Let the giant come crashing down {Nimueh|Morgause}

[louderthensirens]

The Isle of the Blessed, or as the once a young girl, now a fully grown young woman referred to it as what was a beautiful place. She heard others call it Avalon although that name was wrong. The Isle of the blessed was the centre of the old religion. The isle itself was on a lake that was shrouded with mist. What was left of the Isle of the Blessed was now ruins.

In the centre of it all, was a circle of stones, with a block in the middle of it, in perfect condition. With swift steps Morgause carried herself to the stones, sheer red material fanning out like a trail behind her. She knew exactly what she would do, she knew little about her destiny, but she'd strayed from the path that she had been taught so long ago.

Magic was to be used selflessly, and it was her own selfishness that brought her back to the place that she had learnt so much from. Blond curls had glass beads amongst them and she placed a hand gingerly on the centre stone. Her ambitions were clear. She would simply take the Cup of Life, although she'd have to be quick before another of the priestesses caught her.

The Cup of Life was a sacred artefact, it was a powerful item, able to stop death, able to create the immortal and it would bring to her the most powerful weapon in the so called, war against magic. With the cup of life she'd be able to end it all, and simply finish off that stubborn old man in Camelot.

"I can practically hear her voice already." Morgause mused as she lifted her hand from the stone and whispered a few words, as she kept her hand suspended in mid-air. "Cennan calic æ." The old English spilling forth from her lips as if there was nothing to it.

"I'll clear the way, and let the giant come crashing down." The young woman smirked as she spoke and then glared as she realised the spell had not worked, there was no cup of life in her hand. The only thing that she'd think of that would counter her summoning spell, would be the magic of an even more powerful, more experienced sorceress. Lowering her hand, the blond woman pursed her lips before speaking once more.

"Let us cleanse this farce with fire, strike the fool who leads the liar. Let it all come crumbling down! Like the firebird from the ashes we will rise to lead the masses! No longer will I stand by and watch that man kill, it is time that he paid for what he has done." Morgause said loudly and clearly, knowing by now that she was simply not alone.

Tag: Nimueh
Setting: Isle of the Blessed
Timeline: Shortly before Nimueh's death and Morgause's quest for vengeance.
_{*Disclaimer* Title and quote inspired by Heather Dale's "Crashing Down" Images from Emilia's and Michelle's fansites respectively. Image font downloaded on Dafont.com, "Faith Collapsing"
**Cennan calic æ should translate to "Bring forth the Cup of Life"}

[Deleted]

Ambitions… ambitions paired with foolish and childish revenge, oh they could be the downfall of anyone, even the most promising. All day Nimueh had had a feeling that something grand was about to happen, something almost unequalled in history – and it would not be a good thing! The feeling had gnawed at her all day, until she finally had complied and consulted her scrying font down in the the depth of the ruined castle. What she had seen had been sketchy images, possibilities, nothing certain, but it had all come along with the destinct notion of her having to stop some madness that was about to occur, and the betrayal would come from her very own loins, or so to say!

Nimueh might not be one to talk when it came to using magic for personal gain, but she had always felt obliged to the rules the Old Religion set. It was her duty as the High Priestess, and it was more than that. She was the living representative of the power magic still held, and whatever she did could affect the magic’s very essence. It was a grave responsibility to bear, and yet she bore it gladly, this was her life.
With magic being outlawed for so long now, sharing her knowledge and the principles of the Old Religion with those who seeked to serve as priestesses had become vital. Now seeing these principles cast aside so thoroughly, even if she did not know yet how that would happen, was a threat to everything Nimueh stood for. She would not let that happen! Not as long as she had an ounce of willpower left inside her.

So she waited, hidden away near the place where she assumed this unthinkable action would happen, and there was only one she could think of: The henge and the altar! If it was something so changing, so threatening to the very foundations of rightfully used magic, it could only be a ritual of some sort.
And then she came… Morgause! Of all people, her most promising student! Had Nimueh still be subject to the most human emotions, she might now have felt hurt and betrayal, devastation even. But she had been betrayed too often in her life already to still care. All she thought inside was:… Fitting… in some strange way. The student wants to overcome the mistress.

