The night had chilled quite a bit as Arthur and Merlin sneaked out of the city walls and out into the open night air. It had been nearly half an hour since Gwen had been taken away from them and with each minute that passed, Arthur found it more and more difficult for him to think rationally as his fears for Gwen's safety only grew more and more intense.

“She'll be all right, Arthur,” Merlin said softly to his friend, sensing the turmoil that the prince was going through. “You told her that you'd find her, and Gwen knows that you'll keep your word.”

“I wouldn't blame her if she doubted me,” Arthur said quietly, his voice filled with defeat as they continued walking towards the field. “After what my father said at the feast and the way I practically delivered her to Norena, she probably despises me.”

Merlin gazed at Arthur solemnly. “If she has any doubts about you, Arthur, you finding her will change all of that. Maybe then you can prove to her just how much she really means to you, then.”

“I can only hope that she gives me that chance again,” Arthur said solemnly as he fixed his eyes at the dark field in front of them. “I know now that I need her, Merlin. She means more to me than anything else,” he then said quietly, his voice filled with all of the emotions that he generally suppressed and hid from everyone else.

“We're going to find her, and she's going to be fine,” Merlin said softly, his tone reassuring.

“I'm hoping that she's here,” Arthur then said as they walked out onto the field that Gwen had gone to earlier, and the two of them stood in the middle of it where the moon was shining down on them. “If she's not here, then we've wasted our time.”

“Norena had a tie to this place. Gaius and I both agreed that if she would take Gwen anywhere, it would most likely be here,” Merlin said urgently as he looked around the field at the surrounding trees. “We should try to find the tree that Gwen said Norena's markings were on.”

“Considering that we're surrounded by trees, how do you even think that's possible, especially when we can barely see a thing out here?” Arthur demanded shortly, looking at his companion with a stern face. “I don't see anything out here, Merlin. We're wasting precious time.”

“Gwen said that it was the largest tree around. She said that it was the oldest,” Merlin cried, looking for a tree that fit that description amongst the many that surrounded them. “I know she's-”

“Guinevere?” Arthur cut him off, his eyes looking right past Merlin, causing the young wizard to turn his gaze at the spot that the prince was staring at. Merlin saw a figure stumbling out from the treeline, and he was fairly certain that it was a woman though he couldn't tell if it was Gwen or not. Before he could try and get a better look, however, Arthur was shooting right past him right for the figure. “Guinevere!” he cried out excitedly as he continued to run for the woman.

“Arthur, wait!” Merlin called out after him to stop. “Arthur!”

The prince was oblivious to Merlin's cries as he continued to run for the figure that had come out from the trees. Though he couldn't see her face well, either, he knew that it was Gwen. He would have been able to recognize her anywhere. It was his Guinevere, and all he could really feel was relief and glee that she was all right.

As he reached her, Arthur opened his arms and wrapped them tightly around her, pulling her into them. She was trembling and she was so cold, but he didn't care. He was just happy once again to have her body close to his again, to feel her face against his chest, her skin on his.

“I'm sorry I let you go,” he whispered, still embracing her tightly against him. “I'll never let you go again.”

“ARTHUR! Get away from her!” Merlin suddenly cried as he ran towards them. “That's not Gwen!”

Arthur frowned at his servant over his shoulder as he still held Gwen's body close. “What are you talking about, Merlin? Of course this is Gwen.”

“I said get away from her, Arthur. Look at her face!” Merlin cried as he came up behind him, holding out the sword he had in his hands with the point pointed directly at Gwen.

Still frowning, Arthur slowly pulled away from the figure that he had been embracing. She was still trembling, and Arthur hated having to let her go, but when he looked down into her face, he saw that her eyes were closed. She was mumbling something under her breath as she continued to stand in front of him, her arms dangling down at her side where they had stayed even when he was hugging her. Something was wrong, now, and Arthur now knew it as he slowly began to back away, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

“Guinevere?” he asked gently, his voice laced with worry. “Guinevere are you all right?”

“Her eyes,” Merlin whispered to Arthur. “Her eyes were completely black when you were hugging her. I saw them. Norena must have done something to her.”

“Then where's Norena?” Arthur asked, his eyes still focused on the handmaiden's figure who still had her eyes closed.

'I'm here, little princeling,' a voice that sounded like something from a nightmare, suddenly cried, and to Arthur and Merlin's astonishment it was coming from Gwen's lips. Her eyes opened, and like Merlin had said before, they were completely black with no whites around her pupils. 'Guinevere is mine now. You've failed, her. You've come too late. '

Gritting his teeth, Arthur unsheathed his sword though he kept it at his side rather than pointing it at her. Despite the fact that he knew that Norena was in her body now, he still couldn't bring himself to point his sword at her. “I demand you get out of her now, witch!” Arthur commanded through his gritted teeth.

A grin spread across Gwen's face, but it was Norena's laughter that escaped her lips afterwords. Raising her arm up, she flicked her wrist at Arthur and the prince suddenly flew backwards, falling with a rough thud in the middle of the field, a good ten meters from where he had been standing.

'I'm not a witch,' she said as she cackled again. 'I'm something much, much worse.'

