The Future of Camelot

Death Leads them Home

It raised its staff and a brilliant blue light extended straight towards Morgause's heart. Gwaine's reflexes threw him and Morgause out of the way. He glanced triumphantly up at the blue creature and the others behind it, but that feeling faded when he saw their faces. The one in the front smiled again. Then it led the others away. They vanished into the darkness. Gwaine looked down at Morgause.

She was having trouble breathing. Gwaine lifted her head onto his lap. The light hadn't hit her heart, but it hit her shoulder. There was a mark there like a burn, but magic is more than it appears on the outside. Gwaine knew she was dying.

"Hey, Lady Knight. That was not a nice guy!" Morgause laughed, but out of her mouth gurgled a small amount of blood. "Shhh," Gwaine said soothingly. He remembered his own death all too clearly. Whatever she had done or plotted to do, she didn't deserve to die alone. 

"Don't tell my sister," she pleaded. "Don't tell her I was going to betray her. Please! I can't have her thinking badly of me. Promise me, Gwaine." Tears started to fall out of her eyes.

"I promise," Gwaine whispered. A smile formed on Morgause's lips, and more blood bubbled out.

"Thank you," she rasped. Her chest went up and down too fast. Her breathing quickened until it was no more. Gwaine pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.

"Gwaine? What is that?" asked Lancelot behind Gwaine. "Oh, no." Lancelot knelt beside Gwaine and felt for Morgause's pulse. When he didn't find it, he looked at Gwaine.

"We have to get her back to Morgana," Lancelot said. Gwaine nodded and wiped away a wetness on his face. He hadn't realized he was crying. "And Gwaine?" said Lancelot. "I'm sorry. I know you cared about her." Gwaine bit his lip to stop more tears.

"Thank you. You do see what others don't, don't you?" Lancelot smiled. "Then let's get her to her sister," said Gwaine.

Lancelot walked to the camp, Gwaine several paces behind him, carrying Morgause. The rest of the knights were laughing with Morgana around the fire. Elyan noticed Lancelot first.

"Did you find Gwaine?" he asked. Lancelot nodded. By now everyone around the fire was looking at Lancelot. Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen joined the rest at the fire.

"Something's wrong," Gwen said, reading her old love's face. Lancelot nodded sadly. Gwaine left the cover of the woods, carrying Morgause. There was shock on the faces of his friends, but none compared to the despair on Morgana's.

"NOOO!" she screamed. It was the same scream she'd uttered the last time Morgause was dying. It was terrible and piercing, and full of power. She ran to Gwaine and sobbed over her sister. She touched Morgause's face and hair. Tears began to fall from Gwaine's eyes again, but he hid them under the shadows of his face.

Morgana stopped screaming when she started crying, but none of the power left. It was different from when Gaius died, though. She wasn't alone this time. Merlin went to her right away and put his hands on her shoulders. She didn't sense him at first, but when her legs buckled beneath her, he was there holding her up. Morgana turned away from her sister and buried her face in Merlin's chest. Merlin nodded to Gwaine.

Gwaine took Morgause to a clear patch away from the camp. They hadn't brought a shovel, but Merlin made a hole appear with a wave of the hand not holding Morgana. Percival jumped into the hole and held his hands out for Morgause.

"Wait!" Gwaine said. He turned to Lancelot and said quietly, "Not like this. She at least deserves a blanket." It was Morgana who brought this to him. She laid it down and Gwaine lay the dead woman on it. Morgana wrapped her sister in the cloth and then stepped back. Leon and Elyan picked up the bundle and handed it to Percival. He laid it in the hole and jumped out.

"I'm sorry, Morgana," Arthur said. Her tears were gone and she only nodded.

"Gwaine?" asked Gwen. "Are you alright?"

"Of course!" he said flippantly. "Why wouldn't I be."

"I don't know, you just seem a little - " A dangerous look from Gwaine silenced Gwen. She didn't pursue it farther, but she saw the tears he wiped away from his cheeks as Morgana magically covered the body with dirt.

0O0O0O0

Morgana hadn't slept, so when Merlin was waking everyone else up, she pretended to be asleep. When he reached her, he touched her shoulder gently. She feigned waking, but she knew it was a bad performance. He looked upon her with sympathy.

"Didn't sleep?" he asked gently. She shook her head. "I understand." Morgana knew that he did, better than most. "I am sorry, but we have to go. It's a long walk, and the sooner we get there, the better."

"You're right, I'm up," she said, pulling herself to her feet. Merlin squeezed her arm and went on to continue waking the others. Morgana rolled up her sleeping bag and put it in her backpack. Nobody spoke much as they cleared up, so Morgana had a chance to slip away to Morgause's grave. She was going to mark it, but when she got there, Gwaine was already doing just that.

He had just placed the last rock on the pile when Morgana stepped on a twig and gave herself away. Gwaine whirled around. He stammered, unable to explain what he was doing. Morgana studied him with curiosity and confusion. She wasn't particularly hostile, but Gwaine could sense that she was fairly angry at having missed the chance to mark her sister's grave.

"What are you doing?" she asked with calmness that was probably forced.

"Um, I was, um, just - I thought she deserved a grave marker," Gwaine stuttered out.

"I agree," said Morgana, looking hard deep into his eyes. "But I am her sister. You," she said, her green eyes hard, "knew her for only a few days. Which of us should be the one to mark her grave?"

"I was wrong, I'm sorry," said Gwaine. Morgana was surprised he wasn't fighting more. She was so weary.

"It's not important," she said. "Not as long as it's there, and that she's honored."

"Gwaine?" called someone from the camp. Morgause's only mourners hurried back to their companions.

0O0O0O0

Merlin led the travelers through the forest for over half the day. It was hot and wet, so by the time he stopped them, everyone was covered in sweat. Aithusa appeared out of the woods and chirped at the sight of Merlin.

"Is it here?" he asked the dragon. She bowed her pale neck and led the group through the woods. They approached a rockface, in which there was a hole.

"Is that it?" Elyan asked. "Through the cave?" Aithusa nodded. "Then let's go!"

Aithusa stepped aside to allow Merlin to go first. Arthur followed him, and then Gwen, with Elyan close behind her. Next was Leon, Percival, and Gwaine. Morgana was the last human, and Aithusa came after her.

When Morgana emerged, the light of the sun shining through the trees blinded her. Everything was so much brighter, so much clearer in this world. The leaves were greener and the people were happier. Perhaps that was just because they recognized this place. It was the Valley of the Fallen Kings, just as they remembered. They were home.