Chapter 8: Where Loyalty Lies

Saturday Morning

The couple lay on the wet towels for ages, breathing heavily, as the water continued to run from the taps and showers; now finally obeying the laws of gravity.

"It's going to be hard to be spontaneous with us," Merlin said, eventually. "That was a lot of excess magic."

"You're assuming there'll be a next time," she countered.

He lifted himself up onto one elbow and hovered over her, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. "Yes. Yes I am."

She tried not to grin. "Doesn't sound like we set off any alarms though?"

"No, I just checked. I doubt that would have been the case before this weekend though."

"Well, I have to say that that was nowhere near as boring as most of your lessons."

Merlin grinned. "Why can't you just admit how much you enjoyed yourself?"

She shook her head, still trying to keep a straight face, before getting up and walking towards the shower.

"Want me to help you wash?" he asked cheekily.

"Certainly not. Anyway, haven't we got lessons to get on with?"

"Yes," he agreed, coming over to her anyway. "But, after that particular 'lesson', I've fewer concerns about what you're going to be doing today. I think you'll now suddenly find everything a lot easier."

Merlin moved close to her and briefly kissed her on the lips, whilst one hand trailed lazily down her bare arm and the other traced a line between her breasts.

She shuddered. "Really? I thought perhaps I might be more out of control."

She teased him back, stroking his hip and leg; her thumb sliding along his inner thigh and she grinned as he gasped at the sensation.

"You controlled it here," he managed. "Despite an extraordinary amount of emotion and stimulation, and without your Gauntlet too. I doubt you'll have many problems moving a marble now."

And, it looked as if he was right. Back in the teaching room, Morgana suddenly found that everything which had seemed so far out of reach yesterday, now made perfect sense. She could move the marble slowly and have it stop whenever and wherever she wanted, and all the other tricks came more easily too and didn't make her feel especially tired.

The main problem for her now was Merlin, who was proving to be a huge distraction. If he came close to help her with something, or adjust her Gauntlet, Morgana could rarely resist reaching out to stoke his hair or kiss his cheek and that, in turn, tempted him to misbehave too.

Inevitably this turned into a new lesson: How to have sex in a room with no running water involved.

Luckily the teaching room was exceptionally well shielded and mostly bare and, although it was true that the table and chairs were not able to survive the session, the room itself did manage to contain their magic, and Morgana had consciously directed much of that energy herself.

Merlin declared she had passed the basic control tests and that he was happy for her to go into work the following day.

Sunday Evening

The couple ate supper in almost total silence, both exhausted from their long weekend, inconsistent sleep and... everything else. Afterwards, Merlin announced that they would need to sleep in the teaching room that night because, after everything they'd got up to today, he couldn't trust their magic in his bedroom. He would need to spend some more time working out how to improve the shields in order for them to be able to make love in there.

So, Morgana came downstairs in her nightdress to find Merlin sprawled on the large mattress they'd manoeuvred down the narrow stairs earlier, wearing only his underpants. She gaped as she saw him lying there with a faint gold trace of magic sedately spiralling around his naked chest, despite the fact he was still wearing his Gauntlet. Her magic gave a violent jolt at the sight of him.

"Beautiful," she breathed.

"W-what?" He sat up suddenly, slightly disorientated.

She smirked. "Did I tire you out?"

"Yeah. Twice if you remember?"

"I do and I got the impression you were using magic to help with that mattress too."

"Yes, I don't deny it. I'm also trying to work out if it'll be more or less tiring to go up and get the duvet and pillows, or transport them down here with magic."

She stared at him. "You can do that?"

He nodded. "You won't be able to attempt that one for a while, I don't think. I've only recently mastered it myself."

"So," she continued with a smirk. "I think it'll make a nice change to test out my skill on this nice, comfy bed?"

"We've got work tomorrow, Morgana. Probably best if we just sleep?" He held up his wrist. "I've set this a bit higher tonight because even I'm going to need some help to keep my dreams under control after what we got up to earlier."

"And mine?"

"Yeah, let me just adjust it too." He came over to her and started to fiddle with it and she found herself quite unable to resist stroking his bare chest as she did so. "Really not helping me concentrate," he complained, half-heartedly.

She giggled before suddenly turning more serious. "Merlin, there was all this gold magic floating around you just now when you were dozing there."

He frowned. "Really?" He looked down at the Gauntlet. "I've been told my magic is especially powerful – elemental – even for a Silver. It was probably just testing the limits I'd set on it – making sure it wasn't totally trapped."

"You make it sound like its alive."

"Sometimes I think it is." He made another adjustment. "There. I hope that'll do. Best we both stay alert tonight and keep an eye on one another. It really is a challenge. We need to be together so we can keep an eye on the other's magic but, equally, being this close is making it more likely that our emotions are pushed out of control." He sighed. "Being in this room should help though. Honestly I'm so tired right now, that I'm not sure how I'd wake up even if you did have a bad dream."

