Aftermath

What happens after episode 4x09, or really what I thought was going to happen before I saw the next episode (yes I know I'm late in posting lol, still working on the rest of it)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else. No harm or breach of copyright intended.

Elyan rode up to the little shack that was now his sister's home.

It was a simple little shack, barely two bedrooms. No bigger than her house in Camelot.

Dismounting from his horse, Elyan reached to undo the two bags of food and other goods that he had gathered to bring his sister. She had only moved there only a few days ago, Elyan had been quick to help her. Though he had been nervous that Arthur would react badly to him helping her, Elyan had promised her he would help her in any way he could. He had even offered to leave Camelot and move with her to another kingdom but she had forbidden him from doing so. She told him that he being a knight of Camelot made her proud and she was reassured by the knowledge that Elyan was at Arthur's side when there was danger.

When he turned around Elyan found himself face to face with his little sister. To anyone else she looked no different but to Elyan he could see that she was tired and drawn.

"Are you well sister?" he asked

"Well enough, let me help you with those" Guinevere answered moving to take one of the bags from him. But Elyan simply moved the bags out of her reach. He ushered her into the small house where he sat the bags he carried on to the small table.

"Has anyone given you trouble out here?" Elyan asked sitting down while Guinevere put the things he had brought her away.

"No, no one has come near me except for you and Merlin, I don't think that anyone else would dare to for fear of upsetting Arthur" Guinevere answered.

"What is new in Camelot?" Guinevere asked quietly, although she wanted news of her home she was more interested in how Arthur was going and whether he was well. Elyan knew what she was asking and he wasn't certain whether it would be wise to answer her questions. He could see that she was still hurting.

"Guinevere, do you really want to know about Arthur?" Elyan questioned.

Guinevere stopped and turned to face her brother. "Yes, I want to know that he is well and safe. He may have banished me but I still love him, I want the best for him" Guinevere replied softly. She sat down opposite her brother and stared at him. He sighed and proceeded to tell her the latest gossip from Camelot.

After an hour of talking Guinevere noticed that Elyan kept giving her a look that she knew meant he wanted to ask her something but didn't know how to.

"What is it Elyan?" Guinevere asked finally.

Elyan looked at her and sighed. "Guinevere I want to hear from you what happened? In the days since you left Camelot I never had the chance to hear it from you"

She sighed "I don't know where to start" she admitted.

"Why did you go to the throne room so late?" Elyan asked softly.

"I don't know, there was just something drawing me to the room, I originally thought it was just nerves for the wedding so I thought going there and practicing what was to happen would calm me but then, but then I saw Lancelot and I felt excited. I don't know exactly what I did, but one second I am saying hello and then next I am in his arms and his kissing me. In the back of my mind it felt wrong but I couldn't seem to get my body to listen to my head and move away. And then Arthur was there pushing us apart, I saw the look on Arthur's face and I don't know it was like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over me. Until that moment my mind was fuzzy but then I saw his face and it was as though the cloud was lifting. When it did and I could focus properly Arthur and Lancelot were fighting and the first thing that popped into my mind was I had to stop them from killing each other. I didn't want Arthur to kill him" Guinevere explained looking down at her clasped hands on the table top.

"Why didn't you want him killed? It sounds like he had enchanted you" Elyan asked softly, he didn't want to break her concentration.

"I just kept thinking, he had sacrificed his life to keep Arthur safe because I had asked him too. I don't know why but for some reason that seemed like the strongest reason for stopping them" Guinevere answered simply.

"It sounds like I don't know much doesn't it" Guinevere added with a small chuckle.

"Sister, by the sounds of it you were enchanted, how would you know what you were doing?" Elyan told her, placing a supporting hand over her own.

"But I must ask why you didn't try to tell Arthur this when he banished you"

"I hadn't figured it out then, when Arthur had me taken to the dungeons I was numb, I couldn't think I just kept seeing his hurt face, his eyes. It's only been in the last day or so that I've been putting together what actually happened" Guinevere answered.

Elyan nodded and said "So the next question is how did Lancelot enchant you, he didn't have any magic at all did he?"

"Not that I knew of, what happened to Lancelot? Did Arthur have him killed?" Guinevere said with a shake of her head.

