Hello friends! Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I've been busy, busy, busy, but I have decided to continue this story so never fear! Oh and by the way, I changed something in chapter 1. Just a little thing so you don't have to back and read it, but I changed our lovely Bronwyn's hair from black to a golden-blonde colour. So enjoy!

CHAPTER 2

"Well," Merlin said. "We should probably get you settled into Gaius's."

Bronwyn nodded and the knights stood. Merlin offered his sister his hand and she accepted. She stood.

All of a sudden, she gasped in pain and lurched to the side. Merlin was there instantly, supporting his sister.

"Bronwyn, what's wrong?" Merlin asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she choked out. "I just…need to…rest."

"You're most certainly NOT fine." Merlin spat. And then, with an unexpected show of strength, he swept his sister up in his arms and set her down on the table.

"Gwaine, Leon, Percival," Merlin started giving orders, "Go to Gaius and get his stretcher. Tell him to prepare for a patient."

The three knights nodded and dashed off, leaving Arthur and Merlin alone with Bronwyn.

Merlin glanced at his king and then decided he didn't care that Arthur was there.

Much to Bronwyn's displeasure, Merlin pulled up her shirt up. Her breasts were bound by white bindings. Merlin pulled her shirt down a bit after noticing at Bronwyn's glare.

Underneath the white binding, there were bruises all along her ribs.

Merlin pressed his fingers lightly to one of the bruises. She fought back a whimper.

"What happened?" Merlin asked, barely concealing his anger.

"I tripped and rolled when I was on my way here," Bronwyn said. "It's fine. It'll heal in a couple days."

"This isn't just some normal bruising," Merlin replied. "Your ribs aren't broken, otherwise it would be hard to walk, but you got here just fine. No these bruises are signs that your ribs had been broken and didn't heal properly. The minstrels would have gotten you the treatment you needed. So what happened?"

Bronwyn sighed.

"A little less than a year ago, our band was ambushed by slave traders. Only a few got away. I was not so lucky. Myself and many others were sold to a large estate in Odin's kingdom. A few months in, there was an opportunity for escape. But one had to stay behind to help the others. I was that person. When my masters found out, they beat me. That's how I got this. I only managed to escape a couple months ago. I went straight to Mother. I told her nothing. She sent me here to be with you."

Merlin shook his head, shaking off the anger towards the people who did this to her. He had always been a protective brother.

Just then, Percival, Gwaine, and Leon came back with the stretcher. Merlin picked up his sister again, laying her out on the stretched. Bronwyn winced.

When they arrived at Gaius's, Merlin shooed the knights out of the room. He laid Bronwyn down on the patient's bed.

He looked at his sister. "This is going to hurt," he said. "I'm going to have to re-break your ribs and heal them properly. Even with magic, it will take a couple days for you to recover.

"Just do it," Bronwyn growled. Merlin nodded. They both steeled themselves for what was about to come next.

Merlin placed her hands on her sides. He whispered a few chants and his eyes glowed gold.

Bronwyn released a ear-shattering scream as her ribs were broken again. She could feel break as they were snapped in half. She could feel it as they began to knit back together.

Her screams turned into whimpers as the pain passed slowly. Merlin pulled his hands away.

He grabbed a sleeping tonic from the shelf and held her head as she drank it. Her eyes closed as she dropped off to sleep.

Bronwyn slept solidly for the next three days, having been moved to Merlin's bed. The boy was by her bedside almost the entire time. Every so often, Arthur and the knights (but mostly Arthur) sat while Merlin had to sleep.

When Bronwyn finally woke up, it was Arthur who was awake. Merlin was curled up on the floor. Arthur didn't wake him yet.

"Morning," the king said.

"Morning," she replied, looking at him with shining grey eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than I have in years," she said stretching. "I feel like I've been asleep for days."

"That's because you have," Arthur replied nonchalantly.

Bronwyn sat up straight. "What? How long have I been asleep."

"Three days," Arthur commented.

The girl shot out of bed, getting tangled in the sheets and falling on the floor. When she finally disentangled herself from the sheets, she stood, blonde hair ruffled.

Merlin's nightshirt only came down to the middle of her thigh, exposing creamy white skin.

Arthur averted his eyes, focusing on her face. Which wasn't that hard, considering how beautiful she was.

Stop thinking like that, Arthur chastised himself, you can't fall in love with her. She's Merlin's sister!

Bronwyn wandered into the main room.

"Look who's up!" Gaius took a break from brewing potions to make Bronwyn a simple breakfast.

Halfway through, Merlin dashed into the main room, looking very worried and confused.

When he noticed Bronwyn wolfing down bread and cheese, he sighed with relief. He sat down next to her.

"When you weren't in bed, I got worried."

"I can tell," Bronwyn retorted.

After Arthur left, Bronwyn knew it was time to have a serious talk with her brother. She could see it in his eyes.

"Did they do anything else to you?" Merlin asked, once they and Gaius had put away the foot and were seated at the table together.

"I know what you're thinking," Bronwyn said, "And it didn't happen. I swear."

Merlin let out a breath. "Good."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"How did the slave traders manage to attack your camp? How did they manage to get passed the druids?"

Because what Bronwyn hadn't told Arthur and the knights was she had been travelling with not just any band of musicians, but a band of druid minstrels.

At a raised brow from Gaius, Bronwyn explained, "I travelled with a band of druid musicians who taught me to weave magic into my music. Merlin's magic comes naturally and it is the magic of the earth. I have to work and practice at my magic and it goes no further than my music."

"How often do you add magic to your song?" Gaius asked.

"Not often. But it changes everything."

"But back to my question," Merlin interjected. "How did the traders attack your camp? The druids you were with had other magic, too. They would have been able to stop the traders."

"They came in the night when we were sleeping. I don't know how they got passed our defenses, but they had something that counteracted any magic that was thrown at them."

Anyone who knew Merlin well enough could see the anger rising in him.

"I'll kill them for what they did to you," he growled.

Bronwyn laid a hand on his shoulder, "Brother what every you are thinking, don't do it. This is something you should just leave be. It's in the past. We can both forget about it?"

"Why?" he demanded, "Why should I not exact revenge on the people who hurt my little sister?"

"Because this organization is more than it seems. It is more powerful than you can imagine. And there is no way only one man, no matter how powerful you are, brother, can defeat them."

Dun-Dun-Dun-DUUUUuun. Ta-Da! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and my little cliffie at the end!

Don't know when the next chapter will be up but stay tuned my lovely readers!

-Sasha