Life in Camelot was slowly returning to normal. The Dorrocha had stopped attacking three days ago which meant that the knights had succeeded in their quest to stop them. Yet while the majority of people began to feel safe again, Gwen, Gaius, Geoffrey and Agravaine were not as relaxed. They alone knew of the price one of the men had had to pay to stop the attacks and all of them were waiting on tender hooks to find out who it was. From Uther's window Gwen had a great vantage point of the outer walls of the castle and into the lower town and it was then she seen the flashes of red approaching. She knew it wasn't the patrols; they weren't due back for another hour. That only meant one thing. The broom in her hands fell to the floor with a clatter as she sprinted out of Uther's chambers and ran for the main doors. As she rounded a corner, she slammed straight into Agravaine who quickly masked a glare as he seen who had ran into him. They hadn't seen eye to eye since their argument the other night but that wasn't important now.

"They're back." Gwen said as she ran on down the corridor. Agravaine pulled himself up and followed. This was it, the moment of truth. The courtyard fell silent as the knights rode in and the people began doing a silent headcount as Gwen, Agravaine and Gaius who had been going to the lower town stopped on the stairs Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot and Merlin stopped their horses at the base of the steps. Arthur was missing.

"Where's Arthur?" Agravaine asked as the knights and Merlin dismounted and Gwen made her way slowly down the steps. Their slumped shoulders, the red markings around their eyes and the dazed, lost way they looked around was the answer everyone needed.

Gwen shook her head. "No."

Elyan stepped forward and wrapped his sister in a tight hug. "I'm sorry." Elyan whispered into her hair.

"Where's Arthur? What happened?" Agravaine asked again and Leon cleared his throat as he looked around the silent, expectant courtyard but as he opened his mouth, the words couldn't come out.

"The Veil… needed a human sacrifice." Merlin said in a cracked voice as he looked around. "Arthur sacrificed himself."

There was a moment of silence and then a loud scream broke it. It was Gwen, she had broken down completely. She was screaming and sobbing and fell to the ground, her hands clutching her hair as she screamed and screamed and screamed. In an instant Elyan and Merlin were beside her, attempting to hug her but Gwen was inconsolable. All around them people began openly crying, women swayed, men clutched their hands over their mouths as tears fell down their faces. Gaius held tightly to the stone railings before descending towards Merlin and Agravaine followed in shocked silence. Gaius put an arm around Merlin and helped him while Elyan picked up a still sobbing Gwen who attempted to pull away causing him to hold her tighter. Her screams had rubbed her throat raw and she managed to stop but the sobs and tears kept coming as Elyan carried her inside behind Gaius and Merlin. The knights slowly followed as behind them, the kingdom started to mourn.

Morgana was hidden away in her hovel and used her seeing crystal to watch what was happening in Camelot. She felt the smug sense of victory course through her body. Arthur was dead. All she had to do now was kill Uther and the throne was hers. As it rightfully should be. Morgana did regret that it cost her sister her life for Morgana to succeed but it was for the greater good. The vision in the crystal shifted so that she could see the inside of Gaius' chambers. She watched as Elyan set Gwen onto one of the beds and was given a calming draught. The large dosage completely knocking her out. Merlin was slumped in a chair staring into space. Arthur's death hit them the hardest, as she knew it would. Good. It meant they would stay out of her way in future unless they wanted to go the same way. Morgan turned away from the crystal and looked around her hovel. She wouldn't be living here much longer. Soon she would be taking her rightful place on the throne of Camelot.

Agravaine made his way back to his chambers. He didn't know what to feel. Obviously he knew at least one of them was going to have to die but he would have thought one of those peasant knights of Arthur's would have done it. He didn't think Arthur himself would do it. It was only when he was alone with his thoughts did he fully realise what had happened. Arthur was dead. The last connection he had to his beloved sister Ygraine was gone forever. Agravaine's fury and lust for revenge was aimed at Uther; Arthur just had gotten caught in the crossfire. Yet while he was upset at the loss of his nephew, they all had had choices to make and the consequences of which had to be dealt with.

As evening came in, the knights had all convened in Gaius' quarters. The extra-large calming draught dose had knocked Gwen out for most of the afternoon but she had woken up now and was sitting on the edge of one of them beds staring at nothing. None of them had been able to speak after Gwaine and Lancelot explained to Gaius what had happened. None of them knew what to say. What could they say? After an extended period of silence, it was Lancelot who broke it as a question occurred to him.

