The Witch of Camelot

Twenty-six....back....

Twenty – six….

I was in bed, attempting to sleep by the time Arthur returned home, I heard Merlin give him a light scolding which sounded more like sympathetic advice on how to deal with the kings infuriating ambiguity. Burying my head into my pillow I pretended to sleep, on hearing his footsteps on the stairs and the door opening almost silently I rolled over and groaned as one who had been disturbed from their sleep. “What’s going on?” I mumbled.

                “Sorry I woke you Nim.” Arthur replied sheepishly creeping over to his own bed on the other side of the room. I sat up then determined to know where he had been.

                “Where’d you go storming off to?” I asked almost angrily.

                “What, were you worried about me?” he laughed, raising on eyebrow and trying to turn the whole situation into a joke. Yes I had been worried about him, but he couldn’t know that.

                “What were you up to?” I demanded again.

                “I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t tell Merlin or Uther.” Arthur said beckoning to me, slipping off my bed and tip toeing across the room I sat beside him and awaited to hear of his adventure.

                “Go on then.” I encouraged him.

                Silence followed but I did not push for an answer I simply waited and eventually, at length, Arthur explained. “At first I went out into the meadow, I sat there and went over in my mind everything I knew, and then I decided that whatever Uther said I was still going to see my family.”

                I stared at him in shock, “And then what?” I asked, terror rising in my throat as I began to worry how far Arthur had already taken his vow to break Uther’s rules.

                Arthur confirmed my suspicion, “Then I went to visit Morgana.”

                My mouth gapped open, “You what?” I exclaimed.

                “She wouldn’t see me.” He murmured after a moment’s hesitation.

                “Who did you say you were?”

                “Well I could hardly say her brother could I? So I told the guard that my name was Arthur and I was Merlin’s apprentice. When he asked why I wanted to see the princess I told him that I had a message for her from Merlin which was for the royal ears only.”

                I snorted in disbelief, “What did he say to that? Morgana’s guard is a man called Terrin; he’s not to be messed with believe me! He protects her as if his life depends on it, well it does, but he would go beyond the call of duty, he’s harsh and demanding, strong and unwavering, he’d never let you enter!”

                Arthur nodded, “he wouldn’t but when I mentioned Merlin he looked a bit uneasy and went into her room to inquire whether she knew of me and weather she wished to see me.”

                “What happened then?” I asked surprised Terrin hadn’t just sent Arthur away with a sharp slap and a scolding.

                “He came back out and told me that Morgana did not know me and that further more she had already seen Merlin that evening and had nothing more to hear from him.”

                This puzzled me, surely my uncle was entitled to forget or discover new pieces of information that would need to be delivered. Why would Morgana send him away? Merlin was the king’s trusted adviser any other time she would have accepted him without a moment’s indecision.  “What did you do then?”

                “I decided I would try to see if my mother was about instead and so I went to her chambers and told her guard the same story I had given Terrin.”

                “And…” I prompted.

                “The same thing! He went inside came out again saying Igraine had already seen Merlin that day and had no more need of his counsel that night. It confused me greatly and I spent ages attempting to persuade the guard otherwise but he would not have it.”

                “I wonder why they wouldn’t let you in. Perhaps my uncle had sent you with further instruction, had they not thought of that?”

                Arthur shrugged, “I don’t know, but I’m not going to give up! I don’t care what Uther says I am going to meet them, and soon! I will just keep going back until they let me in and then I can explain everything! My mother will be overjoyed, Uther says she thinks that it is likely I have died or that she will never see me again, how happy she will be!”

For a while I tried to talk Arthur out of his plans but he was absolutely determined, Uther’s command had only served to harden his son’s resolution. Arthur was not going to give up whatever the repercussions. This was another characteristic I was to discover in him, once he was set on a course of action he deemed to be right and just it would take more than the High King to deter and derail him.