Onyx and Astella were going to stay a bit longer than expected due to the incident. They decided they would return to Pictland when or if Hazel woke up. Even though he had not discussed it with his sister since the day they were reunited, he was very determined to return home with her, especially now that they could have their old luxurious palace back. And besides, Cameron was dead so why would his sister want to stay here? She had nothing or nobody to live for here…..right?

He sighed heavily as he sat by his sister's bed. He did not leave her side for the past few days and had no intention of doing so until she woke up, if ever. He rubbed his pale hand over her delicate peach toned one.

"I'm sorry," he said. "None of this would have happened if I just left things the way they were. Now you have to pay the price for it," he said to his sister's vegetative form. "Gwenny…if you do want to wake up….you have to tell somebody. It doesn't have to be me…..just someone. Anyone," He picked up her hand and kissed it. "May the good Lord keep you," he said as he got up and headed for the door. He needed to go and take a break, but just for a little bit. When he opened the door he saw Arthur standing there. "Oh…Your highness…I'm sorry."

"Oh no it's alright. Did she wake up?" Onyx ran his fingers through his reddish-brown hair as he shook his head.

"No. Same as yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. To be honest I don't know if she'll ever wake up."

"Can I give it a try?" Arthur asked, quite timidly, scared of a condescending answer from the ex-Emperor.

"Give what a try?"

"To talk to her. You know, just to try to wake her up." Onyx moved out of his way.

"Be my guest. But I don't know if you'll have much luck." he said as he watched the boy come in and over to his numb sister.

"Thank you." Onyx watched the boy approach his sleeping sister and just stare at her.

"You know she won't be able to hear you..right?"

"Well I don't know…maybe she can."

"She's in concussion shock Arthur. She can't feel or hear anything. It's like she's dead."

"Don't say that!" he whined.

"It is true though," he said sorrowfully. "I need to get some air." and with that, Onyx shut the door and headed out.

"Hazel...let me ask you a question," Arthur shakily said as he reached into one of his larger pockets and pulled out the Eye of Leodegrance pendant that Onyx had dropped in the snow and placed it in Hazel's numb hand. "You like the forest, don't you?" he didn't know what he was doing. Whether it was out of denial or hope he didn't know, but he was still gonna try. "You like the trees...the sun...and...a-a-and you like nature. Nature...it's calm and...and it's peaceful...and it's quiet. But even though it's quiet, that doesn't mean it isn't alive. And just because it doesn't move, doesn't mean it isn't there. And I know you're there Hazel. Think of the sun as it shines through the trees and onto the water as it shines off of it. Think of the light as your pain, don't let it get to you, Hazel. Reflect it off of you. And...and if you have anything to live for, please wake up."

But nothing changed. She still didn't respond or move in the slightest. The blonde sighed and hung his head. Onyx was right. She was dead. She just continued to sleep. But it wasn't even sleeping at will, it was just involuntary breathing. At least that's what he thought. After a brief pause, something remarkable occurred. The delicate hand holding the green stone began to radiate, shimmer and dazzle like a sunbeam. As Hazel's eyelids gradually lifted, Arthur was astonished to see her irises glowing with the same vibrant green hue as the Eye of Leodegrance. But as the light faded from her eyes, it wasn't a sign of exhaustion or demise. Rather, it seemed to suggest a sense of calmness and contentment."Hazel," he whispered, a bit frightened. "Are...are you awake?"

"Yes."


Hazel quickly sat up, but whimpered as she didn't realize her arm was broken and in a sling. Or that her leg was in a splint. The girl started rubbing her eyes with her one working hand.

"Oh Hazel!" Arthur exclaimed as he grabbed the girl and squeezed her tightly.

"H-hello." she said quietly.

"You're alive!? They said you might never wake up!" he said, still hugging her. She didn't seem too weirded out and actually looked a bit comfortable for she sighed and melted into the embrace.

"I wasn't out for that long Arthur." Hazel squeaked.

"Don't ever leave me again!" he cried. Hazel's heart broke when she began to remember the vision of her and Lancelot.

