chapter thirty-three!
033. guinevere, part two

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    EVEN IN THE months where the leaves fell from the trees in brownish colours, trampling underfoot the likes of travellers and animals▬even when some days were feeling the breath of the upcoming winter, leaving the average person shivering in their woollen blankets; even when spring had left long ago, Guinevere loved the autumn months. While others loved their sunrises or some cherished the new breath of spring, the daughter of the Lower Town blacksmith had the fallen leaves settled in her heart. She found something beautiful about the trees shedding their leaves to then regrow after winter. It felt more of a fresh start than spring. 

    Down in the Lower Town, in the shadow of the mighty citadel walls of Camelot, Guinevere loved her autumn months in the humble abode of the slums. Here, everyone worked for what they needed and blessed what they earned. It was a simple life; food on the table, a roof over their heads and a blanket to keep themselves warm in the winter was all they ever wanted. All she ever wanted. 

    She loved autumn, and she loved her home. She loved the mud-brick foundations and the creaking wooden beams. She loved their modest front door. And while her humble home was not as large as it used to be, Guinevere was grateful for those she did still have in her life. She loved her father more than she could say, and he loved and cherished her. Life was even simpler▬life was humble and filled with content for the blacksmith and his darling daughter. 

   With the fellow maidservant of the Lady Morgana le Fay, Odette, spending the early afternoon with their mistress, Guinevere was able to spend some time at home. She was able to sew, and she was able to put her feet up to thread her needle. And even though she worked both home and within the castle, even beating the dust out of her blanket was a welcoming breath. 

   Away from the castle, Guinevere felt as if she finally had time to think. Sometimes, the corridors were constricting as much as they were cold and empty▬for no matter how far she tried to run away, no matter where she tried to hide, she always seemed to run right into him. 

    Ronyn Vecentia. 

    The very person she wished her wooden stick was beating rather than the blanket. She wished she could beat all of her feelings out into the air▬hoping they'd be lost forever. Guinevere was better than this, she knew. She was smarter than to let herself find endearment in someone so ridiculous and narrow-minded▬someone who seemed so inconsiderate until he was far from it. 

    Smack! Dust billowed up above her. 

    Someone who made stupid jokes and teased her and made her so frustrated and angry to the point she couldn't think of anybody else▬

    Smack!

    A young man with pretty eyes, a charming smile▬so wonderfully handsome and▬

    SMACK!

    Guinevere coughed the dust away, stepping back and waving her hand in front of her face. 

    "I sure do wonder who has made you this angry▬" the voice made Guinevere jump so much out of her bones she dropped her stick. She gasped, her hands flying up only to stop, recognising the laughter of her father. She huffed, scowling lightly up at him as he peered over the line outside the back of their home. Gwen rolled her eyes, chuckling lightly and shaking her head. "And I do so pray for their life, if you are prepared to hit them that hard..."

    "Goodness," breathed Guinevere, trying to regain the pace of her heart. 

    Tom the blacksmith smiled down at his daughter, "My, did I surprise you?"

    She dusted her skirt off, "You most certainly did!" 

    His smile brightened. Then, over the top of her blanket, he held down a little object wrapped in cloth. "I have got another surprise for you, too."

    Guinevere's brows furrowed, taken aback. A curious smile tugged at her lips as her long fingers reached up to take the surprise wrapped in twine dangling in front of her eyes. Admittedly excited, she stepped around her blanket into the street, unfolding the cloth to see a wonderful delicate new button for her to use. 

    Gwen smiled, feeling the little details that twisted together to create a small, golden star. Not glancing up, she followed her father's shadow across the road, "My▬It is lovely!"

    "Well," said her father, stopping by his wagon. Guinevere slowly came to a stance near him, still marvelling at the delicate piece she had been given, "in case you ever need a spare▬you know, for this."

    He held something else up. Guinevere glanced over▬she gasped in surprise. The handmaiden's entire face lit up to see a beautifully crafted dress of such colours she has never worn▬has never been able to afford to wear. Wool dyed deep pinks and purples, fitted to the front with sets of buttons just the same as the one she had been given all the way down to the ankles. She took it in her fingers, and couldn't believe the very touch of it▬it was softer than any other dress she has ever own; soft, gentle, stunning ... a real luxury Guinevere has never been gifted before in her life. 

    "I▬" she couldn't even form enough words to say 'thank you'. She stared up at her father, unable to believe that this was even hers. Guinevere stammered, holding the dress up into the sun▬she couldn't even imagine herself wearing it. It was so ... so ... so gorgeous; like it was made for a princess, not a serving girl. Not the daughter of some blacksmith. "Dad, I▬It is beautiful..."

