Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin and Harry Potter.

A/N: HEEEEEY, here's chapter twenty-six! Since Christmas is fast approaching, I decided to update thrice this week! I'm still going to update on Friday, so you need not worry. The bad news is, I'm not quite sure if I'd be able to update next week… until January 3, in that matter. I'd be going home to the province and I had no bloody idea if there would be any internet connection.

Anyway, read and then review afterwards! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Sacrifice

"Hermione!" he desperately cried, his knocking ramming loudly against the door of her current quarters. Due to the sudden attacks in Camelot by the Dorochas, Arthur had prepared a room in the castle where Hermione and Gwen could rest.

Merlin silently cursed in his mind, knowing that he should have been more careful with his words. His heart uncomfortable twitched, remembering the horrified tears that streamed down from the brunette's eyes. He always hated it when she cried; at first, he never realized as to why there was this odd itch inside him that did not go away whenever tears fell down from her eyes, but now that he knew that he was harbouring genuine feelings for Hermione, the discomfort grew. That was why everyday, he tried his very best to make her smile, perhaps even laugh if he was lucky.

"Hermione, please," he softly beseeched. He desperately wanted to use his magic, but decided against it in the end. He had scared her off already with the fact that he was going to sacrifice himself in place of Arthur. Performing magic might drive her away from him further.

He knew his decision was already made; what he told Gaius was right after all. He was destined to protect Arthur, ward him off from any harm that came his way. Without a second thought, he knew that the next task he must do was to die in his place. Camelot was still mourning for the death of their late King. It would not be good for the kingdom to have another sudden death of their new King.

To his immense relief, the door creaked open. Gwen, with tears in her eyes, gravely shook her head and quickly stepped outside. Merlin was able to take a brief peek inside the room, though, and his heart jumped into his throat when he spied Hermione tucked against the corner of her bed, knees drawn to her chest, and sobs racking her body.

"Gwen…"

"S-she said she doesn't want to see you now, Merlin," the distressed maidservant softly whispered. "I'm sorry."

His eyes gradually softened, knowing that Gwen thought it would be Arthur who would sacrifice himself tomorrow in the Isle of the Blessed. He then remembered the vision that he had seen back in the Crystal Cave, with Guinevere being crowned as Queen and ruling alongside Arthur. Now that he knew their fate, his determination strengthened.

"Please," he whispered imploringly, shooting a longing look at the wooden door that was separating him from the girl that suddenly became an important person in his life. That odd clenching, one he could claim as painful, once again started in his heart. The thought that he would not be able to see her beautiful face anymore scared him to bits and pieces.

Before he sacrificed himself, he wanted to at least see her one last time.

A quick glance at Gwen prompted him to sigh in defeat. His shoulders slumped and he rested his forehead against the wooden door. He closed his eyes and imagined that it was Hermione's forehead he was leaning against with. The thought made him sadly smile.

"Always remember, Hermione of Hogwarts," he murmured to the door. "That I am awfully, awfully attracted to you."

He waited for a few minutes before pulling himself away from the door. He opened his eyes and was disappointed that the door still had not opened for him.

Grimacing, he turned to Guinevere, whose tears had now increased.

"Gwen, I…" He paused, hesitated, and sighed. He gave her a comforting squeeze on her arm before turning away and striding back to Gaius' chambers.

"Merlin?"

He paused and turned around. "What is it, Gwen?" he asked.

"B-be careful," she replied back.

He merely smiled, knowing that in the end he would do the opposite from her warning. Merlin opted to nod his head instead and resumed his journey, the results of tomorrow's journey towards the Isle of the Blessed lying heavily in his heart.

She had no idea how long she had cried her eyes out. Beside her, Gwen was already slumbering due to a tiring night. Hermione could see that her friend's sleeping was fitful; she guessed the future queen was having a nightmare about Arthur's sacrifice in the Isle of the Blessed.

With this thought, her mind strayed back to Merlin's words.

"It is my destiny to protect Arthur."

"No," she shakily cried, burying her face against her hands.

"If it means I have to die for him, then so be it."

'How cruel,' she had bitterly thought, glaring through her tears at the small window outside their temporary bedroom. It was morning already; therefore the attacks of the Dorochas had momentarily stopped. She could see the effects of their damage last night, though, and Hermione involuntarily shivered.

