A week has passed since Morgana's terrible accident. The king still seems very worried about his ward and hardly lets her out of his sight. Much to the chagrin of Morgana herself. She finds herself almost constantly in situations that she abysmally dislikes, but still has to keep a straight face. Again and again she thinks about the fact, that Uther is her father and that she has as much right to the throne as Arthur. Of course, not until Arthur, who is a few months older than she, is dead. She has also not heard from her sister Morgause for some time and feels abandoned and alone. In addition, she keeps stumbling upon Merlin and Mary, who seem to be watching her all the time. There must be a way to get rid of at least some of the people who are in her way.

It is evening and Gwen brings her a candle and some blankets. Although it is approaching summer, the nights are cold. Gwen curtsies and asks, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Lady Morgana?"
Morgana smiles at her and says, "No! Thank you for your help. I'll see you tomorrow."

She scowls at Gwen, who has turned to leave. She is getting more and more bored with the fake acting she has to do. She plays with the silver bracelet that her sister gave her. Since she has it, she sleeps more peacefully and her thoughts are clearer. She begins to shedule a plan.

In another part of the castle, Gaius is preparing for the night. Mary retired to her room a few feet down the hall a few minutes ago.

Gaius hears nothing from Merlin's room either. The door is just ajar and Gaius peers in cautiously. Merlin is lying on his stomach and seems to be deeply asleep. Gaius hopes for a quiet night. Although the nightmares have decreased significantly since Mary's tea mixture, it happens so often that Merlin still gets too little sleep. Gaius is worried. Merlin covers up the lack of sleep and the resulting exhaustion with humor and feigned cheerfulness. Sighing, Gaius lies down on his bed and soon falls asleep.

A raven flies from one of Camelot's windows into the night-dark sky and makes its way to Cenred Kingdom. There it is met by a blond woman. Carefully, she removes the small rolled-up piece of parchment from its foot and begins to read:

Dear Sister

I can hardly stand it here. I know you are planning something. But I must do something to get at least one or the other disturbing factor out of the way. Tomorrow I will send Arthur with an escort to the border of Cenred's kingdom. I will see to it that they travel alone. Coleford will be their destination. Let Cenred raid the place. I hope my brother meets his end there.

I hope to see you again soon.

In deepest sympathy

Morgana

Morgause legt lächelnd den Brief hin und macht sich daran, Cenred zu finden.

Mary sits down at the edge of the bed and rubs the sleep out of her eyes. After she has washed and dressed, she goes to the physician's chambers. He has already prepared breakfast and is sitting down. Mary smiles at him and takes her plate of porridge.

Gaius says, "You seem to be recovered. Slept well?"

"Yes, now that you mention it. I was in bed early last night and recovered well." Her gaze falls on Merlin's room door and she asks, "How are things here with you? Slept well too?"

Gaius shrugs, "I did...Merlin is already with the Prince. I haven't seen him yet today."

Mary walks through the corridors of the castle and is on her way to the library when she hears a voice behind her, "Mary? Will you come here, please?"

Hesitantly, Mary turns around and sees Morgana standing in front of the armory. She walks toward it and stops in front of the door. Peering inside, she spots Arthur, who is checking the weapons for damages. She is relieved to find that she is not here all alone with Morgana, so she asks, "Can I help you, My Lady?"
Morgana smiles sweetly, "Yes, you can. I ordered some fabric from Coleford. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that the merchant cannot deliver to Camelot himself. That's why I have to arrange for someone to get the fabrics, so Gwen can make them into dresses."

Mary frowns, "What does this have to do with me?"
"Well, would you please pick up the fabrics for me?"
Mary is surprised, "It must take two days to travel to Coleford. I have chores to attend to here at the castle."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Gaius will understand. I'll talk to him."

Mary swallows empty. She is about to retort something when Arthur comes out of the armory and says, "Morgana, you can't send a girl to Coleford alone. It's right on the border of Cenred's kingdom."
"Oh, who said anything about sending her alone. I thought now that all the knights are on patrol, you might want to accompany her." She looks at Arthur demandingly.

The latter shakes his head, "No, I have a council meeting this afternoon and there is a hunt tomorrow. But as soon as the knights are back, I will send some with you for your protection, Mary."
Morgana sighs, "Then she won't have to go. The merchant says he is only keeping the cloth free for me until the day after tomorrow. Since it is so sought after, he will sell it on otherwise." Morgana turns, chagrined, and makes her way to the stairs.

