Chapter 9
Iselder was waiting for them when they arrived and led them to a stream and pond close to the camp.
Since they knew they would be there for a while, Viviana conjured what looked like a small tent from the outside. However, when they entered, they were thrilled to discover the inside was much larger, containing two beds, a small fire pit, a table and two chairs, that could be used for eating or study, and a back room where Aithusa could sleep and or they could practice their magic without disturbing the rest of the camp.
Merlin and Morgana thanked Viviana for their new accommodations. They had tried the beds and found them very comfortable and wanted to learn how to do this. Viviana did show them how to do silencing, locking and size manipulation spells as those skills would be necessary during their stay. However, she also reminded them they needed to focus their energy on helping Morgana with her seer powers at this time."
The two were disappointed, but consoled when Viviana told them she would teach them more on this subject at a later date.
After Viviana left, the magical pair were introduced to Ysira who immediately began their training and education in the subject of Seer.
Both Merlin and Morgana were thankful when Ysira was able to explain the seer ability was a gift of warning. She explained the fear Morgana had about her magic in Camelot interfered with her being able to fully delve into the visions and pointed out her previous visions were of possible futures. Their futures were malleable. The out comes Morgana saw were malleable.
Ysira taught Morgana a spell so she could share her visions and dreams with Merlin. Doing this was a game changer for everyone and created the necessity for complete trust and communication as they experienced the terror and fear together, Merlin was glad Iselder had suggested he join with Morgana in her training as it would enable him to better understand and help her. The other bonus was that, their joint instruction strengthened Merlin and Morgana's bond of friendship and love as they helped each other through these periods of trauma to solutions.
Ysira facilitated these explorations, discoveries and solutions. In doing so, she became another mother to Merlin and Morgana. She was so proud of their achievements especially when Morgana sought to right her wrongs. Morgana sought to make reparations where possible. Merlin too was so proud of her.
Ysira never babied them or made decisions for them. Each day when she took them through their meditations together, Ysira first had them explore their magic, and ask them questions; what made them feel good, what made them feel bad, what made them worry and what made them feel peace, what made them happy and what made them sad, what was important and what was not. Everything was written down in the journals Iselder had given them.
Ysira was able to help Morgana identify the dark whisperings of the curse and how much that had affected her actions. It took many months, but she learned to separate and identify the seductive violence promoted by the curse Morgause and the darkness had laid upon her.
Ysira was always questioning them. Merlin and Morgana's answers changed over time as they learned more, but Ysira would never tell them they were wrong as this was a subject where the answers were largely in them. She was there to help them unfold and reveal what worked best for them and would continue to question them till they could answer her with surety.
While Morgana was not able to access her initial feelings of respect and caring towards Merlin, each day she spent with him, she was gaining new experiences and memories of and with him that made her so happy and activated her conscience. This would have been much more difficult if she had not had Ysira there to help her identify her real voice and desires that had been buried by the curse.
The day she discovered that she hadn't wanted the throne of Camelot till Morgause had put that idea in her head, was traumatic with mixed emotions. She was happy for the truth, but was devastated as her newfound perspective shed light on the depravity and extremities Morgause had used for her own agenda.
It was during this time, she realized how much those manipulations had isolated her from her family and friends, how much she missed her brother Arthur, and her maidservant Gwen. As she remembered those good times, she started to desire more of them as they contrasted extremely to the violence and disregard Morgause had justified and pushed to gain power. It was a reawakening of Morgana's conscience. and it showed up in her dreams at night as her past actions were exposed to a new light.
This was another game changer for Morgana because with awareness, came the desire to not only make things right, but to snuff the voice of the curse that had plagued her since her sister had put it upon her. Both she and Merlin came to appreciate and value Ysira for her knowledge, capability, kindness and wisdom in helping Morgana achieve this goal of control over her emotions and reparations to those she had harmed.
At night the couple looked forward to the times they sat around the Druid campfire and listened to their stories, sang with them and danced with them, learned their legends and prophecies. It was during this time, Morgana learned the prophecy, of the Once and Future King and Emrys and the Golden Age they would create in more detail. She also learned her part in greater detail. They treasured the wisdom of these older people and the rest of the camp who had become family.
