To Help the Once and Future King

Merlin grinned as he looked around the clearing at the various villagers and knights chanting. He felt as though he was finally doing something to fulfill his destiny. They were finally moving forward. He took in Arthur's face as the young king's resolve seemed to come back.

In that moment, he felt as though they could do just about anything. There was no way they could fail in retaking Camelot. They would finally overpower Morgana once and for all. And then maybe Arthur would finally allow the return of magic and those who practiced it into Camelot.

Suddenly, there was a shout. Merlin and Arthur turned, hearing the sound of thundering hooves. A few moments later, a large company of elves rode into the clearing in full armor, Elia, Trevor and Elidren at the front. The silver and green flags of The Willows were flying. Merlin's eyes widened, surprised to see them there. There had been no time to send word. How could they be here?

Elia hopped off her horse and strode to Arthur. She then stopped and bowed, her right hand across her chest.

"Heard you were in need of some help," she said, grinning.

"How did you know?" Arthur asked.

"That is something best explained in private," Elia said, glancing around. "All that matters is that we are here. We have a debt to repay."

"We could use the help," he said, starting to smile.

"And we will gladly follow the Once and Future King into battle," she replied. Arthur looked from her to the large host of elves behind her. It was much bigger than the party they had used to rescue the elves. Granted retaking Camelot was a much bigger task.

"Come. There is much to discuss," he said, motioning for Elia to walk with him.

"Very well, King Arthur," Elia said. The two leaders walked away, Merlin quickly catching up. The elves quickly moved about to set up camp, shouting out directions in their tongue, though Elidren and Trevor followed the two leaders with Fianna not far behind.

"Did she see this?" Merlin asked the woman softly as he glanced ahead at Elia and Arthur, who were both deep in discussion. He could not hear what was being said. Fianna nodded.

"She saw the attack. How it would happen. But unfortunately, she saw it too late. It had already taken place and there was no time to warn you," she replied softly.

"How did she know to come here?" Merlin asked.

"She saw this place too. What would happen here," Fianna replied. "And I believe she is about to tell your king."

Arthur suddenly stopped and stared down at Elia, his brow furrowed, though Elia remained calm as she gazed up at him. It was as though she expected this exact reaction from him.

"You have this gift?" he asked. "This whole time?"

"We felt it best not to mention it during the proceedings. Not to mention, it isn't perfect and not everyone has it," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "It's not always clear and sometimes what we see does not come to pass. I assure you, we left to help shortly after I saw them. If I had seen it before, I would have sent word to warn you." Arthur sighed and looked around the woods. "You must trust me, Arthur. I did not keep this from you out of malice, but more for our own protection."

"I know," he said. "Just as I know that we need your help if we are to retake Camelot. But I'm still not happy that you kept this from me. I thought we had a certain level of trust."

"We do. My apologies, your majesty. But you must understand why we did. What if Agravaine had known?" she said. Arthur met her gaze, silent for a few moments. "You would have eventually told him and we did not trust him. We had to make sure that he did not know the full extent of what we could do."

"And it would seem that you were right about him in the end," Arthur replied. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No," Elia said. "That is all we can do. I assure you that we did not lie - we cannot use magic like others." Arthur nodded.

"Very well. Follow me. We have plans to make," he said, motioning her to follow. Merlin glanced over, sharing a small smile with Fianna.

"Looks like we're in for a very long night," he muttered, his own plan forming in his head.

Elia stood in the woods, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. They would attack the next morning and she should be resting. But instead, she was standing outside her tent, looking through the branches to the night sky. Going through the plan in the hopes it would help settle her mind so that she could sleep.

Arthur would lead the attack. But she and her warriors would fight alongside his knights – their archers providing cover for the first wave of the attack. And though she could not sleep, being away from The Willows, she found her mind finally beginning to settle. She had not had the troubling dreams since they started out on their journey and for the first time in many weeks, she felt fully in control again.

