Chapter 23
Arthur was still trying to process what he just heard. Apparently some people called the Disir had judged him for his crimes against the old religion, or at least that was what the strange man in front of him had said. He was still standing there, holding a parchment and a giant golden coin, looking at him like he was expecting an answer. However, there had been never any questions; all that the men had done was to read the parchment he had in his hand: a message from the Disir, filled with accusations and demands. The man's last words still rang in his mind: It is not too late, Arthur Pendragon. Not too late to find the true path. Redeem yourself. No further chance shall be given.
"So basically they are threatening me..." he told the man.
"Not threatening! Judging!" the man corrected.
"What right do they have to judge me?" Arthur asked.
"Well... they are the Disir!" the man said, as if it was obvious.
"And I'm the king of Camelot, do they really expect me to do as they say?"
"You have to! Otherwise you'll suffer the wrath of the Triple Goddess."
"So, it is a threat..." Arthur pointed out.
"No! It's a—" the man stopped talking and grunted with frustration, which made Merlin smile, "never mind, it's not my job to explain this to you," he said. "Catch!" he added, as he tossed the golden coin.
The golden coin fly towards Arthur, who didn't have any better idea than to grab it midair. He then tried to ask the man what the coin meant, but he was gone.
After looking around some more to make sure that the man wasn't just hiding behind a nearby tree, Arthur turned to face Merlin.
"I have to say Merlin, this is the first time I've been threaten with a giant coin," Arthur said with a small smile, inspecting the object he was holding.
"I don't think you should take this so lightly Arthur. If what that man said was true then this means trouble and we already had plenty. Besides, remember what the last magical golden coin put us through."
That reminded Arthur of the whole body swapping business. He stopped inspecting the coin, grabbed it with only two fingers and placed it slowly in his horse's satchel.
"What do you think I should do then?" he asked Merlin.
"We better ask Gaius," Merlin answered, a bit surprised that Arthur had asked him for his opinion. "He'll know more about this."
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When they reached the physician's quarters Gaius was looking at some leaves through a magnifying glass.
"Merlin, is that you?" he asked, without looking at the door.
"Yes Gaius, and I'm with Arthur," Merlin answered.
Hearing that, Gaius looked at them and stood up quickly.
"Sire, I apologize, I didn't know you were here," he said, giving a glance around the room, assessing the mess.
"It's alright Gaius," Arthur said.
"What can I do for you?"
"We wanted to know if you have some information about this," Arthur said, getting the coin out of the pocket and placing it on the table.
When Gaius saw the coin, he instinctively took an step back. "Where did you get that!?" he asked, alarmed.
"A man just gave it to me in the forest," explained Arthur, a bit startled of how Gaius had reacted to the coin, "he said that it was from the Disir, that they had judged me. What do you know?" Arthur asked.
"That's not a coin, it's a runemark," Gaius said, as if that was supposed to meant something to the rest of the people there. "In past times, this mark caused great fear. It was given to those who were meant to appear at the court of the Disir."
"Are you saying that they are summoning Arthur?" Merlin asked.
"Indeed," Gaius answered. "And there's more. The Old Religion held that the runemark also contained the path that the gods had chosen for him. It's both judgment and fate."
"I make my own path," Arthur said, in a firm voice.
"Do you?" Gaius asked, in a respectful manner. "It is said that only the gods can alter a man's fate..."
"Really, Gaius? You believe that? What about all that Camelot has endured these past few years? From where I'm standing, this city survived thanks to the efforts of our people, not the gods. We have defeated countless of enemies who meant harm to us, what makes this one so different?"
"They are the Disir, sire. They share a fragment of the power of the Triple Goddess. They are not someone you want to have as enemies."
"They are the ones who threatened me, Gaius, they are the ones who made us enemies," Arthur said. "You can't seriously expect me to go to them as if that hadn't happened!"
"Of course not sire, but leaving it be would probably not be wise either."
Arthur was going to reply when he heard a strange noise coming from the table. The runemark was moving, shifting. The outer circle was slowly rotating clockwise, while the center stayed still. After a few seconds it just stop, leaving the outer circle just a few degrees to the right from where it was before.
"What was that?" Merlin asked.
