Author's note: Let the cold war between The United States of America and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics begin... Ahem... I mean let the cold war between Morgana Pendragon and Maxmillian Nassau begin.
Chapter 22
A War is Coming
How hard could it be to kill a single person? She killed the king of Camelot. Killing the prince of Saxony should be a piece of cake. That's what she thought when she was brewing her first plot to assassinate the crown prince.
Oh how wrong she was!
It had been two months since she had arrived at Cologne and she had attempted to murder the prince three times during this short period of time. But all of her attempts were foiled. She couldn't understand why fate was so cruel to her. Emrys might be fate's darling child but Max was nothing but a prince.
So, why was killing someone like him so hard? Morgana's patience was begining to run out. All of her plans were well thought of but all of them were foiled one way or another.
She first attempted to kill him during his training session.
She was watching the Saxon prince train with his knights from her chamber's large window. She could see the entire training ground from her chamber. The prince was fighting against three knights and he was doing pretty well. Morgana had to admit he was a good warrior. Maybe not as good as Arthur or herself but he was not bad. And certainly he was way more better than Merlin.
Suddenly her eyes caught a Saxon knight who was practicing knife-throwing and he was not very far from the prince. She smirked seeing this. ' It's a perfect opportunity. ' She thought.
It would look like an accident and nobody would suspect her. She incanted a spell and her eyes flashed gold.
The knight threw the knife from his hand but it didn't fly towards the target rather it flew towards the prince. Morgana couldn't believe that killing the prince would be this easy.
But then something unexpected happened. Just when the knife was about to pierce the prince's throat from behind, it stopped in the air and then it fell to the ground. Morgana's mouth was hanging open. How could this happen? Everything was going so smoothly. The knife should've pierced the prince's throat. But it didn't.
Then what happened? Morgana didn't know. Even after two months, she didn't know. There was clearly magic at work otherwise the knife wouldn't have missed. She couldn't guess who was the one protecting the prince.
Later that day, it was made public that the prince was almost murdered in the royal court. Some of the councilors accused the knight but the prince dismissed the idea saying the knife was enchanted to hit him and the knight was no sorcerer.
After that event, Morgana didn't try to murder the prince for two weeks. The whole city of Cologne was in uproar. People were cursing the one who tried to murder their prince in the open. Security around the prince was tightened. Some were even begining to suspect Morgana. Morgana could clearly see that if she was proven guilty, the royal guard wouldn't have to do anything.
The people of Cologne loved the prince madly. If she was found guilty, they would tear her apart in the streets of Cologne in broad daylight.
So, Morgana waited until the situation cooled down. And after three weeks, she tried again.
This time it was during a feast in honor of the prince's twenty seventh birthday. Hundreds of people were gathered in the great hall. The royal councilors, the Elite Royal Guards, the entire royal family and the prince's numerous friends both nobles and peasants alike were gathered at the banquet.
Morgana didn't join the feast. She was just watching hiding behind a pillar of the hall. The prince was chatting merrily with his friends. Morgana saw that the ladies of the court were flirting with many of the knights and nobles but talking very politely with the prince. The prince was also chatting with them in a civilized manner.
' So, it's not just me. It seemed the prince is immune to all women's beauty. ' Morgana thought bitterly.
That was also another problem for Morgana. She thought to seduce the prince and then kill him. But soon she realized that it was impossible as the prince barely looked at her even when she was talking with him. It infuriated her so much. It was just another reason why she wanted to kill him.
She continued watching the prince waiting for the perfect time to strike. And the chance came two hours later when every man and most of the ladies were too drunk to stand properly. Every man except the prince. To Morgana's dismay, the prince hardly touched any liquor during the party. Even the king was almost unconscious due to excessive drinking.
The prince was dancing with a lady whom Morgana had never seen before, although she seemed vaguely familiar to her. It seemed the prince was enjoying the dance which surprised Morgana. She thought he didn't like any of the ladies of the court.
' Maybe she was his lover. ' Morgana thought.
Oddly, she felt a little jealous. She mentally slapped herself for thinking like that. She only loved once and it brought her nothing but pain and betrayal. She was not going to make the same mistake again. And she was obviously not going to fall for the perfect prince of Saxony. She was going to kill him.
Yes, and it was going to happen now. She looked upwards and saw a magnificent golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the hall.
' It must be heavy. ' She thought.
The prince and his partner were dancing just beneath the chandelier. What would happen if that huge chandelier 'accidently' fall on the golden boy of the kingdom.
Morgana smirked at the thought. She raised her hand and her eyes glowed gold while keeping herself completely hidden in the shadows of the pillars.
