Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter 14 – Heralding The New Age

Almost exactly a month to the day of the coronation, Uther finally woke up. Gaius tended to him, and was still uncertain as to his prognosis. The sword had caused a great deal of damage, though Merlin's magical intervention had gone a long way to healing the wound; for now Gaius warned them that it was uncertain whether Uther would live or die. Gaius would say nothing as to Uther's state of mind and Arthur put off visiting him as long as he could, dreading the confrontation to follow. Knocking softly on the door to his father's chambers, Arthur waited a moment before letting himself in. Uther was sitting up in bed, staring out the window with an unreadable expression and his face, making Arthur inwardly cringe, though he remained outwardly strong.

"Hello, Father." He said, coming to Uther's bedside and taking a seat. The man said nothing for a several moments and Arthur was about to repeat his greeting when he spoke.

"I hear my kingdom has been stolen from me." He would still not look in Arthur's direction and that combined with his words had Arthur up in arms.

"Really? You nearly lose your life and the first thing you say to me upon waking is that I've stolen your throne?" He snapped bitterly, finally getting his father to look at him.

"What else am I supposed to say when I awaken to hear that even before my death my son has been crowned King?"

"Yes, I am The King!" Arthur barked, feeling his blood boil and unwittingly giving his father a look at The King who presided over council and had lords cowering in their seats. "You lost Camelot through your arrogance, close mindedness and stupidity. Were it not for me returning to save your ass – after you nearly executed the woman I love, may I add – you would probably be dead instead of arguing with me, and Camelot would be under the rule of yet another tyrant in Morgause! You lost, father, and what's more, the people have had enough of you. By right of succession you may have a stronger claim to the throne than I as you are my father, but no king can rule unless by the grace of the people, for without it they would be ruling over an empty kingdom. As one the people wanted you gone. This was not merely a few people forming a rebellion with the rest backing you; they united against you as one. I'm not sure how else I can say this to get it through your thick head." Arthur tore his gaze away from his father and stomped to the window, looking out over the grounds and spotting Guinevere walking in the gardens with Morgana. He instantly felt himself relax with his wife in his line of sight. Uther said nothing for a minute, taking in his son's profile as he stared out the window, studiously refusing to look in his father's direction.

"Gaius tells me you lifted the ban on magic." Were his next words.

"Yes. And I will not have you questioning me on this. I am King here, not you, and if you cannot accept that, then when you are recovered you may leave and go find another king you feel you can serve under, I will not stop you."

"You would send me away?" Arthur sighed and hung his head before turning to face his father once more.

"I will not send you away, Father. Though you are no longer King, Camelot is your home for as long as you want it to be. However, I will not have you questioning my judgements. This is my kingdom now and I must rule Camelot as I see fit, not as you would have me rule it. If you cannot accept that, then perhaps it is best if you leave. If you can accept it, then you are welcome here."

"And what of the girl, is-"

"Queen Guinevere, has proven herself to be a gracious and wise Queen in but a few short weeks." Arthur interrupted. "The people knew and loved her before, and they continue to do so now."

"I mean what does she think of me staying?" Uther still refused to acknowledge Guinevere's place as Queen, but he supposed that at least in front of his son he would need to be more respectful.

"She agrees with me that if you can accept us as King and Queen, and promise to cause no trouble, then you may remain as my father and an honoured member of the court. You will be afforded all courtesy, though unless you suddenly have a drastic, and genuine, change of heart, you will not be allowed on the council, or have any dealings with the running of the kingdom." Arthur was very much telling his father how things would be, and though he knew that Uther did not like it, he truthfully did not care.

"And Morgana?" Uther had to ask.

"It is highly unlikely she will ever forgive you." He was not going to choose now to start trying to protect his father's feelings. "You know how stubborn she is, and frankly you deserve it. She has magic, father, and given your own laws you would have had to put her to death had she been discovered. She lived in fear that the man who was her guardian, who treated her more like a daughter, and actually turned out to be her father – which is another reason she is unlikely to forgive you, given you kept the truth from her and thought more of your reputation rather than claiming her as your own – would have her burned at the stake."

"I would never see her harmed for the world." Uther's words were swift, though even he sounded uncertain.

"You say that now when it no longer matters, now that you can no longer do anything to her. But given your hatred of magic I truly have to wonder whether your love for Morgana would have stopped you from sending your own daughter to the gallows. You have caused her a great deal of pain. You've caused both of us a great deal of pain." Uther looked up at his son, who's face was one of stone.

