Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! I only own my OC, and any other characters or plotlines I make up along the way!

AN: WELCOME TO PART 2 OF THE SEASON 3 FINALE!

Sorry for the long absence, exams got in the way but I'm officially done school for the summer again! Yay!

HONESTLY THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHAPTERS OF THE ENTIRE STORY SO I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!

ENJOY!

Sir Leon was roughly thrown to the ground in front of us by Morgana's men.

We were in the throne room, where my sister Morgana, the Queen of Camelot, sat on the throne. I sat beside her in my usual chair, Morgause stood behind us, and Gwen stood a little behind Morgana's chair as her servant.

Morgana's lips turned into a smirk as she asked, "Tell me, Sir Leon, how have you enjoyed the first week of my reign?"

Leon stayed quiet out of solidarity, and Morgana practically snarled. "Speak up. Are you and your fellow knights ready to honour and serve me?"

Leon scoffed. "I would rather die."

"That can be arranged," Morgause reminded him.

It did nothing to scare him as he said, "My loyalty is to the King and Prince Arthur. There is nothing you can do to change that."

Morgana took this as a challenge. "We shall see."

Later in the day, I was forced to stand with Morgana and Morgause at the balcony of the castle as Morgana addressed the knights of Camelot once more.

"I will give you one more chance to pledge your allegiance to me," she declared.

Morgana's men lifted their crossbows and aimed them at the knights, all standing in a row.

With a condescending grin, Leon shouted, "Long live the King!" which was echoed by the rest of the knights. "Long live the King!"

In truth, I wanted to be chanting with them.

"Perhaps this will help you change your mind," Morgana offered. She raised her hand and brought it down, the signal of execution. But instead of shooting the knights, Morgana's army turned and began shooting at the people.

I concealed my shrieks of protest the best I could, but it all became too much as I covered my mouth and ran back inside the castle. I immediately went to my room, shutting and locking the door behind me. I went over to my bed and pulled out a bucket of water from under it.

I placed the bucket of water on top of my dining table and waved my hand over it, channeling my magic. It was a communication technique that Morgause had taught me once. It wasn't so much a communication link as it was a way to look at people, called scrying. Morgause knew how to do it using crystals, but I only knew how to use water to do it since I was a beginner.

I peered into the water and my spirits were lifted by the sight of Merlin and the rest of our friends in a cave. This confirmed that they were all still alive.

It had been a week since I had even heard Merlin's voice, and it was starting to take its toll on me. I hadn't realized how badly I missed him when he was away from me. It was like I was missing half of who I was.

There was a knock at the door, and I jumped, quickly waving my hand over the bucket again and getting rid of the images. I went over to the door and opened it, revealing Gwen on the other side holding a tray of tea. "Hello, my Lady," Gwen greeted as she stepped inside.

I quickly checked to make sure that the hall was clear before shutting the door and ushering Gwen more into my bedchambers. "Have you brought up speaking with Leon to Morgana yet?" I asked.

Gwen shook her head. "I haven't had the chance. You said to wait for it to be brought up naturally in conversation so that it wouldn't raise suspicion."

I mentally cursed as I sat down in one of my dining chairs. Pretty quickly after Morgana had taken over Camelot, I told Gwen my true alliance was to Camelot. I tried sending a letter to Merlin via a bird, but I guess I had relied too heavily on movies I'd seen because I hadn't heard a reply since. She didn't believe me at first, but when I told her everything I had tried to do to stop Morgana and Morgause and how much I loved Merlin and Arthur, she believed me. Now, we were just trying to figure out a way to free Sir Leon so he could try to help Arthur.

The door suddenly opened, and Morgana strolled in. She smiled as she looked at the tea set. "Ah! I see Gwen has brought tea early today."

"I felt like I needed a cup," I covered up. I gestured to one of the other dining chairs. "Please have a set, your Majesty."

She grinned as she sat across from me. "I don't think I will ever get over hearing the words 'your Majesty' being spoken to me."

"Nor should you," I returned. "You deserve this, Morgana. It is your birth right."

She smiled again as Gwen poured us both tea, but her smile faded as she said, "I'm beginning to see the challenges that I face. Being queen is not so simple."

"You're doing well, your Majesty," Gwen told her.

"You think? The knights do not share your view," Morgana huffed, puttng a bit of sugar in her tea before stirring it.

"They don't know you," I assured her, putting my hand on top of hers.

Morgana set her spoon down. "I need their allegiance. Without that, the people will not yield to me."

Gwen's gaze flickered over to me for less than a second before she looked back to Morgana. "My mother was a maid in Sir Leon's household. We grew up together. I could talk to him, try to make him see sense?"

Morgana raised her eyebrows. "You would do that for me?"

"Uther killed my father," She reminded her.

Morgana shook her head. "Yes, I...forgot you too had suffered."

"Let me meet with Sir Leon," Gwen hoped.

Morgana's eyes flickered over to me for a second before back over to Gwen. "I will arrange it," she promised as she lifted her tea cup to her lips.

