you and i are a story that never gets told (5/13)
Title: you and i are a story that never gets told (5/~13)
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Morgana, any and all other characters
Word Count: 5,513
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this stuff, because if I did ArMor would be canon.
Spoilers: Vague spoilers for all of Merlin series 2
Summary: Perhaps there was another way, if only it had gone a little different at the start. How it should've been, aka Series 2 the proper way.
Author's Notes: I really don't like these two episodes on the show, so naturally I only made it one chapter. Also, I kept a lot of the original scenes, so if you see similar or exact dialogue that is why. This episode wasn't one that was easily changed due to the fact that it was all about Uther, and well, I don't care enough about him lol. Sooo, yeah. Don't sue me for using your lines, BBC!
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3
---
For weeks after Morgana’s brief disappearance, Uther practically smothered his ward. He constantly needed to know where she was and who she was with, and he insisted on dining with her for every meal. Therefore, when Lady Catrina arrived in Camelot, Morgana was thrilled to have someone else to steal Uther’s attention. Arthur, however, didn’t seem to feel the same way.
They all dined together after Lady Catrina arrived, and Arthur’s faces throughout the dinner made it very clear that he was disturbed by the thought of his father flirting with a woman.
Morgana smiled to herself and tried not to laugh at Arthur. Personally, she found it cute that Uther liked Catrina. He could use a companion in his life; maybe it would soften him some.
After nearly gagging at his father’s displays of affection, Arthur put on a show of yawning loudly, though he was clearly not tired. He made up some excuse about a hard day’s training and excused himself for the night.
Morgana resisted rolling her eyes and rose from the table. “I should retire as well.” Uther bid her goodnight and she followed after Arthur, finding him out in the hall.
He was heading to his chambers and Morgana caught him by the arm. She fell in step beside him, walking along with him to their rooms.
She smirked over at him as they walked. “Who knew Uther was such a charmer. He and the Lady Catrina seem to quite like each other.”
Arthur turned and glared at her. “It’s disgusting if you ask me.”
“Oh, I could tell. You’re not very subtle.” She chuckled to herself.
“He’s just… he’s so old, it’s not proper.”
Morgana scoffed. “Come now, Arthur. Are you so against people finding companionship?”
He kept his gaze trained on the floor ahead of him and mumbled, “If it’s my father, then yes.”
She shoved his arm playfully. “Arthur Pendragon, you are ridiculous. I think the Lady Catrina is lovely, and if she makes him happy, what’s wrong with that?”
Arthur sighed, realizing that she was right. “Fine, but I still don’t have to enjoy watching my father try to flirt with her.”
“I suppose that’s acceptable. I’m sure he feels the same way about you, you know.”
They reached Arthur’s door first, and Morgana stopped there with him. Arthur turned to her and smirked. “Give me some credit; I don’t flirt with women in front of his face. It’s different.”
Morgana couldn’t help but think of all the times Arthur had harassed one of the maids at dinner, or drank too much wine and leered at her during feasts, but she held her tongue. “Right. Well, I guess I’ll let you get some rest. Since you seemed so exhausted at dinner and all.”
Arthur smiled at her. “Shut up, Morgana.”
She let out an airy laugh. “Goodnight.” She brushed her hand lightly down his arm in a leaving gesture.
His arm tingled from her touch and his smiled widened. “Goodnight, Morgana.”
---
Arthur spotted Morgana walking through the castle with Guinevere and ran to catch up with her. “You will never believe what I caught Merlin doing.”
Morgana paused in her conversation with Gwen and looked over at him. “And what was that?”
“He was spying on the Lady Catrina.” He looked somewhat giddy at the thought of catching Merlin doing something wrong.
Gwen couldn’t help but overhear and piped up, “What?”
“He was hanging a mirror out of my bedroom window trying to see into her room. I mean, I knew the boy was a bit deprived of female attention, but really.” Arthur shook his head in disapproval.
Gwen sighed. “Oh, Merlin.”
Morgana found it all quite funny and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure it’s not what it seems, Arthur. I mean, we’ve had plenty of women stay with us, Merlin has never spied on them.”
Raising a finger to point at her, Arthur countered, “That we know of.”
“Well, maybe I’ll talk to him, sort all this out.” Looping her arm through Gwen’s, Morgana started heading back down the hall, leaving Arthur to trail behind.
Arthur called out, “Just don’t turn your back on him!”
---
Morgana was unable to have that conversation with Merlin, for he seemed to be constantly busy for the next few days. She brushed it off, assuming it was just Arthur keeping him working all the time to stop him from spying.
She had quite enjoyed having some time to herself without Uther hovering, but she wasn’t expecting it to be permanent. Therefore, when he called everyone in for an announcement, she was quite surprised to hear what he had to say.
“The Lady Catrina and I are to be married.”
Morgana and Gwen shared equal looks of shock. Glancing over at Arthur, Morgana could tell that he was surprised as well.
Lady Catrina whispered something in the King’s ear and he straightened and addressed the room once more. “The Lady Catrina and I are to be married, tomorrow.”
Confusion seemed to sweep through the whole room. Morgana tried to catch Arthur’s eye, but he was too focused on his father.
Uther excused everyone from the Great Hall, causing a mass exodus of people whispering and murmuring concerns about the upcoming nuptials.
Morgana called out to Arthur and tried to catch up with him, but he ignored her pleas. She eventually gave up and watched as he vanished into a group of people. Sighing, Morgana went back to where she left Gwen.
The maid grabbed Morgana’s hand and squeezed it as they left the hall.
---
The day of the wedding was a busy one for everyone in the castle. Gwen helped Morgana to get ready, but surprisingly, Arthur had to find someone else to help him, as Merlin was nowhere to be found.
Arthur escorted his father into the Great Hall to start the ceremony, looking much happier than he had the day before.
Morgana bowed as they passed, smiling at Arthur. The prince came and took his place beside her in the front row as they all waited for the arrival of Lady Catrina. Morgana nudged him to get his attention. She mouthed, “Are you okay?”
He nodded in return, a smile on his lips.
Everyone watched as the Lady Catrina made her way up to the front of the hall to stand with Uther. Morgana moved forward to help with the long skirts of the Lady’s dress before moving back to stand with Arthur.
Morgana murmured wistfully, “She looks beautiful.”
Arthur whispered, “Not as good as you, though.”
The statement took Morgana aback and she turned her head to stare at him. Arthur, however, continued to look straight ahead at the procession as if it didn’t even matter. Morgana eventually managed to get control over herself and watched quietly for the rest of the ceremony.
---
After the wedding, there was a feast in honor of the King and his new bride. It went on for hours, and everyone was enjoying drinking and celebrating. Arthur eventually grew bored with all the mindless chatter and found Morgana off in the corner with some of the knights. She had already finished several glasses of wine and was laughing with the men, unaware of the way several of them were staring at her. Arthur grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away, excusing himself to the knights.
