"Sodding git," Gwen grunted, and then groaned as she dragged Merlin's body by his feet back to the shelter she and Lance had set up. The sky was darkening as night began to fall, and Gwen scoffed and continued to drag Merlin. If he didn't get up soon the Purge would reach the dragon, and then the world they knew would cease to exist.

"Stupid sodding git," Gwen grunted again under her breath.

Upon arrival, Lance ran over to Gwen and stopped a few feet before her. He looked at her, then to Merlin, then back to her and gave her a suspicious look, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow. "Did you really... drag him the whole way here?"

"Oh don't start your shit with me Sir Lancelot," Gwen mocked. Her eyes narrowed into a death glare. "He weighs at least as much as me, and I didn't have the strength to carry him the good half a mile back to camp." She dropped Merlin's leg and placed both hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side in annoyance. "And I sure as hell didn't see you jumping through hoops to help me."

Lance sighed and walked past her, effortlessly picking Merlin up and tossing him over his shoulder. He went back towards the tent, giving her a cocky smile as he passed her. "Happy now?" he yelled as he walked away. Gwen watched him in disbelief and he placed Merlin in the tent and then turned around to walk back to her.

"You know," Gwen started, "you don't have to be such a chivalrous twat."

Lance stopped only an inch or so in front of her. "And you don't have to be such a meanie," he countered as he brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Gwen turned her head away, embarrassed by how romantic Lance was, and her gaze drifted around the woods that had recently been covered in dusk before it came back around to Lance. He was looking at her tenderly. Gwen's own face began to soften and as her eyes faded from sharp irritation to love, she brought both hands up around Lance's neck and leaned into him. He was her support—he was her life line. Lance placed his hand on top of her head and gently rubbed his fingers into her scalp.

"You know if – if we fail..." Gwen clutched Lance's body tighter and burrowed her face into his chest, taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself for the realization at hand. "If we fail, there will be no more world for us to live in."

Lance pulled back and looked down at her. Night had fully set in and Lance looked deeply into her eyes, watching the flames of the campfire dance in them. He leaned in and gently rested his lips on hers, moving them slowly and passionately, placing both hands on her hips and forcefully pulling her as close as she could be. He moved his face back, just enough to break the kiss. "We won't," he whispered.

Gwen pulled him closer in and they continued their embrace.

Gwen walked into the tent and looked down at Arthur and Merlin, whose bodies had gravitated towards each other in their unconsciousness. Merlin's head rested on Arthur's chest with his arm wrapped around his waist. Gwen watched Merlin especially closely; she couldn't help but feel scared and yet completely amazed by him.

Her mind flashed back to the event, watching Merlin give his all to bring Arthur back, and she turned her head over her shoulder to look at Lance through the opening of the tent. Her gaze became the softest it had ever been, her heart aching as it did. What would she do if Lance was dying? What lengths would she go to? She grabbed a thin blanket from one of the bags in the tent and laid it over the boys, tucking them in, before gently placing a hand on Arthur's head and brushing a hand along his cheekbone.

He's a lucky man, she thought.

Gwen exited the tent and returned to Lance at the campfire, sitting on the wooden log he had found. She pulled out her cell phone. 11PM. She sighed and leaned against him, sliding her arm under his and locking herself in place, using him as her support, as her totem. He in turn shifted ever so slightly to kiss the top of her head. They didn't have to talk—they knew what they were thinking, that they were scared. That they were paranoid, that they were hoping and wishing that Merlin and Arthur would wake up before—

The woman's ears twitched and she snapped her head to her right. Lance noticed her change in demeanor and looked in the direction she was looking.

She continued to stare but Lance couldn't see anything. "Gwen—"

But Gwen held her hand up to silence him, her eyes becoming tight slits as she peered into the darkness. "Shit."

Gwen got up quickly and ran into the tent while Lance stood up and watched her. Something was off, he knew it, and as soon as he'd processed the thought he quickly got a bucket of dirt he had collected and poured it onto the fire. Thank god I was prepared, he thought.

Gwen came out of tent with a large black box; she sat on the ground with it and began fumbling with a set of keys, trying to unlock it.

Lance watched her carefully. "What are you doing?" he whispered bewildered.

"What the fuck does it look like I'm doing?" Gwen asked irritably as she finally got the right key in and opened the box to reveal a set of colored crystals that were arranged inside. She pulled out a bluish purple crystal and looked around hurriedly.

"Quick!" Gwen hissed frantically. "I need something to break this with."

Lance looked around for just a second before sprinting with all of his might to the campfire and taking a rock they had used to surround it. He ran back to Gwen and handed it over to her, who lifted the rock above her head destructively and brought it down swiftly onto the crystal, and it shattered.

A blue haze filled the air and it began to glow as it steadily grew. Gwen stood up and took a few steps back as the mist became thicker and thicker, filling the camp site and the tent area. She then held up a red crystal and pointed it into the mist. Beside her, Lance carefully watched as Gwen used the crystal to stretch and manipulate the fog, causing it to move around them in a dome—a barrier.

Gwen dropped the red crystal and then picked up rock had found for her again, smashing it as she had done with the first, and Lance walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder tightly in reassurance.