By now, she reckoned that Arthur, Merlin, and even other Knights of Camelot had already journeyed to the Isle of the Blessed. The thought that the others would be returning without Merlin painfully stabbed her heart and her cries increased.

How could this happen when she had finally surrendered to the fact that she has feelings for the legendary warlock? Hermione knew that there would be dire consequences of her actions, but stubborn enough, she pushed those thoughts away and allowed herself to at least be happy at Merlin's side.

A sudden thought resurfaced in her mind and she pursed her lips, the determination immense and noticeable. Hermione wiped her tears away and stood up from her bed. The rickety sound that her bed had made roused Guinevere off from her sleep. When she saw that Hermione was wide awake and puffy eyed, she slowly stood up from her own bed and stared forlornly at her friend.

"Hermione…"

But the brunette shook her head to stop her from completing her words. She knew what she was going to do was very selfish. Among all of the people here in Camelot, it was Gwen that she did not want to know about it. Hermione was determined to pull Merlin away from his idiotic sacrificing, but that meant that Arthur had to do it.

Oh, Gwen would be crushed.

Thus, she strode stiffly towards the door and avoided Gwen's searching gaze.

"Hermione!" she cried. "Where are you going?!"

The brunette snatched some random clothing and other necessities along the way and stuffed them inside a small knapsack. Guinevere's pleas all died down from her ears and as she opened the door, Hermione walked out of the room with a purpose.

She was going to save Merlin.

It was hard to pick up their trail but Hermione gradually saw them. There were footprints and even some torn clothing hanging on nearby branches; she even spied an obvious mound of horse's feces. It was only when she saw a small bonfire with its ashes still hot and smoking when she finally concluded that she was on the right track. Having hidden from the Death Eaters before made her keen in looking for tracks of the said enemies and covering up the ones that the Order had made.

Hermione decided to rest for a while and scooted as close as she could to the still-smoking bonfire. Its fire had been long gone but the brunette did not dare ignite it once again. She knew it would gain the attention of Arthur and the others, blowing up her plan of saving Merlin from his impending demise.

Absentmindedly, Hermione grabbed an apple from her knapsack and nibbled on it. Twilight was nearing and the sky was already darkening. Dorochas would appear soon and she knew it would be dangerous to continue her journey. Arthur and his knights were sensible enough to find shelter at this time of the day; they might be the mightiest of all knights in the Five Kingdoms, but they were still logical persons who wanted to live.

To ward her off from the cold, she pulled out a small blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her eyes were itching due to tiredness and the tears that she had shed, but Hermione tried her very best not to rest them. She could already hear the telltale shrills of a Dorocha and she'd rather accomplish her task alive than frozen solid.

A yawn tore away from her lips and she wetted her chapped lips. 'I wonder if they're safe,' she asked herself internally, frowning at her unanswered question. With Merlin by their side, aided with his magic, she knew that they would be safe.

'But,' a voice inside her head interjected, freezing her blood, 'Dorochas are immune to magic.'

Hence, Merlin was as defenseless as Arthur and the Knights of Camelot.

Her musings were cut short when another shrill scream reached her ears. Hermione jumped to her feet and warily gazed around, heightening her senses. A smoky mist swarmed towards her body and she immediately jumped aside. The shrill cry of the spirit almost deafened her ears. Out of desperation, she grabbed a nearby log and ignited it with fire. She frantically waved it around and the Dorocha burst into several swirling smoke.

Silence then followed the attack and Hermione fell down on the ground, exhausted. The small torch she had made was clutched tightly in her hand. Her adrenaline was still pumping in her bloodstream, her eyes shifting warily all throughout the darkened forest to see if there were other Dorochas lurking around.

Satisfied, the brunette finally stood up from the forest floor and shouldered the small knapsack she brought. The torch was still alit in case an incoming Dorocha unexpectedly attacked. She now did not care whether she was discovered by Arthur and the others; she'd rather be alive and discovered than dead and discovered.

The light from the blazing torch helped her follow the tracks of the Knights of Camelot. Up ahead, a ruined castle greeted her adjusting eyes and she almost went inside. But then, she spied Gwaine and Lancelot walking stealthily outside the castle, similar blazing torches also clutched tightly in their hands.

'They stopped to rest there,' she reckoned, slowly sitting back down on the ground. While Gwaine and Lancelot were on patrol, she guessed that Arthur, Merlin, and the other knights were resting inside.