"Well, no matter how alert you want to be, I'm definitely not sleeping on a bare mattress," she declared. "Are you going to magic the rest of the bedding down or will you show me where you keep it so I can help you bring it down the old fashioned way?"

Monday Morning

"We need to get up now." Merlin was shaking her gently awake and Morgana turned her head to blink at the clock which was balanced on the wooden box next to the mattress.

"It's only six."

"I know but there's lots to do to make sure you're ready for work."

She groaned and buried herself further under the covers.

"Up!" Merlin threw the duvet to one side and smirked as she sat up with a shout.

"Hey!" Then she took a closer look at Merlin, half naked, and grinned broadly.

"Don't even think about it," he warned.

"Hey, just admiring the view."

"What was that you said on Friday about false flattery. Save your energy, I know it's only the magic."

She frowned. "What is?"

"Why you... why we..." He trailed off as she glared at him.

"You should know better than that, Merlin. It's not all about looks and it's not even about the magic. You're my friend now, as well as my lover and... you've done what no-one else has in my whole life."

He frowned. "What have I done?"

"You have listened and helped. Gwen listens, it's true, which is why she's my best friend. But you... You have finally set me free from this." She raised her wrist.

He shook his head. "Not quite yet."

"Close enough and at least you've shown me that it is possible to be free. You've given me hope, and for that you have both my friendship and my loyalty."

He gaped at her for a long time, as if contemplating what she had said. "Thank you," he managed.

"No, thank you." She looked at the clock with a sigh. "I suppose you're right, I've deliberately ignored my mobile all weekend and no doubt I've a whole bunch of calls and emails to check."

He nodded. "I'll make us breakfast then, but do make sure I've got time to do one final check and adjustment on your Gauntlet before we leave for Camelot."

~o~0~o~

Everything felt different. The world felt more alive. As she made her way to work, Morgana had the sudden thought that the Gauntlets somehow muffled life around them and dulled people's senses. Now, with it adjusted, everything appeared to sparkle.

Then again, considering what Merlin had told her about the Gauntlets, that probably shouldn't come as a surprise. They took a little of everyone's energy in order to work and, if you had magic, it took large parts of that too. Now her Gauntlet just borrowed anything spare and stored it for later use and, through it, she could even gain more energy for herself if required.

Of course, it was also the case that her magic was now free, able to be used at any time. Not that she could, of course; Merlin had been very clear on that point. Because, although it was possible for Silver sorcerers to use their magic near sensors and not set them off, it was definitely not worth risking it in a place like Camelot. More to the point, Morgana was still very inexperienced and should definitely not be attempting any magic whilst she was at work, not even telepathy with Merlin.

"Arthur was looking for you." As usual, Gaius didn't even look up from his work as she entered the laboratory.

"Yes, I know. I sent him an email this morning. I've been having some trouble with my land-line."

"Ah. Well, he and Uther and coming over a bit later anyway. We have a new... guest to look after, you see."

"Guest?" she scoffed. "Prisoner, you mean. Why don't you just say it?"

The old man did look up then, raising an eyebrow. "That attitude isn't going to help, Morgana, especially if you do end up having controllable magic. Your father needs to know he can trust you, and you need to prove your loyalty if you're ever going to get permission to have that setting lowered."

She scoffed again.

"Talking of which," Gaius continued. "How is your Gauntlet behaving itself now?"

"Oh, it's fine, thank you," she replied, brightly. "Seemed to take a day or two to catch up but, yes, I think we've finally got it all under control."

He looked at her a little suspiciously. "Are you sure? Perhaps I should have another little look and see if-"

"-No, there really isn't anything for you to check, honestly." She continued to smile brightly. "I'll let you know if I have any problems though."

Something else Merlin had been very insistent about. Gaius must not inspect her Gauntlet, otherwise he would know that someone had been tampering with it and that it wasn't really set on Green.

Morgana continued to be amazed at how much easier everything was today. She didn't get so tired or irritated and it was far easier to concentrate without that constant, annoying buzz of her magic attempting to push free.

Only last night she had teased Merlin for talking about his magic as it if were alive but she thought now that she understood what he had meant. It had been a poor little animal, locked up alone when all it wanted to do was run free and play. Even now, when she couldn't allow it out, it seemed perfectly happy knowing that it wasn't trapped, just sitting quietly in the corner and purring. She grinned at the analogy.

~o~0~o~

"Where were you all weekend?"

Morgana looked up from her work to see Arthur striding into the lab, with Uther just one step behind.

"I was out for quite a bit of it," she replied promptly. "And I'm having trouble with my land-line as I told you in the email."

"You could have sent a text."

She shrugged. "I was busy."

"Make sure you check your phone regularly at the weekends," Uther said, walking past her with barely a glance. "Now that you've been promoted, it's important we can stay in touch."

"Of course," she said, trying hard not to roll her eyes. "Ah, what's happening?"

Gaius had already moved to the door that the pair had entered by and was now locking them all in. "Best not to take any chances," he said.

She remembered what Gaius had said about a new 'guest' and started to look around wildly.