Gwen curtsied. "Thank you, your Majesty," she said. "Oh! I forgot to bring the cake. I'll be right back." She smiled at the two of us before strolling right out the door.

"Morgause believes that Gwen is betraying me," Morgana said as soon as Gwen was out the door. "What do you think?"

Gulp. If I didn't take Morgana's side, then she would know that I was betraying her, too. "She was eager to speak with Sir Leon. And she was still in love with Arthur as far as we know."

Morgana nodded, leaning back in her seat. "I think we should be present when she speaks with Leon."

I felt my insides shake. "Good idea."

Morgana, Morgause, and I all stood in hiding above the cells, where Gwen had just arrived to speak to Leon.

"Guinevere," he said in surprise as she handed him a hunk of bread.

"It's all I could get," she said apologetically.

"I don't understand. What are you doing here?" Leon asked as he began to devour the bread.

"Morgana sent me...to talk to you, to make you see sense," Gwen said, and at the mention of Morgana's name, Leon spat out the bread. "Listen to me."

"I'd rather starve," Leon declared. "Guard!"

"I'm going to help you escape," Gwen whispered. The guard showed up, but Gwen dismissed him. "It's alright. Get me some water." When the guard didn't move, Gwen tried again. "The queen has instructed me to get the prisoner food and water." Finally, the guard left.

"You know what will happen to you if you're caught," Leon warned her.

"We have to find Arthur," Gwen insisted.

"I've a good idea where he'll be hiding," Leon revealed.

"Then I need to get you out of here," She responded.

"How? It's impossible, surely?" Leon wondered.

"I'm a trusted member of the court," She reminded him. "Morgause has the keys to the cells in her chambers."

"No, Gwen," Leon shook his head.

"It is as we suspected," Morgana whispered. "She's betrayed me. I will have her executed at dawn."

"No!" I immediately protested, and Morgana and Morgause looked over at me in surprise. "I-I mean, let's just think about this for a second. This is good. If she runs to Arthur, she'll lead us right to him."

Morgana smirked. "Very clever, Sister."

Yeah, I was a genius.

An idea struck me, and I turned to my sisters. "Let me go after them. I'll dispose of them myself. Morgana, you're needed here to make sure that the rest of the Knights pledge allegiance to you, and Morgause, your power is far greater than mine. You can help Morgana keep the Kingdom under control, and I'll take care of them."

"Are you sure you're up to the task, Lizzie?" Morgana asked, and I nodded eagerly.

"Leave it to me."

Morgause activated the spell of a potion that Morgana had Gwen secretly drink, and I packed a bag with me as I ran after Gwen and Leon. I took a pack of Morgana's men with me, and I had to keep muttering the spell that Morgause told me to make sure the trail appears. Once we got to the Darkling Woods, the trail led to a cave.

I caught sight of Elyan, who immediately stiffened when he saw me and the army of men behind me. He turned around and bolted for the caves that were behind him, where my friends must be.

I turned around and yelled out a spell that knocked the Knights backwards and unconscious. I raised my arm and swooped around the area where the Knights were laying, taking away their memories of what had happened before they were knocked unconscious. I worked too hard and too long to remain undercover for these idiot Knights to blow my cover.

I spun on my heel and ran towards where Elyan was. I skidded to a stop as Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Lancelot (!), Leon, Elyan, Gwen, and another man that I didn't know were all standing in front of me in a defensive position, their swords raised at me.

Which they didn't lower when they saw that it was me.

I was terrified, but my heart sang when I saw Merlin. After not seeing him for over a week, all I wanted to do was run up to him and kiss him silly. Obviously, I couldn't do that, because they were all pointing swords at me.

I immediately raised my hands to show that I meant peace. "You can lower your swords."

"I think not, you traitor," Arthur growled, stepping closer to me with the sword.

I shook in my spot as I gulped. I always thought about telling my friends or my friends finding out about my status as a double agent, but I didn't think it'd go down like this. "Arthur, please, put the sword down. I have no weapons. I can explain everything."

"I'm sure you can," He retorted as he stepped even closer, and I was forced to take a step back. "My father took you in when you had no one, fed you, clothed you, raised you! How dare you turn your back on him!"

"Arthur, you pig-headed dolt, if you gave me the time to explain myself, I would!" I threw out. "I'm not with Morgana and Morgause. I've been against them from the start. I've only been 'working' with them to find out their plans in order to foil them." I blinked back my tears. "Arthur, I'm sorry, but I wanted to tell you."

Arthur was quiet for a second. "Then why didn't you?"

"Would you have believed me?" I asked. "More importantly, would Uther have believed me? Morgana is his daughter, not me. He would always pick her over me. And there would go my advantage about knowing their plans." I nodded nervously at Merlin. "Merlin, tell him! Tell him that I've been good this whole time!"

Arthur whipped his head to face Merlin. "You knew?"

Merlin huffed. "A little."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded.

Merlin shrugged helplessly. "For the same reasons Elizabeth didn't tell you. You were all so happy when Morgana came back, you never would have believed us."

