A/N: Thank you Guest, Buckhunter, pallysAramisRios, and GuestM for reviewing! I made some cover art for this fic, though it's rather small to view on this site. There's a larger version on my tumblr aini-nufire.

Chapter 5

It was late evening by the time the ship's crew had successfully beached the wreckage of their vessel and the captain had given Arthur a report on their status. It wasn't good. But there wasn't anything more to be done tonight except to get some much needed rest, so Arthur had ordered everyone to settle in. Despite Percival's eagerness to get some food, Merlin served the ship's crew first, since they had been doing most of the hard labor. It was a lot of mouths to feed, though, and Merlin had to set a second stew to cooking after the first pot had been emptied.

While they were waiting for that to simmer, Lancelot showed him the herb sachets Lily had given him.

Merlin took a sniff of the contents, then nodded his approval and turned to the cooking fire to grab a tin cup to steep it in.

"I can do that," Lancelot protested.

Merlin waved him off. "I always do this type of work. You should rest."

Lancelot rolled his eyes at his friend. "I heard you had your own close brush with death."

He shrugged. "Kieran's people do have a knack for healing herbs; I feel completely back to normal now." He grinned. "Gaius would probably love to learn their secrets."

Lancelot wondered if part of their secret was related to magic, since they used it so freely and openly.

Merlin looked up from the cooking fire and straightened. Lancelot craned his neck to look over his shoulder at what had caught Merlin's attention and spotted Lily making her way down the beach. She met his gaze and veered toward him.

"Lily," Lancelot said in mild surprise, getting to his feet.

"You're Lily?" Merlin interjected. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Merlin."

Lily nodded to him in greeting, then shifted a more carefully composed gaze to Arthur as he came over to join them. "You must be King Arthur."

"I am. Lancelot told us what you did for him, Leon, and Percival; we're grateful."

She regarded him for a long moment, then cast her gaze around their camp. "I came to tell you to set torches along the perimeter, all the way to the water's edge around your ship."

Lancelot frowned. "Is that to ward off the cath palug?"

Lily nodded, eyes still roaming. "Among other things."

"Speaking of our ship," Arthur said. "Nearly half of it will need to be rebuilt from scratch. Would your father be amenable to negotiating a trade in exchange for cutting down some trees?"

"That is fine," she replied. "And no trade is necessary."

Arthur's brow furrowed in slight confusion. "You're certain?"

"Yes. You are in need and the resources you require are in plenty." Lily gestured to the darkening forest.

"That doesn't offend your people?" Lancelot put in. "I mean," he flicked a look at Arthur before going on, "I saw you mend the tree that was damaged in the storm."

"We use wood to build our homes. Nature provides for us and we respect it in turn. As long as you do not take more than you need." She glanced at the wrecked ship again. "My people are not ship builders, but I can ask for volunteers to assist in your repairs."

Arthur looked taken aback and perhaps a bit consternated. Lancelot couldn't blame him; Lily's people were being very generous with everything but the one thing they'd come all the way out here seeking.

"We would appreciate that," Arthur managed to say.

Lily nodded again and turned to leave. "Torches," she reminded them one last time before heading back to her village.

"That's not at all ominous," Merlin commented.

"You didn't see the cath palug," Percival put in, most of the knights having been close enough to listen in on the conversation.

"Let's get those torches up," Arthur said.

They all headed out to find driftwood large enough to use, and in some cases broken pieces from their own ship. The sun had almost set by the time they had the entire perimeter covered with flaming torches set eight feet apart. Lancelot planted the last one in the sand as deep as he could and hoped the tide wouldn't knock it down. He thought he heard strange noises in the sea and stood poised for several long moments, listening. Nothing came charging out of the water, though, and it wasn't like he knew what the normal sounds of the ocean were, so maybe he was just imagining it. So he headed back up to the tents where their supper was finally ready and Merlin was dishing out servings for the knights.

"It was incredible," Elyan was saying. "They grew an entire squash in a matter of moments!"

"I'm not sure how I feel eating magical food," Leon replied, eyeing his stew dubiously.

"Better than starving," Lancelot pointed out and took a hearty drink from his bowl, as they hadn't salvaged many utensils. The broth was rich with flavor, another aspect of the magic, perhaps? He made sure to sip at the medicinal water between bites.

"They seem like genuinely good people who only want to help," Merlin put in.

Arthur let out a derisive snort. "And yet they won't share a stupid flower that can help us save Guinevere." He set his bowl down a tad roughly and surged to his feet, striding out of the shelter. "I'll take first watch."

The knights exchanged silent looks and conversation died down after that.

When it was time to bed down for the night, they doubled up for warmth, Lancelot's back pressed against Merlin's.

"I'll try to speak to Kieran in the morning," Merlin whispered. "Magic to magic."

