The Future of Camelot

Finding Who They Needed, and Another

"This is your last chance," he said. "To swear allegiance to your true queen." Mithian raised her chin proudly.

"I will never bow to Nimueh," she said, her voice never wavering. "I am Princess Mithian of Nemeth, and I will die before I see that monster sit on the throne of any of the United Kingdoms."

"Then you will die," her executioner declared loudly. He threw the torch to her feet and -

It disappeared. The man barely had time to turn around before the ropes around Mithian unknotted themselves and wrapped around him. He toppled over. Mithian realized her freedom and jumped from the ring of flammable substances. A man she had never seen before caught her and wrapped her in a hug. Not knowing who he was, she pulled away.

"Mithian, I know you don't know me, but believe that I'm here to help you," he said in a rush. "My name is Merlin."

"How do you know me?" she asked. "Did you save me?"

"Yes," Merlin answered. When her captor started to rise, Merlin looked at him sharply. His eyes flashed gold, and the man's shirt ripped off and tied itself into a gag around the man's head.

"And as for knowing you, well, that's too complicated for right now." Merlin let go of her and stood over the man. Mithian saw a beautiful woman join him, and some men carrying swords.

"Tauren," the woman with black hair and piercing green eyes said with obvious hatred in her voice. "You are working for Nimueh?"

"Who are you?" he tried to say through the gag. One of the men, a tall person with bulging muscles, yanked Tauren to his feet.

"Where is she?" Merlin demanded, the gag falling away Tauren's mouth.

"I'm not telling you anything," Tauren growled. Merlin looked very angry. He stepped closer to Tauren, but the woman grabbed his arm.

"Let me," she said quietly. Mithian couldn't imagine how she could be more effective in interrogation than someone as angry as Merlin appeared to be, but the men that had just come seemed to agree that she was the best one. Mithian soon understood why.

"Please let him go, Percival," she said calmly. The big man obeyed and stepped back to the others.

"Who are you?" Tauren demanded.

"I am Morgana Pendragon," she said. "My name used to bring fear to men's hearts because they knew what I did to those who displeased me." Mithian noticed two of the men shift uncomfortably. One was short and had dark skin; the other had full brown hair and was very handsome.

"I heard about you," Tauren said. "Heard that you came from another world. That you were Uther's illegitimate daughter."

"All that is true," said Morgana. "But not all was revealed. I don't think you heard how my sister and I conquered Essetir and turned the troops into the living dead. How I became the greatest danger Albion has ever faced." As calmly as ever, Morgana said, "How I killed you."

Mithian observed the men who had come with Merlin and Morgana and Percival. If she were to hazard a guess based on their body language, most of them looked as if they knew Morgana wouldn't hurt them, but were scared by her anyway. Merlin, however, looked terribly regretful. Mithian got the impression that he didn't fear Morgana at all, quite the opposite. He knew her abilities and cared about her.

The regret on Merlin's face, Mithian suspected, was because she was reverting to her old self. Mithian saw that Merlin knew Morgana was only pretending, but it still hurt him to see her as she had been.

Morgana placed her hand on Tauren's forehead and her eyes flashed gold. Whatever she had done, it worked. Tauren stumbled back, looking at her in horror.