Gaius has just treatet a bad cut of one of the cooks and is putting away the used material.

Merlin was in the kitchen with the dishes and now comes back into the room with the cleaned plates. He puts everything away and then hurries to his room. Gaius looks up and asks, "What are you up to?"

"I just wanted some time to myself before I have to go back to the prince." Merlin frowns, "Is there anything else I can do?"

Gaius sees how tired the young warlock looks and shakes his head. Merlin disappears into his room and closes the door behind him. Mary which bundles herbs meets Gaius' gaze and says, "He's not sleeping well."
"I know...I hear him almost every night. He's either having nightmares or trying to keep himself awake as long as possible."

Mary turns her attention back to the herbs, "My mother had a special tea blend that she used to give us to help us sleep peacefully. Maybe I can find the ingredients for it here in the darkling woods?"

"What all do you need for it?"

"I need poppies, some wormwood, and irises."

Gaius looks up, "Poppies and wormwood I still have some in stock. Irises are hard to find around here."
Mary smiles, "I know. But I might know a place that has some. If I only have one bulb, that will last me for some time. It doesn't take much of it. But I think that was the magic ingredient each time."
"I take it, that in that case you're going to look for that this afternoon?"
Mary sits down next to Gaius, "Unless you have something else you want me to do for you?"
Gaius shakes his head, "No, you go ahead. Maybe it will help Merlin. He refuses my sleeping drops. They make him cumbersum and cloud his mind. He really only takes them when he can't help it. I can tell he's almost always exhausted, even if he tries to cover it up with his cheerful manner."

Mary stands up again, "I'll finish the herbs and hang them up to dry."

Half an hour later, Gaius goes to Merlin's room and looks anxiously at the young man lying on his bed, fast asleep. He is sorry that he must now wake him. Gently, he shakes Merlin by the shoulder until he sleepily opens his eyes and looks around, somewhat confused. When he remembers where he is he says, "Oh, I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?"

"The prince will be expecting you."

Merlin sits up and rubs his hands over his face, "I'd better go then. I was already late this morning."

Merlin and Gaius come out of the young sorcerer's room together. Mary is about to put on her herb bag and takes her cloak from the door. Even though the sun manages to warm the air nicely during the day, it becomes chilly as soon as it disappears behind the horizon. Gaius looks at Mary frowning, "How long do you plan to stay away? You know I don't want you to be alone in the darkling woods for long. Always stay close enough to the castle that you'll keep running into patrols, too!"

Mary hugs Gaius, "Don't worry Gaius, I will. I'll be back for dinner!" She disappears out the door.

Mary enjoys her walk through the woods. She first gathers some of the herbs that will soon run out. That way, Gaius doesn't have to do this anymore. She hums softly to herself. A patrol comes toward her and one of the knights breaks away from the group and comes toward Mary. She sees that it is Sir Leon. "Good afternoon Sir Leon. Can I help you?"
"What are you doing out here alone?"
"I'm looking for herbs. Is something wrong?"
"A few days ago there was a raid on merchants not far from here. We didn't find any survivors, unfortunately. We patrol more often now, but the bandits could be anywhere. Promise me you won't go any deeper into the forest. The sun will set in an hour. Then I want you back at the castle. This is no place for a girl alone."

Mary nods, "Thank you Sir Leon. I just need one more thing and then I'll turn back immediately."

This seems to reassure the knight and he moves on with his group.

Mary looks around to make sure no one else is around either and makes her way through the thicket to her retreat.

As she struggles through the dense undergrowth, she suddenly stops, rooted to the spot. She thought she heard a noise. It sounded like sobbing. There it is again. Mary turns slowly in the direction from which the sound seems to come. She sees a small inconspicuous cave, which is overgrown with ivy and ferns, so it is hardly noticeable. Slowly Mary walks up to it, "Hello? Is anyone there?" Just as the is about to push aside some of the leaves in front of the entrance, a sharp pain runs through her and she pulls her hand back. Surprised, she looks at the blood dripping from a cut on her forearm. She quickly puts her hand over it.

The sobs are getting stronger now and a soft voice says, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you."

Mary looks at the floor of the cave where a girl is sitting. She is pale and shaking badly. Mary immediately sees that she is hurt. Her dress is covered in blood. Mary quickly sits down next to her on the floor. The girl flinches, clutches her small knife with which she probably hurt Mary and tries to press herself even more against the wall. Full of fear, she looks at Mary.

Mary raises her hand placatingly, "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I can see you're hurt. Will you let me take a look?" She lifts her herbal bag and says, "I have my healing bag with me, see? I'd like to dress the wound, if you'll let me."