With Arthur temporarily knocked out, Merlin raised his hand and called out a spell, his eyes flashing gold. Norena, in Gwen's body, stumbled backwards, clutching at her chest. She looked up with fury written all over her face and her eyes still completely black. She once again raised her arm up and with another flick of her wrist, a ball of blue flame suddenly left her fingertips, flying right for Merlin. He was barely able to jump aside as it flew right past him, right into a nearby tree that suddenly burst into blue flames that incinerated the wood in a matter of seconds before the flames just snuffed out.

Merlin was barely able to get back onto his feet before Norena was on him, her cold hand wrapping around his throat while lifting him into the air, his feet dangling beneath him. Without the ability to speak, Merlin couldn't shoot another spell, and he was left helpless.

'Ah yes, the boy wizard with his magical powers,' Norena whispered as she grinned again. 'You caught me off guard at the castle. You weren't going to do it again here, and you won't get in my way again,' she said with evil glee.

She turned her head and looked back into the forest where she had come out only moments before. Holding her hand out, she mumbled something under her breath and suddenly a silver object burst right out of the trees and landed perfectly in her hands. Merlin, who was struggling to stay conscious, looked down at the newly obtained object and saw that it was a sword. He assumed that it was the very sword that Gwen had stabbed Norena with earlier when she had been taken into Norena's past.

Throwing him down onto the ground, Norena grinned. 'Are you ready to be the first to die by my hands, boy?' she questioned as she placed the tip right at his throat that was still too raw from her recent hold on him to allow him to say anything. At his silence, Norena shrugged. 'Very well, then, I shall make this quick,' she then said and lifted the sword over her head to bring it down on him.

The strike came down hard. Merlin closed his eyes, awaiting for the end, but the blow was stopped just before hitting him by a large body colliding with Norena's pushing her away. Merlin opened his eyes to see Arthur standing over him with his sword still drawn and his eyes fixed on Norena who was slowly rising to her feet once again a few meters away from them.

“Get up, Merlin!” Arthur ordered him sternly though his eyes still remained on Norena in Gwen's body.

The enchantress was glaring at Arthur with the sword still in her hands. She looked winded by Arthur's hard shove, her body-or rather Gwen's-still working to recover. She lifted the blade up, threateningly, before running right for Arthur with the blade in her hands pointing directly at him. She swung somewhat artfully at the prince as she approached him, though Arthur was able to deflect the swing rather easily with his own sword. That did not deter Norena, however, for she was quick to to make another lunge which was somewhat more difficult for Arthur to deflect this time. More attacks of the same nature came at Arthur, but each time he was still able to deflect the blow, never trying to strike back.

“Arthur, you have to make a strike!” Merlin called out hoarsely, his yell coming out more as a whisper as he continued to try and recover his voice so that he could possibly help his master with a spell.

Arthur paid him no heed, acting as though he hadn't heard Merlin as he continued to focus on deflecting Norena's blows. At one point however, when Norena was coming at him again, Arthur feinted, moving to the right but then making a hard left which brought her stumbling past him. It was at that point that Arthur brought his sword up and slid his blade across her exposed arm, making her drop her sword. She ended up falling forward, her body sprawling out amongst the dirt of the field.

When she rolled over, Arthur put his sword at her throat, though he had to keep it from shaking as he saw himself holding the blade over Gwen's throat and not the enchantress's.

“Release her, Enchantress,” he said firmly as he continued to hold the blade at her throat. “Leave this body, now!”

'Or you'll do what, princeling? Kill me?' Norena asked with an evil smile as she gazed up into Arthur's face. 'Kill me, and you'll kill her, Arthur! I'm already dead. I cannot feel anything you do; in fact this-' she said, holding up her bleeding arm, 'is nothing to me. I could not feel it, and I still can't...but she can. She's still in here, and she's seeing and feeling everything that you're doing to her. I'm not surprised, though. You've betrayed her once already.'

Arthur lifted the point of the sword slightly but not by much. His arm was shaking now, as he looked down into the Enchantress's face though he now could only see Gwen looking back at him, her eyes restored to brown by the Enchantress's will. “Why would you do this to me, Arthur?” she cried, her voice restored as well as her face contorted with pain.

“R-Release her, Enchantress. She has done nothing to you. I don't believe she has ever done anything bad to anyone,” Arthur cried, his voice now filled with pleading. “Don't hurt her anymore.”

'Oh, but it is not I that is hurting her, Arthur, it is you,' Norena said coldly. 'You were the one who she cared about more than anyone else, and you betrayed her, just like your great grandfather betrayed me. You allowed your father's words to get in the way of what you felt for her, allowed him to manipulate you so that you would turn your back when she would have done anything for you. You broke her heart when you said that you couldn't be together and then turned your back on her.'

“But I always cared for her! She was always on my mind every second of the day. It was not her heart alone that was suffering when I said those words. It nearly killed me to have to tell her that we could not be together because she is the only woman that I would ever want by my side, the only woman I would ever want to have as my queen. I only told her what I had to because I wasn't willing to ask her to wait for a time when that could actually be together. I wasn't even sure if she even felt the same.”

