Merlin: Fate Be Changed

The Eye of the Phoenix, Part 2

The city of Camelot was abuzz and so were Gwen and Morgana. The two women were standing at a fabric and cloth booth and Gwen was holding an orange-pink headscarf and showed it to Morgana who smiled and nodded in approval. "It's beautiful and you're definitely getting it," Morgana stated.

The two girls laughed and went back to admiring the many fabrics. Suddenly Morgana felt someone grab her arm. She whirled around to see who had touched her and came face-to-face with an elderly woman with an all too familiar face.

Morgause.

"Help me, please. Please, just a spare moment of your time, sister," Morgause whispered that last part. Morgana smiled and nodded. Then, the two witches started walking away from the booth, but not before Gwen could notice them. "My lady!" "It's all right, Gwen. I won't be but a moment," Morgana smiled calmly. Gwen was still worried but nodded as the two women departed from the cloth stand.

When the sisters had gotten far enough away that they were sure no one would hear, Morgause faced her sister and said, "We must be quick, sister. This enchantment will not hold for long. Tell me, what has Arthur chosen as his quest?" "He sets out tomorrow for the perilous lands," Morgana answered. Morgause grinned toothily, "How perfect." The witch then presented a bracelet to the young Pendragon. "Present this to the prince as a token of your good wishes.

"When the time is right, you must make a likeness of the prince and bind it to the gift using the skills that I taught you. When he does not return, you, sister, will take your rightful place as the sole heir to the throne of Camelot." Morgana smirked evilly and nodded. With that, Morgause turned and hobbled back the way they both came.

As she limped her way back past the fabric stand where Gwen was still trying on different scarves, Gwen looked in the mirror as she walked past and saw Morgause for who she really was. Gwen gasped and snapped her head around to see who she thought was Morgause only to look up see the old lady once more. That was impossible. She had seen Morgause.

And then she remembered something: Morgana was with her! Gwen immediately whirled around only to come face-to-face with Morgana. "My Lady, are you all right?" Gwen breathed. Morgana smiled brightly, "Why wouldn't I be?" "I-- I thought--" Gwen stammered. "The poor woman didn't have a penny to feed her family. I felt duty-bound to help her, Gwen," Morgana lied. Then she smiled thinly and left the stand leaving Guinevere thinking about what had just happened.

***

The next morning, Guinevere stood outside Arthur's chambers nervously waiting to say goodbye. As she paced nervously in the corridor she didn't realize that the door opened until she saw the prince in her peripheral vision. She stopped pacing and looked at him. 'Now or never!' she thought to herself. "I know you have to go, but--" "I'll be careful," Arthur cut her off. She sighed, "For me." He smiled at her affectionately and she returned the expression.

There was a moment of silence and the two of them stood in the empty hallway and gazed at each other longingly. Finally, Arthur couldn't take it anymore. He tilted his head and leaned in to kiss her chastely on the lips before breaking away and walking away from her, leaving Gwen in shock.

It hurt him to leave her like that, but he knew that if he'd prolonged the kiss he'd never leave. Meanwhile, Gwen having watched him leave smiled to herself. She came to him filled with worry and now she felt that everything would turn out okay.

***

Arthur made his way down the steps of the courtyard towards his horse that Merlin had prepared for him. Behind him, Uther escorted Morgana down the steps, while the other councilmen stood at the top of the stairs. Before Arthur mounted his horse, he turned to look back at his father and Morgana and bowed his head which they reciprocated.

Morgana looked over at Uther to see him frowning. "You look troubled, Sire," she said. "He is sole heir to the throne, Morgana," he replied shortly. Now it was Morgana's turn to frown, but she quickly concealed it and responded with, "Don't worry. I'm certain a Pendragon will rule over Camelot for a long time to come."

Merlin watched the prince mount his horse and then handed him the reins with a curt nod and a small smile. Arthur smirked at him and slightly lowered his head. Merlin scoffed and then noticed the bracelet on Arthur's wrist. The magic was so strong he could almost see the magic ebbing off of it. Arthur followed his servant's gaze and said, "Beautiful, isn't it. It was a gift from Morgana." Merlin heard the words Morgana and immediately felt a wave of worry and suspicion wash over him. But all he could do was watch as Arthur urged his horse onward and left the citadel.

***

After Arthur had left, Merlin rushed back to Gaius's chambers and started searching through one of the shelves until he found a book on magic. He immediately started flipping through the pages, trying to find the bracelet that he'd seen Arthur wearing. Once he had briefed Gaius on what had transpired in the courtyard, the physician quickly rushed to help his ward and grabbed another book off the shelf.

"Are you sure it wasn't a jewel?" he asked. Merlin shook his head when he looked over at Gaius's book, "No, brighter than that." "And you said it was enchanted?" Gaius continued. "There was magic there. I could feel it," Merlin answered not looking up from the book he was skimming through. "You sure?" Gaius pressed. Merlin nodded in affirmation. "And if it came from Morgana, it can only mean one thing-- Arthur's in danger."

***

Arthur was riding leisurely through the forest, occasionally glancing at his map to see which way to go, when he stopped at a clearing that looked out over the valley. He stared out over the ridge for a moment, before unfolding his map again to make sure he was going the right way. After doing that, Arthur pressed on.

Next stop: Mercia!

***