Sixteen years ago

Gawain instinctively knew something was dreadfully wrong. Gauis never paid a visit; unless something was dreadfully wrong. His fingertips played on the rim of heavy cut crystal wine goblet. He eyed Gauis expectantly.

"Gawain, I've been a dishonest old fool."

Gawain sipped his warm drink. "tell me something that I don't know."

"Guinevere, Merlin, and ...Vivian are children living in a London suburb."

"How's Vivian?"

Gauis gave Gawain a sad look. She's Vivian… headstrong, spirited, and determined." Gawain crushed his wine goblet, and he struggled to control his emotions. "She's a child, memory free."

Gawain leaned over to whisper softly. "Does Arthur know?'

Gauis shook his white head. "No, he doesn't need to know, ever. He needs to stay away."

"He'll want to see Guinevere."

Gauis white head swung in anger. "She's different from before. She's not his Guinevere. She looks nothing like her. She has chocolate brown eyes... curls... and brown skin. Guinevere didn't want to be found; leave her in peace. She's a child; she's free from her sins. She's paid for her crimes against Arthur."

"That's Arthur's call."

"Sometimes, we are called for other things.

Gawain eyed Gauis curiously. "Why are you here?'

"I need a favor."

He loved her instantly, or was it lust that he felt so many years ago? His sapphire blue eyes gazed at her beautiful face like she was Aphrodite rising from the ocean. Nothing or no one could dissuade him from her charms, not even Merlin. His loyal wizard, begged him not to marry Guinevere. Merlin insisted that," Guinevere would lure him to his destruction." Arthur's desire for the young beautiful blonde caused his heart to race. Her sultry voice cajoled him to grant her every wish. He would promise anything to view love in her sky blue eyes. Her gently touch calming his frazzle nerves. Everything, about her was perfection.

Even as his heart pumped a deep dark hate in his veins for Guinevere; he could help his feelings for her. He would given anything for her to love him; the way that he loved her. How everything did was for her, he fought armies and untied Albion for her. In the midst of his battles, she found Lancelot. His heart cracked into a thousand pieces when he spied them clinging to each other in a passionate embrace. His body went numb, and disdain filled his heart. Still, he wanted her.

Arthur smiled sweetly at Guinevere as she approached him in a red satin dress. Her glorious blonde hair tightly secured in a soft bun. Her long slender throat adorned with rubies and gold; as she happily approached her husband. A loving smiled painted on her crimson lips. Her pale delicate hands reached for Arthur. She didn't notice his flinched at her cool touch. His lips seared his flesh when they brushed his cheek. He bit his lips to remember the pain that she caused him; pain overrode his deep abiding love for her.

"Milord, you depart soon?"

Arthur raised her small hand, and brushed his lips across her fingers. He had to play the part as the loving husband. "In a few moments, we depart to foreign lands in search of the Cup of Life. My scouts inform me that the Druids gave it to Kali in the Far East."

Guinevere smiled. "Be safe, my King."

Arthur's lips curled in a grin. "Am I your king, Guinevere? Do you place me above all others?"

Arthur enjoyed watching the emotions play across her monstrously beautiful face. Guinevere squeezed Arthur's hands," Nobody comes before you, milord."

Well, she's a beautiful liar as well as an unfaithful shrew. Arthur brushed his lips across Guinevere's. His large hands cupped her face. He gave her a final nod, and walked from the Council room.

"I'll wait for your return, Arthur. I'll wait forever for you."

Bile formed in Arthur's throat when her soft loving words encircled his heart in a death grip.

Gwen jumped when Emrys hit a bumped in the road. "Sleeping beauty, you're awake. Then, again, you're more like Belle." He smiled at Gwen in the rearview mirror. She wiped her eyes, and she shook her head to loosened the cobwebs.

"Another dream,' Viv inquired gently."

Gwen stared at the English countryside. "Yes," Gwen muttered sadly.

"Blonde or Brunette?"

"Blonde, he knows that the blonde woman kisses the dark haired bloke. He hates… loves... adores, and hates his wife. I can't blame him."

