Gwen had every intention of going to Gaius's after she had left Merlin by the steps, but when she had walked out of the castle doors and felt the cool, crisp wind blow her curls around her face and the warm sun on her cheeks, she had decided to take...a detour. This particular detour led her just outside of the castle walls to a golden field where she knew she could find some of the last remaining flowers of the season. She justified such a detour by saying that those flowers would be perfect for Gaius's study and would be a sufficient 'thank you' for him and Merlin for what they were doing for her. The truth of the matter, however, and one that she could not ignore, was that she was just desperate to break free and to get some real air.

With the events pertaining to the Enchantress and the whole situation with Arthur, the handmaiden had felt as though she were becoming someone who was just watching while the last grains of her life just fell into the bottom half of the hourglass. She felt somewhat imprisoned with the way Merlin, Gaius, and even Arthur were treating her and even the way they looked at her. She was grateful for each and every one, but she wanted to feel alive again and she wanted freedom, and she couldn't feel those with them around.

She found that freedom when she walked out into the apparently empty field and felt the October breeze on her skin and took in the fragrance of the hydrangeas and daisies into her nose. She found peace as she watched the red and golden leaves of the trees that surrounded the field, move with the wind, swaying, as if dancing. She found solace in the silence that allowed her to forget all of the horrid events from the past day and even the past few months, and she found a small grain of happiness when she closed her eyes and saw nothing but the sun shining through her lids.

Opening her eyes again, Gwen found herself looking upon a certain tree on the far edge of the field that stood out. It was by far taller and larger than the other trees beside or behind it, seemingly older than the rest. A sincere smile of joy touched her lips as she walked towards it, a memory she held dear suddenly flashing before her eyes of her as a small girl with bouncy curls sitting on the lap of her father underneath that tree. She saw the two of them laughing, sharing in the joys of a special moment shared just with father and daughter. It was one of her fondest memories that she had shared with him.

As Gwen reached the tree, she bent down and found the mark that her father had pointed to her on that day: 'Tom + Farrah' it said, the names surrounded by a rather jagged but decipherable heart. Brushing her fingers across the markings, she closed her eyes again, and immediately, the image from a time long passed resurfaced in her head, and she heard her father's voice as it spoke gently to her, explaining the mark and its significance to her.

'Do you see that Gwennie?' Tom's voice whispered into her younger self's ear. 'That's how I told your mother that I loved her and wanted her to be my wife.'

'Really?' she heard the younger version of herself whisper back, the voice filled with awe. 'Why did you do it like that, Daddy?'

'Because trees live longer than people, Gwen, and I wanted a peace of the love I had for your mother to stay alive long after she and I were gone. I'm glad I did because now I have something to show you about your mother and me,' her father answered her softly as he kissed the back of her head. He then pointed to a spot on the tree right above the markings he had been pointing to before. 'You see those markings right above your mother's and mine, Gwennie?'

'Yeah.' Young Gwen had looked up and vaguely saw what appeared to be two small carvings further up the trunk of the tree. 'Did you do those, too?'

'No. Those symbols up there were what gave me the idea for the mark I made your mother. Those markings were there even when I was a boy, and I used to think that they belonged to people who loved each other, just like I loved your mother.' he whispered quietly, his voice somewhat reverent towards the people who had left the mark before. 'Their carving was there long before ours, but I hope that the mark I left for your mother will last just as long, hopefully remaining there forever so that people years from now can see us together even if we aren't.'

He gently lifted Gwen off of his lap as he reached down and pulled out the knife he carried on his belt. He worked at the trunk for a while before pulling the young Gwen back to his side, squeezing her gently. 'So that you can be with us forever, too, Gwennie,' he explained, pointing to his new marking.

When she opened her eyes again, Gwen felt moisture on her cheeks from the tears that had fallen down her face at the memory. Through her blurred vision, she looked at the marking that her father had made that day. Just below the heart that he had made for her mother, scratched in crude but still eligible writing was her name: Guinevere.

Sighing, Gwen reached out and brushed her fingers across the carving of her name before flicking her eyes up at the markings that her father had pointed for her to look at before, the markings that he had believed were there long before he had put her mother's and his name on the tree. She had only given those markings a quick glance at first, but she immediately doubled back, for she thought that she had not seen them clearly, her thoughts making her see things that weren't really there. When she looked closer, however, she felt as though the air had been sucked right out of lungs and made her rub her eyes to make sure that she was seeing things correctly.

