Yes, it's finally here! The sequel to Changing Lives and the last in the Changes trilogy. Please enjoy! :)

A wail filled the room as Merlin ran around it, searching. A louder, more insistent yell finally succeeded in stopping him in his tracks. "You're going to be late!"

Merlin wanted to roll his eyes but caught himself. "Of course I am. All of us slept in for once."

"That's no excuse. Now Arthur will be late too, and you know how he hates that," Morgana replied, marching over to her husband. She straightened his collar and handed him his red neckerchief.

"What am I supposed to do? Invent something to wake us up at the right hour?"

"Well, yes." Morgana walked over to the cradle. She bent over and picked up the week-old baby. "Hello there, love. I know, you're hungry." The baby, a girl, immediately quieted and squinted up at her mother. "Darling Niniane." Morgana kissed her child and sat down in the upholstered chair at the foot of the bed.

"You're going to miss the meeting," Merlin pointed out as he knelt in front of the chair.

Morgana glared at her husband. "What's more important? Our daughter or some silly meeting you can tell me about later?"

"Our daughter, of course." He kissed the feeding baby's cheek then pecked at Morgana's lips. He got up, slid his feet into his boots and left the room in haste. Because even though Arthur shouldn't depend on Merlin to wake him anymore, he still did. And he wouldn't be happy this morning.

He could hardly believe it had been a year since Morgause had surrendered to Arthur. So much had changed in Camelot since then. Morgause had actually complied with her punishment, and while not exactly docile, she was cooperative. Then there was the lifting of the magic ban. It had gone remarkably well, considering. Not everyone in Camelot approved, but even those that didn't had accepted that it was happening. There were still a couple of stages in the process left, but things were looking up. Arthur had also been sending envoys to other kingdoms, which had been received (mostly) well.

But the biggest changes have been personal. Prince Amr, Heir to the throne of Camelot, had been born three weeks ago. He was a beautiful blend of his parents, with Arthur's eyes, Gwen's dark hair and skin a few shades lighter than his mother's. The celebrations had been so spirited that Merlin had heard people were still recovering.

His own daughter, the most beautiful girl ever born, came two weeks after her cousin. He was fortunate that Morgana had allowed him to be present at her birth, along with Gaius and Morgause. She'd magically silenced him after a couple of hours though, because he'd been "repeating the same stupid things over and over again." But even silent, he was glad he'd gotten to witness one of the most beautiful- though messy -events of his life so far.

He knocked on the door to the royal chambers. It was a new habit of his, ever since he hadn't knocked once and blundered in to find . . . something he couldn't un-see. Unfortunately. Merlin, Gwen and Arthur couldn't look at each other for days and Morgana got a good laugh every time they got together.

Eventually he heard "come in" so he opened the door and went through. He found the King and Queen sitting up in bed, their little bundle of joy sleeping between them. They both looked at him groggily before a flash of remembrance flashed over Arthur's face. "The meeting!" he said and looked at his Court Sorcerer to confirm. Merlin nodded and Arthur jumped out of bed.

"Idiot! Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he asked as he stumbled behind the screen where his clothes were laid out.

"Niniane slept in for once. We just woke up ourselves!" Merlin glanced at Gwen, who was tying a robe around herself. She rolled her eyes in Arthur's direction. Merlin smiled.

"That's terrible—using your own daughter as an excuse."

"It's not an excuse! Gwen, tell him."

"It's true, Arthur, babies sometimes do that," the Queen verified.

"And I don't have anyone to wake me in the morning. The Round Table will just have to wait for you."

Arthur stepped out from behind the screen, fully dressed. "True. Actually I'm always on time and everyone else is early."

Gwen smiled at her husband and stepped up to give him a kiss. "What about breakfast?"

"Someone can fetch it for us when we get there. Come, Merlin." Arthur headed for his door and left the room, Merlin trailing along behind him.

