Chapter 23: Amnesty

"It's going to be all right, Morgana."

The voice was distant with an echoing quality to it, reminiscent of most of her recent delusions.

"You always say that, but this time is different," she replied.

"Why?"

"Because… you're not really here."

"Depends what you mean by 'here'."

"That really isn't helping, Aithusa."

There was a long pause. "Who's Aithusa?"

Morgana groaned as she tried to work out what was going on.

"I'm sorry I left but, as you said at the time, there wasn't very much choice. I'll be back with you soon. I promise."

"Merlin?"

~o~0~o~

"Gwen?" Morgana asked when she next became more aware of her surroundings "What's happening? What's going on? I'm so confused."

"We need to get that setting lowered."

"Not now, Aithusa."

"It's been a difficult time what with your illness and your dad's," Gwen replied. "Arthur's doing his best but he's under so much pressure from both sides."

"Both sides of what?"

"The election took place last week."

"The General Election?" she asked. "I… I think I remember someone saying something about that."

"So, of course, that's causing even more issues."

"I wish I could remember." Morgana blinked, trying to get her bearings, trying to recall how much time had passed. Then she looked down at the Gauntlet which was still on her left wrist and blinked. "Where's my ring?"

"Uther insisted you took it off."

She glared at Gwen. "I want it back and my brooch too."

"I'm not sure that will be possible."

She shook her head. "Nothing makes any sense."

"You're doing fine, Morgana and I do think you're getting better."

"I'm not sure about that. I'm don't think I'll ever get out of here."

"Here?" Gwen asked.

"This prison."

"You're not in prison, Morgana. You're at home, remember?"

"Not this..." she said pointing to her surroundings before lifting her left wrist. "This prison."

Gwen sighed deeply. "Gaius is doing his best, but you do keep playing with it."

"Do I?"

"That's why he had to take your brooch away."

"Oh... I'm sorry." She frowned, rolling the Gauntlet around her wrist and desperately trying to focus. "When can I have my wedding ring back?"

~o~0~o~

"We have to lower that setting immediately."

"No, Aithusa," Morgana said. "I keep telling you. We're not allowed."

"Aithusa? Why does she keep calling me that?"

"I've no idea," Gwen replied, "But she mentions the name a lot."

"I think it's the dragon," Arthur said.

"Dragon?" The voice was very familiar but Morgana just felt too sleepy to focus.

"The invisible one she keeps talking to."

There was a long pause.

"She really hasn't been at all well," Gwen explained.

"Well, that's the Purple setting for you. Hopefully I can fix it."

"What is it you plan on doing?" Gaius asked.

"I need to change the Gauntlet's absorbency. That's the key."

"It is?"

"Yes, her magic needs to be allowed to escape."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Gaius asked.

"It worked before."

A familiar hand held hers and rolled the Gauntlet around her wrist. She felt a slight pressure and a buzz and then, suddenly more clarity than she had in a long while.

"Can you hear me, Morgana?"

"Merlin?"

"I think it's working. Finally."

She shook her head, suddenly very alert. "What are you doing here, Merlin? You can't be here? What if Dad comes downstairs. Or Arthur?"

"I'm already here, Morgana," her brother replied. "I'm the one who called Merlin."

There was another click and buzz at her wrist and the room spun violently before suddenly coming into even clearer focus.

"Arthur?" Morgana blinked and looked around, as if seeing the scene for the first time.

She was sitting in one of the chairs of her father's living room; Gaius on the other and Arthur and Gwen on the settee. Kneeling on the floor next to her was Merlin, one hand around her wrist, whilst he pressed a pin against her Gauntlet.

She giggled. "Isn't this a bit public for a proposal, Merlin?"

"W-what?"

Gwen laughed. "Actually, it does look a bit like that."

Morgana looked around the room again. "Where's Mordred?"

Merlin gave her an intense look. "Where do you think he is? I wasn't bringing him back here, was I?"

She frowned, trying to get her thoughts together. "Oh, of course not. He's okay though?"

"He's fine. He misses you, obviously, but..." He nodded towards Arthur.

"Yeah, I remember now."

"Merlin, I'm offended," her brother said. "The Sorcerers' Amnesty doesn't just apply to you. The boy was welcome to come here with you."

Merlin exchanged a wry look with her. "Thanks, Arthur, but it's a bit more complicated than that." He pressed the pin against another couple of points and the loud buzz, which had been continuous since the Purple Gauntlet was first put on her, became nothing more than a hiss. "There, that'll do for now but it's going to take quite a bit more work. She really shouldn't have stayed on such a high setting for so long."

"I did try to lower it," Gaius said. "But she was confused and kept trying to adjust it herself."

"I kept having these strange dreams," Morgana explained. "I honestly didn't know what was real and what wasn't."

"Like Aithusa?" Merlin asked with a smile.

She gaped at him and then turned her head rapidly, looking for all the dragon's favourite perches. "Oh… she's gone."

"Probably a good sign?"

"I suppose so..."

She's always known Aithusa wasn't real and she had always been getting her into trouble but, all the same, Morgana felt suddenly sad at the prospect of never seeing the little dragon again. She automatically reached for the brooch to find that had also gone.

"We had to remove her little dragon pin too," Gaius explained. "She kept using it as a tool."

Merlin laughed. "All that dragon's fault then, eh, Morgana?"

She nodded, still trying to get her thoughts in some sort of order. "They took away my wedding ring too, Merlin. They kept saying it wasn't real."

