I'm sorry it's a little short, but here it is! Happy Holidays to all of you! xoxoxo

lilnightmare17: Thank you for reviewing so much! Sorry if I took a while

Female whovian: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're liking it!

hateme101: Thanks! Morgause is definitely up to something nasty mwahaha


Kali never expected to see Arthur. Especially not in the middle of the woods. In fact, she long ago accepted the fact that she would never see the prince ever again. The Solargarde had no business in Camelot anymore, so what were the odds that she would see him? Despite them being very slim, he managed to be standing in front of her with an almost sheepish expression on his face. Kali found it somewhat endearing. Then she noticed the man standing behind Arthur.

He was lean and tall with dark hair. There wasn't much muscle on him. She could take him down easily if the situation called for it. It wouldn't be too hard except for the fact of something gnawing in the back of her mind to leave him alone. And if she had learned anything during her lifetime, it was to never ignore your instincts. If her instincts were telling her to stay on friendly terms with that man, then she will do that. Even though Kali intended to not be a threat, she couldn't help her hand from resting on her belt where she had several daggers stashed. One wrong move from him, and should could quickly throw a dagger his way.

"Who are you?" She asked, not keeping her eyes off of the new person.

He stared at her with the same amount of suspicion. "Merlin." He answered sharply. "Who are you?"

Kali didn't bother to answer. She didn't trust Merlin at all and she didn't want to tell him her name. Names were powerful things. She could count more than a dozen spells and curses that involved the name of the intended victim. It also wouldn't be good for him to toss her name around or to tell it to the wrong person. Yes, it was much safer to keep her name to herself. Kali turned to look at Arthur. "What are you doing here?" She asked again.

Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly. "Why aren't you and the Solargarde far away from here by now?" He asked, not answering her question.

Suspicion crawled up Kali's throat. She peered around the woods nervously, looking for any sign of Camelot guards waiting to snatch her up. Kali squared her shoulders. "If you're hoping to find them to bring them back to Camelot, then you're looking in the wrong place. They are far away from here." She snapped.

He raised an eyebrow at her cold behavior. "Then why are you out here and not with the rest?"

She didn't back down. Kali continued to stare at Arthur who returned with as much intensity. Both of them were too stubborn to look away or drop the subject. Kali considered telling Arthur the truth. Sure, she thought Arthur was a moral man. He hadn't done anything to prove her otherwise. But despite her high opinion of the prince, she still was incredibly suspicious of him. If Kali was Arthur, she would be hauling him right back to Camelot. Her loyalties to her family was much stronger than her loyalties for people she just met. Even if it was an incredibly unethical thing to do, she would do it for her loved ones. Kali prayed that Arthur and her weren't similar in that way.

"I'm helping out a friend." She vaguely told him. Kali crossed her arms. "Now, why are you out here?" The sorceress repeated.

He scratched that back of his head. "Well, Merlin and I wanted—" Merlin coughed dramatically. He sighed. "I wanted to make sure that you all escaped safely. I also came to warn you that my father is increasing the guards in the villages and is restricting the border. It's about to be a lot more difficult to leave Camelot for the Solargarde."

Kali's gaze softened. A sliver of her felt guilty for assuming the worst from the man, but could anyone blame her? She lived her life seeing the worst in people. Her once loving aunt locked her away at the first sign of magic, more than once people tried to burn her for her magic, and Kali had witnessed more executions than there was people in Camelot. It was only natural for her to slightly distrustful. "Thank you." She replied. Her mouth curved into a small smile. "That is very kind of you to be thinking about us." Arthur only nodded in response with his cheeks a very light pink.

"Who's sick?" Merlin asked suddenly. His eyes were locked on the basket. "I recognize those herbs. Gaius is always running short of them. They're very powerful medicinal plants."

She shuffled slightly in her spot. "You don't need to worry about it." She replied quickly.

"If you need any help, Merlin knows a lot of medicine." Arthur offered. Kali shook her head quickly, not wanting to involve any more people than necessary. The prince frowned. "Merlin can help you, you know that right? It's not wrong to ask for help."

She was tempted. The Druids could use as much help as they could get. And since Kali could normally rely on magical remedies her entire life, she didn't have much experience of how physicians cared for regular people. Magic only seemed to make the peoples' sickness worse, so it would be useful to have someone with experience with that sort of thing. But then again, she didn't know Merlin at all. All she had to go on was Arthur's word, and strangely enough, she trusted it. The pros outweighed the cons. "Is he an honest man?" She asked the prince.

"The most honest one I know." Arthur answered without hesitation.

Kali nodded. "Okay." She said. "Okay, he can help. But you have to stay here and make camp."

Arthur's face was pure confusion. "Why can't I come with?" He questioned with an adequate amount of distrust. His eyes flickered between Kali and Merlin.

Merlin took a step forward. "It's fine, Arthur. Her friends would most likely be frightened by the Prince of Camelot, anyways. I can take care of myself."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Please be honest with me. Are they dangerous? Do they put Merlin's life in danger?"

