Merlin's Sister

The Hunting Trip

The next morning it was Kenna that woke Arthur. He shook his head and looked at her in confusion for a moment before the events of the night before came rushing back. He fell back into his pillow and groaned.

"Kenna," He whined. "I have no desire to get out of bed this morning. If I see my father I may well just finish what I started."

"Then it's a good thing we aren't staying here today," Kenna agreed. "Come on, get up. I have to get you ready to go hunting. We'll be gone for a week. I don't really want to see him at the moment either."

She started to leave the room, but Arthur stopped her, "Wait! We?"

"You and me. We'll talk more once we get out of the city. I don't trust the walls." Kenna confided.

Arthur nodded, used to her paranoid habits.

Arthur hadn't noticed it at first, but the sun was only just coming up. Usually Merlin didn't wake him until midmorning, so he was a bit tired. When they got riding he saw the first few knights began to make their way to the training ground. He almost laughed at how they immediately began practicing. It seemed that the little prank Kenna had pulled on them not so long ago had made a lasting impression.

They were well into the woods, and had even killed some game before they spoke. It had become a good system for hunting, but it did little to ease Arthur's anger. Kenna sighed. It didn't look like Arthur was going to talk without prompting.

"I know you are still upset, Arthur," Kenna began. "Talk to me about it."

There was a pause. For a moment Kenna wasn't sure he'd answer.

"I don't understand it. How did this happen? I looked up to him," Arthur confided.

Kenna nodded. "It's hard seeing the people you put on a pedestal do things to drag themselves down. It's even worse since you were so close."

Arthur sighed, "Close is a relative term. We didn't spend much time in each other's company outside of formal events and meetings. Occasionally we'd eat dinner together or after a significant victory, but never more than that."

"Either way, you grew up believing he was all, but perfect. It's hard to find out they aren't, especially someone you love," Kenna said gently.

"How can I forgive him knowing what he did? He deserves whatever he gets from the magic users," Arthur growled.

"Arthur, I know you want to believe that what Morgause showed you was real, but I don't think that is the case," Kenna reasoned. "Morgause was very sure of what she would say. I think she conjured an illusion to trick you into killing your father."

"Why would she do that?" Arthur asked. "She claimed she knew my mother. She would have at least know what she looked like."

"She might have known her. She might have believed she was just telling the truth, and that the only way to make you believe is if your mother told you. She knew exactly how to goad you into asking to speak to her." Kenna theorized. "And a lot of the evidence does point to you being born of magic. Think about it. Your father claims she was killed by magic, but it is common knowledge she died in childbirth. Your father obviously loved her very much, and if he lost her like that, it would explain a lot. But something is missing. There's more to it than that."

"What else could there be? He made the deal that killed her so it's his fault and even if it mattered there is no way to actually know because father will never tell me," Arthur ranted.

"Well, there is one way," Kenna said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked quickly.

"Well, it will prove whether Morgause was telling the truth in any case," Kenna muttered. "We'd need to conjure your mother ourselves."