Gwen just smiled and went back to the bed to wait for her son to wake up. Then maybe she could go back to sleep for a bit. Amr was apparently not as good a sleeper as Niniane.

xxxXxxx

Arthur and Merlin entered the throne room one after the other. The King moved to take his place at the table, Merlin to his right. Gwen's place, to Arthur's left, and Morgana's place, to Merlin's right, remained empty. They'd normally be at such meetings, but they were busy with the babies, of course.

The King stood to speak. "Noble Knights of Camelot, countrymen, friends. I welcome you to this meeting of the Round Table. We have been blessed with peace and prosperity for over a year. But now, it seems a shadow has been cast across our lands.

"Sir Gwaine set off for Ismere about six weeks ago. He took three score of our finest men. There has been no word from them since." He glanced over at Elyan, who nodded. "At my request, Sir Elyan led a search party to the badlands of the north. He found no sign of Gwaine or his men. It is as if they have disappeared from the face of the Earth."

"I take it we intend to look for them, sire?" Sir Leon spoke.

"Indeed. To that end, I will form a plan with my privy council. Everyone please make ready for an extended trip to the north. Sir Gareth." He nodded at the Knight, who was next in command to Leon. They had other things to discuss here without him.

Arthur stood, Merlin, Leon and Elyan following. Gaius, who'd just entered the room, exited with the other men. They intercepted a servant with two breakfasts on the way. Arthur turned him around and the group headed to the council chambers.

The servant laid the food on the table and departed. Arthur unrolled the maps that were sitting there and smoothed them out. He and Merlin sat on one side of the table so they could eat and talk at the same time. Elyan pointed to the map. "We know Gwaine and his men crossed the pass, here, at Isulfor. But beyond that, there was no trace. The trail went cold."

"What of this story that the fortress of Ismere has been occupied once more?" Arthur asked.

"I heard many rumors, Sire. All of them had one name in common . . . Ruadan."

"Who?"

"A rogue Druid. He's rumored to be building up an army. For what purpose, I don't know. If he has our men you could be walking into a trap."

"The Knights of Camelot do not abandon their own." Arthur replied.

"Ruadan may guess that. He'll be waiting for you."

"These men have fought for me, bled for me . . ."

Merlin interrupted him. "May I make a suggestion? What if we went a different way? Come at Ismere from the west?"

"Through Annis' lands?"

"That would certainly take him by surprise," Gaius theorized.

"Would Annis grant safe passage to so many armed men?"

"I believe she would, sire," Leon said.

"Send a messenger immediately. We'll follow at dawn. Remember, if we're to succeed, no one can know of our plans." Leon nodded. He and Elyan left the room to carry out their duties with the rest of the knights. Arthur turned to Gaius. "Can you find out everything you can about this Ruadan? Maybe Morgause knows of him or knows people who might."

"It's worth a try, sire."

"Thank you, Gaius. Now I believe we have some packing to do, Merlin." He paused to wait for the warlock's answer. None was forthcoming, so he turned to see Merlin stuffing his face. He rolled his eyes and walked back to Merlin. He stood there and tapped his foot until Merlin swallowed.

"Okay," Merlin said. He got up and followed Gaius and his king from the room.

xxxXxxx

In the throne room at Ismere, Ruadan sat on the room's only chair. His second-in-command entered the room and the ex-Druid looked up in interest. "We have the last of the Camelot patrol?"

"Do you think Arthur will send more?" the man asked.

"I'm not worried about that."

"I think we're running out of time."

Ruadan stood. "Once we know how to take him and Camelot down we will wait no longer."

"But how will we know?

"The Diamair will tell us. The Diamair is the key to all knowledge."

"Then where is this key?"

"It is here, beneath our feet." They both looked down at the floor as if they could see what lay beneath.

"We've been searching for three months and have found nothing."

"It is but a moment compared to the eternity of knowledge the key will bring."

"That is true."