Morgana was quite indignant over being manhandled, and yanked her arm back. “Arthur, what do you think you’re doing?”
Arthur just grinned at her. “Come on.”
With a huff, she reluctantly followed him out into the hall. They made their way back to his chambers, and upon reaching them, Morgana became nervous. “Arthur, what are we-”
He drew a wine bottle out from under his cloak, effectively shutting her up. “I thought we’d have some fun on our own. It was getting quite dull in there.”
She shook her head at him, laughing. “Fine. You’re more interesting than most of our guests, I suppose.”
They slipped into his chambers, shutting out the rest of the world. Morgana snatched the bottle from his hands and took a long swig from it, pulling it away to reveal a giddy look on her face. “God, how long has it been since we did this?”
Arthur laughed lightly, enraptured by her happiness. “It’s been a long time.”
She made a humming noise in the back of her throat, agreeing with him. “So, how does it feel, having a new queen around?”
Arthur took the bottle back and drank deeply from it. He wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve as he finished. “Not that different, I suppose.”
Morgana kicked off her shoes and began to tiptoe around the room, surveying all of Arthur’s things. “It’s not strange that Uther is with someone other than your mother?” The wine in her system was emboldening her to ask such questions, her mind blissfully unaware of the risks.
Arthur followed Morgana’s example and pulled off his jacket, resting it over the back of his chair. “I never had the chance to see them married, so I guess it’s… it is strange, but I don’t know why, really.” He took another sip from the bottle before setting it down on the table.
Nodding in understanding, Morgana crossed the room to stand next to Arthur. “You miss her.” She pulled the bottle away from his reaching fingers, forcing him to pay attention to her instead of the wine.
He laughed bitterly, a low and harsh sound. “How can you miss someone you never met?”
Morgana shrugged, taking a drink from the bottle. She kept a hold on it as she set it back down. “You just do, I guess.”
Arthur cocked his head at her. He was accustomed to Morgana spouting philosophical bits of wisdom and whatnot. But he could tell by the sorrow in her eyes that she understood; she just didn’t have the answers this time. He went to grab the bottle back from her, but felt her hand rest on top of his to stop him.
She smiled softly at him and tugged him away from the table by his hand. She pulled him to the window and pushed it open, filling the room with the sounds of the ongoing party below. Music wafted through the window, making Morgana smile wider. “Let’s dance.”
“Morgana…” Arthur shook his head, trying to resist.
She placed one of his hands on her waist, encouraging him. “Come on.” She threw her arms around his neck when he continued to hesitate. “Please!” she pleaded, her words melting into laughter soon after.
Arthur gave in and swayed with her, setting his other hand on her back. “At least now you won’t step on my feet like you did as a child.”
Morgana laughed louder at the rush of memories. “Oh, that was always on purpose, you knew that.”
He scowled, but it was all in fun, the wine coursing through his veins and lightening his mood.
With a hint of a smirk, Morgana lifted up one foot at a time and placed them on top of Arthur’s boots. “There, now I can’t hurt you.”
He laughed and started to spin around the room, carrying Morgana on his feet. Morgana swooped up the wine as she passed, giggling and drinking even more.
Eventually they reached his bed, where they both collapsed, laughing at their childish behavior. Arthur rolled over onto his back and Morgana on her stomach, both feeling the effects of the alcohol by now. Arthur took the bottle from her hands, saving his bedcovers from any spills. He finished off the bottle, letting it fall to the floor.
Morgana began to trace invisible pictures onto the quilt with her fingers. She wondered aloud, “Do you ever think about getting married?”
Arthur tilted his head to look at her, contemplating her question. “Sometimes.”
She sighed. “As a child I always thought it’d be something grand and romantic. But now, it’ll probably just be something Uther arranged with an old baron to get more land.”
“Never gonna happen.”
Morgana rolled onto her side, propping her elbow up on the bed to support her head. “You sound so sure.” Shaking her head, she continued, “We both know you’ll end up married to some princess, and I’ll get shipped off to the highest bidder.”
Arthur chuckled low in his throat. “I won’t let it happen. I’ll do what I must to keep you around, annoying as you are, and then when I’m king you’ll be free to marry whomever you like.”
“And what if you aren’t king until I’m old and grey? Shall I be a maiden forever?”
He laughed, louder this time. “Knowing you, Morgana, I’m sure we’d find some way around it.”
She smiled at him sweetly, feeling safe in his promise. Her mind fluttered over the thought of getting married, but for some reason all she could picture was Arthur at the end of the aisle. Blaming the alcohol for clouding her mind, she flipped over onto her back and stared up for a while.
They both laid there in silence, tracing patterns on the ceiling until sleep consumed them both.
---
The next morning, Arthur and Morgana were discovered by Guinevere, who had been frantically searching the castle for her mistress. The pair were found sleeping on top of the covers, with half of Arthur’s body stretched over the edges of the bed and Morgana curled up against the pillows. Gwen shook Morgana to wake her up, trying not to read too much into the situation.
Morgana groggily opened her eyes and surveyed the room. She looked up into Gwen’s disapproving face and tried to smile. “I swear this isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Gwen just shook her head and helped Morgana up. “We should go get you a bath.”
Morgana nodded, glancing back to look at Arthur. “I’ll just let him sleep it off.”
Gwen’s eyes were drawn over to Arthur’s sleeping figure and Morgana could’ve sworn she saw a flash of something there-hurt, jealousy even-but she ignored it.
The two girls quietly exited the room, only to run into Leon outside.
“My lady.” He bowed to Morgana before hurrying into Arthur’s room.
Morgana and Gwen shared a look before continuing on their way.
---
Arthur was informed by Leon that Merlin was to be arrested for crimes against the Queen. He put on a good show of sending out groups of the knights to find Merlin, but he wasn’t truly planning on capturing his manservant. He snuck back to his rooms on the first opportunity and found Merlin working there.
“You have to leave.”
Merlin stopped changing the sheets and looked quite confused at the order. “What?”
Arthur corralled the boy away from his bed, trying to get him to the servant door. “You have been accused of stealing from Queen Catrina, and I am supposed to arrest you.”
“Arthur, you know I didn’t…”
Arthur cut him off, “I know, but you won’t be able to explain, which is why you need to leave Camelot, now.”
Shaking his head, Merlin cried out, “Arthur, she’s a troll!”
“Merlin, we’ve been through this,” replied Arthur on a sigh.
Pressing on, Merlin added, “I saw her!”
“I don’t care. You need to leave.” When Arthur saw that Merlin was hesitating, he yelled, “Go!”
Merlin finally gave in and took off through the side door, just in time to miss the knights that came barging into Arthur’s room through the main entrance.