"I never meant-" Arthur held up his hand to stop him there.

"I do not wish to get into it. A part of me will never forgive you for sentencing Guinevere to death. It wants to demand the truth from you, to know if your blindness and hatred of magic, and your belief in keeping the common people in their place, was so strong that you could knowingly make me suffer so. However, I've decided I don't care. You will never have my full trust again, Father, and you destroyed a great deal of the love I had for you. Yet the fact remains that you are my father, and I still do love you enough to care for you. I cannot say the same for Morgana." Deciding he'd said enough for today, Arthur crossed to the door, stopping for but a moment before he left. "Rest, Father. And think on all I have said. I will return in a few days when you have had a chance to think over where your future lies and we can discuss it more then." Without another word, Arthur opened the door and left his father alone, deciding he needed to go in search of his wife. He found her still in the gardens and it did not take long in her presence for him to calm, which he was very glad for as his day was far from over. His next order of business was also of a personal nature, or at least he was making it so, contrary to the opinion of those who had brought the matter to his attention over the last weeks. Lancelot was already waiting for him, sitting at his seat at the Round Table, when he arrived, though he stood when The King entered.

"You wanted to see me, Sire?"

"Yes…" Arthur tried not to sound awkward and failed utterly, drawing a confused look from the Knight.

"Is something wrong, Sire?"

"In a manner of speaking." He had been trying to think of how to broach the subject, and now that he was standing here he could think of no better way than to simply blurt it out. "Do you still love Guinevere?" Lancelot tensed up and his eyes widened as he tried to stutter out a denial. "Actually that was a bad question, I think we both know the answer." The Knight sighed and looked pained.

"I apologize, My Lord. I would, of course, never act on my feelings, though I know that is little comfort. If you will release me from my vows I will leave Camelot immediately and never return."

"No! No, Lancelot, that is not what this is about. Dammit, I'm going about this all wrong." He muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I do not want you to leave. You are an excellent Knight, and a good friend."

" 'A good friend?' " He was quite incredulous. "I've admitted to loving your wife!"

"Yes, but I already knew that. I've known you've loved her for years, though I admit I thought perhaps after all this time without seeing her that your feelings would have diminished."

"But they didn't."

"Evidently not. However, as you said, you would never act on your feelings and I trust your word implicitly. I also trust Guinevere implicitly and do not doubt our love." His words did not seem to comfort Lancelot, though he did not think they would. He didn't think his next words would be comforting either, but he still thought them wise. "Guinevere said something that night in the forest when we were all reunited. I was being a jealous ass about your return and she called me on it. Aside from demanding to know if I doubted her – to which my answer was absolutely not – she said that you chose to leave. That back before she and I were together, and you came back into her life, you had the chance to stay and try to build something with her, but you didn't."

"I knew of your feelings for her. I didn't want to get in the way." He explained.

"But did you know of her feelings for me? Even she admitted that although she felt something, she would not have called it love at that time. So either you saw something that even she didn't, or you thought to leave her to me without knowing if she loved me in return. In either case, you did not fight for her."

"I could never have competed with you."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. We will never know now for your leaving altered her feelings for you, and allowed her feelings for me to grow."

"Of course you're right."

"But it matters not. This is not about what you still feel, or why you didn't stay, those reasons are your own."

"Then what is this about?" He appeared to be getting frustrated, which Arthur could understand; he had gotten off track.

"While it's not about your feelings, it is about how obvious your feelings are." At his confused look, Arthur continued. "Over the past weeks I have had more than one person bring it to my attention that you 'harbour inappropriate feelings towards The Queen.' " His tone made it clear that he was quite annoyed with those who had spoken with him, though the fact that he was here now told Lancelot that it was enough people for Arthur to no longer be able to ignore them.

"It is treason, My Lord." Arthur's annoyed gaze now turned on Lancelot.

"First, it is treason only if any actions are taken; second, I trust both you and Guinevere; and third, I despise that law. Adultery is wrong, yes, but certainly not an offense for one to die a traitor's death. And it isn't, save unless it includes The Queen, and only then because pompous lords are convinced it will be detrimental to the kingdom, as it will undoubtedly affect my capabilities to rule." His sarcasm was well noted. "And of course it is not only completely legal for me to commit adultery, but it is almost expected I take mistresses." His sarcasm had turned into bitterness, which Lancelot found surprising.

