Chapter V

Morgause stood before Arthur. The prince ready in his battle stance while the sorceress stood imposingly. It wasn't even a second later before they charged at one another. A dark knight was chasing after Merlin who just managed to escape round the corner of some old ruins. The king was asleep and she and Merlin were watching over him. The servant extended his hand out to her a water skin in its grasp ready for her to take.

Morgana awoke to the sound of birds chirping out her window and closed her eyes taking in some deep breaths.

So much for that sleeping draught.

The king's ward laid back down pulling the small box from under her pillow. She opened it softly looking at the ring inside. Morgause told her to put it on in the morning. She slipped it on to her left ring finger looking at it before letting out a soft scoff and switching it her index instead. It was intricate and beautiful. A gold band with some minor Celtic carvings. Definitely made before the Great Purge. She doubts her mother or any women for that matter would wear such a ring without being under a direct line of scrutiny. The band also hand several rubies wrapped around the ring evenly spaced out. Red and Gold not only the colors of her old home, but Camelot as well.

Morgause had said it belonged to Vivienne, but she couldn't remember her mother ever wearing it as a little girl. She seldom had memories of times before Camelot. Even less of her mother. She was slowly forgetting what she looked like. She remembered Gorlois. Remembered her father and how he doted on her. How he was a brave knight that she looked up to, admired, and worried for. She worried every time he left on the king's orders. Even at a young age Morgana had nightmares. She would see things and they would happen. She remembers seeing how her father wouldn't return.

Morgana was so deep in thought admiring the ring and trying to remember her old home and parents that she didn't even notice as the door opened and Gwen slipped inside.

"Morning, My Lady. Morgana? Morgana?" The maid called out a few times as she went about opening the curtains and heading towards the wardrobe to pick an outfit out for her mistress to change into.

"Yes." The lady finally answered making sure the box was hidden from view and her left arm was under the blanket.

"Did you sleep well?" Gwen yawned deciding on a dark green gown with bell sleeves and jewels around the neckline.

Morgana nodded, "No, but better than you, by the looks of it."

"Sorry." the servant sighed turning to show her lady the dress. "We could add a belt? Maybe sooome" Gwen pause as another yawn escaped her dragging out her 'some', "sorry. Maybe some gold jewelry?"

Morgana made her way out of bed her eyes narrowing on the dress she just saw herself wearing in her dreams.

"I'm not sure about the color?"

Gwen looked back at the dress, "It's beautiful? It'll bring out your eyes. Besides you look lovely in green."

Morgana frowned it was true she did look lovely in green. Gwen though noticed her frown and turned back to the wardrobe to return it.

"You look lovely in anything, milady. How about this?" Gwen pulled out a deep blue dress.

Morgana reached for it pausing. It was just a dream after all. She shouldn't let her dreams frighten her so much. She'd lose so many good outfits that way.

"No, it's alright. You were right. The green is the right choice. I'll wear that one."

Gwen sighed smiling softly and pulled out the green dress again, "Great. Can you manage, while I go get breakfast or?"

"Go." Morgana laughed her stomach emitting a growl as she watched Gwen leave her chambers.

She touched the jewels on the collar and paused. Gwen might have been too busy to notice her new ring, but would probably notice it later once she helped find more accessories for the dress. Morgana picked up the box from Morgause off her bed and quickly put it in a dresser drawer. She pulled out her jewelry box looking through several necklaces wondering if maybe she could wear the ring around her neck, but besides the colors clashing she didn't want to draw attention to it. She decided on getting a green ribbon and tying it to her thigh. It would be perfectly concealed and hopefully the rings magic would still work as it was on her person.

For Gaius, the court physician, had been awake for a few hours already having book marked several counter charms to sleeping spells in Merlin's magic book. He also had an anti-sleeping draught ready for Merlin or Arthur to take, but he couldn't confirm how potent they would be or if they would even work against this particular sleeping spell. He had made sure to use magic to create them, however his magic wasn't what it used to be after years of not practicing.

Even the spell of the previous night that he cast for Morgana took too much out of him. Hopefully the spell had enough magic so that when Morgana would use the book any curses placed on her would be undone.

The physician had also spent the entirety of the previous night researching if it was possible to destroy an enchanted object on the off chance the journal's magic wore off. The main consensus to break any spell/curse on another human, required for the sorcerer who cast the spell to undo it or in some cases the death of said sorcerer. Several witch finders have attested that after the death of a sorcerer, usually depending on how strong the sorcerer, all curses they casted would be undone. There were also several ways to destroy an enchanted object and the majority included using magic to unspell it, however that was only if the magic user was stronger than the one who cast the original spell.

