𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳ August, 505 AD
Knowing that Morgana would be delivering the crystal at sunrise the next morning, I set an alarm four hours before that and when it rang, I got up, got dressed, and sneaked towards the equestrian facilities. To my relief, Ella was still in her paddock with Dallas, which meant that I was on time. I hid in the hay storage room and waited until the Lady eventually showed up.
I'm not sure what prompted my decision to follow her to wherever she'd be going. It might be wariness that someone else in the castle might follow her and alert the King of what was going on, or maybe it was concern for what the druids could do to her if they turned out to be a violent bunch. I was definitely sceptical of the man who had seemingly taken Mordred under his wing. Druids were supposed to be peaceful, yet he broke into a castle and endangered his ward and a woman by having her steal a dangerous item. I could only wonder what he planned to do with it.
Soon enough, Morgana appeared and she led Ella out of her paddock, saddled, her, and they took off. Once they were out of sight, I readied Dallas and followed after them, cautious to keep enough distance between us so that she wouldn't realise I was there. I could only pray that the mare wouldn't give her any signs.
The landscape we rode across was nothing short of magical. Fog covered the coniferous forest below us as we trotted along a hill, the autumn colours faintly beginning to show as September approached. Sure, it was cold and I was slightly freezing, but it was worth the view.
Eventually, the Lady stopped Ella and left her to graze before walking the rest of the way. I did the same, reluctantly, and followed her, crouching between some bushes to stay hidden.
"Morgana!" Mordred exclaimed upon seeing her, running to hug her. My heart warmed just a little at the sight. The man appeared just behind the kid and the woman readily retrieved the crystal from her bag. The man gave a lopsided grin that sent chills up my spine. "It is my hope that with time Mordred will master the crystal. And when he does, we will strike Uther down. Uther and all who serve him," he noted as he looked over the item carefully. My eyes widened and I saw Morgana frown. "I see this troubles you," the man stated the obvious. "Yes. Yes, it does," the Lady replied firmly, eyeing him warily. "My Lady, we fight for our very survival, as do you," he assured her. She still seemed uneasy. "The boy. He told me you have magic. You need not be afraid."
I almost gasped. Merlin and I had had strong suspicions that Morgana possessed some form of magic, but hearing it confirmed by 'experts' felt like a blow to the stomach. No wonder she was so attached to Mordred.
"Every day I must look Uther in the eye knowing that if he were to discover who I really am, he would have me killed," Morgana confessed after a few moments. My stomach churned and I wished I had the power to change that for her. More than that, I felt empathetic. I had the exact same thoughts from time to time, regarding my origins, though I'd overcome the troubling fear of it. Or so I liked to think.
