As promised, we're back with our OT3 now, picking up right where we left them in chapter 10. Enjoy.

The morning after the ball, Bo awoke with a sinking feeling in her stomach, though for a moment she wasn't sure why. Then it all came back to her. Oh yeah, Evony's here…and these two convinced me to become her life coach, she recalled with a scowl at Merlin and Morgana, who were curled up on either side of her and just beginning to stir.

For a moment, she was tempted to pull the covers over her head and hide in bed all day, but she told herself it might not be that bad; after all, she and Evony hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms last night. After the way I bailed on our dance, maybe she won't want anything to do with me.

Of course, she should have known she wasn't that lucky. Shortly before midday, as she was walking down a corridor, she spied a familiar figure in a striking red dress with black accents heading her way. Well, I see at least Evony's color preferences haven't changed since I knew her, even if she did update her style to keep up with the times. You'd think a person would want to switch up their look just a little every hundred years or so…then again, why screw with a winning formula if it's working for you?

As much as Bo hated to admit it, Evony's outfit was definitely working for her – but then, her problem had never been the way she looked. Her fashionable appearance did nothing to lessen Bo's desire to turn around and leave as quickly as possible, but when she glanced over her shoulder to assess the viability of that option, she found that Merlin and Morgana had closed ranks behind her, blocking her path. With a small sigh of resignation, she turned back to face the leanan sidhe, who was coming toward her with a determined look on her face.

Upon reaching her, however, Evony adopted a more demure demeanor, with her hands clasped in front of her and eyes slightly lowered in deference to Bo's higher station. "May I have a word, princess? I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn last night; it wasn't my intention to offend you."

Now she's apologizing for offending me? Every time I think I'm acclimating, I get hit with a new wave of weirdness… Bo's thoughts were interrupted by a nudge at her back, prompting her to respond. "Yeah, no, it's cool. You and I obviously have very different viewpoints."

"Yes, speaking with you was certainly…eye-opening. If I may be so bold, I would very much like to hear more of your, ah, unique perspective on the world."

After receiving another, slightly harder nudge, Bo said, "Sure. Trick wants me in a council meeting in ten minutes, but maybe we can hang out later."

"I would be delighted, princess."

With that, they passed each other and went their separate ways, leaving Bo to reflect that the encounter had been less agonizing than she'd feared. While she still couldn't say she liked Evony or was looking forward to carrying out her mission of converting the future Morrigan into an ally, at least this version seemed to be somewhat open-minded. Who knows, maybe it's not too late for her – maybe I really can help her change for the better.

Meanwhile, Evony was thinking that it had gone better than she had dared to hope. After her father berated her for shaming their family by managing to offend the princess so badly that she walked away in the middle of a dance, she had resolved to do whatever it took to make things right and earn her way back into his good graces. Obviously this meant she had to find some way to improve Princess Isabeau's opinion of her, and after pondering the problem long into the night, she had concluded that the best approach was to express interest in the other woman's bizarre beliefs about showing kindness toward underlings and whatnot.

She hadn't expected her ploy to work so well, so soon – her father had repeatedly counseled her and her sisters against being too quick to forgive slights, lest people get the idea that they could insult the Marquise family with impunity, and she had naturally assumed that a princess would be even haughtier – but she was determined to make the most of this unexpected opportunity. Just wait, Father. If you want me to become the royal consort, I'll win her over and finally make you proud. You'll see.

###

After the council meeting, which Merlin and Morgana weren't permitted to attend, Bo was roaming the castle in search of them when she met another woman, one who at least was a more welcome sight than Evony even if Bo was still somewhat surprised to see her: Esperanza, the shifter who'd been Dyson's date to the ball.

"Good afternoon, princess. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure. What's up?" The members of the royal guard that Bo and her companions regularly trained with were always friendly to her whenever she encountered them on or off the field, but this was the first time one of them had actually sought her out, and she could only think of one reason for Esperanza to do so now: guy talk. "How'd it go with Dyson last night? You two seemed to be having fun."

"Yes, he was a very good dancer once I dragged him into the ballroom," the fox-shifter said with a light laugh.

"Yeah, he's not exactly what you'd call a party animal; more of the 'sit in the corner and quietly nurse his drink for hours' type. He just needs some help to lighten up, if you can do it without coming on too strong. I think he finds your energy a little overwhelming, which is probably why you had to make the first move to begin with."

