Morgana's mother, Vivienne, knows exactly what she wants out of life and will take whatever steps necessary to ensure she gets it.

A/N: I had written a couple of drabbles for my "The Minstrel's Songbook" collection that involved Vivienne (Morgana's mother) and Uther. MoonFox kindly reviewed them, said she liked my "dark, twisted Vivienne" and demanded "a full story about her". Here you are m'dear; this is for you. I hope you like it!

As always, excellently beta'ed by the wonderful sarajm.

Chapter 1

Sir Gorlois was a man in need of a wife, if his mother was to be believed. Lady Anna was quite elderly and in an apparent feeble state, but still managed to harangue her only son, every day, over the necessity of him finding a suitable mate to run his household and care for him.

"I shan't be long for this world, my son, and I will rest easier knowing that you and the land are well cared for."

Leaning over to kiss his mother's forehead, Gorlois answered, "Mother, don't worry yourself so. You will surely live to see me married and to dandle your grandchildren on your knee. I don't understand why you carry on so, with this talk of death and dying. You are making Serene quite upset," he said, sharing a rueful smile with his mother's long-suffering maid.

Lady Anna smiled up at her son and, patting his hand, said, "Just promise me, love, that you will not shirk your duties and you will find a wife. I have a feeling she is just around the corner."

A long sigh was the only response as Gorlois once again kissed his mother and left her rooms. Once he was sure she could no longer hear him, he started muttering under his breath, complaining about mothers, wives and duty in general.

He was still talking to himself when his dearest friend, Uther, recently named King of Camelot, called to him from down the hallway. Uther was on a tour of his Kingdom and he and Gorlois had stopped the night at Gorlois' ancestral home. "Hold up a moment," called Uther as he strode down the hall towards his friend.

As he neared, Uther could hear Gorlois' mutterings, which were growing in volume, until the Knight fair shouted, "… and that's why mothers should stay out of their sons' lives!"

Uther laughed, as he was fully aware of Lady Anna's manoeuvrings to get her only remaining son to marry. Clapping his friend on his shoulder, Uther said, "Come along, Gorlois. The sun is shining and we've a day to ourselves. We shall leave your mother and her nagging far behind and go on a hunt. After all, a dutiful son should only have to listen to his mother's complaints once a day!"

At his friend's jest, Gorlois felt his mood lifting. A hunt was exactly what he needed. "You are absolutely right, old friend. Let's be off!"

The two men spent a successful day hunting in the nearby woods and were riding back along the wide, packed track towards the village and the manor house just beyond. As they rode, Gorlois brought up the subject of marriage.

"If only my mother would leave me alone! Every day her complaints grow; it's always 'I'm getting old, Gorlois' or 'You need to be settled, Gorlois' or 'Who will care for you when I'm gone, Gorlois'. I love my mother but honestly, the woman is driving me mad! I will find someone, but I'm in no rush. Why doesn't she understand that?"

"Gorlois, she's your mother and it's her duty to both care for you and nag you. Of course you'll find someone, but her fear is that she will not be around to see it. After all, you're already an old man!" said Uther, secure in the knowledge that at twenty-five, he was five years younger than his friend.

"Hey!" sputtered Gorlois with a grin. "Anyway, Uther, my mother is so stubborn that she will still be alive and complaining long after I'm dead and buried! Ah well, we'll be continuing on with the tour soon, so I can put up with her until we depart," he added with a fond smile.

As they were riding through a small village, the sound of raised voices reached their ears. The two men looked at each other and quickly spurred their horses to a canter. They soon arrived at the scene of an accident: a heavily-laden ox cart had overturned and there was a young woman trapped underneath. The oxen had been removed from their traces and were now standing to the side, bellowing, and the surrounding villagers were yelling, but no one seemed to be actually doing anything.

Reining to a halt, the two men leapt from their saddles and quickly approached the crowd.

"Step aside," roared Gorlois. "Let us through." A quick glance at the situation and Gorlois turned to Uther. "If you can shift the cart, I'm sure I can pull the girl to safety."

