-11-
Merlin rubbed a hand across his forehead. It had been an eventful day, to say the least. Between arranging the details of Uther's will to make sure that he could relay its contents effectively to dealing with the fallout following the revelation that Gwen was included in the group, perhaps "shitty as hell" would be the exact way to describe it.
Merlin leaned back against his chair and stared up at the ceiling. When had it all gone wrong? He and Gwen were the best of friends growing up. She had been there to comfort him when his father dad died while in military service, and he had been there for her when her mom passed away after years of battling cancer. If you had told Merlin that the day would come when Guinevere didn't even want to be in the same room as him, he would have laughed you out of the room.
'But things change,' Merlin thought as he leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. It was a sunny day; the weather was mild and there was just enough of a breeze to keep things from being too warm. But it just didn't matter anymore. Things just weren't the same since he had put an end to their friendship. It had been over three years ago, but Merlin remembered it like it was yesterday.
She had been in this room with Annis Caerleon, her face was ashen and her expression dazed. Merlin hadn't thought anything of it, chalking it up to the fact that it was the last day of the mediation—she and Arthur would be signing the divorce papers. After today, their separation would be legal and they would no longer be husband and wife.
Merlin supposed he should have been more empathetic, but his patience had worn thin. Guinevere and her legal advisers had put off the final meeting for several days, giving him and Arthur no further reason other than it was for "pressing concerns."
"Stop making it easy for them, Merlin!" Uther Pendragon had stormed into his office the evening before. To say that he was livid was an understatement.
"Arthur has waited for days!" He had gestured to his son who was standing a few feet behind his father, his hands shoved into his trouser pockets, looking disgusted over this current turn of events.
"We have been patient," Uther raged. "We have agreed to everything that woman has requested, the least she can do is to expedite the signing of the papers!"
Uther had slammed a hand over his desk and the force of it had made Merlin jump.
"Do your job, Emrys or I will make sure that you never practice law again!"
Uther had stormed out of his office, leaving him and Arthur in his wake. An uneasy silence stretched between them, with neither man wanting to comment on the drama that just happened.
"What do you want, Arthur?" He had looked at his friend, wanting to see...something in his eyes, but however Merlin probed, Arthur's eyes were blank. Just as they had been since Gwen filed the divorce papers.
"Make sure that she signs the papers."
Arthur had walked out and left Merlin alone. Merlin had placed a late night phone call to Annis Caerleon, hoping that the attorney would be exercise enough reason to have her client arrive for the scheduled last day. Instead, he had spoken with a very icy Nimueh Lakewood, and it was only after a heated exchange of words that she hinted at letting Annis know the urgency of his request.
So there he was, two days after, sitting in his office with Gwen and Annis. They were waiting for Arthur (who was sure to arrive with Mithian) to make an appearance.
Merlin took in Gwen's wan complexion, and the tension that was evident in every line of her frame. She couldn't look him in the eye and kept turning to Annis who was acting more like a doting relative than a legal counsel. Merlin had heaved a sigh of relief when he heard footsteps outside his door, thinking that Arthur was there at last, but it was Morgana and Aggravaine who came in and seated themselves in the remaining chairs.
"Well?" Morgana had asked, a smirk plainly on her face. "Shall we begin?"
"No," Merlin had answered. "What is to be discussed here does not concern either of you."
"Ah. But you see," Morgana began as she withdrew an envelope from her handbag, "We've been given the authority to attend the proceedings on Arthur's, I mean, Mr. Pendragon's behalf."
Merlin took the proffered letter and read it. His brow had furrowed as he took in the contents of the letter.
"Should I take offense at your inclusion in this matter, Ms. DuBois?" Annis Caerleon's voice was icy and it gave Merlin a crude sort of satisfaction to see how Morgana had stiffened at the lawyer's tone.
"Hardly, Ms. Caerleon," a simpering tone had colored Morgana's voice. "Arthur is...indisposed at the moment. Vacationing in the Maldives with Ms. Nemeth, you see. And as he is unable to attend, Uther Pendragon has asked that we appear in his stead. I was made to realize that today's meeting serves merely to assure all parties that Gwen..."
"Ms. Leodegrance," Annis had said, the steel in her voice evident for everyone to hear.
"Yes," Morgana replied, her smirk wavering as she answered. "We are here to witness Ms. Leodegrance sign the divorce papers. Nothing more, nothing less."