'Well, she did, and you ended up betraying her anyway, and it was that betrayal that allowed her to fall into my web,' Norena replied indifferently. 'She is a strong creature with a strong heart, one that would never would have been within my grasp had you not toyed with her. She was weak after everything you did, but even weakened, she still fought me, nearly defeating me because of her love for you. But you had to ruin that by betraying her trust again at the feast tonight. You made her vulnerable and then you delivered her right to me for my use, and for that I thank you, though I still won't spare your life.'

“My father has the power to do things his own way as King of Camelot, and he thought that he could use that power to force me into something I had already refused to do before,” Arthur said through gritted teeth. “Though I had no knowledge of what he had planned on announcing at the feast, I did make my feelings clear to him after he had made that declaration that I was not going to follow along in his plans. I told him that my priority was in preparing myself for the day that I would take his place so that I could take care of our people. Though he was still upset, he is still my father and listens to what I have to say. He agreed that he would not force me into a marriage again and that he would allow me to marry when I felt it right. Though he would still dislike Guinevere to be my queen, he would have no right to do anything once I became king, and as king, the only woman I would ever allow to be by my side as queen would be her.”

With his hands now shaking noticeably, Arthur suddenly dropped the sword at his side and collapsed onto his knees before Norena.

“If it's me that you want, then take me,” Arthur stated, looking at her directly in the face, her eyes once again black, as she rose to her feet. “Though, I am no longer in a position to demand anything...I am begging you, now, to spare Guinevere's life when you are through with me. Whatever plans you have, I ask only that you do not use her. She is a pure heart, and I would wish for her to remain so.”

Merlin, who was watching from a ways back, immediately started for his friend to try and get him back up, but Norena was faster. Now that she was no longer threatened she pointed her hand at Merlin and with another flick of her wrist, she sent him flying back into the shadows of the forest so that he would not interfere.

Standing before Arthur who was still on his knees, his eyes now closed and his head bowed, Norena looked upon the man for a long moment with the sword in her hands. He reminded her so much of her Constantine, but then again, she could sense that he was different. She almost began to wonder if Guinevere had been right when she had said that this one was different from his father and the rest of the Pendragons. There was suddenly an inkling of doubt in what she was planning on doing, but it was still not enough to ease the anger that still blossomed within her.

Growling, Norena, lifted the sword up over her head. She found herself pausing, however, as she prepared to bring it down on his neck. She felt a strong tingling within her. It had been there ever since she had fully possessed the handmaiden but it was weak then. Now, however, it was stronger...much, much stronger. She felt the presence of the tingling begin to fill her, and this time she knew what it was...it was Guinevere, and she was beginning to take hold of herself. The prince's speech, no doubt, had gotten to her. Before Norena knew it, she was no longer in control. The sword dropped onto the ground and the handmaiden, now in control of herself again, dropped onto her knees in front of Arthur.

“Arthur,” Gwen whispered softly as she reached out and gently touched his cheek. “Arthur, open your eyes.”

Arthur opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, and when he did, he found himself gazing into the familiar brown eyes that he had come to love. He knew now that this really was Gwen, his Guinevere, and he reached out and took her face into his hands.

“Guinevere, you're really there!” he cried as he found himself smiling wide at the smile upon her face. “How is that possible?”

“I heard what you said, Arthur,” Gwen said as she allowed him to pull her closer so that his brow was pressed to hers. “I heard what you said about your father, and I heard how you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me, and I knew then that I could never allow that.”

“I would do anything for you,” Arthur said softly, pulling away to look into her eyes. “I hurt you so much before and I allowed you to be hurt. I wasn't going to stand back and allow you to feel the pain again.”

Gwen suddenly winced as she grabbed at the mark on her breast, causing Arthur to look upon her worriedly.

“She's still in here, Arthur, and she's fighting to come back,” she cried as she closed her eyes. “We don't have much time!”

“No, you have to keep fighting, Guinevere!” Arthur said firmly. “You have to keep fighting against her. I know that you can!”

Gwen looked up into his face with tears coursing down her cheeks. “I love you, Arthur Pendragon,” she said softly. “I always have and I always will. I've known that you've always been a great man deep down, and I know that you are going to be a great king, one that the people will remember forever!”

She leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly to his, allowing him to see and feel the truth of her words. Arthur was quick to kiss back, his hand snaking around her neck to pull her closer to him. This kiss was different from their first kiss when feelings were still uncertain. It was much more passionate now that both knew that they were loved by the other. What was unknown, however, was that in Gwen's mind, it was a goodbye kiss.

When they finally parted for air, Arthur leaned in and gently kissed Gwen's cheeks, nose, and her brow. “I'm never going to let you go,” he whispered.

Gwen suddenly pulled away from him, getting back to her feet as she started to walk back away from him, more tears coursing down her chocolate cheeks. She had the sword once again in her hands as she stood back from him.

“Guinevere? What are you doing?” Arthur demanded as he looked at her with the sword shaking in her trembling hands.

Gwen shook her head. “She's still coming, and I can't allow her to hurt you or for you to sacrifice yourself for me,” she cried, now lifting the sword. She now held the sword with both hands as she placed the point of the blade at her stomach. “I can't let her use me to harm you, and without me, she won't be able to. The people need you to be the king that they've always hoped for. They need the man that I have always seen inside of you, Arthur.”

