The silence cut the air between the two men sitting at the table, both of them seemingly scared to speak. Gaius leaned forward, placing his hand gently on one of the hands Viktir was using to cover his face. Suddenly Viktir lifted his head, staring Gaius in the face and uttered the one thing the old physician wasn't expecting.

"I'm dying, Gaius..."

His words drifted through the air and into the ond man's ears, yet his brain didn't seem to be accepting them. He simply stared for a moment, perhaps trying to rearrange the words in a way that made sense to him.

"What do you mean dying, Viktir?"

"I don't know any way to say it any clearer than that, Uncle Gaius..." Viktir's voice dissolved into a soft laugh as he sat back in his chair. He knew this was coming.

"But how do you know you're dying? What are your symptoms? Have you seen a physician? You look in perfect health to me-"

"I can just feel it." He cut through Gaius' barrage of questions, refusing to give the man the kid of answers he was looking for. He wasn't here for explanations and for council, after all.

"Well let me at least examine you before you make claims like that, Vikitir!" Gaius was troubled by his assumption that he was dying, and even more troubled by the fact that his nephew could "just feel it."

Viktir reached out and wrapped his hand around his uncle's fingers, trying to calm him. "I've known magic my entire life, Gaius." Viktir's voice softened, like he was telling him a secret. "It hums through me just like blood. You helped me, and you taught me about my gifts-how my magic is like a close friend, guiding me. Well, now its telling me that my time is dwindling down. It's like an emptyness-slowly seeping through my body. I've been feeling it for several days now."

Gaius nodded his head-it was the only thing that he could do. Viktir was right after all, as much as Gaius hated to think of it. But he knew his nephew hadn't come simply to say his good byes and vanish into the forest again. No, he loved Deirdre too much to do that. He decided to ask the question, though he knew what the answer was going to be. "And what have you come to ask of me, Viktir?"

This time Viktir stared down at the grainy wood of the table. "I might have magic, but I'm not immmortal." He reached down into the basket he had carried with him, and pulled out a small, crudely carven box. He slid it across the table and into Gaius' hands.

"What is this?" Gaius lifted the lid of the box carefully, as if something was going to leap from it and strike him. He gasped as he reached his fingers into the box, delicately lifting the shining object into the light.

"Viktir...where did you get this?" Gaius asked, still in disbelief.

"You know where, Gaius..." Both of the men knew that the purple crystal could ony be found on one place-the Isle of the Blessed, in a cave that was flooded when the tide was high. To trek into the cave was a dangerous venture, indeed, and not many returned from such a journey.

"I undestand it won't give me immortality, but it will grant me a few extra years. That's all I ask for-just so I can make plans to ensure Drea will be safe and taken care of."

Gaius turned the crystal several times, studying it. He knew what it was that Viktir expected of him, and it saddened him that he would have to refuse. "Viktir...I have given up sorcery, a long, long time ago-"

"You know I would never ask that of you, uncle. What I have come to ask for is more of a matter of science. I need you to turn this crystal into a liquid-consumption is the only way it's magic can take effect, and the scientific process is much too complex for me." Viktir leaned down to take the old physician's hand in his, matching his eyes with his own. "Please, Uncle Gaius. Just this one thing for me, and I promise I will never bring Drea back to Camelot again."

Gaius took a moment to think about it, about his nephew's dying, about Drea wandering around, so young and so lost. She thought of herself as more than capable of taking care of herself, and in a way she could-but if she lost her father it would devastate her. There was already a hatred and a bitterness that was starting to take root in her-something that could easily bloom into something far worse if she was left alone.

An image of Morgana suddenly flickered into Gaius' mind, which helped to fuel his decision., No-she needed her father, as a guide and a teacher for her magic.

"You understand that this is a delicate, slow process, Viktir. It may take several days to complete, if not more...but I would be more than willing to do it for you." A smile spread across Gaius' face.

"Thank you, Uncle Gaius," Viktir said, relieved. "We shall stay in the town's inn." He reached across the table and wrapped his arms around his uncle's shoulders, thankful that the old man did not inquire about his journey to the Isle of the Blessed...

Drea stopped when they were halfway down the stairs, resting her head against the cold stone. It was this place-she knew they shouldn't have come here. It put her father on edge and turned him into this frustrated, angry man.