The few ways that didn't have a spell to end the curse, required a full obliteration of the object; more then just damage from physical force. It required completely destroying an object with fire. Other researchers on magic said that one can never truly be rid of an enchantment, but that there were ways to counter balance it or stop an enchantment temporarily. Or at least long enough for someone to track down and attempt to destroy the source of the magic. However whether the source meant Morgana or Morgause was bit confusing to decipher.

Gaius gathered all he had researched and his notes to Merlin and stuffed them into his magic book and then placed the book in its hidden spot under the floorboards of his nephew's room. Gaius had just finished cleaning his supplies that were left over from the previous night when a sharp knock sounded.

"Gaius? It's Leon."

Gaius moved to open the door double checking there was nothing that would be suspicious to Camelot's first knight before letting him in.

"It's a bit early, Sir Leon."

"Apologies. It's the king, he seems to have fallen ill. He requests your presence right away."

Gaius nods not letting his face show any inkling of worry. It seems Morgause's spell might have already been cast if this is more that just a bout of sickness.

"Let me get my medicine bag." Gaius said finally founding said bag under his bench and motioned for Sir Leon to lead the way.

Arthur and his knights were hidden outside the entrance of the fortress waiting for Morgause and the knights of Medhir. After the talk with Merlin the day before everyone was on high alert. Arthur even more so as Merlin insisted he be the one to set up the trap inside the fortress so that he and the knights wouldn't be there incase it was set off by accident or if Morgause came and saw them as she would instantly know it was a trap if she saw Camelot's prince.

Arthur argued more than not, offering to go with him or send some of the knights with him or in his place, but the servant was adamant about risking his life like an idiot with no redeeming qualities or self preservation instinct.

"What's that?" the prince remembered asking.

"Tree sap," the servant muttered carefully adding the container of the substance into his bag, "cave rocks, charcoal, smelling salts, ash from last nights fire… all standard ingredients to get a large fire started, some cloth rags to wrap the materials in and place around the chamber. Some twine…"

Arthur tilted his head, looking at everything the servant managed to gather up on short notice, "Right? Sap and charcoal and twine… How exactly do you know how to do this? I don't remember you needing all this in Ealdor?"

"Well not everything, I had to make do with what I could find here in Ealdor we had more stuff, mostly sheep fat and oils but essentially all this should work and burn just as good…" Merlin trailed off at Arthur's look, "... trust me Arthur it will work."

"If you say so. You still haven't answered how you know what you're doing?"

Merlin sheepishly looked down making sure to check everything was in his bag.

"Merlin?"

"Well, I'm not a fire starter if that's what you're wondering… but well small town and Will and I may have gone a bit out of hand with some of our pranks and we were put in charge of a festival once involving a bond fire and umm… well yeah."

Arthur shook his, "Your poor mother. Dear Lord, you know what I do not need to know any more. Just make sure it works. How many knights will you need to set everything up?"

"What? Why would I need knights?"

"To set up…" Arthur started before Merlin's words hit him, "You are not going in there alone."

"I thought that was the plan? I set up the ambush and you and the knights wait to make sure that everyone goes in. You whistle or give me some signal that Morgause and all the knights have entered and then boom!"

"Boom. Are you planning to kill yourself. There is no boom!"

"I mean maybe not 'boom' per say but some explosion? Also no I am not planning on killing myself if everything goes to plan I should be out by the time the first bomb goes off."

"I'm not sure. It sounds dangerous maybe I could-"

"No! You stay here wait till I'm out and make sure that if someone besides me comes out that you ride back to Camelot to warn the city."

"Come on. Hurry up Merlin." Arthur whispered to himself. He turned to look across to the other side of the entrance where he noticed Sir Cyrus and Sir Anders making hand signals to each other that were too far too make out. Soon enough Cyrus was using the blade of his sword to reflect against the light so it could flash and alert the other knights that someone was coming.

Arthur held his breath as he saw the blond haired sorceress approached with seven dark knights on horse back behind her. They only had one go at this. He watched as the blonde signaled for the knights to get off their steeds and how they moved in perfect terrifying unison. As they entered the fortress Arthur couldn't help, but exhale softly and motioned towards the others to start barricading the entrance.

As Camelot's men approached the horses were spooked and started neighing but whatever noises they made they soon stopped and calmed down. The knights continued with their work barricading and locking the entrance. In stern silence hoping for the 'boom' discussed earlier.

"What if the boy…" started Anders hesitantly before the whole fortress started to shake.

The prince gasped, "He did it." Merlin actually managed it, but why wasn't he out yet.