    "Well, you are a beautiful girl, Gwen," said her father with a tender breath. "You deserve beautiful things."

    "But how?" let out Guinevere, folding the dress around and peering at every inch of material▬utterly enamoured and amazed. "I▬I mean▬" she peered over the sleeves to whisper: "▬it must have been expensive?"

    "Oh, very."

    "Dad!" she gaped, horrified. 

    "But, we're on the up now!" her father took her shoulders and gave them a little squeeze. Gwen couldn't help the gentle, shy smile that overtook her pretty features, looking very much like her mother in the sunlight. "Things are going to be different. And I will not be disallowed to spoil my only daughter on the day of her twentieth year."

    Her smile grew for a moment. She glanced down at the beautiful dress before hugging it to her chest. She peered back up at her father, "What is going on?" she asked him. 

    He only squeezed her shoulders again, "It will be all right," he assured her. Gwen pursed her lips as he kissed her forehead. "Trust me." 

    Her father grabbed the handle of his wagon and began to tug it back towards his blacksmith shop down the road. "I will not be back for supper."

    Guinevere frowned, not sure how she felt about her father's secrecy. But as she ran her fingers down along the wonderful fabric of her new dress, she found herself letting it pass. She smiled once again, letting herself think of nothing else but the exciting thought of being able to wear something so beautiful▬and feel beautiful. 

    That evening, the darling young Guinevere was indeed alone for supper. But she did not let it faze her. She returned from the castle after her evening duties▬or rather Morgana wanted her there for company with Odette to celebrate her birthday (Gwen was never really such a fuss on these things, but they both insisted) and stepped inside the one-room home that she loved. And there as she set down the candle she had brought to light her way, she found something already sitting on her table. 

    Her heart fluttered▬it caused her to smile, surprised but genuine▬as she wandered over and picked up the small set of flowers from only one garden she could think of. 

    Her wonderful mood did not allow her to feel any breath of weight▬of sadness▬as she picked up the handwritten note beside them. Guinevere's chest swelled, reading: 

So I do not see you trying to steal any more
                              Ronyn.

    Gwen chuckled. She glanced out the window, wondering whether he had come all this way down to the Lower Town to deliver them personally. There was once a time▬not that long ago▬where she wouldn't even consider him to be that thoughtful. But now, it seemed the Lord Vecentia has opened up enough for a glimmer of change. 

    She smiled as she played with the stems and petals, rearranging them in a vase so she could gaze at them as she ate her supper. And with them there, the lovely Guinevere was not truly alone at all. 

    As her candles slowly burned out and she drifted off to sleep in her small bed, the mind of another young girl in the halls of the Vecentia Manor was far from being at rest. 

    The young Miss Adelynn Vecentia stared up at her ceiling from underneath the covers of her large, soft and luxurious bed. She fiddled with the embroidery on the edge of her duvet that was starting to come undone with her fingers' handy work. 

    To her side, the final candle was snuffed out with a breath of smoke, wafting around the metal cap as her maid, Claudia, waited for the right moment to pull it away. In the darkness, Adelynn could only see the slight glint of her eyes. 

    Claudia glanced at her mistress briefly and smiled, "Have a good nights' sleep, My Lady."

    "You too, Claudia," mumbled Adelynn and her maidservant smiled one final time before disappearing out of her room to her quarters down the hallway. 

    Once she did, the young Vecentia only returned her gaze back up to her ceiling. Her fiddling became more anxious as she considered what she might do this late night. Would she try to make her dying flowers bloom again? Would she try to open her cupboard doors and then shut them again? There were little things Adelynn could do with her magic that didn't require a spell. If she thought hard enough for what she wanted something to do, on the off occasion, it listened and she'd feel this flooding warmth in her chest and a tug in her stomach. 

    It was all she could do, to try and teach herself without anyone else figuring out her little secret. In the cover of night, alone in her room, light would flash from the gold of her eyes. 

    She had no spell books, no manuscripts on potions and charms. Adelynn had no idea how she would ever get ahold of something such as that to help her, but she tried to do what she could. Some nights, she would hear the whispers in her mind again▬as if ancient voices were trying to give her instruction on what to do. They heard her plea and they listened, and so, she tried her best to listen in return. 

    But instead, tonight, she supposed she was waiting for something else. She tilted her head to the side, quirking an eyebrow as she concentrated very hard to make sure she didn't miss it▬

    Then, she heard it, like a distant echo that was also right beside her. Adelynn grinned the moment his voice called: What are you doing up this late?

    As soon as Merlin spoke in her mind, all the way from the physicians' chambers inside the citadel walls, the young Lady rolled onto her side and gazed outwards to the window▬peering out towards the castle towers. Closing her eyes for a moment, she concentrated and replied, speaking into her very mind hoping it would reach his own: Should I ask you the same? 

