Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! I only own my OC, and any other characters or plotlines I make up along the way!
AN: Here we go! Last season finale, because the next finale I'll be writing will be a series finale!
Wow, that was kind of really depressing to say.
Anyways!
Enjoy!
The contractions weren't that bad, actually. I had had one after my water broke, which was really convenient considering we were running through the woods in order to escape the Southrons and Agravaine.
Gwen and Merlin each held onto me as we ran. Tristan supported Isolde, and Arthur led the way. We came to a stop at the mouth of cave tunnels, and Merlin turned to me and Gwen. "I'll cover our tracks, you keep going!" he insisted. He turned his attention to Gwen. "Help Lizzie, Gwen."
"Of course," Gwen nodded, and she braced herself as I leaned my entire weight on her shoulders.
I gave Merlin a quick peck and continued after Arthur, Tristan, and Isolde. I held my stomach as another contraction hit, and this one nearly brought me to my knees.
"Lizzie!" Gwen exclaimed, grabbing my arms and pulling me back up last second. "Are you alright?"
I sucked in deep and slow breaths. "I'm okay. I'll be fine."
"Your gown is wet," she frowned, and I looked over to her slowly. Realization hit her right after, but I just lifted my chin and kept going. She struggled to catch up with me. "The baby's coming!" she exclaimed. "You must tell Merlin!"
"I can't," I refused. I checked to make sure that Arthur nor Tristan or Isolde heard us, but we were a fair distance away from them. "We've already got enough on our plates. Besides, Gauis says that first time mothers can be in labour for a long long time." I nodded quickly and wiped the sweat from my brows. "That's what I'm counting on. A long long time."
"But Lizzie!" Gwen protested. "What if the baby were to come right now?! We must stop-"
"No!" I cut in. "No stopping. We can't stop."
Gwen opened her mouth to protest, but she cut herself off when we heard footsteps behind us. We turned our heads, but it was just Merlin carrying a lit torch. "Why are you running so slow?" he said. He wrapped his arm around my back and practically lifted me as we ran the rest of the way. I shot Gwen a glare that told her to keep her mouth shut, and thankfully she did.
"Did you lose them?" Arthur asked when we got close enough to him.
"It's safe," Merlin insisted.
"You sure?" Arthur pressed.
Merlin let go of my waist to lead the way. "Do I look like an idiot?"
"Yes," Arthur said without hesitation.
Merlin shook his head, looking over at us. "Doesn't change, does he?"
"Which way now?" Arthur asked when Merlin came to a stop just a few paces in front of us.
He looked around at the various tunnels, and Arthur let out a noise of exasperation at the uncertainty on his face. "I thought you said you grew up on these tunnels!"
"I did!" Merlin insisted, but he bit his lip as he scanned the area around him. "Just- it could be that way." He gestured to the left with his torch.
"Or it could be that way," Arthur said, gesturing to the other way.
"Yes," Merlin acknowledged.
"That's very reassuring," Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Hey, boys?" I cut in, trying not to huff and puff because Merlin would know right away that I was in even more pain than before. "Make a decision. Today."
"Fine!" Merlin said, and we ended up going left. Gwen held onto me, and as a result we trailed behind in the group and ended up walking beside Tristan.
"So you know Arthur?" he asked her as we came to a stop in front of large rocks we'd have to climb, and I already felt my already aching back screech in protest.
Gwen, noticing my discomfort, rubbed my lower back before offering me a hand to help me climb. "I was a servant in Camelot," she answered Tristan's question. I put one foot on top of the rock, and Tristan was kind enough to take my other hand and help me up.
"To Arthur?" he went on once I was safely on top of the rock.
"No," she responded before nodding her head at me. "To Lizzie."
"Is that why you're here?" he wondered.
"It's not just that," Gwen revealed as she climbed up herself. "He's my king."
Tristan snorted. "I can't say I've detected many kingly qualities so far."
"Well, maybe you don't know him," Gwen sniffed at him.
Despite the immense pain I was in, I also found it in me to retort, "I've had my fair share of problems in the past with Arthur Pendragon-especially as of late-but he's a good man, and a good king. And no matter how many times we've argued, that is the one thing that I've never doubted."
Tristan turned his head away from us, and it looked like that was the last bit of conversation he was willing to give. Whatever. It was better for us to be quiet anyways, which was becoming more and more difficult with each passing contraction.
The sound of movement coming from behind us stopped us all in our tracks, and almost comically, we all turned our heads to look behind us at the same time. "I thought you said we'd lost them," Arthur barely breathed.
"I thought I had," Merlin responded just as quiet.
"It won't take long for them to catch us," Tristan stated.
