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

AN: Sorry for the gaps! University keeps me busy!

Enjoy!

"Let me see! Let me see!" I squealed as I grabbed a hold of Gwen's hand and pulled it towards me.

It was morning, and as soon as Gwen walked into my chambers, I zeroed in on the major difference in her appearance. I stuck out my lower lip as I admired the beautiful ring on her finger, placed there by none other than Arthur Pendragon. "Finally! It certainly took him long enough."

Gwen giggled as she drew her hand back, holding it up so that she was looking at the ring herself. "I know! I almost can't believe it myself." She sighed as she clapped her hands together, bringing them up to her lips. "I'm so happy, Lizzie! I didn't know I could be this happy!"

"Trust me, marital bliss is amazing," I chattered as I rested my hands on my stomach. "And wait till you get pregnant. They wait on you hand and foot."

"Merlin waits on you hand and foot, anyways."

I tilted my head to the side and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's true." I leaned forward. "So! Are you excited?"

"For the wedding?" she wondered as she grabbed a dress for me to change into. "Of course I am!"

"No!" I shook my head, and then I paused. "Well, yes, the wedding, but for the tourney!"

Gwen made a face as she walked over to me. She held out two hands, and I placed my hands into hers as she helped me out of bed. This pregnancy belly was seriously starting to hinder on my ability to live my life. I couldn't wait until he could walk around on his own. "Tourney?"

"Yes!" I nodded as I went over to my dressing screen. "Uther had one before his wedding, and he and Arthur always used to talk about how Arthur was going to have one, and then make it a tradition."

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with that," she revealed as she handed me my dress for the day.

I slipped out of my nightgown and handed it to her. My swollen belly nearly hit the dressing screen as I ducked back behind it. "Just grin and bear it. It'll be over before you know it, and then you'll be with Arthur." I shrugged into the dress and stepped out from behind the screen. "That's all that matters."

I sat next to Gwen as she took my advice, grinning at the offering that Arthur had given her at the middle of the tourney. I could tell Gwen wanted to sit down, but she stayed standing as Percival came over to her, holding out a decorated ring from his lance for her to take.

"Thank you very much," she smiled as Percival nodded before trotting off. She turned to me slightly and whispered, "I don't know how much longer I can grin and bear it."

"You're going to be queen, Gwen," I reminded her. "This is going to be your life from now on."

Percival was supposed to be the last knight to joust and offer Gwen a decorated ring, but suddenly the trumpets went off, announcing another rider. Gwen furrowed her brow as she looked over her shoulder at me. "What's going on? Who is that?"

I shook my head, following her gaze as she looked back at the rider. "I have no idea," I responded.

The rider ran the practice joust and caught the ring. The crowd let out a cheer, and Gwen and I politely clapped for the stranger as he made his way over to Gwen to offer her the ring. She stepped down to take it, and once it was in her hands, the knight pulled his helmet off of his head to reveal his identity.

I wasn't prepared for who would be under the helmet.

It was Sir Lancelot.

Of course, my pregnant and overemotional ass burst into tears at the sight of him, and I had to force myself not to throw myself over the stand and into his arms. Lancelot had been one of my favourite knights, and I was devastated when he died saving us from the Dorocha. I was even planning on naming my son after Lancelot, in his memory.

All of us (the knights of Camelot, Arthur, Gwen, and I) were seated at a rectangular table, with Arthur and I at the head of the table with Gwen on his right as Lancelot told his tale of how he survived stepping through the veil.

"I fear I remember very little after the moment I stepped through the veil," he revealed as he picked at his food. "My story will not be as illuminating as I would like."

"We're just pleased to see you," Arthur assured him. "Well...pleased and amazed."

"I owe everything to the Madhavi people," Lancelot started. "When they found me, I was near death. Luckily for me, their customs dictate that they must give food and shelter to the needy." He sighed deeply. "And I was certainly that."

"Where did they find you?" Leon wondered.

"On one of the silk road passes, high in the Feorre Mountains," Lancelot answered.

"Cenred's kingdom," Elyan deduced, and the mention of Cenred made my pulse sky rocket for a second before coming back down to regular levels.

"I travelled with them for many weeks, deep into the deserts of the south," Lancelot continued. "Then, slowly my strength returned. When I was able, I earned my passage the only way I know how. By the sword."

Lancelot smirked as the knights chuckled, but for some reason, there was something about that smirk that didn't seem like Lancelot's normal smiles. I ignored it as I continued to pay attention to his tale. "Then I slowly made my way north."

