EDITED.

CHAPTER 14 - THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

It was a shriek of pain that interrupted her day.

Merlynn had been wandering through the castle, as she always seemed to do when she was allowed a small break each day. She memorized each hall, each path, every door; she knew she would need it some time in the future, so she used that time, and the rest of the time she spent doing errands for both Gaius and Arthur, updating her information on the structure of Camelot.

The sound, it came so suddenly that she was sent reeling back into the wall of the corridor from the shock of it. So loud and raw and clear, it was as though the person who made the noise was inches in front of her, but it was impossible. The halls were empty. Though, as she pondered it, the scream came again. It echoed in her head - that was where it was coming from, she realized. Her head.

Perhaps she was insane like Uther thought she was. But, her mind couldn't scream... and it certainly wasn't a female scream. It was the sound of a child, that she knew. She wondered how it got into her head.

'Help,' the owner of the screams cried and, again, it was in her head. Merlynn paused and searched for the person; he must have been in the corridor to be talking to her! 'Help me, please!'

She searched for him. Through the corridors and out into the courtyard, she searched and searched until she almost gave up from how useless it seemed to have become. Then, she saw him. It was a child - a boy - no older than eleven, she estimated, cowering behind the dog statue that was once live, his body hidden by the forest green cloak that engulfed his body. And he was staring right at her with such intense, blue eyes. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his mouth pressed together, but no sound left his lips as he spoke again.

'Please, you have to help me,' he begged. That was when she noticed the guards. They entered the courtyard with fierce determination, swords drawn and faces flushed, and she knew that then, the boy was prey - he was to be hunted and, probably, killed. She couldn't have that - he was a boy and he was kin. 'They're searching for me. They're going to kill me.'

'Why?' her own voice projected across the yard to him, an ability she was not aware she was capable of yet. Merlynn didn't stare at him, and instead focused her attention on the guards, who were looking in the opposite direction - she took her chance. She hastened toward him and took him by the arm (the one he wasn't keeping plastered to his body), trying not to create a scene as she made her way to the side door of the castle. "You need to run, please," she whispered. "They'll see you and then see me and I don't need to get killed for this."

He picked up his pace as best as his injured body would allow him to, but she could hear the objections of the guards who must have seen them. Merlynn didn't bother to lock the door behind her and, instead, lifted the boy into her arms to carry him to the first place she could think of: Morgana's bedchambers. She also didn't bother to knock or ask permission to enter the Lady's bedchamber, and instead burst inside, slammed the door shut with the boy's body cradled against her and rest against it.

"Don't you know how to knock, Merlynn?" Morgana asked, but then she noticed the boy and her eyes widened. "Wha -?"

"Morgana, please," she begged in a voice no higher than a whisper. "The guards are after him. He's just a boy, I - I couldn't let him get hurt and now I don't know what to do."

There was a firm knock at the door. "My lady?" Another. "My lady?"

Morgana was silent for a minute or two, staring at the boy with an odd expression, then she nodded and motioned to the curtain at the back of the room. Merlynn didn't even notice Gwen was in the room until she raced passed her behind the curtain and slumped against the wall, the boy on her lap; she pressed a kiss to his forehead and pulled him closer.

"It'll be fine," she assured him softly. He was shaking beneath her hands, sweaty and sickly, his head drooping to her shoulder from the exhaustion. Then, he collapsed and he was shaking again, breath a quiet shutter against her. She let out a little gasp and ran her fingers through his damp hair to soothe him. "I'll protect you, boy. I promise. You won't be dying on me today." His little fingers clutched weakly at her tunic, and she felt him begin to cry soundlessly into her shoulder, whether from the pain, or fear, or exhaustion, she didn't know nor care. All she did was shush him, wrapped her arms more firmly around him, and kiss his head.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lady," the guard's voice made the boy tense. "We're looking for a young Druid boy. We believe he came this way."

Morgana gasped, sounding surprised. "I haven't seen anyone, especially not a boy. It's just been me and my maid - why, I don't think I've left my bedchambers once today!" she admitted, bashful and sweet and innocent, as the king's ward should be.