Merlin was immediately moving. "I'll go back," he offered.
"What are you gonna do?" Arthur demanded.
"Create a diversion."
He reached out and grabbed Merlin's arm before I had the chance to. "It's too risky," he told him.
"I know these tunnels and Agravaine doesn't," Merlin pointed out. He handed Arthur his torch. "You keep going."
I opened my mouth to protest, but little noises came out instead of words. He turned to me, and in front of everybody, reached out to caress my face. He startled a bit when he touched me, probably realizing just how much I was actually sweating, but brushed it off. "You have to go, Lizzie," he insisted. His eyes flickered down to my stomach, and for a second I thought he had figured out that I was actually in labour, but he just looked back up at me and said, "Protect yourself and the baby."
With that, he turned to leave, but Arthur stopped him again. "Merlin..." he started, and he had a look on his face that said that he was worried about him, but he'd never say that out loud. "Don't do anything stupid," he settled on.
Merlin glanced back the way we came before looking back to Arthur. "Me?" he joked, and his expression turned a bit more serious as he said, "Take care of Lizzie" to Arthur before turning and running.
I automatically took a step forward, but Arthur wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pushed me back. "We've got to go," he said, and no matter how badly I wanted to go after my husband, when another wave of pain washed over my stomach and back, I let him lead me away.
After a little while, Arthur suddenly came to a stop, and I nearly crashed into his back. "What?" I demanded. "Arthur, what is it?"
"What are you doing?" Tristan added.
"Shh!" he hissed, bringing a finger to his lips. We all strained our hearing, and the sound of rocks moving became louder. He looked up at me. "Merlin."
"He knows the tunnels. He'll find his way," Tristan said.
"I'm going back," Arthur declared, walking past the four of us. He was gone before we could say anything else.
"For a servant?" Tristan wondered aloud, staring after our king.
"You're wrong about him," Gwen simply said.
My feet were moving before I could stop myself. "Well, if he's going after him, I sure am!" I declared, but two pairs of hands reached out and grabbed my arms, pulling me back. I expected to see Gwen, but I was surprised to see Isolde holding my other arm.
"You heard your husband," Isolde chastised me. "We have to keep going. It's not safe for you or your child if you go after them."
With a huff, I pulled my arms out of their grip. "Fine! Fine. Let's go."
After a few minutes of walking, we heard footsteps again, and behind us Merlin and Arthur emerged. My chest loosened, and I ran over to Merlin. "You're okay!" I breathed as I cupped his face, but the look in his eyes told me that he actually wasn't. Something had happened.
I'll tell you later, he communicated through his mind, and I slid my hands down from his cheeks to his hands and gave them a tight squeeze. He turned me around and supported my back once more as we continued on.
Finally, we made it to the other side of the mountain. Arthur clutched his wounded ribs, and Tristan stood on his other side while supporting Isolde. "So, where now?" Tristan wondered.
Arthur considered for a second before nodding. "To the plains beyond the mountains."
"You sure?" Tristan questioned. "That's Lot's kingdom. He's no friend of the Pendragons."
"Well, maybe we could find somewhere here," Gwen suggested. "A house where we could rest."
"We're fugitives, a danger to anyone who harbours us," Tristan brought up.
"He's right," I said, as much as I hated how the words tasted in my mouth. "Our best bet is to head back to Camelot."
"No, we need to keep going," Arthur insisted, though it was obvious that thinking of plans and enforcing them, like he was so used to doing, was becomnig difficult for him.
"If we hold up in the Forest of Essetir, we'll be safe at least for a while," Merlin offered.
Arthur shook his head. "No."
"If anyone has survived this battle, that's where they'll be hiding," Merlin went on, and I felt another squeezed in my abdomen, and I tried to bite back my scream but a tiny one escaped. At the noise, Merlin whipped his head at me, and I pretended like I hadn't done anything. Unfortunately he didn't buy it, and instead turned to Arthur. "Lizzie needs to rest. All of this stress can bring on early labour, and that is the last thing that we need on top of all of this."
Little late for that, I thought to myself, and judging by the look on Gwen's face, she had thought the same thing. I narrowed my eyes at her, and she complied, looking away from me. I turned to Merlin instead. "I'm okay. We can keep moving."
"Elizabeth, I can feel your sweat through your back," Merlin scolded, and I knew he meant business because he called me by my full name. In all the years that we'd known each other, I could count on one hand the amount of times Merlin called me by my full name: when we'd first met, and during our wedding vows, and then the first time we made love, because he thought it was romantic-and it was. He rubbed his hand on my back. "You need to rest. For longer than ten minutes."
"I know which I'd do," Tristan spoke up. "You're the king, Arthur. You're our leader..."
