh, just thinking."

"Don't strain yourself." The knights left, Gwaine looking distinctly uneasy. Arthur sighed and leaned against his desk. "Really, what's wrong?"

"It's…" Merlin anxiously clasped his hands. "Morgana."

"What about her?" Arthur wasn't going to admit that they could use his sister now. Her mind was sharper than any of theirs, and she certainly understood strategy. Of course she was also evil and had magic and Arthur could never ever let her back into Camelot, on the basis of magic alone, no matter how much he missed her.

"I'm just worried about her. And about everything." Merlin avoided his eyes. "War disturbs me."

"When Albion is united, there will not be so many. I will bring peace to these lands." Arthur felt his face flush when Merlin smiled at him. "Mercia is weakened as well, we will sweep into those lands as soon as Orkney is finished."

Merlin smiled again, and Arthur remembered that Merlin's mother lived in Cenred's kingdom. If Arthur had her under his protection, he could help her. Even though it was Gwaine's stupid job to help Merlin's mother. But Gwaine was a commoner and didn't have the resources to do so any more than Merlin was able.

"Thank you. And for what it's worth, I think the people in those lands will rejoice. There are not many good kings." Arthur looked at Merlin. It was strange how much pride those words gave him. "Lucky they don't know what a prat you are."

"Hey!" Merlin grinned at him. Arthur glared. "They're lucky they don't realize that my circle of advisors is a few idiots in chain mail, and a lazy servant."

"Lazy?"

"Do you have any idea what state my chambers are in?"

"That's because I've got to go around running errands for you and the idiots in chain mail and care for your father and-" Merlin cut himself off. Arthur could fill in the blank.

And go about with Gwaine. Stupid Gwaine. He should've sent Gwaine off to find Lady Conduiramour. But Merlin was smiling at him anyway, and he probably wouldn't smile if Gwaine was gone. Bugger.

Someone knocked. Arthur sighed.

"Enter."

Fenron poked his head around the door. He eyed Merlin, then sighed wearily. "There are men here to see you."

"Your highness." Fenron gestured to the boys. "The princes of Orkney."

Arthur sat up on his throne, staring. The three youths were almost familiar. The eldest stepped forward, looking nervous.

"My brothers and I are here to pledge our support." Arthur did his best to conceal shock. The youth went on. "Our father is…not fit to rule, and our mother would see us killed. My name is Gaheris, and this is Gareth, and Agrivaine."

The youngest, Agrivaine, looked about nine years old. Gaheris appeared around nineteen, and Gareth sixteen. Gareth, who was by far the best looking, was looking around with an awestruck gaze.

"You are King Lot's sons." Arthur repeated. "Why do you come to Camelot, if you are fleeing your father? We are old enemies." And, he added mentally, they were about to go to war.

"Because you are a just Prince, and will be a great King." Gaheris said. His voice rang clear. "None of us are fit to be Kings, and we know that if Albion falls beneath the rule of our mother and the Saxons, it will be torn apart and turned to wasteland. We want to fight for you."

That was…interesting. Morgaine had to be a foul woman, if her sons would abandon her. Gaheris, taking his silence as disbelief, plunged on.

"You helped a village which our father would have turned his back on, and the people are ready for a true King!" Gaheris said. He sounded afraid that Arthur would execute them all on the spot.

"I believe you." Arthur shot a quick look at Merlin before saying it. Merlin nodded. "You are free to take shelter in Camelot. My knights should be told you will fight with us…" Arthur sent a servant running.

"Sire, is the mighty Sir Lancelot one of thine own knights?" Gareth piped up. Arthur eyed him.

"Yeees." Gareth's eyes shone.

"Forsooth I have longed for this day! If I might prove my mettle and be knighted by the noble Sir Lancelot himself, it would be an honor beyond words." Arthur heard Merlin stifle a laugh.

"Erm, sure. You'll need to be trained first, but Lancelot can knight you. No problem." Arthur stared as Gareth gave a little hop. Gaheris sighed.

"I apologize, your highness. Gareth is a um, admirer of Sir Lancelot." Gaheris shifted awkwardly. "He was eager to meet his idol."

"Oh." Arthur felt a surge of vindictive pleasure. Watching Lancelot deal with this puppy would amazing. The doors opened. "Sir Leon will be in charge of your training."

With Leon were Lancelot and Gwaine. Gwaine froze, staring at the three youths.

"Gwaine?" said Gaheris incredulously. Arthur exchanged a bewildered look with Merlin. Agrivaine gasped.

"Gwaine!" He bolted for the knight. Lancelot jumped away from Gwaine as the child wrapped his arms around Gwaine's waist. Gwaine stared at him, mouth open. "You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay. I always am, you know me." Gwaine said softly. "God you've grown."

