Surprise, bitches. I am, in fact, alive.

Turns out college takes up way more of my attention than I thought it would. My life got really crazy for a while there, too crazy to try summarizing in an author's note. But I'm back, and here's 5k+ brand spanking new words for y'all, or at least y'all who are still reading. I know I probably lost a bunch of you with my unexpected hiatus, but to those of you who are still interested, I thank you very much. I may have been busy, but I still saw all of your reviews and it means a lot to me that you care.

I can't believe it's been 3.5 years already.

Without further ado, here is chapter 24.

Chapter XXIV

Kander was one of the most beautiful sights Arthur had ever seen. It had a market, several skinny pigs, fields empty from harvest instead of decay, and children playing in the muddy streets. But, most importantly, it had an inn. Four walls, a roof, hot furnaces and hopefully hot food as well.

Now, if only he could get Merlin to see it that way.

One step into the village had Merlin shaking. By ten he was balking, eyes darting about, seeing things the rest of them didn't. When they got to the inn, he refused to set foot inside, rambling and insisting it was on fire, and they couldn't trust the people inside, and what if they were with them?

It took nearly an hour to calm him down, giving them enough time to attract the attention of the innkeeper and half the village. Thankfully, most of them thought Merlin was crazy and gave them a wide berth. Normally, this wouldn't be an ideal situation, but Arthur didn't want to find out how Merlin would react to strangers just then.

The innkeeper, however, was understanding and wonderfully accommodating, and quickly worked out a solution for them. The more cynical side of Arthur's mind wondered if he was truly that kind or merely relieved to have paying customers in this trying time, but he supposed it didn't matter either way.

And so the party found themselves settling in for the night in the stables. Four walls, a roof, and clean hay to sleep on. No furnace, but the inn's single horse and four dogs helped warm the place with their body heat, the innkeeper provided them with blankets, and the hay was softer than the ground. Arthur thought it was a worthy compromise, and as he wasn't inclined to force Merlin into an inn with strangers and the ever-present smell of alcohol, he was content to sleep here. The knights and Gail went to the inn to collect dinner while Callum fed their last horse its own feast of grain and hay. Honest to god food, not dirty roots and their less fortunate horses.

But, best of all, it was dry. That rain that Merlin had been so pleased about before had only increased and showed no signs of stopping. Arthur thought it may develop into a full-blown storm, and counted himself lucky for arriving at the village when they did. He was looking forward to a night in a proper shelter and the chance to rest.

"We will rest here tonight and move on in the morning." Arthur promised Merlin, who had tucked himself into a corner, back against the wall, and not moved since. "Just long enough to dry off and get some food."

"One night." Merlin repeated.

"Yes."

"No more. Can't stop, they'll catch up again."

"I said one night, alright?" Arthur said, exasperated. "No one is catching up. If they had even been following us, they would have done that already at our speed. They have horses."

Merlin raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "You can't believe they just let us go. They aren't done."

"Perhaps not, but for now, we are safe. They hurt us, but we hurt them back. They need time to rest and regroup, same as us."

"They could have hurt us worse. It can always be worse." Merlin snapped, staring down at his functional arm. "He always said that. So why aren't they here yet? Why did they let us go?"

"They did not let us go, Merlin. We fought tooth and nail and escaped. We won that round."

"It can always be worse. They were holding back. They let us go."

Arthur sighed in frustration.

"You're underestimating these people, Arthur. Silas─" Merlin clenched his jaw and looked away, shuddering. "Silas is ruthless. He will risk everything to get what he wants. Do anything. He doesn't have it yet."

"What does he want?" Arthur asked, feeling his patience thinning. How was he supposed to do anything if he didn't understand the situation? Couldn't Merlin see that?

Merlin looked away, eyes red.

Arthur sighed again, biting his tongue.

The door was flung open suddenly and Merlin jumped hard enough that his head smacked the wall behind him. Arthur winced along with Merlin, but they both brushed it off quickly as the knights returned carrying a covered tray, a pot, and a large jug of cider.

"Dinner is served, gentlemen!" Gwaine announced cheerfully, the anger and glumness of the previous weeks all but gone. It figured that all it took to raise Gwaine's spirits was a good meal.

Dinner, it turned out, was onion stew and warm bread. As Gwaine began to divide it between them, Callum came tumbling over the stall dividers, drawn back in by his nose.

