Chapter 8: Reaching Avalon

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

"This is all your fault." I hissed at my husband as another wave of pain started.

He just smiled and wiped my sweaty brow as I leaned against him.

"You're doing great Alys. It won't be much longer now. You're almost there." Gavin stated from between my knees.

"Well I should damn well hope so!" I growled at him.

"Exactly how is this my fault? It takes two for this type of thing, and I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, I distinctly remember you gasping and moaning 'harder' and 'faster'." my husband commented, trying to distract me from my pain.

I tried to turn around to hit him, but couldn't as the pain came again and I had to breathe my way through it.

"Merlin, if you're just going to aggravate her, leave." Morgana told him.

"Absolutely not! The Hell you're kicking him out. He's staying right where he is!" I snapped at her.

Merlin squeezed my hand he held. "I'm not going anywhere. No one is going to separate us. You're doing better than I would right now. And just think, in just a little bit we'll be holding the physical manifestation of our love. You are beautiful."

"I'm fat and sweaty and feel like I'm being ground between two millstones. How is that beautiful?" I questioned between pants.

"You can start pushing on the next contraction." Gavin told me.

I nodded as Merlin braced us for it.

The feel of his movements reassured me that he was very much there and alive after I'd almost lost him on our wedding day.

-SPACE-

Gavin and the others had to pry him from my grip to get him up to the castle.

I immediately pounced on the one person I knew had the knowledge to save him and nearly shook the answer from Dragon.

My uncles, Greg, and Percy refused to let me in the room where Gavin, Dragon, Mordred, Morgause, and Morgana were hard at work trying to save Merlin, going so far as to bar the door and Greg tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me to where my aunts, grandparents, cousins, mother, and the rest of the Court save a few Knights waited.

Isolde instantly attached herself to me. "Is Merlin going to be all right?"

I picked her up and hugged her close. "They're working on him right now. And I hope he will be."

She hugged me tightly, tears running down her small face.

Aunt Anna came and took her from me, trying to calm her.

I couldn't sit still and took to pacing.

Conversations were hushed and many eyes watched me.

My mind raced as thoughts chased each other.

I came to a decision and threw open the doors.

No one stopped me as I strode angrily through the halls, many rushed out of my way.

My father, Leon, Owen, and Peter all stood outside the cell Goodhurst and his 'Merlin' were in.

Dad was playing Uther Pendragon to a T, demanding to know what the poison was and how to treat Merlin.

Everyone stepped back when I moved to stand before the cell.

I knew I looked a bit of a fright with my hair starting to fall down from its up-do and my makeup having run a little.

Goodhurst grinned evilly. "Hello Your Majesty. How is your Consort? Has his heart stopped yet?"

His grin was quickly wiped away and replaced by a look of shocked fear as I quickly reached out to snag the front of his shirt and dragged him to the bars of the cell.

"You had better hope he doesn't die." I told him in a low and dangerous voice, the smile I wore dark and slightly crazed. "Because if he does, so will you and it will be a long and painful death." I let him go and stepped back. "Peter."

"Yes Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Could you see to it that two racks are able to be used and the caverns below the castle are reachable?"

He bowed. "Right away." He left to do what I had requested.

"Leon, Owen, keep a close eye on these two. You'll be relieved in a couple hours." I turned towards the stairs.

Dad fell into step with me. "Alys, I know you are well within your rights to determine their fates, but perhaps the rack is a bit much?"

"It's better than what I really want to do to them." I replied.

"Which is?"

"Filleting the skin off them layer by layer while they're still alive and screaming."

"Are you all right Alys?" he asked as we reached the upper level of the castle.

I stopped walking and looked at him, tears once more streaming down my face. "No. I'm losing the love of my life on what should be our wedding night. I don't know what I'll do if I really do lose him. His love for me and mine for him is the one absolute certainty I have."

Dad drew me into a hug. "I'll take care of everything. You go to your room and rest." He gently pushed me towards the stairs that led to the Royal Bedchambers.

Instead of going to them, I went to Merlin's tower and locked myself inside.

The whole room smelt of Merlin and I could almost see him bent over a table hard at work.

