Arthur And Guinevere: A Love Story Of Merlin

Much can happen over the course of two years.

Arthur and Guinevere now know everything Merlin had done (or attempted to do) for them during the years he hid his magic. It was a gradual, seemingly endless process, because just when Merlin thought he had remembered everything, he would remember something else.

Similarly, the final detail of Guinevere's enchantment came to light quite unexpectedly one evening. Merlin had been meeting with the king and queen in the royal chambers, and as he was leaving, Ella and some other servants arrived with the needed items for the queen's bath. Merlin wasn't sure if it was the bath, the burgundy dress the queen was wearing, the bouquet of gillyflowers on the table, or some combination of those things that

suddenly made him recall Daegal, the young boy sent to lure him from Camelot so Guinevere could arrange to have Arthur killed without Merlin's interference.

They were all relieved to discover Guinevere was only aware of Daegal's role in removing Merlin from Camelot. She had no idea Morgana had attempted to poison and kill Merlin in the forest or that Daegal had died helping to save the king.

"It seems she did not tell me any more than what was necessary," Guinevere mused, frowning. "But, it is good to know I wasn't directly involved in another attempted murder." She apologized to Merlin, hugging him tightly. Merlin, of course, assured her he did not hold her responsible at all.

No longer under Morgana's shadow, Camelot has been peaceful and thriving. The laws regarding magic are well in place now, and Aithusa is a regular and surprisingly comforting sight as she soars overhead. She has become well-acquainted with her king and queen, and proudly wears a red leather collar with a medallion bearing the Pendragon crest. When Queen Guinevere presented the item to Aithusa, she explained that the collar and medallion identifies her as an important member of Camelot's army, and will let any who encounter her know to whom her loyalties lay.

Merlin's circle of magical allies is well in place, with everyone having their role as best befitting his or her abilities. Mordred continues to be Merlin's right-hand man and is well-respected by all, magical and non-magical alike. He and Kara will be married before the end of the year.

Kara has taken over Gaius' duties full-time and is officially the Court Physician. Avery, the former kitchen maid, is her assistant. The first thing they did was thoroughly clean, reorganize, and redecorate the physician's quarters, making their surroundings tidier and more attractive.

Gaius chose to retire when he could no longer deny the fact that his memory was failing. One morning, he saw Hunith carrying Gwydre and greeted her warmly. Then, he called Gwydre "Merlin" and quietly asked her if she had heard from Balinor. Hunith gently said no, she hadn't, holding in her tears, then rushed to find Merlin. Merlin, Arthur, and Guinevere met with the elderly physician and gently recommended he step down. At first, Gaius resisted, but when Merlin related back to him what had happened that morning with Hunith, Gaius nodded solemnly, even stating that Kara was ready to take over for him. Merlin then told Gaius Alice had agreed to return to Camelot to look after him. The old man smiled, grateful to Merlin for tracking down his long-lost love.

Gilli returned to Camelot when the twins were six months old, requesting to join Merlin's faction. He brought warm greetings from Alator and a parchment confirming that Gilli had his mentor's blessing to stay with Merlin if he would welcome him. Overloaded with work, Merlin immediately made the young man his assistant and gave him several menial tasks he himself had been putting off doing. Gilli was thrilled.

Like Kara, Sefa has worked hard to prove herself trustworthy, doing everything she could to show her king and queen she has changed.

Away from her father's evil influence, the sweet, caring person Sefa truly is was able to shine through. Out from under her father's thumb, the Druid maiden discovered she was smarter than he had always led her to believe, and blossomed under her new circumstances.

Sefa seemed to have a way with children, and now tutors the ones with magic who wish to study and develop their gifts. The exception, of course, is Prince Gwydre, who will take lessons with Merlin when he is old enough to begin them in earnest. Merlin helps him as much as he can, mainly attempting to teach the toddler how to control his magical impulses.

Perhaps the most surprising development is Merlin had found himself growing more and more intrigued by the "new" Sefa, this young woman who was and was not the girl he knew. There had been some innocent flirting between them when she was the queen's handmaiden, but after she returned and her true self had emerged, Merlin suddenly realized he saw Sefa as a beautiful, intelligent woman. He fought his feelings, fearing them inappropriate, fearing them unrequited, but doing so only made it more difficult to deny

them.

