A/N: Sorry of there are any spelling and grammar errors, I'm currently waiting for my new glasses so reading is slightly difficult at the moment.

Ever since her nightmare that first night, Lillian had not been able to sleep at all. She was just too scared to even close her eyes now. Of course, she had kept this from both Arthur and Merlin, she didn't need them to worry even more than they already were. Lucky enough, they were close to Rolana now, a few hours ride away at the most. They would be there by lunchtime, and for that she was grateful.

Lillian was riding close to Arthur, a few knights taking the lead so that they could stay together with Merlin right behind them. "Only a little further and you will be back in Rolana." Arthur reminded her as they rode along the dirt track.

"Once we are there, I can rest a little more easy." She told him, trying not to let him see that she was still worried something was going to happen.

"This whole journey has taken its toll on you, Lillian. Your brother is not going to be happy when he sees you looking so ill." Arthur informed her. He had noticed how pale she looked, and how she always seemed to be exhausted. The journey from Camelot really had been tough on her.

"I'm sure my brother will understand." Lillian told him, keeping her eyes focused on the path ahead. "What with everything that happened before we even left, it is fair to say that both of us have had a difficult time."

That much was true. The pair had been on a rollercoaster of a ride since her brother left Camelot and returned to his kingdom. Not that her brother knew about everything, she had made sure not to tell him of everything that had happened, just the bare minimum.

"He may understand, but I still do not believe that he will be happy. I have a feeling he will not let you leave Rolana until he is certain that you are ready to leave." Arthur warned her. At least that was what he was hoping her brother would do. She needed the break and the rest. She needed the time to get herself back together and to relax a little.

"We cannot stay here for longer than planned, Arthur. You will be needed back in Camelot soon, and I shall be leaving when you leave, whether my brother likes it or not." Lillian informed him. She was very set against not being left behind in Rolana, she was going to stay with Arthur no matter what her brother said. She still needed her best friend.

"I am sure my father would understand if we had to stay a little longer." The prince told her, doing anything he could to help ease her mind. "We will leave when you are ready, and when your brother thinks you are ready."

"You do know that my brother may decide to never let me leave if that is the case?" She replied, an eyebrow raised. "Any excuse to get me to stay there for a little longer."

Arthur chuckled a little. "Well, I don't really blame him. He hasn't been able to spend much time with you, I would do the same thing."

"Oh, shut up, Arthur." Lillian mumbled to him, trying not to grin. There were times when things seemed rather awkward between them, since everything that had happened. But most of the time, they managed to get along as if nothing had happened. Lillian was happy about that, because he really did mean everything to her, even if she couldn't be completely honest with him.

"Are you going to make me, Princess Lillian?" Arthur asked her, a slight smirk on his face.

"Remember, we are in my kingdom now, we have crossed the board and are now walking the lands of Rolana. I am not afraid to have you thrown in the dungeons the moment we set foot in the city." She threatened. Of course she didn't really mean it, but if Arthur could threaten to toss her in the dungeon, she could do the same to him.

"Oh, is that so, Princess?"

"It is, sire. I am sure you will find it most comfortable in there." She said, keeping her head held high and trying her best not to laugh. Only she could hear her warlock friend snickering behind. "And I'm sure you will find our stocks most delightful, Merlin." She called, making him fall silent straight away.

"You do know that Merlin is my servant?" Arthur called to her.

"Indeed I do, sire. But you do know that you are in my kingdom, and I shall deal with misfits however I see fit." She told him, still with a slight grin on her face.

"You really are enjoying this, aren't you, Lillian?" The prince asked her.

She turned and looked at him. "Whatever do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Being in your kingdom, you having more power here than you do back in Camelot. I'm starting to think that you're a little power mad."

Lillian just gasped at him in mock horror. "Sire, how could you say such a thing? I just wish to make your stay here as enjoyable and pleasant as my stay has been in Camelot."

"You mean a new threat every day?" Arthur said. "Constantly being in danger wherever we go? Being poisoned, threatened, and falling ill?"

"If that is what you want, sire, I am sure it can be arranged. You did bring your crown with you, I hope. I am planning on making you wear it every evening for dinner." She informed him, struggling to contain her laughter.

"Is that so?" He questioned, not knowing if she was actually joking or not.

"It is, sire. While you are in Rolana, I think I shall have a little fun."

Arthur turned and looked at her. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" He wondered.

She just smiled at him. "You shall have to wait and find out, Arthur. I have many surprises planned for you." He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head a little, before turning his eyes back to the path ahead.

