Uther's reign of terror lasted decades. By the time his son was grown, the true magic-users almost never crossed Camelot's borders, but the executioner seldom stood idle for long, as there were always accusations. This time, though, Kilgharrah would see that things turned out differently.

Merlin was utterly exhausted. Three trips to the stocks in a week, fighting troublesome Sidhe, running all the way to the Lake of Avalon and hauling Arthur back unconscious had all pushed him beyond the limits of his endurance. When the dragon began talking at him that night, Merlin buried his head under the blankets and stuck his fingers in his ears.

Of course, the dragon was calling with his mind, not his voice, which made it harder to shut him out. Finally, Merlin got up and crept down the many stairs to the dragon's cave.

"You did well enough," the Dragon told him, "But be warned. A time of great trouble is near at hand. If Morgana's gifts are hidden too deeply, Arthur will be lost."

"So you're saying I shouldn't listen to Gaius? I should talk to Morgana, tell her the truth?"

The dragon flew off without another word, and did not come back no matter how long Merlin called.

Three days passed before Merlin found even a moment to speak to Morgana alone. The prince's servant was always busy, and the virtue of the king's ward was closely guarded. But at last, when Gaius sent him up to her chamber with a new sleeping potion, she was sitting alone with a book and Gwen was out.

Once he finally found himself alone with Morgana, he realized he had no idea what to say. He placed the vial on her table and stood there a moment. "Er."

Lady Morgana waved a hand in his general direction. "Thank you, Merlin,"

"No, thank you." he responded automatically.

"For what?"

Perhaps this would be a good opening. "For telling me about Sophia. I really think she might have drowned Arthur, if you hadn't warned me."

She put the book down and marched towards him. "Tell. Me. What. Happened." Her voice was stern, but her eyes showed a hint of relief.

"Arthur told you he tried to elope with her, right? Well, that's not exactly how it happened."

"No, he told me the truth. He's never been able to lie to me."

"He doesn't know everything. He didn't just lose his head over her, she enchanted him."

"Sorcerers?"

"Worse. Sidhe magic. They weren't really human, Sophia or her father."

"So they enchanted Arthur out to the lake, and tried to drown him." Her voice rose in excitement. "So my nightmares are true. I'm not going mad, I'm just...seeing the future." Her voice dropped again with fresh horror.

"Yes. You can see the future. But you can never let the King find out."

"No, of course not." Morgana shuddered briefly. "Wait, you rescued him? From Sidhe? How?"

He'd never actually said the words out loud before, and if she chose to betray him, a single hint to Uther would see his head on the block. Merlin swallowed, looked toward the closed door. "I have magic."

Her lips tightened, but she neither screamed nor fled. "Why?"

"I was just born this way. That's what some people here don't understand. Magic isn't something that you choose, like putting on a coat. Some people are born with the gift. I know the law, I never use it where anyone can see, but if it can save people, wouldn't it be wrong NOT to use it?"

Morgana sat back down and looked at him for a long moment. "Please leave me now, I need to think. And I won't be needing that." She eyed the potion bottle distastefully.

He picked up the rejected medicine and headed for the door.

"And Merlin?"

He turned.

"I will guard your secret with my life."

It wasn't the last time that Merlin slipped into her chambers late at night after Gwen had gone home. If she wanted to speak to him in private, she'd simply mention that she needed her potion. Sometimes they talked out on the training field while the knights practiced, standing in full view of everyone, just a little too far away to be clearly heard. And whenever she had a nightmare, she told him exactly what she'd seen.

At first, most of her nightmares were too vague to be interpreted, or dealt with events that were clearly far in the future, familiar faces aged years. Then, Merlin came to her chamber one day in broad daylight, uninvited-and not alone. With Merlin was a little boy with startling green eyes, frightened and wounded.

"The guards are looking for him, I didn't know where else to go."

"In there," Morgana answered, gesturing deeper inside her chambers.

The child refused to speak aloud, but both Merlin and Morgana found he could speak inside their minds. He called Merlin "Emrys" and claimed to know him, though they'd just met. And he was clearly gifted with magic.

As soon as he was able, Merlin ran down the stairs to the Dragon's prison.

"You are here about the Druid boy," the dragon stated flatly.

"How do you know that?"

"Like you, I hear him in my mind."

"Who is he? Why does he call me Emrys?"

"Because it is your name. Much has been written about you that you have not read. Now, you must be very careful of this boy. He is the night to your day, and much depends on him."

Without another word, the dragon flew off, leaving Merlin bewildered as he worked with Morgana and Gwen to help the child escape. Later, to Merlin's astonishment, Arthur offered to help, and managed to get the child Mordred clear of Camelot, leaving the guards in an uproar. All four of them sat on pins and needles for weeks after, unable to believe the escape had truly succeeded.

Finally, the search for the druid child died down, but soon afterward Merlin's mother arrived, bearing a tale of raiders in Merlin's home village and begging King Uther's help. Uther could do nothing, but to Merlin's surprise, both Arthur and Morgana agreed to help him.

Will, of course, proved suspicious of their motives.

"Arthur's different," Merlin insisted, "In time you'll see that too. And Lady Morgana-"

"Lady Morgana, eh?"

"Yes, King Uther's ward."

"Sounds like she's a bit above you."

"Shut up, Will, it's not like that. She's a friend."

"A noblewoman is your friend? Does she know the truth about you?"