As Merlin made his way down the hall, he was caught by someone who tugged him into a corner. He looked down to see Morgana holding him, her other hand raised to her lips in a signal telling him to be quiet.
She whispered, “Gaius sent me. Come with me.”
Merlin nodded, following her carefully through the halls.
Morgana and Gaius successfully hid him in a barrel in Gaius’s chambers, leaving him hiding in plain sight. After he was safely hidden, Morgana took one of Merlin’s scarves out into the woods, leaving a trail for the knights to follow. She was still unsure of what was happening, but she knew that Merlin was innocent, and that was all that mattered for now.
---
Arthur was growing ever suspicious of his father’s changing moods as of late. Uther had demanded a raise on taxes, which was completely unnecessary and detrimental to the people. The king’s actions were out of character, and Arthur couldn’t help but feel torn. He wanted to obey his father, but as he stood in the lower town, watching the people cry out and struggle to scrape together the money for the taxes, he felt that he had to do what was right for the people.
“Give them back their money. All of it,” he demanded the knights, ignoring their protests about the king’s orders. Arthur made his way back to the castle, feeling somewhat empty despite his good deeds. He knew where this could lead.
---
After being thoroughly reamed out by his father for what had transpired in the town, Arthur sat in his room feeling dejected. He heard the door open and expected to see Morgana standing there, since she often showed up at times like this. However, it was her maidservant, Guinevere, instead. Startled, he called out, “Guinevere! What are you doing here?”
She slowly shut the door behind her, making her way over to Arthur. “I saw what you did earlier. The people owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Arthur scoffed, “The people owe me nothing. My father is still going to impose the tax.”
Gwen sighed. “Still, everyone appreciates what you did.”
He stood up from his chair to face Gwen, shaking his head. “What if he has a point? What if I can’t rule Camelot and still be a friend to the people?”
“You can. And you will, Arthur. You’ll be the kind of king the people deserve someday, I know it.”
Arthur felt himself almost smiling at her kind words. Before he could respond to thank her for believing in him, Sir Leon barged into his room for the second time in a day. “The king has sent for you.”
---
As soon as Morgana heard about Arthur being disinherited, she immediately sought out Uther to see if she could rectify the situation. She knew that Uther was a tyrant and often made decisions she didn’t agree with, but this was the last thing she would expect. He truly loved Arthur, more than her, more than anything.
She found the king in the throne room, with his new bride by his side. “I need to speak with you.”
Uther set down the paper he was examining, no doubt in preparation for the ceremony later, and looked up at his ward.
At his silence, Morgana prompted, “In private.”
Uther shared a look with his queen before turning his gaze back on Morgana. “Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of my wife.”
Swallowing against the dryness in her throat, Morgana pressed on, not letting anything deter her. “It’s about Arthur. I heard that you have revoked his position as your heir?”
Uther’s mouth was set into a hard line and he seemed to darken upon hearing her query. “I have. Queen Catrina will be made my heir.”
“My lord, I mean no disrespect, but I think this is the wrong decision. Arthur is your son, and the rightful heir to the throne. I know he may have upset you, but that is no reason to take away his birthright.” She tried her hardest to contain her anger over the situation, knowing that it would only make things worse.
“Morgana…” The king uttered her name as a warning.
Ignoring his protest, Morgana continued, “I have seen what’s inside him. He is just and kind, and always does what he believes is best for Camelot. I know that at times he makes mistakes, but he never stops trying to do what is right.” She gauged the look on Uther’s face and saw no change there, but she mustered up the confidence to keep going. “He is a good man, and he will make a great king. You just have to give him the chance.”
The King did not seem at all moved by her admission. He simply replied, “My decision is final.”
Morgana’s jaw dropped open slightly in shock. “My lord, please-”
“I said my decision is final, Morgana. You may return to your chambers now.” He picked up the papers he had been reading previously and acted as if she had disappeared from the room.
Morgana shut her mouth, clenching her jaw to keep from screaming. She noticed the smug look of satisfaction on the Lady Catrina’s face and suddenly got the desperate urge to rip it right off. Fighting against her more primal urges at the moment, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the throne room.
She needed to escape; the castle felt like it was suffocating her after that altercation. She went outside to get some air and found Arthur standing on the turrets, looking over the town below.
He was staring down, watching all the people as they bustled about, his face drawn and solemn. Morgana made her way over to him, leaning against the wall next to him. For once, she couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t need empty words about how Uther would change his mind, because they both knew it wasn’t true.
Arthur sensed her presence and turned to look at her. “So I guess you heard.”
Morgana nodded slowly. “I just came from seeing Uther.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “He is so stubborn.”
He turned back and looked down at the people once more. “He doesn’t think I’m fit to make decisions for the land.”
“He’s wrong, Arthur. And I told him as much.”
Arthur shook his head, fighting a smile. Sarcastically, he replied, “I’m sure that did a lot of good.”
Morgana shoved her fingers roughly through her windblown hair. “He’s not thinking straight. He’ll see the error of his ways eventually.”
Feeling dejected, Arthur mumbled. “Maybe he’s right.”
Grabbing him by the arm, Morgana forced him to face her. “Arthur Pendragon, you are a lot of things, but you are not unfit to be a king.” She stared him down, her gaze steely.
He lowered his eyes, unable to match her stare. “Doesn’t matter now anyway. I’ll never have the chance to be king.”
She scoffed. “And so what if you aren’t?”
His eyes snapped back up to meet hers.
“Will you crawl into a ball and hide away? You are still the Prince of Camelot, and you are important to the people. All the good you’ve done in your life has not been contingent on your role as the future king. You have done what is right because it’s who you are. You’re a good person, Arthur, and all the titles in the world won’t change that.”
Arthur looked rather stunned, but the hints of a smile were visible at the corners of his mouth. “Thank you, Morgana.”
Noticing his hands resting on the edge of the wall, she reached over to set her hand on top of one of his. She squeezed his fingers briefly before withdrawing her hand and turning to mirror his position, looking out over the city. He may not believe it now, but she knew that it would all work out in the end, whether he was king or not.
---
During the ceremony to name Catrina as heir, Morgana kept looking over at Arthur practically every three seconds. She could tell that he was trying to put on a show of being strong, but it had to be killing him. Her heart ached for him, and she wished that there wasn’t an aisle between them so she could be there for him. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and worried it between her teeth as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
Arthur attempted to pay attention to the procession, but it was too difficult, and eventually he opted for staring at the ground in front of him. He could feel Morgana’s eyes on him, but he didn’t want her to see the pain etched across his face, so he refused to look in her direction.
Morgana was startled out of her constant Arthur-watching by Queen Catrina’s bizarre unladylike display. The Queen was yelling at Geoffrey of Monmouth and ordering him to rush the processions. It was all very unusual, and Morgana couldn’t help but pull a face at the Queen’s antics.
