Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC, not to me.
A/N: The title of this story is subject to change. If you have any suggestions, feel free to make them!
Prologue: The Birth
The dark-haired queen held the child close to her heart, looking down into the babe's tiny, perfect face. A rush of love swept through her, a sensation that was staggering in its power. She knew that, for this child, she would move mountains or part oceans.
The physician smiled at the queen then moved towards the door. When he opened it there was a babble of several hushed, but excited, voices speaking at once.
The physician's tone was both exasperated and amused, "Yes, yes. You can all come in now."
Three men hurried into the room and gathered around the bed, staring at the queen and her child with rapt attention.
The queen smiled as she observed their faces, the young man with raven hair and vivid blue eyes, looking down at the baby with a wide grin stretched across his face, the slightly older man with blonde curls, whose eyes met the queen's with the warmth and pride of long years of friendship, and the enormous, blonde mountain of a man who stood beside the others, looking at the baby with a soft expression that would have seemed completely out of place on his face if the queen hadn't known him so well.
But even as joy flooded her heart, the queen felt a secret ache inside as well, an awareness of those who were missing, the others who should have stood in this room, and one other in particular. The queen blinked back tears as his face formed in her mind, hair the color of straw above deep blue eyes that seemed to peer into her very soul….
His absence was a tangible presence in the room.
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Somewhere far away from the room, on another plane of existence from the one in which the room resided, eight people looked into a lake and watched the scene that was unfolding in the queen's room.
There was a dark-skinned woman, the man beside her, who had skin several shades lighter than her own, had his arm around her. Beside them stood a woman with hair of gold, much paler than either of the other two. They wore proud smiles as they watched the scene unfold below.
A few feet away from the three stood a group of five men. All five were young, and it was clear that they shared a strong bond of friendship. One of the men had dark skin, and in fact looked very much like the older man who stood a few feet away; three of the others were dark-haired, but the fifth had hair the color of straw.
The man with the straw-colored hair spoke, his tone one of near-reverence, "She's so beautiful."
A smile broke over his face, "They're both so beautiful."
One of his dark-haired friends, the one with the longest hair, chuckled, "I never thought I'd hear you speak in such a sappy tone, mate…. I have to admit though, your daughter is adorable… she must have gotten that from her mother."
Without taking his eyes from the scene in the lake, the blonde man reached out and punched the other man in the arm. The other three laughed and the man who had just been punched was quick to join in.
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Though the queen who reclined against her pillows in a room in the palace of Camelot couldn't know what was happening in the other place, she suddenly felt a sense of peace fill her. She sensed the presence of those she had loved and lost, and knew deep in her heart that they were watching over her.
Please review and let me know what you thought. I know it's a little odd that no names are mentioned, but it's rather fun to leave you all guessing for a little while. Can you guess the identities of all the characters that have been mentioned?