I'm not quite sure where this story is going, but I do enjoy the journey. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Chapter 3

Merlin traversed the narrow corridors of Camelot with a pregnant woman bent on taking him some place he'd never been. This wasn't what he had in mind when he'd been awakened from a deep sleep by the unborn child of Gwen and Arthur. The night had started out pleasant enough, a good meal with Gaius and a warm, comfy bed. Then a knight accosted him while he was trying having a pleasant dream about a custard pie stolen from the kitchen. He was dreaming of course, and he was genuinely trying to enjoy the pie and the dream. He told the knight to piss off. When the knight proclaimed that he was Gwydre, a prince of Camelot, a reluctant Merlin took notice. It was in the eyes of course, he'd seen that arrogant, self-important look before - in Arthur Pendragon

When Merlin asked him kindly to get out of his dream and his head, the stout man insulted him.

"My father said you were always a bit lazy," a familiar curl of his lips reminded Merlin of Gwen. Then he'd known he'd get no peace until he abandoned his pie and paid attention.

"The next time you invade my dreams, have the decency to wait until I finish eating," Merlin complained. Lean, darkly handsome, Gwydre glared at him the way only a Pendragon could. He had his father's height, full mouth and jaw line. There was much of Gwen in him, though his eyes were a startling blue, they had her softness.

"You know Merlin, for a man who now gives my father wise council and my mother his undying friendship and loyalty, you're a real whiner."

A disgusted Merlin shook his head. He was being insulted by yet another Pendragon. Was there no end to it, first Uther, then Arthur and now this Gwydre?

"Why don't you invade your father's dreams? Seems you been doing that for awhile," Merlin complained.

"I don't know how this works Merlin. It seems I can only visit my father as a child, my mother as a young man. I stand before you as a grown man, with two sons and daughter of my own. I guess I appear during a time when I'm most needed to that person."

Merlin thought about this, and the idea made him smile. He'd like the idea of his continuation with the family.

"Then in your time, I must be older and wiser," a grinning Merlin, said.

Gwydre nodded, and his smile disappeared. "You have less hair,"

Instinctively, Merlin touched his head and then realization hit him.

"Then you know I am...a..." Merlin had difficulties in find the word.

"A wizard, yes of course. In fact, you promised once to tell me how I have abilities of my own?" Gwydre gave him a questioning look.

Merlin remembered how Gwydre was conceived and whined at the memory. "Is that why you've come to me?"

Gwydre shook his head.

"I'm here for my mother," he said with all seriousness. "Though I am curious. I thought this was an opportune time asked."

"Why now?"

"Let's say you're the younger version of you is less ...less stubborn. In my time, your stubbornness was legendary. "Gwydre mused.

"Obvious, I didn't tell you for a reason," Merlin said slyly.

"You always said you would tell me when I was older, well I'm older." Gwydre said.

Merlin huffed.

"Well, not old enough," he retorted. "Tell me why you have come about your mother."

Realizing that Merlin would give him no satisfaction, Gwydre relented and told Merlin the reason for his visit.

"My mother is about to embark on an extremely dangerous path. Father will be set against it, as will others. You must support her Merlin and enlist others to help. It will change her from the sweet girl that you've come to know. She will emerge a true Queen of Camelot. She does it to save father and me, in truth, to save us all." Gwydre said.

Merlin looked into the blue eyes that were both familiar yet strange to him. He knew in his heart what Gwydre spoke the truth, but this was a dream was it not. Hints of doubt edged the corner of his mind. How much faith could he put in dreams?

However, these were perilous times. Morgana constant attempts to bring down the kingdom and destroy her brother kept the country in chaos. Then there was Gwen, a new and popular Queen. Gwen had gained the affection of the people and their growing loyalty. With a child on the way, she cemented her position on the throne. There were rumors that when Morgana heard the news she screamed in rage for days and the skies turned violent with storm clouds that would not rain.

"If Gwen is in danger Arthur will protect her, as will I." Merlin reassured.

Gwydre shook his head.

"You and father will do your best. There will be a brief moment when she is alone, unprotected. You are not there nor father. This one time, she must stand on her own against Morgana. I've seen this. I have dreamt this. You know as well as I, fate is cast upon the wind, ever changing. Yet there are some things set in time, like the mountain and the sun. Your arrival in Camelot, Uther's death, Morgana's betrayal and father becoming king are set in the fabric of time. My mother's fate and the fate of her children are in the wind Merlin and the only person who can set it, it not my father or even you. It is my mother. So you must help her." Gwydre said. His gaze never wavered from Merlin. Merlin thought deeply on this. The idea of Gwen's fate lying in her own hands was only fair. The moment Arthur realized he loved her, much of the events in her life had been determined by others people.

"What must I do," Merlin finally said. Gwydre nodded and smiled at him. He had his mother's smile.