"What will happen now? Arthur doesn't have any heirs. Who's going to rule the kingdom? Uther's in no state to do so." Lancelot asked.

"I don't know. I presume Lord Agravaine will assume some responsibility. He was the queen's brother but I cannot say for sure what would happen." Gaius answered.

"This can't be real. I feel like I'm going to wake up any second and find out this has all been a nightmare." Leon stated; he and Arthur had been friends for years and his sudden death had shaken everything up for the knight.

"It is real though." Gwaine stated and they all fell silent again. In the privacy of the physician's quarters and the brotherhood of the men; the tears were allowed to fall. They had lost a brother, a friend, a son. They were allowed to cry tonight.

Merlin didn't cry. He didn't move or speak. He was just thinking. Lancelot had raised a good question. What would happen now? He had failed in his Destiny. How was Arthur supposed to unite the kingdoms and restore magic to the land if he was dead? How could Albion come to be without its king? What was going to happen to them? When Uther died, who was going to take over? Morgana was the only heir now. She had done it. She'd won. Merlin felt his hands tremble as he thought about Morgana, was she happy now? Was she happy that her brother was dead? Did she feel any remorse about what she'd done? Merlin shook his head and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Gaius asked, Merlin looked at him.

"I need some air." Merlin replied and walked out. He made his way through the silent castle, everyone had returned to their homes or chambers; there was going to be a memorial service tomorrow and Merlin turned his head when he reached the courtyard as to not look at the space where the knights had decided to build a pyre whereupon they were going to burn one of Arthur's cloaks and swords due to the lack of body. The six of them, (six- it felt so strange to think that) had agreed to do it by hand. It had to be the six of them, nobody else. They were the round table; that band of brothers; it was fitting that they built the pyre.

Wiping his eyes again, Merlin made his way through the town and into the woods. Once he was alone, he tilted his head back and summoned Kilgharragh to him. A few minutes later the large dragon landed in front of him, bowing his head.

"Arthur's dead." Merlin said and as he said those two words aloud, the truth was cemented. Claiming Arthur sacrificed himself wasn't enough to confirm the reality but those two irretrievable words did. Arthur's dead- there were no way of mistaking those words or taking them back again.

"Arthur is dead? He was not destined to do so." Kilgharragh replied; admittedly shocked by the turn of events.

"What will happen now? How can Albion be born if Arthur is dead? How are we meant to achieve our destinies now that Arthur is gone?" Merlin asked. If anyone could give them the answers he needed, it would be Kilgharragh.

"Arthur may be dead but the witch still lives; she will not stop being a threat until she is defeated. You must be vigilant, without Arthur, Morgana will be even more ruthless in her attempts to take the throne. All is not yet lost young warlock; the hands of fate are still at work even as we speak." Kilgharragh advised; he had not expected this but he could sense that fate was still as work here; in his heart of hearts, he knew Albion was not yet lost.

"I don't understand." Merlin replied. As far as he could see No Arthur meant No Albion. How were he supposed to unite the kingdoms if he was dead? It didn't make any sense.

"I trust this matter will soon make itself clear. Until it does, you will need to be prepared for whatever comes next. Secrets will be brought to light and you will find that the answers are right in front of you." Kilgharragh replied and he took off again. Merlin watched him go and slowly walked back to Camelot. Secrets brought to light? The answer to Albion in front of him? What the hell did that mean? Merlin turned on his heel and walked slowly through the darkness back to the castle. As he pushed open the door to Gaius' quarters, the others were still talking in low voices about what the future would now hold for them and it was Percival who asked the question which came to him.

"Who's going to tell Uther?" Percival asked. For a moment none of them answered that; who would the one to tell the king that his only son was dead?

"I'll do it." Gwen said, it was the first time she'd spoken all day and in contrast to her earlier screams, her voice was almost inaudible.

"Are you sure, I could do in instead," Gaius offered but Gwen shook her head.

"No it's fine. I'll do it tomorrow before the … before the service. Uther deserves to know and I think he should see his son's farewell." Gwen replied as she attempted to maintain her composure. She would not break down again; she needed to be strong. Arthur had asked her to take care of his father and she would.

With nothing else to say, they fell silent again. Each of them lost in the thoughts and memories of their fallen friend, their brother Arthur. And that night, as one, the kingdom mourned.