"Gwaine." Gaheris repeated, as if needing to confirm that this wasn't a dream. Gareth, staring in adoration at Lancelot, seemed oblivious to the other knights. Gwaine nodded at Gaheris.

"Brother." Arthur cast an astonished look at Merlin. By the startled look in Merlin's eyes, he hadn't known either. Sir Lancelot blinked at Gwaine, and Sir Leon, being a diplomatic knight, shut his mouth and started thinking about accommodation

"You've been in Camelot all this time?" Gaheris said. He took in the scarlet cloak. "And a knight."

"No, this is recent." Gwaine frowned. "Are you three okay? What's going on?"

"We're pledging support to Camelot." Agrivaine said from his position of attached to Gwaine's midriff. "Mother wants more treasure."

"Not surprising." Gwaine muttered. He took in Gaheris's frame. "You've actually put on muscle."

"There's a big difference between thirteen and eighteen." Gaheris said. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Gwaine, I think you've been holding out on us." His eyes narrowed. "You're a son of King Lot."

"His eldest." Gwaine nodded, and put one hand on Agrivaine's shoulder, protectively. "You're lucky, you've got the full legacy here at court. You can't possibly lose."

"We will speak on this further, in private." Arthur glanced at Merlin again. Merlin was staring at Gwaine, with a strange look on his face. Maybe they were going to have a lover's quarrel? That was a nice thought. Of course, now it was clear that Gwaine was far above Merlin…Arthur wondered if that would deter either of them. "You three must be tired."

"It was many days journey from Orkney." Gaheris confirmed. "We thank you for taking care of our horses."

"Did you get Aughiskys?" Gwaine asked. Gaheris sighed.

"No, Gwaine."

"Still didn't tame yourself one?"

"No, Gwaine."

"I've heard that word before." Merlin muttered. Gaheris turned to Merlin.

"They are wild horses of the north, my lord, which live in our fens. They're vicious beasts with feed on meat and have hooves with sharp edges, and they're as comfortable in the water as on land." Gaheris shrugged. "Gwaine used to ride them."

His gaze was respectful, and it made Arthur jump to here someone addressing Merlin that way. Merlin must have been mistaken for a person of importance.

Then again, Merlin was standing on the right side of the throne.

"All water?" Arthur, still reeling from Merlin being addressed as my lord, barely heard the question.

"Yes. Our home was next to streams and fields, and the river they flowed from was populated by the beasts. The moat round our castle came from that river, and mother used to sail upstream from it into Avalon." Arthur frowned.

"What is-" Merlin touched his shoulder, shaking his head. Arthur changed his question. "How did you get away from Orkney? It doesn't seem likely that Morgaine would just let her sons leave."

"We were helped." Gaheris said. He hesitated as he looked at Arthur. "By the Lady Morgana."

"She got us out!" Agrivaine piped up. He had let go of Gwaine's waist, but didn't stray far from his brother's side. "She was hurt, and she kept stumbling, but she killed both the guards."

"The maid was fair and noble." proclaimed Gareth. "Her sword moved with the grace of a thousand swans, and as she did parry the blows of our mother's guards, she let loose a battle cry that t'would strike fear into the hearts of many a foe."

Arthur, who had first heard Morgana's "I'm horribly hurt but I'm not backing down you fuckers!" battle-cry when they were twelve and he'd accidentally kicked her over into a thorny bush, had an excellent idea of what they were talking about.

"Morgana is with Queen Morgaine?" Arthur asked numbly. Morgana. They knew where she was. "Are they allied?"

"By the gods, no! Morgana was a prisoner in our dungeons!" Gaheris tipped his chin up. "Sire, when we spoke up against our mother for her cruel treatment of the Lady, I saw that she would murder us. We tried to free Lady Morgana and take her with us."

Arthur closed his eyes. He did not want to picture Morgana in a dungeon.

"We were caught. Lady Morgana is better with a sword than" Gaheris coughed in a rather embarrassed way "well, really anyone in Orkney with the exception of Gwaine when he was there. She held them off. She said she wanted to send you any help you could get, because she thought you would need it."

"That sounds like Morgana." Insulting and helpful at the same time. But that sounded like the Morgana he'd known when he was young, not the Morgana who had sat on the throne and coldly ordered the execution of innocents.

"She also wanted us to convey a message to you." Arthur and Merlin both focused on Gaheris. The youth shifted uncomfortably under the intense pairs of blue eyes. "She said she was sorry."

"Sorry." Arthur repeated. "She said that?"

"Lady Morgana was crying at the time. I do not think she believed that she would live. If mother needed nothing else from her, it is probable that she would have killed Lady Morgana just out of spite."

A wave of fury rushed up inside Arthur. No one was allowed to hurt Morgana.