I tossed my crown in some random direction, not caring where it landed, and tore my hair free of the pins holding it up.

Crumpling to the floor, I threw a fit, crying and screaming and slamming my hands against the floor until they bled. Eventually I cried myself to sleep right there on the floor with the smell and presence of Merlin all around me.

It was completely dark except for the small fire burning in the fireplace when I woke from my restless and uncomfortable sleep on the floor.

Two kind arms gathered me close and hugged me to a warm torso as I began crying again.

"I can't lose him." I stated softly.

"And you won't. My son is made of stronger stuff than your enemies know. He's going to pull through." the voice of Merlin's mother told me.

I looked up at her. "Am I dreaming?"

Hunith smiled at me. "No my darling daughter, you aren't."

I clung to her. "This is all my fault! Your son is dying and it's all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

Balinor crouched down next to us, a cup of tea in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. He dabbed at my tears and handed me the cup of tea. "It is not your fault, daughter ours. You must never think that." He grabbed the dragon he'd carved for Merlin from the shelf and held it up to where I could see it. "My son is related to dragons. Having fought one, you know how difficult it is to kill one. He's just found you, Merlin is not about to let you go. You should not give up on him quite so easily." He placed the carving in my free hand and wrapped my fingers around it.

I looked at my in-laws. "I never got to thank the two of you for saving my life as a child."

Hunith brushed my hair from my face. "It was the least we could do. We wanted to save you before, but the gods forbid it. This time they had no choice but to let us. And we thought it was long past time that Merlin get what he deserved. You planned a beautiful wedding, Alys."

I took a sip if the tea and found it had been made perfectly. "Thank you. I just wish the two of you could have physically been there."

"So do we." Balinor agreed.

"You'll take good care of Merlin, won't you?" Hunith asked.

"You have my word on that. I won't send him to the stocks, but I can't promise that I won't banish him to his tower alone when he makes me mad."

Hunith laughed. "I'd never ask that of you. A wife has to be able to punish her husband somehow." She kissed my forehead and hugged me. "Now, you go take care of Merlin. He needs you."

Balinor kissed my forehead too. "And so you don't worry, you have our blessing and approval. Now off you go."

I watched them fade away before looking at the carving I held. I ran gentle fingers over it.

Downing my tea, I got to my feet and headed to Merlin and I's room.

I quickly changed into jeans and one of Merlin's shirts from Old Camelot, exchanging my dancing slippers for tennis shoes. I wrapped the carving in one of Merlin's neckerchiefs and tied it to my belt loop. I knew that they would still have the door to Gavin's workroom guarded and would refuse me entrance, especially if it was bad.

There was no one about as I made my way outside and began scaling the side of the castle.

Due to the summer heat, the windows of the room were open and I wriggled through one, careful not to make much noise.

Merlin was the only one in the room, his brow covered in sweat even as he shivered under four thick blankets.

I could tell it was really bad, but had faith he would pull through.

After all, why would my in-laws, my mother-in-law especially, lie to me?

I moved a chair to his bedside, unwrapped the carving, and closed Merlin's fingers around it. "You're going to make it Merlin. I know you are. You're like a dragon, nearly impossible to kill. And I'm not going to let you leave me. If you die, there's no one else for me and I'll die old and alone because I'll marry no one else nor will I let anyone but you father my children. You are the other half of my soul and I won't settle for less than you." I dipped a cloth in a bucket of water by his bed and wiped his fevered brow. "I love you, Merlin."

For the rest of the night I sat by his side, mopping his brow with cool water and my hand wrapped around his that held the carving.

His fever broke as the first rays of the sun touched the horizon.

I softly sang the lullaby he'd sung to me on nights I was having trouble sleeping, the very same lullaby Hunith had sung to him as a child and the one that had always haunted my dreams after a nightmare and calmed me.

Gavin came in a couple hours later, looking grim. He stopped short when he saw me. "How'd you get in here?"

"How I got in here is not important. His fever broke at dawn. He's going to make it, Gavin." I smiled.