"Hmm… I have to admit I was surprised when you encouraged me to pursue him." Esperanza's casual attitude faded as she spoke, giving way to something more serious, and Bo suspected they were getting to the real reason the fox-shifter had gone out of her way to talk to her.

Unfortunately, she was still in the dark as to what that reason might be. "Really? I mean, I could tell there was some attraction on his side too even if he wasn't ready to do anything about it – succubus senses, you know – so what's surprising about me wanting to help a friend get the girl?"

Esperanza gave her a look that was somewhere between incredulity and skepticism. "Well, I assumed you would want him for yourself. After all, you are a succubus."

"That doesn't mean I'm sexing it up with all my friends, like they're some kind of harem!" Bo exclaimed indignantly. "I'm perfectly capable of having platonic friendships. Besides, I happen to be in a committed relationship."

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise," Esperanza replied smoothly, though she appeared taken aback by Bo's outrage. "It's just that you're a very beautiful woman, your highness. What man wouldn't be entranced by you?"

"Dyson," Bo answered bluntly. "We're good friends, and I guess maybe he might feel like he owes me something since I helped him find a new purpose in life after he ditched the dickwad king and spinelessly loyal to said dickwad pack he grew up with, but that's it. I promise you, neither of us have ever wanted anything more than that." Since her words were perfectly true in regard to the present version of Dyson, she was able to say them with absolute sincerity.

Esperanza studied her intently for a moment, searching for any hint of doubt or deception in her eyes, then finally nodded, seemingly convinced. "Thank you, princess," she said in a somber tone that was rather at odds with her usual feisty attitude, giving her an air of vulnerability Bo had never seen before. "I hope I haven't been too forward; it's just that I really do like Dyson, but I didn't want to waste my time if I was just going to end up competing with you for his affections."

"Trust me, there's no competition," Bo assured her, feeling somewhat bemused at having to do so. Sure, she was aware of her own attractiveness and the fact that her species had a certain reputation among the fae, but despite all that, none of her female friends had ever expressed insecurity about her luring their love interests away before. Then again, she reminded herself that she hadn't actually had any female friends – or any friends at all, in fact – for several years, until Kenzi came along, and they had instantly formed such a close bond that the idea of them fighting over a guy was simply absurd.

Since then, her girl posse had expanded to include Morgana and Gwen, though of course romantic competition had never been an issue with Morgana, for obvious reasons. She had, however, remained on purely friendly terms with Gwen throughout her stay in Camelot, and never once had Gwen shown the slightest hint of concern that Bo might steal Arthur from her.

But the sparks between those two were already there when I showed up; they might've been tiptoeing around each other because of the whole class difference issue, but I could see from the way their auras lit up whenever they looked at each other that they were totally endgame. Besides, Gwen's the most easygoing person I've ever met, except maybe Merlin, so maybe she wouldn't have stressed over it even if I'd met Arthur before they were completely solid.

So maybe Esperanza's need to clarify how things stood between her potential boyfriend and his sexy succubus pal was understandable, especially after he'd embarked on a journey across Albion to save her – a journey where all the other members of their party were there because they were in love with her (except for Kilgharrah, of course).

Having reached this conclusion, Bo put the matter out of her mind. Between Evony's unwanted pursuit and Morgana's jealousy, she had enough drama to deal with.

###

Much to her relief, Bo didn't see Evony again for the rest of the day. The next time their paths crossed, however, she didn't have any other pressing business, and therefore no excuse for not making good on her promise to spend time with her fellow fae noblewoman. Her only consolation was that Merlin and Morgana were there, so at least she didn't have to be alone with Evony – and if their presence annoyed her, however well she hid it, that was just fine with Bo.

Swallowing her displeasure at having to spend her afternoon with two humans – she really didn't know much about their kind since her father had never let her or her sisters have a pet and generally discouraged visitors to his castle from bringing theirs, insisting that they were inferior creatures even though, the few times she had interacted with humans, she'd found them fairly entertaining, in an odd way – Evony cast about for a suitably innocuous topic to discuss. She assumed that, as a succubus, Bo would naturally be very interested in sex, but shockingly, she'd heard that the princess actually responded very negatively to blatant advances, especially those made in front of her pets. She wasn't sure what other interests the princess might have, though; after all, she hardly knew anything about her.

Eventually, she settled on, "Well, your highness, how was yesterday's council meeting?"