"Where's Mam?" He asked before snatching a hunk of bread and shoving it eagerly into his face.

Gwaine shrugged. "Dunno. Doing something with rocks."

Callum paused only for a second before shrugging and taking his portion of stew.

Arthur offered Merlin a bowl, only to have him stare at it blankly.

"It's food, Merlin. You eat it."

"'M not hungry."

"It's hot."

"Gonna be sick."

"Not as sick as you're going to be if you starve to death."

"Can't be sick if you're dead, Arthur."

"You think you're funny, but you're not. Eat the damn soup."

Merlin glared, but took the bowl and settled it on his knees so he could poke at it with the spoon.

Momentarily satisfied, Arthur dug into his own bowl. There were chunks of potatoes, leeks, and entire sweet onions. It was the best food Arthur had ever tasted.

Then again, by this point he was even missing Hunith's porridge.

Maybe Merlin was, too, because he only took a single bite, stirred the spoon around for a minute, then dropped it in the time it took the rest of them to shovel down half a bowl. He looked up and saw Arthur watching him, and scowled before pointedly taking another bite.

Arthur smiled, then set his empty bowl down and set to stringing his wet cloak and socks from the rafters to dry. Just as he finished up, Gail returned with a raggedy burlap sack and looked far too pleased about it.

"Dare I even ask?"

"I found some stones layin' about and Hugh in there was kind enough to let me stick 'em in his fire." She dug into the sack and pulled out a large rock wrapped in a rag. "We cannae very well start a fire in 'ere, but tuck these inta yer blankets an' courie in it should keep ye nice an' toasty."

Gwaine leapt up and gratefully accepted a rock, only to grab it too quickly and miss the rag. He dropped it, shaking his hand and cursing.

"Ye innae supposed to jist grab it, ye numpty!" Gail scolded as the impatient knight gathered it up again more gingerly. She shook her head and sighed, then began to distribute the stones. Arthur made sure that Merlin was tucked into his bundle of blankets with no fewer than three of the heated rocks, carefully wrapped to prevent them from touching him directly. Merlin glared at his fussing, but seemed too exhausted to say anything about it.

When Arthur settled in with his own rock and blankets, burrowing into a cushiony pile of clean straw, he thought that he had never felt something so heavenly. By now he had entirely forgotten what his own mattress and feather pillows felt like, and he wondered if he would even be able to sleep in them when he got home or if it would feel too strange to him.

He watched the group around him finish up their dinners and set up their bedrolls, hanging up wet articles of clothing to dry and wrapping themselves in thick blankets, their spirits clearly raised by their full bellies and the shelter from the elements. Gwaine and Percival started arguing over the last spare rock and devolved into good-natured bickering over what the best way to settle it was. Percival suggested they arm-wrestle for it, and Gwaine naturally declined with an incredulous look at the other's biceps. Alymere just shook his head and interjected with an offer to toss a coin for them. Percival claimed that luck favored Gwaine too much for such a method to be fair. While they argued, Callum snuck in and deftly swiped the rock from between them, giggling quietly to himself as he shoved it into his bedroll. By the time Gwaine had noticed, Callum was stubbornly pretending to be asleep to avoid the affronted accusations the knight was throwing his direction.

Arthur felt a fond smile creep onto his face as he watched the group. Even Merlin seemed to finally be relaxing a small amount as he picked at his stew and watched the others with a sleepy gaze. His shoulders were still tense, but his eyes stayed on the knights and didn't dart around the corners and towards the exits anymore.

They were safe, for once, and could let their guard down, even just a little. Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and something bordering on contentment, Arthur felt his eyes slip closed as he drifted off, the sounds of his friends teasing each other and laughing lulling him to sleep.

Gentle fingers, still lightly calloused from years of rough work, carded through his hair and traced the curve of his ear. A warm breath wafted into his ear and a melodic voice followed. "Good morning, my love."

He opened his eyes and was met by a pair of shining brown ones and a loving smile. "Guinevere."

"There you are," his wife greeted, "You were away a long time."

"I know."

"I missed you."

"I miss you too."

"No need to miss me anymore, love, I'm right here."

Arthur sat up, his hand going to the back of her neck, feeling the soft curls bunch in his fingers as he drew her in for a chaste kiss. "I'll be home soon. I won't leave again."

