AN: Thanks so much to the really, really lovely comments from mersan123 and PadrePedro - hope you all like this chapter!

Gwen was grateful for the absence of her mistress most of the day so that she did not have to keep up the pretence of ignorance, fearful that her friendship with Morgana was already feeling the strain of her suspicion. It had even crossed the maid's mind that her lady was suspicious of her , and while she had seemed to advocate peace for Arthur, how would she react to being followed by someone close to her? Morgana's absence was unwelcome in that sense, as it meant that Gwen could not gage how the lady was feeling towards her.

When her mistress finally did return home that evening it was late, the sky filled with clouds that had been pent up over the past few days, building a reserve of water that poured over the kingdom. Gwen shivered even inside, listening to the drops pelting against the walls, hoping it might stop when she was to leave, even though she lived close. Morgana was lucky, escaping the worst of the cascade as she had rushed in moments before the clouds grumbled horrifyingly. The lady appeared unperturbed, entering her chambers with a simple nod to her maid who was stifling a yawn. Morgana shrugged out of her cloak, the only victim of what rain had come before the storm, and Gwen took it off her wordlessly before hanging it to dry.

"Guinevere, it is late," Morgana said, and Gwen heard the smile in her words although their backs were facing each other. "You should go home; I can manage from here."

The maid turned and her dress swept across the floor as she adorned her face with her sweetest smile, "My Lady," her fingers fiddled together, "don't worry about me; I can still see to you."

"You are too kind," Morgana turned too, the bright smile painting her lips appearing as authentic as it ever had, and Gwen felt her stomach tighten. "But please, Gwen, I'm not Arthur: I'm sure I can do without you for one night." She laughed, the maid echoing it with much less humour, though Morgana hardly noticed as she softened her eyes around the edges, "get some rest."

Gwen brought her feet together, remaining for a second, but with a blink she asked, "if you're sure, My Lady?"

"Of course," another nod, and the maid was dismissed, careful to rein in her tired sigh before leaving the room.

Night was falling over the castle as she began to make her way out, candlelight guiding the way as the only sound covering her feet shuffling across the floor was that of the downpour outside of the walls. Even from within the maid could hear the clouds growing angrier, huffing as she accepted that her cloak had seen better days as she tried to tie it around her while rushing her steps. As a hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed at her, she briefly wondered if she should have been more focused on her surroundings; she yelped when the hand pulled her, only beginning to push back when she was brought into a cosy alcove, coming face to face with her assailant. Or, her king.

Her eyes went wide, but eventually her heart caught up with her brain and calmed its erratic beating, and then her hands stopped scrambling and dropped to her side. Arthur kept his hand securely wrapped around her arm, bringing a finger to his lip to hush her. Gwen shook her head, "well I'm not going to call for help now I know it's you," she whispered sardonically when she was certain she was in no danger. The fright had gripped at her so much that she made no effort to care when Arthur's eyebrows rose at her comment, and with her shrug it was the king who surrendered; letting out a sigh as he let go of her arm, he tried to give her as much space as he could in the cramped space. Gwen shifted, trying herself to get comfortable, hoping the king knew what it could look like if they were caught like this together. The thought was almost enough to make her laugh, but Arthur's appearance made her think twice.

Some might say he appeared dishevelled. Gwen would argue that they were being too kind as she took in his state; the king prided himself on his appearance, but evidently not today. His hair was all over the place, - and when he almost elbowed her as he raked a hand through it, she understood it must have had the same treatment all day - and his eyes were lost somehow. Something about his outfit and demeanour seemed off, and the fact that he had pulled her into the hidden space only added to her concern; a frown fell over her as she asked, "what are you doing skulking around your own castle?" Gwen attempted to cross her arms but gave up when the limited room allowed only restricted movement.

His eyes focused on her, "Leon said he told you?"

"Leo- about Morgana?"

Arthur nodded, moving his hand again to run through his hair, but Gwen stopped it in its tracks; the king stared at her with a crinkle over his nose, but she shook her head and lowered the hand slowly. After a moment of confusion, Arthur carefully began his story with an eye on the maid, "I followed her today." Gwen's eyes brightened in the darkened alcove, hands reaching up to Arthur's elbows. "She went to Cenred."

"Cenred?" Gwen gasped loudly, and Arthur dropped his perplexing expression just long enough to give the maid a pointed look. "Sorry," she blushed, "she saw Cenred?" she repeated in a whisper.

"There was some alliance," the king shook his head, "it wasn't her alliance, but it was to do with the New Order and Nimueh."

"Morgana mentioned the New Order when we followed her to Nimueh," Gwen managed to put a finger on her chin as she thought, "but she said she wanted peace, both Leon and I heard her."