"Patience is the stepping stone to wisdom. Now, send the men of that patrol down to the mines. See to it that they are treated . . . well." He smiled a cruel little smile. The man nodded and left the room.

Ruadan turned and sat back down in the throne. Soon he would have the key and know how to bring Arthur and Camelot to ruin. Soon he would have his revenge.

xxxXxxx

When Merlin got back to his and Morgana's chambers, Morgana had dressed and was holding Niniane while eating breakfast at the table one-handed. "Come hold your daughter." Merlin came over and took Niniane from her. "How did it go?"

"It was short, really short. The group Arthur sent to the north with Gwaine is missing. We're going after them."

"Is that safe?"

"Probably not. There's an ex-Druid out there named Ruadan. He's gathering followers for some reason."

"I think Morgause may have mentioned that name once."

"Oh good. Arthur told Gaius to talk to her."

"When do you leave?"

"At first light, of course. In fact I need to be packing." But he didn't move to put the baby down, just cuddled her closer.

Morgana smiled up at her husband. He was particularly adorable like this. "I wish I could go."

"I wish you could too. We're going to try to go through Caerleon, if Annis will let us. I know you and she get along really well."

"Yeah," Morgana said fondly. In fact, Annis had given her good advice on raising children and keeping the love in a marriage. Morgana knew from her time at court how marriages could sour after many years, and she wanted hers to last.

She finished her dinner and got up from the table. She crossed to their wardrobe and removed a traveling bag from the bottom. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"As long as it takes, I guess." Merlin continued rocking his daughter; she was almost asleep again.

By the time Niniane was asleep, Morgana had packed several items for Merlin. Since he'd been promoted, he had lots of new clothes, so he had things exclusively for summer and winter. Finer things. She and Gwen had slowly gotten rid of his old, worn clothing. She'd packed his winter cloak and he would wear his winter jacket. There as bound to be snow on the ground where he was heading.

Merlin had laid his daughter in the cradle and came to see how Morgana was doing. He checked through the bag, deemed what she had in there as fine then began gathering other things to pack.

He spent much of the rest of the day with Morgana and Niniane, giving them extra love for the time he was gone. He just hoped the mission went well and that this man with unknown intentions hadn't waylaid Gwaine's group. He didn't want have to use his power against a fellow sorcerer if he didn't have to.

xxxXxxx

Arthur had assembled a bigger force than Merlin had expected, at least twenty men. After a bit of instruction from the King, they were on their way. They hoped to make it to Caerleon's capitol by sundown. No one wanted to spend the night on the cold ground.

Late in the afternoon, the group had made it to the gorge that marked the border between Camelot and Caerleon. A few minutes later, a rider wearing Camelot's colors approached the head of the group where Arthur, Merlin, Leon, and Elyan rode. It was the messenger Leon had sent the previous morning. He informed them that Queen Annis welcomed them to Caerleon and had given them permission to cross its borders.

They made it to her keep at nightfall. She greeted them at the door and led the group inside where she had a banquet prepared for them. Arthur thanked her graciously and led everyone to her banquet hall where the food was waiting for them.

Once they were all seated, Arthur turned to Annis. "I am most grateful that you have allowed us safe passage through your kingdom."

"We are allies, Arthur, and these are troubled times," she replied. "Some months ago, Saxons began raiding our villages. They're capturing all the men they can find and taking them to Ismere."

"To build an army?"

"People say someone named Ruadan is tearing the keep apart."

"Why? Do you know anything about him?"

"No. He must be looking for something. I'm not sure I want to know what."

"Then my men may still be alive?"

"Yes. It's very likely." She sighed then smiled at Merlin at Arthur's left. Fortunately she remembered his promotion and hadn't called him a fool again. "I think it's time for some entertainment. I understand you're quite the sorcerer, Merlin. I would love to see what you can do with your magic. Would you show us?"

Merlin smiled back at her. He didn't usually like performing on command like this, but the Queen was being quite generous with her time and resources, so he thought it was only fair. He accepted and stood amidst interested clapping. After stepping around to a place with more space, he held out his hand and said clearly, "Leoht."

