The Fate Of A Nation
Chapter 6: An outing
The last vestiges of starlight still glimmered in the sky, as Merlin crept down towards the lowest reaches of the castle. The guards on duty were dozing lightly, waiting for the morning counterparts to relieve them, making it easy for Merlin to slip past on silent feet.
Snatching a torch from the bracket on the wall, the young warlock padded, down the steps leading the ancient cavern below the castle. As he descended he could feel the air change – the dry, slightly stale air of the castle's lower levels, giving way to the cold, dampness of the Great Dragon's home. With footfalls more confident that he truly felt, Merlin stepped out onto the ledge that lay opposite the Dragon's perch.
"Hello?" He called, voice echoing off the vaulted rock. There was silence for a moment, and then a great rattling of chains and a gust of wind as the Great Dragon alighted before him.
"Young Myrddin." Came the greeting, and Merlin thought he could hear a current of laughter in the Dragon's resonating voice. "You have come to seek my knowledge on the Daimyo witch?"
"I need to know if Miyuki is a threat to Arthur?" Merlin said desperately. He knew the Princess had not threatened his master, but he could not risk any harm coming to Arthur.
"Arthur is endagered as much by her as he is by his father." The Dragon replied.
Merlin frowned, puzzled, and raised the torch higher to increase his light. "Uther would never hurt Arthur." He stated firmly, though a thought sped across his mind too fast for him to fully comprehend.
"If that is true," The great beast said coolly, "then you have nothing to fear." Merlin's eyes went wide at the implications and he started forward, even as the Dragon spread, vast leathery wings and took flight.
"Wait." Merlin cried, but his voice was lost to the cavernous darkness.
On a bed of goose down, beneath warm linen sheets, Morgana dreamed.
She stood, surrounded by courtiers in the Great Hall, all eyes fixed upon the dais. Looking up, she saw Arthur, standing tall and proud, a gold crown upon his head; he was older she realised. To his left stood Guinevere, their hands loosely intertwined. Morgana could see her maid was crying, her right hand stretched out behind her to a figure wreathed in shadow. From the single glint of armour, Morgana guessed he was a Knight.
To Arthur's right stood Merlin, and there was the golden light of fire in the other man's eyes. Though she called their names, they none turned to look at her.
A rustle of cloth by her side, drew Morgana's attention from the tableau before her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, and blanched as she caught sight of a white painted face and sea-green silk.
"You will never be queen." The princess informed her smoothly, eyes never leaving the tableau.
"Neither will you," Morgana whispered, though her voice still echoed in the hall.
Painted lips curved in an enigmatic smile. "Who says I need to be?"
When Gwen entered Morgana's chambers the next morning, it was too see the young noble-woman already awake and staring unseeingly at the opposing wall. Morgana's knees were drawn close to her chest, and she huddled in the centre of her bed, pale and slender hands fisted in the covers. Concerned, Gwen hurried to her mistress's side.
"My lady, are you well?" She enquired, worry and concern evident in her voice. There were dark smudges beneath Morgana's eyes, and if possible, she was paler than usual. She seemed to barely register Gwen's words, but the sound of another human voice was enough to bring her from her trance. The slightly wild look in Morgana's eyes was becoming familiar to Gwen, and she knew at once the root of the problem.
"I'll ask Gaius to fix you a stronger potion for tonight." She assured her lady, moving away from the bed so that Morgana could extricate herself from it. Gwen kept one eye on Morgana as she fixed the other woman's wash-water, nearly offering to tell the king his ward was ill and so would not be joining him for breakfast, but even as she watched, Morgana collected herself into the beautiful ice-queen Camelot had come to know. Her expression cleared, her chin rose, and her lips quirked into a subtle smile whilst her eyes glittered with mischievous intelligence. Gwen was not fooled, she knew Morgana was still troubled by her dreams but it would be enough to fool the court.