But at the same time, there was turmoil in her heart. And she knew it was because she was once again in Merlin's presence. With everything that had been happening at The Willows, she had managed to push him mostly from her mind, save in her dreams. But now that she had seen him, looked into his eyes, a dull ache in her chest had returned.

"So, you must be Queen Elia," a voice said, walking up from the shadows. Elia looked over, seeing a smiling woman. "I'm Guinevere. Merlin's mentioned you." A faint blush came across her cheeks.

"It is nice to meet you," Elia replied. "I have heard of you as well, though I fear not as much as you've heard of me." Guinevere looked to the ground, a small grimace of pain across her youthful features. Elia's heart went out to the young woman. "Merlin says that you are very brave. And you have been through so much…"

Guinevere looked up at the queen, nodding.

"Exile wasn't so bad… some of the time…" she said. Elia smiled briefly.

"You can be truthful with me. I can see it regardless," she replied. Guinevere's eyes widened before something dawned on her.

"Merlin mentioned that… you can see things in others," Guinevere said, stepping closer to her. Elia nodded, though her thoughts then went to Bridget. She had not seen that the young maid would become a traitor. While it was sometimes difficult to read her own kind - they were all well versed in hiding their emotions and feelings - she had always thought herself capable of seeing those of the people closest to her. She was wrong in that thought.

"When you've been alive as long as I have, you learn to become very good at reading others. Seeing things that most cannot. That others wish to hide or think cannot be seen. I see heartache in you. As well as strength," Elia said, pushing her thoughts of Bridget aside. Elia had asked her to remain in The Willows, tasked with looking after Faeranduil and under the watchful eye of Arabelldon. They had not trusted her enough to bring her on this journey, worried she would find a way to run off and join Morgana.

"Suppose we do the best that we can with what has been given us," Guinevere said.

"That is true," Elia said, looking up at the stars again.

"I may not be an elf, but… I believe I sense heartache in you as well," Guinevere said softly. Elia looked over at her, smiling sadly. "And well… Merlin may have mentioned some things in the short time we've all be reunited."

"A woman's intuition is a powerful thing," Elia said. "But… I cannot dwell on things that cannot be."

"You don't know that," Guinevere said. "There is always hope."

"It is a fool's hope," Elia said. "My people's laws forbad it."

"But you are queen… can't you change those laws?" Guinevere said. "Arthur did it for-" Elia looked over at her, seeing the young woman struggle with her words for a bit.

"What I mean to say is, there is always hope. And you have the power to change things," Guinevere finished, meeting Elia's eyes. "After we take back Camelot tomorrow… you can change the laws." Elia thought for a moment, wondering if it could be so easy.

"I am not sure," she said, her brow furrowed. "Change takes a while with the elves…"

"But you signed an alliance with Camelot. A rather large change. If you could do that, surely you could make a change for your happiness," Guinevere said. Elia could sense Guinevere's belief in her words. She truly believed that Elia and Merlin could make their own happiness in the world. "Everything in this world is changing, Elia. And I can see how much you care about your people and how much you have done for them. I'm sure they do as well. Surely they will allow a bit of change for your happiness."

"If only it were that simple," Elia murmured. She looked around the encampment, her thoughts swirling. She thought of her people and how they needed magic back in the land. Of Merlin and his path. Her thoughts then settled on Merlin and everything she felt for him. She shook her head. The last thing she need the night before battle was to be distracted by her own missed opportunity at love. Something moving in the shadows caught her attention as she frowned. Whatever it was, she did not want to risk Guinevere getting hurt.

"If you'll excuse me," she said abruptly, moving away. Guinevere stood and watched her a moment before walking off.

Elia walked behind the line of tents, deftly fading into the shadows. The person was moving towards the edges of camp and obviously did not know that she was following them. Elia's eyes widened as she saw who it was, recognizing the familiar statue and movement.

