THE PIT
Lobas's arm moved and his hand grabbed Gwen's wrist sharply, wrenching her away from Arthur.
She let out a cry of pain as he flung her across his body, throwing her to lay on the floor.
He hand her wrist clasped in his hand, his dagger an inch from her chest.
He froze.
She stared up at him as his eyes glazed over with a vision.
He saw it all, a future… one that did not end in her immediate death.
Why had the vision changed?
Visions were fixed points.
But If she was not meant to die…
Lobas dropped her wrist like a hot rock.
It fell to her side and caused Guinevere to slump to the floor, shuddering in pain and the fright she was failing to repress.
Lobas stepped away from her, dropping the dagger.
The fight and anger left him like steam.
"I… I…" He stammered and back away, looking lost and confused.
He was confused.
The vision had changed.
He turned slowly and dumbly towards the door, as Merlin pushed himself up onto his knees and Eveline stood shakily, still not fully recovered from the force of power she had used to blow out his fire trap.
They stared at one another.
It was in that moment that Merlin realised that they had identical eyes.
Slowly, Eveline lifted her hand and showed the tattooed mark on her palm.
Lobas's eyes filled with tears as hers did and he stepped towards her.
Metilla scampered to his side.
She froze and stiffened, not moving towards him at all.
"Eveline…" He whispered, "Eveline it is me, you fa…"
"Don't." She whispered.
Her eyes were cold and full of tears, some of which coursed down her face.
He made to take another step.
His blood ran cold inside of him as Arthur and the knights stirred.
"But… I am your father…" He whispered.
She swallowed thickly.
"I know." She whispered shakily, taking in a breath to strengthen herself.
"And I know, that you cannot kill Guinevere because you have seen a vision that has showed you not to… her future, not yours… but I know, that you still want to, to punish Arthur…"
She but her lips together and shook her head as more tears fell.
"My father would never be that selfish… to punish others unnecessarily, when he has the power to see what a brilliant future that Camelot has waiting for it, with Arthur and Gwen as king and queen."
Her words shook and Lobas took another step forwards, trembling.
"Eveline…"
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
Her tears dripped to the floor.
Her eyes glowed red.
Flames burst from the floor around Lobas, cutting off his advance.
They stayed for a second, before her yes changes back to their tear filled green and her lips shook.
The flames disappeared.
Lobas was gone.
Metilla with him.
Although her knees shook, Eveline did not fall or curl into a ball as she wanted too.
The tears dripped silently down her face, even when the knight's had all stood and Arthur had got himself upright, despite his bleeding forehead.
She watched as Guinevere pushed herself up and threw herself at Arthur.
Eveline watched with distant eyes as they both sobbed, the force of her hug sending Arthur slightly backwards, his arms tight around her as he lifted her off of the floor.
"I knew you would come for me." She sobbed.
"Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again." Arthur murmured through his tears into her hair, "That performance about protecting me, don't you dare."
Eveline watched the scene through blurred eyes.
Merlin moved to stand at her side, and he stared at her.
"Where did you send Lobas?" He asked quietly.
"To face who sent him." She whispered.
Morgana.
Merlin saw in her eyes that that was who she had meant.
Her simple answer made him shift, "And why?"
She swallowed, "He wasn't my father… well he was just… he wasn't my dad…not the man I remembered… he couldn't have seen his own involvement in her death, he just assumed that it was his job, his right… my father would never have been that selfish."
There was silence for a moment.
Merlin swallowed, "I am sorry."
She turned her eyes away from the scene to smile sadly at him.
Her tears were drying on her cheeks.
"Thank you merlin." She whispered.
Again silence fell, as she folded her arms around herself and watched as Guinevere hugged Elyan tightly, before Arthur again, who was making it clear that he had no intentions of letting her go.
A CAVE
Having landed falling at her feet, Lobas coughed and spluttered.
The fact that he was there not bearing her a crown or an empty throne made Morgana grab her dagger.
"The fact that you are here means I know you have failed." She sneered and rolled him onto his back.
"Please." He spluttered, "please my lady it was never meant to be, my visions showed her death because you decided to send me, I interfered without meaning to, the vision wasn't accurate… because you sent me I saw her die, which then meant that I was going to go through with it as I couldn't see myself… it is a cycle… a mistake…"
"And one that will cost you your life." Morgana sneered and slammed her dagger down.
Lobas cried out in pain but it quickly keened off.
She sneered at his frightened yet still face.
"Now I know for certain the only one I can trust is myself." She sneered.
"I make my own future."
CAMELOT: THE STAIRS
Climbing the seemingly endless stairs back up into the caste, Guinevere and Arthur lead the way, followed by Elyan, Leon, Percival and Gwaine.
Merlin and Eveline walked a few stairs behind, in brooding yet magical silence.
"When Arthur touched me I saw that Guinevere's future had altered, Lobas was intent on killing her, but my presence changed what would happen, the vision altered." Eveline explained.
"But I thought you said visions of fixed points do not alter." Merlin narrowed his eyes as he asked.
She smiled at him slightly, "they don't."
Merlin narrowed his eyes and her smile widened slightly.
"The vision altering showed me that Lobas was intent on killing Gwen but had not decided how, or that for certain the vision was not caused by her fate, but by his individual actions."
Merlin stared at her, "So his interference and created destiny, by his own selfishness, led to all the visions you saw?"
She nodded, "It was never a real vision, it just appeared to be one… that is why a Parlevine should never interfere, for it causes visions that are not true ones, a domino effect, changing our actions leads to new actions and changes the fates of others."
"But you interfered." Merlin said.
"I interfered with an interference yes." She answered
"You allowed Arthur to interfere, to save her?" Merlin questioned.
Her smile dropped just a bit.
Merlin stared at her, "Why would you do that?"
There was a pause for a minute as she looked into his eyes as they climbed the stairs.
"I am a selfish person Merlin, a dreamer." She laughed quietly at herself.
Her smile was almost sad as he stared at her.
She sighed, "I would break a thousand ancient rules of the Parlevine, to be loved the way Arthur loves Guinevere, and the way she loves him."
Her eyes were distant.
She said nothing more for a moment, before Merlin looked at her again.
"Why did the vision of Gwen's future come to you when you touched Arthur?" he asked.
Her eyes turned to him and she smiled warmly at him, "I told you, visions come when you touch a person, or when you touch something that belongs to them."
Her eyes turned to look at Arthur and Gwen.
She smiled as Merlin did.
Her voice was gentle.
"Arthur has given Guinevere his heart completely... They futures and their destinies can be read through visions of one another..." She whispered.
Merlin smiled.