"It is true that many lords, and kings, take mistresses while expecting their wives to be completely faithful. Of course if you so despise the law why not change it?"

"I tried – and failed – thus my bitterness." Arthur muttered.

"But you are King...you could simply change the law."

"I could, but as Guinevere pointed out to me, concessions must be made to keep lords happy. Every single lord on the council that remains from my father's day opposed the change and Guinevere said I should give them this one and save pulling rank for things that truly mattered." He was clearly not happy with this, though the fact that the law remained unchanged told Lancelot that Arthur had eventually agreed with his wife. "She knew I wanted the law changed, partially because I simply abhor it, but mostly for her, and she said it was not worth starting a fight over as this particular law would never come in to play, given we both know she would never love another."

"She is wise, our Queen."

"Indeed she is." Arthur agreed before bringing the conversation back to the subject at hand, now wanting it over with. "Listen, Lancelot, we've gotten far off subject. The point of all this is I must ask that you be more discrete with your feelings. Those same lords I appeased are only too happy to point out to me that my wife may be being unfaithful to me if your feelings are any indication, regardless that they cannot claim Guinevere reciprocates those feelings. They do not like that I married a low born woman over their titled daughters, and they will be watching for any opportunity to see to it that I need a new Queen."

"I understand, Sire." And he did. Lancelot knew that he would have to get over his feelings. Guinevere was well and truly out of his grasp; pining over her was doing no one any good. Arthur nodded, seeing the truth in the Knight's eyes, and came around to stand before him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"We cannot command the heart, Lancelot. Guinevere and I know that more than most. You are our friend and we respect your feelings and your need for time to move on; however, we are King and Queen, and we can no longer have your feelings displayed so openly." Lancelot nodded his agreement and was thankful that Arthur had spoken to him alone. Whether or not Arthur considered him a friend, he would have been well within his rights to call him before the entire court on this matter. Seeing the discussion was over, Arthur strode towards the door, though turned back when Lancelot did not move. "If you need time away from the citadel, take it. But I will not release you from your vows, and if you do not return within a reasonable amount of time I will send your fellow Knights after you."

Lancelot, it turned out, did not need time away from the citadel, though he did avoid The King and Queen for a few days. When he stopped avoiding them, it was like night and day. They could clearly see that he still cared for Guinevere, but the love that had been in his eyes was gone. Merlin confessed that Lancelot had spent much time thinking on what Arthur had said, even seeking Merlin's guidance on the matter. He had been stuck on the real reason he had left that day they had been rescued from Hengist. As he had said, he had known of Arthur's feelings for Guinevere, but he could not say the same as to Guinevere's feelings for Arthur. He could have fought for her. She was a maid and it would have been much easier for them to be together than for her and Arthur, and yet he had left even knowing there was a good chance that they would have ended up together. This made him question whether he had truly loved her, or if he was in fact relieved that there was an excuse to give her up. Whatever conclusions he had reached, his contemplation had helped him to move on.

oo00oo00oo

The next day, a guard interrupted breakfast in the great hall – one of the rare times Arthur and Guinevere dragged themselves up early enough to eat breakfast with their friends and family – saying they had visitors.

"Well where are they?" Arthur asked for the guard had entered alone.

"They await in the courtyard, Sire." He replied, not meeting his King's eye.

"Why?" Arthur had not missed the guilty look on the guard's face, as if he knew his answer would not be well received.

"We were not certain if it was wise to simply admit them." He still hedged.

"What, do they look like they have some nefarious plot to kill The King?" Morgana asked laughingly. "And even with Excalibur in hand, the Knights of the Round table, Emrys, and myself at his side you thought they would stand a chance? They must be some terrifying beings indeed."

"Stop avoiding the question and get to the point." Arthur commanded once Morgana's sarcasm had run out.

"They are not nobles, My Lord." It was said quietly though all still heard it his answer. He had been right to think that Arthur would not be happy with it, for The King looked quite unhappy.

"We remember you from our father's time so we will forgive you this lapse of judgement. Just this once. Bring them in."

"Yes, Sire!" He was only too happy to escape and practically ran out of the room.

"Too many still place much importance on a person's birth." He muttered angrily. "You would think that when I married Guinevere and made her my Queen they would at least take the hint that I care not if someone is of noble birth."

