A/N: Yes, long time no see, I know. Life has been a little hectic, but I finally managed to get my head back into this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

I woke up feeling like someone had placed something heavy across my chest. Everything was aching and I was finding it difficult to breathe. I was struggling to remember exactly what had happened, and where the hell I was. Before I had a chance to do that, I started coughing, causing me to roll onto my side to try to relieve some of the pressure on my chest.

The next thing I knew, someone had placed a hand on my back and had sat down on the bed beside me. "Isabella, are you okay?" I recognised the voice in an instant, it was Arthur.

I tried to answer him, but I just ended up coughing some more. It was making my chest hurt even more, and my head was spinning from the lack of oxygen that was actually making it's way to my lungs. There were black spots starting to form in my behind my eyelids and I couldn't help but let out a groan.

"Merlin, fetch Gaius, quickly!" Arthur bellowed, his command followed by rushing footsteps. "It's okay, Isabella, I'm here." He assured me, obviously having absolutely no idea what was going on or what to do to help me.

"Wa… water…" I finally managed to whisper, my throat feeling sore and swollen. I hadn't felt so bad since the time I fell into the lake during the winter and ended up with a seriously bad case of the flu, which then turned out to be pneumonia.

Luckily Arthur had managed to hear me, and was helping me to sit up, his arms around me tightly as someone else shoved the pillows behind my back to help keep me propped up. I had no idea who else was in the room, but at that moment, I really didn't care. I opened my eyes open a little, just being able to recognise the outline of Arthur sitting on the bed with me.

There was something in his hand, it looked like a goblet, and I hoped it was filled with water. "Here you are, Isabella." Arthur said to me softly, my hand reaching out rather blindly. He must have realised that I couldn't see too well as I felt him wrap my hand around his on the goblet.

I guided his hand with it towards my mouth, and took a small sip of it, hoping that I wasn't going to start having another coughing fit. I just didn't know why I was feeling so cold, even the water seemed to be warmer than I was.

After not choking on the first sip, I took another, only slightly longer. The water soothed my throat only a little, but at least I wasn't coughing just yet. "Thanks." I mumbled, letting the prince pull the goblet away from me and place it back down. "What happened?" I asked him, as I rested my head back and closed my eyes completely again. I was just too exhausted to even try and move too much.

"Well, you were right about Cedric, he was evil." Arthur told me. "But he's gone now, so you don't have to worry about him." I could tell from the way he was talking that he was worried about me.

"And can you explain why I'm lying in bed, coughing and feeling like someone slung a dead horse over me?" I asked him, before having another small coughing fit. It wasn't very pleasant, not for either of us. All Arthur could do was rub my back and hope that it would soon pass.

After a few moments it did, and I gasped for air as I lay back against the pillows once more. "A dead horse?" He asked me in amusement, causing me to let out a groan and reach out to hit him. He caught my hand, since it had been nowhere near its target. "You decided to try and be the hero, again. You were outside in the cold, absolutely freezing." He told me, causing me to remember brief snippets of the battle and how it had ended. "The moment you were back inside, you collapsed."

"Awesome." I mumbled, mainly to myself. "I've managed to get sick."

I heard the door to the room open, and two pairs of feet rushed in. "Princess Isabella, how are you feeling?" Gaius asked me.

But I really didn't feel like explaining it all to him. My throat was still hurting, as was my chest, and my head was pounding as well. All I wanted to do was curl up and go back to sleep. The only thing I could do was wave my hand at him, as if telling him to go away.

It appeared that Arthur seemed to understand what I was doing. "She said that she feels like someone has slung a dead horse over her. And her coughing is still bad." He told the man. "Her coordination is completely off, she couldn't even manage to hit me." My hand reached out again, trying to hit him once more, but once again failing. "See." He said, before grabbing my hand and holding it tightly.

"I would guess that she has some form of infection. She hasn't been eating or sleeping well, which has helped in only making her weaker." Gaius informed everyone who was in the room. I still wasn't sure who the silent person was, but I still didn't care.

