A Different Destiny / Merthur

Sorceress

When Morgana and Gwen had shown up at the door, Gaius had known that something very serious had happened. His first move had been to ask whether anyone was hurt. No one was. His next move had been to seat the ladies at the table and serve them a steaming mug of tea. Tea, he'd explained, helped clear the mind and calm the nerves.  From the way Morgana had downed hers, it was clear she'd been in desperate need of it.

"Well," Gaius sighed, after listening to her tale, "that's certainly a lot to take in."

Morgana could feel her heart racing. The tea had only been able to calm her so much. "I know, I'm sorry. I just didn't know who else to turn to. I though maybe you might know something that could help."

"Never apologise for seeking my advice," Gaius attempted a smile, "but as it is, I'm afraid I may need to look a few things up before I can be of use."

Morgana and Gwen exchanged glaces. Somehow, that hadn't sounded very reassuring.

"I think I'd benefit from a trip to the library; would you mind waiting here? I'm sure Merlin will keep you company."

Merlin, who'd joined the tea party a little late — at which point Morgana had decided she may as well restart the tale and include him too — simply nodded. Throughout the tale, he'd remained as silent as possible. Everything that Morgana had said about her nightmare seemed to hint to some level of magic: whether it belonged to Morgana herself or whether she'd simply been enchanted.

It seemed she'd had a vision.

Which put both Merlin and Gaius in an incredibly difficult position. Magic was forbidden in Camelot, as was any discussion of magic that wasn't strictly about a witch-hunt or some other means to trap and expose sorcerers. And that was under normal circumstances. So, sat across the table from the King's ward, the idea of discussing magic was not only highly illegal, but unthinkable.

Merlin had a feeling that Gaius' library trip was merely a stall. A play for time while he figured out something, anything, that could make the nightmare seem mundane. A coincidence, as Gwen had suggested; just a bad dream and a little déjà vu.

"We'll wait," Morgana assured, "take as long as you need.  But, uh—"

"Try to hurry back with an answer?  Of course, My Lady."  Not wanting to alarm the others, Gaius merely shot Merlin a warning glance — that meant something very much like do not mention magic or anything of the kind whilst I'm gone — and then promptly left the room.

The following silence was oppressive.

Morgana stared blankly into the depths of her empty mug, almost willing the others to stop looking at her. She could feel their eyes upon her and she hated it. Worse still, she could feel their thoughts: nothing coherent, no words or images, just a sense of emotion that seemed to push against her mind. It was strange and invasive. It was like the beginnings of a headache.

Morgana looked up just in time to catch Gwen and Merlin exchanging a glance, and the sight of their worried expressions made her head hurt more. It didn't feel natural. It felt like something forbidden, it felt like— "magic," Morgana blurred out, "I think I have magic, I—" she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god. I— I didn't say that. I didn't— I don't know what I'm saying. I'm just tired, that's all, I didn't—"

"Magic isn't something to be feared."

Morgana, eyes already wide, stared at Merlin in disbelief.

"It's not evil. You don't have to fear it."

"That's treason," Morgana whispered.

Merlin could feel his heart racing. He could be killed for this. Tortured, even, if Uther found out. Morgana was right, it was treason. He'd already said enough. And yet he couldn't stop himself from adding one last thing. "It's also true," he said.