Hello readers. I know you are few and far between, but I just wanted to warn you about the chapter ahead. I am aware that some people have triggers, and in this chapter, there is a childbirth trauma.

Now! We have about a year or two jump in time. The story is wrapping up in about five/six chapters, and the next few are angsty, so be prepared. Thanks to all of you who have been reading and reviewing, I love you all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Arthur paced outside his chambers, arms crossed and frown set in place. He tried to calm himself down, but it just wouldn't work.

They'd been walking through the lower towns, checking on the orphanage that Ellie had just reopened. The queen had started acting odd, saying she should've left the corset behind. She was sick the night before, but hadn't thought it was a big deal when she awoke with all nausea gone. Then, when she began to feel itchy and uncomfortable, Arthur started to worry. He'd been close to saying they should go back to the castle when she promptly fainted, causing the panic to begin.

Something was wrong with his wife.

He'd rushed her back to the castle immediately, unable to find Gaius in the physician's chambers. Arthur was aware that Jen would have sensed Ellie's pain or exhaustion and would return from her ride with Gwaine immediately, but he still found Gaius as soon as possible. He was examining her right then.

The king was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Jen and Gwaine were rushing down the corridor, Merlin tow.

"Where have you been?" Arthur asked Merlin. "You could've helped!"

"I was visiting Athuisa!" Merlin defended himself. "Jen found me on her way back."

"Nevermind," Jen said. She burst through the door, finding Ellie awake.

"Ahh, Jen," Gaius smiled. "I believe you'll want to examine her yourself with your magic. I'm not sure my diagnoses is correct."

"Of course," Jen replied. She'd been practicing her healing magic and sensing Ellie's health, so it was easy to detect how strong her cousin's aura was. The royal purple aura that radiated from the queen was slightly faded, most likely due to how tired she was from her collapse. Another color radiated from her, however, a slight red almost exactly like Arthur's aura that came from Ellie's abdomen. It was very small, and pulsing lightly with life.

"My god," Jen gasped.

"So it's true?" Ellie beamed.

"Do you realize what this means?" Jen exclaimed, grinning. "We're pregnant together!"

The girls squealed, throwing their arms around each other. Jen had found out about her pregnancy shortly after her own wedding, only six months following Ellie and Arthur's. The childhood idea that they would have their children at the same time was thrilling.

"What?" Arthur gaped. "Ellie, you're...you're with child?"

"She is, sire," Gaius smiled.

That's when Arthur abruptly fainted on the floor.

"Why do you enjoy telling that story so much?" Arthur groaned, throwing his head back.

"Because you fainting brings me more joy than I can say," Ellie replied, rubbing her stomach. She was barely three months along, almost six months behind Jen. "It gave us all quite a laugh."

"I'm sorry I missed it," Leon laughed.

"How did you not know of your pregnancy, your majesty?" Jane, Leon's wife, asked Ellie politely. "This was only a few weeks ago, was it not?"

"It was," Ellie admitted. "I was so focused on other things that it didn't even occur to me that I might be with child. I suppose that's odd for a queen, but I just wasn't looking for a pregnancy."

Before much more conversation could continue, Merlin walked into the room. "Ellie? Could we speak for a moment?"

"Of course," Ellie replied. She smiled to Leon and Jane. "If you'll excuse me, it's time for my afternoon walk with Jen anyways. And please, Jane, you don't have to stand."

Ellie stepped from her chair easily. Thankfully, her pregnancy left her fairly mobile for the moment, unlike Jen who'd become almost bed ridden with nausea and her very large stomach. Merlin led the queen from the dining hall and into a small alcove of the corridor.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked Merlin. "Is it Jen?"

"I'm not sure," he confessed. "If something is completely wrong, I mean. Marianna said that Jen was rising from her bed to get dressed for your walk when she suddenly fell. Jen claims she just moved to quickly and got dizzy but I'm not sure I believe that."

"Can't you use magic to tell if the baby is alright?" Ellie frowned. "Or how it's affecting her, something?"

"I have," Merlin said. "I don't understand the body that well, so I'm not entirely sure what's happening. Gaius thinks that her womb is simply not strong enough, but I wondered if I could heal it."

"Yet you don't want to risk it with the baby in there," Ellie sighed, reading into his words. The warlock nodded.

"Even once she's delivered the baby, I don't want something to go wrong and for her to be unable to have children anymore because of me," Merlin continued. "Childbearing can be the trickiest sort of thing sometimes."

