TOAFK - The Cup of Life - Part I
Title: The Once and Future King
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Pretty Gen, like The Sword in the Stone, but with eventual (by fan vote) Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Lancelot. Other pairings will be added as chapters with them are posted.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: up to 3x08
A/N: This is a sequel to The Sword in the Stone, and you should definitely read that before reading this.
Summary: Arthur knows of Merlin's magic, but their destiny has only begun. The journey to uniting the lands of Albion is long and filled with danger. Presented in 14 parts. Click Here for Masterpost.
Chapter Summary: When a vision foretells of Camelot's ruin via an army lead by a one eyed giant man, Merlin and company will do anything to stop it. But Morgause has the Cup of Life and has created immortal men to fight on her behalf. When one glance in Balor's left eye means certain death, everyone will have to be extra careful while fighting for a way to survive. And there's a mysterious woman in town looking for Merlin.
This chapter is based loosely on the legend of Balor of the Evil Eye (also known as Balor, the Irish Cyclops, though I've given him two eyes).
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Part IV - The Cup of Life
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The corridor crowds were much thinner in the evenings than in the morning. Merlin liked carrying food trays more at night than during the day because he had to do less of a balancing act to avoid people. As Merlin hurried up the steps from the kitchen toward Arthur's bedroom, he hardly passed six other servants. The dinner of pheasant, berries, and wine smelled delicious and Merlin smiled. If he was lucky, Arthur would share the food with him, and that was always a treat.
Just as Merlin was imagining sticking a moist bit of pheasant into his mouth, something he shouldn't do because it got his hopes up when Arthur might not share tonight, he hit a wall so hard he nearly dropped the tray. Not a physical wall, a magic one.
Huge men were clawing their way out of the dirt and rocks and leaves that covered cave and forest floor alike. The largest of them was over ten feet tall with one blue eye and one orange eye. Morgause held out a large strip of cloth that was then tied around the giant man's head to cover his orange eye.
"Retrieve the chalice," a man's voice whispered urgently. "It cannot stay in the hands of evil."
Arthur slashed his sword across one of the giant's chests, but the wound had barely appeared before it had disappeared, no blood left behind. Pellinore jumped on the huge man's back and stabbed his sword swiftly down on the giant's spine while Arthur again attempted to gut it.
"How can I succeed?" a woman asked.
Giant blood dripped into a silver goblet rimmed in pearls. Morgause held it up with a triumphant smile.
"Find Emrys."
Gasping, Merlin leaned against the wall nearest to him. He only let himself rest for a moment before he rushed the rest of the way to Arthur's chambers, putting the adrenaline coursing through his veins to good use. Two minutes later he was shoving his way through the wooden doors.
Arthur and a dark haired older man looked over from their conversation. Merlin panted now that he'd stopped moving, his heart still racing in panic.
"Ah, Merlin," Arthur said, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd been kidnapped."
Merlin gulped a swallow and shook his head but said nothing, afraid to trust his mouth with words when they weren't alone in the room. The dark haired man turned back to Arthur with an easy smile.
"Well then, Arthur, I shall leave you to your dinner," he said. "We can always discuss this later."
Arthur nodded. "Of course. Good night, Uncle Agravaine."
When the door shut behind the older noble, Arthur frowned at Merlin. "Where's the wine?"
Merlin looked down at the tray and noticed that Arthur was right, the goblet and pitcher of wine were missing. He vaguely remembered hearing a clatter before he'd collapsed against that wall...
"I dropped it."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "You dropped it," he repeated. "Of course you dropped it. And you didn't go back for more?" He took a seat at his small dining table and motioned for Merlin to give him the food.
Merlin frowned and set the tray down on the table with more force than necessary. "No. Arthur. Listen, this is important."
The hard tone of his voice caught Arthur's attention and he disregarded the food.
"I just had a vision," Merlin hissed out, glancing at the door briefly. "Morgause is sending an army to attack Camelot. An army of giants."