The markings above her father's consisted of two symbols: the symbol of the dragon-which was the royal crest symbol of the Pendragon Family, and right next to it was the symbol that had been in her thoughts nearly all of the that day and the previous night-the symbol of the eye with the triangle in the pupil. It was the symbol of the Enchantress. The realization hit home to Gwen as to why she had recognized the symbol on the woman's wrist when she had first seen it. She had seen that mark before when she was a little girl on this very tree!

Backing away, Gwen felt the mark on her breast suddenly begin to tingle again, but this time it wasn't the burning like she had felt before in the castle when she was with Merlin. The tingling she felt now, was actually...cold. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but Gwen knew that it was different. She wasn't sure whether to be afraid or relieved that it wasn't the same burning pain. As she backed away, however, she felt the tingle fading, but when she dared to take a step forward, it grew stronger and proceeded to continue growing stronger as she walked back to the tree and looked back up at the mark.

She knew that the markings meant something, she found herself growing curious of the symbols on the tree. Why was Arthur's Family's symbol next to the Enchantress's. What was it supposed to mean? Was it supposed to be curse left by the same enchantress that was haunting her? Was her father wrong in his assumption of how the symbols were left? Surprisingly, Gwen did not think that he was. The markings were close together. They didn't appear to have been left out of malice, but out of joy or even...love. It had to mean something!

Gwen considered running back to the city and telling Merlin and Gaius about her new discovery, but something strong was keeping her standing there, transfixed on those marks. Hesitating for a moment, she let out a heavy breath before slowly reaching out to brush her fingers across the carvings just like she had brushed her fingers across the other marks that had belonged to her and her family.

As soon as her fingers touched the bark, the tingling in her breast suddenly grew so intense that it was almost uncomfortable to her but still not quite. A cold wind, colder than the cooler breezes that she had felt before, suddenly began to blow around her, stronger and faster than anything she had felt before. It was like a tornado funnel had suddenly appeared right around her. Gwen had to close her eyes to keep them from becoming dry from the gusts of wind that surrounded her. She then suddenly felt as though something had hooked itself around her and was pulling her right towards the tree. She felt like she was moving, but when she looked down, she saw that her feet were still planted on the ground, unmoved. Becoming afraid, she felt a scream building up inside her throat. Before she could even open her lips to let it out, however, she was pulled into blackness, and then...there was only darkness.

When she came to, Gwen found herself lying next to the large oak, though she sensed that something was different...something was off. For one thing, it was raining-rather it was pouring-when there hadn't even been a cloud in the sky before. Sitting up, she looked up at the tree, and immediately what she had sensed before of things being different suddenly was confirmed. The bark of the trunk held no marks, the two symbols that had seemingly brought her here as well as those of her family were gone.

Standing up slowly, Gwen dusted off her dress and dared to walk out into the field. The rain was cold against her skin, but it was somewhat soothing. She turned around slowly as she took in her surroundings. It was the exact same field that she had been in before but then again, it wasn't. The leaves were no longer yellow and red, but green, the field now filled with spring blossoms rather than the autumn blooms that she had planned to pick for Gaius. She had a feeling that she had been taken to a different time, but she was uncertain how that was possible or for what reason. The only thing she did know was that she was afraid and wanted to go home.

The sound of hoof beats suddenly sounded behind her. Gwen looked up to find a rider fast approaching, though she could not see their face because of the hooded cloak that covered the rider's face with shadows. From the apparent build and stature, she guessed that it was a man. He didn't appear to be slowing down at all, almost as if he hadn't seen her as he pushed his horse to continue to run right for her. Crying out at how fast he was approaching, Gwen immediately ran back to the tree and crouched down next to it, uncertain of what she should do or how she should react to this stranger. She closed her eyes and hoped that he would pass right by or that she could possibly force herself awake if this was just another bad dream.

When she heard the hoof beats suddenly stop, Gwen opened her eyes again. The rider had stopped right before reaching the tree. She watched, trembling, as he dismounted his horse, which she now noticed was a beautiful, gray gelding. Commoners could not afford such beautiful animals, so Gwen assumed that this man was of noble blood. That conjecture didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't still afraid that he would harm her. It only made her more suspicious of him as she watched him tie the horse up by the nearest tree before he started towards her tree, seemingly right for her.

“S-Stay back! I don't know who you are,” Gwen cried out, standing up, ready to fight with her fists if he continued coming towards her, but the man continued forward, paying no heed to her objections, his massive form somewhat threatening. Gwen raised her hands out to shield herself as she ducked her head down. “I said stay back!” she cried as she closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact.

She expected to feel a forceful push or even a shove, but she felt nothing. Lifting her head, she looked up to find the man no longer in front of her but behind. It was as if he had just walked right through her!