Arthur looks from Morgana to Mary and back again. Mary is relieved to have gotten around this task. Suddenly Arthur says, "Very well. But Morgana, you must make sure my father understands my absence. And since I don't understand anything about fabrics, you must send Gwen or Mary with me."

Mary knows that Arthur hopes Gwen will ride with him. But Morgana doesn't do him that favor: "Oh, yes, that's why I asked Mary. Gwen is busy making new curtains for my room. The old ones were so boring. But Mary will surely get time off to accompany the prince. After all, you are his personal healer. Then Gaius can say nothing. But as I said, you should be leaving soon."

Arthur turns to Mary, "All right, meet me at the horses in an hour. Take a sword with you for safety." Mary nods and makes her way back to Gaius with a queasy feeling in her stomach.

Gaius regards her anxiously as she packs her herb bag. "You know Morgana planned this, right?"
Mary looks up, "Of course..."

Gaius paces, "How can we spin it, so you don't have to go. I could order you to do important things for me."

"But the prince would still be in danger. After all, I know, that this trip will certainly not be without surprises and so, I can concentrate on our surroundings."

Gaius sits down heavily, "Mary, it's just you and Arthur. You don't stand a chance...I'm going to go to the king and explain that I don't think it's a good idea."
Mary holds the old man back, "Gaius, it's our word against Morgana's. You know as well as I do who the king will listen to." She sighs, "I will go. Perhaps the danger lurks here, too, and she wants the prince out of the way. After all, Uther is the king. We don't know what she's planning."
"No, you're right about that. I'll keep an eye on the King. Have you seen Merlin today?"

Mary considers, then shakes her head, "No! Arthur was alone in the armory."

"Hmm, strange...extremely strange."

Mary stands up and says, "I'm going to pack up a few things in my room before I go. Take care!"

Gaius takes Mary in his arms and says, "The same goes for you."

A little later Mary gets on her horse Mel and looks at the prince, who is also sitting on his. He looks at her and asks, "Have you seen Merlin today?"

Mary has to laugh, "Why does everybody ask me this? No. He was already gone when I stopped by to see Gaius. We assumed he started working for you early."

Arthur frowns, "He didn't even wake me. I was going to take him with me...but I guess that's not going to happen. If I catch him when I get back, he'll wish he never started as a servant with me. Come on, let's go. The sooner we get to Coleford, the sooner we'll be back and Morgana will rest easy." He nods to her and they start moving, toward Coleford.

Mary is beginning to worry about Merlin. His 'without a word' disappearance is so unlike him.

Merlin opens his eyes...yet it remains black around him. He can't remember anything. Only a strange dream he had. Morgana offered him something to drink and when he took it, he suddenly couldn't breathe anymore. She smiled at him and said 'Well, how does it feel to be betrayed by a good friend? You could have helped me...but you refused!'

Merlin closes his eyes again. He is lying on wet leaves and there are stones around him. Everything is wet and slippery. He tries to sit up. The wall all around him is not far. He can stretch out his hands and touch both sides. He must be lying in some kind of well shaft, but fortunately it seems to have dried up. Merlin reaches up his hands, but there is nothing but darkness above his head. As he sits there, it occurs to him that last night one of the new servants came up to him and held out a glass. She said, "Here, a new blend of wine. Do you think the prince will like it?" Merlin, who was already on his way back to Gaius, took the glass and drank it down. Then he explained to the girl that it would probably be a little too sweet for the prince.

When he got back to Gaius, he ate some dinner, but then suddenly felt so tired that he went straight to bed. Merlin reaches for his shirt and realizes that he is still wearing his sleep shirt. It's a little warmer and rougher than all the other shirts he owns.

Merlin frowns worriedly now. Someone has drugged him with the wine and then shipped him off to wherever it is during the night. He still has gaps, but he can't answer them like that either. Why didn't Gaius notice anything when Merlin was taken out of his room? What kind of time is it? Maybe he hasn't been here that long?

Merlin's eyes light up and he holds a small flame in his hand. As he correctly guessed, he is lying in a kind of well shaft. The opening of the well is a good 10 meters above him. Merlin stands up, still feeling a bit dazed. He lets the flame go out and closes his eyes. He gathers the magic inside him and then purposefully releases it with a wave of his hand at the lid above him. The wood splinters, letting daylight in. Merlin has to squint his eyes against the bright light. Only when he has become accustomed to it does he sigh and begin the ascent. The slippery stones make the climb difficult, and it takes Merlin an hour to finally reach the top. Exhausted, he drops to the forest floor. As he looks around, he notices that the sun is already high. Merlin has no idea where he is and slowly gets up.