They then fell into a comfortable silence and carried on their ride. Lillian was looking around at the landscape, it had been so long since she had last been there, everything seemed different. The land was so green, and seemed to be full of life. She could feel the magic flowing through her from the land, which brought a small smile to her face.

"See, nothing has happened, Lillian. You were worrying over nothing." Merlin called to her a little while later.

But Merlin's reassurance seemed to have jinxed their journey, and the chaos began. A group of 4 burly men appeared in front of the group, smirks on their faces. The knights at the head of the group were quick to dismount and draw their swords, taking their stance to fight the men.

As the first sound of metal clashing rang around the group from Camelot, men charged them from the lining trees and came at them from behind as well. Merlin and Arthur looked horrified at the amount of men they were facing.

"Lillian, get out of here." Arthur called to her, dismounting himself and preparing to fight along side his knights.

"I am not leaving you, Arthur. There are twice as many of them as there are with you and your knights." She said, jumping from her own horse and drawing her sword. "You need all the help you can get."

Before he had a chance to reply, 3 of the man charged at him. The prince was quick to defend himself and let his sword clash against that of the rugged and ugly men who had decided they were easy targets.

"Merlin, I hope you're pulling your weight." Lillian called to him, having to deal with a few of the men herself. They didn't seem to care who they were attack, they seemed to have a goal and that was all they were focusing on.

"There's too many of them. I can't… I'm trying, Lillian." She knew from the panic in his voice that he was trying, but it wasn't easy for him to use magic with so many people around them.

"Just do what you can, I trust you, Merlin." She said, turning her attention back to the man who was charging at her.

She swiftly ducked under his arm and watched as Sir Leon, one of her favourite knights from Camelot, took care of the man. When she looked around, she saw that most of the men were ganging up on Arthur, making it impossible for him to make a full on attack. He constantly had to stay on the defensive.

"Lillian, what are you doing?" Arthur hissed at her, as she backed into him, brandishing her sword at the bandits they were facing.

"Uh, helping?" She replied, taking a swing at the man before her.

"I told you to…"

"Come on, Arthur. When do I ever do what you tell me?" She told him, smirking a little. She never had listened to him, and she probably never would, not when she knew she could do something to help.

"Lillian." He groaned, taking his chance to attack the man who had been constantly putting the pressure on him.

"Oh, shut up, Arthur." She called, rolling her eyes and making sure to defend the prince as much as she could. She knew she had to keep defending him if they had any chance of getting out of this alive.

They were hilariously outnumbered, and even Merlin was struggling to keep up with everything. He could take them all out with just one blow from his magic, as could Lillian, but it would risk him revealing his magic. All he could do was fight as best he could with a sword, and take whatever chance was thrown his way.

"I hope you have a plan, Arthur." Lillian called to him, seeing that the knights were still struggling. The men just didn't seem to want to go down and stay down. "I know we can keep going, but your knights are starting to look a little tired."

"I plan on getting us out of this alive, Lillian." He managed to call back to her after blocking and attacking. He sent the man before him falling to the ground, only for him to be replaced with someone else.

That was when Lillian saw a glint in the eyes of the man standing in front of her and a smirk took over his face. "Well, well, well. Princess Lillian. We really have hit the jackpot." He said, before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her away from the fray.

"Arthur!" She screamed, trying to kick herself free of the man. She was doing her best not to let the tears that were building in her eyes fall. Her nightmare was coming true, at least that was what it looked like to her. She was desperate for this to have a different outcome to what she had seen, but Lillian was doubtful.

"We heard you were coming home, Princess. Aren't you lucky that we met you first." The man snarled at her.

Lillian rolled her eyes. "Yes, very lucky. Just what I wanted to happen today, be caught by some stinking bandits." She spat. Her comment resulted with a hand making hard contact with the side of her face. "I'm not scared of you. I've been through more than you can ever imagine." She told him, preparing herself to use her magic while they were alone.

"Lily!" Arthur shouted, coming into view just before Lillian had a chance to do anything.

The man quickly shoved her to her knees and Lillian felt a blade being pressed against her throat. She let out a shaky breath, as she watched Arthur freeze where he stood.

"Let her go." He growled, holding his sword out before him, ready to take the man on. He couldn't take his eyes from Lillian, he could see the fear in her eyes.

The man just snarled at him. "Why don't you make me, pretty boy?" He said, before another man tackled the prince to the ground, knocking his sword from his hand.