Several people around the room uttered "ah" at the same time. Caerleon had had a more lenient policy toward magic before Uther died, but it still had been illegal. Since Arthur's proclamation, Annis had made her own, but like Camelot, many hadn't seen magic performed openly before.

Merlin smiled and, with another flash of his eyes, sent the ball of light flying slowly around the room. Some people tried to touch it or catch it, but he sped it away from those. Some eyed it with a bit of suspicion, but most watched it, fascinated. He slowly brought it to the center of the hall and murmured "Ásplæte."

The ball split into several smaller balls and there was another "ah" by the crowd. With a flash of Merlin's eyes, some of the balls changed color. Merlin smiled; what he was going to do next he'd never done before. "Brotette," he whispered, and all the balls burst into sparks at the same time.

This time, there were many different exclamations followed by loud applause. He bowed and walked back over to the Queen, where he smiled before holding out his hand and saying, "Blóstma." A long-stemmed yellow rose appeared in his hand. He bowed floridly and handed the rose to the Queen, who thanked him.

As Merlin retook his seat, Arthur leaned over to him "Why don't you bow like that to me?"

Merlin looked him up and down before saying, "Well, sire, you're not a Queen, are you?"

Arthur was caught out for a moment before he asked, "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Well, remember when you loaned me the vault key a few months ago?" Arthur nodded. "I'd found a few magic books down there when we did that inventory. So I just found them again and brought them out. The spells for that trick were in there."

Arthur laughed and clapped him on the back. Then they both sat back to enjoy the dinner and the rest of the entertainment Annis had called upon.

xxxXxxx

Back in Camelot, Gwen's handmaid, Sefa, was serving Gwen and Morgana dinner. Gwen picked up her fork, looked down at the plate and frowned. "I can't eat this, I'm sorry," she said.

"I'll get you something else, my lady," Sefa replied.

Morgana put her hand on Gwen's arm. "Are you all right?"

"No. It's not that. I'm just worried about my husband." She looked up at Sefa. "Would you like to sit with us?" Sefa looked surprised but nodded then sat in the chair across from Morgana. "Are you hungry?" Gwen moved her plate in front of Sefa.

"Thank you, my lady," the girl replied.

"Eat. Please. You'd think I'd be used to it by now . . . not knowing if he'll return."

"I'm not sure why you're worried," Morgana said. "Merlin's with him—you know they'll both make it home more or less in one piece."

"True, but . . ."

Sefa spoke again. "You love him. It's understandable."

"Do you have someone you worry about?" Gwen asked her. Sefa nodded. "But not someone you want to talk about."

"No, my lady." She looked down at her plate but kept talking. "But there's no greater warrior than the King. He will return."

"I know. You're right. Thank you."

Morgana smiled at the exchange. "Simple truths make all the difference, don't they?" Gwen nodded and took a sip from her goblet.

Morgana and Sefa continued eating. When they were finished, Sefa stood and picked up both plates. "Is there anything else my ladies need before I retire for the night?"

"No, thank you," both women replied. Sefa curtsied and left the room.

Morgana drifted over to the bed where both babies lay, miraculously, asleep. She sat gently next to them and watched their tiny chests move up and down as they breathed. After a few moments, she looked up to see the Queen standing at the window, brooding just like Arthur does.

"They really will be okay, you know."

Gwen turned to look at her. "The rational part of me agrees with you completely. The emotional part . . . is less sure."

Morgana got up carefully. She embraced her longtime friend and asked, "Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?"

"No, I'll be all right." She turned back to face out the window. Morgana kept an arm around her back and stood there with her. A few minutes later, they both saw Sefa leave the city. They looked at each other and smiled, both thinking of their wandering but stalwart husbands.

What did you think so far? I'd love to hear from you! Next- Merlin and Arthur run into someone unexpected.