Merlin breathed a sigh of relief as he got to the Lady Morgana's chambers. He had just about managed to keep Guinevere in sight as he struggled along holding what seemed like a hundred very uncooperative packages. Merlin felt like crying on occasion, he didn't dare lose any, if one dropped he would have to stop for it and restack the whole lot. He most certainly did not want to anger Uther's ward and sorceress.

He half expected the door to be shut in his face as he ran after them, panting as he exerted himself. He struggled past a maid who was walking the other way, eyeing him in surprise but she turned and rushed on her way as a voice echoed down the corridor.

"Hurry up!" Morgana yelled and Merlin ran over the threshold into the room. "Put them over there!" Morgana continued yelling. Merlin turned to try and see where 'there' was, but Morgana was walking back to the door. Guinevere had closed it but was peering round. She shook her head. Morgana leaning on the door, added in a loud voice.

"Not there you idiot! Stack them there! No there!" she yelled, pausing between each shouted instruction. Merlin blinked at her in shock still trying to hold everything as she waited for a signal from Guinevere. The maid turned and nodded. Morgana relaxed and turned to look at Merlin, who was still holding the packages and trembling a little. He realised he was right as Morgana smiled at him.

"Put them down!" she whispered.

"Where My Lady?" Merlin asked rather nervously. Morgana waved her hand.

"Oh, on the floor it doesn't matter, I didn't mean to buy all that, we were just waiting for you."

Merlin did drop everything; the neat packages slithered to the floor in a pile at his feet. Morgana looked a little more serious when she could see him clearly.

"Did Gaius give you the potion?"

Merlin reached into his tunic and produced the bottle. Morgana took it and handed it to Guinevere and nodded.

"Yes, My Lady."

Merlin watched her hurry away to a nearby side table and pour a goblet of wine. The maid put a few drops of the tincture into the goblet and brought it back to Morgana.

"But isn't that for…?"

Morgana sipped it and sighed as she tasted it. She sipped again and sniggered as she looked at Merlin. Merlin recoiled, confused.

"I should go, I…" then he paused, he couldn't since Morgana now had the tincture that Arthur asked for.

"Oh, you are sweet," Morgana said, her smile bright. She reached out and took Merlin's hand, drawing him across the room to the large table in the centre, caught in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Guinevere pulled out a chair and Morgana put Merlin into it. Guinevere pulled out the next chair and Morgana sat. She was still holding Merlin's hand. He looked down at their hands and frowned. Morgana looked to her maid.

"Gwen."

"Yes, My Lady." She curtsied and moved into the next room. She didn't close the door, Guinevere just settled down on the window seat, staring out at the view.

"She'll see when they return. You need to be in Arthur's chambers when he gets back."

"I shouldn't be here if he doesn't want me to be…"

"No!" Morgana snapped gripping his hand. Guinevere turned her head and then looked away again. "My brother sent you to me. It's Uther that cannot find you here, but they will be together."

"Your brother? Arthur?"

"Yes, of course. He took you to see Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon. You know why we need you. Today, going to Gaius, bringing me the potion I need, it means we can talk, freely. Or at least as free as you can get around here."

"The potion? The Mortaeus Flower tincture, Arthur doesn't need it."

"For the subterfuge he's playing, yes he does. He uses it…" Morgana paused and looked at him, her eyes searching his. "For his toys."

Merlin frowned and then the frown smoothed out. "Oh, you mean me."

Morgana nodded slowly. "Has he…?"

Merlin shook his head at the implication. "No, he wanted to but I didn't."

"And he stopped?" Morgana asked. Merlin nodded, feeling a shiver of fear. However she blinked and shook her head.

"He's not exactly used to refusal. Anyone in the castle will willingly ingratiate themselves with him. He probably wasn't expecting that."

"Why?"

"As the Prince's servant, you get status. No one will lay a hand on you with that collar around your neck."

"I got a boot," Merlin said shifting a little. Morgana winced.

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault."

She gave him a very long look.

"Except you yelled at me and they could get away with it then," Merlin said. Morgana smiled again. She was nice when she smiled Merlin thought and then blushed, heat running over his cheeks.

"What?" Morgana asked, smiling even more as she tilted her head to try and read his reaction. Merlin thought his face was going to set on fire.

"You're pretty when you smile," Merlin said. Morgana smiled even more, like she suddenly couldn't stop.

