Gwaine looked down at the woman sleeping soundly beside him; a petite, little strawberry blond with amazing curves. He didn't even know her name, but she had taken him into her tent and rode him hard. Everything she had done, had helped him forget for a time. He didn't have to think about where he was, or what had come before. Physical gratification was everything. For hours, he felt nothing but the tight, moist warmth that had surrounded his manhood, and the salty taste of her skin on his tongue.

He had nearly given in to his urge for release many times throughout the night, only to pull himself back from the edge. Taking a few moments to rein in his needs, he would then take her again; proving to himself that he was still the ladies' man he had been. Gwaine grinned arrogantly. He took pleasure in the number of times he'd sent her over the edge.

By the time he'd had his fill and pulled back just in time to let his seed spill on the ground, the woman was completely exhausted. She wouldn't be walking straight for days.

Now, as she slept, his own mind had begun to assault him. Pushing himself off of the ground, he dressed and made his way outside.

The condensation in the cool, pre-dawn air felt good against his skin. Walking off toward the forest, he passed many of the druids who were sleeping soundly, and he let his thoughts wander. Part of him relished in the moment...he was alive again! But, the druids had left him wondering how much had really changed. He began to think about the day he'd just experienced, and the surprising revelations that had been uncovered.

The druid, Iseldir, had met them and led them away from the lake to the festival. Everything was going fine, and they had planned to stay for only a short while, as Arthur wanted to solidify relations. Gwaine could understand that. They didn't need to be brought back from the dead just to have the druids side with whatever evil was coming. Also, Arthur could never resist a hunt. It had always been the king's passion, aside from his wife.

He partook heavily of the mead, ale and wines provided, and spoke lightly of the situation. However, Gwaine couldn't meet Arthur's eyes - his last memory of life being that of Morgana's torture and his own failure. Suddenly, something was happening among the festive druids, and silence had fallen over the crowd. Arthur was accepting the offer of being a hunting partner for some druid bigwig in a deer costume. Not long after the king left, Lancelot was propositioned by a young lady to join in a dance. That left Gwaine and Elyan alone to wander through the celebrations of Beltane eve on their own.

Things had been going fine, until Elyan had tapped Gwaine on the shoulder and pointed out a young woman. Gwaine hadn't recognize her at first. It was only after Elyan had explained who she was, that the knight's blood had begun to boil. He could not take out his anger on Eira for what she had done, but finding another traitor was just as good, in his opinion. The sight of a small white beast the size of a large cat, lying nearby had only added to his lust for vengeance. It looked like a miniature version of the dragon that had caused havoc for them at Camlann, and he had feared that it might have been the larger beast's offspring.

He wasn't quite certain how it had all gone so wrong. One minute, they had been trying to quietly capture the traitor; the next, they were backed up near the center of the gathering, and surrounded by druids.

Elyan was holding the woman at sword point, and Gwaine had managed to wrap the spawn of Morgana's white beast in a tablecloth. His arm was still bleeding from the bite it had managed to land on him. The druids just stood around them, not saying anything, or moving any closer. It was as if they were waiting for something.

Out of the crowd, had come Arthur, Lancelot, Iseldir, with the hunter druid on his heels. The Hunter had ordered Arthur to have his men release their captives, and Arthur had acquiesced and ordered them to stand down. Elyan had finally complied, but Gwaine wasn't about to give up his prize. Then, with magic, it had been ripped out of his hands. The Hunter had coddled the creature, and had spoken to Gwaine as if he knew him...apologizing for not having told him the truth.

It wasn't until the mask was removed, that Gwaine had the shock of his life. Merlin. He looked like his friend, and yet, didn't.

Merlin had changed. His hair was longer, and decorated...at least, the parts that weren't shaved off...in an odd fashion. He was decorated with paint over his mostly naked body. Gwaine couldn't recall ever seeing his friend so exposed. To top it all off, he had the newly formed image of the druid's mark on his left pectoral. It glowed with a magical flame that seemed so perfect for him.

Everything about his friend, as awkward as it appeared, fit, and Gwaine felt like he was finally seeing the truth of his best friend for the first time.

He had always known Merlin had secrets, and he had guessed they might have had something to do with magic...but this had gone beyond his imagination. Magic, druids, dragons... As if it couldn't have gotten any more interesting, the woman Elyan had been holding was Merlin's wife, and the child who had been playing with the white dragon, was his daughter.