The chandelier began to fall. The prince looked upward and saw that he would not be able to survive this. Morgana had to use her entire willpower to stop herself from jumping up and down in joy at her victory.
But her victory was short lived. Suddenly as if out of nowhere , a pair of long chain appeared and one of them encircled the prince's midsection while the other encircled his partner.
Both of them were yanked away from the falling chandelier's way by the chains. They flew across the hall and landed roughly on the floor but they were saved.
Morgana's jaw almost dropped to the ground. The chandelier would have crushed the prince if those peculiar looking chains hadn't appeared and yanked him away at the last second. She looked around the hall to see who was the savior of Prince Max.
The occupants were all wide awake by then. The king stood up and yelled angrily. " What just happened? "
Nobody answered his question as nobody except Morgana knew what actually happened.
Then someone speedily walked towards the prince. He was holding a long chain in his hand. It was rattling while he was walking. It was so long that it was trailing behind him. His assistant was with him holding a similar chain in his hand.
It was the Lord Warden of Cologne dungeons, Lord Theodore. Morgana only saw that man once or twice. She had to admit he looked quite creepy and it was not so easy to spook the last high priestess. He was very tall and of heavy build. He had a bald head and dark short beard. He was well known for his tenacity of catching criminals.
No criminal had ever been able to escape arrest or escape the dungeons while he was on the watch. Morgana knew he was not a man to be trifled with and that man was blindly loyal to Maxmillian which made her work very hard. She heard that the man wouldn't be present in the banquet. She didn't even see the man before the 'accident' . It looked like the man appeared out of thin air. But that was impossible.
As far as Morgana knew, only the king, the princess, the royal battlemage, Lady Aneriel and the members of Arcane army had magic. So, where was the warden hiding himself? She couldn't make anything of it. It was begining to frustrate her.
Lord Theodore kneeled before the slightly injured prince and asked, " Everything alright, Max? "
" Yeah. Just check on Lady Iliera. " The prince answered.
The warden's assistant was checking on the girl. It seemed both of them were fine. Only slight bruises. Morgana was gritting her teeth in anger. Her another perfect plan was foiled.
The king declared that those who wanted to kill Prince Max were still in the city. He urged everyone to remain vigilant and alert.
The city's security was increased again. Even extra soldiers were called back from frontier to solidify security. Morgana had to lay low again to her dismay. This time the city was on high alert for one month.
During this time, Morgana was not sitting around idly. She was establishing herself in the court. She was relearning to harness her magical power from the king and the royal battlemage. The process was very slow. But she could feel that her power was growing again.
She was begining to participate in the state affairs of Saxony. The king occasionally asked for her advice in economic affairs. She was gaining influence in the court because of her wisdom and intelligence.
But still she held little power. The prince was the royal military advisor and commander of the army. He was also the foreign advisor. Most of the lords of the court valued his words immensely. And in any important affairs, the king and the prince didn't give their decision until they both were unanimous.
Morgana realized that this prince was very much unlike Arthur who almost always obeyed Uther's orders. This prince was the first advisor and the hand of the king. He argued with his father if he didn't agree with him. He had the capability to change the king's mind. In a word, the prince was the shadow of the king, the second most powerful man in the realm.
Morgana was getting desperate. She began to realize that without the prince's approval, the king would never cross Dover and invade Albion. And she was damn sure, the prince would never cross Dover strait with his army.
With the extra security around the prince and no underlings like Agravaine or Helios to bid her command, she wasn't getting anywhere close to kill the prince. Not to mention, her still weakened magic.
She never thought he would miss Agravaine. If anything, that man was always ready to please her. He was loyal to her to the end. And she rewarded his loyalty by pushing him to his death. Probably Emrys was responsible for his death. She really felt sorry for Agravaine. She shouldn't have been that cold hearted.
But what's done can't be undone. It's time to look ahead. And ahead, she could only see one barrier, Prince Maxmillian.
Things might be looking grim for now. But Morgana Pendragon was nothing but stubborn. She would wait a little longer and when the time comes, she won't fail.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The chance came sooner than she expected. It was just after one month of the chandelier incident. Security was slackening. The city life was returning to normal. Meanwhile, the lord of lower Rhineland, one of the most powerful lords of Saxony died and his twenty three year old son inherited his place. The late lord was a staunch supporter of the prince. He always admired Max's bravery and wisdom which always pissed Morgana. But this new lord was different. This young man was cocky and over-confident. He was always trying undermine the prince's authority in the court although he was never successful.