Lancelot could only nod back. He hoped Merlin would be successful.

.o.0.o.

The following morning, Merlin rose early to sneak off before the camp became too busy. Elyan was on the last watch, but it was easy to slip past him and into the woods. The villagers turned out to be early risers, which was fortunate for Merlin when he came striding into their village unannounced. He spotted Kieran and Lily picking fruit from a tree and made his way over.

"Merlin," Kieran greeted. "What brings you here so early? You're not feeling ill again?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks to your healing herbs," he replied. "I was, uh, hoping I could speak frankly with you about something."

Kieran set his basket of fruit on the ground and beckoned for him to proceed.

Merlin took a breath. "Arthur's distrust of magic was learned from his father, but it's not so deeply rooted that he can't change, that he won't change. You see, Arthur is the Once and Future King, and one day he will reunite all the lands of Albion and bring back the Old Religion—magic."

Kieran exchanged a doubtful look with Lily. "That is an admirable dream…"

"It's not just a dream; it's prophesied. And I'm the one who's going to help him do it." Merlin held his hand out, palm up, and summoned his magic. Iridescent sparks whooshed up in a dazzling swirl before winking out.

Kieran and Lily were now gazing at him in surprise and amazement.

"You possess magic," Kieran said.

Merlin nodded. "Yes."

"Does Arthur know?" Lily asked.

He grimaced. "Um, no."

Her brows furrowed. "And what would he do if he found out?"

"Well…" Merlin hedged. "I'm not entirely sure."

He'd probably be furious. The question was how exactly Arthur would act on that fury…

"But you're afraid to tell him," Lily pressed.

Merlin grimaced, not really wanting to respond to that. He supposed his silence was confirmation enough, though.

Kieran's expression was pinched in contemplation. "I admire your loyalty and bravery in coming to us with this, Merlin, but if your own king cannot accept his most loyal servant for his magic, then why should he be granted the sacred gift of the stars?"

"Because he's trying," Merlin said earnestly. "And surely that must count for something."

Kieran pursed his mouth. "You have given me more to consider," he replied diplomatically.

Merlin's shoulders slumped. That wasn't the ready cooperation he'd been hoping for, but he'd tried his best.

"Have you eaten this morning?" Lily asked, diverting the conversation now that the topic was apparently closed for the moment.

Merlin shook his head mutely.

Lily picked up the basket of fruit. "Join me, then. Afterward, I will accompany you back to the beach with some volunteers."

"Thanks," he said, genuinely grateful for the assistance the village was providing.

He followed her into her family's hut and took a seat while she set to cutting up the bright red fruit she'd picked that morning.

"Does anyone know about your magic?" she asked after a moment in a carefully neutral tone.

"Lancelot does. He's known since the beginning, though it wasn't because I told him. He caught me using it but swore to keep my secret. And he's honored that promise since."

Lily brought the plate of fruit over and sat down across from him. "Lancelot did seem more accepting of magic than Arthur."

"Like I said, Arthur's aversion stems from his father. Lancelot wasn't taught to fear magic."

"He seems an honorable man," Lily said thoughtfully.

Merlin smiled. "The most noble knight of them all," he quoted. "That's what the Great Dragon called him."

"Dragon?" Lily repeated.

"Yeah, uh, don't mention that to Arthur either."

Her mouth quirked. "I will keep your secrets, Merlin. And I am glad you have someone you can confide in. I could not imagine having to live with keeping such an integral part of myself hidden from everyone around me."

Merlin's mood sobered. "It's difficult at times. But I know one day it won't be that way. And in the meantime, I have Lancelot, and Gaius, though Gaius is more of a mentor and uncle. And the other knights are my friends. They may not know that side of me, but we still deeply care for each other. That goes for Arthur too, even though he'd never admit it."

Merlin flashed her a cheeky grin, which made her laugh.

They finished their breakfast and then Merlin waited as Lily gathered a handful of men to accompany them back to the beach. When they returned, Arthur was in a bit of a snit.

"Where have you been?" he snapped angrily at Merlin. "You should know better than to go wandering off alone in a strange place! Kieran's people gave us all the supplies we need; you didn't need to go foraging for herbs. Honestly, Merlin."

Lancelot shot him a regretful look from behind Arthur.

Merlin quickly ducked his gaze contritely. "Sorry. Force of habit, I guess," he said lamely.

Arthur rolled his eyes in vexation.

"I ran into Lily, though," he added, hoping to divert attention.

Arthur turned to her, and she gestured to the men behind her, introducing them one by one.

"Just say where they can be of help," she told Arthur.

He merely nodded. "The captain is over there," he replied, pointing the man out. "He'll know better what needs to be done."

The villagers nodded and headed off down the beach to get to work.

