Melanie hacked at the dummy with her sword. She couldn't sleep. She'd lost her child a month ago and each night the nightmares were just as bad as the last.
She could save a damn kingdom but not carry a baby to term. As soon as things fell into place for her, the world would take something.
She became so infuriated, she didn't realize when she slashed clean through the dummy. Half of it hitting the ground with a thud.
"Melanie." A voice said behind her, but she was too busy hacking away at the rest of the dummy to notice who it was. "Melanie stop." The owner of the voice grabbed her arm. "You're going to hurt yourself." They turned her around and she came face to face with the king.
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.
"I couldn't sleep." She sounded dazed. "I came out for some air."
"Have you slept at all recently?" Arthur studied her face. The bags under her eyes were dark purple and her silver irises had faded into grey. "When was the last time you slept?"
"Without potions? Before I was pregnant." Her shoulders slumped. "I can't close my eyes without seeing the child I lost. Without seeing myself lose another child. I failed. I couldn't protect my baby."
"You did not fail." Arthur argued. "There are many women who lose their child. You are not alone. It is not your fault. I can promise you that."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She broke from his grip.
"You're going to kill yourself if you go on this way." Arthur said. "You aren't sleeping. Gwain tells me you haven't been eating. This isn't safe."
"Who are you to tell me what isn't safe?" Melanie snapped, then recoiled. Realizing who she was speaking to. "My apologies, Sire. I forgot my place."
"It's alright." Arthur was surprisingly calm. "I don't say this as your king, I say so as your friend. You need to sleep. You need to eat. I cannot allow you to continue this way and fight. You're putting yourself at risk."
"I can't." She shook her head, erupting in tears. "My heart can't take seeing these things anymore. I can't relive that moment again. Every time I close my eyes. I don't know what's a dream and what's a vision anymore." She froze. The king didn't know she was a seer.
"Visions?" Arthur questioned.
"I'm a seer. I get glimpses of the future. Or a possible future. One that can be changed. It's how I knew the girl was a spy. Where to find Morgana. It's why you were able to injure me as you did when we first sparred. I was having a vision." She wrung her hands together, suddenly wide awake. "I wanted to tell you, but there was never a time. And now I don't know what's real and what's just a dream." Arthur watched as she threw herself into a panic. Unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, she stopped, staring off into the distance.
"Melanie?" He asked. "Melanie, what's wrong?" He went to shake her out of her stupor when Gwain and Merlin pulled him away.
"You can't move her when she's having a vision." Merlin warned. "She could be seriously hurt." The three men looked at the knight in anticipation until she began to move again.
"Gwain." She breathed, a smile on her face. Before she fell to the ground.
"The visions take much of her strength." Gwain explained, lifting his wife into his arms. "She hasn't slept in weeks, nor has she eaten. She's exhausted. She'll be alright. I'll make sure she eats something when she wakes up."
She slept after that. For hours. And she was peaceful. Not a single nightmare ripped her from her sleep.
When she finally woke, she smiled. The glow in her eyes returning.
"You look much better." Gwain smiled before handing her a cup of water, which she gratefully took.
"I feel better." She drank greedily. "I'm starving, but I'm better."
"Good thing I had the servants bring up some food." Gwain couldn't help but beam at her. His wife, his angel, was beginning to look like herself once again. He helped her up from the bed and to the table.
"If I may ask," Gwain asked, watching her tuck into a chicken leg. "You seemed happy when the vision left you. What was it of?"
"Oh Gwain," she smiled at him again, tears glistening in her silver eyes. "I saw us. We were in the yard, you were sparring with a little boy. He called you father. I was with child." Gwain felt the tears well up in his eyes. "Gwain, nothing can replace the child we lost. But we have another chance. We will have a son. And another child."
"We'll have children." Gwain whispered. "We'll have children!" He swept her up into his arms and kissed her hard.
"We'll have a baby." Melanie said. "Even if we don't have the little boy from my vision. If we allow things to go as they are, we will have a child. I can carry a child."
"What's all this yelling about?" Merlin ran into the room. Upon noticing the scene, he froze. "What's going on?"
"Melanie can carry a child." Gwain announced.
"My vision. It showed me heavily pregnant." Melanie explained. "A son sparring with Gwain. For the first time, my abilities haven't shown me darkness."
"Melanie. That's amazing." Merlin swept his friend into his arms.
"We'll have a child." Gwain said to himself. "We'll be parents."