Over some next days, Ealdor was busting with electric engery. The village was rushed of its feet to organise Gwen's and Lancelot's big day; though the celebrations themselves would be modest. Everyone provided what they could and chipping in together to make the ceremony meaningful.

As the big day dawned, cold and icy and sunny and beautifully, Gwen gazed in the mirror in her bridal tent, eyeing up her dress, when the door opened and interrupted her.

"It's only Me" Morgana said as Gwen whriled aroun, and broke her face into a smile when she saw her best friend enter.

Morgana wore a dress of shimmery Peach silk, a panel of a white gauzy chiffon ran along the top of the bodice and the skirt dripped to the earth in a gracius a-line interupted by neat pleats that made the skirt even bigger. An elegant braid weaved its way from the back of the dress to the front crossing over her waist befoere training down over hr skirts. Over The top part was pale while chiffon like clouds gathered in a delicate bunch across her shoulder, running down either arm in long trailing sleaves that flowed when she spoke.

The shear material wrapped around her delicate pale shoilders, which were free of her raven locks, which had been pulled back into an intricate up do for the occasion. Her violet eye sparkled from her ivory cheeks, and she had a deep ruby red colour on her lips.

"How are you feeing? She asked gently.

"Excited" Gwen thrilled with a beam.

"You look wonderful" Morgana guhed taking her hands to look at her dress in full. It was of simple white fabric embroidered all around the bottom with flowers and leaves, and in the centre a pair of swans with their necsk curved together in the shape of a heart. There was a wide blue sash around her waist and hanging down her front in the middle, and a wide neckline that went from shoulder to shouder. The sleevess were long and hanging almost down to the ground and fell over her hands.

Around her neck she wore a necklane of delicate metal that Arthur had made for her, and gave to her earlier in the day saying "it's not the best, I didn't have long. I'll fininsh it after..." he had trailed off "after." The future hung heavy over them, a black cloud. But it was not the day for such thoughts. Gwen had smiled at her brother, strength in her eyes.

"I love it Arthur" she had said "it's perfect."

"I feel wonderful" Gwen replied to Morgana. "Everyone has done such a good job in the decorating...the preperations...I don't know how to thank you al!"

"By being happy with your husband" Morgana smilled "As i believe you will be"

"For the rest of our lives...however long that may be." The happiness of Gwen's tone dove into worry as she contemplated Lancelot's risky role in the coming attack on Cemelot.

"No" Morgana shook her head fiercely "Today is not the day for such thoughts. It is your day, to celebrate your happiness and Lancelot's, both. Live in joy today, and tomorrow we will consider the future."

"Do you..." Gwen hesistated "Do you...See? Anything? you don't have to tell me, if you don't want. I just...can't help think about it."

"The future is closed to me. I'm sorry. There are other factors" Morgana intoned in a montone voice which was low and dark. She had gone elsewhere, pulled by the ethers of vision.

"No, no, that's fine, I'm sorry" Gwen protested, looking gown and shaking her head with a wave of her hands.

Then Tom come in, with a swing of the door, a clatter amd a broad smile.

"Are you read sweetheart?" he said, walking to his daughter and holding her hand with a gentle tug.

"Born ready" She said with a smile.

Music played softly around the glen as Gwen made down the aisle between her gatheered friends and family. Her arm was linked in her father's and her kept throwing her proud looks from the corner of his kind brown eyes as they followed Merlin and Morganan to the alter were Lancelot stood, handsome in his robes, flushed with joy, impatient with nerves, but a handsome shmile peaking through his face.

As she reached her fiance and stopped at the alter looking at him, she looked away for a second, to Merlin and his raident smile, eyes shining in pure happiness at the beatiful majesty of the occasion. Her heart pattered in chest as Laneclot sooped her hand into his strong ones, knowing they would soon be family together.

Merlin's grin widened further than Arthur thought possible throughut the wedding, his face almost splitting in two when Gwen and Lancelot held their hands together over the sacred fire for the ritual handbinding that Gauis blessed them. As they watched the flames dance and refract in the happy couples's hopeful eyes, Arthur sidled up to Merlin's side and slipped their hands together also.

"I think I've just fallen further in love with you." he muttered to the warlock. Merlin tweaked an eyebrow and turned to glance at him.

"Reall?" he asked, cheekily and content.

"You look dashing, and radiant. If you hadn't lost your magic I'd swear you were glowing." Arhtur said.

"It's the earth." Merlin explained. "Magic is almost gone, but this makes her happy. She's showing off for us. Giving her blessing." Arthur smiled at this.

"You're basking in it. The earth adores you" hie said.

"It does. Can't blame it, can you?" Merlin quipped with a cheek. Arthur rooled his sky blue eyes before swallowing nervously. He gazed at Merlin for a split moment and then jumped right in.

