The funeral procession marched on. Sara and Gaius lead them, with Merlin, Leon, Percival and Guy Smith acting as pallbearers. Little did most of them know, the trees were filled with John Millerson's warriors. There were several archers who had special arrows with them, ones that could dull one's magic without being detected, unless it was by a highly specialized expert.
As the procession walked, all the sorcerers suddenly felt shooting pains in their bodies. It took all Merlin had to not drop the coffin.
"Are you alright?" Sara asked Gaius.
"I don't think so." Gaius answered, "But I think I'll be fine until the end of the funeral."
"Are you alright?" Percival asked Merlin.
"Yeah." Merlin lied, "Just a sudden pain. It's gone now."
"I hope so." Percival replied, "I've got a bad feeling."
Merlin wasn't sure what to think. "Did Vonda warn him? She does seem to know these things."
When the mournful procession reached the Lake Avalon, the boat was set down. Since she was ruler, Gwen should've been buried in the Valley of the Kings, but it was her wish to be buried along-side her husband and brother. And honestly, who could blame her for not wanting to be buried next to her father-in-law, Uther?
Gwen's boat was slowly placed in the lake and set off. Once it was drifting, an archer set it alight.
Gwen opened her eyes, everything seemed blury. Once everything settled, she took in her surroundings. She was in a white room with off-white furnishings and sunlight streaming in. She sat up, she was in a bed. A soft bed.
"Welcome to the After Life." A dark-haired woman wearing that dress Merlin claimed had moth holes in it all those years ago.
"Who are you?" Gwen asked.
"Freya, Lady of the Lake." The woman answered.
That name sounded familiar to Gwen. Then she remembered. "One of my friends mentioned you."
Freya smiled. "Was it Merlin?"
"Yes." Gwen answered, "He said that you replaced Nimueh and was watching over Arthur." There was something foggy in her brain, but she couldn't quite understand it.
"True. Would you like to see him again?"
"Yes." Gwen answered. Then she got out of bed, and Nimueh lead her out the door and to a reception room. Gwen gasped when she saw who was there. Her parents, her brother, Lancelot, Gwaine, Morgana, and Arthur. Although Gwen didn't quite notice it at first, Arthur seemed different than the others. She and the others were solid beings, but Arthur had a transparency to him.
Eyes flooding with tears of joy, she ran to them and found herself in a group hug.
"Arthur I'm so sorry." Gwen tearfully said once she got ahold of herself. For the effects of John Millerson's potion had completely gone away by this point.
"Don't worry." Arthur calmly said,"You were enchanted. Not your fault."
Halfway through the return journey to the castle the funeral procession found an ambush. A group of soldiers, wearing armor most of the procession had never seen before.
"Who are you?" Leon asked.
"The Knights of John Millerson." One of them answered.
A shudder of fear went through Sara ans her relatives. Merlin, his children, Gauis and the other sorcerers tried to use their magic to get rid of them, but found that they couldn't use their powers.
"What is your business here?" Leon asked.
The masked Knights smirked, then opened fire. The battle was fierce and kinda one-sided with Camelot's sorcerers having little-to-no of the magic they relied on.
Sara, although quite young, proved to be a capable fighter, being able to match the fiercest opponents that came her way. Merlin surprised everyone with how good of a fighter he was without his magic.
Genny, Morgaine and Anglicus, having been trained in combat since they could remember, made quick work dispatching opponents. They didn't need their magic, but they could do a lot better if they had it.
The fighting was fierce, and a bit chaotic. Some of the fighters found themselves far away from where they started. Eventually, Merlin found himself battling near Sara's side, doing all he could to keep her safe. However, while they were both pre-occupied with fighting, a solider seized the opportunity and struck Sara with a sword.
She wasn't killed, and before she could be finished off, Merlin quickly grabbed her and fled.
He ran as fast as he could. His only thought was to get Arthur's child to safety. Suddenly, he tripped on a tree root and feel through a swirling circle.
