Final Chapter: Gwen

Morgana was gone.

Gwen stared at the spot her best friend had been just a second ago. Her tea cup was sitting neatly on its plate, the couch seat slightly depressed from her weight. Yet, she was nowhere in sight. Gwen's eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of it. Was Morgana just really fast, despite her failing PE grades? No, that couldn't be the case; she wasn't even in the room.

Like magic, she had just vanished from the air.

There was a rush of footsteps near her and she looked back to her crowded entrance to find the gaggle of invaders crouched. No longer threatening her, they were more concerned about something on the ground. One looked familiar and she could swear he was her neighbour. The rest were from that group outside before—had they chased her down for rejecting their pick up line?

She stared at them for a long moment. Took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. After counting to ten, she picked up her phone and calmly called the police.

-x-

"Oh, that was close." Merlin sighed, his hand raised. Gwen's head lolled to the side, the phone dropping out of her hand with a soft clatter. As he lowered his hand, she gently sank onto the couch.

Before her head hit the armrest, Arthur had already rushed to her side. "What did you do?" As he cradled her head on his lap, he noticed the faint rise and fall of her chest. It reminded him of when they took her to the lake, to free her from Morgana's influence last time. Hopefully there would be no repeat of that.

Elyan joined him, casting Gwaine a last glance before he grabbed his sister's hand. Kneeling on the floor, he gently brushed her bangs out of her face. "Is she asleep?"

"Yes—don't look at me like that." Merlin grimaced, frowning at the pair. "She was about to call the police. Trust me, you wouldn't like their cells, they're almost as bad as your dungeons."

"My dungeons are hardly—"

"Merlin." Percival cut through the arguing, directing Merlin's attention back to him. Or more importantly, to the unconscious knight. He was clutching Gwain's body tenderly, his giant hands oddly delicate as he shifted his friend's weight. "Is he ok?"

Merlin crouched, gently opening one of Gwaine's eyes. After a moment, he checked his pulse and breathing, before his hands finally scanned his body. It was like the room forgot to breathe until Merlin finally relaxed. With a shake of his head, he smiled. "I think he just passed out from remembering, like Elyan did."

"So Morgana did nothing to him?" Percival confirmed, sighing with relief.

"Probably not. I didn't sense anything." Merlin clasped one of Gwaine's hands. It was warm still, with no traces of her magic lingering in his system. His thumb stroked the back of his hand. "No, I think he's fine."

"What about Gwen?" Leon's brow knitted. He and Tristan were standing by the door, guarding it. In his hands, a baseball bat. "She doesn't seem to remember."

"A block, maybe?" Tristan gave a dark smile as he peeked out into the hallway. "Maybe she doesn't want to remember?"

Despite his light-hearted tone, there was a sinister edge to it all. Arthur stiffened, slowly turning his head to the older man. His tone was deceptively soft. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean, king?" Tristan stared back, undaunted. Merlin could almost make out the blonde spectre behind him, his words as sharp as her blades.

It was something they had to deal with. But not now. Not when Gwaine was down and Gwen was out. Merlin tightened his grip on Gwaine's hand, trying to draw some of his social skills. He'd never been the best at defusing arguments, unless it was by acting like an idiot and he sorely hoped it would not come to that. "I don't think Gwen is under a spell."

Momentarily distracted, Arthur paused mid-argument. "Huh?"

Merlin bit his lip. This wasn't going to be easy. "The aura, the energy I sense around her is different than the one I sense with you."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, a growing sense of dread in his belly.

"I mean, she might never remember." Merlin looked away. "Unlike the rest of you, she was properly reincarnated."

-x-

Her bed was warm. Gwen snuggled into the blankets. Warm and it smelled like lavender. Morgana had been right about the dryer sheets. Pressing her face into her pillow, Gwen tried to drift back into her dreams. It had been a nice one, with a blonde prince and honestly, she'd take almost any escape over work.

