Jaya knew as soon as she heard yelling from the battlements that there was going to be trouble. She began to ease Courage down to a slower speed. There was no reason for them to go charging in like they were raiding the castle. There really wasn't a large need to run anyone over at this point.

Four guards had assembled themselves across the road just in front of the portcullis.

"What are you doing?" Arthur demanded, his bay sliding to a rough stop in front of them. "Let us pass!"

"I'm sorry, Sire. You're both under arrest. By order of the King." One of the guards spoke up.

"What?!" Arthur snapped glaring at them, trying to get them to realize that they had displeased him.

Jaya sat where she was for a moment, watching the situation unfold and then slowly swung her leg over the back of her saddle and stepped down to the ground. She pulled the reins over Courage's head and took two steps forward and handed them to the closest guard, who looked like he thought she was playing a trick on him. "Make sure that he gets plenty of water and the boys give him a good rub-down. He's worked hard the last couple of days." She instructed sternly. "The dog will have to come with me."

The guard nodded slowly and took the reins that she offered him.

"What are you doing? We need to get to Merlin!" Arthur demanded.

Jaya turned and looked at him like he had just ruined everything that she had been working on. She let out a sigh and shook her head slightly. "You can't just go with what's going on around you, can you?" she complained before charging the remaining guards and hitting them just right that they all stumbled.

Arthur suddenly realized what she was doing and dug his heels into his horse, managing to squeeze through a small opening, and out onto the street of the lower town. He looked back over his shoulder in time to see Jaya struggling with the three guards as they muscled her toward the street.

Jaya grunted when her face smashed against the stones of the street. In hindsight maybe she should have turned her head so she didn't hit the already bruised spot that was on her temple from her little 'adventure' in the forest. "All right, all right. I'm holding still, you don't all have to sit on me." she grumbled loud enough for all of them to hear. "I'll go quietly now." It wasn't until they pulled her up to her feet that the little black and white dots that had been poking her vision finally slowed down enough to see that Ridire had kept the fourth guard at bay with his teeth.

It took some doing, Jaya managed to convince the guards that Ridire wasn't going to kill them and that she was going to just walk with them, and that the fourth guard could just go and take Courage to the stable.

Arthur thought that he had really made a break for it, and that he would be able to make it to Gaius' chambers without a problem. He realized as he made the final turn toward the courtyard, and realized that he was really going to owe Jaya. She had made it possible for him to get through and that much closer to Merlin. Arthur pulled his horse to a stop and was already stepping off before the forward motion had completely come to a halt. He ran up the stairs congratulating himself at his ability to get this far without any incident. A few more yards and he would be at the set of stairs that lead to Gaius' door.

That's when his forward momentum was stopped. Hands gripped his arms and voices ran together all telling him that he was under arrest and that his Father had ordered it and that they had to take him to the dungeons.

Jaya was just starting down the steps to the dungeons when the firsts shouts between Arthur and the guards that were dragging him were heard. She simply looked over her shoulder and then at the men that had ringed around her like a fence. "Just think, you could be up there now." she smirked at them.

They looked at her nervously and smiled tightly, trying to not get too close to Ridire.

Jaya calmly stepped through the doorway of the cell that they had opened for her, wondering if they were going to let Ridire stay nearby until Freya was able to come down and get him. She knew that most of the guards were distrustful of the big dog. "He'll stay right there if you like." she offered pointing to a small patch of straw that was just next to the cell door.

The guards looked at the dog and then back at her.

"He can stay in there with you." The one holding the keys informed her.

"He won't bother you." Jaya smiled warmly.

The guard looked at her steadily.

Jaya snapped her fingers and Ridire trotted in after her. "Could you send word to my maidservant that she needs to come pick him up? There's no reason for him to stay down here with me in this cell."

The guard clanged the door shut and nodded once. "Of course M'Lady."

"Thank you." Jaya smiled and then rolled her eyes grandly as Arthur was half-dragged into the cell across the hallway from her. She leaned up against the wall a few feet from the bars and folded her arms loosely as Uther marched in between them and fixed Arthur with a glare that she was sure could have curdled milk.

"You disobeyed me."

"Of course I did. A man's life is at stake!" Arthur protested.

"And you." Uther turned toward Jaya. "You talked him into it, didn't you?"

Jaya started to open her mouth.

"I knew you were trouble. How dare you convince my son to go against my orders?" Uther demanded.

Jaya closed her eyes for a moment, the headache that had started just after she had woken up was throbbing away with each pulse, and the second knock and Uther's raised voice was only making it worse. She opened them and looked at the King for a moment and shrugged. "We couldn't let him die. And I wasn't going to let him go wondering through the woods by himself."

"Hang on!" Arthur protested.

"How dare you?!" Uther roared. "I will send you back to the forsaken island where you came from for this!"

Jaya flinched and looked like she had been struck.

