Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter four: Who is Queen Mab?
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Percival squinted at the ground as he attempted to follow the tracks Morgana and Gwen had left, but the light was rapidly fading. Percival lead his horse forward as he spotted what he thought were the tacks in the low light, only to find that they weren't when he drew closer.
"It's getting too dark," Percival calls over his shoulder.
"We'll keep heading east," Arthur orders, from the head of the group behind Percival.
Merlin glances at Arthur, "We have lost the trail."
"Then we'll retrace the tracks," Arthur answers, before riding off in the direction they had come from.
"Arthur!" Merlin calls after his friend, but Arthur doesn't stop.
"I'll talk to him," Merlin sighs glancing at the rest of the group, before riding after Arthur.
It doesn't take long for Merlin to catch up to Arthur who had stopped and gotten off his horse in order to try and see the tracks better in the rapidly dying light. Merlin quickly pulled at his horses rains and guided the horse to a halt. He quickly jumped down from the saddle and made his way over to Arthur.
"Arthur?" Merlin questions as he approaches.
"She can't be far," Arthur answers, looking round almost desperately.
"I know," Merlin replies. "But we have to work together."
Arthur turns to Merlin as he has a sudden thought, "Magic. You can use you're magic to light the way!"
"Arthur…" Merlin shakes his head.
"I've seen you Merlin," Arthur carries on talking. "I've seen what you can do, how you can follow a trail and see the path ahead of you using magic. It wouldn't-"
"Arthur!" Merlin interrupts him.
Arthur pauses and stares at Merlin, "What?"
"We need rest, Arthur," Merlin answers. "We've been riding nonstop all day."
"This is Guinevere we're talking about Merlin!" Arthur exclaims. "Every moment we waste, she is getting further and further away from us! We can't afford to stop! She's in danger and the more time we waste… The less likely I am to see her again."
"We can't keep going like this, Arthur!" Merlin argues. "If we carry on as we are now, we'll be too exhausted to fight Morgana when we find Gwen. We need our strength, Arthur. We are walking straight into a trap and we can't afford to make a single mistake."
"How can I rest, when all I can think about is how Guinevere is in danger?" Arthur questions, shaking his head slightly and returning his attention to ground.
"We'll make camp," Merlin responds, avoiding the question Arthur had asked. He knew no answer would be able to help. "Get a fire going. In the morning we'll pick up the trail again. Come on."
Arthur looks round one last time before following Merlin back towards where the others were waiting.
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The sun was just beginning to set when Morgana stopped her horse with a sharp pull of the rains. Gwen collapsed to her knees once more, before looking up at the vast forest before her. It was like no other forest she had ever seen. The tree grew tall and twisted, vines hung down from the branches making the forest look impossible to pass through.
Morgana jumped down from her horse and approached the border of the forest. She stopped a couple of steps away from the closet tree and much to Gwen's surprise she bowed down.
"Queen Mab," Morgana calls. "I come as so ordered. Grant us pass through your realm, my Queen."
Gwen's eyebrows shoot up as she hears what Morgana had just called into the forest. She had never heard of Queen Mab before, nor had she ever seen Morgana bow down and follow orders, even when Uthur had been alive and Morgana had been her friend, she had never bowed down like this before.
Whoever Queen Mab was, she must be powerful if Morgana was following her orders.
A high pitched laugh echoes from within the forest and suddenly the trees begin to part, revealing a narrow a path.
"Step not from the path," A voce sings. "Or you will feel my wrath."
A shiver went up Gwen's spine at the sound of the voice. It seemed so sweet, but held such a sinister undercurrent. Morgan a takes her horse by the rains and begins leading the way along the path. Gwen struggles back to her feet and follows as the rope around her wrists tugs her forward. She shivers once more as she steps into the forest, as a feeling of unease washes over her.
After what seemed like hours of walking, Morgana leads the way out of the forest and they find themselves on a desert plain and in the distance was a dark tower, which looked as if it was made from pure darkness.
