4. The sins of the father

The following day, Lily went to Granny's diner in search for oblivion.

She had woken up to the sound of Leon's voice calling her name.

"Lily! What gives me the pleasure of seeing you?"

Lily cast her gaze upwards and met the eyes of Red. She smiled. "I was in need of company. And preferably yours, to be honest. Can Granny spare you for ten minutes?"

Red smiled. "I'm gonna ask. There isn't much clients here today."

The sound of her high-heeled boots echoed on the tiled floor, and she returned from the kitchen not two minutes after, throwing her apron aside on the

counter. "I'm all yours."

Lily and Red had met briefly, a long time prior. It had been an accident, a mere coincidence, but their brief encounter had made them friends all the same.

Red and Granny were the only two beings in Storybrooke,a side from Rumpelstiltskin, to know who Lily was.

"The nightmares won't stop. I can barely sleep four hours. Ever since Emma broke the curse, it's hell."

Red sighed. "Always the same then? Memories?"

"Yep. Camelot, over and again. A few days ago, it started from the beginning. Every night, I'm living a new state of my stay there. Last night..." She blushed.

Red smirked knowingly. "I've always wanted to know what this Leon of yours looked like."

Lily chuckled. "Believe me, you'd rather meet Gwaine."

The two friends talked about Lily's nightmares/memories for a good half-an-hour, and when Granny came yelling at Red to go back to work, she turned to Lily one last time.

"You know, I you want a change of air, Anton and the dwarves are taking care of you-know-what you-know-where. Could be good for you. If you're not frightened to meet Snow."

Lily shook her head with a smile. "I'm not. Thank you, Red. I'll see you later."

"You'd better. A month is too long without your face to brighten the day." She winked once, and escaped to the kitchen.

Lily sighed, put a note onto the table to pay for her coffee, and hurried to her car.

"Well, gardening shouldn't be that bad..."

Not long after Aredian died and Gaius was rehabilitated, Uther decided to knight some young soldiers to increase the number of fighters inside the citadel.

But the night he knighted them was a dark one.

The whole court was gathered in the great hall. Lily, as usual, stood beside Merlin and Gwen, her gaze was as usual locked to Leon's across the room.

But as Uther knighted the last boy, a clash of metal was heard in the corridors, as well as grunts. Grunts of pain, or dying.

All Knights, including Arthur, drew out their swords as a strange warrior entered the room, took off his gauntlet and threw it at Arthur's feet.

Who took it from the ground, of course.

"I accept your challenge. If I am to fight against you, would you please reveal your identity?"

The warrior opened his helmet and lifted it, revealing a cascade of blonde hair.

The warrior was a woman.

"My name is Morgause."

And Lily didn't know why, but Kilgharrah hissed at the back of her head.

She walked with Merlin as he made his way to Arthur's chambers.

"Have you heard it?"

He turned to look at her, then surveyed the corridor for safety. "Heard what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Merlin..."

He chuckled quietly. "Alright, yes, I heard it. I wonder why Kilgharrah would do that..."

"Do you want me to ask him?"

He shook his head. "No. Perhaps it's better if we try and find out for ourselves from time to time."

She smiled. "Yes, but he is our mentor, isn't he?"

He sighed and put his hand on the doorknob, silently dismissing her. "I wished I could say that, but I can't. I'll see you later, Lily."

The following day, Morgause did defeat Arthur.

The whole court witnessed its prince's shame to be beaten by a girl. The King himself seemed to be ashamed of his own son.

Lily sensed there was something strange about that woman. Something...itching.

She decided to check in the library for anything about her.

Geoffrey of Monmouth was asleep – as usual – when she entered the room late at night.

She only had to cast a spell to find what she was looking for.

"Eicai thaleen cerein Morgause ithai."

Her eyes flashed gold, and a book fell from a shelf, stopping mid-course in the air.

"Of Kings and Lords of our world. Well, this should be fun." She lifted the heavy – very heavy – book and escaped the room, heading straight to her own bedroom.

The first pages were of no importance – Kings and Queens of Uther's family (seeing he was the first king of Camelot) – so Lily opened it to a random page.

She should have felt it would be her luck.

The crest above the page was of Sir Gorlois of Tintagel. It was written that he married Vivienne and had two daughters: Morgause, dead at birth, and Morgana, later ward of Uther after her father's death.

Lily took a deep breath. "Holy shit."

After a night without sleep, Lily got up with the sun and hurried to Gaius' office, but he wasn't there.

"Morgana."

She had remembered that the physician always gave Morgana her sleeping draft after the sun had risen. She then ran towards the princess' room.

Gaius was getting out when she caught him.

"Gaius!"

He turned to her, quizzical. "Lily? What brings you here at this hour?"

She brought her voice down a tone. "I know who Morgause is."

He sighed. "And so do I now. She is Morgana's sister."

"Indeed she is. Which means she has magic. That's why..." That's why Kilgharrah was hissing.

"That's why what?"

"Uh... That's why she asked Arthur to go to her. Surely she'll trick him into something."

"There is worse, Lily, far worse. But first, I must tell the King I know. Wait for me in my office."

She nodded and went the opposite way.

Half-an-hour later, Gaius joined her. He closed the door carefully behind him, and gestured Lily to come closer, so that they could speak without being heard.