Vivian tapped her pen across the dash. "This started with the green eyed witch creature. Something about her was wicked." Her blue eyes tossed in Emrys' direction. "We just had to see her."

Emrys shrugged his lanky shoulders. "She was beautiful, seductive, and she rubbed my hands like a pro for 20 quid."

"Merlin, you like your women easy and cheap."

"Don't call me Merlin," Emrys gritted through his teeth. 'what was my mother thinking? Then, I meet a Guinevere." Emrys wiggled his eyebrows. "My daughter, Vivian."

Vivian directed an arctic blast glance at Emrys. "Look, Merles, I have one daddy that I don't want, you aren't him, Love. Good ole Olaf lies in his castle with his new wife and new brats. Vivian was sent to her room, never to be heard of again."

Gwen swallowed nervously. Her stupid dreams roused painful memories for all of them. Gwen's mother's death, she earned her fate in Vivi's book. She didn't shed one tear at the funeral. Then again, did anyone? Gwen stood like a little soldier clinging to Vivian's mum. Merlin's anger at his neglectful father. Mum saved her life when she was eight. Goodness, she would have gone into care, if Vivian's mother hadn't adopted her. Nervously, Gwen stroked faint lines marring her brown hands.

"Guinevere, stop playing with your hands," Vivian ordered sternly. Vivian knew family was a difficult subject for all of them, especially Gwen. She always stroked her marks, as if she actually did something to deserve them. Vivian 's eyes shut tightly when her mind faded back to that faithful day when Gwen came to school with bright red marks across her little arms.

Vivian walked towards Gwen's desk. She noticed her small head resting on the faux wood. Vivian tiptoed until she reached Gwen's desk. She shook a fairy cake in her ear. Vivian's brows knitted together in worry. Gwen lived for Fairy cakes. She could hear a person unwrapping one a kilometer away. Ivan looked down, and noticed tiny droplets of water on the floor. Gwen squealed in pain, and jumped when Vivian touched her shoulder.

"Gwennie," Vivian whispered softly.

Gwen lifted her tear stained face to stare to at Vivian. At eight, Vivian decided she never wanted to see another look like that one. "I … didn't do anything."

Vivian started screaming until their teacher rushed over. Gwen moved into her house with her mother and Olaf, except he was Daddy when she was eight. Gwen's mom and her boyfriend died in a blazing fire a few days later, and they never looked back.

"Vivian, are you listening."

"Never to your drabble, Merlin."

Gwen kept changing her story, and lying about how it happen. Vivian knew at the moment; it was her job to protect Gwen from everyone, especially Gwen. She always tried to reason away what he did to her.

"I'm Gwen," she quipped from the back seat. "Just Gwen. Besides, you're face is going to stick like that one day."

"Like what, Vivian asked crossly."

"Like a rabid wombat."

"Merlin, yes, I used your despised first name. Must you always describes us as mad, insane deranged, and then to top it off, crazy. You place an animal or cartoon character to our new monikers. Why?"

Merlin pouted for a millisecond. "No, Gwen is a cartoon character, and you're an animal. She lives in the clouds, and you're a predator."

Vivian smiled like a cat. "Don't forget it."

Laughter filled the Mercedes Sprinter as Emrys sped along a country road.

Sixteen years ago

Gawain walked down the empty street as people shouted," Fire." He smiled as he listened to their screams. He tugged his black coat around his lithe form. His feet carried him to the house. His brown eyes estimated the amount of strength to needed to reach their window. He leapt to the window ledge. He carefully picked the lock, and shove the window up. Quietly, he stepped into Vivian and Gwen's bedroom. He smiled when he spotted Vivian sleeping on her stomach. She hadn't changed in all of these years. A soft moon shone on Gwen's sleeping form. A tear dropped from his eyes when he spotted the bandages covering her tiny arms. "You have paid your debt to Camelot, a thousand times over, Guinevere. A child shouldn't have to live with such pain and horror. I won't let him find you."

A/N: In the legend, Merlin was not a Guinevere fan. It depends on the legend, sometimes she was nice and sometimes she was a shrew. Yes, I'm horrible about Gwen. Eye trouble again, please excuse any typos!