"Father, she's injured. Can't you see she's bleeding?" Arthur asked, gesturing to the trickle of blood that was running down Jaya's jawline. He was worried that she was working on nothing but adreniline that was wearing off very quickly. "Please, don't let Merlin die for something that we did."

"And all this," Uther gestured around the three of them, "for a serving boy. Why do you care so much."

"He knew the danger that he was putting himself in. He knew what would happen when he drank from the goblet. But he did it anyway. He saved my life." Arthur tried to make his tone strong and pleading at the same time. He watched as his father started to turn away.

"There's more." Jaya's voice quietly spoke up. "There was a woman at the mountain. She knew why Arthur was there."

"A woman?" Uther looked at her a tipped an eyebrow at her.

"She knew I was there for the flower." Arthur quickly picked up the thought that Jaya had hinted at. "I do not think it was Bayard that tried to poison me."

"Of course it was." Uther dismissed with a small wave of his hand.

"It wasn't." Jaya shook her head. "The girl at the mountain was part of his entourage. She pulled Merlin out of the room just before he burst in yelling that it had been poisoned. Have the guards look over the people who are in your cells. You will not find the girl with the blue cloth wrapped around her head."

Uther looked at her and just glared, the vein that ran just off to the side of the scar on his forehead sticking out and throbbing slightly.

Jaya realized that she had pushed too far and held up her hands slightly.

Arthur quickly dug around in his pouch and pulled out the flower that he-they-had risked so much for. He held it out toward his father. "Gaius knows what to do with it."

Uther took the flower and looked at it.

"Put us in the stocks for a week-a month even-I don't care."

"Hold on there!" Jaya protested standing upright and glaring at him. "I care!"

"Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you." Arthur didn't look away from his father.

Uther looked at him for a moment and then crushed the flower in his fist and let it drop to the floor of the hallway just outside Arthur's cell door.

"No!" both Royals protested at the same time.

"You have to learn that there's a right and wrong way of doing things. I'll see that you are released in a week. Then you will find yourself another servant." Uther glared at Jaya and then walked out toward the steps that lead up to the rest of the castle.

The door swung shut on Arthur and as soon as the guards walked away, Arthur was kneeling on the floor straining to reach through the bars to get a hold on the flower.

Jaya realized that it was a little too far out of his reach and closed her eyes so that he would glance up and see the flash of silver that moved the little, delicate white flower ever-so-slightly closer that allowed Arthur to finally get a grip on it and pull it back into the cell with him.

"Now what?" Arthur asked, looking across and Jaya desperately.

"Toss it over." Jaya whispered quietly.

"What? Why?" Arthur demanded.

Jaya glared at him slightly and came up to the bars of her cell. "Just do it." she snapped hotly.

"What are you going to do with it that I can't?" Arthur hissed.

Jaya's eyebrows shot up to a height that Arthur hadn't seen and her arms folded so fast that her braces clanged together and against her breastplate. After a moment of glaring silence she slowly pointed at Ridire, who was nosing through the straw, after something. "I asked one of the guards to let Freya know to come down here and bring him back up to my chambers."

Arthur shrugged. "So?"

Jaya looked at him like he was the biggest imbecile that she had ever had the misfortune of dealing with. "Arthur." She took a deep breath. "You're an idiot."

Arthur looked at her like he had suddenly been offended on the deepest possible level. "What?" he demanded.

Jaya rolled her eyes and slid down so she was sitting and leaning against the wall.

"He hasn't got much longer. Does Arthur or Jaya have the flower?" Gaius wondered, his voice sounding strained.

"I don't know. Uther won't allow anyone to see them. Is there nothing we can do to help?" Gwen wondered, her voice stressed.

"Only the leaf of the Mortaeus flower can save him." Gaius looked like he was doing his best to rein in the panic that he was feeling.

"And we have to find out if Arthur has it." Gwen mused. "I could sneak down to the dungeon."

A guard burst into the room without knocking. "My Lady Freya." he said, looking around the room before falling on Freya's startled and slightly frightened face.

"Yes?" Freya asked, glancing at Gaius and then Gwen for support before looking back at the guard. "What is it?"

"You are not nearly as hard to find as I thought you would be." The guard looked relieved. "The Princess Jaya requests you come down to the dungeons and take her beast back up to her chambers."

Freya looked confused for a moment before she realized what the guard was talking about. "Oh! Ridire? Yes. I'll come at once."

"Thank you." The guard did his best not to look relieved, but his eyes and the worry lines around them gave him away. He turned and was out the door and down the hallway quicker than someone who was just doing a duty would have been.

There was stunned silence for a moment after the door closed.

Freya quickly stood up and smoothed her skirt. "I think we have a way in." she looked worried and nervous, but determined.

"I can go for you if you like." Gwen offered.

Freya shook her head. "I'm not sure that would work. If you go they'll suspect something." She pursed her lips for a moment and sighed. "I have to go."

"It might be dangerous." Gaius cautioned.

Freya looked at him and sighed slightly. "I have to do it."