“H-How did you do that?” she demanded, looking up at the rider who was now removing his hood. She could see nothing but the back of his head, which happened to be covered with blonde curls. He kept his back turned towards her, so she could not see his face and acted as though he hadn't heard her. Gwen was beginning to think that he really hadn't.

The stranger walked up to the tree and placed his hand on it, his head turning to and fro as if he were searching for something...or someone. Gwen walked the roundabout way to try and catch a glimpse of his face, but she didn't have to go far, for as she was shuffling her feet, he suddenly turned and looked right at her. Gwen found herself freezing again. Though the man's face was far more solemn than that of the man she loved, she could see the strong resemblance between them, the sharp cheekbones and the same nose. She strongly suspected that she was staring into the eyes of one of Arthur's relatives, though he appeared to be looking right through her rather than at her. She knew now that he could not see her, but she was uncertain as to how that was even possible unless she really was in a dream.

“Norena!” the man suddenly called out “Norena, are you here?”

“Yes, Con, I'm here,” a voice suddenly replied from behind them.

Gwen turned to face the one who had called out and found herself on the verge of screaming. The 'Norena' that was being addressed was the very same person that had attacked her in the castle-the very same enchantress that had haunted her dreams the previous night. The woman had the same build and the same long tresses though at this time, they were pulled back from her beautiful face. She was the same person, but then again, she wasn't, just like the field and the tree. Gwen now suspected that she had somehow been hurled into the past and that she was now looking upon a living version of the very same enchantress that was after her.

The man 'Con' as Norena had addressed him, apparently oblivious to Gwen's existence, walked right through the handmaiden to the raven-haired enchantress and took her face into his hands. “It's been too long, beloved,” he whispered before pressing his lips to the Enchantress's in a passionate kiss that Gwen averted her eyes from, feeling very much like an intruder. “I was afraid that you wouldn't come,” he then whispered.

“Nothing could keep me from you, Constantine,” Norena whispered back as she cupped her love's cheek. She looked up into his blue eyes with a sad smile on her lips. “But my sisters are growing more and more suspicious of me, my love. They fear that I am withdrawing from them.”

“Then, leave them, Norena. Come back to the castle with me, now. You'll be safe there,” Con whispered as he continued to hold her face in his hands. “Please, just come with me.”

“I cannot yet, Con, but the time for us to be together shall be soon,” Norena replied, pulling away from him. Taking his hand, she led him to the tree and sat with him beneath it. “I asked you to meet me here because there's something I need to tell you, and I need for you to listen closely, beloved.”

“Of course, Norena, anything,” Con said, as he took both of the Enchantress's hands and brought them to his chest. “What is it?”

“My sisters are planning on killing you and your father and taking over the throne," Lorena whispered quietly as she looked around as if fearing that she would be overheard. She spoke so softly that Gwen had to lean in to hear her. “They plan to do it on the night of the Summer Solstice which is in a fortnight. They plan to take over during the Summer Festival. You need to tell your father about these plans so that he may be prepared. Hopefully, he will be able to ensnare all of them so that they may not be able to hurt you.”

Con frowned. “But they are your sisters, Norena. Is there no way that you can persuade them not to come after my father and myself? My father would kill them if he caught them. Do you wish them to be killed?” he asked solemnly, looking down into her face.

“They are my coven sisters, not my blood sisters, and I only wish their end because they plot for yours, Constantine Pendragon,” Norena stated as she laid her head against the prince's shoulder. “And it will only be when they are gone that you and I will finally be able to be together openly. Was that not what you wished?”

“Yes, of course, Norena,” Con answered, but Gwen could sense a note of doubt in his tone. Norena, however, seemed deaf to it, for she only snuggled even closer to her prince, a smile on her face. “But tell me something. Do you not ever wish that you were with someone...powerful...like yourself?” the prince questioned.

Norena lifted her head and looked up at her lover. “Don't be silly, Con. I've always known that I would be with you since we were both small children and you promised me that you would always be mine under this very tree. I have never wanted to be with anyone else and I never shall because I always have you, my darling” she answered softly before a coy smile touched her lips. “Besides, who can be more powerful than the future king of Camelot with a powerful enchantress as his future queen?”

The prince smiled, but once again, Gwen who was still watching closely, noticed that there was still a look of uncertainty on the handsome man's face. “Would you feel the same if I were not a prince of Camelot?” he questioned quietly as he continued to hold Norena close.

Norena made a soft huffing sound. “What does it matter, Con? You are prince, and I love you as you are.”