She shook her head. "No. They won't hurt him."

He looked reluctant, but Arthur nods in agreement. Kali was about to lead Merlin back to camp when she thought of an idea. She reached down to the ground and picked up two small rocks. Kali enclosed one rock in each hand. "Angiet broga." She whispered. Her brown eyes flashed a luminescent yellow. The two rocks turned warm like the embers in a fire then quickly cooled down to their original temperature. Kali handed one of the rocks to Arthur. He turns it around in his fingers with curiosity. "There," she said, clearly proud of herself, "if either of us are in danger, the rocks will turn warm. This way you can be sure that nothing is happening to Merlin and we can be sure that you'll be fine alone in the middle of the woods."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I will be perfectly fine. I have spent many nights sleeping in the woods. And if there are any problems, I can easily take care of it." Merlin snorted and Arthur glared at him.

Merlin and Kali left Arthur to gather wood for a campfire and to set up sleeping arrangements. When they were far out of Arthur's earshot, Kali wanted to make sure that Merlin was well aware of the situation. She also needed to be sure that he wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Arthur. Her trust for the man could only reach so far. It was a very real possibility that Arthur could turn around and tell his father about the druid camp, which would only bring more suffering.

"They're good people." She said. Kali kept her eyes forward and didn't look at Merlin who was looking at her oddly. "I don't want any harm to come to them." Kali purposefully stretched her cloak back so that the servant could clearly see the knives in her belt.

Merlin picked up on the very subtle threat. "I will help if I can." He said quickly. "So, what are their symptoms?"

She sighed. "Their fevers are incredibly high. A couple of the younger children have had seizures. More than once they ended up causing more injuries to themselves. They also are incredibly nauseous. Every single person has trouble keeping their food down."

He nodded, soaking in the information. The gears grinded together in his head. "I think Gaius might have treated someone with the same disease a couple months ago." He mused. Merlin gestured towards his bicep. "Do they have a rash on their arms or legs?"

"I'm not sure."

"If they do, then I know exactly how to treat it."

Kali smiled, truly happy. She made the right decision by letting Merlin come to the Druid camp. After several minutes of walking, the reach the outsides of the camp. Merlin's face turned to pure shock. He realized that it was a Druid camp. Her heart fell. She saw how his whole body tensed. There was a flash of something in his eyes that reminded her of an animal making the decision whether to run away or if the threat wasn't big enough to matter. "Are you still going to help?" She asked softly.

Merlin blinked several times. "Of course. I said I was, so I will. I'm just surprised about who your friends are." The corners of his mouth curved into a small frown. "This seems like important information to share."

She shrugged like it was nothing. Kali immediately led the way towards the medical tent in the back of the camp. "If I had told you, would you have come?" She looked back at Merlin's thoughtful face. His silence answered her question in a way that words never could. She purposefully avoided people when they walked through the camp. Kali assumed that Merlin wasn't comfortable about the Druids —or anything magical for that matter—, so she did her best to avoid everything she could. They didn't see a single soul. Even if she wasn't purposefully avoiding people, they still wouldn't have run into everyone. All the druids were gathered in the center of the camp, grieving for the dead.

Maribelle looked up when the entered the tent. Saying that she was surprised that Merlin was there was an understatement. Her eyes grew as large as the stars. If Kali didn't know better, she would say that Maribelle was looking at a god or something. In fact, it looked like she was prepared to boy down before the servant. Her son, Jerome, didn't seem to care about Merlin at all. The children was busy cutting up herbs and mashing them in a wooden bowl. He smiled in greeting at the two before continuing his work.

"Kali, what is he doing here?" Maribelle asked in a haze.

"He's here to help." She replied. "He knows a lot about medicine. He says that me might even know what's wrong with them."

Merlin nodded. "I just need to look at them to be sure."

Maribelle gestured towards the full tent. "Please, go ahead. Tell me if you need anything. Anything at all." She sputtered. Maribelle wrung her hands together nervously. The woman turned to look at Kali with wide eyes. "Where on earth did you find him?"

"In the woods." Kali answered.

Maribelle nodded like that was the most normal place to find someone. She smiled. "Emrys is an amazing man. The Druids have been watching him for years. We are so fortunate that you found him."

Kali's eyes snapped to her friend's face in shock. She thought his name was Merlin, not Emrys. "Emrys? What are you talking about?"

Her friend's eyebrows came together in confusion. "You know, Emrys? An extremely powerful warlock? He's the one you brought back to help us." Kali paled visibly. Maribelle raised a hand to Kali's forehead. "Are you alright? I hope you aren't coming down with something."

She shook her head. "I'm fine." Actually, she was anything but. Kali was feeling something that she hadn't felt in a long time for anyone other than her family: worry. Paralyzing, earth-shattering worry. From what she saw, Merlin and Arthur were friends. Very good friends, but she doubted that the prince knew his servant was a warlock that went by the name Emrys. Kali immediately assumed the worst from Merlin. What was he planning? Was he going to hurt Arthur? She sincerely hoped not, but she couldn't take that risk.