"Thank you. I don't often get to." One hand reached up to touch the delicate webbing of the necklace around her neck.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, be helpful. Kilgharrah is right, you are the one we need. Mordred says the same."

"Who?"

"They boy bonded to Sir Leon. He calls you Emrys."

Merlin looked at her, shaking his head innocently. "I don't know, I don't understand this. People keep telling me things and all I know is that just over a week ago I was taken from my village, my mother killed and I came here, and it's terrifying and confusing and I don't know what's going on."

Morgana tensed. "I need more of the…"

She waved her hand, Merlin got up and grabbed the tincture bottle. Bringing it over he filled the little dropper and put two more drops into the wine, Morgana nodded at him and he added two more. She sipped the drink again. Merlin sat down again, holding the little bottle in his hands.

"What does it do?"

"The way it is made, it makes your heart run a little fast, but you can become two people at the same time, sort of. It is a little hard to explain and we don't have time, but it means Uther has no idea what I am doing. He thinks I am happy in my chambers, looking over my purchases with Gwen. When he returns, he will see nothing different. Gwen will make me new dresses, which he will be delighted to see me in."

There was a distinct edge to her voice as she spoke. Merlin looked at the green bottle in his hands, putting it back on the table by Morgana's goblet and he rubbed his ear a little. Morgana frowned.

"Are you all right?"

"Gaius clipped me round the ear," Merlin lamented. Morgana gave a moue of sympathy.

"He does get a bit tetchy, although he was probably worried that you would miss me and then we couldn't meet properly."

"You staged all that?"

Morgana grinned again and shrugged, rolling her eyes a little. "It wasn't that difficult, I just decided that it was better if I explained things to you. Arthur isn't always that good at that sort of thing, and since we're sure you're the one we need it's best to be done properly. The dragon thinks so, Mordred too."

Merlin sat back in the chair as she reached out a hand and touched the collar around his neck. It made him feel like nothing more than a pet when people kept grabbing at it. He felt the warmth ripple from Morgana to himself and wash gently back again. She closed her eyes, leaning closer to him, her face near enough that he could have kissed her. A gentle smile played around her lips but before the thought could take too strong a hold in Merlin she opened her eyes and sat back again.

"It is definitely you."

"What is me?"

"The one the dragon said would come. One strong enough to help Arthur, and whose destiny it is to make him a great king."

Merlin eyed her apprehensively. "Are you sure?"

"You are strong enough."

Merlin smirked, "about Arthur. He doesn't seem much different from Uther," he announced and then felt contrite at the expression on her face. "Sorry."

Morgana smiled again, but this one looked more like a wince. "It's not easy for him. He's grown up with his father using magic the way he does. It wasn't so bad at the beginning, when Arthur was younger, when I came here with my father; the man who I thought was my father."

Merlin frowned, slowly letting the facts connect in his mind. "The king is your father?"

Morgana nodded. "I never knew, not until after my father died. Well, not my real father but the man I like to think of as my father. It's a bit confusing."

"Did he have anything to do with that?" Merlin asked, the 'he' being obvious, but Merlin felt too frightened to even utter Uther's name. Morgana nodded again.

"Uther sent him into battle, with a promise of reinforcements, none were forthcoming."

"Did he know of your talent?"

Morgana bit down on her lip and nodded, tears filling her eyes a little but she took a deep breath and forced them back. Instinctively Merlin reached out to hold her hand and she gripped onto him tightly.

"And you've been bonded to the king ever since?"

She nodded, not daring to speak for a moment. Merlin pondered it; the thought of Arthur being a king, of somehow getting rid of his father. He couldn't see how it was possible. Uther had such a strong grip on everything, and Merlin didn't think it would change much with Arthur in charge.

"And how does Arthur fit into this?"

"We were always close, even as children before we knew the truth, and he can't stand the thought of Uther using me as he does. It might not seem like it at times, but he does care."

Merlin huffed and rolled his eyes.

"How it is now is all he has ever known. Uther started using magic like this since Arthur was born. Arthur is drawn to it just as much as the rest of us."

"Was he born with magic?" Merlin asked. Morgana shook his head.

"No, but Arthur was born of magic. That was how it started. Arthur's mother hadn't produced an heir, the one thing that Uther wanted. He went to a sorceress Nimueh, and asked for help. She warned Uther that to create a life, one must be given back. Any life would have done, but Uther disregarded the warnings."