Merlin blinked. "But, it wasn't real, Gana. It was just something Gwaine gave us for our cover, remember?"

She frowned. "Not really. I seem to remember something about a garden and a cottage and..." The image of her and Merlin sitting on the sofa with Mordred and a baby surfaced, but she remembered just in time that that had been a dream. "Never mind. I'm still a bit confused and very, very tired."

"I know. It'll take some time to get you healthy again." He grinned broadly. "But I'm here now so I'm quite sure you will recover." Arthur rolled his eyes, unseen, behind him.

"She should perhaps get to bed?" Gwen asked Merlin.

"Yes, sleep will be the best thing for her now."

"But what about Dad? Won't he…?" Another memory returned and she suddenly sat upright, horrified. "He's after you, Merlin. He wanted to capture you. This is probably a trap. You have to run!"

Arthur sighed loudly. "I told you, Morgana. I invited Merlin today and, anyway, there's an amnesty on unregistered sorcerers in place now."

"An amnesty?"

"Yes," Gaius confirmed. "Anyone who's Gauntlet status is… out of date… can come into any registered site to be reassessed, as per the Prime Minster's new policy."

She tried to shake herself awake. "What new policy?"

"Each person is to be assessed as an individual and will have some say on their Gauntlet setting. Assuming no other crime has been committed they will be a lot more freedom, although there will, inevitably, also be a lot more red tape, paper work and regular checks."

"And our 'crimes'?" she asked.

"Have been written off," Gaius confirmed.

"Just like that?"

"Well," Arthur said, giving Merlin a teasing look. "There is payment to be made in certain cases." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"What does that mean?"

"He means that Merlin and a few of his friends are to spend some time working in Camelot," Gaius explained. "To assist me with my Gauntlet research and offer their own suggestions in regard to the Gauntlets."

"I..." She was struggling to keep awake. "I really want to know more."

"It's a good sign," Gaius observed.

"There'll be plenty of time for you to catch up," Merlin said. "But, Gwen's right, you really need to sleep now and you should find that much easier with the adjustments I've made."

Arthur and Merlin helped her upstairs with Gwen running ahead to make sure everything was ready. Once there, the boys sat her down on her bed before making to move away, but Morgana grabbed at Merlin's hand and pulled. "Stay?" she begged.

Merlin looked over at Arthur, as if seeking his approval.

"Fine," he said. "But just to keep an eye on her."

"Obviously," Merlin complained. "As if I'd take advantage of her whilst she's in this state."

~o~0~o~

When Morgana woke up to find Merlin lying next to her, one hand around her wrist, it perhaps wasn't surprising that she thought she was dreaming.

"No, Gana. I'm here."

"Amnesty..." she whispered, starting to recall the earlier conversation.

"Yes. It was a hung parliament in the end, which actually made things even easier for us."

"It did?"

"Yes, because now the minor parties have a far bigger say than they would ordinarily. The Prime Minster had planned to make a few concessions if she was elected but now, with this coalition, even greater changes have been forced through parliament."

Morgana nodded, interested in the news, but still having trouble concentrating after everything she'd been through. "So, we're really free?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that everyone in Eden is happy with all aspects of the new policy, but it is certainly several steps in the right direction."

"That's good then," she replied, sleepily.

"How are you feeling? Not in too much pain?"

"No, I'm fine." She closed her eyes and then opened them again with a frown. "You're really here? It's not a dream?"

He smiled. "Not a dream."

"In that case, why are you wearing clothes in my bed?"

He laughed. "Go back to sleep, Gana. I promise I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Okay. Tell Arthur I want my brooch and wedding ring back."

"Morgana, it's not really..."

"What?"

Merlin chuckled. "Nothing."

~o~0~o~

The following day was the first fairly normal day Morgana had had since she was captured by the Knights. She woke up at ten in the morning, which was apparently early for her in the months she'd been here.

Months.

That was the first shock. Six whole months since the motorway service station.

She had slightly more breakfast than usual and then sat with Gwen and Merlin whilst they tried to fill in a few blanks for her. Arthur came over at lunch time, as was his custom apparently, before trying to persuade Merlin to return to work with him. Something he was extremely reluctant to do.

"I don't know what you're worried about," Arthur replied. "Gwen can call you if there's a problem and then you can do that transporting trick of yours to get back here quickly."

Morgana gaped. It was very odd to hear her brother talk of magic so calmly.

"I'm not so sure over this distance," Merlin said. "And I really don't see what advice I can give Gaius that Edwin can't."

"Edwin's here?" Morgana asked.

"Yes. He's come over to share his knowledge of Gauntlets and help create some better versions for everyone to wear."

"He was very worried about you and wanted to visit," Gwen said. "But we thought it wasn't a good idea whilst you weren't yourself."

"But he can come over now?"

"Perhaps," Merlin replied. "But why not wait another day or two and then you can come and visit Camelot yourself."

She looked at him warily. "Ah, I'm not really sure..."

"I know it's hard for you to take in, Gana, but really, everything is different now. There's no need to be afraid of Camelot any more."

"How's Dad taking all of this?"

The three others exchanged a look.

"He's not been well," Gwen replied carefully.

"But right now you need to focus on getting yourself better," Arthur said. "And Gaius really does need Merlin to come in this afternoon."

She looked at them, suspiciously. "What are you not telling me?"

"Later, Morgana."

She glared at Merlin, remembering when he always used to say that to her during their early days of lessons. But the boys were moving away and she was still a little too unsteady on her feet to follow them.

~o~0~o~