Arthur was miserable. Gwen spoke to him only when absolutely necessary, and he had long since abandoned the hope that one day they would share quarters again. Lancelot had disappeared the day after Merlin escaped. Gwaine began spending ever increasing amounts of time in the tavern, and Arthur knew that the only reason he stayed in Camelot at all was because he had nowhere else to go. The rest of the knights of the round table remained loyal to him, but things were never the same. They were no longer friends. They didn't talk and laugh like they used to. They did their duties and nothing more.
To make matters worse, the kingdom was on the brink of war. Mordred had gathered an alliance of several kingdoms together under one banner and was planning an attack on Camelot. And though he would never admit it, Arthur was scared. He knew that this army included sorcerers. He had faith in his men fighting against ordinary soldiers, but what could swords do against supernatural forces?
He had just received reports that Mordred was gathering men from all of his allied kingdoms, amassing an army on the plains to the south, when Gwen entered his private chambers for the first time in years. They had only seen each other in professional settings for some time, when the presence of both the king and the queen was necessary.
"Guinevere," Arthur said surprisedly, rising from his chair by the fire. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to discuss the issue of Mordred's army," she said crisply, sitting down across from him. He slowly resumed his seat. "I assume you got the news that they're gathering on the plains?"
"I have."
"You know there's only one thing they could be doing," she said. He nodded heavily.
"They're preparing to march on Camelot."
"Yes. What, may I ask, are you planning on doing when they arrive?"
"Well, they're sure to lay siege to the city, so we'll begin making all of the usual preparations now-"
"They won't lay siege to the city," Gwen interrupted abruptly.
"What? Of course they'll attack the city, what else could they do?" He asked confusedly.
"Oh, they'll certainly attack," she replied surely. He raised his hands helplessly, not understanding her point. Ignoring his gesture, she continued. "They will use their force of sorcerers trained for war. They won't lay siege to the city because with that kind of power, they will simply knock down the walls and stroll right in."
"Then what do you suggest?" Arthur asked angrily. "Are you saying that there's no hope? That we should just surrender? Because I won't let that happen, not while I'm alive-"
"Of course that's not what I'm suggesting," Gwen snapped. "Do you really think so little of me? What I'm saying is that we need to fight fire with fire." She paused, letting him work through her meaning.
"You want me," he said slowly, "to hire sorcerers to defend the city?"
"No," she replied contemptuously. "I know that your narrow minded world view would never allow you to do something as intelligent as that, and they would never fight for you in any case. What I want is for you to go find the one sorcerer who you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can trust."
"There is no such sorcerer," Arthur said quietly, knowing exactly to whom she was referring.
"Yes, there is," she said, steel in her eyes. "Merlin."