Then Morgause spoke, first some unintelligible murmuring and then she raised her hand in an incantation. The cup of life! Suddenly the pieces fit together into a dreadful puzzle, a nightmarish picture. Had Morgause truly heeded NONE of her teachings? There was only one dangerous thing Nimueh could think of that could be connected with an artefact so pure as the cup of life: a distortion of the highest magic, life and death… using and artefact of life to create death. It left her dazed, but not enough to not quickly intercept the spell. “Tócwiðee!“¹

Morgause was smart, she must know now that she was not alone, and the words she spoke, defiant as they were, could be surely directed to herself. So there was no need of hiding anymore, this needed to be put right, Nimueh had to put an end to it, and better force Morgause to never attempt such foolishness again.
“A nice verse you thought up there, Morgause LeFay”, she said, stepping into the henge. “It makes me wonder. Do you really think I would have let you do this? Are you really that foolish?”


¹: I forbid!

[louderthensirens]

Once a student, once naive and unsure, she was certain this was what the Mother Goddess wanted. Magic had been branded as an evil art, as well as the Old Religion. It was unknown to her, that it was people like herself that caused the ancient belief to grow to be hated. She however felt it in her blood that it was her duty to change that. It was her destiny to bring it back to Albion, or at least to take revenge for what Uther the king of Camelot had done. This was her very reason for being at the Stone Henge, the essence of her reasoning. And to have it kept from her was something she was not pleased about.

She knew the risks and the dangers associated with what she was doing. She'd been raised by the priestesses of the Old Religion, and had become one herself. She served only the Goddess. Even then, her own sacrifices were selfish. Her head raised as she lowered her hand and her lips tugged into a smug smirk. She knew exactly who it was that had stopped her from taking the Cup of Life. There was only one woman she could think of that would even have reason to be in the castle ruins.

Her mentor, and her guidance from when she was a child stood in the way of her path to paying Uther back for taking away her mother and father, as well as her sister. She did not personally remember the events that had transpired twenty summers ago, only that of what she had been told. As the blond woman heard the words that were sharp as knives she couldn't help but keep her smirk. She turned her attention from the sacrificial stone alter in the centre of the henge and brown eyes settled on the older woman.

"Ah, my dear teacher. High Priestess Nimueh. Did I believe that you would allow me to? No. I'm not a foolish child anymore. I'm a grown woman and I serve the goddess. It's time now to repay the dear king for what he has done to our people. There are two options. You allow me to do as I please... Or you don't and serve the consequences." Morgause stated. She was confident that she'd have the skill in magic to do anything she needed. It was time for the Old Religion to come back, and she'd do anything in her power to make those that defy her suffer as many curses as she knew.

[Deleted]

Nimueh took some time to examine the woman before her – yes indeed, a grown woman now, eager to maker her own way, live by her own rules, not the child anymore that had come to the Isle it seemed so long ago, in need for guidance and willing to subordinate to both the ancient teachings and the women teaching them. This time, however, seemed irrevocably at an end. Morgause was not the first to try and overthrow the mistress, but she surely was the one with the fiercest determination. This sentiment, determination, almost was tangible in the air around her, surrounding her like a shimmering aura. She did not do this just because she could, she had a purpose. And Nimueh knew from very own experience that people with purposes and the means to push them through, had to be considered the most dangerous.

The oddest thing about this whole encounter was that Morgause and Nimueh could still be considered on the same side, as they were fighting the same foe and had the same goal in the long run. It was all just a matter of the means. A debate of principles. Should one really stoop down to the lowest parts of forbidden paths to achieve a goal? Could one forsake the pillars of the world and not expect the very same world to crumble down? For Nimueh the standing was more than clear: No, it was impossible. She might be merciless, she might have a heart of stone, but she believed strongly in what she had been raised to protect. Such an untertaking could only go wrong and it would damage more than it resolved. The end did not justify all means, some things had to remain unthinkable!