Realizing what she was actually planning on doing, Arthur immediately rose to his feet. “No...No, don't do that,” he said, holding his hand out as if he could just reach through the distance and take it from her. “Please, don't this, Guinevere. We can fight her. I know we can!”

Smiling sadly at her love, Gwen slowly shook her head. “I love you, Arthur” she whispered, and with that, she suddenly pushed down on the handle, sending the silver blade through her small body.

“NO!” Arthur screamed at the top of this lungs as he ran towards her. “Gods, no! GUINEVERE!” he cried.

Gwen collapsed onto her knees with the blade still embedded in her stomach, her eyes becoming glassy as she watched her love running towards her. A slow smile suddenly crossed her face as if she were trying to reassure him that she would be all right even though she knew she wouldn't be...not without him. She then closed her eyes and fell back, her body landing with a dull thump against the ground.

Arthur continued to run for her but before he could reach her, her body slowly began to rise from the field floor. The blade was suddenly gone as her body hung in the air as if laid out on an invisible platform. Shadows suddenly began to sprout from her thin form. Quite suddenly, a dark object suddenly lifted from Gwen's body, right above her chest. The dark object suddenly began to sprout a form of a woman as it looked down upon Gwen. Arthur saw a pale face with black eyes suddenly appearing, hovering over Gwen's form. Her face was mostly concealed by long, black tresses that blew around her head, but from what Arthur could see, which was not much, he thought that he saw that her pale cheeks covered with tears as she looked down at Gwen. The shadowy figure suddenly lifted her gaze and looked at Arthur, her eyes still as black as ever and still frightening. He expected her to attack him, but instead, she simply vanished.

Arthur didn't care where the figure went as he ran the rest of the way to where Gwen's body was now lying back on the ground. He saw in the moonlight the way her red and purple dress was now darkened by the blood that was still oozing from the wound that she had inflicted upon herself. Going to her, Arthur took her into his arms, pulling her into his lap. Her body was still warm, but he could feel her hands already getting cold.

Holding her close, Arthur kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, and finally her lips. He was shaking now-sobs ripping through his lips as he held the one he loved. Tears, that Arthur generally refused to shed for anything or anyone, suddenly began to course down his cheeks and onto Gwen's making it appears as though she, too, was crying. Still holding her closely to him, Arthur rocked back and forth as the tears continued to fall. “No, Guinevere, don't leave me,” he cried softly against her skin. “I need you.”

Merlin woke, feeling like he had been slammed repeatedly against a stone wall, though he wasn't too far off course as he had actually been slammed once against a large oak. He had momentarily forgotten where he was, the dark shadows surrounding him, confusing him. Everything suddenly rushed back to him about Gwen having been possessed by Norena and Arthur surrendering himself to Norena for Gwen's sake.

Immediately getting back to his feet, Merlin began to run to the small opening in the forest that he had been blown in through. As he was running however, he suddenly felt a cold presence behind him and he slowed to a stop just out of reach of the opening. Turning around, he saw Norena, her shadowy figure immersed in a dull blue light, hovering over him.

Thinking that she was going to attack, Merlin raised his hand to issue a spell out, when he suddenly saw her lift her hand up to him and heard her say, 'Please, don't...at least not yet. I wish to speak to you, first, wizard,”

Merlin kept his hand up but didn't say the spell as he frowned up at her. “How did you get out of Gwen? Did you kill her, too, after you killed Arthur?”

'Your prince is alive, but Guinevere is dead,' Norena replied, her voice filled with an emotion that Merlin thought to be sorrow, though he doubted himself for thinking so.

“What did you do to her? Did you make him kill her?” he cried out, preparing to send the most hateful spell he could think of her way. Tears were stinging his eyes at the though of his friend dead. “I should kill you now!”

'I did not kill the handmaiden...directly,' Norena said quietly. 'She managed to regain herself momentarily...and she took her own life to prevent me from harming Arthur. She sacrificed herself for him.'

“You pushed her to do it! You were going to use her!” Merlin screamed. “She was stronger than you think! She always has been. She didn't deserve this, and I'm going to make you pay for it!” he said thinking of the perfect spell to send at her.

Norena once again raised her hand up to him to ask him to stop. 'I know now that what I did was wrong, but I wish to fix this.'

“How can you fix this if Gwen's really dead!?” Merlin cried out, still furious as tears already began to fill his eyes at the though of never seeing Gwen smile at him again or babble about something silly. “You can't raise her from the dead.”

'Oh? And I thought you were a great wizard,' Norena said solemnly, her eyes looking upon him coolly 'You do have the ability.'

“But if I managed to raise her back, there would have to be a death! I can't risk someone else dying, even for Gwen,” Merlin said angrily.

'You need a spirit to replace the one she gave up. I shall give you a spirit, Wizard. I shall give you my own,' Norena said solemnly. 'If you heal your friend , then I will give myself to the forces that seek equilibrium. You have my word.'

“I can't trust your word!” Merlin spat at her. “This is all your fault. Besides, why would you want to help her after what you did?” he then demanded.

