Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-eight: A gift fit for a queen.

Merlin smiled as the pale light of dawn appeared in the eastern sky. He was on his way to sign the peace treaty with queen Annis, then he would once again be heading back to his kingdom. But not with the envoy, he had to pick something up from Gwaine's mother first. It had been Gwen's birthday a couple of days after Morgana had turned her into a deer.

Gwaine's mother had kindly agreed to make Gwen a dress, as a way of saying thank you to Merlin. Merlin had told her she had nothing to be thankful for, but it must be a mother's gift to talk people into agreeing with them. Gwaine's mother had been a dress maker for most of her life, even though she was noble born, so it really wasn't a problem for her.

Merlin was really grateful, he had no idea how to make a dress. He had simply bought the fabrics and was hoping his magic would be able to do most of the work. He had just knew Arthur and Gwen had made up, so Gwen would be needing a dress fit for a queen. And plus Merlin felt really bad for not remembering her birthday on the day.

He sighed, he was once again dressed in his royal druid robes. Only difference this time was he had his crown. Merlin turn and left his room, heading out into the corridor, where a servant was ready and waiting to lead him to the main hall for the treaty signing. A servant had already collected his stuff, which was ready on the horses outside and ready for them to leave.

Following the servant Merlin couldn't help be reminded of all the times he had led guest to their rooms, when Arthur thought it was perfectly fine to give him even more work to do. The castle had servants to care for guests, Merlin was sure Arthur just did it to annoy him most of the time. As they reached the great hall, all of queen Annis council were gathered and so were Merlin's envoy.

"Queen Annis," Merlin greets. "Good morning."

"Good morning, king Merlin." She answered.

As Merlin approached the table, he quickly scanned the treaty be would be signing before smiling at queen Annis.

"I am glad there will be peace between our kingdoms," Merlin smiles. "If you ever need our aid, just send for it. We will gladly help you in any way we can."

Queen Annis nodes. "I am glad also, I hope the age of peace you are to bring arrives soon. There has been far too many wars in these lands. Too many of my people have died."

Merlin nodes and picks up a quill, beside him the head of the magic council also does the same. As the two of them sign, queen Annis picks up her quill and quickly signs once they are done. She and Merlin grasp fore arms and shake, sealing their alliance.

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Merlin slipped out of his room in queen Annis castle, hood drawn low over his face. He was dressed in plain druid robes, in a hope it would not draw too much attention to him. As he passed down the halls, he kept an eye out for guards. It would not go down well if he was caught sneaking around the castle.

At last he finds his way out into the town. The market was in full swing, people passed along the street going from stool to stool, trading and buying goods. But Merlin was on a mission, not too long ago it had been Gwen's birthday. With everything that had been going on at the time and the fact she was in exile meant Merlin had not been able to give her a gift or even wish her a happy birthday.

So Merlin was on a mission to get Gwen a birthday present or two, to make up for missing her birthday. He walked from stool to stool looking for something to get Gwen. She would no doubt be queen soon, she and Arthur were more than likely back together by now. So he needed to get a gift fit for a queen…. The future queen of Camelot.

Merlin thought back to the last time he had seen Gwen, dressed in plain work cloths, a look of horror and saddens on her face as she watched Isolde die. Merlin smiled to himself, that was it! Gwen needed a dress fit for a queen, she couldn't be seen walking around in work cloths. She was the future queen, after all.

Merlin walked a little faster as he walked from stool to stool looking for the perfect fabric to make a dress for Gwen from. Then he spotted it, a deep scarlet red, almost burgundy in colour. The material was fine and well made, fit for any noble. Merlin quickly made his way over and bought the fabric, it would no doubt suit Gwen perfectly.

Merlin walked to the stool next door and bought a pack and placed the fabric in it. He glanced round, he still needed more things. No royal would ever been seen in a plain outfit. All royal clothing had some sort of design on it, or accessory to stop it from looking so plain. Merlin had seen plenty of royal clothing in his time and Camelot. Morgana was forever wearing necklaces and jewellery.

