Chapter Twenty-Two, Queen of Hearts

What Merlyn, Gwaine and Gaius had feared had come true. Hope had Merlyn's magical abilities. A few hours after she'd been born -thankfully when everyone had left- Hope started levitating things around the room. It wasn't often but it did scare the new parents and great-great uncle as they feared what Uther would do. However, that would soon be the least of their worries.

Two months after Merlyn had given birth, she was in her room she shared with Gwaine nursing their daughter while she rested against Gwaine in bed staring lovingly down at Hope and sharing kisses with each other; when the door suddenly flung open without even knocking. And in walked Uther with a protesting Arthur and Sir Leon behind him.
"Sire!! Can you not knock!?" Gwaine shouted angrily, lunging forward to pull the curtain closed a little to shield his wife from their views, as the top of her nightgown was undone as she nursed Hope. Arthur and Leon quickly turned their backs when they caught the slightest glimpse and felt disgusted as Merlyn was their sister and that they didn't need to see that, and hot blushes spread across their cheeks but Uther did not. He just looked annoyed at being reprimanded.

"Tell Merlyn she has to go back to work today. She can strap your child to her chest while she does it." Uther said, ignoring the protests from Gwaine and the two behind him and stalked pompously out of the room.
"I'm so sorry Merlyn, Gwaine. He didn't give us time to knock and we've been arguing with him all morning about this." Sir Leon apologised.
"I told him George could stay as my manservant until Hope is older but he wouldn't hear it. You won't be doing anything extenuating, nor any heavy lifting, I'll have George do that." Arthur swore.
"Thank you Leon. Thank you Arthur." Merlyn replied softly, but you could hear the resigned note in her voice. Gwaine pulled her closer and pressed a loving kiss to her temple, despite the annoyed frown upon his face.

***

Throughout the day Merlyn was doing what she could but she always had a Knight or another servant following her to help her if she needed it, which while she did find grateful she did find annoying as it would be harder to hide not only Hope's magic but her own as well as it was still affected by her hormones that were slowly settling down. But Gaius assured her she should have control again within a month or two, so she just had to hold out. It was now in the afternoon and Merlyn was nursing Hope, sat at Arthur's table in his chambers but she had a light, clean cloth over her shoulder to cover herself in case anyone came in. She was softly humming to Hope, soothing her, as Merlyn's eyes fluctuated between gold and cerulean, letting out the excess a little so she could have control for the rest of the day until they reached the safe haven of their chambers. Little Hope copied her mother as she held Merlyn's finger tightly staring into Merlyn's eyes as she suckled at her breast.

Merlyn had just regained control of her magic when the door opened causing Merlyn to gasp in shock and fear as her eyes had switched when she was startled. Staring at Arthur like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Arthur please. We - we were born like this... we cannot help it. Check with Gaius if you must, but please don't kill us. Not my baby, please! Please not my Hope! I normally have better control but since being pregnant- hormones - please, I've only used it for good! I was levitating things as soon as I was born, Hope a few hours after she was. All those times we've miraculously been saved, that was me. That's why I was injured so often they targeted me because I protect you. Protected Camelot." Merlyn begged in tears, as she got up from the table and slowly backed away to the servant entrance on the other side of the room.

The shock and surprise on Arthur's face never once delved into betrayal or anger but when Merlyn begged him not to kill her or his niece that's when his armour cracked. Hurt flashed across his face especially as she backed away from him, tears pouring down her cheeks and, clutching her daughter closer to her. It was then he realised how terrified she must have been all these years; seeing he, his father and the Knights capture and kill people of her kind. She must think he was a monster. He'll change that. Slowly he drew his sword causing Merlyn's begging to increase.
"NO! Please! Arthur you're my friend! Hope is your niece! Please let us go! We'll leave Camelot and never come back! Please!" Merlyn cried, her eyes flickering again but he could see she was holding back.

"Sorry." Arthur winced, placing the sword on the table and stepping far away from it. "I thought if I put it down you would believe me more but I realise my mistake I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you Merlyn or Hope. You're my best friend, my sister. And if you say you were both born with magic and you've used it for good I believe you, but I do wish to know everything." Arthur said soothingly. "Does Hunith have magic?"
"No. I got it from my father. My father is - was - Balinor." Merlyn said tearfully, as Arthur winced. He realised now why Balinor had been so hostile to him, until Merlyn quietly spoke to him and why Merlyn had been so upset when he died. It was a man driven away from his family and a daughter who had just lost her father.
"I'm sorry Merlyn. I'm so sorry for everything, you must think I'm a monster." Arthur said defeated.

"No. No, Arthur I don't. You couldn't possibly have known that he was my father. I didn't at first until Gaius told me right before we were about to leave. I'm sorry Kilgharrah attacked Camelot because I freed him. I didn't want to as I had a bad feeling but when he gave me the way to defeat the Knights of Medere I had to swear on my mother's life to get him to help. If I went back on it she would've died painfully. But when my father died I became the Dragon Lord or Lady - magic has no specifics like that - I made him promise he'd never attack again and he has to obey me."
"I would've done the same thing if it was my mother." Arthur assured, without a second thought.

