A quiet night washed over Camelot. Not even crickets were chirping. It looked as though frost was finally on its way. The frozen corridors of the castle ensured even the smallest of creatures would be cuddled together. Not cold enough yet, but it was on its way.

This silence and stillness was only disturbed by the soft footsteps of a lady who was not supposed to be out of bed. A very opinionated young woman who didn't think she needed as much protection as she was given.

Morgana couldn't help but scoff at her curfew. Arthur never had a curfew. But apparently, Uther thought she was weak and needed constant protecting. Though, she did complain about her "headaches" a lot to get out of boring meetings. It was only right that Uther think her entire being was dainty and fragile as a flower.

Luckily for her, being a member of the royal family allowed her to pull a few strings. So while she was sneaking around the castle, finding information, Lancelot and Leon were standing dutifully at her door. Guarding her from any dangers that might arise. Not that Uther could protect her from everything. Not even Leon could do that. But that's why she had magic. There were some things that couldn't be killed by sword or by bow.

Once a safe distance from where she was likely to get caught, Morgana muttered some words. Her eyes flashed gold and a small ball of light solidified in front of her. Morgana smirked. If only Uther could see what his precious daughter was capable of. It would likely give him a heart attack if he knew. Morgana wondered if it was evil that she didn't care.

Then again, Uther was a ruthless tyrant when it came to magic. Thank the gods Arthur wasn't like him, or else Morgana might just have to wage war on both men.

Of course, wandering through the castle at night wasn't the safest thing to do. Morgana's foot caught the edge of her gown and sent her sprawling to the floor. The little light bobbed in the air, mocking her fall.

"I hate these gowns. It's impossible to go anywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if Uther demanded they be longer so I would be even more immobile," she hissed. She stood up and dusted herself off. Winding her way down the stairs, Morgana found herself going deeper and deeper into the belly of Camelot.

Finally, she came to the end. This cave was large enough to hold another of Uther's secrets, or tools of fear. It really depended on the mood he was in. It made Morgana wonder just how much she and Arthur knew. If a man had three large secrets, surely there were more. Though Morgana couldn't fathom having to keep so many.

The rush of wind signaled the beast's arrival. Morgana glared as her hair was whipped all over the place. Leon would still be at her room when she got back. She didn't want to look like a complete disaster. Though he did say she could wear a potato sack and still be the most beautiful girl in the world.

As usual, Kilgharrah ruined the mood. "Ah, the witch has come to ask me something."

Morgana scowled. She was not a witch. "I think beautiful sorceress would be better suited." She tossed her hair back, looking as dignified as possible with the rats-nest and dirt stained knees.

"I will recognize you as a priestess when you prove you will not stray."

Morgana bit back a reply. She didn't come here to argue with Kilgharrah. She came here for answers. "I think something's coming to Camelot, something bad."

Kilgharrah sighed and settled on the rock. "You would not be down here if it were something good. Now why do you think I can help?"

"I had a vision, but I think this was a vision of the past."

As expected, Kilgharrah's attention snapped back to Morgana. She never had visions of the past, only possible futures. It was troubling. Kilgharrah knew the arrival of Merlin would start each player along the path of destiny. But he feared what that path would be. Things were changing. The future was changing. It made Kilgharrah very anxious. There were some things not even destiny could predict.

"There was a girl," Morgana continued, not paying any attention to Kilgharrah. "She was just child. And there was a woman in white. She kept saying this rhyme. Children can't be trusted. Children can't be tamed. Children must be punished, or else they will win the game."

Kilgharrah sat quietly. For a moment, Morgana feared there would be no information. Kilgharrah didn't like her so it was possible he was willing to withhold what he knew for the sake of torturing her.

But the beast sighed and laid his head down. His eyes slipped closed. "As far as I know, that is not a spell or a nursery rhyme."

"I know that. Gaius, Gwen and I have looked through every book. I want to know why I'm having dreams about it," Morgana snapped.

"My young priestess, I am not all knowing, no matter how much you would like to think so. I only know what I have learned. If this is indeed a vision of the past, and not of the future, as you claim, then my only thought would be a spirit has come back from the grave to haunt those she believes are responsible for her death," Kilgharrah said as if he were speaking to a small child.

"Is that possible?"

Kilgharrah shrugged. "Only with very powerful, old and dangerous magic." The dragon sat up, looking straight at Morgana. Morgana shuddered, feeling the beasts' eye on her.

"There are two ways in which she could have returned," Kilgharrah continued. "The first is with a wraith. A high priestess of the old religion resurrected a ghost of this woman, but in the resurrection she lost her humanity. This would have caused her to become a shadow that envelopes the world in darkness. The second is that the woman herself refused to let go of this world, even in her death. And therefore, she wanders even now, searching for closure."

"Is there anyone powerful enough to do this?" Morgana asked. She didn't like the sound of this wraith and vengeful spirit business.