"You made your way home," Arthur corrected, and Lancelot nodded solemnly. Arthur reached over and grabbed Gwen's hand, and I saw from the corner of my eye Agravaine's displeased face. It took everything in me not to toss one of my bread rolls at his head.

"We can't thank you enough for what you sacrificed on the Isle of the Blessed," Arthur told him. "It will be remembered always."

Lancelot sighed again. "It is, indeed, good to see you once again." He suddenly stood, grabbing his goblet as he did so. "I would like to propose a toast." He raised the goblet. "To the people I hold most dear. To Camelot."

We all raised our goblets in response as we chanted, "To Camelot!"

As I sipped from my own goblet, I caught Merlin's look out of the corner of my eye. The look he was giving me told me that he thought that something was up.

I really hated that look.

Later that night, Merlin escorted Lancelot to Gaius' chambers while I went back to our chambers. I had just finished my nightly routine and had crawled into bed when the door opened and Merlin strolled in, a look of worry plastered on his face and a large book in his hands.

I winced as I settled into bed, throwing the blankets over me. "I recognize that look. I have nightmares about that look."

Merlin shut the door tightly behind him, locking it for good measure before he walked over to me. "I want to believe that everything is fine," he started, and he sat down on his side of the bed. "And that we really have Lancelot back."

"Why wouldn't it be Lancelot?" I questioned. "It looks like him. Maybe we need to stop being such pessimists and just be grateful that something good has happened."

"That's just the thing, Lizzie," Merlin explained. "I don't think it's a good thing. Something's wrong."

"What happened?"

"When he was telling his story, I sensed it," Merlin went on. "The way he greeted me, that made me suspicious. But what happened just now, that's made me sure." He paused, for what I assumed to be dramatic effect. "He forgot I had magic. Lancelot would never do that."

I hesitated. "That... that is strange," I finally agreed. "Maybe it's just a side effect of coming back from the veil?"

"Or maybe it's something else," Merlin said, and he held up the book that he had been carrying. There was a large skeleton on the cover, and I had learned enough Latin at this point to understand that the title meant "Necromancy".

"Necromancy?" I blurted out, sitting up more. "You think someone's raised Lancelot from the dead?"

"We saw him die, remember?" he asked, and I shuddered at the memory of the intense pain that flooded through me as I watched one of my friends walk gladly to his death to save us. "And now he's 'back', and not acting like himself. Would necromancy be that far of a stretch?"

"But who would do such a thing? Bring back Lancelot specifically and send him back to us?" I wondered, and just as the words left my mouth, I sharply looked up at Merlin.

"Morgana," we said at the same time.

Merlin had a plan and in order to execute it, we had to have dinner with Gaius the next night. I didn't mind, of course. I was actually craving Gaius' chicken soup.

We ate quietly at first, and then Merlin piped up, "Mm. Chicken is good. Nice broth." Seemingly out of nowhere, he asked, "What do you know about necromancy?"

Gaius froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth. "What?"

"Well, you know lots...about lots of things, don't you?" Merlin clarified.

Gaius lowered his spoon. "Necromancy is the most dangerous of all magical practices. Even in the days of the Old Religion, such sorcery was viewed with the utmost suspicion." He narrowed his eyes at the two of us. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, Merlin, but why do you want to know?"

Merlin looked over Gaius' shoulder, where his old bedroom door was, where Lancelot was currently resting, choosing to retire early. "We think that someone has raised Lancelot from the dead," Merlin whispered.

"By 'someone', I presume you mean 'Morgana'," Gaius stated, and when we both nodded, Gaius sighed. "No matter how old the two of you get, you never seem to mature and stay out of trouble, do you?"

"I don't think we'd exactly be 'us' if we manage to stay out of trouble," I offered meekly, playing around with my chicken. "Can you tell us anything?"

Gaius gave us a disapproving look, but when it was clear that we weren't going to back down, he said, ""The old legends do speak of such creatures. They call them 'shades'. Poor, tormented souls summoned from their rest by the necromancer's art."

"So, it is possible?" Merlin clarified.

Gaius lifted a shoulder. "Even if it is possible, we have no way of knowing for sure."

Merlin pulled out the book that he had hidden there earlier, which read "The Art of Necromancy".

Gaius scanned the cover. "Or do we?"

The following morning, in order to test our theory, Merlin painted the floor following the spiral drawing from the necromancy book. I couldn't be of much help because I couldn't kneel over or stand up so fast, so I just stayed off to the side until he was done.

He spread his hands over the paint, and his eyes flashed gold as he said, "Onluc þa soþan treow!"

