I would like to thank all of my most committed reviewers: mrsspecialk, hazelbunny, FireChildSlytherin5, Hiding in the Shadows, noireallydontcare, Blink XXVII, bookaddict27, ruby890, Nats116, catapilla1, and Dirty Little Butterfly. I'd also like to thank my most most committed reviewers: Gwenneth, Cassy27, and Cissa the Bookworm, who all reviewed from the very beginning and have stuck with me. I'd also like to thank my first ever reviewer of this story, PhoenixFlyer. Thanks to all others who reviewed, for there were many, many of you. I really appreciate all of the kind comments that you have made and even the criticism, for with that I can go back and make improvements. So thank you, one and all!

OW

The Wizards Duel

Chapter 14: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

Merlin knocked on the door, getting more and more desperate with each pound. "Morgana! Morgana, please let me in. You can't ignore me forever."

"Try me!" Morgana's muffled shout came through the closed door.

Merlin smiled for a moment. At least she had spoken. This was the first time in four days that she had uttered a word to him. He couldn't blame her, though. It was better than her screaming the castle down on top of everyone or summoning the dead to slaughter him. He would take the silent treatment over that any day.

Five days ago, which was almost two weeks since Morgana's arrival in Camelot, Merlin had decided to tell her about his magic. It was becoming difficult to keep from her since everyone else in Camelot knew about it, and Merlin thought it would be best that she heard it from him and not someone else. At first she had just stared at him, then she had begun to laugh. Arthur and Gwen had been present, and when she saw that they were all staring at her with the same serious expression, her laughter faltered and her face began to flush bright red. The shouting that ensued from this situation lasted several minutes, most of it a jumbled mess that Merlin could barely understand. She had then proceeded to take Merlin by his ear and shove him from her room. Arthur and Gwen tried to calm her down, but it was to no avail. Her shouts could still be heard from far off long after they had left. Merlin tried to talk to her every day and explain himself, but she would have none of it.

Morgana was still being held captive in her chambers. No guards were stationed, for Merlin had placed a spell on her that made it so that she could not leave the room unless he was holding her hand. Arthur had been crowned King of Camelot, had made Merlin Court Sorcerer, and had agreed to all of Morgana's terms of peace, and the honoring of the executed innocents had already been taken out. Alvarr and all other outlaws had been pardoned (Merlin wanted to find Alvarr and learn more about the Sorcerer's Academy), and magic was made legal once more. Only dark magic was banned, and first time offenders would be imprisoned for five days, and second offenders would be imprisoned until they had proven they wouldn't do it again, imprisoned for life, or executed depending on the level of offense. Morgana's trial still had yet to be taken, and it was scheduled to take place in two days. Merlin hoped that Morgana would let him speak to her by then.

Merlin pounded on the door again, leaning against it. "Morgana, please let me explain! I understand that you hate me, but please, just let me talk to you."

There was silence for a moment, then the door was wrenched open. Merlin nearly fell over as it was pulled away, though he regained his balance quickly. He looked at Morgana, who was glaring at him through narrowed eyes. He shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Uh, can I come it?" he asked uncertainly.

Morgana rolled her eyes and stepped aside to let him enter. Merlin stepped inside, and she closed the door behind him. Merlin walked to the center of the room before turning to face her.

"Thank you for let-" he began, then slap! Morgana struck his face, nearly causing him to fall over in surprise. He stared at her in shock for a moment as she looked at him with those fuming green eyes, then he recovered himself.

"I deserved that," he said.

"Yes, you did," Morgana replied coldly. "Would you like another?"

"What? No!" Merlin said quickly as she raised her hand, and she lowered it.

Morgana sat on her bed so that her back was to him. "Make it quick and get out."

Merlin sighed and took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm sorry I never told you. And I know that you won't forgive me, and I completely understand that. I abandoned you when you needed me most, and nothing I could ever say will make that any less horrible."

Morgana took a shuddering breath. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Merlin hesitated, then he moved to sit next to her on the bed. Morgana shifted slightly so that there was a large space between them.

"I was afraid," he admitted. "I thought you might be scared of me, or angry. I valued your friendship so much, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. I was stupid."
"Yes, you were," Morgana snorted. "How could you think that telling me that you were like me would drive me away? I felt so alone, and you left me that way! How could you do that to me?"

"I don't know," Merlin whispered. "If I could go back and change everything I did, believe me, I would. I've made so many mistakes in my life, but not telling you about my magic is by far my worst one. I wish I could correct it."

He looked over at Morgana, and she stared back. She had a sad smile on her face so slight that it was hardly noticeable, and Merlin felt a glimmer of hope rise in his chest. Then her face went cloudy, and she stood up sharply.

"Wishing isn't going to change the past," she snapped. "You can't go back, and so we will always hate each other for what we have and haven't done."

