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

AN: Thank you for being patient with updates! But guys, we're almost on season 5. It has been coming for five years, but we're almost there!

Also, I know a lot of you guys have been waiting for the fall out of Arthur and Elizabeth's relationship, but I thought that that would be best handled in the next episode, A Hunter's Heart.

Enjoy!

"I am surprised that such a shrine exists so close to Camelot," Gaius mused.

Apparently while out with Arthur and his knights, Merlin had come across an ancient shrine. The whole thing freaked him out and he came right to Gaius. I had already been there for a check up (the baby was so close to coming and Gaius wanted to make sure everything was okay) so Merlin launched right into the story.

"And it was cursed. I could feel it," he insisted. I reached over and took his hand. He automatically entwined his fingers with mine, and I gave them a reassuring squeeze. Whatever he had seen had really shaken him up. I just hoped he'd be okay.

"You were right to be wary" Gaius cautioned. "The druids built shrines to bring rest to tormented souls; souls that were so badly wronged they could find no peace in the other world."

"Those...ribbons and flags you talked about," I started. I looked over at Gaius. "Why do they hang them?"

"The ancient rituals heal the ground so the souls of the victims can find rest, but the magic that binds the earth is delicate and is easily undone," he answered. "So the ribbons and flags act as a warning."

Merlin shook his head as he squeezed my hand. "Should've known that earlier."

"Did anyone touch anything?" Gaius asked.

Merlin shook his head. "Uh, no, I don't think so. Why? What is it?"

"Anyone who disturbs a resting place risks releasing the spirit," Gaius revealed. "Merlin, you must promise me you'll never return to that place."

He shook his head. "Oh, don't worry. I've no intention of going back there. And for once I'm not lying to you."

That night, I tossed and turned. Well, I tossed and turned the best that I could with this extremely large pregnancy belly. The normally lush and soft blankets of our bed were irritating my skin, and my body was having hot and cold flashes every alternating hour, causing me to throw the blanket off of me and then cocooning myself with the blankets.

Poor Merlin awkwardly shifted on the bed throughout the night to give me room until he was on the edge of his side of the bed. I looked over my shoulder to see that he was practically hanging off.

Guilt washed over me, and I reached over and grabbed his arm, pulling him on the bed properly. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice creaky with sleep.

He automatically shook his head as he came closer to me. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "I've been trying to give you room all night-"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I retorted firmly. I ran my hands along my swollen belly, and the baby kicked at the spot where my hands were. "It's just the hormones, that's all. There's making me crazy."

"I wish there was something I could do to make you feel more comfortable-" he started, resting his hand on my shoulder.

The spot where his hand was burned my now cool skin, and I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I bellowed.

He immediately drew his hand away and held them up. "I'm sorry!"

Tears flooded to the surface at the reproachful look on his face. "Oh no, sweetie, I'm sorry," I apologized, tears streaming down on my face at an uncontrollable rate. I rolled over and buried my face into his shoulder.

He just sat there for a second before finally sitting up in bed. He lit a candle on the bedside table with his magic before pulling me up into his arms. "I'm sorry," I sobbed through my tears. "I do-don't know wh-why I'm crying! I c-can't st-stop!"

"It's just the hormones," he reminded me as he started rubbing his hands on my arms. He froze, as if remembering my negative reaction from before, but continued on when he saw that I hadn't rejected his touch.

I quieted eventually, and before I knew it my eyes were fluttering shut and I was fast asleep.

The next morning, I reached over for Merlin but frowned when his usual warm spot came up cold. I opened my eyes slightly to see that he wasn't there. Frowning, I sat up. I rubbed my tired eyes before bracing my hand against my stomach and getting out of bed.

Just as I walked over to our dining table, the door opened. I looked over, automatically expecting Gwen, but my heart sank when I saw that it was just Merlin carrying a tray.

She had been gone for a little while, but that didn't make it any easier. Sometimes her absence hurt so much that I couldn't bear to do anything all day. I refused the idea of getting another servant. I knew Arthur secretly had someone doing some things for me, but everything else I insisted on doing myself. No one could ever replace Gwen.

Merlin was grinning as he set the tray down. There was an empty goblet, a pitcher of water, a vase with a single rose and a platter with a lid. He put his hands on my shoulders and sat me down on the chair. "I have a surprise for you!"

"What?" I asked, reaching to take the lid off of the tray.

His put his hand on top of my mine and stopped me. He gently pried my hand off of the lid before putting his own back on top of it. "I know that you had a rough night last night, so I thought I'd make your favourite breakfast." He lifted the lid to reveal two boiled eggs, slices of cheese and ham, a slice of bread, and a small bowl of strawberries.