"You always leave, Arthur. I don't mind you leaving, so long as you always come back." Arthur remembered her saying something similar months ago, after he had returned from a long stretch away searching for Merlin.

"You know I will."

Guinevere smiled again and leaned in for another kiss, more passionate than the previous one. After a long moment she released him only to reach up and slowly pull at the ties of her bodice. Arthur watched the strings loosen, then leaned in to plant kisses along her neck, trailing down and slowly pushing the fabric of her clothes off of her shoulder with his mouth.

He felt a hand come up and clench into his hair as her breath picked up slightly. He was reaching his own hand up to grab at her dress when he was suddenly hit with a profound feeling of wrongness. He yanked himself away, staring up at Gwen's flushed cheeks and befuddled expression, horror mounting in his throat and an abrupt urge to apologize.

"What the─"

He jerked upright, loose bits of straw flying into the air and a strangled noise in his throat. His heart pounded and a cacophony of conflicting emotions fought for dominance faster than he could understand them. Frustration, horror, embarrassment, confusion...Why did that dream make him feel so off?

A shuffling noise caught his attention and his gaze snapped towards the wall, where Merlin was sitting up straight and looking just as alarmed as he felt. They made eye contact from across the stable, and Arthur saw Merlin's face redden in the dim light from the single lantern that still burned in the corner.

A mortifying revelation struck him, and he felt his own cheeks darkening. He opened his mouth to shout something at Merlin, but snapped it shut again when Merlin's eyes widened and he shook his head, pointing towards the door. Arthur turned to see Alymere sitting guard, watching them curiously.

He took a deep breath and jabbed a finger in Merlin's direction. "You. Outside. Now." He breathed, then shoved himself up and stalked out the door. Alymere watched him go, but wisely said nothing, and simply stood up and walked to his bedroll, seizing the opportunity to pass off the watch and grab some rest. He heard Merlin scrambling in the hay behind him to catch up.

The rain had apparently only just stopped, the eaves of the stable and the inn still dripping and puddles shining in the streets. Arthur paid it no mind, whirling around on Merlin as he heard the stable door shut softly behind him. "What the hell was that? Are you spying on my dreams now?"

Merlin had brought his blanket with him, wrapped snugly around his shoulders and clasped together in his hand. His face reddened even further with embarrassment and Arthur realized his own feelings matched. "Well, not on purpose. Usually I fall asleep first so they're my dreams, but this time─"

"Wait, what?" Arthur interrupted. "Are you saying I've been having your dreams?"

Merlin blinked. "Um...yes?"

"Why didn't you say anything before now?"

"I...I guess I didn't realize you hadn't noticed. I thought it was obvious."

Well. In hindsight, Arthur realized, he really should have noticed. He remembered the dream from before, with the girl and the cows. The nightmares he had had, full of torture and terror.

Huh. Merlin was right, I really am oblivious sometimes.

"How was I supposed to know? Sharing dreams isn't exactly a normal thing, you know!" Arthur paused. "Wait, is this like what the kid does? Is this his doing?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "No. He showed up in my dream like he was a part of it, and he was aware it was a dream. I could see him standing there. We just have the same dream, usually whoever starts dreaming first pulls the other in."

He said it so casually, like it was something ordinary. Like they were sharing a waterskin and not their minds.

"How?" Arthur demanded. "I thought we got out of each other's heads when you broke the bridge."

Merlin shifted awkwardly, avoiding Arthur's gaze. "Well...that's...hmm, how do I put this?"

"I don't care how you put it, just put it quickly."

"The bridge was...well, you saw it, right?" Merlin started, clenching the blanket tighter in his fist nervously. "Both sides, our souls, they twisted together. They weren't just touching, they were connected, twined together like two strings. When I broke it...I..."

"Spit it out, Merlin."

Merlin looked down at the dirt and kicked his foot in it, mumbling out a rushed string of words.

"Pardon?"

"I snapped the bridge in the middle. The sides didn't just separate, it was like cutting through a knot. Each side took a little piece of the other."

Arthur blinked. Took a breath.

What.

"You...broke off a piece of my soul."

"Just a little piece." Merlin confessed sheepishly.

"What the hell, Merlin. Can you put it back?"

"Um, I don't think so."

