That night after dinner Arthur stood outside of Morgana’s room. He lightly knocked on it with a sigh. A moment later Morgana opened up the door and looked at Arthur. Neither said anything to each other as neither knew exactly how to start. Eventually Morgana opened up the door all the way so that he could come in. Once he did she shut the door and looked at him.

“Is there something you wanted to ask me about?” Morgana asked.

“I have made the decision to marry Lady Guinevere.” Arthur stated.

“But-” she started to ask.

“I have already sent the ambassador away with gifts. Nothing can be done to prevent it now.” Arthur interrupted.

“I can’t believe you would do this?” she said as she sat back in a chair near the door.

“I have also requested that you and Rhea be taken to the cottage in the forest. You will have a maid servant each and some knights for protection.” Arthur said with a monotone voice.

She sat there in shock. Did he hate her that much to send her away? She didn’t know but it felt like he did. She tried to say something back, to ask why, but no words could be formed in her mouth. By the time she finally was able to speak he walked to the door and opened it.

“You’ll be leaving in three days.” he said before closing the door and walking away. He heaved a heavy sigh after closing the door. Part of him wanted to go back in and tell him it was a joke especially since he could hear her beginning to cry on the other side. However, he knew if he did he wouldn’t have the strength to tell her again so he continued walking.

“You did the right thing for your kingdom.” Merlin said as Arthur passed by him.

“You think so? Well, I feel like I just stabbed myself in the heart. Is this what ruling is supposed to feel like?” Arthur asked.

“Not every ruler is the same. You did what you had to do for your people but many will never have to make a decision involving their happiness and their people’s. You showed far better strength as a ruler than most today and you should be proud that you are sacrificing your own happiness for peace.” Merlin said.

“I still have no clue if peace can be obtained like this. All I can do is hope.” Arthur replied before opening the door to his chamber.

“I forgot to mention, Sir. The Lady of the Lake has required me to spend a week with her so I shall be away for a while. If you need me at any point I am only a washtub away.” Merlin said.

“Of course. I’ll see you in a week.” Arthur said before shutting the door to his chamber.

Several months passed by with Arthur marrying Guinevere and Morgana being sent with Rhea to the forest. However, during this time Morgana was found to be pregnant and soon gave birth to Mordred. She requested that no one know about the child outside of the forest so Arthur never learned that he had a child. Morgana grew spiteful of Arthur through the years to the point that she raised Mordred as a boy and even had the knights assigned to protect her to teach her swordsmanship.

Mordred learned the art of witchcraft from her mother in such a way that it enhanced her strength so that she could be stronger than most people. She was even able to enhance her speed with this magic form and at the age of twelve was as powerful as most knights. By the age of fourteen she was even stronger. Since she was so powerful and of age, her hair was cut to look more like a boys and she was sent to Camelot. The goal that her mother gave her was to join the knights tournament and become a knight of Camelot.

Having no other choice she left for Camelot with a small group of travelers that were heading there for the festival that came with the tournament. One of the travelers, a boy named Jasper also happened to be going to participate in the tournament. He was dressed in torn clothes with stains all over them which contrasted Mordred’s clean loose fit shirt and pants.

Mordred had darker blonde hair with almost red eyes. Although she was short she was a lot taller than most girls her age and had a more toned, muscular body. Jasper on the other hand had reddish hair, freckles, and green eyes. He wasn’t very tall even for boys his age and he looked weak compared to most. The only thing that made him seem intimidating was the fact that he was so confident that he could be a knight. However, some might see that as stupidity.

“So why do you want to be a knight?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, uh, my father was one and my mother wanted me to be one just like him.” Mordred answered as truthfully as she could.

“Is your dad still a knight then?” he asked.

“No, I’ve never actually met him. I’m told he is an amazing warrior though.” Mordred said.