Thank you for the reviews.

Maybe we should return to Drugonia for a chapter. See how Hunith and Morgause are getting on?


Chapter 7

Hunith didn't want to open the letter. It stared at her as she tried to guess the content before she opened it. It couldn't be good news. She recognised her son's handwriting but if it was good news, it wouldn't be scruffy, like it was.

She feared that Arthur's court had turned on him and Merlin. She feared that this was a letter of goodbye. She feared that something had happened to her little boy. She couldn't bear to lose both her husband and her son so close to each other.

And then her thoughts turned.

What if something had happened to Morgana? What if they hadn't stopped her evil path? What if Balinor's death had done something to her? She knew that she looked up to her late husband as a father. What if, even though Uther was dead, she still found fear? What if something happened while she was in Camelot? What if Uther found out about her magic and that was why he declared war?

She hesitantly picked it up before the stress of the contents killed her. She took a deep breath before she opened it up and read through it.

It was as bad as it could get.


"Morgause."

The blonde woman looked up at her. "Hunith, what can I do for you?"

"It is more what I need to tell you," Hunith said as she entered the room. "I don't want to alarm you but I think it is something that you should know. Merlin has written to me to tell me that Morgana … hasn't taken the last few events well and has disappeared."

"What?!" Morgause exclaimed. "I said that she shouldn't go back to Camelot. I said she should come back to Drugonia."

Hunith watched as Morgause shot out of her chair and towards the wardrobe. Morgause grabbed a bag and started to stuff a few clothes in there.

"Morgause, what are you doing?"

"I need to go and find her."

"I am sure Merlin has everything under control."

"If Merlin had it under control, she wouldn't have disappeared. I have to find her. Nimueh is still out there and I would hate to think what she would do. She was the one that tried to poison her. I wouldn't want to think what would happen if Morgana was to met her, now that Morgana is technically Queen."

It took Hunith a little while to process everything that Morgause had just told her. "Sorry?"

"What part are you confused about?"

"The Nimueh part. Balinor always spoke about Nimueh as if she was a friend. He thought that she had died during the purge, thinking that she would be Uther's number one victim. Why would she try and poison Morgana?"

"Nimueh believed that Drugonia, and therefore Balinor and his father, should have done more about the purge on magic. She always saw Drugonia as the enemy, like Camelot."

"Balinor wanted to help. Balinor almost went back over the border to help. His father imprisoned him because he had been so close to losing him the first time. His hands were tied. His father's hands even more. He wanted to help but felt like he couldn't afford to lose any more of his kind to Uther."

"I told Nimueh that but she wouldn't listen to me. Look, I need to go and find her. She is my sister. I felt like I let down my other sister and I can't let her down. Not now." She pulled on the straps on her backpack before she made her way across the room. She stopped next to Hunith. "Look after Mordred for me. He has become like a son to me."

"I will. Feel free to pick any horse in the stables."

"I promise I will bring them home, safe."


Morgause didn't rush as she did the straps of the saddle. She knew it was something that she needed to do properly. She didn't want to end up on her back if the horse got spooked or as they set off on their journey. She knew that she should have said goodbye to Mordred, but she couldn't face telling the boy that she was leaving him once again. This was the place that they could finally be together.

She could feel his eyes on her. She knew exactly which window he was in when she pulled on the last strap and turned around. She looked up at him.

"I will be back. With Morgana." She told him, telepathically.

"You are leaving me."

"I can't take you with me. It is bad enough that Nimueh knows about Morgana. I don't want her to know about you. I want to keep you safe. Mordred, you heard what the dragon said. Nimueh would want you to become that."

"I don't want to be that."

Morgause offered him a smile. "Then allow me to make sure it doesn't happen. I promise you that I will come back to you."

"You always make that promise."

"I know. But I haven't broken it yet. Mordred, we will be a family. You will have me and Morgana. You will have Merlin and Hunith. We are finally home. Let me bring the rest of our family home."

"Don't be too long."

Morgause smiled up at him again before she jumped onto her horse. She nodded at him before she dug her heels into the horse's side. She had no idea where she was going to start with her search. She hoped that she might get the word out around the druid camps before heading towards the Isle of the Blessed.

She hoped that Nimueh hadn't already found her or didn't know that she was missing. She feared for what could happen if she did know.


Nimueh watched, in the water, as Morgause made her way out of Drugonia. She looked confused as she did so. She wanted to know why she was leaving a place where she thought she was safe.

A smile graced her lips. Maybe Morgause had realised that she was right all along. Maybe she was getting back her oldest and most loyal ally.