Arthur was standing in the trono room, his back against his throne. There wasn’t anyone but him alone in there. He looked around and every puwang which usually is well covered for special occasions seems empty today. There was not even the sight of Merlin, his loyal servant who usually puts his nose onto anything and everything. He was there all sa pamamagitan ng himself.
“Looking for someone, Arthur?”
Arthur wheeled around and spotted Morgana leaning against the throne, smirk plastered on her face. Arthur clenched his teeth at the sight of his one time friend, now traitorous half-sister. His face taut and dark with anger, he strode forward.
“What are you doing here, Morgana?” he asked, closing in.
Morgana smiled and looked at Arthur affectionately. “Ohh … Arthur. Is this how you greet a long time friend, or should I say, your sister?”
“I will never accept you as my sister, Morgana, not after what you’ve done to my father and Camelot”
“But I thought I was doing you a favour, Arthur. I got rid of our tyrant father and now you’re the king and from what I hear of the reports, you are doing pretty well, brother”
“What do you want?” Arthur stressed his words and closed in the dais. He stopped short of the trono and glared at Morgana.
“Arthur, you know I want nothing but this throne. It is mine rightfully, and you know that.”
“Since when have you become interested in ruling a kingdom, Morgana? I thought subjects on politics bored you to death.”
“Let’s say I’ve had a change of puso recently. I discovered I could be good at running my own kingdom, only I don’t have a kingdom yet. Wouldn’t hurt if I used Camelot as my target practice. Besides, I was here, remember. I know every brick and stone in here and wouldn’t have any problem fitting in”
“And you figured it would be easy? Just walk right in claim your rights, using my father’s name …”
“Ours … our father’s name!!” Morgana hissed. Arthur ignored her.
“Using my father’s name as your claim to the throne? Is that it?”
“Shouldn’t it be such in the first place? If only he had ibingiay it to me, I would have spared his life, Arthur. Stop blaming his death on me, he brought it all down on himself.”
“Enough, Morgana!!” Arthur barked at her. She smiled and watched him menacingly. She enjoyed this, and he could tell from the way she watched his response. Arthur sighed and looked away.
“Why? Why did you do this? You were part of this family, Morgana, and we all loved you. Father … he adored you, and yet, why? If you wanted this trono so badly, all you needed to do was ask. Ask me and I would have happily ibingiay it up, for you! Why did you hurt us like this?”
“Because, Arthur … I was hurt! I was hurt when I found out I was Uther’s pag-ibig child and he wouldn’t accept me rightfully. Not in the face of the public. In private, yes: Morgana my child, my daughter, my pag-ibig … this, that!! But ask him to declare me in public, he’d rather cut his own thumb than do that. I was hurt, Arthur!! I was humiliated and hurt. And the powers … when I found out I was a seer, that I could do magic …” Morgana smiled in between her pain. “I was worried for my life. I was worried I’d be slaughtered or executed like everyone else and had no one to talk to, confide or turn to. I was helpless and all alone. Until Morgeuse walked into my life and gave me true meaning. She, Morgeuse, taught me to be bravo and appreciate the gift to the fullest. She taught me the real meaning of magic and helped me overcome my anxiety. It was she who gave me life Arthur. I was dying within these walls and she rescued me!! That’s why … that is why I plotted my vengeance, and got most of it!” she said, laughing bitterly.
“Most of it?”
“You didn’t die, did you? You … have to be one of the luckiest people in this world, Arthur. How many times … have I tried to get you killed and failed? You just seem to have the knack of sensing your danger before it happens. How do you do that?”
“This is nonsense Morgana … look, I will grant you full pardon if you change your ways and come back to us. A brother to a sister plea. We’ve been mga kaibigan before and you know I keep my words. Just change your ways and I will pardon you”
“Who needs your filthy pardon, Arthur?” Morgana hissed and circled the trono before sitting down. “Why would you need to pardon me when I have taken the throne?” she laughed.
Arthur reached for his sword but his sword was missing. Morgana laughed harder. He looked at her and stepped pasulong only to be flung back sa pamamagitan ng Morgana’s powers. Arthur crashed onto the floor.
“Arthur … I did ask you nicely didn’t I?” she laughed again. Arthur picked himself up but sa pamamagitan ng then the doors flung open and Helios walked in, followed sa pamamagitan ng his men. Arthur rose to his feet and fought with a number of man who came pasulong to arrest him. They out numbered him easily. Helios punched Arthur in his stomach and then on his face, halting the king from struggling and putting up a fight.
“Helios … that’s my brother. And haven’t I told you to be nice to the king?”
Helios smiled and ordered his men to drag Arthur forward. They did as ordered and brought Arthur to kneel before Morgana. Arthur stared at his one-time friend, and despite the pain on his face, his cursed under his breath that he’ll survive this and see the last of her himself. Morgana leaned against her trono and pouted.
“Feeling sorry for yourself Arthur? Oh, where are your knights of round table? Didn’t see any of them around?”
“My knights are loyal to me and Camelot. They will not serve you and your imagined kingdom!”
“Too bad, I was thinking of making an offer to all of them … what did you say Arthur? Loyal? Like Lancelot? Speaking of which …” she searched the place and looked down on Arthur again. “Where’s Gwen? I would like to see her, perhaps you can arrange something? She is my friend after all, and there is so much catching up to do”
“She isn’t here anymore. I banished her.”
“Ahhh!!” Morgana clasped her mouth and gasped in pretend shock. “Banish … you mean, banished! Why? What have you done? Arthur … how could you? She is my friend… how could you?” Morgana trembled with her words. Arthur was confused. Morgana hated everyone in Camelot yet, could it be possible? Realization dawned when the sneer and the mischievous laughter followed.