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"Alright then, Merlin, now that we're all here, tell us what you saw," Arthur ordered with a wave of his hand to the two new occupants of his chambers, Morgana and Gaius. All of his magical consul in one room.
Merlin was sitting at the table now, with Arthur standing by the end of the bed and Morgana and Gaius between them near the door. The food on the tray was cold and barely touched.
"I saw giants crawl out of the ground near a cave," Merlin started. "Morgause had brought them back to life. She only talked to one of them though. He had different colored eyes - one blue and one orange."
"That would be Balor, of the Evil Eye," Gaius broke in solemnly, no hesitation. "If Morgause has really revived him and his men, then the entire kingdom could be in trouble."
"Who is Balor? What is so dangerous about him?" Arthur asked. What was Morgause planning this time?
Gaius let out a breath. "Balor is the king of a giant race so old that the only knowledge of them has been passed down through spoken stories. Legend says that he conquered many tribes of men in the ancient days. Then a seer told him he would die at the hands of his grandson. He locked his daughter away but that did not stop what had been foretold. His daughter gave birth and, when the child Lugh grew up, he slew his grandfather in battle. The Forest of Balor is the site of that ancient battle, long since healed from all the bloodshed." He pointed to his left eye. "Balor's left eye is said to have absorbed so much evil during his childhood that any who gaze into it, even for a moment, instantly die."
For a moment, no one spoke, each imagining the death this one giant could bring upon Camelot all on his own. Merlin was already running through every spell he knew, trying to remember if there was anything about giants or how to kill them in his books. Arthur was formulating how to attack an enemy you couldn't look at. Then Morgana clapped her hands together once.
"Before we all start planning for the worst, let's see what that might be. What else did you see, Merlin?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Morgause was putting the giants' blood into this odd cup. She looked rather pleased about it too." The cup had looked so familiar, as if Merlin had seen it before.
Now Morgana sucked in a shocked breath. "The Cup of Life."
Merlin frowned. "Are you sure?"
The dark haired lady nodded. "Morgause has been searching for it since before I met her," she revealed quietly, as if she were afraid to be overheard. "The first priestesses of the Old Religion were so powerful that they created a cup that could give its wielder control over life and death."
Gaius glanced at Merlin but Merlin kept his eyes on Morgana. Merlin had once gained the power over life and death, without use of a cup, though he had refused to try it again in case he accidentally killed someone who was innocent.
"It fell into the hands of an evil warlord," Morgana continued, eyes distant like she was watching it happen as she spoke. "He poured a drop of blood from each of his soldiers into the cup and they became immortal. Only when the blood was emptied from the cup was his army defeated, and by then he had decimated the country. So the High Priestesses sent the cup away, hiding it with the same magic they used to create it. Morgause must have discovered where it was hidden."
"It looked familiar," Merlin added when Morgana was done. He shook his head with a dissatisfied frown. "I'm sure I've seen it before, but I can't remember where."
Arthur shook his head as well and took a step closer to the others. "It doesn't matter where it came from. What matters is that Morgause has it and is raising an army. We can safely assume the army will be immortal by the time it arrives in Camelot. So what we need to do is figure out how to find the cup and kill the giants, without looking at the king's eye."
"And without telling anyone else what we know," Morgana added. When Arthur opened his mouth to disagree she spoke right over him. "Unless you want to explain to your knights how we know about the cup and the giants at all."
Arthur frowned. Morgana was right. He could explain to his father that Merlin had had a vision and be reasonably certain no harm would come to Merlin from it, but how to explain it to his knights without revealing the magic to anyone else?
He snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "I'll send out a scouting party, saying we've heard tale of marauders in the Forest of Balor. When they return with stories of giants, we can prepare to fight them properly and without question. Meanwhile, you three need to find out where Morgause has stashed that cup."
Morgana looked shocked for a moment before smiling proudly. "My my, Arthur, not so dense as I've always believed."