"I think is some kind of countdown," Gaius said, looking carefully at the runemark. "I... I can't seem to understand this very well, maybe if I could study it a bit longer," he said.
"You should do that, " Arthur said, with a serious face. "I'll come back after lunch."
"I'll get right to it, sire."
"Come on, Merlin," Arthur said, leaving the room.
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"Are you worried?" Merlin asked Arthur, once they had left the physician's quarters.
"Yes, but not because of that... runemark," Arthur said, not sounding entirely convincing."The Saxons are our real problem."
"Do you think that those two things are related?" Merlin asked.
"Who knows? Maybe..." he answered, in a dry tone.
"Arthur, are you alright?"
"I'm tired Merlin..." he said, sighing. "I'm tired of always being fighting... of always being attacked by yet another enemy... Why is peace such a hard thing to achieve?"
Merlin had trouble finding a reply to that.
"I'm tired too," he finally said, "but don't forget Arthur, we are fighting for that peace... and I think we are close."
"Really, why?" Arthur asked, truthfully intrigued.
"Just a hunch," Merlin answered, shrugging.
Arthur broke into laughter. "I'll make sure to tell the men about your hunch, that will surely raise their moral."
"It's always an honor to be of service to Camelot," Merlin said, in a mocking tone, "now go to you chambers, I'll bring the food in a few minutes."
Merlin was already going to the kitchens when he thought he heard a 'thank you' coming from Arthur's direction. He turned around surprised, but the king was already gone. Merlin shook his head. It had to have been just his imagination.
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He knocked the door twice before entering, just in case. Inside, Arthur was signing a few papers and Gwen was helping him sort them. They really made a great team.
"Merlin! Finally! I thought you were trying to starve us to death," said Arthur.
"Don't be like that," protested Gwen. "Merlin, thank you. Just put the food on the table, we'll be there in just a moment," she said, smiling at Merlin and then looking back down to the pile of papers she was holding.
He placed the plates down and was leaving when Gaius barged in the room. He looked agitated.
"Sire, I'm sorry for intruding but I've found out more about the runemark," he said.
Arthur stopped what he was doing and stood up.
"What have you found out?" he asked, moving towards where Gaius was standing.
"It's indeed a countdown; a twenty four hours countdown to be exact," Gaius explained.
"Do you have any idea what will happen when it reaches zero?" Arthur asked.
"No sire, but I'm afraid it won't be good. We have now almost twenty two hours to figure that out before... before whatever will happen happens," Gaius said, and looked down to the runemark. "I think that it's about to do it again," he said, placing it on the table.
As Gaius foretold, not a minute later the outer circle of the runemark started to spin again, until it had moved another few degrees.
"I keep waiting for something to happen when it moves," said Arthur, after the runemark had stopped.
"Maybe nothing happens until it reaches zero," Merlin ventured.
As disproving him, a loud thump sounded behind them. They turned around to find Gwen laying on the floor.
"Guinevere!"
"Gwen!"
Both Arthur and Merlin starting running towards her, but before they had crossed that small distance, she was already standing up.
"What did just happen?" Gwen asked, touching the back of her head.
"You seem to have fainted," Gaius said, coming towards them.
"Again?" Gwen asked.
"What do you mean again?" both Merlin and Arthur asked in unison.
"Earlier today I felt dizzy for a bit, but one of the servants helped me not to fall. Do you think I'm sick?" Gwen asked, looking at Gaius.
"Gwen, this is important; when did you felt dizzy? Was it an hour ago?" Merlin asked.
"I don't know exactly, but it was around that time, yes. Why? What is going on?" Gwen asked, looking at the worried faces of the three men.
"Do you think is related?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin.
"It would be too much of a coincidence for it not to be," Merlin answered.
"Would someone please tell me what is going on!?" Gwen demanded.
Arthur made some tries to talk, but he couldn't find the words.
"Earlier today we received a threat along with that runemark," Merlin explained, pointing at the table. "We didn't know how serious we should take it, but now it seems that the runemark is somehow bonded with you and when it shifts, once every hour, you are somehow affected."
"Are you saying that that is causing me to faint?" Gwen asked.
"I think so, yes," Merlin answered.
"And what will happen when the countdown is over?" she asked.
