For today’s post I am sharing with my readers my newest work of short fiction! In this way today is a Short Story Saturday, but I cannot guarantee short stories every week. I hope all of you enjoy this next work of fiction, which is yet again my own re-imagining of Arthurian legends!
The Enchantress of Camelot
by Maranda Wabik
Morgana was consulting the oracle when her chamber door was knocked upon. She stopped gazing into her crystal mirror and opened the door to find Merlin. “My lady, the King has requested the presence of the whole court in the throne room.”
Morgana was both intrigued and vaguely concerned to hear that her brother was requesting her presence in the throne room at such an early hour in the morning. “I will be in his majesty’s throne room presently!” Is all she could say in reply.
She quickly brushed her long deep auburn hair to make herself presentable before having an audience with the King. Morgana bit her lip in anticipation over what may be awaiting the court, as it was unlike her brother to request the entire court’s presence at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning! She was still contemplating what it could mean when she arrived in the throne room.
“Ah, dear sister you are the first to arrive! I am happy you have been so prompt. You look lovely, I have always loved you in purple, and it is a fittingly royal color for the King’s sister.” Arthur greeted her with a cheeky grin.
“Arthur, dear brother, can you please tell me why you have asked the entire court to join you here this morning? I must say I feel ill at ease about this whole encounter.” Morgana could not help herself from asking.
Arthur felt himself tense up at his sister’s honest question. Guinevere came up behind her husband and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Her long blonde hair fell in a curtain as she bowed her head. Guinevere took a deep breath and said “Beloved husband, she is your sister, and has a right to know before the rest of the court!”
Arthur steeled himself and looked deeply into Morgana’s hazel brown eyes, her witchy eyes, and stated “I am converting to Christianity. This is a positive change for Camelot, and will further link us with other powerful countries! I am quite excited for this new chapter, and I hope you feel the same, dear heart.”
“Christian? My King brother, we were raised in the old religion! I am a devotee of the Goddess Rhiannon, and I have been studying the occult knowledge of enchantment since I was a young woman. We both have faerie blood running in our veins, our lady mother was born in Avalon, and our aunt is the Priestess of the holy Isle! How can I fully support this, when the Christians believe my working of enchantment, and learning at the hands of the Priestess of Avalon, to be evil. I cannot lie about who I am!” Morgana was outraged to learn of this new sanction.
Arthur and Guinevere both looked guilty, as they had known Morgana would not take the news well. She had devoted her life to learning the age old practice of witchcraft, and she loved her devotion to the Goddess! Morgana had even agreed to a marriage that she had not wanted in order to help her brother, and this was an ill advised way to repay that favor. After being forced into an unhappy marriage, Morgana had been widowed, and she devoted herself ever deeper to her magic.
Guinevere took Morgana by the shoulder and led her gently from the throne room. “My Lady the King’s sister, let us retire to your rooms and discuss this unsettling news.”
“My Lady Queen, I hope my brother will think this through before announcing it to the whole of Camelot!” She replied.
“Arthur has been firm in this decision, but maybe he can be swayed in his desire that the whole of Camelot converts.”
At this point they had arrived at Morgana’s chamber, and she felt the need to lie down on her bed. Morgana had the horrific feeling of being forced into changing the truth of her nature. “I cannot become Christian! I am a devotee of Rhiannon, and I have committed myself to walking the path of Avalon! Gwen, do you think Arthur would consider letting me be the court mystic? I could be a seer, and give advice to the nobles. I would not even speak about our faerie blood, or the fact that I am in truth a witch and Goddess devotee.” She inquired.
“After seeing you so troubled by the news, I believe my husband would consider that. You have done so much for Camelot, including having an unhappy marriage that left you widowed, all for the benefit of your brother’s crown! I will never forget that, and neither will Arthur.” Guinevere replied while hugging her sister-in-law.
Something troubling occurred to Morgana at that point. “What will happen to the great mage Merlin? He is a powerful Druid, and magical practitioner. Will he convert, or hide as I plan on?”
“Merlin has made the decision to leave the court. He feels that he has completed his true destiny in getting Arthur securely on the throne with a Queen by his side. It is time to watch from afar and await a time he may be needed again.” Was Guinevere’s saddened answer.
Morgana knew this to be the most logical solution for the ancient wizard. Merlin could not fake his way in a Christianized court after so many centuries as a Druid. The next day she bid her farewells to her old friend and teacher. She also informed him that Arthur had arranged for her to be the official Court Seer and Enchantress. Merlin had hugged the young deep auburn haired woman and whispered his wishes of luck.
Over the next six months Morgana took delight in her role as an official at court. She still was able to work her magic as she always had, but her brother could pretend to have a court that was fully Christian! It was at this point, six months hence, that Morgana would meet a man who would change her life. This is when Accolon, of Gaul, came to the court of Camelot.
Accolon was a tall, well built, man in his thirties who had come to become a Knight of the Round Table. He was immediately taken with the dark haired woman he saw in passing in the corridor his first night. The new knight had no idea this beauty was the sister of the King. He also did not realize she had fiery hair until seeing her in the sun, as she had such a deep auburn hair as to look black in the night! Accolon became even more taken with her when he saw the true vibrancy of her beauty in the sun.