Yet escapes did not pay for dryer sheets. Unlike the prince, she didn't have the money. With a sigh, Gwen slowly cracked open her eyes to the early morning sun. Her bedroom faced the east, the worst position for sleeping in. Stretching, she rolled out of bed.

It was odd, but she didn't remember much about yesterday. She had dinner with Morgana but she couldn't remember a single thing they talked about. Gwen rubbed her arm, scrunching her nose as she tried to recall last night. No, it was no good; she'd have to call her.

First, the bathroom. Gwen hummed lightly as she exited her bedroom—

And immediately dashed back in. In her living room, a mob of men sat on an assortment of stools and chairs. It would be funny how precariously they perched on her furniture, with glass tumblrs and delicate teacups resting in their hands, if it weren't for the fact she did not know any of them. Yesterday flooded back in and Gwen almost stopped breathing.

How long had she been out? She quickly examined her clothes. At least it seemed they'd done nothing, there were no rips or tears and she was wearing the exact same clothes she wore yesterday.

"I should go check on her," someone said outside, his accent hard to place. It sounded British, but not quite. Almost like mimicry. "She should be awake by now."

"This is a bad idea," another man bemoaned, his accent easier to place. A Londoner, just like herself. She was relatively certain she'd spotted her neighbour amongst the gaggle and god, how long had they been casing her place? She wasn't even rich, she wanted to scream at them. There was nothing of value here or even with her father. "You know this is a bad idea, right?"

"His highness wouldn't recognize a bad idea if it bite him." An Australian this time. Soon, she placed an eastern European, two Americans, and a Frenchman.

What had she done to merit such worldwide attention? Gwen's job was terribly ordinary, a teacher whose students warranted even less attention than she did. Her mind ran through all the cheap action movies she'd seen recently—maybe her room had a good view, maybe she accidentally had overheard something, or maybe they thought she was an easy target.

And Morgana, what had happened to her? She would never have left Gwen willingly. She had just disappeared and what had they done?

The voices outside rose as they argued and Gwen slapped her cheeks. Now wasn't the time. She had to find a way out of here. Her bedroom was too high up to escape out the window—there were no convenient fire escapes or balconies to jump to. Rifling through her bags, she couldn't find her cellphone and her laptop was out in the living room.

Ok, this was fine. She could do this. She could scare them away or something. It'd work.

"Gwen?"

Gwen almost screamed at the American voice at her door. They knew her name, they knew her—oh, that was right, Leon was with them. Of course they knew her name. Grabbing her desk lamp, she faced the door. "Yes?" Her voice was far stronger than she expected and mentally, she patted her back.

"Are you ok?"

What sort of question was that? Gwen stared at the door for a long moment. "Will you leave? I won't press charges." A lie, but they didn't have to know that.

"Charges…" The American trailed off uncertainly. "Merlin, she's still trying to call the cops."

Merlin. Ok, so she now could id two of them. Progress should she ever reach a police station. There was a soft argument outside, the voices too low to make out. The American returned after a few minutes. "Gwen? It's me, Elyan."

Elyan. A name Gwen had not heard in years. She stared at the door again, lowering her hand slightly. "Elyan? What are you doing here?"

"Could you let me in? I'll explain it. It'll just be me, none of the others."

Her hand went back up, her jaw clenched. Oh they were good. "Prove it."

"What?"

"Elyan." She spat the words out, tightening her grip on the lamp. "Prove that you're him."

"Uh…ok." The American paused. A moment of silence. Gwen could hear her heartbeat, hear the shallow intake of breath through the door. "Our parents divorced when we were kids, I stayed with mom in American and you with dad in England."

"Not good enough." Gwen suddenly wished she'd kept the landline, she would have kept a phone in her room. "Give me more than just basic research facts."

"I used to hide from strangers behind you." A pause. "And sleep with you when I had nightmares."

"Ordinary kids stuff." Gwen laughed mirthlessly. "I need something only Elyan and I would know."

"I…" The American sighed before continuing, his voice reduced. "When I was little, I had a stuffed pink poodle I named Fifi." There was the sound of guffaws and chuckles. "Fuck off, you can't repeat that."

