"Cassie?" Ellie called out, running to her door when she heard the tinkling of broken glass.
"Let me, Ellie. Go back to your daughter. She's clearly upset." Leon said, stopping her from opening the door and waiting for her to close her door before pushing Cassie's open with his shoulder. "Calm down! CASSIE!" he yelled, trying to catch her attention and closing the door swiftly.
"I can't." she said in a frightened voice, sitting with her back against the wall and her knees pushed up to her chest, tears streaking down her face as her hair blew around in crazy patterns and her eyes glew gold. "I can't control it."
"Please, calm down." he said soothingly, raising his hand and approaching her as if she were a startled mare, fighting his way past the debris and ducking every time something heavier than a pillow or feathers flew at his head. "Calm down, Cassie." he whispered once he got close to her, kneeling in front of her and placing his hands on her knees. "Calm down, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe."
"I'm not! I can hurt me! Leon, this has never happened before, I can't control it! I'm afraid."
"Don't be afraid, take deep breaths, Cassie. In and out. There you are, just concentrate on your breathing, Cassie. Deep breaths in and out." he said soothingly, moving to sit beside her and taking her hand in his, placing it over his heart. "Just focus on my breathing, on my heartbeats. Breathe in and out." he said, staying in that position for almost half an hour before she started to get control of her magic. "That's good, keep breathing, close your eyes." he whispered, continuing on this vein until her magic was completely under her control and her eyes fluttered closed in exhaustion-physical, magical and mental.
Leon scooped her up in his arms and went to carry her to her bed, only to find it practically destroyed with all the feathers of the mattress spilling out and one of the posts completely splintered. He looked around the rest of the room and saw how completely destroyed it was.
"Frightening." he whispered to himself, spotting a pair of keys on the floor and bending down carefully to pick them up. He walked to the door and carefully opened it, making sure no one was in the hallway before stepping out completely and locking the door on the second try. Leon walked over to his room and lay Cassie on his bed, pulling the blankets over her slight frame and turning to leave to sleep in the barracks.
"Cassie? Cassie, please open the door. Ellie said you were very upset last night. Please." Gwen said, knocking loudly as Morgana finished talking to Lady Eleanor.
"I don't know where she's at. It sounded terrible, I'm afraid of what might have happened." she said worriedly when there was no answer on the other side of the door.
"She did this yesterday, too. We just have to be persistent and then she'll tell us to leave her alone. She's stubborn, but she knows we're here." Gwen told her reassuringly. "I'll sit here with her until the fight, then-"
"I'll take over, then. I can't stand to see that man again." Ellie said sadly, nodding at Gwen and curtsying to Morgana. "I'll just be in the gardens for now, my Lady."
"I'll get you just before leaving, then." Gwen said, taking the embroidery hoop and sitting down on the floor while Ellie went back to get her daughter and leave for the gardens, Morgana continuing on her fruitless appeals to get Cassie to open the door.
"Casiopea, if you don't open this door right now, I swear I'll have half the knights bust it down!" she said, banging on the door.
"You're going to hurt yourself my Lady. Cassie's not in there." Leon said as he walked down the hall. "She's in my chambers. Practically broke every piece of glass there was in hers, I let her sleep in there and went to the barracks myself. You're welcome to come inside." he told them, opening the door and stepping aside to let them through.
"She's just sleeping?" Morgana asked with a furrowed brow.
"It appears so, my Lady. She's quite exhausted, spent half the night throwing things against the wall." Leon told them. "Quite forcefully, I might add. Let her rest, I just came for this." he said, taking something from the table and bending down to pick up the letter that fell to the ground when he did, putting it in his pocket and turning to leave. "For what it's worth, she's going to forgive you eventually. But I don't think she'll ever forget. Not with her memories of the Druids." he said, nodding and turning to leave.
"She told him?" Morgana asked breathily with tears in her eyes as she watched him leave.
"Apparently. Let's leave her to rest, she certainly needs it. I'll go and tell Lady Eleanor where she is. So she doesn't stay worried."
