A/N: I'm sorry if it's been a while, I was vaccationing in a cabin for a week (as in, 576 hours) with NO, I repeat, NO wi-fi. It was terrible. BUT, I did get some writing done. I hope you like it!

This chapter is dedicated to Amethyst49 , a new reader, I'm VERY glad you enjoy the story!

As always my FANTASTIC (and hopefully patient) readers, R&R! :)

GWAINE POV

Gwaine and Lancelot had marched right past the guards, the swords at their hips and the furious expression on Gwaine's face deterring any argument. But if the guards were to stop them, they had decided to say they were interrogating the prisoner. A simple enough answer that the guards would no doubt have gobbled up like the food the serving girls would bring down.

"What's with the swords?" the girl asked as they came within view of the cell.

"We grabbed them so we could say we were interrogating you," Gwaine said.

"But that's not why you're here," she said, gazing at them with knowing, blue eyes.

"It's . . . well, it's our friend. Merlin. He's . . . well, he's injured," Gwaine said quietly, lowering his eyes a little in the hope that she'd not spot the half-truth. What Merlin did was Merlin's business, and though Gwaine planned on having a long talk with the young man once all this was over (for heaven's sake . . . Merlin owed him a good mug of mead at least for all this worrying about him), this girl need not know.

"So the King saw the results of all his good work," the girl muttered, looking down at the floor, but not before Gwaine caught a glimpse of the sullen expression on the girl's face.

"You know what happened?" Lancelot asked from behind him.

"Do I know how he was hurt?" the girl asked, looking back up at them. "Yes I do, in more ways than one." So-saying, the girl yanked her sleeves up. "It's the emotional hurt that's often the hardest to bear. You both know about Merlin's secret," she said, as the knights stared, somewhat uncomprehendingly at the scars that showed around the edge of the shackles.

"Yeah, just figured it out, actually." Gwaine murmured.

"I've known for a while," Lancelot admitted.

The girl shook her head. "You think you do," she said. "But poor Merlin's more than just a warlock-"

"A what?" Gwaine asked.

"He was born with magic," Yara responded. "As I was saying, Merlin's not just a warlock, he's the most powerful warlock ever born. The druids call him Emrys, the savior."

"And . . . I'm guessing that's a big thing," Gwaine said, completely mystified as he sat down on the cold stone floor in order to look at the girl's face easier. The girl snorted.

"No kidding. Emrys is supposed to bring back magic to Camelot, along with the 'Once and Future King', who is apparently your King Arthur."

"Wait," Gwaine said, trying to stop himself from laughing. "Arthur Pendragon, as in Uther Pendragon's son, is supposed to bring back magic to Camelot? Are you serious?"

"This isn't a joke, Sir Knight," Yara said, sharply. "This is the future, the making of Albion."

"The making of what?"

The girl sighed. "Nothing. The point is, Merlin's been under a lot of stress, keeping all of this from his friends, especially King Arthur. And . . . unfortunately I think he got rather attached to me."

"So you're saying . . . that Merlin was hurt because Arthur decided to execute you?" Gwaine couldn't keep the anger out of his voice this time. He was going to kill the King.

"It would have been more the Nobleman's council's decision than Arthur's," Lancelot said quietly.

"That's true," Yara said quietly. "I'm thinking that what really got to Merlin was a lot of what was said. I'm assuming he was with Arthur while the decision was being made?"

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't," Lancelot said. "He's always with Arthur."

"I'd blame the Nobles more than Arthur," the girl said, leaning back against the wall of the cell. "They probably made some . . . unflattering comments about magic. And it's not like Merlin was particularly emotionally stable at the time either."

"What do ya mean . . . not emotionally stable?" Gwaine asked.

"I'm guessing you both noticed . . . in the forest? I'm guessing you now know what he left to do?"

"Oh . . ." Gwaine breathed, remembering how Merlin had gone to get water and returned with a half-full water-skin. How the hem of his sleeves had been darkened with what he had thought had been water, but must have been . . . blood. "But . . . there was no knife," Gwaine said, though he knew he was grasping at straws. How could he not have noticed!?

"He got pretty good at hiding things like that, I'm guessing." Yara sighed, letting her head fall back against the wall. "You'll need to help him, when he wakes up. If I die before he wakes up, I need you to not let him out of your sight for . . . a long time. Until you're sure he's alright."

"That . . . that could take a while," Lancelot said sadly.

"You need to be there for him," Yara said quietly. "If I'd had someone, I might not have taken it as far as I did."

"What made you stop?" Lancelot asked from behind Gwaine.

"The same reason I started. My little brother," the girl said. "He was killed by Uther's men a few years ago, leaving me alone. I got . . . well, I didn't see how my life was ever going to get better, so . . . I started self-destructing. But . . . I stopped when I had a dream. I'm not a seer, not exactly. But sometimes I have visions. And . . . well, one of them made me realize that my brother would have wanted me to live, to help others." She sighed. "Merlin doesn't have that. But what he does have, is you."

"Us." Lancelot said, sounding slightly incredulous. Gwaine turned to look at his friend, who was pale and tired-looking. "We didn't even notice anything was over-wrong. I mean, sure we noticed he was acting odd, but we never thought it was . . . this dire." The hopelessness in Lancelot's voice caught Gwaine's attention, making him look closer at the man. Lancelot's face was drawn, his eyes had a haunted look about them, and he was hunched over a little, as if bowed over from the weight of the past few hours.

"C'mon, Lance. Let's go have a talk with Queeny," he said, and tugged the other up to a standing position with him. "Thank-you," he said to the girl. "You won't be killed . . . not if I have anything to say about it."

"Don't do anything stupid!" The girl called after them, and Gwaine bit back a chuckle. They could try, but whatever they did probably wouldn't ever be attempted by anyone who was any semblance of sane. So . . . it was probably a good thing that he'd never really been interested in his own welfare.

A/N: So . . . I think it went alright. Please review, and hopefully I'll have a new chapter up by the coming weekend!