AN: Thanks for the reviews. It was pointed out that there is a mistake in chapter 2 when I refer to Morgana as being Agravaine's niece. Turns out they are not related and that was my mistake. Really should double check things before I write them down.
Gwen could sense from the silence that met that one word that the men already knew or at least suspected that Morgana had had some hand in what happened to her. Gwen kept her gaze on the bed sheets and thought about what had forced her to flee Helios and his men in the first place. Naturally she had planned to flee as soon as she could. Gwen was no fool; she knew exactly what a man like Helios wanted from her and any woman they took captive and Gwen knew she wouldn't have given into him. If fighting Helios had meant her death then so be it. Things however had taken a more sinister turn whenever Morgana arrived. They had passed each other in the hallway as Morgana went to see Helios but Gwen covered her face with her veil in order to keep Morgana from recognising her. Whenever she overheard what Morgana said in the tunnels; Gwen knew she had to do something. Despite everything that happened she couldn't let Camelot return to those dark days whenever Morgana first reigned over the people.
So she ran.
It was fortunate really that Helios' lair wasn't too far from the thick woods that surrounded Camelot. Woods that in a different lifetime she and Elyan and other children had played chase and hide-and-seek and various pretend games. Woods which she had trekked through so many times for so many reasons but this was the first time in so long she had run. She's wandered, walked, marched even but the last time she'd ran was probably whenever she and Leon were fleeing from Camelot. It didn't take long however for Helios and Morgana to begin the chase. Whenever Morgana found her; for a spilt second it was as if none of it had ever happened. Like time had been pulled back and they were friends, sisters, again. But the second ended and instead they were playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. A game which could have only one winner. Gwen could remember feeling a sharp pain in her back before she fell and everything went black.
Whenever she woke up she had four legs and was trapped in the body of a doe. Fate decided to be even more vicious; not only were Morgana and Helios still after her but the blaring trumpets and horses hooves meant only one thing. Arthur and the knights were on a hunt.
And now she was the game meat.
In hindsight Gwen wouldn't be able to explain how but for some reason when she looked at Merlin; he seemed to recognise her. However such a suggestion would be impossible. The last thing Gwen remembered was an agonising pain in her leg before everything was lost. Her last thought was that she was going to die. She was going to die alone in the woods and none of them would ever know…
Naturally after all of that it had been a total shock not only to wake up in Camelot but surrounded by the people she had secretly missed the most. The silence was heavy and pressing down on all of them. Finally after a few moments Arthur spoke.
"What do you remember? What happened?" Arthur asked.
Gwen didn't respond for a moment. What she had heard Morgana say in the tunnels echoed loudly in her head. She knew who the traitor was; she should have seen it from the start. Lord Agravaine. However Gwen wasn't stupid and therefore Gwen slowly shrugged her shoulders. None of them would believe her even if she told them about Agravaine. Why should they? Lord Agravaine was Queen Ygraine's brother; Arthur's uncle who advised his nephew and helped him make important decisions concerning Camelot's future (as well as turning him against people he cared about). Agravaine was trusted and respected by everyone. Whereas she was the woman who betrayed Arthur the night before she was supposed to marry him. She was a worthless former serving girl who had no right to even be lying in this bed.
"You remember something, you know you do." Merlin pressed gently. Gwen was hiding something; they could all sense it. Merlin felt a sense of dread. Morgana and Agravaine were up to something and Merlin's instincts were telling him that it was something possibly bigger than the Dorrocha and just as destructive.
"All I remember is seeing Morgana before I passed out. Everything else is a blur." Gwen lied.
"Look at us and say that." Elyan tested. Even when they were children; Gwen couldn't look anyone in the face and lie. Slowly Gwen looked up at them and her eyes hardened.
"All I remember is seeing Morgana before I passed out. Everything else is a blur." Gwen repeated; holding Elyan's gaze. Gwen then looked away and turned her attention to her leg and slowly undid the bandage. The round wound had long since been cleaned and stopped bleeding however it was most likely going to leave a scar. Still; what was a scar compared to her life. Gwen re-bandaged her leg and attempted to stand however fell back with a yelp of pain as a flash of pain ran up her leg. That hadn't one of her smarter ideas.
"You need to rest. Your leg needs to heal itself otherwise it'll be damaged for the rest of your life." Gaius ordered going into physician mode.
