Alaia Skyhawk: Here's the next chapter, and I have an author note from Julie for you guys.

Julie Winchester: Hi people! I see some of you would like Balinor to be back. Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't think about it when I wrote the story. And even if I had, I don't think I would have done it. I had enough to do without adding all the drama of Merlin meeting his father, for a start; also, Arthur, the way he turned out, is no better than his father was; so I don't think Balinor would have gone back to Hunith. Not to mention she might very well have moved on with her life during the thirty and counting (because Merlin is now over thirty) years of separation. So, in short, there won't be any Balinor in my story. Sorry again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, and this story belongs to my friend Julie, who I'm posting it on behalf of.

~(-)~

Chapter 14: Reunions

Hunith stared at her son for several moments, barely able to believe he was here. Standing there, with a woman and a young man, as naturally as if he had last seen her yesterday. She then broke from her trance and ushered them them quickly inside. Closing the door before turning to her son and pulling him into a hug.

Merlin returned it, smiling over her shoulder as she clung to him.

"I've miss you too."

Hunith at last let go, taking a step back with her eyes full of concern.

"What are you doing here, Merlin? King Arthur has offered a reward for anyone who brings you to him or can tell him where you are. This house and Ealdor are watched, always, and searched almost every day."

Merlin sighed, but didn't seem troubled.

"I know. The guards made it obvious. When I leave, I'll make sure no one here but you remembers I visited." He changed the topic, gesturing to the two who were with him. "I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Gilli. He's a fellow sorcerer."

Gilli offered his hand, letting Hunith shake it in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Merlin now went to Susan, putting his arm around her waist.

"And this... is Susan. My wife, and soon-to-be mother of my child."

Hunith stared, before breaking into the most joyous of smiles. She hurried over to the two of them, hugging them both.

"I never though Merlin would ever return, least of all with a wife. You've no idea how much this means to me."

Susan returned the hug, while Merlin smiled at the pair of them.

"I wish we could have invited you to the wedding, but it was too dangerous. I knew that Arthur would have you watched."

His mother once again looked at him, this time frowning.

"But that still doesn't tell me why you're here now. Why? After twelve years with no word, why now?"

Merlin's smile faded into seriousness.

"I'm going to stop Arthur, and free the magical community. I failed them once, and I can't walk away again."

Hunith went silent, before she spoke in a harsh whisper.

"You're going to do that, with your pregnant wife and a clearly young sorcerer to help you? That's crazy."

"Crazy has always seemed to well for me... and those two insisted on coming. They didn't really give me a choice, and wouldn't stand for being left behind to worry about me." He sighed again, leading his mother to a chair to sit her down. "There's a lot a want to tell you, and I don't really have much time. I still have to cast the spell on everyone so they won't remember."

It was the following morning, just before dawn, that the trio left. Having spent much of the night telling Hunith about the past twelve years. Their exit was more discrete than their entrance. The rest of the villagers, and the guards, now having no memory of seeing them the day before.

Two days of steady walking got them to the woods around the City of Camelot. Merlin choosing a campsite where the walls could be seen through the trees, but there was still enough cover to keep them hidden. The wards he placed around the camp then hid it even further, and ensured that any smoke from a fire would disappear instead of rising above the trees.

He left Susan and Gilli there, having firmly insisted that this time he was going to head out alone. He needed to get an idea of exactly what was going on in the city right now, and one person would blend in far more easily than three.

Twelve years had matured his face beyond the boyish features of his youth. Combined with his hair being a longer, tousled mess, and the fact he was sporting several days of stubble, he became just one more travelling stranger among the many others passing in and out of city gates. Eyes lowered as he slipped in among the crowds, unremarkable and unremarked upon beneath his hood.

When he reached his destination in the upper town, he wasn't surprised to see guards posted outside a certain house. Using magic to knock them out, was out of the question here. But lucky for Merlin he had more weapons in his arsenal than just his magic, to get inside that house without Arthur finding out about it.

That is to say he walked up to the two guards, pulled back his hood a little, and glared at them when their eyes widened in recognition. His tone was deadly.

"You know who I am, don't you?" Both of them gulped, nodding. "Then you know I'm not joking when I tell you this. If you so much as whisper a word about me being here, or taking Gwen with me when I leave... I. will. know. If that happens, I will find you, and when I do you will be living your worst nightmares. Am I making myself clear?"

Eyes wide in terror, both guards nodded again. Satisfied with their reaction, Merlin then knocked on his friend's door, hearing a muffled but familiar voice call out within.

"Tina, can you see who's at the door, please?"

There was a clatter of footsteps, and then the door opened slightly to reveal a girl of about five years of age. She looked at him with curiousity, before calling out towards the back of the house.

"Mommy! There's a man with funny ears!"

"Ask him what he wants, Tina."

At Gwen's resigned tone, one you'd expect to hear from a woman who has lived under observation and unannounce intrusion for over a decade, Merlin called out with a teasing reply.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

There was silence, before Gwen came dashing through from the back of the house. A look of disbelief on her face.

"Merlin?"

He grinned, gently pushing past Tina and closing the door.

"It's good to see you again."

Laughing with joy, Gwen ran towards him and pulled him into a hug. She then noticed the speculative glance he was directing between her and the little girl staring at them in confusion.

Gwen flapped at him in irritation, flustering as she did so often in his memories of her.

"Oh don't give me that look, Merlin. She's not Arthur's, if that's what you think, and she's not mine either. Her parents were sorcerers, and they didn't want to work for Arthur. They were captured and executed, but Morgana still had enough influence then to get him to let me have Tina. As the Queen's maidservant, I'm considered a friend of the Crown, so the Council agreed. I've looked after her since."

Tina was still staring, but less surprised, and reached out to tug on Merlin's sleeve.

"Are you mommy's friend?"

Merlin smiled down at her.

"Yes, I am. We've been friends for a very long time."

"Does that mean you're going to marry mommy?"

Both Merlin and Gwen choked at that, the former hastily shaking his head.

"Heavens, no! I'm just her friend."

Gwen now regarded her foster daughter, similarly quick to speak.

"Why do you want me to get married, Tina?"

The reply was innocent and earnest.

"Because I want a little brother, and you have to be married to have a baby."

While Gwen gaped at Tina in utter shock, and flushed red, Merlin was biting his lip trying not to laugh. A few chuckled slipped by him, before he set his hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"Look, Tina, I'm sorry by I couldn't marry Gwen anyway. I already have a wife."

"What?!" It was now Merlin's turn to be gaped at, as Gwen struggled to comprehend what he'd just said. "Who? When? Where?"

Merlin chuckled again, shaking his head at how this reunion had turned out.

"Her name is Susan, we got married five years ago, but I can't say where. I'd like you to come with me and meet her." He sighed, returning to the business at hand. "But first I need my spellbook back. I might be needing it, if my talk with Arthur doesn't go as I hope."

Gwen straightened, her expression turning serious. She had known, deep down, that this wasn't a social visit. If Merlin was back in Camelot, and Arthur didn't listen to him... Then it was likely all hell was going to break loose.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: lol, I LOVED transcribing that bit with Tina. I hope you guys all loved it too XD