"It will take time, my love." Guinevere said reassuringly. "No one can change overnight." Arthur hummed noncommittally.

"Still, there are those nobles, like Lord Aldwyn, who I do not ever think will give up their prejudices. He still looks at you like dirt under his boot." His eyes shined with anger as he thought of this particular lord. "If this continues much longer he'll have to be made an example of." No one could deny his claim, though it also did not fill them with dread as it would had Uther said it. There is little doubt that Uther would never have stood for such disrespect towards his Queen. He had people executed for less, and though Arthur would not have the lord executed, stripping him of his title, lands and wealth came to mind, and would no doubt be a worse punishment than death in this lord's mind. Any further musings were cut short as the doors opened once again and they turned to greet their guests; four pairs of eyes went wide when they saw who it was.

"Doug…Margie…" Arthur murmured, whereas his wife forgot all queenly decorum and raced into Margie's arms.

"Oh, lovey." The older woman whispered, running a loving hand over Guinevere's hair and held her as tightly as her protruding belly would allow. Doug, who had appeared somewhat hesitant upon their arrival, relaxed at the warm welcome they were receiving and happily clasped hands with the three men he'd grown to care for before accepting a hug from Guinevere when Margie released her; the three boys did not get let off so easily with Margie, who all but crushed them in her embrace.

"You are positively glowing, my dear." Doug said to Guinevere who smiled brightly. It had only been just over a month since they'd last seen each other, but the babe had done quite a bit of growing in that time and Guinevere was now in the last couple months of her pregnancy.

"But what are you doing here?" Merlin asked. "Not that we aren't pleased to see you." He then hastily assured them.

"Queen Annis stopped at our inn on the way back to Caerleon." Margie explained. "We asked her to let you know we were safe." Arthur said. "We would have visited ourselves, but with things so new we could not leave Camelot. And I did not think that Guinevere should travel in her condition." Guinevere scowled but otherwise said nothing; she could not deny that riding just now, even in a carriage, would have been very uncomfortable.

"We planned to visit shortly after the babe was born, however." She assured them. "Yes, well, it is for that reason Margie insisted we come." Doug continued. "She did not like the idea of you being alone during your labour, even though I reminded her that as Queen you'd hardly be alone."

"Oh please. Don't even pretend you didn't want to come just as much as I did." Margie tsked. "Though, I hope you meant what you said when you told us we'd always be welcome in Camelot. We can leave if you would like."

"Don't even think about it!" Guinevere exclaimed, grasping Margie's hands tightly. "You are most welcome here. And I cannot thank you enough for coming."

"But what of the inn?" Leon then asked. "As Gwen said we are thrilled you are here, but you spent your life building up that inn."

"Only part of it." Doug said dismissively. "We bought it because we needed something to do once I left Caerleon's army. It was a good home, but it's not like we dreamed of running an inn or any such thing. Travis is looking after it until we return."

"And when must you return?" The thought did not appeal to any of them, though Guinevere made her displeasure the most known, a reaction which made Margie and Doug smile.

"We don't have to ever return." She explained. "We didn't want to say we weren't in case you did not want us here, but…"

"You would make your home here? In Camelot?" Arthur asked hopefully, his own happiness only enhanced by his wife's overly hopeful expression.

"If you would have us, yes." Guinevere nearly burst into tears, her emotions being all over the place lately, as she latched on to them both.

"I think if you will let us, we will never let you go." Merlin assured them.

"Then it's settled. George!" Arthur called to his new manservant – who was actually not nearly as bad as he'd thought he would be once you got over the brass jokes – who had been waiting in the shadows until needed.

"Sire." He responded promptly, coming to his King's side.

"See that a chamber is prepared near ours for them. They are to be treated like family, am I understood?"

"Yes, Sire." George bowed and went off, knowing Arthur well enough by now to know he did not give the warning to George himself, but rather so he could pass on the message to the rest of the servants.

"Oh we cannot possibly accept lodging in the citadel!" Margie cried. "It is far too much!"