"Well that won't be too long; will it?" Gwen asked.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. For the first time since her banishment Gwen looked her former fiancé in the face. Arthur hadn't changed a bit but what really captured Gwen's attention was the fact he didn't look angry. He looked more confused than angry which was odd. His venomous words had echoed around her head constantly since that fateful day.
"'You are hereby banished from Camelot. To return will be on penalty of death.'" Gwen quoted. "I've returned therefore I've broken the terms of my banishment. The law must be upheld mustn't it?"
Arthur looked stunned for a moment before he shook his head. "You're wrong Guinevere."
"I was banished or were you lucky enough to sustain another head injury which wiped what happened between myself and Lancelot from your mind? Because I haven't. I have to replay those days over and over in my head; trying to work out just what happened to me even though I know I'll never find that answer. I have to live with the fact that one stupid mistake cost me everything and everyone I care about. The sooner I leave Camelot the better." Gwen snapped and returned to staring at the bed sheets. It was childish but since she was bedridden for the time being; what else could she do but look at the sheets. Anyway, she wasn't lying; ever since that moment when she realised what she'd done hit her; she was trying to work it out. What had made her do that? What made her throw everything she had with Arthur away? She loved Arthur and wanted more than anything to be his wife. So why had Lancelot's return changed everything? Whatever feelings she had had for Lancelot were long gone. She had cared for him like a brother; cried for him the way she would have cried if it were Elyan who sacrificed himself to the Veil. None of it had made sense to her and Gwen doubted it ever would. To be honest; she wasn't too angry with Arthur and the others; if anything she was angry at herself for being so stupid.
Arthur looked taken aback and he wasn't the only one. The king looked at the other men who looked both stunned and ashamed of themselves. None of them had tried to see things from Gwen's point of view. They had all only seen what Arthur had seen that night. Up until yesterday when the bracelet was found; they had all believed what they had wanted to believe and that in itself was unforgiveable. Only fools believe something without getting all the facts. Arthur looked at Gaius for some sort of advice and it seemed the physician had had another one of his brainwaves. Gaius left Merlin's room and returned a few seconds later holding the bracelet in his hands.
"Gwen, do you recognise this?" Gaius asked. Gwen reluctantly looked up and looked away again.
"Lancelot gave it to me. He said it belonged to those people who found and healed him." Gwen replied in a monotonous voice. Strange; just days ago she had wished to be back in Camelot; now she wished she was anywhere else than the kingdom.
"It was enchanted." Gaius said. Gwen looked up and stared at the old man. "Morgana used magic to put a mind control spell onto the bracelet. She also used necromancy to raise Lancelot from the dead and he was under her control. Neither of you could have stopped yourselves if you wanted to."
"So that means," Gwen began.
"You're innocent; both of you were." Elyan answered.
"Elyan's right, therefore you can stay. I'll repeal your banishment." Arthur added. The strangest thing then happened. Gwen shook her head and laughed. It wasn't the sort of reaction they expected; instead the laugh was somewhat mocking. Gwen sat up in the bed and eased herself so she was leaning against the wall and as she looked them each in the face the laughter stopped.
"What's so funny?" Leon asked.
"It doesn't change anything does it?" Gwen asked.
"It changes everything." Gwaine stated.
"Does it? Does it erase the fact that I kissed Lancelot? Does it mean that the past few weeks never happened? That I never left and everything's back to how it was before? No it doesn't. All it means is that we were stupid enough to believe a made up story and I was gullible enough to put on an obviously enchanted bracelet." Gwen argued.
"It means that neither of you did anything wrong; we're trying to apologise." Merlin insisted.
"No; it means that you all thought I was going to die and you wanted clear consciences if I had. What if you hadn't found that bracelet? How would this conversation go ahead? Sure you'd probably be glad I was alive because it meant you hadn't killed me in cold blood but nothing would be different. I'd still be banished and have to be smuggled out so that nobody knew anything about it." Gwen reasoned.
"That's not true," Percival claimed.
"Really? Then aside from all of you; who knows I was brought back?" Gwen tested. The silence told her everything. "I thought as much."
Arthur shook his head. "We wanted to check you were alright. We thought you'd be happy to know that you didn't do anything wrong."
"It doesn't change anything. I mightn't have been in my right mind but it doesn't mean that it never happened. It did and we have to live and move on. Things have changed over the past few weeks." Gwen said.
"Stop being so childish." Leon claimed.