"Lily, what I am about to tell you in a secret I've never told anyone. The King made me swear, and I never told a soul. You must promise-"

"I won't tell anyone either, Gaius, I promise."

He sighed. "Good." Then he took a deep breath. "What do you know of Ygraine, Arthur's mother?"

Lily's brow furrowed. "That she died in childbirth, nothing else."

"Ygraine was Vivienne's sister. Arthur and Morgana are therefore cousins. After Uther and her married, she learnt from me that she could never bear a child. Her womb wasn't working as it should have." Lily meant to speak but he waved her away. "Uther wanted an heir so badly that he did the unthinkable. He traded a son against his wife's life...to Nimueh."

Lily gasped. "Nimueh? The witch Merlin defeated last year?"

"Indeed."

"So that's why Uther hates magic. It killed his wife."

"He killed his wife the day he bargained with an evil witch."

"And Morgause knows?"

"Vivienne knew. Ygraine had told her magic had been summoned to make her bear a son. She surely told Morgause before she died. She no doubt looked out for her first-born when she learnt that she had somehow survived."

Lily sat down at that. "So Morgause will tell Arthur he never knew his mother because his father sold his soul to a magician." Gaius nodded. "I think it better to prepare to have a prince to restrain."

"Couldn't you tell Merlin?"

She shook her head. "I don't know where to look, and he's probably too far away."

"Then be careful."

She got up and hurried to the door. "I will be."

When Arthur and Merlin came back later that day, Lily was waiting for her fellow sorcerer in his chambers.

When Gaius came back alone, she knew something was off.

"Gaius?"

His kind eyes fell on hers. He was sad, and afraid, and ashamed. "Arthur knows."

She gasped, grabbed her dagger in case, and ran, ran, ran as fast as she could to the great hall.

Once she reached it, Leon was barring the doors.

"Leon!"

He whirled on his heels. His face was grave. "Lily. What are you doing here?"

She eyed the other two guards warily, and decided to pull her knight further in the corridor, under the soldiers' disrespectful smirks.

"Leon, something is happening. You have to trust me. The King is in danger."

"Lily, Arthur is the only one in there, he can't-"

"Morgause. That woman who fought against him, she's a witch, and I fear she has implanted something in Arthur's mind that would make him hate his father and want him dead."

"Lily, you-" But he cut off when the sound of swords clashing together was heard from the hall.

"Leon, please, open this door."

He shook his head but his eyes stayed glued to the door. "I can't disobey my King, Lily, he'd have me killed for this."

She groaned in anger. "Leon!"

"I can't, Lily! I can't!"

She fell on the ground and sobbed for a while. "Please, Arthur, please don't do this..."

Leon knelt beside her and held her close. "I have faith in him. Whatever trick she put in his mind, he'll come round."

And so they waited.

When Merlin arrived, though, Leon couldn't bear it any longer.

He opened the door right as Arthur had his father unarmed, and was about to strike him dead.

"Arthur, don't! I know it's hard, but don't!"

"My mother is dead because of him!"

"Killing your father won't bring her back. You've lost one parent, do you really want to lose another?"

Uther, frightened for his own life – Lily thought he deserved to die at that moment, only not by his son's hand – spoke up. "Listen to him Arthur."

"Arthur, please. Put the sword down."

"You heard what my mother said. After everything he has done, you believe he deserves to live!" Lily's and Merlin's eyes met for a short second. "He executes those who use magic and yet he used it himself!" Then he addressed his father. "You have brought so much suffering and pain. Will put an end to that."

Merlin took a pace forward. "Morgause is lying." Lily's eyes snapped at that but he ignored her. "She's an enchantress. She tricked you. That was not your mother you saw, that was an illusion. Everything... Everything your mother said to you, those were Morgause's words."

"You don't know that!"

"This has been her plan all along! To turn you against your father. And if you kill, the kingdom will be destroyed. This is what she wants!"

"Listen to him, he's speaking the truth."

Arthur pushed his sword onto his father's neck. "Swear to me it isn't true! That you were not responsible for my mother's death, give me your word!"

"I swear on my life, I loved your mother. There isn't a day that passes I don't wish she would still be alive. I could never have done anything to hurt her." To this Arthur collapsed into silent sobs, his breath itching in his throat. "My son. You mean more to me than the sun."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"You are not to blame."

Merlin turned to look at Lily, at the same moment she reached for Leon's hand. He entwined their fingers and squeezed hard.

Later on, Lily found herself walking in the nearby forest, Leon's hand still tucked in hers.

"You know, I should have listened to you earlier. Open the door and stop Arthur myself."

She huffed. "You would only have managed to get yourself killed. Merlin was the only one who could have stopped him."

"Yes. Merlin."

She glanced aside at Leon. He was smirking. "Don't laugh. They are bound to each other. They practically live together."

"Yes, forgive me."

She smiled then. "I'm glad you haven't opened the door, really. What would I have done without my Knight in shining armour?"

Leon chuckled. "You would have been bored to death, probably."

"Oh, shut up."

She tugged at his hand and whirled around to be flush against his chest, and pushed herself on her tiptoes to kiss him.

It didn't take long for Leon to free his hand and wrap it against her waist, taking care of pushing her to a tree for good measure.

As she parked her car near the dwarves' garden, Lily sighed and pushed her hand to her lips.

"Leon..."