Chapter 1

Morgana Pendragon had lost nearly everything. Her plans to overthrow the next heir of Camelot were thwarted by her enemies, her sister Morgause was condemned to a death, and she was forced to go into hiding as to avoid pursuit by the knights. With barely anything on her but her magical capabilities and any amount of knowledge Morgause had left her, it seemed that Morgana would never take her rightful place upon the throne.

But Morgana wasn't one to give up easily. It was a quality of hers that would never fade. She knew what belonged to her and would stop at nothing to get it. Even if it meant killing her brother, Arthur Pendragon. But this time around, the throne was not as accessible as it had been before Morgana's true colors had been revealed. Thanks to Arthur's meddling servant, Merlin, her under-the-radar status had been brought to the surface and she could no longer hide behind an innocent cover. She had underestimated Merlin; he was sharper than he looked. It wasn't enough to make it past Arthur. Morgana had to find a way to trick Merlin too.

The witch already had an insider to Camelot by the name of Agravaine, Arthur's uncle and his mother's brother. He was a trusted relative of the prince's and Morgana knew Arthur well; he trusted Agravaine with all his heart. Although the man had assured her he would raise no suspicion, Morgana knew better. No matter what, Merlin would always see through anything that seemed unusual. She needed something or perhaps someone to distract Merlin. If that proved successful, Morgana's spot on the throne was as good as guaranteed.

After she had sacrificed Morgause at the Isle of the Blessed, Morgana had made herself a hovel deep in the woods and out of sight from Camelot knights. She had planned carefully what her next step would be. On top of her plan to take over the kingdom, the witch had to worry about a man named Emrys. When Morgana had sacrificed her sister, she was met with the Callieach, the gatekeeper of the veil between two worlds. Morgana had opened the veil and released the spirits, called the Dorocha, who wreaked havoc all over. The Callieach had told her that although she would make her enemies suffer, she would meet Emrys, calling him her "destiny and her doom."

Morgana had enough standing in her way and the last thing she needed was to worry about a worthless manservant when there were more dangerous threats in her path. All the more reason to cook up a new scheme that would not only bring Arthur down but Merlin as well.

Time was running out. Uther was dead and Arthur had just been crowned King of Camelot. If Morgana did not act soon, it would be too late. Her visions would come true. But Morgana was going to take what was hers, no matter how many lives she took.

Besides, she wasn't the only one who was going to have blood on her hands.

"What news do you have for me?" the witch demanded when Agravaine entered her hovel. She sat at her table, sitting back expectantly, waiting for the man to report any news, good or bad. For Agravaine's sake, it better have been good. Morgana had waited days for any update since Uther's death and Arthur's coronation.

"I fear I may have no good news for you," Agravaine confessed, sitting down and pouring himself a cup of water. "Ever since Arthur was crowned king, he has been taking it upon himself to rule the way his father has. It has put some pressure on him and I am doing my best to help him make his decisions."

Morgana smirked. She knew that "help" held a definition quite opposite than what it intended. "You're going to have to be careful, Agravaine," she commented, "Arthur may trust you but he has very shrewd members of the court. Don't get to satisfied with yourself."

"I assure you that I have everyone fooled, my lady," Agravaine boasted, taking a sip from his cup. "No one suspects me of anything."

Morgana exhaled, staring at Agravaine with her pale green eyes. "Is that so? How about the manservant, Merlin?"

Agravaine snorted. "I don't think his opinion counts for anything."

"You underestimate their bond, Agravaine. Arthur is very fond of Merlin. For some reason, he holds the boy's opinion to a very high regard. Even if he doesn't admit it." Morgana could see a hint of fear flash in the man's eyes. Now he knew she was being serious.

"What do you suggest I do, my lady?" Agravaine asked, setting down his cup and listening intently.

"I have been wondering this myself." Morgana stood up and walked around the room. "Arthur trusts Merlin more than anything. His most loyal servant." Morgana scoffed. "How precious is that? Maybe even more than you. He'll suspect you more than he would Merlin and you can bet the servant would tell him."

"What are you saying? Should I make Arthur suspicious of Merlin?" Agravaine asked, turning around in his chair to look at Morgana.

"That's not the plan. You've tricked Arthur already but if Merlin is already on your case, there's no going back," Morgana responded. "No. Merlin needs a distraction of his own. Something of his own to care and worry about. And maybe not just something." Morgana whirled around and faced Agravaine. "Someone."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And just who are you planning on getting to sway Merlin?"

Morgana leaned in. "I suppose that's your job to handle, isn't it, Agravaine?"

A look of exasperation crossed Agravaine's face but Morgana's mind was made up. She didn't have time to wander the woods and search for someone who could get the job done. Agravaine had been failing her enough; it was time he made up for it.

"I have to go, my presence is expected in Camelot," the man said hastily, rising from his seat.

"Take care," Morgana smirked again, "You wouldn't want to give away your true identity, wouldn't you? And remember… don't let me down this time."

Agravaine gave her one last look before leaving her hovel. Morgana sat back down, already anticipating yet another failure on his part. If only she could risk getting the job done herself.

If only… I'd have been Queen of Camelot by now.

Later in the evening, Morgana left her hovel to go gather some more firewood. This was a task she detested; this is what they had fucking servants for and here she was, forced to do it herself. It was times like these Morgana hated her enemies in Camelot more than ever. She had been the daughter of a king. This was not how she was supposed to live.