On any other day, I would've been filled with happiness at the super sweet gesture that Merlin had done and gladly devoured the food (or forgone the food and devoured him instead) but today, as soon as the smell of the meat hit my nose, my stomach lurched and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. I grabbed his hand and forced it back down so that the lid was covering the food.

Merlin went into a straight panic. "What? What's wrong? What happened?!"

Sometimes I felt so bad for Merlin because honestly, there was only so much he could do for me. He always offered his support and love but I knew that he was frustrated with the lack of things that he could do when it came to the pregnancy itself.

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut as the raging storm in my stomach calmed. I lowered my hand from my mouth and said, "Sorry love, but the smell of the food is making me sick."

"What? Why-" he stopped himself. "Hormones again?"

I bit my lip as I nodded, standing up from the table and hoping to put enough distance between me and the platter. I grabbed his shoulders and turned him around so that my back was to the dish. "This was so so so incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you, Merlin, but I just can't eat it."

He sighed, sitting down on the chair that was next to mine. "Great. The one thing that I thought I could do for my wife..."

I shut him up with a long kiss. When I pulled away, there was a slight smile on his face. "I could go get you something else..." he offered.

I shook my head and patted his shoulders. "You'll be late for work if you did that. You should eat it, and I'll go down to the kitchens and get something to eat myself." At the skeptical look on his face, I tenderly kissed his forehead. "I'm really okay, Merlin. And I'm sorry that I couldn't eat this. It was a really nice thing for you to do." I leaned over and gave him another peck. "Now, go on. You'll be late."

Because I no longer had Gwen or Morgana to hang out with (and I couldn't even bear to be in the same room as Arthur let alone talk to him or help him), I spent all of my time with Gaius. Well, mostly I hung out and read books or helped him with things while he was in his chambers, but when he had to go see patients he made me stay back.

I was sitting on the bench and reading a book on herbs when the door burst open and Gwaine came running in.

Gaius looked up from his own book. "Gwaine, what is-"

"It's Elyan," he said. "He's in his chambers. You've got to come quick."

Gaius was on his feet and running for the door at his words. I leaped to my feet and shut the book that I was reading. I ran after Gaius, and he came to a stop at the door and held a hand up to stop me. "You stay here," he said.

"What? No!" I refused.

"Lizzie, I do not know what is wrong with Elyan-" Gaius started.

"He's Gwen's brother," I cut him off.

He quieted but eventually backed down as he nodded. "If I tell you to leave the room, then you leave, do you understand me?"

I nodded eagerly and followed after him as we went to Elyan's chambers. Once we got there, Gaius went over to Elyan, who was lying in his bed to examine him. He just laid there with his eyes wide open.

Sir Leon showed up to check on Elyan. "Why doesn't he speak?" he asked Gaius.

"I don't know. It's strange," Gaius commented.

"It's like he's lost his mind," Gwaine mused.

The physician looked over at the knight. "When I want your medical opinion, Gwaine, I'll ask for it."

At the dejected look on Gwaine's face, I lifted a hand and patted him on the shoulder in reassurance as Gaius said, "Perhaps you'd leave me alone to treat my patient."

Gwaine and Leon nodded as they started to head out, but Gwaine stopped and turned back to Gaius. "It would be better if Arthur didn't know of this."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Why?"

"Elyan hasn't been himself recently," Gwaine answered. "He hasn't said anything, but he's clearly upset about his sister's banishment."

I looked down at the ground, ignoring the stab of pain and longing at the mention of Gwen. "Yes, it must've been hard for him to see that happen to Gwen," Gaius said.

"We wouldn't want Arthur to think that Elyan's loyalties are divided," Leon supplied.

Gaius nodded. "Well, I'm sure the King doesn't have to know about every accident that happens in Camelot."

"Thank you, Gaius," Gwaine said gratefully, Leon echoing the statement. With that, the two men left the room.

Gaius then went over to Elyan, sitting beside him. "Elyan, can you hear me? Blink if you can hear me."

When Elyan didn't blink, I asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," he answered. He got up from the bed and walked around it to grab his medicine bag. The topped dropped to the ground, and I instinctively reached down to pick it up for the old man. It put some strain on my stomach and knees, but I managed to keep it together as I bent to pick it up.

I froze at the side of a little piece of fabric before removing it, revealing a circle of...something. It looked like salt. I looked up. "Gaius, look at this."

Gaius bent down as well. He touched it gently, smelled it, and then touched his finger to his tongue. After a second, he looked over at me and confirmed, "Salt."

"Why does Elyan have a circle of salt at his bed?" I wondered.