The weakened girl lowers her head to the wall behind her and nods wanly.

Mary carefully lifts the dress and immediately sees a deep wound on the girl's thigh. Concerned, she frowns, "Where did this wound come from? You've lost a lot of blood."

"We were attacked by bandits two days ago..."
Mary remembers what Sir Leon had said. Sadly she looks at the girl, "You were the only one who survived. How could you escape with that wound?"

"I couldn't...my other leg." Mary sees that it is at an unnatural angle.

Horrified, she looks at the child, "It's broken...but how?"
"I played dead. And when they finally left, I dragged myself here. Here I was protected from the rain."
Mary notices how her strength starts leaving the girl. To keep her awake, she asks, "What's your name?"
"Prue."

"I'm sorry about your family."
"It wasn't my family." Prue pulls up her sleeve and shows Mary a Druid mark.

"I see, but they were important to you."
"Yes, they took me in over a year ago. My Druid people had been attacked and we children were sent into the forest by the adults to protect ourselves. Me and another boy went together first." The girl frowns, "Mordred, that was the boy's name, but he had disappeared one night. I never saw him again. I was desperate and so the weaver's family found me and took me in. Even though they knew what I was, they were good to me and treated me like their own child." Tears stream down her cheeks and Mary understands the pain all too well. Meanwhile, she has cleaned and bandaged the wound. However, she sees that the arrow was poisoned. If the girl wants to survive, she must go to Gaius.

Mary looks kindly at Prue and says, "Prue, I need to take you to Camelot to see the court physician. The wound is poisoned. First, though, I'll splint your leg so the bone can heal in peace."

Panicked, Prue shakes her head, "I'm not coming to the castle. The king will have me killed. He hates druids..."

"You're going to die, Prue."

"I'd rather die here in nature than on a rope. Can you bring me some water? I'm thirsty."
Mary holds out her water bottle and grabs an apple from her bag and hands it to the girl. "Here, I don't need it. Alright...I can give you something for the pain and then I'll leave you alone again for a little while. If you can't come to Camelot, I'll bring the physician to you."

Gratefully, the girl takes a few big gulps of water and then closes her eyes in exhaustion.

Mary asks, "Which Druid people were yours?"

"We called ourselves...wæter-clan. Our element...was..."
"The water. Has this boy, Mordred, always been with you." But Mary already knows the answer.

"No...he was a so-called apprentice...these children visit one clan after another, learning all they want to know. They have magic in them."
Mary nods and now she also realizes how Mordred suddenly ended up with the rebels of Alvarr. It was a question she had been asking herself ever since she last saw the boy.

Prue slumps and Mary takes off her cloak and puts it over the unconscious girl. Prue is shivering and has a fever. Mary knows she must hurry. As she steps out of the cave, she is horrified to see that it is already night. She has no idea how much time has passed. As quickly as she can, she makes her way back to the castle.

Gaius and Merlin are both sitting down to dinner. This time it is the old man who is just poking at his plate, barely eating. Again and again he glances at the door. Merlin asks, "What makes you so nervous, Gaius?"
"Mary's not here yet. She promised to be back for dinner."
"I'm sure she'll be here any minute."
"You don't understand Merlin, a few days ago a merchant family was attacked not far from Camelot's walls. Mary was going to the darkling woods for some ingredients. She is traveling alone."
Now the young man begins to worry as well. As the evening bells begin to ring, he stands up unsteadily and says, "I must serve the prince once more...but I'll be back right after and we'll go find her."

Gaius nods absently, "I must go to the council chamber again. The king wants to discuss the attacks by bandits in the council and seek solutions against them. We'll meet back here and hopefully by then Mary will be back on her own."

Arthur watches his servant. He seems nervous, has to go to the closet several times to get the clothes out and seems to have completely forgotten the evening routine. When he even puts icy cold water in front of him to wash himself, the prince has had enough: "Merlin! What's the matter with you?"

Merlin looks at him in surprise, "Nothing."

"The water is freezing cold, you gave me two different socks and then you tried to help me into the armor. Something is wrong with you."
Merlin sighs and shakes his head, "I'm sorry. I'll get you some warm water."

The servant goes to the hearth and lifts the pot of hot water and empties from it into the bowl.

Arthur, shaking his head, begins to wash and then puts on his nightgown. Merlin, meanwhile, alternately shifts from one foot to the other. Exasperated, Arthur bangs his fist on the table, causing Merlin to flinch, "That's enough. You're making me nervous. What's wrong?"