When they had time during the day, Merlin and Morgana would help with meal preparation and other tasks to pay for the many kindnesses they received from these peaceful people. Other times they would walk around just talking and rehashing what they had learned to review, clarify and apply where necessary. There was little spare time but Iselder had suggested the set aside a time several times a week to practice magic and share magical knowledge. Viviana sometimes came to help them.
Now when Morgana had horrible nightmares, she did not always wake screaming or crying or shaking or all three as the horror of her past actions unfolded and her conscience started to work. When Morgana had really bad dreams Merlin would wake up and comfort her before going back to sleep. It was a sign that the trust and friendship between them was deepening and getting stronger. They found they would rather be with each other than anyone else. Over the weeks and months that followed, their friendship and love was deepening to an even greater level out of necessity but also out of desire. There were no secrets between them. They had decided to bring these dreams (nightmares) to Ysira.
As the weeks and months passed and Morgana's conscience came back. They would talk about ways Morgana could make things right with the people she had hurt or killed. As she gained control to push the curse aside, she discovered true remorse as she remembered the children she had caused to be orphaned. She and Merlin talked of taking them in, or at the very least providing for their care and helping them get and maintain some kind of livelihood. They had written letters to Gwen and Arthur instructing them to find out who the victims were and use Morgana's funds from Tintagel for reparation. These solutions gave her some peace of mind. But there was so much that needed to be resolved, It was often overwhelming. But when they received letters back from Camelot that progress in these matters were being taken care of, it soothed them and allowed them time to focus more on the people around them.
Merlin and Morgana had been able to defend the Druids and had captured many a rogue bandit or group of bandits without harming them and transported them to Camelot for Arthur and Gwen's justice. Stories of these instances were spread far and wide. Merlin and Morgana tried to ignore the notoriety it brought them. But their fame and reputation discouraged many from criminal activities.
To relieve stress Merlin and Morgana would just have fun with some of the children, young people, or adults, swimming in the lake by the their tent, or have competitions to see who could levitate the most rocks or create the most beautiful things, like flowers, butterflies, chairs, beds, cooking pots, tents, flower gardens or flame animals.
Aithusa was welcomed and became an instant hit with the Druid children. The young dragon often gave the children rides or hunted food for the entire camp.
The Druids were thankful for the help and used everything from the catches Aithusa brought, making clothing, blankets and tools. They were eating better than ever.
Even Merlin and Morgana made themselves capes and boots from from some of the animals Aithusa caught. These were nice for when it rained or snowed as they kept them more dry and warm than they would have been.
It was close to a year after Merlin had left Camelot, that Merlin and Morgana suddenly appeared in the courtyard of Camelot with a group of bandits they had suspended in air awaiting justice from the once and future king and queen. Arthur had the bandits locked up, then consulted with Gaius, Gwen, Viviana, and Iselder on equitable and just ways to deal with criminals. Since many of them had turned to crime in desperation, rehabilitation and finding jobs that provided income became a real priority for the royals. It was during this visit. Morgana was able to check with Gwen on the newly installed reparations and discuss things in more detail and catch up on each other's lives. Arthur and Gwen were thrilled about the progress Morgana was making to control the curse and were so happy to help.
Merlin and Morgana were thrilled to catch up on things the royals had learned about the different kinds of magic and happily answered as many questions as they could. The royals had discovered there was a use for most magic depending on the situation. They had learned that Morgana and Merlin had not learned magic. They had been born with it. Magic was a part of them like their heart or their brain. Try to take it from them, and they would die.
That made Merlin a warlock, more powerful than hedge witches or sorcerers.
They learned that Morgana was a seer as well as a witch, denoting she also was born with her powers.
Gaius filled in more of the blanks of some of the times Merlin had saved Arthur's life and Morgana's dreams had warned them of danger before it came.
The royals were sad to see Merlin and Morgana leave. But they took comfort in their lunch time meetings in Gaius' chambers when they could learn more.
There was some talk during these instructional times about the purge and the events that led to it. Arthur always became uncomfortable, very sad, and somewhat defensive during this topic, wanting to head back to the forest to beat up the tree and scream as he had a short time after Merlin left. He was uncomfortable because what he was learning flew in the face of everything Uther had ever taught him on the subject his whole life. He still struggled with his old ideas according to his father's teachings, that magic was evil. But he was learning everyday to be more objective and deal with the facts.