"First, you must wake up."

Now Merlin was wide, awake, he tried to insure that Gwen didn't slip on the smooth stone steps as they made their way down to the royal burial chambers. It was dark and damp, and Gwen clutched her large belly determined to make her own way down the narrow steps.

"If Arthur awakes and find you have gone he'll sound the alarm. If he finds me down here with you, he'll throw me into the dungeon, and lock you in your room." Merlin protested.

"Stop complaining. If you want to complain try being pregnant," Gwen said as he took a torch from the wall at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Do you even know where you're going?" He asked, following her with dread.

"Yes…no…yes. It was a dream Merlin. How clear are your dreams?" She snapped and realized what she had done and apologized quickly. The moment seemed to be getting to her.

"Arthur is dreaming of your son, you are dreaming of your son. Then I don't feel so foolish to tell you your Gwydre interrupted a pleasant dream I was having."

Gwen turned suddenly at the sound of her son's name.

"You spoke to him?" Curiosity danced across her face as she smiled back at Merlin.

"He has his father's disposition," Merlin said with a hint of annoyance. "Thankfully your looks."

Even in the darkness, Merlin could she her eyes well up with tears. She covered her mouth to stifle a sob. She stared down at her enlarged belly and hugged it tightly.

"Does he look well? When he appeared to me, he was still a just a boy on the road to becoming a man."

"Very well." Merlin reassured "He cares deeply about you."

"He thinks Morgana is coming," she said.

"She's gone mad with the news of your pregnancy. I wouldn't put it past her to try something."

"Will she never give up? Must we always watch our back where she is concerned? It breaks Arthur's heart to know she is his family and hates him so. They have all betrayed him or done him harm. Even his father," she said.

"Uther did love him," Merlin said, surprised at his defense of the dead king.

"His love always had a cost Merlin. Uther loved Arthur because he was his son, not because he was Arthur. Most of their disagreement had to do with Arthur not behaving as Uther expected. Arthur's refusal to marry any girl Uther threw at him. Arthur's unyielding defense of his friends, when Uther thought them unworthy. I give Uther no credit for loving Arthur." Gwen's legendary restraint played in her voice.

Merlin measured her words and knew them to be true. He thought of no other woman who could give Arthur a wiser council than Gwen. Inherently shy and modest, her support of her husband has given Arthur the foundation he needed to create a truly magnificent Camelot. Some would say that Arthur's greatest strength were his army, Camelot's castle walls and his bravery. Merlin knew the hugely pregnant woman standing next to him was the king's greatest strength.

They lingered for a moment until Gwen composed herself enough to continued. She guided him tentatively into the underground tombs of Camelot's nobility. They made their way to a room of statues and Gwen slipped into a small hallway behind a statue of one of Camelot's Kings. Inside the narrow chamber, Gwen held out the torch for Merlin to hold. A small statue of a woman stared down at them. The face was defiant and beautiful. To his surprise, the women held a quiver of arrows and a long, narrow sword.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"This Queen Gaenor," Gwen said. "There is a compartment at the base of the statue." She tried to kneel.

"Hold this I will do it." Merlin handed Gwen the torch.

Below the etched name of Queen Gaenor was her coat of arms. Unlike the typical dragon crest, Gaenor's crest bore a rose in full bloom entwined with a bow and sword.

"Is the base hollow?" Merlin asked.

"There is a small compartment on the left corner covered in clay," Gwen said, bringing the light closer. Merlin saw the small indentation and looked around for a rock. When he found one the size he needed, he struck the six inch spot hard several times before breaking the seal. He had to reach inside with his fingers to pull out a stiff leather pouch. If he hadn't seen himself, he wouldn't have believed it. He held it out to Gwen. She took it and carefully opened the thick leather pouch. She pulled out a small gold bracelet. Merlin stood up to get a closer look. The workmanship was incredible.

It took a moment for Merlin to feel the pull. An aura of magic emanated from the small bracelet. It seemed too drawn from him his power, and he had to move back.

"What is wrong?" Gwen asked, staring into his pale face.

"That is magic," Merlin said, never taking his eyes off the piece. Realizing what he'd said he quickly recovered. "I can tell by the markings. I've seen them in Gaius's books."

"My son says it works against any magic, even Morgana's." Gwen said.

"Arthur will not allow this, and if he sees it, he will destroy it," Merlin insisted.

"Even if it saves his son," a heated Gwen said.

"How will you explain that? Your unborn child appeared to you in a dream. He will think it's magic as well. Also, remember he tried to use magic once to save Uther, and it back fired on him. He won't trust it Gwen, believe me." Merlin stepped even further away, but the confined space was making it difficult.

"Then I will hide it from him," she said defiantly.

Merlin gave her a doubtful look.

