Merlyn's Last Dream

The Castle of Fyrien P2

Arthur wasn't surprised to find his father sitting in his throne, a stack of papers in front of him as he fiddled with his quill. Judging by the lack of people around the council table, there was little business to be attended to which meant, hopefully, he'd caught the brooding King in a good mood.

"Father." he addressed the monarch, glad to find that Merlyn had followed him in, standing a respectful two paces behind him. He didn't expect anything to go wrong, but it was nice to know she was there to back him up, or take the blame, if things went sideways.

"Arthur." Uther acknowledged, barely looking up from his parchment. "What is it?"

"It's, uh, slightly awkward." the Prince looked down at his hands, trying to appear embarrassed. He was glad to have rehearsed this: the last time he'd tried lying to his father, he'd invented a terrifying bear-faced monster.

"Oh?" his father questioned, but didn't seem particularly interested.

"I was drawn into a wager, and I lost."

Uther glanced at Merlyn, as if, somehow, this was her fault. "Arthur, you know how I disapprove of gambling."

"I know, I'm sorry." Even to his own ears, the Prince didn't sound apologetic.

"How much do you owe?" Uther dipped his quill in the inkpot, understandably bored.

"Two silk dresses." Arthur proclaimed.

That certainly got his father's attention. "Excuse me?"

"Well," he shrugged, "At least enough silk to have them made anyway."

Uther seemed to grown suspicious. "What kind of wager was this exactly?"

"It was Morgana's idea." Arthur lied convincingly, adding a sigh of sorrow to emphasise his story.

The King chuckled, shaking his head at his son. "I should have guessed. Really, Arthur, you should know better than to bet against Morgana."

"I know. The thing is, the cloth cannot be obtained in Camelot, so I'm going to have to leave the city for a few days." The Prince could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest as he prayed to all the gods that his father wouldn't question him further.

"I'd get going if I were you. You don't want to keep her waiting, she'll have your guts." Uther waved him off, a soft smile on his lips.

Arthur nodded once. "Thank you, Father."

~

Merlyn wasn't packing much seeing as the trip was meant to be two days at the most, but it didn't stop Gaius eying her warily as she shoved items into her bag, explaining her theories of how this predicament occurred.

"Morgana? Are you sure?" the physician inquired, apparently having forgotten the events of the past few months. She could think of no one else who would want to inflict such pain onto the city.

"She must be feeding Cenred information. How else would he know to take Gwen?"

Gaius frowned, unconvinced. "But surely if he were trying to get to Arthur through you, it would've been easier to take Hunith?"

It had been a thought which had been weighing on Merlyn's mind since Gwen had confessed everything to her, and still, she had no answer.

"I know it was Morgana. I can just... Feel it. If I could just go to Arthur and tell him what I know-"

"But you can't." Gaius interrupted. "It's your word against Morgana's and she's the King's daughter."

"I know." Merlyn scoffed, wishing that, for once in her life, status could just blend into the background, become just as irrelevant as she thought it. "She's found Arthur's weak spot. I just wish it wasn't through me."