See Chapter 1 for warnings & info
Slender fingers passed over the surface of the bowl and the smoke circling it cleared at once. Morena's command of the spell was so easy that every gesture looked casual. She seemed no more ill at ease whispering in Latin and gazing into the surface of the water than she might have mixing dough for bread – something that, as one of the best bakers in the palace, she did often. Nor did Morena seem worried that she might be discovered casting magic so freely in the palace.
Having lived among the residents of Uther's stronghold since she was a girl, Morena was part of the background. She had managed to get a small room of her own and no one disturbed the sanctuary. In any case, Morena cast her spells with the help of no special ingredients. The bowl in which she was scrying was no more than the basin in which she washed her face, the water indeed still flecked with bubbles from her most recent cleaning.
The woman's dark eyes flashed a brilliant, rich amber for a moment, and then the image came clear on the water's surface. The prince was upset. Rarely had she seen him so furious, so worked up. Perhaps that could be to her advantage. Her dreams suggested as much. But not yet... There was still one person who stood firmly in the way of any chance she might have at catching Arthur's eye. While Merlin still walked Camelot's halls, Morena doubted that any could find their way into Arthur's confidence, let alone his heart. A faint smile curved her lips. /No servant's tenure lasts forever./
The prince had hardly left his quarters. Whether he was pouting or mourning, Morena couldn't be sure, but she did know that he was in need of some cheering up. She approached his door and knocked firmly. The young woman was dressed properly for a servant but had chosen a vivid red dress that she knew set off her pale skin and dark eyes and hair. There was no sense in not looking as enticing as the pastries that loaded the tray.
Spotting a bit of gold on the ground, Morena lifted the item and laid it on the tray. Either Arthur himself had lost it or perhaps some friend of his. Or a girl he'd been dallying with. That thought was more troubling, but, then, the prince had never had a reputation for being much of a lothario no matter how many hearts he held in his hands. Perhaps it belonged to him after all.
Arthur was not in the mood to be disturbed. He missed Merlin terribly and the prince had expected his servant to stumble into the room at any moment with some half-hearted excuse about his lateness. It was an endearing quality, and that fact alone was one of the reasons he'd taken such drastic measures to distance himself from Merlin. Deciding he needed a distraction, he hauled himself up from his chair and went to answer the door.
Morena smiled and held the tray out in front of her. "I know that you've been feeling... under the weather, Sire," she offered sympathetically, "but you should keep your strength up. I thought some fruit and pastries might make your morning more pleasant." The young woman searched Arthur's face. The prince looked exhausted, and she would be shocked if he'd slept at all the night before. If he continued on that way, she would see that his evening tea had something to aid in that.
"Oh... erm, thank you," Arthur said, giving the tray's contents a cursory glance. Admittedly, he did feel a little peckish. He reached for an apple and took a large, satisfying bite of its ripe flesh. Arthur was about to tell Morena to leave the tray when he noticed a flash of gold. His eyes followed the path of the chain until it ended on a locket that was all too familiar. Arthur snatched it up, his heart clenching inside his chest, and demanded to know, "Where did you find this?"
It seemed that perhaps fetching it hadn't been the act of mercy it seemed. Morena's dark eyes remained fixed on the prince's face as he looked at the bit of metal. Perhaps it had been Merlin's. The court was absolutely abuzz with the news that the strange young man who had been Arthur's servant and constant companion had left with Sir Robert. The reasons were even MORE of a topic of gossip, but Morena preferred not to speculate too heavily. Instead she answered quietly, "It was on the floor just outside your door, Sire. I thought you might have dropped it."
/Merlin... He must have deliberately left it, but why?/ No longer interested in eating, Arthur stared at the locket as if it might burn his hand. Sir Robert had given it to Merlin as a token of his affection, of that much Arthur was sure, so the fact that Merlin had discarded it puzzled him. Moving away from Morena, the prince carefully pried the jewelry open despite his unwillingness to find either a lock of Sir Robert's hair or a portrait of the knight smiling back at him. The locket opened, and Arthur felt ill. "Merlin..." he whispered, realization dawning. Staggered, he had to sit back down before his knees buckled out from under him.
"Sire!" Alarmed, Morena was on her own knees kneeling before Arthur in a heartbeat. What could have so alarmed the prince in the bit of jewelry? But she had been right, it seemed, in thinking that it had something to do with his missing servant. Perhaps the rumors which had been floating around were true after all. What did that mean for her plans? If the Prince's affections were attached to Merlin, then was there any point in even attempting to seduce him? /He's lonely. He will need someone to support him now more than ever./ Arthur was no terrible man, no hard-hearted bastard like his father. He would feel the loss deeply, and Morena would do her part to ease it. "Sire, are you well?"
"No, I mean... yes, yes I'm fine." Arthur tried to pull himself together. He snapped the locket shut, holding it so tightly his knuckles turned a stark shade of white. Having been blinded by his jealousy of Sir Robert, the prince now saw the former knight in a different light. Sir Robert had not only lusted for him but had carried a small painting around in his locket. And he'd given it to
Merlin... The implication was too much for Arthur to handle and only served to solidify his decision to drive Merlin out of his life. Prince and servant had become dangerously close already. Anything more was impossible. "Something to drink," he told Morena, adding, "please?"