Merlin chews on his lower lip, "Mary didn't come home tonight."
Arthur starts to grin, "Oh, I see, it's about the girl. Don't give me that look. I've seen the looks you give her! Mary's coming back already. Where did she go?"
"To the darkling woods for some things. Gaius told me about the raids that are increasing."
Arthur frowns, "Yes, that is truly no place for a woman alone. Why didn't she take an escort?"
Merlin shrugs, "She wanted to be back before it got completely dark."

"Very well, I see you are worried. Go, you can clean up here tomorrow. Mary must have come back by now. If not, fetch me and we'll go and look for her together."

"I must wait for Gaius."
"He's in council with my father, isn't he? I'm sure it will take some time. Go and see if she's here."
Merlin bows, "Thank you, sire."

When Merlin returns to the physician's chambers, he knows instantly that Mary is not yet here. No candle is burning and her plate is also still empty in its place. An icy fist tightens around Merlin's heart. He is about to turn back to fetch the prince when Mary rushes through the door.

Her hair hangs in strands from her braid and she breathes heavily. Merlin sees blood on her dress and rushes to her, concerned, "Mary! What happened? You're hurt."
Mary shakes her head, "Most of it isn't my blood. Where is Gaius?"
"He's in council, with the king. It's going to be a while. What's wrong?"
Mary takes Merlin by the hand and pulls him along, "Come, you must help me!" without another word he follows her.

Only as they struggle through the darkling woods does Merlin ask, "Mary, where are we going? It's dangerous out here."

"We'll be right there...shh be quiet." Mary stops in front of the small cave and pulls out a candle from her bag, which she had pocketed at the last moment before coming back here with Merlin. But she hadn't thought of flints. She holds it out to Merlin and looks at him pleadingly. He smiles and with a golden flash of his eyes, the candle begins to burn flickering. As Mary disappears into the cave with it, Merlin follows her.

When he sees the girl lying on the floor, he thinks at first she is no longer alive, she's so pale and her breathing is shallow.

Mary takes him by the hand again and pulls him next to the girl. She pulls up the dress a little and points to the bloody bandage: "The wound is poisoned. You have to help her."
Merlin pulls his hand back, "Mary, my healing spells don't usually work very well. She needs to see Gaius."
Mary shows him the druid mark, "She doesn't want to go to Camelot. I promised her I would come back and help her here. Please?"

Merlin sighs, "I don't know how..."
Mary pulls her necklace out of her dress. Merlin looks at her uncertainly, "I'll only try once, though. I can't promise you anything. If it doesn't work, we'll have to get Gaius."

Mary replies, "By the time Gaius gets here, she won't be alive anymore."

Merlin holds out his hand and Mary drops her necklace on it. Immediately she notices a twitch go through Merlin and his eyes light up golden. He holds his other hand over the girl's wound and says intently, "oftēon ātor!"

Mary sees Prue's cheeks color slightly again and she breathes more calmly. Gratefully, she looks at Merlin. He drops the chain on the cave floor and leans against the wall. Mary knows that the spell has weakened him. She takes the chain back. Then she sits down next to the girl, waiting.

After a while she says quietly, "The girl's name is Prue. She knew Mordred."

Merlin looks up, "So she was part of Alvarr's rebel group?"
"No. She knew Mordred from the fact that he came to her Druid people to learn. But they were attacked one day and the children were sent into the forest where they hid. She was with Mordred until they too lost sight of each other. I have always wondered since then how he got to Alvarr. The rebel leader must have found him in the forest, and he quickly realized what Mordred's powers were."
Merlin closes his eyes and puts his head back, "Yes, it must have been like that. I have often asked myself the same question. What are we going to do with the child?"

"I will visit her here every day until she regains her strength. No one will find her here. When she can walk again by herself, I will accompany her to Iseldir. I'm sure his people will take good care of her. How are you?" Mary looks at Merlin.

He still keeps his eyes closed and smiles, "A little tired. But I am, actually, almost all the time." He notices Mary get up and sit down next to him now. He can feel her warmth next to him. After some time, he feels her, lean her head against his shoulder. The trusting gesture calms him and he sinks into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later, Merlin awakens more refreshed than he has been in a long time. It takes him a moment to get his bearings as to where he is. Meanwhile, the candle has burned down and he notices Mary shivering with cold beside him. Gently, he takes off his jacket and puts it over her. Asleep, she snuggles into it and doesn't even wake up. Merlin continues to look around and notices that the druid girl is looking at him suspiciously, but still interested. He smiles at her and whispers, "Hi. I'm Merlin."
"I'm Prue."
"Nice to meet you Prue! How are you?"
The girl looks down at herself in surprise: "The wound hardly hurts anymore. The leg, on the other hand, does."
Merlin nods, "We were able to remove the poison from the wound. The broken bone will take some more time. But you're lucky you were found by Mary."
Prue sits up and takes a sip of water. Then she asks, "Are you the court physician? Are you her husband? Do you have children?"

