Change of Plans

Magic Cannot Be Tolerated

           Morgana heard someone coming down the hall towards her room, but she did not care. She did not want to let go of Gwaine. She felt safe in his arms, like nothing else mattered. She let herself breathe as she melted into his chest. It no longer mattered that he had betrayed her. In that moment he was there for her. He was not trying to trick her or manipulate her. In that moment he protected her. Even though Morgana was not the one who was ever in danger, Gwaine did not know that. So the fact that he fought for her was all Morgana could think about.

"Morgana! Gwaine!" Arthur appeared in the doorway. His jaw dropped and he stared at them in shock as he looked at their arms around each other. He cleared his throat and looked away. That was when he noticed the Masked Man lying on the ground. "What happened?" Arthur ran over to the unconscious man.

"I came back here and found Morgana in the corner hiding from him." Gwaine let go of Morgana and stood up. He reached out his hand to help her up as well. When she hesitated he smiled and winked at her. "Just before I came back in the room I saw someone run down the hall, but I was not able to catch them." Gwaine finished explaining.

Arthur stood up and called for a few of the other Knights to come and bring the Masked Man down to the dungeon. Then he took a few of the other men to go after the person Gwaine saw run down the hall.

"Will you be ok on your own for a bit?" Gwaine turned back to Morgana. She did not seem as shaken up as she was before. "Gaius is down in his chambers alone. I want to go make sure he is ok."Gwaine explained to Morgana.

Morgana nodded and smiled as Gwaine turned and ran down to Gauis. She started to walk over towards her bed when she noticed something on the floor. Morgana froze in her tracks as she realized what the shining thing under the chest by her bed was. Her dagger sat on the ground sparkling in the candle light, the same dagger that she nearly killed Gwaine with. Morgana bent down and picked up the dagger. She stared at it with such hatred. As if it were the dagger's fault that she nearly killed the man she loved.

Her hatred quickly turned to disappointment as she began to cry. What was she doing? Morgana wondered. Yes, she knew she loved Gwaine, but that did not matter. That could not matter. Not if he was planning to report her to the King. When the sun first set that evening Morgana had intended to make sure Gwaine was dead. Then when he tried to turn the situation around and make her believe that he cared for her, Morgana knew that Gwaine was just a filthy rat who she needed to kill. The second he put his arms around her and risked his life for her all of that anger melted away. Morgana felt like she was turning her back on Morgause, her only friend.

"Excuse me, Lady Morgana?" Sir Leon, one of Arthur's most trusted Knights appeared in her doorway. "The King has requested your presence down in the Great Hall." Sir Leon explained and then quickly made his way to the Great Hall.

The walls of the Great Hall were lined with candles and tapestries. The King's trusted advisors and loyal servants stood lined up on both sides of the room. Morgana walked straight down the middle of the room directly towards King Uther, who sat proudly on his throne. As she strode pass the Knights of Camelot she looked to see Gwaine's sly smirk or to him wink as she passed by. She looked at each one of the men's faces, but none of them were Gwaine. Morgana shot her eyes to the floor as she tried to figure out where he was.

When Gwaine had left Morgana's chambers he said he was just going to check on Gaius. He should have been back by the time the King called for everyone to meet in the Great Hall. Morgana stood face to face with Uther and bowed then took her place next to him. Like everyone else she waited to know why they had all been summoned. Then Arthur entered the room with two other Knights and the Masked Man.

"Father, this man was found attacking Morgana." Arthur announced as he walked up to his father.

Uther turned and shot a worried look at Morgana. Unsure of what to do she just nodded. Nothing was going right. The plan was supposed to be flawless. Morgana did not know how she could protect Gwaine, stay loyal to Morgause, and stopped the Masked Man from being killed.

Before Gwaine stormed into Morgana's chambers and fought the Masked Man, Morgause had promised Morgana that everything would be alright. She promised Morgana that she had nothing to fear, and when it was safe she would come back and retrieve Morgana. As Morgana stood looking down at Uther and the Masked Man she knew everything was not alright. Morgause had disappeared into the night without any instruction on what Morgana needed to do. The Masked Man would surely be sentenced to death, Uther and Arthur were still alive, and so was Gwaine. Morgana did not want to see Gwaine die, but it was just another thing that had not gone according to plan.

"Father, there is more. This man did not work alone." Arthur looked about the crowd of people and explained that another person was spotted in the castle. "This man claims that it was the sorcerer known as Morgause."

Morgana held her breath in fear. If one of the Knights caught Morgause as she was trying to escape the castle Uther would have both the Masked Man and Morgause killed.

"Sire, I swear to you I did not know what I was doing." The Masked Man interrupted as he tried to explain his part in the whole ordeal.

"This man claims to have been enchanted. He says that a few months ago Morgause came to him with a tray of different potions. This man says that Morgause told him the potion was to help cure a sickness that he had been facing." Arthur looked down at the man in pity. He knew that it did not matter how well Arthur tried to plead his case. The man had admitted to consorting with a sorcerer and admitted to using magic. Even if it was not for evil, it did not make a difference to Uther. "After drinking the potion the man remembers nothing. He does not remember where he went or what he did. It was not until Gauis found a juice from the rare magenta flower that grows in the East Mountains, and gave it to the man the enchantment was remedied and the man regained consciousness and realized what he had done."

"So you do not remember attacking Prince Arthur or the Lady Morgana in the Market?" The King questioned the Masked Man.

The Masked Man feverishly shook his head. He truly had no recollection of the attack that took place in the market, the numerous secret meetings he had with Morgause to plan the death of Uther and Arthur, and he certainly did not remember standing in Morgana's chambers with Morgause as she ordered him to stay behind and make sure that Gwaine was killed. It was clear that the man was frightened. He knew the extremes of the crimes he was being accused of. He was aware that unless he could prove his loyalty he would be killed.

"Then it is clear..." Uther stood up and proudly scanned the room, looking at all of his loyal subjects as he said, "By the powers vested in me, King of Camelot. I hereby sentence you to death. You have admitted to not only using magic, but also consorting with a known sorcerer. The laws in Camelot are clear. Magic cannot be tolerated!"

With those final words the Knights who brought the Masked Man into the Great Hall dragged him back down to the dungeon where he would wait out his execution. Everyone began to file out of the Great Hall when Uther ordered the rest of the Knights to search for Morgause. "I am sure she hasn't gotten far. She is probably lurking somewhere waiting to see how her plan played out." The Knights quickly followed their orders and ran out of the Great Hall.

"I am so glad you are alright, my dear." Uther said as he took Morgana's hand.

Instinctively she wanted to pull away. If there was one thing Morgana was certain about it was what a cruel and hateful man Uther was. He had just proven it by sentencing the Masked Man to death. It was clear to everyone in the room that the man meant no harm to anyone. Uther was just too stubborn to see that. Although Morgana knew this about Uther she had no choice but to play the part of the loyal Lady. So she took his hand and smiled.

"I promise you, my dear Morgana we will find this Morgause and she will be stopped." Uther said as he led Morgana back to her chambers. "For now I need you to stay here. Where I know you will be safe. I will send for you if we find anything." Uther smiled and patted Morgana on the hand.

Once she was alone again Morgana tried to come up with some way to get word to Morgause. Wherever she was Arthur would track her down. The moment Uther and Arthur discovered her name she became public enemy number one. Uther would stop at nothing to have her killed.