Morgana opened her eyes. The first light of sunbeams shone trough her window and lit her room. Awake, she left her comfortable bed and dressed herself.
She didn't had nightmares any more, that was something from the past.
She looked forward to today's lessons, 'cause although she hadn't yet succeeded to bring the statue alive, nothing stopped her from retrying it today. She loved to push boundaries and after all those years she had to be afraid that she would accidentally use Magic because she couldn't control her powers, there was nothing she enjoyed more that enchanting freely and concluding she was pretty good at it.
She left her small, though nice and bright room, and went to the living room. Morgause was already awake, as usual. She was sitting in a comfortable chair and was reading a book. When she heard Morgana coming in, she smiled.
"Good morning, sister," she said amiable, "I made you some breakfast."
"Thanks", Morgana said. She sat down at the wooden table, where a freshly baked bread, a can of milk and a honey cake made her hungry by only looking at it. She kept surprised by the fact that Morgause, besides a brave fighter and a talented sorceress, also was a normal, caring, big sister.
Morgana ate silently while she enjoyed the simplicity of the small, wooden house. It was a house the High Priestesses had assigned to them, so Morgause could educate her sister in all peace and quietness. They had everything they need: beds to sleep in, a hearth for when it got colder, a fireplace to cook and a bookcase, full of books of spells, which Morgana read until late at night, until she -utterly exhausted- fell asleep.
They lived at the seaside, with a view on the endless sea. The splashing water of the Atlantic Ocean reached even further than Morgana could look. Sometimes, she wondered what was out there. Some claimed that the world of men ended there at the horizon, and from then on a realm, that wasn't meant for the living, began.
Morgause didn't know it, and if even Morgause didn't, it alluded that it wasn't up to them (yet) to find out.
"Do you remember the spell?" Morgause asked, while she put her book aside when she saw Morgana had finished breakfast.
"Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan", Morgana spoke, self-assured. It were complex words, but in the meantime, Morgana had gotten confident at the Old Language and the pronunciation of it, so the spell flew over her tongue like it was her native language.
"Good," Morgause said affirmatively, "though try to emphasize 'ábregdan', because that's what the spell is all about, bringing the statue alive." Ábregdan meant 'come alive' in the Old Language.
"Limwæstm gefæstlíce – ábregdan", Morgana repeated, and this time she pointed up the last word exorbitantly, so Morgause would notice she'd understood.
"Better", Morgause smiled. She stood up en gestured to Morgana she had to follow her outside.
The hardest thing about Magic was that it contained so much more than just pronouncing some well-chosen words. More important was the authority and the determination the wizard had to show. Being able was subordinate to wanting in Magic. Only if Morgana really meant to bring the statue alive or if she really meant to lit a fire, she would succeed.
She remembered how she, on a stormy evening back in Camelot, was on her way to Uther Pendragon's chambers after she'd discovered he was, in fact, her father. She had been furious and had sworn to herself that he would pay for the fact he'd disowned her.
Suddenly, her chamber door opened, after she'd hooded her crimson-coloured cloak and had put away her dagger -which she'd got from Arthur for her twenty-first birthday -in her belt around her waist.
It was him. As always, he had been ready to thwart her plans.
"What are you doing here?" she'd yelled, surprised, while she felt anger, mixed with Magic, boiling inside of her when she saw his lanky figure standing in the doorway.
"Arthur has send me to look after you", Merlin had said. Of course he lied, she could see it straight away. "He is worried about the intruder." The intruder had been Morgause. She had come down hard on Morgana not to do anything rush now she knew Uther was her father. Morgana, however, had ignored Morgause for the first time in her life, and -as she was in a very reckless mood- was up to no good.
"I don't need you", she'd hissed, while she'd walked past him and headed towards the door.
"He was quite insistent", Merlin said quickly. He'd moved so he'd stood right in front of her, so she couldn't pass.
Morgana felt her anger raising inside of her, as if she was a cup in which someone poured water until she would overflow. She had wanted to hit him hard, but he was stronger and he'd grasped her wrist and pushed her back.
"Get out of my way!" When she'd screamed those words, the hate inside of her was replaced by Magic, and without saying a spell, just because she'd wanted to, her eyes flashed gold and Merlin was knocked against the wall, unconscious.
It had been an impulsive reaction, Morgause explained afterwards, after Morgana had told her what had happened that evening. Initially, Morgana had feared Morgause would've been angry because Morgana hadn't listened to her, but she wasn't. Morgause had soothed and comforted her younger sister, and had even told that only very talented Magicians were able to use such a strong natural, almost elementary, sort of Magic.
Two and a half years after those happenings, Morgana walked into the freezing autumn-breeze with her sister. The wind played with their hair while the grey clouds announced a storm. The sea was wild that morning, and it appeared they wouldn't be able to stay outside for a long time. Morgana sighed disappointed, she had hoped the weather would have stayed stable during the day, so she could've been able to practice the spell without running back inside, hiding for the rain.
Morgause noticed Morgana's displeasure and smiled.
"Don't worry, sister. If you really want to stay outside, then I'll make the sun shine for you", she promised. She tapped Morgana friendly on her shoulder, and now Morgana smiled too. How could she forget? Morgause was such a powerful sorceress that she could even control the weather. She could produce local showers or regional heat waves, which was rather amusing. She once had, to tease her little sister, created one rain cloud that only stormed on Morgana and followed her everywhere she went, even inside the little cottage.
