Two in one day! I hope you like it.

Arthur's POV

"Does Morgana really need to be here?" I barked at this witch. I had a feeling this would not be a good story and that the less people who knew the better.

Ambrosia frowned at me. "Morgana needs to be here, for she is part of the story too." Morgana looked shocked to be told this but father merely grunted his assent so I bit back my retort and waited to hear whatever story the woman was going to spin.

Ambrosia cleared her throat. "Twenty six ears I was made High Sorceress of Camelot and was married to a knight in Uthur's army, Myrddin. A year later I had two children, twins, but my husband died in battle-"

Merlin's head had snapped up and I could see tears falling down her face, I held back the urge to run to her and comfort her in her pain. "You never told me I had siblings!"

Ambrosia sighed deeply. "I couldn't Merlin. Not without the whole story. Which is what I'm telling you now. A couple of years afterwards Uthur married Ygraine and the High Priestess Nimueh came to Camelot to get a position in the court. A year after that they were taken away to be trained and I haven't seen either of them since." A tear rolled down her cheek but she collected herself and continued. "I was lonely and in that time became closer to the Pendragon family, Uthur and Ygraine were desperate for a child but could not conceive so begged me to use my power to give them a son. However I knew the price and would not allow it."

"Hang on, then how was I born?" I couldn't help asking.

"Hush Arthur and all shall be revealed. I would never allow such magic to be used. Nothing good ever comes of it. However Uthur didn't see it that way and grew frustrated both in his childless marriage and with me for not relenting-"

"Don't you dare pretend to have knowledge of my feelings, Sorceress! I had other reasons for doing what I did!" Father shrieked and I took a step away from him. My father , the all powerful king, looked deranged.

Ambrosia however looked perfectly calm. "How could there be a reason for raping a widow who'd just lost her two children?" I gasped and looked at my father, this I had not been expecting. Merlin looked like she was about to throw up and I saw Morgana pull her into a hug and comfort her. "I ran away to my sister's and there it became evident that I was with child. Meanwhile in Camelot in my absence the witch Nimueh made a deal with Uthur- the position of High Sorceress for an heir." I felt the colour drain form my face and I walked further away from my father and towards Gaius, who was the only person (apart from Morgana) in the room who I was still sure I could trust. Ambrosia continued her story. "Arthur was conceived only a month after my own child. I gave birth to the child prematurely and gave the little girl to my sister to protect, as soon as I'd gathered my strength I was to head back to Camelot to confront both Uthur and Nimueh. However Nimueh got to me first. She cursed me in my weakened state after childbirth so that I could no longer use magic or speak magic. It was so that she would be uncontested in Camelot for the position as High Sorceress." Ambrosia took a deep, shuddering breath and I felt dread build within me. "But I still went to Camelot anyway to try and convince the King that he shouldn't mess with this type of magic, I thought that maybe he'd listen to me out of guilt for his crime against me." I snorted in disbelief and all eyes fell on me, Ambrosia smiled weakly at me. "Well safe to say he didn't. Without my magic I was nothing to him and in fact I knew too much so he threw me into the dungeons. Gaius and the Dragon Lord Balinor were my only visitors, I had always been friendly with Balinor and we grew closer over the rest of Ygraines' pregnancy when he came to visit me."

"That bastard Balinor!" My father cursed angrily.

"Don't you dare insult Balinor like that! He actually loved me!" Ambrosia's anger shook the windows slightly and walked over to her and touched her arm reassuringly. Or what I hoped in a way that was reassuring...

Father was still angry and now stood up and pointed violently at Merlin, who was still hugging Morgana fiercely. "Is that witch Balinor's spawn?!"

"No, she's his daughter." Ambrosia replied coldly. "Our daughter. Anyway that time only lasted until the time when Ygraine gave birth. Uthur finally realised what I'd been telling him all along: for a life to be given a life must be taken. Ygraine's life was the forfeit for your birth Arthur." I looked at her eyes wide and in those pale blue eyes I saw only truth.

I fell back as if having been hit by an actual blow and I looked at my father horrified by all the things he'd done and all the people he'd hurt. Crimes that were inexcusable! Rape, murder and imprisoning an innocent, defenceless woman. These were not the acts of an honourable man- no these were the acts of a coward. I felt two thin arms wrap around me and I saw Merlin's beautiful eyes gazing into mine. She was the only one who could understand my pain, understand the pain of suddenly finding out your parent had been lying to you your entire life. I clung to her as well and we stood there waiting for one of our parents to speak.

Gaius' POV

I watched the prince and the witch cling to eachother and a small spark of hope flew through my body. They both needed time to heal but they needed to hear the full story before the day ended, these words had taken long enough to be said. Morgana deserved the truth as well. So I spoke for the first time since the start. "Ambrosia please continue, they need to know. All of them need to know."

Ambrosia nodded and continued. "When the price of the magic was Ygraine's life, Uthur decided to start a war on magic in revenge for the loss of his wife. Balinor broke me out of prison and we ran away together to Ealdor. We spent nearly a year together before the news of the war reached us and Balinor left to fight for magic. He didn't know I was pregnant and I have never found out if he survived the war." I shuddered when I remembered Balinor's last stand as the final Dragon lord.

Uthur must also be remembering because a wide, manic smile appeared on his face. "Balinor was slaughtered, with the rest of his filthy people!"

"The Dragon Lords were a noble and mighty race and you killed all of them and the dragons. For the sin of killing creatures so purely magical you shall burn in hell." I recognised the forced calm in Ambrosia's voice and there was a slight waver to it as she continued. "Without my magic I was safe from Uthur who would've otherwise killed me, and for that I must be grateful to Nimueh. However again I realised I was with child and then eighteen years ago Merlin was born. Everybody with magic trembled at her birth and within the first moments of opening her eyes she could perform feats of magic that would take an ordinary student of magic years to properly master." I saw Arthur's eyes widen in shock at the girl he held in his arms but he wisely kept his mouth shut. "While Ealdor is not within Camelot's borders they still frown upon magic so Merlin had to be hidden. As her powers grew I could do nothing to teach her or guide her because of the curse, so I had no way of helping the only one of my children actually raised. I couldn't let her go yet so I selfishly kept her close to me however when she was sixteen her magic was out of control so I sent her to Gaius here. I knew Gaius would help me and Merlin and he did." For the first time since she'd begun her story she moved.

I remembered her elegant movements and the ready smile that Merlin had seemed to inherit and embraced her warmly. "It is the least I could do for you Ambrosia. I was a coward back then to leave you in those cells."

"Forgiven Gaius and forgotten." She smiled warmly at me and I felt the guilt at the death of so many innocents lessen slightly at seeing Ambrosia smile like that again.

Arthur's POV

I stood cradling Merlin's body in my arms and I wasn't entirely uncomfortable with the situation. In fact I was enjoying holding onto her whilst everything I knew about my life crumbled, she made me feel safe even after all the lies I couldn't help trusting her. Pathetic I know but she is the only one who can understand what I'm going through right now.

Gaius cleared his throat and spoke in an unusually commanding way. "One of you needs to tell Morgana the truth. It has been too long and she has a right!"

I looked at Morgana questioningly but she seemed unsure as well. Ambrosia turned and faced Morgana. "The child that Uthur and I had was a little girl who I gave to my sister Vivienne. I only had one request: her name was to be Morgana."