Author Note: OH MY GOD! Finally! I have been waiting for the time to come and it's now. This was actually one of the original chapters I've written for this story. But warning. This chapter might be controversial to some people. There is no mature subject matter, no racial discrimination or anything like that. Just one choice I made to explain the connection between Claire and Morgana. If anyone is upset by this chapter, I advise you to not move on reading the story.
"Claire, wake up!"
I find myself in the same place I was two times before, in the hallway of the mysterious castle. I hear Mom's lullaby. Determined to find the source, I walk around the halls until I turn a corner to discover Morgana staring out of a window with her hands rubbing on her huge stomach. Wait? What?! I don't remember Morgana looking like that at all. Her body is the same, wearing the same clothes as I saw her in Camelot, but her stomach is like a balloon under her dress. Morgana turns in my direction, making me panic and fall to the floor, but she doesn't seem to notice, not even a flinch. I squint and see new details in Morgana's facial features. I get up and slowly walk up to her. Her face is younger but exhausted, with bags under her eyes. I jump back as she groans in pain. She holds her stomach with one hand and leans down to catch her breath with her other hand on the wall. She takes a few deep breaths and straightens up. "It's alright, little one. You'll be out in a few days." She whispers with compassion, looking down and rubbing her huge belly. Little one, a few days, huge belly? My eyes widen in shock. Oh my god! Morgana is pregnant. Questions start to spin rapidly in my head with worry, confusion, and curiosity. How? Why?
"Morgana!"
Morgana turns to the sound, and I do as well, not recognizing the sound. "Gwen! I'm so glad you're here!" Morgana cheers happily and opens her arms.
I see a woman walking up to Morgana. She's wearing a green silk dress with a skirt coming to the floor with long blue sleeves to her wrists. She has red hair, is swept in a high, tight bun, and wears a small yet beautiful golden crown with colorful gems. Her face is as young as Morgana's, with the same green eyes and pale complexion, but her facial features look different than Morgana's. She seems almost ethereal and angelic with her wide smile. Gwen? Like Queen Guinevere?
"Anything for a best friend and sister-in-law. Besides, you're making me an aunt!" Guinevere says with excitement, making Morgana chuckle. Yes, Morgana is pregnant. "How have you been feeling over these past eight months?" She asks with concern.
Morgana sighs in exhaustion. "The little lamb moves a lot and always makes me hungry. I can't wait for them to come out." She says calmly.
She doesn't talk in anger, envy, or annoyance. Just calm, like how she spoke to me while I was in Camelot. She doesn't even call the child inside her as she usually calls creatures, and it's odd.
"Aww, Morgana, they just want to meet you so badly." Guinevere giggles innocently, touching Morgana's hands on her stomach. "Are you excited to become a mother?"
Morgana's face changes from happy to frowning, stepping back and recoiling from Guinevere's touch, looking down with sadness.
"Morgana, what's wrong?" Guinevere asks with worry, taking a step closer.
Morgana bites her lip and childishly turns her head away in my direction, looking distressed. She takes a deep breath and turns back to Guinevere. "It's just... I'm scared, Gwen. I don't know how to hide this from my brother, Merlin, and the knights when this baby comes into this world. I have already been gone for eight months." She replies. Her voice is slightly shaky, and I spot fear in her eyes, but she keeps her composure.
Guinevere grabs Morgana's hands. "Morgana, it will be alright. I'll stand by your side, but you must return home. I miss you, Arthur misses you, and so does Merlin, as well as the other knights around Camelot-"
"But how am I going to explain this to the court? You heard what Merlin said!" Morgana interrupts in a panicked voice.
"Don't worry; we'll figure this out together. I promise. You not alone in this, Morgana." Guinevere says in a reassuring tone and with pleading eyes. Morgana takes a deep breath and nods. "But let us not dwell on this fact right now. You still have a few days until she comes." She says, more cheerfully, smiling.
Morgana rolls her eyes. "I don't know what the sex of the baby will be, Gwen." She chuckles, making me feel strangely at ease. "It could be a he."