    Me? This is early for me, joked Merlin. This is a well-earned treat! 

    Adelynn hugged her pillow a little, still smiling. She supposed she was grateful to not be alone with her magic. Just a wall away, inside the castle, was a manservant who was just like her. Perhaps he was far greater, but he understood her▬and somehow, Adelynn has learnt, she must understand him. He was her friend. And while he may be some lowborn servant and she some highborn lady, Adelynn regarded him as such. She has never had a real friend before except Claudia▬let alone a friend closer in age. Let alone a friend with magic who didn't make her feel so scared, alone▬or so horrible and corrupted to hold it. So, you can hear me? She then asked him.

    Yes, he replied. I can hear you. Pretty well, actually.

    So, I must have gotten better!

    Yes, even his chuckles resonated inside her mind, you have. 

    Perhaps Adelynn considered the magic they hold their own little secret. While she was sure some others knew of Merlin's own, he was the only one that truly knew hers. And they whispered about it to each other some nights, within their minds▬and there was some part of it that was so thrilling Adelynn couldn't even begin to think of being tired. All she could think about was what Merlin might teach her, tell her, chuckle about. She was excited to talk to a friend. 

    Adelynn loved having a friend. 

    However, their conversation was cut suddenly short when something harsh and loud pierced Adelynn's ears. She gasped, quickly cupping them at the painful spike that rattled her brain. A high-pitched ringing sound made her clench her teeth to not cry out. And then, it died down; it mellowed until it was haunting silence▬so silent that she could not even hear an insect outside her window or an owl calling in the night. 

    She waited for it to return. It did not. Merlin? Adelynn whispered in her mind, wondering whether he was still there. Did you hear that? She didn't hear an answer. Merlin?

    This terrible feeling of dread settled, heavy, in Adelynn's chest. This feeling of powerful magic▬and not magic that was good. 

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     THE WARNING BELLS that pounded and echoed late in the evening weren't what startled Merlin from his slumber. Slow and staggering, he stepped down from his chamber and into the dim candlelight where Gaius was still awake, hunched over his work with a clay pencil and his glasses on the tip of his nose. He glanced up as soon as he heard his nephew step down onto the stone that was cold against his bare feet▬he held a slight shiver that wasn't natural even to the chill in the air. 

    Gaius stopped his work to frown, concerned, "Cannot sleep?"

    "Something woke me," muttered Merlin, sounding rather distant.

    "Well, perhaps it was the warning bell." 

    "No," murmured the warlock, his eyes glazed over as he met the physician's stare. "It was not ... I do not know what it was, but it was not that. It was sort of ... a feeling."

    Gaius's frown deepened. He pushed his glasses further up his nose, "What kind of feeling?"

    Merlin was hunched and terrified▬the sound, the feeling, it had startled him very much. He had never felt such before. "Powerful magic..." he managed, his voice shaking. "Here in Camelot."

    At that very moment, the door burst open. Merlin had a flush of memory as Guinevere scrambled inside at a frantic run▬she barely had a tunic over her nightdress. Her cloak sat askew on her shoulders. She rushed towards them, tearful and distressed. 

    Merlin immediately tensed up, "Gwen!" he exclaimed. "What is it? What is wrong?"

    Gaius stood up as well, surprised to see the blacksmith's daughter in such a state.

    "It is my father!" she cried, stopping before them. Merlin's stomach dropped. "He has been arrested."

    "Arrested?" let out Merlin. "W▬what for?!"

    Gwen took a deep breath that hitched back a sob, "They say he was making weapons for a sorcerer! They are charging him with treason!"

    Merlin's eyes widened with horror. Not giving even a thought to get properly dressed, he grabbed Guinevere's arm and tugged her out of the chambers at a run. Together, they headed straight for the castle dungeons. Halfway there, Odette caught up with them. Looking just as dishevelled as the rest of them, having come immediately from the Lady Morgana's chambers, she didn't even ask for an explanation, merely picking up her skirts and joining them in at their sprint. 

    When they reached the dungeons, clambering down the stone stairwell, only Guinevere was allowed forwards to speak to her father locked behind the nearest cell. Merlin and Odette stood waiting, their hearts pacing and their fingers anxiously fiddling with their sleeves. The guards frowned at their horrific bed-ridden appearances, but neither cared. They tried to overhear what Gwen was saying to her father, but their hushed whispers projected as nothing more than incoherent mutters.

    Guinevere clutched the bars of the cell door, her heart rising into her throat to see her father sigh behind it. She should have trusted herself▬she knew something was not right, but she had let it pass for what? A pretty dress? She wanted to scream in frustration.

