Chapter 3

Night has fallen over Camelot, bathing the streets in darkness. The full moon illuminates the sky, its soft light colliding with the castle's unforgiving stone walls, casting eerie shadows upon the town that shift lazily across the cobblestone. The town is quiet and peaceful, save for the stray shopkeeper hurrying home for the night and the muffled chatter spilling from the Rising Sun tavern as its patrons come and go.

Huddled against the wall of a side alley, a lone man stands watch, his presence concealed by the night. He tracks a pair of guards that are patrolling the town with a predatory gaze, remaining impossibly motionless as they pass him by and eventually disappear around a corner. He surveys his surroundings for another five minutes, and once he is certain that the open street is deserted, he cautiously slips out of the alley. His feet tread silently against the paved stone as he makes his way toward the castle, making sure to skirt along the walls to remain hidden.

His journey leads him to an unguarded opening in the citadel's wall that is covered by a barred metal gate. There's a chain locking it in place, but no other noticeable security measures.

The man smiles darkly, placing a steady hand upon the rusted chain. His eyes flash a dull gold, and one of the chain's links breaks under the pressure of his magic.

As quietly as possible, he unthreads the broken chain from the gate and slowly swings it open, pausing nervously when the ancient metal protests at the movement. Once sure that he is in no danger of being discovered, the man finishes pushing the gate open and moves through the now unobstructed entryway. Everything seems to be working out perfectly.

"Morgause will be pleased."

Meanwhile, most of the castle's residents are crowded into the Great Hall, partaking in the night's festivities.

The knighting ceremony had begun at sundown, and though it has only been 45 minutes, Merlin swears that he's been here for hours. Finally, Uther Pendragon motions for the two men who are meant to be knighted to kneel before him. After performing whatever Kingly things that happen during a lighting ceremony (Merlin isn't actually paying attention), Uther addresses the new Knights.

"Arise, Sir Vidor, Knight of Camelot. Arise, Sir Caradoc, Knight of Camelot." The two men rise gracefully, standing at attention in front of their King. Once they are standing, Uther continues his speech.

"You have been accorded a great honour. But with that honour comes great responsibility. From this day forth, you are sworn to live by the knights' code. You have pledged to conduct yourselves with nobility, honour, and respect. Your word is your sacred bond. You will find no one who better embodies these values than my son, Arthur. Follow his example, and you will prove yourselves worthy of your title."

Suddenly, the attention of the attendants is drawn to the main door leading into the hall as the raucous sounds of clashing swords and cries of pain filter into the Great Hall. After a few tense moments, a knight throws the doors open and strides into the room. The unknown knight's face is masked by a heavy silver helmet and they are garbed head to toe in matching armor. Their clanking footsteps echo throughout the room, sparking feelings of fear and apprehension in the crowd.

The masked knight marches determinedly up to Arthur, causing Merlin to stand up straighter and maneuver his body into an inconspicuous defensive position. However, the attack that Merlin is expecting never comes. Instead, the intruder drops their gauntlet, allowing it to fall to the stone floor with a resounding crash. Merlin guesses that, underneath the concealing helmet, the knight is staring the young Prince down expectantly, waiting for him to accept their unspoken challenge.

Without hesitation or thought, Arthur bends down and grabs the gauntlet, causing the knight to give an almost imperceptible nod as the royal takes up their challenge.

Now that Arthur has accepted, the knight turns to leave, only to be stopped by Arthur's authoritative voice.

"I accept your challenge. If I'm to face you in combat, do me the courtesy of revealing your identity."

The knight pauses, turning back to face Arthur once more. Slowly, they reach up to their helmet, pulling it off of their head, revealing an ocean of shimmering blond tresses. Everyone in the room lets out a collective gasp; The knight is a woman.

She shakes her head, her hair settling, revealing her face. She is attractive, her sharp jaw and striking features complimenting the regal expression she wears. She locks eyes with Arthur.

"My name is Morgause."

