Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.


Chapter 22 – The Past Returns


The family held each other for a long time, longer even than William and Eleanor wanted for their parents refused to let them go. Eventually though they did, allowing for the Knights who had been with them at Buckingham Palace to greet their Prince and Princess.

"Percy!" Eleanor squealed when she spotted him. Rushing over, she practically jumped into the arms of her favourite playmate, who quite happily received her.

"Hello Princess." He responded, holding her close. He had secretly been afraid that the bond they had formed would no longer be there, but there was apparently nothing to worry about, he was still very much like a beloved uncle. William too greeted Percival happily before the two children said hello to the other Knights and Mithian. William then ran off with Roy, the two huddling in a corner no doubt plotting and planning some mischief while Eleanor climbed into her father's lap and fell asleep, the day's excitement proving too much for the not quite three year old.

"I can't believe they're here." Gwen breathed, running a loving hand over her daughter's hair.

"I told you we would find them." Arthur said.

"But we didn't. It was Merlin." She looked to the warlock, her gratitude written all over her face, though she voiced it anyways. "Thank you, Merlin. We owe you a debt we cannot repay."

"How did you find them?" Arthur wanted to know.

"Well…" Merlin hesitated but decided on the truth. "I actually found them not long after you all awoke."

"What?" Arthur growled. "And you didn't think to tell us?!" Only his sleeping daughter stopped him from yelling at his Court Mage.

"I thought it would be less cruel to say they hadn't been found since they didn't have their memories yet." He explained. "I knew if I told you you'd want me to take you to them and you'd watch them from afar, pining for them far worse because they were there but without their memories they weren't really your children."

"He was trying to spare us more heartbreak." Gwen said softly to her husband. "A part of me too is furious that he didn't immediately tell us, but we cannot fault him for trying to protect us."

"When I found them I cast a spell to alert me when they remembered. That's what I felt while visiting Queen Elizabeth."

"How did that visit go by the way?" Gaius wanted to know.

"Quite well actually." Said Arthur, agreeing with Gwen that he could not fault Merlin his actions and so let the subject drop. "She was more curious about the truth behind the legends than anything else. She seemed to think it'd be pointless to try and overthrow her, what with the monarchy being merely constitutional in this time, so wasn't terribly concerned with that."

"I am not surprised she was curious about the truth. The Arthurian legends are known practically around the world and are almost as old as we are. It is one of the oldest forms of mythology within Europe too, those pre-dating it generally being those in Christianity or surrounding various gods in other religions." Gaius replied, ever the scholar. "It also does not surprise me that she was not concerned that you might attempt to re-take the throne. She is right that to accomplish that properly you would have to find a way to unite the people such that they would re-instate an absolute monarchy, something I don't think any of us see happening."

"Which brings about a good question on how we're going to unite the people to bring about a new Golden Age." Leon spoke up, including all of them regardless that it was technically only Arthur and Gwen's destinies to do so. "We might not be trying to re-instate an absolute monarchy but we must unite the people of Britain in one common cause once more."

"Were you able to speak to Queen Elizabeth regarding that?" Gaius then asked. "Having her help would be invaluable, and arguably integral, given how well loved she is by the people. Whether or not she is their sovereign in the same sense of the word that we are used to, she does still hold a great deal of power and sway over the populace; generally speaking they will follow her lead."

"There wasn't a chance." Gwen answered. "Merlin returned for us before we'd even finished our story. We did invite her to tour Camelot some time soon though, so hopefully we will be able to have that conversation then."

"Merlin?" Arthur called, a look of deep concentration, and even some concern, on his face.

"Yes?"

"Are you able to track Morgana? Or know when she plans to make her next move?" Merlin thought about that for a moment.

"Theoretically. I can detect when a great deal of magic is being used, or if dark magic is gathering in one place. If she plans anything using her magic, which she no doubt will be using, then I should be able to detect it. Why?"

"Only, I'm now concerned about Queen Elizabeth's safety. And that of her family for that matter, especially her heirs."

"Why?"

"Think about it for a moment. If we, or Gaius at least, was able to realize so quickly how much of a sway Elizabeth has over Britain, it would not take much for Morgana to realize it too."

"And either using that influence to her advantage, or getting rid of it entirely, is not far from that realization." Gwen concluded.