'My word is your only hope, boy. The equilibrium with magic can be worked around. Believe me, I know. If you want her back, then you must listen to what I say. The reasons for my actions are my own and I will not explain them to you,' Norena said coldly. 'Take it or leave it.'

Despite the growing suspicion Merlin had, the young wizard could sense from her words that she was telling the truth. He was still suspicious of her motives, but he ended up nodding to her proposal all the same, to which Norena simply nodded before blowing past him towards the opening that would lead back out onto the field.

When Merlin walked out of the forest and onto the field, the first thing he noticed was Arthur holding Gwen's lifeless body in his arms. Norena was nowhere in sight. He paused for a moment, thinking of what he was going to be revealing to his friend with this plan that he was going to execute for Norena, but he knew that Gwen's life depended on it, and he knew that it was something he had to do. Taking in a deep breath, he continued to stride towards Arthur, kneeling beside the prince when he finally reached him though Arthur was oblivious to his presence as he continued to stare down into Gwen's face.

“She gave her life for me,” he suddenly spoke, startling Merlin who was sitting across from him. His voice was filled with tears though his cheeks were now dry despite the tear tracks that the the previous tears had left. “She said that I would be a great king one day.”

“And you will, Arthur,” Merlin said softly. “She always knew it.”

Finally looking up, Arthur looked right into Merlin's face, his eyes filled with tears. “I...I don't think I can...I can do it without her,” he said, his voice shaking as a single tear suddenly coursed down his face. “I knew that I would be king from the beginning, but after I met her...” he paused as he lifted a hand to brush away the tear that had just fallen. “She made me want to be king. She made me want to be the man she saw but I didn't. How can I do it without her, now?”

Knowing that this was the time, if there was any, Merlin sighed heavily. “I can bring her back, Arthur,” he said solemnly. “I can give her back to you.”

Arthur frowned. “She's dead, Merlin. How can you possibly bring her back?”

Leaning forward, Merlin reached out and took Gwen's arm, pulling her slowly away from the prince. Arthur looked upon him with confusion as the young wizard laid Gwen back down on the ground with her wound facing up. He looked at Merlin, demanding answers, but the wizard was more focused on the task at hand.

Looking down at the wound, Merlin closed his eyes to focus on the right spell. Opening them again, he placed his hand on Gwen's wounded abdomen, whispering the spell out loud. He could hear Arthur crying out at the flash of gold in his eyes , but he continued to force himself to focus on the task at hand. Sure enough, the wound on her stomach healed, though Gwen still did not open her eyes, nor did her chest rise either to indicate she was even breathing.

Doubt began to fill Merlin's head as he looked around for Norena. He was beginning to think that Norena had done this to expose him or use him in some other way, his fury building up within that he had allowed himself to trust her. Looking up at Arthur, he found the prince staring at him long and hard, his jaw clenched.

What have I done? Merlin thought as he saw Arthur suddenly grab for the sword on the ground.

Gwen was surrounded by black. She was floating around with nothing around her but darkness. She knew that she was dead, but she did not know where she was now. She had not expected the after-life to be so...empty.

Her death kept on flashing through her mind, and she remembered the look of horror in her love's eyes as she had faded into black. She was still sad that she had had to leave Arthur behind, but she had considered her death somewhat of a triumph considering that she had saved his life, but that did nothing to stop the pain that she felt at not being able to see him again or feel his arms around her.

“Guinevere,” Gwen heard a voice speak from behind her, and turning around, she found herself once again face-to-face with Norena, though this time, Gwen wasn't afraid. No, now she was angry.

“I killed you, then? You deserved it!” she shouted, her hands balled up into fists at her side.

Norena lifted her hand up as a gesture that she wasn't going to do anything. “I know that you are angry with me, and you have every right to be. But you must know that you succeeded in saving Arthur's life. I would have killed him had I regained control over your body.”

Gwen took a step towards her, ready to give Norena a good fist to the face when Norena spoke again.

“But it's because of what you went through...for him, that I finally realized that I was wrong.”

Gwen paused, dropping her fist at her side. “It took my life and nearly Arthur's for you to see that?” she cried, sorrow beginning to swirl around her stomach. “I know that you were betrayed by Constantine, and that you really loved him, but a part of love is the willingness to forgive. Constantine fought for you in the end. He truly loved you enough to try and stay by your side!”

Norena said nothing towards this, though her eyes were now misted over as she continued to stare at Gwen. Feeling more pity than anger towards her, Gwen sighed and turned around.

“As long as Arthur's safe, I don't care,” she said quietly, staring into the black.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and looking back, she found Norena smiling down at her. It made Gwen realize just how pretty she really was.

“I took your chance to be with Arthur away from you like Constantine's father took my chance to be with Constantine away from me,” she said quietly. “Unlike him, however, I am able to see my mistake, and if your friend, Merlin, does what I have asked, my mistake shall be fixed.”

Gwen shook her head, confused. “I don't understand. What can Merlin do?” she questioned.

