Chapter 1: Shield Dawn was chasing her as she hastened her pace trying to make her way back to her room before gwen arrived. As she tried to escape it's clutches she bumped hard into merlin and fell backward. He turned to assist the one whom had fallen and noticed that the hood of her cloak had slide off her head revealing her true identity. She looked upward with a calm fire in her eyes and forcefully spoke
"Just what the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry?...I should be asking you that question", said Merlin calmly. As he reluctantly extended his hand again to assist her, she slapped it away with great itensity
"Don't touch me, I don't want to be tainted with filth! Just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean that I am a weakling, I can stand on my own two feet!"
"I was only trying to help you Morgana..."
Morgana stood, and feverishly began brushing the dust from her clothing with her hands
"Your kind of help will only get people killed... or need I remind you of the details"
"No Thanks, last I checked my brain is sharper than ever.., and very capable of putting ...one...and ..one together"
" SHUT up Merlin!,... and mind your own dam business, before I make it mine to get in yours "
Before further conversation could ensue she quickly raced up the back stairway, being careful to avoid the guards. Once in her room she rushed to get unclothed, afraid that if Gwen had seen her in her clothes from the day prior, It would only raise suspicion. No sooner had she stripped down to her undergarments the door opened
"My lady..."
A startled Morgana was trying very hard to come up with an excuse as she stood in front of her still very made bed. She turned and faced her servant and exaspertly replied,
"What is it Gwen..."
"It's ...just ...Your bed...it hasn't been slept in..."
" Of... course it has ...I was just making it up when you walked in...It was suppose to be a bit of a surprise...for you...I know how hard you work and wanted to help you take a load off..."
" I see...", said Gwen
"Would you mind choosing a gown for me..."
"yes, of course" as Gwen walked towards the wardrobe, Morgana quickly shoved her clothing underneath the bed.
" And what will you be doing today if you don't mind me asking ..
"OH...No... not at all...I was planning a picnic by the most beautiful lake in Albion..."
"Sounds like fun...Shall I prepare something for you ...?"
"You can prepare something for four"
"Four my lady?"
"Yes...Arthur agreed to come along, and it's not as if ..I'm going to let you or Merlin starve" Gwen could hardly control her excitement, but made sure to keep her feelings in check remembering her place as a servant
"Perhaps I should hurry"
"Yes...please ...annnnnnnd why don't I dress myself...because I'm afraid that if we do not hurry we will... lose the light"
"Of course..I'll be going" Gwen curtsied before leaving her mistress presence, and as she closed the door Morgana wore a grin of deception upon her face.
Later,
Merlin walked gleefully to Arthur's room as he did every morning to help him get dressed for the day. When he opened the door he was shocked to see Arthur lying dressed upon the bed in his favorite blue shirt gazing up at the ceiling.
"It's a wonderful morning isn't it Merlin?"
"yes it... wait a minute ...are you feeling alright?", said a very stunned Merlin
"Well of course, whatever do you mean?"
"Well... not only do you hate getting up in the morning, you are dressed and smiling with this cooky little grin on your face"
"Cooky?"
"Yes cooky" Arthur stood up from the bed walked over to Merlin and starred him straight in the eye
"Merlin"
"Yes I known shut up!"
"no, actually what I was going to say was will you fetch Gwen for me please"
" Fetch... Gwen...? wait a minute she isn't a dog, besides that's not such a good idea don't you think, and how do you suppose I bring her here without questions being asked?"
"I don't know use your brain...do I have to think of everything for you...I swear Merlin if i ever become king I'm going to make sure that none of the servants in the castle are idiots, now get going will you!"
"Merlin do this, Merlin do that, I'm... not a dog you know..."
"What was that?"
"I said...that I am going to fetch Gwen, and hopefully you treat her better than you do me"
"Merlin"
"Merlin has left the room bye bye"
A few moments later Merlin walked into Arthur's chambers with Gwen...
"Ah hhhhh Gwen thanks for coming as you probably know by now...Morgana has talked me into going on this picnic today ..."
"She HAS!" interrupted Merlin
"YES SHE HAS AND WHY DON'T YOU go straighten up some clothing will you...better yet ...go fetch the horses...before we loose the light ..I do want to return before dusk..."
"yes of course" said Merlin as he left out the door and closed it..
Arthur then walked toward Gwen and gracefully caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I only agreed to it because I knew that she'd bring you along... it will give us a chance to spend some... time together..."
As soon as he said that the door cracked opened startling them both, "Ummmm How many horses should I get?" said Merlin as he peered around the door...
"Four of course !...Do you really think I would carry everything on my own horse ...I'll be busy protecting everyone else ...someone has to do the hard labor", said a very tested Arthur
"Then perhaps I should go help him"
"No ...Gwen...wait..!." pleaded Arthur as she walked out of the room
"um,...perhaps I should get going before..." Merlin managed to close the door in time before his face met with a flying boot .