"Shh..." Merlin looks around. But can't spot anything. "Psst...over here young Emrys!" Merlin follows the voice, but still can't make out anything. "A little lower...I'm not that tall." Merlin stands next to a bush with lots of red berries on it. As he bends down a bit, he spots a small green light with a face smiling at him.

Merlin blinks twice...the anesthetic must have been stronger than he thought. The green light chuckles, "I am a nature spirit. I am connected to the magic of the earth and plants. Since you are too, I can sense you. Unfortunately, it was too dark in the well...so I could not help you. I need light as it gives me energy."

Merlin asks, "Did you see who locked me in here?"

The light shakes its head, if that's even possible, "No, sorry. I sensed you were in trouble and that's why I came here looking for you."

"I need to get back to Camelot. Do you know which way that is?"

"If you follow that path there, you will see Camelot after the next turn. But I don't think that should be your destination."
Merlin frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Disaster is already taking its course...The Prince is riding into a trap."

Merlin is startled, "Into a trap? What happened?"

"I just hear whispers through the earth...the witch is behind it."
"Morgana! Where is he going?"
"To Coleford...he'll stumble into the middle of an attack there."
"Well he certainly has his knights with him."
"The witch is clever. No knights accompany him...just a girl."
"A girl?"
"The healer, Mary is with him."

Merlin feels nauseous. He suppresses the desire to grab the green light and shake it. Instead, he says as calmly as possible, "Can you tell me in clear and as brief terms as possible how I can help them?"

"You'll have to follow them...they're a good two hours ahead. But they will need your help, young Emrys."

Merlin looks around and as he turns back to the green light, it has disappeared, "Well sure, disappear without saying goodbye. I'll be off on foot then, following the prince who is on horseback."

As night falls, Mary and Arthur stop for the night. Mary tends to the horses and the prince gathers wood. When they have eaten a little later, Mary asks, "Is there anything else I can do for you? Otherwise, I would lie down for the night."
Arthur looks at her with amusement, "Mary, you don't have to be so formal. We've been through quite a bit together, haven't we?"
"You are my prince, Arthur. I have every reason to be formal."

Arthur sees that she is tired, "Lie down. I will stay awake some more until the fire burns down."

Mary nods and lies down on her sleeping blanket. After a while Arthur asks, "How are you doing in your room on Camelot?"

Mary opens her eyes and looks at Arthur, "I'm settled in. I miss my little home in the Lower City, but living in the castle has its good points. Thank you for the opportunity."
Arthur waves it off, "It was the least my father could do for you. I could certainly put in a good word to get you a cottage back in the village."

"That's very kind. But for now, it's fine the way it is. I can give Gaius a quick hand if he needs me." Mary slowly dozes off.

And not just Gaius, Arthur thinks. He smiles and says no more.

Merlin, after a short search, has finally found Mary and Arthur's tracks and followed them well into the night. He knows he has to make up for lost time and since he is a lot slower on foot, he sleeps only three hours before setting off again.

In the afternoon of the next day, Mary and Arthur arrive in Coleford. There is a bustle of activity in the small hamlet. Mary looks around searchingly and asks Arthur, "Did Morgana say where this merchant was? It looks more like a farming village to me."
Arthur shakes his head in confusion, "Let's ask someone."

Just as the prince is about to approach a young woman who is tugging at a goat to get it to move on, screams are heard from the edge of the village. Mary is seized with horror as she hears women and children crying and sees men on horseback rushing through the street. The men wield morning stars, axes and swords, slaughtering everything in their path. Within a short time, the street is red with blood and cries of pain fill the air. Mary stands paralyzed in the middle of the street and sees the men coming towards her. Suddenly, someone grabs her by the arm and drags her to a nearby barn. There she is pushed behind a bale of hay, where she sits for a moment in a daze. Then she looks at Arthur, who is crouching next to her, watching the carnage on the road. He furrows his eyebrows angrily and says through clenched teeth, "Where did these bandits come from?" he looks at Mary and says, "Are you all right?" She nods. Arthur tightens his grip on his sword and says, "Stay here. I have to do something about this."
Mary holds him by the arm and looks at him pleadingly, "There are too many of them out there, Arthur. You're going to die."