Arthur was snapped out of his melancholy stupor by the same thing, and he finally looked over at Morgana and raised his eyebrow in disbelief.
Lady Catrina soon gave up on the ceremony all together and roughly grabbed the crown from the cleric’s hands. She took off out of the throne room, leaving Uther to trail after her.
Morgana quickly followed suit, and Arthur was not far behind her. They ran until they caught up with the frantic queen, who was desperately trying to open a door.
Reluctantly, Arthur made his way to help her, but stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the Queen’s disfigured hand. “What is that?”
Catrina began to writhe and her skin appeared to bubble. Morgana gasped at the unpleasant sight. After a few agonizing moments, the beautiful lady had completely vanished, leaving in her wake a hideous troll.
Arthur’s jaw dropped open and he struggled to speak. Finally, he uttered, “You’re a troll!”
Uther turned to his son. “How dare you speak to her like that!”
Shocked by his father’s ignorance to what was in front of his eyes, Arthur questioned, “What is wrong with you?”
Morgana’s head was spinning from the revelation. “I don’t believe it.”
The troll previously known as Lady Catrina suddenly ripped the door off its hinges and hurled it across the room.
Arthur protectively moved in front of Morgana to shield her as the door soared past them to crash on the floor. They both watched in stunned silence as the troll fled the room.
Turning back to his father, Arthur implored, “She just ripped a door off its hinges, doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Enough!”
Continuing, Arthur yelled, “She’s a troll! A giant, grey-”
Watching as he searched for the word, Morgana interjected, “Stinking!”
Picking up on her cue, Arthur went on. “Stinking troll!”
Uther was clearly still under a spell and was in no way pleased by Arthur’s comments. “Stop it! Haven’t you hurt her feelings enough?” He moved to the door to collect Catrina’s fallen crown and shoes, and then turned back to Arthur and Morgana. “Insult my wife again and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.” He immediately exited the hall in search of his troll wife, leaving his bewildered son and ward behind.
Morgana and Arthur shared a look, both equally confused and disturbed.
Arthur wondered out loud to no one in particular, “What on earth just happened?”
---
After weeks of having a troll parade around the castle as queen, everyone was growing quite annoyed, and more than slightly disgusted.
Morgana was searching the castle for Arthur; ever since Merlin had gone into hiding she found herself seeking out Arthur more often. It was easier to deal with her magic and her constant nightmares when she spent her days with him, even though he was oblivious to what was really happening. Plus, he seemed to need her to take his mind off of the fact that he now had a troll for a stepmother.
She rounded a corner and found Gaius leading the king quickly through the corridors, heading in the direction of Arthur’s room. Morgana followed them, lagging behind a few paces. The two men slipped into Arthur’s room and Morgana hesitated outside of the door. She debated leaving them to their business, but the distinct sound of Uther’s pained cry made her change her mind.
“My boy.” Uther could be heard from outside the open door.
Morgana immediately tried to slip in the room, curious as to what was wrong. She caught sight of Uther hovering over something, but Gaius quickly pushed her back and blocked her view.
“Morgana…” Gaius tried to get her attention, but Morgana shoved his arm out of her path and moved further into the room.
What she saw made her breath catch in her throat; Arthur’s lifeless figure was lying on the floor, his lips drained of color and his chest still from lack of air. She froze on the spot, terror gripping her tight. She managed to call out, “Arthur?”
Uther turned to look up at her, tears beginning to cloud his eyes.
The lack of response from either man seemed to shake Morgana out of her trance and she moved closer and yelled, “Arthur!”
Suddenly, the troll of a queen appeared at the door and rushed over to Uther. The king lifted up his son to his chest, cradling his head as he began to cry.
The troll grabbed him by the shoulders, urging, “Come away. There’s nothing you can do for him now!”
Uther shoved her off, crying out, “I killed him. I killed my only son!”
“No, no, no,” the troll pressed, desperately trying to stop him from breaking the spell.
Morgana was filled up with rage at the scene, and yelled at the so-called queen. “You did this!”
The troll just yanked harder on Uther, ignoring Morgana’s accusation. She started mumbling a spell, but she was stopped by Uther as he spun around to stare at her.
“Catrina?” Tears of remorse were trailing down his cheeks. He was suddenly free of the troll magic, and he stumbled backwards as he saw his wife for what she truly was. “What kind of trickery is this?”
The troll turned on Uther, spitting out hateful words, but Morgana was still focused on Arthur and everything else seemed to fade away.
Uther called out for the guards and they came pouring in to fight Catrina.
Morgana noticed Merlin slip in the room and her mind snapped back to attention. She called out to him, “Merlin?”
The warlock only glanced at Morgana for a moment before quickly making his way over to Arthur’s fallen form, too preoccupied with curing the prince.
As Morgana watched Merlin struggle to wring out his scarf over Arthur’s lips, she grew worried. “What’s happening?” Her cries were ignored and she was abruptly knocked over by one of the guards as they were thrown by the troll. Growing quite angry over the whole situation, she reached over and grabbed Arthur’s sword from where it lay by his bed.
The troll had easily taken out most of the guards and was rounding on Uther. The king was still too astounded by the news of his wife’s real identity to move.
Morgana lifted up the sword, and with a cry, she lunged at the troll from behind. Without a moment’s hesitation, she shoved the sword deep through the troll’s chest, ducking under its flailing arms as it tried to hit her. She yanked the sword out roughly and backed away from her victim.
With a disgusting sound, the troll fell to the ground and died.
Morgana turned around and found a completely conscious Arthur standing before her. She gasped in surprise before looking over at Merlin and putting the pieces together.
An extremely confused Uther just shook his head and hurried out of the room to avoid any and all discussion.
Morgana huffed and turned to the two boys left in the room. “You two have some explaining to do.”
---
After Merlin and Arthur explained the whole plan, Morgana understood why they did it, but she still wasn’t very pleased about it. They had to make Uther cry to break the spell, and allowing him to believe that he was responsible for his son’s death was the most logical plan. However, she couldn’t forgive the fact that they let her believe the lie as well. “You realize that you could’ve died, Arthur.”
Merlin interjected, “There was an antidote.”
Morgana scoffed. “Yes, one that you nearly didn’t administer in time.”
Arthur looked over at Merlin and shrugged. “She has a point.”
Frowning, Merlin crossed his arms over his chest. He mumbled, “You’re alive, aren’t you?”
After rolling her eyes at the pair, Morgana warned, “I’m glad you broke the spell. But if you two ever pull a scheme like that again without telling me, you might as well stay dead, Arthur Pendragon, because I will kill you both!” She spun on her heel and traipsed out of the room, leaving two frightened boys in her wake.
Recalling what she did to the troll only moments before, Arthur and Merlin exchanged looks before agreeing to never cross Morgana again, if they could help it.