Arthur shook his head as if to say "I'll deal with you later" and then turned back to me, his sword still pointed at me. I had never seen Arthur so mad...so distrustful of me before. I guess he had good reason to be. "How are we supposed to believe you? You could have Morgana's men following you and leading us into a trap."

"I did have Morgana's men following me, but I knocked them all out before they could ambush you," I told him. "As for believing me...you know me, Arthur. You grew up with me, you've known me all your life. You know what I am capable of. Please, Arthur. You have to believe me." I set my jaw. "My allegiance is to Camelot and Camelot only."

Gwen stepped forward and put her hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur, I believe she is telling the truth. Now, we have to go. Those guards won't stay unconscious forever."

Arthur looked reluctant, but the rest of our friends seemed to agree with Gwen. They were all looking at me with a bit unease, but they all knew who I was. They all knew what was in my heart.

Right?

Arthur hesitated, but finally said, "I want to ask you one more thing."

I nodded, feeling uneasy.

"Do you have magic, like Morgause and Morgana?"

Gulp. My eyes flickered over to Merlin, and he silently told me with his eyes to lie. So I did. "No. I didn't inherit the magical abilities from our mother like they did."

Arthur finally nodded. "Alright, then."

Not a moment too soon. There was a sudden rustling, which made us all look around in fright, before Arthur nodded in the other direction. "Let's get out of here."

I nodded and went over to Merlin, who I immediately leaped into a big hug with. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck before whispering in his ear, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he said. "But we can celebrate this later." He pulled back. He grabbed my hand and held it back so that Arthur couldn't see as we ran. "What was Morgana doing when you left?"

"She was trying to get the Knights to pledge their allegiance to her," I whispered back. "They wouldn't, not while Camelot's still under her control."

Everyone (including Gaius who, to my happiness, welcomed me with open arms) kept running until we came across an ancient castle. Arthur led the way in with a brightly lit torch, and a few more people (including Percival, the big muscled man that was with Lancelot earlier) were carrying some too. It was empty as we all walked inside, looking around us in wonder.

"Are you sure we'll be safe in here?" Gaius asked.

"This castle belonged to the ancient kings. It'll do for a while," Arthur told us.

"Can't be worse than that cave," Elyan mentioned.

"Search the place, see what you can find," Arthur ordered, and we all nodded as we searched the place.

The only people who weren't looking at me like I was going to shove a sword through their backs were Merlin, Gaius, and Gwen. Arthur was understandable, but it hurt me that even Gwaine and Lancelot were looking at me like I had betrayed them. They were all waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hadn't done any betraying, not really.

I guess Merlin could tell that it was bothering because he looked from where I was watching Gwaine over to me from our spot in front of the fire that we were making. "He knows you, Lizzie. As does Lancelot, and Elyan. They'll figure out pretty quickly that you haven't betrayed them."

"But didn't I?" I wondered. "I didn't say anything to them about Morgana. I might not have done anything intentionally hurt Camelot, but I hurt them by not saying anything. I'm just as bad as them."

"Hey," Merlin said, leaning over and sneaking a kiss on the crown of my head. "You are nothing like them, okay? You're here, with us, where you belong. Nothing is going to change that."

I nodded slightly. "Yeah, okay."

Merlin nodded as well. "Now say it like you mean it, with that smile that I fell in love with all those years ago," He said, cupping my chin at the word "smile".

I finally offered him a smile. "This is where I belong, and nothing is going to change that."

Merlin huffed. "That's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Fine," he relented, and he snuck a look to make sure no one was watching before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. It was only when Merlin was checking to make sure that no one was watching did I realize that our friends actually had no idea that we were a couple. Gwen kind of knew, just because she was observant, and Gaius knew, because Merlin kept nothing from Gaius.

Gwaine returned, holding an armful of weapons as he dumped them on one of the small tables. "They must've been left by bandits," He deduced.

I looked over at Arthur, who looked under a sheet at a table, and my heart was starting to hammer as I realized what the table was. I may have lost my knowledge of the show, but I still did remember some things of the King Arthur legend, most famously...

Arthur ripped the sheet off, revealing a large round table that was surrounded by chairs. "Here!" Arthur called out, and we all raised our heads to look at him. "Come and join me," Arthur looked around the room at us, and his gaze finally stopped on me. He nodded his head at the table, and I felt a little hope bubble in me as I realized this was an invitation to sit at the round table with them.

We all stood up and went over to it. Merlin pulled out my chair for me, and I gave him a smile as I sat down. He sat down next to Arthur, and on the other side of Arthur was Gwen. On the other side of me was Leon, but he still couldn't quite make my gaze as we all turned our attention to Arthur, who took his spot at the head of the table.

"This table belonged to the ancient kings of Camelot," He began. "A round table afforded no one man more importance than any other. They believed in equality in all things. So, it seems fitting that we revive this tradition now. Without each of you, we would not be here. My father has languished in prison for too long. Tomorrow, I make my bid to rescue him. Are there any around this table who will join me?"

Lancelot was the first person to stand up. "You taught me the values of being a knight, the code by which a man should live his life. To fight with honour for justice, freedom, and all that's good. I believe in the world that you will build."