"Why the hell didn't I notice? Shouldn't I feel it if a piece of my soul is missing?"

"You probably did feel it, you just didn't realize what it meant." Merlin explained. "It isn't missing, it's just...with mine? You are still connected to it. And I am connected to the piece of mine in you."

Arthur remembered, suddenly, when he had been riding with Callum in the forest after fleeing the burning village. He had been struck with an unexplained feeling of anxiety during the ride. Merlin had woken up then, and panicked.

He remembered how he knew Merlin would react to Callum's words when he found the bird before anyone else had. How he always had a feeling about where Merlin was, even before he saw him.

Arthur had felt a part of it, but dismissed it.

"Are we sharing feelings too?"

"So you did notice. Sorry about that. I'm getting better at controlling it from my end, but I have trouble doing it when I'm asleep. I'm working on it."

"You'd better be." Arthur shot back, thinking back to his dream. If he couldn't even have a pleasant dream of his wife without Merlin butting in, they were going to have problems.

Another thought hit him and he paused. "Hang on, what did you mean, your end?"

"You are terrible at blocking me out. You're an open book."

"Excuse me?"

"Mm. Yeah. I'm starting to figure out how to block you out, but it's harder than keeping myself in."

"And how come you can figure all this out and I didn't even notice?"

"I have spent an awful lot of time inside my own head lately." Merlin said wryly. "I know my way around better."

That made about as much sense as it could. Arthur's head felt like it was about to burst from this sudden revelation.

"I really thought you knew." Merlin continued. "I get a little too stuck in my head sometimes, forget that people don't know things I do."

"I guess we can't share thoughts then." Arthur snarked. "At least something is sacred."

"Sorry."

"You couldn't have known when you broke the bridge." Arthur conceded with a sigh. This was going to be complicated, but they could deal with it. They had to deal with it. He supposed, if he had to trust a piece of his soul to anyone, Merlin wasn't the worst person in the world.

Another thought hit him, sending ice through his veins.

"Arthur?"

Great, they really did share feelings. "Adare. Your bridge was with him first, and it broke too. Is he...?"

Merlin hastily shook his head with a horrified grimace, and Arthur let out a breath. "No. No. That was different, the bridge broke because he died. His soul pulled away because it died, not because I broke it. It went in one piece."

"Good." The thought of any piece of that monster's soul attaching itself to Merlin's to live on like some parasite was something Arthur didn't want to think about.

"Yeah."

Arthur mulled over the new information for several minutes in silence, watching the sky slowly begin to lighten. "So how do you block it out? Because, no offense, but there are some, ahem, feelings, that I would like to keep private."

Merlin flushed again, no doubt remembering tonight's unexpectedly awkward dream. He shrugged. "I suppose it's like imagining walls around your thoughts. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I catch my thoughts and feelings and pull them back behind the wall when I feel them leaking out. I think...I think it's also helping with the, uh, hallucination issue. I see so many anymore when I'm practicing. Or maybe I'm just understanding better. What's real. I'm not sure."

"That's good. Either way. It's...good."

Merlin eyed him pensively, quiet for a moment. "You don't...mind? The, um, sharing thing?"

Arthur shrugged. "It is not ideal, but if you cannot fix it, I suppose there is nothing to be done about it now. At this point, we have been through worse. We have been like this for weeks and I didn't even notice. It is a lot to wrap my head around, but no, it doesn't bother me. We have more important things to worry about."

"Right."

"Besides, it is as much my doing as it was yours." Arthur continued. "I chose to create the bridge in the first place, I can't very well complain about it now. I just wish you had told me."

"Sorry." Merlin mumbled.

Arthur shook his head. "Is there anything else you are hiding? About this, I mean."

"Mm, don't think so. But I don't fully understand it yet, so something might come up later." Merlin studied him, an inscrutable look on his face.

"What?" Arthur snapped, impatient after a minute of silence.

"This is real, right? We aren't having this conversation in my head?"

"Do you often daydream about early morning conversations about sharing souls?"

"It's just, you're not..." Merlin huffed, glancing away for a second. He looked tense. "It's odd. Seeing you act like this about...magic. It's inside you and you don't..."

Ah. That. "It's not really magic." Arthur tapped his chest. Now that he was aware of it, if he focused he could feel something inside him. It was nothing clear, and he couldn't feel it physically, but there was no denying that there was something, an ineffable presence that had settled in like a new sense. "It's just you. And I do trust you, Merlin."