Nimueh was not fooled by the fake softness in Morgause’s voice, she sensed a fight was coming on. A war of principles, or a fight over domination. Either way, she would not back down in this!
”Do you assume if I had thought this way of solving our problem to be of any success, I would not have tried it myself? And is that a threat I sense in your words?” Nimueh took another step forward, her face a mask of contempt and hidden fury. “You might think yourself so high above me, child” she used the word on purpose, “but let me assure you, I’ve roamed this earth a considerable longer time than you did, and I know where the limits are of what we can presume to do.”

She hoped dearly Morgause was still responsive to reason. No good could come out of using the Cup of Life in such a horrendous way! “Think back to your History of Magic lessons Morgause. What became of the sorceror who tried the same as you want to do now?”

[louderthensirens]

They had the same goal, and she herself realised this very fact. This was simply an obstacle in her way. She had only her determination to keep her from backing down against the older woman. As far as she knew the only views differentiating them in this case was as to how it would go about. She had been hoping not to deal with the high priestess. Alas, she had no such luck and she knew that this would not end well if she didn't back down soon. Yet, at the same time she was not the type of person to back down from anything. She could fight any man, she could do any task so long as the Goddess willed it and she worked hard enough.

She smirked upon the next set of words that Nimueh had responded with. She chuckled and straightened her stance to stand tall although she was a mere two and a half centimetres shorter. Morgause mimicked the other woman by taking a step closer. "Would you have? I wouldn't think you'd have the heart to do it, even if you wanted to." She calmly responded with a chilling undertone. It annoyed her enough to even be bothered to argue with the older woman, and yet she had to do it. All things had a consequence be it good or bad. The outcome was like a flip of a coin, it could go one way, or it could take a turn and go the other way.

"And I do believe that it was a threat. There are two sides to this. Those for and those against bringing down that man." She stated, which was true. "Don't disappoint me on that. I know what I must do." She stated, although she was reminded of the story of what had happened. "if it is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver ¹... Imagine what it will feel like to overthrow that which has overthrown the lives of many and ended them in cold blood." She paused then decided to go back to her statement of deceiving the deceiver. That was exactly what she'd have to do in order for her plan to work. She changed her demeanour.

Her stance grew to be lax and she bowed her head, not willing to meet the older woman's eyes as she'd be seen right through if she did. Eyes were the window to the soul and they could tell anything about a person. "You are right, it was wrong of me to even think that it would work against Uther Pendragon. There would be innocent lives lost if I used the cup of life, it was all a test of your faith in me, Nimueh." The lies came easily off her tongue.

_{¹ Reference to a quote by Niccolò Machiavelli}

[Deleted]

Had she expected such defiance? Definitely not when she first came here to intervene, but really, now she thought about it, Morgause had always had her own mind. That didn’t ease the virtual blow to Nimueh’s face though, when she found her pupil so thoroughly on the war path. Not that she expected submission of any kind, the priestesses were like a sisterhood who were equals with only their High Priestess was some sort of leader they looked for guidance. The other priestesses also served her, as Nimueh was considered the vessel which could be filled with the magical entity that was the source of the Old Religion: The Goddess’ Own Power. And now Morgause wanted to meddle with the very same power, threatening to throw the world irrevocably off balance. That had almost happened when the last sorceror had tried, who knew what would happen if a woman with Morgause’s abilities and knowledge overstepped that line?

Nimueh had to use certain tools of her training to keep composed by that outrageous accusation. Was Morgause even in her right mind? How DARE she assume Nimueh was not determined to overthrow Uther? Had not the HEART to do it? If anyone in the world had the heart for this, it would be Nimueh Ó Liatháin!
“The heart to do what? Overthrow Uther? Oh, my dear child, I think we both know very well that I have! Or do you mean I lack the courage to use the cup? Well then let me tell you that this has nothing to do with courage but common sense – of which I see you profoundly lacking!”
She had not even raised her voice yet, but every word was laced with sheer authority. If she only wanted, Nimueh could call down the terrors of hell on Morgause, and that knowledge was might. If someone wanted to rear up against the authority of things, then he might try, but he better knew about the risks he – or she! – was taking!