Merlin returned to the two women. He told them that he was familiar with the disease. Maribelle and Kali were extremely grateful. Merlin also told them exactly what they would need to make medicine for the sick. He even helped Maribelle start the first batch. Soon enough, the entire tent of sick were on their way to becoming well again. Kali watched his every movement with narrowed eyes. She couldn't believe that she didn't know that Merlin had magic before. Now that she was aware of it, she could feel the power radiating off of him. Maribelle was right, he was a powerful warlock. The new information only made her worry double. She had doubts that she would be able to stop Merlin. And if she couldn't, then who would protect Arthur from him?

Ever since she joined the Solargarde, she never thought that another magic user would be a threat to her. To her, magic bound the people together like one, large, extended family. But in that moment, all those thoughts came crashing down like an avalanche. Like Morgause, Kali began to think that Merlin wasn't as nice of a person as she originally thought. A small part of her told her that she should trust Arthur's judgement and not do anything she would regret, but the other part of her was freaking out from the fact that a powerful warlock was so close to the prince without him realizing. Someone had to do something, and that responsibility fell on her shoulders.

And all these thoughts brought up another question. Why did she care? Kali couldn't come up with any other reason that she considered Arthur as a friend. He had, more than once, let her escape. Kali's respect wasn't easily earned, but somehow the prince managed to do just that in a matter of days. The fact that he was able to do that so quickly kind of scared the sorceress.

"Are you ready to go back? I'm sure Arthur is dying of boredom." Merlin said suddenly. Kali nodded, letting him take the lead into the woods.

When they were away from the camp, Kali took the opportunity. She pinned the servant to a tree with her magic. His eyes widen in surprised. Kali felt his magic pushing back, but she had the upper-hand. He was much more powerful than her, but being caught by surprise reduced Merlin's ability to concentrate on fighting back and gave her enough leverage to suppress his magic from being used against her. If Christiane was there, she would be incredibly proud of the sorceress for turning everything to her advantage.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you." He spat bitterly.

Kali narrowed her eyes. She slammed one of her knives in the tree next to his neck. "And what about you, Emrys? Does Arthur know that you're a warlock?" She responded with just as much venom.

He tried to fight out of her hold, but he couldn't. "I won't let you hurt him."

She took a step back, making sure that her magic kept Merlin to the tree. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to hurt Arthur."

Merlin rolled his eyes, despite the serious situation. "Then why am I pinned to a tree unless you mean to kill him?"

"To stop you from hurting him!" She exclaimed.

"What?"

Kali placed her hands on her hips. "Arthur's a good man but his father has done some horrible things. I'm sure that there are some magic-users out there dying to kill the heir." She took an intimidating step forward. The sorceress made sure that her head was held high and proudly. Her shoulders were relaxed and her back was stiff. If she was wearing a crown and a fancy gown, she could've been mistaken for a queen. "I will protect him from you."

The warlock's face shifted from anger to disbelief. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" She yelled. Her irritation was growing by the second.

Merlin continued to stare at her with disbelief. The gears turned in his head. "Oh my, you are. You really do want to help him." He murmured to himself. The warlock shook his head, which was the small amount of movement that Kali allowed. "You have the wrong idea about me. I want to help him too. In face, that's what I have been doing since I arrived in Camelot!"

Kali's harsh stance faltered slightly. It looked like he was telling the truth. She looked for any signs of deceit and found none.

"Are you tell the truth?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation. "Arthur is a good man. Someday he will make a great king."

She bit her lip in concentration. Everything pointed towards the truth. As she thought back, she realized that when Merlin looked at Arthur, there was no hate in his gaze. Just respect and friendship. And if she turned out that Merlin was plotting to harm Arthur, then she could just pin him to another tree. With a mutter of words, Merlin was released. He look in a deep breath then straightened himself.

"I'm sorry for attacking you." Kali apologized lamely.

Merlin tilted his head in surprise. He didn't expect to hear an apology. "I probably would've done the same." He said, neither accepting nor declining the apology. "I don't trust you." He told her bluntly.

She stiffened. "And I most definitely don't trust you."

"But we both trust Arthur, and that is good enough for now."

Kali nodded with a small smile on her lips. She pulled her knife out of the bark of the tree. Before they could start walking back towards Arthur, the prince came barreling towards him. He examined each of the magic-users carefully, looking for any type of injuries. When he found none, he was incredibly confused.

"Arthur, you were supposed to stay and make camp." Merlin told the prince.

Arthur held up the rock. "It started to turn warm. I thought that you two were in danger."

Kali felt the weight of the other rock in her pouch. Deep down she was touched that Arthur would immediately rush into action if they were in danger. She had a feeling that he was more concerned for his servant than her, but it still made her face heat up and for butterflies to dance in her stomach. Kali gestured towards herself and Merlin. "As you can see, we are perfectly fine. Let's head back and make dinner. I'm starving."