    "I did not know Tauren was a sorcerer," her father was explaining to her in a hushed tone. "I meant no harm, I swear."

    Gwen swallowed back the lump in her throat. She shook her head, "W▬why did not you not tell me what was going on?" she cried weakly, her voice cracking. 

    Tom the blacksmith set his head on the iron bars. He sighed again. "I knew you would not like it, Gwen." She pursed her lips. Her grip wrapped tighter. "You are cautious." He reached out and tapped her cheek lightly. "I did not want an opportunity pass▬"

    "Opportunity?" Gwen croaked. A tear fell. She sniffled the rest back. Her voice had broken into a heart-torn whisper, "You call this an opportunity...?"

    "I know," her father closed his eyes. He was ashamed. Gwen felt the need to cry harder at the sight. "I have been a fool. I just wanted to make a better life for us▬for you. I wanted to make you happy."

    Guinevere sobbed. She tugged at the barred doors, as if hoping they would break away. "But I am happy!" she cried▬barely able to speak through the ache she had where her heart had made its home high in her throat. "I do not need anything else, I▬I▬I have everything that I want▬" her voice broke away and she hung her head, wishing that she could wake up from this horrible nightmare.

    "And I have thrown it all away," realised her father▬with such a shameful, dejected slump that it made Gwen glance up. She set her jaw. She grew determined. 

    She took a deep breath and grabbed her father's hand around the door. "It is all right," she promised him. "We will get you out of here, I swear on it."

    She forced a smile on her face and stepped back towards her friends. They stood rigid with anxious anticipation. "What did he say?" asked Merlin and she quickly burst out all the information she received so softly they had to lean in so they could hear. 

    "He said Tauren came to him at the forge, offered to pay him a fortune for his help▬not to make weapons. For an experiment or something?"

    Odette made a face, confused. She shared a quick glance with Merlin. "What kind of experiment?"

    "Tauren did not say. But he used some kind of stone," said Guinevere. "Some kind of magic."

    Odette and Merlin shared another troubled exchange. The group of them returned to the Court Physicians' chambers. Guinevere was exhausted; they could see it in her eyes and on her face. She hid it well, but in the silence that was the walk back to the physician tower, the Lady Morgan's first handmaiden looked almost ready to burst into tears. 

    Merlin offered her his bed to sleep in. It took a few minutes of coaxing her; Gaius gave her a sleeping remedy and kept an eye on Gwen until she fell asleep. It was late past twilight when she finally did. 

    Odette and Merlin sat close by the dinner table. Their knees knocked together on the benched seats, both of them filled with questions at the explanation Gwen gave them. Both of them held a heavy dread. Odette had been there when both Morgana and Arthur tried to persuade Uther to reconsider such a harsh punishment he had in mind▬the only outcome of treason was execution by hanging or beheading, depending on the severity. Odette had not uttered a word on the outcome inside the King's chambers, but there was little hope that even she considered. She knew, with this horrible pain, that Tom Smith was a dead man. 

    They both looked over as Gaius stepped back out from the side chamber. At their expectant glances, he said, "She is sleeping now."

    And so the two servants explained all that Gwen told them to Gaius. Once they were finished, he pursed his lips▬looking just as troubled as they, but on a different matter, Odette could tell. 

    He sat down opposite them with a hefty sigh. 

    "I do not understand it," muttered Merlin, careful not to wake Gwen sleeping in the next room. "What would a sorcerer what with Tom?"

    "His forge, Merlin," said Gaius. "It is the finest in the kingdom."

    Odette clutched her fingers tight. Merlin's brows shot up, "You think Tom was lying? You think he really was making weapons?"

    "No, I do not."

    "Then what?" 

    "When Tom was arrested they found gold on him," said Gaius. Odette nodded. 

    "Yes, so?" she asked.

     "Well," the physician leaned forward. His voice dropped even lower. Odette and Merlin shuffled closer, "from what Gwen was saying, Tauren's experiment bears all the hallmarks of Alchemy."

    "Alchemy?" breathed Odette, stunned. "That▬that is turning one thing into something else entirely, right?" Gaius hummed, telling her she was correct. "B▬But that is impossible, is it not?"

    "It has defeated all who have tried," agreed Gaius. "But, if you use magic..."

    Merlin sat up with a breath of realisation. Something dark hung heavy in the air between them. "Do you think that is what woke me?" he murmured. 

    "It is possible, I suppose."

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    ODETTE STAYED until morning. She rested herself beside Merlin, her head on his shoulder as the both of them set their backs against the stone pillar in his chambers. Neither of them wanted to leave Guinevere right now▬not when they both knew that despite his upcoming trial, Tom the blacksmith wasn't going to be a man who will walk out of it with his life. While Gwen refused to even think of that possibility, both the manservant and the maidservant were sure to make sure they will be around when it hit her▬and when their friend's world came crashing down, they must make sure they would be there to catch her. 

