Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while, but here is the next chapter. As the end of the school is drawing near, I will hopefully have more time to write, although I will be away for much of the summer so postings may not be as frequent as I would like. I've got a better idea of where this story is going, so new and exciting things for the future. As always, reviews are much appreciated, and thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 7

Merlin awoke with a start, sputtering as he realized he was both wet and cold. Merlin frantically wiped the water from his eyes and looked up, expecting to see Arthur standing over him with a bucket of water, but much to his surprise, Arthur was all the way on the other side of the clearing. The wet was from the rain, which was coming down heavily, and the cold was from the biting wind that swept through the trees. Gwen, Morgana, Arthur, and Lia all looked equally cold and miserable.

"What are we going to do now?" Morgana asked concernedly.

"We can't search in this weather – we'll have to wait for the storm to stop," Lia had to shout over a loud gust that shook the branches above them, pelting them all with more water. Merlin looked to Arthur, half-expecting him to object and demand they return to Camelot immediately, but Arthur merely nodded and remained silent. The five of them sat huddled as close to the tree trunks as possible, trying to find some shelter from the weather.

It took hours for the storm to abate. Merlin watched Lia's face growing progressively more worried with every passing minute – another minute less spent searching for the flower and, by extension, Allan's cure. Finally, though, the wind stopped, then the rain, then sunlight started peeking through the angry clouds. The group unwrapped their soaked blankets, hanging them on the trees to dry, and stood in the spots with sunlight to try to warm up a bit. After a few more minutes, the group decided to split up and search for the remainder of the day.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Merlin was doubtful that they would find the flower at this point. But just as he ready to turn back for the clearing, he noticed something red peeking out from behind a hollowed log. Figuring it was worth a look, Merlin walked over to it, and there it was. The red flower looked almost exactly like the sketch – red petals, black center, and roots that dyed the surrounding dirt reddish-brown. But more than that, the flower exuded a sort of powerful energy, a kind that Merlin was sure only he and others with magic would be able to feel. Merlin shouted to the others, who quickly joined him. Lia arrived first, and her face broke into a relieved smile when she saw the flower, but it suddenly turned to uneasiness.

"You just stumbled upon it? That seems easy. . . maybe too easy. . ." Lia said uncertainly, but trailed off as the other arrived. Merlin dug into the dirt around the flower, exposing a root.

"We should take the whole flower," Lia said, "Leaving it here, well, someone else could come along and make it into a poison. We don't want this happening to someone else." Merlin nodded and dug up the whole flower.

Lia turned to the others, "Now we need to get back to Gaius as quickly as possible." They nodded, and all of the them headed back to their horses, gathering up the blankets and supplies, then mounting up and turning toward Camelot.

This time, Arthur rode ahead with Gwen and Morgana, while Merlin and Lia stayed behind them. Merlin didn't mind – the three rode far enough ahead to be out of earshot, which gave Merlin a chance to talk to Lia in private and find out more about her.

"So, how long have you lived with the druids?" he asked.

"About. . . three years," Lia replied, "They're the only people who have accepted me for I truly am."

"So, who are Miriam and Allan to you, exactly? They must be very close to you for you to leave the other druids just to help them," Merlin asked, trying not to sound too prying.

"Well," Lia hesitated, then replied, "Miriam is my friend, and Allan, I. . ." Lia blushed.

"You like him?" Merlin asked, the question blunt, mostly just because Merlin was surprised.

"I'm not sure I would have made it sound so childish, but yes, if you want to put it that way," Lia said wryly, "Allan was very kind to me when I first joined the druids, and eventually, our friendship became something more."

"I see," Merlin said after a moment spent searching for a right word. Lia laughed. It was nice to hear her laugh, Merlin thought. She seemed so serious when he had first met her, when she was back at the palace with Miriam and the others. Merlin had to admit, he was a tinge reluctant to be heading home – he would miss hearing her laugh. Gosh, getting a bit too sentimental, aren't I? Merlin shook his head.

They returned to the castle by nightfall that day. Lia rushed to get Gaius while Gwen went to check on Miriam and Allan. Merlin stayed to take care of Morgana and Arthur's horses while Morgana left to unpack.

"Well, that was about the most uneventful journey we've ever gone on," Arthur commented as he pulled his saddlebags off his horse.

"I'm sorry about that, Sire," Merlin replied politely

"No please, I'm glad," Arthur said, "Nothing happened, which is a good thing."
"You were worried Lia was leading us into a trap, weren't you?" Merlin asked, sounding more accusing that he'd intended.

Arthur gave him a hard look, then said, "Merlin, I don't know Lia, and I don't trust her. And I think you'd do well to be wary too."
Not able to find the right words to reply, Merlin turned away from Arthur. He was tired of everyone doubting Lia, even though he knew they were probably right. Arthur sighed and finished with his horse, then walked away into the castle while Merlin took the horses into the stable.

Why do I trust Lia? Or. . . at least want to trust her? Because she's like me? But as Gaius had warned him, just having and hiding magic didn't make them the same. After he'd finished with the horses, Merlin went to Gwen's house. Gwen and Miriam stood around Gaius, who was mixing something in a pot on the stove. Lia was sitting next to Allan on the bed. He looked worse – even paler than when they'd left and having difficulty breathing. Lia's face was strained and worried. She glanced up when Merlin entered, just as Gaius turned around from the stove.

"I need a cup," he said. Gwen reached into a cupboard above him and got out a wooden cup, which Gaius poured the liquid from the pot into. It was a deep red color and hardly looked appetizing. Gaius brought the cup over to Allan, and Lia stood to make room. Gaius pinched Allan's nose and poured the mixture into his mouth.

Everyone watched Allan. First, he froze and stopped breathing altogether. Standing next to Merlin, Lia sucked in a breath and unconsciously grabbed Merlin's arm. Merlin glanced down, but didn't say anything. It made him smile, despite Allan's current state. Then Allan coughed, and a strange, glowing red orb escaped from his mouth. The orb floated above him for a moment, then dispersed into red dust that settled onto the floor and disappeared. A moment later, Allan opened his eyes. Beads of sweat collected on his face, and his skin still looked deathly pale, but he was clearly much better. Lia breathed in relief, then noticed she was clutching Merlin's arm. She slowly let go, glancing at Merlin in embarrassment.

Gaius checked on Allan, who was well enough to talk, while Gwen and Merlin stood off to the side. When he was finished, Gaius turned to Lia and Miriam.

"He'll be fine. He just needs a few days' rest, but then he should be ready to travel again," Gaius told them.

"Thank you so much, Gaius," Lia said warmly. Miriam said nothing, but nodded in thanks as Gaius stood and exited the house. Merlin looked at Lia, but she had turned her attention to Allan.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit," she said without looking at them.

"We'd better get back to the palace," Gwen said to Merlin. Merlin glanced at Miriam, who showed no signs of either moving closer to Allan or leaving with them. Merlin decided to ignore her for now, and nodded in agreement with Gwen. They turned and followed Gaius out. The last thing Merlin saw before the door closed was Lia gently taking Allan's hand. For some reason, it made him feel uncommonly uneasy, and perhaps just a dash of jealousy.