Board Thread:What If?/@comment-5674726-20130906200850/@comment-5674726-20130928143233

Fimber wrote: Indeed. She would have become a second Merlin and by that a possible ally. Which is, as I believe, one of the reasons why they changed her into a mere villainess because she would have been a competitor to Merlin. Another reason probably was to let the other characters look much better than they actually were.

They could have had a fantastic storyline if Morgana stayed an ally.

Imagine if she confided in Uther and/or Arthur about her magic. I don't think that either of them were ready to embrace magic as both had good reason to view it as a threat but, at the same time, if they could believe that Morgana was a rare exception to the rule, somebody who was aware of the dangers of magic and could fight against its corrupting influence, it could have changed things a lot. It's safe to say that, with the possible exception of Gaius, no outsiders would be brought into the loop about Morgana's magic for fear of allegations that it was one rule for her and another for everybody else so, even if Merlin knew, he'd have to pretend that he had no idea so that Arthur would believe that it was a secret. It could be the beginning of a softening of Uther's attitude towards magic, so that only those who do harm with magic are executed for it. In the event of an attack on Camelot Uther would be fine with Morgana using magic to defend the city, although he'd prefer that she not be seen, so Merlin could find himself in a position where he is secretly bolstering Morgana's defences with his magic and seeing her get the credit.

I could see Merlin being worried, even angry, if he thinks that his destiny with Arthur is being usurped.

Without being broken by Morgana turning against him, I could see Uther's treaty with the other four of the Five Kingdoms expanding to include other, smaller kingdoms so that, eventually, all of Albion would be allied under a treaty of peace and cooperation - as united as it's going to get without coming under the rule of a single monarch. With Morgana in a position to use her influence to amend his view of magic so that he can differentiate between those with magic who don't harm others and those who magic who harm others, magic could have a place in Camelot, with controls to ensure that it is not abused. Merlin will have spent so long with his life revolving around his belief in the great destiny he shares with Arthur that he may not take kindly to the idea of Uther and Morgana beating him to the punch. Given that he was led to believe that he and Arthur were two sides of the coin, and the likelihood that Morgana would take on a role similar to that he envisioned for himself as Arthur's closest advisor and the one who shows him that magic could be a force for good, he may think that something has gone wrong, even if it seems as though everything is going really well.