"I... We don't know," Merlin said.
"What if we destroy it?" asked Arthur. "Wouldn't that brake the bond?"
"That's very dangerous, sire," said Gaius. "Since it's bonded with the queen, breaking it might..." Gaius couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.
"Alright, what about a spell, maybe a sorcerer could remove the bond," Arthur said, and then his eyes focused on Merlin. "We could ask Mordred, he would help us."
"I'm sorry, sire," Gaius said once more, "but this bond comes from the Triple Goddess herself; I'm afraid that only the Disir can remove it."
"So they have left me no choice, have they?" Arthur asked, with anguish in his voice. "I have to go to them."
"Arthur, no! It's dangerous," Gwen said.
"I can't just do nothing, Guinevere. I'll go there and I'll make them remove the bond, I promise," he said, stroking her cheek.
Gwen started to speak, but then she closed her mouth and nodded. "Just be careful," she said, holding his hand.
"When haven't I been careful?" he replied, forcing a smile. "Do you know where I can find the Disir?" he asked, looking at Gaius.
"It is said that the Disir divines using an ancient pool by the sacred spring at Caerlanrigh. The source of the spring is a grove of trees in the Black Mountains called The Grove of Brineved."
"Thank you," he said, and then looked at Merlin. "We leave within the hour. I'll ready the knights." He stood up and walked towards Gaius. "Please take care of her, we'll be back as soon as we can," he told him.
"Of course, sire."
Arthur went back to Gwen, kissed her, and quickly left the room.
"So, I really can't cure her?" Merlin asked openly, now that Arthur was out.
"No," answered Gaius, shaking his head, " unfortunately, what I've said was true."
"Can't I at least try?" Merlin asked.
"I don't see why not," Gaius answered.
Merlin looked at Gwen who nodded. He closed both his eyes and opened his third one, his 'mind's eye' as Mab had called it. He should have done that before, but he still wasn't accustomed to having that ability. There was indeed some kind of connection between Gwen and the runemark. He tried several spells: cutting the bond, moving the bond to another source, stopping the runemark from shifting, but everything was in vain.
"Nothing, you were right," Merlin said, frustrated, while he opened his eyes.
"I've told you, my boy," Gaius said, "the bond can only be broken by a servant of the Triple Goddess."
"So we have to force them to break the spell— Wait! Any servant of the Triple Goddess can fix this? Not only the Disir?" Merlin asked, with open eyes.
"That seems to be the case, yes, but unless you know how to find Alator, it doesn't make much difference," Gaius said.
"Alator?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Well, yes, I supposed that you had the idea of asking him to help, didn't you?" Gaius asked, also confused.
"Oh... of course, yes; I have no idea where he is, unfortunately. Well, I think I must go with Arthur, you stay and take care of Gwen."
"Be careful, Merlin," Gaius said. "I don't know what you'll encounter but the Disir will be at their strongest there. The Caerlanrigh is the very centre of their powers."
Merlin nodded and left to find Arthur, making a quick stop in his own room first.
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The trip to The Grove of Brineved took its time, which Merlin now measured in how many degrees the runestone had turned. It must had moved five times since they left Camelot, and now they were just seventeen hours left. He was sure Arthur was thinking the same thing.
In front of him was the cave where the Disir lived, according to Gaius at least. Behind him were a few knights that had accompanied him and Arthur, including Leon, Gwaine and Percival. Elyan had decided to stay in Camelot with her sister.
Arthur stopped and turned around.
"Men, your job is to cover the entrance of the cave, make sure that no one goes in or out," he said, in a commanding tone. "Merlin and I will go to meet the Disir. If we are not back within the hour follow us with extreme caution. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sire!" every knight exclaimed.
Arthur turned around and signaled Merlin to follow him.
The cave was dimly lit with some torches on the walls, but it was enough to know where to go.
"Arthur, I know how important is this, but please, try not to anger them much, we need their help," Merlin said, in a low voice.
"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur replied. He wasn't joking.
They continued in silence until they reached a large chamber. It had a pond in the middle of it. The water shone with blue light, which was reflected in every wall, and revealed the three figures standing ahead of them. They had large robes which made impossible to see their faces, but you could notice that they were women. Each of them was holding a staff, slightly different from the rest. One was white, one black and the third one was grey.
