The slow burning candles in Anwen’s chambers filled them with light and subtle scent of moon orchid. Hair swept up in elegant buns, Anwen and Kyna were kneeling in front of small statute of Mother Goddess; praying for the souls of their ancestors and asking them to bestow blessings to them, their families and friends. The bell started to mark midnight but Kyna was interrupted from her prayer when she suddenly started to feel slightly pressure in her chest and heard audible gasp from Anwen.
Looking at her fellow priestess, Kyna felt panic fill her mind at the sight of Anwen holding her palm splayed across her chest, just above her heart; gasping for air and blood tears streaming down her face. Her other hand helplessly flailed as she tried to keep her balance and not to keel over.
“Anwen…Anwen! What’s happening?!” Kyna tried to break through what seemed like some sort of trance by the looks of Anwen’s glazed eyes.
“M-Morgana.” Anwen managed to rasp out between gasps, it was a painful sight to behold and the pressure in Kyna’s chest still held its footing. “The Veil.”
“No…that cannot be. The Veil was not disturbed for two hundred years.”
“You…you feel the weight and the chill. Remember what Rhiannon taught us about the spirit world?”
“Do you think this is her vengeance?”
“I know it is. Get Arthur and tell him the Veil was t…” Anwen’s eyes rolled in the back of her head and became limp in Kyna’s arms.
Kyna was well aware her friend was merely unconscious but she was afraid nevertheless. She felt the pressure lift from her chest and with little body control she had over her fear captured body, she hauled Anwen to her bed.
“Guards!”
The doors opened with loud ‘bang’ and two young guards came in, shock written on their faces at the sigh of Anwen’s blood smeared face.
“Get Prince Arthur here! Now!” she commanded before grabbing the cloth and basin full of water they prepared for quick refreshing after the prayer; and started to wipe away the blood.
“What happened here?”
Arthur’s shocked and fearful voice made her jump when he suddenly appeared in Anwen’s chambers. His blue eyes were screaming with need for answers and Kyna knew that Anwen’s current unconscious state distressed him very much.
“I am not exactly sure…One moment we were praying and the next Anwen’s started gasping for air and I felt this pressure in my chest that was followed with a chill.” Kyna replied rather shakily.
“At least she did not pass out from drinks like Merlin.”
Kyna froze in her movement for just a split second before she continued.
“Merlin?” she did her best to sound merely interested and not terrified; Merlin was way more powerful than two of them and he most definitely would have felt the tearing of the Veil.
“Yes, the half wit must have been drinking with Gwaine when I was not looking. Kissed the floor splendidly.”
‘If you only knew what really happened to him, you would not ridicule him.’ Kyna thought angrily.
“Oh…Well if Gaius...” She was cut of by painful groan that escaped Anwen’s throat and looked down to see her best friend’s eyes slowly opening.
“Anwen?”
“What happened?”
“What happened?! You cried tears of blood and started choking after which you passed out. You’ve been out for at least twenty minutes.”
Anwen slowly sat up in her bed, not caring for the blood stains on her dress and bedding and looked up to see Arthur standing in front of her, shock and fear clearly written on his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
“Anwen…what happened? Is it possible you conducted your prayers wrong?”
“No Arthur…I have been doing these prayers since I was old enough to understand them. No…I fear that what caused me to pass out is much more serious than a prayer. Morgana…Morgana has torn the Veil between the worlds.”
“What?!”
“Yes…I had a bad feeling that she was up to something but I had no idea she would disturb the Veil. No one has in over two hundred years.”
“How does one even tear this Veil?” Arthur felt his panic starting to mingle with his anger which resulted in lashing it out on two women present but they did not as much as bat an eyelash at that.
“With blood sacrifice.”
“You mean she killed someone?”
“Most likely Morgause. I believe this is her vengeance on Camelot.”
“What have I done for her to hate me that much?”
“It has nothing to do with you Arthur. How many times must I point that out?”
“What exactly did she do?”
“She opened the door between the world of the dead and world of the living. If I remember correctly, this action unleashes the spirits of the dead into our world.” Kyna cut in.
“How do we repair it?”
“I…”
Kyna placed a strong grip on Anwen’s swaying figure.
“You need to sleep right now, I have never seen this happen to you before. We shall discuss this in the morning.”
“But…”
“No buts. This is the most terrifying thing that has happened to you Anwen and you scared me inch to death. I need sleep as well.” Kyna looked at Arthur who looked like he was about to protest as well. “Do not argue with me Arthur Pendragon. I suggest you get some good night’s sleep too because if we are right, then we won’t be having much sleep any time soon.”
Arthur knew Kyna was dead serious because she never addressed him by his full name and her eyes were probably mirroring his own when it came to their current emotional states. He glanced once again at his cousin that fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow before nodding his good night to Kyna and left the chambers as that hidden guilt of not noticing Morgana’s betrayal sooner re-emerged from the depths of his unconsciousness, spreading it’s cold, heavy tentacles around his heart.