Author's Note: Hey all! So sorry it's taken me so long to update, but my internet seriously HATES me and I've been kind of stuck in the story. I'm not really sure what Arthur is going to do with Alex, but I do know that he was thinking of- oops. No telling. I'm not very great at keeping secrets. Enjoy!


We walked back to Camelot, and I kept as close to Mary and Merlin as I could, which meant I was as far from Arthur as possible. I can't believe that I told him about Simon. I regretted it, even though it did change his mind. There are just some things you just need to keep to yourself, and that was mine.

Because while I was locked away, my father got sick. So sick that by the time I got to him, he couldn't be saved.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Mary asked, nudging me. "Is it…Prince Arthur? Did he say something?"

I shook my head. "No. It's something I said. I just—my thoughts sometimes get away from me. I'm fine, but that doesn't matter. How are you? You are the one who got dragged into this." She gave a small laugh.

"You didn't drag me into this. I wanted to come." She glanced at Merlin, who was staring off into space and slowly drifting away from us. "I wanted to impress Merlin. I wanted him to see that I'm not some damsel in distress." She rolled her eyes. "I guess that worked real well."

I laughed. "Yes, I do believe that they did get there at an inopportune time. But, no worries, I would have gotten us out of there safely if they hadn't shown up."

"About that… I want to talk to you. You were…acting strangely." She crinkled her brow. "You said you could scare it away but the knights couldn't be there, but, I don't get why. And they were there in the end anyway. What did you mean?"

I looked away. I could trust Mary with my secret, I knew I could. But it wasn't just my secret to tell anymore. It was Merlin's too. And I didn't know if he was ready to tell her. I also didn't know how Mary would view us. Would she be afraid?

"It's something best saved for another time." I glanced towards Arthur, and Mary seemed to get the hint. Merlin was up talking to Arthur now, and they seemed to be having a heated argument, which meant it could be about almost anything.

I kept myself from listening in and instead turned my attention back to the trees. My eyes caught on a figure in the wood, and I stopped. It was a face I knew well, in a red cape I recognized. What was Lady Morgana doing here?

"Merlin," I called. As soon as I said his name, she vanished. "Mer," I called again, and he and Arthur both turned to look at me. Mary was standing next to me.

"What is it you see?" She asked, grasping my arm. I brought my attention back to the path.

"Nothing—there's nothing there." Merlin came walking up to us then.

"What is it?" He still had a hint of frustration in his voice. I looked at Mary, and she seemed to realize I didn't want to say it in front of her. She nodded her head, and I felt a pang of regret at the hurt look in her eyes. She walked towards the knights and I sighed. I'd have to tell her.

"You never told me about Morgana. I just saw her in the woods. She was just…standing there." I looked back to where I'd seen her.

"Unless you two want us to get ambushed, we need to keep moving." Arthur called at us. Merlin and I started walking again, but held back.

"Morgana has been…different since she came back. She was gone for a year, and no one knows where she was. But she hasn't been right ever since. Her magic is more prominent and she's not afraid to use it." Merlin explained. "She might have… Maybe she conjured the monster?" My eyes widened.

"Doesn't that take a lot of power?" I questioned. Merlin's eyes became solemn.

"You don't know what we're up against."

When we got back to Camelot, I parted ways and took Mary back to our room. I closed the door behind us and she went and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Mary," I started.

She looked up at me. "What ever it is—if you and Merlin are… If you guys…" She trailed off.

"No! Why does everyone think that? I don't like Merlin like that. It's just that… I have secrets, things that Merlin and I have in common. We just aren't ready to tell anyone about them. It's different, trying to live here, when we're both from small towns. There are things we've bonded over that we'd never tell anyone else. You have nothing to worry about, because I don't like him like that, and he is crazy in love with you."

Mary's face turned bright red and I smiled. "He doesn't love me."

"He does. Trust me. We tell each other everything…mostly." I shook my head. "Are you mad at me?" I asked. She stood up and walked over to me.

"No, I'm not. I just want to know that I'm still your best friend, even if you can't tell me everything." I smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"Of course you're my best friend! And, hopefully, Merlin will be ready to tell you everything soon. Because I really hate keeping secrets."

Just a quick question, does anyone really like the character Mary? Because, I originally liked the idea of Merlin having a girl and Alex having her own partner in crime, but, she's kind of starting to get in my way and so she's not as great of a character as I had planned. Should I just 'get rid of her' or should she find out about Alexandra's powers, as hinted? Or, both? I need help fighting off the monkey-warriors that are stealing ideas! I need some advice and feedback! Thank you:)