The paint glowed red for a brief moment before fading. A sound came from the bedroom, and Merlin peeked through a crack in the door. He straightened up, grabbing my arm and pushing me towards the closet. "Lancelot's awake. Go hide, I'll get Gaius."

I went over to the closet and pushed myself into the corner as much as I could. Merlin and Gaius joined me shortly after, and Merlin quietly shut the door. I moved a little bit to the front so that I could see what was happening as well.

Lancelot walked out of the bedchambers, and he walked directly over the circle that Merlin drew. The circled shined red as it did when Merlin spelled it, and, hauntingly, a skeleton washed over Lancelot's features as a loud scream pierced the air. I grimaced at the sound, my hand automatically going to my ears to try and block out the sound. It reminded me of the mandrake root that Morgause had used on Uther to make him believe that he had lost his mind.

We waited until we heard the door shut properly, and then Merlin opened the door and we all squeezed out. "So that's it then," I stated. "It's not him. It's not our Lancelot."

"I didn't want it to be true," Merlin said sadly as I went over to him, burying myself in his side as he lifted his arm and hugged me to his chest.

"I know. We all wanted him back," Gaius replied in the same tone.

I let out a shuddery sigh. "More than anything."

"This man's a shadow of his former self. A shadow with ill intent," Gaius brought up.

Merlin dropped his arm and turned around abruptly to face Gaius. "Do you think he means to harm Arthur?"

Gaius looked just as lost as we did. "Whatever his reason for being here, it can't be good."

The next day at the tournament, I watched Gwen the whole time. Gwen, in turn, pretty much watched Lancelot the entire time. She was much more pleased at Lancelot's introduction than she was at Arthur's, and when it came time for the final joust (which was between Arthur and Lancelot), it was hard to tell who she was rooting for.

During their joust, Arthur ended up getting stabbed pretty bad, and I was surprised by Gwen standing up in her concern for Arthur's well being. Arthur dropped his lance and leaned forward in pain, but he took his next lance from the servant anyways.

What an idiot. He was clearly injured, and in no fit condition to continue, yet because of his dumb ego he wasn't going to give up.

He could barely hold onto the lance, but he went ahead and positioned himself to joust anyways. Lancelot was unharmed, on account of the whole dead thing, so that made this next move so crucial. Lancelot really could kill Arthur.

Arthur was clearly struggling, and he couldn't hold his lance up. As they got closer and closer and finally within hitting range, Lancelot lifted his lance at the last second, signalling his yield. The crowd let out a cheer as I exchanged a confused look with Gwen.

Why did Lancelot yield? It would've been the perfectly opportunity to kill Arthur, and Lancelot could've just blamed it on the jousting.

Arthur dropped his lance and stumbled off his horse, clutching at his side as he doubled over in pain. Lancelot dismounted his own horse, and the two walked to the centre of the field. They stopped in front of the royal box, and Lancelot kneeled.

"My liege," he said politely.

"Arise, Sir Lancelot. It's not necessary," Arthur told him, and Lancelot did so. "I always thought you the noblest of my knights. You just proved me right. Thank you for your courtesy."

Lancelot bowed, and Arthur nodded his appreciation as Arthur said, "Won't be forgotten."

Arthur turned to face the box, gazing on his soon to be wife as we all cheered for him.

Something was wrong. There was something bigger at hand going on that we didn't know.

Merlin wanted to follow after Lancelot later that night, and no matter how much I protested, he forced me to stay behind in our chambers and wait for him to come back. In my waiting I had managed to fall asleep, and I was awoken by Merlin shaking me. "What? What?" I asked blearily, sitting up and blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

"It's Gwen," he said, and the sad tone in his voice made my stomach drop.

"What happened?" I demanded, standing up awkwardly. When Merlin didn't answer, I grabbed his arm and repeated, "What happened to Gwen?"

"You've really done it this time, Arthur Pendragon!" I boomed as I threw the doors to the council chambers open. The guards in front of the door had seen me power walk over to the chamber room and made room for me to walk inside.

Arthur was sitting on his throne, by himself, with the saddest look I had ever seen on his face. For a second I faltered, my heart calling out for the pain in his eyes, but my heart quickly hardened when I remembered what he had done.

"How could you just banish Guinevere?" I blurted, stalking over to him so that I was standing right in front of him. "She has no one else! Camelot is her home! She was to be your wife-are you truly that heartless?"

"Me?" Arthur demanded, though his voice came out as a weird strangle. "I'm the heartless one? Guinevere is the one that kissed another man, not me."

