Sorry for making you wait. School ended, and I got lazy, but here's the next chapter.
Merlin pulled out his laptop as Morgana watched in confusion.
"What are you doing, Merlin?" She asked contemptuously. "I thought that we were going to get Arthur. Remember, no destiny. We were going to have a grand reunion.
He gave her a look that clearly said "are you kidding?" before responding. "I assume that we have to go to the lake to retrieve him..." Morgana nodded. "How did you intend on getting there? Saddling up the horses? Opening our wings and flying?"
Morgana was flustered, unsure how to respond, and Merlin took a small amount of pride from knowing more than her.
"I'm booking plane tickets," he explained, and she nodded, returning to watching in silence.
A few minutes later, she spoke up again, desperate for attention as always. "You've changed Merlin."
He didn't look up from the screen as he said "have I?"
She nodded although he couldn't see her. "You're more serious, more apathetic, more sarcastic. You used to be so kind, saving people even at your own risk."
This time, he looked into her eyes to answer. "Look where that got us Morgana. I've lived thousands of years; I've had time to think through all my decisions. Morgana, I've grown up." His tone was cold and indifferent, but his eyes were full of regret.
Morgana smiled a sad smile. "We were great when we were young. You, me, Arthur, Gwen, we had the best of times."
"Is that why you want to find Arthur?" Merlin asked. "You want to go back?" It was phrased as a question, but they both knew it to be a fact.
Still, Morgana tried to deny it. "Of course not, don't be silly Merlin. We can't undo what's been done, just move forward with what we now know."
Merlin looked at the computer, changing the subject. "We have tickets for first thing tomorrow, so we should probably leave for the airport tonight. We don't want to miss our flight."
~oOo~
In the car, Morgana seemed eager to carry on with conversation.
"The world has changed a lot since our time, hasn't it Merlin?" He nodded in response, so she went on. "I mean, look at us right now, in a car, driving to an airport with cell phones and laptops." Again, a nod of acknowledgement was all she received from Merlin. "Remember traveling on horseback with swords and food. The world seemed so much quieter then." This time, Merlin didn't reply at all. "God, Merlin!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm trying to make it normal! Please just say something!"
Merlin turned to glare at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "What do you want me to say, Morgana? I could say that I think you're self centered and desperate to be noticed by anyone at all. I could say everything you did back then and what you're doing now is with only yourself in mind. I could say that all you care about is yourself, but I think you'd just prefer to go on hearing the sound of your own voice". Morgana was entirely taken aback by Merlin's snapping, so she remained silent for a moment before responding.
"You're wrong Merlin." Her eyes flared with the excitement of argument. "I cared about Arthur! I cared about Gwen! I cared about you!" She went silent, and it was at least 15 minutes before Merlin broke the silence.
"It didn't seem like it from where I stood." He was no longer angry.
"It hurt to much to care about people who would only hate me if they knew my true self. So I stopped." This time the silence lasted, but it was no longer tense or awkward, just comfortable.
Yay! I'm getting excited for this story. The next chapter is already writing itself in my mind. Remember to review and follow!