"All right," Arthur cut him off, and if I were Arthur, I would've socked him in the jaw by now for being so annoying, but that probably wouldn't've helped his whole "I'm a good king" mission. "Forest of Essetir it is."
"Are you alright?" Merlin whispered in my ear once he laid out his jacket onto the ground and helped me settle on top of it.
"I'm fine," I insisted. I stretched my legs out in front of me, not caring how unladylike this was. The contractions were killing me-and on top of all of that, I'd been running for my life for the past few hours. I braced my hands behind me and tipped my head back. I breathed in heavily through gritted teeth. "I just need a little breather."
"Okay," Merlin said, sitting down next to me.
I turned my head to the side and glared at him. "A breather as in I don't want anyone breathing my air right now."
His face dropped. "Oh, sorry." He scrambled to his feet.
I sighed and put my hand on his leg. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just tired-"
"It's alright, Lizzie," he answered. "You've had to run a lot in the past couple of hours. You need to rest. I'll go collect some firewood. If you need anything-"
"I'll call for you," I assured him. He kissed me on top of my head and then went over to help Arthur and Tristan collect firewood.
Isolde, who had been watching the entire moment between us unfold while sharpening her dagger with a stone, smirked at me. "You've really got him wrapped around your finger, don't you?"
I found it in me to smirk back. "You have no idea."
Though I could barely stand to keep my eyes closed, I needed to keep up pretenses, so when Merlin told me to go to sleep and draped his coat on top of me, I rolled over and pretended to sleep. The sharp pangs were slowly moving closer together, which worried me. In all the facts about childbirth that I remembered from my old world, one of the ones that stood out was that when contractions got closer together, then it was almost time to start pushing. And I wasn't ready to push right now.
Because I wasn't really sleeping, I perked my ears when I heard Merlin say to Arthur, who had been on watch when I "went to bed", "Come on, I'll take watch."
After a few brooding seconds of silence from Arthur, Merlin asked, "Arthur, what's the matter?" After a few more seconds, he instantly said, "Don't listen to Tristan, he doesn't know you."
"I trusted the wrong people," Arthur grumped.
"They betrayed you. That wasn't your fault," Merlin assured him.
"No. I was a fool," Arthur retorted. "I misjudged everyone...my uncle...Morgana. Elizabeth." After a brief pause, he said, "I've misjudged her the most. She's been nothing but loyal to me, proving it every chance she got. And what did I do? I mistrusted her at every opportunity that I was presented with. She never deserved the scrutiny that I put her under. Every decision I've made has been wrong."
"You are being too hard on yourself," Merlin told him. "Lizzie's forgiven you. She knows that you're just extra paranoid-which she doesn't blame you for at all."
"I should be more discerning, wise...a statesman, a king," Arthur mocked. "Tristan's right, there's nothing special about me. I'm just like everyone else."
"You're not. You're a worthy king," Merlin insisted.
"I'm good with a sword. That's all."
"Your people love you."
"Most of them are dead. Thanks to me."
"No, most of them escaped," Merlin corrected. "They'll be here in the forest, I'm sure of that."
"Well, if they are, they'll have to find themselves a new king." Some rustling, and I assumed Arthur got up to walk away because Merlin called after him, but there was no response.
After a couple of seconds, I felt a hand shaking my shoulder. I peeked my eyes open and pretended that I was waking up from a deep sleep. I turned my head to look at Merlin. "What?" I asked dreamily. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm going to go call for Kilgharrah," Merlin answered. "I just thought I should let you know."
"Alright," I said, sitting up and pushing his jacket off of me. "I'll come with you."
"No," Merlin insisted, pushing me back down. "We might be leaving camp tomorrow, and I want you to be as rested as possible."
Before I could protest, a pang of pain punched my stomach, and I scrunched up my face and nodded. "Okay. You're right."
"Lizzie, are you okay?" he asked, cupping my face. "Is the pain getting worse?"
"Nothing that I can't handle," I assured him.
His eyes suddenly widened as he looked down to my stomach. "Is it the baby? Is she coming?" He moved his hand to touch my stomach.
I slapped it away from me. "No!" I whispered. "It's not the baby." I hated lying to him, but I knew how much this Arthur problem was bothering him, and I didn't want to cause him any more trouble. I would keep this baby inside of me even if I had to hold it in until Morgana was off of the throne. "Go-talk to Kilgharrah. Hopefully he'll have some helpful advice."
With a worried look, Merlin ultimately kissed me softly before getting up and running through the forest. I laid back down on the ground and wrapped his jacket around my front. I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep for real, hoping that when I woke, we'd have a plan.