When his friend had dumped the girl-child in his lap, Gwaine sat in stunned silence. It was a gesture beyond anything he would have expected, considering what had just transpired a few moments before. He felt a tightening in his chest, knowing that after everything...Merlin actually trusted him.

He had gaped, as the man he once thought he knew, headed off hand-in-hand with Sefa. In utter fascination, Gwaine had watched his old friend stop between the unlit bonfires. A hush had fallen over the celebrations. One word, barely a whisper, had been carried on the wind and the flames ignited.

After a while, he'd sat back with Arthur and the others, engrossed by the little dark-haired angel in his lap. Merlin had been right. Gwaine had no longer needed to look at the women passing by. Every one of them seemed to find a reason to pause nearby, or offer to help him. Although, there was also a wariness to them. Word had spread about the events from earlier. He was feeling a bit guilty, though, as it seemed Elyan was taking most of the blame for the incident.

He had found that he was actually enjoying the little girl's company, until she began squirming. She was bouncing and struggling, trying to get away, or communicate something to Gwaine. He finally realized what it was the moment her flushed, little face scrunched, and he had then found himself covered in feces.

As he held her out at arms length, a woman...oddly familiar in appearance...had come to take the child. One of the young ladies who had been hovering nearby, stepped in immediately afterward, and had offered to help Gwaine take care of his armor. For a moment, he'd paused, thinking of Eira, though there was no resemblance between the two. The lass in front of him was a bit more rounded, and had a hint of spice to her. It hadn't taken long for him to decide to accept her offer...if anything, just to distract himself...and it had worked wonders.

His chainmail had been removed, but she hadn't had a chance to help him clean it, as they fell onto a pile of furs and cloth in, what he presumed, was her tent. His armor still sat in a pile outside the tent, even as he walked off into the forest after their lovemaking.

Sinking down at the base of a tree, Gwaine lost himself in his thoughts. He was almost lulled to sleep by the quiet sounds of the forest, when a soft chirping got his attention. It didn't sound like any bird Gwaine had ever known. Prying open his eyes, he saw the little white creature who had bit him, sitting on a rock nearby.

Pale blue eyes stared at him in unblinking curiosity.

He still didn't know the story behind the miniature dragon, or if she was somehow actually related to the deformed beast Morgana had controlled. Gwaine shuddered when he thought about what they had been told thus far. They had been brought back from death to deal with a disruption in the balance of the world. Facing Morgana again, was not something he particularly wanted to do.

Aithusa kept her eyes locked on him, as if she could sense his inner turmoil. Cocking her head to the side, she cooed softly. It wasn't friendly, but neither was it menacing.

"Seems we have a friend in common." Gwaine sighed. He brushed his hair out of his face, and then held up his hands in surrender. "Shall we call a truce? If you can even understand me?"

She chirped again and moved closer, hopping forward on her hind legs, until she was close enough to sniff his boots.

He held out his hand, like he would to a dog or cat. She started to come forward to sniff it, then suddenly jerked upright, her head twisted around and looking back toward the druid-filled meadow. Making a series of excited sounds, Aithusa took flight and landed a short hop away. Between her body movements and limited vocalizations, she seemed to be encouraging Gwaine to follow her.

Shrugging, he stood up. "Why not? It's not like I have any place better to go."

The soft beating of drums, thumping in a soft, steady staccato rhythm, began to filter through the forest. Pale pinks started to warm the sky, as the sun rose in the east. He trailed behind the little dragon and up the rise of a hill, heading west toward the meadow. Gwaine genuinely smiled at the carefree bounce and flight of the little creature.

As he crested the hill, he saw many of the druids. The drumming had gained in intensity, and for a moment, he wondered why they were all staring at him. Aithusa rose up behind him. He turned to look at her, just as the sun broke the horizon. He shook his head, realizing it was the dawn they were celebrating.

He spied Arthur and the others standing together, next to Merlin. The newly-revealed Druid King, was holding a blanket around himself and his wife. He could see the little girl...still asleep and cuddled in her mother's arms...tucked in under the cloth.

Gwaine had to pause, when he saw the odd look on his old friend's face, and Arthur snickering beside him. "What's so funny?"

Merlin smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting his cheekbones, until his eyes were squinting. "Not funny, simply amused by a new revelation."

Gwaine waited for his friend to elaborate.

"A secret you shared with me long ago...and something Arthur just said. It makes sense now."

"Oh...and what would that be?"

"Something about a Phoenix."

Thanks for reading and for the reviews! :D

The end of this chapter coincides with the last chapter of the Beltane segment for Shadow of the Goddess.