Morgan La Fay sat in her room looking at the picture of her mother, she was such a beautiful woman. She had been a servant in the Palace when she was raped by that bastard Harold, ordered to please the slimy prick after a long day. She hated the King more than she believed she could hate. If there had been a chance to slaughter the evil little man, she would have done so in a heartbeat, even at the cost of her own life. But she had been taken from the King's grasp by the Mage Academy almost three years prior. In that time Morgan had been put through an intensive and difficult training regime that was designed to hone her intellect and broaden her abilities in the Magical Realm. From time to time, even the Master Mage himself had stopped by to enquire after her progress and good health. The man was the most intimidating and frightening individual that she had ever seen.
Now as she again turned to the picture of her mother, she had been killed when a car had blown a tyre and had crashed through the window of the store she was shopping in. Morgan was so devastated by the loss of her mother that she felt she would never recover from her broken heart. But over time she had indeed recovered, not that thoughts of her mother didn't make her sad, but the sadness was tolerable. The Master Mage Merlin had investigated the crash personally and had assured her that it indeed was simply an accident, a conglomeration of events and circumstances. It didn't make her feel any better, but it was easier to deal with an accident than the thought that someone had set out to harm her mother. After that, there was nothing left but to throw herself into her studies.
Her instructors had commented that she had made remarkable progress and they wished that every apprentice was so diligent and committed. There was a slight knock at her cell door, making her jump a little, no one ever came to her cell. It was the one place that she could feel completely relaxed and not worry about interruptions. She went to the door and opened it a crack.
"Yes?" She said to the novice in front of her."
"Sorry to disturb you in your cell Senior Apprentice La Fay, but the Master Mage has requested that you attend his office immediately." He said very quickly, it didn't do to upset the senior apprentices, the response could be somewhat uncomfortable.
"Are you sure that he sent for me?" She asked, a little surprised at the summons.
"Quite sure, he passed the message to me personally and told me not to dally or there would be consequences."
"Very well, thank you, I shall dress and attend the Master Mage immediately." She shut the door and slid the bolt into place, she was half nervous and half excited. The nervous half wanted to know what she had done wrong, and the excited half wondered what she had done right. She slipped into her robe and laced the neck, this was the last apprentice robe she would wear and she couldn't wait for her first true Mages Robe. All dark blue with very fine gold binding around the hems, and as she became more senior, the thicker the gold thread would become. Only the Master Mage had anything other than gold, it was usually intertwined with platinum. Who knew, maybe one day the office would be the domain of Master Mage Morgan La Fay. She smiled as she left her cell and headed for Merlin's office.
Five minutes later she was sitting in Merlin's office with a snifter of very fine Brandy and the Master Mage looking at her in a very strange manner.
"First of all, Morgan. You have achieved remarkable results given your truncated training and education." Merlin explained. Morgan simply smiled and nodded. "I have spoken to all of your instructors and they have agreed that there is no more we can teach you." Morgan's face fell, had she done something wrong? Why were they rejecting her?
"What did I do wrong?" She asked with a slight sob.
"Oh stop that blubbering you silly girl. You have done nothing wrong, I am trying to explain that you have been unanimously elevated to the level of Junior Mage." Morgan gasp so quickly that she choked on her own dribble that pooled in here mouth as she sobbed. Coughing and spluttering, she looked at the Master Mage, who was looking at her with a look of impatience and disdain. He had no time for silly displays from silly girls, she thought to herself and took herself strongly in hand and forced the cough to stop and she stood swaying a tad and red in the face.
"I am so very proud right now, thank you Master Merlin. I shall endeavour to never let you or the academy down." She said enthusiastically, any thoughts about the mistake she made had faded from her mind. She was a Mage, and she had done it all herself, it was the happiest moment of her life. She looked back at Merlin and wanted to thank him until her voice gave out, when she did, she saw the Master Mage standing there with the Robe she had dreamed about for her entire time here at the Academy. Sher didn't think she could become any prouder, but she was wrong, the sight of the deep blue and the thin gold strand around the seams. She felt the tears start to well again, it was the perfect moment in her life.
"Now Junior Mage La Fay, you have accepted the Robe of Cumhachd Agus Ughdarras, (Power and Authority) you are therefore beholden to the vows you have taken upon entry to the Academy and Authority of the Council of Mages. If at any time you fail to meet the standards set by the Council, you will be stripped of your Robe and your ability to use the power of a Mage will be bound and you she ever more be no more than a soul lost. Do you understand and accept?"
"I understand and accept." She said reverentially.
"Thank you, Mage La Fay." She was dismissed, there was no more fanfare than that, in some ways she was a little disappointed, but it didn't matter, she had graduated.