"No time for joking," Gaius interrupted a verbal fight before it could start, making Arthur visibly swallow his retort. "We have work to do."
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As Morgana's dress slipped down her body, leaving her bare but for her thin slip, she took a deep breath. She turned around to face Gwen and placed her hands on her maid's shoulders to stop her from picking up the dress.
"Gwen," she said quietly. "Gwen I need you to do me a favor."
Eyebrows lowering in curiosity, Gwen said, "Of course. What can I do for you?"
"I'd like you to sleep in the antechamber for a few days," Morgana said.
Gwen frowned and Morgana pulled her hands away. "What's wrong? Are your nightmares returning?"
Guinevere, ever thoughtful. Morgana frowned to think she had ever caused this woman pain. She shook her head and gave her best friend a smile. "No. I just...I'd like to have you close, just in case I need you."
Gwen bent to pick up Morgana's dress from the floor and began to fold it, frowning at the fabric. "Honestly, what's bothering you?" she asked, looking up into Morgana's eyes.
There was a power in Gwen, not magic but of character. If given the proper chance, Gwen would make a wonderful noble. Morgana had dreamt, in the past, of Gwen as a queen. Sometimes of herself smiling at Gwen's side while her darker skinned friend proudly wore her crown. As a child Morgana had adored those dreams, imagining her and Gwen as equals. Later, with Morgause, Morgana had hated those dreams. She had resented Gwen for the future where she would wear a crown and Morgana did not. When she left Morgause, Morgana's dreams had shifted and she was once again happy to see Gwen as a respected advisor, a lady of the court in her own right.
Guinevere was strong of spirit. She cared about the people because she was one. She could understand them in a way Morgana and Arthur couldn't. Somehow Arthur could understand the peoples' needs, most of the time, but he didn't understand what their lives were like day by day. Gwen would help him with that.
Morgana smiled and held out her hand. Gwen set the clothing on a chair to the side and accepted it. The maid seemed only slightly surprised when Morgana pulled her into a hug, and it only took a moment for her to return the embrace.
"Everything is going to be fine," Morgana whispered near Gwen's ear. "I have a bad feeling, I'll admit, but if you stay I know it'll be okay." Pulling back enough to look at Gwen's face, she said, "So will you stay in the antechamber? For me?"
For a few moments, Gwen searched Morgana's face. Morgana tried to make her expression as open as possible without actually letting on how dangerous things could get in the next few days. She wasn't sure how successful she was, but whatever Gwen saw made her nod in compliance.
"Okay," the younger woman agreed. "Alright, I'll stay. If you need me to."
Morgana smiled and pulled Gwen into another quick hug. When she pulled back, she took the time to plant a quick peck on Gwen's cheek. "Thank you, Guinevere. I feel better already. Now, which gown should I wear to sleep?"
Blushing dark red, Gwen stuttered as she held up Morgana's two softest sleeping gowns and talked about how the weather was going to be that night and in the morning. And that was so much of what Gwen was that Morgana just smiled fondly at her while she spoke: strong and determined but soft and warm hearted.
"Gwen," Morgana said later, before Gwen could put out the last light for the night.
"Yes?"
"I hope we'll be friends for the rest of our lives."
Gwen smiled at her in a way one might smile at a child who'd had a nightmare. "Of course we will, Morgana," she assured her. "You're my best friend, and I'm not about to leave you any time soon."
"Good," Morgana agreed with a smirk. "Because it would take something world changing to make me let you go."
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On the training field the next day, Arthur was short five knights. That didn't mean he was going easy on those not sent to check the forest of course. It was barely midday and Arthur himself was feeling tired from how hard he'd been pushing everyone. Merlin was on water duty not only for Arthur but for everyone, keeping them hydrated in the unusually hot morning air.
