[Special] Morgana's Past.
N/A: I'll be direct. I wanted to reveal Mor and Arthur's past slowly, as if the story were being uncovered bit by bit, but then I thought; why bother, if I can add parts little by little and it's good to have some lore so it doesn't become too long. Even so, this is more of a summary than a complete story. You'll notice that some parts are not explained properly, because they will obviously be completed in the future. It's a way to give more history to King Arthur and Mordred, but it's not a full version since it is told from Mor's point of view, not from the direct parties involved.
Now then, without further delay, here is the chapter.
…
Sally was sitting by the window, her mind lost in her own thoughts, so much so that the cup of tea in her hand had long since gone cold.
She watched the cloudy sky and the rain falling softly against the glass. It wasn't a storm; there were no lightning strikes or strong winds; it was just a light, calm rain, like a sigh from the weather.
Days like this always made her miss her two little ones. When it rained, they stayed inside the house and tried to behave as calmly as possible so they wouldn't bother her, although that never lasted very long. It didn't take much before they started fighting over any silly thing and Sally had to intervene quickly, looking for some way to distract them.
Most of the time she ended up starting one of their movie nights early; and even if the day began grey, those nights always became warm moments, full of laughter, excitement and a sense of closeness between the three of them.
There were still a couple of months left before the kids could come back home for a few days during Christmas and New Year's, and even so Sally waited for them with a mix of anxiety and happiness.
At that moment, the old creak of the front door was heard. Mor walked into the house right after, shaking off the humidity with a wave of her hand. With another gesture, her hair and her clothes shifted into something more comfortable; her "being at home" outfit.
Lia, the Jackson family's house-elf, appeared immediately carrying pastries and a steaming teapot toward the table near Mor's favorite seat, where she usually rested after finishing one of her missions.
"Hey, it's rare to see you home at this hour. Did you skip work?" Mor asked while looking at Sally with a slightly surprised expression.
"Yes. Mark is trying to copy the transformation potion, or rather figure out how to create it… and he made the entire magical lab end up smelling like a pig" Sally said with a small amused smile.
"Mm, that brat really reminds me of that old idiot" Mor commented teasingly as she picked up one of the pastries and took a bite with a satisfaction that seemed improper for a dark witch feared by the world. In that instant she looked just like a tired woman who could finally relax.
"You mean Merlin, right? What was he like? You know, I wouldn't be part of the magical world if not for Harry and Percy, but I know they practically treat him like some sort of wizard Jesus or something like that" Sally said with genuine interest.
At that comparison, Mor made a face as if she had just smelled something rotten. Her expression twisted with annoyance instantly.
"He was just a stupid, arrogant old man" she said before grabbing a nearby cookie and biting into it forcefully, as if it were the head of the world's most famous wizard himself.
Sally looked at her, surprised by the sudden anger, but when she saw how Mor's irritation subtly shifted into sadness, she forced herself not to interrupt.
"He really was a foolish old man" Mor said with an inexplicable note of sadness. She seemed to be sorting her thoughts, and Sally didn't say anything so as not to break the moment. "We were classmates; not only at Hogwarts, we also had the same teacher: Salazar Slytherin" she continued slowly. "But in truth we were both far too old to be students in a school for children. We joined at the same time just for fun… or rather because of a bet between us. It was amusing to see the teacher's face when he found out, and even so he taught us a lot."
Mor's lips formed a nostalgic smile.
"We were rivals. Eternal rivals. If I learned petrification curses, he learned the counter-spells. If he focused on druidic magic, I studied dark magic just to oppose him" she continued, the memories clearly resurfacing in her mind.
"And even though we never truly liked each other, we didn't hate each other either. Neither of us would have imagined he'd be the one to seal me in that place for so long" she said, squeezing the cookie in her hand until it crumbled into sweet powder between her fingers.
"Stupid old fool. He fell for that bastard's trap… and I'm sure he ended up worse than I did" she muttered, closing her mouth abruptly, making it clear she didn't want to go deeper into that subject.
Sally noticed immediately, so she tried to change the topic quickly.
"And Mordred? Your son… how was he born?" she asked gently, wanting to steer the conversation toward something less painful.
But the look Mor gave her was even worse. Sally shut her mouth at once, feeling she had gotten herself into trouble in the same way Percy did with his unfortunate comments; he really was her son.
Mor sighed.
"Arthur… I don't want to talk about that idiot. Traitor. A lovesick insect obsessed with his own mother" she said with clear annoyance. "Ah, and just so you know, that story about us supposedly being related is not true. I'm the one who gave him that stupid sword when I was blinded by his handsome face. He just ended up being another one of those stupid, womanizing types who don't even take responsibility for their own child" she concluded, closing the conversation with that.
"Well, then welcome to the club" Sally replied quickly to shift the mood.
Mor looked at her with a smile before letting out a short, sincere laugh.
"Hey, technically we fell for the same family. We could make a special club… although we'd probably end up with creatures of every species imaginable" Mor said, amused by the idea.
"Wait… those stories are real. No, that has to be a lie, right?" Sally said with a mix of nerves and disgust as she remembered truly uncomfortable tales about suitors who were not only ex-partners but also related to the women involved.