She was really going through with it! Nimueh almost had to admire the sheer cheek of Morgause, setting up the battle lines like that. And then again, the way she spoke just made clear that this was nothing but the antics of a stubborn child. Nothing like she had not seen before. Morgause had never been able to accept the given, Nimueh could vividly remember a scene where the little girl simply refused to accept that there had been rain on her birthday. She had been storming out, shouting up at the clouds, trying to perform weather magic far, far too advanced for her. Wasn’t it almost the same now? Just that the foe had changed?
“Morgause, clearly”, Nimueh scoffed, crossing her arms. “In those many years here you should have learned one thing: There are NEVER just two sides to a thing. Life, the real life, not the ideal world you wish for, is not that easy! Yes, I do wish nothing more than to see Uther Pendragon wiped off the face of this earth, but I would never, hear me: NEVER stoop so low as to betray the very substance of what I am made of!”

Deceiving the deceiver… those words echoed in Nimueh’s mind, and it were those words making her wary towards Morgause’s complete turn. Yes, she knew this young woman to be impulsive and changing like the weather, but this… was too much of a show of goodwill. Nimueh saw herself as a mistress of deception, and Morgause might know that too. So, if this quote had been for her…
“A test? Ah, I see”, she replied with a relenting smile. “Well, if this is a test, I’m sure you would like to know how you fared, right?” She took another step closer, the smile suddenly wiped from her face. “Failed, Morgause, utterly failed. Do you really think you can fool me? I’ve known you since you were a child! And how dare you lie to me!” Her voice cracked like a whip now. “Have you no respect?!”

[louderthensirens]

The whole scene was going far, far different from the one that had played through her mind's eye earlier in the day. The very fact that it had risen to this degree of hostility between mistress and student had proven to her that it would be a difficult task just to get what needed to be completed, done. She knew that she'd most likely be banished for what she was attempting. This was going against the high priestess' very commands and by that was going against the mother goddess. Still, Morgause wanted more then anything to knock Uther off his throne. She'd do it one way or another, even if she had to tear down Camelot brick by brick.

With the risks she was taking, the end result would by far be something farther from what she wanted. Her words had clearly been mistaken for having another meaning. She'd listened carefully to each and every word that the woman in the more powerful position held. It seemed that she had struck a nerve amongst the older woman's response. Despite the fact that Nimueh hadn't even raised her voice, the tone of the words responded held enough to strike caution into her very soul.

"That may have been my intended meaning. Not about bringing down Uther. I know just as well as you that you'd do it within a flash of lightning. I just don't think you'd have the heart to go through with just any method of disposal. You're like a mother, you wouldn't have the will to do something that... would go against your heart. I don't think you'd prefer to kill." The young maiden stated. It wasn't meant to be disrespectful in that aspect, just what she'd truthfully believed. To her, it was simply another means of getting a job done, not to bring an end of the world, just to an undeserving ruler.

Stubborn as she may have been, it was what she believed needed to happen. For the end of Uther's reign would bring many changes. The revival of magic and the old religion was amongst the possibilities that would be the final outcome of the actions taken until the next king or queen was crowned. Though she knew that it would be a king. The end of the topic had come in the form of the brunette staring at her with a disapproving look and crossed arms. The body language was what kept her from truly speaking against the older, much more seasoned priestess.

Lips pressed in a firm line she watched as Nimueh stepped ever closer. With the change of her mentor's stance she felt more likely to relax. What was said in response pulled her out of the reassured feeling of being in the right, and put her on high alert. She knew in the long run if it came down to it, she'd not have enough power in her to take on the more experienced sorceress. "Yes, a test." Morgause stated, voice filled with false remorse. The smile on Nimueh's face had faded before her confirmation had been completed. She had been seen right through it seemed. And the tone the elder used was enough to physically make her flinch. It was true what Nimueh had said. The high priestess had known her from a very young age, having been lead out of Camelot at an age she couldn't even remember twenty summers previous.