Guinevere chuckles too. "What will you name the baby?"
"I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?" Morgana asks calmly, rubbing her belly.
"If it's a boy, Hugo or John. Suppose it's a girl, Isabella or Veronica. Sound like royal names." Guinevere answers, making Morgana shake her head and giggle.
"What do you think the child will look like?" Morgana asks, changing the subject.
"I bet they will have your beauty and intellect," Guinevere replies sweetly.
Morgana smiles, and they hug. "Congratulations Morgana."
Before I can enjoy the happy moment, I feel dizzy and pain in my head and stomach, placing my hands there. My head feels like someone is continually bashing it with a hammer, and heat flows through my body. It flows from my stomach to my hands, and I feel my magic begin to spread to my fingers. It feels unbearable and hurts like hell.
"Claire! Wake up!"
I turn around to see nothing but darkness for as far as the eye can see.
"Wake up, child!" The same voice says.
It doesn't sound like Mom's, Abuela's, Mary's, Darci's, Daniela's, Morgana's, or any other female voice I know, but it's the same one in my head since I first came to this castle in a different dream. Suddenly, I hear a baby wailing, echoing throughout the pitch-black area. I frantically look around, trying to find the source of the crying.
"Shhh! It's ok, Veronica. Everything will be ok."
The crying only continues but is louder.
"No, no, no. Shhh, shhh! Don't cry, Claire."
I feel my heartbeat start to pick up. The cry was the same. But the voices are from different females. And the names are other. During these past two weeks, I've wondered who Veronica is. Is it Veronica of Galot? Is it another person? Why does this feel so familiar? The pain, the crying, the stress. It's too much. My knees buckle, and I collapse, curling up on the cold, dark floor. "Stop, stop, stop!" I cry, rocking myself back and forth.
"A birth of a child in the middle of the 10th month of the year. Another wizard was born 900 years later on the same day. Skin the color of golden sand, hair as dark as night, and eyes the color of cocoa beans. With the power between light and dark. The child is born out of the blood and magic of one of the two elders sorcerers of mankind's history. Holds a staff of shadows and emotion. They will either be the world's savior or doom. The choice is theirs to make." I hear a deep and scary, chilling voice whisper in my ear.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" I scream. "I've been hearing that for two weeks!"
"It's your destiny!" The voice replies, making me shake my head.
Then, I see a vision. I see Blinky and AAARRGGHH!, running up to me. A sense of relief comes off my shoulders. I've seen them in a while, but they look panicked and worried.
"Claire, Tobias, Master Jim!" Blinky shouts, and the vision is gone.
Then, I hear a wolf howling in the distance. I feel like crying. No, this isn't real. This isn't real! It's just a dream. A stupid, wrong, but realistically painful dream. Then, my body starts uncontrollably shaking. The pain feels like it's my magic and becomes more potent than before. I cry and scream for it to stop. I open my eyes to look at my hand, but my vision becomes so blurry that I can't see what's before me. I shut my eyes, twist, and turn, but nothing stops the pain. It's too much. My necklace starts glowing, my mouth feels like it is contorting into a different shape, and so does my entire body. I feel like cutting myself, ramming into a wall, or not opening my eyes. I feel like I'm back to square one. I am trying to control my powers in the bathroom, but I have no one. No friends, no family, and no one to save me. I feel like I'm circling repeatedly until I fall, but suddenly, the pain stops, and my body starts to calm down to feel... euphoric bliss. I whimper and groan in pain, but it doesn't sound like my voice. It sounds...animalistic. I hear sniffing. What? It's my breathing, but humans don't sniff, right? My body feels different too. My mouth feels sharp and sore. My legs and arms feel weird and itchy. I want to open my eyes, but I'm too scared.
"Time to see more of your powers, child."
I open my eyes to see various shades of blue, yellow, and grey. What? Humans are supposed to see the colors of the rainbow. Or so we think? I try to get up, but my legs and arms are tense and weak. And my body feels contorted in a different way than a human body.
"Look at them yourself."