As soon as she spoke those words, Gwen suddenly felt a warm sensation swirling around her stomach where she had stabbed herself. Looking down, she saw a light shining right through her. She was panicked at first as she looked at Norena, but when she saw the Enchantress smiling at her, she knew that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

“Hmm, your friend is more powerful than I gave him credit for,” Norena said softly as the light continued to expand, filling up Gwen's entire being. “Be sure to thank him for me when you see him again, and apologize to both him and your prince for what I did.”

Gwen looked at her, still confused. “I don't understand, what's happening?” she cried, looking down at her stomach and her hands that were now also giving off a light.

“You're getting your chance to be with your prince,again,” Norena said softly. “I hope you take full advantage of it.”

Gwen suddenly felt an invisible hook wrap around her, and suddenly she found herself being pulled away from Norena. She almost cried out at how fast she was being taken away, but she instead closed her eyes, waiting for the sensation to end and for whatever was to come next to just happen.

Opening her eyes, Gwen looked back to Norena to call out a thank you. When she looked Norena was far away, though Gwen could vaguely still see her. She saw that there was another figure standing beside Norena, and squinting, Gwen saw that it was none other than Constantine. She watched the figure of Arthur's ancestor offer his hand to the Enchantress who slipped her hand in his. Gwen closed her eyes, however, as she watched them lean towards one another for a kiss. When she opened them again, neither of them were there. Gwen thought that she was alone, but it was at that moment that she heard her name being called.

“Gwen?” the voice said, “Guinevere? Can you hear me?”

Merlin looked up at Arthur as his friend pointed the blood-tipped sword at him. “You're like Norena!” he cried out through clenched teeth. “Or are you, Norena?” he demanded.

“I am your friend, Arthur. I just needed to try...”

Merlin dropped off as he glanced down, thinking that he had seen Gwen's body move, which made him pause to lean over her to inspect her more. Arthur, thinking that Merlin was planning on doing something to her, tried to ward him off, but when he looked down, he too suddenly saw Gwen move. At that point, he dropped his sword and once again knelt down beside her, taking her hand into his.

“Gwen? Guinevere?” he questioned, focusing now completely on her face. “Gwen, can you hear me?”

Gwen did not respond, but suddenly, her chest began to rise and fall as breaths suddenly escaped her mouth. Arthur's eyes opened wide as he looked up at Merlin who was still focused on Gwen.

“She's breathing!” he cried out. “What did you do?”

“I...I healed her wound like-”

“Ssh, I thought I heard her groan,” Arthur cried, shushing Merlin as he leaned down closer and placed his ear right above her mouth. The prince's face was still filled with doubt about everything that was happening, but there was a light in his eyes now that had replaced the dull emptiness that was there before. There was hope again.

“Guinevere? If you can hear me, open you eyes,” Arthur said softly to her. “Please, love, open your eyes.”

Gwen still did not respond though she still continued to breathe. At this, Arthur looked at Merlin with a frown. “Why isn't she waking?” he demanded.

“Keep talking to her,” Merlin suggested. “She may wake up with your voice.”

“Guinevere,” Arthur whispered into her ear. “Can you hear me, Guinevere?”

Gwen groaned, and this time Merlin heard it as well, his eyes widening with joy. “I heard that!”

Arthur held his finger to lips to silence Merlin once again before looking back down at Gwen. “Guinevere,” he said softly. “Open your eyes.”

She let out another groan, but then suddenly her eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly before looking straight up into Arthur's face. She looked at him, puzzled for a long moment before she looked down and saw the blood that was all over her dress. Her eyes suddenly widened before she looked up at Merlin and found him smiling down at her with his usual goofy grin.

“I...I thought it had all been a dream, but it was real, wasn't it?” she asked softly, looking between the both of them.

Merlin was the one to respond as Arthur just stared at her with complete disbelief and awe.

“It was real, Gwen,” he said quietly. “But you're back now!”

Gwen nodded slowly before returning her gaze back to Arthur who was still staring down at her with wide eyes.

“You're really okay,” she whispered with a smile as she looked up at him. “I thought I wasn't going to see you again.”

Getting over his moment of shock, Arthur reached down and pulled Gwen up, crushing his lips against hers as he pulled her close. Gwen kissed back just as eagerly as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close to her. Neither of them seemed the least bit concerned with the fact that Merlin was still there, though he did turn his gaze away as he tried to find anything to look at rather than them. He found himself looking to the east where he saw the sun rising up above the hills. The horrible night had truly come to and end.

When the two finally broke for air, Gwen tucked her head under Arthur's chin as Arthur pulled her fully back into his arms. She finally pulled away-just a little-to look at Merlin who had returned his gaze to them since they had separated. Reaching out the hand that was closest to him, she took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

“Thank you, Merlin,” she whispered softly. “I know that it was you that helped me back, and I'm forever grateful,” she said as a tear coursed down her cheek. “Norena said to thank you as well.”

“So it was Norena then?” Arthur demanded, looking at him. “You were possessed?”

“I...”Merlin paused as he contemplated saying that it wasn't Norena and just revealing that he really was a wizard, but instead, he sighed and continued with: “...I don't know. I just suddenly had the urge to heal Gwen.”

