Thank you for reading. As always I hope that you are enjoying the story and will like this new chapter. Due to the review that I got for the last chapter, I feel that I have to explain something, because I am not very good at writing the small stuff. Morgana did open and close the veil. In the mythology Morgan le Fay is known for her skill in healing magic. This is something that I have tried to work into the story a little. She uses this skill to fatally wound the Dochraid, but not kill her. She didn't expect to be knocked back and knocked out like she was. Once she awakes she heals the Dochraid so that she can enter the veil and close it. She tells Arthur that it was Nimueh so that he knows she is out there and can protect himself and Camelot. I hope this is not patronising, I just wanted to make sure that my bad writing does not ruin the story.

Lightsbane1905. Thank you very much for your review. I hope that what I just wrote explains the situation, sorry it was not clear. As for her being an enemy or not, I think as long as Arthur doesn't do anything to harm her, or those with magic then she will leave them along. Right now her priority is to keep herself and Aithusa safe after what they went through. I'm glad that you like her so far, I wouldn't say that she is going to be a love interest, but she will play a role in the overall story. I agree, when we make up reasons to segregate people or label them it only leads to fighting. We are all human beings underneath it all. That is what matters. Not the differences, but our similarities. Don't worry about it, I hope that everything went well and you had a good time.

Just as the sun began to rise into the sky, Arthur allowed himself to finally stand up and wake the others. Many thoughts had ran through his head in the hours since he spoke to Morgana. The most prevalent was what was her intension, what did she want. There had been no sign of any activity form the Isle of the Blessed. It seemed that at the very least she was telling the truth about the veil being closed. He knew her well enough to now that there was something else going on, that she was keeping from him. She had made no move against Camelot in years, whatever was going on with her, he believed she was no threat. There seemed to be no more reason for Merlin and himself to stay here. As relived as he was by this, he could not help but remember the way Morgana had looked. Something had happened to her, something that had left her weak and defensive. He wished that she had stayed, that he had had the chance to talk to her more. Try and convince her to return with them. In all honestly he had not given her much thought over the years that he had not seen her. He hoped, wanted to believe that she was safe, maybe happy or at least at peace. His life had changed too much in that time and he had had to deal with it and keep going, her being gone was just a part of that. Seeing her he realised that he had missed her. For better or worse it was still her voice that he heard in the back of his head telling him to follow his heart, do what he believed was right. Her voice, not Gwen's. It had always been and it seemed that there would be no changing that.

With one last look at the Isle of the blessed, where he was sure she was, he turned back walked towards Merlin and Eleanor. The young girl was sleeping curled up against the trunk of a tree. Merlin was sleeping sitting up with his back against another tree a few feet away. Arthur held back a laugh, it seemed that Merlin had tried to keep watch before Morgana placed them under a sleeping spell. Walking over to him, the King used his seemingly favourite method for waking him up when they were forced to sleep out in the open, he kicked him in the leg. Not with as much force as he could have used, but enough force to wake him up.

With a slightly held back yell, Merlin woke up, almost jumping out of his skin. Arthur looked down at him and smiled. With a sigh Merlin pulled himself to his feet. He looked passed Arthur to the Isle of the Blessed. It would have been impossible to see anything there that would tell him anything that he didn't already know, but he couldn't help himself.

"Nice to see you awake."

Merlin choose not to reply to that. "I take it nothing happened."

Arthur took a minute, slightly chewing on him bottom lip as mental chewed over the right words. Finally he answered, realising that the only way to answer was the direct way. "I spoke to Morgana." Judging by the look on Merlin's face, he should have been less direct.

The warlock's heart was racing. He hated that he was having such a strong reaction to this news. She was powerful, but so was he. He did not fear her, he was couscous of her. She was unpredictable, it was hard to anticipate what she was going to do next. Nothing she did form the outside made much sense, but it did to her, and only once it was too late did you understand her plans. There had to be a reason that she had been gone for so long and why she choose now to make her presence known.

"What did she say." He asked.

Arthur quickly glanced over at the sleeping girl. She appeared to still be in a deep sleep, she would not hear them and wake up any time soon. "She closed the veil."

"And." Merlin's tone was harsher than he meant it to be and louder. He now looked to Eleanor to make sure he had not woken her up. Looking back at Arthur he waited for him to say something in response to his outburst.