Arthur caught Sir Bedivere's strike on his own sword. He felt the grate of the two weapons against one another for a moment. Then he stepped forward and shoved Bedivere back, hard enough that Bedivere lost his grip on his sword. It fell with a dull thud into the grass and dirt at their feet. Arthur held his sword tip to Bedivere's chest for several seconds, watching how the knight's chest rose and fell with each breath. When he lowered his weapon, Bedivere bent to pick up his sword.
"Better," Arthur said, "but you're still weak. Your grip strength hasn't fully recovered from the tournament last month."
Bedivere lowered his head with a slight flush of shame. "My wounds are healed, sire. I simply need to train harder."
Arthur stepped forward and clapped the older knight on the shoulder once before stepping back again. "And right you will."
The cry of a bird of prey made Arthur lift his eyes to the sky. A falcon glided in low, wings catching the midday light and shining silver. Its head turned as it cast its gaze around the field. It let out another call and then swooped down among the knights, catching everyone's attention. Merlin stood up just in time for the bird to land on his arm. It grabbed bits of Merlin's hair in its beak and pulled, but to gain attention and not to harm.
Archimedes.
Merlin ran his free hand over Archimedes' body soothingly and the falcon switched to butting him with its head and making soft 'ki' noises.
"Merlin, are you a falconer?" Leon asked. He looked rightfully surprised. Leon had known Merlin almost as long as Arthur had and never heard of Merlin practicing falconry.
"Um," Merlin let out, at a loss.
Yes, Arthur wondered, how will you explain this one?
"That's really impressive!" Pelleas jumped in with a bright smile. "I bet that comes in handy on hunts."
Merlin's eyes were verging on wild as he couldn't come up with a way to talk his way out of this. It seemed it was Arthur's turn to save Merlin now. The prince rolled his eyes and stalked over to his servant.
"Not really," the prince stated, making sure his voice was properly annoyed, and grabbed Merlin's free shoulder. "Keep practicing amongst yourselves. Bedivere, work on your grip strength with a dummy."
Without waiting for an answer, Arthur walked Merlin off the field. Archimedes let out a short cry of surprise when his perch was suddenly moving, but just increased his grip on Merlin's shoulder a bit to stay put.
When they were out of sight from the knights, Arthur pushed Merlin into a shaded part of the castle wall and glared at him. "What is your bird doing flying in during training?" he hissed.
Merlin wasn't any calmer now than he'd been on the field, meaning he'd done something he thought Arthur wouldn't like. Archimedes answered for him.
"Giants!" the bird nearly shouted. Arthur made to clamp his beak shut with a hand but Archimedes snapped at him and he drew his hand back. "I flew over the forest, like you asked," he said to Merlin, who had given Archimedes his full attention.
Merlin nodded. "How many?"
Archimedes ruffled his wings and twisted his head back and forth, thinking. "Ki ki ki ki...Ah, maybe hundred." Now he let out a mournful sound into the underside of his right wing.
The breath was forced from Arthur like he'd been punched and he took a step back from the magical pair against the wall. One hundred giants? Could they fight against one hundred giants, even if they weren't immortal? He covered his eyes with his right hand and tried to think. Surely they had faced worse odds than this? The dragon? The knights of Medhir? Sigan?
A hand landed on Arthur's left shoulder and he lowered his right hand to look at Merlin. His servant, his sorcerer, was staring at him with confidence. He wasn't even saying anything, just standing there and offering comfort and strength through a small point of contact.
Right, he had Merlin. Camelot had defeated the dragon, and the knights, and Sigan, at least in part because Merlin was on their side. Even against enemies resistant to magic, Merlin had always helped see him through. And the knights had overcome assassins, magical beasts, bandits, a troll, invading armies, and magicians for years before and after Merlin arrived. If any group of men was up to the task of fighting an army of giants, it was the knights of Camelot.
He nodded and Merlin removed his hand. As was becoming habit, Arthur found he was extraordinarily glad to have Merlin at his side. Arthur's eyes trailed up from Merlin's face and his own face scrunched up in distaste, all kind feelings retreating for the moment.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot have a serious conversation with you while there's a bird on your head," he said dismissively.
