Elizabeth and the Goddess of Death

Chapter Twenty Two

Soon Morgana was ready for her battle, and they all walked out together. Elizabeth's hands wouldn't stop shaking, the poor thing was just so nervous.

"She'll do the right thing, I'm sure." Gaius says from behind Elizabeth, noticing how anxious she was.

"I hope you're right." Elizabeth says, tense as Morgana and her opponent began to fight.

Clashes rang out, each one's strike blocked by the other's sword. Almost everyone was cheering Morgana on, but Elizabeth was too far into her own thoughts to even speak, just watching the tournament with fear in her brown eyes, tension obvious in her body language.

Finally, after catching her opponent off guard with a party, Morgana had won. Everyone was cheering, those oblivious to Morgana's difficulty cheered louder than those who knew. Elizabeth? Remained silent.

"Congratulations, Morgana Pendragon of Camelot. You've shown great skill and courage, and as a reward, a feast shall be prepared in your honor, and of course you shall have a soul. Who do you wish to save?" The goddess' voice rang out from the sky as Morgana helped her devastated opponent up from the dirt.

Elizabeth's hands were shaky and sweating, and she started to taste blood from how frequently she had been chewing on her lower lip. Arthur gave her hand an assuring squeeze and a comforting smile, which she barely saw out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't take her eyes off her half sister, and the silence was deafening.

"What's she waiting for?" Percival whispers as Morgana's torn eyes met Elizabeth's anxious ones.

"Do what will make you most happy, Morgana. Even if it isn't my wishes." Elizabeth mentally told her half sister, who gave her a nod.

"Sir Gwaine. Knight of Camelot." Morgana said after a moment. All the tension in Elizabeth's body left the moment she heard her lover's name. A portal to the spirit world opened, and out stepped the dashing knight.

At first, his face was painted with confusion. Then his eyes darted around, and after realizing his surroundings, he had put two and two together.

He had about five seconds between getting his bearings straight and being tackled in a hug by the princess, who ran over all the seats in the stadium and jumped the barrier between the seats and the battle area to reach him, all the while crying with joy.

"Miss me darling?" Sir Gwaine asks with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around her tightly and even getting a little choked up himself.

"More than anything." Elizabeth sobs, one arm around his waist and the other stationed between his shoulder blades, her hand running through his brown locks.

"And I you."  Gwaine whispers back, pressing a loving kiss to her head and just melting into her embrace.

After a moment or so of the lovebirds getting privacy, Elizabeth stepped back so everyone else could greet and welcome him home.

Morgana, however, was natural cautious and unsure how the knight would react to her. All he'd seen from her was evil; making him fight just to get half a loaf of moldy bread, forcing him to look for the Dhiamir or face the pain of whips, but most recently and most painfully, the Nathair.

"Nice to properly meet you. I'm sorry-" Morgana starts.

"Don't. In helping Elizabeth, you've not only redeemed yourself but put me in your debt. Thank you, thank you all for being there for her when I couldn't." Gwaine interrupts, looking around and giving a grateful smile to everyone.

"She's family. There's not a thing we wouldn't do for her." Leon pipes up, sending a grin towards the still teary princess. Elizabeth smiles widely at the comment and wipes a stray tear away.

It was already nightfall by the time the battle had ended and the table in the throne room decorated with a variety of delicious foods, provided by the goddess as the promised feast. The throne room seemed to be the only neat, cobweb free room in the entire abandoned castle. Together the family laughed, reminisced, and just enjoyed each other's company. Their moods were higher than it had been in months as they celebrated the return of their old friend.

Gwaine and Elizabeth were more clingy towards each other than they usually were, which was expected. Gwaine's arm was around Elizabeth's shoulders and she was leaning on his chest with one hand reaching up to hold his.

"That is something I did not miss. I'm bout to lose my appetite." Percival jokes with a chuckle, gesturing to Elizabeth and Gwaine.

"Gotta make up for the lost time, Percival." Gwaine retorts with a smile. "How long's it been, a month?"

"Too long." Elizabeth answers with a soft grin, looking up at him. Soon dinner was over, and they made it back to the tent for one final night in Carbonek.