"He killed himself, he was found later in the day you left, he left no note or anything" Elyan answered her, his eyes studying her reaction. He was glad that she didn't break down and cry.

"That seems rather suspicious doesn't?" Guinevere asked tilting her head to look out the window. "Though I suppose, he would have thought that the punishment would have been death, he probably thought he kill himself as a point or something" she added.

"What did Arthur do?" she asked, studying her brother.

"There was no real reaction, he just told Merlin to organise his burial and walked off. Honestly I think he was still trying to process what had happened" Elyan admitted.

"No one has seen much of him since he banished you, he only comes out of his rooms when he's needed and even then Merlin has to practically drag him out. Agravaine is in trouble with him though" Elyan reported after drinking his tea.

"Why?"

"Because he apparently called for your death and then pushed for it rather than banishment. Arthur didn't react well to it, dismissed him straight away and threatened to hold his tongue" Elyan answered.

After a moment Guinevere stood up and finished putting the thing Elyan had brought her away. When that was done she had him help her rearrange the furniture in the small house so that it was more secure when she slept. After a few hours she noticed it was getting dark out and realised sadly that her brother would no doubt have to leave her soon. Far sooner then she would have hoped. Despite the brave face she put on, the idea of living outside the castle on her own scared her. She knew that bandits roamed the woods; she had experienced them only a few years ago.

"I suppose I better get going" Elyan said reluctantly as he followed her gaze out the window to the setting sun.

"Yes I don't want you getting in trouble. Arthur needs you with him. Especially if someone did enchant me, I don't want to think of what they would do next" Guinevere added thoughtfully.

Elyan nodded and Guinevere walked him to the door. After giving him a hug and a kiss on the forehead, Guinevere watched silently as he rode off towards Camelot. She wished with all her heart that she could be returning with him but knew that for what she had done she would never be allowed to return.

That night, she fixed herself a simple dinner. Lighting the fire, Guinevere double checked the locked doors and windows before curling up on the little bed Elyan had helped her put in the corner. Before she realised it tears were flowing down her face as she thought of Arthur. Before long she had cried herself to sleep.

Meanwhile in the castle, Arthur sat in his chambers staring out the window. Behind him Agravaine prattled on about something but Arthur had stopped listening. He knew he should be listening but he had not been able to concentrate at all since he spotted Elyan riding out of Camelot that morning with his horse loaded up with supplies. Arthur wasn't stupid; he knew that Elyan was taking the supplies to Guinevere. From the moment that realisation dawned on him, Arthur had not been able to think about anything but Guinevere. His heart ached for her; he wanted nothing more than to see her. But he knew he couldn't. Every time he shut his eyes all he could see was her in Lancelot's arms. He had replayed the events over and over again in his mind.

Sighing he knew he wasn't going to be able to concentrate on anything until he had spoken to Elyan and heard that she was okay.

"Uncle enough, we can finish this tomorrow" Arthur said moving around his uncle, stopping him mid-sentence. Agravaine stared after the king. It was evident he wasn't impressed with the abrupt end of his audience with his nephew but Arthur just ignored him.

Arthur quickly made his way to his knight's room, only to find that he had beaten Elyan there. A moment later Elyan entered the corridor and found Arthur standing outside his room. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for his king's angry response to his absence. Elyan expected Arthur to be angry with him for visiting his sister.

"Elyan, how are you?" Arthur asked turning and spotting Elyan approaching him.

"I am well sire and yourself?" Elyan responded cautiously.

"Well enough, I want to speak with you in private" Arthur announced stiffly. While he wanted news of his love he was also nervous about what he heard. He didn't know if he could handle it if Elyan told him she was hurt or had been hurt.

"Very well sire, would my room suffice or would you prefer somewhere else?" Elyan asked motioning towards his room.

"Your room will do" Arthur answered allowing Elyan to step in front and open the door. Elyan did as Arthur motioned and unlocked the door to his room and walked in. Arthur walked in after him, with Merlin appearing and following him. The guards that accompanied Arthur everywhere attempted to follow but Arthur waved them off and told them to wait outside.