For a moment, she felt at peace. They were still quite far from the Isle of the Blessed, having another day or two to reach their designation.

Hermione entertained herself with the idea that Merlin was still alive for today. And with that thought, she felt relieved.

Minutes, perhaps hours, passed and Hermione was still staring at the ruined castle. Her eyes were awfully itching due to tiredness and as much as she desperately tried to stay awake, her needs overcame her desires.

Soon, she was fast asleep.

The sound of hooves and neighs jerked Hermione awake.

Blearily, she opened her eyes and yawned widely. 'I fell asleep,' she internally exclaimed, a groan tearing away from her mouth. She could not believe that at such an alarming event, her body still had to succumb to her needs. And to think that this could cause Merlin's life! It was a miracle she was still alive, seeing that there were probable Dorochas near her way.

Shaking the remnants of sleep away, Hermione silently scrambled behind a nearby bush and peeked outside. She could see the Knights of the Round Table, together with their king, lined outside the ruined castle. What caught her attention were the identical grave looks on their faces and Hermione's blood instantly ran cold.

She scanned everybody who was present, but upon noticing that both Lancelot and Merlin were missing, her heart jumped into her throat. Hermione abruptly stood up and looked behind, neglecting the fact that she could be seen. Her fearful eyes finally landed on the two horses, the ones that had awaken her from her sleep, and saw that Lancelot lay atop on one of them.

The other carried Merlin.

A horrified gasp tore away from her mouth upon noticing that the young warlock was unconscious.

"No…" she breathed out in shock before breaking into a run, indifferent whether she would be discovered or not. Blood rushed to her ears and tears already gathered at the corner of her eyes. Even from afar, she could see how Merlin showed some signs of a Dorocha attack and she swore that if weren't alive anymore, then she would do something drastic.

She followed the two horses until Lancelot decided to stop at a nearby stream. The Knight of Camelot carried Merlin off the horse and onto the grassy ground, plopping beside the unconscious manservant and utter exhaustion.

Unable to help herself anymore, Hermione scrambled towards the two of them. Lancelot immediately heard her footsteps and brandished his sword, thinking she was an intruder. But upon seeing a crying mess, he lowered his weapon in shock and abruptly stood up.

"Hermione!" he cried, absentmindedly sheathing his sword. "What are you doing here?"

She warily stared at him through her tears before slowly kneeling down beside Merlin. She placed her shaking hands on his cheeks and flinched, noting that they were ice cold – even colder than the time when he saw the Cailleach.

The brunette bent down and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "You'll be all right," she whispered mournfully, fondly brushing some of his fringes away from his face.

She then lifted her head and closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves to concentrate. And then, with a slightly shaking voice, she whispered, "Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare! [1]

Gradually, the color came back from Merlin's face. His temperature also went up and under her touch, she could feel him warming up. Hermione's forehead once again fell down against his, her obvious relief immense. "You git," she softly cried. 'Why must you make me worry so much?'

Hermione then lifted her head and stared at an astonished Lancelot. His eyes were widened and his jaw a little dropped; even though she came up with random excuses, she knew it was futile to lie when she knew he had seen everything that she had done.

"He is… better," she whispered, wiping her tears away. "I just managed to put him away from the brink of death." Her eyes quickly landed at the small stream beside them and she internally sighed in relief. "I-I'm sure the good spirits will be able to wholly cure him."

When Lancelot confusedly looked at her, she continued, "When the veil was torn, it was not only the evil spirits who were disturbed, Sir Lancelot. Even the good ones. If Merlin or whoever asked how he was really cured, tell them that it was the doing of the good spirits."

To prove her point, she turned towards the stream and summoned a good spirit. It did not fail her for it showed up with a kind smile. "What must I do for you?" it asked, its voice melodic and almost akin to a mother's voice.

"Please, protect us from the attacks of the Dorochas for now," Hermione pleaded. "Merlin, here, awfully needs a rest."

The good spirit agreed and summoned its other kind. They all floated out of the stream and enveloped their whole forms, temporarily making a small shield that would protect them from the Dorochas.

"Thank you," she whispered, now haphazardly wiping her tears away.

She then turned to Lancelot and pursed her lips at his bewilderment. "Please, whatever happens, do not tell anybody, not even Merlin, that I… I have magic, Sir Lancelot," Hermione pleaded.

