Magic Tree House- The Hidden Helper

Polar Bears Past Bedtime-Promo

"Greetings Merlin" Natalie was surprised by the sudden coldness in Morgan's voice.

"Greetings Morgan" Merlin's reply was just as icy. "Why have you summoned me to the mortal world?" He looked around at the woods that surrounded them. "Seems a strange place to meet, if you ask me"

Natalie felt a chuckle float up from her gut and buttoned her lip to keep silent.

"We need to talk" Morgan said simply. "And this way, I can ensure we are not overheard"

Natalie raised an eyebrow. Strange for Morgan to say that when she knew that Natalie was hiding behind a tree barely ten feet away from the two magicians.

"What do we need to talk about?" Merlin asked.

"N" Morgan said simply, and Natalie's heart skipped a beat.

Natalie saw Merlin's eyes widen briefly in surprise. "N? You mean that mystery magician you have been trying to find?" He asked innocently.

"Do not play games with me, Merin!" Morgan snapped, taking a step forward. "Not now! Not after the damage N has caused!"

"Damage? What do you mean?" Merlin repeated, confused. From her hiding place, Natalie's breath caught in her throat as a sudden thought struck her.

"I know that N has been following Jack and Annie, my two mortal friends from here, whenever they use my tree house." Morgan began to explain. "At first, I thought her intentions were to harm them, but while I was trapped as a mouse, I began to realize that her goal is actually to protect them."

"I believe we have had this discussion before, Morgan" Merlin said dryly. "It did not end well for you, if I recall."

Natalie rolled her eyes at Merlin's obvious referral to the argument between the two fo them that lead to Morgan getting transformed into a mouse named Peanut.

Though Morgan did not seem to acknowledge Merlin's jab, Natalie could swear the enchantress seemed to shudder for a split second.

"Yes, but I have been pondering a different question since then." Morgan continued.

"Which is?" Merlin asked.

"Why does she conceal herself?" Morgan asked, turning away from Merlin, only to turn back again a second later. "N must know that she and I share the same interest of keeping Jack and Annie safe, not to mention that it would be easier for us to protect Jack and Annie if we worked together, so why does she not reveal herself to me?"

"Hmm, that is a good question." Merlin pretended to agree with her, causing Natalie to giggle to herself. "I cannot imagine why any magician would feel the need to hide themselves from the sister of King Arthur."

"Really?" Morgan shot Merlin a skeptical look that made Natalie stop chuckling. "Well, this was something I pondered for quite some time. And then, I realized, that perhaps N was not a magician at all, but a mortal, who was acting upon the orders of a magician." Morgan continued.

Natalie was beginning to get worried. Morgan was getting closer to the truth than Natalie was comfortable with.

"That…sounds possible" Merlin said slowly. "After all, one might say you have done the same thing with this Jack and Annie that you speak of."

"Indeed, but if N is just an accomplice, who does she work for?" Morgan continued, beginning to move around Merlin, like a cat stalking around a mouse. "What magician would wish to hide their mortal helper from me, the sister of the king?"

"I…would not presume to know" Merlin's tone became guarded.

Natalie bit her lip. This was not looking good!

"Is that so?" Again, Morgan sounded skeptical. "Well, I did have my suspicions, but needed proof in order to be certain. I knew that, if N was merely a pawn of another magician, then that magician was the one responsible for turning her into animals, and if that was the case, the spell that transformed her would have that magician's magical aura around the being it was cast upon, wouldn't you agree?"

"I would" Merlin nodded.

"So, I decided to see if I could uncover this aura. I first attempted to do so when Jack and Annie were in the Old West, but I was thwarted, multiple times." Morgan narrowed her eyes at Merlin, who held her gaze stoically.

From her hiding place, Natalie's eyes widened. So she had sensed Morgan in the Old West, and now she knew why! This must have been why Merlin had asked Lonesome Luke for help, so he could distract Morgan, and keep her from finding Natalie!

"So, when that failed, I realized that the magician may be monitoring me, so I would perhaps need to ask the aid of another in order to uncover who N was working for." Morgan revealed.

"Oh?" Merlin blinked. "Is that wise? If your suspicions were correct, you could have been playing into the hands of the very magician you are seeking."

Natalie nodded, impressed, both by Merlin's logic, and his acting. If she was not aware of the truth, she would have sworn the magician appeared genuinely confused rather than only pretending to be, due to the statements he was making.

Using the truth to deceive someone, that's ironic! Natalie grinned as she adjusted her position, peering through the thick branches of the tree.

"I thought the same thing," Morgan admitted, "but then, while I was planning Jack and Annie's last mission, to the plains of Africa, Sarah came to see me."

"Sarah?" Merlin blinked.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. Who was Sarah?

"Yes," Morgan nodded. "You know that Sarah and I have always been close, ever since we were young. When she came to visit me, I decided to take a chance and voiced my suspicions to her"

"And…what did she think of your idea?" Merlin asked after a moment of silence.

Morgan's smile grew a little wider. "She was very surprised, but agreed to help me discover the truth. When Jack and Annie traveled to Africa, Sarah followed them, taking the form of a giraffe, an animal native to that area, you see, and..."

"I know what a giraffe is, I have been to Africa as well." Merlin cut in.

"Of course, my apologies." Morgan's tone darkened a little as she continued speaking. "Anyway, while she was in Africa, I asked Sarah to be alert for an animal bearing a magical aura. And, upon returning, she informed me that she had come across one."

Oh?" Merlin raised an eyebrow, while Natalie felt icy dread rush through her. She had been right! Atenio had been another magician! A magician working with Morgan! And Natalie had told this magician her real name! How could she have been so careless?!