Merlin laughed once and held out his left arm again, now that he wasn't using it to get Arthur's attention. Archimedes fluttered back down to sit on his arm again, leaving Merlin's hair in disarray. Arthur rolled his eyes. This was probably the best he was likely to get from his servant today. Besides, Merlin somehow managed to pull off unkempt as stylish, sometimes, and Arthur liked that he wasn't perfect.
"Arthur," Merlin said, drawing Arthur's attention. The dark haired male nodded. "We'll find the Cup. As soon as the scouts come back to confirm what Archie just told us, you can get your men ready to fight. And when the battle comes, you'll defeat them."
Arthur nodded once, accepting Merlin's counsel. Then he rolled his shoulders and huffed. "Of course we will. Camelot hasn't fallen to any enemy before and it won't start now." Merlin smiled and Arthur waved his hand as if to dismiss his servant. "Now send him away so we can go back to the field before we raise questions."
Merlin pet Archimedes on the head fondly, once, and then nodded. Archimedes immediately took off into the sky, one lone 'ki' announcing his exit.
"You know," Merlin said, watching the bird fly, "you could ask him to leave yourself."
That made Arthur scoff. "Please. First off, he's a bird, not a knight or servant. Second, I doubt he'd listen to me. And third, he's your magic trouble maker so he's your problem, not mine."
Merlin gave a crooked grin. "You're 'my problem' too. How do you explain that?"
Arthur gaped at him for a moment, which only caused Merlin's mirth to grow. Shaking his head, Arthur grabbed Merlin around the shoulders and further mussed up his hair. Merlin gave a noise of protest and grabbed Arthur's arm around his shoulders, but didn't fight him off like Arthur knew he could. He stumbled when Arthur released him abruptly.
"Merlin." Arthur's suddenly solemn tone caused the smile to drop off Merlin's face. "When we face the giants, I want you to be careful." Merlin's expression turned curious. "They'll be immortal, which means even your magic won't harm them. Don't be a hero and get yourself killed. That's an order."
Merlin's eyes hardened in a way Arthur had only seen in worn soldiers. He didn't like the look on Merlin. "The same goes for you, Arthur. Excalibur might not do you any good against an enemy protected by the Cup of Life."
They stared at each other for a long moment, blue into blue. For a moment, Arthur imagined what had given Merlin the ability to turn his eyes to cold steel, who he had killed or what he had seen. He much preferred the Merlin of easy smiles and purposeful ignorance toward social norms. As much as looking at Merlin, at any time, gave Arthur confidence, he needed to break this moment. He needed to wipe that look from Merlin's face.
"Don't look so serious," Arthur admonished, though he thought his voice might have wavered a bit. "I've trained for years to face any enemy that might arise. Without your magic, you're as useful with a sword as a squire."
Merlin's expression cleared. Or rather, he looked petulant rather than ready for battle. "That's a lie and you know it," he defended himself.
Arthur fought and failed to keep the smile off his face. Then he grabbed Merlin by the arm and walked him back toward the field.
And though many of the knights commented on Merlin's secret talents and Sir Lionel complimented Merlin on being confident enough to let the falcon land on him without a falconer's glove, no one asked why it had been flying free and wasn't in the mews or weathering yard with the other falcons, or why it had come onto the field just then.
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The knights Arthur sent to check the forest of Balor returned by nightfall. Or, some of them did. Of the five he'd sent, only two came back. As soon as they had reported to Arthur the horrors they'd seen, Arthur sent them to Gaius for medical attention and sleeping draughts, then he sent a guard to fetch his father.
When his father met him in the meeting room, Arthur's uncle Agravaine was with him. Arthur wasn't surprised that the older man had come as well, since he and Uther had most likely been discussing the details of Agravaine's stay in Camelot when the guard fetched the king. However, it would alter how Arthur informed his father of the threat on the city.
