A/N: Didn't want to leave you hanging there for longer than necessary, so I hurried with writing this chapter (I had quite a lot written beforehand, again, so it wasn't that hard.) I'm so, so sorry for last chapter... Please don't hate me?

Anyway, here you go, the first chapter I uploaded from the university!

Chapter 20 – Help

I stopped just outside of the tomb, where the air still reeked of blood and despair. My mind tried to register the fact that Elyan was dead. Elyan, who had been my friend through it all, who had known I was innocent and had tried to tell this to his crazed sister. I remembered the numb feeling which had taken over my mind after a while back when I was the bandits' prisoner, and wished it back with all my heart, because now every breath brought pain, every thought felt like a sharp splinter. Elyan was dead. He had died, just like that, so fast. There had not been any dramatic music swelling in the background and he hadn't looked like a fallen hero, he had looked like a person who was afraid to die. And there had been no goodbye, again, because his time had run out too fast.

My thoughts were moving in a loop as I tried to figure out whose fault this mess was, and they kept coming up with two names. One was Morgana, who had plotted against Arthur, who had led him here, who had whispered ideas into Odin's head, who had turned Gwen around. The other name was my own, not 'Sir William', but my birth name. The name of the tale-changer who should've prevented things like this to happen. I never should have become a changer at all, I had known I would suck at it, like I always did. And if I hadn't succumbed to the promises of the council, I'd still be working in that coffee shop, but at least there wouldn't be any blood on my hands.

"Will?"

I didn't turn round to Gwaine, who must have followed me to the outside. His voice sounded tired and worn-out, and I wondered whether he had been hurt during the fighting. I inspected the scars at my left wrist which the ropes of the bandits had inflicted and waited for the knight to go away again.

"Will", he repeated, "wait. Talk to me, let me help."

I snorted and turned around with more force than necessary, staggered and almost fell, but managed to say: "I had people before, too, you know? I had friends", my voice wavered, because I could see their faces before my inner eye clearer than I had for a long time – Robin, Much, Allan, John... - "I had people I loved", I closed my eyes, in a feeble try to not see Guy's face, but it was still there, hovering at the edge of my mind, "and they knew everything about me. Literally everything, more than you do, more than Gaius does. They wanted to help me too, and I wanted them to, so I let them, endangering everything for them. And still I lost them, Gwaine, I was sucked out of their world. I'm done with that. I'm done with feelings and relationships and all the crappy stuff connected to them, I'm done with not saying goodbye." Gwaine frowned, but I didn't care that he might not understand my modern-day-speech. My meaning was clear enough even if I had spoken in old Norse. Which I actually could've.

"I don't want this any more – I want everything over and done with." I paused, trying to regain breath, but wasn't able to keep silent for long: "You know what?", I hissed, feeling anger boiling up inside of me: "I'm so sick of the waiting and skulking around! The longer I wait, the more people will get killed. There's only one way to stop Morgana. I'm not giving her any more chances."

Gwaine stared at me with his mouth wide open. I started to cry and wasn't sure if it was because I was loosing myself, or because I had given up hope when Elyan stopped breathing, or because I was angry, but it made me all the more furious.

"I will", I continued, my voice raising into a hysteric scream, "not wait for Camlann to happen! I will not wait for the Nathair to do their work, I will not stay put and watch Camelot fall. There will be no more deaths I'll be responsible for. I won't – I just won't."

Then I started off into the direction of the woods.

I will find Morgana. And when I do, I will kill her, no matter the cost. She's done enough.

A small part in me begged me to stop and think, to remember what I had planned before, to remember that I was not some killing-machine, that maybe I had to give her a chance, but the far bigger part of my being simply shut the other one down with its fury. I will not see Arthur die. Or anyone else. There are enough people dead as it is, deaths that I could've prevented. I'm a tale-changer. I could be the saving grace for all these people. And I will be. No matter the cost.

"Will!"

I made about fifty steps until Gwaine caught up to me. Grabbing my arm, he spun me round so that I had to face him. He was furious, a sudden change to the sadness he had displayed before over Elyan's death, and I wondered why he wouldn't understand it was the only possible way.

The knight stared at me for a few seconds, shaking with anger, and then he slapped me in the face. Now It was my turn to stare at him, wide-eyed and in disbelief. My fingers shook as I instinctively touched my burning cheek.

"You need to listen now, Will", Gwaine began to talk, very fast, with his voice hoarse and face flushed with anger: "You need to stop this sulking around, this feeling sorry for yourself and the whole mess you're in. We have all lost people before, we have lost friends, but do you see us just giving up? Because this is what you're doing: You are one a kamikaze mission, trying to stop something you have no control over, with no regard for your own safety, and sooner or later you'll get yourself killed. Is this what you want? Getting killed so you can tell yourself: 'I'm not the one who left'?"

I was too stunned to even shake my head. Or nod. I wasn't sure about that any more.

"You pretend it's all because of us, but you're wrong: You stopped thinking about us a long time ago. The second you decided it was you who had the power to shape our destinies you betrayed us. The way I see it, you have forgotten a small detail in your whole 'I need to save all of Camelot'-enterprise. You can't do this on your own, and nobody asked you to. Why would you think people expect you to save everything without assistance? Who said you couldn't have friends? A life, here, in this world, which by now I'm sure you regard as your own?"

He waited for me to answer, and after a few moments I did: "I do, but..."

"Then there is no 'but', Will! You don't have to do this on your own. A knight alone is vulnerable – but we are many. I understand why you have to keep your profession and purpose a secret here, but there are people who know, and we want to help you."

His voice softened and he looked relieved at finally having told me this much. I had never expected such an outburst from Gwaine, who was, after all, the one who only joked around, got drunk every second night and was eating apples at every possibly inconvenient moment – but here he was, so obviously different from what I had believed him to be. Even after being his friend for years. Even after knowing how much he dared to do to keep his friends save, I had again underestimated him.

"Maybe", he continued, "things will change, maybe they won't. Maybe they'll get worse, or everything works out in the end. In any case, you have given us another chance to set things right. You don't change our destinies. We do."

A small part of my mind told me what Gwaine said was sensible. Another, bigger part, repeated lessons of the council: You are the changer. You need to take the steps. You need to stop at the right moment. It's your call, and you have been prepared for it.

"None of this is on you", the knight added.

"I should've stopped him", I burst out.

"You couldn't have", Gwaine murmured sadly and then gave me half a smile: "You know he always got his way in the end." The smile didn't reach his eyes. "None of this was your fault."

The part of my brain reminding me of the council's rules melted away at his words. I nodded slowly and felt new tears running down my cheeks.

"I'm afraid", I finally whispered, adding silently afraid to loose you if I let you chose your own way...

We moved at the same time, ending up in a tight embrace, giving comfort to each other. We had both lost a friend today, and it felt like nothing would ever be the same again. Gwaine rested his chin on top of my head, holding me close. I could hear his heart beat in his chest, fast and still angry, while his voice sounded like it was broken: "So am I", he whispered, "but we'll do this together."

End of Part 2

A/N: I do not approve of people slapping one another, but this is Camelot (actully its Nemeth, but you know what I mean...) and I also believe this was overdue to bring Will back to her senses.