"I thank you for delivering this message." He was amazed that his voice wasn't a scream. It might have had something to do with the way Merlin's hand had touched his shoulder. "How well fortified is the castle at Orkney?"

"A moat. Fens make traveling with horses difficult. There are several platoons of guards mother keeps around her. And she can do more than you could possibly imagine with magic."

Magic. Arthur clenched his fists. It always came back to magic, to their enemies having it and Camelot being defenseless against it. Despite all his father's work at eradicating it, that power refused to be destroyed.

"I see. Merlin, escort Gwaine to my study. I'll be there in a few moments." Agrivaine cast Gwaine a panicked look. Gwaine ruffled the boy's hair. Agrivaine was the only brother who had managed to acquire hair of the same…floppiness as Gwaine's locks.

"Don't worry. I'll be down to see you as soon I'm done, and we can exchange stories of our adventures." Agrivaine's face cleared. Gwaine nodded at Arthur, looking queasy, before Merlin dragged him from the great hall.

"You said your father was a knight, and that he'd been killed at Caerleon!" Merlin burst out, as soon as they were in private. Gwaine walked with him at a quick pace, as if eager to escape the throne room.

"I lied."

"About being a prince?"

"The lands rightly belong to Camelot." Gwaine responded. "I'm no prince. And I ran away from home a long time ago."

"Why didn't you just say you'd run away from home?" Merlin asked. Quite a few things had fallen into place with Gwaine being Lot's eldest son. No wonder he'd refused to tell Uther anything about where he was from.

"Nobody asks questions about him if your father is dead." Gwaine said, coldly. "And you are hardly one to lecture about keeping secrets!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Merlin said indignantly.

"You haven't told me half of what you've got hidden away in your head!" Gwaine replied heatedly. "Arthur may not notice, but I certainly do!"

"My secrets would get people killed!" Merlin's head would be the first on the block.

"And trumpeting around that I'm the son of one of Camelot's enemies wouldn't end up with me under a blade?" Gwaine snarled back. "It's not exactly something I take pride in, Merlin!"

"Just…" Merlin trailed off. "Why did you leave?"

"My father was never a bad man." Gwaine said slowly. His gaze was distant. "But our mother…she controlled him completely. Father was deaf and blind to anyone else when she was around. It was fine when she was away in Avalon, for that was when he taught us to fight. I liked those lessons. I wasn't so fond of mother."

"I'm sorry." Merlin's tone was sincere. "How old were you when you left?"

"Only sixteen." Gwaine shrugged. "I'd already learned everything about swordplay my father could teach me, and by that time I knew perfectly well that my mother only kept me and my brothers around because it helped control father."

"You just left?" Merlin's tone held no blame, just mild surprise.

"In the middle of the night. I grabbed my sword, a few knives, and my horse." Gwaine laughed. "In retrospect, it was the most reckless and idiotic thing I've ever done."

"Sixteen isn't a good age for decisions. What happened then?" Gwaine shrugged.

"I discovered taverns, and started learning a more practical application of skills." He grinned halfheartedly. "What did you do that was stupid at sixteen?"

Merlin hesitated a moment. Then he remembered that this was Gwaine, and maybe the other knight had a point about him not sharing much. It seemed that tight lips had become a habit.

"Um…slept with my best friend and while doing so, accidentally called up a tornado." Merlin thought a second. "Oh, and decided that befriending an enormous bear cub was the best idea ever." Neither of their mothers had much liked that idea. Will however, had thought it was hilarious.

"I think my unwise decisions beat yours." Gwaine said. He glanced at Merlin. "Do you think the news will spread fast?"

"The knights gossip more than scullery maids. It's probably all over Camelot." Gwaine winced. He'd liked his uncomplicated status in Camelot. "If you'd like, you can stay in my rooms until it blows over."

"This is going to blow over?" Gwaine asked bitterly. Merlin, from somewhere, summoned up a grin.

"Course it will. Arthur still trusts you, and Lancelot won't care." Merlin put a hand on Gwaine's shoulder. "Arthur knows that you've saved his life, and risked your own for his. He would not be foolish enough to get rid of a valuable knight just because you don't have the best parents."

"That's an interesting way of phrasing my background." Gwaine mumbled. The door opened. Arthur entered, shooting both of them a disconsolate look. "Hey, Arthur."

"Sir Gwaine." Arthur flopped into his chair and looked at Merlin. "I assume you didn't know?"

"Of course not!" Gwaine spared a moment to feel bad for his friends. Clearly, Arthur didn't even believe Merlin capable of keeping secrets. Clearly, Merlin knew it and hated it. "And don't you dare try to punish him-"

"I'm not going to do anything to Gwaine, idiot." Arthur rested his head against the back of the chair, looking extremely weary. "I would have thought it mattered more to you than me."

Wait…Gwaine's eyes widened.