Morgana glanced back over her shoulder and smirked at the horrified look on Gwen's face. Morgana quickly pulled herself up into her horse's saddle once more and flicked the rains. The horse quickly set of at trot, pulling Gwen along unwillingly towards the tower.
"Keep moving," Morgana orders as they finally reach the tower and Morgana pushes Gwen towards the steps leading into the tower.
"Where are you taking me?" Gwen demands.
"You'll find out," Morgana smirks, as they enter the tower.
Morgana walks behind Gwen smirking as they begin to make their way up the steps within the tower. Gwen was almost ready to collapse when they finally reach the end of stairs, she was breathing heavily and she hadn't had a drink of water since before Morgana had caught her. She was exhausted. An entire day of nonstop walking had drained all her energy, she was simply thankful the trees of the forests they had passed though had offered shade from the sun.
Morgana moved past her and pulled a key from her belt. She stopped in front of a door Gwen hadn't noticed before, which was hidden deep in the shadows across from where she was standing at the top of the stairs. If Gwen had the energy, she would have tried to escape in that moment but she didn't.
Morgana unlocked the door and beckoned Gwen forward. Slowly Gwen made her way over to Morgana, before moving past her and into the room. It's only when she's already halfway across the room, Gwen realises Morgana wasn't following her.
Gwen spins round and faces Morgana, as something wet and slimy hits her face.
"What is this place?" Gwen demands.
Morgana smirks at her, "Sleep well."
"Morgana!" Gwen exclaims, as Morgana swings the door to the room shut.
Gwen begins to run towards the door, having regained a little of her strength back, but by the time she reaches the door, Morgana had already locked it and walked away. Gwen spins around as a scream sounds through the still air of the room and presses her back to the door. More screams fill the air and Gwen slides down the door and hides her face in her knees and covers her eyes with her hands.
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Freya stood before the Lake of Avalon. The elders Sidhe hovered and whilst the younger Sidhe darted through the air and danced over the surface of the lake. It still surprised Freya how different the Sidhe looked in the mortal realm, to what they did in Avalon. They seemed so small and harmless, but were by far one of the most powerful begins she had ever encountered.
"Elders," Freya greets, with a slight bow of her head.
"Lady Emrys," A Sidhe elder answers her.
"Why have you summoned me?" Freya questions.
"In the years after Queen Ygraine's death, the High Priestess Nimueh made a deal with Queen Mab," A second Sidhe elder explains. "In exchange for a hundred souls, Queen Mab gave Nimueh access to a means of turning whomever she wished into a loyal follower. During the Great Purge allies were hard to come by, so Nimueh agreed to the deal."
"But when the young Lord Emrys killed the High Priestess the deal had not been fulfilled," The first elder continued the explanation. "And so the deal Nimueh and Queen Mab had struck was passed onto Morgause."
"The High Priestess Morgause used the deal to her advantage and turned many loyal to herself, including the Witch Morgana," Another Sidhe continued. "But when Morgause was sacrificed by her sister, the deal still had not been completed and once more the deal was passed on to another."
"The Witch Morgana is now responsible for fulfilling the deal with Queen Mab," The first Sidhe elder explains. "And only one more soul needs to be given."
"What is it you wish for me to do?" Freya asks.
"The deal must be broken," The Sidhe elder answers. "Queen Mab cannot receive the final soul. Only a being of Avalon can break the deal, for Queen Mab is a fae of the mortal realm but even she must answer to the power of Avalon."
"How do I break the deal?" Freya questions once more.
"We do not know, Lady Emrys," Another Sidhe answers. "A deal such as this has never been made before, but Queen Mab wishes to extend the reaches of her kingdom and she cannot be allowed to do so."
"You must hurry, Lady Emrys," The second Sidhe spoke up. "For at the dawn of the second and final day, once that sun has set the deal will be done and Queen Mab's power will become greater."
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Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.