There was a moment of silence as the two lovers sat under the tree, both looking out at the rain. Gwen found herself wanting to tune out of their conversation as they continued to confess their love towards one another. She averted her eyes or turned her back whenever they became affectionate, her cheeks flushed and hot. She reluctantly watched them cuddle and coo over one another, but once again she sensed that there was something amiss in the prince's voice that didn't quite sound right when he confessed his love to Norena. She began to suspect that something had changed in that single conversation.

They were only able to sit together for a few more moments before Norena suddenly sat up, her eyes looking directly at Gwen, though once again, Gwen sensed that she was being looked through rather than at. The Enchantress frowned before turning to her lover.

“My sisters are calling me, Con. I must go,” she whispered quickly as she rose to her feet. “You must go as well,” she then replied as she started for the shadows of the deeper forest.

“Yes, I shall, but I fear that we may not be able to see each other until after the Summer Solstice,” Con called out to her retreating back. “Can I not, at least, kiss you goodbye?”

“I cannot, Constantine, but I will leave you something to remember me by,” Norena called over her shoulder as she began to retreat. She turned quickly and suddenly her eyes were completely black, her lips moving as she was apparently mumbling a spell. Turning back around, she then proceeded to walk away, disappearing into the shadows as a clap of thunder boomed and lightning flashed across the sky.

Constantine Pendragon stood for a long moment, staring at the shadows in which Norena had disappeared only moments before, his eyes filled with a sudden sadness. Pulling his hood back up over his head, he, too, turned to leave, but he paused as he faced the tree. Gwen followed his gaze and to her surprise found that the Enchantress's symbol as well the dragon symbol were now marked upon the tree in exactly the same spot that they were supposed to be but had not been before. It had been Norena who had left them there for her father to find years to come!

The prince brushed his fingers across the newly imprinted mark as a small smile touched his lips, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had come as he once again returned to his horse and mounted. Gwen could only watch helplessly as he rode away, wondering what she was to do now that she had witnessed what she believed was the main reason why she had been brought to this specific time.

She returned to the tree once again and studied the old markings that were now fresh. Hesitating again, she slowly reached up, her eyes closing as she felt the familiar cold tingle in her chest. She figured that the symbols had brought her here, so she hoped that they would take her home.

Brushing her fingers across the engraved markings, she once again felt the powerful wind swirling around her. Despite the fact that she had faced it before, she still found herself crying out as she felt the pulling sensation wrap around her. Closing her eyes again, she waited for everything to stop, and then abruptly...it did.

When Gwen opened her eyes again, she immediately looked up at the tree, searching for her father's markings. Disappointment filled her chest as she saw that once again, they were not there, but she was somewhat relieved to see that at least the Enchantress's symbols were still there, meaning that she had gone forward in time instead of back. She hoped that since they were there, she could touch them again, and possibly return home, but she had a feeling that like the previous time, she was meant to see something more, but all that she could see at that moment was darkness. It was currently night time, and everything seemed to be asleep. Gwen could not help but think, however, that there was something lurking in the black.

Almost immediately after thinking that, Gwen heard a twig break behind her and turned around to find Norena walking from the shadows towards her. It was dark now, so Gwen couldn't quite see her face, but from the way that Norena was moving, it appeared as though the Enchantress was wounded and in pain. Her hair clung to her face, dampened with sweat as she placed her hand on the tree for support. Gwen immediately saw that the source of her weakened state was a large gash on the woman's side. Despite the fact that the woman had caused her so much pain, Gwen felt the urge to try and help her, but knew that she couldn't.

“Con?” she heard Norena call, her voice somewhat weakened. “Constantine, are you here?”

“I'm here, Norena,” Con called out and Gwen was startled at the stealthy way in which he appeared out of the shadows.

Norena walked slowly to her lover and wrapped her arms around him, her head pressed to his chest. “Th-The guards attacked me while I was trying to enter the castle. They said that they were ordered not to let me pass. One of them managed to wound me while I was trying to get past him, and I had to leave,” she said, her breaths heavy. “Why wouldn't they let me see you?”

Con slowly raised his hand to the back of Norena's head, gently stroking her long tresses. “My father ordered them there, Norena. He says that he's not willing to have an enchantress as the future queen of Camelot. He forbade me from ever seeing you again. I had to sneak out of the castle to even be able to come here and see you.”

“But I saved his life, Con! He would have died if I hadn't told him about what the other enchantress's were planning. I made myself an outsider to my own kind for helping the both of you, and now he won't even let me be with you?” Norena demanded as she pulled away to look up into her lover's face.

