"I'm not getting any younger, over here!" Morgana called impatiently.
"You'll always be older than me," Arthur retorted, with all the glee of a younger brother.
She glared at him. "When I have my magic back, you'll wish you had never been born."
"I will see to it that you make that wish before I do."
His grammatical slip did not go unnoticed by the sorceress, who smiled meanly. "What, that you'd never been born? I have been wishing that for years."
Arthur scowled, then yelled, "Make a decision already, Merlin!"
"You do know that Gwen's helping me decide, right?" Merlin countered. "And, it would not be up to us, if the two of you were capable of even the tinest smidge of cooperation."
"I still think we should just let Guinevere decide," Arthur pouted, not for the first time.
"Over my dead body!" Morgana narrowed her eyes at Gwen, who sighed.
"We need to sort this, now," Gwen murmured to Merlin.
"Right. So... Uther and...?"
"Agravaine, I guess?"
Merlin began to nod, but paused. "He gets into people's heads, though. What if we bring the two of them over, and he convinces Arthur to leave Gwaine and Lancelot?"
"I don't see that happening," Gwen said, though she doubted her answer as soon as it was out of her mouth.
"Then, what about Gwaine and Lancelot first?"
"Uther, not Gwaine?"
"But, probably the only reason he was taken was because he was guarding Uther's room," Merlin argued. "It's not fair to leave him over there."
Even though she privately agreed, Gwen lifted her chin. "Why don't you propose to Arthur leaving his father behind?"
"Erm. Oh, no...do you think he'll want to bring Agravaine over first, too, then? Being that it's his uncle, even though he's enchanted."
"Leaving Gwaine and Lancelot?" Gwen did not like that idea, either.
"We're all going to get old and die before you make a decision, aren't we?" Morgana's nonexistent patience was apparently just about gone.
"A decision about what?"
Everybody spun towards the lake, where Gwaine was walking along the edge towards them, helping Uther do the same. Lancelot and Agravaine trailed behind them.
There was not much of a shore apart from the clearing where Merlin, Gwen, Arthur, and Morgana stood; but apparently, there was enough of one. "I cannot believe we didn't even think to try that," Merlin mumbled, dropping his face into his hands.
"How did you all get here? Who brought you?" Arthur asked, as he went to help Gwaine support Uther.
"Search me," Gwaine shrugged. "Lancelot and I were guarding the king, Agravaine went in to visit him, and the next thing we know-- we're in a cave."
"I think it was someone wearing a hooded cloak," Uther added.
"That's helpful," Morgana huffed, making Uther jump.
"Morgana?" he exclaimed.
Arthur swore under his breath, then loudly announced, "Time to go."
"Indeed." Morgana flounced toward the path. Agravaine and Lancelot exchanged a glance, not knowing how to play this particular situation.
"Oh, just go with her," Arthur snapped, gesturing for them to follow the sorceress.
"Why, Arthur?" Agravaine tried.
Arthur groaned.
"I'm not waiting around any longer!" Morgana bellowed. When Arthur gestured once more, Agravaine and Lancelot jogged over to follow her. Before the path took them out of sight, Morgana turned around. "Back to normal tomorrow, Arthur Pendragon."
"Um... not really," he replied. "I know Agravaine and Lancelot are working for you."
She considered that, studying the two men behind her. Finally, she sniffed. "No matter. Rest assured, I'll come up with a new way to bring about your demise."
"I look forward to that," he said dryly.
With a cold nod, Morgana turned and strode off down the path, her henchmen on her heels.
"You two could not be more like siblings if you'd known all your lives," Uther ruminated.
Arthur bit back every answer that came to mind. "Let's just get you home."
"Did this really happen?" Gwen whispered to Merlin, as they all traipsed toward the path.
"I'm not getting any younger, over here!" Morgana called impatiently.
"You'll always be older than me," Arthur retorted, with all the glee of a younger brother.
She glared at him. "When I have my magic back, you'll wish you had never been born."
"I will see to it that you make that wish before I do."
His grammatical slip did not go unnoticed by the sorceress, who smiled meanly. "What, that you'd never been born? I have been wishing that for years."
Arthur scowled, then yelled, "Make a decision already, Merlin!"
"You do know that Gwen's helping me decide, right?" Merlin countered. "And, it would not be up to us, if the two of you were capable of even the tinest smidge of cooperation."
"I still think we should just let Guinevere decide," Arthur pouted, not for the first time.
"Over my dead body!" Morgana narrowed her eyes at Gwen, who sighed.
"We need to sort this, now," Gwen murmured to Merlin.
"Right. So... Uther and...?"
"Agravaine, I guess?"
Merlin began to nod, but paused. "He gets into people's heads, though. What if we bring the two of them over, and he convinces Arthur to leave Gwaine and Lancelot?"
"I don't see that happening," Gwen said, though she doubted her answer as soon as it was out of her mouth.
"Then, what about Gwaine and Lancelot first?"
"Uther, not Gwaine?"
"But, probably the only reason he was taken was because he was guarding Uther's room," Merlin argued. "It's not fair to leave him over there."
Even though she privately agreed, Gwen lifted her chin. "Why don't you propose to Arthur leaving his father behind?"
"Erm. Oh, no...do you think he'll want to bring Agravaine over first, too, then? Being that it's his uncle, even though he's enchanted."
"Leaving Gwaine and Lancelot?" Gwen did not like that idea, either.
"We're all going to get old and die before you make a decision, aren't we?" Morgana's nonexistent patience was apparently just about gone.
"A decision about what?"
Everybody spun towards the lake, where Gwaine was walking along the edge towards them, helping Uther do the same. Lancelot and Agravaine trailed behind them.
There was not much of a shore apart from the clearing where Merlin, Gwen, Arthur, and Morgana stood; but apparently, there was enough of one. "I cannot believe we didn't even think to try that," Merlin mumbled, dropping his face into his hands.
"How did you all get here? Who brought you?" Arthur asked, as he went to help Gwaine support Uther.
"Search me," Gwaine shrugged. "Lancelot and I were guarding the king, Agravaine went in to visit him, and the next thing we know-- we're in a cave."
"I think it was someone wearing a hooded cloak," Uther added.
"That's helpful," Morgana huffed, making Uther jump.
"Morgana?" he exclaimed.
Arthur swore under his breath, then loudly announced, "Time to go."
"Indeed." Morgana flounced toward the path. Agravaine and Lancelot exchanged a glance, not knowing how to play this particular situation.
"Oh, just go with her," Arthur snapped, gesturing for them to follow the sorceress.
"Why, Arthur?" Agravaine tried.
Arthur groaned.
"I'm not waiting around any longer!" Morgana bellowed. When Arthur gestured once more, Agravaine and Lancelot jogged over to follow her. Before the path took them out of sight, Morgana turned around. "Back to normal tomorrow, Arthur Pendragon."
"Um... not really," he replied. "I know Agravaine and Lancelot are working for you."
She considered that, studying the two men behind her. Finally, she sniffed. "No matter. Rest assured, I'll come up with a new way to bring about your demise."
"I look forward to that," he said dryly.
With a cold nod, Morgana turned and strode off down the path, her henchmen on her heels.
"You two could not be more like siblings if you'd known all your lives," Uther ruminated.
Arthur bit back every answer that came to mind. "Let's just get you home."
"Did this really happen?" Gwen whispered to Merlin, as they all traipsed toward the path.
"I wish I could say it hadn't."
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