Ellie nibbled her lip thoughtfully. "Do you think she can make it the last few weeks? She's in her ninth month, after all."

"Maybe thirty two weeks," Merlin sighed. "Even then, I'm not sure she would fair to well in childbirth. Jen or the baby."

"She'll be so upset," Ellie sighed, placing a hand over her own belly. "Being a mother has been all she's ever wanted."

"I'm truly concerned," Merlin mumbled. "Gaius says to be aware that the worst could happen, or one day Jen could awake and the baby would be strong. For now, it's going tax her body."

"I'll keep that it mind," Ellie nodded. "For now, I think I'll go see her."

Ellie kept a moderate pace without being too slow. She arrived in Jen and Gwaine's quarters rather quickly, finding her cousin sitting up in bed with a book. Her sick bucket was next to the bed, seemingly clean. The blonde set down the book and smiled. "Merlin found you?"

"He did," Ellie answered. She kicked off her boots and climbed onto the bed next to Jen, stretching like cat. "He's worried."

"Not as worried as Gwaine," Jen sighed. "I told the man he wasn't allowed to see me for a few hours because he's been too scared to leave my side. He's also feeling conflicted."

"About what?"

"If it comes down to it, whether he'd rather me be safe or the baby. He's so worried for my health that he can't decide if he'd be more upset about losing the baby as long as Merlin saved my life." Jen sighed mournfully. "If I make it to the birth, the baby could survive and my body would give out. Merlin has one option."

"Poor Gwaine," Ellie said. "I'm sure that he'd rather save you."

"I think he would, and he feels guilty for it," Jen shook her head sadly, tears forming in her eyes. "He's also mad at me because I would rather die than lose my child."

Ellie didn't answer. She understood the feeling and couldn't argue.

"I don't want to lose my baby, Ellie," Jen whispered, gripping the brunette's hand. "I was so excited that Gwaine and I were able to create something out of love, so soon after we married. I've always wanted to be a mother, dreaming of the day when I would get to hold a baby girl in my arms. After I met Gwaine, I wanted to carry his children. Now I am with child, his child, and I'm terrified."

"There's no reason to be," Ellie countered, laying close to her cousin. They used to lay like that at night, Ellie's head on Jen's shoulder as they talked about various things. The girls had been children, but the comfort was needed for Jen at the moment. "You'll be up in no time, walking with me through the gardens and betting with the knights the gender of our babies. Lancelot already thinks that we'll both have boys, but Gwaine is convinced I'm having a girl instead."

"I'll be able to tell soon," Jen smiled. She blinked away the tears that threatened earlier. "I can use my magic when I'm stronger and we'll keep it a secret from the men."

"That sounds like a marvelous plan," Ellie grinned. "I love being able to hold things over our knights." There was silence again as Jen closed her eyes and looked to the ceiling. Ellie twisted her hands together. "Why don't I stay in here tonight?"

"What?" Jen laughed. She then winced and laid a hand on her belly. "Stay in here like when we were children?"

"I don't see why not," Ellie said lightly. "Gwaine can sleep in his old room."

Jen seemed to ponder it. "I like that. We haven't had as much time together lately, I think it's a good idea. Let's do it!"

After Jen laid down for a nap, Ellie left the room in search of Gwaine. With the day's council finished, she had time to find him. Most likely, he was in the arena with Lancelot, taking out his nerves on young knights.

To Ellie's surprise, the training arena was empty of young knights. Gwaine was there by himself, hacking at a dummy with a sword. It was limp and rather useless by now, but Gwaine's frustration seemed limitless.

"Hello, my lord," Ellie said casually, leaning against a post. "How goes the day?"

"El." Gwaine acknowledged her, but didn't answer the question.

"Gwaine..."

"Don't tell me it will be alright," Gwaine hissed, continuing to hit the dummy. "Merlin can't save my wife and my child. He can sustain Jen long enough for the baby to be born healthily, or he can use all his strength to heal Jen completely. If I don't decide soon, they could both die."

Ellie tried to ignore that development, thinking back to Jen's words in their room. Apparently, with Jen and the baby on the path to death, Merlin could only pick one to save. Ellie knew how it worked: to save one life, you must take another. If they chose the baby, they would lose Jen.

Ellie didn't want to lose Jen.

Jen didn't want to live without her child.