As Morgan closed the door, Merlin looked at the door and not for the first time wondered if he had done the right thing. Morgan was born out of a plan to use magic to weaken Harold's grip on the Throne and make the ascension of Arthur much smoother. The plan was abandoned when it became clear that Morgan had been a mage, something that had not been present in her father and her mother. The question was how Morgan would now figure in the battle for the Crown.
Harold stood in his office looking out over the city of London, or at least what he could see from his study window. The news that his nephew had re-entered England without the slightest difficulty had sent Harold into a rage that had cost several people their lives and several more a long stay in the hospital. He was losing his grip on reality and those around him had begun to fear for their safety, even when simply bringing his supper of a beverage. The Royal Guard was forced to act as servants to the King as several of his retainers had disappeared in the night. Almost all of the usual upper class attendees at Royal Audiences had ceased coming and the King's staff had taken to replacing the faces with anyone they could find. Anything to keep Harold from losing his fragile temper and causing more grief and possibly death. A heavy knock at the door gave Harold a start.
"What is it?" he yelled at the door, his mood darkening by the second. The door opened and a tall distinguished general entered the room and strode to Harold's desk. General Grenville Snape-Newton stood at attention awaiting his Monarchs attention.
"General, what is it? I am very busy."
"Sire, I need to discuss a very serious matter with you." He replied.
"I am in no mood to deal with petty matters, have a care, General." Harold answered darkly.
"It is of the most supreme importance, My King."
"Very well, what is it?" Harold relented.
"Sire, I have been your most ardent and vocal supporter, have I not?"
"Yes, General you have. Your point?"
"With all due respect sire. WAKE UP!" The general snapped at Harold, who was so shocked at the words he was silent. "You are our King. It is you that seized power from that fawning apologist and gave us back our pride and our purpose as a people. The people see your behaviour now and think you have lost your own direction. I have served this great empire for over thirty five years, and when you took the Throne it was the first time I saw a real power in control, not some weak negotiator or a man obsessed with wetting his cock. The Harold that took the crown and dragged the empire back into the real world would be tearing the city apart looking for that bastard child, not hiding in his office wondering where he might be." Snape-Newton drew up a chair and heaved his considerable frame into it. "When we sat down and talked about the future, how we would get rid of that weak apologist, there was a fire that was unquenchable. A drive that took the ordinary man and forced him to be greater than the rest. I was in complete awe of that man, but he seems to have been lost along the way, I want that King back, the man that is inside you, the man that planned and executed that most daring of coups." The General was awash with passion and emotion.
"Find that man that seized a Kingdom and held onto it through sheer determination and skill, not through internal which hunts. Do you know how many of my best and brightest officers have been disappeared by the Royal Intelligence goons?" The General had a full head of steam now. "Simply because of a misheard comment, or a perceived slight, or even for as little as having a wife that might or might not have some tenuous link to the previous King. One man was even taken in and tortured because his father once delivered wood to the Pendragon estate during winter. Is that how you want your people to behave? They get angry at a neighbour and so they make up a story and the Neighbour is dragged off by the secret police?" Harold was shocked at the way his general was talking to him, was there something to what he was saying? Could thing's be so dire that his most trusted military advisor would take such a risk? "If this is the world you plan to make, I am sorry Harold, but I want no part of it, and I await my execution knowing I tried my damn best to keep the Empire on track. Just remember, a man who leads through honour and respect, receives honour and respect, a man that leads through fear and intimidation is ripe for the picking." He was exhausted and slumped in the chair.
Harold was still held in thrall to the general and his passionate defence of the Empire and Harold, even his criticisms had hit Harold hard. What was happening? Could the general be right, was he losing his way? Were the people really using the RIS as a revenge against others? Harold was struck dumb by these allegations and stories, a man dragged off and tortured because his father delivered wood? Surely the general is mistaken, none of his men would act with such vicious intent. If the man was tortured, then he must have been guilty of something worthy of that punishment. No, the General Snape-Newton was wrong and he would not stand for that sort of behaviour in his own study.
"General, I thank you for the honest and forthright manner in which you have brought these issues to my attention. I can assure you that I will look into these matters directly, and with the highest of import. I will overlook your passionate speech as that of a man who is desperate to ensure the integrity and safety of the empire and your King, and I wish to thank you for bringing this to me. I assure you I will not stop until I have rooted out the rot that appears to have set in in the latter part of my reign." Harold tried to impart as much sincerity as he could, but the older man knew he was far from interested in what he had to say. Mentally Snape-Newton sighed and resigned himself to the fate that met all who failed to fawn at Harold's feet. He rose and bowed to the King.
"Thank you for hearing an old man out, my King. I will leave you now." He said before turning and leaving the room, he had all his affairs in order, as every good soldier did, and since his wife passed five years before, he had no family or significant others to care for, he knew his time was done.