"Best keep the door locked until we find him," he suggested.

"Of course. Best of luck to you."

The door clicked shut, and then the curtain was pulled back and Morgana was beside them. Her odd-coloured eyes were glassy with unshed, worried tears as she stared at the boy, hand clenched as though she wished to reach out to him. He merely moved closer to Merlynn, his tears gone, body still trembling. He was asleep now, or unconscious; she didn't know, but she hadn't checked while the guard was there without risking noise. "Is he okay?" she asked, gasping at the sight of him.

"No, he's injured," she replied, scooping him up as she slid her back up the wall so she could stand. His arm was slick with blood, her hands and tunic stained with red; she gulped as she saw it, but carried him over to Morgana's bed and set him down. "We need to wrap his wound, give him plenty of fluids."

"I'll get some water and cloth," Morgana declared, and touched the boy's shoulder softly.

As she left, Merlynn sat cross-legged on the bed beside him and stared while he lay there. Druids were something that she had only learnt of from Gaius' books, but she knew that they were magic, like she had; born with it. He was so small, so thin, skin almost white he was so pale. The Druids were hidden in the forest, from what she read, which meant that they may have not been fed well since they never seemed to travel into the city - she wondered why he was in Camelot in the first place. From his cloak, he would have come into the city from somewhere else.

Sighing, she removed his cloak and manouvered his tunic from him, minding the wound on his forearm. She grimaced at the sight of it; it wasn't too deep, possibly from a sword or knife, and it was still bleeding. Morgana returned quickly, and watched, one hand stroking the boy's hair back, as Merlynn cleaned and wrapped the wound using whatever skills she learned from observing Gaius. He didn't wake until she was finished, almost shooting up in the bed had Morgana not held him by his uninjured arm to keep him settled.

"Hello," she whispered with a sweet smile on her face. He was tensed up, staring at her with those blue eyes, his expression reserved and scared. Morgana furrowed her brow in confusion and glanced at the servant girl. "What happened to him?"

"I... don't know," she shrugged and stretched across the bed next to him. He visibly relaxed when he saw her, resting his head on her shoulder; she smiled, and kissed his head. "You're safe here." A symbol was printed on his chest, three swirls curled outward in a circular formation. She hummed thoughtfully and ran her fingers across it, tracing it with the pad of her forefinger.

"What is that?"

'It's the symbol of a Druid,' his little voice told her.

"It must be something to do with the Druids, I guess," she answered.

Morgana was at the window, then, drawn to the sounds of shouting below; Merlynn had ignored it, thinking it was just the guards interrogating people in search of the boy but, from the look on the Lady's face, she knew something was very, very wrong. She slid from beneath the boy, brushing off his hand that reached out to grip her tunic, and joined her at the window.

The 'chopping block', as Gaius had dubbed it, was set, and a man stood between two guards. The same Druid symbol was clear in the same place on the man, and she knew then that he came with the boy. He searched the courtyard before, finally, settled his eyes above on the Pendragons that stood on the balcony. Merlynn almost felt...disappointed, seeing Arthur standing beside his father, but he didn't look too pleased to be there.

"People of Camelot, the man before you is guilty of using enchantments and magic. Under our law, the sentence for this crime is death. We're still searching for his accomplice. Anyone found harbouring the boy is guilty of conspiracy, and will be executed as a traitor. Let this serve as a warning to your people," King Uther announced in a dark tone. The women shared a glance, but Merlynn was well aware that she would be protecting the boy until her final breath, with or without Morgana's help.

"You have let your fear of magic turn into hate," the man called up to him with a smirk. "I pity you."

"I can't watch this," Morgana choked and returned to the boy.

Perhaps, she could speak to him. It was rather easy for her to talk to the boy through her mind, so how difficult could it be for her to do the same? Merlynn took a deep breath and focused on speaking to the man in her thoughts, her eyes burning. 'If you can hear me,' she, hopefully, sent to him, 'I promise you that I will protect him.