As Morgana gathered wood, she daydreamed about being the queen of the kingdom. She'd have all the maids and knights at her disposal and those who were against her would suffer as she had suffered. Oh, what a life it would. What a life…

Morgana heard voices and straightened up, her thoughts interrupted. They sounded like men shouting and she dropped the firewood and carefully crept towards the direction she heard them. The shouting became louder as she walked closer and she reached the edge of the dirt path and looked down into a clearing in the middle of the trees. Just as the witch had suspected, bandits had set up camp and were being loud and obnoxious. Morgana could take them out easily if they become too big a disturbance. But as she looked closer, she saw there was a reason they were yelling so loudly.

They were shoving a girl around from man to man, taunting and laughing at her. Her red dress was torn and ripped up in areas Morgana would deem inappropriate had she still been the king's ward. Her hair was down in light brown waves and she was rather pale looking. Her head was down and she was shrieking, telling them to stop.

One bandit caught her and gripped her tightly, grinning maliciously. "I bet the old man regretted sending you to that call house now, didn't he?" he remarked. "You're a pretty little one."

"And you're ours now!" another one yelled and everyone else laughed. Out of nowhere, the girl spat in the man's face and he let out a cry of anger. He threw her to the ground and planted a firm kick to her stomach.

Fucking bastard, Morgana thought to herself, feeling a sudden urge to intervene. The bandits circled the girl who was gasping for breath, clutching her stomach. There was fear in her eyes when she looked up to see just how outnumbered she truly was.

"We'll teach you not to mess with us," the one who had kicked her said, pulling out a dagger from his waist. He wiped her spit off with the back of his hand and glared at her as the girl backed up. She turned her head away

"You're our little whore now," the one next to him added. They were closing in on her.

I can't watch this anymore. Morgana was ready to take action when suddenly, the girl whipped her head back towards the bandits and her eyes flashed a brilliant gold. That movement sent the bandits flying back out of the circle and crashing into the trees behind them. There were more shouts as they were thrown back. The girl struggled to her feet, trying to cover herself with her arms as her dress was all torn up. Morgana stared, wide-eyed. The girl had magic. She was a witch.

"The whore's a witch!" a bandit yelled. The girl whirled around to see who had said that but the man she had spit at brandished his dagger and ran at her, slicing at her. She let out a cry of pain and crumbled back to the ground, clutching her shoulder blade.

"And useless," the dagger bandit grumbled, "Let's kill the bitch, she's no good."

"You will do no such thing!" Morgana screamed and everyone turned to look up at her. Her eyes flashed the same brilliant shade of gold and she held out her palms, sending the bandits flying back once more. The girl looked up, her fingers covered in blood. She stared at Morgana who made a deadly stride towards the bandits.

"Another witch," the dagger bandit growled, the first to get up. "You stay out of this. She's our whore. We paid the money for her and we'll do whatever we please with her."

"You will leave her alone," Morgana snapped threateningly, standing in front of the girl, "Come near this girl and I swear to you, I will show you no mercy. Do you hear me?" Not waiting for an answer, Morgana's eyes flashed and she sent the man back into the tree. He dropped his dagger and screamed as he hit the tree and toppled to the ground, completely unconscious.

"I mean it!" Morgana pressed, looking around. "Anyone else?"

They'd had enough. As quickly as they could, they gathered up their things and left the spot. Morgana turned to the girl was still on the ground, whimpering at the slash mark on her back.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, kneeling down. The girl didn't speak, didn't even look at her. Morgana had no intention of hurting her. She'd always have a soft spot for people with magic who had been tortured.

"Come with me, let me help you," she offered in a quiet voice. "Your wound, it needs tending to."

The girl was shaking but she nodded once. Morgana helped her back to her hovel where she began cleaning the wound. Slowly, the girl loosened up but she was still shaking a little.

"I know who you are," she spoke up, not meeting Morgana's eyes. The witch looked at her in surprise. "Your Morgana Pendragon."

"Seems I'm not so secretive after all," Morgana muttered, going back to work. "How did you guess?"

"News travels fast and you were described perfectly," the girl replied. "Even to the call house."

"So that's why they were calling you a whore," Morgana said, not bothering to be sensitive. The girl hung her head. "Not something to be proud of."

"Well, can't completely be your fault. Unless you chose to be there."

"Not really. Sold off when I was young."

"Always the case." Morgana finished cleaning the wound and pressed a hand to it. She muttered a quick healing spell. The cut stopped bleeding. The girl turned her head to examine it. She showed a hint of a smile. "Could've done that myself."

"More effective when you have the energy." Morgana stood up. The girl slowly closed her eyes and dozed off in the chair, experiencing the side effects of the magic. A small smile tugged at the corners of Morgana's mouth. All day, she had wondered if Agravaine would complete his task well. Turns out, he didn't have to after all. Not only had she found someone, that someone was a young, attractive female from the call house.

What more could a bored, lonely manservant want?

A/N: Hello readers! Big news, new story! I've had this idea for a while now and I was really excited about publishing it so if you all like it, I'll continue this one as well. Don't worry, this won't stop the Fire In The Shade updates. For now, I want to see if I can make something of this idea as well (besides, the other is slowly going to come to a close). I hope you enjoy the new idea. Cheers!