If the situation weren't so serious, I would've made a joke, but my anger completely consumed me. "I don't care what she's done! Do you know what you've put her through over the years? Yet she's forgiven you every single time." I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. "I suppose it doesn't matter to you, does it? Because Gwen is the one that's suffering right now."

"I'm suffering too, Elizabeth," Arthur pointed out as he sat up straight on his throne. "Guinevere made the wrong decision. She's lucky I didn't sentence her to death."

"A death sentence?" I wondered in amazement. "You would've sentenced her to death?"

Arthur hesitated, then said, "Agravaine said that in my father's time-"

"Oh, now I understand!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up. "Agravaine said so, so that makes it okay, right?"

"Don't start, Elizabeth," Arthur warned as he pointed his finger at me.

I resisted the urge to push his hand away. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to Gwen right now and telling her that she is no longer banished."

"You will not," Arthur ordered, a warning look in his eye.

I matched it. "Just watch me," I challenged, and I spun on my heel and made for the doors.

"Guards!" Arthur called out, and the guards outside of the doors shut them as the guards on the inside of the council chambers tilted their weapons so that they were forming an "X" in front of me, blocking my path. I was forced to skid to a stop, and I slowly turned around to face Arthur, who had stood from the throne. Standing there, in front of his throne with a stony expression on his face, I forgot for a moment that I was staring at Arthur, and not Uther.

"Arthur Pendragon, if you know what is good for you, you will call off the guards," I said in an even voice.

"You will not go to Guinevere," Arthur declared as he stepped down from the throne. "That is an order from your king."

I sucked in a deep breath. "I don't care," I told him, and I turned back around to try and duck under the guards.

"Seize her," Arthur said, with a great deal of reluctance in his tone.

Before I knew what was going on, two of the guards grabbed a hold of my arms. No matter how much I struggled against them, they maintained their tight grip.

"Escort the Lady Elizabeth to her chambers and do not let her out until Guinevere has left Camelot," Arthur instructed, and with a chorus of "Yes, your Majesty" from the guards, I felt myself being pushed forward and out of the door.

"Hey! Let me go!" I hollered, digging my heels into the ground. It didn't work, and they kept pulling me forward. "Let me say goodbye!" I called out behind me, even as they continued to pull me along. "At least let me say goodbye to her, Arthur! You are banishing her, I will never see her again! Please! Please!" I kept calling, and my knees grew weak with each call. My heart grew heavy with each step as I realized that Arthur wasn't going to call off the guards and let me go say my goodbyes to Guinevere. He wasn't going to let me say goodbye.

When the realization hit me, I gave up any hope of fighting and just let the guards drag me back to my chambers. One of the guards opened the door and gently shoved me inside. I stumbled to catch my step, and they shut the door tightly behind me. I stared behind me at the door that was now being guarded, and my brain kick started as I realized something that I had to do.

I ran over to my closet and pulled out three dresses-one for travelling, one of my best dresses, and a dress that I knew Guinevere was extremely proud of when she made it. I tossed them onto my bed as I ran over to my dresser drawers. I reached inside and took out a small bag filled with gold coins, and I pulled out a random handful of jewelry that I shoved into the leather bag.

I went back over to the dresses and dumped the leather sack on top of them. Holding my breath and cradling my stomach, I sank down to my knees so that I could reach under my bed, and I pulled out two daggers and a sword that Merlin and I kept hidden under there for emergencies,

I grabbed a big travelling bag and packed everything in there. Then I ran over to the door and knocked on it loudly. "I need Sir Gwaine!" I called out.

"I don't think the king would approve," the guard called back.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not leaving my chambers, I just need Sir Gwaine! Send for him!"

There wasn't a response, but about five minutes later, the door opened and Gwaine stepped inside. "Beth, what is-"

I didn't let him finish the sentence as I grabbed the bag off of the table from where I moved it and shoved it into his hands. "Give this to Guinevere," I instructed. "Tell her it has some clothes, some weapons, some money and some jewelry that she can pawn if she needs. She's not going to accept it, so make sure she understands that I will not take it back, and that she has to accept it." I enveloped my hand around Gwaine. "Please do this for me Gwaine," I whispered, a soft tear slipping down my cheek. "Arthur's not letting me say goodbye to her. This is the least that I can do." I sniffled. "Tell her that I love her, that she is my best friend and always will be, no matter what."

Gwaine looked unsure, but he nodded as he took the bag from my hands and went out the door. I covered my mouth with my hands and tried to contain my sobs as I went over to the window. I had a clear view of Gwen's home from there, and I watched as Gwaine went over to Gwen's home. She had stepped outside, and she pulled a large cart that held her belongings. She stopped as Gwaine came over to her, holding out the bag to her. She looked down at it, then shook her head and pushed it away. Gwaine looked pretty insistent, and Gwen suddenly looked up in my direction. I was unsure if she could really see me, but I felt like she could as I lifted a hand and rested it against the window, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Goodbye, Gwen," I whispered, leaning my head against the window and letting out a sob.