“He thinks that you are using me to become queen, Norena. He thinks that you just want to be with me so that you may control the people of Camelot with your magic,” Con replied, slowly backing away from her. “And when I was honest with myself...I agreed that that was a possible motive for you to want to be with me.”

Norena paused, her face filled with shock as she looked up into the face of the man she loved, only to see doubt in his eyes. She shook her head. “No, you don't understand, Con. I only betrayed my sisters because they wanted to hurt you! Don't you understand? Even with them gone, I could still have gotten anything I wanted. I was always more powerful than them, even when they were alive, but I always held back from what I could achieve because of you! I only did what I had to do to be with you!” she cried out frantically. "Why are you doubting me?"

“You could have had me whenever you wished, Norena. I would have run away from the crown and my father for you if you had only asked, but you only seemed to want me as a prince,” Con stated solemnly, bowing his head. “I doubt that you would have even looked at me if I did not wear a crown.”

Norena went to him and took his face into her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. “That is not true, Constantine Pendragon, and you very well know that! The only reason why I never wanted you to run away with me was because you were not cut out for the life of a peasant, which we would have had to live if I had allowed you to run away from your father. Even though you said that you were willing to go through that for me, I wasn't going to let you suffer through that to be with me because I cared about you too much. You are a prince, and you are meant to be a king, not a peasant or a commoner. That's what I wanted you to be!” she cried. “I loved the man beneath that crown. Not the crown itself.”

Con suddenly began to shake his head. “I...I didn't understand. You...You didn't tell me. Why wouldn't you have just have explained that to me before?” he demanded as he looked down into Norena's eyes.

“Because I thought you trusted me enough to know that, Con. I never questioned your motives of being with me, even though having an enchantress as your queen would have made you capable of defeating all of those who dared to oppose you. You could have been using me for your own purposes as well, but I never questioned you about that because I knew that you loved me!” Norena exclaimed as tears suddenly began to course down her cheeks. “But I see now that you were questioning my love for you the whole time, and I can see in your eyes that you're afraid of something. You did something, didn't you?” she demanded, backing further away from him.

Con began to shake his head as he tried to pull her back to him. “I know now that I had no need to doubt you, but I...I...” he dropped off as he closed his eyes, unable to continue.

“What have you done, Constantine? Tell me,” Norena cried out angrily.

“You have to run, Norena,” Con replied, turning towards the clearing where the sound of horses approaching suddenly filled the previous silence. “You need to run as fast and as far as you can from here and never return to Camelot again. My father is coming for you!”

“What? Why? When is he coming?” she asked as her voice began to tremble.

“He is here already. They're all around us, now. They were using me as bait to get to you, Norena,” the prince said quickly. “You need to use your powers to break free and then you need to run!”

Norena shook her head. “You betrayed me!” she cried, pushing him firmly in the chest. “How could you-”

Before she could even finish, soldiers suddenly appeared out of the shadows and surrounded the two of them. Con pulled Norena behind him, though she tried to break free of his grasp as he unsheathed his sword and held it out to ward the soldiers off.

“Sire, the king has demanded that we arrest Norena, the Enchantress for using enchantments to plot against the crown,” one of the surrounding soldiers stated. “Please, move aside so that we may take her.”

Con shook his head as he continued to hold his sword out. “No, I won't let you take her,” he said firmly. “Any who wish to have her must go through me, first,” he then cried. He reached back for Norena's hand with his free hand, but she did not give it. The Enchantress was now glaring at the men who were surrounding her, her eyes once again black, but Gwen could see that she was greatly weakened, no doubt from the wound she had received from the guard at the castle as well as her recent betrayal by the man she loved.

A struggle ensued. What happened from there happened so fast that Gwen could barely make out who was who in the darkness. All that she could see afterwords were the two unconscious bodies that were being carried out into the field by the guards that were remaining. The guards carried both bodies towards a man who was seated on a horse in the middle of the clearing who had apparently witnessed the entire ordeal.

“Your Highness, we have the Enchantress and your son. What would you like us to do with them?” the head guard asked as he bowed before the rider.

The man, obviously Con's father, looked down upon the two unconscious figures with a look of disgust that Gwen could just make out through dim light of the torches that the guards next to him held in their hands.

“Take my son to the dungeons,” he commanded, his voice cold and hard. “He will learn that he is never to go back on my orders again and to always obey.”

“And the Enchantress, Your Majesty? Shall we take her to the dungeons as well?” the guard questioned.