"Arthur," Uther said as he walked down the length of the table to where his son was standing at the head. "What's the matter? You look worried."
Arthur gripped the tall back of the chair in front of him for a moment and then released it and moved to stand beside it instead of behind it. "Father, there is a great danger closing in on Camelot."
"Whatever do you mean, Arthur?" Agravaine asked, his voice smooth. He would be an excellent politician if given the chance. "Camelot has been quiet and peaceful since your men dispatched that harpy attack over a month ago. You even went so far as to track and kill the few the escaped, ensuring the safety of the kingdom. Surely there is no grave danger to Camelot so soon, if your knights are doing their jobs."
Arthur barely refrained from crossing his arms. Doing so would put a barrier between himself and his father and would be a sign of insecurity. Arthur was not insecure. He was impatient.
"I heard rumor of bandits in the Forest of Balor," he started with the lie he'd told his knights, "so I sent five knights to go see about it, to rid the forest of the threat if they found one." He made sure he was looking his father in the eyes as he kept speaking. "They found a threat, father, but it was not bandits."
Uther looked at least mildly concerned while Agravaine had the appearance of a man entertaining the babbling of a young child who'd had a nightmare. Even having pulled the sword from the stone, Arthur had not earned his uncle's respect as a leader. He would have to remedy that.
"What did they find?" Uther asked when Arthur had paused too long. "Sorcery?"
Arthur didn't answer immediately. The giants themselves weren't sorcery, but the magic that had resurrected them most certainly was. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes." Uther's face turned to stone while Agravaine's expression looked a bit pinched. "They encountered giants in the forest father. My knights reported that the giant Balor was leading an army of a hundred against Camelot."
A scoff drew Arthur and Uther's attention away from each other and over to Agravaine. The older gentleman briefly ran a hand through his black hair when he noticed he had their attention, then explained his reaction.
"That is impossible, Arthur," he said. "Balor is a myth. A legend. And even if he were real, he would have been dead for centuries. Your men must be mistaken."
To Arthur's chagrin, his father seemed to be agreeing with Agravaine's logic. He frowned. "Of the five well trained men I sent, only two came back," he said with perhaps too much force. "The survivors reported that the leader of these giant men wore a blindfold over his left eye, and that when their fellow knights looked into that eye, they died immediately and without fail. These accounts match with those of the legend of Balor of the Evil Eye perfectly."
Uther nodded, considering both what his son and his brother-in-law had said. "If it is true, that this ancient evil has returned, then Camelot must prepare itself for a fight."
Again Agravaine jumped in. "It is not true, I assure you," he said to Uther. When he received a questioning look from Uther, ignoring the glare he got from Arthur, Agravaine continued. "It is impossible to raise the dead. Even for a sorcerer it would impossible. Especially for one so long dead. I am certain that what Arthur's men saw were simply the bandits Arthur heard rumor of. Now, these bandits might be taller than average men, and maybe they are more ruthless, but they are not giants. Sorcerers, perhaps, killing travelers and knights both in their greed, beguiling the senses to prey on men's fears."
The way he said it, even Arthur would have questioned the reports from his knights if he didn't already know the truth. It would be very possible for a band of mildly skilled sorcerers to ambush and kill travelers and knights both, creating illusions of grandeur to hide their identities. But Arthur had Merlin's vision, the word of a magic talking falcon, and the reports from his own trusted men to tell him that these were not sorcerers. These were giants, only magic in that they had been raised from the dead and made immortal.
Uther touched his chin briefly, then nodded. "Arthur," he said, turning his attention back to his son. Arthur stood up straighter. "Prepare your best knights to go deal with this threat. If there are sorcerers in the forest, killing Camelot citizens and knights, we must deal with them swiftly."
Arthur frowned. "But what if it isn't sorcerers?" he asked. "What if my men weren't beguiled? What if it really is Balor and his giant army? We should be preparing to defend ourselves from the worst scenario, should we not?"