"Pneumonia." I muttered, my chest hurting every time I took a breath.

From the silence I could tell that everyone was confused. "What was that, Isabella?" Gaius asked me softly.

"Pneumonia. Chest infection. Had it before. Feels the same." I told him, keeping my sentences short so that it would hopefully hurt less. It didn't. "Need rest and water. Will go away." I said, praying that it really would just go away. They didn't have antibiotics, they didn't have anything that could fight off an infection like what I was sure I had.

Once again their was silence, and I knew they were all probably communication through looks that I couldn't see through my closed eyes. "Are you sure, Isabella?" Arthur then asked me, giving my hand a squeeze. I hummed a response to him, too tired to try and speak any more.

There was some hushed talking between Gaius and Arthur. "I've never heard of this infection before, but I have seen something similar to it a few times. If Isabella has had it before, then the best thing we can do for now is let her rest. See if she can overcome it herself. I will keep looking for other remedies, just in case." Gaius said.

"Do you think she will be all right? She could barely breath when she woke up." There was concern in Arthur's voice, as always, but it seemed he was a lot more worried than usual.

"I suggest someone stays with her, even while she sleeps. I'll come back to check on her later." The old man said, before I heard him leaving the room.

My head was completely swimming now, even with my eyes closed everything was whirling around in my head. "Can I sleep now?" My voice came out in a whisper that I didn't think anyone would be able to hear.

"Of course you can, Isabella. I'll be right here." I heard Arthur say, before feeling someone press their lips against my forehead. They felt cool, whereas the water I had drunk had been so warm.

"Hmm, that felt nice and cool." I said, wishing that I could feel the coldness back against my head to help it stop spinning so much. A few seconds later, something damp and cold was pressed against my forehead, but I knew it wasn't someone's lips. "That feels better."

I heard Arthur chuckling a little, and it made a small smile appear on my face. "Goodnight, Isabella."

The darkness was starting to claim me again, and I could feel myself loosing the battle to stay awake any longer. "Night, Arthur." I managed to whisper, before being completely consumed by the darkness.

The moment Isabella closed her eyes, Arthur let out a long breath. He had been sitting there with her for almost two days, and in that time all she had done was cough and sleep, occasionally mumbling incoherently. He had been absolutely terrified when she had just passed out in his arms the moment they were back in the castle, he didn't know what to do.

So he had just sat there beside her, holding onto her hand and keep watch over her. When she had woken up coughing, barely able to breath, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. She just looked so pale and fragile, and Arthur was worried that just touching her would break her.

"I'm sure she will be fine, Arthur." A voice said, bringing him back to reality. "You heard what Isabella said, she's had it before."

The prince let out a sigh as he looked over at the other person who had been sitting in the room with them. "I know, Morgana, but I'm still worried." He told her, his face showing the worry.

"Just leave her to rest, and I'm sure she will be back to plotting against you in no time." Morgana told him, a small hint of a smile on her face as she got up and left Isabella's chamber.

But the prince of Camelot wasn't so easily convinced. He knew that she hadn't been well, he could see it when he looked at her. When she smiled at him, he could see the pronounced features of her face more than he should. She was far too skinny to be healthy, and even Gaius had agreed on that point. It was no wonder that she had managed to get herself so sick when she was barely eating or sleeping.

"Come on, Arthur. You really should just let her rest." Merlin told him. He had almost forgotten that there was anyone still in the room with him until he spoke.

But the prince just shook his head at his servant. "Gaius said someone should stay with her. I want to be here if she wakes up." Arthur told him, turning his attention back to Isabella lying in the bed.

Merlin nodded at his master, and left him alone. He wished that there were something that he could do, even if it was using his magic. But there was no way he could use it if Arthur was in the room. The only thing he could do was speak with Gaius, and see if he had any ideas of what they could do to help the sick princess.