Merlin kept walking, until he reached a stool selling jewellery. He looked at each item, but nothing seemed to catch his attention. As he was about to turn away, a gold belt court his eye. He picked it up, it was made from Celtic knot patterns linked to each other. Merlin smiled, Celtic designs had been common since the Romans had left a great many years ago. Many crests had Celtic patterns on them and they looked divine, plus it went perfectly with the fabric Merlin had bought.

Merlin quickly bought the belt and kept walking, but he couldn't help but think the dress needed something more. Gwen was to be queen, she needed to have everyone's attention. So the dress had to be stunning, like no other. A queen could not be out done by someone of a lower class, not that Merlin really cared about the class bit. He just knew Gwen had to look every part the queen she is and would soon be.

Merlin kept walking, he came to yet another stool and spotted a pair of ear rings. He smiles, they were a Celtic knot design much like the belt he had bought and also made of gold. Each earring had a small pearl on the end, plain but beautiful. They would be the perfect gift from Alice and Hunith. Merlin quickly paid for them and moved on to the next stool. He needed to find a gift, he could say was from Gaius.

After much more looking he finally found everything he needed. He had bought some fine gold silk, for the embroidery of the dress and a gold circlet to be a gift from Gaius. It wasn't Gaius's fault he forgot, he was getting old and the two of them had had a lot on their minds. Merlin was glad queen Annis kingdom was so rich, the quality of the things you could buy in the city market was truly a god send. Merlin smiled to himself as he makes his way out of the city and towards the clearing he had passed on the way in, it was time to visit Gwaine's mother.

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Merlin made his was quickly through the small town in which Gwaine's mother lived. She lived in a small town just inside the borders of queen Annis's kingdom. The town was a small trading town as well as owning a lot of farming land. No one spared Merlin a second glance as he walked past, cloak pulled tightly around him and hood hanging low over his face.

He stops at the door to a small house near the edge of the town. He taps on the door a couple of times and waits. Gwaine's mother had trouble walking, Merlin didn't know why. All he knew was something happened that caused her not to be able to walk properly and still caused her a lot of pain, it had happened after Gwaine left.

Merlin smiles as Gwaine's mother opens the door.

"Good morning, Radella!" Merlin greets.

Radella, Gwaine's mother, smiled. "Good morning, Merlin. I must say I was not expecting you to return."

Merlin looks at her. "But I said I would."

"I know, but you had no reason to." She answers. "You have travelled a long way to get here."

Merlin smiled. "I promised I would come back, so I did."

Radella smiles. "I'm glad, it is not often I get people visiting."

Merlin smiled. "I promise you: I'll drag Gwaine here, once I can get him away from a tavern that is!"

Radella laughs. "I would like that."

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Merlin glanced around Radella's home, it was a mess. Merlin wasn't surprised, with Radella's leg the way it was, it must be hard to bend down and clean the floors or balance on a chair to get things down from the tops of cupboards.

"Radella, if you don't mind me asking…. What caused your leg injury?" Merlin asks.

Radella looked up from where she was sitting, making a dress for Gwen. "Not long after Gwaine left I got work making dresses in the next town over, hence why I offered to make this dress for your friend. But one night I was working late, they offered me to stay the night but I refused. Whilst walking back in the dark, I tripped and fell. The physician who treated me told me and shattered my knee and it would heal, but I would never be able to walk the same again."

Merlin winced slightly. "It must have been hard…. And I can't thank you enough for making this dress for my friend."

"It is no problem, I'm glad for the work. It has been a long time since I have been able to…. And from what you tell me, this is going to be for the future queen of Camelot, it a true honour."

Merlin smiled. "There must be a way I can repay you."

"There is no need child." Radella answers. "You have done more than I could ever have hoped for…. You convinced my son to talk to me again and for that I will be for ever grateful."

Merlin smiled. "That was nothing…. Gwaine has helped me out before, it was about time I returned the favour."

Radella smiles. "How has Gwaine been? Any adventures I should know about?"

Merlin laughs. "There are many, he is a knight of Camelot."