He calmly went on. "It appears that a witch Nimueh has a grudge against Camelot." It took all of Merlin's self-control not to say anything or give any sign of how much this news affected him. "She opened the veil, Morgana closed it."

There was a lot that Arthur did not say, many questions Merlin had, now did not seem to be the time for those questions. So he asked the most pressing one. "What do we do now." He was able to keep his voice as calm and neutral as he could.

"We return to Camelot and make sure that they have not been taken by surprise while we have been away." Again the look on Merlin's face gave him away. He expected that they would do more, should do more than wait and see. "What else can we do."

With that he walked over to the horses and began to prepare them for the journey home. Merlin knew that he was right, it was his own guilt that he had caused this that made him want to take action now. He had believed that he had dealt with Nimueh years ago. Now he was quickly realising that she had been the mysterious sorceress The one that had worked with Agravaine to kill Morgana, sent the Lamia after the knights, who tried to have the druids start a war and who Gilli was working with. How much her actions had already affected Camelot without making a direct move slowly dawned on him. He blamed himself, he should have made sure she was dealt with, but who would have thought she would have survived that. Merlin lost in his thoughts was pulled from them as Arthur cleared his throat. Realising what the king wanted him to do, he walked over to Eleanor. Bending down next to her he gentle shock her shoulder. With a small start she woke up. Looking around her she took a minute to take in where she was.

"It's time we get moving." Merlin pulled himself to his feet, offering her a hand. She took it with a small smile of thanks.

"You can come with us to the village nearest Camelot. You should be safe there." Arthur spoke to Eleanor without turning to look at her. He was too busy finishing saddling his horse.

"No." Eleanor confidently stated. She now had the King's full attention. "With all due respect my Lord…..I will not be safe anywhere but Camelot. The untruths about me, will find a way of following me."

Normally he would have had no problem with her coming with them, but from what he had just learned Camelot may not be the safest place for her, for anyone at the moment. It was a small thing, but if he could maybe keep one person out of the possible crossfire then he would take that as a small victory. Unfortunately when he turned to look at her, he saw determination in her eyes. He could be more determined he knew, and normally he would prove it. Again this was not a normal situation. More than anything he wanted to return home, to see that it was still standing, start making plans, see Gwen. If she wanted to accompany them, that was her business. If it cost her down the line, it was her own fault. If that happened he knew he would blame himself, he just didn't have the energy or time to spare right now.

"You will have to alternate who rides the horse."

With that ended the discussion, as he mounted his horse and set off. Merlin looked over at Eleanor who looked if it was possible more shocked than he did. He shrugged a little, he understood why Arthur would not put up much of a fight. Seeing Morgana always seemed to leave her Brother very conflicted. Gesturing with his arm he indicated for her to ride the horse first. She nodded and did as she was instructed.

No more than three hours later they arrived back at the city. The citizens were well underway in caring out their daily routines. A few turned to watch their King and his two companions as they made their way through the streets towards the palace. Some even bowed slightly towards him, the majority however knew that he did not need or want them to bow to him, so they went on with their day to day lives.

Once the travellers were able to see the steps to the palace, Arthur caught sight of a figure at a second floor window. A hint of a smile crossed his face, it could only be one person. By the time they had reached the square in-front of the palace, the figure was making their way down the main palace steps to great them. By the time Arthur had dismounted his horse, Gwen was by his side. She had all but ran through the palace and down the steps to meet him. He barely had a chance to turn around to face her before she had her arms wrapped around his neck. Taking the hint, Merlin helped Eleanor dismount the other horse and led her into the palace.

"You seem surprised to see me." He spoke in a low whisper, as he held her tightly. "I promised I would return."

She held him tighter. "I believed in you, but there are things that are beyond even your control."

"We'll see about that." he joked as he lifted her a few inched of the ground and carried her to the edge of the main palace steps.

The council that had gathered before Arthur and Merlin had set out gathered once again in the King's chambers to discuss the information that they had just learned, with the added addiction of Eleanor. Who stood a little behind the others, who stood around Arthur's desk. None of them could think of a clear idea of what their next move should be. The way they saw it, they had been given a warning form Morgana of a threat that they knew nothing about, therefore they didn't know how to prevent it. All that they could really do was make sure that they kept a look out for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. It was frustrating for Arthur to have to wait for Nimueh to make her move first before he did anything. Now realising how little they had to go on, he wished that he had made Morgana tell him more or looked for her on the Isle before they left.