Lillian's heart stopped when she saw the man pointing his sword at Arthur's chest. Everything was playing out how she had seen it, and she was scared. "Let him go. Please." She whispered, hoping that she could make a bargain with them. "Let him go and I won't fight you."

"Lillian! What are you doing?" Arthur shouted, but not daring to move just yet.

"Please." She said once more, not taking her eyes away from Arthurs.

The man looked between the pair. "Oh, so this is Prince Arthur of Camelot?" The man asked. "Kill him."

"No!" Lillian screamed. "Arthur!" Suddenly her eyes burned a bright gold and the man who was holding his sword against Arthur's chest was thrown backwards through the air. She fell forward as the man who had been holding her hair and a blade against her throat was also throw in the air, his head hitting a tree.

Lillian landed on her hands, the tears streaming down her face as she slowly raised her head and looked up at Arthur. He was still there, on the ground, staring at her with wide eyes. "Arthur… I'm so sorry." She whispered, knowing that he was shocked by what he had just seen.

"Merlin, I'm sorry." She called to her warlock friend, before pushing herself up from the ground. The prince was still there on the ground watching her, his eyes not leaving hers.

"Lillian? What's happened, what's wrong?" Merlin called back to her, having no idea what had just happened.

"Look after Arthur." She said, before a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Arthur." She whispered to him one last time, before turning and running away from him as fast as her feet could carry her.

She knew that she needed to get away from her best friend and the knights. She knew that with the leader of the group of bandits dead, the knights could easily handle the rest. Lillian just needed to get to somewhere safe, where she couldn't be persecuted for having magic.

Her nightmare had come true, she had revealed her magic to her best friend, the Prince of Camelot, the worse thing that she could ever do. She was glad that she was so close to her home now, she knew she would be safe the moment she was within the walls of the castle, so that was her destination.

While Lillian was running faster than she could ever remember, Arthur was still trying to get over the initial shock of what he had just seen.

"Arthur?" He heard a familiar voice call. "Arthur? Lillian!" Merlin called once more, before appearing between the trees. "Arthur, what happened? Where's Lillian?" He asked, looking around and not seeing her.

"The bandits, Lillian took care of them." He said quietly. "I… I told her to run before more came. They recognised her as the Princess, I had to make sure she ran."

Merlin, however, wasn't easily convinced. He knew something had been wrong from the way Lillian had spoken to him, Arthur hadn't told her to run. Something more serious had happened, but he had a feeling that the prince was not going to tell him what it was.

"She's heading for the city?" Merlin asked, hoping that was in fact the case. He had been trying to speak to her, but she wasn't replying to him.

"Uh, yes." Arthur told him, getting himself off the ground and reclaiming his discarded sword. "Is anyone hurt?"

The young warlock shook his head. "The knights are fine, Arthur. We should get moving, we may be able to catch up with Lillian."

"Yes, of course." Arthur said, still in a slight daze. His mind was replying everything over and over in his mind, the way her eyes a turned gold, how the bandits had been thrown through the air by an invisible force. "We should hurry, there may be others out there and Lillian is on her own now."

Only they would never catch up with Lillian, as she had decided to use her magic and found herself just a short walk from the city. She looked up and saw the high walls surrounding her old home, the castle where she had only spent a few years living in before moving on to Camelot with her parents.

In the distance she could see the blue and gold colours of her kingdom, a patrol was heading her way and she couldn't help but let out a sigh. She carried on walking, at as quick pace, wanting to just get inside and to feel somewhat safe.

The moment the patrol spotted her, one of them dismounted and cautiously approached her. There seemed to be a frown on his face, and he seemed a little unsure of Lillian. "My Lady, why are you out here alone?" He finally asked her.

Lillian let out a sigh. "My travelling part was attack by bandits. I was forced to run. We have travelled from Camelot."

The man's eyes widened. "Princess Lillian." He said, before bowing down to her.

"Please, the rest of my group were attacked, I do not know if they…" She stopped to take a deep breath. "Prince Arthur was travelling with me, I could never forgive myself if anything has happened to him."

The man nodded to her before turning to the other man. "Escort the Princess to the castle. I'll follow the path. Send out a patrol as soon as you can."

After being pretty much ordered to get on the horse that the guard had dismounted, she ended up sitting atop it and being led into the city. "I can make my own way from here." She said, grabbing a hold of the reins and galloping through the streets of the city and towards the castle, leaving the poor guard standing there looking bemused.

It would appear that her brother had seen her coming, as he was down in the courtyard waiting for her. "Lillian, what happened? Where is Prince Arthur?" He asked her, the worry flooding through him as he helped her down from the horse.

