So... Hello?

Is anybody still there?

Gosh, what can I say, I am beyond sorry, beyond ashamed for disappearing for so long!

What can I say? Real life and procrastination totally caught me... Those days it feels like my brain just can't get to writing... I hope you understand!

I see however that some people still come and read and therefore I could never not finish this story! I promise!

Anyway, enough of my excuses (and I am truly sorry!), here is chapter 48!

I hope it does make up a bit for the lost time!

Enjoy!

Chapter 48:

Gwen heaved a relieved sigh as Arthur closed the door behind himself, one hand coming up to rub her tired eyes. She didn't mind the extra work much but, as she told her husband she, too, was worried about Merlin.

She just didn't express it by staring out of a window for hours. Instead, she spent sleepless nights fretting over everything that could have gone wrong. And her brain was very inventive. It had certainly come up with what felt like hundreds of different scenarios, each more tragic than the last for both Merlin and the kingdom.

She sighed again. She wished the warlock would just hurry up and come back for both hers and Arthur's nerves. And her sleep.

But, unfortunately, wishing did not help rule their kingdom and those reports wouldn't read themselves. She focused back on the pile in front of her.

She had just finished the las one and was stretching her painful back when there was a knock at the door.

Already preparing herself from the worst, she called out for the person to enter.

Elyan appeared and bowed slightly. Gwen relaxed a bit and shook her head in exasperation.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to bow to me Elyan?"

"One more time I guess." The knight answered with a smile.

Gwen gestured for him to join her at the table and waited as he sat down.

"What brings you here then?"

"Aithusa has been seen." He announced, making Gwen's pulse race as she half-rose from her chair, ready to go meet the young dragon.

She was already wondering why the dragon was there and Merlin wasn't with her. Elyan stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Arthur went to talk to her. Her appearance agitated the Lower Town."

She fell back on her chair with a sigh, worry gnawing at her heart. Elyan seemed to notice it because he rubbed his hand on her arm.

"Don't worry too much Gwen. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything happened to Merlin."

He sounded confident but it didn't really help her relax. She just couldn't help but imagine the worst.

"I don't know… He should have been back days ago…"

"It's Merlin, you know how he is. He always gets caught up in what he's doing. And you forget Gwaine is with him. He would rather die than let anything happen to Merlin."

Gwen sighed.

"Yes… Yes, I know. But still. After all that happened I just can't bear the thought of Merlin being hurt again."

"Me neither. But we have to trust him. He does know what he's doing."

"Most of the time." The queen added, a familiar joke in their group.

Elyan smiled.

"That's it. Do you want me to stay with you until Arthur's back?"

"I'd like that yes… Thank you Elyan."

The knight nodded before settling more comfortably in his chair. And before long he was telling her all the castle gossip she had missed to distract her from her worries.

It worked perfectly and Gwen and her brother were still laughing when Arthur came back an hour later. He stopped in the doorway for a long minutes before Gwen noticed him. She immediately jumped up and hurried towards him, anxiety returning.

"Arthur? What did Aithusa say? Is Merlin okay? Why wasn't he with her?"

Arthur raised his hands against the rapid onslaught of questions.

"Calm down Gwen. Merlin is fine. Aithusa came to apologize for his lateness. She said that the potion took longer than Merlin expected to work."

The queen finally felt herself relax. Merlin was alright. She hugged her husband with a relieved laugh.

"Thank god for that. Did the potion work?"

"Yes, Aithusa said a lot of them came."

Gwen smiled broadened. She was delighted for her friend. He had achieved his goal. She just couldn't wait to see him again.

"Did she tell you when Merlin and Gwaine will be back?"

"No. But I guess it will not take long now."

In the end, not long turned out to be another week.

Another week of Arthur passing half his time staring out of the window and the other half complaining about late manservants unable to keep track of time.

Another week of troubled sleep for Gwen.

Admittedly it wasn't quite as bad as it has been the first week of Merlin's absence but still, she couldn't help but think about what could still go wrong. A bandit attack, a spooked bucking horse, a wild animal or even dragons attacking Merlin and Gwaine. True, that last hypothesis wasn't really probable with Merlin being a dragonlord but one could never be sure.

To keep herself busy she decided to supervise some of the Lower Town renovation. She and Arthur had decided that it would be a good idea to reorganize the Market Place so it was cleaner and more organized.

And that's why she was the first to see the two horses arriving from the distance. She strained her eyes, heart beating hopefully. As they approached she noticed two black haired man, one with long hair, the other with short. It was the unmistakable sight of a red neck scarf that definitely settled the identity of the two newcomers.

Without hesitation, she gathered her dress and started running towards the horses, ignoring the shocked cries of her maid.

She and the two horsemen met just outside the gates and she was relieved to see that, even if they both looked tired, both Merlin and Gwaine were unharmed.

"Merlin! Gwaine!" She cried out to them.

The knight waved at her and Merlin grinned. They stopped their horses and dismounted. Gwen waited just long enough for the younger man to settle on the ground before throwing herself at him, squeezing him probably too hard.

"I was so worried! Are you alright? What happened?" She asked letting go of him and observing him with scrutinizing eyes.

"I'm fine Gwen, just tired."

"I'm fine too, in case anyone wondered." Gwaine pipped in for where he was standing a few paces away. "Can I have a hug too?"

"I don't think so, no, Sir Gwaine." The voice of the king interrupted.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried out, taking a step away from Gwen.

"Is this what you call a few days Merlin?"

The warlock blushed, head dropping.

"Well…"

"We were worried about you!"

"So you do care…" Merlin teased with a small smile.

"Don't you dare, Merlin!" The king thundered.

The young man looked chastised, he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry Arthur. I didn't think it would take that long… Really."

A tense silence fell as both men stared at each other, Merlin apologetically and Arthur annoyed.

"Right." The king finally said, stepping forward to quickly hug his friend. "Just, never do it again."

"Great. Now that all the hugging has been done can we have a feast to celebrate? I'm starving! Also I wouldn't say no to some good wine!"

Gwen laughed. She had missed them. The castle had definitely been far too quiet without their most boisterous knight and clumsy warlock.

"Yes, I think you both deserved a good warm meal." The queen decided before her husband could complain further. "And then, a good night sleep."

"Gwen, you are my favourite." Gwaine declared.

"Yes, yes, I know, but you're still not getting a hug." She answered with a smile.

The knight grumbled but remounted his horse to get it to the stable, leading Merlin's as Gwen refused to let go of her friend for the time being. The warlock laughed and let himself be led back to the castle. Finally, Gwen felt content again.

Soooo, am I a little bit forgiven? Write me a little encouragement!

Also, if anyone is interested I'll try to post soon my non-fanfiction stories on my fictionpress account (because I like them even if I'm never selected in my writing competition).