"Merlin," she said, though not so loud to inform anyone else. The figure stopped and turned around. "Where are you going?"

He quickly walked back to her, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"There is something I have to do," he said softly, stopping about a foot away from her. She studied him.

"You're going back into Camelot," she said.

"Trust me. This must be done," he said. "And I know what I'm doing." Elia frowned.

"But what if you get hurt? Or killed?" she whispered back. Merlin walked to her. He paused for a moment and then hesitantly reached out to take her hands. She jumped slightly at the touch. Even though she had many times dreamed of this, it did not fully prepare her for the real thing.

"I will be back before the attack. But there is something I can do to help and I must do it," he said urgently. "Arthur and the others… they cannot know about this." Elia nodded.

"I understand," she said softly. She hesitated slightly before stepping forward and briefly pressing her lips to his. She could not help herself, especially since victory was not quite guaranteed tomorrow. "Come back to me." He smiled briefly before kissing her again.

"I will," he promised. He then turned and continued on his way. Elia watched him until he disappeared into the night.

"Please, come back to me…"

"To the throne room!" Arthur shouted before disappearing into the castle. Elia watched them go for a moment, before returning her attention back to the task at hand. There were still a fair amount of foes to be dispatched outside while Arthur went after Morgana himself. Some of the other knights and elves were tasked with rescuing Gwaine, Gaius, and Elyan from the dungeons.

"Seems a good day to fight, eh?" Fenris said as his scuffle brought him near the queen. Elia glanced over at him, noting the smile on his face as he quickly finished off the foe and moved to another.

She took down her own and moved on to the next, turning and spinning as she dodged swords and blows. She kicked out, knocking the man down. Before she could turn, she heard the clang of a sword above her head and glanced up, seeing Trevor blocking the blow from hitting her. She turned and swung her leg out, knocking the man off his feet before standing up and plunging her sword into his chest.

"Thanks," she said to Trevor before moving on.

It seemed the fight went on for ages, but soon there was a shout. Elia looked over, seeing a knight run out from the castle's front doors.

"Morgana is defeated!" he shouted. Elia looked around the courtyard, seeing some knights give out a cheer while others worked to take the enemy troops - many of whom were now attempting to run away - into custody.

She sheathed her sword and began making her way into the castle to the throne room, looking around. Her thoughts went to Merlin. She knew that her heart would not stop racing until she knew he was safe. She hadn't been able to speak with him since she caught him sneaking out of the camp the night before. She hadn't seen him since they left for the castle.

"My queen," an elf said, rushing after her. She turned to him.

"Check on our troops. See that the injured are taken back to the camp to the healers. Even though we won, I still want all healing to be done out of Camelot," she said. "Report back to me."

"Yes, my queen," the elf said as he bowed and turned, walking away. Trevor caught up with her as she continued towards the throne room.

"From what I've seen, we have not sustained losses," he said. Elia glanced up at him and nodded.

"Let's see just how Arthur did," she said with a sigh as they walked into the room and took in the bodies littering the floor. Arthur stood, grimly looking down at a couple. A woman with golden hair was on the floor as a man held her, crying.

She recognized them from the camp and frowned as she walked up, his heartache overwhelming. She looked up, meeting Arthur's eyes.

"The knights and my warriors are taking care of what's left of the enemy troops," she said. He nodded and motioned for her to follow him as he walked towards the throne.

"Morgana was weakened. She could not use her power and fled," he said.

"She's still out there somewhere?" Elia asked, frowning.

"We will find her," he said. Elia nodded as she looked around the room.

"Where is Merlin?" she asked without thinking.

"I'm not sure," Arthur said, studying the queen. She seemed anxious even though her face appeared calm. Trevor walked up to her, appearing concerned. "How many?" Arthur asked. The two elves looked over at him.

"None of ours that we are aware of at the moment," Trevor answered. "But the injured are being moved to the camp for the healers."

