Morgause had been more quiet than usual the past few days, Morgana had -not without the necessary concern- noticed. It appeared as if her older sister was considering things all the time, stuff Morgana shouldn't be aware of, something which made her -honestly- annoyed, as she never kept any secrets for Morgause and had hoped that would've been vice versa.
It was raining all day. Dylan, the god of the sea, was having a battle with Lugh, the god of the sky, against the earth. Or at least it looked like that, as the rain poured down on the soft ground and the waves of the sea fought against the rocks in the water.
Nonetheless, Morgana went outside. She had promised Morgause she would take care of dinner that evening, hoping that her sister would become a bit more talkative if Morgana could get her in in a good mood with a nice-cooked meal.
She was already soaked wet by the rain, so she didn't matter she would become even soggier when she walked in the sea. A long time ago, Arthur had taught her how to swim, though that ability wouldn't come in very useful now, as the sea was that wild it would drown her, no matter if she could swim or not, if she didn't use Magic to keep the water around her as low as possible. Wherever she moved, the briny ocean reached only to her knees.
Morgana loved fishing, because it trained her reflexes really well. When she saw a fish, she had to be fast if she wanted to paralyse and catch it. In the past, she and Arthur sometimes fished in the lake, close to Camelot. Back then, it wasn't her line, because it was one of the few things Arthur could do better than her, and as a teenager she took that in bad part.
Her hate towards Arthur wasn't in proportion with her hate towards Camelot. She'd never really anathematized him, though she used to imagine it sometimes when they had a quarrel about a stupid, childish dispute, and he had put toads in her bed in revenge she'd outsmarted him verbally. He was her half-brother after all. If she liked it or not, she would always have a bond with him.
Morgana had to kill hem, Morgause had said, but that hadn't been easy. He'd never caused her any harm (except for the toad-incident).
However, she'd done what Morgause had asked her, because she'd based herself on the assumption Morgause knew everything better. But now Morgana would rather consider twice. Not because she believed Morgause didn't have good intentions, but due to the reason she didn't see Morgause as her superior any more. Her sister was her equal, and Morgana had the right to contradict.
After all, she was somehow relieved her attempts to kill Arthur had failed.
"Léfung", Morgana murmured, when she saw a fish -she presumed it was a cod, but wasn't sure- was passing by, away from the danger of the storm and without knowing he was swimming right in the arms of his murderess.
The fish paralysed immediately, and in less than no time -before the storm would float him even further away- she grabbed him out of the water.
It was certainly one of the most useful spells Morgause had taught her. Not only fish were in for it, but also bigger animals and -if she wanted- even men.
"I'm sorry, pall," Morgana spoke to the paralysed fish, that would serve as a nice dinner that evening, "maybe it's better like this? The storm would've killed you anyway." She doubted so, fish were -of course- excellent swimmers, but she had learnt to respect everything in nature, so she owned her apologies to that fish, although it wouldn't save him.
Morgana stepped out of the sea and spat out the salty water. The coldness made her tremble, and she looked like a mermaid who was washed ashore (she was surprised she still hadn't developed flippers), and hurried back to the wooden cottage.
"Morgana! You haven't really been outside now, just to go fishing?" Morgause asked rhetorically when Morgana got back inside, soaking wet.
"No", Morgana lied automatically.
"The fish you're holding just fell out of the sky?" the oldest sister questioned sarcastically, with a spark of chagrin in her voice.
"Yes", Morgana smirked.
Morgause dubiously shook her head, murmured "hléownes", and Morgana felt in an instant how the humidity got out of her clothes and how her body rewarmed again.
"Thanks", she smiled. But Morgause had already turned away and had stepped back to the fireplace, which she lit by using a simple spell.
Morgana shrugged ("If she wants to be mad at me, fine. I don't care", she tried to fool herself) and took a pot out of the wooden cupboard, which she ported to the fireplace. She hummed: "Forbearnán", felt how Magic flew from her body to the wood (which she, luckily, had gathered yesterday , when it wasn't raining that hard), and in a second, a fire appeared.