"Exactly. Morgana may go after Elizabeth to try and use her influence to further her own cause. Or she could simply kill The Queen and pin it on us, turning a great many Britons against us."

"She is also from our time so regardless of how the government of Britain works now she will be thinking about the current monarch and will probably put more importance on her, and the current royal family, than she will on the Prime Minister." Elena joined in. "While she held us captive she often muttered to herself and one of things we overheard was that she had been trapped for two thousand years. She does not have a modern day counterpart as we do, and so her mind and way of thinking will be as it was two thousand years ago, she will not have had time to acclimatize to how things are in this time."

"Though she is a fast learner." Merlin groaned. "While she may not be able to change her way of thinking over night, putting more importance on royalty than the elected government as Lady Elena said, she will be able to learn all about modern warfare, specifically weapons of mass destruction."

"You think she may try to use modern technology to fight her war this time." Arthur surmised.

"I think there's a very real possibility. Dropping an atomic bomb on Camelot in the hopes of destroying us will do nothing with my wards in place. At least not to us, though it would spread radiation."

"You can neutralize the blast of an atomic bomb?!" Lancelot was quite shocked.

"A bomb, regardless of how large, is a physical force. My magical barriers will barely register a physical attack, though admittedly I may have to reinforce the wards after a physical attack that large. Remember, you need magic to fight magic, generally speaking. Magical creatures, for example, are different as they can be killed physically, but only magic can destroy magic such as wards." He explained. "But even if she can't just drop a bomb on Camelot, she can drop them on the rest of Britain. But it is not only bombs that she could have at her disposal if she thinks of it. Technology and weaponry are eons ahead of where they were the last time we fought Morgana. If we thought she was bad then, just imagine what she can do with the advanced technology of the 21st century."

oo00oo00oo

After the whirlwind rescue of their family from Morgana's grasp, their meeting with Queen Elizabeth, and the return of their children, Arthur and Gwen were quite happy that they had some time to themselves and for their own small family. They had gotten reacquainted with their children and spent more time together, Arthur naturally informing Gwen of his feeling that something was off with Morgana. Gwen had responded as expected, taking his feelings seriously but telling him not to read too much into it. A few weeks passed with no catastrophes, for which everyone was quite glad. However, that did not mean that there were no new developments as the inhabitants of Camelot discovered. What had started off as George, Sefa, Audrey, and a few others being reincarnated as well turned into a great many people and Arthur and Gwen soon found their city full, and even their army replenished. Camelot was a buzzing hub of activity once more and every single one of Arthur's past subjects, without exception, swore to stand by him and remain in Camelot until Morgana was defeated once and for all. Arthur and Gwen had no doubt that many took this stance as Morgana and her Saxon army had overrun Camelot with no warning, ending all of their lives regardless of whether or not they fought in the battle and so many wanted vengeance as well as to see such a powerful, dishonourable and dangerous person no longer walk the earth. Nevertheless, both monarchs knew that their people had been happy and at peace when their lives had abruptly been taken from them and that they thanked the High King and Queen for that peace and happiness, and as such their people didn't just remain for vengeance and to see Morgana's end, but also out of love and loyalty to their beloved King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.

Hundreds of people awoke as if from a deep sleep and flocked to Camelot, bringing with them their modern day occupations. The tradesmen, of which there were no shortage, set to work on improving the city and the castle, along with Merlin's help. While none would wish to re-image Camelot into a modern day city, it did not mean that they had to live exactly as they had two thousand years ago. There would be no more leaking roves or inadequate resources, and no more beds filled with straw. Indoor plumbing was added, though electricity still eluded them, the near two dozen of Camelot's people who in this life were electricians deeming it too large a task to undertake right now, though they thought of bringing in a few generators to at least give electricity to certain areas of the castle and city. For the first time in history the city was also actually clean. Medieval towns were not known to be the cleanest what with the continuous presence of large animals, a lack of proper garbage disposal, and the contents of chamber pots often being simply thrown out the window onto the streets. Still, even with these changes Camelot was again a fully functioning medieval city, probably the most authentic in the world, with no gift shop in sight. Naturally this drew a great deal of attention as Britain, and great portions of the world, watched as hundreds of people passed through Merlin's wards as if they weren't there.

