Author's Note: What am I trying to do, kill myself? I'm working on four fanfictions now and I can barely update one regularly. Make that, I don't update any of them regularly. But I just had to start a Merlin one. And I've had this idea for ages... Anyway, I hope you enjoy! I will try to update as regularly as possible, but I start student teaching in a week, so we'll see if the routine helps me write more, or if I just don't have time to write at all. This story just takes place randomly around season one. No real time frame. No one has gone evil yet.

-1-

The bitter taste of the argument Morgana had just had with Uther was still strong in her mouth as she rode away from the castle. She turned her horse toward the forest, still fuming over her guardian's harsh words. Earlier that day, a young woman had been brought forward on trial, accused of witchcraft. Morgana had recognized her as one of the maids who worked in the castle. The girl was obviously no witch. Morgana had tried to reason with Uther, but the king of Camelot had stubbornly refused to see reason. There was no reasoning with him where magic was concerned. Morgana knew this, but it enraged her to see the king so blinded by his hatred. He would see anyone executed who showed even the smallest signs of magic – whether it was all in his head or not.

Morgana shook with fury as she rode on. The shadow of the woods swallowed her, and she slowed her horse, trying to calm herself. Sometimes it was difficult being ward to the king. She had to stand by and watch as Uther overreacted to everything and brought down strict and unjust sentences. He was not all bad – he had shown her kindness and given her everything she needed – but that did not overshadow his ill-deeds.

So lost in her thoughts was Morgana that she did not noticed as four figures darted around her horse, hiding themselves behind the thick trunks of the trees and the lush undergrowth, full with summer berries. She only became aware that something was amiss when her horse threw his head up, stopping short. His grey ears flickered backwards, and he let out a low whinny.

Morgana tensed, her eyes flitting around the trees. She had a knife hidden under her cloak and drew it, watching the forest around her warily. For a moment, she saw nothing, but then four men strode out of the trees, forming a loose circle around her. Bandits. Morgana wielded her knife, steadying her horse as he sidestepped.

"We'll be having your valuables," one of the men said, grinning toothily up at her.

"I haven't got any on me," Morgana replied briskly, her blue eyes flashing.

"Well then, what about yourself? I know the king thinks you're valuable. I wonder how much he'd pay to get you back if you went missing?" the man said, taking a step forward.

"How dare you," Morgana said, eyes narrowing. She held the knife out at him, but she knew she was outnumbered. She cursed herself for having been so careless. Before she could react, all four men jumped forward, pulling her from the saddle. Morgana screamed, striking out with her knife. There was the sound of hoof beats and a rider galloped up to them. There was a 'twanging' as an arrow was released, and one man fell. Before they could fully grasp what was happening, two more men had arrows imbedded in their chests. The fourth man turned and ran, leaving his fallen comrades behind.

Morgana straightened herself in the saddle, turning to see who her rescuer was. To her surprise, a girl her age rode forward. She had long golden hair that was braided down her back, and light blue eyes framed by a heart-shaped face. A long scratch ran down one cheek, marring her smooth skin. It looked recent though it had begun to heal. The clothes she wore were ragged as if they had seen a lot of travel. She wore men's breeches and a loose tunic covered by a green cloak. Her riding boots bore holes, though they had obviously been quality shoes a long time ago.

"Are you alright?" She lowered the recurve bow that she had fired with such accuracy.

Morgana nodded. "Thanks to you. You're an amazing shot."

The girl smiled. "Thank you."

"Where did you come from?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, North," the girl replied vaguely. "I'm actually traveling to Camelot."

"I can take you there," Morgana said. "That's where I live. I'm Morgana."

"Amaryllis, but you can call me Ryll."

"Well, Ryll, you must stay and be my guest. I'm the king's ward, and when he hears of your bravery, he'll be honored to welcome you into his castle."

Ryll opened her mouth to reply, but was cut short. To neither of the girls' knowledge, the remaining bandit had come back to where they sat talking, a crossbow in hand. He released the arrow. Hearing the noise, his target had moved just before his arrow could breach her heart. It struck, instead, her left side, burying itself deeply. The girl put a hand to her side, her hands coming away red and sticky with blood. Morgana gasped, and then turned, knife in hand and hurled it at the man. It hit him in the back as he fled, striking him down.