The former high priestess realized that she could use this man to her advantage. So, she met him in a secluded place outside the capital and asked him to use his men and influence to assassinate the prince. She also instructed him to make it look like a accident.
When the young lord asked what he would get in return, she indicated that she had become an economic advisor to the king and the king valued her advice greatly. She promised him that she would arrange the marriage between princess Erina and him.
In that way, he would become the heir to the throne if he succeeded in killing the prince. She also said that if he succeeded she would give him a taste of something, he had never tasted before. Saying that she gave him her special seductive smile. The young man understood what she meant. He gave her a sly smile and assured her that the prince would die before the next sunrise. He left for the capital after saying this.
Morgana stayed outside the city for a while savoring the natural scenic beauty around her. She was feeling very happy that she had found an accomplice in Saxony which seemed impossible only a few days ago. It seemed fate was finally begining to smile upon her. Maybe this time, she would get what she wanted.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She was wrong. AGAIN.
When she reached the capital, she heard that the lord of lower Rhine was arrested for high treason and the king had given the lordship of Lower Rhine to the accused lord's nineteen year old younger brother.
Was this some kind of joke? Was fate playing cruel tricks on her? She couldn't fathom. She also couldn't fathom how did anyone know about their meeting. No one was near that place. It was very isolated. Morgana chose it herself.
Usually, when one of her plan was foiled, she felt rage. But this time, she felt afraid. What if she was arrested next? Would she be thrown to the dungeon? Would she be hanged?
These questions haunted her dreams that night. Her fear only increased when the next morning, the lord was hanged publicly. The king declared that after a detailed investigation conducted by the High Spymaster, the former lord of Rhine was found guilty of treason. And therefore, he was hanged.
To Morgana's horror, she saw that people began to cheer and even the new lord of Lower Rhine thanked the king publicly for getting rid of his traitorous brother. She had no idea who the High Spymaster was but she understood that the people of this kingdom took his word like divine statement.
And after two months of staying in Cologne and after trying to kill the prince for three times, she realized that it was not so easy to kill Crown Prince Max like she thought. She wouldn't be able to win this cold war if she continued trying in Orthodox ways. It might get her killed.
The prince of Saxony was a different kind of man and she must follow unorthodox means if she wanted to succeed.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It was past midnight. And Morgana couldn't sleep. She was standing at the huge balcony adjacent to her chamber. Cold wind was blowing gently and she wrapped her cloak around tightly to make herself warm. It was a night of half moon so there was plenty of light even in the dead of night. She looked down at the city of Cologne and couldn't help admiring the view.
She never looked around the city in these two months. All she did was plotting assassination and be a lady of the court. Now that she was looking towards Cologne she could see that the city was very large. At least three times larger than Camelot and Camelot was no hamlet. The river of Rhine was flowing gently right beside the palace which was situated a little higher than the rest of the city.
Flames of torches were illuminating the spacious stone streets of the city. Many of those torches were moving. It was the night city watch. They were patroling the city.
She was standing there at the balcony for one hour now watching the moving torches of the night watch. She was tired. But she was afraid to go to sleep. She was afraid that she might be arrested for treason. The good news was no one accused him and today the king was treating her just the same.
So, there's a high possibility that she was not suspected but still she felt uneasy.
" Can't sleep? "
Morgana almost jumped in surprise hearing the voice.
She looked behind and saw Prince Max standing. His arms crossed around his chest. He was only wearing his nightclothes. At first, she panicked thinking that the prince had come to arrest her. But when she saw that the prince was unarmed, she relaxed a little.
She schooled her facial expression and asked sternly. " What are you doing here? Are you here to assault me? Don't you know anything about privacy and honor, you pervert? "
She bit her tongue after saying the last words. Maybe calling him pervert was a little too much. The prince was quite a gentleman. Even Morgana didn't think that he would assault her. She was just pissed at him.
But pissed at him for what? For not dying? Morgana really didn't know. What she did know was that she couldn't stand the prince even for a second. Her hatred for him almost rivaled her hatred for Emrys and Uther. She didn't know why she hated him so much. Still, she hated him nonetheless. But the thousand gold piece question was what was he doing here in this dead hour of night.
Morgana's musing was cut short when she looked at the prince. He was gaping at her. His mouth was slightly open as if he was shocked.
' What is he gaping at? My cloak is completely covering my body. So, there's nothing to ogle at. ' Morgana thought.
" What? " She asked loudly.