"You have come... Exactly as we knew you would... For we see it all..." they said, one at a time. If it hadn't been for their different voices, you would have thought that you were speaking to just one person.
"We do not judge... We do not condemn... We are but the emissary of the one who presides over all... Who sees all... Who knows all... The Triple Goddess... And you, Arthur Pendragon, have angered her."
"How so?" Arthur asked. "Have I not been an honorable king? Have I not made Camelot a fair and just kingdom?"
"So much is true... But you have denied the Old Religion... Dismissed its faith... Persecuted its followers... Even unto slaughter..."
"I fight against those who meant us harm, that is all."
"Embrace the ways of the Old Religion, Arthur. Or risk the ire of the Goddess... The destruction of everything you value... The loss of those you love the most..."
"You want to judge me? to punish me? Then do it, but leave Guinevere out of this, she is completely innocent!"
"She is paying for the sins of others, as many sorcerers did... How many tears shed?... How many families broken?... How many innocents killed?..."
"What do I have to do for you to save her!?" he asked.
The Disir made a pause before answering.
"Join the Old Religion... Lift the ban on magic... Follow our every command... Swear it on your honor... And our punishment will stop... Follow the path you are walking... And you'll find only darkness... For both you and all you love... You'll have until the runemark stops it turning to decide... Then it will be too late..."
The one in the middle pounded her staff to the floor, which made the water of the pool rise until Merlin and Arthur could see them no more. When the pond went back to normal, only two people remained in that cave.
"I hate when they do that," Arthur said, in a low voice, while he turned around and moved towards the exit.
"Arthur, wait!" Merlin exclaimed, following him. "What are you going to do?" Merlin asked, but had no answer. "Arthur?"
They left the cave and Arthur walked through the knights, signaling them to stay put. Merlin followed him as he went into the forest, and then some more. Suddenly Arthur stopped, drew his sword and started hitting the ground and screaming. Merlin went cold, he had never seen Arthur like that before, not even close.
"Arthur! Arthur, stop!" Merlin exclaimed, moving towards him.
"Don't tell me what to do, Merlin!" he said, pointing the sword at him.
"Listen to me! We'll save her, we always do!"
Arthur lowered his sword and plunged it into the ground.
"And how will we do that Merlin!?" he asked. "I can't let Guinevere die, I won't, but I also can't let them extort me like that," he said, pointing towards the caves. "What will happen when the next sorcerer wants something more? And the next after that? All they'll have to do is kidnap her and I'll do everything they say. How am I supposed to protect her against something that can kill her from another kingdom?" he asked, with a defeated look on his face.
"There is one way..." Arthur added, in a low voice. "I could just give into their demands, make sure they heal Guinevere, and then leave... just leave Camelot, maybe even Albion... but I can't. I can't leave my people alone like that, not when monsters like those are going to be in charge."
He took a deep breath, grabbed the sword and sheathed it; then he looked directly at Merlin.
"What would you do?" Arthur asked, in a low voice.
"Sorry, what?" Merlin asked back.
"What would you do if you were in my place!?" he asked, almost yelling.
"Are you asking me if you should give into their demands?" Merlin asked, shocked.
"Yes! You know Guinevere as well as I do and I know that you would die protecting her, so tell me, would you do what they've said!?"
Merlin went speechless. Arthur was basically giving him the choice of lifting or not the ban on magic. All that he had dreamt for these past years was just a few words away. And yet... Wasn't this what Morgana had tried to do for so long? Enforce the change? Wasn't he the one who told her that that wasn't the right way to do it? It had been a lot easier saying that when it was all theoretical, but now he actually had the power, the choice...
"No," he said slowly, but firmly. "You can't give into their demands."
Arthur looked at Merlin all serious for a few seconds, but then he made a smile, like if realizing that the manservant could have never answered anything else. "What do we do then?" he asked.
"I may have an idea..." Merlin said.
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At these hours, she would usually be asleep, but today she had to stay awake. As if her strange dream and her meeting with Alvarr hadn't been enough for one day, now she was waiting for Merlin, who apparently needed her help with something. Hearing the sound of hooves in the distance, Morgana stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cave, as to not wake up Aithusa with whatever Merlin wanted.