"Have I not any respect for you? Of course I have respect for you, my lady." Morgause felt genuinely offended and her brown eyes narrowed. "Do you know of any other way to bring upon the end of Uther's reign? To bring the old religion back into the light of day? I want to bring back open worship of the Goddess, which can not happen while that man hunts down our kin!" She argued, a hand over her heart for dramatic flair.

[Deleted]

Morgause's statement made Nimueh laugh. Actually laugh, though totally mirthless. She, not the heart to do something? The naive girl got it all wrong! Being a mother to the faith they bothed believed in, being the guardess of magic, did not mean being tender and caring. It might be so in theory, but the circumstances clearly left no room for kid gloves. Insinuating, nay even ACCUSING her of lacking the stamina to do what was necessary, addressing her the tender heart of a mother... that truly was a laugh! Nimueh could think of no one that was less of a motherly type in her eyes than herself. She had been fighting for the cause of magic long before Morgause had even seen the light of day! Being told now what was best for the Old Religion by a schoolgirl, that was clearly pushing it! It was about time to put Morgause back into her rightful place!

"This has nothing to do with my heart, Morgause, I assure you!" she retorted coolly, glowering at the young woman. "If my heart and mind were at war about this, you should know which I would follow. What keeps me from even considering this option is knowing that it is foolish, with no prospect of success! Even if we wanted we cannot forsake the rules of magic without dire consequences, and this, Morgause!" she locked her gaze, trying to get her point across, "is shaking magic to its foundations. It's madness, that's what it is, because what magic gives in one place, it takes away in another, without mercy! Remember the balance of the world!"
How was magic supposed to be restored when its disciples didn't even honor the most basic of its rules? It was a shame what this world had come to in so little years!

Nimueh was almost tempted to let Morgause have her way, just so she could see what she refused to acknowlegde by mere spoken words. It might very well be the death of Morgause, as those corrupting and distorting magic in such a deep way made a deal with the black void, the fearful space where the damned souls went. Uther had payed the price, being punished to a life without the person most dear to him, it was his own personal black void. Look where it got him! Lashing out blindly, condemning thousands to share his state of misery. And the High Priestess has the sickening feeling of foreboding that whoever helped Morgause in this would be destroyed in one way or the other. This time Nimueh wanted no part of it. Even tolerating would be seen as conspiring in the end, no she couldn't allow it. Not while she still had breath in her lungs to protest!

At least the young priestess seemed sufficiently impressed by her show of power, Nimueh observed. The flinch was pure satisfaction for the High Priestess, though Morgause's ongoing show of defiance diminished it a little. At least she was now talking in questions, not stating selfmade facts. Her fervor for the Old Religion did her much credit, but it had to be channelled into the right path!
"Sometimes it is as important to know which way NOT to go as to know which way to go", she tried to explain. The show the younger woman was putting on was a little unnerving, but there was no harm in showing the will to debate. Nimueh might not care about the impressions others got from her, she did not live to be liked. Sometimes though it was better to keep from making yourself even more enemies.
"Bringing down Uther is more difficult than we all first thought, as he knows how to fuel the people's fear of the unfathomable. Fear can become hate that kills, they say. It is more than true. But by chosing such paths, abusing magic and failing with it, we only play into his hands."

[louderthensirens]

It was not something that she understood when Nimueh began to laugh. The laugh held a tone devoid of gaiety. It struck something deep within her. The very simple fact that the older woman was laughing at her words. It was true that to her Nimueh was a motherly figure. Someone that taught her the ways of the Old Religion. And yet she knew that it was not exactly the best way to describe the older woman.

