Merlin Series Six

Gwen’s body rebelled against an end to the pacing, no matter how her mind insisted. Merlin had been about to heal him… So what went wrong? Morgana was on the other side of the kingdom, Mordred was dead, and Merlin would be able to handle any soldier with ease. But why weren’t they home yet?

            On top of that, Gwaine and Percival, two of Camelot’s best knights, were gone. Their horses and weapons were missing as well. She prayed that Gwaine had not talked the quieter knight into doing something rash. Of course, considering what happened with Eira, Gwen already knew that was the case.

            Her pacing was interrupted by a knock at the door. She opened it to find Leon waiting, expression grim.

            “My Lady, Sir Percival has returned.”

            Something in his voice scared her. A sorrow that she wished would remain unexplained.

            “Where did he go? May I speak with him? And where’s Gwaine?”

            “I think it best you ask all of this to him personally. He is with Gaius.”

            She barely had time to finish her ‘Thank you’ before hurrying off to whatever new troubles awaited her in Gaius’s chambers. It was not that long a walk, but she urged her feet to fly faster. The quicker she got there, the quicker she could get this over with.

            When she arrived, she found Gaius hunched over a body. But it wasn’t Percival’s.  Before she had time to identify it, she noticed Percival slumped in an out-of-the-way chair.

He looked up to see who it was, and his face surprised her. He looked so worn. So tired. So old. It was as if the only light in his life had been turned off, leaving him to find his way in the dark.

            “Percival, what happened? Start from the beginning.”

She took a seat across from him and prepared herself for an explanation. Finally, he spoke.

            “Gwaine… He wanted revenge for Eira’s betrayal, and the only person he could find to blame besides himself was Morgana. I wasn’t about to let him do this alone, so I rode with him. He had actually begun to convince me we had a chance, when we found her. Her men, all of them, were dead before she even acknowledged us. I actually managed to get a sword through her stomach… But she only pulled it out, as if it were simply a splinter… She used magic… And we didn’t stand a chance…”

            The gaps between sentences grew longer and longer, until he finally just stopped altogether. Gwen considered letting it remain that way. She was slightly surprised he’d made it this far, seeing as this was the most she’d ever heard him speak. But, in the end, she urged him to continue.

            “She knocked us both out. When I came to… I was tied between two trees. Trying to escape would be useless. She could kill me with a wave of her hand. Knocking me out again would be simple. Still, she was no where in sight. Of course, neither was Gwaine, so I didn’t find it all that reassuring.”

            “ Then… Then the screams started. If anything else, I’ll never forget those screams. Agony beyond description filled each one. They were screams of a man who’s only wish was death. But all I could think about was what could turn Gwaine into someone calling out for an end.”

            “I had to get to him. It had to stop. He wasn’t going to last much longer, and I wasn’t about to make him. By the time I had broken free, the screams had stopped, but I wasn’t sure that it was a good thing.”

            “When I got there, Morgana was gone, leaving Gwaine tied, kneeling, between two stakes. He was slumped over, as if… As if he was already gone.”

            Percival glanced back at Gaius before bowing his head. Gwen had pieced things together and now stared blankly at the body lying nearby. Gwaine was dead. Bright, fun-loving, mischievous Gwaine was dead. The man that had flirted with her, calling her a princess. The man that soon gave Arthur the same nickname. He was dead. All of that life; gone. Never again would he pull some idiotic prank with Percival. Never again would he accept both of their punishments. It was like he’d never even existed.

            She walked over to where he lay, and Gaius stepped away. He looked too peaceful for someone who went the way he did. Yet, if you looked carefully, you could still see the remains of his pain etched on his tanned face. She didn’t stop herself when her hand found it’s way to his head, tracing his jaw-line. He was gone. And he was never coming back.

            “Did he tell?” Her voice broke, but she paid it no mind as she waited for the answer.

            “Yeah... He died believing he had failed… Trying to live in order to prove himself again… But who here can blame him? No one would have held out as long as he did.”

            She had stopped listening, not wanting to hear anymore. If he had told… That explained Merlin and Arthur’s absence. What if she’d killed them? What if their corpses were just laying there? What if…

            She forced herself to tear her thoughts away. If Gwaine had been here, he would only beat himself up more due to her reaction. She couldn’t knowingly continue with his body lying right beside her.

            “Make sure he gets a proper burial,” was all she could manage before choking tears forced her to retreat to her chambers.

            Where was Arthur?