King Henry

Chapter 49 - Merlin Visits the Dowager Queen

***** Merlin's Point of View *****

Merlin couldn't shake the feeling that his destiny was to be the peacekeeper, that he was the only one that could reconcile things between Henry and his mother to prevent this war. A few years ago Mary Margaret had told Merlin she loved him more than she had ever loved any man, so if any part of that love still existed, maybe there was hope that he could reason with her.

He was going to try to convince her disguised as someone else first and then if that didn't work, he'd reveal who he really was as a last resort, if it came down to that. Henry and Lord Buxley had tried to talk him out of going to see her, but he had to do this. If it worked he could save a lot of lives, so he had to take that chance, even if it ended up costing him his own.

Using his magic, he transformed himself into a royal guard and approached the castle, walking right through the front gate without anyone saying a word.

He hadn't set foot in that castle in three years and being there again brought back a lot of memories, most of them not so good. It reminded him of Henry's father, the man that he had once considered his best friend before he betrayed his trust by having an affair with his wife. Being here again made the guilt from that hit him really hard, but he stifled it down because there was no time to dwell on that right now.

As he walked down the hallway of the castle, he saw Duke Montelbane. He had never liked or trusted that man. He was two-faced and always played both sides, so you never knew if he was really for or against you. He remembered that Henry had mentioned the Duke was working as his mother's personal advisor now, so he was the perfect person to transform into to have a conversation with her to gather information. He had to get rid of the real Duke Montelbane first though, or else his cover would be blown if he showed up.

Merlin checked to make sure the hallway was clear before sneaking up behind the Duke and covering his mouth with a cloth that was soaked in a special potion that would make him lifeless for several hours.

After his body went limp in his arms, he quickly dragged him over into an alcove and hid him behind a suit of armor. Then he held onto the medallion around his neck and whispered, "transformatus fertur vir Duke Montelbane," and his body slowly transformed into the Duke. Transforming gave him a weird tickling sensation that hurt like the pins and needles you get when your foot falls asleep, but he had gotten used to it.

He tucked the medallion back underneath the collar of his robe and then he looked into the large mirror that was hanging in the hallway across from him, seeing the reflection of a wrinkly old man staring back at him. No one would suspect a thing, he thought as he straightened up his robe. Then he walked down the hallway, approaching some guards who opened the large, heavy wooden doors for him.

When he entered the throne room he saw Guinevere sitting on Henry's throne, wearing his golden bejeweled crown on top of her head and to her right was a man Merlin didn't recognize. He assumed it must be her new husband since he was sitting on a throne beside Guinevere, holding her hand.

Then he noticed a woman standing to Guinevere's left, facing the other direction and he could instantly tell who it was. He would know her anywhere. Mary Margaret turned around and she looked exactly the same as he remembered, minus the crown she used to wear. Her long, dark brown hair was silky with a slight wave and her dark eyes contrasted with her pale skin, making her green eyes stand out even more.

She had always been such a beautiful woman. Even though she was in her late forties, she could've easily competed in the looks department against women in their early twenties and won. She had always used her beauty as a weapon though, another tool she could use to manipulate people to get what she wanted, and she was good at it.