Arthur puts a hand on her shoulder, "I know what I'm doing. Promise me you'll stay here! I'll be back."

Mary is horrified to see Arthur not even wait for her answer steping out of the barn.

Arthur stumbles out into the street and a picture of horror reveals itself to him. There are lifeless bodies lying everywhere. The woman with the goat is lying in her own blood, looking at him with lifeless eyes. Arthur averts his eyes and swallows twice to get the nausea rising in him under control. He has been on many battlefields and seen much. But what he sees here exceeds everything. Children, men, women...all unarmed, slaughtered in cold blood as they go about their daily business. It is deadly quiet in Coleford. Not a bird whistles, no children laugh, no one cries or wails.

Arthur hears a noise from the barn behind him and turns quickly, "No! Don't come out..." but it is too late. Mary is standing in the barn doorway, looking around with eyes widened in horror. Mary's stomach turns and she throws up behind one of the bales of straw. Although nothing has been in her stomach anymore, she can't stop retching. The smell of blood and excrement mixes and only makes things worse. Tears come to Mary's eyes and she gasps helplessly for air. It is as if her lungs are being compressed from the outside. Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder and Arthur says in a toneless voice: "Come on, we have to get out of here. I suspect they're coming again to burn down the village and get rid of the evidence."

Mary shakes her head, "I don't think I can. I can't make it and I can't breathe!"

But Arthur grabs her under the arm and helps her get to her feet. He drags them both to the nearby forest and is relieved to see many of the villagers do the same. All the survivors move quietly yet quickly toward the protective edge of the forest.

At a small pond, Arthur sinks to the ground. Mary takes some water in her hollow hand and washes her face with it. Dully she looks into the cool wet. Arthur watches her anxiously. He can hardly get the images out of his head, what must it be like for her. He looks around, but can't see any people from the village. He hopes they have a place in the forest, like Camelot, where they can escape. Suddenly a branch cracks in the forest and Arthur stands up with his sword drawn.

A tall bandit approaches him and is joined by another five.

Arthur gets ready for the fight, standing wide-legged.

One bandit after another is fought off by Arthur and mortally wounded. Mary only notices when one of the men comes to lie right next to her. Gurgling, he takes his last breath. Startled, she turns to Arthur, who is fighting the last of the bullies. Arthur raises his arm for the final thrust with his sword, when the bandit pulls a small dagger from his waistband in a flash and stabs the prince. Arthur loses his grip on his sword and it falls from his hand. Mary reacts as if in a trance. She takes the sword from the lifeless hand of the man next to her and walks towards Arthur's opponent. With all her strength she rams the sword into his chest. Surprised, he looks at her and collapses lifelessly.

Mary sinks powerlessly to her knees and looks down at her hands, trembling.

"Please don't tell Merlin that...he'll...just wind me up...that I was saved by...a girl."

Mary turns around and Arthur gives her a pained smile. Groaning, he drops to the floor. Horrified, Mary sees that his shirt is turning red. The bandit's dagger is still stuck in his lower abdomen. Mary slides closer to Arthur and looks at him seriously. He nods at her, "It's okay...pull it out!"

Mary bites her lip, takes the dagger by the handle and pulls it out with a jerk. Arthur doubles over in pain and tries to stifle his scream with his arm. Mary presses her hand to the wound and looks around searchingly. Arthur seems a bit woozy from the pain. She quickly takes his hand and places it on his injury, "Arthur, you need to put pressure on this. I need bandages first."

Mary is about to rise when she hears another crack from the nearby woods. Frightened, she holds her breath and reaches for the sword lying next to Arthur. Her fingers slip on the hilt, as they are full of blood.

Slowly, she turns around to where the sound came from, as a figure emerges from the thicket and quickly approaches her. Relieved, Mary takes another breath and drops the sword next to Arthur.

Merlin kneels down next to the prince and asks, "Mary! What happened?"

"Coleford was attacked...there are dead people everywhere...they didn't stop...I..." Merlin can see that Mary is in some sort of shock and puts a hand on her arm reassuringly. Mary flinches, startled, and backs away a bit. Merlin says, "Ssh...it's okay. You can tell me about it later. First, we need to get out of here. Are you hurt?"

Mary shakes her head and it comes back to her what she wanted to do. Quickly she stands up and tears a layer of her dress to pieces. She crumples up a few scraps of fabric and then presses them firmly onto Arthur's wound. A small pool of blood has formed under him and she notices that his strength is fading. She fastens the cloths tightly with more strips of her dress and then nods to Merlin.

