Much can happen over the course of two years.

Arthur and Guinevere now know everything Merlin had done (or attempted to do) for them during the years he hid his magic. It was a gradual, seemingly endless process, because just when Merlin thought he had remembered everything, he would remember something else.

Similarly, the final detail of Guinevere's enchantment came to light quite unexpectedly one evening. Merlin had been meeting with the king and queen in the royal chambers, and as he was leaving, Ella and some other servants arrived with the needed items for the queen's bath. Merlin wasn't sure if it was the bath, the burgundy dress the queen was wearing, the bouquet of gillyflowers on the table, or some combination of those things that suddenly made him recall Daegal, the young boy sent to lure him from Camelot so Guinevere could arrange to have Arthur killed without Merlin's interference.

They were all relieved to discover Guinevere was only aware of Daegal's role in removing Merlin from Camelot. She had no idea Morgana had attempted to poison and kill Merlin in the forest or that Daegal had died helping to save the king.

"It seems she did not tell me any more than what was necessary," Guinevere mused, frowning. "But, it is good to know I wasn't directly involved in another attempted murder." She apologized to Merlin, hugging him tightly. Merlin, of course, assured her he did not hold her responsible at all.

No longer under Morgana's shadow, Camelot has been peaceful and thriving. The laws regarding magic are well in place now, and Aithusa is a regular and surprisingly comforting sight as she soars overhead. She has become well-acquainted with her king and queen, and proudly wears a red leather collar with a medallion bearing the Pendragon crest. When Queen Guinevere presented the item to Aithusa, she explained that the collar and medallion identifies her as an important member of Camelot's army, and will let any who encounter her know to whom her loyalties lay.

Merlin's circle of magical allies is well in place, with everyone having their role as best befitting his or her abilities. Mordred continues to be Merlin's right-hand man and is well-respected by all, magical and non-magical alike. He and Kara will be married before the end of the year.

Kara has taken over Gaius' duties full-time and is officially the Court Physician. Avery, the former kitchen maid, is her assistant. The first thing they did was thoroughly clean, reorganize, and redecorate the physician's quarters, making their surroundings tidier and more attractive.

Gaius chose to retire when he could no longer deny the fact that his memory was failing. One morning, he saw Hunith carrying Gwydre and greeted her warmly. Then, he called Gwydre "Merlin" and quietly asked her if she had heard from Balinor. Hunith gently said no, she hadn't, holding in her tears, then rushed to find Merlin. Merlin, Arthur, and Guinevere met with the elderly physician and gently recommended he step down. At first, Gaius resisted, but when Merlin related back to him what had happened that morning with Hunith, Gaius nodded solemnly, even stating that Kara was ready to take over for him. Merlin then told Gaius Alice had agreed to return to Camelot to look after him. The old man smiled, grateful to Merlin for tracking down his long-lost love.

Gilli returned to Camelot when the twins were six months old, requesting to join Merlin's faction. He brought warm greetings from Alator and a parchment confirming that Gilli had his mentor's blessing to stay with Merlin if he would welcome him. Overloaded with work, Merlin immediately made the young man his assistant and gave him several menial tasks he himself had been putting off doing. Gilli was thrilled.

Like Kara, Sefa has worked hard to prove herself trustworthy, doing everything she could to show her king and queen she has changed. Away from her father's evil influence, the sweet, caring person Sefa truly is was able to shine through. Out from under her father's thumb, the Druid maiden discovered she was smarter than he had always led her to believe, and blossomed under her new circumstances.

Sefa seemed to have a way with children, and now tutors the ones with magic who wish to study and develop their gifts. The exception, of course, is Prince Gwydre, who will take lessons with Merlin when he is old enough to begin them in earnest. Merlin helps him as much as he can, mainly attempting to teach the toddler how to control his magical impulses.

Perhaps the most surprising development is Merlin had found himself growing more and more intrigued by the "new" Sefa, this young woman who was and was not the girl he knew. There had been some innocent flirting between them when she was the queen's handmaiden, but after she returned and her true self had emerged, Merlin suddenly realized he saw Sefa as a beautiful, intelligent woman. He fought his feelings, fearing them inappropriate, fearing them unrequited, but doing so only made it more difficult to deny them.

With some gentle prodding from his first friend in Camelot, the queen, Merlin finally confessed his feelings to the young Druid woman, only to find his fears were completely unfounded.

They married a short time later, and eleven months after that, welcomed a beautiful, raven-haired baby girl with bright blue eyes, Fia Hunith, named for Sefa's and Merlin's mothers. Not surprisingly, their daughter has magic.

