Page 83 of To Love a Dark Lord

Merlin chuckled. “No.”

“Phew. That’s all I need. Uncle Arthur lurking in the hallways, judging me.” Gwen snickered. “Or Lancelot. Or Percival. Or Galahad. Or…a lot of people.” She frowned, her mirth instantly fading.

“You’re quickly learning the cost of power.”

She glanced down at her steel finger. It was beautiful, she had to admit. She loved it. She just wished she didn’t have to have it. “Yeah. But hey. I come with a bonus letter-opener now.”

Merlin laughed and patted her on the back. “I hope you never lose your sense of humor.”

“Are you staying?”

“Me? Bah! No. This island is only big enough for one all-powerful magic-wielding lunatic.” He waved his hand dismissively in the air. “You hardly need me now.”

“But maybe I want the company.”

“You will have no shortage of company. Every single one of the elementals and the villagers will be vying for your favor now. You’ll have to fend friends off with a stick.” Merlin shook his head. “No, I would just get in the way.”

She tucked her hands into her coat. She couldn’t really feel the steel finger—but she had an awareness of it. Like it was really shot up with Novocain. It still ached, underneath where it attached. She figured it was going to hurt for a while. “I guess. But I’m still going to miss you.”

“I know. And I will miss you too.” He put an arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his side in a hug. “You did phenomenally.”

“Did I? I…I don’t know, was I too harsh on Mordred?”

“No. You did exactly what you had to do to get the elementals to trust you. And you’ll need to keep it that way if you want to keep the peace around here.”

“I love him, though.” Cringing, she sighed. She did really love Mordred. The thought of going forever without him hurt. But the idea of forgiving him and moving on like he hadn’t done anything at all felt equally as wrong.

“Like I said. The cost of power.” Merlin let her go and began to walk away. “That is what we wizards do! Figure things out. That is all we are, when you think about it—just a series of endless points in time where we make shit up and get things done.”

The old, dignified man that Doc had become sounded really hysterical when he swore. She chuckled. “I guess.” More goodbyes. “Bye, Doc.”

“Goodbye. You will be brilliant. Not as brilliant as me, mind you. But brilliant.” He grinned at her over his shoulder before disappearing into thin air.

She really hoped she didn’t go as nuts as he did. Was. Is. Whatever. But she figured that amount of time would do that to anybody.

Looking back up at the ruins of Camelot, she took a breath, and let it out in a rush. “Let’s get started then.”

EPILOGUE

THREE HUNDRED YEARS LATER

Every now and then, Gwen would sit at her round table and look at the faces of her council and consider how much things had changed over the years. Bert was the only original member of her court who was still there. The others had either retired or died from old age.

Three of the governors of the major cities attended to represent their people. Three elementals. Herself as the seventh, and Bert as the eighth, and the ninth was a volunteer chosen at random from the population and cycled every few years or so.

The matters they discussed were generally pretty mundane.

So-and-so wants this dispute settled. The arrival of visitors from some other dimension has caused a stir. The gates to a thousand strange worlds had reopened as soon as Camelot had been completed, and now a regular flow of new folks had begun.

Some of them stayed.

They had flying fish on the island now—literally fish that just swam through the air instead of water, which was rather enjoyable to watch. Gwen’s dogs loved to chase them around, barking and trying to catch them, like they were squirrels.

Eod had passed on, as was the way with pets, many years ago now. But his lineage remained, and she had raised generations of his great-great-whatever-grand pups. She still missed them all, especially her best boy. But he had lived a long, healthy, happy life, and had chosen when it was his time to go. And that was the most anybody could ask for, she supposed.

Speaking of which, one of her dogs was asleep under the table on her feet, and she couldn’t feel her toes.

“And now on to the final matter.” One of the elementals, a creature of water named Iban, interrupted her thoughts. “One of the newest of our kind, an air elemental named Eulain, raided the supply depot of a merchant trader at the port. He refuses to give up what he stole. He is claiming that it is his by right.”

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