Fifi. Gwen lowered her lamp once more, approaching the door. She remembered Fifi. It was a stupid, inane thing that he would never repeat to anyone. "You really are Elyan."

"Yes." His was softer now. "Can I come in?"

She hesitated. He could still be a hostage. Or up to no good. Mulling it over, she quickly came to a decision. "Only you."

"What if—"

Firmly, she repeated herself. "Only you." Slowly, she approached the door and unlocked it. Opening it a crack, she held her lamp tight as she poked her head out and checked that he was alone. When nothing funny happened, she stepped back and let him in.

Following her, he closed the door behind him. "Gwen?" He slowly approached her, his arms open.

He looked like her brother, like the few pictures she had. For a moment, she dropped the past years, back to when they were kids, and accepted his invitation. Hugging him, she buried her face in his chest for a long moment. It really was Elyan. He was here.

Then she shoved him away and glared at him. Crossing her arms, she hissed, "What are you doing? You broke into my apartment?"

"I…yeah, I guess that's true." Elyan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Had her brother always been such an idiot? Sorry? Seriously? "Morgana is missing and you broke in and there's a mob outside my room and all you can say is 'sorry'?"

"Gwen." He reached out to grab her hands but she batted him away. "Look, I can explain."

"Is it illegal?" Gwen bit her lip, not liking the idea. "Are you doing something bad?"

"No, no that's not it at all." Elyan ran a hand through his hair. "You really don't remember, do you? About any of them?"

"What are you talking about?" Puzzled, she cocked her head. "I remember yesterday, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I…it's best if you sit down for this." Elyan sat on her bed, patting the spot beside him. Gingerly, she perched next to him, ready to take off if she needed to. "I am one of King Arthur's knights."

"Okayyyyy…" Gwen stared at her brother.

"Reborn," he clarified, as though that made more sense.

He'd hit his head, hadn't he? That was the only explanation. They were a cult and they took him in and now she had to save him from himself. "How long have you been with them?"

"I…" Realizing she didn't believe him, Elyan sighed. Raising his voice, he called out, "Merlin, could you do some magic in here? She doesn't believe me."

"What are you—What the hell?" Her bag lifted off the floor, floating a good foot above the ground as she watched. Looking at her brother, he merely smiled and gestured for her to take a look. Slowly, she approached it, trying to find trick wires or something of the like. She had dated a magician once. Clearly he wasn't as good as the one outside her room.

Ok, maybe she had hit her head. One by one, books and jars and even her pillow floated around her. Gwen pinched herself but nothing changed. This wasn't a dream. This was reality.

She needed something stiff to drink.

-x-

Morgana, reply when you read this.

Gwen checked her phone but there was no indication that Morgana had read it. She'd sent texts, calls, emails to both her and her brother, but they hadn't responded to any of them. Even their parents couldn't get a hold of them.

At the very least, it seemed the mob in her living room had done nothing to her, no matter how much they desired to.

"How's the tea?" Leon asked, as though she had come over to his apartment for a visit instead of vice versa. They were seated on the meager furniture she had: she and Elyan shared a couch, Merlin and Leon were on another, and the blonde on the love seat. The rest of the knights were standing, pacing, prowling and she was afraid something would break.

"Fine." She still didn't quite believe this fairy tale, despite the magic she saw. Reincarnation? Her brother, a knight? Her, a queen? None of it made sense. From the corner of her eyes, she could sense the blonde was staring at her. In fact, she wasn't sure if his eyes had ever left her since she'd hesitantly emerged from her bedroom.

"Sorry about all the trouble." A short brunette, Merlin, scratched his neck. "This was probably not the best way to show this to you."

"No, it wasn't," she agreed and the blonde cracked a smile.

"Blunt as usual," he muttered and now she understood why she couldn't understand his accent. She had been born millennia too late to recognize it.