"You must remember to raise your children well so they don't get corrupted by their own relatives" Mor said with a smile, although it was clearly a far deeper answer than necessary.
Both women, who also shared the bond of being mothers, spent a long while talking about their exes and the strange, chaotic and varied families they each carried behind them. It was obvious how close they had become over time; they considered themselves sisters rather than friends.
"Come on, please tell me more about Arthur. I already told you about the sailor" Sally said quickly while they were speaking comfortably and in complete trust. Obviously neither of them mentioned the name of any god, since both knew they could be heard even from another continent, and they were not willing to risk offending them with such a mocking conversation.
"Fine, whatever" Mor said, now much lighter. It seemed that telling her story had taken an enormous weight off her heart.
"In truth, when I met him he was a really handsome guy, adorable and perfect to be corrupted" she said with a mischievous smile. "I pretended to be a woman of the lake who delivered the most famous sword in his entire legend" she added with amusement, recalling those ancient times.
"Wait, the broken sword of the hero… I mean, Exca…" Sally tried to pronounce the name.
"Do not say the name" Mor replied immediately, although she didn't explain why. "But yes, I gave it to him. And actually, all the swords that the descendants of those little round-table idiots are using right now… who do you think made them?" she added with a proud smile.
"What, seriously? Didn't Merlin make them?" Sally asked, completely shocked.
"Of course not. That old man wasn't good with alchemy. Maybe with potions and magic, yes, but alchemy… at best he'd be lucky if he didn't turn the materials into garbage" Mor said with clear mockery. "I made the weapons and armor back when the table was just being formed. Now that I think about it, I should have chosen better enchantments for their weapons; or at least I should have added a lock or a signature so that old man wouldn't steal the credit" she muttered, annoyed. "Now that I think about it, those two guys… what are their names? The ones who look identical but are completely different in personality" Mor asked.
"Adrien and Dorien" Sally replied.
"Yes, them. They are a living image of Lancelot" Mor said, amused. "I'm certain they are his descendants. And it's interesting how each one inherited a different part of his personality" she added.
"I think I heard that Dorien uses Lancelot du Lac's sword" Sally commented, surprised.
"That little rascal… he truly became a very powerful knight in his time. Maybe you don't know this, but I found him when his kingdom was destroyed and took him to Avalon, where I raised and trained him" Mor said proudly. "Then Mordred… each one more talented than the last. I really am very good at sword training; maybe I should be the one training Percy" she said with amusement. "But that would steal the only fun job Einjard has" she added quickly.
"What happened to him?" Sally asked, interested.
Mor paused slightly; her expression shifted into a deep seriousness that changed the atmosphere of the room entirely. Then she sighed.
"He fell in love with Guinevere, the wife of that idiot. Arthur tried to kill her without hesitation and Lancelot saved her. They both escaped to Avalon while the kingdom of Camelot fell into internal war. Arthur… I don't know if he went insane from shame or for another reason, but he attacked Avalon without thinking. Merlin imprisoned me. And when I managed to make a deal with… someone, just enough to leave for a moment and see what had happened… Avalon no longer existed. My son, my people, everything had been destroyed without me being able to defend them" Mor said, heavy with sorrow.
"So because of Lancelot… Avalo…" Sally began, but couldn't finish.
Mor spoke before she could.
"Sally, it wasn't his fault. I would never blame one of my children for another person's madness. He was free to love whoever he wanted. And if the other person couldn't accept it because of his own pride and ended up dragging so many innocent lives with him, then the only one at fault was him" Mor said firmly. "The only thing I regret is not stopping Arthur myself. That my youngest son had to kill his father with his own hands to stop him… and still ended up locked in that place, unable to leave" she added as her eyes began to fill with tears.
Sally quickly moved closer and hugged Mor.
"It's alright" she said softly. "Your son is okay. The kids can visit him anytime they want; they even bring him furniture and food. We had to replace the couches they took last time… and the table too" Sally added, trying to lighten the mood.
Mor let out a small laugh through her tears.
"Yes, even so he is still there… alone" she said while looking toward the fireplace, as if inside the flames she could see a past that no longer existed. She remembered Mordred as a little boy running through the castle with a wooden sword, poking the guards' knees.
"I really want to see him. I want to look him in the face and tell him how sorry I am… and that it isn't his fault. That his father deserved it. That he is my pride" Mor said, word by word, without taking her eyes off the fire.
"I'm sure you'll be able to. Not now, but maybe in the future. After all, you are the strongest witch, mage and sorceress I know" Sally said with a determined smile.
"Much stronger than that fool Merlin, of course" Mor added, lifting her own spirits.
Sally let out a laugh.
…
Meanwhile, on the island that had once been nothing but desert and ruins, Mordred, lying back on a couch with his hands behind his head, watched the softly lit sky. He remembered the words those kids had told him.
"Get me out of here… I'd like to see that" he said with an amused smile before turning over and closing his eyes to rest.
Beside him, the sheathed sword resting against its stand seemed to vibrate softly for just an instant.