Instead of leaving, Lily went around relighting the torches that had extinguished since dawn.

"Shouldn't we save the oil for night?" Merlin asked her.

"There are dangerous things in the waters during the day too," she replied.

Despite that warning, her fellow villagers had no problem getting into the bowels of the ship to help gut it. They all then spent the next three days working on the frame, which involved cutting down trees, stripping the bark, sanding the boards down. Pitch also had to be mixed up for the seams and twine fashioned into new coils of rope. Some of the women from the village came down to help stitch the torn sails. That was a little tricky since they were currently using the sails as tents, but once the canvas was repaired, they'd put it up again for shelter. At least the material would be in one piece when it was time to run them up.

Kieran periodically came down to check on their progress, and each time Arthur asked if he had come to a decision about the star lily. And each time Kieran told him he was still considering it. The tension was wearing heavily on Arthur, which in turn weighed on the rest of them, making things extra stressful. They just had to keep at it, though.

Merlin, Lancelot, and Gwaine headed up the beach to refill everyone's waterskins at the stream that fed into the ocean. It would have been nice if it was just a little closer to the camp—after multiple trips back and forth, Merlin found the quarter of a mile tedious.

A horse's whinny startled them, drawing their attention to further down the shoreline where a beautiful black horse was standing in the surf, tendrils of its mane blowing in the breeze. Merlin thought it strange; he hadn't seen any horses in Kieran's village. Maybe it was wild.

"Look at that," Gwaine breathed, sounding captivated. "Have you ever seen such a magnificent steed?" He set the waterskins down and began to venture toward it.

Merlin and Lancelot exchanged a look before following behind, careful not to move too quickly and startle the animal.

"I'd love to have a stallion like that," Gwaine went on.

"Good luck getting it on the ship when we sail back," Merlin said.

As they drew closer, Merlin noticed more details about the horse—it was dripping water from head to foot, and its legs appeared to be covered in scales. Eerie yellow eyes rolled toward them, and the creature let out a snort that puffed hot steam from its nostrils.

Merlin drew to a stop. "Um, guys…"

"Gwaine," Lancelot said in warning, having halted as well.

Gwaine finally pulled up short as the horse swung its head toward him. Without warning, it leaped toward him, snapping its teeth and snagging the fabric of his tunic at the shoulder. Gwaine yelped as the horse yanked him forward, attempting to drag him into the surf.

Lancelot drew his sword and surged forward. The horse spun around, flinging Gwaine around with it, and kicked out its back legs at Lancelot, who barely dove out of the way in time to avoid being clobbered. A small wave splashed over him, disorienting him further.

Gwaine fumbled to grab his own sword from its scabbard, but the horse gave another rough yank, and suddenly he was plunging beneath the surface of the waves. Merlin's heart leaped into his throat as he thought Gwaine was about to get trampled. He shot a hand out and called up his magic, using it to sweep up pebbles from the shore and lob them at the dark horse. The creature shrieked as it was struck and jerked away. Gwaine's limbs flailed in the water beneath it, but then Lancelot reached him and hauled him out of the surf.

The horse shrieked again like a banshee and spun toward them. Lancelot pushed Gwaine back toward Merlin and swung his sword up. The horse tried to take a nip at the blade. Merlin grabbed at Gwaine and dragged him backward out of the tide, Lancelot following. The horse pawed at the water and charged after them.

An arrow zinged past their heads and struck the horse in the chest. It screamed and reared up on its hind legs. More arrows flew through the air, each one hitting their mark in the creature's chest, neck, and flank. It gave one last screech before collapsing on its side and falling utterly still.

Merlin looked over as several armed villagers came down from the forest's edge, Lily with them.

"Are you all right?" she asked them as the men swept past toward the slain creature.

Merlin nodded shakily as he gave Gwaine a once-over. "I think so. What was that?"

"A kelpie. I told you there were dangerous things in the water."

"It looked like a bloody horse!" Gwaine sputtered as he yanked the collar of his shirt down to look at his shoulder. It was slightly grazed from the teeth, but thankfully he hadn't suffered an actual bite.

Arthur and the other knights came running down the beach, apparently having heard the ruckus back at the campsite. But the danger was past, or so Merlin hoped. He grimaced as he watched the villagers begin to gut the carcass.

"You keep saving me and my friends," Lancelot said to Lily, a small smile on his face.

She smiled back. "You know, for a bunch of valorous knights, you all sure do need a lot of rescuing."

His mouth quirked with amusement at the tease, while Gwaine just huffed indignantly.

Merlin bit back his own grin and coughed to clear his throat. "Come on," he said, tugging Gwaine along with him to go explain things to Arthur. He flashed a cheeky grin over his shoulder at Lancelot, but said knight was too entranced with Lily to notice.