They Continue

"Morgause? What is it?" Morgana asked with worry. Her sister was staring out the window in the sitting room, looking out onto the lake. "Morgause?" The blonde woman snapped back to attention and smiled at Morgana.

"I'm sorry, sister. My thoughts ran away and took me with them." The thoughts had been of the Sidhe, and her broken promise to them. She couldn't tell anyone about it, because that would reveal her disloyalty.

"Were they thoughts of how askewed your taste buds are?" Gwaine muttered into his tea. Morgause glared at him.

"You're the one askewed!" she retorted. "You probably like unnaturally flavored food! Like those beverages that taste of bacon and ice cream and such." Gwaine laughed out loud.

Merlin found amusement watching two bitter enemies bickering about trivial matters. It wasn't surprising that Gwaine was talking nonsense, but Morgause was surprising. Merlin remembered her as a noble and proud woman, but she was lowering herself to quarrel with Gwaine. Not that Merlin didn't love Gwaine, but Morgause should have thought that he was too low to fight with. It seemed that this new world brought together the unlikeliest of people.

Gwen and the rest of the knights had gone out to an unknown place. Elyan had voted to leave Gwaine behind. It seemed that the journey was long enough that they couldn't stand being in a car with him for the entire distance.

Morgause had been offered the other upstairs room, and she had gratefully taken it. She still hated Arthur for all the grief he had caused Morgana and people with magic, but he was showing her kindness. Perhaps the thousand years of sleep had made him wise.

"Found anything?" Gwaine asked Merlin. The warlock had brought many of his texts downstairs and was pouring over them.

"Like I said before," Merlin said to him. "Nobody but Nimueh could know about reincarnation, and she's long gone."

"What if . . ." started Morgana pensively. "What if we used the same spell we used to talk with Mordred to talk with Nimueh? That is, if she isn't in this world."

"I hope she isn't," said Merlin. "She almost killed my mother, Arthur, and Gaius all in one day."

"Sounds like something," said Gwaine with a bit of admiration in his tone. Morgause answered as if without realizing she was speaking out loud.

"She was."

0O0O0O0

Arthur knew the ride was much quieter than it would have been if Gwaine had joined them, but it felt wrong to leave a knight of Camelot behind on this errand. Nevertheless, Lance's car was packed enough already. Percival was too big to fit in one of the back seats, so he was in the passenger seat and Lancelot was driving. Arthur and Elyan sat on either side of Gwen in the backseat.

Lancelot slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road. They were in front of an antique store, which seemed like the last place they would find Leon. However, Leo Gaunnes's Twitter page said that he was main antiquities director in this store. Together, the knights entered the shop.

Every inch of the store had something in it except narrow passages in between stacks of furniture. It was beautiful though. In this day, there were so few beautiful things. Everything was polished metal or glass or artificial wood. The shop was full of watercolors and polished wardrobes and porcelain dolls.

"Good afternoon!" said a voice from behind a decorated bookshelf. "Can I help you?" There was no difference between their Leon and this man except the clothes they wore. The Leo of this world wore a white shirt with the top few buttons undone and a formal black jacket. He looked very put together, and surprisingly at home asking his customers if they needed help.

"Actually, yes," said Gwen. She took the necklace Merlin had given her from her pocket. "I found this trinket in my dead grandmother's jewelry box. I was wondering if it's worth anything."

"May I see?" asked Leo politely. Gwen handed him Merlin's necklace, and she could see the magic working. Leo stumbled back, about to crash into a carefully laid out display of glass animals. Percival stepped quickly in front of Gwen and caught his friend.

"Leon?" Arthur asked tentatively. The knight's eyes snapped open. He took in the sight of his dead king with shock. Percival stood him upright, and Leon bowed low.

"My lord," he said.

"I have no kingdom to speak of now, Leon. You needn't bow to me," Arthur said.

"You will always be my king, sire." He took in the sight around him. "What are we doing here?" he asked.

"You work here," said Elyan in amusement. Leon looked more than a little disgusted.

"Work here? Never."

"You don't remember? No, you wouldn't. I hardly remember this world at all, and you lived longer than I," Gwen said. "We have been brought back. Merlin is trying to find out why, but he hasn't found anything yet. There are many of us now."

Leon shook his head, unable to comprehend everything. Percival pat his shoulder sympathetically.

"We should go," Arthur suggested, "if we're to get back before dark." Lancelot laughed.

"In this life, dark doesn't mean death. There are lamps along the road home, not to mention the car's headlights." Arthur pretended not to hear. Gwen realized something that nobody had thought of.

"How are we all going to fit in the car?" she asked. The knights looked at each other in worry.

"Oh!" exclaimed Leon. "You mean the shiny horseless carriage? Mine is outside!"

"Great!" said Elyan. "Do you have the keys?"

"Keys?" asked Leon in confusion. "Why would it need keys?"

For the next half an hour, they searched Leon and his possessions for his car keys. Eventually, they were discovered by Lancelot in the back room of the shop. Because Leon had called the car a 'shiny horseless carriage', Elyan drove Leo's car and took Percival and Leon, and Lancelot took Arthur and Gwen.

Leo's car was full of laughter and memories. Elyan and Percival told Leon all that had happened since they regained their memories. Leon was greatly saddened to hear of Gaius's death, but he was more worried when he was told of Morgana and Morgause staying in a house with them.

"They aren't watched? Do you have any protection against them? Tell me they don't have magic."

"Morgause doesn't," said Elyan. Leon stared.

"Morgana has magic? Have you all forgotten the destruction she caused? The lives she took?" Leon looked at his friends incredulously from the backseat. Neither looked back at him. Finally Percival said,

"Things have changed. She has shown loyalty to Arthur. I think - I think she can be trusted."

Sorry this one isn't great. My imagination wasn't flowing today.

7Wolf7 asked why Merlin was throwing up. When I lost someone very close to me, I threw up a few times. It's kind of just a reflex that comes with seeing a loved one die. It wasn't really obvious, don't worry.

I love teasing Gwaine. I love Gwaine. This chapter didn't have a lot of him, but I promise he will be amazing later!