Calm Before the Storm

Chapter Thirty-Nine

39. Baby Got Plans

Magdelena stared at Gilthunder who had come to a sudden stop near a clearing, smoke rose from between the trees and there was the indistinct sound of murmuring coming from the clearing. Magdelena could feel many people, she knew them all to be Druids, which confused her as to why they would take a child, 'James is certainly in this Druid camp,' Gilthunder says making her stare at the camp, 'Do we take them by surprise?'

"No, the Druids are a peaceful people," Magdelena whispers to the two horses, "I want to know why they stole my son from Ealdor." 

Magdelena rode slowly into the camp, many noticed her and stared at her in shock she smiled softly at them but she was unable to share any more niceties until she was reunited with James. Someone raced to one of the few tents they had and soon returned with an older looking man who greeted her with a smile, "You are the new Goddess?" She says nothing to the man, "I am Torrel and I am the leader of this camp. May I ask why you are here?"

"You have taken someone from Ealdor and I am here to ask why you have taken him," Magdelena says motioning Gilthunder forward. 

"You must be speaking of the baby," Torrel says motioning her toward the tent he had come from, Magdelena dismounts Whitestar leaving her with Gilthunder as she follows the man toward the tent, "Morgana gave us a spell to summon Death who she called Magdelena, but when we performed the summoning spell the baby appeared within the circle." 

"Yes I suppose Morgana didn't know I gave up my powers of Death," Magdelena says, "James took the powers when I gave them up, and the old Goddess, gave me her powers so I could help care for him and raise him." 

Torrel looked at her with a wide-eyed and raised an eyebrow, "You are the Magdelena that Morgana spoke of?"

"Yes, please call me Maggie, Magdelena is a mouthful," she insists as they enter the tent, seeing an older woman holding the baby. She rushes forwards cradling the baby to her chest, "James I am so glad you are safe." 

She plants a kiss on his head before looking at the Druid leader, "Why did Morgana want you to summon me?" 

"She was planning something, and she figured as soon as you learned of her actions you would be after her," Torrel says staring at her sadly, "Saying that you were one of her biggest threats, I guess she had no idea the title of Death had been transferred to someone who wasn't you." 

"Thank you," she says, "I hope you will think carefully next time you consider siding with Morgana." 

"I shall not side with her again," Terrol says bowing his head slightly with his hand in a fist crossed over his chest, "You have my word." 

"Well, if you agree with her view you have every right to side with her I just ask you to think carefully about it," Magdelena says smiling at the man, "You don't owe me your word." 

"Morgana would have had us trap you to do whatever she had planned," he says staring at her sadly, "We did not mean to take your son, please stay the night and allow us to make up for it." 

"No, I should return James here to Ealdor with my mother," she says standing pausing as James starts crying confusing her until she was suddenly traveling. She stumbled as she looks around recognizing the familiar halls of Camelot, "James, why did you bring me here? How did you bring me here?"

The sound of swords clanging against each other drew her attention into the room, where there was an obvious fight between Morgana's men and those of Camelot.

She grabbed the sword of one of the fallen knights, putting James on her back in a carrier protected by the magic she placed around him before turning and entering the fight with the knights of Camelot. 

She spots the couple she had met, Tristan the man she punched, and his wife Isolde. She sees Arthur and Helios fighting, Helios getting the upper hand not long, Magdelena sees him go to take the final swing, she takes off toward them, Isolde who was closer blocks the swing, and before he can turn and attack Isolde Magdelena runs him through. He falls down dead and Isolde looks at her wide eyes.

"You saved my life," she says, "he was ready to slice me." 

"I can't allow you to die and let your love watch it," Magdelena says, "You have already been through enough, and deserve a happy and blessed life."

"Thank you, I owe you my life," Tristan says coming over pulling Isolde into his arms.

"I owe you my life not him," Isolde says staring at her man with a loving smile.

"You are my life."

"Please you two owe me nothing," she says turning to look over at Arthur was leaning against a column, Leon nearby seeming to be speaking to each other, "You saved the man I love, the least I could do is save your life." 

"He loves you too you know," Tristan says, "I know what a man in love looks like."

"That doesn't change the fact I left days before our wedding and gave no words of my whereabouts but a lie and stayed away for months," she says looking back toward the two, "I don't deserve him after how I have hurt him. Besides now I have a son I must care for, he is already a King he doesn't need so much on his plate."  

"Trust me he will forgive you and welcome the additions to his life and plate," Isolde says smiling at the girl. Magdelena nods her head in thanks before pulling around the baby who had stopped crying, making her look down at the child.

"If I didn't know any better you brought me here for that sole reason," she whispers into her baby's ear, "Something I think I can stop if I do this correctly." 

Magdelena takes a moment in the chaos to rush away to Gaius's chambers to the back room with James. She places him down before looking at the boy, who was staring up at her with blue eyes that reminded her of Arthur's, "Okay James, your powers aren't going to surface until you are thirteen. That gives Merlin a chance to change Arthur's mind and teach you about magic and its good." 

A golden glow leaves her hands and wraps around the baby, "Maggie!" Merlin says entering shocked to find her using magic against her own son, "Maggie?"

"I can explain later, it is a rather long story and I am sure that Gaius would want to hear it as well," Magdelena says smiling at her brother, "You came rushing in here for a reason yes?"

"I was just wondering if you planned on staying here," Merlin asks looking at his sister with his large eyes filled with hope and his goofy grin on full blast. 

 "No, I think I should keep James away from all of this hatred of magic," Magdelena says hanging her head, "But I promise that as soon as it is safe I will return. I should go wish farewell to the King, I refuse to leave without saying goodbye again."