I am so sorry about this delay. If I said that my life kinda collapsed in on itself at the beginning of this year would anyone believe me? And it didn't help that I was unsure of how to progress with this chapter and the fic as a whole, but I hope it will at least be any interesting ride! If there is anything in particular you guys want to see or anything like that I would love to hear it so please do not hesitate to review. I won't guarantee that I'll take the advice, but I will try to use it if I feel it fits.

And i did change the title :P

I tried to make this chapter a little longer than usual and I will try to update really soon. But I know that if i keep prattling on then no one will read this so...

Merlin fell asleep soon after, completely exhausted from the combination of the wound and the emotional stress.

When he woke, Merlin found himself alone in the tent. The falling sun illuminated the tent, casting long, straight shadows across the dirt floor. He got up quickly and exited the tent, looking around for Morgana.

Aglain, the Druid elder, was sitting across from her by the fire. His tone was comfortably soft as she held her hand in front of her in deep concentration. He saw her murmur some words, and when nothing happened, her lips slid into a frown and her brow furrowed as she repeated herself more forcefully. "FORBAERNAN!" Morgana shouted and her eyes finally shown gold. She turned towards the campfire in horror as the flames lept high into the sky, licking the leaves and singeing them slightly. She reeled back in terror and a scream escaped her lips as the flames flew higher.

"Asprytan brim" Merlin muttered quickly, almost tripping over the words. A column of water sprung from the center of the fire, overtaking it until all that was left was a cloud of mist, which fell softly over the camp.

Morgana and Aglain looked over the camp until their eyes fell on Merlin. Aglain gave a polite nod and Morgana gave a startled smile before calling out to him.
"Merlin! I'm so glad you're awake!"

He smiled sheepishly as the young ward stood, dusting the dirt from her trousers. "Yeah sorry. And we can leave soon. It will be dark soon and Uther will be worried."

Morgana'a face fell at the mention of her guardian. But she gave a small nod and made her way to stand beside him. She turned to look at Aglain and gave the Druid elder a polite smile and curtsied, her eyes closed tight as she tried to thank the man using her mind. "Very good." Aglean said with a visible and audible smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you milady, and I hope that you are able return soon."

Eyes sparkling from praise, Morgana turned to Merlin as his head lowered into a respectful bow "Thank you for caring for me, and showing her the beauty of the Old Religion. I am in your debt."

Aglean looked almost startled for a moment before he regained his composure. He stood and bent at the waist "If you truly are Emrys, as Mordred says, then it is but my duty to protect and serve not only you, but those closest to you as well. Your desitnies, however malleable, are still intertwined. You cannot have darkness without light."

Merlin's head rose and tilted slightly to the side as his lips formed a small frown, not only at the respectful nature of the elder's demeanor, but at his words. How can darkness live with light, especially when darkness is the absence of light? They are opposite. Shouldn't that mean separate? Shaking his his head, as if to clear his confusion from his mind Merlin turned to Morgana and gave a polite smile before he gestured ahead of her. He heard a soft sigh escape her lips as she began to walk ahead of him. Merlin's mind continued to race as they continued ahead of him, wondering if the words 'darkness' and 'light' could have different symbolism, but failed to find anything beyond the obvious. The castle began to grow from the skyline as they made their way towards the edge of the forest. Morgana finally stopped and turned abruptly, casing Merlin to stumble in an effort not to run her over in his current state of mild confusion. He blinked his eyes owlishly as he slowly returned from his thoughts and noticed a look of frustration on Morgana's face.

"When?" she said quietly as his eyes blinked in confusion. "When did you start practicing magic? Why did you? You could be killed! And why didn't you just tell me? I would have never turned you in to Uther and if you thought that for a second then I'll throw you in the stocks!" The ward's voice began to ring with confidence as she continued. "I thought I was alone but, now that I realize you're with me in this I don't know whether to be relieved or upset."

In his confusion, their eyes met briefly before they turned to the ground. "Morgana," he felt his voice almost crack as he choked out the name, "I- No one was supposed to find out." He ran a hand through his hair as he looked out towards Camelot. Taking a few steps back he began to pace, letting his hand come to rest in a fist over his mouth as he contemplated what to say.

Morgana's patience was wearing on her, he could tell. The frustration was slowly turning to fury as her eyes followed him. "Well I did!" she said with almost palpable venom. This broke Merlin out of his thoughts as he stared at her, anger rippling off her in waves. "I thought I could trust you." she spat.

The servant tried to stand as nobly as he could manage "You can trust me." A break in his voice betrayed his stature of confidence. "I-Morgana I've lived with this secret my entire life! every person who knew was one person closer to being found out; to being killed! or worse. I'm pretty sure if Cenred found me I'd be a human weapon by now. And Camelot is even worse because every person who knows is committing treason. I can't bear putting people in danger like that. Besides," Merlin finally let his bitterness towards his situation seep into his voice "most of the people who find out end up dying anyway. I-" hs caustic tone subsided again as his voice softened to barely a whisper, "I never wanted to put you in danger. Or make you choose between me and the kingdom. I never wish that choice on anyone. Especially not you or Arthur." The boy sank onto a nearby log, letting his head rest in this hands

"S-since birth?" Morgana moved to sit next to him, letting her hand come to rest on his shoulder. "But why do you come here?"

Merlin let a humorless chuckle, muffled by his hands, escape his lips. "Despite what all logic tells me, I enjoy being here. I have friends. more than I ever did in Ealdor. And I have a purpose. Helping Gaius and serving Arthur, I enjoy what I do. And if you ever tell Arthur that I'll deny it with my dying breath."

Morgana smiled at the sentiment. "You two..." She shook her head and stood, holding her hand out to Merlin. "Come on. Let's go home. You're lucky that you are incredibly endearing. I swear it is impossible to stay mad at you, even when you lie or bring felons into my room." He chuckled and looked up from his own hands towards hers, then caught sight of her smile, which made him feel inexplicably content. He grabbed her hand carefully and stood up. He knew that things would be challenging, Aglean's words still burned in the back of his mind, but he couldn't help but feel hopeful as they made their way towards the citadel.

P.S. Yeah shamless KH reference is shameless. and now I really want to rename the fic "Road to Dawn" but I'm not sure. What do you guys think?

EDIT: Changed the title!