"My little sister," Elyan began, "is . . . My little sister. My little sister is Queen of Camelot. My. Little. Sister. Queen Guinevere." His voice was muffled by his hands. "I used to rub leaves in her hair."

"You'd best stop that if you haven't already, mate," Gwaine laughed. "I don't think his Royal Highness will stand for a leafy-haired queen. Especially on a night like this. Although there is something to be said for a tryst out in the forest in the moonlight. Depending on the night and the woman, it might be more fun than fancy bed in a castle." Merlin heard the thump of Cabal's tail against the floor as the knight gave him another round of table scraps.

"Gwaine." Elyan's voice was flat.

"I'm just saying. A moonlit forest has its charms. There was this time when I was in Mercia-"

"We really don't want to hear it, Gwaine." Merlin shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He'd dropped his seeing spell earlier in the evening, when the crowd in the great hall had set his inner eye ablaze with light. The headache was wearing away, at least. "And stop feeding Cabal. You're going to make him sick."

"He looks hungry. Don't you ever feed him? And anyway. It's a funny story, about the woman in Mercia-"

Leon cut Gwaine off this time. "No one wants to hear your 'funny' stories, Gwaine. They're only funny to you." There was a murmuring of assent from around the room. They'd gathered in Lancelot's chambers, since they were closest to the great hall and no one wanted to walk far. In Gwaine's case, he probably couldn't walk far. Elyan and Percival had collected chairs from elsewhere, and with the aid of a few bottles of wine and food pilfered from the remnants of the wedding feast, they'd managed to pull off their own, private celebration. But even that was winding to its end, though none of them was willing to go just yet.

"That's because none of you has a decent sense of humor. Go away, Cabal. There's no more for you. Merlin's going to turn me into a toad if I give you anything else. Go on." Gwaine said.

Cabal whined, but gave in and flopped down next to Merlin. He scratched the dog's ears, and it seemed the consolation was as good as whatever illicit treats Gwaine had given him. Merlin slouched against the chair and rubbed his eyes again.

"Are you all right?" Lancelot asked.

Merlin turned his head toward the knight and gave him a wan smile. "I'm fine. Just tired. It's been a long day." The wedding feast and its accompanying entertainments had stretched on toward midnight. It wasn't until the bells tolled the late hour that Arthur and Guinevere had bid good-night to the court and departed, resolutely ignoring the drunken and ribald comments from courtiers who had more wine in them than sense.

"It has been long, hasn't it? But a good on, on the whole." Lancelot poured something into a cup and set it on the table next to Merlin. "There's some water if you want it. Or do you just want to get away from this noisy lot and get some sleep?"

"No, I like the company." He paused as Gwaine cracked a real joke that set the others to laughing. "Besides. Gaius went to bed ages ago, and he snores. I'm fine where I am. If I fall asleep in my chair, just poke me with a stick in the morning and tell me to go away." Merlin lifted his hand to rub at his eyes again and stopped mid-motion. It wouldn't help, he knew, and it would just set Lancelot to worrying even more. He took the silver pendant between his fingers instead, running a fingernail through the lines of the ever-winding pattern as he willed the headache away. It didn't help that the field of darkness around him kept shifting, tricking his eyes into believing that something was there. He kept trying to focus on the insubstantial shapes. "You don't have to play nursemaid, you know. I'm perfectly fine."

"You're always trying to convince me of that. It hasn't quite worked yet." Merlin heard the smile in Lancelot's voice. "And anyway. It's quieter over here. None of them wants to bother you and risk getting turned into a toad."

"I wouldn't turn them into toads. Not for long, anyway. Arthur would insist I go and find replacements, and Guinevere would be upset that her brother was all bumpy and greenish. I don't want to hear from an upset Guinevere." Merlin grinned. A gray smudge appeared in the darkness, and he struggled not to try to focus on it.

"And I appreciate the fact that you're not going to fill my room with toads. I'll be right back." Lancelot laughed as he pushed out of his chair his footsteps receded toward the rest of the knights.

Merlin sighed, giving in to the ache and rubbing his eyes again. The smudge didn't go away. He frowned and turned toward the knights. The gray spot disappeared. It reappeared when he turned back to the table. It was still there when he swiped at his eyes again. An idea, strange and a little exciting, blossomed in his mind. He reached out, slowly, into the air in front of him, aiming for the point in space where the gray spot might have been. There was heat there. A flame. He jerked his hand back, an involuntary gasp escaping his lips. But still, the spot of gray was there. It was lighter now.

"Careful there, Merlin. You'll burn yourself on that candle," Gwaine said.

"I'm fine." Merlin reached toward the gray smudge again. Slower this time. His fingertips brushed the taper and twitched away from the hot beeswax that dripped down the side. He blinked and squinted again. A smile spread across his face. "I'm definitely fine," he whispered.

"It's just a candle, Merlin. That's all." Gwaine dropped into the chair across from Merlin before Lancelot could, prompting a quiet protest from the other knight.

Merlin didn't look toward either one of them. He kept his eyes fixed on the little gray smudge- the little spot of light in his field of vision. "It's the best candle in the world, Gwaine."

Their exchange caught the others' attention. Their conversation quieted, and Merlin felt their attention fix upon him. "I'll bite," Lancelot said. "Why is the best candle in the world?"

His hands trembled with his elation as he held them close to the little candle and its warmth. 'And not just warmth. . . ' Merlin bit his lip to keep his tears at bay. He didn't want anything to make that little light go away, the first light he had truly seen for half a year. "It's the best candle in the world because I can see it." He didn't bother to contain his giddy laughter. "I can see it."


Sometime before dawn, while night still lay heavily over Camelot, Arthur woke. There was no sense of alarm or danger disturbing his sleep, just the wonderful strangeness of his bride curled up next to him. He picked out Guinevere's features in the dim light, the curve of her cheek and the dark arch of her brow. Her hair was fanned out behind her, save for a few, errant curls winding around her face. Arthur couldn't help but brush them away before tracing the elegant line of her bare shoulder.

Guinevere's eyes opened and focused on him. Her smile was full of sleepy contentment. "Husband," she whispered, eyes sparkling.

"Wife," Arthur replied, then lay a kiss on her forehead before drawing her closer. Nothing more needed saying after that.

All was well in the Kingdom of Camelot.


A/N: And now, I declare this series to be on hiatus. I will come back to it, but I'm working on developing the story line for the next set of stories.

Thank you to everyone who has made this journey with me! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. A big thanks, especially, to those who have followed, favorited, and commented. Your input helped keep me writing.

I don't know when the next set of stories will premier, but between now and then, I do intend to post some shorter stories and missing scenes, as there were things I wanted to include, but ultimately chose not to, to keep the flow of the stories moving. I don't know how often or how many of these stories will go up, but there are a few on my ever-growing list of writing projects to work on. Also, if there's a scene you'd like to read more about from any of the stories, or if you want me to show a particular scene from a different character's point of view, please let me know. I'm always looking for inspiration!

Thank you!