Change of Plans

“Arthur, you have to do something.” Morgana begged.
“What do you think I was trying to do?” Arthur snapped back. “Do you think my Father likes when I publicly disagree with his choices? I did everything I could. He just won’t listen.” He continued in a more civil tone.
“So you are just going to stand by and let Gwaine die?” Morgana replied hysterically.
Arthur turned around so he was facing Morgana. He could see the fear written across her face. This was about so much more than Uther’s decision to have Gwaine executed. Arthur remembered the way Morgana and Gwaine were when he found them in her chambers after the Masked Man attacked.
“Morgana, please tell me you are only upset because someone is going to die… and not because it is Gwaine. Please tell me that what I saw between you two earlier was nothing. Tell me you do not have feelings for him.” Arthur spoke quietly, careful that no one else would hear their conversation.
“Arthur, don’t be so immature. I just don’t think it is right. Uther is murdering innocent men.” Morgana said as she gave Arthur an arrogant look.
Arthur did not believe a word Morgana said. He knew her too well, and could tell when she was lying. He was certain there was something going on between Gwaine and Morgana. A relationship between them would be completely unacceptable. If Uther ever found out he would surely have Gwaine killed. It would be seen as improper for a Knight to purse a Lady. Morgana was not some simple peasant. She acted in the role of a Princess and no random Knight would be deemed good enough for her.
“Well, either way. I do not know what you want me to do. I do not want to see Gwaine die either,but I have done all I can to save him. He buried himself by resisting and behaving so poorly in front of everyone.”
A hopelessness wave washed over Morgana. Arthur was a coward. He refused to stand up to Uther and fight for what was right. Instead he would stand by and watch an innocent man, his friend be killed. Arthur was no better than Uther. He continued to prove that as he just stood by and watch Uther continue in his cruel ways. Immediately Morgana knew that this was why Gwaine had such a bad opinion of nobles. Gwaine saw them only fight for money and power. Morgana looked at Arthur and shook her head. Gwaine was willing to die for Arthur. He saw something in Arthur that made him break his own rules and serve a noble. Yet Arthur did not have the urge to rescue Gwaine, it was up to Morgana to save him.
“Arthur, if you refuse to help then I will go to Uther myself and demand he let Gwaine go.”
“What would that solve? Uther will just dismiss you, and you will probably draw more attention to yourself. He will begin to wonder why Gwaine matters so much to you…. Morgana, if you cannot even hide the truth from me what makes you think you will be able to keep it from Uther.”Arthur sat down in a large chair by the fire. He stared at the dancing flames as he said, “Uther is bond to find out eventually and Gwaine will be thrusted right back into the same position he is in now. Do you want to rush that?”
He understood why Morgana was so desperate to help Gwaine. Arthur would do the same thing if roles were reversed and it was someone he loved, but he did not know what more he could do. Uther was the King his word was final. If Arthur continued to push things would most likely get worse.
When Arthur did not come up with another solution to help Gwaine Morgana decided it was useless. If he was not trying to help now then he would never help. As she stomped out of the room she mumbled under her breath, “You are no better than him.”
As she made her way out of the room she passed a patrol of guard who were on the lookout for Morgause. Her plan may not have played out like it was supposed to, but the one place where Morgause did succeed was in playing on Uther’s paranoia. He had tripled the guards all over the palace. Morgana could not turn a corner without bumping into yet another guard. Cautiously she made her way towards the dungeon. Careful to keep her head down, avoiding eye contact with the guards, the fewer people who stopped her the better. Less questions she would need to answer and less chance of anyone noticing where she was going.
Lightly Morgana stepped down into the dungeon. She picked up the torch that was mounted to the wall as she came down the steps. In the farthest cell from the stairs Morgana found Gwaine sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest and taking a nap. When he heard footsteps his head perked up a bit and he opened one eye. The moment he saw Morgana he smiled and moved himself so he was closer to the bars of the cell door.
“Are you alright?” Morgana said squatting down next to Gwaine.
“That all depends….” He said with a smirk. “You didn’t happen to bring any mead with you, or maybe an apple?”
Morgana broke out laughing hysterically. She gripped the cell door for balance as she flung her head back and belted out. Maybe it was part because she had been so emotional the past few days, but whatever the reason Morgana found Gwaine’s joke to be the funniest thing she had ever heard. A man who was just sentenced to death was taking a nap, and the first thing he thought of when he woke up was food.
“I am being serious. Did you bring anything to eat?” Gwaine raised his voice and said, “I have kindly asked the gentleman who guard this place it they could fetch me a cool tankard of mead, but they seem to be hard of hearing.”
Morgana bit her lip to stifle another laughing outburst. She raised a finger to her lips and told Gwaine to keep his voice down. If anyone found her down there it would surely cause more trouble for him. Gwaine just winked at Morgana’s reaction to his upbeat mood.
“You baffle me.” Morgana stated.
“I baffle you? Ha!” Gwaine practically screamed cause Morgana to jump and again press her finger to her lips in a sign to keep quiet. “My Lady, it is you who baffles me. From the moment we met you captured my curiosity. Since then you have continually surprised me and kept me on my toes.” He winked at her.
Despite his situation Gwaine remained cheerful and relaxed. Morgana did not understand how it was possible for him to sit there and make jokes and act as though nothing was wrong. Gwaine stretched out and put his chained hands behind his head.
“Can I be honest?” He said turning his head towards Morgana. “I am surprised you are here now.” Gwaine’s face became serious as he watched Morgana look towards the stairs and away from him. “I thought that after everything that you saw and heard tonight, you would never want to see me again.”
Morgana felt her eyes fill up with tears as she watched the flames flicker from the torch she had left at the bottom of the stairs. If only he knew the truth. If he knew that the only reason the Knights were searching the castle in the first place because Morgana and her planned to kill Uther and Arthur. If only he knew that they never would have gone through his things if it were not for her. If Gwaine knew the truth he would be the one who would not want to see her.
“I am sorry.” Morgana whispered.
“Sorry?” Gwaine asked. He knew Morgana was about to leave but he reached out and wrapped his hand around the hand she had rested on the cell bar for balance. “Sorry for what?” He persisted.
Gwaine’s grip around her hand was strong and tight. Morgana looked down at their hands and thought she would break. She felt like everything she had been keeping bottled up for the past several months would come flooding out, but she quickly choked back her emotions. She carefully revealed a polite smile and slipped her hand out from under Gwaine’s grip. She hurried to the stairs without looking back at Gwaine’s confused face. Then she picked up the torch and climbed out of the dark dungeon and into the bright hall of the castle. As she reached the top of the stairs she whispered, “I will make it right again.”