Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 43

(A/N: Thanks for 5000 reads!)

******************************************************************

Morgana was back.

After over a year, she was recovered by Arthur who'd found her walking in the forest, dirty and confused after they'd been ambushed tracking the attackers of a Camelot patrol.

Merlin was panicking because Morgana was likely going to tell of Merlin poisoning her.

However, when Merlin was summoned to Morgana's chambers the next morning, it wasn't to be charged with attempted murder, it was so Morgana could apologise to him for all she did.

But while Merlin was all smiley, something didn't sit right with Miriam.

"Miriam, are you alright?" Gaius asked as he walked into his chambers to see Miriam mixing a fever tonic for a patient they just saw in the lower town that morning.

"To be honest, I'm not too sure," she admitted as she stopped working.

"What is it?"

"Gaius, ever since I became a Dragonlord, those feelings that I get have gotten stronger."

"How so?" the old man pondered as he sat opposite her.

"I've only had two so far but the first one I had felt normal and it was the moment Merlin claims to have seen Morgana in the woods yesterday."

"And the second?"

"The second was when I saw Morgana as they returned to Camelot and it almost made my knees buckle."

"I take it that it wasn't a good feeling then," Gaius assumed and Miriam's expression was grave.

"Gaius, I don't trust her. Every part of my heart is screaming at me not to trust her."

"Your feelings have never been wrong before. And if they have gotten stronger, it would do well that we don't ignore it."

"What do we do then?" Miriam asked.

"We can't give her any reason to believe that we suspect her. We must act as normal because even with hardened proof, Uther has always been blind when it comes to Morgana."

Miriam nodded as she moved to go back to work but Gaius stopped her.

"You have training to get to, remember? I'll finish this."

"Thanks, Gaius," she said with a smile as she pressed a small kiss to his cheek before heading over to get changed.

******************************************************************

"I'm not going to use the blindfold. I'm just gonna fight like Merlin here," Arthur announced as he walked back towards the knights. Arthur then began whimpering as he held his sword wrong and took tiny shuffling steps forward as his men laughed. "I'm Merlin, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me."

"Instead of mocking my brother," a voice said, and Arthur stood straight as he turned around, Merlin smirking as his sister stood next to him. "How about you fight someone who actually fights back. What say you, prince? Ready to lose to a girl, again?" she asked as she pointed her sword at him, her armoured corset accentuating her figure, even over her tunic.

The eyes of the knights widened at the sheer audacity of the girl, trying their hardest not to laugh as she walked over to face Arthur.

Arthur, who had no choice but to accept her challenge as he knocked her sword out of his face and swiped at her, Miriam ducking easily before their swords connected.