For a while, he merely stared at her before he slowly nodded, assessing her whole form with curiosity and slight suspicion.

Hermione then was surprised when Lancelot placed a hand on her shoulder. An unreadable expression was on his face and his lips were pursed into a tight line. "You must go back to Camelot," he simply said. When she opened her mouth to protest, his hold on her arm slightly tightened. "Merlin will… sacrifice himself in place of Arthur."

A few tears escaped from her eyes. "I know," she whispered brokenly. She looked down at Merlin's unconscious face in silent defeat. "I heard."

"I am sure that Merlin wants you to be the safest," Lancelot continued. "Therefore, you must return to Camelot and protect the others there." When she did not reply to his statement, Lancelot softly sighed. "It is his last request, Hermione. Do not deprive him from getting his last desire."

It was painful, but Hermione knew it was the absolute truth. To prove Lancelot's point, Merlin stirred in his peaceful sleep and breathed out her name and nothing more. Sadly, she smiled down at him and brushed the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

The brunette bent down and gave him a long, heartbreaking farewell kiss. Her tears grew uncontrollable and it gave her a huge amount of effort to pull herself away from him. "Always remember Merlin of Camelot," she brokenly whispered. "I am awfully, awfully attracted to you, too."

It pained her not to receive an answer from the unconscious Merlin. She half-wished he would wake up, see her hovering above him with tearful eyes, and then assure her in the end that he would still go back to Camelot, alive and unscathed. But then again, reality had other plans.

"Hermione," Sir Lancelot softly whispered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Please."

She grievously closed her eyes and stood up from the ground. Momentarily, her eyes connected with Sir Lancelot's worried ones and guttural sobs kept on escaping from her mouth.

'Goodbye, Merlin,' she whispered before turning around and running away from the two of them back to Camelot, her heart slowly breaking into a million pieces.

Gwen lifted a hand and brushed away the tears that were running down from her eyes. She stood by the small window in Gaius' bedchamber and sighed, saddened by the sight outside the castle. Down below, a long line of dead people littered the town square and Gwen believed that more would join them once twilight falls.

Things had been chaotic ever since King Arthur and the rest of the Knights of the Round Table left for their quest to the Isle of the Blessed. Thinking about Arthur's impending sacrifice still pained Guinevere's heart. She had so much hope for her and Arthur, even though it was preposterous for her to wish. After all, he was the King and she was a mere servant girl. Still, that did not stop her from harbouring strong feelings for the noble leader of Camelot.

Her grief had also increased ever since Hermione mysteriously left to who-knows-where without having any news of her whereabouts. On the day she left, some of the kind-hearted knights volunteered to search for the brunette without any luck at all. Gaius kept on reassuring her that Hermione would be all right wherever she was, but it didn't help Gwen at all upon seeing the look of doubt on the Court Physician's face.

The bedchamber door swung open and in came an extremely tired Gaius. Gwen hastily wiped her tears away and ran towards Gaius' side, assisting him towards one of his benches. The old physician sat down with a soft groan, patting Gwen's helping hand in gratitude.

"My back has been uncooperative these past few days," Gaius tiredly proclaimed, sighing in disgruntlement. "How can I work properly now?"

"You are just tired, Gaius," Gwen told him. "Perhaps you merely need to rest."

The Court Physician absentmindedly nodded and looked up at the maidservant. "How have you been?" he asked this time. "I hope you are sleeping well and eating properly."

A disbelieving chuckle escaped from Gwen's face. "How can I when there are far greater things to worry about than nourishing myself?" she worriedly replied back. She ignored the disapproving stare by Gaius and sighed, avoiding his searching gaze. "It's been days now, Gaius, and the Dorochas are still running rampant all over the kingdom. The people are terrified and I… I just want everything to return to its normal state."

A few tears escaped from her eyes, prompting Gaius' gaze to soften. "Everything will be all right soon," he whispered soothingly.

"No, it will not," she retorted back, her tears now increasing. Gwen painfully closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "A-arthur will sacrifice himself, Gaius." A broken sob escaped from her lips. "He will… die."

"Oh, my dear girl," Gaius said, lifting himself off the bench to hug the distressed maidservant.