Next Chapter
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Morgana, any and all other characters
Word Count: 5,513
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this stuff, because if I did ArMor would be canon.
Spoilers: Vague spoilers for all of Merlin series 2
Summary: Perhaps there was another way, if only it had gone a little different at the start. How it should've been, aka Series 2 the proper way.
Author's Notes: I really don't like these two episodes on the show, so naturally I only made it one chapter. Also, I kept a lot of the original scenes, so if you see similar or exact dialogue that is why. This episode wasn't one that was easily changed due to the fact that it was all about Uther, and well, I don't care enough about him lol. Sooo, yeah. Don't sue me for using your lines, BBC!
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3
---
For weeks after Morgana’s brief disappearance, Uther practically smothered his ward. He constantly needed to know where she was and who she was with, and he insisted on dining with her for every meal. Therefore, when Lady Catrina arrived in Camelot, Morgana was thrilled to have someone else to steal Uther’s attention. Arthur, however, didn’t seem to feel the same way.
They all dined together after Lady Catrina arrived, and Arthur’s faces throughout the dinner made it very clear that he was disturbed by the thought of his father flirting with a woman.
Morgana smiled to herself and tried not to laugh at Arthur. Personally, she found it cute that Uther liked Catrina. He could use a companion in his life; maybe it would soften him some.
After nearly gagging at his father’s displays of affection, Arthur put on a show of yawning loudly, though he was clearly not tired. He made up some excuse about a hard day’s training and excused himself for the night.
Morgana resisted rolling her eyes and rose from the table. “I should retire as well.” Uther bid her goodnight and she followed after Arthur, finding him out in the hall.
He was heading to his chambers and Morgana caught him by the arm. She fell in step beside him, walking along with him to their rooms.
She smirked over at him as they walked. “Who knew Uther was such a charmer. He and the Lady Catrina seem to quite like each other.”
Arthur turned and glared at her. “It’s disgusting if you ask me.”
“Oh, I could tell. You’re not very subtle.” She chuckled to herself.
“He’s just… he’s so old, it’s not proper.”
Morgana scoffed. “Come now, Arthur. Are you so against people finding companionship?”
He kept his gaze trained on the floor ahead of him and mumbled, “If it’s my father, then yes.”
She shoved his arm playfully. “Arthur Pendragon, you are ridiculous. I think the Lady Catrina is lovely, and if she makes him happy, what’s wrong with that?”
Arthur sighed, realizing that she was right. “Fine, but I still don’t have to enjoy watching my father try to flirt with her.”
“I suppose that’s acceptable. I’m sure he feels the same way about you, you know.”
They reached Arthur’s door first, and Morgana stopped there with him. Arthur turned to her and smirked. “Give me some credit; I don’t flirt with women in front of his face. It’s different.”
Morgana couldn’t help but think of all the times Arthur had harassed one of the maids at dinner, or drank too much wine and leered at her during feasts, but she held her tongue. “Right. Well, I guess I’ll let you get some rest. Since you seemed so exhausted at dinner and all.”
Arthur smiled at her. “Shut up, Morgana.”
She let out an airy laugh. “Goodnight.” She brushed her hand lightly down his arm in a leaving gesture.
His arm tingled from her touch and his smiled widened. “Goodnight, Morgana.”
---
Arthur spotted Morgana walking through the castle with Guinevere and ran to catch up with her. “You will never believe what I caught Merlin doing.”
Morgana paused in her conversation with Gwen and looked over at him. “And what was that?”
“He was spying on the Lady Catrina.” He looked somewhat giddy at the thought of catching Merlin doing something wrong.
Gwen couldn’t help but overhear and piped up, “What?”
“He was hanging a mirror out of my bedroom window trying to see into her room. I mean, I knew the boy was a bit deprived of female attention, but really.” Arthur shook his head in disapproval.
Gwen sighed. “Oh, Merlin.”
Morgana found it all quite funny and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure it’s not what it seems, Arthur. I mean, we’ve had plenty of women stay with us, Merlin has never spied on them.”
Raising a finger to point at her, Arthur countered, “That we know of.”
“Well, maybe I’ll talk to him, sort all this out.” Looping her arm through Gwen’s, Morgana started heading back down the hall, leaving Arthur to trail behind.
Arthur called out, “Just don’t turn your back on him!”
---
Morgana was unable to have that conversation with Merlin, for he seemed to be constantly busy for the next few days. She brushed it off, assuming it was just Arthur keeping him working all the time to stop him from spying.
She had quite enjoyed having some time to herself without Uther hovering, but she wasn’t expecting it to be permanent. Therefore, when he called everyone in for an announcement, she was quite surprised to hear what he had to say.
“The Lady Catrina and I are to be married.”
Morgana and Gwen shared equal looks of shock. Glancing over at Arthur, Morgana could tell that he was surprised as well.
Lady Catrina whispered something in the King’s ear and he straightened and addressed the room once more. “The Lady Catrina and I are to be married, tomorrow.”
Confusion seemed to sweep through the whole room. Morgana tried to catch Arthur’s eye, but he was too focused on his father.
Uther excused everyone from the Great Hall, causing a mass exodus of people whispering and murmuring concerns about the upcoming nuptials.
Morgana called out to Arthur and tried to catch up with him, but he ignored her pleas. She eventually gave up and watched as he vanished into a group of people. Sighing, Morgana went back to where she left Gwen.
The maid grabbed Morgana’s hand and squeezed it as they left the hall.
---
The day of the wedding was a busy one for everyone in the castle. Gwen helped Morgana to get ready, but surprisingly, Arthur had to find someone else to help him, as Merlin was nowhere to be found.
Arthur escorted his father into the Great Hall to start the ceremony, looking much happier than he had the day before.
Morgana bowed as they passed, smiling at Arthur. The prince came and took his place beside her in the front row as they all waited for the arrival of Lady Catrina. Morgana nudged him to get his attention. She mouthed, “Are you okay?”
He nodded in return, a smile on his lips.
Everyone watched as the Lady Catrina made her way up to the front of the hall to stand with Uther. Morgana moved forward to help with the long skirts of the Lady’s dress before moving back to stand with Arthur.
Morgana murmured wistfully, “She looks beautiful.”
Arthur whispered, “Not as good as you, though.”
The statement took Morgana aback and she turned her head to stare at him. Arthur, however, continued to look straight ahead at the procession as if it didn’t even matter. Morgana eventually managed to get control over herself and watched quietly for the rest of the ceremony.
---
After the wedding, there was a feast in honor of the King and his new bride. It went on for hours, and everyone was enjoying drinking and celebrating. Arthur eventually grew bored with all the mindless chatter and found Morgana off in the corner with some of the knights. She had already finished several glasses of wine and was laughing with the men, unaware of the way several of them were staring at her. Arthur grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away, excusing himself to the knights.