She saw as he got down from his horse and walked towards her. It was impossible not to think about the dream she had had, but Morgana did her best effort. His face showed that something wasn't right.
"Hello, Merlin," Morgana said. "What happened? Why couldn't you tell me via the book?" she asked, remembering what he had written.
"Morgana, I need your help, but you won't like it," Merlin said, and then made a pause. "Gwen is dying."
"What?" she asked, surprised. "Was she wounded?"
Her surprise made Merlin glad. As much as he had wished to, he hadn't been able to discard that she had played a part on this, not until now at least.
"No, the Disir casted a curse on her," he said.
"Did they pass judgment on Gwen?" Morgana asked, confused.
"No, on Arthur; hurting her it's his punishment."
"That's strange... Why are you telling me all this?"
"Gwen is bonded with a runemark, and she'll die in a few hours. Only a servant of the Triple Goddess can remove that bond."
"Are you serious?" Morgana asked, getting where Merlin was going with this. "They are my enemies! Don't you remember? I've tried to kill them, many times! We are at war with each other! How can you ask me to save her life? Why in the Goddess name would I do that?"
"Because you owe me," Merlin simply said, "for releasing you from prison."
"I didn't know that I would have to pay you from that! Otherwise I would have just told you to go away."
"Really?" Merlin asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Besides, I've already save Arthur from the giant bat, so we are even," Morgana said, crossing her arms.
"Actually, you made it very clear that the one you were saving was Kara, so you still owe me one."
"So what? Do you think that I will help my enemies just because you ask me to?"
"Morgana, this is Gwen we are talking about... Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed. "Are you really going to let her die when you could have saved her? Does she mean that little to you? Besides, what do you think Arthur would do if that happens? It would be Uther's story all over again!"
Morgana looked at him, and once more the dream appeared in her mind. Will he really help her kill Emrys? She still had trouble believing that, even if she had seen it. She did knew something though, he would never forgive her if she let Gwen die. It had been so long since she had seen her for the last time...
"If I do this then we are even— No! You will owe me!" she said, pointing at Merlin.
"Yes, of course," he said, smiling with relief.
For a while Morgana just stood in silence.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked. "Do I meet you and Gwen at the Ancient Temple?"
"Well... not exactly. See, I've told Arthur that I knew someone who could help, but...," Merlin made a pause and looked at her. "This is a lot like when Uther was sick. Arthur tried to use magic to cure him and... it didn't work," Merlin said, leaving out the fact that it had been her fault. "It took a lot of convincing for him to trust me on this, but he eventually accepted with the condition that the healing must happen in Camelot."
"So... I will repay you freeing me from Camelot by walking right into Camelot?" Morgana asked, incuriously.
"Something like that," he answered, nodding.
"And exactly what prevents them from killing me in sight?"
Merlin grinned. "Morgana, have you ever used an ageing spell?"
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"This is ridiculous," an old woman said, crossing Camelot's gates.
"It's not that bad," Merlin said, trying hard not to laugh.
"I'm so slow! And wrinkled! And I ache, all over! I can't believe that Morgouse used to use this spell... How did you know about it, by the way?"
"Me? I've read about it in a book, but unfortunately I've never been able to make it work."
"Consider yourself lucky," Morgana said, looking at her wrinkled hands.
"So about your name..."
"I've already told you. I don't like 'Dolma'."
"It's 'The Dolma', it's catchier," Merlin pointed out.
"No, it's not. Can't I just be Green? or Le Fay?" Morgana asked.
"Well, they are both suppose to be druids, and right now you are a servant of the Triple Goddess, so... no."
"Fine, no names then."
"Alright, your loss."
Merlin kept walking, controlling his pace as to wait for Morgana. He hadn't been sure if she would go along with his plan, but she did. What if someone had told him a few months ago that someday he would be smuggling Morgana into Camelot for her to cure Gwen? Would he have even consider the possibility of that happening? He didn't think so. Hell, he even had trouble believing in it right now.
The castle appear in his sight. Merlin looked at the old woman who was walking next to him and he made a brief smile. If she hated Gwen and Arthur as much as she let on, she would never be there, not matter how much stupid excuses he had made up. The fact that she was walking alongside him was yet another proof that she had changed, and this time for the better.