As she fastened the clasp of Morgana's necklace, she heard her mistress say. "I will ask Miyuki if she wishes to accompany me to the outer villages today. Gaius has some remedies to be delivered to the people there and I'm sure he won't mind someone else delivering them for him. Besides, I wish to see how this princess handles herself outside of the court."
Morgana's words surprised Gwen, and she suspected there was more to her actions than it seemed, but she simply dropped a curtsey in reply and asked if Morgana would require an armed escort for her trip.
The royal ward laughed, and shook her head. "No, the villages are not far and we will confine our travel to the daylight. If Arthur insists he can come with us, though I rather think he will welcome the break." She laughed again, before smiling her goodbyes and leaving to dine with the king. As Gwen straightened the chambers, she resolved to let Merlin know of Morgana's plans - provided she could find him. Somehow, it just did not seem wise to allow two noble women to roam the countryside without some for of deterrent against unwanted interest – for all Morgana was good with a sword.
Merlin sighed as he trotted to keep pace behind Arthur. The Prince had decided a dawn hunting trip was in order and had summoned his hapless manservant from his bed, only moments after Merlin had returned to it. Stifling a yawn as he followed Arthur back across the courtyard and up the spiral stairs that led to the royal chambers, Merlin wondered what it would be like to serve a prince who preferred scholarly pursuits. He imagined such menservants received infinitely more sleep. As he stumbled rather noisily over the threshold to the rooms, Arthur turned to glare at him.
"Honestly Merlin, with the way you crash around it's a wonder I caught anything at all." Arthur drawled, "Stealth and secrecy just don't come naturally to you do they?"
Merlin nearly pointed out that secrecy came very naturally to him, thank you very much, but stopped himself when he realised that such a comment would either result in raucous laughter from the prince or a demand for an example. Neither boded well.
With a sigh, and a self-deprecating shrug, Merlin moved to help the Prince from his hunting clothes into something more fit for a day spent listening to the council reports. As he did so, he could hear the clatter of hooves in the courtyard and wondered idly who it was that was riding out: a messenger for the king no doubt.
Gathering Arthur's sweat soiled clothes into his arms, he bowed once, smirking when Arthur frowned at the intrinsically mocking air, and hurried quickly to the door. As he opened it however, he was forced to jerk back suddenly as a raised fist nearly connected with his nose. The Daimyo serving maid who stood on the other side, squeaked in surprise and skipped back a pace – much to the amusement of the guards who stood further down the hallway. Merlin sent them an ineffectual glare before returning his attention to the girl, who stood trembling a few feet away. Head bowed, she held out a note in one hand. Seeing it was addressed to Arthur, Merlin took it, murmuring his thanks on the Prince's behalf. Though the maid seemed not to understand a word he was saying, she understood his tone and nodded once, quite quickly, before turning on her heal and racing back down the corridor in the direction of the Daimyo quarters. As he returned to Arthur's rooms and shut the door, Merlin realised that the Daimyo servants must be very lonely – if not scared – dragged as they had been to a land where they did not speak the language, with different customs and rules, so many miles from their homes and families.
As the heavy oak clicked shut, he heard Arthur ask, "Weren't you just leaving?"
"This came for you." Merlin said, holding out the letter, whilst trying not to lose his grip on the sweaty bundle of clothing.
"It from Miyuki." Arthur said as he slit open the seal and began to read. "She's letting me know that Morgana's requested her company for the day – something about visiting the outer villages." He frowned, and Merlin knew his friend was wondering whether Morgana was safe in the company of Miyuki now that they had learned of her witchcraft.
"There's no way she would hurt Morgana," Merlin assured him, "especially not in the presence of a guard."
"Provided they took one." Arthur muttered darkly. Gazing out of the window for a moment, the heir to Albion seemed to reach a decision. "Saddle my horse Merlin, and make my excuses to my father. We're going after them."