"Nonsense. You are like family to us and you shall be treated as such." Guinevere insisted. "Of course if you would prefer to find your own lodgings in the city we shall respect that, but you shall always have a home with us." The two merely smiled and were then led over to the table and introduced to everyone else, who welcomed them just as warmly. Breakfast quickly prolonged to midday as the group remained talking with only some of the Knights taking their leave to see to training while the others were glad that they had few responsibilities today which were easily pushed back. Gaius, who had joined the group not long after Doug and Margie's arrival got along quite well with Doug, who had a vast interest in learning and knowledge – which he had had no chance to display in a small village – as the Court Physician himself did. A few hours after their arrival, another visitor arrived at the citadel, though this time she was shown directly inside.

"Mother!" Merlin cried, rushing to her side when their new guest entered the great hall.

"Oh, Merlin!" Hunith happily embraced him before holding him at arms length, looking over the son she hadn't seen in over a year. "Look at you! So handsome!"

"Mother…" Merlin muttered somewhat embarrassed.

"Hunith!" Gaius was the next to come greet her. With a smile, she released Merlin momentarily to greet the older man.

"It has been far too long, Brother."

"Indeed it has." He agreed. Gaius was some years older than his sister, their parents having had a second child later in life, and the two had gone many years without seeing each other. Gaius left for Camelot before Merlin was born, and he had not even met his nephew until Hunith sent Merlin to him as a grown man. It was over twenty years before and he saw her again when she had come to Camelot herself a few years ago to ask Uther for help that had been denied. When the two released their embrace, she turned back to Merlin, latching on her arm and refusing to let go.

"I wanted to come when word reached Ealdor that magic had returned to Camelot and that you were the Court Sorcerer here." She explained before he could even ask. "Then again when King Lot's men came to inform us that Ealdor was now a part of Camelot." Arthur had been right that his terms of peace to King Lot would not be denied. "However, I thought you needed time to settle in without your mother hovering over you."

"I was going to come see you." He wanted her to know. "I'm sorry you had to hear about all this from someone else, but I couldn't leave Camelot for awhile."

"It's alright, I understand. But when a herald arrived once again to announce that King Arthur had made you Duke of Ealdor…I could stay away no longer."

"I'm glad you didn't. I missed you, Mother." Hunith smiled and nodded her agreement that she had missed him too. Merlin then turned and led her to meet the others.

"Mother, you remember Arthur, Gwen and Morgana." The three had joined Merlin on a trip to protect Ealdor when Uther had denied them help, claiming they were a part of Cenred's kingdom and they should petition their own king for help.

"Of course. It's an honour to see you again, Your Majesties, My Lady." She murmured respectfully as she dropped into a bow.

"None of that!" It was Morgana who rose quickly and raised Hunith up. "You are Merlin's mother, you do not bow before us. We are very happy you are here." Arthur raised an eyebrow at his sister's quick and sincere refusal to accept any kind of homage from her, though more so because it appeared that Morgana wanted to please Merlin's mother. He had known that Merlin and Morgana were spending quite a bit of time with each other. Morgana had asked that Merlin help her with her magic, help her gain the control of it that Morgause had said she did not need, for her raw magic was far more powerful uncontrolled, and he had thought nothing more of it. However, after seeing Morgana's desire to please Hunith, and knowing that the two could keep a secret very well having hid their magic for years, he wondered if he should have read more into it. Deciding to speak with Guinevere about it later before jumping to any conclusions, for no doubt Morgana would make his life unpleasant if his assumptions proved wrong, Arthur rose and went to greet Hunith as well, reinforcing Morgana's statement that she not bow to them. Further introductions were made, and Sefa was called forth to prepare a chamber for Hunith as George had not returned.

"I believe the one next to Giaus' is free." Merlin told the maid who nodded before taking her leave. When Merlin had been named Court Sorcerer and been given a dukedom he had left his room in Gaius' chambers behind for more lavish accommodations nearer to Arthur and Guinevere's chambers. Gaius had also been offered better chambers, both as Merlin's kin, a member of the Privy Council, and The King's friend. He had accepted new sleeping quarters next to Merlin, saying they would be more comfortable in his old age, though still kept his old quarters as his workplace as Court Physician. With three new additions to the citadel, all of whom were considered family of both The King and Queen or their closest friends – who themselves were considered the monarchs' family – the court was in an even bigger frenzy than usual. The feast that evening saw three clearly low born people sitting upon the dais where those of the oldest noble bloodlines were not even permitted to dine. Some, those who had embraced the changes King Arthur had brought, accepted them there for they knew that a new age had dawned where a person's birth was of little importance. However, there were many that still clung to the old ways and as far as they were concerned things could not continue as they were. It was about time they did something about it, and they knew just who deserved their ire.

