home is an empty dream ;; mordred

[Morgana Pendragon]

Central Park was the place Morgana had first arrived in when she'd been brought here - the first glimpse of New York she'd gotten, though it had hardly prepared her for the hectic, busy nature of the rest of the city just beyond its borders. New York was loud, crowded, and brimming with foreign concepts that Morgana still struggled with. She wondered, sometimes, whether it would be better to leave the city altogether. Though the majority of the people in this world seemed unaware that magic existed at all, she'd discovered that there was, in fact, a place for magic users here - and payment for those willing to use their magic to aid those who needed it. Sometimes it felt wrong, using her abilities in such a manner - but fortune-telling (thanks to the visions she still had in her dreams), potions, and spells were all things that people were willing to pay for. And she needed money, and she needed it from people who wouldn't ask too many questions about who she was. Once she made enough of it, she'd be able to move out of the city if she liked...though the world outside New York still made Morgana wary. What if it was even worse than the city was?

There was only one way to find out, she supposed. But until then, she liked to make her stay here tolerable by visiting Central Park as much as possible. It was so quiet compared to the rest of the city, and so peaceful, too - like an island of tranquility amidst the chaotic nature of New York City. It was winter now, and all the trees were bare, but Morgana found the park held a certain beauty in the wintertime none the less. The fresh layer of snow on the ground made everything just seem to sparkle. There were even people skating on ice here. They seemed to have no fear of the frozen ponds they skated over, and Morgana had to wonder what the point of such an activity was...but the people here seemed to enjoy it well enough. She pulled her coat a little more tightly around her, and marveled once again at how strange wearing it was - and that went for all the 'modern' clothing that had recently been added to her wardrobe, thanks to the shopping trip she'd taken with Oswin. This world's clothing, while...somewhat more comfortable than dresses and corsets, just wasn't something it was easy to get used to. She still preferred the clothing she had with her from Camelot - but for outings like this one, blending in was just so much easier.

She continued to walk along the path that ran through the park, idly glancing over at a nearby field where several children were throwing snow at each other. It seemed to be a game of some sort, and she shook her head, amused. Some things never changed, no matter what world one happened to be in - and the sheer, carefree joy that children seemed to exude was one of them. Wordlessly, she drifted off into her own thoughts as she continued on through the park. It was less crowded here, now that the weather was colder, but that only added to the sense of peace she'd always gotten from this place - she certainly wasn't in any position to complain.

[mordred]

It had been no more than a half an hour since Mordred had been taken to another world by a rift. He was confused and terrified by his surroundings. He didn't recognize anything or anyone, but at least he'd been taken somewhere that looked like something he was familiar with. Central Park, with all it's trees and ponds was just a little bit like Mordred's home with the Druids. They lived in the woods as nomads, traveling wherever they pleased. Landing in Central Park also helped keep the modern, hectic city surrounding the park away from Mordred's view. He would be even more confused if he could see all the strange, new innovations the modern world had to offer. Mordred was already confused at the appearance of people walking by. They wore clothes made of strange fabrics the likes of which he'd never seen.

Despite his confusion, Mordred continued to wander aimlessly through the park. Having lived with the Druids for so long, he knew how to make his way around the woods. What he wanted to do was get out of the woods so he could find out just where he was. Since he'd been all over the land with the Druids, he could probably figure out where he was if he could just get out of the woods. As Mordred walked through the woods, he eventually came upon a path. Well, that was useful... But it wasn't really common to find a path like this just running through the woods. He had also heard a lot of strange noises that weren't really common for woods either. This was so confusing... Mordred started to walk down the path. Eventually he came upon a field where children were throwing snow at each other. That was confusing... maybe it was some kind of game. Mordred wasn't really one for games.

Mordred looked back down the path and saw someone walking towards him. She looked familiar and he could sense that she had magic... As he got closer, he realized that the person walking towards him was Morgana, from Camelot. Mordred stopped walking and stared, just to make sure that it was Morgana. He didn't want to talk to someone telepathically only to figure out that they aren't the person he wanted to talk to. After making sure, Mordred focused his magical energy and sent a message to Morgana's mind. "...Morgana?"

[Morgana Pendragon]

Telepathy could be a bit jarring at first, as Morgana had learned the first time she'd met Mordred. You could almost believe that you were hearing the voice aloud, at first - except then there was that faint, echoey quality that told you something was off, and the eeriness of the realization that no one else around you had responded to the voice you were so sure you'd heard. She was accustomed to it now, of course - she'd even been practicing the skill of telepathy herself, with Morgause - but probably the last thing she'd been expecting was for someone to make a telepathic connection with her right there in the middle of Central Park. Let alone for that person to be the young druid boy she'd once snuck out of Camelot to protect him from Uther's merciless wrath.

So when Mordred's familiar voice echoed in her head, calling her name, Morgana froze - at first believing it to be some sort of trick of her mind. Perhaps some old memory brought to the light again, triggered by the sight of the children playing in the field nearby. But it had sounded so real, and...well, just on the off chance that she hadn't been imagining things, Morgana chanced a response.

Mordred?

She hadn't even considered the possibility that someone from her own world might have been brought here in the same manner she had. Morgana, as always, had been so quick to assume that she was alone. But then she spotted him a little ways down the path, looking alone and uneasy and somewhat bewildered, and her heart skipped a beat. At once, concern for his well-being and how long he might have been here on his own battled with the relief and happiness of seeing him again. The last time they'd met, the druid camp was being attacked, and Uther's men had practically dragged her back to Camelot - she'd never even gotten the chance to make sure that Mordred had come out of the ordeal alright. If he'd died because of her, because her presence there had endangered him...well, Morgana hadn't been sure she'd ever be able to forgive herself.

But that had been...well, nearly three years ago now. Had she given the matter further thought, she might have found it a bit odd to see that Mordred hadn't seemed to have aged a day - but at the moment, Morgana was far too preoccupied with hurrying towards him and pulling him into a hug. Not wanting to suffocate the poor boy, she clung to him as gently as she could for a moment - but their reunion was drawing the attention of some of the people passing by, and so she reluctantly pulled away after a moment. Still, Morgana was practically beaming - smiling in a way she hadn't since she'd arrived here in New York. Mordred was alright. "How did you get here?!" she managed through her shock after a moment.