Chapter 16
Adena groaned at the thumping sound coming from the front of the house and Conner barking. She turned and buried her head against Lancelot's neck, wishing the sound to fade away. The knight, however, struggled to move away from Adena and out of bed to answer the door.
"Oh, for the love of...!" Adena muttered a curse.
She wrapped the fur around her, Lancelot protesting at the sudden chill that swept over his naked body. As soon as she walked into the front of the house, Lancelot rolled (literally) out of the bed, put on his pants, and walked barefoot out of the bedroom.
"There is to be an urgent meeting before Merlin and Guinevere speak with him."
Lancelot wrapped an arm around his lover's waist, leaning against her. "We'll be there soon Jols."
Jols gave a curt nod, along with a roguish grin, and walked back towards the fort. Adena closed the door and begrudgingly walked back towards the bedroom.
"An urgent meeting this early, something has happened." She muttered, gathering her dress to change into.
"What do you believe has happened?" Lancelot questioned, also concerned.
"I do not know," Adena tells him fearfully.
Once they have changed, the couple walked towards the fort, Adena telling Conner to go visit Vanora and her children. As soon as the couple entered the Round table, they were taken aback by a woman (unfamiliar to Adena) sitting next to Arthur, holding his hand. Adena suddenly smiled, looking from the woman to Arthur and back. Once the couple sat down did Arthur cleared his throat.
"Men, Adena, I had arranged this urgent meeting to let you all know that I am to marry Malia come the fall solace."
The men were stunned, the news waking them fully alert. It was Adena, however, who broke the silence by laughing.
"What had changed your mind, Arthur? What happened in that small space of time after I gave my warning?"
"I had overheard Guinevere and her father speaks of plans to become queen, but still have her knight in which she truly loved, not Arthur." Malia told her, everyone wondering who the knight was.
"I see; she wished I had not returned to this time?" Adena said, all amusement gone.
"Aye, I believe she was making plans in getting rid of you."
Lancelot's hand tightened, his anger pulsing out of him in waves. Adena placed her other hand on top of his, easing his anger somewhat. Before any protest can be said the doors opened to reveal a woman in her forties, but have the strength of someone much younger, with a dozen guards or so standing behind her. Adena's heart thundered against her chest as she wondered what else that she might have changed to bring in these newfound people.
"I believe I can help," the woman's voice was soft, but strong. "My name is Morgaine Le Fey, Priestess of Avalon. I had come to stop my corrupted brother and niece, as well as reclaim my lost daughter."
At this she looked towards Malia, who looked stunned. Adena, herself, was confused beyond anything else as she never thought that Avalon or even the priestess themselves were even real; at least not for another thousand years or so.
"I do believe that it is time to my dear brother and niece for this meeting, it is now passing the dawn hour." Morgaine told the group, "then we will speak of all the questions you have for me."
Adena squirmed in her chair as the older woman stared at her after speaking. Was it possible that the woman knew what it was she thought? Or could it be that she knew of the future events to come and wanted to forewarn her? After the meeting with Merlin and Guinevere she is going to find out.
"Now, before this big meeting, how about we have a small, private wedding before the one for everyone on the island can witness." Morgaine said with a wide smile.
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Both Merlin and Guinevere nodded to the guards in front of the doors, wondering what could be so important for Arthur to retrieve them. Unless, of course, it was for wedding preparations that may have him eager to get over with; Merlin quieted his daughter when she began her objections to the wedding once again.
As they walked in, their heads held high with the air of power, father and daughter realized it wasn't just Arthur in the room, but a few others that, one, Merlin did not want to see at all–at least not before he saw to it that his daughter was married to Arthur.
"My dear sister, I did not know you have come to Britain?" Merlin exclaimed a bit nervously.
Morgaine Le Fey hummed, walking towards them with a glint in her eyes and air of utmost power. "I am sure you did not expect me so soon, brother."
Merlin slowly gulped nervously, trying his hardest to smile. Guinevere, however, was visibly nervous, wondering what her father wanted to do as the situation has gone more complicated than what they expected.
"I can see that you are both speechless; no worries, what we have to say does not require for either of you to speak." Morgaine tipped her head down, glaring at her own blood relation. "My reasons for being here so early had to do with what I had felt, on the isle of Avalon."
Merlin's jaw was set, his eyes glistening with both anger and nervousness. "What was it that you felt, sister?"