"We were attacked by bandits." She told him, trying to stop herself from breaking down in tears. "He… uh… Arthur, he…"

"Lils?" Irwin said, even more concerned now. "What happened?"

"I can't… I just… I can't." She whispered, not knowing how to explain to her brother exactly what had happened.

"Sir Dale, gather some knights. Follow the path and find the rest of the travelling party. You are looking for the knights from Camelot and their Prince. Now hurry." Irwin ordered, before ushering his sister inside the castle.

Lillian walked through the castle with her head down. She was still struggling to control her emotions and she couldn't stop worrying about Arthur. She hated herself for running away from him, but she had been too scared to face him.

Irwin let her to a chamber, holding the door open for her and letting her step inside. The colours of the kingdom filled the room, but Lillian was paying no attention to any of that. "Lillian, what happened?" He asked her, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to where he had sat herself.

"We were attacked by bandits this morning." She told him.

"Lils, what else? What happened with the bandits?" Her brother asked, trying to understand why she had arrived on her own and in such a state.

"I had to do it. If I didn't they were going to kill him. There was no other way, I had to." She whispered, still not fully explaining what had really happened.

He frowned at her. "Lillian, you're going to have to tell me more than that. What did you have to do?"

"I used magic, and Arthur saw." She told him, keeping her head down and letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

"Are you sure he saw you?" Irwin asked her, realising just how serious the situation was now.

She nodded slightly. "Of course he did. I used magic right in front of him. I sent two men flying through the air in front of him. Arthur saw, he knows I have magic."

Irwin let out a sigh. "Did he tell you to run, or did you run from panic?"

"Panic." She whispered to him. "I'm sorry, Irwin. I know this will put everything you have worked for between Uther and Camelot at risk. There really was no other way. They were about to kill him, I had a blade pressed to my throat, I didn't know what else to do."

"Hey, it's okay, Lils." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "I know you wouldn't have done it if it wasn't the only option. You're safe here, don't worry."

"I'm so sorry." She whispered once more, before breaking down in complete tears. She just couldn't hold it any longer and all the stress and worry came flood out of her.

"Don't be sorry, Lillian. You done what had to be done, you can't go back and change it now. I will deal with Prince Arthur, and his father. You're safe here." He assured her, knowing that she would now be worrying about so many more things.

"They're going to want to see me dead, Irwin. I lied to them, Arthur is going to hate me, he will never want to speak with me ever again."

"Calm down, Lils, you do not know that. I've sent some of our best knights out to meet them. I am sure everyone is fine and when they get here, we can find out exactly what Arthur saw." He assured her, wishing that she would at least stop shaking. "Get some rest, Lillian. I'll come and wake you myself when there is news." He said, before kissing the top of her head and leaving her along in the room.

Lillian threw herself face down on the bed, burying her face in the soft pillows. This was not how she had imagined her return to Rolana would be. She had been trying so hard to convince herself that her nightmare was just that, but it had come to pass, and now she would lose Arthur. She would lose her best friend, the man that she loved, and all because she was born with magic.

In the end, she did eventually cry herself to sleep. But her dream was full of images of Arthur, of how much he hated her, how he could no longer trust her and that he wished she was dead. That was what caused her to sharply wake up, and the tears started flowing once more.

As she sat there wiping away the wetness from her cheeks, there came a light knocking at her door before a familiar voiced called to her. "Lillian? Are you awake?"

She dragged herself off the bed and over to the door, opening it slightly to reveal a very worried looking dark haired man. "Merlin… I'm sorry." She said, unable to look at him.

The warlock didn't say anything to her, he just gently pushed her back into the room before embracing her in a friendly hug. "We were worried about you, Lillian. Arthur couldn't tell us where you were, and you wouldn't answer me."

"I'm so sorry, Merlin. I didn't know what else to do." Lillian told him, pulling away from his embrace. "It's just… The way Arthur was looking at me… I couldn't…"

"Lillian, what happened? Arthur just told us that you escaped from the bandits and told you to run." Merlin told her, wondering what her version of events would be.

She lifted her head up, letting her red eyes meet that of her friends. "Arthur saw me use magic. He knows." She told him, holding back the sob in her throat. Everything had been turned upside down in her life now, and she had no idea how she was going to deal with it. She was never going to be able to return to Camelot now, if she did, she would be dead.

A/N: Tada! I know, I've left it and you're all going to want to murder me in the most slow and painful way you can think.

The next chapter is actually ready, so I promise you won't have to wait long for it. And I promise to keep this A/N short.

Pippa.