"This had better be good because this really isn't the time for one of your ridiculous games," Arthur said the next morning.
Merlin had returned and told me that Kilgharrah had said that all Merlin needed to do was make Arthur believe in himself again. He came up with an idea and was about to go execute it, but he knew that I wouldn't want to miss out on the action, so he chose to wake me up first before waking up Arthur.
Reader, this was one of the reasons why I married him.
The labour pains were definitely getting closer, but it still wasn't so bad, and I didn't feel like a baby was about to shoot out of my vagina, so that was a good sign. I bit back the pain and walked behind Merlin and Arthur.
"I was thinking about last night and how you were saying how you'd given up all hope, how you were a poor leader and a shoddy king," Merlin began.
"'Shoddy'?" Arthur repeated.
"All right, 'shabby'," Merlin allowed.
"Thanks."
"Well, it reminded me of a tale Gaius once told me," Merlin went on.
"Merlin, I'm really not interested in your favourite bedtime stories."
"Just listen to him, will you?" I scolded, and Arthur eventually held up his hands in defeat.
Merlin nodded his thanks at me and continued. "Many years ago, before the birth of the five kingdoms, this land was in an endless cycle of bloodshed and war, but one man was determined to end all that. He gathered together the elders of each tribe and drew up plans for the lands to be divided. Each would respect the others' boundaries, and drew it over the land as they saw fit." He smiled proudly as he said, "That man was Camelot's first king, ancestor to all that followed, including you, Arthur."
Arthur was quiet for a second before saying, "Bruta."
Merlin paused. "You know the story."
"Yes, ever child in Camelot does. Can I go back to bed now?"
"No. Because there's another part of the story that you haven't heard," Merlin informed him.
Arthur gave him an annoyed look. "Really?"
Merlin continued, and we kept walking. "When Bruta was on his deathbed, he asked to be taken deep into the forest. There, with the last of his strength, he thrust his sword into a rock. If his lineage was ever questioned, this would form a test. Only a true king of Camelot could pull the weapon free."
Arthur stopped and narrowed his eyes at his manservant. "Are you making this up?"
"Of course not," Merlin insisted, though he turned around and kept walking before Arthur had the chance to decide if he was really lying or not. Arthur looked over to me, but I simply shrugged and followed him.
"All right. If it's true, why haven't I heard this story?" Arthur demanded.
"Well, history isn't really your strong point, is it?" Merlin joked.
"And where is this rock?" Arthur went on.
"Oh, it was lost many years ago during the Great Purge, but...I've managed to find it," Merlin revealed.
Arthur shook his head. "I've never heard so much rubbish in my entire life."
"Hey!" I protested. "Are you calling Gaius a liar?"
"No, I'm calling your husband an idiot," he corrected.
Merlin stopped and looked at him before turning his head to look forward. "What's that then?"
We both followed Merlin's line of sight, and giddiness filled me as I saw Excalibur, the sword in the stone in all its glory. Again, I didn't have my memories of the show anymore, but the sword in the stone was such a staple of the original Arthurian legends that I was able to retain my memories of that. I always wondered if I'd ever see the sword in the stone here, and now I have.
We walked closer, and slowly, a small crowd started to come out of the forests, peasants and knights of Camelot alike. I grinned when I recognized Sir Leon and Sir Percival.
Arthur glanced back at Merlin, who grinned proudly. "What the hell are you playing at?" Arthur demanded.
"I'm proving that you are their leader and their king," Merlin answered.
"That sword is stuck fast in solid stone!" he harshly whispered.
"And you're going to pull it out," I told him.
He looked between us in despair. "It's impossible," he finally said.
"Arthur, you're the true king of Camelot," Merlin insisted.
Arthur glanced back at the crowd of people surrounding the stone before looking back at us. "Do you want me to look like a fool?"
"No, I'm going to make you see that Tristan's wrong; you aren't just anyone, you are special," Merlin said. "You and you alone can draw out that sword."
Arthur looked back to the stone again, apprehension clear on his face. But, he drew his sword out and stuck it into the ground. "You better be right about this."
He approached the stone slowly. He looked up at the crowd hesitantly, and then placed both hands on the hilt. He pulled, but the sword stayed in place.
"You have to believe, Arthur," Merlin told him.
Arthur's shoulders shook from the effort, but still the sword didn't move.
I stepped forward and threaded my fingers through Merlin's, squeezing tight. "You're destined to be Albion's greatest king," I assured him. "Nothing, not even this stone, can stop you."
Arthur let go of the sword, and then re-positioned himself. He placed one hand on the sword hilt and closed his eyes.
"Have faith," Merlin said.