"It's not as usual." She was afraid to meet his eyes. Something in her screamed against it, a warning that she might never be able to turn back. Despite what Elyan and Merlin had said, she was afraid she would remember their supposed past. That it might erase who she was now.

That she would come to hate Morgana.

"She's definitely got guts." A different brunette, the Australian. The one who had collapsed. Gwain laughed, slinging an arm around the blonde. He stiffened in response, scowling, but didn't throw him off. "Good luck."

"I don't need it."

Beside her, Elyan sighed. He was holding her hand and she felt reassured. "This happens too often."

"Really?" Gwen raised a brow, torn between amusement and dismay.

"They're like children," Merlin added in a stage whisper.

"That includes you, you know," Leon snarked back and Gwen chuckled. They were a funny bunch, at least.

She checked her phone again. Still no messages. "So what are you all doing now?"

"We should hunt down Morgana," Tristan suggested, his features sharp and almost feral-like. "She might be the evil we're sent to destroy."

Destroy. And with how he looked, she believed him. "Morgana isn't evil. You can't do that to her."

"She is," the blonde argued hotly, his right hand tightening into a fist. "You have no idea what she's done."

"And you don't know who she is now," Gwen shot back, finally facing him head on. She didn't drown as much as she expected, in the blue of his eye. The pull was faint. The call of the tide by the moon. "You can't condemn her for what she hasn't done."

"She did do it." Gwaine stepped forward, his expression dark and bitter. He rolled up his sleeves, exposing rough patches of skin in the shape of veins. "She remembers everything. You're the only one in the dark."

Gwen stared at this skin, at the liaisons that covered it. And maybe he was right, maybe she was the only one who remembered nothing, who knew nothing.

"Morgana is not evil," she repeated because that was a fact that would never change.

"She is beyond that," the blonde retorted bitterly, his expression darkening. Whatever history he and Morgana shared, it was deeper than this argument. "There is no redemption for her, she had her chance."

She wanted to argue otherwise but she remembered Morgana's last words, her lips as she formed Sorry. Her half-lidded eyes, the tears forming in her eyes. The very fact that Morgana hadn't returned.

Maybe she really didn't know anything at all.

"Is she the enemy Arthur is supposed to fight?" Leon looked over at Merlin, cutting through the argument. "If not, we'll deal with her later."

"I don't think she is." Merlin shook his head. "Her magic…it was weaker than it used to be and to be honest, it's something I could deal with on my own."

"Then what do we do?"

Gwen almost jumped at Lancelot's voice—she had almost forgotten he was there, he'd been sitting so silently in a corner. Like the blonde, his eyes had been on her almost constantly. Her joke yesterday had been too on the nose and she hoped she wouldn't have to deal with any unsettled romance drama.

Merlin stared at him, just as surprised as she was. A smile graced his face as he recovered. "We'll go to Avalon—magic is at its strongest there. I can continue to research while Arthur trains you."

"Trains." Gwaine blanched. "Do you really call that training and not stress relief?"

"Want to find out?" the blonde smiled, all teeth, and Gwen shivered at the unspoken challenge.

"Definitely not."

"Then does this mean you're all leaving?" Gwen asked, trying to piece together her part in this tale. At least she'd reunited with her brother after all of this.

"Immediately," the blonde stated.

Merlin shook his head. "No, no, we need time for people to get ready. Gwen doesn't have her suitcase packed at all."

"…wait, me?" Gwen stared back and forth between the two. "I can't fight."

"You're vulnerable here." His blue eyes bore into hers once more, and she swallowed. She could believe he had been a king once. "Morgana could get you at any time."

"Morgana." Gwen wet her lips, forcing her weak voice to not tremble. "Morgana would do nothing."

He looked ready to snap, before restraining himself and shaking his head. "Even if you're right, we still have the other evil to contend with."

"But I have nothing to do with…" Gwen looked down. Her brother's hand squeezed hers tightly and she looked up at him now.

"Please," he pleaded. "I don't want to lose you again."