"Tell me," Radella asks. "Please, I would love to hear about it."

Merlin nodes. "Where should I start?... I'll start when I first meet Gwaine. Which was in the middle of a bar fight."

Radella laughs. "He was always getting himself in to trouble. Used to drive his father and I mad."

Merlin smiles. "Well in the fight Gwaine got hurt. So we took him back to Camelot, I was the physicians apprentice. I and Gwaine became friends, he helped me and I tried my best to help him. He saved me from a couple of knights, who I had found out were actually some people from the bar fight using magic to change their form.

"As a result Gwaine got banished from Camelot by Uthur. But he returned in time to save Arthur. The fake knights were using swords which appeared blunt, but were truly sharp. He fought alongside Arthur in the tournament and they won. Not long after that he left again. He said I was his first and best friend, did he not have friends as a child?"

Radella sighed, as she rearranged the fabric she was sowing. "He was the child of a knight, but his father didn't let him mix with the other nobles' children…. Said no good would come of it, said that they didn't truly know what it meant to be a knight, even if they were just training. He didn't want Gwaine to be like that, he wanted him to be noble and honourable.

"So Gwaine was quite isolated, the only people he knew were the maids and servants. He could mix with the farming children because of the class difference and even when he sneaked out they wouldn't play with him, if he got hurt they would be the ones in trouble. If then staff bought their children to work, they didn't go anywhere near Gwaine."

Merlin nodes. "It must have been hard on him…. I only had one friend growing up, no child should feel like an outcast."

Radella nodes. "After Gwaine's father died and we moved here, I hoped it would get better, but it didn't. Gwaine started drinking when he was fifteen and has stopped since. I'm not surprised you were his first friend, Gwaine has never known how to make them."

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Merlin nodes. "Well the next adventure Gwaine and I went on was to save Arthur. You have no doubt heard about Morgana's betrayal of Camelot…. Well she was a traitor from the moment she was found in the woods.

"She gave Arthur an eye of the phoenix bracelet, the eye of the of the phoenix drains the life energy of a person, if they wear it for too long. So I had to go after Arthur, but I needed help. So I went to Gwaine and once again found him in the middle of a bar fight."

Radella laughs. "Gwaine will never change."

Merlin grins. "He livened the place up, that's for sure…. So after I found him, we went after Arthur. We travelled through the perilous lands. We finally caught up with Arthur, in time to remove the bracelet. Without Gwaine's help I would never have succeeded."

"I was always proud of my son, but now I even prouder…. From the day his father died, I thought he was just going to waste away…. Drink himself to death or die as a result of some misdeed or debt. He has created a life for himself and I am happy, I know I will be a peace when my time comes."

Merlin looked round in alarm, while he had been telling the stories he had started to clean the house and sort things out, his way of saying thank you. "You're not dying, are you?"

Radella shakes her head. "No…. But the winters here are harsh. I have hardly any work and cannot afford medicine for illness, it is only a matter of time."

Merlin puts down the pot he was cleaning and walks over to her, he studies the dress she was making. "This is fit for a queen…. I'll put in a good word for you. Gwen will be needing a dress maker, now she is queen to be…. Plus I'm sure Gwaine wouldn't mind you around, he feels so guilty about leaving."

"No," Radella mutters. "I can ask nothing of you. You have helped me, without you I would have never heard from Gwaine. You have given me a job, a job I love doing, it has been a long time since I was asked to make a dress like this…. You are cleaning my house, just out of kindness because you know I cannot do it myself."

Merlin shakes his head. "Gwen will love you I know for sure…. You remind me of Mary, a friend of hers who looked after her as a child. You need a job and to be with your family…. To be honest with you, I'm fed up of dragging Gwaine out the tavern, someone has to do it! Who better than his mother."

Radella smiles. "Gwaine will be Gwaine, he'll just drink twice as fast."

Merlin laughs. "I bet he would, I know he's always smuggling drink out on patrols."

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Merlin watched the landscape change around him, as he rides at the back of the envoy. It wouldn't be long until they reached the border, Merlin smiled it was time he sneaked off. He had to collect the dress from Radella and give it to Gwen along with the other gifts.