"It's not you, I'm sure of it." Merlin's softly spoken words caused her to look up. She had forgotten for a moment that he was there.

"How do you know? You don't know anything about my father, or me." She spoke bitterly, looking down and feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she cried, yet this was the second time today she had been close.

Merlin leaned on the wall beside her, crossing his arms against his chest. He wasn't sure what to say, so he decided to be honest. "I'm just trying to help, Drea-"

"I don't want your help, Merlin! I want my father and I want to leave here-put Camelot as far behind me as I can!" She was nearly screaming. "Secrets-my father never has secrets from me!"

She felt betrayed-she had a special relationship with her father. She had no possessions, nothing that she could treasure, but her father. Her father and the relationship she had with him were the only things she had that were precious to her. There were no secrets between them, so why was she cast out? What were her father and Uncle Gaius discussing that she couldn't be a part of?

Secrets..They were something Merlin knew all too well-though usually he was the one keeping the secrets, not the one that secrets were being kept from. "Maybe he thinks he's protecting you. You should feel grateful-not everyone has a father like you."

Drea's head shot up in anger. "Who are you to tell me how I should feel, Merlin?"

Melin himself felt a little bit of frustration creep into his voice. "I'm not trying to tell you how you should feel-"

But it was already too late. Drea pushed past him, not wanting to listen to another word out of his mouth. "Where are you going?" He called as he spun around, his boots falling heavily on the stone stairs as he followed after her. "It's still raining out there!"

She stormed past the guards, holding her head down so that she was forced to not look at them. She was already in the middle of the large stone square that stretched out in front of the castle when Merlin grabbed her by the arm.

"Drea-come back inside! You'll get sick out here!" He had to scream over the rain that was pouring over his brow and slicking his dark hair to his forehead.

"You know, Merlin, I could stop this rain-right now! Just...hold my hand out and whisper a few words, and within moments the sun would be burning us!" She turned as he grabbed her arm, trails of water running down her face that Merlin couldn't differentiate between tears and the rain.

"Shhhh, Drea!" Merlin had to look over his shoulder to make sure the guards couldn't hear what they were saying.

"I don't care!" She screamed as she pushed him off of her, "Let them hear me-let King Uther himself hear me! My father may not mind it, but I don't want to hide like a criminal!"

It had to be out of impulse-there was no other reason for it. Merlin pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, expecting her to scream at him and push him away.

But she didn't.

Though her face was muffled by his clothing, he could tell she was sobbing. Her shoulders heaved, and every few minutes she would stomp the concrete with her boots.

There they were, both standing in the rain without saying a word to each other. His embrace wasn't one of a lover, or even a brother-it was simply the embrace of someone who understood, and felt compassion for another, of someone who was offering sanctuary for only a few precious moments...because no matter how much she believed she didn't want to hide, that was exactly what she needed to do for the moment.

They continued to stand there in silence as the rain drenched them like two stray dogs, with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his head resting atop hers, moving ever so slightly each time her shoulders heaved.

"You have...an extraordinary gift," he finally dropped his head to whisper into her ear. "I promise you, things are changing-this land is changing."

Sher raised her head, brushing the soaking wet hair from her face, and broke through his arms. It was evident she was embarassed by her display, but even through her embarassment there was the briefest hint of a smile on her face. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, though being drenched in water it was of no use to keep the cold out.

Merlin's arms had done a fine job, however...

"That's easy for you to say, Merlin. You live with no secrets, no worries about being executed simply because of what you are...I almost envy you."

Envy-that was never a word that Merlin ever expected another to feel about him. "You don't know what you're saying, Drea. I...I have secrets of my own."

There were two choices he had-he could stop talking, leave Drea and go find Arthur and take his punishment for not getting his rabbits-which was probably the smarter of the two choices. But Merlin was never one to make the smarter choice...

"Drea, can I show you something?"

The rain had lessened to a light drizzle by now, making it easier to hear without having to shout at each other. "Yes, I guess..."

Merlin turned, convinced that he was making the right choice. There weren't many people like him around, especially not in Camelot. He figured having someone to confide in besides Gaius would help him lighten his burden somewhat. He shifted so that his back was turned towards the guards and thrusted his hand out in front of Drea, but before he could utter a single syllable, another voice-an angry, impatient one-yelled out across he stone courtyard.

"Merlin! What are you doing-and where is my rabbit!"