Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Read, review, and enjoy!

MMMMMM

It had been two months since the fateful night when her family was killed. She had been getting more and more jobs from the people who visited in the corner booth and Isolde and Tristan had practically become parents. There were nights when she would fall asleep in the back of the café and they would take her home with them because they still didn't know where she lived. Merlin like keeping her cards close to her chest and so far, the only one who knew her address was Nimueh.

Merlin had formed a tenuous relationship with the woman. Both of them were overly cautious around each other, dancing in intricate circles and giving each other curious, suspicious glances. Nimueh was too high up in the Druids for Merlin to not be afraid of her and Merlin was too good at the mob business for Nimueh to not be suspicious of her.

Almost as if she had summoned the woman, Nimueh, Mordred, and Frey came in through the shop's doors at that moment. Flicking her eyes up and cheerfully greeting the well-known customers, Merlin had to fight a blush at the sight of Frey. After that initial night, he'd spent a lot of time at the Crystal Cave Café and the two had gotten to know each other. Obviously, there were things that each person would never consider telling someone who was just a friend, but for the moment, they were growing steadily closer.

Frey walked up to Tristan, talking him to lowly for a second before Tristan winked, smirked at him, jabbed him in the side with his elbow, and then nodded, finally serious. Frey let out a sigh of relief and then walked back over to Merlin, a small, pleased smile on his face. Merlin grinned at him, "What was all that about?"

"Come with me and I'll tell you?" Frey offered instead, gesturing to the street outside.

Merlin's shoulders slumped, "Sorry Frey. I've got work. I can't just leave."

"You can today! My treat. Off you trot. Have fun!" Tristan announced, practically shoving the two out of the building.

Merlin laughed at the man before turning to Frey with a curious smile, "What was that all about? He's normally so stringent about hours. I have to get exactly the right number of hours or it doesn't count, and I need to make them up another day. And now he's practically pushing me out the door! So odd."

Frey laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "That might be my doing, actually. I asked him if he'd let you off work early today. I wanted to spend some time with you." His cheeks were tinted suspiciously red, but Merlin couldn't judge him for it because her own cheeks were probably flaming at the moment.

She let out a small, "Oh, okay." And laughed slightly breathlessly. He looked at her with his chocolate brown eyes and she felt something in her melt at the sight. Gods, he was gorgeous. Clearing her throat slightly and glancing down at the ground, she asked, "So, where are we going today?"

"We're going on a picnic." Frey said, smiling beatifically down at her.

Merlin raised an incredulous eyebrow, "Frey. We're in the middle of Camelot. The nearest park is at least a half an hour away, driving."

"It's a good thing that we're driving and that I got you off of work for the rest of the day, then, isn't it?" Frey grinned, the smile lighting up his face and giving his expression a mischievous tint.

Merlin laughed, "Well, then, I guess it is."

The two of them soon got to Frey's car (read: limo) and stepped in. Frey didn't say anything to the driver, but the man started driving off anyways, telling Merlin that this had been planned. Lifting her cerulean eyes to meet Frey's chocolate ones, Merlin smiled, "Is there any particular reason that I'm being treated to a picnic today?"

"Yes." Frey answered, but didn't say anything else.

"You can't seriously be planning on leaving it like that!" Merlin cried, sitting back in her seat with a huff.

Frey sniffed imperiously, "I believe I can, actually."

"Unbelievable." Merlin muttered, but they both knew that she didn't mean it. The two talked about nonsense the rest of the way to the park, laughing and joking as time passed.

Finally, they made it to the park. Frey grabbed a huge basket out of the back of the limo and lead Merlin towards an empty spot shaded by a huge tree out in the park. Together, the two of them set up the blanket and spread the food around them, Frey muttering a quick spell to discourage the ants from deciding to take bits of their food.

Gratefully, Merlin thanked Frey for the meal and dug into it, putting together sandwiches from the supplies and eating eagerly. Frey watched her with a small smile, eating his own meal much more gracefully.

As they neared the end of their meal, Frey put down the last bites of his sandwich. Merlin put hers down too, sensing the seriousness of the moment. She tilted her head to the side, "What is it, Frey?"

He gently reached over and grabbed one of her hands in his, cupping it lightly and staring at her, "I don't know your parents. I'm not sure if I ever will, honestly, with how little they apparently come home, so, I had to ask Tristan for this blessing which he thankfully gave. Merlin Emrys. The night I met you was the night I felt complete for the first time. I feel different around you – purer, more powerful… in love. Will you, Merlin Emrys, give me the pleasure of courting you?"