Morgana was quite indignant over being manhandled, and yanked her arm back. “Arthur, what do you think you’re doing?”
Arthur just grinned at her. “Come on.”
With a huff, she reluctantly followed him out into the hall. They made their way back to his chambers, and upon reaching them, Morgana became nervous. “Arthur, what are we-”
He drew a wine bottle out from under his cloak, effectively shutting her up. “I thought we’d have some fun on our own. It was getting quite dull in there.”
She shook her head at him, laughing. “Fine. You’re more interesting than most of our guests, I suppose.”
They slipped into his chambers, shutting out the rest of the world. Morgana snatched the bottle from his hands and took a long swig from it, pulling it away to reveal a giddy look on her face. “God, how long has it been since we did this?”
Arthur laughed lightly, enraptured by her happiness. “It’s been a long time.”
She made a humming noise in the back of her throat, agreeing with him. “So, how does it feel, having a new queen around?”
Arthur took the bottle back and drank deeply from it. He wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve as he finished. “Not that different, I suppose.”
Morgana kicked off her shoes and began to tiptoe around the room, surveying all of Arthur’s things. “It’s not strange that Uther is with someone other than your mother?” The wine in her system was emboldening her to ask such questions, her mind blissfully unaware of the risks.
Arthur followed Morgana’s example and pulled off his jacket, resting it over the back of his chair. “I never had the chance to see them married, so I guess it’s… it is strange, but I don’t know why, really.” He took another sip from the bottle before setting it down on the table.
Nodding in understanding, Morgana crossed the room to stand next to Arthur. “You miss her.” She pulled the bottle away from his reaching fingers, forcing him to pay attention to her instead of the wine.
He laughed bitterly, a low and harsh sound. “How can you miss someone you never met?”
Morgana shrugged, taking a drink from the bottle. She kept a hold on it as she set it back down. “You just do, I guess.”
Arthur cocked his head at her. He was accustomed to Morgana spouting philosophical bits of wisdom and whatnot. But he could tell by the sorrow in her eyes that she understood; she just didn’t have the answers this time. He went to grab the bottle back from her, but felt her hand rest on top of his to stop him.
She smiled softly at him and tugged him away from the table by his hand. She pulled him to the window and pushed it open, filling the room with the sounds of the ongoing party below. Music wafted through the window, making Morgana smile wider. “Let’s dance.”
“Morgana…” Arthur shook his head, trying to resist.
She placed one of his hands on her waist, encouraging him. “Come on.” She threw her arms around his neck when he continued to hesitate. “Please!” she pleaded, her words melting into laughter soon after.
Arthur gave in and swayed with her, setting his other hand on her back. “At least now you won’t step on my feet like you did as a child.”
Morgana laughed louder at the rush of memories. “Oh, that was always on purpose, you knew that.”
He scowled, but it was all in fun, the wine coursing through his veins and lightening his mood.
With a hint of a smirk, Morgana lifted up one foot at a time and placed them on top of Arthur’s boots. “There, now I can’t hurt you.”
He laughed and started to spin around the room, carrying Morgana on his feet. Morgana swooped up the wine as she passed, giggling and drinking even more.
Eventually they reached his bed, where they both collapsed, laughing at their childish behavior. Arthur rolled over onto his back and Morgana on her stomach, both feeling the effects of the alcohol by now. Arthur took the bottle from her hands, saving his bedcovers from any spills. He finished off the bottle, letting it fall to the floor.
Morgana began to trace invisible pictures onto the quilt with her fingers. She wondered aloud, “Do you ever think about getting married?”
Arthur tilted his head to look at her, contemplating her question. “Sometimes.”
She sighed. “As a child I always thought it’d be something grand and romantic. But now, it’ll probably just be something Uther arranged with an old baron to get more land.”
“Never gonna happen.”
Morgana rolled onto her side, propping her elbow up on the bed to support her head. “You sound so sure.” Shaking her head, she continued, “We both know you’ll end up married to some princess, and I’ll get shipped off to the highest bidder.”
Arthur chuckled low in his throat. “I won’t let it happen. I’ll do what I must to keep you around, annoying as you are, and then when I’m king you’ll be free to marry whomever you like.”
“And what if you aren’t king until I’m old and grey? Shall I be a maiden forever?”
He laughed, louder this time. “Knowing you, Morgana, I’m sure we’d find some way around it.”
She smiled at him sweetly, feeling safe in his promise. Her mind fluttered over the thought of getting married, but for some reason all she could picture was Arthur at the end of the aisle. Blaming the alcohol for clouding her mind, she flipped over onto her back and stared up for a while.
They both laid there in silence, tracing patterns on the ceiling until sleep consumed them both.
---
The next morning, Arthur and Morgana were discovered by Guinevere, who had been frantically searching the castle for her mistress. The pair were found sleeping on top of the covers, with half of Arthur’s body stretched over the edges of the bed and Morgana curled up against the pillows. Gwen shook Morgana to wake her up, trying not to read too much into the situation.
Morgana groggily opened her eyes and surveyed the room. She looked up into Gwen’s disapproving face and tried to smile. “I swear this isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Gwen just shook her head and helped Morgana up. “We should go get you a bath.”
Morgana nodded, glancing back to look at Arthur. “I’ll just let him sleep it off.”
Gwen’s eyes were drawn over to Arthur’s sleeping figure and Morgana could’ve sworn she saw a flash of something there-hurt, jealousy even-but she ignored it.
The two girls quietly exited the room, only to run into Leon outside.
“My lady.” He bowed to Morgana before hurrying into Arthur’s room.
Morgana and Gwen shared a look before continuing on their way.
---
Arthur was informed by Leon that Merlin was to be arrested for crimes against the Queen. He put on a good show of sending out groups of the knights to find Merlin, but he wasn’t truly planning on capturing his manservant. He snuck back to his rooms on the first opportunity and found Merlin working there.
“You have to leave.”
Merlin stopped changing the sheets and looked quite confused at the order. “What?”
Arthur corralled the boy away from his bed, trying to get him to the servant door. “You have been accused of stealing from Queen Catrina, and I am supposed to arrest you.”
“Arthur, you know I didn’t…”
Arthur cut him off, “I know, but you won’t be able to explain, which is why you need to leave Camelot, now.”
Shaking his head, Merlin cried out, “Arthur, she’s a troll!”
“Merlin, we’ve been through this,” replied Arthur on a sigh.
Pressing on, Merlin added, “I saw her!”
“I don’t care. You need to leave.” When Arthur saw that Merlin was hesitating, he yelled, “Go!”
Merlin finally gave in and took off through the side door, just in time to miss the knights that came barging into Arthur’s room through the main entrance.