The prince's expression changed suddenly. He composed himself and said, " Firstly, I am not a pervert. No one has ever called me that. I suggest you do the same. And why are you even calling me that? You are the one who is standing near my chamber. "
Morgana looked behind her and saw not her chamber's wooden door but an exquisite glass door of wooden frame.
" How did I come here? " She asked suddenly feeling very embarrassed.
" This balcony connects your chamber with mine. Actually, your chamber is for the princess. Erina is still a child and fears to live alone, so, my father connected our chambers so that she can come to me when she feels afraid at night.
After your arrival, she moved to another chamber and it was also not very far from my chamber. As for your question's answer, I think you are walking in the balcony and thus have come near my chamber. Undestood? "
Morgana just nodded while feeling a little envious about Erina. The princess was so loved by her brother and father. Morgana was never loved like that by her family.
" And secondly... " Max continued. " Don't lecture me on honor and privacy. You are trying to kill me from the first day you came here. My father was nothing but generous to you and you are repaying him with nothing but disloyalty and betrayal. "
Morgana stiffened hearing the accusation. The prince's voice was cold as ice and it was making Morgana feel uneasy.
How did he know? She wondered.
Is it game over for me? Am I already beaten? She was thinking frantically looking for a way out.
" No need for giving me another explanation, my lady. I have all the proof. " Max spoke again and Morgana visibly paled.
" You knew from the begining? How? " Morgana asked while breathing heavily.
" Of course, I knew from the begining. Who do you take me for? An idiot? I am the protector of the realm. How do you think I can protect my people if I don't have ears and eyes everywhere. " Max said as a matter of factly.
" Are you here to arrest me? I won't come quietly. " Morgana unsheathed a dagger hidden beneath her clothes and brandished it threateningly before the prince.
Max chuckled seeing this. " Are you going to kill me with that? "
" You think I can't? "
" Of course, you can. You have killed your father. It won't be hard for you to kill a man you've met only two months ago."
To say that Morgana was surprised would be a very understatement. Only a handful of people knew about that. The common rumour about Uther's death was a vengeful sorcerer killed Camelot's king. Then how in the world the prince knew about the truth?
" Surprised? " Max's voice interrupted her train of thought.
" You should be. Only a handful of people know about that. "
" Then how did you know? " Morgana's voice was shaking. She was still holding the dagger firmly in her right hand.
" Take a wild guess. " Max said cheerily.
" The High Spymaster? "
" A good guess, but not good enough. Try again. "
Morgana was fuming with rage. The prince knew about her plan all along. That's why she was always failing. But he made a fatal mistake by coming here unarmed. He didn't even have magic. Killing him would be a child's play.
She would just have to slit his throat, then, close the wound magically after his death. Finally, she would throw his corpse off the balcony. In the morning, when the corpse would be found, the people would think he accidently fell to his death.
Fate had really smiled upon her. She might not be still powerful enough to snap the prince's head with magic, her skill with weapon didn't wane. The prince wouldn't be able to disarm her. She was very skilled with both dagger and sword. He wouldn't stand a chance.
" I have no time for your guessing game. You have learnt too much about me. Prepare to die." Morgana yelled at the still smiling prince.
She thought Max would look scared hearing her threat. But to her surprise, the young prince chuckled again and said, " Take your best shot. "
' Has he gone mad? It seemed he really wanted to die. ' She thought.
" So be it. Die now. " Saying this , Morgana lunged towards the prince's chest. Ready to pierce it with her dagger.
Then suddenly, it happened. Just before her dagger could pierce the prince's chest, she found herself in a different place. She was chained to a stone wall. It was a dark place. She heard something. Someone moving beside her. She looked around and saw a white injured dragon.
Aithusa.
She looked upward and saw a round hole. She was back in the well of Sarrum. But how did it happen? She had got out of it. When was she captured again? She wasn't given enough time to ponder about it as Aithusa began to growl at her. Her eyes were full of hatred and it was entirely a new thing for Morgana. Aithusa never hated her. Then she spoke. The dragon spoke.
" You disgust me, Morgana. You are nothing but evil. You will rot in this dungeon forever and no one will be there for you. "
Morgana never heard Aithusa speak in a normal way. So, she was surprised. She was also surprised because the dragon sounded hateful which was very different from her gentle telepathic voice Morgana heard before.
" So long, Morgana. Rot in this hell hole. I am off to see the world. " To Morgana's utter horror, the dragon climbed up the well and flew away.
" NOOOO. Aithusa, please. NO. Don't leave me here. Don't go. I am sorry I killed Mordred. But just don't leave me here. " No one heard her pleas for help. She remained there chained to the wall, with no food, no water, no light and no companion.