No. Not even Arthur could be that stupid.

"Why would it?" Merlin sounded honestly puzzled. Pain flashed through Arthur's eyes.

"Then I'm only forced to see that one of my best knights has a more noble background than I knew. You've more than proved your loyalty Gwaine." Arthur sighed. "Do you have any useful information about Orkney?"

"No." Gwaine paused, considering. "Actually, yes. Morgaine lives at the center of Orkney, where the fens are thick and water runs over the paths. It's impossible to ford with cavalry. It's good enough land for crops in the summer once some of the water has dried up, but in the spring, it's nearly impassable. And she can always flee to Avalon."

"What is Avalon?" Arthur demanded. His gaze swept around to Merlin. Gwaine wasn't in the least surprised that Merlin knew about Avalon. He also wondered how Merlin knew, and whether it was at all information that could be shared with Arthur.

"I, um, read about it." Well, clearly it wasn't information that could be shared. Gwaine would have to ask about the actual story later. "It's where the Sidhe live, and all magic, and it's a sort of immortal Kingdom…" Merlin shrugged and waved his hands helplessly. "I don't much. I just know it's magic."

"Great. Magic again." Arthur glared at nothing. Gwaine cringed for Merlin. "Gwaine, you're free to go. If anything more helpful occurs to you, feel free to report at any time. Merlin, you can go too."

"Huh? Oh yeah, I still need to clean your father's chambers." Merlin frowned at Arthur, and Gwaine caught a hint of hurt at being dismissed. Bloody hell, those two needed to shag already.

"So then I tackled the man, and his knife sliced into my thigh." Gwaine tapped the scar. Agrivaine sat up in bed, staring at him with enormous eyes. "I went into a fog, and when I woke up, I was in Camelot." Agrivaine yawned. "I think you ought to get to sleep."

"Yuhuh." Agrivaine pulled the covers around his shoulders. "You'll come see me tomorrow?"

"Course I will. I promise."

"Good." Gwaine got up and blew up the candle, then closed the door as softly as he could. From somewhere to his right, someone coughed.

Gwaine jumped and had his sword on Lancelot before he had time to think. Lancelot raised his hands.

"Oh. It's you." Gwaine sheathed his blade. "Give a man a heart attack why don't you."

"I haven't seen you all day." Lancelot frowned at him. "Are you avoiding the knights?"

"No?" Gwaine said hopefully. The other knight rolled his eyes. "Fine. Are people talking?"

"Mostly about how they should have seen the signs. You don't carry yourself like a peasant." Gwaine shrugged.

"Neither do you."

"That's because we're both knights." Lancelot groped for the right words. "Look…you know that this doesn't change anything, right? You're still Sir Gwaine to everybody, and that means that everyone knows that you're loyal to Camelot, and we still want you around to drink with because you're still fun and I'm botching this."

"You sound like a nervous girl." Gwaine commented. Lancelot clapped him on the shoulder.

"Exactly! You need to stop being a girl about your past and come do manly things like fight!" Gwaine wasn't sure how that train of logic worked. Lancelot had a look of slight drunkenness about him. "More importantly, you need to tell your brother to stop following me around."

"Gareth? Yeah, he's a strange one, but he's good with a sword. You should give him some training." The look Lancelot sent him could have killed small animals. "Just a suggestion…"

"So come to the tavern and buy Elyan a drink. If we get him tipsy enough he'll show Gaheris his rendition of "The Green Dragon" and dance on the table." Gwaine could hardly deprive his own brother of that pleasure. He let Lancelot drag him back to the tavern, feeling oddly like he was home, and things were going to be all right.

Arthur stared at the fire in his chambers. He couldn't sleep. Not with the day he'd had.

The Saxons were going to use the spring flooding to get farther inland, of that he was sure. He was also sure that they could wait no longer. This war had to begin, whatever doubts he personally had.

Gods, he wished he had his father. Arthur didn't know what to do about powerful sorceresses, or how to feel about Morgana being held prisoner, except that he was angry and helpless. Emotions which Kings and Princes were not meant to feel.

"Arthur?" Merlin slipped into his chambers. Arthur looked up from the firelight. Merlin looked awful. He was probably worried about Gwaine. Gwaine who had blood at least as noble as his own mother's, and Merlin was loving him anyway.

Irony was a bitch.

"Merlin, don't worry, I swear I won't do anything to Gwaine…" Merlin swallowed and stepped forward. He took one of Arthur's hands.

"Actually Arthur, that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about…"

A/N: Cliffhangers are actually sort of fun. And I yanked Gwaine's brothers from both traditional legend and The Squire's Tales, mainly "The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf", which features both Gaheris and…well, I'm not telling you anything else about the book.

Spoilers *said in irritating voice with stupid smirky face*