"Of course, Sire." The young woman rose at once and poured the Prince some wine. It was early in the day yet for such a thing, but obviously the bit of jewelry had given Arthur a shock. Whatever Morena's feelings for Uther Pendragon, his son had always proved himself to be a good man. If it was at all possible, she intended to protect him through what was to come. It all depended on how much the prince was willing to change and willing to risk. Morena did not hesitate to let a few drops of the liquid concealed in her ring fall into Arthur's wine before she turned and offered him the mug. "Here, Sire. Drink this. It will ease your nerves."
Arthur barely acknowledged Morena's presence, but he accepted the drink and took a long, deep swallow. It was long afterward that the prince started to feel a little calmer, and the tension knotted between his shoulders began to slowly unravel. He felt his strangle hold on the locket relax as a goofy, lopsided smile spread across his handsome features. "You're right," he said, glancing up at Morena, "I do feel better."
"You've been working very hard, Sire," Morena answered smoothly as she stepped in a little closer. "You need proper looking after. Not to be presumptuous, but anything that I can do to help... I would like to. You have been so kind to the people of Camelot. Sometimes I think that not all of us realize how much of a debt we owe you." The woman's voice was soft and earnest as she spoke. It wasn't anything that she needed to stretch the truth of. Arthur Pendragon had done more than most outside the palace realized to attempt to reign in his father's cruelty.
Arthur nodded, his head lolling drunkenly. What she said was true, and the prince's chest swelled hearing how highly thought of he was. A soft smile tugged at one corner of his mouth and, for the life of him, Arthur couldn't remember what he'd been so upset about earlier. "I think I'll have some of that food now," he decided, suddenly famished.
"Excellent, Sire," Morena answered. She couldn't help smiling herself. Perhaps the mixture had been stronger than she had intended, but it still soothed her own fears to see Arthur more relaxed. The prince needed to be worrying about matters far more pressing than drama over a dismissed servant. Arthur had a chance to be the king his father could never hope to be.
Whatever her feelings about Uther, Morena took her job seriously. The food laid out on Arthur's plate was her best work - as were all the meals she was responsible for in the palace. Morena knew she was capable of ensnaring the man through mystical means, but it could be just as simple to win the prince's favor without them. Somehow Merlin had managed to become a favorite of Arthur's, and from what she could see, the young man hadn't even been a particularly attentive servant.
Arthur vaguely wondered why he hadn't noticed Morena before. She seemed to be very efficient as well as pleasant, and there was something about her presence that made him feel calmer than he'd been since the battle in the woods several days ago. He ate heartily and, once he was done, thanked Morena for looking after him so well. Arthur tried to rise to his feet, having decided that he would take his horse out after all. The sudden movement made his head swim, and the prince flopped back down in his seat. "I'm afraid I'm not myself today," he confessed, trying to shake off the wave of dizziness.
"You work tirelessly so often. You need someone to take care of you as well, Sire." Morena smiled gently and took the tray to set it aside. Sinking to her knees so that she was looking up at Arthur instead of down at him, she added, "Perhaps today should be a day of rest. Surely the knights can train amongst themselves, and you have certainly earned a reprieve." That the events of the preceding days weighed heavily on the young man would have been obvious even to someone who didn't watch him so closely. "If I may be so bold as to offer my services, it would please me greatly to help you however you desire."
Arthur blinked at the girl kneeling before him. If his head hadn't been thick with fog he would have sworn Morena was offering herself to him. Of course his first instinct was to decline. Despite his reputation of being a ladies' man, it was all a front the prince kept going to hide the fact he preferred the company of men. If his father ever found out... "Morena," he started, only to be interrupted when Uther burst through the door unannounced.
The king took one glance at the scene before him, and demanded, "What's this?"
Morena looked up, though she kept her eyes carefully lowered from the king's face. Whereas Arthur seemed to have some fondness for servants who were willing to stand up to him, Uther had no such inclinations. The man preferred those who showed proper deference. Frankly he made her skin crawl. Anyone who could hold such hatred... but the young woman kept a carefully respectful expression on her face. "I was only bringing the prince his breakfast, sire, after my duties in the kitchen were completed."
Uther paid little attention to Morena and her explanation. She was a servant, which meant she was beneath him. He swept past her, glaring down at Arthur. "Have you been drinking?" he asked, noting his son's intoxicated smile and faraway gaze. "Arthur, I despair at what you're becoming. Whatever is happening, I'm putting a stop to it right now." Uther hauled the prince out of his chair, shaking his shoulders as if to rouse him from the stupor. "The first thing you're going to do is formally apologize to Sir Robert."
Morena's jaw tightened, but she lowered her gaze to the floor. She hadn't been dismissed or she would gladly have left the scene behind. It made her sick to see the man treating his son in such a way. Perhaps Arthur had acted wrongly with Robert. She knew little enough of the situation to have no real opinion one way or the other. What she did know was that even at such a young age, Arthur was a thousand times the man his father was. /If all goes well, the people of Camelot will not suffer the rule of Uther Pendragon much longer./