With some gentle prodding from his first friend in Camelot, the queen, Merlin finally confessed his feelings to the young Druid woman, only to find his fears were completely unfounded.

They married a short time later, and eleven months after that, welcomed a beautiful, raven-haired baby girl with bright blue eyes, Fia Hunith, named for Sefa's and Merlin's mothers. Not surprisingly, their daughter has magic.

Of course, the biggest development during this two-year span is that Llacheu and Gwydre now have a baby sister, Arthes Ygraine. Named for Arthur and his mother, she is a beautiful cherub with dusky skin, wavy caramel-blonde hair, and eyes shaped like her mother's, but in her father's shade of blue. Like her mother, the princess needs no magic to charm everyone she meets. At only two months old, Arthes Pendragon already has half the kingdom eating out of the palm of her tiny hand. Including her two big brothers.

Llacheu and Gwydre clamor to see their sister as often as possible, giving her sloppy kisses on her cheeks and forehead, letting her grab their fingers, and trying to get her to smile. However, most of Arthes' still-rare smiles are saved for Arthur.

xXx

It is Princess Arthes' blessing and presentation, and it is just as grand an event as her brothers' ceremony two years past. Visitors pour into Camelot once again. Some are familiar and some are new.

Queen Annis died suddenly and peacefully in her sleep a year ago, so King Allard and Queen Merewald of Caerleon have returned to Camelot, this time bringing their six-year-old son, Prince Alistair, who was too young to make the journey two years prior. Ava, their one-year-old daughter, remained in Caerleon.

King Odin has returned as well, bringing his nephew and heir, Prince Maxwell. Age has softened the once-stern king's hard edges. Plus,the fact that his alliance with Camelot has proven itself to be mutually beneficial has made the grizzled king much more amiable on this visit.

King Olaf, Princess Vivian, and her husband, Rowan, have made the journey this time as well. Their daughter, who is just slightly younger than the twin princes, is too young for the trip, but as they missed the princes' blessing, they wished to attend this one. To everyone's relief, Vivian is a changed woman. No longer a spoiled, pampered, insufferable brat, her demeanor has been transformed into that of a mature, responsible woman to whom Olaf can pass the throne without fear of his kingdom collapsing under her care. She even apologized to Guinevere for how she treated her all those years ago and behaves towards Arthur in a pleasant and respectful manner as befitting a peer.

Queen Mithian has, of course, come to Camelot. She and her husband, King Leon, plan to stay the week so Leon can spend time with his family, friends, and comrades. It was a slow journey for them, as Mithian is expecting their first child, but the royal couple of Nemeth had no intention of missing the event.

Many were surprised when Leon left Camelot, but none could blame him, least of all Arthur. "Not a difficult decision, really. Stay here and remain First Knight until you can no longer lift a sword, or go off to be with your true love and become a king," he had simply said when Leon broke the news. "In all honesty, Guinevere and I are not surprised," Arthur had added. "Just, make certain you whip those knights of hers into shape, will you?"

"Of course, my lord," Leon had answered. "They'll be rivaling the Knights of Camelot in skill and strength in no time at all."

"Doubtful," Arthur replied, laughing and companionably clapping his soon to be former First Knight on the shoulder .

The first thing Leon did upon taking charge of the Knights of Nemeth was to do away with the odd chainmail veils on their helmets, declaring them "unsafe, unnecessary, and unsettling." This may have had something to do with the fact that when he tried on one of these helmets, his beard and the links of chainmail did not exactly get on .

Leon's departure left a vacancy in the ranks. The honored position of First Knight of Camelot was initially offered to Sir Percival, but he turned it down. He had no desire for command and was quite content to remain the Queen's Champion, a title normally reserved for the First Knight. Arthur, however, decided to make it a separate designation and honored Percival with it in recognition for his years of loyalty to the queen.

So, Percival continues to protect Queen Guinevere and train the youngest of the boys wishing to become knights, while his wife, Lady Violet, does her duty as one of Guinevere's two ladies-in-waiting. Percival and Violet have been married for a year and a half. They have already brought one strapping son into the world, and have recently announced they are expecting another. At only a year old, their son, Peyton, is nearly as big as the princes.