Elyan was next. "Even though I was a commoner, a nobody, you were willing to lay down your life for me, Arthur. It is now my turn to repay you."

Leon after. "I have fought alongside you many times. There is no one that I would rather die for."

Gwaine ruined the hopeful mood slightly as he said, "I think we've no chance." But that followed with a smile as he stood. "But I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Percival stood. "Your enemies are my enemies."

Gaius. "If you need an old man."

Gwen. "You know the answer," she nodded at him.

I was after Gwen as I rose out of my seat. "If you need a traitor," I tried to joke, and I looked at all my friends around this table. Obviously they had trusted me enough to bring me with them, but I wanted their full trust again. I drew a deep breath. "Too long have I been a quiet bystander. I am ready to fight, and I am ready to end this. Morgana was...my best friend, but all I want is to see her defeated." I gestured to everyone around the table. "You people...you're all my family. You were the ones who took care of me and loved me and who trust me enough to stand here with you right now." I finally looked over at Arthur. "My loyalty is to you and you only, Arthur. It always has been, and it always will be."

It was quiet for a second before Arthur finally nodded at me, "You're not a traitor, Elizabeth."

The relief that flooded through me was instantaneous. I looked over at Merlin for a brief second, who responded with a smile in his eyes.

However, Merlin was the only one who hadn't stood up yet. Arthur looked down at his manservant. "Merlin?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, don't really fancy it."

"You don't have a choice, Merlin," Arthur told him.

Merlin nodded as he finally stood up. "Okay."

"I want to thank you all for staying loyal to me in Camelot's hour of need," Arthur said. "I'll do something that my father won't approve of."

I was filled to the brim with joy as I watched Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan all kneel down in front of Arthur, who raised his sword.

He put his sword on each shoulder of Lancelot, saying, "Arise, Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot." He moved on to Gwaine. "Arise, Sir Gwaine, Knight of Camelot." Percival next. "Arise, Sir Percival, Knight of Camelot." Finally, Elyan. "Arise, Sir Elyan, Knight of Camelot."

He addressed them all. "Tomorrow, when you fight, you can stand proud knowing you are members of the most noble army the world has ever known."

I clapped happily for my friends. I was proud of all of them, but I was most proud of Lancelot. This was what he had been dreaming of since he was a child, and he finally had it.

My friends had finally calmed down around me more, and Lancelot even trusted me enough to sleep next to him and Merlin away in the corner when we all went to bed.

"You're a knight. At last," I grinned at him.

"But for how long?" Lancelot wondered, knowing full well we could all die tomorrow.

Merlin shrugged. "Who knows?"

"What'you planning? And don't even think about lying; I know you too well," Lancelot told him.

"It's too difficult to explain," Merlin shook his head.

I gave him a look. "Merlin, it's us. And don't act like I can't get it out of you later."

Merlin sighed. "Morgana has the Cup of Life. If I can find it and empty it of the blood within, then the army will be destroyed, and Morgana will be powerless."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lancelot asked. "It's guarded by an immortal army."

"Aren't you forgetting something? I have magic," Merlin retorted.

"And I'm Morgana's sister," I threw in. "There's no way that her Knights would attack me."

Lancelot shook his head at the two of us. "It doesn't make you two immortal. Elizabeth, if Morgause and Morgana were to find you, do you honestly believe they wouldn't betray you?"

Merlin and I both grumbled as we laid back down, "No."

"You know, Merlin, you're the one Arthur should knight," Lancelot told him. "You're the bravest of us all and he doesn't even know it."

"He can't. Not yet. That's why I need to find a way to get to the Cup without Arthur knowing," Merlin mused.

Lancelot looked at the two of us before nodding. "Leave that to me."

When I woke up, I was curled into Merlin's side, my head on his chest. I smiled up at his sleeping form, and when I looked around us, I noticed that everyone was still asleep.

I took that opportunity to sit up a bit and wake up Merlin with a kiss. It was the first kiss we had shared in days, and it felt so good to kiss him again.

He opened his eyes when he felt his lips on mine, and he was smiling when I pulled away. "Good morning," I whispered.

"Good morning," he responded, and he opened his mouth to say something when his eyes suddenly widened and he pulled himself away from me.

I flopped on to my back and followed his gaze to see what had him acting all crazy. I saw Arthur stretching as he sat up from his make shift bed, and when I looked back over at Merlin, he had rolled a considerable distance away from me, acting like had just woken up.

I rolled my eyes as I pulled my blanket that I had packed with me off of me, stuffing it back into my pack as I stood up and stretched. Everyone looked more easy around me, especially since it had been a full twenty-four hours since I had been with them and nobody had showed up yet to kill them. This was a good step, right?

Once everyone was awake, we all stood in a circle as we went over our plan. "There is a tunnel under the northern ramparts that brings us only a few paces from the entrance to the dungeons," Arthur revealed. "It will be well guarded. So, if we're going to break everyone out, we must remain unobserved. We cannot let them raise the alarm."

"We need to take out the warning bell. That way the warriors have no mean of communication," Lancelot offered, and once glance from him was all I needed to realize that this was his idea to get Merlin to the Cup.