"Be careful." Gwen wished.

"Sppppssst." Arthur's voice hissed a couple moments later.

Jaya looked at him and tipped her eyebrow. It was a moment later that she realized that he was ready to toss the flower to her. Just as she was about to get ready to catch it, two guards walked up with a very frightened-looking Freya. "Fey." Jaya smiled at her and winked.

Freya looked at her and smiled before a slightly startled look washed over her. "Hello Jaya. Welcome back."

Jaya nodded once, looking slightly guilty. "It's relatively good to be back."

"You're bleeding! What happened?!" Freya gasped as she rushed past the guards as one of them opened the cell door.

Jaya pulled back from her slightly to keep from getting knocked off balance. "I hit my head on a rock. Nothing to worry about really. I'll be fine. Take care of Ridire for me, would you. Seems I'll be down here for a week."

Freya reached her hand out and scratched his head when he trotted up to her. "Dhéanamh agat an bláth?" she wondered her voice quiet.

"Aye." Jaya nodded. "Tóg é as dó."

Freya grasped Ridire's collar and lead him out of the cell. She pulled him past the guards and walked to the far side of the hallway. She stood with her back to the cell, Ridire pulled behind her by his collar. "It's all right. He won't hurt you." She smiled brightly at the guards, trying to keep their attention off of Ridire and on her.

"What did you say?" one of them asked, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"I was just giving her instructions on how to care for him." Jaya shrugged, the light in her eyes bordering on defiance that they would dare to question her.

The guards pulled back slightly, and though the one who had asked still looked like he wasn't sure that Jaya was telling the truth he didn't question it.

Arthur took his chance while the guards were looking at Jaya. He quickly slipped the flower under his wide collar, and quickly stood back up straight so when the looked at him he was leaning against the wall where he had been when they had marched in.

Freya smiled tightly at Jaya and started out of the hallway toward the stairs, the guards warily following behind. She and Ridire were almost halfway up the stairs when one of the guards, who had just happened to check on the Royals noticed that they had just grinned at each other.

"Wait! Stop!" he ordered, rushing out of the hallway.

Freya ran up the last of the stairs, all pretense of normalcy gone and rushed away, Ridire on her heels. She didn't pause until she was almost to the other side of the castle. Freya leaned up against one of the pillars for a moment to catch her breath and then started running again. She didn't want Merlin to die on her account.

"How is he?" Gwen asked looking up at Gaius with worry.

"He won't last much longer." Gaius looked at her and sighed slightly.

"I've got it!" Freya burst into the room, Ridire hot on her heels, looking like he was excited simply because Freya was rushing around.

"Good job!" Gaius exclaimed, looking relieved.

Freya bent down and worked the flower out from under Ridire's wide collar. "Here." she handed it off to Gaius and went back to where she had spent most of her time sitting.

"His breathing is much worse. We have to hurry." Gaius quickly began to crush the leaf while the girls continued to do their best to keep the fever under control.

Ridire threw himself down in the corner yawning largely before snuggling his nose between his paws and falling asleep.

Gaius suddenly stopped crushing the leaf and looked worried.

"Why have you stopped?" Gwen asked, looking at him like she was about ready to panic.

"The poison was created using magic. We may need magic for the antidote." Gaius mused, looking over at the two girls.

"We can't! It's forbidden even if we could!" Gwen gasped looking horrified. She looked over at Freya, caught the grim set to her face and then looked back at Gaius again.

"I'll try to make it without it." Gaius started pounding again. "Oh. I need some more fresh water."

Freya started to reach for the bucket but Gwen beat her to it. "I'll go. You went to the dungeons." She flashed a smile and ran to the door before quickly moving through it.

Gaius waited until she was sure to be out of earshot. "Sythan…" he looked around the room and then focused on Freya.

Freya didn't say anything, and simply rolled up her sleeve to show him the tattoo that she carried with her. As she rolled down her sleeve she wondered why she had done that. It wasn't like her to broadcast the fact that she was a Druid once. She barely listened to what he was saying, focused more on how much Merlin was sweating and how pale he looked. She glanced up as the spell ended and the leaves sizzled. She felt herself jump as Gwen charged back into the room with the water that she had run off to get.

Ridire started and looked around before settling down onto his paws again, a small yawn flashing his teeth.

"Thank you." Gaius smiled tightly, pouring the water into the bowl and then pouring the two substances into a small glass. "Pinch his nose." he instructed as he came over near Merlin, Gwen hovering behind him.

Freya quickly pinched his nose and watched, fascinated, as Gaius poured it down Merlin's throat.

"Come on, Merlin. Swallow it." Gaius urged.

"He's stopped breathing!" Gwen cried suddenly. "What's happening?" Gwen asked.

"Gaius?" Freya looked up at him, her eyes clouded in fear.

"His heart has stopped." Gaius muttered.

"He's dead?" Gwen asked, her voice cracking.

"He can't be!" Freya looked devastated.