"Yes, she does."

Will blinked.

"But you're still hiding."

"Of course I am! If the King found out, I'd be dead, and so would anyone else who knew the truth and didn't turn me in. And that includes you, Will, so keep your mouth shut around Arthur!"

Will spread his hands. "Wouldn't say a word to the likes of him. So tell me more about this Lady Morgana…"

"Will!"

When the defenders laid a ring of oil around the village, Morgana agreed to light it. And when it burst into flame all on its own, without the help of her useless kindling, she simply smiled. She didn't need to look behind her to know what had just happened.

Later, after Will died with a lie on his lips, claiming he had cast the whirlwind that saved the village, it was Morgana who sought out Merlin, at Hunith's request. She found him sitting alone beneath a tree.

"I saw what he did, Merlin. Jumping in front of a crossbow, and then taking the blame for your sorcery. He was a good man, and I'm sorry. Maybe, because of what he did, someday we won't have to hide."

"I just…" And then, to his shock, Merlin was crying openly as she wrapped her arms around him. She said nothing, even as the tears soaked into her sleeves, just held him tighter. And when they returned to Camelot, she never mentioned it again.


Life in Camelot became more frightening than ever. Arthur shot a unicorn while hunting and set off a curse that nearly destroyed the kingdom. Gwen's father was caught talking to a sorcerer and died trying to escape the dungeons. Then, a few weeks later, Morgana grabbed Merlin's sleeve as he passed through the corridor near her chamber.

"I had a dream again, and it can't wait," she hissed. Merlin followed her inside.

"It's Arthur," she began. "He was bitten by some sort of beast, horribly wounded. Merlin, you have to stop it." She described the beast, and the scene. Merlin could only hope that her vision was a long way off. Unfortunately, word of the Questing Beast came to Camelot mere hours later, and he could not speak to Morgana in private again for days, not until after Arthur was healed and Nimue dead.

That night, rather than waiting for Merlin to come to her, Morgana went to him. Gaius was out, checking on the still-recovering Prince, and on some other patients who had been neglected due to Arthur's near-fatal bite.

The moment the door shut behind her, she burst out with, "I saw it, all of it. And I couldn't change a thing. I still have nightmares every night, Merlin. And since Tom died, I'm always afraid of Uther finding out the truth about us. I hoped maybe I could change him, but today he had someone else arrested for suspected sorcery. I can't live like this."

"I wish I knew how to help you, but I've no idea how to train a seer. Gaius doesn't know, either, I asked him."

"Then I need to find someone who can, maybe Mordred's people."

"The king would never permit that."

"Then he must not find out."

"He won't let you just leave Camelot alone, either. If you try, he'll have you hunted down."

"Unless he believes I am somewhere safe. My father had an aunt in Mercia, a childless widow who lived on a small estate. Last I heard, she was still alive. And, since our treaty with Mercia still holds, I will simply ask to visit her. Perhaps I'll tell him that I heard her health is failing."

"He'll insist on a proper escort."

"And I'll just send them home once I arrive."

Merlin smiled wistfully. "I wish I, I mean, I thought…" He stopped and took a breath. "I'll miss you. But I understand."

"You should come with me, you don't belong here either."

"Arthur needs me," Merlin answered simply.

Morgana turned to leave the physician's chamber.

"Oh, and Morgana? I think I found a spell to bring restful sleep. Would you like me to try it on you tonight?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

"I've got one more thing that might help you get away. Do you have any letters from her, or anyone in her household?"

Morgana laughed out loud when Merlin produced a perfect forgery, sealed with her aunt's family crest. The letter claimed that the old woman's health was failing, and asked if Morgana could come and stay for a time.

Morgana departed before the week was out, with an escort of two knights, ten men-at-arms, and one maidservant. All of them returned without her a week later. Gwen's skills were many, however, and she sat at loose ends for less than a day before she was returned to the general servant pool. A few days later, she found herself scrubbing laundry next to Merlin.

"Gambesons," Merlin grumbled. "Shirts and socks and trousers are easy enough, but gambesons are next to impossible to wash, take days to dry, and oh, the stink!" He rubbed at rust stains wearily.

"When you set it out to dry, try hanging a bit of lavender with it, or mint. That might help with the stink. Or possibly throw a bit of sweet wood on the fire you hang it next to."

"Hmmm, that's a good idea. Not sure what Arthur will think about smelling like lavender in his armor, though."

"Well, beats smelling like rusty sweat, doesn't it?"

The two laughed, but Gwen's smile faded quickly.

"I'm worried about Morgana. She's never even mentioned this aunt before, she told me she'd be back soon, but the whole thing just doesn't feel right."

"Gwen, listen. Morgana wasn't happy here, the nightmares, you know that. I think she'll do better with some time away, and the chance to get to know her aunt better. There aren't many older women here at court for her to look up to."

"I just don't understand why she didn't want me to stay with her." Gwen wrung out a pair of trousers.

"Perhaps she didn't want you to have to be away from Camelot so long."

Gwen snorted indelicately. "I'm not sure what she thinks is keeping me here."

"Oh, there might be something." Merlin's tone turned sly.

"Merlin! I told you not to talk about that!" Gwen turned her face away.

"Come on, Gwen. It's no secret from me. And he's been looking at you lately, too."

Morgana was forgotten for the moment, as Gwen ducked Merlin's teasing.