As Merlin made his way down the hall, he was caught by someone who tugged him into a corner. He looked down to see Morgana holding him, her other hand raised to her lips in a signal telling him to be quiet.
She whispered, “Gaius sent me. Come with me.”
Merlin nodded, following her carefully through the halls.
Morgana and Gaius successfully hid him in a barrel in Gaius’s chambers, leaving him hiding in plain sight. After he was safely hidden, Morgana took one of Merlin’s scarves out into the woods, leaving a trail for the knights to follow. She was still unsure of what was happening, but she knew that Merlin was innocent, and that was all that mattered for now.
---
Arthur was growing ever suspicious of his father’s changing moods as of late. Uther had demanded a raise on taxes, which was completely unnecessary and detrimental to the people. The king’s actions were out of character, and Arthur couldn’t help but feel torn. He wanted to obey his father, but as he stood in the lower town, watching the people cry out and struggle to scrape together the money for the taxes, he felt that he had to do what was right for the people.
“Give them back their money. All of it,” he demanded the knights, ignoring their protests about the king’s orders. Arthur made his way back to the castle, feeling somewhat empty despite his good deeds. He knew where this could lead.
---
After being thoroughly reamed out by his father for what had transpired in the town, Arthur sat in his room feeling dejected. He heard the door open and expected to see Morgana standing there, since she often showed up at times like this. However, it was her maidservant, Guinevere, instead. Startled, he called out, “Guinevere! What are you doing here?”
She slowly shut the door behind her, making her way over to Arthur. “I saw what you did earlier. The people owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Arthur scoffed, “The people owe me nothing. My father is still going to impose the tax.”
Gwen sighed. “Still, everyone appreciates what you did.”
He stood up from his chair to face Gwen, shaking his head. “What if he has a point? What if I can’t rule Camelot and still be a friend to the people?”
“You can. And you will, Arthur. You’ll be the kind of king the people deserve someday, I know it.”
Arthur felt himself almost smiling at her kind words. Before he could respond to thank her for believing in him, Sir Leon barged into his room for the second time in a day. “The king has sent for you.”
---
As soon as Morgana heard about Arthur being disinherited, she immediately sought out Uther to see if she could rectify the situation. She knew that Uther was a tyrant and often made decisions she didn’t agree with, but this was the last thing she would expect. He truly loved Arthur, more than her, more than anything.
She found the king in the throne room, with his new bride by his side. “I need to speak with you.”
Uther set down the paper he was examining, no doubt in preparation for the ceremony later, and looked up at his ward.
At his silence, Morgana prompted, “In private.”
Uther shared a look with his queen before turning his gaze back on Morgana. “Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of my wife.”
Swallowing against the dryness in her throat, Morgana pressed on, not letting anything deter her. “It’s about Arthur. I heard that you have revoked his position as your heir?”
Uther’s mouth was set into a hard line and he seemed to darken upon hearing her query. “I have. Queen Catrina will be made my heir.”
“My lord, I mean no disrespect, but I think this is the wrong decision. Arthur is your son, and the rightful heir to the throne. I know he may have upset you, but that is no reason to take away his birthright.” She tried her hardest to contain her anger over the situation, knowing that it would only make things worse.
“Morgana…” The king uttered her name as a warning.
Ignoring his protest, Morgana continued, “I have seen what’s inside him. He is just and kind, and always does what he believes is best for Camelot. I know that at times he makes mistakes, but he never stops trying to do what is right.” She gauged the look on Uther’s face and saw no change there, but she mustered up the confidence to keep going. “He is a good man, and he will make a great king. You just have to give him the chance.”
The King did not seem at all moved by her admission. He simply replied, “My decision is final.”
Morgana’s jaw dropped open slightly in shock. “My lord, please-”
“I said my decision is final, Morgana. You may return to your chambers now.” He picked up the papers he had been reading previously and acted as if she had disappeared from the room.
Morgana shut her mouth, clenching her jaw to keep from screaming. She noticed the smug look of satisfaction on the Lady Catrina’s face and suddenly got the desperate urge to rip it right off. Fighting against her more primal urges at the moment, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the throne room.
She needed to escape; the castle felt like it was suffocating her after that altercation. She went outside to get some air and found Arthur standing on the turrets, looking over the town below.
He was staring down, watching all the people as they bustled about, his face drawn and solemn. Morgana made her way over to him, leaning against the wall next to him. For once, she couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t need empty words about how Uther would change his mind, because they both knew it wasn’t true.
Arthur sensed her presence and turned to look at her. “So I guess you heard.”
Morgana nodded slowly. “I just came from seeing Uther.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “He is so stubborn.”
He turned back and looked down at the people once more. “He doesn’t think I’m fit to make decisions for the land.”
“He’s wrong, Arthur. And I told him as much.”
Arthur shook his head, fighting a smile. Sarcastically, he replied, “I’m sure that did a lot of good.”
Morgana shoved her fingers roughly through her windblown hair. “He’s not thinking straight. He’ll see the error of his ways eventually.”
Feeling dejected, Arthur mumbled. “Maybe he’s right.”
Grabbing him by the arm, Morgana forced him to face her. “Arthur Pendragon, you are a lot of things, but you are not unfit to be a king.” She stared him down, her gaze steely.
He lowered his eyes, unable to match her stare. “Doesn’t matter now anyway. I’ll never have the chance to be king.”
She scoffed. “And so what if you aren’t?”
His eyes snapped back up to meet hers.
“Will you crawl into a ball and hide away? You are still the Prince of Camelot, and you are important to the people. All the good you’ve done in your life has not been contingent on your role as the future king. You have done what is right because it’s who you are. You’re a good person, Arthur, and all the titles in the world won’t change that.”
Arthur looked rather stunned, but the hints of a smile were visible at the corners of his mouth. “Thank you, Morgana.”
Noticing his hands resting on the edge of the wall, she reached over to set her hand on top of one of his. She squeezed his fingers briefly before withdrawing her hand and turning to mirror his position, looking out over the city. He may not believe it now, but she knew that it would all work out in the end, whether he was king or not.
---
During the ceremony to name Catrina as heir, Morgana kept looking over at Arthur practically every three seconds. She could tell that he was trying to put on a show of being strong, but it had to be killing him. Her heart ached for him, and she wished that there wasn’t an aisle between them so she could be there for him. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and worried it between her teeth as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
Arthur attempted to pay attention to the procession, but it was too difficult, and eventually he opted for staring at the ground in front of him. He could feel Morgana’s eyes on him, but he didn’t want her to see the pain etched across his face, so he refused to look in her direction.
Morgana was startled out of her constant Arthur-watching by Queen Catrina’s bizarre unladylike display. The Queen was yelling at Geoffrey of Monmouth and ordering him to rush the processions. It was all very unusual, and Morgana couldn’t help but pull a face at the Queen’s antics.