Those of the extended family, as they were thought of, who had already moved to Camelot took up their posts once more. Gaius happily using his modern medical knowledge to enhance his craft as Court Physician, while Hunith again took charge as Head Housekeeper, ensuring the castle was in order and the many servants who were once again under her command were taken care of. Vanora and Mary moved their families back into their old homes, having always preferred their cozy warmth over the large drafty castle, though they were still frequent visitors there. The King, Queen, Lady Mithian, and those Knights who were still in school commuted with Merlin's aid most days as well, foregoing their dorms now that their friends, family, and the people of Camelot were there. Arthur and Gwen also did not have the luxury that Tristan, Leon, Dagonet and Bors did with their spouse being able to watch the children while their fathers were in class given that they both were in school. Like many of their friends' children, William and Eleanor had been in foster care too, and just as the others had, Gwen and Arthur moved quickly to officially adopt them so as to stop any legal issues from this time arising. The social worker who was assigned to their children's case would have normally flat out refused to allow a twenty-four and nineteen year old couple who were still in university with no proper job to adopt one child let alone two. However, she had heard tales from her fellow social workers from when Bors and Vanora, as well as Tristan and Mary, whose children were also foster kids in this time, had gone through a very similar process as Arthur and Gwen so she knew what to expect when dealing with these people. It also helped that any objections she may have had were silenced when faced with the legendary King Arthur and Queen Guinevere who claimed that the children in question were their own, simply reincarnated, a fact William and Eleanor corroborated, and that if she tried to refuse Merlin would simply snap his fingers and make the adoption happen anyways.

With the families of their past lives once again whole, the group had to introduce them to their present day families as well. The parents, who were barely used to their children being reincarnations of legendary figures, took the news of grandchildren hard, though in their stride. Regardless of how they felt about everything that was happening, or how confused they might be they loved their children and there was no chance of them losing them; if welcoming grandchildren saw that they got to keep their children close it was something they were willing to do. For the children themselves it was a novelty for many of them to have grandparents. Only Lucan as well as Bors and Vanora's four oldest had known their grandparents in the past, and while Sara might have gotten to know hers when she grew, for both Elena and Leon's parents were still living at the time, Camelot's fall had made that an impossibility. Those same children who had never known grandparents jumped at the idea and eased the way for the new grandparents with their excitement and calling them granny and grandpapa without hesitation. The older children were slower to accept them but they were also old enough to understand about having past lives and that in this time these were their grandparents, so their acceptance came with little fight.

oo00oo00oo

Finally, the last week of the semester came and exams were finally over. Aric and Gina, who like the others went back to their present day selves when outside of Camelot, were finishing up some final business around campus with their children in tow. The youngsters were happily following their parents around, taking in the sights of this new place they'd never been, and revelling in the attention those their mama and papa interacted with gave them; although the Arthurian legends had never mentioned William or Eleanor specifically, there was a great deal of interest in the offspring of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Not all of that interest, however, was positive. As the family sat in the cafeteria Gina became aware of eyes on them and knew immediately who it was. Contrary to her wishes, Ben and Pierce and both informed Aric of Amber's verbal attack and the subsequent confrontation that took place the day most of their families were retuned to them. Gina had been able to convince Aric not to confront Amber himself, but that didn't mean that he completely let it drop. Every time Amber was around, which was often when they were on campus as she futilely tried to get him to date her again, Aric took great delight in showing Amber that it was Gina he loved at every opportunity. He'd wrap his arm around her, or kiss her, or offer some other form of affection knowing full well that Amber was watching. When William and Eleanor entered the picture that expanded to include them as he made it clear that not only did he love Gina, but he had children with her as well.

On this particular occasion Aric reached across Gina towards Eleanor, pecking his wife on the lips as he passed, and took his daughter into his arms, settling her in his lap as he watched her eat. Gina, meanwhile, rolled her eyes at him and turned to their son to get him to stop playing with his food, though it was a futile attempt for the moment she was no longer watching over him he blew bubbles in his milk once more.

"I received a letter from Queen Elizabeth the other day." Aric said suddenly.

"Oh? What did she want?"

"To continue our discussion from a few weeks ago that was abruptly interrupted. Though in the best way possible." He added, giving Eleanor a small squeeze and bending to place a kiss atop her head. "She also asked if we were serious about giving them a tour of Camelot and offered to come to us this time."