"Me neither." She looked back down at their joined hands. "My job…"

"Oh don't worry about that." Merlin grinned. "If anyone needs help, I'll call all of your bosses and get them to ok it."

"Huh?" Gwaine raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Magic," Lancelot replied, a smile gracing his features and he looked more handsome when he was happy. "You've gotten much better at it, then?"

"Much," Merlin emphasized. "I'll take care of it."

"Where were you when I had my gambling debts?" Gwaine grumbled.

So everything could be taken care of. Gwen frowned, not liking this in the bit but if she joined them, then maybe…Determine, she looked at the blonde. "I'll do it but under one condition."

"Condition?" He raised a brow, taken aback.

"We still search for Morgana and I get to talk to her first." He opened his mouth to argue and she pressed on. "Otherwise I won't go."

If she knew nothing about her friend, then she just had to learn it. If no one else would stand by Morgana, then Gwen would.

That was what friends did, after all.

-x-

Gwaine sprawled on Leon's couch. "She's just as gutsy as ever." Unlocking his phone, he flipped through his contacts. Finally landing on his boss's, he held his arm out and over the coffee table. "Here."

"Yeah, I guess some things don't change." Merlin looked up from his book and took the phone. "It was nature over nurture after all."

"Science. Gaius would have liked that." Gwaine watched Merlin from the corner of his eye. It was strange having his memories back, to see a man and have two separate timelines. Tristan had warned him he might not want to remember, Lancelot confirmed some things were better off forgotten, but in the end?

He'd rather remember. Just, maybe not all at once like this; it was like having a hangover. "I still can't believe she bargained her way into Avalon."

"Really? It's very like her." Merlin chuckled, pressing the call button. "If anything, I'm glad we managed to get away with only needing to find Morgana."

"Well, we were going to do that anyways." Gwaine closed his eyes. His hand unconsciously rubbed his wrist, the ropemarks imprinted on his skin. Some things did cross over time and space, it seemed. "I won't fail this time."

"You didn't fail last time either." Merlin suddenly froze before breaking out into laughter.

"What?" He sat up, staring at his friend in confusion.

"It's just…" Merlin rubbed his eyes, catching his breath. "The dragon, we had this exact same conversation too. I guess he was right, I didn't fail either." Before Gwaine could press, Merlin perked up. "Hello? I'm calling on before of Gwaine—no, not, it's nothing important." His voice grew deeper, a layer of enchantment weaving through his words. "He will be taking a yearlong break to help develop the new branch."

Honestly, this would skill would have been so handy before. Maybe after this was all over, he could borrow Merlin for a bit and clean up his affairs.

-x-

Morgana, please at least send me a message, I'm worried.

There wasn't even so much as 'read' status on any of her messages. Gwen bit her lip, not sure of what to try next. Calls, emails, text, messages—hell, she'd even sent snail mail to their old house in case Morgana went there. She was starting to run out of options and it scared her. What if Morgana never contacted her? What if she really left, forever?

"Gwen?" She looked up to see the blonde stranger slowly step into her living room. He always seemed hesitant around her, afraid. As though she would shatter if he came too close. "Are you ok?"

No, no she wasn't, but she smiled anyways and closed her phone. "I'm fine."

He didn't buy it and sat across from her on the other couch. Everything about him looked out of place: his posture, his appearance, his comfort. This was not a man used to living rooms and sweatpants or any other form of casualness. The pull of his eyes felt weaker and Gwen felt a little braver. "Arthur."

His eyes snapped to hers and she swallowed. Yet, nothing happened, his name wasn't as terrifying as she expected. It was just a name, just another name, and it held no more power over her than his voice or eyes did. "Yes?"

For a moment, she could see an isolated throne, a single crown sitting on it. There was a weight on his shoulders she could not understand, the king of a kingdom that no longer was. Despite his knights, he cut a lonely figure. "What happens after you defeat the evil?"

"I…I don't know." His smile was crooked. "Once, I knew exactly what I'd be doing at all times, my life a linear path, but now…now I don't know."