"Oh, it was…um…" Bo hesitated, searching for the right word. She had learned not to complain of being bored by the kingdom's politics when Morgana was around, and besides, yesterday's meeting had been livelier than the first one she'd attended thanks to a couple of new arrivals. "…Illuminating," she said at last. "There was some, uh, spirited discussion."

"I'm sure there was, with Lord Alaric and Countess Constanza there," Evony replied with a slight smile.

"Do you know them?"

"Of course; there's been a thriving trade between my father's lands and theirs for years." Then she launched into a detailed explanation of the economic underpinnings of the relations between the great houses of the fae world, both Light and Dark; though the two sides generally preferred to limit their dealings with each other, a certain amount of overlap in their business interests was inevitable.

Bo was surprised to realize that Evony really knew her stuff, then reflected that she shouldn't have been – after all, there was probably a bit more to being the Morrigan than showing up to work every day literally dressed to kill, and she supposed Evony wouldn't have risen to her future position or held onto it as long as she had if she wasn't actually good at her job.

When she was finished, Bo said, "You should be on the council. You understand this stuff way better than me."

"I'm flattered, but my father disagrees."

"Sounds like you and Morgana have something in common then," Merlin spoke up. When Evony arched an eyebrow at him, he elaborated, "Uther never allowed her to participate in Camelot's politics either."

"Uther Pendragon? The madman who thinks all fae-kind are monsters?" Now she was eyeing Morgana with much more interest than the seer had previously warranted. "Did you actually know him?"

"He became my guardian after my father was killed in battle," Morgana replied stiffly. "I lived with him for several years."

"That's where we met," Bo chipped in.

"Really?" Evony appeared fascinated, in a slightly morbid way. "I'd heard that you had come from Camelot, but I didn't know you had actually lived in the royal palace, right under that despot's nose. Is he as deranged as everyone says?"

"He's not deranged; he's stubborn, he can be a real asshole sometimes, and he's pretty irrational when it comes to all things magic-related, but not crazy. He's just a person who's made some very bad choices, then doubled down on them instead of admitting he was wrong…and now I think he's gotta be pretty lonely, because even his own son doesn't have much respect for him anymore."

Evony absorbed this in silence, looking somewhat disappointed that Bo hadn't shared harrowing tales of Uther's madness and cruelty, then turned back to Morgana. "And you were his ward… I've been told that you have magic, that you even possess the Sight; is that true?" At Morgana's slightly jerky nod, she continued, "To have such gifts, and live in the household of a man who would have cut off your head if he'd had the faintest inkling of what you were – it must have been terrifying."

"You could say that," Morgana said flatly, her lips barely moving. She had tensed up the moment Uther's name came into the conversation, and her posture had become even more rigid when Evony started speculating on her life with him, her already pale face whitening until she looked more like a marble statue than a living person.

"Okay, let's agree that dads who don't value your contributions are the worst and move on," Bo said pointedly. She tried to steer the conversation to other topics, but Morgana was obviously still uncomfortable, and it wasn't long before they ended up ushering Evony out.

"I'm sorry, Morgana," Merlin said as soon as their guest left. "I was just trying to show her that the two of you aren't really that different; I didn't expect her to be so curious about Uther."

"Neither did I. It's ironic, I suppose," Morgana remarked with a rather brittle laugh. "He constantly preaches about what fearsome monsters the fae are, and now it appears they regard him the same way."

"I guess even us 'monsters' need our bogeyman," Bo agreed with a mirthless grin. "And somehow Evony fishing for scary stories doesn't surprise me one bit. If I'd ever tried to imagine what she must've been like as a teenager, I bet she'd have been the girl who scares all the younger kids at sleepovers with creepy ghost stories and then laughs when they're too afraid to go to the bathroom alone. So does this mean we can forget the whole idea of getting her on our side?"

Morgana was sorely tempted to say yes, but she knew that to do so would be shortsightedly selfish. If Bo was going to be queen of the fae one day, she would need support from both the Light and Dark factions, and no matter how distasteful Morgana found Evony's company, there was no denying that she had the potential to be a great politician. Assuming that Bo's presence didn't put her on a drastically different path from the one that had originally led to her rising to become the leader of the Dark Fae, she would be exactly the kind of ally Bo needed.

"Besides," Morgana added after making this point once again to her clearly dismayed girlfriend (ignoring Bo's protests that she hadn't even made a decision on the whole 'future queen' deal yet), "at least her ghoulish fascination with Uther distracted her from attempting to flirt with you."