"I can't wait to see you at our wedding." he said, keeping the tone of his voice deliberate and even, not daring to spare a glace at Merlin.

Merlin scoffed lightly.

"Why do we need a wedding?" Merlin asked, searching Arhtur with his confused look.

Arthrur felt his heart shatter into a million shards like a shattered mirror in slow mosion, blades of glass falling to the arth glitting in the sun.

"Oh. No reason." he said, stance taught and stiff, in memory of the regal lessons he had received from Gwaine. His face was as blank as a fresh page, but to Merlin it was an open book as always, the words of his feeling written in a language only MErlin could read, in an ink only he could read. He frowned at wat he saw there. Reading the misery there.

"What is it?" Merlin said lowly with a frown, squeezing his hand. Arthur paused and frowned.

"Why don't you want to get married?" He said finally looking firmly at Gwen and lancelot as they smiled at each other and Gaius intoned the ritual. Merlin laughed gentley, hurting his cracking burning heart even more still. He gulped as Merlin stepped forward and ran his lithe pale hands onto either side of Arthur's face. Reading the misery there, he spoke gently, as if to a child sruggling to understand.

"...Arthur we are married." Merlin said in an obvious tone. It was Arthur's turn to scoff, but in disbelief.

"Merlin I think I'd remember my own wedding" he said, with his tone harsh but hope unfurling slowly like a tiny blooming flower in his chest.

"Oh baby I thought you knew!" Merlijn exclaimed, looking destraught. "I would never have done it otherwise! I'm sorry I'm so very sorry."

"What are you talking about, Merin?" asked Arthur, uncertain what his boyfriend, or was it his husband? was talking about.

"The spell. The bonding spell. It's a Druid wedding." Merlin explained, cringing a little in shmae as the words sunk through

Arthur's head.

Arthur blinked a few times in disbelief, staggering a step back.

"We're maried?" he asked, softly, with his voice fluttering.

"We're married." Merlin confirmed, smile wide and comforting.

"We've been married for all this time?" Arthur reconfirmed in nerves.

"All of it." said Merlin. Arthur was gobsmacked, his mouth hung open like a fish

"Is that okay?" Merlin asked him, nerves tingling through his spinal chord. Arthur paused, as if in thought. The longer he paused Merlin began to fidget as he tapped his chin until a smirk appeared on his face that he couldn't keep in anymore.

"It's more than okay. Merlin, idiot warlock, you are everything I've ever wanted." he replied, body vibrating as though filled with light. Merlin smiled and tucked an sraty lock of Arthur's hair behind his ear in a transperent exucse to stroke his face.

"Good." he whispered. And then he stepped forward to capture Arthur's mouth in a blistering kiss that made his knees waiver and his heart sing as Merlin kissed him like a raincloud on a summer's day.

The crowd watching the wedding broke nto a sudden applause, casuing Arthir's eyebrown to twitch.

"I don't think that's for us" he quiped. And they turned back the wedding ceremony in time to watch Lanceot and Gwen finish their kiss, as they broke apart, they continued to hold hands and starred into each others eyes, smiles radiant and almost breaking free of their faces. Arthur groaned suttley.

"Tell me we don't look that doppy" he muttered to Merlin in a muted whisper. Merlin grinned and spared him a glance.

"We look handsome and graceful, I'm sure" he responded with a wide innocent grin and Arthur sprofled a laugh.

As they joked with eachother, they watched proudly with their chests swelling with feeling Lancelot and Gwenivere walk together, fingers still laced into eachother, down the aisle as the audience threw delicate flower petals - a symbol of fertility - over them. One pink petal lodged itself into Lancelot's glossy wavy haur and caused a girlish giggle of glee from Gwen's eyes.

"I love you my knight in shinign armor" she said. Lancelot's earnest grin lit up his

face, his dark eyes, and the glade of trees thet they were in.

"I love you my beautiful maiden" he smiled back before kissing her soundingly again.

In his high tower overlooking his kingdom Uther crackled through the air like the burn of lighting.

"RALPH!" He bellowed into the darkness of the throne room. His servant entered the room, head bowed and expression contrited.

"Sire!" he berkled in reverance.

"You have failed me! The old man is with the warlock whom has captured the man pertaining to be myy son! What do you have to say" he snarled in incandessant rage. Ralph paused mouth moving as hough to speak multiple times but nothing came out before he spoke his careful words.

"Sire, forgive me, but perhaps we can use this. One tree is easier to burn that a forest. they are together. We strike once and take them out together." he said in diplomacy.

"They are strong together! Like a strong bundle of sticks is stronger than a twig" pointed out Uther rathfully.

"But, sire, you are stronger than even they combined! You will wipe them from the Earth and then salt the Earth so nothing new can grow in their ashes. Magic will be gone and you will have your sone, to raise free from his echantement and to claim your kingdom." Ralp said sinperingly.