When they finally reached Arthur's room, Gaius was waiting for them outside the door, looking worried.
"Gaius, is everything alright?" Merlin asked, noticing his face.
"I'm afraid not my boy. The episodes are getting worse and worse by the hour. We almost lost her in the last one," Gaius said, in a low voice.
"That can't be! We still have more than seven hours left!"
"I don't understand it either," Gaius said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked Morgana.
"Oh, this is The Dolma, she can help," Merlin said, ignoring the deathly glance coming from Morgana.
"I didn't know there were more servants of the Triple Goddess in these lands," Gaius said, surprised. "How did you find her?— Never mind," he said, making a dismissive gesture, "we can talk about this later, now you have to cure Gwen."
The three of them went into the room. Gwen was laying on the bed with her eyes closed and her face looked like she had been through hell. Arthur was next to her, trying to make her drink some water. His face looked as bad as hers.
Suddenly, Morgana raised her hand and Arthur was sent flying back towards his desk.
"What are you doing!?" asked Merlin, getting ready for a fight. He couldn't believe that Morgana had betrayed him.
"Look at what he is holding," Morgana simply said, still looking at Arthur.
Merlin followed her gaze and he saw what Morgana meant. "The Cup of Life... Arthur what did you do!?"
"Who the hell is that!?" Arthur asked, standing up and pointing at the old lady with The Cup. "I'll have you executed!"
"ARHTUR!" Merlin yelled, making the king notice him. "Did Gwen drink from The Cup?"
Arthur's eyes wondered between Merlin, Gwen and what he was holding in his hands. "No," he finally said. "No, she didn't."
Merlin sighed of relief. "I know that you were a dollophead, but this!?" he asked. "You know what The Cup does. You know the price for using it!"
"And I would pay it gladly!" Arthur yelled back. "You weren't here Merlin," he added, in a low voice. "You didn't see her." His face was filled with anguish.
"I'm here now," Merlin said, "and I've brought a friend. She can help."
"Like Dragoon helped my father?" Arthur asked, looking at the old lady.
"This time it will work, trust me," he said, nodding.
Arthur looked at the woman for a bit before gesturing that she could approach Gwen.
Morgana walked towards Gwen and placed her hands on her head. She was really weak, there was no way that she would have lived another seven hours. She could felt the curse, and it was a powerful one. She spoke words that Morgouse had once taught her. Removing a curse was like removing a parasite that didn't want to leave its host. She pulled again, and again, and again, but it was never powerful enough. The aging spell not only took its toll on her looks and speed, but also on her magic. She would have to be herself for this to work.
"Merlin, I need to be alone with her. I need to cancel the ageing spell," she told him, telepathically.
He looked at her and nodded. They had already determined that she was able to undo the spell for herself, which really had surprised Merlin; he had needed a week of training with Dragoon to do that himself. Apparently some types of magic came easier to Morgana than to him.
"Arthur, we need to give them some space," Merlin said, looking at him.
"Are you crazy Merlin?" he asked. "I'm not letting Gwen alone with her!"
"Come on, Arthur, just for a little while."
"No!"
Merlin was going to talk, but someone else beat him to it.
"Arthur," said the old woman, "I understand why you don't trust me. You would be a fool if you did. However, the only way that Gwen will get better is if you leave this room and let me work. It's your choice."
Merlin could see the shock in Arthur's face, which probably had something to do with the fact that Morgana had just call him a fool. He was afraid that Arthur would do something stupid, but after some time of what looked like a staring contest, Arthur turned and faced him.
"Do you trust her?" he asked.
"Yes," Merlin answered.
"Do you trust her with Gwen's life?" he asked, once more.
This time Merlin made a pause before answering. "Yes," he answered, glancing at Morgana.
Arthur nodded as to convince himself and walked towards the door. When he was almost there he turned around and faced the woman.
"Save her, please," he said.
"I will," she answered, nodding.
Once everyone were away and the door was closed, Morgana took away that hideous disguise. To only think that she would be like that someday... assuming, of course, that Emrys didn't kill her first. She shook her head; now wasn't the time for that kinds of thoughts.
