Change of Plans

Morgana walking in circles around her room watching as the sun began to meet the ground. The seconds were flying by, and Morgana’s nerves were racing just as quickly. Morgause promised that everything would go according to plan tonight. She convinced Morgana that it not only needed to be done, but also that it was the right thing to do. As Morgana waited for the sun to set she went over the plan one last time in her head. She was to let the Masked Man in to the castle, and he would take care of Gwaine so that Morgana did not need worry about anyone learning her secret. Without Gwaine any accusations made against her would not be trusted. Plus as long as Morgause follows the plan it would not matter if Gwaine lives or dies, because Uther and Arthur would already be dead. Gwaine would have no one to report his finds to. A crooked smile spread across Morgana’s face as she imagined everyone’s shock when they learn that their precious King and beloved Prince have died. Camelot would burst out in a wave of depression. Their leader would be gone and the people who are hiding away or living in fear will finally be free.
It was then that Morgana realized that once Uther and Arthur are dead there will be no one to take the throne. Arthur is Uther’s only known child, and with Arthur gone the next person in line to the throne would be her. The people may not know the truth about who her real father is, but she has the page she ripped out of Gaius’s records. No one will doubt his records. By the time the night ends Morgana will be the rightful Queen of Camelot. With her as Queen she can be sure that the people who are like her, and who have magic will be safe again. She would be able to reassure them that magic is not something to be feared, but something that should be embraced. Magic does not mean terror it means having power. Morgana would have the ultimate power with the crown on her head and the magic she possessed.
The sun had set and it was time. Suddenly the nervous feeling Morgana had shifted into a thrilling sense of excitement. She was eager to watch everything unfold, and eager to take her place on the throne as Camelot’s true Queen. She just had to wait a few more moments for it to be dark enough for her to sneak out of her room without being seen. Anxiously awaiting the moment when Morgause plan unfolds Morgana cracked open her door.
Across the hall, standing with his back to the door Gwaine stood guard out in the hall. Immediately Morgana shut the door and began to panic. She made sure that no one would be guarding the hall tonight to insure an easy escape. Gwaine was still in training, how could he be guarding her chambers? Morgana questioned as she tried to think of a way to tell Morgause about the change in plans.
“Maybe he was just passing by.” Morgana whispered to herself, and slowly pulled the door open again.
“Evening my Lady” Gwaine said pulling an apple away from his mouth and bowing his head slightly.
Morgana just watched him stand there looking so pleased with himself. She wanted to slap the obnoxious grin off of his face. He was trying to be charming and sweet but Morgana saw right through his little act. He was just waiting for the right moment to strike. She was just about to shut the door again when Gwaine moved closer and put his hand up on the door. He held it tightly so that she was unable to move it.
“Let go.” She commanded.
“Or what?” Gwaine said as his smirk grew wider.
Morgana shoved the door but Gwaine held it firmly still, leaving enough room for them to clearly see each other. Morgana rolled her eyes at his immaturity and pitiful attempt to make her smile.
“I said let go.” Morgana said while still trying to force the door shut.
Gwaine chuckled and said, “We did not get to finish our conversation yesterday.”
“What conversation?” Morgana asked, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her giving into his little game.
“The one we were having before you slammed the door in my face. The one where I was trying to apologize.”
She let go of the door and looked up at Gwaine. Apologize, why would he be apologizing? Morgana looked him in the eye and tried to determine if this was some kind of a trick. He seemed genuinely sorry. Before Morgana could say anything in response Gwaine pushed the door open a bit more and peered in the room behind her.
“Where were you trying to sneak off to anyway?” He asked as he glanced around the room then back down at her.
“Nowhere.” Morgana proceeded to force the door out of Gwaine’s hand. She knew he was strong, but in was incredible how strong. She was using every ounce of energy she had, and the door did not budge. He just stood there looking down at her not at all fazed by her efforts to shut him out.
Gwaine just shook his head at her. He clearly did not believe her. Morgana decided that this was a waste of time so she let go of the door and turned back into her room. The fastest way to get rid of him would be to let him say what he is trying to say then send him away. She sat down on the edge of her bed and waited. Gwaine came into the room and shoved his hands in his pockets. Time was racing and Morgana did not have the patience to sit around waiting for him to get to the point.
“Well?” She said to Gwaine.
“Well what?” He replied. Not picking up on the urgency in her voice.
“What are you trying to apologize for?”
“Apologize? Who said anything about an apology?” Gwaine smiled. Morgana was obviously not amused by his continuing attempts at humor. “Ok, I heard that you were a bit upset with me. Considering the way you acted yesterday and the way you are now I would say that this is true.”
Morgana sighed and rolled her eyes as she stood up and made her way over to the large desk in the corner of the room. She had no idea how long Gwaine was going to drag out this conversation so she figured she might as well try and warn Morgause.
“I wanted to apologize for leaving without saying anything.” Gwaine sat down in a chair next to Morgana’s bed. “To be honest… I thought you would not have wanted me to say goodbye. I mean… before I left things were a bit complicated.” Gwaine continued with his apology knowing Morgana was not going to respond to him. He searched for the right words and was cautious with everything he said. He did not want her to take anything he said the wrong way. “I am not too proud to admit that I … that there… well what I mean is… I can admit that I have feelings for you.”
She stayed looking down at the note she was writing for Morgause, but she had stopped writing. Gwaine just openly admitted that he cared about her. Morgana had been waiting weeks for him to tell her that. Her first instinct was to smile and tell him that she felt the same way for him. Then the feeling of unexpected joy was overcome by a flooding rush of heartbreak. Gwaine did not have feelings for her. Morgana shook her head at the thought. How could she be so foolish? He was trying to play her and make her trust him. Morgana went back to writing the note and listened as Gwaine continued to try and convince her of his feelings.
“When I kissed you I thought that maybe… maybe you felt the same.” He paused for a moment and waited hoping for some kind of reaction from Morgana. Then after a moment he continued on, “Then you ran off on me and well… quite frankly, I was a bit surprised. So you see when I left for my quest I thought you were still upset with me for kissing you. Since I was only planning on being away for a few days I did not think it would make a difference if you knew about it or not. I was not trying to be rude or avoid you in any way. I really thought it would just be better if I left you alone for a bit.” Gwaine watched Morgana, his eyes begging her to look up at him.
“Ok.” She said plainly.
“Ok?”Gwaine repeated as he stood up from the chair and walked over to the desk. He was curious about what she was writing. As he peaked over the desk to the note Morgana quickly rolled it up and tied it shut with a thin piece of string.
“Yes, ok. You have apologized now you can leave.” Morgana quickly opened the door and waved to show Gwaine the way out.
He ran his fingers through his hair and smirked as he walked over to the door. He looked down at Morgana and shook his head. He should have expected a reaction like this from her. Yet again she continued to prove she was different from most other women. In Gwaine’s experience if he were to tell a woman the things he just confessed to Morgana the woman would be overjoyed and eager to finish the conversation. With Morgana it was different. She showed no enthusiasm or disgust to anything he had said to her. She let the words and feelings sit there, they floated about the room like a dense fog waiting for her to accept them.
“Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.” Gwaine warned her as he stepped back into the hall and Morgana shut the door behind him.