Chapter Fifteen

Merlin's surprise entrance caused me to spring back from Gwaine in shock. Or rather, I started to, but Gwaine's arms tightened around me, keeping me right where I was. There was no hiding after that, though I still tried by burying my face in Gwaine's chest. The chuckle I felt rumbling through him told me that he was enjoying this immensely.

"Gwaine, really, Anna? You chose Gwaine?" Merlin asked me. I could hear the grin in his voice, so I just groaned and tucked myself further into Gwaine's embrace.

"Yes, Gwaine," the man himself said, sounding incredibly pleased. Which made me blush, just a bit.

"It took you two long enough. Elyan owes me money."

That got my attention and I glared at him. "You two were betting on us?" I was torn between incredibly amused and highly offended.

"We all were," he answered with a shrug and a grin. But then he caught a glimpse of Blanchefleur. Sobering, he crossed the room to be at her side, brow wrinkled in concentration. "Why is she under a sleeping spell? And why is Gwen carrying laundry at all, but especially while so pregnant?"

"What are you talking about, mate?" Gwaine asked, moving with me to be closer to our friend.

Merlin spoke almost absently while concentrating on the magic apparently surrounding the girl in the bed. "I just came across her with a huge load of laundry, struggling to carry it up the stairs. And when I tried taking it from her, or even just talking to her, she was scared and ran away from me."

Gwaine and I exchanged a look. "That's not like her at all," I said, my earlier worry coming back to me in full force.

"Not at all. She's been refusing to see anyone other than Laudine for weeks now," Gwaine added.

"Who's Laudine?" Merlin asked, attention pulled back to us at the unfamiliar name.

"My sister!"

All three of us turned to the previously unconscious girl now sitting up on the bed. Blanchefleur was awake, and looking utterly terrified. "Laudine is my sister, and she's a witch! Well, we both are, but I try not to use my magic, but she works for Lot!" She caught sight of me, and her pale face lost any trace of color. "You're Lady Annaliese, aren't you? She's here to take you back to Lot!"

My stomach dropping to my toes, I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips, but Gwaine's cursing drowned it out. "I will never allow him to touch you, Anna, I swear it," he growled, pulling me into his arms again. The feeling of safety, of home, instantly washed over me, reassuring me that I was, in fact, safe. And that Gwaine would do anything to keep me that way.

Merlin's brows lowered and his eyes darkened in anger. "Tell me everything," he commanded the girl, sounding much more dangerous than I ever thought my old friend could sound. His eyes flaring gold only added to the effect.

Blanchefleur immediately complied, telling us how Lot had learned about her magic, and her sister's, as well. "My magics scare me," she confessed softly. "I try not to use them most of the time, just to cheer a sad child, maybe. But Laudine can trade appearances with anyone she pleases, so long as she can get eye contact first. And she's mad for Lot, utterly obsessed with him. She'll do anything for him, possibly even kill if he asked it. He's given her loads of books, ones that used to belong to Morgause, so she's learned so much more than just what she was born with."

That was terrifying news, but it didn't stop there. "I heard Lot order her to come here, to Camelot. He told her to get Annaliese to go back with her to his castle, no matter the cost. He's as obsessed with you as Laudine is with him, but only because you slipped from his fingers. I knew Laudine would do anything to make him happy, even if it was getting another woman for him, and I couldn't sit by and watch him ruin another life. I left that night, but Laudine somehow found me a few days into my journey, and she attacked me. I got away by making her feel too tired to focus on anything, but not before she hit me with a sleeping spell, her speciality, other than stealing other people's faces, I mean. She's cast them on me before, so I knew I could fight it if I kept moving, and I did. I got here about a day later, but I'd lost too much blood by then and couldn't keep going. And then I couldn't fight her spell anymore. I'm so sorry."

"You did so much more than anyone could ever ask of you," I assured her, even for the continuous sinking feeling in my stomach.

But Gwaine wasn't convinced. "How can we believe her? Her sister told us a different story weeks ago, one where they were both trying to escape Lot together."

"Laudine would never truly leave Lot," Blanchefleur said vehemently. "He's twisted her into a sick puppet for him to play with when he's bored."

Merlin added with a wry look, "She had no choice but to tell the truth. I'm rather glad the Catha taught me that truth spell. Now, what's been going on here since the girls arrived?"

Gwaine and I (mostly Gwaine, since I'd holed myself up in Blanchfleur's room) told him how Laudine had become closer to Gwen, and the changes everyone seemed to have undergone. The more we (Gwaine) talked, the paler Blanchfleur became, until even her lips were bloodless. "I think she used my magic," she whispered, once Gwaine finished his recitation.