"Amaryllis!" Morgana grabbed the girl before she slid from the saddle. Her clear blue eyes flickered shut, and she lost consciousness. "No." She watched as the arrow wound bled, soaking the girl's tunic in scarlet.

…

Horses clattered into the courtyard as Merlin and Gaius made their way back to the physician's quarters after making their rounds. A fever had been spreading around some of the families who lived near the west wall.

"Gaius!" The old physician turned to see Morgana riding up, her black hair wild and tangled, her horse panting. She led a second horse behind her, a small chestnut with an unconscious rider draped over its neck. "Please, you've got to help her. She's been shot in the side with an arrow."

"Get her down," Gaius told Merlin, motioning for him to carry the girl back to their quarters. Merlin gently pulled the girl down, taking her weight in his arms. Already she had lost a lot of blood. The arrow shaft was thick and deadly looking from where it protruded from her side. Morgana hovered behind him as they made their way back to the physician's quarters.

"Please, you have to help her. She saved my life in the forest," Morgana pleaded.

"We'll do what we can," Gaius assured her, but Merlin noticed his expression was grim.

…

Merlin set the girl down on a table in the physician's quarters, careful not to tear the wound. He watched anxiously as Gaius withdrew the arrow. The wound began to bleed profusely.

"We need to clean the wound," Gaius told Merlin, handing him a clean, wetted cloth. Merlin set to work, cleaning off the blood before working to staunch it. "If we don't stop that bleeding, she will die," Gaius said, his tone dark. Merlin helped him to wrap a bandage around her waist, watching as the white cloth grew dark with blood.

"Morgana, I wonder if you might get me some fresh water," Gaius asked suddenly.

"Yes, of course." She left the room, casting one last glance back at the girl.

"This wound is very bad, Merlin," Gaius informed him, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure if she's going to make it. The arrow was barbed and has done considerable damage inside of her."

"We can't just let her die. Surely there's something we can do."

"No, we cannot risk it. You've seen how hard Uther has been striking down on anyone he suspects to be using sorcery."

"But we can't just give up! I know I can save her!" Merlin argued, feeling frustrated.

Gaius shook his head, turning to mix some herbs to help stop the bleeding. "This will take away the pain," he said, taking a pestle in hand and running it around the stone mortar, crushing the fragrant herbs.

Merlin leaned over the girl, observing how young she was – probably his age. He couldn't just let her die. He put a hand over her wound, closing his eyes to concentrate. That was when she woke up. He could feel a tremor as she gained consciousness. It was as if the skin beneath his hand was burning up. He opened his eyes to find himself looking into a bright blue set. His eye caught sight of something strange. A small silver ring hung around the girl's neck, caught up around a silver chain. The small purple stone within seemed to glow and pulse with energy before fading. He wondered if it had just been a trick of the light.

"What happened?" the girl asked, her eyes wide. Merlin could feel her heart beating violently beneath his touch and quickly removed his hand from her side.

"You were shot. With an arrow." The girl's eyes narrowed as she watched him.

Gaius looked over at him sternly, but Merlin shook his head. "I didn't do anything," he said honestly.

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, accusatorily.

"Nothing." He turned back to the girl. "I just mean, you seem to have recovered on your own. The bleeding stopped."

"Amazing," Gaius said. Merlin could tell by his tone that he still suspected that he had used some form of magic to heal the girl. What he had felt, what he had witnessed, felt like magic, but he couldn't be sure. The girl who lay before him looked scared and confused, unable to account for what had happened to her in the last few minutes.

Before anything else could be said, Morgana re-entered the room carrying a bucket of water. This time Arthur was at her side.

"You're awake," Morgana cried, setting aside the bucket.

"Yes, thanks to your healers," the girl answered, her eyes flicking back to Merlin.

"Her wound was not as bad as we supposed it was," Gaius said, throwing Merlin a look.