"Why do I sense that the 'them' she speaks of is not just her and Prince Philip?" Gina asked suspiciously, shooting William a look he knew meant he was on his last warning; while a bit of a rebel and troublemaker the young Prince wasn't stupid, and knew not to cross his mother when she gave him that particular look, so he settled down to eat properly.

"She might have mentioned that Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, as well as Prince Harry have expressed interest in joining them."

"Those closest to the throne." Gina noted. "I'm certain The Princess Royal, Princes Andrew and Edward and their families have also expressed interest."

"But they are not as high within the order of precedence, so the others get to go first. That, at least, hasn't changed since our time, those highest within the order of precedence taking…well precedence."

"But are not blood royals higher?"

"If the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge were not there I believe then that the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge would move down the ladder, so to speak. But look at how they all enter or exit official functions. The Queen and Prince Philip followed by Charles and Camilla then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and then Prince Harry before everyone else."

"If you say so." She shrugged. "Can't say I've really paid that much attention to how the royal family enters or exits official functions."

"And yet you are able to list everyone in the order of precedence from our time by name all the way down to our lowliest barons." He teased as he took a napkin and wiped Eleanor's mouth, which had food all over it.

"Yes, but that was in our time, and our own order of precedence, not anyone else's. Why are we discussing this anyways?"

"Good question." Aric admitted. "The point that we got off track of is are we going to offer The Queen and her family a look inside Camelot?" Gina sighed and thought on it for a moment.

"I think it's a good idea. There is great speculation about Camelot, many people wish to visit it. We are not opening our home as a tourist attraction." She insisted with a shudder. "However, if we allow some visitors, the royal family to start with, possibly some others later on, and allow some photographs to be taken it would dispel much of the mystery."

"But would it dispel the interest of tourists?"

"No." Gina tried not to laugh. "Has interest diminished in attractions such as the Tower of London and other historic sites that have been accessible for many years? And those are not sites associated with legends only just proven real. I don't think there's anything we can do that will dispel interest in visiting Camelot."

"Well we could always get Merlin to conceal it again and then wipe everyone's memories that Camelot ever existed. Return it, and us, to nothing but myth."

"And perhaps it may come to that. However, we will not concern ourselves with such trivial matters until Morgana is defeated. Only then will we discuss what to do next with our lives and the fate of Camelot." Aric could not fight that logic and so dropped the issue. With their lunch complete, the two packed their children up and left the cafeteria, passing a not so subtly glaring Amber as they went.

"I wonder if we should be concerned about her." Aric muttered.

"Who papa?" Eleanor asked as she tried to keep up with the others. Aric looked down and smiled, grasping her hand and slowing his pace to accommodate her much shorter legs.

"No one, darling." He said. Eleanor nodded and turned her attention elsewhere. William, who held his mother's hand, had not been paying the least bit of attention to the adults' conversation; lost in his own world of what game he and Roy would play upon their return to Camelot.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about." Gina said quietly once assured that her daughter's attention was firmly elsewhere.

"And why not? Her jealousy is just the kind of thing Morgana could take advantage of."

"Amber does not strike me as the cruel and vindictive type. At least not where people's very lives are concerned. She's merely used to getting her way and doesn't take rejection well. She thinks that just because she's beautiful everything should be handed to her on a silver platter and when things don't go her way she lashes out, will make up rumours and try to put people down and insult them, but she's not about to torture or kill anyone."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that even if Morgana approached her with honeyed words of getting you back she'd quickly see what she's gotten herself into and would try to back out. Now we both know Morgana is unlikely to let her, but that means she'd have to control her with magic, meaning that Amber is no more of a threat than anyone else that Morgana could enchant."

"I'm still keeping an eye on her." Aric insisted, to which Gina merely rolled her eyes.

oo00oo00oo

Aric and Gina were not the only ones enjoying some quality time with their family away from Camelot. Merlin and Mithian had decided to spend the day together as well, though they did not really venture into the modern world, as Mithian soon discovered.

"The forest?" She asked her husband once he'd transported them from the castle. "Are we going on a picnic? You know we could have simply ridden out, you did not have to use your magic if we were not venturing far from Camelot."