Gwaine didn't want either to die.

"I can't say that I would choose the child," Gwaine's voice trembled. "Is that awful?"

"No," Ellie replied. She swallowed nervously. "Gwaine, I think...I think I should stay with Jen tonight."

This caused him to stop his attack with his sword and face her. "Excuse me?"

"Jen needs my company right now," she said, remembering to stand her ground. "I know you don't like it, but I think it's necessary. She's struggling..."

"So she needs me."

"Yes, but not until you can make yourself stable," Ellie responded. "You're a mess, and that is not what she needs right now."

"El," Gwaine whispered. His was voice strained and in pain. "I need to be with her. She's the most important thing to me, I love her more than anything else in the whole six kingdoms. If there's a chance I might lose her..."

Ellie understood. She'd had her entire life with Jen, and Gwaine only had the past two years. Yet, Ellie kept her choice firm. She couldn't explain why, but she just knew Jen would need her that night.

"This isn't up for discussion," Ellie stood straight. "It's an order from your queen, whom you swore to serve."

They glared at each other before Gwaine threw down his sword. "I'm going to speak with Merlin and Gaius. Tell my wife I love her...since I apparently can't."

Ellie put a hand to her forehead as Gwaine strode past her. She knew this was for a good reason, she just couldn't say why. Something bad was going to happen, and Ellie needed to be with Jen when it did. All their lives, they'd agreed to be there for each other at the most important moments. Ellie felt that the important moments left were very few.

So she intended to enjoy them.

)-(

Ellie heard a soft whimper.

She rolled over in the bed, reaching a hand out to her cousin. "Jen?"

"Ellie..." Jen whispered weakly. "The baby..."

Ellie sat up immediately. The candle beside her bed was burning out, but the queen used it to light two more quickly. Jen was in the bed, face flushed and eyes dazed. Ellie felt a tug in her stomach as she rushed to her side.

"We waited too long," Jen whimpered. "I feel the blood."

It was then that realization hit Ellie. Her best friend, her cousin—really her sister—practically her life partner aside from Arthur, was dying. Terror surged through her. "MERLIN!"

Ellie knelt by Jen's side, taking her hand. "Jen, fight. Do not give up on me."

"I know my strength and magic," Jen told her weakly. "I know when it's leaving me."

"No," Ellie insisted, tears coming from her eyes. "This isn't possible. Your destiny is to protect me, so that I can be the queen I need to be."

"You must already be the queen you should," Jen chuckled, but it only caused her pain. "I suppose my destiny is fulfilled."

"HELP, SOMEBODY HELP!" Ellie called. "Merlin, please!"

"Save the baby," Jen suddenly said, gripping Ellie's night dress with surprising strength for a dying woman. Ellie rose to gather Jen in her arms, despite the knowledge that she was getting blood on herself. The cousins held each other.

"I can't lose you," Ellie cried, clutching the blonde as her tears flowed. "Don't make me lose you."

"The baby," Jen insisted. Her voice contorted in pain. "Promise me that you'll make Merlin save the baby. I won't be able to live without it."

"Then how am I supposed to live without you?" Ellie argued. Her eyes were clouded. "Please fight, Jenny, don't leave me, or Gwaine, or Merlin, or Arthur. All of us need you."

Arthur made it to the room, Gwaine by his side.

"Where is Merlin?!" Ellie sobbed. "Guards must've sent for him."

"He's coming," Arthur assured her. When Gwaine moved forward, Jen took his hand. She looked to say something, but her face scrunched in pain again. This time, however, she screamed, throwing her head back and shattering a window, most likely from magic.

"My darling," Gwaine said, squeezing her hand. "No...fight, please."

"Save the baby, and you save me," Jen told them breathlessly.

Her eyes began to close. Despair wracked through every part of Ellie and Gwaine both as she struggled to breath, coughing a bit. Gwaine begged with all his might for her not to die, but Jen's grip on his hand loosened.

"I can't," Gwaine told her. "I can't go on without you."

"You can," Jen's words were barely audible. "And you must. I love you, silly man."

"Don't say that like a goodbye," Gwaine choked out.

"Then goodbye, you wonderful man. Be a good father, will you?" she hacked again, blood at her lips. "By the gods, do I love you…"

Her body went limp just as Merlin entered the room in a rush.

"No..." Ellie murmured. Grief took over. "She's...she's gone."