"Nonsense. You can heal them here," Arthur said. Both elves appeared slightly shocked. "It would be faster for the healers to come here than to take the wounded to them." Elia nodded and looked at Trevor.

"Send for the healers," she said.

"Yes, your majesty," he said, walking off. Elia sighed and looked around the room again. The injured were being helped while the dead were already being carried off somewhere.

"Merlin has a way of showing up," Arthur said. Elia turned to look at him, eyes wide.

"Of course. Suppose I should see after my warriors," she said tersely, starting to walk off.

"Elia," Arthur called out. She stopped and looked at him. "Thank you. For coming to our aid." She smiled briefly.

"We will always come to your aid, King Arthur," she said solemnly.

Elia sighed as she fell into a chair in her room later that night, utterly exhausted. She had spent the rest of the day helping the healers and seeing after her warriors. They had brought a large company and many were still camped outside of Camelot, though Arthur had insisted that she and whoever could fit stay in the castle. They had found some rooms that had been left alone and she was now sitting in one still in her armor and feeling rather grimy from battle. Fianna had wanted to bring in water for a bath, but Elia sent her away, knowing she was just as exhausted and needed rest. She could make due without a servant for one night.

She still hadn't seen Merlin and that worried her, though she had overheard Arthur say something about talking to him, so at least she knew he was alive. That at least eased her mind somewhat. There was a knock at the door, causing Elia to sit up in her chair.

"Come in," she called out, unsure of who would be there. The door opened and Guinevere walked in, smiling.

"Thought you could use this," she said, looking down at the tray of food in her hands. Elia smiled and stood.

"You didn't need to do that. I'm sure you must be tired and in need of rest as well," she said.

"It's nothing. Just a few things that I could easily grab from the kitchens," Guinevere said as she walked over and put the tray on the table. She then turned to Elia. "How are you?"

"Just tired," Elia replied as she walked to the table, starting to take off her armor. "Luckily we didn't have any losses and most of ours that were hurt should be ready to travel by tomorrow."

"You're leaving so soon?" Guinevere asked. Elia sighed.

"We should get back to The Willows. We did bring a lot of our warriors here. We need to get back to protect our borders should Morgana try anything," she said, her brow furrowed. Even though Morgana was weakened, she still worried about being away from The Willows for too long until they could find the witch.

"I wouldn't worry so much about her," Guinevere said. "She won't be trying anything for a while." Elia glanced at her a moment before reaching out and taking a grape.

"Still. We shouldn't be away for too long," she said. Guinevere nodded.

"I was hoping perhaps you could stay for a bit," she said, starting to smile. "Perhaps until the wedding…" Elia stopped eating and stared at her, eyes wide. She then grinned.

"The wedding?" she asked. Guinevere nodded.

"It would seem I've been forgiven," she replied.

"That is wonderful news," Elia said earnestly. "I am not sure if we can stay that long, but we will most definitely return for the happy event."

"I am glad to hear it," Guinevere said. "I'll… I'll let you rest now, Queen Elia."

"Thank you, Guinevere," Elia said.

"It's just Gwen."

Yay for future queen bonding! So much in store for Gwen and Elia. ^_^ And caught up on my work today, so took the chance to finish up another chapter and therefore able to post another.

Gingeraffealene - Haha! Upon re-reading this for some editing, I realized that I did kind of do that... Must have been watching The Two Towers when I originally wrote this chapter a few months ago... To be honest, I though the best way was to have them on the periphery, rather than go and completely rewrite the canon. Though there are some bits coming up where I've integrated them into some bigger plot points from the series.

Fullshadow - All I'm saying is... we're going to start getting some answers in the next chapter... And it's mostly a rewrite. I had part of the next chapter at the end of this one originally, but decided to split it up. Flows better now. And didn't want to put too much into one chapter, ya know? ^_^

OechsnerC - Thanks!

And thanks everyone for reading and following!