A Fire Ignited

(Part Four)

Morgana leaned against the cool stone of the castle. She brought a hand to her slightly swollen cheek, the throbbing registering now. A solitary tear rolled down the bruising skin before she angrily wiped it away. No-one was worth her tears; least of all them.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" came his cocksure voice.

Hurriedly pulling her hair to cover the mark, she turned to face him and his smug smile. She didn't want him to see, to feel pity for her.

"Leave me alone, Arthur," her reply was biting.

"Come now, I know you don't like being a servant…" he began "But there is a way out."

"What makes you so sure that I'm not perfectly content?" she retorted.

"Well, you're even more sullen than usual."

"I am not SULLEN!"

"Yes, you are."

"Fine, I'm sullen. I wonder how you'd survive being a servant. God, you can't even dress yourself!"

"Careful now, Morgana. Maids have no authority to speak unless given leave to."

"I'll speak to you however I want to!"

"If you do what I say…"

"Enlighten me then, sire."

"Admit that I am superior to you and I'll tell father the truth and he will most definitely punish me instead."

"As tempting as it would be to see daddy's boy getting into trouble for once, I would hate to have to lie. Everyone knows that I'm superior to an arrogant child like you."

"I'm older than you."

"Well act like it! You're infuriating and pathetic and immature...!"

"Excuse me, Morgana, but you do realise to whom you address? I'm the Prince of Camelot and heir to the throne. You live in MY castle and since you have been declassed to a mere servant you should learn to behave properly."

Before she could reign in her temper, she slapped was momentarily stunned, as stunned as she was. She'd thought she'd had better self-control but she'd needed to lash out. As she was about to apologise, she stopped herself. He shouldn't have done this to her in the worst place.

"MORGANA!" thundered Uther, materialising seemingly out of no-where behind her "My chambers, NOW!"

This just got better and better…

"This cannot and will not continue, Morgana," said Uther.
For once she was silent. She had nothing to say to him.
"Your behaviour has still failed to improve."
"Oh, what are you going to do, send me away. Because right now I'd gladly accept any stupid marriage proposal and be gone. That's all I am to you after all, a woman with no better purpose than breeding!" she fired back.
"Morgana!"
"You keep me here like a prisoner, Uther, so no I will not keep quiet. I just can't deal with it anymore!"

"I've treated you like a daughter!"
"Don't lie to me or to yourself, Uther. I've never been more than a simple trophy to you; someone you could show off during banquets and feasts and someone you could marry off to some foreign noble for some pathetic political arrangement," raged Morgana "You took me in because you felt guilty for letting my father die. But I will not be locked up and humiliated by you or anyone. I'm not yours to control and it's past time you realised it!"

Uther had never felt more enraged in his entire life. No-one dared to speak to him like that! Especially not some arrogant girl who thought far too highly of herself and far too lowly for her superiors. She had not yet figured out how one should behave in the world. He was the KING, for crying out loud! He would teach her to show a little gratitude and to give him and his son respect by hook or by crook.

"I don't know how many more times I have to repeat myself! I had no part in your father's death! Gorlois was a dear friend of mine, I could never hurt him on purpose!" he retorted "As for the meaning of the years you have spent under my protection, if your opinion allows you to believe that's what it was. If you really feel like your nothing more than a prized possession to me and that I do not feel any kind of affection for you, Morgana, then so be it! I would not try to change your fine mind!"

"How dare…"

"But there is one thing you are wrong about, dear child," he continued, mocking "As long as you live in my castle, under my protection, then you are in MY control and ANY OTHER PERSON I DECIDE and you have no say in the matter!"

"It's my life!" spat Morgana.

"That is why from this day forward, you shall be my son's personal maidservant and if you have the audacity to cause any more trouble or I have to deal with another scene such as the one earlier, I may just decide to entrust you to the care of the executioner! Do you understand me, Morgana?"

"Of course, Your Majesty, I understand perfectly what my obligations are and above all what kind of love you hold for me," she said, bitterly, hurriedly exiting before Uther could make his barely veiled threats a reality.

"Meerliiiiinnn!" Morgana heard the prince's shouts as soon as she came close to the Royal Prat's chambers.

Typical, she thought. He can't manage himself for even a few minutes. How can I cope with him all day for god knows how long?

Opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of him trying in vain to pull a shirt off. She coughed to hide her laughter as she made her presence known to Arthur.

"Finally, Merlin! Have you spent the day at the tavern again? I swear, you are the most useless…" he complained as he continued to struggle "Merlin, instead of waiting there like the idiot you are, come and make amends for your delay by helping me get dressed!"

Morgana took pity on his lost battle so she helped him out of the shirt.

"Thanks, Mer… What the heck? MORGANAAA! What the hell are you doing in my chambers?" He all but screamed when he saw her.

"Clearly I'm saving your ass again… And from what I wonder? A murderous shirt!" she burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Yeah, very funny, Morgana!" he said, red with embarrassment "What are you really doing here? Did you come for another round or did you want to apologise for your rude behaviour?"

"Sure, Arthur, dream on! Actually, your father realised that without a nurse you're unable to function correctly as a crown prince so he sent me here to protect you from the dangers… of a bedchamber!" Her laughter started up again, just as loudly.

He must have realised something important because suddenly he spat out his mouthful of wine, choking slightly.

"Wait a minute! NURSE? That means you are stuck here with me! All day and all night!" the prince roared in anger.

"Actually, the term Uther used was maidservant. I trust you are old enough to survive without a nanny. I mean, inferior little me didn't need one past four years old!"

She watched the disgusted look on his face with amusement before turning serious again.

"Trust me, Arthur, I'm far from pleased myself but unfortunately your beloved father and the almighty King Uther has decreed it and he won't change his mind. He was really pissed off! I wonder who's fault that was?"

"So what? You infuriate him, as you so often do, and then I have to pay the price? I don't care what he says!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but he told me that I be your maidservant or he'll chop my head off. I quite like my head thank you very much. I could see the appeal if I were you but…" She tried to make a joke out of the situation but it required too much effort and she gave up.

"He was exaggerating!" said Arthur, rolling his eyes "I refuse to be in your presence any more than necessary!"

"Oh, come on, Arthur, I'm not that bad! We used to have fun together before you became an insufferable brat!"

"Bad? Have you never noticed that nobody apart from me and Guinevere wants to be in the same room as you unless strictly necessary?"

"I don't need anybody!" protested Morgana.

"And do you know why? Because you are an unbearable sour-faced…!"

"I am not!"

"We would gladly avoid you too but unfortunately we don't have the option! We're forced into it because she, poor her, is your maidservant and I'm stuck with you out of my father's excessive kindness! So mind if…"

But she would never know what else Arthur would yell because before the tears could fall, she turned and fled the chambers, running down a random corridor and pressing herself into an alcove, sinking to the ground; anger and sadness and loneliness bubbling over with her tears.

If anyone could see her now, she would never hear the end of it. Somehow, she found it hard to care.

A/N - We are so sorry for the delay but we have been busy etc etc.

Thank you so so much for all the amazing and very encouraging reviews! We really appreciate them so keep them coming, please :)

Here is the next chapter from Veronica and I. We hope you enjoy it as much as the previous ones!

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Rachel xxx