HALO AGAIN! If you read my other ongoing story 'Primordial Trickery', you probably realized that I am back up and completely active! Other than the crushing amounts of homework (which I should be doing at the moment) I am free from most other extra-curricular activities for a while! Do you know what that means? Hm? More consistent updates!

Cheers all around!

Wisegirl6

Chapter 25 ~Guinevere the Storyteller

Guinevere's reunion was filled with many hugs, apologies, and tears. She rushed into the room, eyes wide and jaw hanging somewhere by her feet.

Merlin was more than happy to see her. Although he was in obvious pain, the warlock managed a weak smile to reassure his queen that it really was him.

Then Gwen collapsed to the floor next to Arthur's bed, frantically sobbing apologies to her best friend.

The slave just smiled, pulling himself up as much as possible with his existing injuries. He gingerly reached out a dove white hand and lifted Gwen's tear-streaked face to look at him.

"I don't blame you, for anything. Gwen it wasn't your fault. None of it was anyone's fault," he said pointedly, directing it at the king and physician he knew would be listening right outside the door.

A slight shuffling muted by the oak door was his only response.

Gwen's distraught face intruded upon Merlin's vision once more and his attention was dragged back to the crying girl before him. "No, don't say that! We could have rescued you, we could have saved you! Don't you dare say that it wasn't our fault!" She struggled to right herself. Anger and sadness dominated her features, glazing over her doe eyes.

Merlin winced. His headache still dominated in terms of pain. "Gwen, please listen. You didn't know where I was, you didn't even know I was alive! Come on, Gwen, that's got to count for something!" He tried for a smile, pulling her to her feet.

The queen remained unmoved, still standing by her opinion. Her cheeks were flushed pink with anger and sorrow.

"Just think, this is another chance! I'm back, Gwen!" He squeezed her clasped hands reassuringly. Sure, there was no guarantee that he could escape Isobel's curse, and an even smaller chance that he would survive to do the deed. Comforting his friend was more important at the moment. "I'm back and I'm not going anywhere." Merlin grinned, fighting himself to pull his body into a sitting position.

Guinevere finally smiled through her tears, wrapping Merlin up in a tender, if not entirely gentle, hug. She was ecstatic to have her friend back after he was torn from them so suddenly. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck, drinking in the familiar smell of his tunic. "I missed you so much, Merlin. Arthur was a right prat without you, you know?" she laughed.

It was almost like a second chance for all of them. So many times had the queen regretted not being there for Merlin after she was crowned. Their relationship was not what it had been when the troublesome boy had first arrived in the lavish city, and Gwen wanted to take back every time she pulled away from a conversation too soon. Numberless were the instances when Guinevere was hit with an undeniable feeling of nostalgia that just wouldn't go away. She would wish over and over again that Merlin hadn't died, for all of the good it did for them at the time.

But it looked like her prayers hadn't gone unanswered. Merlin was here, completely alive, if not a little banged up. But he would be fine, Merlin was always okay, after all.

"It's good to have you back," Gwen said tensely, not able to express how grateful she was, not just for herself, to have the wayward servant back.

Merlin must have caught the tone in her voice, because he pulled away from her abruptly. "What do you mean by that?" His face contorted into a frown when she didn't answer. "Gwen, please. You can't just say something like that and just expect me not to ask."

Guinevere sighed. She really wouldn't have minded having to recount her days without the servant around, but it had been twice as hard to watch others around her suffer than it was to suffer herself. To watch people who had been a constant strength in her life become a shadow of their former selves had been just as devastating as Merlin's death. He was a foundation to some, and with him taken away pieces had started crumbling.

"It's complicated, Merlin."

"I've got time," he retorted evenly.

Sighing heavily, the queen regarded her friend. Merlin was stubborn, and even more so when it came to his friends. "I shouldn't be burdening you with this now; you're injured and you need time to rest," Gwen said quickly, looking like she was going to make a mad dash for the entrance.

"Gwen," he insisted. "I want to know what happened after they took me. If it concerns Arthur it concerns myself as well. I'm his friend, and I want to know what went on when I wasn't around to look out for him."

Gwen looked lost. "I just... I don't want you to feel guilty about it. None of what they went through was your fault."

He said nothing, just continued to stare at her with pleading eyes. He needed to know.

Merlin watched Guinevere's carefully schooled expression flicker slightly. She snuck a glance towards the door before letting out a large breath "After you died, some people had a hard time trying to reorient themselves. You were a constant presence in their lives and they just didn't know how to work around the hole that you had left." Gwen's eyes were distant as she said this, like a war hero reliving the battle that they had persevered through.

"Nobody would miss me that much," Merlin interrupted.

The queen smiled sadly. "You'd be surprised."

And in truth, Merlin was. While he was imprisoned within Cavell's castle he had hoped that people had missed him. Missed being the key word; as in no longer missing him. That was everyone's wish, he supposed. They wanted to be mourned, but they didn't want their loved ones to spend the rest of their lives in nostalgia, refusing to finally move on.

He thought of the people who might have mourned him. Gaius, Gwaine, his mother, Gwen, the knights, Arthur. "But everyone's fine now," he said.

"But it wasn't always like this, Merlin. Remember, it's been three years. They've all had three years to come to terms with your death. That's plenty time to try and forget," she said sadly. Gwen studied her friend's face. She was among the few who had tried to forget, but now all she wanted to do was remember. He was here with he now and she just wanted to remember a time when nothing was complicated and the problems were straightforward. She could still see him now, the carefree boy in the red neckerchief with the bright blue eyes and infectious smile.

Gwen smiled slightly to herself. She could still see the boy now, even in the sad man before her.

"Arthur took it the hardest. He refused to leave his chambers for days. I was so afraid that he was going to snap into that daze like his father had after Morgana, but he came back. Slowly he became a more active king again and to the people it looked like he was fine. But he just wasn't the same anymore. He never smiled. He barely spoke. Of course he never said a word about it to anyone else either. You know Arthur," she said wistfully. "He'll take the weight of the world on his shoulders and try and act like nothing's wrong. But we could all see it."

A blank stare was all she got in exchange for her story. Merlin almost didn't believe it. Arthur wouldn't have done that, not the enduring king he'd known. Taking everything in stride was his philosophy, the warlock hadn't seen him do anything else. Not faced with any problems, and not faced with any losses.

"And I don't even think that was the worst of it for him, just living in the now. The worst was him looking forwards, thinking of all the things he would have to do without his best friend." Gwen stopped then. It was clear that the slave couldn't take this in his current condition. Extra stress was just what he didn't need now. Merlin's skin was so pale it was almost translucent. According to Gaius he had lost almost too much blood.

Guinevere drank in the presence of her friend. With a sigh she stood, gathering up the candle and smoothing her skirts. "I should go now, you need your rest."

A clammy hand latched onto her arm. "No, Gwen," Merlin croaked. "Please, I need to know what happened when I was away. What was everyone like?"

Looking into those innocent blue eyes, Guinevere was hard pressed to say no. The man was just concerned about his family, she would want him to do the same for her if their positions were reversed.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. Maybe tomorrow, or when you're feeling better."

The slave opened his mouth to argue, but the queen was already gone.

Yeah, the tail end of that conversation won't come for a while, sorry! Anyways, I hope to be good and done with this story by May, if not mid-April.

So, since the time for me to begin the writing of my next story is almost upon us, I am giving everyone until I am finished writing the story to vote on the poll for my next fan fiction! If you are unaware of how to do that, just click my author name and the poll should come right up on my profile page. The summaries are at the very bottom, so feel free to skip ahead!

Happy start of spring!

Wisegirl6