I heard the door open, but I didn't lift my head to see who it was. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Merlin. I sobbed freely this time, burying my head in his shoulder and crying my eyes out. "I didn't even get to say goodbye," I cried as I shook.

"This is what Morgana wanted...all along," Merlin said as he rubbed my back. "She couldn't suffer the thought of seeing Gwen on her throne." He sighed as he rested his chin on my head. "I suggested telling Arthur that Lancelot was actually a shade, but Gaius said that it wouldn't matter to him. All he would see is Gwen's betrayal."

I sniffled as I continued to cry. "I'm not going to forgive him, Merlin," I told him as I clutched onto him.

I felt him nod. "I know. And I won't try to persuade you to change your mind."

A few hours later, and Gwen was gone. I stayed by my window the whole time, long after she had disappeared from view. Merlin had left to return to work, but then he came in and told me that they had found not-Lancelot dead. It appeared that he had taken his own life.

My house arrest was only supposed to last until Gwen was out of the kingdom, and I was free to go to the funeral that Merlin had planned for him. I completely avoided Arthur as I left the castle, knowing that if I saw him I wouldn't be able to control my emotions. I had to build up my strength again before I could face him.

Of everything that Arthur had done...not letting me say goodbye to Gwen was the turning point. I didn't stand on Morgana's side, but I didn't know if I stood on Arthur's anymore, either. Not while Agravaine stood beside him.

I helped Merlin decorate a boat filled with twigs and covered in flowers. It was just the two of us, and we worked quietly. Once we were done, Merlin stood over Lancelot and placed a hand on his forehead. "Grið fæstne mid þisse tintregian sawle!" he incantated.

Lancelot suddenly breathed in sharply, and from the shock on Merlin's face, and I knew that wasn't what he intended with his spell. I had jumped a little too at the noise, and my stomach dropped as I prepared to become faced with the evil Lancelot again.

Except...except when I looked into Lancelot's eyes, the missing thing was back. The spark was back in his eyes, the spark that I knew made Lancelot Lancelot.

My eyes filled with tears as I heard him say, in his gentle tone, "Merlin, Elizabeth. Thank you." He offered the both of us a smile, and somehow, we found it in us to offer smiles back. Mine and Merlin's hands automatically found each other as we stood over Lancelot-our Lancelot. The Lancelot who had becomed the most noble knight in the land. The Lancelot who had saved us all.

Lancelot closed his eyes, his smile relaxing, his breathing drawing to a close. His chest stilled, and we knew he was gone. Our Lancelot had finally achieved his peaceful death.

Through our tears, Merlin and I pushed the boat into the lake. Once it was far enough, Merlin set it on fire with a flash of his eyes, and Lancelot's body burst into flames as it continued to drift into the lake.

Tears streamed down my face as Merlin wrapped his arm around me, pressing me to his side. I closed my eyes as I cried, burying my face into his chest. I felt a pair of lips against my forehead, and I opened my eyes again as I watched Lancelot-knight, noble man, and most importantly, friend-float away.

TBC...

Whew!

Guys, we're so close to season 5. So close. I've been doing this fanfic for five years, and yet somehow I can't believe we're so close to season 5.

Until next time! Thank you for being so patient with updates, I very much appreciate it!

REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! THANKS! STAY TUNED!

THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...

"You were right to be wary, Merlin," Gaius says to the warlock and his wife. "The druids build shrines to bring rest to tormented souls."

"If a shrine is meant to bring rest to souls," Elizabeth wonders aloud. "What would happen if the shrine was disturbed?"

Elyan looks up warily at the area around him as he stands in front of the well.

A crow squeals, startling the knights of Camelot.

"No! No!" Elyan cries out as he tries to drag himself away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur demands as Elyan draws his sword and attacks him with it. Arthur throws himself out of his chair, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Elyan may have disturbed the spirit at the shrine," Gaius offers.

Merlin stares down into the shrine that Elyan disturbed.

The knights of Camelot rush down the corridor.

Elyan throws himself against the door.

"Arthur!" Merlin calls out as he bursts into the council chamber where Arthur is battling against Elyan, who is dripping wet.

Elyan cowers as he looks behind him at a little boy who is soaking wet. The little boy lifts his finger to his lips and says, "Shh".

Until next time!