I Loved You Once in Silence

A Deadly Mistake (A Remedy to Cure All Ills)

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Morgana makes one final, desperate attempt at her freedom.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Word Count: 3751
Content Warning: suicide attempt

And all the characters are owned by Julian Jones and Shine Limited.

"I've decided to proceed with the wedding immediately."

Morgana shouldn't have expected anything less from Uther, but she was still outraged. "My sister is dead!" she cried. "How can you expect me to celebrate when--"

"This is not about you!" Uther snarled. "The situation has not changed. Cornwall is near revolution. Do you want to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people?"

"Father, she's right," Arthur put in. "It's callous to celebrate when Cornwall just lost a member of its nobility. Lord Nentres is well known there; the people will find it disrespectful."

"The people have short memories," Uther said. "They won't remember the wife of a nobleman. They will remember a Cornish princess."

"Then delay it a week," Arthur protested. "Just give us enough time to arrange Elaine's funeral and repair the city. How do you expect the people to toast our wedding when half of Camelot is rubble?"

"They will find the celebrations a welcome distraction," Uther said. "The wedding will proceed tomorrow evening. My decision is final."

Morgana stormed out of the throne room. "How could he say such a thing!" Morgana shouted. "Elaine was a good person, and he expects me to smile the day after I've lost her!"

"I agree with you, Morgana!" Arthur snapped. "I tried to talk sense into him!"

"I won't do it."

"If you didn't hear, we don't have a choice."

She'd never felt so hopeless in her life, nor so angry. She was desperate to get revenge on Uther. Had he no concern for anyone but himself? He may frame this marriage as a selfless act, but all he was doing was maintaining his power. He cared nothing for the common people. Look what he'd done when Merlin was on death's door.

"If he wants me in a veil, it'll be a veil of black," Morgana vowed. And, with that, she stormed away.

***

The morning started like any other. Merlin and Gwen walked to the castle together, he dropped her off at Morgana's chambers, then turned to head to Arthur's. But, before he'd even taken a step, he heard Gwen scream.

"Gwen?!" Merlin ran inside to see Gwen shaking... the lifeless body that lay in Morgana's bed.

The walls of the castle fell around him. Morgana couldn't be dead. She couldn't. "You alert the king," Merlin said immediately. "I'll get Gaius." And Merlin took off for the physician's chambers. He'd never run so fast in his life.

He stood beside Gaius the rest of the day, holding instruments for him as he examined Morgana. Uther was sitting at her bedside, holding her hand. Arthur stood close by as well, stoic as he always was when he felt such pain.

"Her body seems to have closed down," Gaius diagnosed.

"Why?" Uther demanded. "You don't have an answer, do you? Nothing you've tried so far has worked. It's been almost a day. And what do you know?