Merlin silently jumped down from his horse and commands it to follow the rest of the envoy. He watches until they are out of sight and cast a spell, landing in the clearing outside Radella's village he pulls his hood low over his face and crown and makes his way towards the town. As he approach her house, he spots her waiting at the door.

"Good morning, Radella!" Merlin greets, with his usual cheer.

Radella smiles. "Good morning, Merlin…. I have the dress done. But I would also like to give you a letter to give to my son."

"Of course," Merlin grins. "It turns out Gwaine seems to think I'm a messenger, so I deliver it no problem."

Radella nodes. "Thank you."

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Merlin sat down, he had finished cleaning and telling Radella of Gwaine's adventures. Sipping a mug of herbal tea, a recipe the druids had given him, it did wonders for your health. Merlin watched Radella work for a moment, she was quite clearly in pain, no doubt from her knee. But there was nothing Merlin could do, magic could only heal when there was something to heal. Radella's injury had healed long ago, but just not properly.

"Radella," Merlin asks. "Why did you not go to the druids to get your injury healed? There is a camp near here."

"I couldn't walk," Radella answers. "And no one would take me. Magic is not welcomed here, but nor is it hated."

Merlin nodes. "I'm sure the druids could provide some pain relief for it."

Radella smiled. "I live with it, I have for years…. I do not need to trouble them."

Radella was still working on the dress for Gwen and seemed to be happier than Merlin had ever seen her, even if she was in pain. After a moments silence Merlin speaks up.

"Gwaine father…." Merlin mutters. "Gwaine never spoke of him. All he said was he died fighting, you and he were left penniless."

Radella nodes. "We were."

Merlin sips his tea.

"Gwaine's father and I were married when I was eighteen," Radella speaks up. "It was a marriage planned by our parents. I never had a say in the matter. We learnt to love each other in time. When I was twenty-eight I fell pregnant with Gwaine, his father was so happy. He trained Gwaine in how to be a knight. Gwaine took to the sword like a duck to water.

"A couple of years later I fell pregnant again, this time with a girl. Gwaine adored his sister, she was the closest thing he had to a friend. But then their father split them up, I was left to teach her, while he taught Gwaine. Not long before he died, he married our daughter off to a lord's son in a kingdom far from here, she was sixteen at the time.

"I heard word that that kingdom fell and that all nobility had been killed. I believe my daughter is dead, for I have heard no word. Not long after that Gwaine started drinking more than he usually did, until he was drinking until he passed out. He promised he would always look after his sister, he believed he failed her. Then he left after we had a fight, I feared I had lost both my children.

"I had no one left…. Gwaine's father died in battle, fighting for the king, may god rest his soul, but the king simply turned us away. I have no idea why, the king was much like Annis, he cared deeply for the people. But for whatever reason he would not help us. So that is how I ended up here, on my own and fearing both my children were gone forever."

Merlin stared at Radella for a moment. "I'm sorry, I should never have asked about it."

Radella shakes her head, wiping the tears away. "No, I needed to tell someone…. I have never told anyone before. I couldn't speak to Gwaine, it upset him too much."

"Do you not have any other family?" Merlin asks. "I can't be good living on your own."

"Gwaine's father did have other family but they refused to take us in. I has no family, I was an only child and my parents died not long after Gwaine was born."

Merlin sighed. "I always though nobility had a much better life than most…. But it seems the fates are cruel to all those who don't deserve it. Equality in the worst way possible."

"I take it you are no stranger to the loss of those you love."

Merlin smiled sadly. "I am not…. I have lost many, even though I tried so hard to safe them. It's almost like the fates see those who have kind souls and cannot bare to see the happiness…. Every time I have found true happiness it is ripped from me and town to shreds…. I guess it's the way the world works."

Radella smiles. "For someone so young you have seen the greatest horror life has to offer."

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Hey hoped you liked that, next up is the tears of Uthur Pendragon part two and goblin's gold,

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.