The woods were silent save for the rustle of animals, and the call of birdsong as the two most beautiful women in Albion steered their mounts carefully threw the trees. Morgana had persuaded Miyuki to ride on of the stable's mares – claiming that her own filly would be hard pressed to keep pace with the Princess's stallion. Grudgingly the Daimyo woman had agreed, but it was clear that she disliked the loss of height that resulted from riding the mare. The pair had maintained stilted conversation for the first few minutes of the journey, before lapsing into a silence that quickly moved from awkward to bitterly resigned. Morgana had spared Gwen the task of accompanying them, knowing how uncomfortable the forieng noble made her handmaiden. Stifling a sigh, however, Morgana wished she had not been so thoughtful. Gwen was pleasant company and would have given Uther's ward someone to speak to, given how reticent her companion had become.
Morgana was curious however, to feel none of the cleverly concealed hostility Miyuki presented within the walls of Camelot. If anything, the Princess seemed to breath easier in the open air and for the first time since their meeting Morgana felt a twinge of sympathy for the other woman. She remembered her own arrival in Camelot after the death of her parents – how alien and unfeeling the city seemed. She imagined that it must be far worse for one who had come from a land as foreign as Damiyo.
All of a sudden, she felt Miyuki tense beside her and saw the Princess guide her mount closer to Morgana's. In a voice that barely reached above a whisper, she murmured. "There are men in the woods, and I doubt they mean us well." Instinctively Morgana raised her head to search for the men, cursing herself almost at once for disobeying the first rule the arms-master had taught her: never let an enemy know you are aware of him. To her left she heard Miyuki snarl softly under her breath, even as the Princess forced her mare further away from Morgana's own so as to provide room to manoeuvre.
"When I say," came the quiet instruction, "kick your mount into a gallop and stop for no-one."
About to balk at being told what to do, Morgana forced herself to accept the wisdom of the words. They were two women, alone and unarmed, obviously of noble birth, and it was a distinct possibility that the men in this forest were after more than money or jewels. They were bandits most likely, looking for a quick way to make money; two woman alone held little risk and would require little effort to overpower.
From the corner of her eye she saw Miyuki open her mouth to give the command, when the sharp thwang of a bow-string sounded sharply. She barely had time to register this new danger, before she felt herself knocked sideways in the saddle, until she was hanging precariously to one side and in great danger of falling off. As she clutched at the horse with her knees, Morgana found a moment to be grateful she had chosen to don split-shirts for today's outing. She never would have remained a-horse had she opted to ride side-saddle.
A hand around her bicep hauled her upright and a voice in her ear yelled, "Now," even as she heard a hand land sharply on her horses' rump. With a snort, the beast bolted forward, racing for the tree line. Around her she heard voices cursing and feet thundering on compact earth, but no more arrows followed them.
Her horse broke from the woods, and it was only then that Morgana thought to look for Miyuki; adrenaline and fear had blinded her to everything but keeping her mount from blindly panicking. To her relief she saw the Daimyo Princess galloping beside her, looking windswept and thoroughly riled, but unharmed. For all she disliked the woman, it was not in Morgana's nature to wish harm to a fellow human being. She was glad her companion seemed relatively unscathed. She opened her mouth to voice her gratitude when Miyuki interrupted her.
"Do the women of Albion know not the first thing about outwitting an enemy?" Came the scathing, if slightly breathless, demand and Morgana felt all her earlier relief vanish.
Bristling, she drew her mount to a halt and glared and the Daimyo beauty, not caring that their attackers could be following. The men had been on foot and it would take them some time to catch two galloping horses.
Miyuki reined her mount in just as sharply, turning to cast her counterpart an incredulous gaze.
"Are you mad? Those men just tried to shoot us."
"Who are you to criticise the women of this country?" Morgana countered, her mare prancing in agitation beneath her.
"I just saved your life." Came the incredulous reply, and Morgana winced slightly as she realised the truth in the words.
"Which earns you my gratitude," She countered coolly, "not the right to pass any slur on Albion." Morgana wondered silently, if she was overreacting for a handful of words spoken in a moment of flight but she had been presented with an opportunity to speak openly with Arthur's intended and she planned to use it.
