A/N: So I'm kind of ashamed of how long it's taken me to update this story...but better late than never right? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore writing it. But being a procrastinator is (kind of) effective when you've got set deadlines, but for things like this it means you've actually got to have some sort of motivation to write! So what's my motivation? You guys! It finally occurred to me that if I get annoyed when an author doesn't update regularly, you guys were probably a little peeved with my long absence...but I'm back now! Anyway, enjoy the story :)


Merlin shifted in his saddle, trying in vain to find a position that didn't strain his already sore muscles as he and Neela made their way down a dirt path shaded by a thick canopy of leaves. Neela smiled as he repositioned his feet in the stirrups, and Merlin frowned as she quirked an eye brown in her direction.

"Leg's fallen asleep," he muttered, and she nodded, a slightly mocking smile still present on her lips.

"What?" he asked self-consciously, and she shrugged.

"I suppose in Camelot you don't get as much time in the saddle, that's all," she said, and he maneuvered around a bush before steering his horse so that he walked beside her again.

"If not spending fourteen straight hours non-stop on a horse for three days is 'not much', then I suppose you're correct," he huffed, and she laughed.

"I think the city's just made you soft," Neela said, and Merlin sat up a bit straighter, shortening his reigns.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a grin, and Neela flashed him a smile.

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to see just how soft Camelot has made you after we save everyone in Largon," she promised, and Merlin felt his heart soar as he realized the full implication of her answer; he could hardly contain his elation that Neela still wanted to spend time with him even after they'd finished their mission.

But despite his excitement, Merlin forced himself to concentrate on the issue at hand, as the mention of Largon triggered the question he'd intended to ask Neela before he'd gotten distracted by the pins and needles in his leg.

"Are you sure you've never seen anything like that green orb before?" Merlin asked, more than willing to acknowledge that Neela's magical knowledge was far superior to his own. He felt a pang of disappointment when he saw her shoulders sag slightly.

"Not that I can remember. I mean I'm sure if I'd seen something like that I wouldn't forget it," she said after a long pause, and for all her carefree talk just a moment ago Merlin could clearly see that Neela felt as if she was responsible for what was happening to the people of Largon. She felt as if it was her responsibility to save them and ensure their protection, and her failure to know each and every detail weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"It's alright if you don't know, Neela," he assured her, wishing there was something else he could do or say to console her; the last thing he'd wanted to do was to make her feel as if she was letting down the people who depended on her.

"I just…there's something weird about this, something I can't place," she said, frowning down at her hands, and Merlin maneuvered to try and get a better look at her face.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and when she looked up at him he felt that odd foreboding feeling return to his gut.

"Don't you think it's unusual that whoever did this would try so hard to make it seem as if the sickness was a natural ailment? I mean why not use the fact that it's magical to further terrorize people? If your purpose is to scare people, why not make the illness appear unbeatable to dispel all hope?"

Merlin paused, considering her words before answering. She was right, of course—it was terribly strange that someone would go through the trouble of concealing the magical nature of the sickness. It wasn't as if the perpetrator could easily be identified, so there really was no need to be so secretive about the matter.

"Perhaps their goal isn't to scare people, then," Merlin said after a long silence, and Neela frowned over at him, her blonde brow creased in confusion.

"Then why else spread an illness? People don't do things without reason—especially those with magic," she said, and although he was sure she was waiting patiently for an answer Merlin's mind was distracted by the issue that'd suddenly popped into his head.

"How on earth are we going to heal them in the first place? We can't possibly use magic in front of them," Merlin cried, his voice taking on an edge of panic as it finally dawned on him how impossible the task they were attempting to take on really was.

"Merlin, calm down," Neela cried, her voice incredulous, and he felt his face flush bright red as he got the feeling he'd done something incredibly stupid; normally he wouldn't mind feeling as if he'd done something ridiculous, but there was something about Neela that made him desperate for her to think of him as infallibly intelligent.

"What's the problem?" she asked, and it was Merlin's turn to stare at her in disbelief; how could she not see that their magical cure for the illness only created a whole new wealth of problems? Did she plan on revealing their magical abilities to all of Largon? "I just assumed we'd use Glimmer," she added, and Merlin frowned in confusion.

"Glimmer?" Was she suggesting they just shine light in the patients' eyes? Despite his faith in Neela's knowledge Merlin seriously doubted that'd be very effective, what with the chanting required for the spell.

"Yes, of course Glimmer! Have you never heard of it?" she asked, sounding shocked, and Merlin could only stare at her blankly.

"It was one of the first magical skills I learned, so I'd just assumed everyone with magic was familiar with it," she said apologetically, and Merlin found himself wishing he'd had a proper education in magic as Neela clearly had.

"Well, seeing as I learned all I know from trial and error, I think it would be a good idea for you to explain exactly what Glimmer is," he said, giving up on the idea of ever being able to impress Neela with his intelligence.

"Oh, right. Well in essence it's merely a method of illusion, quite easily done and even more manageable with two people. In this case, I suppose I'll preform the Glimmer while you extract the orb; you needn't worry about anything other than the chanting. I'll simply tell the patient exactly what I'd like them to think you're going to do—I'll probably say you're going to administer some sort of potion. Whatever you do or say, within reason of course, they'll still be under the impression that you've merely giving them a potion. With the use of Glimmer, I can decide their perception of reality."

"So it's a form of mind control," Merlin said seriously under the pretense clarification, although he didn't attempt to hide the distain from his voice; the idea of changing another person's world view to achieve your own ends deeply disturbed him.

"Well you don't have to make it sound so sinister," Neela joked, although her smile faltered when Merlin's expression didn't brighten in response. "We're using it to cure people, Merlin—it's not like we're hurting them," she reminded him, but he couldn't bring himself to see the use of Glimmer as a wholeheartedly benign practice, no matter the circumstance. Perhaps it was merely due to the fact that Merlin himself had had his mind controlled by someone with malicious intent in the past, and had nearly murdered the king on numerous occasions because of it.

"We may be using it with good intentions, but if it's really such a simple thing to master who's to say there aren't people out there right now abusing it for their own selfish reasons?" he asked, and Neela paused before answering.

"I suppose we'll just have to consider it the same way we consider everything else in this world. If a person tries hard enough, anything can be used for evil. But if a person has a good heart, anything can be used for good," she said simply, and even if he'd tried Merlin couldn't have suppressed the smile that spread across his face at her words.

Despite all that had happened to her, all the injustice and pain she'd been forced to suffer through, Neela still saw the world as a place full of possibility, where good things could indeed happen to good people. Merlin wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve a traveling companion like Neela, but he'd never been as thankful of anything as he was that fate had brought them together.


A/N: So last chapter's ending was rather sinister, and this one's pretty sappy; I was hoping they'd balance each other out :) Next chapter they actually get to Largon, I promise :) And, because I feel like a terrible person, I'm going to force myself to have it up by the end of this week!