hullo. next chapter. penultimate chapter! fairly certain i spelt beginnings wrong. right will its midnight here so i'll just say, i d o n ' t o w n m e r l i n, and then say, i hope you like the chapter...

beginnings and ends

"I grow impatient, when will we strike." Cenred was pacing around the room. Morgouse rolled her eyes and spoke irritably "I have told you already Cenred, we never had the power of surprise, and someone inside the castle has set up powerful shielding that stops us using magic to get into the citadel. If reports are right then it is Merlin's doing. And he is stronger than we thought." Morganna stepped away from the window she had been standing at. "is it possible he truly is Emrys?" morgouse scoffed at the idea. "I doubt it. He is just a powerful sorcerer with delusions of grandeur." Cenred nodded showing he concurred with that assessment. "but the fact remains sister, M'lord, that we can't do a surprise attack as we had hoped so we do the next best thing, they know we will attack the longer we wait the more un nerved they will be and the more of uthurs potential protectors we kill. Soon soon my sorcerers and mages will have set up counter hexes on the castle walls allowing us safe passage."

The king sat in his throne. "Good because your plan is also killing my men. I'm not all that bothered if I'm honest but it is an inconvenience to force more men to join my army. Soon I'll have to start using farm hands and that is a ghastly thought the less I have to do with those flea bitten degenerates the better." Morganna walked towards the door. "Don't worry my friend, when my brother and father are dead I will send some of the remnants of their army to bolster yours, they may take some persuading but I'm sure a man of your talents could persuade them." She smirked and left the room.

Morganna walked through the castle thinking things over. It had been so long since she set foot in Camelot. She knew from informants that uthur had desperately searched for her for a year before stopping. What had caused him to stop she didn't know for sure, but no doubt merlin had spoken to Arthur about the events in the throne room where he had poisoned her. She was going to enjoy the broken look on Merlin's face when she killed Arthur, she knew from experience also, that when a person with magic their age was upset they had little control over heir magic. Morganna smiled more brightly realising something. If that were the case and she was sure it would be, then she would probably get to kill the serving boy also. Oh what a wonderful day that would be.

Jane ducked under the axe aimed at her head swinging her fabric knife out to her side, the mercenary's eyes widened as the knife found purchase stabbing him in his side. He growled and went to swing his axe down on her head. Jane closed her eyes ready for the impact but it never came. She opened her eyes to see sir grahams son the teen who had been in the infirmary the other day. He had a sword in each hand and had just killed her attacker. " that's quite some knife you have." He said staring at the now bloodied weapon. "I use it to cut fabric normally it has to be pretty sharp to do so." She brushed her self off as she allowed the boy to lead her into a near by house. "thanks for saving me by the way" he nodded looking out the window and checking their surroundings. She remembered then remembered his name, "Sir James" Jane said wistfully.

He turned around sharply a bemused look on his face asking. "what was that?" Jane looked up at the young teen, a quizzical look on her face. "sorry?" James smiled. "you called me sir james." A look of sadness passed across his young face at the mention of her late father. "The way you said Sir James." The end of his sentence drifted off. Jane brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before undoing the ribbon that was keeping her hair back and re-tying it again eventually she spoke. "he was my father. People act like its some great secret that I am only learning about now." she laughed, "he loved my mother, they were young and reckless. I was the result."

James stood up straighter. "you should be a lady! Why are you still a maid! Its improper we should have words with some one!" she smiled at the young mans spirited defence of her nobility. But it was a sad smile. "you said it yourself, my grandparents were not like some nobles they refused to let him do the proper thing and marry mother they had no other son, that I know of, so kept him in the hope he would find a noblewoman but he refused." She laughed again." Mother thinks I don't know any of this, but I worked it out. the thing is, I like being a seamstress, I am happy being a maid and servant. if being a noble means I have to accept my grandparents then I want none of it."

It was James time to laugh now. "you're a female Gwaine!" At Jane's questioning look he elaborated "Gwain's father was a knight, but when he died the king of the lands refused to help Gwain's mother, left her destitute. Gwaine renounced his claim to nobility to seek it by his own path, his own means. It was not his title that gained Arthurs trust and friendship, it was his spirit and loyalty." Jane nodded. "well then yes I suppose I am the female Gwaine. oh god, this doesn't mean I have to go to the tavern now and get into fights?" James smiled brightly his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well not the tavern but from what I hear, you already get into fights." Jane walked across to the young warrior and slapped him gently on his arm. "That is no way to speak to a lady." she said in a mocking voice. He smiled opening the door ready to go out and fight again as he left he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "sorry cousin."

Arthur whistled and made a series of consecutive hand gestures that were followed by his mend a soldiers moving to flank the dwindling opposition. Lancelot came to his side. "Arthur this doesn't feel right. Its too easy." The prince glanced across. "You're right, something is happening" Arthur said through gritted teeth. Their enemies had been dwindling faster than they had been striking which meant they were going some where else some how. He looked back towards Camelot and saw the first signs of fire, he growled and bellowed at the top of his voice "Camelot is being attacked retreat and defend!" his shout was so loud that it travelled across the thousand men behind him. Tristain stepped forward. "go sire, I'll hold them off." Arthur hesitated. "Tristain no! one man can not hope to hold off an army. Not even the consort of Emrys." Tristain glanced side ways at Arthur. "please Arthur, I can do this I know I can, but you can't be near." Arthur realised what the knight was planning. "No Tristain please, merlin would never forgive me if I left you out here alone." Tristain growled. "I would never for give myself if I kept you here instead of by his side where you belong."