    Merlin woke, yet again, by the piercing sound that flooded his ears and churned his stomach. It made him jolt▬his eyes snapping open and his heart pacing. He blinked, trying to calm himself down. On his shoulder, Odette stirred, but she did not wake. A long sigh escaped her lips until she settled once more. He glanced at her, and then towards where Guinevere was huddled up underneath his blanket▬she frowned to herself in her sleep, having no rest at all. 

    He frowned to himself. It wasn't the startle that worried him now; the dread that filled his chest was the thought ... why was he hearing it again? Was Tauren using it now? Where? Or more importantly▬why?

    He stayed like that for a good hour, not wanting to wake his friend sleeping beside him. But it gave Merlin a lot of silence to brood and think. What would Tauren want out of the use of alchemy? What weapons was he creating by the likes of turning iron into gold? Such magic sure couldn't land a dagger in the King's heart. It made him worry that perhaps there was something much more sinister at play. 

    He didn't realise he had been sitting there, staring at the stone wall opposite for so long until the door of his room creaked ajar. A soft, hesitant voice called out, "Merlin?"

    The young sorcerer glanced over. His brows lifted to see Adelynn standing alone with a heavy fur wrapped around her morning dress. She looked as if she hadn't slept either. 

    "Adelynn," murmured the servant. He carefully stood up, making sure Odette's head rested up against the pillar before making his way over to the lady standing in his doorway. 

    Ronyn's sister pursed her lips. She set her eyes on Gwen who was still fast asleep. "I heard what happened," she muttered. "How is she?"

    Merlin carefully stood next to her. "She is doing okay ..." they shared a glance and he sighed, "... Well, as okay as she can be right now."

    Adelynn hugged her furs before turning on her heel. At the nod to the doorway, Merlin understood she wanted him to follow. "I have set a basket of food on the table for when she wakes up," said the lady.

    Merlin nodded. His worries softened enough for him to manage a smile, "That ... that is very kind of you."

    "It is the least I could do," they stopped at the stairs in front of his door. He closed it behind them. They set their backs against the stone, speaking in hushed tones. Adelynn fiddled with the front of her dress skirts. Then, she mumbled, "Did you hear it? The ... the sound▬or the feeling, I do not know..."

    He nodded, "Yes." Merlin crossed his arms. 

    "What was it?"

    "Magic," whispered the warlock, careful of prying ears. "Powerful magic▬Alchemy, Gaius says. Tauren was using Tom's forge to create gold."

    Adelynn grew uneasy, "But ..." she shuffled her feet, "... surely that does not mean he was making weapons? Perhaps he did not know? Perhaps he was lied to?"

    Merlin sighed, "What I am worried about is the question of what Tauren plans to use it for. Or who else he plans on using with it."

    The young Vecentia's brows knitted together. She glanced briefly at Gwen through the door before mumbling, "Her father is a dead man, isn't he?"

    The Prince's manservant nodded, solemn. "I am afraid so."

    Adelynn held this look in her eye. Not one of pity▬or even a breath of sympathy. But instead a sadness; as if she understood what it was like to lose a father, and yet, did not at the same time. 

    Merlin chose not to ask her about it. Instead, he wondered: "Has your brother spoken to Uther? He is a trusted advisor to the King, surely he could help Uther understand that this is a mistake?"

    "Ronyn is in council with him right now," said Adelynn. "He should be present at the trial. I am sure he will do everything he can but ..." she pursed her lips. "It is as you said ... Perhaps you could speak to Arthur? Maybe Morgana▬they should have more persuasion on the King?"

    "They have already tried," said Merlin, defeated. "But Arthur is unlikely to ... well, he is more in line with his father's beliefs than Morgana. I fear he is unlikely to push too far."

    The main chamber door opened. Adelynn stiffened▬both of them glanced over, however they relaxed (and if not felt a breath of hope) to see Morgana and Ronyn join them inside the physicians' rooms. 

    Merlin immediately stepped down, "How did it go?" he asked the Lord Vecentia. "The King▬can he be persuaded? Whatever Tom was doing, it was not a plot against him?"

    Ronyn merely just shook his head. He hesitated nearby Merlin, his gaze fixed on the door into the side chamber. Morgana was soon beside him, "We know that, of course we do," said the King's Ward kindly. "But Uther ..." she looked mad▬there was a fire in her eyes Merlin couldn't quite describe. It surprised him. "You and I both know that Uther only sees enemies."