"Good idea," Arthur nodded.

"I'll need someone with me who knows the castle," Lancelot said.

"I'll go," Merlin immediately volunteered.

"I'll go, too," I offered, and they all looked over at me. I could tell they were all still just a tiny bit suspicious, and I still didn't blame them, but that didn't stop me from rolling my eyes at them. "I think it'd be a lot easier to get around the castle if they're with one of the members of the royal family, don't you?"

Arthur saw the sense I was making and nodded. "Alright."

We all nodded and began gathering stuff so that we could go. Arthur and Gwen were talking intimately in the corner, so I walked away to give them more privacy as I stopped in front of Merlin. "Think we're ready?" I asked.

Merlin's gaze swept across our friends, who were all preparing to go into battle. "As ready as we'll ever be."

"Merlin, you have to watch yourself when we go into battle," I warned him.

He nodded. "I know."

"No, Merlin," I shook my head. "Please do not patronize me. I have known you for over four years. I've loved you for over four years. I know that if it comes down to it, you're going to sacrifice yourself and I can't have you do that, okay? I love you too much."

"I love you too," He told me, cautiously putting his hands on my arms, before taking his hands off of me. "I promise I'll look after myself."

"And this," I gestured to his hands. "Why won't you touch me? I mean, I get if you don't want to kiss me around all these people, but even casual touching."

"Everyone will see," he reluctantly whispered.

I shook my head. "I don't care. If this is the last time that we get to see all of our friends, then I don't want to lie to them. I'm done lying to them."

And with that, I put my hands on Merlin's shoulders, brought his face down to mine, and kissed him with everything I had.

Kissing him with everything I had evidently worked, because he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back. It was one of our best kisses, and I was already making a mental note to tuck this memory away into my memory vault of ones I never wanted to forget.

I pulled back, and Merlin and I smiled at each other. I looked over at our friends, and honestly, the only person who looked surprised was Arthur. His mouth was opening and closing, words failing him as he watched the girl he practically considered a sister making out with his manservant.

Merlin, of course, looked terrified, but I just patted his chest and gave him a look that told him I'd handle it as I went over to Arthur. I grabbed his upper arm and pulled him away as everybody else went back to work.

Arthur just pointed at Merlin in confusion as he looked at me. "How-what?"

"Yes, Arthur, it's true," I nodded. "I'm sorry I kept another secret, but Merlin and I are in love."

"'In love'?" He repeated blankly. "How can you be in love with Merlin?"

"I'm with Merlin practically every day," I pointed out. "He's the only person that I told that truth about Morgana to, I trust him more than anybody else. That, and, well, he's the person that makes me laugh when I cry. Whenever there's a disaster, he's the first face I think of, because I knew if he was hurt, it'd kill me. I...I love him, Arthur."

Arthur looked back at Merlin, then back to me again. "Really?" He wondered.

I rolled my eyes as I nodded. "Yes, really. And you can't say anything about me falling in love with a servant boy, because Gwen's a servant girl, and you fell in love with her, didn't you?"

I waited for Arthur's clever response, but when he didn't give one, I lifted my chin in triumph. "Ha! You have no answer." I shook my head. "Anyways, that's not our main concern right now. Right now, our main concern is getting your Kingdom back."

Arthur cleared his throat as he nodded. "You're right. And Elizabeth?" He reached over and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you for remaining loyal to me."

"I don't know how many times I have to say it," I mumbled against his broad shoulder. "But the only person I'm loyal to is you, Arthur."

Arthur and I pulled back. "I'll see you when this is all over," I told him, leaving no room for argument.

He nodded. "When this is all over, I expect a proper explanation for, well, everything."

I smiled at him. "I promise."

We both went our separate ways, and I went back to Merlin. "Everything's fine," I told him.

"Are you sure?" He asked, nervously looking over at Arthur.

I nodded. "Yes. If Arthur gives you any grief, be sure to tell me. I'll take care of him."

Gaius suddenly approached us, and I moved so that I was standing next to Merlin so Gaius could properly address us both. "You both need to be careful," He advised.

Merlin and I exchanged glances before Merlin looked back over at Gaius. "We've got the easy bit. The warning bell is nothing compared to the cells. And with Lizzie by my side, we should be fine."

"I overheard you two," Gaius revealed.

I whacked Merlin on the chest. "You need to work on your whispering skills if an old man like Gaius can overhear you."

Gaius gave me a look that told me he was less than impressed as he went on. "If Morgause catches you, she'll kill you."

"I have no choice," Merlin insisted.

"I won't let her kill him," I told him firmly.

Gaius smiled at the two of us as he said, "I remember the bungling idiot that came charging into all those years ago and the silly little girl who was scared of her nightmares." He looked at the two of us proudly. "Who'd've believed?"

Gaius gave the two of us separate hugs and then left, and Merlin and I were alone once again.

"Elizabeth?" Merlin said, and I immediately looked over to him when I heard him use my full name. I don't think Merlin had ever used my full name before, not unless it was a matter of great urgency.

