Chapter 10: A New Beginning

A year and a half had passed since Merlin and Morgana had arrived in Ealdor. For Merlin, life in Ealdor wasn't very unfamiliar, as he had lived in Camelot for barely more than a year. But for Morgana, who had lived in Camelot since she was a young child, living in a small village was much more difficult. All the luxuries she enjoyed in Camelot were no more. She had to get her hands dirty for the first time in her life.

But more than that, she no longer had a servant. She had to do everything alone. She had to dress herself, take care of herself, and even make her own bed. Speaking of "bed," it was just a sleeping bag placed on the floor, which she slept on. She had slept like that before, but certainly not every day. Merlin was completely fine with it, but she wasn't. The only one who got a bed was Hunith.

She wouldn't complain, of course. Hunith was extremely kind and helped her acclimate to this new environment. The other villagers still respected her for what she did during the bandit attack on Ealdor a few years before. But still, the most difficult part was the work. Agriculture was grueling work. She had never done such backbreaking labor before, but now she had to do so from dawn to dusk, every single day.

And then there was the food; it was tasteless compared to what she ate in Camelot. And on some days, they couldn't afford anything at all to eat. So they ate nothing. She had never, in her life, starved before. But now it was not too unusual of an experience. She couldn't complain because everyone else was going through the same predicament.

But not everything was terrible. She no longer had to live in fear. Of course, she couldn't show the villagers her magic, but she didn't need to be as careful as she was in Camelot. She could freely practice magic with Merlin past sunset. That free usage of magic felt liberating to her after years of suppressing it.

And of course, unbeknownst to the villagers, she (and Merlin) helped them with their magic. Crop yields were much higher than in previous years. The sick were mysteriously cured. Trees were cut down into spare wood. No one knew how these things were happening. But at least she knew who they should be thanking.

Everything was different. It was as if her life in Camelot and in Ealdor were from separate lifetimes. But now, a year and a half later, she was used to it all. Now she didn't complain because she didn't feel like complaining. Her magic was now equal to Merlin's. Hell, in some areas, it was even better than Merlin's. The work that felt so difficult once now just feels like a habit. Using magic to help the villagers now seems like a good purpose in life. Even the food now started to taste good after she had forgotten the taste of the delights in Camelot.

But one part of her life still remained terrible, the part that bothered her since she was a child, her nightmares, which she now knew were visions. Back in Camelot, she had Gwen to hold her when she had these nightmares, before she died. After that, she was all alone. She hated to admit this, but she no longer missed Gwen. She remembered her, of course, and whenever her memory came to her, she always became sad.

However, she didn't think of her that often anymore. She didn't need to. She didn't need a servant. In fact, she didn't even want one. She was glad to be able to take care of herself by herself. She didn't even feel alone anymore. Uther had been a flawed yet loving (somewhat, he was still trying to kill her) parental figure. But now, Hunith was serving that role in a way. She always gave her advice, helped her in her work, and even consoled her when she felt homesick.

But she also had Merlin. When she awoke terrified in the middle of the night, he always woke to hold her and calm her down. He never once complained or even pitied her. He even helped her in doing something Gwen could never do, interpreting her visions. This even came into use when she saw that rain was soon going to come during a particularly dry part of the summer.

The old barriers of propriety between her and Merlin were long gone. She was the same as Merlin now, a poor peasant (with a lot of magical power). She had long since liked Merlin, especially after she learned of his magic. But anything more than friendship between them always seemed impossible. But now, here in Ealdor, far from her old home, in her new home, it could be possible.

Of course, that all depends on Merlin's feelings on the matter, but he already spends all day, every day, with her. So much so, in fact, that some of the village children even joked that they were already married. He always laughed them off, but he never denied anything. Why would he do that unless he shared her feelings? It was too early, of course. But one day soon, she had to ask.

She thought all this as she was finishing her work in the fields. The sun had set, and as such, she made her way back home. Merlin was already there, chatting with his mother, sitting at the table. She sat down beside Merlin. And Hunith brought their supper. They ate slowly, laughing about various events that had occurred in the village recently. After they were done, they all went to sleep. Merlin was right. She could be happy here. She is happy here.

That night, she had a terrible nightmare and woke up terrified, as always. Merlin woke up and immediately hugged her, which calmed her down. She said softly, "Merlin, I saw myself running from ..." Her voice broke, and Merlin asked, "From what?" Morgana said, "I'm not sure. But I do know I was running towards something, some kind of dark void, I think. What does that mean, Merlin?" Merlin had a confused look on his face and said, "I don't know. It must be some kind of metaphor."

Merlin sat silently for a while and then said, "We can figure it out later." He looked out the window before saying, "It's almost dawn. Let's make breakfast. Give mother a chance to sleep in for once." Morgana gave a weak smile and said, "Sure." So they did, and Hunith was happily surprised to see breakfast already on the table when she woke up. But she still said, "That's my responsibility. You two already do all the work on the farm."