    "But ..." admittedly, Merlin had been clinging onto the dry hope that perhaps they could change Uther's mind. That the sunrise might bring some good to the new day. "But Tom is the most gentle soul I have ever met."

    Morgana took a step closer to him. She reached out to rub her friend's arm with little care to the status between them. "But he was seen with Tauren," she whispered, gentle to try and make him understand. "That makes him an enemy."

    "How is Guinevere?" Ronyn changed the subject, stepping past his sister and towards the stairs to Merlin's room. 

    "She is sleeping," answered Adelynn, quickly stopping her brother from going any further. "I think it is best that we leave her alone."

    Ronyn ignored her and stepped inside anyway. She huffed, annoyed with him, but let her brother be. 

    "It is horrible," then murmured Morgana to Merlin, pained. "Gwen ... dearest Gwen ... she lost her mother, her brother is impossible to contact ... and now she is going to lose her father▬she will be alone."

    "Have we sent a message to her brother?" Merlin asked, having never heard mention of him before until now. 

    Morgana sighed, there was a bitterness to her sad tone, "Elyan did not respond to the letter Gwen sent when Tom was on his death bed▬do you really think he will respond to this one?"

    With that said, she brushed past Merlin and left. He watched her go, "Then, there is little hope?"

    Morgana stopped right as she was about to walk out of the door. She glanced over her shoulder. Curt, she responded, "There is no hope, Merlin. None at all."

    Her steps echoed down the hallway until they disappeared, leaving Merlin to glance back at Adelynn▬she matched his troubled frown. 

    Odette woke up not long after. Merlin filled her in on what Ronyn and Morgana tried to do. She nodded, expecting it. In the end, they had to leave to tend to their jobs▬but Ronyn stayed. He did not leave Guinevere's side as she slept, almost feeling as if he was about to protect her from anybody who might walk through that door. He clutched the hilt of his sword, gripping it tight; prepared to use it. Against who? He did not know, but he was tense and he was rigid. He was ready to fight. 

    And then she woke up, and his grip slackened. He turned to her from where he sat at the same column his friends had slept at and stood up. As she rubbed her eyes, slowly comprehending the room around her, Ronyn reached for the cup of water Gaius had set down earlier. 

    Guinevere noticed him. She frowned, "Ronyn?" she sat up, confused. "What▬what are you doing here?" she glanced around, suddenly apprehensive. "You should not be here..."

    He shook his head, "Do not worry about that. Here," he passed her the water, "you should drink something."

    She pursed her lips, but took it anyway. "Thank you," she mumbled politely, sniffling back dry tears and setting her back up against the wall. Even now, she was kind and she was genuine. Then, she met his gaze and asked, voice cracked and dry, "H▬How is my father?"

    Ronyn hesitated. He didn't know what to tell her. He gripped his sword hilt again and decided to sit down on the floor next to the bed. "He will be let out for his trail tomorrow. But Merlin says he is okay."

    Gwen nodded. She had a trembling grip on her cup. "W▬will you be there for it?"

    "Yes," said the Lord Vecentia. "And I will stand by him, you have my word."

    Relief washed over the blacksmith's daughters features. Ronyn didn't know how to take the way she smiled, as if he would be the one to save her father without any doubt. "I am pleased," she said through the lump in her throat.

    Ronyn set his arms against his knees, frowning at her. He did not want to lie to her. If there was one thing Guinevere has taught him▬was that it was always important to be truthful; to be genuine. The last person he ever wanted to lie to was her. "You understand, Gwen ... I▬I will do my best in Tom's favour, but Uther, he ..." 

    Gwen's stare locked his. And for the first time, he saw something frantic▬something so frantic and distressed and terrified that he stopped mid-sentence. He swallowed back what he was going to say. He soon realised Guinevere knew ... she was just so terrified of what the outcome will mean that she was lying to herself. Refusing to believe anything else other than a happy ending. 

    He remembered when he lost his father. He had watched him collapse onto the ground in a fit of anger ... and that was it. His goodbye was a backhand to Ronyn's cheek and a shout in his face. Yet, he still mourned him. 

    He couldn't begin to understand the grief of losing a father that actually loved him in such a horrific, nightmarish way. To see him beheaded for treason he did not commit. To be alone. 

    Ronyn clenched his jaw and nodded, "I will send a messenger for your brother."

    Gwen's brows lifted in shock. Quickly, she rushed out, "No! No▬My Lord, you do not have to▬"

    "I will," he cut her off, not up for negotiation. 

    Guinevere slouched a little, "He will not reply."

    "Then I will find him in person and drag him to Camelot by his ear if I have to." Ronyn meant it, too. He will not see Guinevere be left alone without anyone to support her. He will not have her brother refuse his responsibility to be that for her. "He is your brother, Guinevere. He should act like it. If your father's trial goes south, you will need someone who can support you and keep you in your home. I will not see someone else I care about thrown to the streets. I owe you that much, at least."