"So, what happened? Arthur's here, who died in his place?"

"His mother. Concerned about what might happen Nimueh went to Ygraine and told her the truth, and told her what needed to be done. Ygraine refused to sacrifice anyone else, she told Nimueh to direct the power to her, and she gave up her life to give Uther what he wanted."

"Oh," Merlin said, not sure of anything else to add. Morgana smiled again and squeezed his hand.

"Uther decided that if magic had taken her, there had to be a way to bring Ygraine back. He drew Nimueh into the plan, and she tried her best, maybe she sensed the danger of what might happen, I don't know. Only Uther can really tell you what passed between them, maybe Gaius knows a little, but he won't speak of it.

"Nimueh tried to take Arthur from him, that's all I know and then Uther locked her in a bond. He drained the life force from her, taking her magic and channelling it himself, and since then he's never stopped. The grief he felt twisted into something else."

"Hasn't anyone else tried to stop him?"

"Of course. The strongest of those who tried was Morgause, my sister."

Merlin frowned. "Your sister?"

"Half-sister, from my mother's side. Arthur and I are family through Uther. She tried, and he took her too. He tried to bond her, but she fought back too hard, he had her executed, and drained her blood."

"Yuk!" Merlin snapped and then shrank down a little as he realised how unsympathetic it sounded. "Sorry. Couldn't someone just kill him?"

"It has been tried; Arthur is probably the only one that can. He's close enough to Uther and he trusts him, but he won't, not yet."

"Why not, if he wants to get rid of him?"

"Uther is bonded to me, if Arthur tries to kill him, he could use my life force. It could be enough, and if he comes back from death, then it will be almost impossible to stop him. I won't risk that, and Arthur's worried about me. If I hold back my power and stop him from using it I'll still be in the bond, I wouldn't survive."

"And Arthur won't risk you."

Morgana shook her head. "I need someone to help break the bond, someone who might have the power to do it. Uther didn't feel the strength in you, I made sure you were protected from that."

Without thinking Merlin reached up and touched the delicate necklace around her throat. The marks that he had caused had faded, but there was a faint trace of raised, scarred skin.

"How? Arthur said the cuffs were specially made."

"Yes, Gwen's father is the blacksmith, he makes most of the magical restraints. The bond is achieved by using blood and incanting magic into the metal. Arthur used my blood and set the spell so I could block Uther's senses. It took some effort."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise."

"And Arthur should have removed them immediately. If he had left them on much longer you wouldn't have survived."

"I'm all right," Merlin said. He looked at the cuffs that now covered his wrists. "So I guess these were made with Arthur's blood."

"Now Uther just thinks you have a mild talent, and Arthur can keep you hidden in plain sight, while Uther thinks you are nothing more than an amusing distraction to him."

"I'd rather stay very much hidden."

"Uther has no interest in you now. We need to use the time we have to prepare to strike. Between us all we can do it, but we will only get one chance, we have to get it right."

Merlin shivered in concern but then looked up sharply as Guinevere's voice cut through the moment.

"My Lady, they're returning."

Morgana stood up, pulling Merlin up with her, and leading him around the table to the door. He stumbled after her, tripping on the edge of the rug. She steadied him as they reached the door.

"Gwen!"

Guinevere reached into a box on Morgana's dressing table and pulled out a little green vial, similar to the one that her potion held. Gwen passed it to her mistress who pressed it into Merlin's hand.

"Mortaeus Flower, take that with you, Uther heard the instruction Arthur gave you," she whispered urgently. "You and Arthur are going to need to form a plan, and we'll talk again."

Merlin nodded at her, taken completely by surprise as she reached forward and hugged him tightly. He swayed under the flowery smell of her hair and then she pushed him away. Merlin blinked at her, a little dazed by the affection. He was distracted by Guinevere moving about swiftly, opening packages and strewing the contents about, bending down to flick the rug straight where Merlin had tripped and rumpled it. Morgana opened the door and gently pushed Merlin out.

"Go! You'll need to be back for Arthur, and Merlin," she stopped him again by grabbing his wrist. "Refuse him for as long as you can!"

Merlin blinked at that and Morgana smiled again at him. "It might teach him something." She gave him a little push, and nodded at him.

"Go! Now!"