"I was told she saved Morgana's life," Arthur said, stepping forward. "That was very brave of you," he addressed the girl.

She blushed. "It was nothing. It appears in the end, Morgana saved my life as well." She looked gratefully over at Morgana.

"You must stay in Camelot as a guest. I will tell my father of your deed. I'm sure he'll want to thank you in person when you're feeling up to it."

"Thank you." The girl smiled up at him.

"I'll let you rest." Arthur left the room. The girl's eyes trailed after him.

"Arthur," Morgana explained. "He's the king's son."

"What must he think of me?" the girl gazed down at her bedraggled appearance.

"He doesn't care," Merlin assured her.

"I'll let you rest," Morgana said to her. "When you're feeling better, I'll introduce you to Uther. I know he'll be pleased to meet you. I'll give you one of my dresses to wear, so you can change out of those clothes."

"Thank you. You're too kind."

"We'll examine the wound and bandage it properly now that the bleeding has stopped and assess whether or not it would be wise to move you yet," Gaius told her. "If so, then you can be moved to a more comfortable room."

"Merlin can come get me when you're ready to move," Morgana said. "I'll get my maid to ready a room for you."

After Morgana had left, Merlin turned back to the girl. "What's your name?" he asked.

She watched him with curious eyes, not quite trusting, but yet penetrating as if she could tear away the layers of secrecy away with just a glance. He swallowed, feeling as if she could guess his secret just by looking at him.

"Amaryllis," she said. "But that's such a mouth-full. Call me Ryll."

"I'm Merlin, and this is Gaius."

"I take it I'm in Camelot."

"Yes, you are."

"And you healed me?"

"Yes, Gaius mainly. I'm just here for support mostly."

"That was a pretty bad wound," Ryll said suspiciously.

Merlin wondered why she was sounding so suspicious. Did she suspect that he had healed her using magic? But he hadn't. Somehow she had healed before he could speak a word. Was she magic? She either hid it well or had no idea. Could he have healed her just with the touch of his hand?

"Gaius is a really, really good healer," Merlin assured her. She narrowed her eyes but didn't argue.

"Let's look at that wound," Gaius said, coming over. Merlin removed the temporary bandage that was soaked in blood. He nearly dropped it when he saw that the wound was only a small mark now, no blood to be found.

"I've always been a fast healer," Ryll said, but her tone was disbelieving.

No one said anything. "We should bandage it, just in case," Merlin said finally. Ryll sat up and silently watched as he bandaged around her waist, tying it neatly at the ends. She pulled the ends of her ragged, blood-soaked tunic down, covering the bandage.

"Thank you," she said, looking at both of them. "I think I might take Morgana up on her offer of a more comfortable room. I think some rest in a bed might be just what I need to make a full recovery." Merlin turned to Gaius.

"I see no reason why she can't be moved."

"Why don't I take you up to Morgana's room. I'm sure she'll have set you up nearby," Merlin said.

"Alright."

"Let me help you. You don't want to strain the wound." Ryll put an arm over his shoulder, letting him put an arm around her good side and help her off the table. She felt warm next to him, and he could smell pine and earth on her clothes and in her hair.

"I can walk," she said to him, retracting her arm and holding it protectively around herself, avoiding touching her left side.

"Alright." They headed toward Morgana's room, Merlin anxiously watching Ryll. The girl showed no signs of discomfort. They walked in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts until they reached Morgana's room.

"I just made up the room right next door." Merlin turned to see Gwen walking toward them, her arms full of sheets.

"Thank you," Ryll said, smiling at the girl. "Will you tell Morgana I'll be resting there?"

"Of course. If you need anything, just let me know. I'm Gwen."

"Ryll. And thank you again."

Ryll let Merlin walk her to the door before turning to him. "I'm not sure how you healed me, but thank you. I realize I owe you my life. If I can ever return that favor, I will."

"Well, like you said, you're obviously a fast healer." There was more to it and they both knew it but either she wasn't willing to divulge the truth or she didn't understand what had happened any more than him.

"I'll see you later, Merlin," she said before disappearing into the room, leaving behind the faint scent of evergreens and pine.