###

Unfortunately, Evony's distraction didn't last long. She made a point of insinuating herself into the trio's orbit over the following week – into Bo's orbit, more specifically, though Merlin and Morgana made sure never to leave the two fae alone together. Their presence forced her to be more circumspect in her efforts at seduction than she would have been otherwise, but it was still evident from the coy looks she gave Bo from underneath her eyelashes, the provocative dresses she wore, and the clever innuendos she slipped into their conversations that she hadn't given up on attracting Bo's attention, much to the succubus' frustration.

"I hate politics," Bo griped after a particularly tense lunch. "This whole concept of arranged marriages is such bullshit – how is forcing two people who can't stand each other to get married supposed to make their families get along better anyway? And if the families want to team up, why can't they do it without dragging something as personal as matrimony into the deal? I'm pretty sure that's the only reason she's doing this; she's not even that into me."

Morgana, who had been silently seething since Evony's departure, perked up at that. "She isn't? Are you certain?"

"Well… I mean, she doesn't think I'm hideous or anything," Bo said uncomfortably, not wanting to sound like she was bragging.

"At least we know she has good eyesight, then," Merlin commented with a grin.

"There's a difference between acknowledging that a person's hot and being personally attracted to them, though," Bo pointed out, "and I don't think she'd be trying so hard to get with me if not for her dad pushing her. Her future self never tried to get in my pants when I wasn't technically a princess."

"I guess that goes to show that her judgment isn't perfect, no matter how shrewd she is or how well her eyes work," Merlin replied. "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be with you, Bo, whether you have a crown or not."

"Aw, that's so sweet."

Bo leaned down to kiss him, then settled herself in his lap so she could continue doing so more easily, but Morgana ignored their amorous antics as she thought over what Bo had just revealed. If Evony's interest in Bo was purely political – something Morgana could relate to – then perhaps it was time for her to have a heart to heart with the woman who had the audacity to think she could take Bo from her and Merlin.

###

That evening, Morgana made her way to the guest wing where Evony and her father were staying, hoping to catch her would-be rival alone. As it happened, luck was on her side; though Evony arrived with a small entourage of maids, she soon dismissed them, sending them into her chambers to prepare her bath while she stepped out onto a balcony to watch the moon rising over the lake. Seizing her chance, Morgana emerged from the alcove where she had been lying in wait and crept up behind her quarry with the stealthy stride of a well-trained warrior.

"Lady Evony."

The older woman spun around, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Morgana? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be warming your mistress' bed right now? You ought to enjoy the privilege while it lasts."

Ignoring the taunt, Morgana retorted, "I think you know very well why I'm here."

Evony's look of surprise melted away as a knowing glint came into her eyes. "Yes, I've seen how it bothers you that I'm getting closer with the princess, and I've been wondering how long it would take you to forget your place and try to warn me off. You're wasting your time, you know. Princess Isabeau may think you and that boy with the striking cheekbones and atrociously messy hair are an amusing diversion, but when she marries, it will be to a fae of noble blood, someone befitting her station. Why shouldn't it be me?"

"Because you don't love her." Morgana uttered the words in a flatly matter-of-fact tone, and though Evony appeared taken aback by her frankness, she didn't deny it. Pressing her advantage, Morgana continued, "You don't even really want to marry her, do you?"

"Of course I do!" Evony said heatedly. "Whoever marries her will become the royal consort, which is the next best thing to being queen, and the closest anyone not of the Blood King's line can ever get. What woman wouldn't desire such influence and prestige? What father wouldn't urge his daughter to strive for it? Besides, Princess Isabeau is fairly agreeable, if a little eccentric," she added in a calmer tone. "There are much worse people one could marry as a path to the throne. Now if you're finished wasting my time with absurd questions…"

She made to sweep past Morgana, but with a flash of the sorceress' eyes, the doors leading off the balcony slammed shut, and refused to open no matter how hard Evony tugged on the handle. She whirled around, outraged at the human's temerity in preventing her from leaving when she had made it clear their conversation was at an end, but Morgana didn't give her a chance to speak.

"If all you want is power, you don't need to marry Bo to obtain it," she said smoothly while closing the distance between them with deliberately measured steps. "With your cunning and keen understanding of the dynamics between the most influential fae, you could rise quite high on your own merits, which is why Merlin and I encouraged Bo to befriend you in the first place. She thinks you could even become the Morrigan one day."