Arthur hummed, "I know, and I can believe it. Morgana only went to Cenred to cancel the alliance." Gwen felt the tightness in her stomach loosen ever so slightly. "She told him she would protect Camelot for as long as she could."

"Really?"

Arthur nodded, but his gaze was drifting into some memory she could not see, and he appeared more confused than he had ever appeared; the maid knew there was more to be said. She lifted her lips in the motherly smile she had perfected helping her father bring up her brother, and had employed often with those she knew; speaking softly she asked, "Arthur, what is it? Something more is on your mind."

He struggled, and she knew he was probably itching to brush through his hair when she could feel his feet shuffling this way and that close to her. She bore down on him though with her perfect smile and her maternal gaze, and it was not long before he broke, looking away. "She wants peace. I know, but…" he trailed off, but Gwen's efforts did not falter; her hands hovered by his elbows before holding on to him, and she waited with patience until his eyes finally met with hers. "Morgana is my magical rival, Gwen. She is Magic's Defender."

Gwen gasped again but regretted pulling back when her back met the cold stone wall close behind her. It was something she needed, though, when it seemed to slot the information perfectly into place in her mind; her eyes travelled as she considered, whispering to herself, "of course," as she put all of the pieces together in one smooth motion. Morgana had never been quiet of her sympathy for those with magic, so the idea of her defending them in such a big way was hardly implausible. Then, her head stopped its movement away from the king as her eyebrows hovered, "well, that's…" she turned to Arthur quickly, her neck aching but the hope overriding the pain, "that's good, isn't it?"

Arthur mouthed, "what?" as he stared at the maid as if she were crazy.

Gwen suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she explained, "she's cut the alliance with Cenred, she's shown she wants peace - not war." She waited a moment to make sure the weary king was following, "perhaps, then, it is lucky she's your rival: you can negotiate with her!"

The king frowned, "can I?" his eyes lost themselves once more, "there have been so many lies, I'm not sure what to think any more."

Gwen's eyebrows lowered as she wondered if she knew everything, but she still smiled, "trust your judgement. You are a good king, and you always make the right choice." Arthur's stare still lacked confidence so her grip tightened, "if there is any chance of peace, should you not take it?"

The little starlight struggled to twinkle in the lake, but the rain disrupted any and every attempt as drops became heavier, bombarding the still water as it plinked with each onslaught. Arthur had still found Merlin laying ridiculously under the rain, covered only by trees which were of little use as droplets found their way off of leaves to meet their initial target. The king himself had covered his head with the hood of his cloak, but Merlin had draped his own out on the grass; Arthur wondered how Merlin was the only person to be so ridiculously strange sometimes, but simply apologised for his late arrival and joined his partner, knowing his concern would be met only with laughter. When he lay down, he was not surprised to see the idiot's grin still gleaming despite his body being more rainwater than anything else, but he found comfort in it and settled down easily. Usually they had nights where they enjoyed staring up at the stars together, but he knew if he chanced a look up at the night sky he would only be splattered with droplets.

Still, the king's mind was too heavy to find any lasting comfort even by Merlin's side, and he fidgeted where he lay, hearing only Gwen's advice when he watched the warlock's mouth move as he said something. "Arthur!" Merlin snapped him from his daydream, "are you even listening to me?"

The king gulped, his cheeks lifting his eyes in an effort to appear apologetic, "say it again," he tried.

Merlin's own eyes were filled with judgement as he sighed, "I doubt you'll hear it a third time." Arthur frowned, eyes drifting as he recounted in his head, wondering when they had passed the second telling. "You look like you've hardly slept," Merlin's fingertips grazed the exposed skin at Arthur's wrist soothingly, and Arthur's eyes followed them around almost hypnotically before a sigh broke through his thoughts. "You can talk to me, you know?"

Arthur huffed, "I wish this rain would stop." He turned briefly to the sky, regretting it instantly as the rain hammered down, taking advantage of the position.

The warlock gave his own huff, and Arthur wished it were not so filled with disappointment, but Merlin still offered something when the king refused to speak, "I can do something about that." Arthur's head dropped back into place, coming back to Merlin, but before he could question it he saw the familiar gold lighting Merlin's eyes before he could feel the difference in the air; it was so quick that his eyes had missed it, but when they finally moved away from Merlin they widened at the sight of it. His ears picked up the chuckle from his side at his amazement, but Arthur allowed it, considering instead the frozen droplets surrounding them. Pushing himself up slightly, he reached out for one, a faint chill rushing through him when the raindrop tilted a little before swinging back into its place when Arthur's finger left it.

A breath of laughter escaped him, "it's beautiful," he whispered. There was no need for the stars as the rain itself twinkled right beside them, all around them; when the king finally lay back, his amazed smile turned into one of amusement as his more serious thoughts gave him a moment of respite. "If you can do this, why don't you do it all the time?"