Merlin used her other hand to trace Frey's cheeks, lightly, hesitantly, "Do you even need to ask? Of course, Frey, of course!"

Frey laughed delighted, and pulled Merlin into a hug. Merlin laughed too and clutched him tightly, fingers deep in the soft cotton of his t-shirt. Frey pulled back and said sadly, "I wanted some strawberries here too, but we couldn't find any. I always imagined that when I asked someone to date me, I'd put a strawberry in their mouth afterwards and it'd be all cute and romantic."

Merlin giggled and said, "Just wait a moment." She cupped her palms together and whispered something into them, eyes glinting gold for the slightest of seconds. Frey peered at her curiously, expression still open and bright from the joy of the moment. Merlin opened her palms and there, sat gently on them, was a single bright red rose. She blushed slightly and offered the rose to Frey, "Well, it wasn't quite what I'd intended, but oh well."

"It's still beautiful. And perfect." Frey said, tucking the rose into the front pocket of his shirt, letting it sit there, looking goofy against the cotton blend.

Merlin laughed again, tangling her fingers in Frey's and settling down next to him on the blanket, staring out at the sky. The two sat like that, talking and laughing, for a long, long time.

NNNNNN

Nimueh wasn't entirely certain what she thought of Merlin. The girl was tricky and dangerous and was definitely hiding a lot. The girl's entire past was shrouded in mystery, the Druids' databases not able to get a single hit on the teen. It made Nimueh wary, worried about what Merlin could be planning.

On the other hand, though, Merlin almost seemed naïve. She was certainly highly educated in the ways of mob life and in fighting and magic, but she was innocent in other manners. Merlin disliked killing and fighting and would almost always manipulate someone into doing something rather than threaten them. That wasn't to say that Merlin wouldn't take any measure necessary to complete the mission, but it was still confusing. And worrisome. This wasn't a normal mobster. This was something else, something new, something possibly frightening.

But Nimueh had noticed her son's growing attraction to the new member of the Druids. There was no way the High Priestess could do anything to Merlin without hurting her son and there was nothing that would make Nimueh hurt her children. They meant the world to her. So, when Frey had asked Nimueh's permission to court Merlin, Nimueh had given it, while simultaneously plotting ways to de-mystify Merlin in order to feel better about allowing her son to be with this girl.

Therefore, Nimueh confronted Merlin at the café about three days after Frey officially started courting the raven-haired beauty, ordering her favorite drink with a mischievous curl of her lips. She said firmly, "I believe I'll wait here tonight until your shift is finished. Then we will go back to your house and talk for a little while." It was an order, not a request. Merlin had nodded.

The two rode back to Merlin's mansion, Nimueh following in a car behind Merlin's motorcycle, the headlights bright and mysterious behind Merlin the entire way home. When Merlin stopped in front of the house, Nimueh had gotten out of her car and appraised the house seriously, "This is quite the abode you have. I was expecting something a little more… modest for someone who lives practically on their own." In fact, she'd already driven out the house before, letting herself be shocked by the size and quality of the house in private before allowing Merlin to see her reaction. The house truly was magnificent, huge and imposing without being garishly decorated. There was also probably an enormous amount of upkeep necessary for the outside and inside of the house, but no one ever came to the house. Nimueh had put magical sensors on the road that lead to nothing but Merlin's mansion, but the only ones who travelled it were Merlin and, occasionally, Gaius.

Merlin's smile was slightly self-deprecating and slightly sad when she responded, "My father inherited the land from his father and never thought to get rid of it. The house is supposed to pass on from father to son, but, well, there was no son this time around. I suppose I'll get the house, but I'm not really sure. Hopefully I won't have to worry about that for a long time." Nimueh filed that thought away curiously. There had been no record of whom the house belonged to, nor how it was transferred from person to person when she had looked. She would have to dig deeper to find out the truth.

Nimueh nodded and hummed a little in agreement, stalking off towards the front door. Merlin carefully opened it for her, disabling the alarm and sending out a small burst of magic energy in order to inform the wards that the guest was welcome. Nimueh glanced at the raven-haired girl, surprised, "You have some exceptionally strong wards. I'm impressed." The burst of magic that she'd felt from the young mobster had been controlled in a way that spoke of intense practice. Perhaps Merlin wasn't quite showing everything she could be showing when she allowed others to see her magic.