Arthur lifted his chin, willing himself to believe. I glanced over to Merlin and his eyes glowed as he did a mental spell. I looked back over to Arthur.
The stone released the sword.
Arthur pulled it out and stared at it in wonder. Sunlight glistened off of the sharp blade, looking absolutely regal in the hands of the king. As the people of Camelot watched on, Sir Leon chanted, "Long live the king!"
I wrapped my arm around Merlin's and leaned my head on him, grinning as everyone chanted, "Long live the king!"
I couldn't believe that I got to witness this. I would forever cherish this moment.
Merlin was absolutely right. As soon as Arthur had pulled out the sword he was back to his kingly self, making plans and directing people in order to plan an attack on Morgana and the castle.
"What about the drawbridge?" Arthur asked as he walked with Leon and Percival.
"Well manned," Leon answered.
"As are the northern gates," Percival added.
"The battlements on the south side?" Arthur wondered.
Percival gave him a worried look. "Arthur, even if we can get inside, she has an army."
"And we have, what? A few hundred?" Arthur said.
"And they still outnumber us," Percival answered.
"Yeah, but only three to one," Arthur pointed out.
"And do you think they'll fight?" Isolde cut in.
"For Arthur, they will," I replied.
"It's not me they have to fight for. It's for Camelot," Arthur corrected me.
"No, Arthur," Leon said. "It is you that people love, and you that they will lay down their lives for. I know that I would ride into the mouth of hell for you."
"And I," Percival added.
Isolde and Tristan exchanged surprise looks as Merlin said, "And I."
"Well, if you need a heavily pregnant woman," I said.
Arthur drew his sword. "Into the mouth of hell it is."
After Leon and Percival left, Merlin turned to Arthur. "You all right?"
"Yes," Arthur answered.
"Do you think there are too many of them?" he asked.
"Southrons are men like you and me," Arthur pointed out. "Men we can fight. But Morgana..." He shook his head. "Her power is so great and we've got nothing to answer it with."
Merlin paused, and then said, "I never finished Gaius's story."
Arthur shook his head in exasperation. "Not now, Merlin, please."
"Will you just listen?" Merlin demanded, and to my surprise, Arthur quieted down. "When the sword was thrust into the stone, the ancient king foretold that one day it would be freed again at a time when Camelot needed it most. The man who freed it would unite the land of Albion and rule over the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. That man is you, Arthur."
Arthur furrowed his brow at Merlin's smile. "You're making this up."
"Why would I do that? Your head's already as big as your waist." Though he had cracked a joke, Merlin turned the situation serious again. "I believe it, though. And I believe in you. I always have."
Arthur glanced down at Excalibur before walking off, leaving just Merlin and I. We stood quietly for a few seconds, just watching the crowd, before I spoke up. "Something's been bothering me."
"What? Is it the baby?" Merlin immediately panicked, looking down at my stomach.
"What? No." I shook my head, though who knows? In a few hours it could be the baby. Let's hope that I'd hold out longer. "Agravaine was chasing us in the tunnels. And then he wasn't." I looked over to Merlin, who had gone quiet and sullen. "What did you do to stop him?"
When Merlin didn't look at me, I knew instantly. My chest softened, and I cupped my hand over my mouth. I never liked Agravaine in the slightest and was actually glad that he was dead, but my husband didn't deserve his death on his conscience.
I reached forward and put my hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at me. He had a stony look on his face, but I could see the guilt in his blue eyes. "You had to do it," I said sternly, and he nodded solemnly at my words. "You had no choice. Agravaine's choices led him to that tunnel, and you did what you had to do to protect us." I shook my head. "Don't think for one second that this makes you a bad person."
He nodded again, and I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. He snaked his arms around my waist, and though he chest didn't move with tears, I felt a few wet drops on my shoulders. I didn't say anything though. I just held him.
Our attack took place the very next day. They all (all being Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen) wanted me to stay behind and hide somewhere with Sir Leon guarding me, but I absolutely refused. Firstly, Sir Leon was one of their best fighters, and they'd need him more than I would. And secondly, even while extremely pregnant and secretly in labour and in immense pain, I still wasn't the type of person to stand back and let all the action take place. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't try to help.
Surprisingly, Tristan and Isolde volunteered to come with us. Tristan had been won over by seeing the loyalty that Arthur's people had for him, and Isolde because she had already been won over. We gratefully accepted their help, and Isolde even offered to watch after me especially in the battle.
After a few stumbles, we managed to make it to the front of the council chamber. There were guards in front of the doors, and they all drew their own swords as Arthur ordered us, "One each. Pick your man. On me!"
After knocking down the men, Arthur looked from Excalibur to Merlin. "You know, this thing's not bad."