Ugh, a matter of great urgency? I had officially lost all twenty-first century lingo.

"Yes?" I asked.

"When all of this is over, you'll still want to be with me, right?" He asked.

I nodded. "Of course. That's assuming we live, which we will."

"Then if I ask you to do something, will you do it?"

"Sure Merlin, I'd do anything you asked me."

Merlin grabbed my arm gently and pulled me all the way into the corner where no one could hear the two of us at all. I could never, in any circumstance, anticipate what he said next. "Marry me," He whispered.

My stomach dropped all the way into the pit of the Earth. "What?" I said rather loudly, and I lowered my voice when Merlin "shhed" me. "As in, marry marry? 'Be your wife' married?"

Merlin nodded. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Elizabeth, you're my best friend in the entire world. You know about my magic and accept me for it, you laugh at all my jokes even when they're terrible, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met, and I love you more than anyone I know." He grabbed both of my hands and gave them a tight squeeze. "If we get out of this, together, it'll mean that we're meant to be." He cringed. "And that was horribly romantic but it's what I feel."

My heart beat wildly against my chest. Merlin was the love of my life, I was sure of that, but being married to him? Like, actual marriage. I had really only ever thought of marriage to Merlin once, back when Arthur was engaged to Princess Helena, but I just blamed it on the wedding fever. But here Merlin was, popping the most important question of a girl's life.

I closed my eyes and pictured all the moments that had led to this one.

I stood beside Gaius and extended my hand to him. "I'm Elizabeth."

Merlin looked at my hand in wonder, probably thinking 'Why on Earth is she doing that? Aren't I supposed to bow or something?'

I laughed at the look on his face. "It's a hand, Merlin, You're supposed to shake it."

He snapped back to his senses and grasped my hand gently.

"I meant what I, well, gestured. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Why not?" He asked, clearly confused. "If Uther finds out that you knew..."

I sighed. "Merlin. I saw you save Arthur. I was there, remember?" I tapped my head. "You saved the life of someone that is really important to me. I can't repay you for that, but I can try to. And by trying, I won't tell your secret. That, and you used magic to save everybody, not destroy them."

Merlin smiled at me. "Good night, my Lady." Then he began to leave.

"Just Elizabeth! Or Lizzie, or Liz," I called after him.

Merlin paused at the door. "Good night, Lizzie," He said, then he left.

Merlin smiled, taking my hand that was on his face in his own. "It's great to have you back, Lizzie. I've missed you."

I smiled happily. "I've missed you too, Merlin." And with that, I reached forward and gave him another hug.

Yep, that settled it.

I was home.

And that was exactly why I stood on my tip toes and closed the gap between the two of us, finally kissing Merlin.

And...it was the best kiss I'd ever had in my life, including my old world. I thought I had had the perfect kiss when I was in love with my first boyfriend, but that kiss was garbage compared to the one I was sharing with Merlin. With Merlin, I felt the sparks and the fireworks that I wanted to feel with Gwaine. For the first time, I felt truly alive.

I could feel his nervousness as well as his feelings his kiss. His lips tasted of honey, an d he smelled his familiar Merlin smell, a mix of nature, potions from Gaius' lab, and his overall familiar scent that I had grown so accustomed to.

This kiss would change everything between the two of us.

And I was ready for it.

When I opened my eyes again, Merlin was looking at me expectantly. He looked like he was going to explode if I didn't give him an answer.

And when it came to me, I found that it was the easiest answer I'd ever have to give in my life.

I reached up and put my hands on his shoulders. "When we get out of this, together, we'll get married," I told him.

He broke out into a cute, nervous smile as he said, "So...you're saying...yes?"

I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing myself up my my tip toes. "Of course I'm saying yes, you dollop head!"

With that, Merlin gave me another deep kiss, and when we pulled away, we shared the biggest hug we'd ever had.

Now that I know what future was awaiting me, I definitely wasn't going to let Morgana win. This was my friends, my family, and my future that I was fighting for.

No way in hell was I giving it up.

It was almost night by the time we got back to the castle, and I followed behind the line of the newest Knights of Camelot as we entered the castle.

We got in through the entrance that Arthur was talking about earlier, and he wished Lancelot, Merlin, and I luck as we separated from the group to find the Cup.

I knew where they were hiding it (that is, if they hadn't moved it since I had been gone), so I led the way as they snuck around the castle. I could walk about the castle as freely as I wanted, so I kept a look out for any of Morgana's immortal men that could pop out of nowhere.

Just as we were walking along the corridor, I was hit with the force of powerful magic. The feeling made my body lock up as a shiver ran down my spine and a ringing sound in my ears went off. I looked over at Merlin and saw that he had felt the magic too, and I knew we were going the right way.

"The Cup is this way," I told the two of them as I looked behind at them.

All of a sudden, a guard showed up, and Merlin shoved me behind a wall so that I went unseen as Lancelot engaged in battle with it, but when I peeked over the corner, Merlin struck it using his own sword and to mine and Lancelot's surprise, the guard exploded.

"What is that?" Lancelot asked as I stepped away from the corner.