oo00oo00oo

Nearly two weeks later Margie was at her wits end with more than just a few of those living and working in the citadel. Not for herself, or Doug or Hunith, but because of their thinly veiled dislike or even blatant disrespect for Guinevere. The servants were generally quite amiable and seemed to like their new Queen, many having known her when she was one of them, though there were a couple who made it clear that they thought she had overreached her station and all but denounced her as Queen, though they were more subtle knowing their King's wrath should he hear of it. The nobles, however, were a different story. Many of the ladies of the court looked down on Guinevere, gossiping behind her back and calling her serving wench, or even worse names Margie dare not repeat. Many of the court's lords as well treated her similarly, most of them having some relation to the ladies who scorned her, though with added sneers and lewd comments about her person. Guinevere herself either remained ignorant of their behaviour, or more likely she was ignoring it, though why Margie could not work out. When one such servant left the royal chambers, after having taken far too long to answer The Queen's summons and responding in a cold tone, making it clear she disliked the task set to her before leaving without a bow or 'by your leave', Margie could take it no longer.

"Alright, lovey, why are you letting this go on?"

"Finally. I thought I was going to have to bring it up, and I've only known you less than a fortnight." Hunith commented. Merlin's mother had remained at the citadel at his request – he had missed her terribly and was not ready for them to part – though she would not remain much longer; her home was in Ealdor, as she reminded her son every time he begged her to stay. While here though, she had been issued an open invitation to spend time with Guinevere and Morgana when not with her son or brother. The two were often together when Morgana was not with Merlin, as she was now, greatly enjoying that the last barriers to their friendship were gone now that they were no longer maid and mistress.

"I don't know what you mean." Guinevere replied, keeping her focus on the blanket she was embroidering for her child.

"You going to tell the truth now? Or are you going to make me spell it out for you?" Margie was unimpressed at her attempt to deflect the issue. Guinevere sighed and set aside her needlework.

"What point is there in reacting? I know how the servants work, eventually my being Queen will become old news and they will accept it and move on. It is a big change and I cannot command their feelings. I can ignore it until they are ready to accept me as Queen."

"For most of the servants I agree, though there are a few who I have little doubt will continue to persist in their stubbornness." It was a fair observation. "Some of the nobles are no better, worse in fact, and I have little doubt they will die in their stubbornness rather than accept the new order of things."

"There is not much I can do regarding the nobles. No queen will ever have universal acceptance, there will always be those who scorn her, and I cannot simply banish them from court because they do."

"And why not?" Margie demanded. "You are Queen, not them. You rule here alongside King Arthur, and if they don't like it they can very well lump it!"

"Margie, I can command much, but I cannot command their feelings towards me." Guinevere laughed, touched by the vehemence with which the older woman defended her.

"No, but you can command that they treat you with respect." Hunith added. "Regardless of their feelings, they need to grow up and realize that they cannot treat their Queen like this. And if they don't, then you are well within your rights to demand they change their behaviour or leave court."

"Who needs to change their behaviour or leave court?" Morgana asked as she entered the room, her lesson with Merlin clearly done for the day.

"Both the nobles and servants who are not treating The Queen with the respect she's due." Hunith smiled as she moved over to make room for Morgana to sit.

"Finally! It took you long enough to get there."

"She hasn't." Margie all but scoffed. "She seems intent on ignoring them."

"Then let me deal with them, Gwen. I'll be more than happy to turn them into toads. Thanks to Merlin, my control over my magic has gotten to the point where I can do that." The mischief in her eyes when she first spoke softened as Merlin's name was said, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Guinevere.

"Yes, that will make everything much better, won't it?" She replied with a roll of her eyes. The three women continued to argue their point that she should have dealt with them long before now, and Guinevere let them rant for nearly a half an hour until her back began to ache from sitting so long.

"I think I'm done for the day." She cut them off as she stood, placing the almost finished blanket upon the table before stretching with a grimace.

"Are you alright, lovey?" Margie's look turned concerned.

"Yes. The babe merely puts too much pressure on my back sometimes."

