Annis watched how Hunith disappeared between the tents. For a moment she felt a desire to cry for all she had given up in the past. But maybe she still had time to correct a few mistakes. First of all, however, she had to deal with one eavesdropper.

"You can come out now, Queen of Camelot. I know you are there. I may be old, but I'm not blind."

There was a moment of silence, then Guinevere turned the corner and faced Annis.

"I think you have heard too much. And because of that, maybe I should tell you the whole truth before you make some stupid mistakes. When you eavesdrop, always be sure to hear everything before you make your opinions."

Guinevere lowered her head, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Annis smiled. She liked this girl. She was a strong woman who had gone through a lot.

"Don't be. Maybe this is the best way. And Hunith should tell this to her son, soon. Walk with me. This story isn't long but, it is a very painful memory for me."

They started to walk towards the fortress.

"How much you know about me?" Annis asked.

"I have to say that, not much. I know that you are King Mark's sister and were married to the King of Caerleon," Guinevere answered.

"And so that should be. But, before I became Caerleon's wife and learned to love him, there was time when I loved someone else." Annis stopped for a moment, before starting to walk again. Her voice grew softer. "I'm the eldest child of King Conomar. My brother Mark is now the King of Cornwall. I have two younger sisters. When I was fifteen, I fell in love with Owain of Rheged, who had come from a foreign land to make some pact with my father. He left, but I couldn't forget him. Nor, it turned out, could he forget me. So he came back, and we ran away together." Annis' smile was warm and still, after all the years she still membered Owain's kiss on her lips. "Owain was a kind man, a warrior. He was his King's youngest son, but he gave up everything because of me. "

"You loved him so much," Guinevere said softly, and Annis sank into her memories.

"Yes. It took years and years, all Caerleon's patience, before I got over him. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So, we settled down in a small village, and I learned the hard way what is to be a peasant. Me, who was raised to be a King's wife, a Queen. I never forgot those three years. And when I was seventeen, I gave birth to a child."

She wiped some tears away.

"And that child is…" Gwen prompted

"Hunith," Annis admitted.

They walked in silence. Guinevere, trying to comprehend everything she had heard and Annis trying to stay calm.

"It was a small fishers' village. And then, when Hunith was one year old, some pirates or smugglers came from the sea and he was killed. I had nothing left but Hunith. And it broke my heart and soul. I couldn't take care of her; I couldn't take care of myself. So I made the only choice I had left: I gave her away and returned to my home, hoping for the best. My father…" Annis closed her eyes. "My father was a cruel man. If I had returned with a child, he would have killed me. When I came back, he just ignored me. I told my mother everything. She found a man who accepted me, and after only two months I was married again."

"If Hunith was just a year old, how does she know about you?" Guinevere asked quietly.

Annis looked her fellow queen in the eye and smiled again. "Because my husband wanted to find her and bring her to live among us. Because Hunith is my only daughter. But when I finally found her, she refused. She is a loving, kind soul like her father, and she forgave me everything; but she wanted to create her own destiny. Not being one of the Caerleon household. So, I let her go. I know what it is, being bound to something. Now Hunith is free. And now she has her own child, who reminds me so much of Owain. Merlin is just like him."

#

Tristan stared Hunith, as she ended her story.

Deep disbelief filled the tent.

"You say that Queen Annis, my aunt, is your mother?" Tristan asked, breaking the silence.

"Your aunt?" Sir Heylan remarked, and Tristan bit his tongue. Now, he had been careless. Then he sighed with resignation.

"Yes. King Mark is my uncle, my mother is his younger sister."

"So, you two are cousins then." Gaius smiled to Hunith and Tristan.

"I never even though about it, that I had relatives on my mother's side." Hunith smiled weakly.

Tristan couldn't believe this woman. "Do you realise that you have half-brothers? And one of them is going to be a King of Caerleon? Our uncle is a king of Cornwall. And Merlin, Merlin is grandson of Aurelius Amrosius. And, if you say that Owain Rheged, son of Urien Rheged, is your father, its means that King Pasgen is your uncle. And I saw Ywain, his son, your cousin, barely two hour ago. He is here right now attending this tournament." Tristan looked at Merlin, who was now paler than ever. "Merlin, are you alright?"

Merlin seemed to gasping for air and Iseldir had to hold him upright.

"It is just too much. Too much to take in right now. Not now, when everything is going to change. Everything. And now you two say that… Gaius, something is wrong…"

Merlin collapsed.

"Merlin? Merlin!"

"Get him over here. Carefully, " Gaius commanded.

They lowered the young man onto the bed.

"I should have seen this coming."

"What's wrong with him?" Hunith asked, and Tristan had to hold her back when Gaius bent down to examine Merlin.

"He had been poisoned," Gaius answered drily.

So, don't take this AU history seriously.

I have to thank TheSaga how she worked out and created Merlin's large familytree and joined together some historical names. When I read her story 'So it must be', I asked if she could do something like that to this story. I don't know where she got those ideas, but it's fun to read.

So, to make this AU history clear.

Merlin (in this story) is son of Balinor, who was a grandson of Aurelius Ambrosius.

And Hunith's family; Hunith is daughter of Queen Annis of Caerleon and her brother is King Mark of Cornwall. Tristan is Hunith's younger aunt's son.

Hunith's father was Owain, who was son of King Urien of Rheged. Owain's older brother Pasken is now king of Rheged and his son is Ywain (knowing to be one of the Arthur's knights someday).

And how Merlin is related to Pendragon's family? Oh, you have to wait that. And maybe some more is coming too.