"It was forged in a dragon's breath," Merlin said proudly, and I laughed in disbelief as I realized what sword he was using.

"You brought Excalibur?" I wondered, and Merlin simply shrugged as he said, "We should keep going."

There was a whole set of guards that were protecting the outside of the council room, and Lancelot, Merlin, and I peeked over at them.

Lancelot lunged at them, and Merlin followed shortly after. The two of them fought against the guards as I snuck past them in all the commotion, opening the council room doors. "Merlin! Lancelot!" I called out, and the two of them immediately began retreating from their fights as I ran inside. Once they were both safely inside, we shut the doors and locked them so that we were safe inside.

We all took a second to catch our breaths, and it was only then that I remembered one crucial detail that Morgause had mentioned about the security of the Cup.

The three of us looked towards the front of the council room, and there the blood-filled Cup of Life was sitting on top of a banister in all its glory.

Unfortunately, it was flanked by six guards, three on each side, and all six of them drew their swords.

"I might have forgotten to mention that," I told my friends, looking back over at them. I lifted a shoulder helplessly. "Sorry?"

They simply nodded their heads at me, and I drew my own sword as we ran for the Cup.

We all fought against the guards, and the few that were fighting me were really confused as to why I was fighting them. I used their confusion to my advantage as I tried to wear them down.

Lancelot suddenly cried out, and I looked over my shoulder to see one of the guards bringing their sword back that was now slicked with blood.

"Lancelot!" I cried over as I ran over, pushing Lancelot behind me as I went after that guard myself. Merlin pushed me out of the way as he took on the final guard himself, since he was the only one that had a weapon that could kill him. He pushed me behind a large banister thing, and I sat down on the ground as he finally managed to take the guard down.

He immediately made a run for the Cup, but the doors to the council room were suddenly thrown open and in ran Morgause, who used her magic to grab Merlin and throw him across the room. He hit a wall, and I was struck with a pain in my back as I felt Merlin's own pain. I clamped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't cry out.

Morgause stood over Merlin and, with a grin, said, "I have a feeling I won't be seeing you again." Morgause stuck her hand out to deliver the final blow...

No.

That was it.

No more hiding.

No more running.

No more being a coward.

For the love of Camelot.

"No," I said, pushing myself off of the ground. I came running out of my hiding spot. Morgause's eyes widened at the sight of me. "You really won't." Channeling all the magic that I could pull out, I stuck my hand towards her and chanted a spell.

Morgause flew back and landed on her face. I brought my hand back and took deep, short breaths at all the magic I used.

Morgause stood up, in clear shock, but before she could do anything, Merlin blasted her, and she hit the the banister thing with a sickening crack.

I shuddered, but I had no time to think about that right now. "Merlin! The Cup!" I shouted at him.

Merlin quickly got up, picked up Excalibur from the ground, and knocked the Cup right over, spilling the contents of the Cup all over the floor and another banister thing.

I looked at it all, then back to Merlin. I broke out into a smile and leaped into his arms. I hugged him tight. "It's over..." I muttered.

Merlin nodded against my back. "It really is." I pulled away when Lancelot cleared his throat. I looked over to him, then actually ran over. I leaned down next to him. "Jesus, Lancelot. Are you okay?"

He nodded, and I took a look at his wound. I winced at the sight of it. I ripped off a piece of material from my shirt and quickly tied it up. Lancelot groaned but looked to me again. "You have magic," He stated plainly.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you told nobody about Merlin. I hope you extend the same courtesy to me."

Lancelot nodded, and I heard footsteps again. As soon as I heard them, I ran behind the banister thing, because it could only be one person.

"No!" Morgana screamed, and she ran towards Morgause. She fell down next to her and took Morgause into her arms. "Sister," She breathed.

"It's over, Morgana," Merlin declared.

Morgana looked up fiercely, tears streaming down her face. "No, you're wrong! This has just begun!"

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows again. "No matter how hard you try, Morgana," Morgana's head snapped up in my direction as I stood next to Merlin and took his hand. "Good will always triumph over evil."

Morgana looked at me in disbelief and anger. "You. You betrayed us!"

I shook my head. "I'm not the one who did the betraying, Morgana."

She just shook her head, tears flooding all the way down her face. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head again. "Morgana, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out before. Whenever anything went wrong, what did you assume?"

Realization broke out clear on her face. "That was you. Every single time, it was you!" She screamed.

"Oh dear sister, you aren't as smart as I thought you were," I said sadly. And I was a bit sad. Because now, my relationship with Morgana, my sister, was now completely irrepairable.

Morgana shook her head. "You. Aren't. My sister!" She said angrily, then looked back down to Morgause. To be honest, I wanted nothing more than to be next to Morgana holding Morgause as well, but that was only because Morgause and Morgana were my family. Even though they have both done terrible things, I still loved them, in a really weird way. I would always cherish the memories I had with Morgana before everything went down. And I didn't think Morgause was dead. I think I would be able to feel it if she was.

"No," Morgana sobbed. "No," She said again, and with a large sniffle, she screamed, "NO!"