"Who says we aren't far from Camelot?" He asked in return as he took her hand and began to lead her through the woods. "Besides, had we ridden out we would have had to either stay within the boundaries of the wards or deal with those who are still camped outside them. Not to mention where we are is about a full days ride from the castle."

"Alright, Merlin, where are we?"

"You'll see soon enough." Mithian grumbled but allowed him to lead the way with no more questions. They walked in silence for nearly ten minutes before Mithian could stand it no longer.

"Had I known we were going for a hike in the woods I would have worn my riding breeches. Or changed into Miranda and her modern clothes." Merlin laughed softly. Although the two could sit or walk in companionable silence, Mithian was not fond of silence outside of the privacy of their chambers. She attributed it to her royal upbringing, having never been left alone save at night once she'd retired, and even then her nurse, or her maid when she got older, was only as far as the adjoining chamber.

"We're almost there, I promise. And you would not want to visit this place as Miranda." He added cryptically. They walked for a few more minutes as the forest began to thin around them, opening into a rather large clearing with the ruins of what was once no doubt a grand fortress. Very little remained of it, however, the building having crumbled and decayed leaving only a fraction of what it had once been. The forest had overtaken it as well, trees growing through windowpanes, ivy and various other plans crawling up the walls or poking through the stones; it was an indication of the structure's great age, for the forest to have reclaimed so much of it.

"Merlin where are we?" Mithian asked again as her heart began to race; this place looked vaguely familiar.

"Where do you think we are?" It was an annoying habit of his, to answer a question with another question, though he only used it with his wife when he was nervous; wherever they were, he was unsure as to her reaction to his surprise. Mithian looked around some more as she took in the ruins, picturing it whole, the forest receding and the fallen stones building up the walls in her mind's eye.

"Are we-?"

"Ah! I thought I heard voices!" Someone called out. The two turned to see an elderly man emerging from around the side of the building. "You two wander off of a renaissance faire?" He joked good-naturedly seeing their attire which was clearly not from this century. "Ah, well, you wouldn't be the first to come here in costume. Some folks like to dress the part when visiting a castle as grand as this. I'm Frank, by the way, Frank Fisher, the historian round these parts. Guess you could say I'm the castle's caretaker too, though not much upkeep being done is there?" He laughed at his own joke. "Would you like a tour? I've got some time, and no charge, this isn't one of those pay for entrance places."

"That would be lovely." Mithian said when Merlin looked her way.

"We don't actually get many visitors round here." He continued to talk as he led them back the way he'd come. "There's not a great deal to see, as you can tell, and it's far off the beaten track. Near thirty minutes on a dirt road off the motorway." They walked around the ruins near to the other side, noticing as they went that there were the remains of other buildings surrounding them, and they walked on what had either been a road or the floor of one of the building for there were stones underneath them, though they were sporadic. "There now." Frank said as they turned one more corner and came to what looked to be what remained of a guardhouse. There was no wooden portcullis, though the gates were still discernable, as was pieces of a bridge that looked to have once crossed a moat. "This was once the stronghold of the rulers in these parts, the capital." Frank explained. He motioned through the gates into the distance where pockets of ruined buildings could be seen interspersed in the trees. "You can see what remains of the city there, though it's not much. This here," He turned and pointed to the main building behind them. "Was the main part of the castle, and you can see how it curves inwards at the top of those pillars. There would have been a great domed ceiling that once enclosed the great hall. We're not entirely sure as to who lived here or what their importance was, but we've carbon-dated the stones to over two thousand years ago. The oldest record we have of this place is an inscription on one of the tombs that lies underneath the castle. It reads 'Here lies the Lord of-' "

"Nemeth." Mithian murmured.

"That's right!" Frank said happily. "Some of the inscription is illegible after all these years, but there's enough for us to decipher that that particular tomb belongs to the last lord of Nemeth. Though why he was the last, or what happened here after is a mystery. What we do know is that for the forest to have grown as much as it has, Nemeth would have had to have been abandoned within a century or less of the last lord's passing."

"What?! All of Nemeth was abandoned?" Mithian demanded.

"Well you can see the ruins yourself, it-"

"No. Nemeth was not just this castle and the city below. Nemeth was one of the original nine kingdoms of Britain over two thousand years ago. It became one of King Arthur's regions when he united Britain as one." She was near desperate for his answer. "So Nemeth was not just this place but an entire kingdom. Was all of Nemeth abandoned? Or just this castle and the city?"