Of course, the biggest development during this two-year span is that Llacheu and Gwydre now have a baby sister, Arthes Ygraine. Named for Arthur and his mother, she is a beautiful cherub with dusky skin, wavy caramel-blonde hair, and eyes shaped like her mother's, but in her father's shade of blue. Like her mother, the princess needs no magic to charm everyone she meets. At only two months old, Arthes Pendragon already has half the kingdom eating out of the palm of her tiny hand. Including her two big brothers.

Llacheu and Gwydre clamor to see their sister as often as possible, giving her sloppy kisses on her cheeks and forehead, letting her grab their fingers, and trying to get her to smile. However, most of Arthes' still-rare smiles are saved for Arthur.

xXx

It is Princess Arthes' blessing and presentation, and it is just as grand an event as her brothers' ceremony two years past. Visitors pour into Camelot once again. Some are familiar and some are new.

Queen Annis died suddenly and peacefully in her sleep a year ago, so King Allard and Queen Merewald of Caerleon have returned to Camelot, this time bringing their six-year-old son, Prince Alistair, who was too young to make the journey two years prior. Ava, their one-year-old daughter, remained in Caerleon.

King Odin has returned as well, bringing his nephew and heir, Prince Maxwell. Age has softened the once-stern king's hard edges. Plus,the fact that his alliance with Camelot has proven itself to be mutually beneficial has made the grizzled king much more amiable on this visit.

King Olaf, Princess Vivian, and her husband, Rowan, have made the journey this time as well. Their daughter, who is just slightly younger than the twin princes, is too young for the trip, but as they missed the princes' blessing, they wished to attend this one. To everyone's relief, Vivian is a changed woman. No longer a spoiled, pampered, insufferable brat, her demeanor has been transformed into that of a mature, responsible woman to whom Olaf can pass the throne without fear of his kingdom collapsing under her care. She even apologized to Guinevere for how she treated her all those years ago and behaves towards Arthur in a pleasant and respectful manner as befitting a peer.

Queen Mithian has, of course, come to Camelot. She and her husband, King Leon, plan to stay the week so Leon can spend time with his family, friends, and comrades. It was a slow journey for them, as Mithian is expecting their first child, but the royal couple of Nemeth had no intention of missing the event.

Many were surprised when Leon left Camelot, but none could blame him, least of all Arthur. "Not a difficult decision, really. Stay here and remain First Knight until you can no longer lift a sword, or go off to be with your true love and become a king," he had simply said when Leon broke the news. "In all honesty, Guinevere and I are not surprised," Arthur had added. "Just, make certain you whip those knights of hers into shape, will you?"

"Of course, my lord," Leon had answered. "They'll be rivaling the Knights of Camelot in skill and strength in no time at all."

"Doubtful," Arthur replied, laughing and companionably clapping his soon to be former First Knight on the shoulder .

The first thing Leon did upon taking charge of the Knights of Nemeth was to do away with the odd chainmail veils on their helmets, declaring them "unsafe, unnecessary, and unsettling." This may have had something to do with the fact that when he tried on one of these helmets, his beard and the links of chainmail did not exactly get on .

Leon's departure left a vacancy in the ranks. The honored position of First Knight of Camelot was initially offered to Sir Percival, but he turned it down. He had no desire for command and was quite content to remain the Queen's Champion, a title normally reserved for the First Knight. Arthur, however, decided to make it a separate designation and honored Percival with it in recognition for his years of loyalty to the queen.

So, Percival continues to protect Queen Guinevere and train the youngest of the boys wishing to become knights, while his wife, Lady Violet, does her duty as one of Guinevere's two ladies-in-waiting. Percival and Violet have been married for a year and a half. They have already brought one strapping son into the world, and have recently announced they are expecting another. At only a year old, their son, Peyton, is nearly as big as the princes.

Guinevere's other lady-in-waiting is the former Princess Elena, now Lady Elena of Camelot. Since she is not heir to the throne of Gawant, it was easy for her to move to Camelot to be with Gwaine. They married shortly after Percival and Violet, but shortly before Leon and Mithian, and Gwaine has finally found the life he had been chasing.

In all his years of wandering and debauchery, it never occurred to him that what he craved was stability, security, and unconditional love. He had found all three in Elena, a woman whose wit and sense of adventure matches his own. He had even confessed his deepest, darkest secret to her: he is of noble birth. She appreciated his confiding in her, though she assured him it did not matter to her. She also gently persuaded him to tell Arthur the truth, stating it was only right for his king to know. Gwaine showed Arthur and Guinevere the ring he always wore on the chain around his neck. It bore the faded crest of Lord Owen of Essetir, a minor lord, but still a noble. The ring is the one item Gwaine kept when he left home.

