Hey, tkdprincess96 here, with the second chapter of MMMG, review, please, though I was very pleased. 12 reviews with one chapter! I love you guys! And to all the alerters or favoriters, I thank you as well. I like to know that people are following my stories; it gives me something to write for. And wish me luck, for tonight was the opening night of the school play, and we have the second one tomorrow. Hopefully we can get the microphone situation figured out, and everything will run smoothly. And no one will skip anything… Sorry for rambling, but seriously, no one could hear the cops and Jonathan. For those interested, it was Arsenic and Old Lace. It's a funny play.
Any who, now that that's over with, review, review, review! Though I guess I can't ask for much else… though this is five typed pages too…
Now, on with the story!
Morgana woke up, and looked outside at the bright sun. How long had she been asleep? Gwen came inside, carrying a tray of hot food.
"Your breakfast, milady."
Morgana smiled at her maidservant. "What time is it?" she asked as she ate her food. Honestly, she couldn't remember having such an appetite in such a long time.
"It is nearly mid-day." Gwen said with a smile. "I can't remember the last time you slept so long. Did you have any dreams?"
Morgana gave her friend a wide grin. "No, none. I actually slept well for once."
"Any idea why?" Gwen inquired. "I mean, if we can do the same thing again, you could stop your nightmares. Was it a new sleeping draft, or powder, or anything like that?"
Morgana blushed a little as she thought of the reason. "No, nothing like that."
Gwen put her hands on her hips as she faced her mistress. "Alright, you don't blush, at least not for good reason. Just tell me, it's for your own good. "She ended softly. Then she realized what she was doing. "Forgive me, milady, I didn't mean to push."
"No, it's alright." Morgana interrupted. "If you must know, I had a bit of trouble sleeping, so I went to Gaius's chambers, but he wasn't there, Merlin was. Merlin saw that I was upset, and somehow cheered me up. We fell asleep, when Gaius came in and woke us up. I went to my chambers, and he his. That's all there is too it." After seeing the disbelief that graced Gwen's face, she added, "I swear."
"Alright, I'm sure the two of you just talked. Don't worry; I won't say a word to the king, or Arthur. I promise."
"I'm telling the truth. He told me stories about his childhood, his friends, how he once hung from a tree branch and couldn't come down." Morgana smiled softly as Merlin's anecdotes that he had slipped in while they were talking about magic came to mind. "He made me laugh." She looked up at Gwen. "I don't want this feeling to leave."
Gwen smiled softly at her friend. "You're talking like a little girl with her first crush. Don't worry, I won't tell." Morgana looked up at her friend gratefully.
"Thank you. For everything."
"Of course milady." Morgana playfully glared at Gwen.
"Gwen…" Gwen blushed as she remembered her lady's request.
"Sorry, Morgana." She corrected, and then took the empty tray away. Morgana stood and walked over to her wardrobe, looking over her clothes.
"I think that I'll wear the blue one today." Gwen rushed over, took the blue dress out of the wardrobe, and laid it across the screen. Morgana stepped behind the screen and changed quickly, chatting casually with her maid. She looked out of her window, and saw her foster-brother out in the training grounds, supposedly training. He wasn't getting much out of it, since he was training with Merlin, the worst fighter out there. Morgana laughed as she saw Merlin stumble and fall to the ground, Arthur standing over him with a sword to his neck. After a minute, Arthur let Merlin up, and started back to the castle, Merlin trotting behind gratefully. Arthur said something to Merlin, which made him visibly groan. Around ten minutes later, Merlin and Arthur exited, ready for a hunting trip and on their way out of the city quickly.
"Morgana?" Gwen's voice broke through her reverie. She looked back up at her maid, confused. "You've been staring out the window for the past fifteen minutes; I've been trying to get your attention."
Morgana pasted a smile on her face. "Yes Gwen, I'm fine." She apparently didn't convince her, because she came over to the window, and saw the last of the hunting party leaving.
Gwen smiled as she guessed what her mistress had been staring at. "Ah, Merlin I see. Are you sure all you did was talk?"
"Yes, Gwen, I'm sure. Well, I hugged him, but that hardly counts, it was purely platonic." Morgana said, exasperated with her maid.
Gwen merely raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I'm sure it was. Or was it just a show for Gaius?" Morgana gaped at her servant's boldness.
"Gwen! How can you suggest such a thing! We both know Merlin to be a perfect gentleman; do you really think he would attempt such a thing?" Gwen sighed as the truth of her mistress's statement set in.
"I suppose that's true. He would cut off his own head before he attempted anything with you, or with any other woman. Though with you, it would only save the king time, because we all know that he would behead any man that went near you."
"That is true. Though no one need worry for Merlin's sake, for we all know he would attempt nothing. I swear, all the man needs is a noble background and the training to fight and he'd be a model knight. I think the man had the knight's code read to him over his cradle rather than lullabies." Morgana ended with a slight laugh, and received a chuckle from her friend.
"You have a good point, Merlin is a standard gentleman, and lives by the code of chivalry, I've noticed. When I first met him, he told me he was in disguise, maybe he was trying to tell me something?" Morgana laughed at her friend's suspicions.
"Gwen, I think you're looking into it too much. Honestly, do you think Merlin is capable of keeping something like that from us?" as the words came out of her mouth, Morgana regretted them, remembering what she had been told the previous night. She had never thought that Merlin could be a sorcerer, and yet he proved her wrong. She shook her head. Merlin was her friend, he was the only one who could help her now, and she had to trust him.
Gwen however, just laughed. "You're right about that, milady. The man's an open book."
"Gwen..." Morgana said, mildly threatening.
"Sorry, Morgana but you realize in public, I have to call you milady, or else I'll get into trouble." Morgana laughed lightly at this.