She feared he didn't hear her, as he was shoved down to the stone block. But, in a split second, his eyes met hers and they widened. A hint of a smile was on his face as he saw her with her gold eyes. Thank you, E - the axe slammed down and dislodged his head from his body. She half-sobbed, half-gasped, and reeled back away from the window.

'No!' the scream rattled her brain, and she heard a smash. Merlynn whirled around to see the mirror beside her, smashed and ruined, from the force of his pain; another glance was shared between the two females, but neither spoke. The boy reached out for her, his whole body shaking and, as she went to him, he grabbed her tunic and forced her to be beside him. 'He's dead. I can feel it, he's dead. He's gone and it's all my fault.'

Even though she hadn't met the man, tears pooled in her eyes and she had to force them back. She raked her fingers softly through his damp hair and sighed, hugging him close. Then, she pulled away, heart aching. "Morgana, I should leave," she said as she got to her feet. "Gaius, or worse, Arthur, will get suspicious if I spend anymore time here."

Morgana nodded in agreement. "Of course. I will call for you if anything goes wrong."

"Goodnight," she whispered, both to her and the boy.

He stared at her, face pinched, as though he didn't want her to leave; in truth, she didn't want to leave him either. 'Goodnight.' She smiled, small and sweet, and left without another word.

[][][][][][]

Merlynn couldn't eat that evening. Her mind kept drifting to the unnamed Druid boy that was still in Morgana's bedchamber, scared and injured. He was just like her! Food was entirely out of the question, she thought, as she stared down at the bowl of slop.

"Gaius, do you know much about Druids?" she brought him up as subtly as possible.

"Very little," he replied, his eyebrow - one she knew notoriously as the suspicious brow - rising. "They're very secretive people. Especially now they're being hunted by Uther."

"Oh."

"Merlynn, please tell me you haven't gotten yourself mixed up in this," he pleaded with her, reaching to clasp her hand in his.

She was always known to be a terrible liar, but she managed a scoff, "Mixed up in what? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Sweat wet her brow and palms, her face flushed, and she couldn't look at the old physician as she spoke - definitely a terrible liar.

"For someone who has to hide a large secret, you are a horrible liar," he remarked, leaning forward on his forearms.

Merlynn sighed; she knew he would figure her out in a second. "Yes, I'm aware. Gaius..."

"Merlynn, do you understand how much danger you have put yourself in?" And Lady Morgana, she added silently as she nodded at his words.

"I heard the boy calling to me," she admitted. "He asked me to help him - me, directly me," she told him excitedly, her too-wide grin splitting her face. "And Gaius, I wasn't even near him when he spoke to me...it was in my mind! I've never heard of a thing like it before."

Gaius hummed and fixed his spectacles. "Yes, I've heard of this ability. The Druids look for children with such gifts to serve as apprentices. While they're searching for this boy, you must be especially careful otherwise it'll be your head on the chopping block," he warned her, rubbing his thumbs at his temples to soothe the oncoming headache he would receive from the stress she gave him.

"I'm always careful," she assured his doubtful mind. "You know me, Gaius. I haven't been killed yet." Her joke went un-laughed at, and her smile promptly faded as his eyebrow rose again.

"Yet."

[][][][][][]

Merlynn woke with the bleeds that next morning, to her embarrassment. She hated the bleeds - the bane of her existence, of every woman's existence - and it was even worse when she was in the company of men for the majority of the day. Quickly, she took a potion to calm her belly ache and grabbed the linen that kept her from staining her trousers, then left without breakfast to visit the boy.

Morgana had moved the boy over the night to the day bed, which was moved behind the curtain so, if they were to be interrupted, he wouldn't be found lest someone go searching. "How is he?" she asked, not even bothering with a greeting.

"I'm worried he may have lost a lot of blood," the Lady breathed, taking to her side as Merlynn stroked the boy's forehead. "But, he slept through the night without little complaint."

"He's paler," she remarked, troubling at her lower lip worriedly. "Has he said anything?"

"Nothing," Morgana said sadly. "He won't even tell me his name."