"I'm not being childish; I'm being honest." Gwen retorted; admittedly somewhat childishly as she lay back down. "I'm tired,"
"We'll let you rest," Gaius said and he ushered the knights and Merlin out of the room. They all looked at one another. It was safe to say none of them had expected that outburst. They had all thought that Gwen would have been pleased to know that she and Lancelot were innocent and that she was able to stay. They hadn't been expecting her to lose her temper like that. For a moment they were all silent; nobody knew what to say. What could they say?
"Give her time; it's probably a lot of information that needs to sink in." Gaius suggested.
"She's right though; it doesn't erase the past." Arthur stated.
"Maybe not but maybe we can show her how sorry we are." Percival suggested.
"You could formally repeal the banishment. I mean everyone knows you still love Gwen but if you made it official maybe it would prove to Gwen that we are all sorry." Elyan suggested.
"And if that doesn't work?" Leon asked.
"Then we get down on our knees and grovel if we have to." Arthur replied. He was being serious. He would do it in front of everyone in the five kingdoms if it meant Guinevere forgave him for being so stupid; so blind and such a total prat.
"She probably just needs to calm down. My sister was a demon from hell and went mad over every little thing. Trust me; let her be alone for a while and then we come back." Gwaine reasoned; speaking from personal experience. Arthur nodded and left to summon the counsel. The knights followed and Merlin volunteered to stay behind. As soon as the door shut behind them; Merlin walked back into his room and sat on his bed. Gwen was turned away from him and was clearly pretending to be asleep. Merlin let her pretend for a few seconds before he spoke.
"I know you're awake. It's only me, the rest are away." Merlin said. Gwen slowly sat up and looked at Merlin. Merlin and Gaius had been the only ones who tried to help her before she was banished and the anger had faded from her face. Instead Merlin could see how vulnerable and worried Gwen actually was. Merlin couldn't really blame her. She'd been kidnapped; almost raped; hunted as game meat; fought for her life; brought back to the place she'd been banished from only to be told that as far as the others were concerned everything was water under the bridge and everything was the way it was before. Anyone would be worried or confused or upset. There was also something else; something Gwen clearly wanted to say but was almost afraid not to.
"What really happened?" Merlin asked.
"I was in a village just beyond the boundaries. I was helping a family on a small farm and was mucking out the pigs whenever Helios and his men attacked the village. I wanted to get my sword and try and help defend the people however they captured me. Helios was rumoured to have an eye for a pretty face and they took me." Gwen explained.
"Did anything…" Merlin trailed off. He wasn't sure how to ask Gwen if Helios had raped her but Gwen understood and shook his head.
"No; Morgana arrived." Gwen replied.
"Did she see you? Is that what happened?" Merlin asked.
"No; I passed her in the tunnel but covered my face so she couldn't see who I was. When they went into the tunnels I followed them and overheard Morgana told Helios that Ag- her spy managed to steal the plans of the siege tunnels under the citadel. They're planning to attack Camelot. I ran after that. I wasn't thinking straight; all I could think of was the possibility of another reign like Morgana's and despite everything I couldn't let that happen. That was when they chased after me. I ran for the woods and there I came across Morgana." Gwen explained.
"So she knew that you know her plans and since she couldn't have you banished this time," Merlin summarised.
"She tried to kill me instead." Gwen nodded. "What did we do to her Merlin? We were her friends I understand why she hated Uther but what did you, me, Arthur or Gaius do?"
"Well we did steal the throne back from her." Merlin offered; skipping out the fact he had poisoned her and in effect caused Morgause to take Morgana away.
"Before that though. Whenever she came back why didn't any of us realise…" Gwen trailed off and shook her head.
"Because we didn't want to. Morgana was alive and she was home and that was good enough for us. We were so pleased that she was safe that none of us wanted to see if she was any different until it was too late. It's not our fault. She's a good liar and had all of us fooled." Merlin answered. The 'just like Lancelot' went unsaid but because neither of them needed to say it and they fell into silence.
Suddenly Merlin broke it. "Wait a minute; who did you say stole the plans?"
Gwen looked shifty. "I didn't. I just said it was her spy."
"No, no, you were going to say something else. Who is it Gwen? You said you wanted to stop the attack. If you know who the traitor is then maybe it's not too late!" Merlin insisted; he and Gaius knew Agravaine was the traitor but he needed to be sure that it really was Agravaine. The possibility of two traitors was unthinkable.
"Morgana said Lord Agravaine was working for her." Gwen confirmed.