We shared a secret smile. "Thought you might like it," Merlin said to him.
We stood in front of the doors, and Arthur looked over to us. "Ready?"
We all raised our swords. "For the love of Camelot!"
We all charged into the council chamber, but we stumbled to a stop. The room was empty save for Morgana who lounged on the throne, and the man who I assumed to be Helios standing behind it.
"Welcome, dear brother, loving sister," she remarked to Arthur and I. She smirked. "It's been far too long."
She got up from her seat and strolled over to us. "I apologize if you had a difficult reception. It's hard to know who to trust these days."
She stopped in the middle, and I chose to stand back as Arthur approached her slowly. Morgana might have been my sister too, but this confrontation was between two royal siblings, which I was not. He raised Excalibur with an open hand to show he wasn't going to attack her, and she watched hi, warily until he placed the sword in his belt.
He eventually met her in the middle. "What happened to you Morgana?" he asked softly, and if I didn't know any better I'd say that I saw hurt and regret on Morgana's face. "I thought we were friends."
"As did I," she eventually said, just as softly as he had. But then she hardened her face and her voice came out stronger. "But alas, we were both wrong."
"You can't blame me for my father's sins," Arthur tried to reason.
"It's a little late for that," Morgana bit. "You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind. You're not as different from Uther as you'd like to think."
Arthur's face remained neutral as he tossed back, "Nor are you."
That just made her angry, and she snarled as she stepped back. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, Arthur Pendragon." She lifted her chin. "Not even Emrys can save you now."
Arthur drew Excalibur again, and Morgana simply smirked at him. "Your blades cannot stop me." She tossed her hand out. "Hleap on bæc."
We all braced ourselves for an impact, but nothing happened. Confusion crossed Morgana's face, and then she tried the spell again. "Hleap on bæc!" she said again, this time fear clear in her voice. She looked down to her hand in devastation.
"Not so powerful now, my lady," Arthur declared, raising his sword.
Helios pulled Morgana behind him as she panicked, and then she turned and bolted for the exit.
"After her!" Arthur yelled, and Gwen, Merlin and I ran after her.
I had only just stepped outside of the council chamber when a long, breathtaking stab of pain forced me to my knees. I couldn't stop the cry from bursting out of my mouth, and I collapsed against the wall.
Merlin turned around, and he gasped when he saw me grasping the wall and trying not to scream in pain. He immediately ran over to me and dropped to his knees. "Lizzie! What is it? What's happened? Is it the baby?"
Whenever something had happened to me in the past throughout the pregnancy, Merlin always asked if it was the baby. I always told him no, but today I could finally say... "Yes, it's the baby," I confirmed, resting my hands on my stomach. "It's... it's coming."
Merlin's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?"
"I don't think I can hold it in," I gasped, and I automatically reached out and grabbed Merlin's arm as another contraction ripped through me.
"Okay," he said, looking around the hall. "Let's get you to Gaius'. We have to get you to the physician's room."
"No!" I protested, grabbing him by the shirt when he tried to get up. I pulled him back down. "You have to go after Morgana."
"What? No!" he refused. "The baby is coming! I can't leave you like this and go after her."
"I won't be able to rest if she's still out there," I explained. "Merlin, this is finally our chance to free ourselves from her." Another contraction hit me, and I bit my lip hard. "Our chambers are closer than Gaius'. I will go wait there, and you go take care of Morgana, and then find Gaius and bring him to me." I patted him on the chest. "Go, Merlin. Take care of this. I can take care of myself until then."
He looked really conflicted, but he leaned forward and gave me a long kiss, then kissed my stomach. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he assured me and our baby. Then, he got up and ran down the hall.
Merlin paced the length of the hall outside of his bedchambers.
They had stopped Morgana's reign over the kingdom, and restored Arthur back to the throne. But Morgana had still gotten away. Isolde had passed away. And by the time he had returned to his chambers to be with Elizabeth, Gaius and Gwen had already reached her and began to help her through the childbirth. Gaius refused to open the door, even for Merlin, because apparently, Elizabeth's delivery hadn't been going well, and he didn't need Merlin in there to add to his pressure. Every time he heard Lizzie scream (which was a lot), he had to stop himself from breaking the door down.
Thankfully, Arthur stood outside with him, though he wasn't being very comforting. He scoffed while watching Merlin walk along the hall. "Will you sit down? You're making me nervous."
"You're nervous?" Merlin blurted. He pointed to the locked door. "My wife is giving birth and I can't be there! I'm about to become a father."
Arthur made a face. "Ahh. Right." He stood up and walked over to Merlin. "It's all going to be fine, Merlin. She's with Gaius and Guinevere. She couldn't be in better hands. Though," He crossed his arms over his chest. "She has some timing. Choosing to go into labour just when we're in the middle of taking the castle back."