Morgana baked the cod as well as she could -she'd already noticed cooking was not one of her best skills- and when the evening fell, she and Morgause sat down to dinner, eating from the fish (that didn't turn out that badly, in Morgana's opinion) and a piece of bread. Outside, the storm blazed and for a brief moment, Morgana's mind went back to the days she was eleven years old and the heavy thunderstorms had lead her to Arthurs room. The days she was afraid of the storm were, however, over.
"I've been thinking, Morgana," Morgause spoke suddenly, while biting a piece of the bread, "in fact, I've been thinking for a long time, but I want you to go with me to Cornwall tomorrow."
Morgana looked up, amazed.
Cornwall was most likely the most Magical place Morgana had ever visited. It was there the High Priestesses were, it was there the Triskelion -the Celtic sign of Trinity- had been marked on her shoulder during her inauguration as an apprentice and it was there Morgause -being one of the most important sorceresses of the craft- went every three months for a meeting with the others.
"Really?" Morgana stuttered eventually.
"You are ready", Morgause judged. She looked Morgana straight into her eyes, and Morgana realised that should have been the matter Morgause had worried about the past few days.
"Do you really think so?" Morgana asked, uncertain. She wanted to believe it, only the idea to become a High Priestess made her very excited, but it was still so early. She'd only served apprenticeship with Morgause for two years, and her sister had once told her she'd been trained thirteen years before they'd considered her ready to do the Test.
"I know two years sound incredibly short, but you don't need more education. I've taught you the basic things, and that's enough to pass the Test," Morgause spoke, "and, as you know, we're running out of time."
Morgana most certainly knew that, she'd heard it many times.
She was now twenty-three, which meant she only had two more years to prepare herself for the infamous Test. Most students were already educated from child (like Morgause), which made it easy for them not to cross the limit of twenty-five. According to Morgause, that limit had been grounded so they wouldn't be wasting to many valuable time on few-gifted sorceresses. Exceptions, like Morgana, didn't count.
"I don't know, Morgause", Morgana hesitated.
"Believe me, Morgana, you're the most talented sorceress I've ever met," Morgause reassured, "and besides, the Test isn't meant to fail. It's meant to bring out the very best."
"What does the Test contain?" Morgana asked worried.
"You have to look into the holy water of Gástlíce", Morgause told. She poured out some extra water and drank. "I had to steal the Athame of Idril Calafalas." Morgana looked at Morgause, questioning. She knew an Athame, that was a ceremonial knife, but she'd never heard of Idril Calafalas.
"Who is she?" she asked, when she saw Morgause didn't plan to answer her asking look.
"She's the leader of a group of Wood-elves from Skye." Skye was situated in the north, Morgana knew. It was known as one of the most Magical places in the world, even more than Cornwall.
"Why did you have to steal the Athame?" Morgana asked, as she didn't understand what use it had. The High Priestesses had heaps of Magical knives, and it was sad that Idril Calafalas now didn't.
"To see if I would've been able to escape from the Wood-elves," Morgause told, "ominous folks... they look nice, but once they use their Magic, you better get out of there", Morgause said casually, like she was used to a whole bunch of angry Wood-elves, descending on her. "Eventually, I've returned them the knife."
"Why?"
"Because it had no use to me", Morgause answered shortly.
They fell silent. Lightning struck close to the cottage, and while Morgause wondered how they would be able to go to Cornwall the next day if the weather would still be a such a disaster, Morgana was concerned about other things.
"I don't see myself escaping from the Wood-elves in Skye", she murmured softly. However she'd already made a lot of progress and her Magic became better every day, she knew Morgause was wrong. She wasn't ready, she couldn't do it.
"That was also my first thought when I got to do the Test, but once I arrived in Skye, I just knew instinctively what I had to do", Morgause tried to reassure her sister. "You just have to believe in yourself, Morgana. I believe in you." She smiled and Morgana couldn't help but smiling too.
Nonetheless, that night, she wasn't able to fall asleep, and not only because of the storm that was still blazing.
After she'd lied away for a very long time, she decided it was wiser if she would simply assume Morgause was right. She knew her sister gave her a choice, but at the same time, she didn't had one. She would go to Cornwall tomorrow, and she better started believing she was capable of escaping to Wood-elves or defeating Dragons, or whatever she was up against.