It was getting dark outside, but there was still no relief from the heat. The crew rode in silence. Merlin kept nervously glancing back at the girl, whose face was constantly etched in pain. He glanced between the stoic expressions on everyone else, looking for… something. A sign that any of them cared.

They rode on, the only sound being the hooves of the horses on the dirt. Finally, Arthur had them stop. "We'll make camp here for the night."

Merlin tried to make a fire despite the blanket of heat that still smothered them. They needed to eat. He fumbled with the flint in his hands, too nerve wracked to risk magic. He was still glancing between everyone's stoic expressions. So much could change so fast. Just a few weeks ago, it had been cold. And just this morning, he had had so much pride in Arthur for the king he was becoming, only for it to shatter completely. He couldn't piece together in his mind the sharp contrast in helping the village and arresting that girl.

Gwen came over and took the flint from his hands, starting the fire on her first try. She then moved back to her place beside Arthur. Merlin watched in silence as the knights, Arthur, and Gwen began talking and… laughing. Yes, things could change too fast. He felt a pit in his stomach form as Gwaine began telling a tavern story, and everyone else burst into hysterics.

Merlin trembled as he took a sip of water. He spilled some of it on himself.

"Clumsy as usual, Merlin?" Arthur teased. He covered his face as the others laughed on.

Quietly, Merlin stood up. Gwen was now telling a story. He blocked it out as he stepped behind the cart, and took one look at the girl.

She was extremely pale, and there was no trace of sweat left on her. Merlin silently cursed, then focused on his canteen and whispered, "Miging." Carefully, he climbed into the cart and unstrapped her arms. He helped her sit up, then held the canteen to her lips, and slowly, she drank. Once she had finished, he helped her lie back down. He was then aware of the silence and the sets of eyes that were staring at him.

Merlin gulped. He tried to read their expressions, but everyone was once again stoic. He finally locked his gaze with Arthur. "Make sure she's strapped down," the king said blankly.

"She is," Merlin responded, and quickly stepped out of the cart. He made his way back to the circle when Elyan stepped out. The knight looked into the cart and frowned. He then climbed in and strapped the girl's arms down once more.

"We need to get some sleep," Arthur said once Elyan had finished. Everyone nodded, and spread out to lie down.

"I need to redress your wound," Merlin said bluntly. Everyone's eyes turned back to him. Quickly, he bent down and removed Arthur's bandages, then held a cool cloth over the burn, and finally re-bandaged it.

"I'll take first watch," Merlin volunteered quickly once he was finished. Hopefully, he could help the girl escape once everyone had fallen asleep. He caught sight of Gwen, who was frowning.

"I'll stay up with you," she said, eying him carefully.

Merlin shook his head. "There's no need-"

"It's the least I can do," she continued. "We're all exhausted. It will be hard to do alone."

At this, Arthur nodded. "Anyone can take the second. I'll take third," he said.

"I'll do it," Percival volunteered.

Arthur nodded, then gazed curiously at Merlin for a moment. He then rolled over to go to sleep along with the rest of the knights.

Without acknowledging Gwen, Merlin climbed into the cart and redressed the girl's wound. She was staring up at the night sky, looking lost. She gave a confused glance at Merlin before staring at the sky again.

He climbed out to find Gwen frowning. Merlin shrugged, then went to sit on a log a few paces away from her.

Gwen carefully stepped toward him and sat down next to him. "Would you like to tell me what's going on?" she asked quietly.

Merlin stared forward, focusing on the blackness of the forest.

"Because you've been acting strange, Merlin. And I'd like to know why," she continued. She eyed him concernedly, and off in the distance, they could hear an owl.

"Well, considering you just shot an innocent girl, I suppose I'm not too happy about that," he snapped.

"Merlin, she's not innocent. She's-"

"A sorceress?" he finished. Silence hung in the air.

"Yes," Gwen said quietly. "You've seen how magic corrupts. And she already attacked Arthur-"

"She didn't attack Arthur," Merlin interrupted.

Gwen stared at him, befuddled. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because it's the truth!" he snapped. "If any of you had any amount of sense, you would have noticed that she threw a bucket of water on Arthur afterwards. She was trying to put the fire out. It was a mistake, Gwen. That's how magic is. At first, it's wild, until you learn to control it."

Merlin stopped, and once again they were engulfed by the silence of the still, hot night. He turned to face Gwen for the first time and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay," she said. She was looking at him, warily. "But I think you're wrong."

Merlin stiffened and turned away.

"The flames got worse as she poured more water on him. They didn't go out until… well, something happened."

Merlin snorted.

"Anyway, her eyes continued to glow gold. She knew what she was doing, which was attacking Arthur."

Just then, they heard a sharp gasp from the cart. Merlin rushed over, and found Mira staring up into the sky, panting. She caught sight of Merlin, and a single tear dripped down her face.