"Yeah, I just need to tell her something, I'm going to try and wake her up."
"It might not be a good idea."
"I'll still try. I have to, she's my best friend, Gwen. Both of you. She needs us right now." Morgana said, sitting down by her head and putting it in her lap, gently stroking her hair. "I remember she told me how her mother used to do this when she had bad dreams."
"I'll be back before noon, to get you ready for the fight."
"It's not like I'll need to don armour, Gwen. I'll just go like this." Morgana said, smiling as Cassie relaxed into her touch.
"In that case, I'll come back right before we're meant to arrive." Gwen said, walking out of Leon's room and going to the garden.
"Cassie, I know you can hear me. I'm really sorry about everything, I regret hurting you this bad. You're as close to me as a sister, you know I love you like one. Please forgive me. Forgive us." Morgana whispered once the door was closed, letting a few stray tears fall down her face before wiping them off quickly.
"My Lady." Ellie greeted near noon. "You don't mind, do you? I couldn't go even if I wanted to. He… anyways, I can stay with her for now..." she said, tapering off awkwardly. "I have some embroidery to distract me."
"Are you sure, Lady Eleanor?"
"Yes, I can't- I can't leave her alone. She's family. We're all she's got."
"I know. I'll let you know what happens." Morgana said, slowly standing up so as not to wake Cassie and going up to Ellie, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Yes, my Lady. Thank you."
"Ellie! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Leon asked, kneeling down next to her worriedly when he found her doubled over being sick.
"I'll be fine in seven months' time, I suppose." she said, taking a sip of water from the glass he offered and blushing in embarrassment.
"I hate to say this now, but congratulations." he said, taking a seat at the table.
"I'm not certain, I was going to ask Cassie, and then all this happened, so…"
"In any case, congratulations. May I ask, did Pell know you suspected?" he said, looking at her
"No, he didn't." she said sadly, looking at Cassie from where she knelt. "Why isn't she waking up? Did she hit her head last night."
"No, she didn't. She's probably just exhausted from everything." he said, looking at her guiltily.
"Why the look?" Ellie asked as she noticed it, a fleeting thought that he knew about her secret flitting across her mind.
"Nothing, just feeling sorry for her I guess." he lied, looking out the window. "King Uther defeated the Knight. Exploded and everything. I just...thought you should know. You deserve to have some closure. I was just coming to tell Cassie that."
"I thought Prince Arthur was the one fighting."
"The King took his place."
"Is she shivering?" Ellie asked as she sat down on the bed where Morgana had been earlier.
"I don't think so." he said, leaning forward and looking closely at her.
"She's got a temperature. Help me wake her." Ellie said, feeling her temple and her neck with the back of her hand.
"Cassie, wake up, it's long past noon." Leon said, shaking her gently while Ellie did the same. "Cassie. Her pulse is strong."
"Did she take a sleeping draught, she's dead to the world." Ellie asked, sprinkling some water on Cassie's face.
"No, she just fell asleep. We should get her to Gaius, she looks pale." Leon said, sliding his arms under her legs and torso and picking her up slowly.
"We have to get her to Gaius now." Ellie said, standing up and running to the door to open it for him.
"What's wrong? Do you know?"
"She's bleeding, and she's with child. I sincerely hope it's not what I think it is." Ellie said urgently, running up to the physician's tower with him on her heels.
"Gaius! It's Cassie! She's bleeding!" Ellie said as she burst in, interrupting whatever conversation was going on.
"Put her down here, Leon. I have to check her over." Gaius said, clearing out the nearest cot and motioning to it. "I'll need privacy, my Lady. Sir Leon."
"Yes, of course, Gaius. We'll just be outside." Leon said, steering Ellie out to the hall and waiting there worriedly.
"Is she okay, Gaius?" Merlin asked worriedly as Gaius checked her over thoroughly.
"It's as Lady Eleanor fears, Cassie's lost her child." he said gravely, looking at the girl in question with deep sorrow.