That really got Merlin's attention. "What do you mean?"

Blanchefleur grimaced. "Ever since we were children, we could use each other's magics, almost sharing them like we would a doll. But once she fell into Lot's clutches, I've refused to let her use mine. That would be disastrous, letting her change emotions completely unchecked. But since I was asleep, she could simply take it. I'm sure that's what she's done, making everyone act completely unlike themselves."

"That's why I've been feeling so utterly lost," I gasped, understanding dawning. And anger growing. "That's why I've been feeling like the best thing would be to turn myself over to Lot."

She nodded. "It would have made it easier for Laudine if you were to go on your own. Much less of a mess than dragging you kicking and screaming."

Gwaine kissed the top of my head, wrapping me more securely in his arms. "It also explains why I've felt like something was trying to drag my attention from Anna to Laudine. It was almost as if someone else was whispering in my ear the past few weeks about Laudine, about her beauty and how she would make a good wife."

I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, but he only laughed and kissed my nose. "It didn't work, obviously. Every time it started, I would come visit you, and the whispering was muted while I was with you."

"Love is a powerful form of magic," Merlin quipped, looking far too amused for my taste. And I blushed horribly. He grinned briefly, before sobering again. "We know why everyone is acting different, except Gwen. Why was she lugging laundry around when I saw her?"

"With what you've said about the queen, I think Laudine must have switched faces with her and she's been enjoying making her act like a maid," Blanchefleur supplied.

"Then why did I see her as Gwen and not some girl I've never seen?" Merlin asked, trying to figure out the puzzle.

The girl thought for a moment. "The glamour does wear off after several hours, but Laudine is incredibly fastidious about making sure to recast it before then."

"Perhaps she's gotten comfortable, isn't worrying as much as she did at the beginning," Gwaine suggested, but not like he actually believed what he was saying.

"Or perhaps her magic isn't strong enough to hide from Merlin's," I offered. "Especially since you know Gwen so well."

Merlin nodded slowly, somewhat absently. "Could Laudine have put a silencing spell on Gwen? Or some sort of spell to keep her from revealing her true identity?"

Blanchefleur shrugged unsurely. "It's possible. Lot gave her all of the books Morgause left at the castle. There's probably something in there that would do something like that, but I don't know for sure."

Merlin nodded again, still clearly thinking. Until suddenly, he turned on his heel. "Let's go get our Gwen back. And stopping Laudine should put an end to the enchantments on everyone else."

The four of us made our way to Gwen's chambers, and Merlin ignored all normal etiquette by flinging open the door with his magic ahead of us. An affronted Gwen and terrified Laudine looked to us, though the annoyance slipped from the false Gwen's face to turn more toward terror, as well, once she saw who was shoving into her room. I couldn't help but admire her attempt to continue with the charade, even for hating her more than anyone else in my life. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you come barging in like this? I am your-"

I didn't bother with speaking. She had caused enough chaos and had to be stopped. I simply marched up to her and swung my fist as hard as I could, connecting with her face. The imposter queen dropped, entirely unconscious, while Gwaine and Merlin crowed in delight. A beat later, the real Gwen gasped, and we all turned to see her change back to normal. I rushed to her side and wrapped my arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Gwen," I cried, feeling so horribly guilty. After all, I should have realized something was wrong. She was my closest friend! "I should have noticed, done something-"

Gwen returned the hug, squeezing me as tightly as I was squeezing her around her rather prominent belly. "It's not your fault, love, and no harm done. Let's go to Arthur and get to the bottom of this. Oh, and Blanchefleur, it's nice to see you awake."

Blanchefleur's eyes widened, and she curtsied belatedly. "Tha- Thank you, Your Majesty, and I'm so sorry my sister-"

"You're not responsible for your sister's actions," Gwen corrected with a gentle smile. "She alone is responsible for what she has done. Now, come with me and we can figure this whole mess out."

Gwen led the rest of us out of her chambers in search of her husband, with Merlin carrying the real Laudine over his shoulder. "That was bloody brilliant, love," Gwaine said lowly, taking my hand in his.

But my sharp cry of pain made him quickly drop it. "I think I broke my hand," I explained, feeling a bit sheepish, and a lot in pain.

AN: And the plot thickens! There isn't a whole lot left, but I don't know how many chapters that translates into. Five or six, maybe, and then an epilogue, so we're nearly there. I'm sorry I haven't been very good at updating lately, or really, at all with this story, but I promise I will finish! And most probably by the end of this year :) Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to avidreader96 and KayJane16 for your lovely reviews!