Morgana said, "Nonsense. We woke up early. It was our pleasure." They continued chatting amicably until they were done eating. Then they suddenly heard a loud knock on the door. Merlin yelled, "The door's unlocked." The door swung open, only to reveal a blonde woman wearing a fancy red dress. She was not one of the villagers, that was for sure.

Hunith got up and said, "Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Hunith." She looked to Morgana and said, "My name is Morgause. Can I speak with Morgana privately?" Hunith said, "Of course," and left the hut. Morgana was concerned. Was she found out? Morgause simply looked at Merlin, clearly indicating him to follow Hunith. But Morgana didn't want to be alone with this stranger so she said, "Anything you can say to me, you can say to Merlin."

Morgause said, "Alright, sister. We have much to discuss." Morgana asked, "What do you mean by sister?" Morgause replied, "Because that's what we are. Our mothers are the same." Merlin decided to verify such outlandish claims using the spell "Asecgan anlipig treowþ," which forced her next sentence into the full truth. Then Merlin said, "Is that the truth?" To which Morgause immediately replied, "Yes."

Morgana knew what spell Merlin had used, and now she was very concerned. Apparently, this Morgause was, in fact, her sister. But a much more concerning question came to her mind, and she asked, "How did you find us?" Morgause replied, "I have been searching for you for over a year." Before she could continue, Merlin asked, "Why?"

Morgause replied, "I want magic to be freed. I first tried to convince the once and future king Arthur." Merlin scoffed and said, "Good luck with that." Morgause gave him a stern look and said, "He didn't listen to a word I said and tried to kill me." Merlin said, "That's Arthur for you. I think the whole destiny thing with the once and future king is just nonsense spewed by desperate druids."

Morgause said, "I came to the same conclusion. So I thought the best way to stop our persecution was to work with you, sister. With my help, you can become a powerful sorceress." Morgana immediately retorted, "I am already a powerful sorceress," emphasizing the word 'already'. Morgause said, "All the better. Then we can start immediately." Morgana asked, "Start what?"

Morgause said, "I have a plan to overthrow Uther and conquer Camelot." Merlin said, "We're not interested. We're happy here, and we don't want trouble," sounding a lot like Gaius. Morgause said, "Do you want to really live here like a peasant where your abilities are not only hidden but actively shunned?" Without thinking, Morgana immediately replied, "Yes." Morgause continued, "And what about the thousands of our kind being hunted down like animals for what we are?"

Merlin replied, "That's not our responsibility." Morgause replied, "Isn't it? Only because you two escaped Camelot did the witchfinder ally with Arthur. And together, they've unleashed a reign of terror upon our people. Over five hundred of our kin and even people who treated us with the tiniest bit of mercy were put up on the pyre by those two butchers." Merlin was taken aback. What Morgause had said was not entirely false. Without them, Arthur would've never needed to call for the witchfinder.

But Morgana said, "You didn't answer my original question." Morgause sighed and said, "After searching for more than a year, I heard that your room in Camelot was restricted and that no one dared enter it." Morgana asked, "So?" Morgause continued, "I sneaked into your room and found your hairbrush, which contained one loose strand of your hair. I used it in a spell to track you down. I was discovered, and the castle bells rang, but my horse was fast, and I escaped."

Morgana considered what she said and concluded it was plausible. But her mind would not be changed. She would never leave Ealdor. So she said, "Sorry you went to all that trouble for nothing, sister," with the last word being uttered hesitantly. Morgause said, "Didn't you listen to a word I said? You are responsible for what is happening, and it is your duty to end it. And even if not, do you want our kin to keep suffering like this?"

Merlin said, "How dare you ask that! Don't you think we tried? Without Arthur, it's impossible." Morgause said, "I have a plan." Merlin condescendingly asked, "That being?" Morgause replied, "We'll kill the Pendragons and conquer Camelot." Morgana laughed and said, "How? With what army?" Morgause replied, "Cenred's." Merlin sternly said, "No, how is he any better than Uther? Sorcery is forbidden in his kingdom, and he doesn't care about his people."

Morgause retorted, "Cenred is very manipulable. I can control him." Morgana said, "For how long? Regardless, we are not working with a tyrant. That would make us no better than Uther and his clique." Morgause said, "Be reasonable, sister. We need to be pragmatic." Merlin said, "Do you know how much evil was justified in the name of pragmatism?" Morgause simply sighed. Morgana said, "Feel free to stay as long as you like," and then dragged Merlin outside.

Morgana said to him, "Why are we even considering this? Her plans involve killing both Uther and Arthur." Merlin said, "Considering how many people they killed, we shouldn't really care. But Arthur was my friend, and yours as well." Morgana said, "Exactly. Let's just hope she doesn't stay too long." Merlin nodded. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the knights of Camelot with Arthur and Aredian front and center.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review if you have any thoughts, positive or negative.