Candy floss and cinnamon. That was all that I could smell, and it was making my mouth water. I opened my eyes and couldn't help but frown. I was sure that I had fallen asleep in my bed, back in Camelot, but my eyes were telling me something different. Instead of my cosy bed, I was on the dry banks of a river.

"Welcome, child. I've been waiting for you for some time." A familiar, soft, female voice said to her.

I turned my head to get a better look at the person, but all I saw was a pale blue cloak with the hood covering the persons face. "Who are you? And, uh, where am I?" I asked, wondering why my chest wasn't hurting and why I felt more healthy than I had ever been in my life.

"My name is Sian, Princess Isabella, and I am one of the druids." The woman told me. I still couldn't help but think that I knew that voice, that I had heard it for so long in my life. I just couldn't work it out. "We have been awaiting for your arrival."

Now I was completely and utterly confused. "My arrival? Sorry, but I'm a little lost here. What's going on? Where am I?" I asked her, just wanting to know where I was and why I was there.

"Where we are does not matter, it is somewhere that exists only in your mind. But I know you have finally been deemed worthy by the great dragon, Kilgharrah." I looked at her strangely, wondering how she even knew about that. "You are aware of your magic, are you not?"

"Uh, yeah, it's controlled by my emotions. I get upset, I almost burn the place down." I told her, remembering that time when I had argued with Mitch and all of the candles in the chamber just flared up.

I don't know why, but I felt like Sian was smiling at my underneath that hood of hers. "But you still cannot control it. That is why I am here, to help you."

"Help me? How?" I wondered. I had a lot of questions running through my head, but something was telling me that most of them wouldn't get an answer. "I thought the only way for me to control my magic, was by controlling my emotions. If I got upset, or angry, I needed to calm down quickly otherwise I'd end up destroying something."

The cloaked head shook at me a little, telling me that I was wrong. "That is only because you have had no practice. Your magic is running wild and free, you need to tame it, get some control over it. This is a dangerous time, Princess Isabella, and you live in Camelot." Sian told me, and I could understand what she meant straight away. "You grow closer to the prince every day. It is a good thing, and yet a bad thing at the same time."

"Getting so close to Arthur has always been a bad thing." I mumbled. "There is nothing good about it. Believe me, it's just a complete mess."

"Oh, Isabella, you only believe that because you think you know the truth." Sian told me. "But in time you will see that things are different to what you know, to what you think you know. You are to play a part is Arthur's journey, to assist Merlin in the quest for Albion."

"Whoa, wait a second, back up a minute." I said, backtracking what the woman had just said. "How has this gone from my magic, to Arthur, and to this quest for Albion? Just explain to me where I hell I am, because the last I knew I was in bed in Camelot with a pretty bad chest infection."

I heard the woman let out a sigh, and I knew that she had no choice but to answer me this time. "Because your emotions have a link with your magic, there are certain things you can control. When you sleep, you build a whole world around yourself. This is your dream world, but this is only one of them."

"Wait, so this is a dream? In reality I'm still in my bed back in Camelot?" I asked her, trying to get it all straight in my head. How was that even possible? How could I create my own little worlds?

"Yes, Isabella. This is just a dream world that you created."

I shook my head, still wrapping my head around it. "Okay, so if this is my own personal little dream world, how did you get here? And why do I feel like I know you?"

"As I have said, I have waited a long time for you, but you were not ready. You proved to the great dragon that you are worthy, and that you are the one we have been waiting for." Sian informed me, still not really answering all of my questions. "It is your destiny to guide Arthur where Merlin cannot. And to assist Merlin when he looses his way. You are the one that holds them together, the missing link to Albion."

I looked at her blankly. "I hold them together? Oh come on, you know that's absolutely not true." I couldn't help but scoff at that. There was no way that I was there to guide Arthur and help Merlin. How could I when I couldn't even control my own magic? I was more of a hindrance than anything else, taking Arthur away from the one he was meant to be with and just causing problems in general.

