Several days had gone by, Arthur successfully hiding Morgana's absence from his father. He had been right about his father. Arthur didn't actually have to do anything to keep his father from noticing that his daughter had been missing for almost a week.

Early one morning, five days after Morgana had gone to stay with Gwen, Arthur was awoken by a shrill knock on his bedroom door. Reluctantly (it was the first time in a very long time that Arthur had slept through the night and he didn't appreciate being woken), he slipped out of bed and shuffled groggily to the door.

"Coming." He mumbled, reaching for the doorknob. He had barely touched it when the door was thrown open.

Morgana stood in the hall, grinning. She no longer needed to hold herself up on something to remain standing, and the color had returned to her skin. She looked almost normal again.

"Morgana!" Arthur shouted, pulling her into a hug. She winced and immediately pulled away.

"Oh, your shoulder." He remembered. "Sorry."

She no longer looked like she was in pain, and she didn't seem weak anymore. Her dress hid the bandages well enough the Arthur had forgotten she was even injured.

"Did father notice I was gone?" Morgana asked earnestly.

"I don't think so." Arthur told her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She whispered, but she didn't sound convinced. Standing there in the dimly lit hall, Arthur realized it was the first time he really got a good look at his sister since they had left Berlin. She looked so different, so beaten down by the world. Two years in the resistance had really taken a toll on her. He could remember the soldiers in Berlin who had returned from the front. It didn't matter if the were carried home on stretchers or returned as heroes, they all had the same haunted look in their eyes. It was the same look that Arthur now saw forming in Morgana's eyes.

"Really, are you okay?" Arthur asked.

"I'm just tired." She explained.

Arthur knew she was lying, but decided not to push her. Instead, he said "You should rest."

Morgana nodded, gave Arthur a quick hug then returned to her room.

It had been a year and a half since the first time Arthur had climbed out the small window in the shed into the forest beyond. And yet, running through those woods that afternoon, clutching his bag full of stolen food, Arthur felt as if no time had passed at all. He was just a stupid boy going to visit his friend. He was just an oblivious boy running through the woods because he was sick of staying inside all day. It was nice to pretend, even if none of it was true.

The forest stopped abruptly and opened into the massive field. The winter had left the field looking as dead and grey as the sky above it, and as barren as the land beyond the fence.

Arthur reached the top of the hill and was greeted by the familiar smell of death and the soft hum of the electric fence. There was a disregarded body on the other side of the fence, sprawled across the frozen ground.

Arthur approached the fence, scanning the landscape for Merlin among the completed barracks. He barely glanced at the body in front of him. This place had made Arthur used to death, almost apathetic. He wasn't horrified, or uneasy, just grateful that there wasn't blood.

There was no one in sight. No prisoners, no guards, just the nameless body on the ground. Arthur took another step forward, finally catching a glimpse of the victim's face. The nameless body on the frozen ground had a name.

"Merlin!" Arthur screamed.

Merlin's eyes flew open in a panic. He tried to scramble to his feet (unsuccessfully) until he saw Arthur standing on the other side of the fence.

"Oh, it's you." He muttered, flopping back onto the ground and closing his eyes again.

Arthur sank to the ground, finally breathing again. He hadn't noticed that he was holding his breath.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted.

Merlin shrugged.

"I thought you were dead."

"You always think I'm dead." Merlin pointed out.

"Why are you just lying there?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged again.

"Merlin…"

Merlin rolled his eyes, then pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"Look, I'm fine. See?"

He looked anything but fine. Arthur could tell he was struggling to hold himself up. He was leaning heavily on his badly shaking arms. His face was impossibly pale, except his lips, which were badly chapped and bright red with blood. His breath was shallow, his voice weak, his eyes were unfocused. He seemed to have gotten even thinner since the last time Arthur had seen him.

"What have they done to you?" Arthur whispered.

"Nothing, it's just winter." Merlin insisted. "There's less food, that's all."

Arthur continued to stare at Merlin, unsure of what to say.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"I'm going to get you out of here." Arthur declared. "I'll find a way to break you out."