Seeing his hands that he was leaning on the desk, tensing up, Gwen placed her steady hand on top of the one nearest her. Slowly he lifted his gaze up from the table to look at her. He offered a small smile. "The more pressing question, the one that we can answer conclusively right now, is what are we going to do with Eleanor."

All eyes now turned to the quiet girl in the corner. "I only ask to be given the chance to work."

"I think we can accommodate that." Arthur said as he stood up straight. "The Lady Guinevere is in need of a ladies maid."

The young girl turned to look at the Lady in question with wide open eyes. Gwen tried to turn away from the eyes that had now turned to her. There was a reason that she had never in the years that she had been a lady ever had a maid. She was proud of her past work, of where she had come from, but she knew that she could never be comfortable with having a maid. Having someone do things for her that she could do herself. She had even noticed Morgana at times clearly being uncomfortable with having a maid. They had been such close friends after all. The silence that had followed Arthur suggestion had gone on for too long, they were waiting for her to answer. She had to say something.

"I can manage as I have been…..I think Mary may need more help in the kitchen." Seeing that there were a number of questions about her answer she went on. "She is always complaining about needing extra help. It would also only take up a few hours of your day."

She walked over to Eleanor as she spoke, place a reassuring had on her shoulder. Eleanor smiled weakly and nodded. Gwen was about to say more when she saw the disappointment in her face, but before she could Gaius spoke up.

"Merlin and I will escort you to the Kitchen. Then Mary will show you were you will be staying."

With a nod the three left the King's chambers. Guilt started to well up inside Gwen. Arthur moved to stand next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she will fit in just fine."

Gwen nodded. "I just feel guilty."

"I should have known to talk to you about it before I made the offer."

"No, no." she turned to face him fully. "It was a kind gesture…one I wish….."

"Don't, she has a job and a place to live, there is no reason to feel guilty."

Again she nodded. With a sigh she hugged him. "How are you." She asked.

He tensed up at her question. It was clear what she was really asking him, how did he feel about seeing Morgana again after so long. It was a question she knew that both Merlin and Gaius had wanted to ask him too. It was one that she was also very sure he was asking himself. Gwen herself was asking a similar question. How did she feel about hearing of Morgana after so long. There was no clear answer to this question, but she knew that he need to talk about it.

He pulled away from her hold and moved back over to his desk, where he began to move the papers that lay on it around. This was his way of looking busy. His way avoiding things when he didn't want to talk about something, most people would leave him alone, but she was not most people when he was concerned.

"Arthur." She pressed moving to stand by his side and placing a hand over the paper he was looking down at, covering the writing on it.

With a groan he moved back to slump into his chair. She did not give up, taking a step towards him she knelled down by his side. This was a position that she was getting to become very familiar with. He too was growing used to it. There was only one thing that was missing. Lifting her hands she placed them on top of his that held the arm of the chair. Now the picture was complete.

She looked up at him with large loving eyes and inside he groaned. "She looked so…weak, frail."

Gwen was not overly surprised to hear this. It was hard to imagine that with the life that she lived she had many chances for a real warm meal. "She was always rather thin."

He laughed a little under his breath as a memory can to mind. "Father used to get so angry with her when she refused to finish her meals. I think she did it to provoke a reaction from him, to be able to leave the table sooner…..she always found a way to test the limits."

At her future Husbands memory, one of her own was brought to Gwen's mind. "He made her take her food with her, to her chambers…..she would give it to me."

Arthur lifted his free hand and placed it on top of hers. "She did care for you…things just changed."

"That is one way of putting it." she tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes and her attempt at a laugh died on her lips.

"A very generous way of putting it."

"She warned you, she did not have to do that…..whatever it is she is doing. Harming you, destroying Camelot doesn't seem to be it."

"It could be a trick. She could be….."

"She could be doing anything, planning anything."

Gwen nodded. "That is true, but do you think…do you really think that she means you harm."

He was silent as he thought of the answer to her question. "I believe that she means harm…..her eyes, they were so hollow. There was also an anger there." He nodded his head slightly. "Yes I think she means harm…..but not to us."

Finding no series of words that she could put together in response to what he had just heard, she for the third time that day in the space of little over an hours pulled him into a hug.

