Chapter 17 ~ The Truth Behind a Villain.

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''Did you find it?'' Was Karil's immediate question as Ly slipped back into the sick bay with unusual stealth. 

Ly nodded and glanced around before taking a worn leather book out of his bag. ''Just remember, hurry up with it or she'll notice. I need to put it back by tomorrow.''

''Hopefully I'll be out by tomorrow.'' Was Karil's reply as he inspected the item. 

''Yeah, I think the poison's out of your system. That's what Madam Pomfrey told me anyway.'' Ly answered. ''Anyway, you gonna read a bit? I'm dying to.'' 

Karil cleared his throat and was just about to start when an untimely interruption occurred.

''Lysander what on earth are you doing here at this hour?'' Madam Pomfrey bustled up to straighten the sheets, Karil slipping the book under his pillows and leaning back on them to make sure that Madam Pomfrey didn't make a move to plump them up. Ly was looking extremely uncomfortable and was standing up to go, though still looking longingly at where the book had been.

''Off with you, it's time for Karil to sleep, not be bombarded.'' Madam Pomfrey ushered Ly in the direction of the door.  Karil winked at his friend, who was looking a tad doleful back. Karil knew Ly desperately wanted read the book too, but there was nothing to be done. 

''I'll tell you everything.'' Karil called after his friend, earning a slightly confused look from Madam Pomfrey, but luckily no questions, instead a simple order of;

''Get some sleep now Karil, tomorrow you'll be going back to classes, but you're still a bit unstable. Best to have a solid night beforehand.'' She instructed, blowing out the candle by Karil's bed. ''Goodnight.''

Karil, after nodding at her information and saying his own goodnight, waited till her footsteps had truly faded away before fishing out his wand and the book from under the bedclothes. Luckily he was alone in the silent sick bay, and wasn't noticed as he incanted ''Lumos Maxima''. The pale light surrounded him and he eagerly opened the worn book that lay before him. It was written in small, ornate writing adorned with flourishes and curls in an old-fashioned style. The first page simply read in large, picturesque letters; ''THE TRUE STORY OF MORGANA LE FAY.'' and in smaller writing below the title; ''Written by her daughter, Maurelle Le Fay.'' 

On the next leaf, an intricate pen-and-ink drawing lay, and underneath it the writing. ''My Mother, Morgana Le Fay.'' The drawing haunted him with confusion and questioning. A smiling, beautiful Morgana was pictured, nothing like the cruel, despised witch he had imaged. Was this what the famous cruel villain had really been like? Did they truly have it all wrong? There was only one way to find out. Karil turned on a page and began to read.

''My Mother, Morgana Le Fay, could not have been portrayed more wrongly in the modern works of King Arthur. She started out as a beautiful young princess, destined one day to marry him - or so many supposed. Little did she, Arthur or the general nobility and public know, she was the half-sister of Prince Arthur, a secret daughter of Uther Pendragon. Uther may have cared for her, but he was a bad guardian to have. She grew up both hating and loving her father, for despite his cruel, obsessive, there were times when she loved him, and he truly cared for her as a daughter. 

And Arthur? They were playmates from infancy, she the younger by a little, but could win against him in a sword fight and best him in horsemanship. She cared for him in a teasing, taunting way and he tried to get past brotherly love.

But what went wrong? What made him the hero and her the villain in today's stories? There is only one answer.

Magic. ''

Karil lifted his head, trying to come to the terms with the facts he had just read. They were friends, Arthur and Morgana Pendragon had been like the siblings they were, and yet she had ended up destroying everything he loved and killing him herself. God knows what he had done to her. Was it really magic which had caused this disturbing decline in friendship. He shook his head and bent back over the book, turning a page to continue reading.

''Uther Pendragon's purge of magic had always been unclear to Morgana, she never knew the full story, very few did. It was not until she met Morgause that she began to discover she possessed magical abilities. At first she had simpy had distressing dreams that predicted what would happen. It was through magic and her sister, Morgause, that she began to know her true self. She began to plot against Uther after she found out that she was his daughter, and Morgause added reasons to her new loathing of her Father. She met with Morgause each evening and bonded with her new-found family, eventually nearly causing her own death as she unknowingly became the source and carrier of a spell planted within her that caused an illness in Camelot used as part of Morgause's scheme.''

Karil couldn't stop reading, it was so gripping. It was a whole new approach to the legend.

''THE FIRES OF IDIRSHOLAS'' Titled the page. Karil moved his eyes to read below. 

'' ''When the fires of Idirsholas burn, the knights of Medir will ride again.''

Read the saying regarding the legend most citizens of Camelot thought to be a nonsensical old story. Authur refused to believe it, Uther didn't want to, but Merlin and Arthur were both made to journey to Idirsholas to ''calm people.'' And Gaius, the old court physician, Merlin's guardian, one of the few who took the smoke rising from the castle as a warning, turned out to be right. Morgause had awakened the knights of Medir and they were heading for Camelot on a quest to kill Uther.

And whilst Merlin and Arthur had almost been killed by the soldiers of death , a sickness had fallen upon Camelot. By the time Merlin and Arthur had returned, everyone had sunk into a deep sleep, with the exception of my Mother, Morgana. Merlin covered for her, so as not to raise any of Arthur's suspicions, saying Morgana had drunk a potion made by Gaius that prevented her from becoming ill.

