- Merlyn! - He shouted, looking at her. He was bleeding, they were surrounded by bandits. They planned to spend that day away from Camelot, somewhere where they could be themselves. He wanted her to run away, to leave him... but he knew that she wouldn't do that, she was too stubborn, he loved that in her. She was so selfless, as she could save everyone. She saved him in some way. With her wonderful smile.

- Forgive me... - she said. What should he forgive her? What was she planning to do? He looked at her with confusion. Then, he heard her voice, her sweet voice saying something in this squalid, magic language. Her eyes were like on fire, all bandits flew away, he looked at them. They all seemed to be knocked out, or... dead. No... no... his Merlyn was not the murderer, she was not a sorceress. She came to him and was trying to check his wound.

- Leave me, sorceress. - he was terrified, of her, of her magic. Magic took his mother, it corrupted Morgana. It corrupted his sweet Merlyn, his innocent, clumsy, wonderful Merlyn. He didn't know what he should do, he was scared. Truly, he was scared of her. He saw the pain in her eyes, tears. Did she want to make him pity of her? How didn't he saw that she was manipulating him?

- Please, let me save you. - her voice was trembling. He tried to move, but the pain was unbearable. Then, he heard her, speaking in this language again... she wanted to kill him? But then he felt relief. The wound was not so painful anymore. He raised up and looked at her. She was still on her knees, she was looking on the ground. She took her long hair from her neck, exposing it. She was waiting for execution. She thought that he would kill her. He should. She has magic. Magic is evil. He... can't.

- Why?

- It was the only way to save you. - she said with calm in her voice.

Arthur didn't know how he should react. He was torn.

- We are going back to Camelot, Mer-sorceress.

Arthur put Merlyn in dungeons, where she was waiting for his judgment. He was Prince Regent now, he knew that his father would show any signs of mercy for her. He should do the same, for protecting his kingdom. He saw many times as magic-users did terrible things. But... he couldn't kill her. He couldn't even look at her now. Seeing her face without a smile, in dungeons, accused of treason and magic. It was too painful. He wanted so badly to find in her his Merlyn, but he couldn't see anyone else than a sorceress. How long was she using magic? How long did she lie to him? Only Merlyn could answer to that, but he couldn't ask her.

He was sitting in his room, on the edge of his bed. Room was in mess, Merlyn didn't show up today to clean this... and probably, she will never do this again. He should find a new servant, this shouldn't be a problem... but he knew that this is not about a servant, it was about his feelings for her. He could replace the servant, but finding someone like her? With her way of a laugh, her smile. Someone who will be always with him, on his side, even if he was walking to certain death. Now he wondered if she was truly for him, or it was part of her plan, she must have some plan.

Then, he heard knocking to his room. He didn't want to see anyone, but he forced himself to say "Enter". He stood up and looked at the man, who entered his room. Sir Lancelot. Merlyn's best friend. Even his own knight made him thinking about her again. He should not be thinking about this... sorceress.

- Sire... - he welcomed his Prince with bowing his head.

- Sir Lancelot.

- I wanted to talk to you, my Lord. - Lancelot started, Arthur knew what will be the subject of this conversation, but he asked anyway.

- About?

- Merlyn... We-I... want to know what are you planning, sire. - his voice was uncertain. We? In whose else name he was talking now? All knights? Merlyn always was close with them, never in... romantic way, but they all knew her and liked her before they realized that she is a liar.

- I don't decide yet. - Arthur answered with an empty voice and turned to the window. They both were silent, Arthur heard when Lancelot sighed hard, Arthur thought that Lancelot will leave after that, but he was wrong.

- Are you planning to give her a chance to explain herself?

Arthur took his time to give him an answer.

- And what would she say? Other lies? Manipulations? - He murmured.

- You really thinking about her in this way? - Lancelot was surprised, how Arthur could think that Merlyn would betray him. She was the most loyal person that Lancelot have ever met. She would sacrifice her own life for him, even before she fell in love with Arthur. Prince looked at his knight.

- And what are you thinking about her? - he asked he was no hurt about Merlyn's lies? Lancelot sighed again and looked into Arthur's eyes. Arthur prepared himself for something like "I don't care, she is still our Merlyn" or something like that. Some words of blinded man.

- I knew. I knew about her magic since my first visit to Camelot. - Lancelot's voice was confident, he stood upright.

- What? - Arthur was shocked and felt another wound on his heart. Lancelot knew? Did she lie to him, but not to Lancelot? Was she his love of life, or Lancelot's?! Probably Merlyn even doesn't love him. Thinking about this... hurt.

- Griffin cannot be killed by any weapon, it can be only killed by magic. She had never told me, but it was hard not to notice blue flames on my lance. - He answered, remembering that moment.

She has never told him, he figured it out himself. It was some comfort, not much but something. Did he tell, that Merlyn cast a spell in front of him, almost strange man, without knowing how he would react? Was she mad or stupid? No... she was reckless, like his Merlyn. That was Merlyn who killed the Griffin? Why? Why did she do that? Arthur was silent, so Lancelot started talking again.