"Then I guess you're just like the rest of us." She smiled back.

He blinked. "Like the rest of you?"

Was it really that strange of a concept? Then again, she didn't know royalty. "Yeah, we have to figure out our futures on our own."

"I guess that's the case." Arthur ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at the ceiling. "You know, we were married once."

Gwen. Arthur. And outside the room, Lancelot. She knew the tale well enough, though it seemed he had forgiven her for whatever trespasses had occurred. "Yes."

He still didn't look at her, as though he would read her answers from the bumps in the ceiling. "Do you think…?"

His voice trailed off and she could guess the rest of the sentence. He was attractive, she knew. Arthur was certainly loyal. A little quick to anger but kind nonetheless. Despite her misgivings on the whole thing, she could believe he was a king. That he had a larger-than-life mission. Perhaps in time, she could care for him. Even love him.

Life was strange that way. She eyed him and the thought felt less farfetched with every passing second. Maybe there was something buried in her, forgotten. Or maybe some things transcended time.

"I don't know." With that, Gwen got up and took her leave. There was no point in entertaining the possibility any further. Arthur was looking for Guinevere, his queen. And no matter what they said, no matter what they claimed, the person who looked back in the mirror was merely Gwen.

-x-

Gwaine punched Percy in the shoulder. And then immediately shook his hand. "Fuck, man, what do they feed you in Canada?"

"Milk. Beef." Percy rubbed his shoulder and stared at him. "What was that for?"

"You're a big oaf no matter what lifetime it is." Gwaine massaged his fingers. "It's like hitting a brick."

"I work out. And not just in bar fights." Percy smirked. "What was that for?"

"You didn't have to apologize." Clenching his jaw, he looked Percy in the eye. "It was never your fault—just mine."

Percy's smile dropped. "I—"

"Mine," he repeated before shaking his hand once more. "God, seriously, I think I might need ice. What are you?"

-x-

"I'm sorry."

Gwen had barely seen the depressed Lancelot the past week. Maybe it was their supposed history, though Merlin had reassured her he'd been a ghost and Morgana might have had something to do with it. Still didn't make it any less awkward to meet the man you supposedly had an affair with and then destroyed the kingdom.

So his voice now startled her and she stared at him like a fish. "Huh?"

"For…the past. For what happened, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." Gwenn sat next to him. "You weren't even alive! Besides I'm not her."

"I know but…" He looked troubled. She'd heard he had a girlfriend in France, a good job too. Did the other knights have lives they left behind? Did the memories just tear them from their current lives and into another without their choosing?

She hated that part of her was relieved it would never happen to her. "You can't take the blame for things you never did."

"…I don't know." He glanced up at her, then at his hands. "They said that too, but I…I remember things. Bits and pieces. Maybe I wanted it."

"Bullshit." Gwen almost covered her mouth at her instinctive response before dropping her hand entirely. His eyes widened, his expression shocked, and she resisted the urge to laugh. "No, seriously—in that case, Guinevere must have wanted it too? It wasn't only your fault then. Besides, maybe she had a spell cast on her too. Then it's no one's fault, right?"

"That'd be convenient," he responded, the first time he spoke without hesitation or apologies.

She'd take it. Nodding, she agreed. "Yeah, it would be, but then you all got reincarnated at the same time and remember everything—it's all pretty convenient, right?"

Lancelot opened and closed his mouth a few times before giving in. "That is true."

"It is." Gwen smiled. He did look much better when he wasn't brooding.

-x-

"So she really won't…?" Arthur trailed off.

Merlin looked up from his papers. It had been a while since he'd seen Arthur look so small, lost. Like after Gwen's banishment or Morgana's betrayal. He was not quite a king now, just a man struggling to hold on to something. Softly, he answered, "No, she won't."

"Oh." Arthur sat back on his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "At least she's safe."

A consolation prize. Merlin hummed his agreement. "And happy."

"And happy." Arthur nodded slowly. "Those are both good things."