The next morning, Morgana is standing at her window, looking out upon the courtyard as Gwen bustles about her chambers. She observes the strange woman, Morgause, as she trains, and she can't help but wonder if she's met this woman before. There's a sense of familiarity, though Morgana cannot place where it comes from. And, there was a moment in the Great Hall where Morgause shifted her gaze to Morgana, making eye contact, almost as if she was searching for Morgana specifically. Morgana recognized a spark of… something in Morgause's eyes, but she couldn't identify the emotion. One thing is certain: There is more to Morgause than meets the eye. And Morgana is determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Morgana, are you alright?" Gwen asks softly, walking up to Morgana to peer out the window, noticing Morgause's presence in the courtyard. Morgana nods and hums, but is otherwise silent. "Who is she? Why would she challenge Arthur? It seems no one's ever heard of her." Gwen continues, watching Morgause curiously. The woman swings her sword with intent, each strike just as strong and willful as the last, and Gwen can't help but marvel at Morgause's skill.

"I'm not sure. But, I feel as if I've met her somewhere before, yet I can't seem to place where." Morgana confides to her friend, shifting her eyes to Gwen's own.

"That's strange." Gwen pauses, her expression thoughtful. "Will you tell Merlin and Arthur?"

"I think I will. There's more to this than meets the eye, Gwen. I'm sure of it."

Night has descended over Camelot and the moon is casting an ethereal glow through the window of Arthur's chambers. Merlin is busying himself preparing Arthur's bed for the night while the Prince is seated at his desk, slumped over and deep in thought.

Merlin's mind is still reeling over the events of last night. The mysterious woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere, and her blatant challenge against the Crowned Prince of Camelot. When she looked at him, her eyes were without fear or doubt, as if she was already convinced that she will emerge victorious in the battle to come. There was something else about her, too. Something dark and dangerous that sent a shiver of fear zipping up his spine.

It is clear to Merlin that Arthur does not wish to fight Morgause. The Warlock suspects it has something to do with his honour and not wanting to engage a woman in combat. It's all rubbish in Merlin's opinion.

However, there's still the question of why Morgause issued the challenge in the first place. It is possible that she's looking for recognition - Arthur's skill in battle is practically legendary - but Merlin has his doubts. There was something about her eyes when she looked at Arthur, and even more so, Uther. The expertly concealed anger that simmered within her intense amber eyes and her calculating expression lead Merlin to believe that there is something more hidden beneath Morgause's apathetic behavior.

"Do you know why she challenged you?" Merlin asks, finally caving under the pressure of his racing thoughts. Arthur is silent for a moment as he brings his fist to rest underneath his chin, his elbow sitting on the chair's armrest.

"I'm the King's son. Perhaps she believes she will prove herself." Arthur answers quietly, his tone unsure.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Merlin says with a scoff as he finishes his task, walking over to stand beside Arthur. The blond gestures for him to take a seat, and Merlin does so, the legs of his chair scraping noisily against the stone floor as he scoots forward. "I know you don't want to fight her, Arthur. Why?"

Arthur sighs heavily, his whole body heaving with the action as he slumps further into his chair. "No, Merlin, I don't. But what choice do I have? If I refuse to fight her, I'm a coward. But if I kill her, what am I then, Merlin? What exactly would that make me?" Arthur sounds utterly defeated, and Merlin quickly realizes that there is much more to Arthur's hesitation than meets the eye, though he can't yet discern what.

Silence falls upon the two friends, stifling and heavy. Eventually, Merlin speaks, breaking the tense atmosphere of the room. "There was something about her, Arthur. I don't know what it was, but when she entered the Great Hall I was immediately on edge. I know she's a woman, but you can't let that get to you. I have no doubt that she will take full advantage of your hesitation." Arthur thinks for a few moments, realizing the truth in Merlin's words.

"You're right. I need to be cautious tomorrow. Thank you, Merlin."

A/N: Thank you for reading! I just want to give a quick shout-out to Weirdhead498 for giving me some inspiration on where to go with this story. Their input was very helpful and I think I have a better understanding of how I want this story to play out.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, comments and input are welcome and helpful!

RavenGrey2107