Gavin came over and checked Merlin's vitals. "How? He was knocking at Death's door last night."

"Merlin is a Dragonlord, which means he's related to dragons. He's not easy to get rid of."

Merlin's eyelids flickered and then opened halfway.

I smiled at him. "Hello you. You know, I'd appreciate it if you'd warn me if you're going to repeat history. Thought I might have to go on another potentially deadly quest to save your life."

He blinked a couple times to clear his sight and then frowned. "Why are traces of my healing salve on your hands?" he rasped.

I glanced at my hands, seeing the skin had been healed. "I sort of threw a fit, thinking I was going to lose you. I guess your parents took care of them before I woke up. They came to visit me extremely early this morning and we had a little chat. Since you weren't there, someone had to knock some sense through my thick skull."

Merlin smiled, eyes closing. "Not so thick this time." He fell back to sleep.

I kissed him and stood up. "I'll go announce his recovery. Do you think he can be moved to our room? I want him comfortable and don't plan on leaving his side while he's recuperating."

"I'll see what I can do. Where's your crown? You never go without it when it comes to State matters."

I shrugged. "Somewhere in Merlin's tower. I didn't really pay attention to where it landed when I threw it. I'll find it when I announce his recovery to the world leaders."

The Knights standing outside Gavin's workroom, Kevin and Brendon, stared open mouthed as I exited the room, calling out that Merlin was going to be all right over my shoulder.

By this time, my family and the Court had gathered in the kitchen for breakfast.

I entered with a happy skip, swept Isolde into an impromptu dance that made her laugh, and beamed at the rest. "Merlin's going to be all right. His fever broke at dawn and he woke up for a couple minutes and talked to me."

The cloud hanging over the castle lifted as everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began talking.

I grabbed a bright green apple from the fruit bin and bit into it.

"You look tired, Alys. Did you get much sleep?" Uncle Gawain asked.

"A couple hours of restless sleep before spending the rest of the night at Merlin's bedside. I'll grab a nap later."

Dad's head snapped up from his mug of coffee.

"How did you get in to do that? The Knights had orders to not let you in," he stated.

"That's never stopped me before when I wanted to do something. It was a good thing the windows were open." I grinned at the expressions they had.

"You scaled the castle wall? That's sweet!" Lucan exclaimed.

I pointed at him. "It's dangerous so don't you ever do it. I find out you ever tried to do it, I'll hang you by your ankles from the battlements."

"Yes Alys."

I smiled at the others. "Well I'm off to tell our guests that Merlin's going to be just fine." I made a detour to the tower before heading out to make the announcement.

My crown was sitting on a worktable when I entered.

I put it on and smiled at the room. "Thank you Mother, Father."

-SPACE-

It was almost a month and a half before Merlin returned to full health. The whole time, I very rarely left his side and handled any issues that came up via conference video calls on my laptop.

Merlin swept us off to the small tropical island he owned (something I sure wasn't complaining about) once he was well and we enjoyed a late three week honeymoon savoring the sun, the sand, and each other.

When we returned to Camelot, I owed Merlin orgasms. We also had to handle a couple 'crises' that had come up while we were gone, which were easily resolved.

Life returned to normal, though a couple months later found me puking my guts up pretty much every morning and most nights, or whenever the smell or mention of something didn't agree with me.

Merlin, thinking I could be dying, fussed over me. He kept trying to magically diagnose what was wrong.

I started trying to count days one morning as I dry heaved and realized I had twice missed something that had always shown up like clockwork. I then, after shooing Merlin off to do his usual stuff, snuck into Gavin and Olivia's chambers and snatched a little white plastic stick wrapped in plastic from Olivia's stash.

About ten minutes later, I was slipping into Merlin's tower with the stick in hand.

I leaned against the closed door and just took a moment to watch Merlin at work making magic imbued salves for the Knights.

He put everything to the side when he saw me. "Did you need something, Alys?"

I walked over to where he stood. "Found out why I've been getting sick." I placed the plastic stick in his hand.

He stared at it in confusion for a few seconds before realization set in. "Alys…This is…And it says…"

I grinned. "I know what it says, Merlin. Apparently some of the Knights and Gavin aren't the only ones about to suffer. Congratulations…Daddy."