With a sigh, he got up. A mopey king was a useless king. Reaching out, he gripped Arthur's shoulder. "You know what this means, right?"

"What?" Arthur gave him a flat stare, not even shaking off his hold.

"You can court her again. That's always a possibility."Merlin smiled.

Arthur mulled it over. "I could but…should I? She's not my Gwen and her life…"

When had Arthur become a philosopher? Merlin held back a groan. It was much easier when the idiot did not try to think. "True, true, but I did notice she couldn't stop looking at you. And if she chooses to go to you, then should you really stop her?"

"No." Arthur frowned, considering it. "I guess so…"

He was so close. Merlin gave the last push. "And we are going to be in Avalon for a while. You can get to know each other there, without interruptions."

"That is true." Warming up to the idea, a smile started to grow. "Then you—"

"I am not making any dinners or holding picnic baskets or anything of the like," Merlin cut in immediately, knowing just where this conversation was heading. "It's the 21st century, you're over 20, and you need to become self-sufficient. Gwen would never date a failure to launch."

"Failure to launch? What am I launching?" Arthur looked at him quizzically.

"We have a hundred years worth of movies to catch you up on." Merlin went back to his seat, reorganizing his papers. "You'll understand soon enough."

-x-

"We're not going crazy, right?" Gwen asked her brother, watching as knights carried out her boxes into a moving truck. It was hard enough to think she was living the plot of a movie, surrounded by the reincarnated knights of an old fairy tale. It was even worse when they still used ordinary and mundane things.

Merlin had magic yet they were using a moving truck. The two concepts refused to reconcile.

"No, no, though I did ask that question a few times myself." Elyan laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry you have to do this, but I don't want anything to happen to you either."

"No, it's fine." Gwen leaned against him. The strangest part was being so close to her brother after so many years. "Besides, I can help Morgana now."

"…if you say so." Her brother remained unconvinced, as did the rest of the knights. Only Merlin showed some indications he agreed, but even that was few and far between. No, she'd have to be Morgana's champion. "How's dad?"

"Good—he's taken up weapon smithing as a hobby." Gwen chuckled, remembering the shed her father was converting into a workshop. "He used to just collect it but since he's retired, he's had way too much time on his hands."

"Like a blacksmith, huh?" Elyan mused. "It's funny how much stays the same."

"I guess." Gwen frowned. Maybe it wasn't just Arthur who'd have a problem seeing Gwen for Gwen. Maybe they all would. Deciding not to dwell on it, she lightly added, "I guess that means you were always unreliable."

"Hey!" Her brother protested. "I'm not that bad."

"Hmm…I dunno." She laughed as he pouted. The sound of footsteps cut them off and she looked over her shoulder to see Arthur.

"We're done." His eyes lingered on hers and she flushed, unused to the attention. "Thank you."

She blinked, not expecting that. "For what?"

"For coming along." Arthur rubbed his neck. "Despite what we said, you could have stayed."

She stared, dumbfounded. "It's…it's for Morgana."

"Still." He smiled and left.

"Huh." Elyan pinched his cheek. "Nope, not dreaming. So he does know how to say thank you."

"Oh come on, he can't be that bad." At Elyan's stare, she raised a brow. "Really?"

"Really." Elyan let go of her and headed to the door. "I'll be downstairs, come when you're ready."

"Ok." The door closed and the for the first time in days, Gwen was alone. Truly alone. Morgana and Mordred were not going to come in for dinner and Leon wasn't going to give her handy cooking advice. Even her apartment was considerably emptier—Merlin had agreed to pay off her rent till she came back. Gwen walked over to her coffee table and picked up her purse.

"Goodbye," she said. Irrationally, it felt like a chapter of her life was closing, like she might never see this room again.

But that wasn't the case. She was going to get Morgana and Mordred, going to reclaim her tiring job and fun dinners and everything else that came with it. And maybe add things too—her brother for certain.

A golden prince, perhaps.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a last text. Morgana, I'll come to you.

Then, steeling herself, she left her home.