Merlin bends over the prince: "Arthur? Arthur! You must get up now. I'll help you. We need to get out of here in case more of the bandits return."

Arthur looks pale at his servant, "Where have you...you been? Were...you...enjoying...yourself...in...the...tavern...vern?" His eyelids flutter. Mary fetches some cool water from the pond and lets it drip down the prince's face. This seems to make him a little more alert and he shakes himself slightly. Together, Merlin and Mary help Arthur stand up. Mary also puts her hand on the freshly dressed wound and presses against it. Slowly they retreat into the denser forest.

When it is already dark, they find a sheltered spot. The forest is very dense here and some large stones form something like a semicircle. Arthur has been unconscious on and off for the last hour, which has made it difficult for Mary and Merlin. They lean him against one of the rocks and Mary looks at his wound again. Since the cloths are completely bled through, she has to make everything fresh. She works with concentration. Arthur puts his hand on hers at the end, "Thank you, Mary!" She nods to him and now leans against the rock, also tired.

She looks at her hands, which are full of Arthur's blood, and begins to shake uncontrollably. Merlin comes a little closer and says, "Here, I have some more water in my water bottle and I have another apple we can share. I don't want to start a fire so as not to draw attention to us. You can have my jacket." he puts his brown leather jacket over her. The prince is also shivering and so Merlin sits down between the two so they can give each other some warmth. Quietly he says, "Get some rest! The road to Camelot is still long. I just hope we find your horses tomorrow." Glancing at the weakened prince, he says quietly to himself, "Otherwise, by the time we reach the castle, it may be too late."

Merlin hardly sleeps a wink that night. As soon as he dozes off, he is awakened either by Mary, who is plagued by nightmares, or by Arthur, who keeps moaning and whimpering in his sleep.

When the first rays of sunlight find their way through the forest to them, Merlin bends down to the prince, who is breathing very shallowly. He lifts his blood-soaked shirt and looks at the bandage. He is relieved to see that it has not yet worn through. Merlin stands up unsteadily. He feels drained and not recovered at all. His head feels heavy and it seems he can fall asleep standing up. He sways slightly as he suddenly hears something: "Shh..." Merlin frowns and looks around. He spots the nature spirit by a moss-covered tree stump. Wearily, he settles down beside it, "What do you want again?"
"The prince will not survive the journey to Camelot in his condition." Merlin presses his palm against his eyes to counteract the onset of a headache. "You are tired, young Emrys. Let me help you."

Merlin looks up and says, "How do you know Arthur won't survive? The bleeding has stopped."

The green light tilts his head, "I feel it...his life is fading...don't you feel it too?" Merlin doesn't know what the nature spirit is talking about and looks at it questioningly. The spirit frowns, "You have a lot to learn about your powers! You can sense the magic in everything around you, can't you?"

"Actually, mostly in magical places."
The green light laughs brightly, "No, young Emrys, you can always feel it everywhere. Go inside yourself and look for the magic that connects you to the world around you. You will find the connection to Arthur and it will tell you how the young prince is doing."

Merlin wishes only for sleep, but does, as the spirit tells him. Because of the headache distracting him, Merlin takes a moment to fully grasp the magic within and follow the fine, cobwebby, silvery-blue threads emanating from it. He can suddenly literally feel the tree stump next to him. Every leaf, every living thing suddenly appears crystal clear before his inner eye. One of these threads draws his thoughts to Artur. The thread pulsates, but only very weakly, and the glow that emanates from the thread seems dull and almost extinguished. Horrified, Merlin takes a breath and lands back on the surface of reality. With tears in his eyes he looks at the green light: "What can I do?"
"You not much. If you move the prince, the wound will start bleeding again. But I can help you. Take me to the Prince. Just make sure I can connect to the nature around him. He's lying next to a maple tree, that's good."

Merlin gently takes the light in his hands. It doesn't seem to touch him at all and seems to float more. Next to Arthur, Merlin gets down on his knees and the light floats over the prince. Fine, green lines make their way from the light to the nearby tree and anchor themselves in its bark. Merlin looks on, fascinated. "Now remove his bandage. Don't worry, nothing will happen." Merlin does as the little spirit tells him. When Merlin sees the deep stomach wound, he flinches. The green light now hovers directly over the wound and a maple leaf gently forms over the slightly bleeding area. Many small green root-like formations detach from the edge of the leaf, connecting with the healthy skin. "Now you can reattach the bandage. It should hold until you get your horses back and are back in Camelot."