"It's a force field with a hint of invisibility," Gwen whispered proudly, looking over to the direction of the noise as a few men started to stride out, faces masked, entirely armed and dangerous. They walked completely past the dome as if it didn't even exist.

Gwen let go of the breath she had been holding on to and wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling her heart race. They had waited too long. She looked up to Lance who was looking at her in bewilderment. They both turned to face the tent.

"Drinkers?" Lance asked, his voice shaken.

Gwen swallowed hard and felt herself feel weaker and weaker, the goal at hand was so close to failing. Arthur and Merlin needed to wake up, now.

"So warm."

Arthur's breath hitched. He gently oscillated his hips, pushing forward, pushing deeper and threw his head back. Sweat dripped from his face, down past his neck, down onto his chest. He passionately bent over, laying his entire body along Merlin, feeling himself connect—feeling whole. Arthur didn't want this to end.

His rhythm slowed down to a snail's pace and he took his time, running his hands over Merlin's body, feeling every ridge, every crevice, every scar, every dimple. Arthur shuddered as his hands rolled over Merlin. He felt so close.

"Arthur!"

Merlin arched his back at the sensation. His hands were sore from the wooden table below him, but still he pushed himself against Arthur, feeling his body snap together with Arthur's like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle coming together. His nails dug into the oak and he felt his knees become weak, his thighs tender. His eyes darted to the castle walls, trying to hold out for as long as he could. He wanted to be Arthur's pleasure, his outlet, wanted Arthur to fill him with every desire, every dream, every lust filled fantasy. He lifted his hand behind his head and pulled on Arthur's shoulders, trying to bridge the non-existent gap between them. Merlin gently panted. He felt so alive.

Merlin turned his head and Arthur turned his, their lips gliding over each others. Merlin pulled away and looked Arthur in the eye, his body becoming tense and ridged, his muscles tensing in anticipation.

Arthur forced himself deeper and deeper, his mouth hung open slightly as he continued to hold Merlin's gaze, the friction, the power, the sensation, all Merlin; it was all too much. Arthur pulled back as far as he could and slammed into Merlin, holding himself there, bringing himself to an all time high. Merlin couldn't take it anymore. Arthur's hand was around him, quickly and briskly kneading him.

Merlin felt his body shake and a small moan ejected from his lips, followed by a gentle grunt, and the small whisper of, "Arthur." Then, Merlin gently set himself down onto the table, Arthur still on top of him.

Merlin's eyes opened slowly. It was dark all around him. A few seconds later, and his eyes had adjusted, and he could make out the insides of the tent he was inside.

White. Elders. Life. Death.

Arthur.

Merlin's eyes widened in shock. He sat up and looked around in a panic. Where was Arthur? He quickly got to his feet, still weak from the previous endeavor, and ran out of the tent.

"You bloody idiot!" Gwen screamed. She looked down to see all of her food knocked from her plate and onto the ground and then scowled up at Merlin, who was startled from the recoil of the impact and her harsh words. Her expression folded into a million at once: rage, irritation, happiness, hate, love. "It's about fucking time you got up then, yeah?" Gwen said harshly before pulling him into a quick embrace.

She pulled back, looking around as if she was embarrassed in the sudden shift of her emotions, but then she recovered just as quickly and became cold again. She looked back to Merlin as if expecting some kind of answer or apology.

Merlin simply nodded at her and then looked around his surroundings. Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

Gwen studied him closely and she knew exactly what he was thinking. She scoffed and placed her index finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose, as if she had a splitting headache. "Your boyfriend is off taking a piss or something," she said rudely. "He's fine though, really..." Her gaze morphed from irritation to humility and she placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder—another shift in her emotions, like she didn't know how to act around him.

"Merlin!"

Merlin turned to his right to see Arthur running full speed at him. They collided with enough force to knock all the air out of Merlin's chest. Arthur pulled Merlin back and then gazed into his eyes. Merlin sighed deeply as Gwen watched on and pretended to gag while rolling her eyes in disgust.

"I thought... I had lost you," Merlin confessed. His eyes became glazed with tears and he looked away from Arthur, embarrassed to be so open with his feelings like this in front of Gwen. Arthur gave him a reassuring look and placed both hands on Merlin's shoulders.

"But you didn't..." Arthur replied. He looked to the sky. "I heard you... you know—calling for me, in... the afterwhatever. You brought me back, Merlin

Gwen walked up to them and placed one hand on Merlin's shoulder and another on Arthur's. Merlin glanced up at Gwen, a few tears rolling down his face. She gave him a sympathetic look."You did good, yeah? You saved his life, and it was bloody well amazing." She gave him a private smile and looked up to Arthur, confident. "Now get ready, I know you're weak but we have work to complete. The Drinkers are almost to the dragon but luckily, we've encountered an old friend."

"Really?" Merlin asked, frowning. "Who?"

"Me!" came an unusually happy voice.

Merlin and Arthur turned around, Merlin's eyes widening and Arthur's jaw dropping in horror. Stood before them, dressed in black and with her hair pulled up into a bun and looking devastatingly beautiful and sporting a wicked cracked smile, was Morgana.