Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own any of it. Tis all Disney.

Author Notes: It's all about Merrick and Shayla, my first one true love of PR. They're a fairytale, but there's so much pain and darkness there too. Here's what Merrick faces, sometime after 'Reinforcements from the Future I & II.'

The Missing Peace

The outside presence didn't wake Merrick, but it was what caused him to finally leave his bed. He dressed, because a visit usually meant confrontation or travel and the weather outside was bitter, and tucked his dagger into his waistband. He left his flute behind.

The tug that had been keeping him awake felt stronger outside. He could look up and pinpoint exactly where she was through the wind's whisper in his hair and where they were by the singing bond of ancient crystals. They were two very different kinds of pain.

Zen-Aku detached himself from the treeline, his golden eyes glowing curiously in the darkness. He gave the impression of being amused.

"I did not wake you."

"What do you want?"

The wolf spirit huffed a sound that was almost a laugh and came closer. Every movement was as familiar to Merrick as his own. It was strange, like watching his shadow move independently.

"You have not been sleeping. So neither can I."

"This isn't my fault."

"No……." Zen-Aku narrowed his eyes, clearly impatient. "But you can prevent it."

The Animarium, where everything reminded him of loss and his own terrible centuries-old decision. Where the rest of the team were. Where he could find peace. Merrick was sure that wherever he was, Animus was laughing.

"You could leave," he pointed out.

"That would change nothing."

"The Princess would get…….ideas."

The sound that Zen-Aku barked out was definitely a laugh, folding his arms as he looked at Merrick. It was very much like an elder inspecting an insolent child. Merrick stared back blank-faced. The Princess's visit to Willie's only that afternoon and the ensuing argument they'd had proved his point.

"You are a fool," Zen-Aku hissed disparagingly. "Make a choice before I do."

His hand curled about his sword hilt and there was a threat clear in every angle of his body. Merrick grasped his dagger, his other fist clenched at his hip. But the wolf spirit spun on his heel and disappeared into the ether, contempt clear in every footstep.

Merrick stared after him, his pose unrelaxed. He had been cornered. Willie knew he wasn't sleeping and wanted that to change. He'd threatened to throw Merrick out for at least a week.

And Zen-Aku would be back. Merrick kept a hand on his dagger and headed back to the Roadhouse. There was only one path to take tonight.

The warmth was immediate and pleasant after the snapping cold of the world below. A soft breeze ruffled his hair. It felt like a welcoming embrace.

He headed to the Wolf's cave first. The Wild Zord was curled up, his head resting on his paws, but his eyes opened as soon as Merrick was close.

"I know," he answered the silent question he could see in the way the Zord raised his head. "But I shouldn't be here."

His hand strayed to his dagger and to his crystals, which were glimmering faintly. His links to this piece of his home, all that was left now of what he knew. The Wolf snorted, far too much like Zen Aku had done. Merrick glared at him.

He had promised the Princess he would try to visit the Animarium more and she insisted he was welcome and that he was expected here. But she pushed too hard and no matter what she told herself, this was not their home. It was a memoriam and it was too painful.

But when he was away, she pulled him back without realising. Because he should be where she was, that was his duty. And now, the others' presence pulled him back too. He could feel himself being pulled apart and he could not sleep.

The Wolf's breath covered him and the animal hunkered down again. The invitation was clear; he was going to sleep and Merrick could join him.

There was a faint bird call, possibly the falcon. The other Zords weren't too far off, the Wolf stayed within hearing distance. He was always on guard. Animus had called the Wolf the most restless of his Wild Zords, that there was truly something of the Wolf about Merrick. The Princess had laughed in agreement.

She was in the temple, so were the Rangers.

With a gesture he knew the Wolf would feel, Merrick stepped onto the path to the temple. Home, something inside of him tugged insistently, peace. Merrick growled, but there was no denying that the pain that kept him awake was easing up here. Already he could feel the hard angles that pressed against him from his inside out softening.

The Rangers were sleeping outside and were piled together like newborns. Merrick shook his head. He wasn't completely convinced that Cole was asleep; the Lion Ranger's smile didn't stop curving. Even Taylor was here, choosing a night away from her Ranger lover. It looked incredibly cosy, both innocent and intimate, and Merrick felt immediately that he should step away. He didn't belong here.

"Merrick."

The Princess's voice was whisper-soft, but he heard her from clear across the temple. She was stood beside her pool, wearing something pale blue and with a white shawl wrapped around her shoulders. He didn't know how long it had been since he had seen her without flowers in her hair.

"Princess," he bowed his head, fighting the impulse to take a knee. She had asked him not to anymore, but the instinct was ingrained. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't," her smile was sad.

Her expression strayed to the Rangers, her smile becoming warmer and fuller. She moved to stand by his side, her feet barely making a sound on the temple stones.

"They were waiting for Taylor," she said softly, affection clear in her voice. "Now they can sleep," her attention spun back to Merrick with something in her eyes that he instantly wanted to back away from. "Can you, Merrick?"

She knew and Merrick cursed colourfully and silently in his head. To be here went against everything he had argued only a few hours previously, when the Princess had looked as though she would cry and had disappeared in a sudden urgent flash of light. He detested himself for causing that expression, but he knew he was right. The Animarium was no place for him.

He told her a lie.

"I am fine."

"I'm sorry," her hand touched his arm. He could feel it burn his skin through the leather. "It must hurt."

It was like she could look through him. Whatever she saw in his eyes made her bite her lip. She looked on the brink of something, tears or another disappearance. Perhaps now he knew she was safe here, that the others didn't need him, sleep would come. He didn't have any words for her.

"There's a place for you here," she told him finally, her eyes like moonlight.

Home, something inside of him insisted. Merrick held her gaze, keeping the urge to reach out to her firmly locked away. When the Princess looked like that, he found his will impossibly tested. She vanished in a haze of blue-white light that whirled around him once, touching him like dragonflies, before funnelling down into the pool. Merrick let out a deep breath.

He did not know what Zen-Aku would do to ease the nagging ache that both of them apparently felt and the exhaustion from sleepless nights. Merrick would see no harm come to the Princess. He would not sleep beside the Rangers either. So he turned to the temple steps, where he could see who might emerge from the archway, and found a thick dark blanket folded there. It smelt like summer berries, like the Princess during the May dances.

He shucked off his jacket for a pillow and curled up on the ground. He had slept in far worse places. A glance over his shoulder told him the Rangers were all present and sleeping deeply and peacefully. Something unclenched in his chest. The thought didn't please him. He would not stay long in the morning. When sleep did come over him, not long after he finally closed his eyes, he felt a brush of something across his face, like someone moving his bangs out of his eyes. His sleeping expression wasn't a smile, but it was close enough.

-the end