A Lost Connection

Morgana started to pace, huffing in mild irritation. She stopped, glanced at the door.

Still closed. She huffed again.

Her maid, Gwen, was yet to make another appearance. Shortly after rousing her mistress, the girl had disappeared with the promise to fetch the noble woman her breakfast.

Yet, a very, very long time had gone by and Morgana's belly was still empty.

Morgana glared at the door as though in doing so, her maidservant would suddenly come into sight. But no such thing occurred.

Standing on the threshold of her own chambers, Morgana weighed her options. She could continue to wait, just as she had been doing for the past hour or-

Morgana growled, or was it her stomach that produced that dreadful noise?

Frankly, she didn't know.

Conducting a search for her incompetent missing servant wasn't among her morning duties, nevertheless, the lady ventured out looking for Gwen.

The kitchens where the first place she went to. After inquiring the whereabouts of her maid, Morgana was directed towards a location she abhorred going to.

It seemed that Gwen had been last seen heading towards the physician's chambers.

It was with utter disdain that Morgana marched in there, her mind set on rebuking her maid for her unforgiving tardiness.

She didn't bother to knock as she barged inside.

Morgana spotted Gwen the moment she yanked the door open. The sudden noise alerting the woman and making her jump from where she was sitting.

"There you are." Morgana announced.

Simultaneously, Merlin murmured. "Shhh."

Everything stilled in the room when she noticed him.

Morgana stared at him, however her eyes weren't focused on Merlin himself. They were transfixed on the sleeping toddler cradled in his arms. The baby's face was buried in his neck.

It was hard not to detect the odd way with which Morgana regarded the baby and it was for that reason that Merlin held him closer to him whilst taking a step back in caution.

Last thing he wanted was to wake the sleeping infant.

What he did shook her out of her daze. She wouldn't admit it aloud but she was grateful for it.

Merlin with a child in his arms? Who would have thought?

Her gaze moved to Gwen, a smile playing on her lips to mask her surprise. "I've been back for almost a year now, yet no one bothered to inform me that you have fathered a child, Merlin, why is that?" she stepped further, inching closer and passing her maid. "Yours, I presume?" she asked, her index finger gesturing between the manservant and her maid.

She assumed that Arthur and Gwen fancied each other. Had she misread the signs? That couldn't be correct.

"Gods, no!" Gwen exclaimed, a nervous laugh passed through her lips as her eyes darted to the ground, clearly in embarrassment before she looked at her mistress. "It's not mine and-"

Whatever she was going to say, it was silenced by Merlin's comment. "You're going to rouse the baby. Be quiet." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Morgana crooked an eyebrow, half-tempted to do exactly the opposite just aggravate him. But before she could do anything, Merlin lured Gwen into his chamber leaving her alone.