"Right," agreed Uther as he turned to look at the crowd. Pointing to three young men, he said, "You three, come here and help me lift this."

Gorlois knelt down at the girl's side. She was barely conscious and was moaning weakly. Skimming a hand across her hair, Gorlois said, "Hush now, little one. We'll get you free. Don't you worry." Taking hold of her shoulders, Gorlois looked up at the four men who were now in place and said, "On the count of three, you lift and I'll pull her out. Ready? One … two … three!"

A series of groans and cries accompanied the exertions of the four men, but they soon had the cart lifted enough that Gorlois was able to pull the girl to safety. "She's out," he called once he was sure she was free from the tangled and broken wood. A loud crash followed as the men released their hold and quickly stepped away from the cart.

The girl was now lying at the side of the road, moaning in pain. It was obvious that her leg had been broken in the accident, and she had a gash on her temple that was bleeding freely. Gorlois was unsure what other damage she had suffered and was just about to call for a healer when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw that the girl was gazing at him from the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

"Thank you," she whispered with a tiny smile, before she moaned and lost consciousness.

Those eyes and that smile struck Gorlois' heart. He was smitten. Turning to the crowd he asked, "Who is she? Does she have family or a home where we can take her?"

The crowd turned to each other each asking the same questions, but no knew who she was.

Uther, in the meantime, had gathered up their horses and, after thanking the three men who had helped and giving them each a coin for their troubles, approached Gorlois and the girl. "It seems she is a stranger. What do you want to do with her?" he asked.

Uther was a pragmatist and certainly never held with stories of 'destiny' or 'love at first site', but when Gorlois glanced up, he was taken aback at the look in the older man's eyes. Seeing the way his friend was looking at the girl lying at his feet, Uther began to think that he might have been wrong. It was apparent that Gorlois was in love. Even a blind man could see it!

"We'll take her to the manor," said Gorlois, "and I'll have Mother's physician care for her. Uther, would you pass her up to me once I'm astride … and be careful!" While he was speaking, Gorlois quickly mounted his horse and held his arms wide to receive the unconscious girl.

Once she was settled, Gorlois gathered his reins and nudged his horse into a slow and gentle walk so as not to disturb the beauty held so carefully close to his chest.

"How long do you intend to let her stay, Gorlois?" asked Uther as his horse plodded along beside his friend's. "I mean, once she's well again. It's obvious her leg is broken and will take a while to heal enough for her to walk again."

On hearing his friend's comment, Gorlois looked up at Uther and said earnestly, "I'm going to ensure she gets the best care possible and then I'm going to marry her. Look at her, Uther. She's beautiful."

"But … you don't know her background or where she comes from! She could be anyone. She could be a servant!" spluttered Uther, knowing all the while that his opinion would not matter to his friend. He was ensnared in a web of love's making and there was no way out.

"It doesn't matter, Uther. I'll hand her over to Mother for teaching. She will be thrilled that I'm finally showing an interest in taking a wife and won't care one bit about the girl's background. Mother can teach her everything she will need to know and when the time is right, we will marry."

By the time Gorlois had finished his impassioned speech, the two men had arrived at the manor house's yard and several servants and stable boys were running up to provide assistance.

Uther dismounted and, knowing his friend as well as he did, said nothing more than, "Hand her to me, until you get down."

Gorlois quickly dismounted, handed his horse's reins to one of the stable boys and called to one of the servants to find the physician. Gesturing to another, he said, "Get the blue room ready, I'll place her there. We'll need water and a fire in the grate." As the servants quickly scurried off to do their Master's wishes Gorlois called, "And someone tell my mother what is going on!"

He then gently cradled the girl in his arms, entered the house and headed up the staircase to the blue room. A servant was already waiting by the now-open door, with a large bowl of water and some towelling in hand and another was lighting the wood already stacked in the fireplace. Placing the girl gently on the bed, Gorlois turned to the servant and said, "Where is the physician? He should be here!"

"Patience, my son," said Lady Anna as she strode into the room with eyes snapping and heels clicking briskly on the stone floor. Gone was the woman who, earlier that morning, had been woefully berating her son while on her supposed deathbed. Lady Anna had transformed into a fiery, upright vision of command. This was something she knew how to handle.