Merlin nods gratefully, "Thank you...um...do you have a name?"

The green light laughs brightly again, "You can call me Blom."
Merlin smiles, "Thanks Blom!"

Mary startles screaming and looks around with a twitching gaze. Merlin has wheeled around in shock and is now walking toward her. He takes her shoulders in his hands and says, "Mary, you're all right. You're all right. I'm right here. Look at me." Her blue eyes find his and he sees how she is about to break from the suffering and pain. He wishes he could take some of it away from her.

"You can..." says the voice of Blom next to his left ear. Merlin looks around uncertainly, "You know what I was thinking?"

"Your magic is woven into nature. I can hear your thoughts."

Merlin looks back to Mary, who seems almost impassive looking through him. "How can I help her?"

The little light sighs, "You really have a lot to learn...You can take away her worse thoughts, memories somewhat. But don't take them away completely, that would upset the balance and she may become numb. Leave her enough to know what happened but without the traumatic details."
Merlin looks helplessly at Mary, "I don't know how!"

"Trust your gift, young Emrys!"

Merlin closes his eyes and searches for his magic again. He opens his eyes again and gently places his hands around Mary's ears and the side of her head. Mary does not respond.

Blom interjects: "But be careful...it..." but it is too late. Merlin doesn't hear the nature spirit and says, "freoast brægen æce!" Merlin's eyes light up golden and no sooner is the spell over than the images from Mary's memory hit him with full force and without warning. The spell has used up all his energy and Merlin slumps on the floor. His headache is now unbearable and he grips his head with both hands, groaning. It feels like the top of his skull is shattering and black dots are dancing in front of his eyes.

Mary takes a shuddering breath and visibly relaxes. The painful images are still in her head but they feel as if they are covered by a soft mist. It doesn't hurt her as much as it did just a moment ago. Her eyes fall on Merlin kneeling beside her, holding his head. She asks uncertainly, "Merlin?"

The young sorcerer puts his hands down and looks at her in surprise, "Mary!" Merlin tries with all his might to forget his headache and a tremor goes through his body. To distract Mary from it, he points at the prince, "We have to get Arthur back to Camelot. He's not well!"

Mary looks to the prince, "I should renew his bandages."

Merlin stands up stumbling and says through clenched teeth, "I've already done that. Let's go look for your horses. They should be around here somewhere. We'll get to Gaius in Camelot faster that way."
Mary says quietly, "All the people of Coleford...they were."

Merlin turns to her and replies, "As I followed you, many of the people came toward me. They were seeking shelter in the woods. I'm sure Arthur will take care of it when he's well again. But first, we need to get him out of here."

Mary notices that Merlin has to hold onto a rock to keep his balance. He contorts his face in pain. Concerned, she asks: „How are you?"

His gaze only briefly brushes her, "I'm better than Arthur." He begins mobilising the prince. Mary sees that it takes a lot of strength from the young man. She blinks away the sad images in her mind and now also stands up to help Merlin with the prince.

Their progress is very slow. Arthur sometimes comes to for brief moments, but it is not long before he sinks back into the darkness of unconsciousness. Finally they find Mel and the prince's horse grazing in a clearing. Mel immediately comes to Mary and gently plays with her hair. Mary cries with relief. However, she also notices that the day is already coming to an end again. She turns to Merlin, who has laid Arthur on the ground and is now sitting next to him. She sees Merlin pressing his hands against his eyes and breathing tensely. She takes a few steps towards him and puts her hand on his shoulder. He flinches. Mary asks, "Merlin! What's the matter with you? I can't do this alone...are you hurt?"

Merlin keeps his gaze down but shakes his head, "No, I'm not hurt. Let me catch my breath for a minute. I promise we'll be on our way in a few minutes. How is Arthur?"
Mary is checking the bandage, which is still holding, "The bleeding hasn't started again." Mary leans against a tree and closes her eyes. The horrible images come back to her mind, but the statement that many people have taken shelter in the forest calms her down a bit. She realizes how tired she is and dozes off to the chirping of the birds.

Merlin sees her relax and lets go of his inner tension. Groaning, he rests his head against a cool stone, but it brings him no relief. Merlin knows that if his pain continues like this, he will soon be unable to stand on his own feet. The pain is so severe that he feels nauseous. Spasmodically, he tries to suppress the gag reflex.