Arthur was snapped out of his melancholy stupor by the same thing, and he finally looked over at Morgana and raised his eyebrow in disbelief.
Lady Catrina soon gave up on the ceremony all together and roughly grabbed the crown from the cleric’s hands. She took off out of the throne room, leaving Uther to trail after her.
Morgana quickly followed suit, and Arthur was not far behind her. They ran until they caught up with the frantic queen, who was desperately trying to open a door.
Reluctantly, Arthur made his way to help her, but stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the Queen’s disfigured hand. “What is that?”
Catrina began to writhe and her skin appeared to bubble. Morgana gasped at the unpleasant sight. After a few agonizing moments, the beautiful lady had completely vanished, leaving in her wake a hideous troll.
Arthur’s jaw dropped open and he struggled to speak. Finally, he uttered, “You’re a troll!”
Uther turned to his son. “How dare you speak to her like that!”
Shocked by his father’s ignorance to what was in front of his eyes, Arthur questioned, “What is wrong with you?”
Morgana’s head was spinning from the revelation. “I don’t believe it.”
The troll previously known as Lady Catrina suddenly ripped the door off its hinges and hurled it across the room.
Arthur protectively moved in front of Morgana to shield her as the door soared past them to crash on the floor. They both watched in stunned silence as the troll fled the room.
Turning back to his father, Arthur implored, “She just ripped a door off its hinges, doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Enough!”
Continuing, Arthur yelled, “She’s a troll! A giant, grey-”
Watching as he searched for the word, Morgana interjected, “Stinking!”
Picking up on her cue, Arthur went on. “Stinking troll!”
Uther was clearly still under a spell and was in no way pleased by Arthur’s comments. “Stop it! Haven’t you hurt her feelings enough?” He moved to the door to collect Catrina’s fallen crown and shoes, and then turned back to Arthur and Morgana. “Insult my wife again and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.” He immediately exited the hall in search of his troll wife, leaving his bewildered son and ward behind.
Morgana and Arthur shared a look, both equally confused and disturbed.
Arthur wondered out loud to no one in particular, “What on earth just happened?”
---
After weeks of having a troll parade around the castle as queen, everyone was growing quite annoyed, and more than slightly disgusted.
Morgana was searching the castle for Arthur; ever since Merlin had gone into hiding she found herself seeking out Arthur more often. It was easier to deal with her magic and her constant nightmares when she spent her days with him, even though he was oblivious to what was really happening. Plus, he seemed to need her to take his mind off of the fact that he now had a troll for a stepmother.
She rounded a corner and found Gaius leading the king quickly through the corridors, heading in the direction of Arthur’s room. Morgana followed them, lagging behind a few paces. The two men slipped into Arthur’s room and Morgana hesitated outside of the door. She debated leaving them to their business, but the distinct sound of Uther’s pained cry made her change her mind.
“My boy.” Uther could be heard from outside the open door.
Morgana immediately tried to slip in the room, curious as to what was wrong. She caught sight of Uther hovering over something, but Gaius quickly pushed her back and blocked her view.
“Morgana…” Gaius tried to get her attention, but Morgana shoved his arm out of her path and moved further into the room.
What she saw made her breath catch in her throat; Arthur’s lifeless figure was lying on the floor, his lips drained of color and his chest still from lack of air. She froze on the spot, terror gripping her tight. She managed to call out, “Arthur?”
Uther turned to look up at her, tears beginning to cloud his eyes.
The lack of response from either man seemed to shake Morgana out of her trance and she moved closer and yelled, “Arthur!”
Suddenly, the troll of a queen appeared at the door and rushed over to Uther. The king lifted up his son to his chest, cradling his head as he began to cry.
The troll grabbed him by the shoulders, urging, “Come away. There’s nothing you can do for him now!”
Uther shoved her off, crying out, “I killed him. I killed my only son!”
“No, no, no,” the troll pressed, desperately trying to stop him from breaking the spell.
Morgana was filled up with rage at the scene, and yelled at the so-called queen. “You did this!”
The troll just yanked harder on Uther, ignoring Morgana’s accusation. She started mumbling a spell, but she was stopped by Uther as he spun around to stare at her.
“Catrina?” Tears of remorse were trailing down his cheeks. He was suddenly free of the troll magic, and he stumbled backwards as he saw his wife for what she truly was. “What kind of trickery is this?”
The troll turned on Uther, spitting out hateful words, but Morgana was still focused on Arthur and everything else seemed to fade away.
Uther called out for the guards and they came pouring in to fight Catrina.
Morgana noticed Merlin slip in the room and her mind snapped back to attention. She called out to him, “Merlin?”
The warlock only glanced at Morgana for a moment before quickly making his way over to Arthur’s fallen form, too preoccupied with curing the prince.
As Morgana watched Merlin struggle to wring out his scarf over Arthur’s lips, she grew worried. “What’s happening?” Her cries were ignored and she was abruptly knocked over by one of the guards as they were thrown by the troll. Growing quite angry over the whole situation, she reached over and grabbed Arthur’s sword from where it lay by his bed.
The troll had easily taken out most of the guards and was rounding on Uther. The king was still too astounded by the news of his wife’s real identity to move.
Morgana lifted up the sword, and with a cry, she lunged at the troll from behind. Without a moment’s hesitation, she shoved the sword deep through the troll’s chest, ducking under its flailing arms as it tried to hit her. She yanked the sword out roughly and backed away from her victim.
With a disgusting sound, the troll fell to the ground and died.
Morgana turned around and found a completely conscious Arthur standing before her. She gasped in surprise before looking over at Merlin and putting the pieces together.
An extremely confused Uther just shook his head and hurried out of the room to avoid any and all discussion.
Morgana huffed and turned to the two boys left in the room. “You two have some explaining to do.”
---
After Merlin and Arthur explained the whole plan, Morgana understood why they did it, but she still wasn’t very pleased about it. They had to make Uther cry to break the spell, and allowing him to believe that he was responsible for his son’s death was the most logical plan. However, she couldn’t forgive the fact that they let her believe the lie as well. “You realize that you could’ve died, Arthur.”
Merlin interjected, “There was an antidote.”
Morgana scoffed. “Yes, one that you nearly didn’t administer in time.”
Arthur looked over at Merlin and shrugged. “She has a point.”
Frowning, Merlin crossed his arms over his chest. He mumbled, “You’re alive, aren’t you?”
After rolling her eyes at the pair, Morgana warned, “I’m glad you broke the spell. But if you two ever pull a scheme like that again without telling me, you might as well stay dead, Arthur Pendragon, because I will kill you both!” She spun on her heel and traipsed out of the room, leaving two frightened boys in her wake.
Recalling what she did to the troll only moments before, Arthur and Merlin exchanged looks before agreeing to never cross Morgana again, if they could help it.
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