"And we shall," Agravaine answered with a smile. "Sorcerers with the power to beguile and kill knights of Camelot are incredibly dangerous. And a hundred sorcerers of this strength...," he trailed off, letting them draw their own conclusions.
Arthur could admit the idea was terrifying. One hundred enemy sorcerers descending upon Camelot was just as frightening as the thought of a hundred giants, if not much more so. At least Arthur knew he had two (and perhaps a half, if he counted Gaius's old and unpracticed knowledge) powerful magic users on his side in such a battle. Uther knew of Merlin's magic, but one man against a hundred was terrible odds. If Uther knew that the giants were immortal, the threat of giants would be seen as more pressing, but Arthur had no way to prove the giants were immortal unless he either brought up Merlin's vision - something he couldn't do in Agravaine's company, or could show the Cup of Life full of giant blood to his father - which he didn't have.
"Father, may I speak to you in private?" Arthur requested, trying to keep his tone even.
Agravaine smiled. "It seems your son does not trust me with matters involving the city, dear Uther." Now he shook his head and focused all his attention on the king. "I'm sure he has the best intentions at heart, but to ignore the facts..."
Arthur's uncle didn't finish his thought but he didn't need to. Uther was already considering his words and nodding. For the moment, Agravaine had his father's ear and Arthur was left on the outside. Arthur hadn't felt so far from the throne since he pulled the sword from the stone.
With a grimace, Arthur said, "I will prepare the knights to battle sorcerers," barely keeping his bitterness out of his voice.
The look Uther threw his way said his father knew some of Arthur's feelings on the matter. He knew Arthur was sympathetic to sorcerers because of Merlin and the seer Tethella meddling in his life. It was no secret that his father disapproved of Arthur's feelings utterly and completely. And those thoughts would keep his father from seeing Arthur's disappointment regarding Agravaine.
"See that you do," he said simply. "After we rid Camelot of this danger, your uncle will be joining you as a knight of Camelot as your second."
"Leon is my second," Arthur contended, earning him a frown from both his father and Agravaine. He shook his head and gave a smile he hoped was placating. "If Uncle would be willing to face Leon in combat, and if he defeated Leon, then I will have no issues with the arrangement. But Leon has served with the knights faithfully for years and he is one of the best swordsmen I've ever known. I don't feel it would be right to revoke his position without just cause."
Uther's lips actually quirked up a little at his son's logic and he pat Agravaine amicably on the shoulder. "A warrior's duel. So be it. When peace has been restored, I will preside over the fight myself." He waved toward the door. "Now, go, prepare the knights."
Agravaine was giving a sickly smile, obviously upset at this turn of events, but bowed to Arthur before the prince left the room. As for Arthur, he had no intention of preparing his knights to face a band of rogue sorcerers. He would prepare them to face an army of giants with the power to kill with eye contact.
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Morgana was sitting up in bed when Gwen knocked on the door. When her friend poked her head in, Morgana smiled, but it was shaky. "Gwen," she said softly.
Opening the door more fully, Gwen let Arthur into the room. He was dressed in his sleep trousers and a simple white shirt, no shoes or belt and his hair was finger brushed. Gwen was making sure not to look directly at him if she didn't have to, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"I brought Arthur, like you asked," Gwen said, voice loud in the quiet night.
Morgana nodded. "Thank you. Could you excuse us for a few minutes?" she asked politely, her voice still soft.
Gwen frowned, concerned, but eventually nodded. With a curtsey, she said, "I'll be next door if you need me," and left, shutting the door silently behind her.
Arthur waited a few moments, giving time for Gwen to walk away from the door, before he took a step further into the room. Morgana was staring out the window by then.
"Morgana, what's wrong?" he asked. "Gwen said you had a nightmare and called for me."