She approached Gwen and tried once more. It was hard, and it took its time, but against her true powers the curse didn't stand a chance. Once she had finished Gwen let out a small gasp, but her eyes still remained closed. That was probably for the better.
She knew that she should use the ageing spell, go outside and tell Merlin that it was done, but instead she just sit next to Gwen and looked at her. She remembered the first time they had met, when she was just a child. She had just lost her father and came to live with Uther, who assigned Gwen as her maid. At first she didn't like the idea of having someone serving her, especially not a girl of her own age. As the time went by, they grew closer and closer, which made Morgana even more guilty about having Gwen work for her. One day she just couldn't hold it anymore, and she asked Gwen if she was happy doing what she did. Her answer still made Morgana smile. Gwen had made a huge grin and had said that every girl dreamt to be best friends with a princess, and that in her case that was true. Morgana had never had a 'best friend' before.
Still... that had been then and this is now. They would never accept someone with magic. Gwen knew about Merlin. And Gwen stood between her and the throne of Camelot. Did she really wanted the throne? They were enemies and there was no turning back. Then what was she doing here?
She was about to stand up when Gwen slowly opened her eyes. Morgana stood still as her eyes scanned the room and fixed on her. Morgana couldn't have guessed how Gwen would react to see her there, but if she had made a list of possibilities, bursting into laughter wouldn't have been in it.
"Oh, God, I'm getting crazy," Gwen said to herself, between laughs. "I'm actually seeing Morgana."
"I'm actually here," Morgana said, trying to use a soft voice.
"Of course you are...," Gwen said, still laughing. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" she asked, in a sudden change of tone.
"No, Gwen, you are fine now, you just need to rest," Morgana explained.
"Says imaginary Morgana..." Gwen said, unconvinced. "Still, it's weird," she added, sitting up on the bed, "that I would imagine you of all the possibilities, and why are you with that hideous dress? If there was one good thing about Morgana was her taste in clothes, before she became all evil, of course."
"It's a disguise!" Morgana exclaimed, looking down.
"Of course it is! Who would ever recognize you in that!?" Gwen asked, with irony.
"I also used an ageing spell— It doesn't matter, I am real," Morgana said, firmly.
"Sure... sure..." Gwen said, smiling. "I miss you, you know? The old you. There is so much I would like to tell you. I guess that now we'll never have another chance. Will you even feel a little bit sad when I die?"
Morgana opened her mouth to answer, but Gwen raised her hands to stop her.
"No, don't answer, I don't want to lie to myself anymore."
Morgana looked at Gwen who had covered her face and started to sob. She thought about what she had asked her. Would she feel bad if Gwen died?
Yes.
She didn't know why, she didn't understand it, but now, sitting in front of her, she didn't have any doubt that the answer to that question was 'Yes'. Morgana still remembered the hatred she had felt for Gwen once, but now that feeling was there no longer, no matter how deeply she searched. Instead all she could find was a question; a question that had appeared many times since she started talking with Blue; a question that she silenced with all her might, for its answer terrified her; a question she couldn't help but to ask.
"Could you ever forgive me for all the things that I've done to you? All the pain that I've caused you?" Morgana asked Gwen, looking down.
Gwen stopped sobbing and looked at Morgana.
"I think so... if you asked properly," she said, showing a half smile.
Morgana grabbed Gwen's hand and looked straight at her.
"Please Gwen, will you forgive me?" she asked, in a low voice.
"I forgive you," Gwen said, placing his other hand on top of Morgana's hand. "This feels so real, I must have a really high fever!" she said, amused, looking at their hands.
At that instant the door opened and Merlin's head appeared form the other side of the door. Seeing that scene, he went into the room and closed the door behind him.
"What are you doing?" he asked in a low voice, looking at the two women.
"Oh, Merlin, sorry, I was just talking to myself," Gwen said.
"What?" he asked, confused, shifting his gaze between her and Morgana.
"She believes I'm not real," explained Morgana, smiling slightly.
"Why?" Merlin asked, even more confused.
Gwen saw Morgana shrug as an answer to Merlin's question and she could swear that he was looking directly at her. Either she was really crazy, or...