“She came to me when I was in limbo,” Gwen said softly. “She said that she realized that we truly loved one another. She said that she knew that she was wrong and that she was going to try and fix her mistake. She must have used Merlin to do it,” she then said, grinning up at Merlin.

“Norena?” Arthur questioned with disbelief. “She did this?”

“She must have,” Merlin said quietly, averting his eyes to the ground. “All that matters is that we have you back, Gwen.”

“Yes, I guess that's all that does matter,” Arthur said, looking at Merlin with a look in his eyes that said that he wasn't quite sure. He then averted his eyes back down to Gwen, and Merlin got up knowing that they were going to get mushy with each other again.

Arthur continued to look down at Gwen's face, his fingers brushing across her dark cheek. “I think you already know that I'm ordering you never to do that again,” he said quietly, his thumb brushing against her lips. “If you ever do anything like that again I...I...I don't know what I'll do,” he said, looking up trying to think of a suitable punishment.

Gwen sighed as she burrowed even closer to him. “I didn't mean to scare you, but I can't promise you that I won't do it again because if anything like that happens again and you're in danger, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing,” she said solemnly. “You're important, Arthur, far more important than me, and like I said before, you're going to be the great king that everyone will love.”

“I can be a king without you, Guinevere,” Arthur whispered softly as he looked down into her face. “But I can only be a great king if I have a good queen by my side, and I know now that that has to be you.”

Lifting her head up, Gwen looked up into his eyes with a smile, “Is that a proposal, Arthur Pendragon?” she asked teasingly as she let out a small giggle.

“Yes,” he said seriously. “I wouldn't want any other, so yes, I'm asking you to be my queen.”

With the smile fading, Gwen frowned up into his face. “Arthur, don't tease me,” she said sternly.

Arthur grinned as he leaned in and gently kissed her lips, his hand squeezing hers. “I'm not teasing you, Guinevere. I'm seriously asking for you to wait for me. If you will, then I promise that on the day that I become king, I will make you the Queen that you have always deserved to be. I will not have any other woman at my side.”

Grinning now, Gwen responded by placing another firm kiss upon his lips and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I was willing to wait for you an entire lifetime,” she whispered. “I think that I can manage to wait for the time when we can be together openly in this life.”

“That doesn't mean that we can't be together when we're not in the open, does it?” he questioned with a worried expression on his face. “I can still kiss you, can't I?”

Rolling her eyes, Gwen once again placed a hasty kiss to his cheek before breaking free and running over to Merlin who was standing by the large oak with the symbols and the names of her family. Gwen stopped beside him, lacing her fingers through his as she looked down at the tree.

“Are the two of you finally done with all of...that?” Merlin asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders with feigned disgust on his face.

Sighing, Gwen glanced at Arthur who was slowly making his way towards them. She then looked up at Merlin. “It was really you, wasn't it?” she whispered quickly. “You weren't possessed by Norena, were you?”

Merlin frowned as he gazed down at her, flicking his eyes quickly to where Arthur was still quite a good ways away. “How did you know?”

“Because when Norena was talking to me, she said that she didn't know you were so powerful,” Gwen whispered. “Back at the castle, I also thought I saw that your eyes turned golden, and I think I've always suspected as much from you. You were always a little strange. I mean, youweren't really strange, but you were strange. I mean-”

Merlin grinned as he realized just how much he had missed her babbling. “I know what you mean,” he said softly, squeezing her shoulder gently. He grew more serious as he continued. “Can I trust you to keep my secret?”

Gwen glanced back at Arthur who was now fast closing in on them. She looked back up at Merlin and nodded. “I'll keep your secret, Merlin, but wouldn't you want to tell him about it yourself? Surely, it must be hard work keeping such a large secret from him. I think Arthur would understand,” she whispered.

“I'll understand what?” Arthur asked as he finally approached them, frowning at Merlin's arm on Gwen's shoulder.

Gwen looked a little panicked as she looked back up at Merlin, but Merlin-somewhat used to these situations-merely shrugged.

“Gwen wants to run away and marry me instead of you. She said that she realized that she really loved me all along,” Merlin said nonchalantly.

Knocking his arm off of Gwen's shoulder, Arthur frowned, sensing that they had truly been talking about something else. Sensing that they weren't going to share, however, he sighed. “Like I've told you before, you should choose women who are at your...level,” he said quietly as he pulled Gwen back to him.

“I am at his level, Arthur,” Gwen said softly, gently pushing him away. “Besides, I know first hand what a great kisser he is,” she said grinning up at the young wizard.

Arthur looked at Merlin with wide eyes, demanding some kind of explanation but Merlin kept his gaze fixed on the tree, ignoring the blush that was creeping up his neck. “I noticed that your name was on this tree, Gwen. Is this your mother and father's names, too?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

Gwen walked forward and brushed her fingers across the names of her family. “My father said that this was how he told my mother that he loved her,” she said with a fond smile on her lips. “He said that he hoped that when people saw their names, they would know that he loved her and that a piece of their love would always be alive forever with this tree. He added my name so I could be with them, forever, too,”

“It's beautiful,” Merlin said softly, admiring the names. He then flicked his eyes up at the symbols above their. “Is that Norena's?”