Accolon nudged the knight next to him, who happened to be Lancelot, and asked who the lovely vision before them was. Lancelot smirked and said “That would be the official court Seer and Enchantress, the Lady Morgana. She is also sister to our Lord King!” This caused the other knight to whip his eyes to meet Lancelot’s.
“She is the King’s sister? I had no idea, well she is even more incredible, as I have heard tell that the King’s sister is the most intelligent and educated woman in all of Camelot! Is she involved with anyone? Would I have a chance?” He could not resist inquiring.
Lancelot looked at the man so fresh to the court of Camelot, and understood how it felt to fall in love with a woman you wondered if you could ever have. Unfortunately for Lancelot himself, he could never be with his love, Queen Guinevere. However, Accolon could have a real chance with Morgana. He said “She is widowed, her husband Urien was lost in battle three years past. The Lady did have a lover, Guiomar, for a while. Arthur did not accept his Queen’s cousin to be a good match, but that was mostly because Morgana had taken him as lover before Urien died. She never did love Urien, as it was a match for the King’s political advantage and not her happiness. Guiomar had provided some relief from that unhappiness, but he left court a year ago.”
Accolon felt himself fall even more in love with Morgana as he heard of her plight. “Do you think she would have anything to do with a new humble knight, such as myself?” He inquired.
“Let me introduce you, and we shall find out. However, I have known Morgana longer than anyone at court, and I cannot see her not wanting to get to know you.” Was his reply.
Without further discussion Lancelot called Morgana over to meet the nervous man before him. She walked over, and was immediately taken with the good looks of this new knight. His aura was strong and clear, and she felt herself drawn to him as she never had to anyone else before! “Hello, dear brother Lancelot! Who is this you have with you?”
“This is Sir Accolon, sister of my heart. He just got in to Camelot evening last, and was knighted by the King, your brother.” Was his swift reply.
Morgana dipped into a graceful curtsey and Accolon bowed deeply. When their eyes met it was a shock of electric charge that was felt running up each of their spines! Both knew that this had to be true love! “It is a great pleasure to meet such a lovely and accomplished Lady.” He said while kissing her hand.
“It is my great pleasure to meet such an eloquent and brave new knight. I know my brother, the King, is lucky to have you. You have such a strong aura, and I know you will accomplish great things!” Morgana told him.
Over the next two months Morgana and Accolon became inseparable. No one seemed to think that either could have been any happier. This meant that it was not long before rumors of an impending marriage spread throughout the court.
As these rumors grew stronger, Accolon thirsted to know even more about his beautiful lover. “When first we met Lancelot stated he had known you a very long time. How did you and he meet?”
Morgana looked up from her scrying mirror and stated “Lancelot was fostered in Avalon by my aunt Vivienne. I myself was raised their by my other aunt Nimue, who was then the leader of Avalon! It is there that I learned my craft, and honed my magic. Avalon is also where I first felt pulled to devote myself to the Great Goddess Rhiannon! Anyway, Lancelot was like a brother to me. It was I that helped him heal from his broken heart, when he fell in love with the Queen. She loved him also, but he was not willing to betray the King.”
Accolon felt more sorry for Lancelot than he ever had. It was still an open secret that he loved the Queen, but none at Camelot spoke of her reciprocating the affection. “I had no idea he had been through so much. I am glad he had you, as I know how amazing you are at comforting people!”
Morgana nodded and went over to kiss Accolon. She very quickly melted into the kiss. Every fiber of her being knew that she could never bed another person, as Accolon was her true soulmate! She knew he felt the same way about her, and that made her heart flutter. Guinevere had told her that very morning that Arthur had approved a match between her and Accolon, now he just needed to make it official.
It turned out this was when he planned to do just that. “My beautiful and brilliant Morgana I cannot imagine a life without you in it. I feel so blessed that you have chosen to share your life, your body, your sexuality, and your magic with me! So that is why I must ask you to be my bride today, will you marry me?”
Morgana nodded her head and kissed him again! They quickly made way for the bed. After a night of love making they planned a wedding for the following week. A quick wedding was not at all uncommon for the traditions of Camelot, and one and all rejoiced at the beautiful ceremony that bound Morgana and Accolon for the rest of their days!
A year after their marriage Morgana got news that her aunt Nimue wanted to pass on rule of Avalon to her. She could be the new Lady of the Lake, if she returned to Avalon! After a short discussion with her husband, the King and Queen, and Lancelot, she made the announcement that she and Accolon would be moving to Avalon.
She was in the position of Lady of the Lake for a decade when she heard tell that her nephew, Mordred, was causing trouble in Camelot. Unfortunately, the news reached her too late for her to be of much help. She could not prevent the events at Camlann, but she was able to go and collect Arthur with her aunts Nimue and Vivienne. The three Enchantresses, the three faeries, the three Queens, collected the body of Arthur and brought him to Avalon. Many say that Arthur is still in Avalon today, awaiting a time when his Kingdom might need him again! One thing I know to be true, and that is that Morgana is still there with Accolon. They are now immortals, with Morgana having used her magic to make them so, and together they are able to make sure new generations of witches and knights are ready to take on the challenges of the world! Theres is a marriage made of constant support and love, and that is why it has successfully lasted centuries.
~Finis~
White Rose of Avalon 