He was learning so many ways magic was not evil. People who used magic determined whether it was good or bad depending on the use of it. Arthur would turn defensive because the man he had looked up to was so flawed and ruthless in his thinking. He didn't want to disrespect the man who raised him, but the facts made that impossible. He was still angry that his father had been so unrepentant, proud, accusatory and generally out of control in his purge. Most of the executions had been unnecessary. Gaius expressed deep regret for not saving more innocent people.
Gaius had brought up the scrolls and books Camelot still had on the prophecies of Emrys and the Once and Future King. The more Arthur learned, the more he felt the weight of destiny on his shoulders. Merlin was so unassuming. Arthur wondered if Merlin felt the weight of being Emrys since he was basically King of the Druids.
Merlin was a King. A king had washed Arthur's dirty socks, mucked out his stables, and served cheerfully. Arthur was chagrined and even more embarrassed when he thought of how poorly he had treated Merlin. Uther would have put anyone else in the stocks had they treated him so badly or filched on their promises. Uther would probably have executed anyone for the disrespect Arthur had piled on Merlin.
Arthur had promised the Druid boy's spirit that possessed Elyan years ago, he would protect the Druids and give them the respect they deserved. He had yet to honor that promise and hung his head in shame. Morgana's words were ringing through his head. "Do the right thing, dam the consequences." Even Morgana in all her evil had been fighting for justice in her own way.
But then he thought on Uther who had said to put the kingdom first. While Uther had, in his own way, put the kingdom first, it was a tiny straw of goodness, pride, and self worth Arthur could grasp and build his new ideas and follow through with action.
The Druids who lived in his kingdom were his people, and therefore, fell under his protection. He could make a change. Only those people who hurt others, or damaged property, would be punished. The punishment would be fair and just and fit the crime. He made a pledge to himself that no one would ever again be killed and/or hunted for having magic.
Arthur brought Geoffrey into their conversations on the Druids. He charged Geoffrey with writing a proclamation that would start the ball rolling. Merlin and Viviana had laid the groundwork by showing Arthur magic could be used for good such as healing, defense, making jobs easier, or impossible jobs possible.
Arthur was particularly interested in the truth spells. His mind had caught on to the idea that it could be useful as he listened to complaints during court days or council days. With a truth spell, he would be able to tell when someone lied or falsely accused a neighbor for their own gain.
It helped him realize how important, valuable and critical Morgana 's seer powers could be if used to discover truth or to warn. He also saw how reduced their chances of succeeding in building Albion were without her and the gifts she possessed.
It made him frustrated he had not known all these things before when Morgana's magic had first surfaced. Hind sight was twenty/ twenty. In many ways, he was not surprised Morgana had acted as she had.
IT was true not all of Morgana's actions were altruistic. Arthur would have to deal with it before he could really allow her completely into Camelot society. So much depended on Merlin's quest to break the dark blood magic Morgause had used on Morgana. Breaking that spell would make it easier to pardon Morgana as it would prove she had not been in control of her mind or her actions. Even then, restitution would have to be made.
Arthur had been sending money to the orphans Morgana had created when she tested her love spell on one of his guards at Morgana's request and direction. She was proving to be truly repentant and did not mind paying for the children's living, education, and setting them up in a livelihood that would keep them happy and give them viable important work. Their parents were irreplaceable. Arthur knew this because he missed his mother everyday of his life. Every time he had seen Merlin with his mother he had felt a twinge of jealousy that his own mother was no longer around.
When Arthur and Gwen learned Merlin had defeated Cornelius Sigan who had actually built Camelot in a day, turned day to night, controlled the tides, and benefitted Camelot in trade, negotiations and war, he became curious as to what else Merlin was capable of doing. Each revelation of Merlin's power used to save Arthur and Camelot put Arthur in awe and appreciation for all the sacrifices Merlin had made for him.
Especially when he learned in some histories that Cornelius Sigan became power hungry and was killed by Bruta. The first of Camelot's rulers. Bruta had not killed Sigan as some of the history books had said. Sigan had been deceived by the Dochraid who had actually twisted the truth, deceived, and finally killed Sigan to tempt Bruta into a magical war.