He had only spoken to her, then, she mused. "For a moment there, yesterday, I was worried you would have handed us over," she admitted with a small laugh.

In response, she was given a sharp glare; Morgana clenched her jaw, her forest-like eyes blazing. "I'm glad you have so much faith in me, Merlynn," she spat. Idiot.

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I mean, you're the king's ward - you're taking more risk than I am in helping the boy," Merlynn explained, her voice shaking to the point of desperation. Having a woman like Morgana angry with her was not what she wanted, or would ever want.

She looked toward the boy, an almost loving expression on her face. "I couldn't see an innocent child executed. What harm has he done to anyone?"

"The king believes that, since he has magic, it makes him guilty," she told her. Merlynn took a seat on the bed and, before she could take a breath, the boys arms were wrapped around her waist and his head nuzzled in her lap. His injured arm rest lightly against her back, obviously still in too much pain to move it excessively.

It made her beyond angry to even utter the words - a person was evil, simply because of their magic? The idea of it was absurd. That would be calling her evil, Morgana evil... She bit at her lip, then, her fists clenching into the rough material of her tunic to keep from lashing out at the king.

"Uther's wrong," Morgana's words caught her by surprise.

"You believe that?" she asked, in absolutely awe of her.

She turned to the window, thin brows furrowing as her pink lips tightened in distress. "What if... what if magic isn't something you choose?" she questioned, her thumbnail catching in her teeth. "What if it chooses you?" Morgana paused and turned to her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She didn't realize she even had been staring at her with a dumbfounded expression until it was pointed out to her; someone who understood her, other than her mother, or Gaius. Finally. "It's nothing," she lied, lowering her eyes to her hands.

"Why are you helping him?" she asked as Merlynn joined her by the window.

The truth was out of the question, she knew. Lying, she thought, was becoming a most required accessory to daily conversation. "He just looked at me with those eyes and I had to help him," she replied, which was partly true. Merlynn sighed, adding, "What are we going to do with him? You know he can't stay here."

"We have to find a way to get him to his people," Morgana said with detemination.
"I'll find a way, Morgana," she swore. "I promise."

[][][][][][]

Merlynn didn't see the boy again until the next morning, when she was called by an urgent Gwen. She neglected her duties as Arthur's servants - again - and dropped the wax bar in her hands, then raced off after the girl. There was something wrong with the boy; it was the only explanation for Gwen's wet cheeks, the tremor in her hands.

She immediately went to the boy's side once she was inside Morgana's bedchamber. His skin, hot and feverish, was drenched in a cold sweat. The injured arm was swollen and a bright red, with a yellow-ish tinge staining the bandage that kept it from becoming infected - it was supposed to, she thought in frustration, biting her lip so hard she swore it started to bleed.

"How long has it been like this?" she gasped.

"Since early this morning."

"His wound is infected."

Morgana nodded, tears brimming her eyes, hand clutched at her throat. "We need Gaius before it gets any worse," she insisted.

"No," she denied quickly. "If Gaius gets involved, my head will be a part of his jar collection before the day is out."

"We need to get him out of Camelot, and we can't do that while he's sick. We need a physician," she retorted.

Magic, use magic. It was the only way she knew how to heal someone - she didn't have much experience with herbs, only what she had seen from Gaius, but that wasn't enough to be certain of the best remedy to cure him. "I'll do it," she declared on a whim.

"Merlynn, do you even know how to treat an infected wound?" Morgana asked incredulously.

"Not at all," she said. "But I can lea -"

A sharp knock at the door made her leap to her feet and crawl onto the bed beside the boy; Morgana pulled the curtain shut, her eyes wide, and rushed to the door. Merlynn heard the boy breathing beside her and, as gently as she could, let her hand cover his mouth to muffle his breathing.

"Arthur!" she heard Morgana exclaim. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

His boots stomped into the ground as he pushed past her into the room. "Don't get all excited. It's not a social call. I'm looking for the Druid boy. I'm afraid I'm going to have to search your chambers," he said, and she pressed herself closer to the wall.