Merlin grabbed her hand as she tried to walk away, and Morgana turned around, an angry expression on her face.

"I don't hate you, Morgana!" he exclaimed, standing. "Why can't you see that? I've never wanted to hurt you, and I hope that I will never again have to do so. I want us to be friends again, but if you can't do that, then I'll just have to accept that." Merlin touched her face with his fingertips. "But I want you to know that I will never stop fighting for you. Even if you turn on us again, I will never stop hoping that you will come back."

Morgana looked up at him, sadness shimmering in her eyes, all traces of hate and anger gone. Merlin could feel her pulse in her wrist, her heartbeat quickening as she continued to stare into his eyes. Their faces were so close, and the room had gone completely quiet. He could hear his own rapid heartbeat thrumming almost painfully in his chest. The tips of their noses touched, and Morgana turned her head away.

"You should go," she said sharply. Her voice was little more than a whisper.

Merlin let go of her hand and took a step back. His face burned with embarrassment, and he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly.

"Uh, right," he said. "I'll just, let myself out then, shall I?"

Morgana only continued to stare at the ground, so after a moment's silence, Merlin left the room. He leaned his back against the door after closing it behind him, and he sighed and placed his hands over his eyes. He had no idea what had come over him, and now Morgana probably hated him more than ever. How had he thought that she would forgive him with just his pathetic apology?

Merlin let out a moan of frustration, kicked at the air, then left to return to his room.

-/~\-

Morgana sat heavily upon her bed. Her heart was beating faster than ever, and she cursed herself for it. How was this happening? How had she allowed herself to develop these feelings? She had trained herself to feel nothing but hate for Merlin, but now all of the walls she had built against him were crashing down. Was he doing this on purpose to get her guard down? Or was he, too, beginning to feel things for her that went past the boundaries of friendship?

She groaned and flopped onto her back, her hands in her hair. They had been so close. Her hand felt warm and soft from when he had held it, and Morgana found herself longing for the feel of his hand on hers. She mentally slapped herself and sat up, huffing in frustration.

"Pull yourself together, Morgana," she scolded herself. "He sees you as a sister, nothing more. That's what he said before, isn't it? So stop your daydreaming and start thinking about your trial."

Of course, Morgana was too stubborn to listen to even her own orders, and her thoughts always seemed to find their way back to Merlin.

-/~\-

"Gentlemen of the court, we are gathered here today to try by the laws of Camelot the Lady Morgana Pendragon, renowned sorceress," Arthur announced. "The charges are as follows: attacks on Camelot with intent of overthrowing; the practice of dark magic; the murder of many innocent citizens of Camelot; the attempted murder of the late King Uther Pendragon, myself, and the soon to be queen Guinevere; and the alliance with King Cenred to break the peace treaty between our kingdoms." He looked up from the parchment he was reading from. "Did I miss anything?"

No one spoke up, and Arthur rolled up the parchment. "Let us begin."

"Your Majesty," a bearded knight said, standing, "it is in my opinion that the witch should be sentenced to death for her crimes. The attempted murder of yourself and your late father, the gods rest his soul, and the murder of all those other people would be enough to end the life of any other criminal. I do not see why this woman should be rewarded with any special treatment."

"I agree that she should not be rewarded for her actions, Sir Robert," Arthur responded, "and she shall not be. However, we must also remember that Lady Morgana has come to us in hopes of making peace with Camelot. In the past, kings we have been at war with have made many of these same offenses before we captured them and tried them in our court. More often than not, they were put under house arrest until their kingdom had paid a ransom. Morgana is something of a queen among sorcerers and sorceresses as a High Priestess of the Old Religion, and so she should be treated as such."

One of the councilmen snorted. "So, what? We'll send out a ransom to our oh so large magical population and hold her until we receive it? I don't think the Druids will be willing to pay for such a destructive being to be released, and we don't have enough other sorcerers in Camelot to scrape together the kind of ransom we would normally charge for a king. I agree with Sir Robert. Execution is what her crimes call for, therefore that is what she should receive."

"All in favor of execution?" Sir Robert asked, and the majority raised their hands.

"Now hold on just a minute," Geoffrey protested before Arthur could. "The Lady Morgana should at least be allowed to defend herself before any final judgment is made." He turned to Arthur for support. "Is that not in the rules of the lawful trial? That the accused be allowed to make their case?"

Arthur nodded. "Geoffrey is indeed correct. The Lady Morgana must be allowed to speak."

Sir Robert looked unhappy about this, but he merely nodded and sat down.

Everyone turned to face Morgana, who was seated in chains before the council, two guards flanking her. She shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to her, and she slowly rose to her feet. The guards raised their spears and pointed them at her, ready to take action should she make any wrong moves. She glanced nervously at them before turning her attention to the council.