“After what she had done, all you could do is banish her? You are weaker than Uther, pathetic to the core!”
“How did you know?”
“Because silly, I made that possible!” and she continued to laugh.
“What are you saying Morgana?” Arthur’s puso thumped. ‘She made it happen?’ what is this new rubbish Morgana is informing him.
“Why do you think Lancelot arrived a araw before your marriage? And Gwen, all pure and innocent with only you in her mind could easily sway her attention to Lancelot, a araw before your wedding? Doesn’t that suggest you something?”
    Arthur’s mouth dropped open. ‘What happened that day?’ he thought as he recalled back the doomed night he found Gwen and Lancelot together. The larawan were still vivid and haunted him each night. He had blamed Gwen for what he saw and believed if Gwen hadn’t betrayed him, Lancelot would have paid the price. Yet, Gwen admitted her fault and he had believed since then that Gwen is at fault. Until now. What exactly Morgana is suggesting?
“Oh dear, I have to do everything myself, don’t I? Fine, I’ll be the bad guy …” Morgana rolled her eyes. “Arthur, brother … I revived Lancelot from death and sent him here, a araw before your wedding. And I gave Lancelot an enchanted bracelet to give Gwen. I made her fall in pag-ibig with Lancelot! I enchanted them both!” Morgana laughed bitterly and Helios and his men joined in.
Arthur couldn’t hear any laughter, neither did her hear what Morgana was talking about. All he could hear was the thumping of his puso against his ribcage. It was loud and trying to send out a message to his head. It’s like as if the puso was telling the head, “Look what you’ve done!! Look what you’ve done!” Arthur’s head spun as he recalled all those words he told her, no yelled at her. He was rough with her, shook and frightened her like a beast would its prey, shown her no sympathy, ignored her pleas and completely accused her of something she didn’t even commit. He gave her no chance to redeem herself. He found her guilty and punished her, severely. And she had accepted it whole heartedly. Because she thought she had betrayed him and deserved to be punished. She had loved him so much to accept any sort of punishment that came from him, even if it meant they’d never see each other again. Arthur closed his eyes and felt tears trickling down his cheek. He made a mistake, he made the costliest mistake in his life and there is no way he can redeem what he had done. Guinevere paid the price for loving him truthfully and now, he must madala half of that price as well. He loves her, even after the betrayal and the constant denial that followed, he had always loved her. She was all around him, reminding him through someone or something and though he bickered that she was out of his life, deep down he knew she will always be there. Only the betrayal was plaguing him each night. Thanks to Morgana, now he’d be free of that plague. Guinevere is innocent. His Guinevere is innocent and pure. Will always be. And he will never doubt her again. No matter who or what the circumstances are, he trusts her with his life.
Someone clipped his chin and lifted him up. Morgana was smiling at him.
“Truth hurts, doesn’t it Arthur?” she sinabi and released him.
“Why Gwen? She did you no harm?”
“She was going to take my crown, Arthur. Now that’s a threat I couldn’t just ignore!” she replied and walked back to the trono and sat down. “I knew her secrets and played them well to my plan. Poor Lancelot, he was innocent as well … but fitted into my plans so perfectly. I enchanted them both and destroyed your wedding! I scored madami than I bargained for, Arthur. I destroyed you and Gwen, stopped the wedding, saved my crown and made her flee, forever!”
“You …” Arthur choked back his tears and dropped his head. He couldn’t carry on. The emotional turmoil he is going through is far worst than any battle wounds he suffered in his life. His puso is scarred forever. Tainted with guilt, how could he face Guinevere again? What will she say when she finds out the truth? How can he expect her to accept him back in her life knowing he doubted their pag-ibig and trust? How could he even see her in the eye and apologise? His puso ached. If Morgana were to execute him now, he’d fully accept the punishment. He deserved to die. After what he had done to Guinevere, causing her so much pain and hurt … he didn’t deserve to live.
“You were saying?” Morgana asked.
Arthur looked up at her and as he opened his mouth, the doors of the trono room exploded and the knights along with Merlin rushed in. Morgana shouted and raised her arm. Merlin and the knights were all flung about the hall. Arthur screamed his lungs out.


“No!!! Guinevere!!!” Arthur snapped open his eyes and stared above him. Perspiration matted his blond hair and he was breathing rapidly. He was shivering and despite having a blanket over him, he still shivered. There were bandages all over his body and the injuries ached here and there. But the pain he sustained while fleeing Camelot comes to nothing compared with the pain his puso endured when he listened to Morgana’s confession about her part in getting Gwen enchanted. It wasn’t a dream he had a while ago. It was his memory, rekindling all those confessions about his Guinevere. How he yearned for her now. How he wished she was here beside him. He needs her. No. He wants her! He wants her badly because there is so much he needs to tell her. He wants to apologise and ask for her forgiveness. He wants her to slap him for being such a fool. He wants to balutin her in his arms and never let her go. He wants to keep her with him all his life. He wants to tell her his life, his kingdom and his kingship would mean nothing without her. He wants her to pag-ibig him once more, like she had always done. He wants to marry her. And no matter what happens this time, he wants to give her a perfect wedding and be a perfect husband to her forever. Arthur shut his eyes and fresh tears rolled at the corner of his eyes. Someone stroked his cheek and laid a halik on his forehead. Arthur recognised the halik and the touch. He snapped his eyes open. Guinevere was smiling down on him. Arthur couldn’t believe what he saw.
“Arthur …”
“Guinevere … please forgive me” he sinabi and reached up to pull her down and sealed her lips with his.