"Phineas is on his way; he is just stopping by his rooms to get his medicine bag. Now, tell me what happened." Lady Anna sat on the edge of the bed and, using one of the towels and the water, began wiping the dirt off the girl's face while Gorlois related his afternoon's adventure to his mother.

He had just finished telling his story when Phineas scuttled into the room in the officious manner that was his usual mien. At that same moment, the young woman opened her eyes. Looking around the well-appointed room, her eyes widened and she said, in a soft voice, "Where am I? What happened?"

"Hush, dear; don't fret," said Lady Anna. "You were in an accident and were quite badly hurt. You are now in Sir Gorlois' manor house. What is your name, my dear?"

"Vivienne," came the response before she closed her eyes and once again lost consciousness.

Phineas, by this time, had laid his medicines and bandages on the small bedside table and said, "If you please, Lady Anna, I will take over from here."

"Certainly, Phineas, but I will stay to provide assistance. Gorlois, shoo now. You're only going to get in everyone's way and besides, you're ignoring your King. Go, and I'll come find you once we're done here."

Gorlois barely heard a word, so intent was he on staring at the young woman, but he did grasp that he was being chivvied from the room. As he left, he looked back at the beauty lying on the bed and whispered, "Vivienne."

It was about an hour later when Lady Anna entered the study to find Gorlois and Uther slouched in their chairs, mugs of Valerian wine in their hands, deep in discussion. On seeing his mother at the door, Gorlois sat up and said intently, "How is she? How is Vivienne?"

Lady Anna was a perceptive woman and knew her son well. It was obvious to her from the look on his face and his tone of voice that there was more to his concern than the state of Vivienne's injuries. "Phineas has splinted and bandaged her leg and dealt with the wound on her temple. As well, a salve has been applied to her cuts and bruises. She did come round for a few moments … enough for us to have a little chat. She is now sleeping."

At the good news, Gorlois' face split into a wide smile. "That is excellent news, Mother."

Lady Anna simply raised her eyebrow at her son and said, in a silky tone, "Yes, I suppose it is."

Uther watched the goings-on between mother and son and decided he would be better off well away from any discussions the two would soon be engaging in regarding the invalid now settled in the upstairs chamber. "Well, I'm going to go … um … change … and wash before dinner. Yes, that's it," he said as he placed his mug on the table at his side, stood and with a nod to Lady Anna, quickly left in search of his own rooms.

Lady Anna sat in the chair vacated by Uther and fixing her son with a stern look said, "And what, pray tell, is going on in that head of yours? Don't try to lie to me, Gorlois."

"Mother, that girl, Vivienne, is the one I am going to marry. Before you say anything … I realize we know nothing about her, but unless there is some impediment …"

"Like a husband," interjected Lady Anna.

With a glare of his own, Gorlois contined, "Unless there is some impediment standing in our way, she will be my wife. Is she not the most beautiful creature you have ever seen, Mother? Those eyes and that fall of golden hair … she is an angel! And her voice, so low and sweet. I don't care about her background. If she is lowborn that means nothing to me. You will teach her, won't you, if necessary? I can think of no one better to show Vivienne what it means to be the wife of Camelot's Senior Knight and friend to the King."

"Don't try to flatter me, son," snapped Lady Anna. "Although, I daresay you are correct. But …" She sat in her chair, brow creased, as she mulled over the situation. Gorlois knew better than to speak up so he held his tongue, though it fair killed him to do so.

Finally, Lady Anna clapped her hands together and said, "All right. It shall be as you wish, my son. I have already spoken to Vivienne and she told me that she is alone in the world. Her parents are dead and she has no other family to care for her. I will take her in hand and will mould her to become the perfect wife for you. But, it will take a while, so you must show patience, Gorlois."

"Thank you, Mother," said the knight as he stood and clasped his mother's hands in his. "She is the woman for me. Now, let's to dinner as I'm starved," and reaching down, he helped his mother from the chair and the two headed, arm-in-arm, towards the dining room where dinner, and Uther, were waiting.