"The Morrigan? Me?" Evony scoffed. "Tell that to my father."

"He exerts a great deal of control over you, doesn't he?" Morgana asked softly. By now she was standing close enough to reach out and touch Evony, who seemed to have forgotten to be offended at her proximity. "You and I have more in common than you think; you asked me what it was like to be raised by Uther Pendragon, and while he didn't terrorize me since, thankfully, he remained ignorant of my magic until I was able to escape him, he thought that being a woman meant I was only good for flouncing around his castle in fine silks and jewels like a sort of living decoration, and eventually for making a match that would benefit him. Then I was to sit dutifully at the side of whomever he chose for me, run my husband's household and bear his heirs, and I'm sure it never would have occurred to anyone that I might want something more for myself."

Seeing Evony nodding along with her, she added, "I'm surprised your father holds such an attitude, though. I thought the fae were more egalitarian, at least when it comes to gender."

"The fae in general might be, but Father has his own way of doing things, and he doesn't like being challenged. He wouldn't like it if he knew I was discussing these things with a human either." Her eyes darted nervously toward the doors, as if she had just realized how long they had been talking and was concerned that someone might have reported her absence to him.

"Very well, you may go." Morgana's eyes flashed gold again, and the doors unsealed themselves. "Remember what I said, though – if you ever decide to try forging your own path, I'm certain Bo will help you. She would be glad to have you as an ally, if not as a wife."

Evony nodded briefly, started to leave, then turned back. "You should remember what I said as well; the princess will have to marry someday, and when she does, it won't be you or the boy. I've seen that you both have incredible talent-" The kind that could feed her for years, especially if their magic also made them resilient enough not to lose their minds too quickly, though she refrained from mentioning that; after all, they were Princess Isabeau's to feed on, not hers "-and I've even heard rumors that you have fae blood which is actually the source of your Sight…"

She let her voice trail off inquiringly, leaving an opening for Morgana to address these rumors, which she did with a terse nod. "It's true. My mother was an oracle named Vivienne, who I'm told served as a lady-in-waiting to the former Queen Isabeau, Bo's grandmother."

"And you somehow managed to manifest fae powers despite having a human father?" Evony shook her head wonderingly, causing her brunette curls to bounce on her shoulders. "Everything I've ever been taught or seen for myself says that shouldn't be possible – you shouldn't be possible. And the boy, Merlin… No one even knows what he is, although the rumors swirling around him are even more far-fetched. Still, the fact remains that he's human, and you have human blood even if you are a freak of nature, so the Blood King will never allow his granddaughter to wed either of you."

She didn't say it spitefully; in fact, Morgana got the sense that she might actually think she was being helpful, reminding her of reality lest she get her hopes up and set herself up for disappointment, so she merely nodded in response. "Yes, well, that's my problem, isn't it, mine and Merlin's? If you can bring yourself to take advice from a half-breed 'freak of nature', look to your own affairs, and leave the Blood King to us."

With that, she swept past Evony as the other woman had originally meant to do and walked away with her head held high, giving no indication that her words had ruffled her in the slightest. The truth was that she and Merlin had been spending a fair amount of time with Trick, since they were usually around when he visited Bo, and he didn't seem to mind their company in private settings, only barring them from council meetings and other official functions; in fact, when they were alone, he was never anything less than cordial, and appeared genuinely interested in the progression of the magic lessons he'd arranged for them so they could better protect Bo…

However, though they were certain he was aware of their intimate relationship with his granddaughter – he was much more observant than Uther in that regard, or at least not so deeply mired in denial – he had never really made known his feelings on the matter. He hadn't tried to order them away from her or expressed any displeasure at the idea of her sharing her bed with them, which Morgana supposed was a positive sign, but he hadn't shown anything that could be taken for approval either. Certainly there had been no hint that he would ever consent to their relationship being formalized in any way.

At that point, just as she left the guest wing, she was jarred out of her troubled thoughts by a barely detectable sound of movement ahead, and looked up to find a familiar figure waiting for her at the next intersection of corridors.

"Enjoying the show, Merlin?" she asked dryly. Though she hadn't seen or heard a thing to suggest that he'd been anywhere near the balcony, there were plenty of spells that could have concealed his presence or expanded his hearing enough to let him eavesdrop on her discussion with Evony from a greater distance than should have been possible, and she couldn't think of any other reason for him to be in this particular place at this particular moment.