I look down and see a river next to me. I looked at it and screamed.
"Follow the wolf as black as ink. It's your destiny."
I gasp, opening my eyes to see my bedroom ceiling come into view. I shot up like a stick, panting, whimpering, shaking, and my pajamas drenched in sweat, just like at home. I just hope no one else heard me and comes running in here.
"Claire? Sis! Are you alright?"
I take a few deep breaths and hug myself as I feel NotEnrique hop on the bed.
"Sis, what's wrong?" He asks in a really concerned voice.
I finally turn to him and see his big, pleading yellow eyes. I can't tell him. "I'm fine NotEnrique!" I lie.
He doesn't look convinced, shaking his head. "No, Claire. It's not fine." He says softly. I let go of my knees and sit, allowing NotEnrique to hop on my lap. "I think and feel something is wrong." He says more seriously. I sigh and glance away briefly, but NotEnrique's eyes stay on me. "Claire, I'm worried about you. I feel like you're not being honest with your friends or me. You're hiding something, and it seems like it's hurting you. I don't know what it is, and I'm scared for you. So, don't tell me you're fine because you're not!"
I glance away again and sigh deeply. He's right, and I need to tell him. I take a deep breath and look him square in the eye. "Ok."
I told him everything that's been going on. Everything around me and what I have thought for the past three weeks and in my dreams. I leave no stone unturned. But as I get things off my chest, I feel hurt and guilty. Why? As I finish, I swallow a lump in my throat.
"Wait! Morgana has been talking to you?" NotEnrique asks in shock.
"I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. She doesn't hurt me." I say before crying. I didn't know how much I was holding in and how good it was to let it out. I close my eyes and try to wipe the tears, but they keep coming. I feel NotEnrique crawl into my arms and snuggle up against my pj's, silencing me. I wrap my arms around him, and we silently hold each other.
"Claire..."
I open my arms and eyes to look at the little changeling in my lap.
"I'm sorry I said that, Sis. I always see how scared you were these past weeks, and I wanted to know what you were hiding. I'm sorry you feel this way." He says in the sweetest, most gentle, and most heartbreaking voice I have ever heard from NotEnrique. He looks sad and scared; seeing him look this way hurts.
"Thank you!" I whisper in a raspy voice.
NotEnrique crawls up my arm and wraps his tiny arms around my neck. "I love you, Claire. You're the sweetest, most caring, and most amazing person I've ever met. I couldn't ask for a better being to call my sister." He whispers in my ear.
I almost want to cry again after hearing him say that. "Thank you NotEnrique. I love you too." I whisper back. We soon let go but smile at each other. I look at the clock on the wall and back to him. "It's 3:00. We can still catch a few more z's before dawn."
"Sure!" NotEnrique says more cheerfully. "But this time, I'll sleep next to you, so no more bad dreams come, alright?"
I chuckle. "You read my mind. Thank you!"
"Hey! Anything for a sister, remember?" He says softly as we snuggle under the covers of the massive bed.
I lay my head on a pillow, and NotEnrique snuggles in another one beside me like a cat. "Goodnight, brother." I yawn.
"Goodnight, Sis." He yawns back as I close my eyes.
We drift to sleep together, no worries, but I still have this strange feeling in my gut. Is everything that I saw in my dreams true?
Author Note: Morgana is pregnant? Mind blown! But how? Why? And what is she talking about what Merlin said? Again, this is controversial to what some people believe about the Arthurian legends and Morgana La Fey. I just thought of an idea of if Morgana and Claire are-
Oops! I almost said too much. Hahaha! But I hope you like this chapter, and isn't the reason to turn away from the story. These chapters won't appear this fast. This one was just written pre-storyline and was just waiting to come out. So, don't hold your expectations too high.
I also wanted to put Queen Guinevere in the story because we never saw her except for a memory that Douxie made and the shadow realm. But she sounded important because she drew everyone she loved into the War against Magical creatures and Humans after her death. I wanted use that more and how much she means to Morgana. But with that, guess what just happened and please review.