"I know you find it hard to believe, Isabella, but Arthur and Merlin both need you. There are hard decisions that will be made on the road to Albion, and both men will lean on you for support. You will hold them up, in their darkest days." For some reason, I wanted to believe Sian, but I still had all that doubt. "You have so much faith in the young warlock, you confront the prince about things. And you put your own safety at risk to help the prince."

I couldn't help but sigh, she was basically saying exactly the same thing that the stupid dragon Kilgharrah had said to me. "They are both my friends, that's why." I said, repeating what I had told that stupid dragon. "I respect Merlin, he is a good man and does his everything he can to protect Arthur. And Arthur, well, he's the Prince of Camelot." I informed her. "I know he is an arrogant prat, but I've seen a side of him that isn't so bad."

"Exactly. When you first met the prince he was rude and arrogant. You did not get along with him very well. But now, he is refusing to leave your side while you are sick. He hid you in his chamber while your uncle was after you. He is changing because of you."

I quickly shook my head at her. "No, he isn't changing because of me. Don't be so silly. I've got nothing to do with it." There was no way that I had anything to do with Arthur changing, not at all. He was still arrogant and pig headed when he wanted to be, even to me.

"In time you will see, Princess Isabella." Sian told me, her gaze looking out across the river.

I hadn't really stopped to look at anything apart from the woman, but now I was. The river was huge, glistening in the sunlight, like there were a thousand tiny stars were dancing there. On the other side of the river were fields, just miles and miles of green grass, different coloured flowers cropping up all over the place. I couldn't help but smile at it all.

"This is your world, Isabella, you can do anything here." Sian told me. It was as if she had read my mind. I had been wondering what it was like on the other side of the river, to be walking amongst all of the different flowers. It had been so long since I had just been able to smell the flowers.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was walking closer to the edge of the river. "Is it deep?" I called, wondering if Sian knew how deep the river was. I didn't want to start walking and then find out that it was too deep and that since it was a dream I couldn't swim. Or for there to be something lurking beneath the surface, waiting for me.

"Why don't you dip your foot in the water and find out?" Something about the tone of her voice had me curious. She wasn't giving me a straight answer, but I expected that to be honest. There was just something about her that screamed mysterious.

"Well, if I drown, I'm blaming you, Sian." I said, causing the woman to chuckle at me. I shook my head and took another step forward. It was only a dream world, if I did decide to drown, then maybe I would just wake up back in Camelot. The next step I took would take me into the river, and I took a deep breath before letting it out as I put my foot down. I expected it to get wet, to feel the water rushing around my ankles, but I didn't. "What the hell?" I muttered, looking down and seeing my foot actually resting on top of the water. "How did that happen? That's not possible."

I felt someone next to me and saw the Sian was standing there, on the water beside me. "You control this world." She told me.

I nodded, letting in all sink in. "Okay, so if I control this world, I can control what happens. I can walk across the water and not sink or drown or anything like that. I can walk across the river as if there was an invisible path that led me to the other side." The moment I had said that, I saw parts of the water still. "This is just insane." I muttered, mainly to myself as I started to walk across the water.

"Not insane, Isabella, magic." Sian corrected me. I stopped and looked at her, a frown forming on my face. "I told you, you control this world, with your magic. When you fell asleep, you fell asleep happy, and thinking of a certain prince I do believe." Yeah, my cheeks started burning red when she said that, because it was kind of true. "When you have nightmares, it's because you go to sleep worrying about one thing or another. This is one of the ways that your emotions affect your magic."

"Okay, so back in the real world, how do I do this?" I asked, looking down at my dry feet, the water rushing underneath them. "How can I use my magic like this when I'm awake?"

"Think about it, Isabella. If your emotions control your magic, which then controls your dreams, how do you think you can use it in the real world?" Sian asked me, once again not giving me a damn answer. She was worse than the stupid dragon.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her. "Oh, I don't know. Wish I could walk across the water and then give it a try? Only to find out that it didn't work and I end up flipping drowning?" I told her rather sarcastically.