Arthur sighed before he smiled. "don't hold back. I know you have been, but none of these men is your friend, don't hold back." he turned and ran after the rest of Camelot's army. Cenreds men laughed and cheered. Tristain rolled his shoulders. Un sheathed his sword and smirked. "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."

They all surged towards him as one and his eyes turned gold as he swung his sword. He cut down ten men in five seconds and felt all of their strength flow into him. He used his free hand to form a shield of magic he located those with magic among his enemies and used magic to fight them knowing what would happen if he used he sword. With in minuets he had single handedly reduced the numbers attacking him to fifty men. "The forces of old will return through Emrys and the once and future king" his words spoken in the old tongue were only heard by those with magic. Those who heard his words paled. "who are you to say such things!" one of them shouted.

Tristain looked over at the sorcerer in question before sighing. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again they had changed colour, they were now a dazzling cobalt blue so blue they appeared to glow. The man who had challenged him took a step back in fear. "M'lord I'm sorry I didn't realise it was you" the sorcerer said as he backed away. Tristain growled. "you know who my mother was, who killed her. Well that amuses me, that Emrys killed her. She cursed my sister, which means I now hold all of the family's power, and unlike mother I will use it to aid the once and future king. Take these men and flee back to Cenred now or I will destroy you." One of the soldiers threw a dagger at Tristain who with a flick of the wrist and golden eyes sent it back at the mans neck. "I will not make the offer again." The sorcerers in the crowd grabbed their non magical comrades and teleported away. It was only once he was sure they had fled that Tristain allowed his tiredness to take over, howling in pain as he reasserted the glamour over his telltale eyes. When he had regained some strength he started the run back to Camelot.

Hunith ducked as a spell went flying over her head, she shrieked as strong arms wrapped around her and hauled her to the side just as a blade of green light sliced through where she had just been standing she looked up to see sir Malcolm looking at her concerned. "thank you sir," he nodded and then drew his sword and stepped into the path of the spells using an enchanted shield to protect himself. She sighed and ran off towards the infirmary she had new herbs for Gaius. On her way she passed hew and merlin the servant handing merlin sheets of parchment as the warlock recited whatever he had written on them. Merlin gave her a brief smile as she ran past placing a hand of hews shoulder as a sing of support, hew wondered how she had know he was feeling slightly bedraggled, what he didn't know was he was wearing the exact same expression that will Merlin's old friend often had when off adventuring with merlin.

Gaius was busy tending to many patients at the same time supported by several of the maids Hunith spotted a woman who looked like an older stronger Jane and deduced it must be the seamstress's mother. She could see where Jane got her calm determination from, at this moment Jane's mum was forcefully holding a knight down and making him drink a remedy that looked like mud. What made Hunith smile was that the cook was humming happily as she did it and once the task was done curtseyed and congratulated the knight on drinking such a horrible looking unction.

"Gaius I have those herbs you wanted." She said as she reached his side, he thanked her and went over to the side of the room to start preparations on the new batch of remedies. He looked to his side and saw that he was out of water. He went to ask Hunith if she could fetch some but seeing that she was busy helping a wounded guard he sighed and went to fetch some water himself.

He dodged and ducked as pieces of wall fell around him he could feel the force of the combined spells being hurled like boulders against the citadel walls, luckily on realising his teleportation blocking spell would not hold everywhere Merlin has started going around placing reinforcement charms on the walls meaning that even the most devastating of hexes and curses would bounce off the walls. The problem with that was that the structure was taking a beating it had not been built to with stand. Only Merlin's magic was stopping the entire place from crumbling to dust. The physician ducked down side corridor not known to many that would by pass the worst of the fighting. He emerged onto the street near the well and hurried over checking he hadn't been seen.

He quickly gathered some water before heading back the way he had come, un aware he had been seen. He rushed to the inconspicuous door and walked as fast ashes could without spilling his water all the while his tracker followed him when they emerged at the corner of the court yard the sorcerer shouted out a hex, Gaius threw the bucket of water up and shouted "Avalon protect me" the water turned into a wall of shimmering ice that stopped most of the hex but a small fraction reached its target and with wide eyes Gaius slumped to the ground. The last thing he heard was the anguished cries of his ward and nephew, followed by the death of his attacker and then there was nothing.

D: ! gaius! cliff hanger. i'm mean. :D also, whose guessed tristains parentage? your answer will come at the beguinning of the sequal to this story.

so funny story, just got back from supper out, (celibrating my late birthday, and mums recent birthday) anyway i kept smiling and staring at the waiter and eventually my dad noticed and he leant across and whispered "tom what is so facinating about the waiter" i whispered back "santiago" dad looked over his shoulder subtley and then smiling at me whispered "lancelot!" lol yup our waiter looked exactly like santiago cabrera hahaha, what i like about this incident isn't that our waiter was hot or that i got to spend time wiht the whole family, no it was realising that my parents can be just as big a geeks as me !

that anecdote was funier in my head o.O'

final chapter is up tomorrow, find out if gaius makes it... the darkest hour is just before the dawn.