"I don't know," Gaius shook his head.

Later that night, I thought about what Gaius and I had brainstormed earlier. He thought that Elyan might have disturbed something at the shrine, which explained why his behaviour couldn't be explained medically. To be honest, I agreed with him, especially because the men were prone to doing things that they shouldn't.

As I was in the midst of changing into my nightgown, the door suddenly burst open as Merlin entered angrily. "I'm done trying to be nice to Arthur! I cook, I clean, I'm always there for him. Not to mention that small matter of saving his life more times than I care to remember. Do I get any thanks? No. All he ever does is shout at me."

"Glad to see we're on the same page for once," I commented as I struggled with pulling the dress over my chest.

He finally stopped to look over at me struggling with my dress. He walked over and just as he put his hands on me to help, his cold fingers touched my extremely hot skin. I instinctively batted his hands away. "Don't touch me!" I screeched, and I immediately recoiled at the frightened look on his face. "Oh God, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"The hormones," he said along with me. "I know. I'm sorry. I should've thought first."

"No, I'm sorry," I apologized as I straightened out the dress. "It's not just the hormones. It's Elyan. I'm really worried about him."

"What about him?" he wondered as he sat down on a chair.

"Gaius thinks that Elyan disturbed the shrine you were at," I began as I sat across from him. "Did he? Do you know?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"Really think about it," I pressed.

"I don't know," he repeated. "He may have done something. I tried to warn them, but you know what they're like. They don't listen."

I nodded as I sat straighter. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"What is it?" he asked. "What's happened to Elyan?"

I explained what happened earlier that day. "He hasn't said anything since he woke up, and Gaius and I can't find any physical symptoms that would explain it. We did, however, find a circle of salt at the foot of his bed."

Merlin's face glowed with realization. "Oh, no."

"What? What is it?" I demanded.

"He's trying to ward off an evil spirit," he explained.

I made a face. "With salt? But that doesn't really work, does it?"

Merlin shrugged. "Elyan believes it to be true."

I tilted my head to the side. "So you think that Elyan disturbed the shrine?"

"He could have," he agreed. "Maybe he disturbed a spirit there."

"But what will that do to him?" I wondered aloud.

Merlin shook his head. "I don't know. Gaius would. I'll talk to him first thing in the morning."

"Perhaps you should go now," I suggested, standing up from my chair. "If there's something magically wrong with Elyan, Gaius needs to know. He'll know how to fix him. Besides," I continued as I went over to my side of the bed. I pulled the sheets back. "It'll give me a chance to go to bed before you so that I don't have to lay awake and listen to you snore."

I realized too late what I said aloud, and I winced as I looked over at Merlin who once again, had a hurtful expression on his face. "I'm so sorry," I offered feebly. "It's the-"

"The hormones, I know," he nodded as he got up from his chair. He had reached the door when he turned around and pointed at me. "But I do not snore."

I learned the next day that Elyan attacked Arthur in the night, so I went over to the council chambers to find out what they were planning on doing.

I hadn't had much contact with either Arthur or Agravaine since Gwen's banishment. Arthur had tried to talk to me a few times since he locked me in my room and refused to let me say goodbye to Gwen, but whenever I saw him coming to me I always left, and he was smart enough not to follow me. But just as what happened with Queen Annis, I was more concerned for the people involved than I was with Arthur.

"Elyan must be tried and punished in accordance with our laws," Agravaine insisted.

"That would mean sentencing him to death," I cut in, glaring daggers at Agravaine.

The traitor merely shrugged. His patience was wearing more and more thin with me and it was clear that he was starting to care less and less about showing it in public as I was. "Well, so be it." He looked at Arthur. "You can't afford to show favouritism."

"What if Elyan wasn't acting of his own volition?" Arthur asked, and I looked over at him. Merlin must've spoken to him.

"What do you mean?" Agravaine wondered.

Arthur nodded to his servant. "Merlin believes that Elyan has been possessed by some kind of spirit."

"Oh," Agravaine said. "I have no doubt he's just trying to protect his friend."

My anger flared. "Why else would Elyan attack Arthur?" I bit.

"His motive is obvious," Agravaine stated. "He seeks revenge. You banished his sister from Camelot."

I don't think Gwen's banishment would ever stop hurting. Merlin stepped in as I took a step back. "I know Elyan, and no matter what he feels about his sister, he would never attack Arthur," he pointed out.

"Arthur, you must see," Agravaine insisted. "All this talk of possession and spirits, it's just a ruse to save Elyan's neck."

"And what if it's true, Lord Agravaine?" I seethed, using his title pointedly. "What then?"