She laughed at me, again she was laughing at me. "I suppose there is only one way to find out, isn't there? Now, you should probably head back. I think you've understood enough for now. I'll be here again when you're ready." Sian told me, before just vanishing right in front of me.

"Oh, well isn't that nice." I moaned, finding that I was now all alone in my dream. "You could have at least told me how to get back."

Arthur hadn't moved from Isabella's side. He had stayed with her, watching as she tossed and turned, coughed and struggled to breath. The prince wished that there was at least something that he could do to help, but all he could do was sit there and watch her struggling.

She started coughing once more, and he was quickly there trying to help her, doing his best to sooth her. "Hey, it's okay, Isabella. It's okay." He told her softly, holding her slightly and rubbing her back. He really didn't know what to do to help her, and Gaius hadn't made any progress with finding out what could help her.

"Ar… Arthur." Isabella mumbled through her coughing. Her hand once again blindly reaching out for him. He was quick to grab it and hold onto it tightly, letting her know that he was there with her.

"I'm right here, Isabella. I'm not going anywhere." He whispered to her, watching as she calmed down a little. He really didn't like seeing here like that, it was causing odd feelings to stir within him as he had to watch her.

I felt someone holding onto my hand tightly. The pain in my chest was back, my head was once again spinning and my throat felt like sandpaper. I guess I must have somehow worked out how to get out of my dream world, either that or I was actually waking up. I let out a groan as I tugged at the hand, trying to work out who it was.

"Shush, it's only me, Isabella." I heard Arthur tell me, giving my hand a squeeze. It made me relax a little, knowing that it was him and that he was still there.

"Where am I?" I don't know why I asked him that, I knew it was in bed, but it came out before I could stop it.

I heard him chuckling at me a little. "You're in your bed, in your chamber in Camelot. Does that answer your question?" He asked me, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, excuse me for not remembering much. Who are you again?" I asked, wondering how he was going to react to that. I wanted to open my eyes to get a look at his reaction, but I couldn't find the energy to do it.

"It's me, Arthur." He told me, a hint of panic in his voice. "You… you remember, don't you, Isabella?"

Although it felt bad to hear him panic a little like that, I felt in one of those moods that involved me being stupid to cheer myself up. "Who's Isabella?" The moment I said that I regretted it. I felt his hand tighten, and his whole body tense.

"You're Isabella. You… you really don't remember?" He asked me, his voice shaking.

I knew I couldn't put him through it, it was a stupid thing to do in the first place. "Of course I remember, you arrogant, pig headed, prat of a prince." I muttered. "You freak out over the smallest things."

I heard him let out a breath of relief. "Isabella, never, ever do anything like that ever again." He told me, his tone firm and commanding. I knew what I had done had scared him, and I knew I wouldn't do it again. He was already worried about me, and what I had done just made it worse.

"Sorry, Arthur, oh great prince of arrogance." I said, finally trying to force my eyes open. It really wasn't an easy task, but I was trying my best.

"How are you feeling now?" The prince asked me, just as I managed to get my eyes to open. I could see on his face that he was worried, and that he had been sitting there for a while.

I just looked at him as I took a breath, my chest aching as I did, making me wince in pain. "Hurts still." I let him know, before looking down at where his fingers were entwined with mine. "Can I have some water, please?" I asked, not actually wanting him to let go of my hand, but knowing that I needed to get plenty of fluids into my system if I wanted to get any better.

"Of course you can." Arthur replied, smiling at me as he reached over and grabbed the goblet that was sitting on the side. "Think you can manage it on your own?" I reached my hand out to the item in his hand, and totally missed it once again. "I guess not." He concluded, before doing what he had done before and wrapping my hand around his.

I must have been rather thirsty, because I ended up drinking the goblet dry. "Well, this is fun." I moaned, letting Arthur help me to sit up comfortably. I seemed to have shifted around a lot when I was asleep, because I was half curled up to where Arthur was sitting on the bed.