"You're not searching my chambers," Morgana scoffed.

"Don't take it personally," he waved her off. "I have to search the entire castle. It'll only take a few minutes."

"I'm not having you mess up my things," she argued indignantly, racing ahead of him. Morgana thrust her hands out and pushed him back a couple of paces, away from her dresser and from them. Merlynn peeked through the side of the curtain and saw Arthur, only a few metres from their hiding spot, and slipped back behind it.

She heard him sigh. "I'm not interested in your things, Morgana," he said. "I'm just looking for any evidence that the Druid boy's in the castle."

"Perhaps the Druid boy's hiding in your chambers. It's usually such a mess, you'd probably never know," Morgana teased.

Merlynn hadn't cleaned Arthur's chambers in four days; she hadn't seen the man for five. She slammed her head back against the wall in frustration - she would be punished severely for her incompetence and neglect, she knew. I am no good with balance, she thought, hoping her thoughts would project to Arthur. Not at all! "It's hardly my fault I have an incompetent servant?" He paused. "Have you seen Merlynn, by any chance? Gaius doesn't know where she is and neither do I."

"I believe I saw her in the market," Morgana said and, with a rustle of silk, she heard the woman shrug. "If you can't even find your own servant, what hope do you have of finding the boy?"

"Really? I'm touched by the confidence you have in my abilities," he retorted. "And, as much as I'd love to stay and talk, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished."

Merlynn heard Morgana's footsteps loom closer and closer to her hiding spot. "Well, I'll save you the trouble." She held her breath. "The Druid boy is hiding behind the screen. I'm sure your father would love to know how you wasted your time by rifling through my things. Go on."

What was she doing? She kissed the boy's head and pressed him closer to her chest. "So you can have the satisfaction of making me look a fool? " he scoffed.

"In my experience, you don't need any help looking like a fool,"she laughed. "What are you waiting for? Take a look."

Then, she realized Morgana's plan. By telling Arthur the obvious truth, she knew he wouldn't believe her and mistake her honesty for mockery. Morgana is smarter than most realised - especially Arthur.

"Why don't you go back to brushing your hair, or whatever it is that you do all day?" Arthur snapped and stormed toward the door. "Oh, and if you see Merlynn, tell her to clean my bedchambers, or it's to the stocks."

"Will do. Bye, Arthur. Good luck with your search!" she called mockingly.

The door clicked shut, and Merlynn ducked out from behind the curtain and grinned at the other dark-haired woman. "That was brilliant, Morgana! I thought it was amazing what you did," she praised.

"I never tell lies," Morgana responded slyly. "It's not my fault he didn't believe me."

She sighed, then, and raked her fingers through her hair. "I'd love to stay and watch over him, but I think I should start working on a cure. Arthur's chores will have to wait."

"Alright, but be back quick."

Merlynn slinked through the corridors toward the physician's chambers, making sure that, by the time she walked past Arthur's bedchamber, enough time had passed for it to be deserted. The two guards who usually watched over the doorway of the corridor nodded in recognition, while she gave them a weak smile in return; knowing Arthur, he had asked them to watch for her, and would tell him once they saw him again. She moved quickly, her boots silent against the smooth floor, hoping that Arthur was training.

His door opened, just as she crept passed, and she slammed into his body with a grunt. "Merlynn! Where have you been?" he demanded, though he didn't seem to angry with her. "My chambers haven't been cleaned in two days!"

"I'm sorry, but I've been busy with Gaius," she lied. "He's been sending me on errands a lot and making me help him with his patients and it's really difficult to balance the both of you."

"Oh, really? I went to Gaius earlier and asked where you where; he said he hadn't seen you all day. He said you just... disappeared," he retorted, his eyebrow raised angrily.

Oh, she was such a horrible liar. "Well, you know.. uh, well - okay, fine. You caught me. I have no excuse. I've been neglecting my duties, I know, and I'm sorry. Working as both your servant and Gaius' apprentice slash donkey really got to me and I wanted a break for a couple of days."

