The Lost Princess of Grerin || A Merlin AU

XVII. Everything Has Changed

~~~

Back in Camelot the knights were out practicing as Merlin, Guinevere, and Gwaine sat on the stairs nearby to talk. Everything seems to be just a normal day until a carriage starts to come into view. The three sitting on the steps all stand up in alert as Arthur and the knights all grip their swords in preparation as they watch the carriage park.

"Is this really how you welcome your guests?" A woman says as she steps out of the carriage, looking at all the people who seem to have their guards up.

"Ryia!" Gwaine exclaims as he rushes over to her, pulling her into a hug. Almost everyone drops their guard, everyone but one person. Merlin and Guinevere were right behind Gwaine.

Ryia laughed a little as Gwaine hugged her, hugging back, "I have a feeling you missed me a little more than I have missed you."

Gwaine lightly chuckled as he pulled back from the hug, "what are you saying you didn't miss me?" He joked.

Ryia rolled her eyes playfully, "I didn't say that imbecile," she told him before turning to Merlin and Guinevere, giving both of them hugs, "I missed all of you. A lot more than I thought I would actually."

"It's great seeing that you're back, Lady Ryia," Guinevere said with a smile.

"Why are you back?" Merlin asked the question they all wondered.

"That's a complicated story," Ryia explained before looking at Guinevere, "also please just Ryia."

"I apologize," Guinevere said in apology, "I wasn't sure if your opinion on that had changed since you've been gone."

"I believe it has only been a month, my opinion hasn't changed that much," Ryia told her with a smile, "but I accept your apology and understand your reasoning."

"Again I apologize," Guinevere told her with a apologetic smile.

"Please don't feel the need to," Ryia said before looking over to see Arthur standing a bit away, watching them with his arms crossed, "what's up with him?" The girl asked as she looked at the three of them.

Merlin looked from Ryia to Arthur and back to her, "it's-"

"Ryia, can I talk to you?" Arthur called out a bit sternly, cutting Merlin off.

"Should I be scared?" Ryia asked the three of them, none of them are sure how to answer as they all shared a look.

"Now, Ryia," Arthur said a bit more stern than the last one.

"Okay," Ryia said as she walked over to Arthur only for him to walk off, gesturing her to follow. He ended up leading her to the garden where he stopped, crossing his arms as he looked at her. "I kind of feel like your upset with me right now, which I'm not sure why and this definitely wasn't how I thought this was going to go seeing as I thought we ended on good terms but-"

"How long are you here for?" Arthur asked coldly, cutting her off and getting straight to business.

"I'm not sure, as long as I can be I suppose," Ryia stated with a shrug, a bit confused on why he was being cold.

"What about Grerin?" Arthur asked with a raised brow.

"If you're worried about getting close only to be separated again, I assure that won't happen," Ryia told him.