Merlin laughed bitterly.

"Sure." He muttered. He had heard this before, and Arthur knew Merlin didn't believe him.

"In the meantime..." Arthur said. "I brought you something."

He reached behind him and grabbed the bag he'd brought, then tossed it over the fence. It wasn't much. Arthur had only been able to grab some bread and water that morning. Regardless, Merlin's face lit up when he opened the bag.

"I'm sorry. It's not much."

Merlin waved him and tried to say something like "Don't be stupid." but couldn't get any words out of his mouthful of bread. He managed to finish off the five rolls Arthur had brought in a minute. The water didn't last much longer.

"Thank you." He whispered. "I've missed bread."

"You haven't had bread?"

Merlin shook his head.

"They've been giving us this stew." He explained. "At least that's what they call it. I think it's just water and the vegetables that are too rotten for anyone else to eat."

"That's terrible."

Merlin shrugged.

Arthur didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare.

Merlin quickly noticed his pained gaze.

"You don't have to worry about me."

"You don't have to pretend to be strong." Arthur retorted. "Not for my sake."

Merlin fell silent. In that moment, Arthur could see the little facade he had left crumble away. For a moment, Arthur thought that Merlin might cry. Instead, he doubled over and vomited. Coughing and sputtering, Merlin fell back to the ground.

"Merlin!"

Arthur was on his feet, there was nothing he could do. The fence between them continued to hum, forever keeping them apart. Arthur could only stare at the frail boy on the ground in front of him, gagging and struggling to breathe.

"Merlin!" Arthur begged. Merlin wasn't responding, he could barely pull himself up. He could barely remain conscious.

"I'm… fine." Merlin choked out. "Food. Not… used to so much."

There were shouts in the distance, coming from Merlin's side of the fence.

"You have to leave." he whispered.

"What's going on?"

"Get out of here!" Merlin yelled hoarsely.

Arthur couldn't leave him. Not like this.

"Please." Merlin begged.

"I'll get you out of here." Arthur whispered. "We'll go somewhere far away. Somewhere they can't reach you."

"Arthur, get out of here!"

"I mean it this time." Arthur insisted. "I've joined the resistance."

Merlin froze, the disbelief in his eyes turning to anger.

"You what!?" He screamed. "Arthur, you live with Uther Pendragon! How long do you honestly think you are going to survive?!"

"You don't have to worry about me."

"You can't." Merlin yelled, his voice breaking. "You can't get yourself killed! Not for me."

"I'm not doing this for you!" Arthur screamed. "I'm doing this for me. I love you, and I want to do everything I can to protect you, but… he's my father. It's my father who is doing this to you, and to millions of other innocent people. I will never be able to live with myself if I just let him."

Merlin remained silent, tears quietly rolling down his grimy cheeks.

"Please be careful." He whispered.

There was another shout, much closer than the ones before.

"I love you." Merlin whispered.

"I love you too." Arthur told him, but he had already run away.

Arthur could see him now, a young guard walking towards him along the fence. He quickly fell to the ground, allowing the tall grass to hide him from sight. He had to get back to the house, he had to run back to the woods. But no matter how hard he tried, Arthur couldn't bring himself to move. All he could do was lie on the frozen ground and silently sob.

"Where have you been." Morgana demanded.

Arthur wasn't sure how much time had passed before he finally pulled himself to his feet and dragged himself out of that field. By the time he got back to the shed, it was already getting dark. The house was quiet when he finally got back inside, and for a moment he thought he might be able to slip back into his bedroom without anyone noticing. He had almost made it to his room, then Morgana had found him.

Arthur shrugged.

"I'm tired." He muttered. "I'm going to bed."

"You went to see that boy, didn't you?"

Arthur shrugged again, but that was answer enough for Morgana. He tried to push past her, but she stopped him.

"I meant it when I said you can't see him anymore."

"What, because he's a jew!?"

"No, of course not." Morgana said.

"Then why do you care?"

"Because you love him."

Arthur stopped struggling, and for a moment he swore his heart stopped.