- It was not her first time when she saved the day. I told her once, that she is the one, who you should knight. She is the bravest of us all, and you even don't know that. She answered me, that you can't know. That this is the way things have to be... I always thought, that she is wrong, that you would be honored her doings for Camelot... I guess, she was right after all... as always. - Lancelot snorted, looking at Arthur, and then he turned to the doors, planning to leave Arthur's chambers. Arthur looked at him with shock. What was he talking about? Merlyn the bravest of them all? Sure, she had sometimes some stupid-brave ideas, but nothing more.

- We had never gone to cut down the warning bell, you know? - Lancelot said, standing in front of the doors. At first, Arthur didn't know what about Lancelot was talking, but then he realized that it is about fighting with Morgana - Merlyn's plan was to find the cup of life and split the blood within it. She wanted to go alone, didn't want to put you at risk. She was the one, who destroyed the second undead army... from what I know, defeating of the first one was her doing too. She fought many fights alone, I always wonder if she remembers that there is all bunch of people, waiting for her safe return... sometimes I thought that she is forgetting about it. Now I realized, that She knew better, that she would have to pay for her good heart - Lancelot said everything that had on mind, and left the chambers, Arthur wanted to stop him, but he was speechless.

How much he didn't know about his lov-Merlyn, about Merlyn. Did he truly know her? He has thought about her as a cocky peasant girl, next was an awful servant, then... she became his friend, somebody who saw a person in him before she saw prince. Then, he fell in love with her. A few days ago, he learned that that was all lies, he thought that she is an evil sorceress, and now he learned that she was some bloody savior of all Camelot? What should he do? Lancelot's speech confused him and destroyed white-black picture where Magic was evil and Law was good.

He decided to talk to her... give her a chance to explain herself, as Lancelot was talking. He was not sure if he was ready to saw her, but he had to. If there was truth in Lancelot's words... He owed her at least that much. He went to the dungeons, he was surprised that there were no guards at the entrance, that made him doubtful. Did she escape? Where were the guards? He walked through the corridor when he heard someone talking.

- Come on baby, spread your lovely legs for daddy. - the voice was repulsive. Only after a few seconds, Arthur realized what was happening. He heard the sound of torn material. He jumped into the Merlyn's cell, where he found two guards, one of them was kneeling before Merlyn, destroying her dress, the dress with Arthur gave her for a birthday. She always wore the same clothes, one day he decided, that she deserves something better than that, Gwen helped him choose the dress. Merlyn loved it. And now it was torn, by his own guard, by his own man.

- What is goin' on here? - Arthur asked with a sharp voice. Ohh, he exactly knew what had they planned to do, he was furious. The thought, that if Lancelot didn't talk to him, if he didn't come here to talk to Merlyn, they would hurt her drove him crazy. He looked at Merlyn, she was unconscious, he didn't know why. Did they do this to her? He wanted to kill them all. They tried to make excuses for themselves, but Arthur was too angry to even listen to them. Arthur took from them keys for the cells, and next took Merlyn on his hands, closing the guards inside the cell, and without a word, he took Merlyn away from this place. He took her to Gaius, he had to know why she is unconscious. She didn't look like they bit her, so something they had to.

- Gaius! - he shouted at the doors and put her on the table. Gaius looked at Prince, and his ward, he runs (as fast as he could) to the table, and looked at his daughter, firstly he was looking for wounds.

- What happened? - Gaius asked.

- I wanted to talk to her and I... found the guards in her cell, they wanted... - Arthur couldn't say it. It stuck in his throat, but Gaius figured it out. He stopped looking for wounds, when he found, that Merlyn's hands are still in anti-magic-handcuffs.

- My dear... - his voice was pitiful.

- What? Why is she unconscious?

- BECAUSE YOU MADE HER THAT WAY. - Arthur has never heard Gaius was so angry as he was then.

- What? No... I

- You could as well starve to death or suffocate. - Gaius snorted. - Merlyn is not an ordinary sorceress, she has never learned magic, she was born with it. It is part of her. These handcuffs are killing her.

Gaius knew... he should expect that. Merlyn... never learn magic? Was it even possible to be born with magic? That changes things... but why she came to Camelot? Why did she risk so much? Arthur took the keys and wanted to take off the handcuffs, but Gaius stopped him. Arthur looked at him with a strange expression.

- She was cut off her magic... when you open it, she can... choke, her own magic. She could be not able to control it. - Gaius warned.

- But if I don't put them off, it will kill her?

- Yes, sire.

Arthur without second thought opened the handcuffs. Merlyn gasped and opened her eyes wide, her body bent unnaturally, and her eyes went amber. The whole chamber shook, the fire in the candles created long flames. She was looking for every way to release her magic it went completely wild. She started to scream from pain, and the whole Castle felt it, when all walls were shaking, glass was breaking it took few minutes, before Merlyn stopped and then, she fell unconscious again. He made her suffer like this... he still was hurt about her lies, he wanted her to explain herself, but when he looked at her, she was so vulnerable, he knew that is not the truth, but she looked that way. She was so in pain, because of him. Gaius started to examine her.

- Will sh-she be alright? - Arthur hoped, begged in his mind to Gaius, to give him a positive answer.

- I don't know... I hope so. Merlyn's magic is unique, It is hard to say.