Arthur was more surprised by the fact that Gwaine renounced his title than the fact Gwaine had a title. Gwaine explained that all he saw of nobility was corruption, cruelty, and abuse of power, and it sickened him. His father was killed in battle when he was very young, and the king refused aid to his mother. After his mother died, he chose to be penniless and good rather than rich and evil. Arthur understood completely, and even allowed he might have done the same if he were Gwaine. Guinevere stated she always saw the knight's inner nobility and was impressed by his integrity.

Sir Gwaine also humbly and graciously accepted the post of First Knight of Camelot. The appointment came as a shock to almost everyone, but Gwaine has proven himself a capable and trustworthy leader, and the men have continued to thrive under his command.

xXx

The blessing and presentation of Princess Arthes was a beautiful ceremony. Iseldir and the Druids returned once again to bestow their blessing upon the princess, and the judicious Druid leader declared that Arthes' beauty would only be surpassed by her wisdom and kindness. "Like her mother," Arthur had whispered, bringing a smile to Guinevere's lips.

Arthes was a very good baby throughout the entire ceremony. She was more interested in Geoffrey's beard than in the golden scepter, and briefly fussed during the shouts of "Long live Princess Arthes!"

The princes were as well-behaved as two-year-old twin boys can be at such an event. Gelda and Hunith stood on either side of them, holding their hands while the brothers held each other's hand in the middle. As soon as Arthur placed their sister in her bassinet, the boys started squirming. Arthur and Guinevere waved their sons over, deciding it would do no harm for their boys to join them while the people filed by to see their daughter. They started out with their father, one in each arm. Then, Llacheu wanted his mother. Two minutes after that, Guinevere was seated on her throne with both boys, their curly heads on her shoulders. Gwydre was the first to fall asleep.

The celebration feast was joyous and lasted well into the night as old friends caught up with each other and new friends were made.

Finally, after midnight, Arthur and Guinevere excuse themselves from the party. "Guinevere needs her rest, I'm afraid, and who am I to deny my queen?" Arthur stands and announces.

His statement is met with whistles and suggestive laughter from the area of the hall containing Gwaine and Merlin. Even Leon has a knowing smirk on his face, though he is quiet.

"All right, shut it, you lot," Arthur laughs, waving his hand at them. "Honestly, they're all married men now..." he mutters to a chuckling Guinevere as they exit.

"They're not wrong though, are they?" she asks, slyly looking up at him.

"Hmm? Wrong about...? Oh..." Arthur grins, stopping in the corridor to pull her into his arms. "I do hope not," he rumbles, leaning down to kiss her. "Especially because six weeks of waiting has become eight," he mutters against her lips, moving away just enough to speak.

"Nine," she corrects him. "We've been busy. Tired."

"Yes, well, we'll have to correct this situation," he says, nuzzling her nose once before gently pulling away. He takes her hand and they continue walking, a little faster, to their chambers.

Guinevere pauses outside the princes' room. "Let's look in on the children first," she says, biting her lip.

"Of course," Arthur agrees. "We have all night for ourselves; we can spare five minutes," he leans down and murmurs into her ear. "Nothing scheduled until noon tomorrow."

Guinevere smiles, kisses him, and they approach the doors. The guard on duty nods to them, and Arthur quietly pushes the door open. The single shaft of light from the corridor shines into the room, revealing one empty, rumpled bed and one bed containing two small boys lying facing each other. They mirror one another, even more identical that usual with their eyes closed. Llacheu's eyes have fully turned brown, while Gwydre's are bright blue, and this is the only way most people can tell them apart.

"Llacheu crawled in with Gwydre this time," Guinevere whispers, reaching down to brush the hair from Llacheu's forehead. Sometimes, they sleep in their own beds, but on nights where there is activity in the castle or stormy weather, one invariably crawls in with the other.

"Too much excitement," Arthur assesses, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. Guinevere bends down and kisses each boy on the cheek and pulls the blanket up higher over their shoulders. Arthur leans down and kisses his sons' foreheads, softly ruffling their curls. "I wonder how old they'll be when they stop climbing into bed with each other?" he muses as they exit the room.

"Don't worry, they won't be of age and still sharing a bed," Guinevere reassures him.

"I was mainly thinking aloud, not worrying. I rather like that they are so close. I expect they'll want separate rooms eventually," he says.

Guinevere smiles at him and squeezes his hand, knowing Arthur's feelings come from having no real siblings growing up combined with a father who kept his distance. Morgana was around, but he didn't know she was his half-sister until they were adults, and though he always thought of her like a sister, she was often "too busy" to pay attention to him.