"I'll try my best." she said into his shoulder.

"I was worried about you Hazel. I thought you might have…well….."

"Kicked the bucket?" she asked with a small smile.

"Yeah." Hazel looked at the splint on her leg and the large bandage wrapped around her arm that acted like a cast.

"I guess this means no more tree climbing."


The very minute they heard her voice, Stella and her nephew bolted into their room to see their niece and sister sitting up in the bed she had once almost died in. Words could not describe how happy they were. They ran in and hugged her like they never had before.

Onyx had become his sister's way of transportation. Like Merlin said, she had to be carried everywhere she went. But piggybacking or side carrying was not allowed. No, she had to be carried cradle style like a helpless little baby. It-was-embarrassing. She had to wear a white nightgown and her middle had to be wrapped in a short blanket nearly all the time when exposed to cold air (So basically when she wasn't in bed). Even though she was overjoyed to be alive, she had never felt more helpless or lame. Especially when she watched everyday people walk, run, skip and jump and think nothing of it, completely heedless of what a gift being able to walk or simply stand was. People would stare at her as if she were a leper and make comments. Though they weren't to her face, she knew they were about her. She tried to snap back like how she always would, but she knew that she was just all talk. Trying to be snappy and act tough while someone carried her like a little kitten looked pretty stupid. At first the girl was so happy to merely just be alive, but now she didn't seem to be sure. For that's all she was: Just alive. She can't walk or even stand, and Arthur could tell it was tearing her apart. But that wasn't all that was causing her melancholy. There was something else. Cameron and Mim were both vanquished, however the messages they left behind weren't. She could not stop thinking about that vision of herself kissing Lancelot. Or Arthur...banishing her or...burning her. She could not imagine herself doing such a thing. What if she would grow up to do such a thing? What if he would grow up to do such a thing? What if she was building her own stake by staying here? What if Mim was right?


Arthur entered her cold dark room. She appeared to be asleep, sitting on a cushioned windowsill leaning her head against the wall as her hair covered her face.

"Hazel…are you asleep?" he gently asked.

"No," she quietly answered, her face still covered by her hair. Her voice sounded a bit shaky. Sad. "Please Arthur, I don't want to see anybody right now."

"You can't just..hold it all in you know," Hazel turned to face him to reveal teary eyes spilling out tears. "Why are you crying?"

"Arthur, my life is over," she said as she let her head fall back and thump against the wall. "I'm a lame person. Invalid. I'll never walk again."

"Yes you will. It'll just take time."

"Oh come on Arthur. I spent several years of my life as a squirrel. It wasn't until two months ago that I was allowed to alternate between being a human in the day and a squirrel at night. And even still, I didn't know how to talk, I didn't know how to read, I didn't know how to write until it was all given to me with no work. All I could do was bury acorns, climb trees and try to get males to flirt with me. And as stupid as that seems, I was pretty good at it. Well..at least two out of the three. But now I can't even do that." She hung her head.

"There's more than that, isn't there?" Hazel nodded.

"Onyx said we have to go back to Scotland. Tomorrow."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But Hazel you can't go! You can't even walk. And…and don't you like it here?"

"Of course I do! You really think I want to leave!?" she exclaimed before she dropped her head. "But Cameron is dead and so is his reign. I have no excuse now. I think I've been running from my problems long enough. I didn't realize what I was risking until I lost it. I had to lose the ability to walk to learn that it's time for me to grow up. No more acrobatics. No more lampooning. And no more Hazel. Now, I have to be Guinevere and if Pictland is where I'm meant to be, then so be it." Arthur could not believe what he was hearing. Nor from who. Two weeks ago she had denied being a Leodegrance and now all that seemed to be forgotten.

"Hazel." he said, his voice barely audible.

"Yes."

"Last week...you were...you were asking me not to...not to

"It's just that…I have to watch you leave Hazel. I don't know if I can do that."

"Neither do I. But there's nothing we can do about it. The world is what it is." There seemed to be no change of mind from her. She was going to leave and he just had to accept it.


