Author's Notes: Hey guys. :-) I began this story a little while ago and got no further than posting the first chapter. Now I have decided to continue, and this is a rewritten version of the chapter I posted before. This is either going to become a two parter or a trilogy depending on how things go. It picks up straight after the season four two part opener. Sadly, I don't own Merlin. I hope you enjoy!

On horseback, a hooded figure journeyed alone through a vast stretch of woodland. It had been a long day, broken only by semi-regular short breaks to rest her horse and take a drink. She should have felt tired, but adrenaline was fuelling her. There wasn't much daylight left now, and sleep was the last thing on her mind. She was determined to get there by nightfall, otherwise she would have to set up camp and waste precious time.

It didn't take long for her to realise however, that that wasn't going to be the case. A thin layer of smoke curled upwards above the trees, guiding her to her prize. The Druid camp.

Her heart gave a nervous leap. She so desperately wanted answers, but once she got them, was she going to regret that she had ever asked? 'The one they call Emrys will walk in your shadow. He is your destiny, and he is your doom.' Those words had deeply unnerved her. What had the Cailleach foreseen?

She hoped that the recurring dream that had been haunting her since her encounter with the gatekeeper was the product of a troubled mind and not of her power as a Seer. In the dream, she lay among the devastation of a battlefield, mortally wounded. The only figure seemingly left alive, an impossibly elderly man dressed in dark red robes and holding a staff, stood over her. There was a mixture of sorrow and anger in the wrinkled, bearded face. With the little that remained of her strength, she reached out to him and rasped: 'Emrys..help me..Emrys.' He gazed down at her. 'Is this really what you wanted Morgana?' He asked. With that, she would wake in a cold sweat. Even in her waking hours, she couldn't escape the cold fear that she felt whenever she stopped long enough to let it come to the front of her thoughts. Hopefully after today, the nightmare wouldn't return.

As she reached the edge of the clearing, Morgana dismounted and lowered her hood. Some of the Druids had noticed her arrival and watched her warily as she approached. A young man and woman in the group moved closer to one another, arms almost touching. The unease in every face was mirrored in their own.

"Morgana Pendragon," the Druid leader addressed her calmly. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He smiled faintly.

"I need information," Morgana explained. "Information I believe the Druids can give me." She briefly waited for a response, and when none came she elaborated: "I need you to tell me what you know of the sorcerer Emrys. Your people have shown me great kindness in the past, and I shall be sure you are rewarded."

The Druid leader regarded her for a few seconds before he spoke. "I'm afraid you have had a wasted journey."

At this, the young couple moved, if it was possible, even closer together, sensing, like the rest of the Druids, that this situation was becoming dangerous. Indeed, Morgana's expression had hardened, and when she next spoke, her voice was cold.

"What are you talking about? You're telling you don't know of whom I speak?"

"You misunderstand." He answered. "We know why you have come to us, and to take this course of action would be a fatal mistake."

"That's for me to decide." She retorted.

"I'm sorry, Morgana, but we cannot help."

She glared at him, her otherwise pretty face full of fury and hatred. " Can't, or won't?"

"There is nothing for you here. Now please leave us."

A red hot anger was slowly taking hold of Morgana. So now even her own kind were turning their backs on her? Uther had hunted them down like animals, condemning them for the gifts they were born with. She had thought that they understood her, that they were bonded by a shared suffering. After all, they were the ones who had helped her embrace who she was. Clearly she had been wrong. Somehow she managed to keep her voice even.

"I'll give you one more chance." She said softly. "Tell me where Emrys is, and I can assure you your loyalty will not be forgotten."

" We will tell you nothing, Morgana."

She stared at him for a long moment, her jaw set. "We shall see."

The Druid leader stood his ground, meeting her gaze while the rest of the Druids watched this exchange in silence.

With a small smirk, Morgana slowly turned and began to walk back to her horse, all eyes still on her as she climbed astride it. She sat with her back to them, unmoving, before she pulled on the reins and the steed began to move. But it didn't move in the direction it had come. It careened back towards the clearing, hoof beats pounding loudly against the ground. She was attacking.

"Run!"

The group began to scatter, but Morgana was too fast. Her eyes flashed gold as she used her power to blast as many of them as she could off of their feet, knocking some of them out cold. Then, slowing the horse down, she reached out to grab the arm of the nearest Druid still on her feet. Morgana's eyes again flashed gold, and her victim's legs gave out from under her as she succumbed to the enchantment. Morgana then pulled the horse to a stop.

Noticing that their friend was in danger, some of the group came forward in an attempt to help, but again Morgana simply flung them away as if they were rag dolls.

Those that hadn't managed to escape, now lay unconscious around her as she climbed down and began to busy herself with the unfortunate young Druid woman.

One of the figures on the ground began to stir. The young man lifted his head. Still dazed and confused he tried to focus. There was Morgana, leaning over a young woman. He caught a glimpse of blond hair, a familiar emerald hair pin, the one he had given her, slightly hidden in the curls. All of a sudden he was fully alert.

"Helena!"

At the sound of the voice, Morgana turned her head. The last thing he saw was the golden glow of the witch's eyes. His world seemed to shrink into them, and then they too vanished completely as he blacked out for the second time.