“No, you will take her to the town square. We will burn her immediately before she can awaken and use her powers on my son again. She will burn, and hopefully, the evil that she contains will die with her. She was foolish to think that I would ever let her be anything to my son,” the king stated and with that, he pulled on the reigns of his horse and rode away, the guards placing the unconscious bodies on their horses before following suit. That left Gwen, once again, alone, in the dark, shaking from the shock that she had felt at what she had just witnessed. For the first time since she had first been attacked, Gwen no longer felt anger and fear for the enchantress. Instead, she felt pity.

Gwen stumbled back to the tree through the small light that was given from the moon overhead. Upon reaching the shadows of the tree, however, she felt a chill go up her spine and heard a voice that nearly sent her into a frenzy. She had hoped that she wouldn't hear that voice in this dream or vision that she was in, but it was there all the same.

'So you've seen my story, have you?' the voice whispered from behind Gwen.

Gwen turned around quickly, but she moved too quickly, for she ended up falling backwards, landing roughly on her backside, her hands barely catching her before she fell all the way and hit her head. Looking up, she found herself looking into Norena's face, though it was the Norena from her time: the dead eyes, corpse face, and waving tresses having been returned. She was no longer the beautiful woman who had a story so similar to her own. She was as cruel and evil looking as ever and Gwen found herself wanting to melt into the ground rather than face her.

“Yes, I saw everything,” she answered in a quivering voice as she looked up into Norena's eyes, though she slowly kept pushing herself backwards, attempting to put distance between them and to get closer to the tree. “I-I saw that you were in love with the crown prince, an-an-and he tried to fight for you-”

'He betrayed me, you simple girl!' Lorena cried out angrily. 'He allowed his doubts to get in the way of our love, and he eventually delivered me to his father who ended up killing me for everyone to see! He made me into an example for all of the other town to see. He wanted them to see that commoners, even ones with powers, had no right to think they were capable of being anything more!'

“I-I know that you're angry, Norena, but I-I-I still don't understand why you would want me,” Gwen cried as she continued to push herself backwards towards the tree. She was hoping that she could possibly get back to the symbols, hoping they would work in transporting her again to a different time-preferably one where Norena could not follow.

'Why do you think I would want someone like you, Guinevere?' Norena questioned as she continued to look down upon Gwen. ''It's because you were the same me. You loved a man that was not allowed to love you back. The man I loved and the man you love are the same as well, cut from the same Pendragon cloth. Both men are bound to duty because of their crown and their fathers.'

“You have no reason to exact your vengeance on me,” Gwen declared firmly, still confused by Norena's actions towards her. “You loved Constantine just as I love Arthur. Your prince betrayed you, but mine has not betrayed me.”

'True, Constantine betrayed me and I burned, but I never would have allowed him to continue hurting me, like your prince is hurting you, Guinevere. You're strong and yet you've become weak because of him. I don't despise you for wishing so much to be with him, I pity you. But I plan on exacting revenge on your behalf as well as mine, even if you don't wish it. I am going to use you, Guinevere, to do what I could not do before.'

Gwen shook her head. “I don't understand. How do you plan to use me?” she cried as she found herself only a few feet away from the oak's trunk.

She was almost back to the tree. It was just a little further away. She found herself nearly stopping however, when she felt her hand touch something hard and cold. Glancing down quickly, she found that her hand had landed on the handle of Con's sword that had most likely been dropped during the struggle with the guards. Trying to keep Norena's attention from her hand, she continued her inquiries. “What do you plan on using me for?”

'Why, to rid us of the Pendragons and their line, of course,' Norena said as a wicked laugh belted from her throat. 'In my current state, I cannot get to them, but that all will change once I am able to possess you fully. I should be able to lure in the father once I am able to destroy his precious Arthur. Don't worry, though, Guinevere, I shall make your love's death quick and painless.'

Gwen shook her head at Norena's confirmation. “No, you can't hurt him,” she cried out, gripping the sword handle even tighter.

'Don't be pathetic, Guinevere. He never would have allowed you to be his queen. He will marry a noble woman that his father approves of just like Constantine. Then, he will have a son that will be just like all the other Pendragons: vile, cruel, and unjust.'

Gwen's teeth ground as she glared up at Norena. She had had enough!

“I would never let you use me to hurt Arthur!” she cried as she quickly got to her feet, the sword still in her hand. She held it in front of her, pointing the point right at Norena. “I love Arthur Pendragon. He is a good man, different from his father. He is going to be a great and just ruler, and I want him to be that even if I am unable to be the queen at his side!” she then cried, though the mark at her breast tingled at those last words.