"Yes, she told me that she had encountered another giraffe that bore a magical signature. A giraffe named Natalie" Morgan's next words made Natalie shut her eyes in despair. This was it! She was caught!

"N for Natalie…hmm, a singular name, I would say." Natalie's eyes snapped open and her jaw dropped at Merlin's comment. She wasn't sure if Merlin was telling the truth about her, or just playing it up to get a reaction out of Morgan. All the same, she felt a blush come over her cheeks. "But how do you know that N was telling Sarah the truth? The name Natalie could be false for all we know"

"Oh, Sarah felt certain that N was telling the truth" Morgan answered. "And I trust her words"

"Very well, so now we know N's true name, was Sarah able to learn anything else from her?" Merlin asked.

"Sadly no, because, following this revelation, Natalie was able to attract and entice two giraffes who were both seeking a mate, causing the two of them to fight. In the chaos that followed, Natalie disappeared, leaving Sarah at the mercy of these two animals."

"Oh my!" Merlin's eyes widened while a thick knot of guilt formed in Natalie's stomach. In order to escape from 'Atenio', Natalie had used her feminine charms, and manipulation tactics she had observed from popular girls in her former school in Chicago, to attract the attention of two male giraffes and cause them to fight. In the spectacle that followed, Natalie had been able to slip away. She had never learned what had happened to Atenio.

"I confess I was wondering why Sarah had looked...disturbed...when I had seen her last, but she had not wanted to speak of it. Is she…well?" Merlin asked, and there was genuine concern in his voice this time.

"Oh yes, she was able to get away with no trouble, but the experience left her rather…shaken." Morgan said, and Natalie let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she felt the knot in her stomach dissolve a little. Even if this Sarah had been working for Morgan, Natalie didn't want anything bad happening to her.

"So, let me see if I understand you. You have learned N's true name, supposedly, and you have learned that she is not a magician. But it appears that you have not yet determined who she is working for." Merlin summarized, and Natalie felt relief flood through her. If Morgan knew Natalie's name, but didn't know she worked for Merlin, or her connection to Jack and Annie, then her secret was still safe. Merlin could evenutally make Morgan think that Natalie had given her friend a false name. She was in the clear!

"Oh, but I have." Morgan's next words made Natalie freeze. Had she celebrated too soon?

"I told you that whoever was responsible for Natalie's transformations, their aura would have been around her, did I not? Well, despite N's distraction, Sarah was able to deceive Natalie long enough to identify the spell aura around the mortal. Morgan took a step forward. "It was yours"

Natalie tensed up, but, to her surprise, Merlin smiled.

"Ahh, it sounds as if we have finally arrived at the point of this meeting." He commented.

"You can deny it no longer, Merlin!" Morgan's voice rose and she pointed accusingly at Merlin. "This Natalie is working for you! You sending another mortal to interfere with Jack and Annie's trips in my tree house is in direct violation of our pact, and now it has led to the another of our magicians undergoing a traumatic experience! When my brother hears of this…!"

"I beg your pardon!" Merlin thundered, slamming his staff into the ground, causing a loud rumble that made Morgan stop talking. "In…what…way has our pact been violated?!"

"In what way?" Morgan repeated, sounding surprised. "Did you not hear what I just said?!"

"All I heard was you making a wild accusation based on circumstantial evidence!" Merlin replied.

Morgan paused, confused. "What was that word you just used?"

"Circumstantial." Merlin repeated, looking somewhat smug. "It is a word I learned from the mortal dictionary. It means that, while the evidence you have may prove that this 'Natalie' has been at the same locations that Jack and Annie have, in an animal form that I have provided her, and that she may have been helping them, it does not prove that she has done so on my orders, therefore the terms of our pact are still valid." He explained.

Natalie had to admit, Merlin's argument made sense, and it wasn't completely a lie. Technically Merlin was not ordering Natalie to go on these missions, she was volunteering.

Suddenly Natalie remembered something that Morgan has said to Jack and Annie some time ago, about how Merlin had been making many trips to this world.

He must be doing research! Natalie realized. How else could he know words that Morgan didn't?

"Oh, come now Merlin!" Morgan scoffed "Do you honestly expect me to believe that Natalie just happening to appear everywhere Jack and Annie go is just a…play of chance?!"

"Believe what you want, Morgan" Merlin replied. "But unless you have any actual proof that our pact has been violated, I see no reason to continue this meeting. Farewell!"

And Cut!

I recall someone was requesting that I use a conversation between Morgan and Merlin as a filler, and, after some thought, I decided to go with it. What you are reading now takes place about 2/8 into the story. Don't worry if there are things you don't understand now, they'll make sense when the full story comes out. I estimate that will be sometime between Christmas and New Years. My new job is eating up a lot of my free time and internet connection is spotty where I now live, so I apologize in advance if I am unable to make this deadline. But I will make every effort to finish this arc by the end of the year.

This story is meant to be a milestone in my series. Something we've gotten used to is going to end, and something new is going to begin. I wont say anything more here, but I do want to, at this moment, give a shout out to Terri and Kirsten (I hope I got it right this time!) for the great ideas they sent my way, ideas that may, or may not, be woven into the full story when it comes out. *Insert Evil Chuckle Here*

Seriously though, if anyone has something they would like to see happen in this storyline, I'm not above taking suggestions from my readers. But I reserve the right of final decision as to whether or not these ideas get included in the final story.

I think that's it for now! Wish me luck! I've got a lot more writing to do!

Until Next Time!