"I knew it," Merlin claimed as he stood up; although he and Gaius had known for ages but Merlin knew he had to pretend it was a sudden epiphany. "Think about it; who was the one who kept telling Arthur there was a traitor; who told him he should dump you whenever he became king; who said Gaius was the traitor and wanted to stop us from saving him; who tried to stop Arthur from proposing to you and tried to get you, Lancelot and Elyan whenever he was possessed executed; who gave Arthur hell the other day for not forcing that treaty with Nemeth? It was Agravaine!"
"Wait, wait, wait; what was that about Elyan?" Gwen asked. Merlin looked stunned before he explained.
"We came across a Druid shrine a week ago; we had been mucking around and as a joke swiped Elyan's water. There was a well and he accidentally drank the water. As a result the spirit of a dead Druid boy possessed him; wanting vengeance on Arthur for the death of his people. It took us a while to realise why Elyan wanted Arthur dead. Naturally everyone thought he was angry about what happened to you and Agravaine stated he was committing treason. When we figured it out we managed to stop the possession. They're fine but Elyan still is a bit jumpy." Merlin explained.
"Typical Elyan; can't go a week without causing some sort of trouble." Gwen commented in an attempt at a lighter tone of voice but she was shaken by what had happened. Elyan could have been killed. She'd lost Elyan twice before; Gwen couldn't imagine losing him a third time. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Merlin who reached over and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Gwen's shoulders.
"Why are you so angry with them, can't you try to forgive them?" Merlin asked.
"How can I forgive them Merlin when I can't even forgive myself?" Gwen answered.
Meanwhile Lord Agravaine returned to Camelot to be informed by a passing guard that there was an emergency council meeting being called in the Throne Room. A sense of dread crept over the man as he made his way inside. He had had a narrow escape yesterday and Agravaine just knew that that pestilent Gaius and idiotic Merlin suspected him. He should have been more careful. Agravaine could only hope that Arthur was as oblivious as ever in order for the plan to go ahead. On Saturday night they were due to attack and any change before then could ruin everything. Agravaine reached the throne room and the guards opened the door to let him in. the rest of the council was already assembled and they were waiting to begin. As he walked into the room Agravaine noticed that Arthur's little gang of servant-soldiers were loitering around the room.
"My apologises Sire; I was out on my horse and only just returned." Agravaine lied.
"It's fine Uncle." Arthur replied as Agravaine took his seat at the table and missed the suspicious glare Gwaine shot at him. "The reason I called all of you here is to discuss a highly important manner. Yesterday myself and Merlin came across a silver bracelet in the cells. The bracelet was enchanted with a mind control spell which we believe was cast upon it by Morgana. The spell forced its wearer to have their memories manipulated as well as their feelings. The bracelet forced the wearer to fall in love with a specific person and as a result commit treason against the state… and against the heart." Arthur explained.
The councilmen exchanged stunned looks and an initial sense of dread crept into Agravaine's mind before reason stopped it. The girl was dead. Morgana had told him about the spell she had cast on the girl. Even if Arthur hadn't brought her back; she obviously perished as a result of the hunt. He knew that but Arthur didn't. Before Arthur could continue; one of the councilmen spoke up.
"What do you mean sire?" Lord Michael asked.
"It means that prior to her banishment; Guinevere had been under an enchantment due to the bracelet she was given as a gift by Lancelot. We also believe that Lancelot was in fact not healed but instead his soul was called from the dead. Both of them were under Morgana's control in an attempt to bring both myself and Camelot down. Therefore I ask you to let the records clear both Guinevere and Lancelot of any tarnishes against their name. Sir Lancelot died as a hero; sacrificing his life to save Camelot from a terrible fate and it is for that action which we should preserve his memory by rather than a low act of treachery. I also seek to repeal the banishment which had been placed upon Guinevere; she is no longer banished from Camelot and instead should be welcomed home with open arms as a missing daughter would be welcomed home by her family. That is all I wished to speak to you about. You may leave." Arthur instructed.
The councilmen shared looks of confusion, uncertainty and some admiration. They had all been young once and knew the joys that being in love brought. They had all believed that Guinevere would be every bit as good and beloved queen that Ygraine had been before she tragically passed on. It had been a shock to everyone whenever she and Lancelot betrayed Arthur the night before the wedding. While they respected Arthur for finding out the truth and forgiving her; there were some doubts over his possible reputation as king and if that possibly presented him as weak especially after what he had said to Princess Mithian and disregarding the treaty between Camelot and Nemeth. The councilmen could only hope that their young ruler had made the right choice. He clearly wasn't as stubborn as Uther had been. Agravaine however walked over to Arthur. Once again Agravaine had to teach his foolishly headstrong nephew how to run a kingdom. Not for the first time that day Agravaine hoped that Morgana would have a bit more sense whenever she became queen once more.