"You are right Ralph" said Uther musingly, an evil glime in his grey eyes.

"I should be honoured to lead your armies, let me proove myself, my highness." Ralph passionately said, on bended knee.

"No, Ralph. Suit up my armour. I shall lead my armies into the battle and we shall be victorious. People will speak of this dead through the centuries, in song and in dance, I shall be remembered: Uther the Great: who smote the magic from the land so all were safe rom it's clutches and poison. This victory shall be my vicotry. The greastest victory that ever occured. Ready the horses and the men, we are moving up our plans" he announced, voice booming through the echoed halls of Camleot as he swooped from the room, like a bird of pray, cape billowing in his stead behind him.

As the evening wore into night the wedding party grew more raucious as the celebrations began in Ernest. Fireflies sparkled around the village, providing light as well as the first quater moon and all the lanterns that was hung. Hunith had brewed an huge amount of her forest gin mead, which made Arthur's head spin and wonder if Merlin was the only one in their little family with magic. As the pair danced together slowly in the warm, soft light full of riched spiced cake supplied by Gwaine: the baker, not heir vagabound friend - his heart was overcome with joy.

"I love you," he muttered into Merlin'sear. Merlin leaned out of their embrace and looked at Arthur.

"Yeah?" he asked, jokingly with a snirk.

"Yeah!" Arthur agreed. "And when this is over, and I'm High King Bretwalda of Abion, I want us to have another wedding, so every body can see and celebrate with us" He said, eyes staying mostly in focus as he spok althugh his words were a little slurred and the pink flush on his cheeks gave away his condition.

"You're tipsy." Merlin smiled to him.

"Diesn't mean I don't mean it" Arthur insisted, with a swueeze of Merlin's hand. Merlin stopped dancing and cocked his head, assembling the Prince with his eyes.

"Yea, okay then. Throw me a ridiculous wedding you wondering man!" he said, joy in his lungs tingling like fresh clean spring air after a harsh winter; crisp and bright. The hugged each other close. And Arthur sighed.

"It's okay, love" Merlon assured him, "I know you're worried about what's coming, but we'll face it together. I'll be with you. Our friends will stand with you." He carressed Arthur's smooth hair softly.

"I'm asking so much of them." Arthur said gently and sadly.

"They want to fight for you." whispered Merlin, they had stopped dancing now and stood looking at their friends around them, and the people of Ealdor as they celebrated the night away.

"Do they want to die for me?" Arhtur asked. His voice was small and lost in a way that made Merlin's heart break and made him want to pull his lover away from the world and sheild him with the dying remnant's of his magic.

"It won't come to that, Arthur, I swear it. We'll keep them safe." Merlin replied, heart skittering in fear of the promise that he did not know he could keep. He turner, holding Arthur on either side of his face to point his look at him.

"It'll be oaky." he whispered.

"How do you know?" asked Arthur strained.

"I just believe." replied Merlin, simple and withotu unadditional explination. His earnest heir stealing the air from Artur's lungs and taking his breath away.

Suddenly there was a yelling from the other side of the room, a crashing din that sent a wave of shock through the crowd. A moment of silnce followed before Gwaine's lilting voice cut through it.

"Nothing to worry about! Just knocked over the sculpture!" he grinned, pointing to the shards of ice that had been introcately carved into a swan moments prior. "Sorry Lance, Gwen!" he continued, rising his cup to each of them in turn as he spoke.

"Shoudn't we stop him? Take him home or something?" Arthur saked, concerned. Merlin giggled.

"Nu, he's fine. Let him have his fun." Merln answered.

"Bard! Play me a song! Somethin' that's sad and sweet and Ill sing ye a song and I'll make ye feel all right!" Gwaine announced, attention still on him. A ripple of cheer ran through the crow as Gwaine's dolcet accent broke into a melody about true love. As the music picked up with Gwaine's song, the dancing started again and the party got back into its swing, Merlin and Arthur dancing together. Friends, dancing close together, Will and Leon and PErcival, dancing and making merry as Elyan approached every person he could find to ask their names, in search if his soul mate.

Joy flowed through Ealdor like magic still faugh to flow through the earh and as the night burned into dawn, noone noticed the shadowy figures surrounding the piquantesque little village. black and red fabric catching the light as hooded figures engaged on the celebrations. Gwen frowned looking into the darkness of the trees at the moving shapes.

"MErlin..." she said approaching his quietly, not taking her eyes of the shadows.

"What is it?" Merlin asked smilint turning to her from he conversation he was havign with Gwaine who was telling his exitably about how he'd just met a guy who knew where o find the worlds most expensive mushroom in the woods around Ealdo.

"I think something's wrong..." she said putting a worried hand on hisarm. He followd he gaze tot he wood line where he too culd see shapes moving in the dark. Suddenly a shape step forward swatched in red and black cloth. He lowered his hood and stared at MErlin direct in the eyes.