Gaius gave Eleanor a lecture on the way things ran in the palace as he and Merlin led her to the kitchen. For someone that knew the old man as well as Merlin, it was easy to tell that he was simply going through the motions. He wondered if he was fully aware of what he was saying. Once they reacted the kitchen Gaius made the introductions between the newest kitchen maid and the head cook. Then he and Merlin left and quickly as they could they made their way to their rooms, there was much for them to talk about.

Merlin closed the door behind them, the second it was shut he turned round to face Gaius. "It can't be true. Can it."

Gaius stood by the large bench in the centre of the room. He was looking at the shelf on the wall in –front of him. One book in particular seemed to have caught his attention. Merlin moved over to stand by his side, where he repeated his question. Hoping this time he would get an answer, though he didn't know what answer he wanted. If it was true then he had failed, if it was a lie then Morgana was planning something. He did not like either option. One dented his pride, the other worried him greatly.

"She is a being of magic, as are you and Morgana. Magic is in everything, it is all around us. It can never truly die. In some way it will live on."

"I don't understand."

The old man let a laugh escape his lips. "I have lived longer then you and I do not fully understand it myself. All that I am sure of is that magic can never be removed from this world. It leaves an imprint. Every spell, enchantment that you have cast has left an immovable mark on the world. A being of magic does much the same."

Merlin, while still not fully understanding how this meant that Nimueh could still be alive. She had to be dead. The balance of life and death had been met with her death. He did understand the idea behind it. Magic was in everything, it was as Gaius had said all around them, to think that you could ever fully remove it was a very naïve idea. Therefore if magic was in him, in her, then yes, part of her would always in however small a way remain. This thought made him think of his Father. When he used his powers as a Dragon Lord, which he had not done in a very long time, he could feel at times his Father's energy. That kind of energy may have been left by Nimueh, maybe someone had worked to bring it back to life. There was no one he could think that would wish to do that. He feared he would only know how her reappearance was possible when he came face to face with her.

"There is nothing we can do but wait is there." It was a rhetorical question, but one Merlin had to ask.

To his surprise Gaius did not answer right away with the answer he had been expecting. Instead he was silent as he took his time to answer. "You could speak with Morgana." Merlin did not know how to respond to this. "She appears to know more than we do. Do you think she is working with Nimueh."

"No." The sudden response to a question he believed would be given more time, was just as shocking to Merlin as his taking his time over a question he though he knew the answer too. when it came down to it, he didn't believe Morgana was working with Nimueh or working against Camelot.

"If they were working together, we would have known by now. Nimueh will be weak, it would take time to regain her strength." Gaius offered more support to Merlin's belief.

"Morgana was captured over two years ago by the Sarrum, he was helped by someone claiming to be a high priestess." The Warlock revealed. Only know realising the possible relevance of this face.

"Nimueh."

"It seems like it."

They fallowed the same train of thought that led to a very unpleasant possible realisation. Arthur had commented on how weak she looked, could it be that she had already been found by Nimueh and the Sarrum and managed to escape again. They had not heard from her in two years. That was longest she had been gone without hearing of her. Neither wanting to think too much of this, due to very conflicted emotions, they pushed it aside and choice to deal with what they knew already to be true.

"If she would not tell Arthur more, she will not tell me anything." He was right, but it was an excuse and they both knew it.

The subject was dropped and they went about their daily routine. A dark cloud seemed to hang over the heads of the four people that knew about the possible threat that Camelot may soon face. At the end of the day Merlin made his way back to his rooms. He was tired, but his mind would not stop thinking. He wished that he could turn it off, so that he could sleep for a while, just a few hours. His head was lowered as opened the room to his and Gaius's rooms. He closed the door behind him, then lifted his head.

"Um…..Can I help you."

Eleanor sat with her hands placed on the large table in-front of her. She did not look at him.

"Gaius is doing his rounds, he should be back soon." There was something very wrong with her, she was not moving. Gaius would know what to do, say or at least have a better idea than him.

"It's you I have to talk to." She still did not look at him, though she did tense up a little. Her hands clenched together.

Slowing he moved further into the room. "Okay."

"I have lied to you."

Merlin took in a deep breath. He was starting to think he understood what was going on, but did not fully believe it. "What have you lied about." She finally tuned to look at him, she looked so scared. "Whatever it is, it cannot be that bad."

"I am like you, Emrys."

Thanks for reading hope that you liked it. As always I would love to hear what you think and what you would like to read in the story.