A voice says, "Young Emrys, who teaches you your powers?"

Merlin only croaks out, "Gaius..."

Blom laughs and the sound digs into Merlin's aching brain like little needles. He covers his ears, "Please, stop that."

Blom says, "You need to unload the memories from the girl into nature. I don't know where you get the idea that you can rid her of the painful images, but then endure them yourself. I see you care about her, but you can't stand it. You may be the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth, but your body is human. It's breaking because of it..."

Merlin whimpers, "You said I could help her with this."

"Yes, but now you have to give up the pain."

Merlin is confused, "To whom?"

Blom laughs, "I see you still have a lot to learn about your gift. The court physician may not be the best teacher. You feel the magic around you, don't you? It's everywhere...it will help you let go of the pain and absorb it over time."

Merlin frowns. Why all the magical beings are speaking in riddles, drives him up the wall. He closes his eyes and tries to breathe calmly and relaxed. Which isn't exactly easy when your skull is about to burst. He hopes that magic will guide him, as it did before when he helped Mary.

Slowly, he can make out the silver-blue threads full of magic. Just to test, he follows the one connected to Arthur. It still glows fainter than others, but it doesn't flicker as much and the pulsing is also a bit more regular. Merlin takes the liberty of checking on Mary as well. She seems shaken by the events, but the images no longer traumatize her. Instead, he suddenly becomes aware of his pain and claws his hands convulsively into the damp forest earth. As if magic had been waiting for it, the silver threads flow into his fingers and through his arms, up into his head. It feels warm, peaceful, almost redeeming. The magic takes the pain and the images, causes it away from him with a calmness, letting it seep into the ground. Merlin notices the threads fading and he slowly breaks free of the trance. His eyelids flutter as he opens them. The sun shines through the forest canopy, warming him where it meets him. Merlin inhales and exhales deeply. His hands are still buried in the ground and he slowly pulls them out.

He looks around and sees the familiar green light looking at him curiously. "How are you, young Emrys?"

Merlin blinks, "Surprisingly well. A little tired, though. How long was I out?"

The bright laughter resounds again, "Just a few seconds. It felt longer to you than it really was. You have to trust in the magic around you. It is you and you are it."
Merlin sighs from the enigmatic sentence, "Yes, someone told me that before. Though I don't quite understand it yet. But thank you, for your help. Do you have any other advice for me?"

"I think from here on, you can make it on your own. I hope we meet again, young Emrys!"

"Yeah, I hope so too." The green light fades and seems to disappear into a nearby fern. Merlin only now realizes how this has all taken a lot of his energy.

"Merlin?" Merlin must have dozed off for a moment. The soft voice of Arthur brings him back to reality. The prince looks at him and continues, "Can you help me sit up? And do you have something for me to drink?" Then he frowns and looks at Merlin questioningly, "Why are your hands so dirty? Have you been digging in the earth? Probably looking for your backside, right?"

Merlin wipes his hands on his pants and rolls his eyes before helping the prince sit, leaning against a tree. Arthur groans in pain and Merlin fears he's about to lose consciousness again. But when he brings the water bottle to his mouth, the prince drinks greedily. When he turns his head away, Merlin lowers the water bottle. He looks at the pale prince, "How are you, Sire?"

Arthur tilts his head as if he has to think, "I've been better. But Mary did a great job with the bandages." He glances at Mary, who is still asleep sitting slightly to his left. "How is she? The pictures we saw were horrible."

Merlin nods, "She had nightmares last night. As did you, Sire. But I already told her that many people had sought refuge in the forest. Do you know who the men were, who attacked Coleford?"

Arthur wearily leans the back of his head against the tree, "No. They must have been bandits. They carried no crests or flags. My father will help the village rebuild, I'll see to that personally." Arthur groans softly and puts his hand on the place where the wound is.

"We must get to Camelot as quickly as we can, Sire. You must get to Gaius. Thank goodness we found the horses."

Arthur smiles, "Yes, they are well trained. Good, then let's wake Mary and get moving before it gets dark again."

Gently Merlin wakes Mary, who at first looks around in confusion. As everything comes back to her, Merlin notices how her eyes cloud over with sadness and sorrow. But she looks at him clearly afterwards and stands up, "Let's take the prince home."

To move forward more quickly, Mary mounts Mel and Merlin sits with the prince on the stronger and faster horse, of Arthur.