Kilgharrah stood up and stretched his wings. "I know of one, possibly two women with this power. I would bet Nimueh is behind this."

"Nimueh?"

"Yes. She wasn't always a bad person. But years of hate towards Uther and the Purge have made her less human than even the foulest of beasts. If this is her work, you must be careful, young witch. She will stop at nothing to kill Merlin."

Morgana shook her head. "Why does the name Nimueh sound familiar? And why Merlin?"

Kilgharrah smiled at her sadly, or as sadly as the scaly beast could manage. "Nimueh is the reason Arthur is here today. And Merlin will bring about a time when magic and nonmagic can exist as one. In Nimueh's mind, that is impossible." The dragon stretched his wings and began lifting off his perch.

Morgana was still struggling with the revelation that had been revealed to her. It looked as though Uther had one more secret he was keeping form the world. She wanted to know more. She needed to know more. It wasn't fair that they kept getting these half formed answers from a creature who only cared about his freedom and not for the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, should Merlin and Arthur fail.

"I think that is enough information for now. Remember, nothing is free in this world. One day, I will ask for a favor. You should be careful of what you wish for me to reveal," Kilgharrah said before flying off.

Morgana sank down against the wall. Merlin was in danger. Camelot was in danger. Would she be strong enough to protect everyone?

oOoOoOo

Iseldir watched as Morgause paced in the room. He didn't think it was possible, but she was looking more furious than the last time. Iseldir couldn't really blame her. After all, the information he had gathered was less than happy. But pacing and breaking things weren't going to help anyone.

Cenred sat in a lush chair, sharpening his swords. He seemed amused by Morgause's frustrations.

"My dear girl, you must relax. This isn't good for your health," Iseldir said.

Freya was standing beside him, trying to make a strawberry. "Iseldir, it's a rose again."

Iseldir looked down at her. The girl looked close to tears. She had been trying to perfect this spell for awhile now but never seemed to get it right. Iseldir smiled encouragingly at her. "Freya, you know not even Merlin was able to perfect this spell. Be patient, and make sure you picture every part of the strawberry, from the smell, the taste, even the feel."

Freya smiled and nodded enthusiastically, her tears disappearing from her eyes. "I'll keep trying. When I see Merlin again, I can make him lots of strawberries!" Her face became one of concentration and she continued to whisper into her had.

"How can you be so calm?" Morgause shouted. Iseldir stepped in front of Freya, ready to protect her. Luckily, Morgause's rage only affected the curtains, which quickly caught fire and fell to the ground. Some guards ran up to the pile of flames and poured water on them.

"Panicking will not get us anywhere. Right now, we need to be calm so we can think rationally and come up with a solution."

"Think rationally! You want me to think rationally?" Morgause screeched. "Right now, my plans are going to fail because some old hag decided she wasn't done wreaking havoc! I will have Camelot and I will have Emrys by my side!"

Another curtain burst into flames. With a few well chosen words, Iseldir extinguished the fire.

Morgause's magic had become more volatile over the past year and a half. It was deteriorating, becoming more reliant on her emotions than on her talent. It would not bode well for anyone should she continue along this path. Iseldir had tried his best to keep her contained. But even he was only so powerful. The real turning point had been when Merlin disappeared. That was when Morgause started breaking and burning more things. It would only be a matter of time before it wasn't just a curtain or a vase. And it was only a matter of time before the rage and hate consumed Morgause.

"Morgause, you cannot fight like this. You must understand what you are doing will not be productive. Nimueh has indeed returned and has indeed let loose dangers upon Emrys and every child of Camelot." Iseldir was trying his best to calm the woman down. But with every word she seemed to get more livid. "We know that. So now we need to focus on stopping her before anyone gets hurt."

Morgause stared at Iseldir. For a few moments, he thought this was the end. This was when Morgause would snap and kill him. He thought about telling Freya to cover her ears and close her eyes. A child should not be subject to witness the death of another.

But Morgause spun around and stomped out of the room. "I'm going to Camelot. I'll speak with my sister and give her information."

"That's good, dear. Then we can convince them we aren't evil and hit them even harder," Cenred said, smiling.

Iseldir rolled his eyes. Why did Morgause still keep this man alive. The men were more loyal to her than they were to him. And Morgause didn't seem to particularly enjoy his company.

"Cenred, shut up. I don't need you talking in my ear. Iseldir, take anyone who can read and get them to find out about this woman in white. I need to know how to defeat her." The doors slammed shut behind her, the crash echoing throughout the room.

"Well, I suppose I have work to do. Freya, could you get Alice and Gilli for me? They should be of some help."
Freya nodded and skipped off. Though she was trembling slightly. Iseldir feared she wouldn't last much longer with Morgause as anxious as she was. And although he had scolded Morgause earlier, he couldn't help but pace and worry as well.