A short time later uther entered the room just as Arthur was preparing to leave.
"Father!" said Arthur after he nearly bumped heads with him on his way out of the door.
"Arthur! You must be careful, the future king of Camelot can't be thought of as a fool!"
"Yes ..I understand...Sorry father.."
"look I didn't come to stop you, but rather to say that It makes me very happy to see that you and Morgana are taking this time to...tooo...deepen your relationship with one another ...I want you two...to become close...Like family"
"Certainly, Sorry father but I must go...I don't want to loose the light"
"but of course take all the time you need, and don't worry about Camelot"
"worried...why would I be worried?... " Uther shook his head and puckerd his lips
"I just want you to have fun- that's all...now you mustn't keep Morgana waiting" Arthur looked at his father with a confused look upon his face, He then placed a hand upon his shoulder
"Don't worry father it's just a picnic.." and then he left to meet his riding party
A few hours later after a taxing ride the quartet reached the edge of an immensely dense forest which caused them pause.
"Well .." said arthur" We'll have to foot the rest of the way in ...Morgana are you sure you know where were going?"
"OF course I do, I told you that I happend upon this place by accident...We only need to walk a mile or so ..."
"A mile!"yelled arthur as he helped her off the horse
"well you know what they say , beautiful things don't come easy"
"Who said that?"
" I did,... just now.." said Morgana with a sweet smile upon her face
"well let's get going shall we, Merlin , come along, and Morgana, we better not get lost!"
"Don't you trust me?"
"Sure why not..It's not as if I'm going to turn back now"
Merlin grabbed the basket and Gwen grabbed the blankets
"Let' me help you with that Gwen"
"It's ok Sire..we can't have the prince of Camelot exhausting himself before he becomes king" once gwen spoke those words Morgana looked upon them with a sense of distaste as Arthur's eyes floated about the landscape
"Very well then, I'll clear the brush,... Morgana you point the way...let's go everyone"
An hour later they stood in front of the bluest lake they had ever seen , and all around it stood trees with leaves of Autumn gold. The four were silent as they admired it's splendor and gazed upon it's beauty. Everyone stood speechless and then the moment of silence broke.
"I never knew such a place existed..."
"come on... Arthur shall I lay the blanket?.. We really should maximize our time here...Don't want to loose the light"
"Yes, of course as I had been saying allllll day"
Merlin began to spread the blanket and set apart the dishes as he loaded them up with cheese, fresh breads from the oven, meats that were basted overnight and red wine from the cellar. Arthur sat down and grabbed the plate that Merlin served him.
"My lady please won't you sit down and rest...I'll fix you a plate with a little bit of everything ...your going to need your strength for the journey back home" said gwen
"No gwen, you go ahead...i want to admire the serene tranquility of this lake a bit more"
"Are you sure?"
"yes please, I want to enjoy this a bit more, i don't know when i'll get the chance to see this again" said Morgana as she looked on upon the lost lake of Albion, and while everyone was eating no one noticed that morgan was staring at the reflection of Margeaux in the water, mouthing words that no one could hear ...planning the days events. No one except an eagle that sat perched high above in a nearby tree. Once their conversation was finished she turned around with a gleeful grin upon on her face
"wow you look happy" said arthur as she strolled towards them
"Ohhhhhhh... Do I...Perhaps it's because..."
"Ow" shrieked morgana as her foot stumbled upon a root that suddenly appeared from the ground
"Are you alright?" asked Arthur
"What ?" ,said morgana as she raised her head assuring everyone that she was ok "...I'm fine", as she neared the blankets edge she crouched
"My lady whats wrong", said Gwen as she proceeded to her mistress side
"It's nothing …I think I may have stumped my toe" Arthur sat up and rushed to her aide
"Well that's not good lets have a look" Arthur reached for her ankle
"No, no, no!", yelled Morgana as she suddenly pulled her foot away "I mean I'm sure it well be ok … I think I'll ride back to the palace and... go see gaius"
"Yes, of course ...we'll go with you !"
"No ..of course not ...there's no need of ruining a perfectly beautiful afternoon over such a thing...I'm sure I'll be alright...really..Why don't the three of you stay here"
"hahahahah ...noooo ..we'll go with you "
"and arthur pendragon I'll never forgive you if you do...come on you must have some faith in me... ...as you know I'm real handy with a sword and I'll be home in no time, afterall, what could possibly happen to me in Camelots territory?"
"Your right...Merlin go with her" merlin pauses with a drumstick in one hand a piece of cheese dangling out of his mouth
"What do you mean go with her? You heard her she said that she can make it on her own!"
"That may very well be true, but if she were attacked by bandits...I'll need you to take the crushing blow, while sheeee gets away!"
"OooooooHHHHHHH I understand you want me to be a scapegoat"
"In a word...yes"
" wellll...why can't gwen go?"