Merlin seemed to relax, meeting his gaze again with glistening eyes. "Even though I lie?"

"We all have our secrets."

"You don't. Not from me. I don't give you the same courtesy."

"I do too have secrets. I can be mysterious too."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Name one."

Arthur's mind blanked. He had to have something, right? Did he really tell Merlin every little thing? "You first." He prevaricated.

Merlin huffed. It wasn't a laugh, but it was laugh-adjacent. "I thought you agreed not to ask."

"About the big one. Surely you have some small, harmless secret."

Merlin paused thoughtfully. "I suppose. But...Arthur, I have a lot of secrets. Some lies were small, many I told only because it had become habit. I am trying to stop doing that. But I wouldn't know where to start."

Was he pushing too much? Was this a mistake? Before he could talk himself out of it, Arthur spoke. "If I asked one question, would you answer it honestly."

Merlin hesitated, eyeing Arthur appraisingly. "I can try. If it doesn't relate to...things."

One question. Can't be anything too serious, don't want to push him away or hurt him...Something small...

Problem was, it was difficult to know what was small and insignificant if he didn't know what it was. This was risky territory, but something in Arthur burned to know. He was trying to be patient with Merlin, but the curiosity was eating at him.

"Your scars, the old ones." Arthur started. He second-guessed himself when he saw Merlin stiffen anxiously, but he pushed forward anyway. "You never said how you got those."

"That's more than one question." Merlin murmured.

"I will only ask about one, then."

Merlin narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

"There's a small one on the back of your neck, like a knife wound."

Arthur was gratified to see Merlin relax marginally, and lean back against the stable wall. He brought his hand up to trace it. "That is a small one, I suppose. But it's a bit of a story."

Arthur glanced towards the horizon, glowing pink with the sunrise. "We have some time."

"Right. Um, this one was actually from Gaius."

"A surgery? Why?" Arthur wasn't sure what he had expected, but this wasn't it. Why would Merlin have hidden something like a small medical procedure?

"He had to cut the snake out."

"Snake? You mean snake venom, were you bitten?" He had heard of cutting patients to bleed poisons from their skin. The back of the neck was an odd place for a snakebite, but he supposed it could happen.

"Um, no. There was a snake in there." He said it so casually, like it was something that made sense.

Arthur said nothing, only stared disbelievingly until Merlin saw fit to continue.

"It was a magic snake."

"Obviously, Merlin. The question is why. When?"

Merlin rubbed at the back of his neck again. "Remember when I went missing?"

Arthur's heart clenched. "Unfortunately, you'll have to be more specific."

"Oh. Right, um, back when I got hit by a mace and then we got separated."

Arthur thought back to the incident. The horror when the rocks fell, cutting Merlin off from him. He had been wounded, surrounded by enemies, and Arthur couldn't get to him. He had been afraid he had died, or been captured. When Merlin had crawled out of a bog with a grin on his face, Arthur had been so relieved that he had forgotten to ask how he had managed on his own.

"You never did say how you got out of that."

"That's because I committed a lot of treason. It was complicated. Seemed safer to not mention it."

"You..." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are just messing with me now."

"Do you want the rest of the story or not?"

"Fine, fine."

"Well, anyway, after the rocks fell, I did not actually manage to escape. I don't remember exactly what happened, maybe I passed out, or they knocked me out. I just remember waking up in a hovel with Morgana, tied to the ceiling."

Arthur was shocked. How does he consider this a 'small' secret? If this is small, what are the big ones?

Merlin, oblivious to Arthur's turmoil─or perhaps just ignoring it─continued with the story. "She healed me and talked about using me against you. I thought she was going to try to get information out of me or kill me, but she had this snake with multiple heads. She told me it would take over control of my mind and force me to kill you."

"What? But you didn't kill me."

"Obviously." Merlin looked a bit ashamed, but continued anyway. "I did try though. I poisoned your lunch, but Gwen brought you some too and you ate hers instead. I also made a crossbow trap, poisoned your bath, things like that. Luckily Gwen and Gaius caught on and knocked me out."

Arthur remembered the whirlwind of strange events immediately after Merlin's return. His strange attitude Arthur had simply attributed to stress from his ordeal, but Guinevere and Gaius' behavior hadn't made sense. "I can't believe Guinevere didn't tell me."