"Well…I couldn't say." Frank was taken aback. "We don't know anything about Nemeth except that it is the name of this castle and, we assume, the city. We didn't know that Nemeth was a kingdom." His gaze turned suspicious. "How did you? What are you sources? What excavation or study are you basing this claim off of?"

"My life." She gasped out, turning to her husband with tears in her eyes, begging him to tell her what had happened to her kingdom and her people.

"After Arthur died, each kingdom reclaimed their borders as there was no High King to lead them. I ensured that they would not undo everything we had worked for, and they continued with the council and Britain was still peaceful. However, because borders were reclaimed the monarchs reclaimed their titles as well, for with Arthur gone they were not just acting as stewards, but were kings and queens once more." He explained, coming to her side and taking her hands in his. "When Rodor died there was a grab for the throne and civil war broke out. That's when the castle and city were destroyed, in the battle for the throne. It got to the point where the other monarchs could no longer ignore it so they stepped in and stopped the war. The majority of the people of Nemeth survived, but Nemeth itself did not. With no one having gained the throne, the kingdom got absorbed by Odin and Alined, and the people joined one of their kingdoms." Mithian tried to hold back a sob and allowed Merlin to pull her into his embrace. "I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I should have stopped it. I should not have let your kingdom fall."

"It's not your fault." She murmured.

"I was hiding and moping when I should have been strong."

"You are not allowed to blame yourself, for I do not. As Arthur said many times it is the people who matter. The kingdoms borders and who sits on the throne are irrelevant if the land is at peace and the people safe and happy." They held each other for awhile before becoming aware that they were not alone.

"Who…who are you?" Frank ventured. The two turned to look at him and Mithian nudged Merlin for him to do the introductions, allowing him to decide what they would tell this man.

"This is my wife Lady Mithian, the former Princess of Nemeth. And I am called Merlin." He decided on the truth, though how much they elaborated remained to be seen.

"M-Merlin?" He gasped, knowing that name well if not the other one. "As in the…sorcerer Merlin? The one from Arthurian legend who's been on the news lately?"

"The same." Frank was silent for a moment, but eventually found his voice again.

"And you…?" He directed to Mithian.

"This was once my home." She said, looking around sadly. "I was my father's heir, would have one day been Queen of Nemeth, but when King Arthur united Britain that was no longer necessary. I gave up my title, and my throne, and married Merlin."

"So you know all about this place then." He realized, starting to get excited. He had dedicated much of his life to discovering all that this place had to offer, and here was someone who could give him a first hand account.

"Yes." She said shortly. "And perhaps we can discuss it later. But first, if you would show us the entrance to the royal crypts? I would show us myself but it all looks so different." The last bit was muttered under her breath somewhat bitterly as she recognised that she did not know her home any longer.

"The royal crypts?"

"Yes. You said that you had discovered the tomb of the last lord of Nemeth. That would be my father, King Rodor, and he would be entombed in the royal crypts as all our family had been for many generations."

"It's not open to visitors." He said somewhat hesitantly. Mithian pursed her lips while Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"You are speaking to the Princess of Nemeth, the rightful owner of this castle, who merely wishes to pay her respects to her father." He said, somewhat condescendingly. "If she wishes to visit her father's grave you will not stop her. And if I have to use magic to find the crypts then so be it. Either way, my wife will see her father's tomb." Frank nodded and pointed behind him before turning and leading the way. The door that had led down to the crypts had been destroyed, the staircase now covered by planks of wood which Frank removed. It was dark and dusty and Merlin made a ball of light appear as Mithian searched for the one tomb she did not recognize, knowing it would belong to her father. It did not take long to find and Mithian spent some time crying her over father's grave, and regaling him with tales of what had happened since Camelot fell. She spent over an hour talking to him, even bringing Merlin forward to reacquaint him with his son-in-law, before she bid him farewell, promising to visit again soon. When they returned topside, Mithian gave in to Frank's questions and began to explain everything about Nemeth, filling in the many gaps he had. Merlin watched as his wife told tales of her kingdom, her people, and her life, a light shining in her eyes as she remembered all of the joy and happiness she had felt while Princess of this castle, and Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, glad that bringing her here had not been a mistake.