-11-
Guinevere made her way back to Tom's office. She removed all thought of Arthur from her head as she crossed the threshold and saw her father starting to once again make sense of the clutter that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his desk
"Where will you go, dad?" she asked her father who was actually humming as he began to make a list of possessions to keep, give away, or dispose.
"France," Tom said with a smile on his face. "I've always wanted to go back to Avignon. That's where I met your mother, you know."
"I know," Guinevere's smile was soft and she walked up to her father and hugged him.
"There is so much of her in you, Gwen," Tom said as he held his daughter. "She would have been so, so proud of you and Elyan."
Guinevere was quiet for a moment as she basked in her father's words. When she was a little girl, being told that she and her brother were mirrors of their mother was the height of praise. Even in this lifetime, Guinevere's mother died before she had any solid memories of her, but she was always told that her mother was kind, smart, beautiful, and talented.
"I miss her, dad," Guinevere said in a small voice.
"Me, too," Tom admitted. His voice was gruff. "Every day."
A few tears were shed, but as always, father and daughter parted with smiles and Guinevere promised to come back to help Tom in clearing the house and shop. Arthur had been generous, Tom said. He had given Tom a couple of weeks to get things in order, even offering to have people come and help him move out the heavier furniture and appliances.
Guinevere smiled as well and agreed that it was very generous of Arthur. But in the back of her mind she knew that it was another way for him to keep tabs on her. She knew what instructions she would give to the people who would be at her father's home.
She was having none of that.
"Call me when you need me, dad," she told Tom as he accompanied her to the door.
"There's no need, Gwen," Tom brushed off his daughter's offer with a wave of his hand. "Elyan and I can handle the heavier lifting and moving."
"And the other...items?"
"Well," Tom relented and rubbed a large hand over his jaw. "The three of us will need to go through the legal documents as well as the items in the bank safe boxes."
"When will Elyan be coming?" Guinevere asked. Her brother lived on the other side of the city, and as his job kept him busy as well, their schedules took a lot of time to arrange.
"He'll be here tonight and we'll start with the packing up tomorrow."
"Well, you two know where to find me."
Guinevere hugged her father again and said goodbye. It was early afternoon and Guinevere started to make her way home, hoping the short walk back to her flat would help her sort out the emotions brought about by the morning's revelations.
Seeing Arthur again was an unpleasant surprise. She had hoped that she would have some more time before it happened, but Guinevere always knew that it would happen—she had already met Merlin and Morgana, it stood to reason that Arthur would complete the triangle. He was never far when the witch and warlock were around.
Arthur. Merlin. Morgana.
Guinevere sighed. The unholy trinity was complete and, once again, she was in the middle of the mess they had started centuries before. Magic and force were telling her to ally with them to save Albion.
"Is that to be my lot in life?" Guinevere thought bitterly. "To constantly come to the aid of people who have power but very little sense?"
She shook her head, the movement making her curls sway.
"No more," she told herself. "I've sacrificed myself to Albion time and time again. I gave up everything to salvage a kingdom that rejoiced in my deaths."
Guinevere lifted her head, the familiar steely resolve back in her eyes.
"No," the word rang in her mind. "This time, I damn Albion and save myself."
This time, they will burn.
She walked home, her footsteps solid and purposeful on the concrete sidewalk, unaware of the man in the dark gray suit who watched her from the shadows.
