A/N: Hope you enjoy! Once again, many thanks to Pranati, who is an amazing friend.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. (Literally, I own nothing. One of the setbacks of being a child, I guess...)

5 days later

Then a lone cry of a terrified man screamed, "Dragon!"

Morgana's blood ran cold.

"Stay back, and don't raise your weapons!" She watched Merlin call out. Morgana observed in shock as her worst enemy gave orders like a true warrior, yet as she watched on, there was only jealousy. However, her train of thought was interrupted by the repeated ear-splitting screeches.

She felt an excruciating pain in his head as she covered her ears, shielding herself from the ungodly sounds she was exposed to. Morgana crashed to the ground as she felt repeated ringing in his head. The pain continued, and she felt like his head was about to burst. There was nothing she had ever gone through that could compare to what she and all the others on the battlefield was suffering through then. Then came the screams. It was as if somebody replayed millions of screams of torture over and over again, getting louder and louder until she felt herself pleading for mercy, shamefully noticing as Merlin watched her. Searing, unbearable pain travelled down to her spine, paralysing her. Black and white dots danced in front of her eyes. And then red dots. Not red dots, she realised. Blood. It shouldn't have been possible, but the Dragon's cry had done that much damage. Weakly, she raised her head.

"Emrys...Please." It was all she could manage before slumping blissfully unconscious.

Now

It was pandemonium. Everywhere Gwen looked there was somebody frantically cramming food somewhere (okay, so it was mainly Gwaine who was cramming food. And quite probably ale too), or someone tending to the horses in the stables. Everyone was focused and playing their role, and yet not a single person mentioned what was looming in the near future. Not a single person mentioned the possible mortality. That's why Gwen found it weird, because the city was bustling moments ago, lively, animated, and now there was a morbid, hushed atmosphere everywhere. Occasionally, Gwen could hear the longing sobs of a caring mother, or a son's wail at the thought of losing his father. It filled her with sadness as she realised there were people, living on barely any money, ready to unconditionally lay down their lives for Arthur, or even her, now in a heartbeat. Loyalty can be a terrible thing, she thought sadly.

Gwen resumed her search for Arthur, and then it hit her. How could she have been so stupid? Picking up her skirts, she raced up each flight of stairs, navigating the corridors. Panting, she kept going, swinging doors open until she reached the top of the tallest tower and peered round the archway. Sure enough, there he was.

"Arthur?" she asked. The king seemed to be in a daze, staring up at the sky. He jumped, startled for a second at the sound of his name.

"Gwen," he exhaled in relief.

"Why aren't you getting ready?" she enquired.

"I-I just wanted some time to myself, that's all," Arthur stammered. Gwen's heart broke for him. Over the last few months, Gwen couldn't even begin to imagine the pressure he was under - she was sure that is she was faced with the same, she would have cracked.

"It's Uther, isn't it?"

"Look, I-I know it sounds crazy, but…" he trailed off. "I never told you this, but when we were with Morgana, my father appeared. He told me that h-he was never proud of me…"

There was a catch in Arthur's throat. "I just can't help thinking that maybe it was true, that he-"

" You know that's not true," Gwen interrupted, "It was just one of Morgana's illusions."

"This place reminds me most of him. I j-just still wish he was here, he always made everything easier," Arthur confessed wistfully, taking a deep breath, " I just miss when life was simpler."

"Arthur," Gwen started softly, "I can tell you without a doubt that if your father was here, and he is, he'd look at you and collapse - that's just how strong, and calm, and confident you are because when I look at you, I don't see the arrogant, cocky, rude, immature, and seriously slightly-well, more than slightly- stupid prince-"

Arthur shot Gwen a look of contempt.

Gwen put her arms up in defeat. "Merlin's words, not mine." Her voice softened, and the usual Gwen was back. "I see a king, who is brave, who can cope under pressure, and who is prepared to lay down his life for the sake of his kingdom."

"Thanks," Arthur whispered.

"Although still a little bit stupid," Gwen added, chuckling, earning a glare from Arthur, even though it lacked any real contempt, his eyes sparkling.

Gwen suddenly remembered why she had come to find Arthur in the first place. "Oh, I was meaning to ask you: Is there anything in particular that you wanted me to take when we go to Camlann?"

Arthur looked at Gwen in surprise. "Gwen… you're staying here. I need someone to look after the kingdom while I'm gone."

What? That was the first she had heard of that. "No one told me that… Arthur, I want to go. I'll be more of a help there: if Merlin is fighting, Gaius will need someone to help tend to the injured."

"What do you mean, no one told you? I told Merlin to… Oh, that useless servant," Arthur grumbled. "Gwen, the kingdom needs its queen, and I need to know that you will be safe. I nearly lost Merlin, I don't want to lose you too."

I don't want to lose you, either. You don't see me begging you to stay here. That was what Gwen wanted to say, but she doubted that would help matters. "Last week, I spent every waking moment wondering, crying over whether or not I would see you again alive. How dare you even suggest that I should go over that all over again? Would you, if you were in my place?" Gwen swept away angry tears.

Arthur gaped at her. At least that had gotten through to her stubborn husband. He put his arms around her. "Gods, Gwen. I'm so sorry… I didn't realize… Look, I know now that it isn't my place to decide whether you come to Camlann or not. It's just…" He let go, holding her at an arm's length. "Promise me that you'll try to stay safe. Promise that you'll not deliberately throw yourself into the battle, ok?"

Gwen nodded. That would be negotiable when they got there. Worst comes to worst, she would, without hesitation, join the fight, but for now, she was glad that she could help from the sidelines. "Ok. I… I promise. At least, I'll try." Gwen sniffled.

That seemed to be enough for Arthur. He gathered her back into his arms, and they stayed like that as the sun set. When she finally left, Gwen closed the door behind her, smirking to herself and wiping away her fake tears. She was desperate and needed to get through to him, even if it meant stooping to the lowest of the low. Oh well. It was a useful weapon to have in her arsenal. Like hell she was going to let Arthur be the only one to risk his life for the kingdom. She deserved a chance, too.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Just so you know, the last part doesn't mean that Gwen's evil now. She's just really, really sneaky. I hope you enjoyed. The next update may not be for a while: School starts on Wednesday. I'll try and get another chapter up tomorrow, though.