Warriors of Camelot

Chapter 13: The Four Are United

"It's you!" 

Out of the corner of her eye, Morgana spied Gwen nodding eagerly.

"I know," she agreed. 

After pausing momentarily, Gwen added:" That's why I came to find you." 

"What do you mean you know her?" Arthur demanded impatiently. 

Gwen hesitated. It was best that Arthur knew the truth. Lying to him would only shorten his temper all the more and they couldn't resist doing so, especially not at this moment in time. That's precisely why she turned to Arthur and announced:

"Morgana and I saw her in the corridor earlier today." 

"She was being dragged away by Uther's men," interjected Morgana. "She called out to me!" 

Arthur started slightly. He hadn't expected this at all. 

"Aye, that I did."

At the sound of this deep, rich voice, all four figures spun round. The prisoner was staring up at them with warm, coffee-brown eyes which seemed full of an ancient secret that Arthur just couldn't uncover.

 Dark curly hair hung in loose ringlets around the stranger's face and black feathers were woven into the thick strands. As for her garments, they were like nothing that Arthur had ever seen before. If he could have made any comment at all about them, then he would have mentioned how they reassembled some kind of black armour. There was even an emblem sketched onto the front of her chest-plate: a large, white raven in flight. Her shoes (or what Arthur could see of them) appeared to be knee-high boots and these were also black. 

Suspicion stirred in Arthur's heart. Who exactly was this woman? A sorceress? If she was, then what was her purpose here in Camelot? Arthur  knew better than to trust innocent-looking woman, after a close encounter with a pale-skinned maiden in distress who he'd met during an life-or-death errand which he'd undergone about a year or so ago. Naturally, his instinct had been to help her, but once it became clear that she was more than met the eye, Arthur came to regret his actions. He could have easily come to a sticky end, had the sorceress not been merciful enough to spare him. 

Suddenly, Arthur stiffened. The woman had fixed her piercing gaze upon Morgana. Arthur saw her hesitate, before relaxing moments later. 

Although her garments were like nothing that Morgana ever seen before, somehow, she  knew that this stranger could be trusted. How was another matter, but there was no time to figure the matter out now.

Looking the prisoner directly in the eyes, Morgana had the feeling that this sorceress- if she was one, that is- was staring deep into her heart. 

"I thank you all for answering my call, Morgana" the woman declared softly.

"You- you're welcome," stuttered Morgana, curtseying politely as she spoke. Gwen followed her mistress' example. 

Arthur stared in disbelief from one figure to another. The fact that this woman recognised Morgana only roused his suspicions yet again. 

"Who are you?" he demanded. Then he stopped short. 

Those coffee-brown eyes were now fixed upon him- and Arthur too felt as if the prisoner was staring into the very depths of his heart. 

"You have no need to fear me, Arthur Pendragon," the woman assured him gently. "None of you do."

Merlin sighed with relief. "Good!" he whispered under his breath. 

"Then you don't need to be afraid of us," Morgana assured the prisoner gently, kneeling beside the cell. "Please, tell us your name."

The woman lifted her head to stare up at Morgana again.