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    THE BLACKSMITH'S trial never came.

    Instead, Guinevere woke up to nothing else but a dead body. 

    The sunrise dawned from the overnight storm to a horrific scene. Her devastating wails sliced through the crisp morning air like an axe to a neck. Hitting their mark and ripping apart the hearts of all who heard. They did not even let her mourn him▬they did not let her hold his body. Odette watched her friend fall to her knees, hitting the stone as she watched her father be dragged away▬thrown like nothing into a wagon with a moth-eaten blanket discarded across his body. Gwen screamed, grasping for him but was not allowed to; she was left there, crumpled and collapsed with her knees bruised and bleeding▬pleading for a father who could not hear her. For her only family left, who was taken from her ... she did not even get to say goodbye. 

    "NO▬!" Guinevere sobbed, struggling back onto her feet. She tried to run after the guards who were taking her father's body away. "▬NO▬!" another guard grabbed her before she could do anything, pulling her away kicking and screaming, crying out heartbroken wails, "FATHER▬!" she called. "NO! DAD▬PLEASE▬that is my father▬FATHER▬!"

    She broke down and the guards left her there. She hit the ground again and Odette choked, frozen and watching as her dearest friend lost all that mattered in just one night. And she did not move from the stone courtyard until forced to, crying until she had no more tears▬and even then, still, she clutched her stomach and doubled over, weeping silent cries into the ground. 

    Odette didn't even need to ask Morgana to be dismissed▬her mistress was gone, storming off down the hallway with nothing but blood on her tongue. She knew whatever she was determined to do wouldn't end well, but right now, the young handmaiden took off the opposite way. She was desperate to be there for her friend just like she had been there for her. If there was one thing Odette understood▬better than anyone▬was what it was like to be alone. To have no one left. 

    She didn't want Gwen to be thrown to the streets, left to perish. Like she had given Odette a second chance at life, the young handmaiden knew she would not rest if she did not do the same. 

    Odette rushed down the steps once she reached them, hurrying down to the centre of the citadel to kneel down next to her close friend. She wrapped her arms around her▬and said nothing as Guinevere, absolutely hysterical, clung onto her and continued to weep. Odette shed her own tears, holding onto Gwen as tight as she possibly could. 

    She gazed upwards to the rising sun, and Odette wanted to curse it. It was supposed to bring a new day▬hope for something better than the day before. Instead, her beam of faith had given one of the people she cared about the most the worst twist of fate▬Odette gritted her teeth, feeling almost betrayed by it. 

    She looked away and focused back on her friend, resting her cheek against her dark curls. Guinevere hiccuped a heartbroken sob, whimpering into her shoulder, "H▬He's gone... They killed him."

    Eventually, Odette coaxed Guinevere to return to the physician's chambers. When she sat back down on Merlin's bed, she did not speak. She stared, dull and distant to the dark shadowy corners of the room▬pale, defeated ... broken ... lost ... alone.

    The young handmaiden just sat with her. Silent and gentle▬a comforting warmth, even if Guinevere was so cold to the bone she did not feel her touch as she set her head on her shoulder. They held hands, though there was no grip to the blacksmith's daughter ... she may as well be as dead as her father ... she felt as if she already was.

    Odette ran her fingers down her friends arm, soft, calming▬little things her mother used to do when she was upset and crying; never to fix anything, but to just provide something other than the horrible thoughts that plagued the mind. Something to remind the other that they had somebody there▬that they weren't by themselves.

    After a short while, Merlin ventured into the room. The door creaked and he slipped inside. Gwen didn't look up. Odette met his gaze, pursing her lips as he came to a stop at the stone column. He leant back against it, folding his arms tight. He let out a long, sad sigh. 

    There was a long silence before he murmured to Gwen, "All right?"

    She wasn't. She was far from being okay, but she nodded anyway. Then, she shook her head. Her brows knitted together and she pressed her lips together. She took a sharp breath through her nose before croaking out: "I just do not understand." Her voice was hoarse▬it cracked and broke away, no louder than a whisper. She glanced up at her friends. "Why did he try to escape? His trial was this morning..." she stopped at the lump in her throat and looked back down. Odette set her chin on her shoulder this time, rubbing her friend's back. 

    They also knew why her father tried to escape. Because he thought it was his only chance at surviving▬he knew just like the rest of them, he would not have been granted innocence at the mercy of Uther. 

    Someone knocked on the ajar door. The group of them frowned, wondering who would be coming inside at this hour. It stopped, waiting for an answer▬very hesitant. When none of them spoke, Merlin cleared his throat and muttered, "Come in?"