Norena began to laugh again, her laughter cruel and unkind. 'You really are a pathetic girl, Guinevere. It is precisely for that behavior that the prince will never love you the way you want him to. You're not willing to fight for what you want,' she taunted.

Gritting her teeth, Gwen stepped forward and swung the sword with all of her might at Norena, but the Enchantress was gone before the sword could even touch her. Gwen continued to keep swinging at her as fast as she could, but the Enchantress always vanished at Gwen's swings before reappearing again just out of Gwen's reach. At one point however, she reappeared right behind Gwen, and placed her hand on Gwen's shoulder, sending a burst of flaming pain through Gwen's entire body.

Nearly dropping the sword, Gwen collapsed onto the ground as Norena let go of her. The Enchantress continued to hover behind Gwen, laughing, her cold laughter filling the silent night air tauntingly. She was basking in the glory of defeating the handmaiden and what that victory would entitle her to be able to do.

Still down, Gwen bowed her head as she tried to regain the energy that had seemingly been sucked right out of her. She heard Norena's laughter, right behind her ear, the cackle acting like a silent hand that was keeping her down. The handmaiden felt like her body was begging her to give up, but as Gwen closed her eyes to succumb, she could see Arthur's face, his blue eyes looking right into hers, pleading for her to keep fighting.

'Oh, give up, Guinevere. There's no way you can defeat me. You will be mine, whether you fight or not. You are my last chance, and I will not give that up,' Norena whispered into her ear from behind, sending another shiver up Gwen's spine at the closeness that the Enchantress now had to her. 'Save your fury for someone else. Your anger is nothing compared to mine.'

“No...” Gwen muttered, her breath still ragged, “but my love is stronger than yours, Norena, and I won't let you take that away from me!”

Turning around swiftly, Gwen swung the sword again with all the energy she had left in her body, catching Norena off guard. The sword entered into Norena's shadowy torso, and to Gwen's amazement, it stayed there. Whatever Norena was, in this particular form, she was susceptible to the weapon's power on her, for she began to scream and writhe, clawing at the blade that seemed to be stuck in her.

Gwen took the opportunity she was given to immediately run back to the tree, her eyes set on the symbols. When she reached them, she dared to look back over her shoulder to find that Norena was no longer there. She had vanished. Looking around, Gwen expected her to pop out of the shadows or trees or just grab her from behind, but there was nothing but silence and the wind blowing through the grass and trees. She was completely alone.

Turning her attention back to the markings, Gwen reached out and brushed her fingers across them. At first, when she felt nothing, she feared that the symbols were not going to work, but quite suddenly, she felt the hook pulling her forward and then felt the cold wind on her face. Closing her eyes, she did not cry out this time as she felt herself being swept away. She only felt relief and hope that she would be taken home. She wanted to get as far away from his place as she could and to place distance between herself and the demon ghost that Norena had allowed herself to become.

Merlin and Gaius were both pacing the floor of Gaius's study, trying their best to avoid each other's eyes as they both glanced out the window to see only a glimmer of light over the western horizon. Arthur had left nearly an hour before though he had done so grudgingly and only at Sir Leon's insistence that he was needed by his father for the preparations of the feast. Before leaving, he had bade Merlin to remain with Gaius to keep a vigil for Gwen should she return to them. His face had been contorted with worry, his eyes worn, especially after all of the interrogating and searching they had done earlier that day for the handmaiden. There was still hope, however, in that sea of blue even if it appeared as though she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

“You don't think that she...” Merlin finally spoke after a long moment of silence, though he was unable to finish his inquiry, the question being too much.

Gaius, understanding what Merlin was asking, stopped and frowned. “I don't know, Merlin. Usually when the Enchantresses hurt anyone, those they hurt didn't disappear, there were actual...bodies...found.”

Merlin swallowed heavily with his fists clenched at his side as an image of a corpse with bouncy curls and sightless brown eyes suddenly popped into his head. He quickly forced it out, however, and forced himself to replace the picture with a smiling, laughing Gwen.

“She's not dead!” he suddenly cried out, shocking Gaius and himself as well at his outcry. “She's alive...I know she is. I can feel it,” he then said, his voice filled with hope and determination. “I know she'll come back, or we're going to find her.”

Gaius said nothing as he turned and once again began his pacing, his eyes gazing out the window every now and then as the sky only appeared to grow darker and darker. Merlin returned to his track as well, though he kept his eyes averted more to the ground rather than looking at out. Seeing night coming in, only dashed his hopes more and more of her being safe.

