The Future of Camelot

They Continue

"Morgause? What is it?" Morgana asked with worry. Her sister was staring out the window in the sitting room, looking out onto the lake. "Morgause?" The blonde woman snapped back to attention and smiled at Morgana.

"I'm sorry, sister. My thoughts ran away and took me with them." The thoughts had been of the Sidhe, and her broken promise to them. She couldn't tell anyone about it because that would reveal her disloyalty.

"Were they thoughts of how skewed your taste buds are?" Gwaine muttered into his tea. They'd had a brief interaction in the kitchen that had offended his tavern-going sensibilities. Arguing with her about beer and cheese was the fight of least importance he could imagine, so he kept it alive. Morgause glared at him.

"You're the one askew!" she retorted. "You probably like unnaturally flavored food! Like those beverages that taste of bacon and ice cream and such." Gwaine laughed out loud.

Merlin found amusement watching two bitter enemies bickering about trivial matters. It wasn't surprising that Gwaine was talking nonsense, but Morgause was surprising. Merlin remembered her as a noble and proud woman, but she was lowering herself to quarrel with Gwaine. Not that Merlin didn't love Gwaine, but Morgause should have thought that he was too low to fight with. It seemed that this new world brought together the unlikeliest of people.

Gwen and the rest of the knights had gone out on some undisclosed journey. Elyan had voted to leave Gwaine behind. It seemed that the journey was long enough that they couldn't stand being in a car with him for the entire distance.

Morgause had been offered the other upstairs room, and she had gratefully taken it. She still hated Arthur for all the grief he had caused Morgana and people with magic, but he was showing her kindness. Perhaps the thousand years of sleep had made him wise.

"Found anything?" Gwaine asked Merlin. The warlock had brought many of his texts downstairs and was pouring over them.

"Like I said before," Merlin said to him. "Nobody but Nimueh could know about reincarnation, and she's long gone."

"What if . . ." started Morgana pensively. "What if we used the same spell we used to talk with Mordred to talk with Nimueh? That is, if she isn't in this world."

"I hope she isn't," said Merlin. "She almost killed my mother, Arthur, and Gaius all in one day."

"Sounds like something," said Gwaine with a bit of admiration in his tone. Morgause answered as if without realizing she was speaking out loud.

"She was."

"You knew Nimueh?" asked Morgana in surprise. Morgause nodded but didn't elaborate.

"Of course, you were raised by the High Priestesses," realized Merlin. Morgause nodded again.

"She was kind to me," Morgause said softly. "She taught me all I know."

"I suppose you don't like hearing Merlin bring her down," said Gwaine. Morgause looked at him sharply, and everyone in the room was reminded of the harsh woman she had been.

"Not really, no," Morgause said delicately.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said honestly. "I didn't think."

"I understand why you hate her," Morgause said. "I know that she gave you pain. You had your reasons for killing her. I just miss her, that's all."

"Let's try the spell," suggested Gwaine. Morgana and Merlin stared at him. "What, I can't take a little intuitive?" Gwaine asked. "I'm full of surprises."

"We have to go the Isle of the Blessed," Morgana told Morgause and Gwaine. "We can't go there until the others come back with the car."

"I think it's dreadfully unfair that they left me behind," complained Gwaine. "I am as much a knight as the rest of them."