Bruta had discovered her deception and banned her but it was already too late. Sigan was dead at the hand of the Dochraid with no resolution to the lies she had told him. Sigan had left the world hating Bruta and Bruta had lost a dear friend. Sigan died in bitterness vowing to come back and destroy Camelot.
Morgana's seer abilities would be so useful in discovering the truth of such cases.
Arthur just hoped history did not repeat itself between Merlin, Morgana and himself because the truth had been concealed and lies had been allowed to flourish. Everything he was learning was breaking down the wall of lies Uther had told him. He knew falsehoods could pop up and he was determined to find a way past them, through them, or around them. Honest communication would be key.
Neither Morgana or Merlin had been honest with Arthur about their magic because their lives would have been forfeit. Arthur was humiliated for every negative thing he had ever said about magic. Those negatives had not encouraged Merlin or Morgana to trust him with their largest secret. The more Arthur learned, the more he was ashamed. His shame deepened as he reflected on incidents where he had put Merlin down and not given him a reason to trust. Had he been in Merlin's shoes, Arthur knew he would not have stuck with the job for so long nor been so loyal.
Gwen pointed out that Arthur should treat all his subjects with respect reminding him this conversation had occurred many years ago when Gwen had hidden him in her home so he could compete anonymously.
Before Arthur met Gwen, he had thought he could abuse and bully people because he was the prince, because he thought that was what people expected. He could charm her with his looks and a few insincere words and that would be considered a great kindness. It was an attitude of entitlement that now shamed him.
Gwen had been the one to smash that misconception to oblivion. Merlin and Morgana had smashed that vase of disrespect, exposing it for the ugliness it espoused. Morgana had stood up to injustice and misunderstanding. Merlin had gone into battle with him repeatedly, risked his life and shown him what a true friend was. It was a valuable lesson he had learned and Arthur was going to make sure it was not wasted. He vowed he would become as good a friend to Merlin and Morgana as they had been to him. Arthur vowed he was going to promote Merlin and honor him in some way when he returned. A feast would be a small beginning and was rather superficial. He knew his daily respect, kind and courteous treatment of Merlin and Morgana would mean more to them than gold or any reward.
Arthur could see the prophecy coming true that Merlin and Morgana would share a great love and be great allies, Arthur knew he would have to promote Merlin to a Lord, or Court Warlock so Merlin and Morgana could marry and Morgana would not have to marry below her station.
But then again, that notion was hypocritical in the more glaring light of magical knowledge, hypocritical because Arthur had married Gwen, a commoner, and knighted commoners who were some of his best knights. Arthur came to realize that Merlin was magical royalty. Merlin deserved so much more consideration as he had done more than any other knight in saving and preserving king and Camelot. Merlin deserved to be awarded a royal position solely on character, not just because of his magical ability.
The legalization of magic would be something he could do for his friend and his sister and he laid awake nights thinking of a way he could do this and talking to Gwen about possible solutions. It was a clear and starry night when they finally came up with a plan and enacted it, first; surreptitiously, Gwen and Arthur broached magical subject matter with his court and council. He had to know his actions would not cause civil unrest.
Gwen and Gaius were glad to help with this project as was Mordred.
Their efforts uncovered attitudes. Those who had served with Uther balked against any changes. while knights that knew Merlin and were in on the magic classes, were all for the changes. Arthur was pleasantly surprised to discover some of the older council members, who had been around to see the benefit of magic before the purge, where actually more open to changes regarding magic.
Arthur charged Gaius and Gwen with gathering information on the matter to see where the citizenry stood on magic. That information could determine where he needed to start. He was relieved and surprised to find help from Viviana who introduced him to Iselder. He found these two a bottomless resource of magical information and Druid tradition. The more he interacted with them, the more he came to respect them not just for their intelligence, but for their integrity, character and knowledge on running a kingdom. Gaius and Gwen were also helpful and indispensable.
Arthur did not want war. He wanted to live up to the prophecy to the be a great king, to usher in the Golden Age. He considered it another way to pay Merlin back for his sacrifices.
There would have to be new treaties signed with other kingdoms who had followed Uther's policies on magic. There was much to do. Arthur's goal was to make Albion safe for Merlin and Morgana. To do so was a small part of the debt Arthur owed both of them.
