The Dark Tower

Chapter 26 - Preparations and Panic

And then I could see him start grinning and I swiped at him with his sock. He easily grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me onto his lap.

‘Did you really think I’d want you to be different when we’re married?’

‘No, but-‘

‘No buts, Beth. You are the single most interesting, exciting, frustrating, fascinating woman I’ve ever met. And I’m so lucky to have you in my life, let alone in my arms. No, listen to me. For once,’ he said as I went to interrupt him. ‘When . . . when I found out that you’d gone away with Mab and Magistra to look for Merlin I knew you had to do it, but I was worried about you. Mordred told me where you’d gone but we had no idea whether to wait for you or try to find you, but maybe miss you and we could get stuck there. I was going to go on my own as Aithusa was so distraught that someone had to stay with her. And I found the three tunnels, but had no idea which one you’d taken, Percival was always the one with the tracking skills. But then something strange happened.’

‘Strange?’

‘Yes. It was as though . . . as though I could tell you were being looked after. That there was someone or something looking after you. That you were safe. And that you were coming home.’

Could that have been the time I’d met Eoin? Maybe there was a connection between Eoin in that world and Gwaine in this?

‘I nearly didn’t make it.’

‘But you did. That’s the important thing.’ He was looking at me seriously again now. ‘I know what you did and I know why you did it. I would have done the same. A quest is a quest, after all.’

‘Gwaine, I’m sorry. I should have thought more about you before rushing off to rescue Col- Merlin. But we didn’t have time to contact you.’

‘This time,’ he said. ‘But there won’t be a next time. Beth, all I ask of you is that you don’t face any danger without me.’ I nodded, holding him tight against me. This time, and possibly ONLY this time, I was going to obey him.

It was worth all the effort to see Merlin reunited with Aithusa who wouldn’t leave his side. We left the Dark Tower with Mab the following day, both of us anxious to be back at Camelot. I briefly wondered what would have happened to Colin in my old world. In fact to all of them, Eoin, Tom and Alex as well. And why Percival, Gwaine and Mordred had remained here while Merlin had been taken back. Except there was comment by the Doctor about only being one magical creature at a time. Perhaps that was it, Colin couldn’t be both Merlin AND Ariel. But it started to give me a headache and so I stopped thinking about it, just grateful that Gwaine was here with me now.

Gwaine wasn’t, of course, allowed to see my dress, but heard me scream with delight when I tried it on in the Impenetrable Forest. Mab had it flown by fairies to Camelot, and Gwaine and I followed at a more leisurely pace, comfortable just being with one another. The bells were ringing a peal of welcome as we returned, Gwen and Arthur happy to see both of us, Gwen eager to finalise the wedding arrangements. Invitations were sent, gifts started arriving, closely followed by guests, and the castle prepared for the first formal wedding since Percival and Éowyn. She arrived with news of her own, well, news of her and Percival’s first child, due in four months, and requested that I be there at the birth.

In preparing for the wedding, I took out the photo of my family and found Gwaine’s sister’s locket. I was in two minds whether to remind him of it, but in the end decided it was his and he should have it. He took it from me, turning it over in his hand before thanking me, kissing me on the forehead, and quietly leaving the room. I found him later, punishing a practice dummy with his longsword. He’d stripped off his shirt and I shamelessly watched the smooth muscles flexing and stretching as he attacked and disembowelled the innocent straw torso.