A few more years pass and Thomas matures from a boy into a young man. He is physically fit and strong, capable of enduring long hours of battle and hardship. As a result of his knight training, he can wield his sword with great skill and precision, performing complex maneuvers and techniques that he learned.
One day, he and Morag are sitting by a campfire, enjoying a meal.
Thomas swallows a mouthful of food and says, “You know, I've come a long way since we first met. I can now beat my master in sword fighting.”
Morag raises an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well, I've also come a long way since then. I can now cast spells.”
“Really? What kind of spells?”
She smirks. “I can summon gusts of wind, waves of water, and bolts of lightning. It's like playing an instrument, plucking the strings of magic around us.”
Thomas nods grudgingly. “That is certainly impressive… but I can analyze battlefield situations and come up with effective plans of attack or defense. I doubt you could handle multiple knights at once.”
She leans backward thoughtfully. “That is true. It takes a lot of energy to cast magic like that, and I wouldn’t be able to handle you, much less two knights at once… but I can communicate with animals, even telling them to do things for me. They're like my eyes and ears in the forest.”
He raises his eyebrows in shock, but quickly hides his expression. “That explains why you are always able to navigate the forest so efficiently… but I have an understanding of diplomacy and protocol, allowing me to navigate social situations with ease!” he states.
Morag smiles sarcastically. “Are you implying I’m socially inept? I don’t need to talk to people.” She declares. “I have a connection to the spirit world. I can commune with ghosts and other supernatural entities.”
He slumps with defeat. “Alright! You win!”
She giggles.
“Can you teleport me back to Brigadoon? I want to go to my room and cry. Thanks.”
“Sorryyy. I’m not all-powerful, you know. However, if you need a potion for your injured feelings, I have deepened my understanding of herbs and potions. I could put something together.”
“Ugh. Now you are just rubbing it in.”
They laughed.
Suddenly, Morag looks concerned. “You are actually incredible, my dear. With that much skill, how have you not become a knight yet?”
“You know that I’m not a knight yet, huh?”
She nodded.
“The truth is, one needs to be a noble to become a knight. It requires one to have land and a high reputation. Although I have all these skills, as well as the support of my friends…”
‘Which is basically every commoner in Brigadoon,’ Morag thought to herself.
“...I still need an achievement so that they can award me with a title and land, otherwise the nobles will not accept it. I’m good in theory, but I haven’t been proven.”
“So you just need to do something memorable and worthy of an award?”
“Yes.”
“Can I help you with that?” Morag asks.
Thomas smiles. “Sure. I would be happy for your help.”
“Alright!” She smiles happily. “By the way, do you need any extra food to take back with you? I’ll go hunting while you train.”
Thomas nodded. “If you would, please.”
Morag got up and left the area, going into the forest.
Spreading out her magical senses, she finds a doe grazing in the meadow. She uses her magic to call it over to her. “Die for me, please,” she says as she stabs a knife into its heart. Life vanishes from the animal’s eyes. She smiles happily, imagining Thomas’ face. However, she suddenly realizes that she had killed such a large animal so far away from camp. She doesn't know if she can carry it back.
She ponders on the situation until she has an idea. “Excuse me, mister soul. Can you go back into your body for a little while? Thank you.” The dead doe suddenly rises to its feet and starts following her back to the campsite. When they arrive, she says, “Okay, you can go now.” The doe crumbles to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Moments later, Thomas comes back to the camp as well, sweat dripping from his head.
“Wow. Morag, another one? You are incredible. The butcher will be so happy.”
“Are you happy too?”
“Yes. Of course I am.”
“Yay!” She blew him a kiss.
“Is there anything you would like, in exchange for this?” Thomas asks.
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“Stay with me forever?”
He laughs and ignores her flirting, “You know I can’t do that. How about I bring you a load of pastries you always enjoy?”
“That doesn't sound quite as fulfilling… but I’ll accept it, for now.”
They laugh together, and then Thomas goes back to Brigadoon.
Now, Morag is still in the woods, looking longingly in the direction Thomas had disappeared. She is daydreaming when a pair of guards come in her direction. They were patrolling the nearby areas for danger, and had chanced upon her.
“Look over there. Who is that girl?” one asks the other.
“She has a dark aura. She must be a witch. Let’s leave and go warn the town. I also believe this is where Apprentice Thomas comes to train. Let’s warn him too.”
Morag narrows her eyes as the guards turn and run away. She lets out a deep sigh and mutters to herself, “I should be more careful. I don’t want to disturb my peace with Thomas.”
She watches the guards running into the distance. She smiles to herself and calls out to the forest.
“My loyal companions, come to me!”
Within seconds, a pack of wolves emerges from the forest, snarling and baring their teeth. They surround the guards and attack them, tearing them apart with ferocious efficiency. Morag watches with a cold detachment as the guards are killed.