"You don't understand magic: some spells require much more energy than others."

Arthur lowered his head, the beat that his thoughts had left him as quick as the beat in which they had returned as all humour evaporated. His eyes dropped to the ground, "I didn't know." Clearing his throat, his gaze shifted over to the lake, now twinkling serenely; raindrops hovered over it with such stillness that the king was caught short with the reminder of his partner's power. "There's a lot I don't know."

After a second, he felt Merlin shifting closer, "is this about what you saw? At the stones?" Arthur's silence probably said more than he possibly could, but Merlin whispered his name with such a desperate need to help, that when Arthur looked back up to him, he wished he could discuss everything with Merlin so that he could deliver that help. So that he could confide in someone he trusted completely.

Suddenly his eyes went wide as something different burst from his lips and he leaned towards Merlin eagerly, "if there was a war," he spoke desperately, "if there was another war, Merlin, between those with magic and those without, what would you do?"

"What?" Merlin pulled his head back quickly, regarding Arthur with a strange stare; the raindrops that were knocked out of place by the movement were hazy in Arthur's line of sight when he pushed forward and Merlin began to fidget with a loose thread on his jacket. "I don't know," the warlock tried, "I try not to think about it."

The king's hand found its way around Merlin's wrist in one fluid motion, and the warlock's eyes flitted to it for less than a second before meeting back with what Arthur could only assume was a piercing stare, considering the concern and hint of fear in Merlin's own expression. "Please," Arthur said, attempting to soften his eyes into something not worn by a madman.

Merlin sighed in such a way that Arthur knew he had won, "I suppose I'd go and see my mother, as she gives the best counsel." Arthur mirrored his partner's smile, and their expressions synchronised as the lightness fell in each at the same moment. "If it were to come to it, Arthur, I think I would have to support my people," his chin jutted out as he spoke quietly but decisively, "my kin. Even if I could not fight, I wouldn't watch them fall."

Arthur's eyes fell with Merlin's, but he nodded with more understanding than he felt he had had all week, "and I the same," he whispered.

A moment of morose silence passed; without the rain pattering hard against the ground, there was nothing to distract either of them from the depression that had trapped them in a single moment, the drops dangling in the night sky only reflecting their sadness. Arthur's hand loosened around Merlin's wrist as he thought of the many memories they had made sitting by the lake, memories that could soon be the only thing remaining of what they have. They had never planned to be forever, but had they ever seen it coming to an end?

"Arthur…" Merlin's struggling voice broke the despondency, and Arthur turned to see the warlock's face contorting as he wrestled with something.

"What is it?"

The warlock opened his mouth, but closed it again only seconds later, and Arthur wondered if the frustration he felt was the same as what Merlin had felt earlier, so he remained patient. Still, as he often did, Merlin kept his silence and simply fixed on his brightest smile, the one that Arthur knew was not entirely genuine, and said, "it won't happen, though," with too much forced positivity. The king almost laughed at his optimism. Merlin must have sensed his cynicism, since Arthur had never done anything to hide it, and the next moment Arthur's hand was being held in a wet but warm hold. "We will still have our secret meetings under the stars."

Arthur stared at him, his brain automatically preparing his usual jab along the lines of the warlock's sentimentality, but his heart was not in it and he sniffed, wrapping his hand around his partner's with an almost wet smile. He swallowed but looked sincerely into blue eyes, "I love you," he whispered, shuffling closer.

Merlin's eyebrows rounded over his softened eyes, as his grin simmered down into something more genuine, "I love you, too."

Arthur's eyes flickered down to the warlock's lips as they both pushed closer; "Merlin," he moaned, bringing his lips to hover over Merlin's. His partner's moved gently against his, the warm skin caressing Arthur's, both seeking the same comfort. Their fingers locked together when one pair of eyes closed after the other, and lips met properly as they ached to touch. The king felt the rain suddenly pelting his skin once more as they attacked those who thought to stop it, but he bade it little notice when Merlin's skin was touching his and Arthur hoped with the affection to seal a promise, a decision finally made. The movements were slow at first, but then their hands moved away from each other to hold on to the other's body instead, to find a grip as they moved faster, hearts beating together eagerly as they wished to feel nothing else in the world. The king moved his hand gently across the warlock, finding his cheek before rubbing a thumb across it as he deepened the kiss, Merlin's warmth spreading through him, mixing in with his blood as it raced through his being.

When the pair parted, taking heavy breaths, their foreheads remained connected as they kept close. Half open eyes flitted up to meet each other, each man wearing a faint, sombre smile. "We'll always have the stars," Arthur echoed.