"Elizabeth is right," Arthur said eagerly, and while I knew he believed it too, I knew he was also trying to get back into my good graces. "But what if it is true? I'd be executing an innocent man. More than that, I'd be executing a friend."

"You cannot be seen to allow someone to try and kill you and then escape punishment," Agravaine said. "You will appear weak. That puts the whole of Camelot in peril."

"Arthur..." Merlin said at the serious look on the king's face.

"Leave me," he ordered.

I didn't have to be told twice. I turned and walked away, but Arthur had to more sternly dismiss Merlin and Agravaine. I heard their footsteps beside me, and I purposefully swung the door open too hard so that it whacked Agravaine in the face. "Oops," I merely stated before walking away.

Back in our room, Merlin paced in front of me. "Agravaine is just pushing for Elyan's execution," he said.

I lifted a shoulder. "As much as I hate it, with the way everything looks?" My shoulders sagged. "Arthur might have no choice but to execute Elyan."

"We can't allow that to happen!" he insisted.

I gave him a "duh" look. "I know. But how? What do we do?"

He stopped pacing and faced me. "There must be a way of ridding Elyan of the spirit that possesses him."

I bit on a nail. "Surely that will require a lot of power out of you," I pointed out.

"I must master it to save Elyan's life," Merlin decided.

"So, what?" I wondered. "You're just going to use magic to expel the spirit out of Elyan right in front of the guards?"

He gave me a look of annoyance. "Of course not. First we need to break Elyan out of the cells. Did I miss that little part?"

I refrained from slapping him upside the head. Control hormones, control. I had been putting Merlin through far too much this week because of these hormones. I really needed to get it under control. "Well, whatever you do, just be careful. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you," I sniffled, tears welling in my eyes at the thought of something happening to Merlin.

So much for getting it under control.

Just as Merlin reached out to hug me, my body recoiled at the thought of his cold hands and I smacked his hand midway. I threw a hand over my mouth as I realized what I'd done. I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I am so sorry..."

Apparently it hadn't gone as well as Merlin had hoped, because later that morning he returned with a head wound. I was already in Gaius's chambers hanging out with the physician, and I guess Merlin had figured it would be best to go straight to Gaius.

As soon as I saw the wound on his head I went about making a poultice that would help with the swelling on his forehead. I then sat him down and gently began applying it to the bruise, and I winced every time Merlin made a little "hiss" at the pain.

"Just before he jumped me, there was a presence there. I could sense it," he reported to us.

"It was Elyan who was supposed to be knocked out, not you, Merlin," Gaius pointed out as I pulled the poultice away and gently ran a thumb along it.

"Don't make fun of him!" I burst, anger filling my chest at the idea of Gaius coming after my husband. I winced at their flinches and said, "Sorry-"

"It's her hormones," Merlin finished, and when he looked up at me I hugged his head to my chest. I had the best husband in the world.

Gaius awkwardly cleared his throat, and I immediately released him when I remembered that we weren't alone. The tips of Merlin's ears were pink, but he shook it off as he stood up to head for the door. "I must find Arthur. Elyan could make another attempt on his life."

"After Elyan's escape, Arthur was put under heavy guard," Gaius's words stopped Merlin at the door. "There's little more you can do to protect him." He walked over to Merlin. "This shrine...do you think you could find it again?"

"I'm not sure I want to. You said I was never to go there again," Merlin reminded him.

"We have to find out all we can about this spirit," Gaius explained. "Unless we know what we're dealing with, we won't be able to help Elyan or Arthur."

Later that day in the throne room, I stood with Merlin and Gaius as Agravaine reported to Arthur on Elyan's whereabouts.

"The palace is secure. No one is able to get in or out, and we're searching the lower town even as I speak," he finished. "Fear not, my lord, Elyan will be hunted down and slain. I'll see to it personally."

I could've killed Arthur myself when he said, "Thank you, Uncle."

I took a step forward, ready to tear Arthur a new one, when Merlin grabbed my arm and pulled me back, shaking his head. Before I could ask, Arthur turned around.

"You know that isn't Elyan or you wouldn't have let him go," Merlin stated matter-of-factly.

Arthur nodded. "When Elyan spoke to me, it wasn't with his voice. It was the voice of a boy, a child."

"That is the voice of the spirit that now possesses him," Gaius confirmed.

"What do you know about the shrine, Gaius?" Arthur questioned.

"I believe the site was once a druid camp," Gaius revealed. "There is evidence that the camp was attacked. Your father was relentless in his persecution of the druids. Many died. I believe it is one of those tormented souls that now possesses Elyan."

Arthur nodded in understanding. "And that's why he seeks his revenge."