"Normally I'd recommend you lie down, but given all the sitting we've done today I think a walk is in order first. Then you lie down for awhile." Her voice brooked no argument. While Margie had never officially trained as a midwife she had delivered many babes in her day, the village she and Doug had lived in having no midwife of its own, and Guinevere was quite happy to have Margie be her midwife. Between her and Gaius, Guinevere was confident nothing would go wrong, though Arthur insisted on having the best midwife in Camelot summoned for the birth just in case.

"A walk sounds lovely. I haven't seen Doug in a few days, why don't we go visit him?" Doug and Margie had moved out of the citadel mere days after arriving, preferring to live in the city. The Rising Sun tavern had been left abandoned since Morgause's invasion when its previous owner, Evoric, had been killed. None had come to claim it, the innkeeper having had no family, and so Doug and Margie had made it their home. Although they had had no true attachment to the inn at their former village, both had actually enjoyed the work and were happy to have that little bit of normalcy brought into their new lives. Arthur and Guinevere had insisted on giving them the funds to run the tavern, though the two had tried to refuse. In the end, Margie and Doug had accepted the money on the agreement that it was instead of any wages for Margie's work at midwife, which Arthur and Guinevere had initially also insisted on paying. Although the two monarchs had agreed, it had not stopped them from giving a fair bit more than strictly necessary, nor did it stop Arthur, Merlin, Leon, or any of the Knights from spending heavily whenever they visited the tavern; at least one of them, usually Gwaine, visited rather frequently. The two had also hired a cook and a few others to help around the tavern as Margie spent most of her days at the citadel – the funds they had been given having been more than enough to offer those in their employ a very fair wage – and The Rising Sun had never been more popular.

"He'll be thrilled to see you, dear." Margie said. "I'll go fetch your maid to help you into something a bit warmer."

"And I'll go find one of the Knights and let them know where you're going." Hunith added and the two women left the room as Guinevere sighed; leaving the citadel had become a grand production since she had become Queen.

"A moment, Morgana." She asked as the other woman made to leave to fetch her own cloak.

"What is it, Gwen?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you but have yet to find the right moment. I don't think there's going to be a better one than now." Morgana was clearly curious and Guinevere had to hide her smirk when her next words drew a blush from the other woman.

"What is going on with you and Merlin?"

"I don't know what you mean." She tried, but just like Margie and Hunith earlier, Guinevere was not buying it.

"You've been spending a lot of time with him."

"He's teaching me to control my magic." Came the expected defense.

"Yes, but that's not all, is it?" Morgana was silent for a moment and Guinevere decided to use the one thing that was guaranteed to get a reaction. "Arthur has noticed, you know. How you look at Merlin. How he looks at you." Morgana's eyes widened.

"And?" She seemed almost frightened to ask. "Has he confronted Merlin yet?"

"Not yet." Both women acknowledged that it was only a matter of time before that particular confrontation happened.

"I don't know, Gwen." She said finally. "He intrigued me when he first came to Camelot and I quickly thought of him as a friend. When I came back from my year with Morgause he tried so hard to make up for poisoning me that I found it endearing." In the interests of full disclosure, both Morgana and Merlin had told Arthur, Guinevere and their friends about what had happened when the Knights of Medhir had awoken. Arthur had certainly not been happy, but given the fact that Morgause and the Knights of Medhir would have destroyed Camelot, he could not deny that it had been an effective manner to end that particular crisis. "I didn't allow my thoughts to go any further though, what with everything else going on, and then you all left Camelot. When you came back and I saw him again…we fell into an easy friendship that has grown now that he doesn't have to hide things from me."

"Do you love him?" Guinevere asked and Morgana seemed uncertain.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I care for him, certainly. But love…? I don't know if I love him, but if Arthur ever gets involved I won't ever get to find out."

"Don't worry about Arthur. I'll handle him." Guinevere assured her. "You just take your time to work out your feelings, and don't rush into anything." Morgana laughed.

"It's Merlin, Gwen. Even if I figure out I love him I'll probably have to smash him over the head to get him to admit to reciprocating my feelings."

"Yes, probably." She couldn't help but agree. "Regardless, if you do love him, do not give up. Given whom he married, Arthur would be quite the hypocrite if he even tried to say that a duke was not good enough for his sister."

"Yes, but he'd no doubt try and revoke Merlin's title so that he then had that argument available to him." Morgana grumbled and Guinevere could not deny the truth in that, though she would never allow him to get away with it. That conversation out of the way, for now at least, Morgana left just as Sefa was arriving to help dress her mistress.

A/N - Review please!