Morgana slid her legs around to the edge of the bed and stood up, all in one fluid motion and with the sort of grace that no other in all of Albion could manage. "I had a vision tonight. I saw your knights die by looking into the eye of Balor. I saw the cup full of blood. I saw Camelot's walls breaking down as giants stormed the castle. Morgause was inside." She gave a slight smile. "But I also saw the cup overturned."
Arthur's lips quirked up. "So we'll win."
Morgana shook her head. "I'm not sure. The cup being emptied means that the giants will be mortal again. Anything after that is chance." She huffed an aggravated breath, upset at her lack of understanding. "I need more training to understand the meaning behind my visions. Seer training."
She watched as Arthur's grin fell. "Morgana," he hedged, peeking at her curiously, "Is Merlin a seer? He's never mentioned."
She frowned. "No."
"But he foresaw the giants before you did."
Morgana walked around the edge of her bed toward the window, lifting her gaze toward the stars. "Merlin is...different," she said, hesitant. How to explain the difference between her magic and Merlin's? At length, she turned to face her brother, leaning back against the stone windowsill but not sitting. "When I was with my sister I learned to practice magic more liberally." To Arthur's credit, he barely flinched remembering when Morgana was against him. "I learned spells and incantations, how to make potions and poisons, how to give life to stone and mud, how to attack my enemies. But that is not the magic I was born to do. I'm not as strong in spells as Morgause or Merlin. My power lies in foresight. I can't stop having visions any more than you can breathe underwater."
Arthur snorted, once, softly, but did not interrupt her, for which Morgana was grateful. Folding her hands together, Morgana continued in a more contemplative tone.
"Merlin's magic is...elemental. He was born with it, grew up with it singing in his veins." Since the basilisk incident, she and Merlin had discussed the nature of magic and how it affected people, what it should be used for. "His magic tames storms, both in nature and in men. He knows many of the same spells that I do, but he also knows how to warm a hearth, find what's been lost. I learned magic, he breathes it. Merlin is magic, to his core, in all its wonder and its danger. I've never known his like."
"So Merlin has your gift of foresight, but more power," Arthur tried to summarize, "and that's how he's different from you."
Morgana shook her head. "Merlin and I are fundamentally different, Arthur. My visions come to me at night and they only show me the future. Merlin's visions come to him during the day, in his waking life. From what he's told me, he sees the future, but also the present and the past. Merlin is not considered a seer because he is so much more than that."
Arthur stood quietly in her room, hands lightly clenching into fists and unclenching at his sides. He was having difficulty reconciling his image of the bumbling Merlin they knew every day with the image of Merlin as a powerful sorcerer, no doubt. Morgana had only had a short time more than Arthur to get used to this same idea. But then again, she was magic too, so she could probably understand Merlin easier. Arthur knew Merlin better than probably anyone else in the world, though, so Morgana knew he would understand. It just might take some time.
"As for my vision," she said, bringing the topic back to the reason she had called for him and lifting her voice to something befitting a ward of the king. "The giants will enter the city."
Arthur's eyes darted up to meet hers even as his expression hardened. "I'll call for an evacuation of the lower town," he said. "I'll bring the citizens into the safety of the inner keep while the knights and I fight the giants outside." He lifted a hand to point at her. "Do you know when the giants will arrive?"
Morgana frowned. "I'm not sure," she said. "But it felt incredibly soon. Tomorrow night would be my guess."
"Have you found anything on the Cup?" Arthur asked.
A short nod. "A bit. Merlin and I are going to start searching in the morning."
"Then we have a lot of work to do in the morning."
Morgana did not dispute it. There was more to her dream than the giants but Arthur didn't need to know of it. She would go to Merlin tomorrow and warn him. There was a woman in Camelot with a strange aura, looking for Merlin, who wanted the Cup of Life. And the Cup of Life was somewhere in the castle. They indeed had a lot of work to do.
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And because LJ says my post was "too large" you get to read this chapter in two parts. Here's the link for part two!