And with that "NO!", the entire castle's structure began breaking down around us. A piece actually managed to hit me on the head, and a memory was thrown back into me.

Morgana managing to disappear with Morgause.

As the structure began crashing down, Merlin grabbed me to run away. "No!" I screamed as I tried to keep myself rooted in my spot. "No!" I screamed again. I needed to kill Morgana before she had the chance to do something! Whatever it was, because she was definitely going to retaliate.

"Lizzie, we have to get out of here." Merlin yelled, grabbing me and actually picking me up in a fireman's carry.

"No!" I shouted again. I didn't have to necessarily kill Morgana, I just needed to grab her and knock her out. "Please, Merlin! No!"

Merlin pulled me away from Morgana and pushed me out the door. Gaius was already outside as Merlin dropped me down on the ground next to Lancelot, who was leaning on one of the pillars for support. While Gaius was distracted, I broke free and ran back inside. I grabbed Excalibur, which had been abandoned on the ground and swung it back, preparing to hit Morgana, when a huge rock fell out, hitting me on the head. A huge pain crashed in my head, and I fell to the ground, going unconscious as the ceiling came crashing down around me.

I eventually regained consciousness and when I opened my eyes the first face I saw was Arthur's.

Well technically, his head was leaning on my bed, so I only saw his blond hair. I groaned slightly. "Arthur," I said, trying to sit up.

He brought his head up and looked at me. "Elizabeth," He said, and he leaned over to take me into his arms.

I squeezed him tight, and Arthur stroked my hair. "I'm so happy you're all right," he said.

I nodded against his shoulder. "How long have I been out?" I asked.

"What?" He asked as he pulled back from me.

"I mean, how long have I been unconscious?" I rephrased as Arthur laid me back on the bed.

"Three days. We've all been so worried," He said.

"What's been happening? What happened to me?" I asked.

"Merlin said that he found you in the remains of the room where Morgana was. A brick had hit your head."

I brought my hand to the back of my head and where my fingers grazed, there was a sharp pain.

"As for what's been going on, My father hasn't been able to speak since...since what happened with Morgana. So I've been helping bring Camelot back as a Kingdom."

I nodded. "Yeah. Good on you."

"I'll go get Gaius," He said, and he patted my hand before getting up to leave.

I sighed and leaned back into the pillow as I heard the doors close. Gaius came quickly with Merlin in tow, and after he checked all my vital signs, Merlin stayed behind. He immediately went to me for a hug. "Oh, Lizzie, what were you thinking?" He asked as he pressed kisses to my lips and my cheeks.

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant.

He pulled away. "Why did you run back into that room? Why, after I pulled you out? You could have died! You got seriously hurt!"

I couldn't take his pretty much angry yelling anymore, so I got out of bed to walk away from him to the window a bit to get a breather. I don't think I'd ever seen Merlin like this before. "Don't yell at me. You have no idea what was going through my head.''

"Oh? So what exactly was going through your head then?" He asked.

"You wanna know?!" I shouted at him, turning to face him. Tears spilled down my face, and Merlin's face instantly changed into one of apology, but I didn't let him apologize. "Morgana was right."

"What?" Merlin spluttered.

I took a deep breath, sniffled, and looked back to the window. "When Morgana said this was just the beginning, she was right. I went back in there so that I could stop the horrors that would unfold."

"And you know what those horrors are?" Merlin asked, disbelieving.

I really wanted to say I did, but I didn't. "No," I said after a few seconds.

"Then what do you mean?" Merlin asked.

"I mean, that I know, because..." Oh God, was I really gonna do this?

"Because? Because of your nightmares?" Merlin tried filling in the blanks.

"No!" I instantly said. We were going to be married. There could be no secrets between us. He had trusted me with his magic secret since the very first day we met, hadn't he?

"Then what is it?" Merlin practically shouted.

I twirled around to face Merlin. "Because I'm not from here!" I finally shouted. As soon as I did, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my chest.

Merlin looked at me, bewildered. "What?" He finally said.

"I'm not from Camelot," I said.

"What? I thought that you grew up in Camelot," He said, still really confused.

I choked out a laugh in disbelief. "I'm not from Camelot, I'm not even from this country."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "Then where are you from?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm from a different universe."

A few tense seconds passed before Merlin started laughing. I looked at him in disbelief. "Why the hell are you laughing?" I asked.

"I never knew you were so funny," He said, bursting into another fit of laughter.

I gave him a look that said I wasn't kidding, and his laughter began to cease. "Are you serious?"

I nodded my head. "I'm not from your universe, Merlin. I'm from another one."

TBC...

HOLY SHIT!

MERLIN AND ELIZABETH ARE ENGAGED?

MORGANA FINALLY KNOWS THAT HER SISTER, ELIZABETH, HAD BEEN BETRAYING HER ALL ALONG?

MERLIN FINALLY KNOWS ELIZABETH'S SECRET?

I TOLD YOU YA'LL WOULDN'T SEE THIS COMING!

How will this affect our heroine this time?

Find out in Season 4 of I've Got the Magic in Me!

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THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR WILL RETURN...