Moving to the opposite side of the room to the door, Arthur leant against the wall and watched as Elyan removed his cloak and sword. Merlin studied both men silently; in his pocket was the bracelet that Lancelot had given Guinevere. He had gone to the dungeon that Guinevere had been held in on a whim, not knowing what he was looking for. He had spotted the bracelet out of the corner of his eye as he was turning to leave. On closer inspection, he found the bracelet was engraved with symbols of the old religion that to others would have just appeared decorative. The moment he had picked up the bracelet he had felt the magic infused in the metal.

"Where did you go today?" Arthur asked after a few moments. He watched Elyan turn to face him.

"You know where I went, are you going to punish me for visiting her?"

"No, but I want to know how she is" Arthur answered avoiding the other man's eyes.

"You banish her from Camelot to live alone and unprotected and you have the nerve to ask how she is?" Elyan said astonished by the king's question. He knew he had promised his sister, he would take care of the king but he wasn't sure he would be able to. The anger he felt towards him for banishing her for something that was out of character for her was bubbling to the surface. Elyan kept his distance from Arthur; he didn't trust himself to get any closer than he was. He had known something was wrong when he heard of her actions but speaking to her had eroded the doubt in his mind.

"She betrayed me!" Arthur responded, running a hand through his hair. There were few he would allow to yell at him, but Elyan was one of his closest Knights and friends.

"Did she? Was there nothing about her behaviour that seemed off to you? Or do you trust her so little that you would instantly believe that she would so easily betray you so?" Elyan yelled at him. Arthur stared at him, he was asking the questions that Arthur himself had been asking but had stopped because his heart hurt too much to think of the events of that day.

"Do you honestly think I haven't replayed that day in my mind? Every time I close my eyes I see her kissing him" Arthur exclaimed.

"You didn't answer the question though; did her behaviour not appear out of character? Do you really think she would betray you so easily?" Elyan said stepping forward.

Arthur looked at the older man; he didn't know how to answer.

"What am I supposed to think; I walk into the room and find her in the arms of another man. I don't want to believe that she would betray me so but I saw it with my own eyes, I saw her in his arms with her lips on his" Arthur stated, his tone made it evident he was struggling with his emotions. His pain was evident on his face.

"She didn't look as though she was being forced to do so" Arthur added softly, pain lacing his words.

"That's because she was under the influence of magic" Elyan exclaimed. It wasn't the way he had intended to tell him what Guinevere had told him.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded, magic was not something he had even considered. He had been too consumed with pain to think of anything else.

"She told me today, that she had felt like her mind was clouded, she couldn't think properly. She said she could see and hear what she was doing but had next to no control over her actions. She knew kissing him was wrong but she couldn't get her body to move, it was as though something holding her to him. When she saw your face, it was as though someone had poured cold water over her and the fuzziness in her mind started to clear, it wasn't till she got to the little shack and sat down that the fuzziness fully clear" Elyan explained.

"She is heartbroken, her face is puffy and it is quite clear she spends the majority of time crying. I doubt she's been eating properly. She is confused and upset and just a little bit angry but she acknowledges her actions and understands she can't come home" Elyan added, he could see the impact of his words on Arthur. Arthur starred at Elyan absorbing the words, he stumbled a step and lent against the wall for support. After a moment he slid down the wall and just stared out in front of him. All he could think of was that his love had had no control over her behaviour and that she hadn't willingly betrayed him.

"Arthur, I think I know how she was enchanted" Merlin stated softly kneeling down beside his friend.

Arthur looked up at him in shock; he had forgotten his friend had been in the room. "How? Who did it?" Arthur asked

"I don't know the who but I know the how. It was the bracelet Lancelot had given her as an engagement present, it's enchanted, I can feel the magic" merlin explained pulling the bracelet out of his pocket. Merlin held the bracelet out for him to see. Arthur stared at the offending bracelet with pure anger, it was the reason his love was all alone and unprotected away from her home. It was then that Arthur and Elyan realised what Merlin had said.

"What do you mean you can feel the magic?" Elyan asked softly. Elyan had always wondered whether Merlin had magic in him. There had been too many times that they had been saved in the nick of time by some kind of miracle and Merlin had always been present then.

"Uh that's something to discuss at a later date" Merlin stammered through, looking nervously between the two men. He didn't want to have to tell Arthur like this that he had magic; he knew his friend was dealing with enough with Guinevere's absence.

Until next time – Miss JK Willett