Chapter Text
Arthur was aware of a couple of things about the King’s Ward, Lady Morgana, that led him to believe there was slightly more about her than met the eye. Firstly, and most importantly, was the fact that she had a Mother who could be caring for her. Lady Vivienne lived in Escetir, with her other child, one that hadn't been born to Gorlois, her current husband. Perhaps that was why Morgana was here, to hide her from the shame of the fact that her Mother slept around Albion like a…
‘Arthur!’ Morgana snapped, breaking him from his thoughts. At nineteen-summers, he was reaching adulthood with full-force, now able to command the Knights of Camelot like he had dreamed of doing all his life. Notoriously good with a sword, even if Morgana teased him about her being better than him.
‘What?’ He asked lazily, still trying to recall what had led his thoughts to Morgana’s family.
‘Aren’t you going to say goodbye?’ Oh, that was the reason. Morgana was travelling back to Escetir, to visit her Mother, Father, and her sibling. Siblings. He still was unsure about just how many children Lady Vivienne had, but figured it might be rude to ask.
‘Goodbye.’ He stated without turning, knowing she would be pouting at him with a ridiculous expression, those green eyes that he always found rather unnerving focusing on him. At fifteen-summers, she was quite terrifying, not that he admitted that.
‘Have a good summer, Arthur.’ She sounded disappointed, but he couldn’t find it in him to be concerned by that fact. Instead, he listened to her go, then went in search of his Father.
As suspected, a Guard told him that he was in his Chambers, having summoned Gaius. The Court Physician was probably closer to an advisor than a Healer, when it came to the King, and Arthur wondered how many secrets they kept.
He froze at the door, fingers wrapped around the handle, and pressed his ear closer when he heard hushed whispers from inside the room.
‘… but Gaius, if the boy is the son of…’
‘I think our bigger concern is Lady Morgana, Sire. If she learns that she is not the child of Gorlois, but indeed a child of Pendragon blood…’
‘Then she might claim herself an heir to the throne.’ Uther remarked, and Arthur heard Gaius raise his eyebrow from all the way out here.
‘She might ask that she be recognised as Arthur’s sister.’
Arthur was beginning to wish he’d never thought of Morgana’s family situation at all.
**
Morgana, despite how she loved Camelot, had been waiting an awfully long time to come back and see her home. She’d been a child when Gorlois, her father, had suggested that she go to Camelot. It wasn’t unheard of, for the children of her Mother and Father to be split. For example, her elder sister Morgause, had been taken to be trained by a High Priestess. If Uther ever found that out…
And then there was her brother, a summer older than she was, but they had always been close. Far closer than Morgause was to her.
Merlin was similar to her, with the dark hair and the sharp cheekbones, or had been when she’d last seen him. Even as children, they had less of the baby fat, and more angles than was usually seen. The eyes may have been a different colour, his a vibrant blue compared to her dull green, but they looked more related than Morgana ever did to Morgause.
Her older sibling despised Merlin, because he had Magic, and it was strong as well. He used to light the nursery up with butterflies, or summon orbs in the darkest of storms. His Magic was incredible, and although she had not yet fully grown-up, she hoped that she might have some Magic like her two elder siblings.
She was aware that Merlin was disliked by their father, partly because he wasn’t actually his son. Morgana didn’t dare ask his true parentage, Vivienne had once drunkenly told Morgana that he had been a man in touch with nature, and that was about it. At eleven-summers, Merlin had been sent away from the Gorlois household, and Morgana had cried for days.
She had only been ten-summers, and that was when she’d been shipped off to Camelot. She’d heard many times (her Mother never attempted to hide her disdain) that raising the two of them had been awful, that she much preferred her eldest daughter, Morgause.
Now, as her horse clattered into the courtyard and a stable-boy came rushing forth to take the reins, she could only hope that Merlin was home. Her Mother appeared on the steps to the Castle, much smaller than the one at Camelot, and she looked older. Ill, dark bags under her eyes and a sneer for a smile, but Morgana still walked towards her with the intention of a warm greeting.
Until Merlin appeared, dark hair and bright eyes, still tall and gangly like she remembered. He didn’t wait at the top, came bounding down the stairs to greet her.
‘Brother!’ She laughed as he hugged her, lifting her slightly off the ground as he did so. The height difference had never been a thing before, but she didn’t mind it that much.
‘Gana, I missed you!’ Another hug, while their Mother disappeared inside with little more than a frown.
‘It’s good to be back.’
**
‘The Gorlois household is known for dabbling in Magic!’ Uther protested, and Arthur regretted having this conversation. Letting his Father know that he had heard the conversation had been a bad idea, now Uther had gone the colour of rage and was glaring at him like he regretted ever having a son.
‘But Morgana is…’
‘Not one of us! She is my Ward.’
‘She is your daughter!’ Arthur snapped back, while Gaius pretended to be very interested in the windows of the room. Uther fell back to his chair, a deep groove on his forehead, and Arthur knew that the silent anger was much worse than the cheerfulness.
‘Should she reach eighteen-summers,’ Should, like it was doubted. Arthur made a note to send her a message, telling her to be wary of any red-caped Knights, just in case his father did something… bad.
‘Then I will consider her of the Pendragon household, and welcome her back to Camelot. Without any of her family.’ Magic, that was what he kept talking about, but Arthur had already got his doubts around the hatred. He knew his Mother had died in childbirth, and his nursemaid when he was young slipped up and told him that there had been a Court Sorcerer at the time.
Uther’s hatred only came once Ygraine had died, and Arthur had been secretly talking to Gaius about Magic ever since he was a boy.
‘Thank you, Sire.’ Arthur remarked, bowing, and retreating far from the eyes of his Father.