"My lords," she said strongly. "I do not deny having done what you say I have done. I could not even if I wanted to. I regret my past actions and wish that I could undo everything. However, I cannot change the past, no matter how much I may want to. Therefore I must place myself at your mercy and accept whatever judgment you find fair. If you should decide to let me live, I will strive hard to make amends for what I have done, and if you should not, I will not fight you."

She sat down, her chains clinking together, and she stared at the ground. There was a silence as the council digested her words, thoughtful expressions on many of their faces. Sir Robert cleared his throat.

"I, for one, stick by my original opinion," he said. "As she said, she cannot change the past. She is still a criminal, and she must face the punishment that she deserves."

"This is true," Arthur allowed, gritting his teeth. Sir Robert's constant yapping was beginning to get on his nerves. "But we should allow room for mercy, should we not? After all, the Lady Morgana has expressed guilt for her actions, and if she wishes to make amends, we should allow her that chance."

Sir Robert's eyebrows twitched. "You are quick to forgive her, Your Majesty. Have you forgotten what she has done to this kingdom, to you?"

"Of course not," Arthur replied. "I just believe that we should be forgiving. I think that the Lady Morgana is trying to change, and I want to give her an opportunity to prove this. I can't do that if she is dead."

"Are you sure that is all, my lord?" Sir Robert inquired suspiciously.

Arthur's face began to go red. "What are you implying, Sir Robert?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty," Sir Robert said hastily. "It's just that...I want to be sure that your judgment is not impaired at all. She is, after all, your half sister."
"Are you saying that I am incapable of judging the Lady Morgana fairly because of our blood connection?" Arthur demanded.

"No, my lord!"

"Are you sure? Because that is what it sounds like you are saying," Arthur said, furious. "I will have you know that I am completely able to try her fairly. She has been far from a sister to me for these past two or more years. I remember every single thing that she has done to place myself and this kingdom in danger. You may think that it has been easy for me to forgive her, but it has not. Therefore I will thank you to keep your mouth shut."

He turned back to the rest of the council and was about to continue.

"Your father would never have allowed such a criminal to go free, no matter who they were."

Arthur turned on him. "You will hold your tongue, or I will ask you to leave this trial."

"I just want to know why you're so eager to trust her, sire," Sir Robert said, looking just as angry.

"I don't trust her," Arthur snapped. "But Merlin does, and I trust him."

"Oh, so we're going off the word of a sorcerer now?" Sir Roger snorted. "How can you be sure they haven't formed an alliance to take down Camelot together? Besides, where is Merlin? I don't see him here today at the trial. It seems you don't trust him as much as you claim to."

"Be QUIET!" Arthur roared, standing and putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Sir Roger paled, and he watched his king with fear shining in his eyes.

"You have insulted me enough this day," Arthur said, deadly calm. "Might I remind you that I will be the one to make the final decision in the matter of the Lady Morgana's fate, and you are only here to offer advice and wisdom on the subject. If you cannot keep your opinion on other matters to yourself, then you must leave."

Sir Robert glared at him and bowed his head coldly. "As you wish, sire."

Arthur turned to the rest of the council. "Do any of you have anything opinions that you wish to share?"

There was an awkward silence, and then Gaius rose to his feet.

"Sir Robert does have a point about the Lady Morgana," he said slowly. "She is a criminal, therefore she should be treated as such. However," he continued as Arthur gave him an icy look, "I also agree that her expression of guilt and her wish to change should allow some clemency."
"Gaius is right," Geoffrey agreed. "The Lady Morgana deserves to be punished, but execution would be too harsh. She should have a chance to make amends."

Most of the council nodded their agreement, and Sir Robert glowered angrily at the table. Arthur smiled.

"Very good," he said, and he turned to Morgana. "As your punishment, you will be stripped of your title as lady, and you will be kept under house arrest until you have proven yourself worthy of the people's trust. You will be under constant watch, and you cannot move in or around the castle without being accompanied by a knight, a guard, myself, or a member of the court. This is all for now. I may add more punishment after giving it more thought. Is this understood?"

Morgana nodded, a joyful smile lighting her face. "Yes, my lord. Thank you, you will not regret it."

"I'm counting on it," Arthur said. "Guards, escort Morgana to her chambers. The council is dismissed."

As everyone cleared out, he saw Sir Robert cast a stormy look in his direction. He sat down heavily on his thrown when the last person had left and buried his hands in his head. Being king was going to be much harder than he had anticipated. He was going to make many enemies, he realized, even in his own court. He was going to have to be prepared to deal with people like Sir Robert who viewed mercy as weakness without causing a civil war. And how on earth was he going to get the people to stop their hatred of magic?