Arthur's eyes softened, even just a little, and he took a step back. "Alright then." Then, they turned stern again. "I'll let it go just this once, but next time, you're in the stocks."

"Of course, sire," she chuckled.

"Though, tomorrow, clean my chambers. It's an absolute mess."

She grinned and went on her merry way.

"Bites, bruises, burns, wounds... Infections..." she murmured whilst flipping through one of Gaius' books which he, proudly, wrote himself. How proud he was, she mused, thinking of the many times he brought her over to his self-written collections, boasting of how he came to the knowledge and such. She was thankful for his boasting, for she wouldn't have known which book to search through first to find a cure for infections.

Once she found it, she grabbed the proper ingredients from the shelf - rosemary, lavender, wolfsbane, centuary - as directed from the book. The door opened with a loud creak, but it gave her enough time to stuff the ingredients into her satchel and look to the physician with a smile, book still in hand. "Gaius," she said, trying to ignore the nerves creeping up her spine.

"Ah, there you are. It seems like you've just disappeared as of late. Even Arthur was searching for you," he replied, sounding rather calm but she saw the purse of his lips, the suspicion in his eyes. She gulped. "But now that you are here, I need you to pick some heather and - what are you doing with that?"

He was motioning to the book. "Well, curiosity, really. If I'm to be your assistant, I might as well understand what I'm doing - so, you know, if there's a sick patient you won't need to holler at me all the time." A reasonable enough lie, enough to sate him, she could see. "And, uh, I'll do it after I run an errand for Arthur, okay?"

"You've taken an interest in my work?" he gaped at her in delight.

Oh, no. "Yes, it's fascinating. I can see what all the hullabaloo is about," she giggled weakly, edging toward the door. "But, uh, as much as I'd love to talk about this, I was only coming for my satchel to collect some supplies for Arthur - I've been neglecting my duties and I really have to catch up."

"I think Arthur's chambers can wait. I'm not missing the chance to begin your education," he said eagerly and took a seat.

Her eyes widened. "No. Really. I should go, I don't want to anger the prince any longer."

"Sit!" he demanded and she grudgingly did so. "We'll start with some basic anatomy..." Gaius took out a giant volume, and she slumped. The Druid boy would have to wait, it seemed.

By the time she managed to escape from Gaius' teachings, it was well after nightfall. Merlynn worried for the boy's health, but there was little else she could have done to be rid of Gaius; he was a determined old man. Although, the cloak of darkness allowed her easy access around the castle, which she used to her advantage to sneak into Morgana's bedchambers.

"What took you so long?" hissed Morgana once she was inside.

"Gaius got a bit carried away trying to teach me about anatomy - I couldn't stop him," she explained tiredly, and removed the healing cream from her satchel. It was a desperate, quick job, not of full standard; it had been done when Gaius wasn't looking, when he was upstairs in search of particular novels for her to study. But, it would have to do.

Merlynn crouched beside the boy's bedside and began to apply the cream to his wound, wincing every time he groaned and writhed beneath her touch. It was certainly infected; swollen and an angry red, the beginning's of white around the edge of the wound, clear fluid seeping from the cut. "This must be so itchy and painful," she mumbled to herself, or to the half-conscious child, as she spread the light-green balm with her fingers.

"Do you know what you're doing?" the Lady whispered, biting her red lips.

"Not at all, but I hope this works," she sighed.

Morgana squeezed her shoulder and stood, "I'll get you some water."

Once she was gone, the boy's eyes opened, though they were glassy and unfocused. 'Thank you, Emrys,' his voice was weak, tired, pained and she hated it, hated knowing that there was little she could do for someone so like herself.

'Emrys? That's not my name,' she frowned.

'Among my people, it is what we call you.'

'You know who I am? How?' He nodded, almost smiling. "Speak to me," it blurted out before she could stop herself. The destiny that the dragon had been so desperate to tell her of, it seemed the boy knew it, too.

"I don't know if he can't speak, or... he's too scared to," Morgana said, coming to them with a small pale of water.

"I think he's scared to."

That took an embarrassing amount of time to edit.