“Well done, my friends. You have protected me and my happiness once again.”
She turns and walks away from the scene, feeling no guilt or remorse for what has just happened.
A few days later, Thomas is in Brigadoon at the bakery buying pastries for Morag.
“Have you heard, Thomas?” the baker tells him, “There was another wolf attack in the woods and two more guards died.”
Thomas nods. He is concerned for the safety of the town and Morag, but did not realize that Morag was the cause of it. “Indeed. Those men were friends of my mentor. I will be attending their memorial tomorrow. In the meantime, we have to organize the knights to hunt down the wolves. That way they do not remember the taste of human flesh. I should be joining the hunt tonight.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Do you think you will be able to earn recognition from this to become a knight?”
“Probably, as long as it is my blade that strikes them down, I should get the promotion. At least some good will come from this event-”
They hear screams and the sounds of chaos coming from the direction of the town gates. Thomas drops his pastries and rushes over to see what's happening, and his stomach churns.
“The wolves have come into town!” He draws his sword and charges towards the wolves attacking some of the villagers, shouting to anyone who can hear him, “Get back! I will handle this!”
Thomas engages the wolves in combat, his sword flashing in the sunlight. He kills two of them and notices that there is something strange - they already looked dead before he struck them down.
‘What is happening here? These wolves are already rotting…’
Thomas fights on, putting himself in between the wolves and the villagers. It's a difficult battle, but more knights arrive later and help him kill the rest of the wolves. He looks around at the destruction and the injured villagers who were crying. Two of them did not move.
He went around and helped the injured villagers, giving them bandages and using a powerful medicine that Morag had made. The wounds started healing at a visible rate.
“This is a tragedy.” He says to one of the knights who arrived later.
“It happened during our shift rotation,” the knight responded grimly. “If you weren’t here, many of these people would’ve died. Thank you, Thomas.”
Many of the villagers around him thanked him and praised him.
When everyone was being cared for, the knights collectively nodded to themselves. They went back to the castle and gave similar reports that Thomas was a hero.
For his feat in defending Brigadoon, Thomas was awarded with knighthood. The achievement was undeniable and no one could argue.
“Normally you would have to take a journey to visit the king and receive your reward,” the captain explained, “but right now you just have to wait a few weeks. The castle is almost finished after so many years, and the king will be moving in. You will become a knight at that time.”
Thomas nods gratefully, then leaves.
He journeys out into the forest to find Morag, holding a bag of pastries. He looks calm on the outside, but his heart is in turmoil.
He finds her sitting by a stream. The water looks especially icy.
“Morag! What have you done?”
“Hello, Thomas. What do you mean? I helped you become a knight, just as I said I would.”
“Help me? You sent those wolves to attack the town, Morag. Two innocent villagers were killed.”
“I know, but I did it for you, Thomas. I would do anything for you.”
“That's not how you should show your love. You can't just use magic and kill innocent people. It's wrong.”
“I understand your anger, Thomas, but you have to understand, I did it out of love for you. I thought that if I could show you how powerful I am, and what I’m willing to do, you would finally see me as someone worthy of your affection. I helped you achieve your dreams.”
Thomas sighs, “Morag, you are powerful and beautiful, but you have used your power for darkness. I cannot accept you anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
“My heart has always been in a different place. I could never have been your lover. Now I cannot even accept you as a friend.” He wipes away a tear that is coming down his face. “I am going back to the castle now. I will never come here to see you again.”
Then he put down the pastries he bought for her and turned around.
Morag starts to cry. “Please, Thomas. Don't leave me. I promise not to do that again. I love you.”
“How many wolf attacks were caused by you before today?”
“I only killed the people who would have tried to kill me,” she explained. “I am a witch. I’m hated by everyone, but you are different. Those people who died today probably would’ve wanted to kill me too! Don’t you see?”
He nods with a pained expression. “I'm sorry, Morag. Even if you acted in self defense, this time you are a murderer.” He said resolutely.
She falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Thomas turns around and leaves Morag behind, walking away from the woods and back to the castle. He tried to reject his promotion to knight, but everyone was baffled by his behavior and did not let him. Unfortunately, Thomas could not tell them about Morag. He had been friends with her for many years, so he did not want them to learn of her existence and hunt her down. Because of their past friendship, he would spare her life. However, he swore to himself that if she ever did something evil again, he would use his own sword to end her.
A few weeks pass and the king moves into the finished castle, bringing all his luxuries and furniture. He also brings his whole family, including Fenella. They hold a knighthood ceremony for Thomas in the new throne room, and there is a great celebration for both the knighthood and the king’s arrival.
His knighthood is bittersweet to him, and instead of mingling with the other knights in the afterparty, he finds a quiet corner. Amidst the noise of partying, Princess Fenella taps him on the shoulder with a hopeful expression. They talk until late into the night.