For the rest of the afternoon Merlyn told Arthur the truth of everything that has happened in the last few years, especially Morgana's betrayal by using her magic for evil and siding with Morgause.
"Is everyone born with magic?" Arthur asked, leaning against the bedpost while Merlyn sat at his desk.
"No. Normally you have to learn it, even the Druids do. When I first came here it was instinctual, elemental. Gaius fell off his balcony and I froze time so it moved extremely slowly and placed a bed beneath him to break his fall. People like Morgana and Morgause are witches, I'm a Mage. The Druids call me Emrys as it's my destiny to help you unite Albion and become the Once and Future King. It's a prophecy that's been written since the Dawn of time, Gaius has the books and it states in every single one, that I would help you." Merlyn explained.

"How come they don't know you have magic then?" Arthur asked, confused.
"Apparently, according to Gaius, I'm too powerful for them to comprehend. Which he says is a good thing because otherwise they'd try to kill me more than they already do. Emrys means immortal, Arthur. That first time I nearly died when I was poisoned - I did die. Only for a few seconds but I came back." Merlyn said sadly.
"Does Gwaine know?" Arthur asked sadly, he couldn't believe all his best friend has been through and she's younger than him by four years. He's twenty-two and she's eighteen, not even of age. Not to mention he killed her first love; Frey, the cursed Druid.
"No. How do I tell him that I will outlive him? How do I tell him it's because of my magic and what my name means? That I could outlive everyone I love, even my daughter." Merlyn said tearfully, looking down at her sleeping daughter in her arms.

She hasn't let her go since Arthur found out. She trusts him but her magic goes wild when she tries.
"I don't know Merlyn." Arthur said tearfully. This was all his father's fault. Why does Merlyn have to pay the price for his father's sins?
"But I promise you Merlyn no harm will come to you and Hope. I will not tell a soul and I will take it with me to the grave. I know Sir Leon could be trusted with this as he cares for you as much as I do. But it's up to you. Neither of you will be harmed I promise, I know I may need to prove it and I will do so.

I know if you wanted to you could fling me across this chamber like you did to that Knight when your father died, I know you won't but I can see your magic trying to fight your control when I come closer hence why I'm staying here. Not for my safety but to earn your trust. I'll prove to you Merlyn and to others of your kind that I'm not my father or Morgana." Arthur promised. Merlyn smiled softly at him. "I will never let hate consume me like they have."
"Thank you Arthur."

***

Later that night Morgana was tossing and turning in her bed as a vision played behind her closed eyelids. And it tormented her.

It was a vision of Arthur as King and he was crowning her maidservant; Guinevere or Gwen as his Queen and no one was objecting. Instead they all looked happy. In the crowds she spotted Merlyn in a dress that put her dresses to shame, obviously proclaiming her as Lady of the Court, standing close to Arthur proclaiming her status higher than what it is now by marrying Gwaine. She was Arthur's adviser. Just below Merlyn stood Gwaine looking at the blue eyed woman with adoring eyes and a four year old little girl in his arms who looked exactly like her mother.
Morgana hated it. She gated every little bit of it. She wanted to wake up for surely this was a nightmare; but no it was her vision. Her sister had long since taught her to differentiate between them.

"By the Sacred Laws vested in me, I pronounce you Guinevere, Queen of Camelot." Arthur said, helping Gwen stand and they both took their seats upon the throne."

Morgana suddenly sat up in bed with a gasp waking up from her sleep that her vision kept her bound in. However, she heard a voice she least wanted to hear in that moment as she climbed out of bed and faced the window.
"Is everything all right, My Lady?" Gwen asked.
"I'm fine. It's late. You should go to bed." Morgana said tersely, turning back to the window.
"Goodnight." Gwen said, as she left the room. Morgana didn't reply.
Early the next morning just as the sun rose Morgana heard her name being whispered in the wind, her sister's voice.
"Sister."
"Sister." As she couldn't see her anywhere, and only heard her, Morgana decided to follow the voice.
"Sister. This way." Morgause's voice whispered once again, a door opening at the end of the corridor.

As Morgana came closer to the door that led to a disused and extremely dusty old storage room a torch came to life, smirking Morgana grabbed the torch and climbed the steps into the tower.
"Hello sister." Morgause said, from behind Morgana, once the brunette was in the middle of the room. Gasping Morgana dropped the torch and hugged her sister tightly.
"I can't tell you how good it is to see you." Morgana whispered in her ear.
"I received your message. Tell me about these dreams that are so troubling to you." Morgause requested, pulling back from Morgana but held on to her hands.
"They show a ceremony in Camelot. It's my serving girl, Gwen. She sits beside Arthur on a throne. She's crowned Queen, and Merlyn, she has a higher standing than she does now by marrying a Knight. She has prettier dresses than me and seems to be Arthur's adviser and a Lady of the Court.

I see the same thing night after night." Morgana explained, a frown upon her face.
"There are some dreams that are so powerful your healing bracelet will not stop them. It is a prophecy." Morgause explained.
"How can that be?" Morgana demanded. "Gwen's a servant. Uther would never allow Arthur to marry her. He's unhappy as it is about a Knight marrying Merlyn and them having a daughter together."
"There are many futures, sister. Some are shrouded in mist and there are others that are clear as cut glass. But your gift is powerful. And this vision cannot be ignored. You cannot allow this serving girl to take your rightful place upon the throne. Whatever relationship exists between Arthur and... Gwen, you must destroy it." Morgause ordered.

"Don't worry sister, I will do whatever it takes. And if Gwen is no longer taking my rightful place upon my throne, Merlyn cannot and will not be the adviser." Morgana agreed, a nasty smirk on her face as she bid her sister goodbye and headed off to find her maidservant, Gwen, for that's all she was to her now. Just a servant and no longer a dear friend as she once was.