Merlin's lip twitched into a hint of a smile. "She is a good friend. She and I were servants, and you were only newly King with Agravaine still whispering in your ear. We didn't want to risk anything."

"You thought I would have you executed for this? You were bewitched. You could have told me."

"Like I said, it was more habit by then. All my life, I have always had to handle my problems myself. People have helped me, like Gwen, but in the end it was usually down to me. I did not want to make your life harder, you have so many duties more important than my problems. I never even thought to tell you."

Arthur took a deep breath, and tried to imagine those walls Merlin had told him about surrounding his guilt and hiding it away. He didn't think it worked. "Whatever your reasons then, I appreciate your honesty now."

"I am trying."

"I know."

Merlin chewed his lip and scuffed his shoe into the dirt again, eyes down.

"You lied again though."

Merlin's head snapped up. "I did not!"

Arthur jabbed a finger towards his chest. "That was not a 'small story.' You got captured by the enemy and possessed by a magical snake and turned into an incompitent assassin, why would you call that small?"

"Well, relatively speaking."

"'Relative' my ass, you need to start rethinking your priorities."

"I'm working on it!"

"See that you do. Next time you try to kill me, I want to know about it."

"I swear, I haven't tried to kill you since that time."

"Well, that's a relief. This isn't something I thought I had to be worried about, but apparently it is."

"Sorry to shatter your worldview, Highness."

You have been chipping away at that for years now, Arthur thought, but he kept it to himself. Maybe he did have a few secrets of his own. "You are not."

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, a glint of mischief in his eye that Arthur has sorely missed, but whatever cheeky response he had coming evaporated along with his expression. Merlin's face turned suddenly serious as he looked at something over Arthur's shoulder and pushed away from the wall he had been leaning on and straightened up.

Arthur turned to face whatever had caught Merlin's attention, and saw a single man standing in the street with a company of horses gathered behind him. He hadn't heard the man or his horses approach, which instantly made him uneasy. The man was of average height and wore a faded green cloak, stained with mud at the bottom. His face was weathered with lines and dark from the sun. He held a sturdy staff in one hand, but appeared otherwise unarmed. Still, Arthur was aware of how easy it was to conceal weapons, and with how many sorcerers had been after them lately he wasn't about to let his guard down just because he didn't see a sword.

"I mean you no harm, King Arthur." The man said. "To you or your party." Arthur thought he saw the man's eyes flick towards Merlin for a second.

"Who are you?" Arthur demanded, suddenly quite aware of the fact that he had left his sword in the stables.

"My name is Eòghann. I am a Druid, and I have been sent on Emrys' behalf."

Arthur could feel a tension rising within him, and he realized with a sudden clarity that it was from Merlin. It seems so obvious now, how did I not notice this before? "Why does Emrys not come himself?"

Eòghann smiled benignly. "I am afraid Emrys was unable to complete this quest, due to circumstances beyond his control."

"And what is your quest?"

The Druid glanced back towards Merlin again. "We have seen how you are struggling. It is imperative that you and yours return to Camelot swiftly. I have come to deliver these horses to you."

It was only then that Arthur realized that there were seven horses; one for each of them. "Why are you helping us? What do you gain from this?"

"We do not seek payment. It is our duty to serve Emrys, and by extension, you. Keeping you safe benefits us. You have heard the prophecies by now, yes?"

Arthur nodded warily.

"Then you understand why you are important to us." Eòghann stretched out a hand, offering the reins of one of the horses to Arthur. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted it. "You will find some supplies in the saddlebags. After you return home, if you release the horses they will find their way back to us on their own."

"I am grateful for your help."

Eòghann looked at Merlin and smiled. "It is an honor to be of assistance to the Once and Future King." He gave a short bow to Arthur. "May we meet again, under better circumstances, I hope."

Without another word, the man took a single step back, said something Arthur didn't quite make out, and tapped his staff on the ground before disappearing in a soft gust of wind.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin, who was staring inscrutably at the spot where Eòghann had been a second ago, tears in his eyes. He reached out to rest his palm against the nose of the horse in front of him, too astounded to speak. With a full set of fresh horses, they could reach Camelot in a matter of days, rather than weeks.

Maybe their luck really was turning.