Her greatest nightmare had come true. She was wasting away in an oubliete. Alone and abandoned. When unconsciousness came, she embraced it like an old friend.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She woke up and found herself in a bright room. She was no longer chained or imprisoned. She was free but she didn't feel happy or relieved. She felt something was horribly wrong. Then she realized what it was. It was burning in her throat. Slowly spreading through her body. Making her body numb. She felt it once. Many years ago. This burning feeling.
Hemlock.
She was back at the throne room all those years ago.
' It's a nightmare. ' She realized.
But this nightmare was ten times worse. She could feel the burning sensation of the poison. She could feel that her life was ebbing away. Just like seven years ago.
Only this time, no one was holding her. No one was crying at her passing. She raised her head to look around. Merlin was at the far side of the hall. The Merlin she saw seven years ago was sad, regretful. He had been crying while holding her. But this Merlin was different. He didn't look sad. Rather he looked proud and gleeful. He was smirking.
" Die you witch. You deserve nothing but pain and anguish, you worthless piece of junk. Die. Die. Die. You brought nothing but pain in Camelot. Die and free Camelot. " Merlin's bitter word felt like a dagger to her heart.
" He's right. You should die, Morgana. Because of you, I died. You always failed me. You are unworthy. You are not my sister. Die, Morgana, die. " Morgana gasped in horror when her dead sister appeared out of nowhere and said those things.
Then one by one, Uther appeared. Arthur appeared. Gwen appeared. Gaius appeared. Mordred appeared. Agravaine and Helios appeared. Countless men, women and children appeared out of thin air in that hall. All of them were looking down hatefully upon her. All of them were saying the same thing.
" Die. Die. Die. "
" Murderer. "
" Traitor. "
" Failure. "
" Sinner. "
They all accused her and her pain rose and rose. She couldn't take it anymore. It felt worse than death. She just wanted it to stop. Whatever cruel tricks were being played on her, she just wanted it to end.
With her last remaining strength, she screamed.
" Make it stop. Please make it end. "
And then it stopped. The pain began to recede. Unconsciousness came again and claimed her.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She opened her eyes and found herself in her bedchamber. Prince Max was standing beside her bed.
He smiled lightly and asked.
" Had enough? "
" What did you do to me? " Morgana asked weakly.
" In short, I am a manipulative telepath, Morgana. A very strong one. I can breach anyone's mind and see their memory and manipulate them. I am powerless if one's memory is full of happiness. If I duel with my sister, I will be toast in a minute as she has no sad memory.
But you are different. Your life is full of sadness, pain and betrayal. Rage and confusion. These memories are my power. Your weakness is my strength.
What you saw was only a fraction of time. I can inflict thousand times more pain than you felt tonight. I can destroy you using your pain against you. You will become nothing but a shell of your present self "
Morgana gulped. She was now terrified of the prince. " Why didn't you, then ? " She asked shakily.
" There's still some good in you. I can sense that in your memories. I want to give you another chance. Your accomplice, that lord had taken oath to serve Saxony but he broke it. So, he was punished. The court wanted to kill you but I argued that as you haven't taken any oath, you should be given another chance. "
The prince's voice radiated authority and Morgana listened calmly. She was still very much shaken after her ordeal. The prince continued speaking in a calm manner.
" There's a war coming, Morgana. The Franks have moved their capital from Lugdunum* to Anor Londo near the river of Meuse. It's very close to Cologne. We are fearing another pointless war will start soon. I want to give my full concentration on the upcoming war.
That wouldn't be possible if you try to kill me continuously. I even forbade the court ladies to flirt with me so that I can concentrate on war. So, be warned, Morgana. I am giving you a second and last chance. We mean you no harm if you remain loyal to our kingdom. You will find true friends if you behave yourself. But make one move to betray us and I'll owe you a gruesome death. And don't forget that a Nassau always pays his debts.
Try to find happiness and love in life. Don't blacken your heart with hatred and bloodlust. What you saw in your nightmare may be my doing but your sins gave me the chance to do it in the first place. "
Saying this, Prince Max began to walk away from her. But just before leaving her chamber, he said, " Sweet dreams, My lady. "
Morgana had no strength left to reply. She fell into a dreamless sleep while thinking,
' Why is it so hard to kill the prince of Saxony? '
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*Lugdunum is the former name of the city of Lyon.
Who can point out the game of thrones reference?
So, how do you like it, people? Please let me know in your reviews. Do you think Max was a little extreme?
Anyway, there's two more chapters before we return to Albion.
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
Adios.
- Assassin of Syria