Meanwhile, in the upstairs chamber, Vivienne had awoken and was looking around the room with shrewd eyes. She was no shrinking violet; she had been on her own for so long that she knew how to make her own way in the world, and woes betide anyone who got in her way.

Being caught up in the accident was an unfortunate occurrence, but Vivienne knew how to turn every situation to her advantage. She was warm, she was clean and for the first time in a long time, she was cared for. It was obvious from the room's furnishings that this was a wealthy household. So she would bide her time and see what tomorrow would bring. With a sly smile, Vivienne pulled the goose down duvet higher up her shoulders and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Over the next day, when Gorlois wasn't with the King, he could be found haunting Vivienne's room. First he sent her flowers to 'cheer her up' and then a bowl of ripe, red strawberries appeared. After luncheon, he sent one of the kitchen lads, who played the fiddle, to entertain Vivienne and then finally, just after dinner, Gorlois himself arrived.

After knocking on the doorframe, he stepped into the room to see the young woman lying on the bed, though her head and shoulders were elevated by a couple of pillows. Lady Anna was seated to the side near the window, with a basket of embroidery threads at her feet.

"Excuse me," said Gorlois diffidently. "May I enter?"

Lady Anna looked up from her knitting and said, "I rather think that's up to Vivienne."

Vivienne looked over to Gorlois and smiled. "Of course my rescuer may enter," and indicating the chair placed next to the bed she said, "Please sit down."

Gorlois settled himself on the chair and handing over a flat package that he'd held by his side he said, "Here, this is for you. Something pretty for the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Vivienne blushed prettily and taking the package, quickly untied the ribbon and pulled open the fabric. Inside was a beautiful, pale pink swath of the finest wool Vivienne had ever seen. Opening it, she saw it was a delicate shawl with embroidery along the edges.

"Oh, it's beautiful," she breathed. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome," said Gorlois, pleased that he had put a smile on Vivienne's face. "Now, I don't want you to worry about anything. You are to stay here, with us, until you are well. I don't want to hear any arguments, mind. I understand that you've no family and you are in no condition to travel. Please let me … I mean, let us care for you until you are well." Gorlois hoped that Vivienne hadn't heard the slip of his tongue and would agree to stay at the manor for the foreseeable future.

"But … I can't just stay here. You've done so much for me already. You rescued me from that terrible accident, and you've brought me into your home and had your healer look after my leg and my other wounds. Really, it's not necessary. Once I'm able, I'll be on my way," said Vivienne in a most beguiling manner. She had certainly understood Gorlois' comment about him wanting to care for her.

In fact, lying there in the bed that day had given her the opportunity to examine the well-appointed room and to speak with the various servants and Phineas and she had quickly learned of Sir Gorlois' position within the hierarchy of Camelot. As well as being Senior Knight and a confidant to the King, Gorlois was apparently a kind and honest master who was both liked and respected by his tenants. She could not have cared less about the man's kindness. All she cared about was money and standing and it seemed that Gorlois was in a position to give her both of these things.

Vivienne had grown up dirt poor and, when her parents had both died of a fever a few years earlier, she grasped tight with both hands the opportunity to create a new life for herself. She had no brothers or sisters to expose her web of lies, so she created a story of murdered parents, a sheltered existence, no family left to take her in … in other words a pitiful tale of loss and fear.

Once Gorlois heard her tale, he reached over and gently patted her arm. "Don't worry, Vivienne; I'll take care of you. We'll leave you to sleep. I'll be leaving tomorrow to return to my duties at Camelot, but I will travel back to see you, I promise."

"Thank you, my Lord," said Vivienne prettily.

"Gorlois; call me Gorlois," the Knight said as he stood from the chair to escort his Lady Mother from the room. "Goodnight Vivienne."

"Good night, my … I mean, Gorlois."

Once she was alone in the room, Vivienne's eyes grew shrewd and she smiled slyly. If I play my cards right, she thought, I can have money, power and beautiful things. Now, to start planning.