"I'm sure she didn't choose it," Merlin said. He jumped when he heard another scream, a profanity aimed at him this time. Lizzie had warned him that during the delivery, she might curse at him for doing this to her, and she had made good on her promise. He frowned. "It's taking a long time."
"Well, Gaius said sometimes it takes a while," Arthur pointed out. He sat back down and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit."
Not wanting to, Merlin went and sat next to Arthur. The two were silent for a second before Merlin said, "I'm about to become a father."
"Yes, we've established this."
"I have no idea how to be a father!"
"You've had nine months to prepare!"
"I know, but..." He shook his head. "I never had a father. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act."
"Well, I'm not a father, so I can't help you there," Arthur said. "But...after watching my own father, I have a bit of an idea on what to do."
Merlin raised a brow. "Enlighten me, then."
Arthur gave him an annoyed look, but said, "My father may not have been an ideal father, but he truly loved me. He always did what he thought was best, and he cherished me more than anything. He was tough on me, and I know now that he did it out of love. But." He gave Merlin a once-over. "You are nothing like my father, so you can't emulate him."
Merlin tried not to scoff. "I wouldn't want to."
Arthur slapped him upside the head this time, but calmed and then said seriously, "All that to say, that as long as you love your child, and are always there for him, you can't go wrong."
"Wow," Merlin said. "I think... I think that's actually good advice."
"When will you learn, Merlin, that I'm always right?"
Merlin was about to say something to him when all of a sudden, Lizzie's screaming stopped. He and Arthur immediately bolted to their feet and were in front of the door within seconds.
There was a bit of silence, and then the doorknob rattled. The door swung open to reveal Gaius. He had a grin on his face, and tears in his eyes. "Come in, Merlin. There's someone you need to meet."
Merlin's heart warmed, and he cautiously stepped inside. His heart pounded as he walked over to the area with the bed.
And there was his wife lying down in the bed. She was drenched in sweat, looked extremely tired, and blood stained the bed where her legs were, but she had the biggest smile Merlin had ever seen on her face, and she was looking down at a small bundle wrapped in a blanket in her arms that wailed loudly. She looked up when she heard footsteps, and Merlin saw the tears in her eyes.
Tears immediately poked out of Merlin's eyes as well, and he ran over to Lizzie's side. She choked out a laugh and a sob when he stopped next to her. "It's a boy," she declared, tears streaming down her face.
Merlin looked down at the baby boy-his baby boy-in her arms. He cupped his hand on the back of his head, running his hand along the thick brown baby hairs. His cries had quieted, and he slowly opened his eyes to reveal brown irises, and they stared up at his parents in wonder.
Merlin looked over to Lizzie, and in front of everybody and not even caring, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered, resting his forehead on her damp one. He shook his head slightly and said, "Looks like you won the bet." He looked back down at their son.
"Oh, Merlin!" Gwen sang, and Merlin looked up to see her walking into the room, another small bundle in her arms.
Merlin had nodded at her briefly before looking back down at his son, and then it hit him a second later. He snapped his head up and gasped, pointing to the bundle in Gwen's arms.
Lizzie giggled, grabbing Merlin's chin and making him look at her. "It's a girl," she revealed, and Gwen brought the baby girl over to Merlin. "You won the bet, too."
Gwen transferred the baby girl into Merlin's arms, a wide grin on her face. Merlin looked down at the black haired baby in his arms, who instantly calmed when she was in the arms over her father. He kept opening and closing his mouth in wonder, unable to say anything. Finally, he looked over at his happy but tired wife and said, "No wonder it took so long!"
"We always wondered why I was so much bigger than most normal pregnant women Gaius had seen in the past," I revealed. Merlin sat in the bed next to me, our daughter in his arms. He hadn't once looked up, except to look at our son. "Looks like this is why."
Our daughter and our son. I couldn't believe it.
We were parents.
My son was so handsome. The bluest eyes I'd ever seen, and the softest brown hair. His nose was exactly like Merlin's, and his forehead was small, like my own. I kissed his little nose, and he squirmed slightly.
My daughter was a carbon copy of her father. She had everything of his-from his hair colour, to his nose, mouth shape, cheekbones, chin, and nose. She was all him, except for the eyes. She had my brown eyes, something Merlin was grateful for.
Arthur and Gwen happily watched us. "So," Gwen started. "We all know that you two bet on what the baby would be, and whoever won got to name it. What names did you choose?"
I looked over to Merlin. "I guess because we both won, we both get to use our names."