Morgaine raised an eyebrow, smiling a smile that neither Merlin nor Guinevere liked at all. "Why did you do it, Merlin? Why did you force a soul to split than to return by force when the mission was complete? You knew she had a choice, why did you not give her that chance?"
"I asked for a soul that has passed in the other time, not one that was still alive." Merlin growled, knowing he wasn't able to lie to his sister, no matter how much he tried.
"I was half dead and half alive," Adena suddenly spoke up, walking forward with Lancelot behind her. "I was in a coma, which means just that; I slept for five years in my time, the same years as I lived in this time era, but I was considered as dead too."
"You wretched woman should have not returned to our time!" Merlin growled with confusion and hatred at the young woman. "Do you realize how much of everyone's fate changed because of your returning?"
Adena's hand fisted and un-fisted, anger rising within her though she tried to control it for the sake of her child. "I do realize how everyone's fate has changed with me here, but I have died in my own time and now I cannot return."
"How was it possible? Once you have returned to one time you should have never returned back here." Merlin continued to argue in confused anger.
"The Goddess' are in her debt for saving the men you wanted dead." Morgaine told him with a grin. "So they have decided, as was her wish, for her to return to this time, knowing of the consequences to come."
Guinevere stepped forward, glaring from her aunt to the woman who had stolen the man she had loved since she was a child. "There is no sense in arguing, it is done and over with, nothing we can do about it."
"Yes, we must forget that all this has happened." Arthur said as he, too, stepped forward next to Adena.
Guinevere forced a smile and made to walk up to him only to see another woman walking next to Arthur's side, holding his hand. Her beautiful face became an ugly look of anger, one that not suited her at all.
"Guinevere, I believe you have not met Malia...my wife." Arthur told them slowly, bringing their joined hands to his mouth to kiss hers.
"What?" Father and daughter cried.
Malia smiled, holding up her head at the hatred emitting from the two persons before them. "Yes, we were recently married."
Merlin sneered at his sister. "The natives would not take him as king, sister, and you know this! Not when he's married to a Roman."
Morgaine grinned, looking to her older brother. "Oh, I assure they will for Malia is my daughter, Merlin. Do you not remember of the child our mother had taken from me when I was a mere in my twenty summers when I bore my daughter?"
Realization dawned on Merlin's leathery face as he sharply turned to Malia, who did not smile at him. Guinevere, who took this opportunity, looked to her father in triumphant before looking towards Lancelot. However, he wrapped his arms around Adena's waist, bringing her closer to his body. Guinevere's eyes flashed, not able to believe she was losing everything all because of one woman who was not even from their time era.
"We –we're meant to be together!" Guinevere suddenly cried, looking solely at Lancelot with desperate and hungry eyes. "Our story together goes down in history–this is confirmed visions from two of our seers have seen it!"
Adena's hands inadvertently clutched at Lancelot's own, tensing at the truth in the other woman's words. "You of all people should know that all visions do not come true, Guinevere."
Before the younger woman could say a word, Morgaine spoke up. "I suggest you leave this island and never come back, my dear brother and niece."
"You cannot do that!" Guinevere said angrily.
"No," Adena nodded, rising her chin in challenge. "But the future king of Britain can," as she said this, Adena turned to Arthur, as did the others.
Arthur let out a breath of air, nodding. "I suggest you do what she says, for I will not have such corrupting minds within this land. For the day the people elect me as their king, peace well wash over this island, nothing else."
"Men of Avalon escort my dear brother and niece to the south and make sure that they board a boat to their new home." Morgaine ordered, knowing it was now time for them to go.
A dozen men from Avalon moved out from the darkness to circle around the two. Both Merlin and Guinevere glared at Morgaine as the men turned them around and begun walking out of the Round table at sword and bow and arrow point. Two men tied Merlin's and Guinevere's hands, incased they had wanted to somehow escape. As the doors closed, echoing in the silent room, everyone turned to Adena who had collapsed against Lancelot.
From that day on Adena knew that everything was going to change. For both the good and the bad; and nothing was going to stop it. Not even Adena herself as she does not remember much after the movie of King Arthur. She can only pray that no more pain and suffering would come to these people she has loved so much–or to her child that she is to have in nine months.
A/N: Is this the last of both Merlin and Guinevere? Or well they return? Well, some answers have been answered, but will there be peace on the island and among the natives? Please review and let me know what you think!