"Arthur; you need to think about this decision you have just made." Agravaine said.
"My mind is made up, we know the truth now and clearing the record and repealing Guinevere's banishment is the very least we can do." Arthur replied. He had been sure his uncle would react like this. Therefore he had warned the others not to mention the fact that Guinevere was currently in the castle at this very moment.
"And how do you think this will reflect on you as a leader? They may have been under enchantments Arthur but the fact remains that both of them betrayed you. Think of the implications this will have on you. Especially after what happened between you and Princess Mithian." Agravaine insisted.
"The banishment was a result of not being aware of the full story. If I had taken the time to investigate things properly instead of acting like a wounded animal then none of this would have happened in the first place. I meant what I said the other day Uncle. I still love Guinevere with all my heart and the day she comes home I'll beg her forgiveness and ask her to be my bride." Arthur vowed.
Behind him Elyan looked at the others. They knew Arthur still loved Gwen but after what happened earlier they were doubtful whether or not Gwen would be willing to even be in the same room as Arthur never mind agree to marry him. Then again Elyan had grown up with Gwen and had been the target of her temper in the past and he had more experience of this matter than the others. Usually whenever she calmed down; Gwen would both apologise for being so angry and allowed you to apologise for whatever you'd done to provoke her usually dormant temper. However they weren't children being caught climbing the old tree they were told not to climb or after getting into an argument with either some older boys or some random adult. It was a more serious situation and one which would take time for any reconnections to be made.
"Arthur for goodness sake stop talking like a child and think logically. What would your father say if he was here today? Uther would be turning over in his grave if he could hear you now. If you let it be known that you've repealed the banishment what would tell the other kingdoms? It tells them that King Arthur and therefore Camelot as a whole is a pushover; it could cause our enemies to rise up against us. It presents you as weak Arthur!" Agravaine insisted. Personally he believed Arthur was weak by knighting commoners; taking advice and wanting to marry servants.
"No it does not," surprisingly it wasn't Arthur who spoke but Leon. Everyone looked at Leon who continued. "You speak of our enemies; well what about Queen Annis? Whenever Arthur killed her husband she wanted war yet when the possibility of one-on-one combat to avoid war; wherein hundreds of men would have been killed, she accepted. She didn't have to do that but was strong enough to. My cousin is in her army and he wrote to me recently. Apparently their kingdom is stronger than ever. Therefore by forgiving Gwen, Arthur's shown strength."
"Leon's right. Agravaine; you spoke of Uther's reaction but what about Ygraine?" Gaius asked.
"Leave Ygraine out of this Gaius." Agravaine warned tensely. He had adored Ygraine and it was because of his sister that he was doing this. Ygraine was the most gentle and kind soul he had ever known; Agravaine had always believed that Uther didn't deserve his sister's love; learning the truth about Morgana's parentage only served to strengthen that belief.
"You know as well as I do how proud Ygraine would be of Arthur for his decision. It shows Arthur to be as compassionate as his mother by being able to admit he was wrong and seeking to make things right. If she was here today, I know your mother would be proud of you Arthur." Gaius replied.
"Thank you Gaius," Arthur replied sincerely. Arthur was used to being compared to Uther; part of him still liked knowing he and Uther were somewhat similar. However it was so rare that someone compared him to his mother and Arthur loved hearing those comparisons. That meant there was some goodness in his character. Something which wasn't from Uther nor something he developed over time but rather came directly from his mother who gave her life so that he could live.
"For goodness sake Arthur you need to be rational about this!" Agravaine snapped. Talking some sense into Arthur was like smacking one's head off a brick wall. Arthur had no real idea on what he was doing.
"I am being rational." Arthur replied. Agravaine opened his mouth to protest but Arthur cut across him. "That is my final decision uncle and if I hear you make one more complaint about it then I shall have you thrown into the cells."
With that Arthur turned on his heel and stormed out of the council room. Gaius and the knights followed and as the door shut behind them; a cold smirk crept over Agravaine's face. It was quite 'tragic' as Morgana put it. Arthur was set to make an even bigger fool of himself by repealing the girl's banishment yet her corpse lay rotting in the forest. Agravaine turned and left the throne room and made his way back to his chambers.
There were three days until Saturday.
Three days until the pretence stopped.
Three days until Morgana took power.
Three days until Arthur learnt his place.
Three days…