They walked over the dunes. The wind cut trough Morgana's skin and she wished she would have worn something warmer, or at least a scarf. The white shirt, borrowed (received actually, as Morgause didn't wear it any more and it hang inside Morgana's wardrobe) from Morgause, and the black pants she was wearing now, could hardly keep her warm, but she didn't complain, because Morgause didn't complain either.
Morgana could see it already in the distance; a statue, made from brown clay, life size and, with some fantasy, humane. It had a head, two arms, a body and two legs, and that was fair enough. Morgana knew Morgause could've made it more realistic, but this wasn't an exercise in sculpturing (with Magic, of course), but in bringing statues to live.
After some moment, they faced the stony warrior. Morgause looked affirmatively at Morgana.
"After you", she spoke. She stepped aside, so Morgana would've enough space, and looked sanguinely from her sister towards the statue.
Morgana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stretched out her right hand, until her fingertips touched the statue, and murmured: "Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan." Magic flew trough her body, her emerald eyes turned gold, but -besides the head of the statue, that moved faintly- nothing happened. Morgana sighed, although she hadn't expected she would succeed from her first try.
"As long as you still have a whack, it's better if you say the spell out loud", Morgause advised. She had already told that to Morgana many times, but she didn't sound impatient, she never did. "Try again. Concentrate."
"Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan", Morgana spoke, this time foul-mouthed. Again, Magic flew trough her body as a sudden fever and her eyes were coloured gold for some seconds, but nothing happened.
Morgana breathed heavily as she tried to push the fever out of her body, while she felt sweat coming down on her forehead. That was a disadvantage of Magic; when there was a spell she would practice for the first time, her body wasn't used to it yet and initially, she would suffer pain if she tried out a new form of Magic.
Morgause, who was always foreseen on those situations, gave Morgana a flask filled with water, and Morgana drank thankfully.
"Try again, Morgana. I know this is advanced Magic, but you can do this. I believe in you", Morgause encouraged her after Morgana had drank and her body started to stabilise again.
Strengthened by her sister's support, Morgana took a deep breath and stretched out her hand once again. "Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan." She stayed focussed as much as she could and tried to have some authority over the statue, as Morgause had taught her. All non-Magical creatures would try to stay like that, but she had to be stronger than all the powers that would try to not be controlled by Magic. She had to force them.
The statue moved faintly, shrugged and then remained motionless.
"Well done, Morgana!" Morgause said, enthusiast. "You made it doubt, you're almost there." She smiled. "Try again. Shout the spell, show who's in charge."
"Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan!" Morgana screamed. The Magical boost in her body was stronger than all the ones she'd already experienced that day. She shook as reed and felt how the (naturally few) colour of her skin faded and her limbs weakened, but she also saw how the statue shook his head, as if it had just woken up from a very fast sleep and wanted to push away the exhaustion, and then again stood still, fighting against the Magic and losing.
Morgana didn't think, but yelled automatically, with all force she possessed in her lungs and vocal cords: "Limwæstm gefæstlíce ábregdan!"
The Magic, exhaling from her body, was so strong she landed down on her knees. Above her head, she could hear a deep growl. She saw the improvised feet of the statue moving. When Morgana looked up, weakened but also very proud because she knew she accomplished her task, and noticed how the statue of clay stretched out and started to walk, without a purpose.
Morgause laughed.
"Well done, Morgana!" she said happy, while she reached Morgana her hand and helped her up. They both glimpsed how the statue turned around in circles, as a chicken who has just been truncated.
"Is that normal?" Morgana asked anxiously. She started to fear she hadn't accomplish the spell as correctly as she had thought at first.
"Bringing the statue alive is one thing, to be able to control it, is already one step ahead", Morgause explained. "I'll tell you how to do that one day, but first you've got to rest and recover from the Magic."
"Do we need the statue during the following days?" Morgana asked then. Morgause shook her head and smiled because she knew what was going to follow.
Morgana stretched out her hand, for the last time. She aimed at the statue and muttered: "Ceoselstán lýtlian." The statue, that was still turning around as crazy, exploded and thousands of pieces from clay landed on the ground.
"It keeps surprising me how destructive you are", Morgause spoke, acting seriously.
"It was only dancing in our way", Morgana chuckled. She knew Morgause was only teasing her.
"You're like a little child that had build a sand castle and has destroyed it afterwards."
"I think it took me more effort to bring the statue alive that it would take me to build a sand castle", Morgana reasoned, still with a sheepish smile on her face.
"That's just another reason you had for not destroying it", Morgause replied, still pokerfaced, but her brown eyes sparkled with pleasure.
"But it has been you was has made the statue, and as a good sister it is my duty to destroy your stuff", Morgana spoke. They looked in each other's eyes for some seconds, and Morgana was the first one who burst out laughing, and Morgause followed her example soon afterwards.
"You're unbelievable, Morgana", Morgause laughed. In the company of others, they would never behave like that, but they were sisters and they cared about each other. They needed each other.
"I know", Morgana smirked.
"I'm proud of you."