Her words prompted Miyuki to regard her silently. It was clear that thoughts were passing rapidly in the Princess' mind, but her face was closed and there was no guessing as to their nature. After a few moments silence, Miyuki wheeled her mount and nudged the animal into a walk. Without bothering to look back around she called, "We should attempt to reach the village before we are followed. From there we can send word to the castle for an armed escort. If you would be so kind as to lead the way?"
Morgana had no choice but to comply.
"You know," Merlin commented philosophically, "It might have been an idea to ask which village Morgana had planned to visit first before we set out." Arthur said nothing, but Merlin could practically hear the 'shut up, Merlin' that hung in the air between them. It had not been until they reached the westernmost of the outer villages, and discovered that Morgana and Miyuki were not there, that the two men realised that despite that a pair of noble ladies were unlike to follow the sweep Arthur and his Knights followed when riding patrol.
Merlin had been readying a spell to locate the two women, whilst simultaneously fretting as to how he was going to explain away such new found knowledge, when Arthur had tapped the nearest villager on the shoulder and asked if he had heard of sickness in any of the neighbouring villages. A moment's discourse had revealed that an illness had just swept through the next hamlet, leaving many weak and recovering. Arthur surmised that as the worse affected, it would most likely have been Morgana's primary destination and had turned his horse in that direction. Merlin followed a few paces behind, wondering why he had not thought to ask such a question, and if he was beginning to rely too much on magic.
They crested the hill, and the small village laid spread out beneath them. On the horizon, Merlin could see the trees of the Great Forrest. Smoke rose from the chimneys and children chased each other in the village square. As they reached the settlement, Arthur dismounted, Merlin following his lead, and gathered his horse's reins into one gloved hand. Though he had foregone full armour, a sword hung at his waist and the gloves he wore were reinforced with metal rings stitched into the leather across the back of the hand.
They quickly realised they were not the village's only visitors. Two horses, far finer than any a hamlet such as this could boast, were tethered by a drinking trough, heads bowed to the water. Arthur recognised the closest mare instantly.
"They're here." He informed Merlin, already casting about for signs of the two women. "That's Morgana's horse." Merlin was glad Arthur could make the distinction, as all he knew would have been able to tell you, was that Morgana rode a white horse – possibly it was grey.
He was in the process of tethering his own horse along side those of the ladies' when the women in question emerged from a small house on the far side of the square. Miyuki was first, followed by Morgana – who turned to speak to someone inside, whilst her companion waited impatiently beside her.
Merlin thought he saw something like relief flash across the Princess's face as she caught sight of them, but her neutral mask was in place again so quickly that he could not be sure. Arthur, for his part, was already striding across the square to meet them and something about the set of his shoulder's told Merlin he was not the only one to have noticed the uncharacteristic emotion on the Princess's face.
Merlin stayed with the horses, watching as quiet words were exchanged between the royals before Miyuki excused herself with a curtsey. She walked toward the warlock on swift and silent feet whilst Arthur and Morgana continued their whispered conversation by a villager's closed door.
"What were you thinking, riding out without an escort?" Arthur demanded harshly, mindful to keep his voice low so that any passing townspeople would not hear. "You never would have been attacked if you'd been riding with a guard."
"She saved my life." Morgana breathed, seemingly oblivious to Arthur's reprimand. Her tone signalled that the royal ward was still in somewhat of a daze at the realisation – almost as though she had not had time to process the true meaning of such an action. The information startled Arthur – it sat at odds with the Daimyo woman's apparent threats against his father – but for the moment he brushed it aside.
"Come on," he said shortly, leading Morgana back to the horses. "Let's deliver the rest of these and get back to the castle." The raven-haired woman beside him nodded silently, her gaze still fixed on the obsidian-eyed beauty who had re-seated herself upon the chestnut mare.
A/N: Although I have mention split-skirts for riding, I am far from certain that they existed during this era - consider it artistic license. As always apologises for any errors and mispellings. Thank you for reading and concrit is love.