"It's not much fun sitting here and watching you coughing so much." Arthur told me, frowning at me a little. "Gaius is still trying to find something that could help you, but how are you feeling now?"

I knew he was still rather worried, he always seemed to be worried. "I'm… better. It still hurts, and my head is spinning a little, but at least I can breathe a little easier."

There was a small smile creeping onto his face. "A little better is something. I've been worried about you, Isabella. When you just collapsed I… I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what had happened."

Suddenly I felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Arthur. I never meant to worry you. It was my own fault, really. I've not been eating or sleeping properly, that has to have had some impact on how I managed to get sick so quickly." I admitted. I knew that I now needed to start eating properly, and doing my best not to worry before going to sleep so that I wouldn't have so many bad dreams.

"No, it's not your fault. I should have made sure that you were taking better care of yourself." Arthur told me, trying to take some of the blame. "I told your brother that I would look after you, that you would be safe her. Some job I'm doing of it so far."

"It's not your fault, Arthur. I've been disobedient, and not listened to you. I went outside when you told me to stay safe within the castle walls. That was my decision and my fault. You can't blame yourself for this." I told him, giving his hand a squeeze. I didn't like him blaming himself, because it really wasn't anyone's fault but my own.

A moment later and the door to my chamber opened, both Arthur and I looking to see who had come to join up. "Ah, you're awake then, Princess Isabella." Merlin said, a smile in his face as he came in with a bowl of something on a silver tray. "Gaius said you need to try and eat something."

"Ah, bed rest and room service." I said, a grin now taking over my face. "What's on the menu then?"

He came over and placed the tray down on the other side of the bed. "Soup. Gaius said it would be easier for you to digest."

"Great, thanks." I said, reaching out for the spoon, only for my hand to start shaking before I had even picked it up. "Oh lovely. I can't even pick up a stupid spoon." I mumbled, causing Arthur to chuckle at me some more. "Shut it, Arthur. It's not funny."

The noise he was making stopped and he picked up the spoon. "Come on, let me help you."

I let out a loud and annoyed groan. "Even better. I have to be spoon fed by a prince. Just how I wanted my day to go. Can it get any better?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, a letter arrived from your brothers today." Merlin told me, a nervous look on his face. "Your uncle was spotted, but he got away."

"And there is it." I said, throwing my head back against the pillow.

"Isabella, everything is going to be fine. Don't worry about your uncle right now, we can discuss that later. Right now you need to eat, so come on, eat." The prince told me, scooping some of the soup up on the spoon and moving it towards my face.

I rolled my eyes as he spoon fed me. I swallowed the first spoonful and instantly gagged. "Ugh, who made this? It's bloody awful." I moaned, trying to get rid of the taste in my mouth.

"I made it." Merlin said, looking a little hurt.

"Well, that explains it then." Arthur said, an amused look on his face. Before taking a small taste of it himself. He looked a little confused. "I don't actually think it's that bad." He admitted, giving me a strange look.

A sigh escaped my lips. "Guess it's because I'm sick. Sorry, Merlin." I told him, before trying to snatch the spoon away from the prince.

Merlin just looked at me. "You don't like it, but you still want to eat it?" He asked, watching as Arthur started to spoon feed me again.

I nodded at him. "I got to eat something haven't I? And if Arthur says it's okay, then it must just be me." That got me a smile from my favourite warlock. I trusted the pair of them with my life, and I knew that they would do what they could to help me. Merlin had gone out of his way to make the soup just for me, and I had been rude by saying how awful it was. Arthur had sat there with me for who knows how long while I slept. They were both really good friends, and I would do whatever it took to help them and protect them.

A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the horrendous wait for this chapter. As well as all the uni work I had going on, I just couldn't get my head back into Merlin at all.

So I just want to thank all of my loyal followers, and to everyone single one of you that has ever taken the time to leave a review. It's because of you guys that I haven't totally given up on this story.

Until the next time, which fingers crossed will be soon.

Pippa.