"Right," Merlin grinned, and he looked down to our daughter in his arms. "Well, I chose the name Jane. I read it in a book once when I was young, and it's always been a name I've liked." He looked to me. "What do you think?"
"Jane," I tested the name on my tongue, and I slowly grinned. "I love it."
"And you?" Arthur asked. "What name did you pick, Elizabeth?"
"My name choice has also come from a book," I answered, and I looked down to my sleeping son. "I chose the name Harry."
Yeah, I couldn't give birth the son of the most powerful warlock that's ever existed and not name him after Harry Potter.
Arthur immediately scrunched up his face. "Harry?"
"Why?" I demanded. "Do you have something against the name?"
"No, of course not," Gwen stepped in, giving Arthur a stern look for almost hurting my feelings. "It's a beautiful name, and you have beautiful children."
Merlin and I smiled before looking back down to our kids. We couldn't take our eyes off of them.
Sensing our need to be alone, Arthur and Gwen both excused themselves, and Gaius said he'd be back in an hour in order to check on the babies and me.
Once they were gone, we switched babies, and I cradled my daughter in my arms while Merlin held his son. I giggled at the sight of her face. "I can't believe we brought this into the world," I said dreamily.
"I only wish I had been there," Merlin said, and he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I am so proud of you, Lizzie. Giving birth to one child is hard enough, but two?" He shook his head.
After a few seconds, he said, "Why did the babies come so suddenly? Gaius said that first time mothers are often in labour for a very long time."
I bit my lip. I guess there was no point in hiding it now. "I've kind of...beeninlaboursinceyesterday," I said the last bit as fast as I could so the words all blended together.
His eyes widened. "Since yesterday? And you didn't tell me?!"
"I didn't want to worry you!" I protested, and Jane fussed in my arms. I patted her chest softly to calm her. "You already had so much on your plate with Arthur. The last thing you needed was to know that your wife as about to give birth on the street."
"Lizzie, I don't care about that," he said sternly. "You are my family, the most important person to me. If there's something wrong with you, I need to know about it. Especially when it comes to our children." He gazed down at Harry, who snored quite loudly.
"I'm sorry," I told him honestly. "You're right, I should've told you. But honestly? Who cares now." I looked from Harry to Jane. "All that matters is that we have our family, and that we're parents now."
Merlin grinned. "You're going to be a wonderful mother."
I smiled back at him. "And you're going to be an amazing father."
We met in the middle for a kiss, which was interrupted by Harry and Jane letting out cries at the same time. We broke apart and looked down to our children, doing our best to soothe them.
This was going to be a long and crazy ride. But with Merlin by my side, I knew I could do it.
Some weeks later, I stood at the front and off to the side of the throne room, dressed in my best. Jane was in my arms, and Merlin stood next to me with Harry in his. Arthur stood at the front of the room, dressed regally in the colours of Camelot. The entire room was filled with people, because today was a very special day.
It was coronation day. Today, Camelot would be receiving a queen.
The doors opened, and Guinevere, dressed in a rich purple and gold gown, walked down the aisle between the knights and courtiers of Camelot. When she got to the front, she knelt on the dais before Arthur. He smiled down at her, and she grinned back.
A man brought the queen's crown to Arthur on a pillow and he took it frm him. "By the sacred laws vested in me, I crown you...Guinevere...Queen of Camelot," he declared. He put the crown softly on top of her curls, and that was that.
A huge smile on her face, Gwen took Arthur's outstretched hands and stood up onto the dais. Her engagement ring glistened beautifly in the sun. The shared a kiss, and when they parted, Arthur held up her hand and she turned to face their subjects. "Long live the queen!" He bellowed.
"Long live the queen!" echoed the crowd, and the declaration bounced off the walls.
Merlin and I offered Gwen and Arthur congratulatory smiles before looking back down to our children.
This past year, Camelot received a new king, and then a new queen. Merlin and I became parents. We lost Uther. Lessons were learned, the easy way and the hard way. Trust was betrayed, and trust was earned.
This past year had been a lot, but we made it. And as long as we had each other, we'd continue to make it.
I couldn't wait to see what the future held for us.
TBC...
AHHH IT WAS TWINS! Congrats to people who figured out that it would be twins! I couldn't choose one-so I just did both LOL.
Lizzie and Merlin are parents now! YAY!
And now... we are about to enter the final season.
After like five years, it's going to happen. Finally. Thank you to all the readers who have stuck with this story. I may not update often, but we've made it this far! I'm seeing this baby through to the end!
With dangerous times coming for her, how will our heroine face it? What will she do...when she finally figures out what her destiny is?
Find out in season 5, the final season, of I've Got the Magic in Me!
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THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR WILL CONTINUE...