Chapter 4

It was almost a month later that Arthur received the next report about Lot's men. The news had come in fairly early in the morning, even before Merlin had had time to bring breakfast to Arthur, and the king had decided that it was time for him to ride out with the knights and, as ever, with his trusted servant. Although Arthur could easily have sent one of his guards to fetch Merlin, he went himself on this occasion, as there was a second purpose for going to Gaius' chambers. Arthur dropped it in, deliberately casually, before he and Merlin left the room.

"Oh, and Gaius, could you look in on Guinevere for me whilst we're gone. She's not been feeling very well".

Although Athur tried to sound matter of fact, it was clear to the other two that he was worried about her.

"Certainly, Sire"

"Thank you, Gaius"

And with that short exchange, Arthur and Merlin left the court physician to his work and went to join the knights, as they prepared to ride to Camelot's borders.

Arthur and his knights rode fast to the border. But by the time they reached the place where the patrol had spotted Lot's soldiers, they were long gone. Camelot's men dismounted their horses, and all of them walked over to the shallow but wide river, the Caradon, that marked the border with Lot's kingdom.

Arthur broke the silence. "It's as if they're taunting us".

"Why doesn't he simply attack Camelot?". Gwaine was the one who asked the question.

Arthur looked across the border, and his brow furrowed. "I don't know. But if we catch any of them across the borders again, I will issue them an ultimatum that they cannot ignore". After re-mounting, they spent most of the morning riding further up the border, but nothing more was seen of Lot's soldiers, and eventually Arthur decided that it was time to return to Camelot.

When Arthur and Merlin returned to the royal chambers some time after noon, they found Gaius there, with Guinevere still in bed. Arthur immediately felt a pang of anxiety, but it was soon dispelled when he saw the expressions on their faces, as neither looked concerned or anxious. On the contrary, the pleased look on Gaius' face and the slightly coy smile on Gwen's left Arthur slightly puzzled, and it was Merlin rather than Arthur who guessed the truth.

Arthur looked from Gwen to Gaius, and with a questioning look on his face addressed the physician, "I trust all is well?".

"I would say very well, your majesty"

Gaius took another look at the queen before continuing: "You're going to be a father".

Merlin had never seen such a look of genuine delight and pride on Arthur's face, and the king was momentarily lost for words, such was his happiness. Arthur walked over to his wife, who was quite radiant by now, with a broad smile on his face, and he lent over to her and kissed her, whispering in her ear, "I'm so proud of you".

And she in turn whispered back, laughing, "I'm not the only one who should take credit for this!".

It was decided that the king and queen would not make the news public until Gwen began to show, and until that time, it was only the four of them in that room, together with the queen's maid, Rowena, and the court midwife who would know about it. But as the weeks passed, the knights noticed a change in Arthur. He constantly seemed to be in a good mood, even seeming to welcome Gwaine's incessant chatter and jokes. Merlin had certainly never seen Arthur happier or more content with his life. Not that Arthur was throwing objects at him any less, but he was just doing so with a broader smile on his face, and Merlin found he could get away with more than he usually did.

Merlin thought often about how Arthur and Guinevere would be as parents. He knew already that both of them loved children, and he couldn't imagine any child wishing for a better father and mother. Theirs would truly be a blessed child. And to Merlin it seemed that the age of Albion was finally dawning, and it was with a certain amount of satisfaction that he reflected on the fact that his destiny had made him an invaluable part of that, and without him and his magic, this glorious future would have faltered and died long ago.