"H-how?" He stuttered, suppressing the urge to panic. Months and trying to bury this inside him, months building up his wall, and it was all crashing down.

Morgana ignored his question, instead grabbing him roughly by the shoulders and pulling him into his room, slamming the door behind her.

"You can't see him anymore." She repeated quietly.

"I can't just leave him in there without any help."

"Arthur…"

"He needs me! He won't last to the end of the month…"

"Arthur, please!"

"You're right!" Arthur screamed. "You're right, ok. I love him."

"Be quiet!" Morgana yelled. "Don't let anyone hear you."

"I love him." Arthur said again. "I'm not going to let him die."

"Arthur, don't say that." Morgana whispered. Arthur had expected her to be angry, for her to hate him.

No one can know. No one can know.

For months this mantra had repeated over and over in his mind, had haunted his dreams. He had spent months burying that part of him, months building a wall around him. Now, everything was crashing down around him. Yet, he could see it in his sister's eyes. She didn't hate him. She pitied him.

"I can't leave him." Arthur whispered.

"You have to." Morgana insisted.

"Does that mean you'll never see Gwen again?" Arthur spat. He didn't really know where that came from, he just blurted it out without thinking. It was just a suspicion lurking in the back of his mind. The moment he said it, though, he knew he had been right. He knew she loved her. Morgana looked like she had been slapped.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"It's not the same thing." Morgana whispered.

"I'm not stupid." Arthur muttered. "I've seen the way you look at her."

"It's not the same to them!" She shouted. "You don't understand, Arthur."

"What don't I understand?" Arthur sneered.

Morgana sighed. "You think the way Merlin is treated is bad? That's nothing compared to what will happen to you if you are caught. You'd be lucky if father decides to hang you."

"If I'm caught..." Morgana continued. "They'll just tell me to be normal. No one is going to kill me, or torture me."

"Why?"

"The Nazis are convinced that women are weak and can't think for themselves." Morgana explained bitterly. "If a man tells a queer woman to stop being queer, she'll listen, because women rely on men to think for them."

"That's bullshit!" Arthur said. "As if you'd ever listen to anyone."

Morgana smiled. "Yeah."

Arthur found himself grinning too.

"How do you think father would react if he knew both his children were queer." He asked.

"He'd go insane! I think his head might explode."

"That I would like to see."

Just as quickly as it came, Morgana's smile faded away.

"I hate it here." She mumbled. "I hate him."

"I know."

"I'm going to blow his brains out one of these days." She muttered, sinking to the bedroom floor. Arthur joined her.

For the longest time, they just sat side by side in the silence.

"How did you know?" Morgana whispered. "About Gwen and I?"

Arthur shrugged. "I didn't really. I just guessed."

Morgana nodded.

"There was that one night." Arthur added. "Christmas, when you were both pretty drunk. You kiss her goodnight."

Morgana turned a deep shade of red. "I didn't know you saw that."

"At the time I thought I imagined it or something. I don't know."

"I probably should have been more careful."

"What about me?" Arthur asked. "How did you know?"

"Lynn." Morgana said with a laugh. "You really couldn't come up with a name that at least sounded a little different than Merlin?"

"I panicked." Arthur muttered defensively.

"There is no one in town named Lynn, a Polish girl wouldn't be named that." Morgana continued. "As soon as Merlin showed up in the kitchen, I knew it was him."

"Oh."

"Honestly, it's a miracle you've lasted this long. You are shit at hiding it. Constantly sneaking out to see him doesn't help."

"I can't leave him." Arthur whispered.

"I know."

"I don't know what to do." He admitted, holding back tears. He didn't know what to do. The whole situation was so overwhelming and hopeless.

Morgana put her arms around Arthur and pulled him into a hug. He couldn't hold his tears back any longer.

"We'll figure it out."Morgana whispered. "We'll figure it out."

"I have to get him out." Arthur cried. "He won't last much longer."

"We'll figure it out."

"I can't lose him. I love him."

"I know you do." Morgana whispered.

"Please, what do I do?"

Morgana was silent for a moment. She let go of Arthur and stood up.

"Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow." She said. "I think I have an idea."