"Merlin… you have to understand…"
"Yes, Morgana I wish to understand, what has made you so desperate that it drove you to plot the murder of my father in cold blood? To practically delivered Camelot into the hands of mercenaries? or To look me in the eyes and lie to me, betray what the three of us have"?
"I did this for us". She stepped forward adamantly "With Uther out of the way, Arthur can become the King Camelot deserves"! She exclaimed, desperate to make him see it from her perspective.
"What then"?
"What do you mean"?
"Say your plan with Tauren succeeds, what then? Yes, Arthur will become king in name but will he achieve what he is meant to or even remain so for long? What if Tauran and his mercenaries decide that they would rather erase the Pendragon lineage then bow to Uther's son? What of all the sorcerer's Uther has wronged that will find his grieving son an easy target for their vengeance once he's gone? Because trust me Morgana Arthur will grieve. Uther's death may not affect us very much, he's hurt us to deeply for that but Arthur is as of yet, untouched by that kind of pain. Not to mention Bayard, Carleon, and Cenred, all of whom have been waiting for a weakness in Camelot's defenses? Say with our power combined we do manage to overcome all these obstacles, what would be the cost to the people caught between the fray"?
He looked at her, he could see his words seeping in, the deeper understanding, repressed under righteous anger, surfacing.
"The Old Religion speaks of balance Morgana; a sudden shift in power will have consequences that none of the three of us are completely prepared to deal with yet. We will, however, get there in time, but that requires patience, through planning and preparation. Arthur will be King, the Greatest of them all, but how is he to achieve that if you rob him of the opportunities that will help him learn, that will prepare him to earn and fulfill that position"?
Morgana took a breadth and practically collapsed into her vanity chair. Her mind working through all Merlin had said, the fight draining from her. Merlin knelt before her and she looked into his eyes. She claimed to love him yet she had disrespected and disregarded his judgement, plotted to murder his father, lied to him… forgive me. I couldn't stand to see Gwen in pain. After all, she is not the only one to lose a parent at Uther's hand. Her mind spoke as a tear made its way down her cheek in remembrance of her own father. She still blamed Uther for Gorlois' demise. For not providing him with the required reinforcements in battle when required.
Indeed… Uther has hurt so many of us, taken so much in so many ways... At one point I was ready to strike him down myself so I do understand the inclination. Her eyes widen at that. "What has he done Merlin"? Her concerned voice asked out loud.
He sighed "Something unforgivable and a conversation best left for another time, right now we have more pressing matters at hand".
"Tauran... What do you intend to do"?
"We follow through with your original plan". A smirk appeared on his face as he spoke, "You use Uther as bait to draw Tauren out and then leave the rest to me".
After leaving Morgana to attend to her task with Uther, Merlin found his way to Gaius chambers, in all that had happened, he realized that he had neglected the true victims of the tragic events that unfolded over the last two days. He had already made sure that the family of the owner of the boarding house, where Tauren had stayed, was compensated; in the only way, they could be at this point.
The old physician did not seem to be in. He made his way to the backroom, he knocked and Arthur opened, it seems his brother had similar ideas. "Merlin come in please". Guinevere stood next to the bed and bowed to him as he entered. "I've told you before Gwen, you do not bow to me in private but…" he looked at his brother's stiff posture before continuing "as it stands, we are here in a more official capacity".
"Guenievre" his brother nodded back at him, "we want you to know that your job is secure and that your home is yours for life. We guarantee you that, under the circumstances, it may not be much but… anything you require, all you need do is ask".
"Thank you Sire" she curtsied to Arthur and then to him "My Lord". He nodded to her as well.
During dinner, Uther announced that Morgana and he would be leaving the next morning on a pilgrimage to Gorlois' grave. Arthur would have thought nothing of it had he not spied his brother and Morgana give each other meaningful sly glances. What are both of you up to? And why haven't I been included?
It was Merlin who replied I will tell you all you need to know soon enough brother. For now, I need you to just trust me. Arthur gave Merlin a short firm nod as he took a quick sip of his wine.
It didn't take long to dispatch the mercenaries and the sorcerer however it hadn't been as easy as he expected either. Tauren had used the Mage stone to deflect his attack and render him unconscious. Luckily Morgana was able to complete the task and save Uther. He reached the citadel just a few hours after both of them.
"My Lord" The stable hand came running "your brother has requested your presence in his chambers". Merlin breathed out and nodded as he handed over the reins of his steed.
"You called for me brother"? He asked as he entered Arthur's chambers, he was unsurprised to see Morgana sitting at the head of Arthur's table. Her eyes shifted to his nervously while his brother paced the floor running a hand over his face in frustration. He turned and deliberately walked towards the table. He rested his elbows on to the back of one of the wooden chairs and stared right at Merlin who was leaning against the closed wooden doors silently ensuring that they wouldn't be overheard.
"Both of you were aware of the attack on father and you kept it from me, why"? His head turned from Merlin to Morgana and back. "Answer me"! He shouted banging his palm to the table, making Morgana flinch.
"I planned it" she confessed, "I was furious at Uther, for what he had done to Gwen the others, I thought the kingdom would benefit with him gone so I found Tauren and plotted with him to have Uther murdered".
Arthur looked to her in shock and then looked to his brother, at a loss for what to do "I understood Morgana's actions were an error in judgment and I took the required steps to help her rectify them while simultaneously using the opportunity presented to dispatch a dangerous enemy of the kingdom". Merlin explained calmly.
"Error in judgment"? Arthur replied incredulously, slowly annunciating each word. "She plotted to murder our father, Merlin"! His voice loudest as it pronounced the younger prince's name.
Merlin looked his brother in the eye, face hard "And at one time in the past I did the very same".