Thank you for the reviews.
So I have had a slight change of circumstance, I have asked for fewer hours and I currently have one extra day off. So I am just going to have to organise my time well and hopefully write a little more. Not going to promise anything at the moment but we will have to see how things work out.
Chapter 14
He wasn't scared. That was what Arthur told himself as he jumped for the fifth time since he entered the maze. He was a warrior. Warriors didn't get scared. He was a king. Kings don't get scared.
But Arthur was scared. He was absolutely terrified.
He had changed which wall he was following, to accommodate the fact that he now had his sword drawn. He wanted to be able to swing it, so kept his left shoulder to the wall. It gave him enough room to be able to attack if anything attacked him.
He stopped and turned as he heard a hissing sound behind him. Part of him wanted it to be light, just so that he could see what would be attacking him. The other side of him didn't want to know what magical horrors would await him. He knew why his father was put off by magic. It could be used for dark things.
But he just had to remind himself of all the times he had seen Merlin use magic. It was a weapon. It depended on the user as to how it was used and perceived. Arthur just now had to change the way that the people of Camelot saw magic, thanks to his father.
He let out a shaky breath before he continued his search for Merlin and Morgana. A little smile graced his lips as he could just imagine both of them wander around this maze with a little light of magic while he was stumbling around in the dark. It was the only time that he wished he had magic. He could just imagine Merlin calling him a prat when he found him.
The creature hissed again and Arthur was grateful that he had those few moments where he could forget about the danger that he was in. He wondered whether this was her plan. Scare them before asking them to join her or them begging her to kill them. It definitely felt like some torture chamber or maze.
His feet automatically sped up. He was never one to run from a fight but this is one that he wasn't totally sure that he could win. He kept his shoulder as close to the wall as he possibly could as he went into a jog to try and put some distance between him and the creature.
It was like the maze had read his thoughts because as soon as he turned into the next corridor, a door lowed itself, blocking the way Arthur had just come through. He let out a sigh of relief as he realised that creature wouldn't be after him now. He banished the thought that he now didn't know what was ahead of him. He let out another shaky breath as he continued his search for Merlin and Morgana.
Morgana was slightly glad that Nimueh came back. Not that she knew what Nimueh wanted with her since she had been left in the dark. The light hurt her eyes as the room became illuminated. Morgana blinked as her eyes got used to it. Nimueh gestured the free chair and waited for Morgana to take it before she said anything.
"Who has more right to the Camelot throne than Arthur?" Nimueh asked.
"I don't know. That is why I asked you."
"What if I put forward the proposition that Arthur didn't actually have a right to the throne?"
"He is Uther's son. Surely he has all the rights."
"Then I will ask another question. Why did Uther start the purge?"
Morgana was confused. "Uther started the purge because … Ygraine's death."
"How did she die?"
"In childbirth. I don't understand how this all links."
"Then let me tell you. Ygraine always knew that she wanted children. Uther just wanted it for the selfish reason that he wanted an heir. Ygraine would always talk about the children that she wanted. I mean she talked about it so much I could see her with the son and daughter that she wanted, both with her blonde hair. But sometimes the goddess can be cruel. For a woman who wanted children so much, she couldn't have them. She was barren."
Nimueh looked over at Morgana. She wondered whether she was going to interrupt her but Morgana was having a hard time processing what she had just said. If Ygriane was barren, how was Arthur born?
"Do you know what that would do to a woman? Especially to a woman how has dreamt of children since she was a child? It broke poor Ygraine and Uther couldn't bear to see his beloved upset. It was still a time when he cared though. I suppose you could see why he did what he did do. Why it could have been seen as an act of love rather than selfishness."
"So Arthur couldn't have been born? But yet here he is." Morgana said.
"So he is," Nimueh said. "Uther had got it into his head that he could fix things. He was a king after all. If he couldn't make it right then no one could. This was the act of love. If he could make his wife happy and give her a son, it would be the best thing ever. He would have an heir and she would have her child. Uther only wanted an heir. If he truly loved Ygraine like he said he did, he would have heeded my warning. Well, he would have listened to Gaius as he explained what I explained to him.
"Maybe the old man didn't explain it well but I know I definitely told Gaius that Uther couldn't be so certain that he could choose the person who died to have his son come into the world. The magical laws aren't so straightforward as some people think. He thought that he could cheat it. As soon as the birth started, Uther disappeared into the dungeons and waited for the news of his son's birth. Uther killed his chosen prisoner in a hope that it would balance out the world."
Morgana could feel the tears in her eyes. She didn't know why she was feeling sorry for Uther. She shouldn't feel sorry for Uther. He basically killed his wife.
"All for Arthur's birth," Morgana whispered.
"Ygraine was dead before he returned to the room. The Triple Goddess had other plans. Maybe just to punish him for his greed. Arthur was born of magic. His mother will always be Ygriane, but his father will never be Uther. And therefore he doesn't have any claim to the throne of Camelot."
Morgana had no idea what to say or do. She knew that Arthur blamed himself for the death of his mother but it had nothing to do with him. He shouldn't even be alive. It was Uther playing god. The news would kill Arthur. It would break him. He could never know about this. Maybe the news would be better now that Uther is dead but she knew it would hang over him like some dark cloud.
"Arthur can't know."
"Oh, he will. He will know what his father did and who had more claim than him." Nimueh looked down. "You know, he and Merlin came looking for you."
Morgana couldn't stop herself from standing up. "Where are they?"
"There." She said, pointing at the door.
Morgana looked at the door wondering what was on the other side of it. Knowing what she had just been told, she knew that she would have to keep her head about her. She couldn't just run into whatever Nimueh had planned.
The room quickly disappeared around her and she was left in darkness. She held her hand out in front of her and tried to remember the spell to create a light. After a few tries, she managed to create the orb of light to reveal a corridor. So whatever happened, she was going to leave that room. She wondered whether she should follow the corridor or she should stay where she was. She sighed before she started walking. She would surely find out sooner or later.