"The spirit craves peace," Gaius continued. "He wishes to find his proper place in the other world, but the unjust nature of his death has denied him that."

"Is there anything that can be done to change this?" Arthur pressed.

"In druid lore, only the atonement of the perpetrator can bring the spirit peace," Gaius answered.

I made a face, looking from Merlin to Gaius. "But Uther died."

Merlin nodded in agreement. "He can't atone for what he did."

"Indeed," Gaius sadly acknowledged.

Arthur took in a sharp breath, then said, "What about Elyan?"

"Elyan is no longer the man you knew," Gaius replied. "The spirit has a hold on him that may be too powerful to break. All we can hope is that he'll be found before he has a chance to enact his revenge."

"And if we do find him?" Arthur went on.

"Then I fear you have no choice...but to kill him," Gaius finished.

Merlin didn't come home until way late into the night, and I stayed up the whole time waiting for him. When he finally came back, he explained everything that happened.

"So it was Arthur that lead that raid?" I clarified as we sat on the bed.

Merlin nodded. "He asked the boy for forgiveness, and he gave it to him."

"And Elyan?"

"Gaius says he's expected to make a full recovery," he answered. He moved to put his arm around me and I automatically leaned towards him to allow better access, but he quickly brought his arm back and put his hand in his lap.

I looked at him in confusion. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly.

"You can touch me, you know," I told him.

"I really don't," he replied honestly, and he looked a bit helpless as he looked over at me. "It's just... whenever I try to do something, you-" He cut himself off.

Understanding washed over me, and I reached over to take his hand, entwining my fingers with his before he had the chance to pull away. "I know I've been a bit crazy lately, but that's just because all these hormones are making me crazy. And I know that you've been trying your best to help me and I really appreciate it."

"My best apparently isn't my best," he grumbled as he looked down at our hands. "I can't even do anything right to help you. Everything that I've tried to do hasn't helped."

I rolled my eyes but used my other hand to grab his chin and force him to look at me. "There isn't much that you can do; we both know that. The sad truth of babymaking is that it's the woman that does a majority of the work. We carry the babies, we deal with the hormones and changes in our bodies, we birth them. But you know how we do it?"

When he shook his head, I smiled brightly at him. "It's because we have the support of our wonderful husbands," I explained, and my words brought a smile to his lips. "You may think that you're not doing much, Merlin, but you're doing everything just by being here with me. I can confidently carry this child knowing that you're with me every step of the way, and that brings me comfort. I can't imagine doing this without you."

He cupped my chin with two of his fingers and pressed a light kiss to my mouth. "I love you," he said.

The feeling of his lips on mine set me on fire, but in the best way. My skin sang, every cell in my body calling out for more. I pitched forward and kissed him more firmly and for a longer period of time. When he finally pulled away for air, he was panting a bit and my lips felt like they were bruised. He raised a hand to his lips, then said, "More hormones?"

After considering it for a second, I nodded. "Yeah."

He grinned, the biggest smile I had ever seen. "Now these hormones I absolutely do not mind."

We both laughed, and then met in the middle for another kiss before falling backwards onto the bed.

TBC...

I really wanted to do a chapter where hormonal Elizabeth gives Merlin a hard time, and there wasn't another opportunity this season to do it, which is why we get most of the REAL aftermath of Arthur and Lizzie next chapter.

So close to The Sword in the Stone! Thank you all again so much for your patience between updates!

REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! THANKS! STAY TUNED!

THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUES...

"Princess Mithian, you are most welcome," Arthur greets the breathtaking princess.

"You turned your back on me, thought that I could be a traitor, chose everybody over me at any given opportunity, banished my best friend, didn't let me say goodbye to her and you want me to be cordial, Arthur?" Elizabeth thunders at the king.

Arthur and Mithian laugh together at a picnic while Merlin watches on with disdain.

"It is Arthur's fate to marry Gwen," Merlin says to Elizabeth. "But am I supposed to do anything about it?"

"Guinevere made her choice," Arthur says to Elizabeth firmly. "Now she must take the consequences."

Gwen toys with her engagement ring around her neck.

Gwen listens in on Helios and Morgana's conversation before her foot slips on a rock, causing the two to look over at the sound.

"Who is this woman?" Morgana demands.

"A serving wench I recently acquired," Helios answers. "No more."

"We must find her now!" Morgana thunders.

Guinevere runs through the woods for dear life.

"If you stay here-" Merlin starts.

"I have what I deserve," Gwen cuts off.

"You wish to see your beloved Arthur again?" Morgana wonders.

Gwen evades the hunting party.

Arthur aims a crossbow.

"Then so you shall," Morgana finishes.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!