Both men were so wrapped up in their thoughts that they failed the notice the light rap on the door the first time it sounded. It was only when it returned, this time somewhat louder and firmer that Merlin found himself jumping at the sudden noise before he quickly walked towards the door, thinking that it was someone with news. He only hoped that it was the good kind of her being found alive and well and not...the other kind.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin took the handle of he door in his hand and slowly opened it. He didn't even have the opportunity to really see who it was before he felt arms wrap around his neck and felt a body pressed against his as he was being embraced tightly. It wasn't until he heard his gentle attacker speak that he realized that the person embracing him was Gwen.

“Oh, Merlin! You don't know how happy I am to see you!” Gwen cried as she continued to squeeze him, a joyful laugh escaping her lips. “I seriously thought I wouldn't ever see you again.”

Reluctantly pulling away, Merlin grinned as he looked down into Gwen's face. “I'm so glad that you're okay!” he cried out cheerfully, but he then grew sullen as he took in her somewhat ruffled and muddy appearance. “You had all of us scared to death, especially when we all came here for you and found that you weren't here when you said that you were coming here,” he said in stern voice. “Where were you?”

“I'll tell you, I promise,” Gwen said, her smile still engraved on her face, “but first, I want to see Gaius.”

After sharing a similar reunion with the court physician, which consisted of more hugs and pecks to the cheeks, Gaius led Gwen the long table and let her settle down while he and Merlin sat down across from her, waiting for an explanation. Gwen was all too willing to give it, explaining all of the events that had occurred to her from the time she left Merlin, to the discovery that the symbol on the tree was Norena's, to the events that she witnessed between Norena and Constantine, and finally, her final confrontation with the Enchantress's ghost. She explained to them why Norena had targeted her, blushing at the knowing expression on Gaius's face when she revealed that she was in love with Arthur. She then took her turn to sit back while Gaius and Merlin, in turn, revealed all that they had learned from their 'source' and together, they filled in all of the holes that they had had earlier regarding Gwen's attacks. Merlin then also revealed how he had told the prince of her predicament despite her pleas and Arthur's reaction to her going missing and how he had nearly tackled everyone in the city for news of her, to which Gwen listened silently with her cheeks flaming while Merlin and Gaius purposely looked away. Afterwords, they sat together soaking in all of the information and what all of it could mean.

“So she was just gone after you stabbed her?” Merlin finally asked Gwen, regarding the last she had seen of Norena.

Gwen nodded. “Yes, she was. I expected her to come out from somewhere...anywhere... after I noticed she was gone, but she didn't. And when I was coming back to the city, I had to walk through the darkness and she didn't come out then, either,” she said calmly. “I admit that I thought that she would, but she didn't.”

“Then, maybe she's really gone,” Merlin suggested, his face becoming somewhat brightened at the prospect. “Maybe, you're really safe now, Gwen.”

“I hope so,” she said with a sigh. “I don't think I could make it through another encounter.” She then looked to Gaius with another smile. “I did notice one thing when I reached the city, and that is that the mark she left on me last night is beginning to fade. Maybe Merlin's right, and she's gone.”

Gaius reached out and covered Gwen's dark hand with his. “Well, regardless of whether she is or not, I have a strong suspicion that Norena was only able to attack you now because of how close it was to this night, a time where the dead have the most power to return to the mortal realm. I believe that after this night, she will no longer have the ability to attack or attempt to harm you, Gwen. You have fought her admirably, my dear. It's very possible that she realized that you were a stronger adversary than she expected to face.”

Gwen grinned at the physician as she nodded her head with tears of gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, Gaius,” she whispered.

“So what should we do then?” Merlin questioned. “We need to keep you safe for one more night. I think that the more people you're around, the better.”

“Maybe we can attend the feast, then,” Gwen suggested, nonchalantly, though a blush was beginning to creep onto her dusky cheeks. “I had wanted to see Arthur, especially after...everything that happened,” she added, averting her gaze to the table to avoid the looks that were being shot her way by Merlin and Gaius.

“There will be lots of people at the feast, so it would be a generally safe place,” Merlin commented as he grinned at Gwen. “I could escort you there.”

Gaius rolled his eyes at the young man's eagerness but smiled as he looked at Gwen. “I agree that it would be a safe place for you for the time being, and I'm sure his Highness would be exceptionally glad to see that you are all right as well. I think it best that we all go.”

Rising slowly from the chair, Gwen beamed at her two companions. “Let's go, then,” she said excitedly.

Merlin frowned with one of his eyebrows raised as he looked up at her tattered and muddied appearance. “Um...maybe we should get you changed, first...”