    Fingers wrapped around the side of the door. Slowly, they opened it and joined them inside. As soon as they saw his long, leather coat, the two girls who were seated leapt to their feet. Gwen pushed back her tears and brushed her skirts, trying her best to look presentable in front of the Prince. "Sire▬" she let out, surprised.

    Arthur didn't quite meet her gaze. He set his jaw and he looked down at his shoes for a moment, as if scared of what she will think of him. As if all of this was his fault. A careful, pained blue stare lifted eventually and Arthur held his breath for a very long second. 

    "Guinevere," he began▬he did not step closer. Arthur humbled himself before the blacksmith's daughter, and her frown softened to realise. He was placing himself at her mercy in the likes of her father. "I ..." the Prince fixed his cloak anxiously. "I just wanted you to know that your job is safe and that your home is yours for life. I guarantee you that. And ... uh ..." he scratched his ear, chewing at the inside of his cheek. "I know that ... under the circumstances it is not much, but ... erm ..." Arthur gave her a little, reassuring smile. It didn't reach his eyes, but it held enough of a promise for it to be genuine. "Anything you want, anything you need ... all you have to do is ask."

    Guinevere stared at him, taken aback. 

    Arthur bowed his head to her. He went to leave, but he stopped last minute. He turned back to her, "I ... I am sorry."

    It took Gwen a moment to respond. She swallowed the lump in her throat and muttered, "Thank you, Sire..." and she meant it. She was grateful for it. From him, Arthur's apology wasn't just meaningless words passed by in the wind. He was putting himself in front of her and told her that what had happened had been wrong, and even though his father will never apologise or feel any remorse for what he did ... Arthur felt all of it. He took responsibility even when he should shoulder none of it. 

     She appreciated it. She appreciated him for it. 

    This time, when Arthur went to leave, Odette followed. She gave Gwen a final squeeze of her shoulder before quietly stepping out of the side chamber. Knowing she would be behind him, Arthur glanced back and stopped in the centre of the physician's rooms. 

    Odette met him, stopping right under his gaze. She took a heavy, sombre breath. "What you are doing for her, it is good of you."

    The Prince hung his gaze. His fingers brushed the bridge of his nose, "It is the least I can do," he said to her in a low mumble. "She has lost her father, and the true evil is still out there."

    "Tauren will get what is coming for him," Odette told Arthur, and he was a little surprised by the harsh tone she held. She nodded, determined▬he had to get what was coming for him. There had to be something in favour of the goodness that fate has done its best to destroy today. She needed there to be. 

    Arthur pushed past it and nodded. He met her gaze knowingly, "Yes, we hope."

    Odette didn't hold the same pride in the sunrise as she used to▬not today. "Yes," she murmured sadly, "I suppose..."

    The Prince noticed, though he did not mention it. Instead, he brushed his hand against her shoulder; lingering long enough to give it a squeeze before leaving her be. She stared at where his hand had been for a moment longer before lifting her gaze to watch him go. 

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    a/n: I have realised that people are reading this without having seen the show and all I have to say to you is good luck. 

    from now on? ha, yeah, good luck. 

    also trying to keep up with months and ages and my timeline is hurting my brain - merlin hurts my brain but I'm doing it anyway. 

    so update on ages:
    morgana: 23
    arthur: 21
    ronyn: 21
    gwen: 20
    odette: 17 
    merlin: 17
    adelynn: 14

    every time I mention ages I hope I'm not jarring y'all with arthur and odette atm lol. but that's why for half of this act their dynamic is purely childish hyperactive sunshine x exasperated older grumpy-face. now that it is moving forward, we're going through a delicate transition were the dynamic is maturing while keeping the original dom/sub without the explicit sexual content because I don't write explicit smut - I made this book mature so I could explore something different in my character relationships and talk about it without being subtle with jokes and hints for those who understand. 

    I rly do enjoy talking about Arthur and Odette's dynamic sorry ya'll are probs tired of hearing me say the same things over again but I'm just super excited because its so different to what I've written before. 

    but its fun to expose them.

    speaking of dynamics and relationship stuff COMMENT RELATIONSHIP HEADCANNONS HERE <3 - can be fluff can have a little spice there is no shame here let's expose them:

    here's mine, tho from me its definitely cannon haha. 

   ronyn is definitely a bottom it is cannon. he likes being told off and chided by gwen - girl is trying to make sure he doesn't end up killing himself due to his hopeless nature and he's just here like ... that turns me on and I do not know why ...

    gwen is a tease, too. she is such a subtle tease. 

    also gwen and arthur become besties

   this book is mature purely because of the relationship dynamics. and it's medieval. you can't write medieval without that tag.