"He is your husband Gwen, he notices everything about you. If you show up with some strange piece of jewelry on you, if his jealousy doesn't send him in a rage, his suspicions will." Merlin stood by the entrance of the room.

"Then you must keep it for me. You must help me." Gwen insisted.

Merlin shook his head.

"Please Merlin I beg of you, for my unborn son." Gwen pleaded.

Even in the dim torchlight, Merlin saw the pained expression on Gwen's face. He knew the threat from Morgana was real. His fears and skepticism would not save Gwen from Morgana when he wasn't there to protect her. He remembered his words to Gwydre, and promised to help Gwen at any cost. He silently cursed himself.

"Put in the porch, I don't want to touch it," Merlin said solemnly. Gwen had obeyed instantly and held the leather bag to Merlin. He held it out between his thumb and his forefinger as if it were squirrel bait.

"Let's get out of here before I changed my mind," Merlin complained as he examined the pouch. He looked up to see Gwen staring at the admirable figure of the Queen of yesteryear, her gaze hopeful. She brushed a gentle hand along the foot of the Gaenor's statue, an acknowledgement, between two brave women. They left.

It took them longer to return to Gwen's bedchamber. The midnight trek to the royal tombs had taken its toll on her. She was exhausted and had to stop several times. They were sitting and talking on a stone bench when a large ruckus came from the opposite hallway. Gwen reached for Merlin's hand and tensed. They heard the sounds of men and clanging metal coming toward them. Merlin stood in a protective stance, in front of Gwen. Her hand already covered the small pouch in Merlin's hand.

"Find her," the familiar voice of Arthur boomed through the corridors of the castle. Merlin and Gwen took in a long sigh of relief as a group of soldiers, and her half dressed husband came stomping toward them. His hair was askew, shirtless and barefoot as he led the charge down the hall. In his hand, he held his sword. Obviously, he had awoken to find she had gone. Arthur's progression stopped the moment he saw his extremely pregnant wife peeking from behind his servant.

"What the hell is going on," Arthur bellowed.

"Sire," a nervous Merlin said and shoved the pouch into his pocket.

"Merlin, what are you doing with my wife," an annoyed Arthur demanded. Gwen stood up and walked around Merlin, rubbing her ample belly.

"I had a cramp, and I though a walk would ease me back to sleep," she said softly as she approached her husband.

"You didn't wake me, but you woke Merlin?" Arthur said, sounding a little hurt.

"You were sleeping peacefully, and Merlin was already awake," she said.

Arthur glared at his servant.

"Why were you awake?"

Merlin stood dumbfounded.

"He'd…just came back from the tavern," Gwen blurted out. Merlin shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Tavern!" Arthur exclaimed. "Well if you have that much energy, maybe you should clean out the stable before breakfast."

Arthur glowered at him before taking Gwen's hand and leading her away. Gwen turned back to see him and gave him an apologetic look.

Great! Merlin thought and headed for the stable. He made his way to his chambers to get what little sleep left to him before dealing with the stables. When he opened the door, Gaius was waiting up for him.

"Is everything alright, I heard the commotion," the older man said.

"All is well," an exhausted Merlin plopped down on a stool. "The Queen went for a midnight stroll in the tombs."

"Why for heaven sake?" Gaius asked. Merlin pulled out the pouch, placed it on the table, and pushed it as a way as he could.

"Because her unborn son told her so." An exasperated Merlin complained and rubbed his aching head. "The child isn't even born, and he's acting just like a Pendragon, telling everybody what to do. He drags his pregnant mother out of a warm bed and me from a truly delicious dream to find that." He pointed to the pouch. Gaius went over to him and emptied the content of the pouch in his hand. He recognized the markers.

"Do you know what this is Merlin?" Gaius asked. "It has protection markings."

Merlin nodded.

"Gwen plans to use it against Morgana."

Gaius slipped the bracelet back into the pouch and tied it tightly.

"And her son in a dream told her to do this?" a skeptical Gaius asked.

"Well it seems that you were right about their child being born of magic, because he's using it to warn his mother. He's dreamt Morgana will one day attack Gwen and kill him when Arthur and I cannot help her. He insisted Gwen must do this on her own, and I have to help her prepare."

"Help her do what exactly?" Gaius asked.

"Have you ever heard of a Queen Gaenor from long ago," Merlin asked. Gaius's face held a thoughtful look as he struggled for the memory.

"Yes, I remember that name. There is a legend about her. After her husband death, a mad king came to the old castle walls and declared himself the new king of Camelot. He demanded that she open the gates, wed him and promised to give her children by the old king a merciful death. She refused. The king threatened to burn down the gates and take what he wanted. Before he finished his threat she put an arrow through his heart."

"I think Gwen aspires to be like Gaenor."

"Sweet Gwen?" Gaius said doubtfully.

Merlin gave a long serious look.

"Yes, our sweet Gwen," Merlin said.