"May I see the letter?" Annis' words were polite, but her expression bore no cheer. She was angry and not above letting the rest of the people in the room know what she felt.
Merlin couldn't blame her.
The attorney's eyes quickly scanned the letter and with no change in expression, returned the piece of paper to Merlin. Her eyes bore into his and if he was a weaker man, he would have withered under it.
"Well?" Morgana asked again, a raised eyebrow accompanying her smirk. She had not missed Annis glare. "Shall we begin?"
It had all taken a short time. Annis had paused briefly to speak to Gwen, their voices too low for Merlin to hear. Between Morgana, Aggravaine, Uther, Arthur, and Gwen, he had quite had enough. His patience had worn thin. He wanted this part of his live over and done with,
"Come on, Gwen!" Merlin had raised his voice, catching the attention of his friend and her attorney. "You have stalled for a week, surely nothing in your life is so pressing that it's taking you this long to decide whether or not you want to sign? You asked for this divorce, for heaven's sake!"
Both women's eyes snapped to him. The pain in Gwen's eyes had moved him, but he was tired. He wanted his life back—free from anything even remotely connected to the Pendragons. Maybe he and Gwen could go back to how they were after all of this was done.
Gwen had paused and looked Merlin in the eye. For the first time since the divorce proceedings began, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. That was when he knew that whatever friendship they shared was now broken beyond repair. He wanted to fall to his knees and take back his words, and he almost did, but Gwen spoke.
"You're right, of course, Merlin," she said, her voice like chips of ice. "There is no reason to stall."
She pulled the folder holding the final draft of the divorce papers and opened it. She didn't even scan the contents of each page before affixing her signature. Her movements were curt, deliberate, and to Merlin, painful to watch.
It was over a few seconds later. Guinevere had signed the divorce papers. She was no longer Guinevere Pendragon. She was no longer Merlin's friend either, his tirade had made sure of that.
"Would you care to check the veracity of my signatures, Morgana?" Guinevere had picked up the folder and threw it in the other woman's direction.
The folder landed at Morgana's feet. Fire flashed in her eyes, but she bent and picked it up. She looked over each page, taking in Gwen's signature on every leaf of paper.
"That's everything," Morgana said a few seconds later.
"Good," Guinevere said as she stood up. Annis left her chair at the same moment, lifting her chin as she looked down her nose at the rest of the people in the office.
"Goodbye Mr. Emrys," Annis Caerleon said as she smoothed her skirt. "I trust that everything else is in order?"
Merlin nodded.
"I will be sending everything to your offices tomorrow."
"I would quite like to know what you are talking about," Morgana said. It was obvious that she did not take well to being ignored.
"Ms. DuBois, you said that you were here as an observer, so I would suggest that you play your part," the cold tone of Annis' voice wiped the sneer off Morgana's face and Merlin very nearly stood up and cheered.
"You came, you saw, and now, you leave." Annis made a motion with her fingers, as though flicking away an annoying insect.
"How dare you dismiss me!" Morgana stood up and glared at the attorney.
"I agree, my apologies," Annis said though her tone was less than concilatory. "I suppose it would be best if I pretended that you didn't exist at all."
Gwen stood silent throughout the exchange, and spoke only after Annis' rebuttal had Morgana gawping in voiceless outrage.
"Annis?" She called the other woman's attention. "I would like to leave now." She turned and made her way to the door, not waiting for a response.
"Goodbye you little..." it was Aggravaine who spoke this time.
"I would suggest you keep the rest of your statement to yourself Mr. Clarent," Annis spoke again. "Unless you want another lawsuit on your hands?"
Aggravaine quickly closed his mouth, his face nearly purple in rage.
Annis and Gwen had left quickly after that, Morgana and Aggravaine soon after, but not before a few choice invectives hurled to slander his friend.
Merlin sighed and ran a hand over his forehead. Remembrances of the past always gave him a headache, and recalling the last time Gwen was willingly in his office was not something he thought about often. A few angry words from him had permanently severed their friendship, and he knew that nothing he did would make Gwen forgive him.
The guilt settled low and heavy in his heart. It was never supposed to be like this. He had once sworn to be Gwen's protector, to be her friend over and above everything else. In the end, he turned out to be just as bad as Arthur.