They enter Arthes' room next, taking care to be extra quiet. All three children are good sleepers, but the wet nurse they employ for overnight feedings is sleeping on a bed on one side of the room while the princess slumbers in her cot on the other. Arthes is on her back, her little arms flung over her head. Her lips, full like her mother's, are slightly parted while her tongue works inside her mouth as though she were suckling.

"She must be dreaming about eating," Guinevere whispers, smiling. "It's so darling when they do that."

Arthur gazes down at his little daughter, marveling at how his heart is able to stretch to allow three more souls inside along with Guinevere. He realizes it is a very different kind of love, but it doesn't make it any less amazing. He reaches down and gently strokes her soft cheek, then kisses it.

"You are so besotted with her," Guinevere chuckles, watching her husband ponder their daughter. "You are never going to be able to tell her 'No', are you?" She straightens her daughter's blanket, then leans over and kisses her forehead.

Arthur looks up. "Hmm? Oh, probably not," he admits. "But, that's why she has you."

"Arthur..."

"I'm joking, Love," he says. "I will endeavor to treat her as fairly as I treat her brothers," he assures her, his hand over his heart.

"I'll believe that the first time she misbehaves in your presence and I'm not around," Guinevere says, poking his shoulder as they exit the nursery.

"Ow," Arthur protests, feigning injury. "I said I would 'endeavor'. I made no promise."

Guinevere laughs, pulling him into their chambers.

He wraps her in his embrace again, stopping her laughter with his lips. He kisses her deeply and slowly, hands sliding across her back as she bunches his shirt in her fingers.

Arthur gently pulls away and tucks his head into her neck. She expects him to start kissing her there, but he doesn't. He simply holds her close, almost clinging to her.

"Arthur?" she asks, gently running her fingers into his hair. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he sighs. "Nothing at all." He lifts his head and draws her into the interior of their room. They sit on the bed, side by side. "It just... hits me sometimes."

"What does?" she asks. She toes her slippers off and turns toward him, lifting her knee up onto the bed.

"When I look at our life together, our children, you... I... I sometimes realize..." he shakes his head, correcting himself, "remember how close I came to losing you... and if I had lost you I wouldn't have Llacheu, Gwydre,and Arthes. I wouldn't have lifted the ban on magic. I would have... I would have let Camelot crumble... handed it to Morgana on a silver platter..."

"Arthur," Guinevere breathes, stretching up to wrap her arms around him. "Don't you see, Love? You didn't lose me. Because you are better than all the obstacles put in your way. Stronger." He leans against her, his head on her chest. "Morgana, Agravaine, even Uther... countless others, they all failed to defeat you. You prosper and thrive because you are meant to do so. What is it Merlin always likes to say? It's your destiny. You're meant to be King of Camelot. You're meant to be a great king. You are a great king." She leans down and kisses his head. "It was a bit of a bumpy road, but you have traveled it and lived to tell the tale."

Arthur sighs. "You have not lost your gift, Wife ," he says, looking up at her. "You always have the words to soothe my troubled heart." He sits upright, takes her hands in his, and lifts them to his lips.

"I simply speak what is in mine , Husband," she answers, smiling. "It is all I have ever done where you are concerned."

"And, I thank you for it. I don't believe I've ever properly thanked you. Your words are life to me, Guinevere. I know I can always confide in you and trust you with my whole heart." He kisses her hands again. "With all of me," he adds. He turns her hand and kisses her palm, then the inside of her wrist.

"Feeling better?" she asks as he kisses a path up her arm.

"Yes," he murmurs, "thank you. When I think of all we've been through," he pauses, kissing her collarbone, "it makes me appreciate all we have." He kisses her neck. "I try not to dwell on what could have happened, because, well... it didn't." He kisses her jaw. "But, I want you to know that I have learned from our experiences." He kisses her lips, lingering. "I take nothing for granted, because I know it could be gone – taken from me – without warning." He kisses her again, leaning into her, easing her back against the pillows. The servants had been in earlier to turn the bed back and prepare the room for them, but Arthur excused them for the evening, knowing Guinevere and he would be late.

"I'm not going anywhere," Guinevere whispers, sliding her hands over his shoulders.

"Neither am I," Arthur answers, his lips brushing her skin as he speaks. "I love you so much, Guinevere."

She catches his wandering lips with hers and kisses him ardently, one hand moving into his hair. "With all my heart," she breathes, pulling him closer, holding him.

"With all my heart," he answers, softly kissing her ear. "Always."

-End-