Arthur resists Merlin sitting behind him at first. But it soon becomes clear that the prince will not last long without someone on his side. After half an hour, Arthur slumps powerlessly against Merlin.

After another hour, they make rest for the night.

When they finally arrive at Camelot after noon the next day, they are greeted with relief. The king has already been worried about his son, who stayed away so long for some fabric.

Arthur is immediately taken to his chambers and Gaius is brought in. Merlin stands next to the physician and says, "Please don't look at the wound until there is no one else in the room."

Gaius nods, but looks questioningly at his ward. When the king makes no move to leave his son's side, Gaius clears his throat and says, "The prince needs rest, Your Highness. I'll just dress his wound and then we'll let him sleep. From the looks of it, Mary, has stopped the bleeding, so that shouldn't be a bad thing."

Hesitantly, the king nods and leaves Arthur.

As Gaius removes the bandage, he looks in amazement at the green maple leaf that has bonded so tightly to the skin. But when he goes to take it off, the small connections loosen and it can be easily removed. "I've never seen anything like that before. How did you do that, Merlin?"
"I didn't. A nature spirit helped me."
"A nature spirit?" Gaius shakes his head. He'd heard of such spirits, but was never sure if they really existed. "You never cease to amaze me, Merlin! The wound is deep and still bleeding. I need to stitch it up. Come, you can assist me and tell me what happened."

Gaius works quietly and intently while Merlin tells him everything. How he had found Mary and Arthur and what they had told about the raid on the village. He finishes seriously, "I think Morgana was behind it. She knew Coleford was being raided or set it up. I'm sure of it."

Gaius fastens the bandage and then looks at Merlin, "You have no proof of this. We must continue to be cautious. Morgana has it in for the throne, that much is clear now, if she even wants her own brother dead. Mary was probably just another evil that she wanted to get rid of that way. Fortunately, you were able to free yourself from the old well. Do you know how you got there?"

"I was drugged, probably also organized by Morgana. How they got me out of the room, I don't remember." Merlin shakes his head. Then he looks at Gaius and says, "Mary went straight to her room when we returned. We had all too little sleep and she was plagued by nightmares."
"Yes, I can imagine that. I'm glad she's resting. Come, let's take you to your room too. You look like you're going to fall asleep standing up."

The next day, Arthur is already feeling better. He makes it to the throne room with Merlin's help, where he tells his father what happened in Coleford. Uther is furious that someone would so ruthlessly attack an unarmed village in his kingdom. Mary, standing next to Gaius, notices how Morgana also follows Arthur's account in horror. Perhaps she did not know about the attack after all?

On the same day, Uther sends knights and soldiers to help rebuild Coleford.

When Merlin has accompanied the prince back to his chambers and comes out again, he sees Mary already waiting for him. Silently, they walk side by side until Mary stops at a bench in one of the corridors and sits down. Merlin raises an eyebrow, but sits down next to her. He realizes she wants to say something, so he waits.

Mary sighs and asks, "Merlin, what did you do to me? I had all these horrible images in my head. They're still there, but I see them as if through a veil."

Merlin looks down at the floor, "I saw that the images were crushing you. I didn't take the memory away from you completely but I made it a little more bearable."

Mary nods, "I thought something like that." She looks at Merlin from blue eyes that seem even sadder than before, "But where are the bad memories now?"
Merlin smiles, "I have them in a place where you will never have to see them again."

Without forethought, Mary puts her hand to his cheek. Merlin flinches ever so slightly at her touch and looks at her in amazement. Mary says, "I know what you did wasn't easy for you. I see the dark circles under your eyes. Promise me you won't forget yourself."

Merlin closes his eyes and presses his cheek softly against Mary's hand, "I'll try."

Mary takes her hand away and says, "As stubborn as you are, I guess that will have to do for me. Did you also get the feeling that Morgana was horrified by what had happened in Coleford?"

Merlin nods grimly, "Yes, I noticed her reaction too. Perhaps all is not lost after all."

Morgana sits at her table thinking about Coleford and all the people who lost their lives because of her. For a brief moment, sadness and pity fills her for the innocent lives that were taken. As guilt mingles with her feelings, she frowns. She thinks of Arthur and Mary, both of whom have returned, and the guilt turns to anger and hatred. The throne had been within reach for a short time. Evilly she smiles to herself. As long as she can move so freely under Uther's protection, she will have enough opportunities to get rid of the people who are in her way.