"Alright, in public, I guess you can call me 'milady'. Otherwise, its-"
"Morgana, I know." Gwen smiled at Morgana, who grinned back.
"Alright, now that that's settled, what shall we do today?" The two girls set about talking, gossiping really, about who was coming to visit, where to go, and who was doing what. Gwen continued to try to get Morgana to open up more, but she didn't budge.
Eventually the two girls went down to the gardens, and walked around there for a few hours. After a while, the two boys came back with the rest of the knights, stags and rabbits slung across their shoulders. Merlin took the smaller ones, and started the trek up to the castle to bring the food to the kitchens for dinner tonight. The rest of the knights with food started up with him. Morgana and Gwen made their way quickly up to Morgana's to get her ready for dinner with Uther and Arthur. Though the urgency was probable more to make her presentable for Merlin, rather than the royals.
That night, after the feast, Merlin was heading to the Lady Morgana's chambers with another sleeping draft in hand from Gaius. Personally, he didn't know why he bothered; they had no effect. Maybe he just wanted an excuse to see her again, make sure the previous night had been real. That he hadn't imagined it all. That she had magic, and had accepted his. That maybe one day, she wouldn't hate him for what he did to her that she would understand why.
He knocked on her door, carefully, politely, making sure that she heard him all the same. A few seconds later, he heard the rustle of her dress, and then she appeared at the door, opening it wider when she saw who it was. "Merlin." A smile appeared on her face, and one identical appeared on Merlin's.
"Milady." Merlin replied with a nod of his head.
"Please, come in." Morgana gestured inside. Merlin started to back out.
"No milady, it wouldn't be proper, I'm just here to deliver your medicine from Gaius. That's all." Merlin was stumbling all over his words, silently cursing himself. Honestly, what was with him today?
Morgana, however, was insistent. "Merlin." Merlin stared at her, confused. "Now." With a pointed glare from her, Merlin walked meekly into her room, her following and shutting the door behind them tightly. When they got inside, Morgana sat on her bed, leaving Merlin standing awkwardly in front of her.
"I want you to teach me magic." Merlin, startled at her request, perked his head up.
His voice shaky, he stammered, "what?"
Morgana sighed impatiently. "I told you, I want you to teach me magic."
"Milady, it's not that simple. You're a Seeress, not a sorceress, or witch." Morgana stood up, exasperated at his statement.
"Then how do you explain the fire, or the vase breaking?" when he was able to give no response, she continued. "Merlin, I know I have magic, and I know it's not restricted to my dreams. Please, Merlin, I'm scared I'm going to lose control and do something n front of Uther, and I'm going to end up dead for it. Please, Merlin, I'm begging you. I need your help. I have to learn how to use my powers." Giving Merlin one last desperate look, he cracked.
"Alright, I'll be by tomorrow with a spell book, we'll begin lessons. I'll teach you magic." When he finished, Morgana had a large grin on her face.
"Thank you Merlin, you don't know what this means to me." She moved to hug him, and he let her. He wrapped his arms around her in a friendly embrace, and she hugged even tighter. "Thank you."
Merlin, attempting to cut the mood, said, "Well, I best be going. Gaius is going to wonder what's kept me. Also if I come back from the chambers of the king's ward, what are people going to think?"
"That we're two young people in love having a secret affair so you don't get killed." With that statement, Merlin was shocked into looking up. Morgana smiled at the look on his face. "Oh, come on Merlin, you're a servant, you know how you all gossip." This brought a smile to Merlin's face.
"We gossip because we have to have some form of entertainment while we work. Honestly, what do you think we would do with ourselves otherwise? The king really has no idea of what goes on in his own castle." Merlin retorted.
"Of course he doesn't otherwise you and I would be dead."
"True, yet another reason why it's a good thing the king is so ignorant and blind. Of course that's what started the Great Purge in the first place…"
"You're going to have to tell me the full story of that one day. Growing up in Camelot, you don't learn the full side of anything that has to do with magic." Morgana ended crossly. Uther was a real pig-head.
Merlin laughed. "Alright, it's going to take a while though. It's a long period of time, and a brutal one, started for many reasons. Though mainly Uther's stupidity." Wow, Merlin, so are you. What are you thinking, talking like this? She's still the king's ward. And I can't take the risk of her finding out…
"Merlin?" Merlin shook his head, and saw the lady Morgana standing in front of him, much closer than he remembered. "Maybe you should go."
Merlin quickly backed up and agreed. "You're probably right, it's getting late, and I have to be up early to get Arthur his breakfast." At this, Morgana seemed guilty.
"Oh, I forgot, you have to take care of Arthur too. Well, you get going, I won't keep you longer."
Merlin bowed his head at her. "Thank you, milady."
Morgana, using a reproachful tone, said, "Merlin, I don't want you to call me any titles. I'm you're pupil now, if anything, I have to show you respect. Call me Morgana now, I insist, or I will tell Uther." She ended, joking a little. Merlin saw this, and smiled too.
"Alright, Morgana I will see you tomorrow, agreed?"
"Agreed." They stood like that for some time, when Merlin backed away slowly.
"I have to go." Morgana smiled and bade him goodnight. When he was halfway out the door, he paused, and leaned back, saying, "Morgana?" She looked up at him at this.
"Goodnight, slǽp fægere lǽtan náht drefan incer gerestan hwænne se mergan." With the final phrase in the old tongue, his eyes flared gold, and Morgana felt sleepy instantly.
"What did you say?"
Merlin smiled at her kindly. "Just an old prayer. I don't think you'll have any trouble with dreams from now on." And with that he slipped out of the door, and Morgana sat down on her bed. Quietly she readied herself for bed, not bothering to ask Gwen for help, who was busy in the kitchens. When she was finished, she laid down, and fell asleep instantly, with no dreams that night, or ever again.