"Wait!" she exclaimed, releasing Morgana's hand and moving away from her. "You are real!"
Morgana stood up and backed away also as to give Gwen some more room. "I am," she said.
Gwen also stood up, slowly, and she backed up against the wall.
"And all that," Gwen said, gesturing towards where they just were talking, "all of that was real too?"
"Yes, but don't worry, I won't hold you to it," Morgana said, with a sad smile.
Gwen looked at her hands and opened and closed them several times, then she touched her forehead and opened wide her eyes.
"I'm fine! You cured me!" Gwen exclaimed. "You cured me?" she then asked, confused.
"It's a long story," Morgana said, making a dismissive gesture.
Gwen stood still for some time and then ran towards Morgana and hugged her. Hugged her! Morgana didn't understand what was going on. Both of her arms were pinned against her sides by Gwen's embrace and her eyes couldn't get any wider. She glanced at Merlin who for some reason looked like if he was about to cry. Had everyone gone mad? Still... she could notice her own arms rising and returning Gwen's embrace. They stood like that for some time, but Gwen didn't seem to want to let go.
"Gwen, Gwen, it's fine," Morgana said, gently pushing Gwen away.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just..." Gwen said, wiping her tears. "Just a moment ago I thought I was going to die and now..." she gestured towards Morgana and smiled. "It has been a strange day."
Morgana give her a sympathetic smile in response.
"Girls, you have no idea how glad I am that you two have made peace, " Merlin said, "but right now Morgana needs to use the ageing spell before Arthur comes back."
"So, you two are working together now?" Gwen asked, looking at them. "How did that happened?"
Merlin and Morgana tried to answer that, but had trouble figuring out where to begin. They kept saying a few words and looking at each other as if checking out they were telling it right.
"Well, I..."
"There was this sorcerer..."
"And he gave us these books..."
"And then I got caught..."
And so on. In the end they had started more than ten sentences but hadn't finished even one.
"Look, Gwen, Morgana is right, it's a long story," Merlin eventually said, "and I promise that I will tell you about it, some of it at least, but later. Right now I need to get her out of Camelot."
"There is just one thing I don't get," Morgana said. "Why would the Disir hurt Gwen if they had judged Arthur? As far as I know they have never done anything like that before."
"I think it has something to do with Alvarr and the Saxons," said Merlin.
"Saxons? In Albion?" Morgana asked, surprised.
"Yes, they are helping Alvarr. They were the ones who tried to kill Mordred," explained Merlin.
"You should have told me about this sooner," Morgana told him, in a scolding tone. "Still, the Triple Goddess doesn't collude with humans; it doesn't work like that."
"Well, maybe the Disir acted on their own then."
"But why? What does Alvarr gain if she dies? Why not just kill Arthur?" Morgana asked. Her eyes drifted to the desk where Arthur had crashed before and an idea appeared in her mind. "Oh, Goddess!" she exclaimed, alarmed. "Merlin, where is The Cup of Life!?"
Before he could answer, the warning bells started to sound. Someone was attacking Camelot.
###
A/N: I hope you liked it!
Did I tell you about the cliffhangers?
So, a VERY long chapter to compensate a bit the previous chapter. Still, that doesn't mean it won't be any more short chapters in the future :p.
Here we have a runemark that actually does something, an angry Arthur, an old Morgana, a reappearance of the Cup of Life (apparently Arthur had it hidden somewhere), a talk between Morgana and Gwen (now I pass Bechdel Test! xD), and an excuse that bonds everything together; what more could one wish for?
IMPORTANT = So... I had the choice of splitting this chapter in half or upload it all together. I decided to do the latter, but in return I won't be updating next week :p (life and all that).
Thanks AndreKl, mersan123, Lady Flurryous, Guest, hithere and Meri Ley for the reviews =D
Meri Ley = The druids (led by Alvarr) are against Camelot and its ban on magic (and want more power), while the kings are against Emrys because he might threaten the empire they had created.
Lady Flurryous = Actually, there are indeed a few parallels between Meg and Morgana xD. I would have loved to see a chapter of Merlin where everyone burst to song :p (and since you have magic in the show, there is nothing to stop you). Unfortunately, writing people singing doesn't work the same u_u.