Gwen nodded. “Yes, that's her mark with Arthur's great grandfather, Constantine's symbol,” she said softly. “It was those marks that gave my father the idea to leave his name and my mother's here. He said that he always sensed that the symbols Norena left were left out of love.”

“Merlin, scrape off those symbols. They shouldn't be with Gwen's,” Arthur said firmly. “I don't want to see them there.”

Merlin moved to step forward, but Gwen placed her hand up to stop him. “No, don't!” she protested. “Don't touch them, please.”

Arthur frowned. “Why would you want to keep them there, especially after what she did?”

“She may have done something terrible, but she fixed that mistake,” Gwen said quietly. “What she left on this tree was something that she sincerely felt. She loved your great-grandfather, and she left that mark there because she loved him. Considering that she still loved him until the very end, I think she should be allowed to be remembered for that and not for what she did to me.”

“Fine, we'll leave them,” Arthur said reluctantly as he came up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “If you want them to stay, then they'll stay.”

“Then they'll stay,” Gwen confirmed reverently as she brushed her fingers over Norena's symbols as well. “But as for the marks that my father left behind...I don't think they're quite finished.”

She suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of the dagger in Merlin's belt. The young wizard almost protested considering that the evidence of what she had done with the last sharp object still covered the front of her gown, but he remained quiet at the solemn look that Arthur shot at him. He instead watched as Gwen walked towards the tree and started working at it with the dagger in her hands.

When she stepped back, the two men looked down at what she had carved into the wood. Arthur found himself frowning at what he saw first, though what he read aloud made Merlin grin. Next to the 'Guinevere' that had been carved by Tom was Gwen's shaky carving though it was still clear: 'Merlin, friend and companion, now and always.'

Arthur huffed. “You should add lazy servant to that!” he murmured which earned him a frown from both Gwen and Merlin. Looking away, he frowned. “Why did you add him to the tree?” he then asked, somewhat offended.

Gwen smiled as she laced her arm through Arthur's. “I didn't just add him. Look closer, love,” she said softly.

Moving away from Gwen, Arthur leaned in and sure enough he saw some more of Gwen's carving underneath her name, though he had to lean in to see it closely. It said, all together: 'Guinevere+Arthur. Love that will defy even death.'

When he stood up again, Arthur immediately looked to Gwen who was smiling wide at him. Going to her, he once again took her face into his hands and pressed his lips to hers, which caused Merlin to roll his eyes as he once again turned his head to look away.

“That's disgusting, you two! Couldn't you wait to be alone to do that kind of thing?” he complained.

“Shut up, Merlin!” Arthur cried out, glaring at his manservant as he lifted his face from Gwen's.

Giggling again, Gwen lifted herself up to kiss Arthur on the nose. “Okay, that is enough for now. Poor Merlin has seen enough,” she said softly as she pulled away from him. “Besides, we should really be returning back to the city. I'm sure Gaius and Morgana are worried sick!”

Arthur groaned and nodded, though he did manage to keep his hands off of her. He shot Merlin a stern glare as they all turned around to start the long trek back towards the city. Merlin responded with a goofy grin and a simple shrug as he made sure to stand on the opposite side of Gwen to stay out of the prince's reach. As they all reached the middle of the field however, Merlin stopped.

“Oh, I forgot my sword. I should go get it,” he said to his two friends.

Arthur rolled his head at his forgetfulness while Gwen simply smiled and nodded. He then turned and ran back towards the tree while they continued on, though they were now just walking close together instead of holding hands since they were out in the open. This was acceptable now that everything between them was known to one another.

When Merlin reached the tree, he picked up the sword that he had purposely left behind before and sheathed it at his belt. Making sure that Gwen and Arthur were out of sight, he then looked back to the tree. Lifting his hand, he mumbled a spell under his breath. Suddenly, a strong force left his fingers and entered into the tree, down into the roots and then up to the highest branch. With that simple spell, he ensured that what was left on that tree would truly remain there forever. Through his one deed, he ensured that they all would remain together forever.

Grinning at his work, Merlin sighed before turning around and running back out onto the field to catch up to his friends. He managed to catch up with them at the furthest edge and was greeted warmly at his return-at least he had been greeted warmly by Gwen.

“What took you so long? Did you forget your head as well as your sword this time?” Arthur questioned him teasingly.

Merlin shrugged. “No, I retrieved my sword,” he said, pointing down at the sword on his hip. “I was just admiring the markings again,” he then said, giving Gwen a meaningful look. “I really do think they'll last forever.”

Knowing to what he was trying to imply, Gwen grinned. “I'm sure they will. I'm glad...that you like them so much,” she then said, her words filled with their own separate meaning. Arthur looked between them suspiciously, but merely shook it off as nothing as they continued on their walk back.

Gwen found herself truly at peace as she walked towards the city walls with the man that she had openly declared her love for on one side and the man that she had made a secret alliance with on the other. The unstoppable duo were on her side, and with allies like them, she knew that she could very well face the world and still win. Though things were still very much uncertain for her and the road she had placed her feet on, Gwen was certain of two things: no matter what trials came her way, she would be ready to for them, and through most of what she was set to bear, she was certain that she would not have to bear it alone. She was not alone.

The End