"Making sure you were all right, actually. Evony's been on her best behavior so far because we've only ever spoken to her when Bo's nearby, but I didn't know how she would react to you confronting her alone."

"What did you think she was going to do, shove me off the balcony?" Morgana asked with a slight roll of her eyes. "In case you've forgotten, Merlin, I've beaten Arthur in more than one sparring match, and from what Bo's told us, even in the future Evony was never much inclined to violence. She may have been callous and conniving as the Morrigan, but my impression was that she wasn't the type to dirty her own hands, to say nothing of the fact that this version of her seems much less hardened than her future counterpart."

"That doesn't mean she can't still be dangerous," Merlin said seriously, "especially if she felt she was being threatened or insulted by a 'lowly human'. She's too prideful to tolerate that…but you handled her very skillfully. You would have made a great politician if Uther hadn't been too blind to recognize your true worth."

"You aren't so bad at flattery yourself," Morgana replied with a grin, though her moment of lightheartedness was short-lived. "I just hope I've convinced her to stop throwing herself at Bo, because if I have to watch her practically shoving her cleavage in Bo's face while bending over under the pretext of refilling her teacup one more time…" Her voice was practically a growl by the time she allowed it to trail off, and she was scowling fiercely, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

She looked quite intimidating like that, and anyone in their right mind probably would have run the other way as fast as their legs could carry them, but Merlin – who was very possibly not in his right mind – didn't appear to be the least bit inclined to flee. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Oh, I think she got the message," he said huskily. "The way you slammed those doors on her definitely showed her you're not one to be trifled with."

Morgana stalked closer like a leopard closing in on its prey, pushing into his personal space, her scowl becoming a knowing smirk as she tilted her head back to gaze up into his eyes. "You liked that, did you?"

Merlin's tongue darted out to wet his lips. "I've always admired how self-assured you are, Morgana. I knew plenty of girls in Ealdor who played coy to get what they wanted, but you weren't like that at all. It was refreshing, how direct and…assertive you are."

Morgana agreed; she'd never had the patience for those silly games Uther's female courtiers played, batting their eyelashes and swooning over the knights, and sometimes she still couldn't believe her luck at having found a man who felt the same way, who didn't expect her to behave so foolishly.

"Well then…" Seizing his wrist, she dragged him around the corner into a smaller, more secluded hallway and pushed him against the wall as Bo had once done to her back in Camelot. It was different, being on the other side of the situation and trying to pin someone larger and taller than herself, but Merlin didn't resist, even when she ripped off his scarf and began hungrily kissing his neck. Let me show you how assertive I can be.

###

When they finally made it back to Bo's chambers (with their hair and clothing significantly more disarrayed than they had been previously), she pretended to pout over them sneaking off for a heated makeout session without her, though she soon cheered up when they proved they still had plenty of energy left. Her mood improved even more with the news that Morgana might have persuaded Evony to back off, and by the time the threesome finally collapsed into bed together, all three of them were so happily exhausted that it took them no time at all to fall into a deep, contented sleep.

Unfortunately, that relaxed atmosphere was shattered barely two hours later when Morgana bolted upright with a strangled cry, gasping in terror. Since she was in the middle that night, her movement roused Bo and Merlin, who rushed to comfort her even as they bombarded her with anxious queries.

"Are you all right?"

"Was that a regular nightmare or a vision?"

"What did you see?"

At that last question, Morgana shook her head fearfully, tears springing to her eyes. "I saw… I saw… Oh, Bo…" And even though it was Merlin who had asked about the contents of her vision, it was Bo she turned to, clutching her girlfriend for dear life and sobbing into her neck.

"What's the matter? Was your vision about me? You didn't see Trick making me marry Evony, did you? Or some stranger who's four hundred years older than me?" Bo spoke lightly, trying to make it sound like a joke, though there was an undercurrent of worry in her voice that hinted at genuine concern.

"No, nothing like that. I don't know what I saw, to be honest." Morgana lifted her head, and though her eyes were now dry, they were still unnaturally wide and held a strange glazed look, as if she was still gazing off into whatever potential future she had glimpsed while she slept. "All I know," she said in a distant, almost trancelike tone, "is that something's coming for you…and when it does, I have a feeling that political arrangements and overly tenacious suitors will be the least of our problems."