"This has nothing to do with-" That was where she stopped listening to her mentor. She had expected some long rant to be given, her own gaze locking every now and then with the older woman's before she turned her head away and ignored it again. "-Cannot forsake the rules of magic-" and the woman kept rambling on and on. "-Remember the balance of the world!" And it was her turn to speak then. She didn't know how to respond though.

It was almost common knowledge how it would work if her purpose was to be completed, the outcome would not be favourable to many, but still would be better then allowing the idiot of a king to continue lashing out at the people of the old religion, just to bring forth a reign of terror and get what he thinks lost. It was not something she could allow to continue for much longer. Twenty years of horror was enough and it was time for it to end. She could wait no more to bring a suffering to Uther Pendragon and his kin. The suffering that had been brought by him was more then her driving force, it was the very reason for her goal. She wouldn't stop until that stubborn old man was gone.

There were things that she could not do. As long as her mentor lived, she knew that the cup of life, would be, and remain a finger tip's distance away from her grasp. Vengeance was sweet, but to be set aside made it all that much more bitter. She needed some form of control, and she had to play the part of a puppeteer for as long as she could.
"Sometimes it is as important to know which way NOT to go as to know which way to go. Bringing down Uther is more difficult than we all first thought, as he knows how to fuel the people's fear of the unfathomable. Fear can become hate that kills, they say. It is more than true. But by chosing such paths, abusing magic and failing with it, we only play into his hands." Nimueh had said. That was true enough but she wouldn't fail. Still, she had to play with Nimueh as a child would play. She had to be cruel, cunning, and manipulative.
"Then Nimueh, teach me how to go about this. I don't know any other way to bring him down. Guide me through this, I beg of thee." Morgause said, trying to sound desperate. She wanted solely for Nimueh to help her in some shape or form at this point. "I understand that I was wrong, but teach me the right way to do this."

[Deleted]

Nimueh couldn’t even tell if Morgause was listening still, or if she wasn’t just simply tuning out what the High Priestess, her teacher and mentor said, and that enraged her too. That might be the way of a rebelling disciple to deal with the annoyance all teaching caused, but it still was disrespectful, and Nimueh demanded respect. She earned it after all. She was the one keeping this island still a place where magic could be practiced – and moreover: learned – without anyone having to fear prosecution and death. It was a safe haven for everyone of magical blood, and only her quick reaction after the Great Purge had started kept this place safe still. There had been a time when the Isle of the Blessed had been open to anyone, the boat ferrying over the applicants and priestesses to be with hardly a day of pause. Now the boat only was there when someone was invited here, someone without vile intentions towards the island and its inhabitants. Hadn’t it been for that, this stronghold might not have lasted a day under Uther’s cruel reign!

At least not everything could have gone past Morgause’s ears unnoticed, as her almost desperate reply clearly showed. Nimueh was still wary about her disciples motives, she might still just say that to appease her and wait until she turned her back and try again, but then again, Morgause WAS impulsive and needed guidance. Maybe her words had fallen on good soil after all. That’s at least what the High Priestess liked to think. One of her greatest weaknesses was her vanity that made her easy to flatter. Not so much normally by females, but she relished in the thought of being the one her priestesses turned to for advice. It was her birth right after all.
So she told herself Morgause was merely acting a little foolish and too rash, and with the right words of guidance, she would let go of her irrational thinking. Nimueh would surely find the right words to convince her – only that Morgause had put the finger straight on it! It WAS a delicate task to finally bring down Uther, and most of her own plans had already failed as well.

“Well, first we need to stay within the rules the goddess taught us. Respect the balance of the world”, she said, putting a comforting hand on Morgause’s shoulder. “And within those range there is still much we can do. We can raise an army without making it immortal, an army of magical beings which we help to build by keeping this place alive. We must be watchful for any weaknesses Uther might show – and there are many of those. And then finally”, she locked Morgause’s gaze to get the point across, “we must know who our secret enemies are as well. Right now The Pendragons are protected by magic without even knowing it. Powerful, yet still unexperienced.”