Guinevere earnestly cried on Gaius' shoulder, unaware of the raging battle inside the old physician's mind. Should he tell her of Merlin's plan or not? In the end, he'd rather she be oblivious than discover the truth. Gaius was afraid Gwen would become more mournful upon discovering that Arthur's faithful manservant chose to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

"I think I'd rest for now, Gaius," Gwen whispered after a few minutes. She pulled away and smiled gratefully at him despite her puffy eyes and wet cheeks.

"That is a great idea," Gaius said, releasing Gwen from his arms.

The maidservant bid him farewell and walked towards the door. Upon opening, though, a surprising person stood rooted in front of the door. "Hermione!" Guinevere cried. Opposite her stood the brunette herself. Her eyes were red and puffy, just like hers, but Gwen could detect certain tiredness and defeat that no amount of rest could eradicate.

"Where in God's name have you been?" Gwen cried, drawing Hermione into a tight hug and cried in relief at her safety. "We were so worried for you!"

"I'm all right, Gwen," Hermione replied tiredly, pulling herself away from Gwen's arms. "Really."

"You selfish, selfish girl!" Gaius suddenly barked, surprising the two young women. Hermione stepped away from Gwen's arms and stared straight into Gaius' furious eyes. "How could you recklessly run away without telling anybody where you would go?"

Hermione's face crumpled. "Gaius…" she choked, tears already gathering at the corner of her eyes.

"What would I do if something happened to you?" he continued to exclaim, his fury obvious and raw.

"Gaius…" she sobbed this time, her tears now falling incessantly down from her eyes. "I… I…"

The old physician deflated, slumping his shoulders in defeat. Only he could understand the great grief that was behind Hermione's tears. Thus, he hastily walked towards the distressed brunette and enveloped her into his arms. Her whispered blubbers reached his ears and although he could not understand her words, he knew they were all about Merlin and his impending death.

"Gaius?" Gwen asked, tearful and scared.

"Everything will be - "

Gaius stopped, his lips smacking together into a thin line. How could he say everything would be all right? A few days from now, he would lose the boy he regarded like a beloved son.

It would all be a lie if he said that everything would be all right.

Hermione woke up from a fitful sleep and stared blearily up at Gwen's frantic face.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked, her voice cracking due to sleep, before pulling herself up from her makeshift bed. Her eyes landed slowly at the window and saw that it was still at the middle of the night. Today was a tiring day and she was slightly annoyed that Gwen woke her up from her well-deserved sleep.

"The attacks of the Dorochas had stopped, Hermione," was Guinevere's silent answer.

Her blood froze upon hearing her friend's news. 'The Dorochas disappeared?' she slowly asked herself, disbelieving. Hermione hastily stood up from her bed and ran towards one of the windows. She pushed it open and looked outside, instantly feeling the certain warmness of the night that had long been absent ever since the Dorochas attacked.

"They're… gone," the brunette mournfully whispered in the night.

It meant that Merlin's dead.

Her heart painfully clenched before pushing herself away from the window. Hermione turned back around and saw Guinevere's grievous expression. Up until now, Gwen still believed that it would be Arthur who would sacrifice himself to seal the tear in the Isle of the Blessed. Gaius told Hermione that it would be for the best, which Hermione concurred without any complaints.

Hermione took a deep breath, a festering hole gradually growing in her heart. It was strange that on the day Merlin died, her tears seemingly refused to fall. Instead, there was emptiness in her whole being that wouldn't leave her alone.

Truth be told, she felt dead, too.

"Hermione?" Gwen asked, breaking her off from her reverie.

The brunette tried to weakly smile at her friend. With an offered, outstretched hand, she coaxed Guinevere to leave their temporary room in the castle and rejoice for the defeat of the Dorochas.

They met Gaius along the way and she and the Court Physician exchanged mournful, meaningful looks. Their unspoken grief for Merlin's death hang thickly in the atmosphere but neither one of them dared to speak out the painful truth.

Together, the three of them walked out of the castle only to see that the surviving people of Camelot were also emerging out from their hiding places. Joyous cries of joy and relief mixed with disbelieving laughter were heard all throughout the kingdom. The children started running joyously, jumping up and down merrily and hugging their parents. Couples were locked in passionate embraces, relieved that their other half had not been taken away from them.

It took them exactly two days before everybody were able to return back to their proper homes. With Arthur's absence, Lord Agravaine assumed leadership and started to discuss with the Council.