Arthur grunts and then whispers in his ear " because I don't want to be stuck alone... here with you!...now get going"
Merlin drops everything and stands, " come along morgana,...we can't have anything happening to YOU ..now can we"
" feel free to stay behind merlin...don't want anything to happen to you on the journey home"
"Now if I did that I wouldn't be doing my duty...Now shall we get going...after all...we dont want to loose the light"uttered merlin with such tension in his voice, and then the two walked through the parted brush without complaint...at least for the moment.
Once sight of them was lost, Arthur turned to gwen
"Ah... well. I guess it's just the two of us then"
"I guess so" replied gwen with a solemn look
"Shall we sit down then" , said Arthur as her beckoned her way to the blanket
"I must say that this is an unforeseeable event"
"Yes", Arthur grunts "I wish I could say that I was disappointed but I think that i'm a bit tongue tied at the moment"
He pours a glass of wine for himself and Gwen, as she drank she commented on the wine
"You know this is really quite good …I wonder how Merlin an Morgana are getting along? "
"Who knows they're probably on their way back by now and arguing the entire way home"
"you really think so ?" Arthur nods in agreement, as he takes their glasses away Gwen then lay's her head upon his chest
"you know Arthur I wish that we could do this all day, without... any worries of being discovered… or being concerned about the repercussions of what might happen...if our feelings for one another are exposed
" I know...I live for moments like these and it's thoughts of you that keep me going from day to day ….of you and …. our future together…."
They switch positions and he sits up as she lays flat
"you know it could never be" he gracefully lifts her chin with his finger and slowly moves his lips closer to hers until they are only centimeters away
"but eventually…I'll change that ", as his lips touch hers, she slowly puts her arms around his neck and runs her fingers through his hair, as his tongue creates a pathway to her neck he kisses every little millimeter until she tilts her head upward in ecstasy, as his tender touches take her to a place greater then either had ever known. As if they were the only two people in the world, and then she alone notices a twinkle high within the trees. She quickly rolls arthur onto his back side and covers his body with hers.
Thinking that she was suddenly wanting to take charge..
He gently ran his fingers through her spiraled hair that smelled of sunshine, stared devotedly into her eyes, and whispered to her " what's this ? I've been known to make ladies cry, but there's no need for tears…I was only confessing my hearts desire..."
Gwen looked deep into his eyes affixing hers upon his, " I just want ...to look at you as long as I'm able so that I won't forget your kind face. I want you to know that I love you with my eternal heart and till the end of time..." said gwen in a shallow whispery voice" Protecting you, is protecting Camelot and all of those who follow you"
Arthur saw a flash of light within the trees, he pushed gwen's head into his chest and reached for his sword blocking the arrow with his blade. He quickly grabbed his crossbow and fired into the trees, and last he heard the thump of a body hit the ground. He was certain that he had wounded him severely if not killed him altogether. Afterward He dropped his head backward and breathed a sigh of relief.
"AHHHHHH first time I ever did that without moving and inch and using only one arm. Gwen?"
She didn't reply, "You can open your eyes now that it's over. and as much as I'd love to stay longer I think that we should make our way back to camelot, there could be more like him hiding in the trees, and we are in unfamiliar territory" Arthur stroked her hair with his fingers
"Don't tell me you slept through the entire thing..."
He kissed her forehead hoping to wake her but there was no response, when he lifted his hand to caress her cheek, it felt cold all of a sudden. He twitched his head at the familar scent, and then he noticed it ...the color of his lovers heart...His hand was covered in her blood. He enveloped her with both of his arms as they lay together on the blanket with her body still covering his. His tears were non-existent as his face cringed with grief, anger and sadness, but it was to be short lived.
He heard an eagle's cry high above and his attention was drawn to men from cenrids kingdom making their way through the brush to seek revenge for their fallen comrad. Reluctantly he gently laid down her body and prepared to fight, but the battle was to be short lived as Camelot's knights came to his aide, but once it became obvious that it was going to be a battle of attrition Gawain and Lancelot dragged arthur through the brush and from the battle. Once they arrived back to the horses, he suddenly noticed gwen's horse and tried to make his way back to her, but was stopped dead in his tracks by Gawain who jabbed the hilt of his sword into his gut
"Now that's , that , let's all go back and have a drink"
"Gwain...You...don't understand" said Arthur before passing out
'But I do my good friend...It's called saving your life yet again"
They laid arthur across his horse and made there way for Camelot
Back in the forest laid gwens body on the blanket. She soon found herself being carried by a tall, semi muscular man dressed in brown leather pants and a white shirt, his hair was long and bound in a pony tail, it smelled of flowers and looked like black satin. His eyes were a piercing green and his face was clean shaven. He appeared to be in his mid twenties and high above them flew an eagle leading the way. This gwen noticed in the few moments that her eyes parted.
"Don't worry you won't die", he said as he walked onward into the dusk of night...