"The prisoner will be escorted in through the secure entrance," Uther explained, pointing to the 'No Unauthorised Access' door. "Gaius will then assess them and swap their Gauntlet for an up-to-date version at an appropriate setting. Then Arthur will take them back down to our secure holding facility."

"I see." Her Gauntlet tingled and she took a deep breath, her eyes now darting to the main, locked door. 'Stay calm, stay calm,' she thought to herself.

However, it appeared that that was going to be easier said than done. As the secure door was opened, a couple of prison guards escorted in a small, frail looking figure, head bowed and semi-conscious, towards the medical chair that Morgana herself had often sat upon.

However, this time, the arm restraints were to be used and Gaius hovered over them for a moment, obviously making sure their magical locks were well in place before nodding for the others to come closer. Morgana looked at the men and saw them all acting nervously with Arthur adopting an offensive stance – ready to fight. As the prisoner's head was raised, Morgana was shocked to see a skinny teenage girl under the mane of long, red hair. She couldn't be more than thirteen, she decided.

She remembered herself at that age, the time her own magic had first broken through her Gauntlet, although she was sure she'd never been quite that small and frail looking. Surprisingly, the revelation of just how young their prisoner was did nothing to reassure the others. In fact, Uther looked as if they had just brought a wild tiger into the laboratory.

"How strong is she?" he asked Gaius.

"I'll need a moment to assess that properly," the old man replied. "But the reports of her... outburst suggest she's going to be at least Green."

He held both his hands close to her right wrist before very quickly removing her Gauntlet and putting the thicker metal band of the testing Gauntlet on her. That split second was enough for the girl to come briefly out of her comatose state – snapping her head up as if she'd just been doused with a bucket of cold water - before her shoulders again sagged as Gaius initiated the scan.

Obviously not quite as weak as before, the girl's eyes scanned the faces around, her gaze surprisingly penetrating. Morgana found she had to turn away, unable to look at such a pitiful sight, and even more aware of the increasing tingle of her magic building under all these extra emotions.

"Blue, I'd say," Gaius said then. "She's still young, of course. But I think she's more that than Green."

"A new Purple Gauntlet then," Uther declared.

Gaius sighed loudly. "Yes. Although she will need to be monitored very carefully considering her age and ability."

"It could harm her, yes?" Morgana asked as Gaius moved to collect a new Gauntlet and started to adjust its setting. "Might it even kill her?"

"Nonsense," Uther snapped. "Such things only happen if they try to fight it. I'm sure this one will be sensible about such things." The girl's head snapped up again, glaring right at Uther. "You hear that, sorcerer? Just remain calm and everything will be fine."

Then Gaius snapped on the new Gauntlet and her expression changed. The look of defiance faded and instead there sat a small, scared child.

"No don't, please. It hurts."

"Just relax," Gaius pushed. "Best not to fight it."

"Please... it hurts and..." Her eyes widened, tears brimming as she suddenly started to turn her head left and right, desperately. "... where's my mum?" she asked. "Please... I haven't done anything wrong."

Morgana ground her teeth and then panicked as she felt her Gauntlet buzz angrily. She glanced down to look at the lights and was initially surprised to find they were holding very steady, before she remembered why. Merlin had adjusted it so such things wouldn't be visible to Gaius, confident that she would now feel her magic surging without needing to see the lights.

Well, he was right about that.

She closed her eyes and tried hard to control her breathing just as Merlin had taught her.

'In... out... in...'

"Well?" Uther was asking Gaius.

"It seems to be holding... I believe she's secure now."

"Good then so, Arthur, if you could go with Gaius and take her down to the cells?"

"Of course, Father."

Morgana saw her brother's jaw clench and wondered how he was feeling about this. Surely he couldn't condone this. A young child, taken from her home and held captive with no trial?

Her magic begun to build even more.

"I need a glass of water."

She moved quickly to the main sink rather than the water cooler and turned the tap on, running her Gauntlet under the water as Merlin had showed her, whilst allowing the excess magic to leak out very, very slowly. The thin jet of water swayed this way and that, spluttering slightly, and it took all of her control to hold back and not push everything out at once as she'd done in Merlin's bathroom when they had...

No, she mustn't think about that sort of emotion either. Morgana closed her eyes and remembered the CD player and its soothing sea sounds whilst focusing on the feel of the water on her wrist and the sound of her beating heart pounding in her ears.

'Breathe in... breathe out...'

So, Merlin had been right. Not that she'd really thought he was lying or exaggerating, but now, seeing that girl and what had been done to her, the whole thing had become much more personal, especially when Morgana knew there was a much easier way to deal with the issue. That could have been her, she realised. If she hadn't been born to this family and had Gaius at hand, she too would have probably been bundled off here as a child and been forced to wear Purple.

By the time she'd turned off the tap Morgana had already made up her mind. She now knew for a fact where her loyalties lay and that was definitely not with her father.

No matter the consequences she was no determined to help Merlin in whatever way she could. She would help him to set the magic uses free.

~o~0~o~