A/N: Hey humans! What a start to the year, huh? Two updates in the same amount of days! Maybe I'm just making up for my long absence xD
So, things are going to start getting a little confusing because we have a huge time jump here. Don't worry though everything will clear up eventually and things with Merlin, Delwyn, and Gwydre are all going to be explained in one way or another. I wanted to give a HUGE thanks for all the amazing feedback and encouragement! A shout out to Irisofthesky for that novel of a review, it means more than I can express!
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Until next time ~
*Flies Away On Dragon*
"It's been four years, Arthur. There has been no sign of them anywhere," Gwen said. Her hope had long since diminished that she might find her second child. As the years had continued on, she simply began to grieve for the loss of time knowing full well that Gwydre was alive and that she was missing him grow up. She also grieved for the boy and man that would inevitably never grow from Gwydre, as he would be raised to be a monster – someone so full of hate and anger that love wouldn't even be imaginable. Gwen wept for her child, lost in this war of magic that had long since been over. She wept for the hate in her gut against Uther Pendragon for ever having created such a war. She wept for her husband, who still had hope, for not only their son, but for Merlin as well.
"I'm aware of the time past, Guinevere," Arthur told her. "I am also aware of our lack of findings to their whereabouts. It's not as if I still have all our resources out looking for them, and it wasn't even my idea to begin with that we go –"
"So what? Gwaine, then? He came to you with this plan to go out and search some more?" She didn't want to argue with him, but she was scared and sometimes fear festered into anger.
"It will be the inner knights, our family, Guinevere, who will be riding out with me. What is the trouble of a few searches a year? How is it any different to a week-long hunting party?"
"Then I'm coming with you."
"What? No!" Arthur had to make her see reason. "You need to stay, Camelot can't have both its king and queen gone searching through woods on a lost cause!"
That made them both go silent.
"So you believe it's a lost cause?" Gwen didn't want to ask the question. It made her heart ache, but things like this needed to be talked about.
"No – I didn't – no. Just please. Stay." He was thankful to be in the confines of their chambers, hidden from prying eyes. It allowed him this moment of weakness as he dropped his head to his wife's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist simply trying to gain comfort.
"I miss them, with all my heart, Arthur. By the gods, I miss them so much. I want to find them just as badly as you, but it has been four years… I just don't want to lose anyone else," her confession made tears gather in her eyes and cascade down her cheeks. She wept for the son she never got to know and for a best friend lost because of this silly, silly war.
"I know – I know," Arthur held her tighter. "You mustn't worry though, we'll be back before the end of next week, I promise you! But you have to stay here, think of Amr – Hunith too."
As if he had heard them, the eldest prince himself sprang through the large doors of the chambers bouncing with excitement and life that very few had since Gwydre and Merlin were stolen from them.
"Mother, father! Uncle Percy carved this horse for me with wood from the old cut down tree in the training ground. Isn't it beautiful!?" Amr, now eight years old and much too large to be carried, ran into the arms of his mother for a hug. He turned, head rested against Gwen's stomach, and held the horse up for both parents to see. The queen ran her fingers through his hair and smiled.
"It is a very beautiful horse, indeed, Amr," She told him.
"What are you to call it?" Arthur asked, kneeling down to be on level with his son. He'd have to thank Percival later for giving his son such a gift.
"I'm not sure… I was thinking about calling him Emrys."
Both adults drew in a breath, their smiles fading. Even though Amr still remembered Merlin, and both kind and queen would do whatever it took to preserve that memory, the name Emrys had not been spoken in years. Even before Gwydre had been born, the name had only been mentioned at formal gatherings or council meetings, none of which Amr was old enough to attend.
"Amr," Gwen began. "Where did you hear that name?"
"I think it came to me in a dream. I don't really remember, but I like it. Do you like it?"
"Yes, it's a perfect name for that horse, I think," Arthur said. He then leaned forward and kissed the small boy on the forehead. "Why don't you go and show the horse to grammy?"
Amr pouted and looked down at his feet before he murmured, "she fell asleep again. She wasn't even reading or anything she was just watching me play and when I remembered the horse I went to show her but she wouldn't wake up."
Gwen and Arthur shared a worried glance. The summer of the previous year Gaius had fallen ill and hadn't been able to recover, passing away in his sleep. It had been a difficult time for the entirety of Camelot, as everyone knew the physician and mourned his loss. It had nearly destroyed the royal family and knights of the roundtable. They had already lost so much. However, it was Hunith who had taken his death the hardest. She fell into a depression and for a long while stopped eating and wasn't sleeping. It took a long time for the family to bring her back from the darkness she had lost herself in. Still, with Merlin still gone and nearly all hope lost that he may return, the woman they all loved as a mother was broken. She was sick. It hurt Arthur exceptionally so to see her like that having dealt with a father whose mental health fell to nothing.
"How about we go back and check on her together, darling? Come now," Gwen held out her hand to Amr and the child took it without hesitation. Arthur watched them walk out, seeing his wife turn around before she was completely out of sight.
"I believe in you, Arthur. Good luck," she said before turning again and walking away, Amr in tow.
That was all Arthur needed to head towards the training grounds, where he knew his most trusted knights would be, and tell them to prepare for yet another search.
[^-^]BREAK[^-^]
"How did you convince the lovely Gwen to let you do this?" Gwaine inquired with an impish grin. He and Arthur were riding up front, Percival and Leon following close behind. They were making their way through the Darkling Woods in order to make it to Mercia.
"I didn't need her to let me do anything," Arthur grumbled.
"Yeah, that's why after we asked you to do this you didn't give us an answer and went straight to your chambers, to not ask her majesty for permission, right sire?" Leon jested. The three knights laughed as Arthur shook his head.
"She wanted to come, actually," Arthur informed the group. "She's concerned – rightfully so, I suppose, and well, I assume it was either come with us and keep us out of trouble or not let us go at all."
"Yet she's not here," Percival observed.
"No. There's Amr to look after, and Gwen didn't want to leave Hunith."
"Well no matter the reason, and whatever the outcome of this, I'm glad to have gotten out. I was getting an itch. Been too long since we've left the comfort of Camelot, I think," Gwaine admitted. Percival and Leon nodded in silent agreement.
"Enough chatting for now, we have to hurry up if we're going to make the border before nightfall," Arthur noted before clicking his tongue to get his horse moving faster.
"Loser owes me a drink and an apple pie!" Gwaine shouted before rushing ahead, quickly followed by the others.
They road all throughout the day, only stopping once around noon in order to eat a small lunch. They joked and reminisced about Merlin's cooking and such other things. Arthur was thinking about how right Gwaine had been. No matter what came from this outing it was refreshing to just be out of the castle again. They hadn't taken time to laugh in a long time, and even though they were on a mission to find Gwydre and maybe even Merlin, it was good to be having fun in between all the seriousness. As they neared the border of Mercia, the sun just beginning to set in the distance, their spirits felt lifted in a way. They were closing in on the boarder and Percival was telling an embarrassing story that had something to do with a wild boar when Arthur suddenly motioned for them to be quiet.
"Do you hear that?" The king asked.
"No –" Leon was interrupted as a young woman stumbled from the bushes.
Arthur jumped down off his horse as she tripped. She awkwardly fell into his arms but made no move to stand up and instead continued to fall closer to the ground becoming a dead weight. Her soft features were hidden under a layer of mud, her hair was a mess of twigs and leaves, and blood caked the side of her face.
"I'm s'rry…" She mumbled, her words hardly coherent.
"What's happened to her?" Gwaine asked, coming forward. Arthur was now kneeling on the ground, cradling her in his arms. Her eyes seemed to look over each knight and then fall back on Arthur.
"Just an accident," She said. "I need to find my family."
"What's your name?" Arthur questioned.
"Delwyn. My Name is Delwyn."