And here I halt my storytelling to explain the relationship between my Mother and Merlin.

They were friends, good friends at first. Even when Merlin discovered Morgana's betrayal to the King, he still believed she would ''come round,'' that she was still ''good inside.'' Merlin thought Morgause had darkened and corrupted my Mother's spirit, and maybe the sorceress did have something to do with it. But Morgana Pendragon did not become dark and corrupt. She saw through Arthur and Uther's false pretences, and Merlin's too. She saw their evil. 

Returning to my tale, I come to the part when Morgause rode into Camelot with the seven knights by her side, nearing her goal of killing Uther Pendragon. Merlin and Arthur were also becoming sick, and Merlin and figured out that Morgana was the cause of the spell. He poisoned her to save Camelot, to form a bargain with Morgause. Morgana for Arthur. And Morgause chose my Mother.

I want you, the reader, to remember that. Merlin poisoned Morgana Pendragon, innocent of crime because she was unaware of the spell she carried, only knowing that she would be able to kill Uther Pendragon, the liar and criminal king. Arthur should have died, he was arrogant, blind, a fool. 

Morgana Pendragon lived, but only due to Morgause's devotion and skill. That is when she realized who her enemies were, and why she returned to Camelot six months later to plot undercover in the web of her foes.''

The end of the first chapter left Karil longing for more, but he also had to stop, to think. However much Arthur and Merlin were made the enemies in this writing, they didn't sound like criminals. They did nothing wrong. Merlin was just trying to protect Arthur, Arthur was just trying to protect the kingdom. 

But one could not ignore Morgana Pendragon's innocence in this. She had strong reasons to hate Uther, from reading it Karil knew anyone could hate Uther, that Merlin should but didn't seem to. Morgana didn't seem to know of Merlin's power, and they didn't seem to be enemies until he  was forced to poison the witch. 

Karil's head was whirling, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his thoughts. Who was good and who was evil. Was he to ignore the old tales and take Arthur and Merlin for villains? Or was he to cast aside Maurelle's story and conclude Morgana Le Fay was straight through evil? 

He couldn't do either. Not yet. He hadn't read enough. Turning back to the book, he began to read once more.

***

Karil closed the book with a soft thud and lay back on the pillow, closing his eyes. It was done. It was finished. And it was quarter past one in the morning

He had no idea how he'd kept awake. Maybe it was the fact he' slept most of the past few days. Or possibly because the book was so different, so interesting, he'd had to keep reading. Even now, having finished, he wanted more. He now knew Morgana Le Fay's true story. Now what about Maurelle's

Maurelle had been three when her mother and Father died, the book had said. Morgause had died when she was a baby. She'd had no one after the war. How had she grown up?

He shook his head, trying to banish Maurelle from his thoughts. Right now he needed to complete a synopsis of what he had just read, so he could tell Ly.

Morgana Le Fay had started out as Morgana Pendragon, the beautiful young ward of King Uther, and secretly his daughter. She had been a friend to Arthur and Merlin, she had aided them in struggles, and they had helped her. And then Morgause had come, revealing their sistership and the faults and lies of Uther. Morgana had realized her side and helped Morgause in an attempt to destroy Uther, but instead had been poisoned by Merlin and used in a bargain between the wizard and Morgause. Then Morgana had returned to Camelot, working as a spy and using her location in court to her advantage. She and Morgause had used a relic, a goblet, to raise an almost undefeatable army, but Merlin, Arthur, Sir Lancelot and also Gaius, Merlin's guardian had worked together to defeat the two sisters and kill Morgause in the process.

And that's when Morgana had become Morgan Le Fay, the mortal enemy of Arthur and Merlin. She sent an assassin to kill Uther, and succeeded, but soon wished to end Arthur's life and reign, too. She recruited Mordred later on, and had Maurelle, before Mordred went to Arthur. Morgana was heart broken, left with Maurelle, but when Mordred came back after the death of another lover (whom he named a ''friend'' in Morgana's presence) by Arthur's judgement. They then plotted to kill Arthur, and in a final battle, their army was defeated, Mordred killed and Morgana's dragon also destroyed by Merlin. But Mordred killed Arthur also, wounding him fatally. In Arthur's last hour, Merlin killed Morgana with a blade forged in a dragon's breath.

Karil exhaled. It wasn't as detailed as it should be, but it had the main happenings included. Morgana Pendragon was a villain, but she had her reasons. But Merlin the sorcerer was most definatley not evil.

Which is why he had to stop Maurelle. And Mirror. They were like Morgause and Morgana, unstoppable. 

But from reading the book, he had found out where Merlin now lived, not exactly, but the area. And where Arthur now lay.

The Isle of Avalon, near Glastonbury, that's where Maurelle and Mirror would be heading. But when, when would they go? To know that, he had to watch Maurelle, make guesses, take chances. 

From reading the book, however, he had begun to feel more for Maurelle. Emotional blows can change a person dramatically, and influences like that or Morgause and Mirror even more. Would the same thing happen to Maurelle as her Mother? But would killing Merling do anything for the witch either.

Karil shook his head. Whatever the circumstances, one thing was clear. 

He could not let Merlin die.