"My father is quite good at wards and he taught me as much as he could about them in the times that he was here. But there are plenty of books around the house for the times that he wasn't here." Merlin answered, trailing her fingers over some of the books that lined the entry way to prove her point.

Nimueh smiled at the girl, "Did you learn a lot of your magic from books?"

"Yes." Merlin answered before elaborating, "It's a lot harder for me to learn from books than people because people are more likely to spot what you did wrong the first time. With books, you just have to keep repeating the same spell over and over again until you finally get it. But mom and dad weren't around nearly often enough to teach me, and Gaius did his best too, but he has other obligations to tend to and can't spend all his time teaching me magic." That was quite similar to Nimueh's own training. Oftentimes, her parents had been too busy trying to make business deals or trying to teach her how to be the perfect house wife that they'd neglected her magic training. The magic had started to get out of control several times before she'd taken matters into her own hands and had taught herself magic from books.

The two of them reached the living room and Merlin offered, "Please, have a seat. Would you like me to get you some tea, or biscuits?"

"No, that's quite fine. I don't plan on staying here long." Nimueh answered easily. Merlin nodded to her and sat opposite, expression slightly tense. She probably didn't like it when people who weren't family came into her home. With Nimueh at least, it made her feel threatened. Nimueh sighed and leaned forward, "Frey has started courting you."

Merlin's eyes narrowed a little bit, probably curious about the blunt statement of fact, "Yes. He's a wonderful person to be around and he's very intelligent. It is an honor to be courted by him."

Nimueh put a hand lightly to her forehead, fingertips just grazing the skin, "Darling, let's not play games here, alright? I know that you care for him as he cares for you. I have come here tonight to not only give you an ultimatum, but also a threat. I'll start with the latter: I know I don't have to tell you how you'll disappear and never be seen again if you dare to hurt him, correct?"

"I would never hurt him!" Merlin answered fiercely. Nimueh had to avoid raising an eyebrow at the passion behind that statement. Merlin and Frey had certainly gotten close in the time they'd known each other. That was surprising to Nimueh; she wouldn't have seen Merlin as someone who would let another person in that easily.

Chuckling slightly, Nimueh nodded, "I know, child. That was all I needed to hear. Now, the ultimatum: I will not have my son be with someone who is not a full member of the group. Do you understand?"

"Of course." Merlin nodded back, expression serious. She continued with, "When do you want me to take the full membership test?"

"Now." Nimueh answered, delighting in the slightest flicker of unease that she caught from Merlin. It was so amusing to catch the girl off-guard. In the end, though, Merlin just nodded, shifting slightly in her seat. Nimueh chuckled again and said, "Several of the missions you have gone through have been tests for your membership. There is not a lot that you need to do tonight. First, I need to know that you can hide your magic, even under attack. I am going to bombard you with magical energy and you are going to need to keep your own magic under control until I stop. If I sense a hint of your magic leaking out, you will not be allowed to join, alright?" Merlin nodded and Nimueh began.

Generally, it wasn't all that difficult of a test, but Nimueh had seen the control Merlin had over her magic. She was determined to see how far that control went. So, Nimueh shot a strong wave of magical pressure at Merlin immediately, instead of building up to that strength like usual. Merlin didn't even flinch, magic firmly tucked inside her. Nimueh increased the pressure, pushing the power up and up until she wasn't even sure she could increase the pressure much further. Merlin was breathing harshly through her nose, hands clenched into fists on her lap, but her magic hadn't slipped out of its confines yet.

Delicately wiping her brow with a stray handkerchief, Nimueh let out a small gust of air before saying, "Well, you certainly passed that test. Next, we must know that you are loyal to the Druids. This is an orb that can tell bad intentions. This is the final and most dangerous part of the test. If you fail it, the orb will lash out and kill you. I do hope that you do not fail." Merlin nodded, still catching her breath. She placed one pale hand on the orb and let it stay there, eyes falling shut.

For a moment, the orb shifted colors, swishing through them so fast that Nimueh couldn't interpret what they meant. Then, suddenly, it shifted back to a clear orb. Nimueh let out a small smile, "Congratulations, Merlin. You are now a member of the Druids."

Author's Note: Sorry this is short and complete trash, but I'll try to get better with this story. I felt the urge to write it, but I had to rewrite it like six times before I was satisfied. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!