The day had come for the Scottish family to return home. Arthur and Merlin stood on the snowy steps as they packed their carriage. Onyx came out carrying Hazel on his side as Astella followed. They were leaving any minute now. He sat Hazel down next to Arthur on the steps and gave her the support cane she used for a crutch as he then went back into the castle to gather the last of their things.

"Looks like this is goodbye." she said.

"Looks like it." he said as he looked away, but then back at her.

"Arthur, don't you have more important things to do than be here?" Hazel asked him.

"I can leave if you want."

"That's not what I meant." she said as she watched the snow fall.

"I know it isn't. Besides, I managed to make that for you," he said as he pointed to the staff in her hands. "Took four hours but I still did it."

"Alright alright," she said. "And ya think making a rod is big? If I remember correctly I bit a wolf's leg for you."

"Well that was my first time being a squirrel. I didn't know what to do."

"You sure knew how to run," the redhead said with a sly smile. "Especially when I did this." she said as she started to ruffle his hair like how she did when they were squirrels. Then she grabbed the sides of his face, leaned in and began to fake nuzzle as she mocked her squirrel gibberish.

"Hey, cut it out!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her one good wrist and pinned them down to her side. Her arm wasn't as bad and she only had to keep it bandaged and not use it as much.

"It gets you every time." she said with a smirk as she shook her head.

"Oh yeah?" he whispered as she continued to laugh. Hazel's laughter switched from humor to a reaction of a light itchiness as Arthur began to tickle her. "How do you like that?" he asked as he gently pushed her on her back and still continued to tickle her. Merlin smiled as he saw the two share one more moment of laughter together. Words could not express how disappointed and furious he was about his and Arthur's many failed attempts to try and persuade her brother into letting her stay. His whole entire plan had fallen apart. But seeing them together managed to ease that disappointment.

"Stop….stop it!" Hazel tried to say between heavy laughter. "Stop it!" she said through a laughing smile, until he finally did.

"Well now you know how it feels." he said proudly as he sat her back up.

"Ok! Ok! We're even!" she said as she pushed him away.

"For now." he said. It went quiet for a while, almost for too long. They both wanted to break the silence but also wanted to wait for the other to say something.

"There's something…" they both said at the same time as they faced each other.

"Oh Uh…you first." Hazel said.

"Hazel…..I just wanted to say….," he started out, his heart rate going up and up, faster and faster. "Well….."

"Yeah?" she asked eagerly with a smile.

"Uhm…..never mind. It's nothing." He felt ashamed and a bit embarrassed as he saw her smile fade out like a dying flame.

"Oh." she said in a badly hidden disappointed tone. This felt just like that moment when Arthur had been turned back human, and she still had to remain trapped in a squirrel's body, when she had been in the creature's body for so long that she adapted its mindset: Terrible. Hazel remembered she wasn't the least bit sad when she had failed to bring Arthur to Mim, but she just felt insulted and very heartbroken to find yet another person who wanted nothing to do with her. Abandoned her. First her parents, then her brother, now this boy who seemed to take a liking to nearly any stranger. And yet, she didn't even know why she was bothered by this. But she just was.

Onyx came out and put the last items in the carriage along with his aunt.

"Gwenny," he said. "Am ri dhol. (Time to go.)" Hazel nodded as she looked at the ground, but then back at the shaggy blonde.

"Arthur." she said quietly.

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned to face her.

"I don't care how weirded out you get, but I can't leave without doing this."

"Wha—." He was interrupted when Hazel leaned over and hugged him tightly, and then kissed the side of his face.

"Remember me." she whispered.

"Oh Hazel, I'd never forget you." The former girl squirrel let go and slowly scooted away with what working limbs she had. Onyx picked her up and put her in the carriage as he and Astella did the same. And then they left. Arthur blankly stared at the large chariot like vehicle and something caught his eye. The little redhead turned around to just look at him, one last time. She had silent tears coming out of her eyes which made his heart ache as he knew he would never see her again. He looked at her face and did not look away until it disappeared completely into the near horizon. He was alone.