Gaius, with the help of Hermione and Guinevere, was busy curing those who were injured during the attacks of the Dorochas. With the knowledge of his mentee's death, Gaius welcomed the work to distract himself.

The whole of Camelot firmly believed that it was King Arthur who sacrificed himself so as to save the Kingdom. Coupled with the relief of their safety was the grief that their great king, albeit reigning for only such a short period of time, had already unfortunately died for them.

It was only when the Knights of Camelot came back when the revelation that King Arthur hadn't died was revealed. Guinevere had cried quite noisily inside the Council Chamber when King Arthur strode inside, exhaustion written all over his face. The King was welcomed warmly by his uncle, who then gave him a hug for his return.

What surprised Gaius and Hermione the most, though, was the fact that Merlin was with the returning troupe, alive and breathing. Hermione was too dumbfounded to cry in relief. The young warlock had caught her eyes, but he immediately looked away from her gaze, an underlying grief obvious in his form.

'If Merlin is dead, then who sacrificed himself to close the tear?' Hermione asked herself, gazing all over the group that accompanied King Arthur back to Camelot.

With a sinking heart, she finally knew.

Sir Lancelot was not with them.

The air all over the kingdom was thick with mourning. Just a while ago, they had a solemn ceremony outside in the town square to honor Sir Lancelot's noble sacrifice to save the Kingdom of Camelot. It was saddening how there was no body while Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth conducted the usual special ceremony for the death of a knight. Even Hermione, who was not really close with Sir Lancelot, had shed a few tears.

When she left, Guinevere was still mourning silently in front of the blazing pyre. Perhaps, it was Gwen who had grieved for Lancelot's death the most. Although her affections were now directed to King Arthur, Lancelot would always, always be her first love. With Lancelot as an orphan, who was left to clearly mourn for his death? Hermione had this inkling that Gwen had taken up that burden in honor of Lancelot who had sacrificed himself in place of Arthur.

Now, Hermione was strolling inside the castle grounds, determined to see Merlin. Things had been quite busy ever since they returned and she never really had the chance to talk to him, much less hug him. The relief that he was alive was great, but she knew that Lancelot's death had a great impact on him. He and Merlin, according to Gaius, had always been close friends. It was Merlin's words that urged Lancelot to do whatever it takes to become a knight – it was because of Merlin that Lancelot became a knight, after all.

Finally, she arrived right in front of Gaius' bedchamber. She took a deep breath, feeling ridiculously nervous, before lifting her knuckles and rapping it against the wooden door.

It opened almost immediately, with Gaius appearing right behind the door.

"Hermione," he said, looking as if he was expecting her. The old physician gave her a warm smile before stepping aside and letting her in. Instantly, her eyes connected with Merlin's, who was sitting on one of the benches in Gaius' work room. It was obvious he had just cried for the lost of his friend because of his puffy and red eyes.

"I'll leave you two alone," Gaius quietly said before exiting his bedchamber. Once the door closed into a soft click, Hermione released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. At the same time, a small tear trailed down from her eye and landed noiselessly on the ground.

That little tear seemed to snap something in Merlin's system for he abruptly stood up and in three big strides, his arms were wound tightly around Hermione's waist.

The brunette started to earnestly cry, lifting her arms and wrapping them around his torso. She buried her face on his chest and hugged him tight, relieved that he was here, hugging her back. Alive.

"I-I thought," she blubbered, slightly pulling her tear-stained face from his chest, "I-I thought I l-lost you already."

He wryly smiled, his eyes also a little bright. He lifted a hand and brushed her tears away. "My plan failed," he softly said, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against hers. "L-lancelot, that damn git, stole my light."

Upon the mention of the deceased knight, Hermione's arms wrapped tighter around him. Somehow, she regretted the distrustful looks she kept on throwing towards Sir Lancelot. Who knew that in the end, it would be his sacrifice that would make her immensely happy?

Merlin then slowly opened his eyes and stared fondly down at her face. Gingerly, he leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss, smiling adoringly when she shakily smiled back.

"At least I still get to see your face every day."

[1] Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare! – I heal you thoroughly from your mortal wound.

A/N: End of chapter! How'd you like it? Tell me in your reviews :D

So yeah, once again, I'm still going to update on Friday, but I have no idea what will happen after that. Let us all hope that my father would be able to fix whatever internet connection that we can have back in our province.

That's it for now! Once again, review please!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe