"I dont know what to do, Merlin," Arthur said to his servant. "What should I do?" Merlin thought for a moment. He knew that what he said would likely be a big influence on Arthur's actions. He also knew that without Gwen, there was little to no hope of Arthur ever becoming the great king he was supposed to be.

"You and Gwen belong together, sire," Merlin said slowly. "I know you know that, too. Something inside you tells you that you have to be with her." Arthur nodded.

"I've never loved anyone as much as I've loved Gwen. When I'm with her, I feel complete. Before I realized that I loved her, I didn't think I needed anyone. I thought I was fine the way I was. But then Gwen showed up and showed me that I wasn't. She made me realize that my heart wasn't completely full, and then she filled it. Now, when I'm not with her, I feel that emptiness more than any other emotion. I need her. I need to be next to her for the rest of my life. I feel so empty and alone without her. Please, Merlin. Please help me find a way to keep her here." Merlin was surprised at Arthur's declaration of his feelings. It wasn't like him to put himself in such a vulnerable place. He thought about how he could help Arthur.

"I promise I will try my best to protect her. You have my word."

"Thank you, Merlin. You are a true friend." Merlin acknowledged the compliment and left Arthur's chambers. What he didn't notice as he walked out the door was a stunned and silent Uther Pendragon, contemplating the words he had just heard his son say about the girl he had just banished.

"DRAGORN! UNC IC ÁBENE HÉRCYME!*" Merlin waited for Kilgharrah to appear in the sky. After a moment, the dragon landed in the clearing.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, young warlock?" he asked Merlin. "Something has gone wrong, I'll wager. You always seem to call on me when you need help. And yet so many times you have not listened to my words."

"It's Arthur," said Merlin.

"It always is," the dragon said tiredly. "What has the boy gotten himself into this time?"

"Uther knows how he feels about Guinevere. He has banished her from the kingdom."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need to know how to keep Gwen in Camelot. If she leaves, Arthur will end up marrying someone else. But I know it's Arthur's destiny to marry Gwen. Without her, he will never be able to unite Albion or be the king we both know he should be."

"I don't quite know how to help you with this. Uther is a stubborn man. He will not change his mind easily. You must give him something he will not be able to argue against."

"Like what?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Oh, I have the feeling something will show itself to you soon enough, young warlock." With those words, Kilgharrah flapped his massive wings and flew off, leaving Merlin lost as ever on the ground below.

Later that day, Merlin went to the dungeons with a platter of food and a note. "Food for the prisoner," he explained to the guards, and they let him through. He opened the dungeon doors and set the tray down. He slipped Gwen the note, and she looked at him and smiled quickly. Merlin didn't know what the note said, but Arthur had told him to deliver it as soon as possible.

"Tell Arthur I love him and will always love him, no matter what," Gwen said quietly to Merlin. He nodded and left Gwen alone.

As soon as Merlin returned to Arthur's chambers, he repeated Gwen's message. Merlin could have sworn he saw water in his friend's eyes, but he didn't push him. He knew how it felt to lose a loved one; he had watched both his father and Freya die. Merlin put a hand on Arthur's shoulder for a moment then left.

About an hour later, he returned to the dungeons to collect the tray back from Gwen. He saw her sitting in the corner with her hands on her stomach, looking sick.

"Are you feeling alright?" Merlin asked.

"My stomach. Perhaps the food was just a little off. It's no big deal." Merlin turned to collect the tray and was about to leave when he heard Gwen throw up. He rushed to her side.

"What's wrong?" Gwen groaned.

"Definitely do not feel good," she said.

"I'll get Gaius to come down here and make sure you're not sick," Merlin said while his mind raced. If he could get Gaius to say she was sick, maybe he could convince Uther to let her stay...

Merlin raced back up the stairs and dashed to his home.

"Gaius!" he yelled. "Come with me!" He nearly picked the old man up and dragged him along.

"You need to look at Gwen," Merlin explained as they walked towards the dungeons, "and say she's gravely ill and will probably die if she doesn't stay here for treatment. Otherwise she will be banished and she will never marry Arthur."

"Merlin! Have you lost your mind?" Gaius asked.

"Quite possibly I have," Merlin said. Gaius seemed to accept that answer and he continued on following Merlin.

They got to Guinevere's cell and Gaius went in to examine her.

"Is it just stomach pain?" he asked Gwen.

"I don't think so. I've felt very tired the past day, and I've had this terrible headache that won't go away."

"I see," said Gaius. He turned to Merlin. "Would pregnancy be considered a grave illness?" he whispered.

"What?" Merlin whispered back. "You think she's..." he trailed off.

"She shows many symptoms of it. But I don't know how she could be; I don't think she has...committed the act necessary to have a child." Merlin was confused by Gaius's statement until he realized that he was the only one other than Arthur and Gwen who knew that they had run away together.

"I don't know. It's possible." He knelt down next to Gwen and took her hand in his. "Gwen, I know this is going to sound very strange for me to ask, but when you and Arthur ran away, did you and he..." he trailed off, leaving Gwen to decipher the rest of his sentence.

"Are you asking if I took Arthur to bed?" she asked Merlin, looking at him strangely.

"Well... yes. Please answer truthfully."

"Merlin, I ran away with a man who I will freely admit I love. We stayed together for two nights, alone, with nothing to do. I'm not going to answer your question because I think you can figure it out yourself." Merlin briefly smiled and ran back to Gaius.

"It's a possibility," Merlin said slowly.

"Who?" Gaius asked Merlin, confusion clear on his face.

"Arthur." That did nothing to help Gaius's bewilderment. "How?" he asked.

"Oh, Gaius. You're a physician. I think you know how." Merlin raced back up the stairs with Gaius right behind him. He was at Arthur's chamber door as soon as possible.

"Arthur!" he said, rapping on the door. "It's me!"

"Come," Arthur said. Merlin barged in.

"Sire, I have great news! Uther cannot banish Gwen!"

"And why do you say that?" Arthur had already run through every possible scenario in his mind, and none of them ended with Gwen staying in Camelot. He w asn't hopeful about whatever Merlin was about to say.

"He wouldn't banish his grandchild," Merlin said with a slight smile. Arthur's mouth opened and his eyes widened.

"Did you just say what I think you just said?" he asked his servant.

"Gwen," Merlin confirmed, "is carrying your child."

*I attempted to translate "Dragon! I summon you here!" to Old English. I'm fairly certain it's not right. But at least I tried.