Merlin spun me around once in joy before setting me down on a table and placing a hand on my so-far flat stomach.

I closed my eyes and sighed blissfully as Merlin's magic flowed over me.

He had tears in his eyes when I opened mine. "Two, Alys. We have twins!"

We both clung to the other and cried happy tears until Merlin carried me to his bed in the tower while proclaiming that 'the world can wait.'

-SPACE-

No one was told on the off chance I was like my mother, who had been pregnant a few times and then lost them as her body rejected the zygotes.

Dragon seemed to know though as he dropped some slightly bigger clothes off a few days later, but considering whom he had once been it wasn't surprising.

On December twenty-first, we announced our good news to everyone and sent the whole world into a frenzy as the succession was secured.

Merlin became extremely overprotective, which quickly became annoying.

That doesn't mean I didn't take advantage of it though. It was rather easy most days to get out of going to meetings I didn't want to go to while still making Merlin have to suffer through them.

On these days I joined the rest of the expecting women of Camelot and a few that weren't expecting to enjoy some 'Girl Time' and eat things our husbands refused to let us eat even if we were craving it. All of our diets, mine especially, were closely watched and regulated.

A few of the Knights had found out about our 'Illicit Eating Ring' but knew better than to tell because I'd kill them once I could spar again and Morgana and Morgause threatened all manner of things if they told.

The months seemed to fly by, which led to where I was now.

I had been having Braxton-Hicks on and off for the last month, so I didn't think much of the ones I'd been having all day until I stood up with Merlin to go to our room after dinner.

My eyes widened when I felt a gush of liquid go down my leg and I squeezed Merlin's hand tightly as I hissed in pain.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, eyeing my pale face.

"Your children are coming." I replied.

Merlin instantly swept me off to our room and certain people followed.

Labor and birth took sixteen hours and when it was all over, Merlin and I held our beautiful son and daughter.

Little Arthur Balinor was his father made over, only with blond hair. He was going to be a little heartbreaker when he got older.

Tiny Hunith Avalon, fifteen minutes younger than her brother, was a mix of me and Merlin and had curly black hair.

I could already tell that Merlin was going to try and keep her away from all boys, which meant that all her 'aunts' and I were going to have to help her get around him.

Merlin kissed my forehead as I leaned against a huge pile of pillows and held Arthur. "Thank you."

I smiled tiredly at him. "It takes two to do this as you pointed out. But you're welcome."

He took Arthur from me as I yawned. "Here. You get some rest. I know you have to be exhausted after what you just did."

I yawned again. "I'm beyond exhausted. And I refuse to do this again for at least a couple more years. Now go show off our children. I'm sure my parents are dying to meet their grandchildren. And the world will be curious as to the Heirs of Camelot."

"Yes, love. I'll keep everyone from visiting while you rest."

I settled further into the pillows. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

He chuckled and kissed me. "I love you. We love you."

I smiled sleepily. "And I love the three of you. Now go before our family breaks down the door."

Morgana and Gavin finished cleaning up and followed Merlin out.

I heard everyone outside the room begin to coo and fuss over the twins.

Excalibur in its scabbard and Merlin and I's crowns all twinkled at me from the chair and table across the room respectively, as did the tiny circlets of twined gold and silver that sat between Merlin's crown and mine.

My little family was complete, happy, and healthy.

My smile refused to leave my face as I fell into a well deserved rest.

Once upon a time ago, a body my soul had once inhabited was taken to the island of Avalon and Merlin had been promised Avalon at the end of everything.

Avalon wasn't a place, I had realized. It was a state of being. And after so many years of searching and disappointment, we had finally reached it.

A/N: And that's the end folks. I've been thinking about writing up little snapshots of the scenes I left out, like Merlin's lecture and Alys' birthday. I've also been comtemplating writing a story about the twins and/or Sir Sugar Bowl, either in third-person or from Sir Sugar Bowl's point of view, but I don't know if anyone is interested in reading anything like that. Oh well. Thanks for reading!