This chapter is Arthur and Gwen discovering their surprises. :) Hope you like it!

Memories

It was on the training grounds that Arthur stumbled across his surprise. He had just finished a long training with his knights, and was heading back to the bench to grab some water.

There was a bunch of knights crowded around the bucket, like usual, but none of them were drinking. Narrowing his eyebrows in suspicion, Arthur strode over. They looked up to see him and parted ways so he could reach the bucket.

"What are you doing?" he asked them.

"Look, sire," Sir Leon pointed into the bucket. "It has your name on it."

Arthur looked at him in surprise, but then bent down to look into the bucket. He saw something white inside, and reached a hand in to pull out a delicate egg.

The egg was decorated with a black ash that depicted battles that looked all too familiar to him. There was the griffin, and the questing beast, and the worst of them all, Kilgarrah. Arthur stared at the craftsmanship in shock, and then remembered whose gift this was.

He looked up to his knights, and passed around the egg for them all to see.

"Who is it from, sire?" Leon asked. Arthur let a wry smile pass his face.

"Merlin," he said, shaking his head. That manservant.

Gwen had gotten all of her chores done, and she needed a break from the hot fires of her brother's blacksmith shop. As soon as she stepped outside, the cool wind calmed her flaming skin, and she started out to the place she always went once a day, which not even Arthur knew yet.

Up through the citadel, up the main stairs, and then down the hallway before stepping up the more secluded set of stairs. Gwen knew this path very well, she used to take it maybe four times a day to see to her mistress.

Upon opening the door, Gwen looked at the very neat room and sighed, missing the Morgana who had been her best friend. She walked in and shut the door behind her before somebody could catch her in here. She walked over to the main part of the room, and then saw something.

Walking over to the bed in surprise, Gwen picked up the small white egg, and then stared at it. The egg had beautiful flowers and designs on it; elegant script that was slanted and familiar, along with ribbons that encircled the entire object.

It was beautiful, and it brought tears to Gwen's eyes.

"Merlin," she said with a smile through the tears, and then sat down to examine her beautiful gift.