Gwen placed a hand on his shoulder and led him away. "She's having nightmares," he blurted. Calmly, Gwen got him to sit down.

"Merlin," she began. She took in a deep breath. "I know that it's tough, but sometimes things like this are necessary. It's unfortunate… but it's to keep Camelot safe," she said, reassuringly.

Merlin stiffened.

"Merlin-"

"Promise me, Gwen," he pleaded, suddenly looking her in the eye. Gwen saw his eyes glaze as he said the next statement with conviction. "Promise me that you'll see reason one day. That, as queen, you won't continue to punish the innocent."

Gwen stared at him blankly for a moment, lost at what to say. Then he stiffened and turned away. They both gazed out into the blackness of the night, occasionally hearing the sound of an owl or a small rustle in the leaves. At last, Merlin began to lie down, gazing up at the night sky. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gwen, studying him. He wondered just exactly when his friend had begun to slip away. He saw her give him a tired look before going to wake Percival for the next watch.

Merlin lay awake for a good deal of that watch, listening to the girl gasping during the night. He stared up at the sky, looking for any sign of a star, but the clouds covered the sky thickly. Tomorrow, she would be tried, and then… Deep down, he knew, and it made him ache. Arthur hadn't changed much. He watched numbly as the clouds took their own time creeping across the sky. He could feel the slightest breeze float across his skin, the tiniest relief from the wretched day. He listened to the leaves, slowly beginning to rustle…

He found himself kneeling on the throne room floor, both Arthur and Gwen glaring at him. Percival and Leon were holding him down forcefully, and Gwaine and Elyan were also glaring at him.

"You are to be executed at dawn, sorcerer," Arthur spat. The glares of his friends were relentless.

"Arthur," he tried. "I've always been loyal to you-"

"No sorcerer could ever be loyal to me."

Merlin stared helplessly at the friends around him. Resolved, he lowered his head, and let his eyes flash to release his hands. Nothing happened.

"Not so powerful there, Emrys?" Arthur gloated.

"Arthur!" he found himself pleading. "You can't do this!"

"I'm the king, sorcerer. So I can," he sneered.

Just then, Lancelot burst into the room. "Arthur!" the knight cried. "You have to see reason! Merlin has sacrificed so much for you! He's the bravest of us all!" Then he crumpled to the floor, suddenly bleeding to death from his stomach.

"Too bad that your only friend," Arthur snarled, "is already dead."

Merlin glanced desperately at the faces of his friends. "No," he begged.

Just then, Gwen stood up, with a crossbow in her hands. She raised it, and aimed directly at him. The arrow pierced his stomach.

"I think we need to move his execution up. After all, he did attack Arthur," she taunted.

Percival and Leon dragged him through the castle and out to the courtyard. They slammed him into the pyre and tied him tightly to it. He watched as Arthur and Gwen glared at him and each took a torch, lighting opposite sides of the pyre. The flames roared to life, encircling his vision. They came closer, and closer, and…

He bolted upright, panting and sweating. It was still dark outside, and he found himself looking at the puzzled face of Arthur. He lay back down, unnerved and unable to fall back asleep and staring at… the fire. For some wicked reason, there were still a few dying flames of the fire. He waited in tormented silence for dawn, when Arthur woke everyone.

Still shaking, he packed up quickly. He noticed everyone's eyes on him as he mounted his horse, but he avoided their gazes. They began the trek back to Camelot, the cart groaning behind.

When they reached the front gate, Arthur instructed Gwaine and Elyan to carry the prisoner to the dungeons. He then dismissed everyone.

"Not you, Merlin" he said as the servant began to walk away. Arthur glanced at Gwen, who nodded before walking off. Arthur led Merlin away from the main entrance and to a secluded side of the castle.

Arthur stopped, and shoved him against the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded. Merlin froze.

"I… I… nothing, sire-"

"Nothing? You've been extremely jittery ever since we arrested that sorceress."

"There is no problem, sire."

Arthur stared at Merlin, incredulous.

"Really, it's nothing at all." Merlin shifted.

"You've always acted out of sorts at this sort of thing. But now, you're acting as if you've completely lost your mind. So what is it?"

"Nothing!" Merlin shouted.

Arthur stared at Merlin, expecting an answer.

"It's just… it's the first time you've done this." Merlin quickly turned his head.

Arthur's expression softened. "Merlin, I have to. She's a danger to the kingdom-"

"Only because you're too blind to see the truth-"

"Merlin," Arthur warned. He steadied his gaze on his Merlin, who refused to look at him. "Magic… is evil. It corrupts. You saw what it did to my father, and Morgana-"

Merlin pushed away and stormed off.

"Merlin!" Arthur called. "Merlin!" He watched as his manservant made his way back to the main entrance, not once looking back.