Merlin laughs and raises his hands defensively, causing Mary to wake up next to him. Sleepily, she looks around as Merlin replies, "You're asking as much as Mary here, and not giving me any time to answer. No, I am not the court physician, but I am his ward, just like Mary here. We're not husband and wife but very good friends and that's why you can answer that last question for yourself."

Mary suddenly claws Merlin's arm, "Ssssh!" Instantly, the three go silent. In the distance they can hear shouting: "Merlin! Mary! Where are you?"

Merlin looks at Mary in horror, "We fell asleep and forgot the time. Gaius will be mad with worry. Come, we must get to them before some of the knights get lost looking for us here." Mary quickly gets up and wants to give Merlin back the jacket. But he puts it around her shoulder and pulls her out of the cave. Mary looks back again and says, "Stay here. You'll be safe here. Me or Merlin will come visit you every day and bring you food and drink."

Merlin and Mary walk toward the torches, which they see shimmering through the trees far ahead of them. Arthur spots the two first. Angrily, he comes up to Merlin and says, "What part of 'Come get me when she's not here.' Didn't you idiot understand?"

Mary looks questioningly at Merlin. The latter replies placatingly, "I thought I'd find her myself. See? I found her!"

Arthur snorts, "Gaius is worried sick about you! Do you know how much time has passed since you left my chamber? In an hour, a new day will dawn!" Merlin looks around in surprise. Indeed, the sky is already beginning to lighten slightly. He must have slept longer than he thought.

Now Arthur looks at Mary and asks more kindly, "Are you all right?"

Mary nods, "Yes, I'm fine. I got lost in the dark and thought I'd better wait until it got light again. I was hiding. No bandit would have found me. But thank you for your concern for me."

Arthur calls his men back together and they all head back to Camelot.

Arthur personally escorts Merlin and Mary back to the court physician, who waits by candlelight with a tense face for news of the search party. When the prince enters, he stands up expectantly and when he recognizes Mary and Merlin in the background, he rushes towards them with relief. He puts his arms around them and says: "You are well. How grateful I am. You will put me in my grave one day for worrying so about you." To Arthur he says, "I thank you, Sire. I know your father would not have done so. I hope you get some rest before the new day."

Arthur looks at his servant, "Well, at least I already know who I can take my bad mood out on. Get some rest. I will do the same."

Gaius pulls Merlin and Mary into the chamber and looks at them inquiringly, "What were you thinking? Mary, why didn't you come back for dinner like you promised? You're hurt." Gaius looks in horror at the bloodstains on her dress.

Mary sits down on a chair, "No, Gaius. I came across an injured animal and I couldn't let it suffer like that. I tried to treat it."
Gaius looks at her suspiciously, "What kind of animal?"
"A hare. It was probably attacked by a fox. I took it to my secret place, hopefully it will recover there now." Merlin looks at Mary with a raised eyebrow. He has never known her to lie to Gaius like that.

Gaius doesn't seem to really believe her yet, "And what's that scratch on your forearm?"

Mary has completely forgotten about the cut. She looks at the wound thoughtfully: "To be honest, I can't remember where I got it. Probably on a thorny vine. I'll keep checking on the injured rabbit over the next few days to make sure it's recovering."

Gaius nods wearily, "All right. Why are you wearing Merlin's jacket? Where's your cloak?"
"I wrapped the rabbit in it so he wouldn't be cold. Merlin, when he found me shivering from the cold, lent me his jacket." Mary takes the jacket off her shoulder and hands it back to Merlin, who takes it back with a slight grin.

Gaius says, "Go, and lie down some more. Mary, did you find the irisis?"

Mary replies in surprise, "I completely forgot in all the commotion." turning to Merlin she says, "I was going to make you a tea concoction to help you sleep."

Merlin raises an eyebrow questioningly, "Help me sleep?"

"Yes, Gaius says you sleep restlessly and poorly. Don't want sleeping drops though. It's a tea mixture from my mother."

Gaius gets up and goes to his bed on which he lies down to get a few more minutes of sleep. Merlin escorts Mary to the door and says quietly, "Hmm, I'll be happy to try the blend. But right now I feel more rested than I have in a long time. You radiated a calmness that did me good."
Mary blushes slightly, "Glad I could help. Thanks for your help with Prue."

After a few weeks, Merlin accompanies Prue to the Druid clan of Iseldir. The wound has healed beautifully and the broken bone has also recovered. Iseldir and his people welcome the young druid girl with open arms.