Krysia carefully let out the pins and she and Gwen took a step back, taking in their hours of hard work, adjusting a dress that was a gift from a noblewoman who had been taken with Morgana's beauty.

"Perfect," Gwen sighed.

"It is a nice color, isn't it?" Morgana said, smiling with satisfaction at her reflection in the mirror.

Krysia wondered absently what it would feel like, needing only to ask for anything she wanted for the sake of her own beauty. Of course, Krysia didn't think herself unattractive, much in the way that Gwen was obviously attractive in spite of her humble birth. But occasionally, Krysia was jealous that Morgana had the life Krysia should have also had.

Most days, she tried not to think about it, and she quickly pushed the thought aside.

Of course, Merlin suddenly barged into the room with a small, dark-haired child in tow, startling all three women and ripping Krysia's mind back to the present moment.

"Have you forgotten how to knock, Merlin?" Morgana demanded, horrified.

"The guards are after him," Merlin said, beseechingly. "I didn't know what to do."

Krysia looked at the young boy, who looked weak and small. There was only one reason she could imagine for him to be on the run from guards.

Magic.

There was a knock at the door and a guard could be heard on the other side.

"My Lady?" he said. He knocked again. "My Lady?"

In a panic, Morgana looked around the room. Her eyes fell on a curtain and she hissed, "In there."

She waited until Merlin and the boy were fully hidden by the curtain to open the door. The guard bowed slightly and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, My Lady. We're searching for a young Druid boy. We believe he came this way."

Krysia actually held her breath, unsure how this would work. A single sound and the guard would be suspicious.

"I haven't seen anyone," Morgana said, as good of a liar as always. "It's just me and my maids."

The guard glanced around at Krysia and Gwen, nodding at Krysia. He was young, very new to his post, and Krysia knew that he valued his job more than any suspicions he might have that Morgana or Krysia were lying to him.

"Best keep the door locked until we find him," he said.

"Certainly," Krysia said, moving forward with her best, practiced smile. "Thank you for your warning."

She made certain he was leaving before closing the door, not wanting to cause suspicion. The girls then hurried across to the curtain. Krysia was horrified to see that the boy had collapsed in Merlin's arms, and that even more, Merlin's hands were covered in the boy's blood.

Krysia did her best for the boy, in spite of the fact that she both hated healing wounds and had little practice doing it without Gaius standing over her. Gwen had fielded information from guards who came to check on Morgana periodically, not making her open to door - which had been locked since they had news of the child - telling her how the search was progressing.

They had no leads on the child, but apparently his companion, possibly a father, had been caught by the guards and when the boy was stable Krysia, Morgana, and Merlin watched people gather in the square for an increasingly familiar sight: an execution.

"People of Camelot," Uther announced, "the man before you is guilty of using enchantments and magic. Under our law, the sentence for this crime is death. We're still searching for his accomplice. Anyone found harbouring the boy is guilty of conspiracy and will be executed as a traitor. Let this serve as a warning to your people," he added to the Druid man.

To Krysia's surprise, the man looked at Uther with no fear, saying loudly, "You have let your fear of magic turn to hate. I pity you."

Krysia felt sick to her stomach, recalling what Uther had said about conspiracy. If he only knew what else the people harboring the boy were guilty of, all three of them….

"I can't watch this," Morgana hissed, moving to the floor, cradling the boy with loving, maternal tenderness.

Uther signaled for the man to be executed and Krysia turned away. There was no reason she should have to watch, either.

To her surprise, she heard a young man's voice, obviously the boy's, in her head, crying out loudly, "No!"

A second later, Morgana's mirror shattered.

When Krysia was satisfied that the Druid boy was stable, she and Merlin went back to have dinner with Gaius, both swearing that they would mention nothing about what Merlin had done, the mess he had put her and Morgana in with him.

Krysia believed that not speaking about the event at all was best, but Merlin didn't seem to agree with this.

"Do you know much about the Druids?" he asked Gaius.

"Very little," Gaius said, pouring Krysia more water. "They're very secretive people. Especially now they're being hunted by Uther." Then he frowned slightly, setting down the water and narrowing his eyes at Merlin, then at Krysia, who looked quickly down at her vegetables. "Krysia, please tell me you two haven't gotten yourselves mixed up in this."

"Mixed up?" she said breezily. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Gaius."

He raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "It's amazing you've stayed alive so long, if that's the best you can lie."

Her mouth tightened, but Merlin said, "Well, we haven't done anything."

"Merlin…"

"You could just hear him out, Gaius," Krysia said, summoning all her skills of deception. "Sometimes he does say worthwhile things."

Merlin gave her a wry look before saying, "I heard the boy calling out. He was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear him...like he was inside my mind."

"Yes, I've heard of this ability," Gaius said, his interest overcoming his original suspicion for the moment. "The Druids look for children with such gifts to serve as apprentices." He pursed his lips for a moment before continuing, "While they're searching for this boy, you both must be especially careful otherwise it'll be your heads on the chopping block."

"We're always careful," Merlin said, smiling. "You know me."

Krysia rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, Merlin. Why do you think he's worried?"

/-/

Krysia sat on the window ledge, watching guards in the square searching for the Druid boy, the boy she suspected was still in grave need of medical attention she might not be able to give. She smoothed her skirts as she straightened her legs, watching the torches dancing through the square and into the lower town in the moonlight.

"Krysia?"

She turned to see Leon watching her, concerned.

"Are you searching as well?" she asked, feeling a bit dizzy suddenly, gripping at the ledge.

"Every soldier in Camelot," he said, coming up beside her, taking her hand to steady her. "You should be in bed. It's not safe."

"He's a child," she said, frowning down at the search party. "And I'm fine. I couldn't sleep."

She continued to hold his hand as she shifted, letting her legs dangle out of the window, turning her back to Leon, who moved closer to her in case she became unsteady again. She smiled a little, feeling like a child again.

"Do you recall-?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I was always certain you would break your neck. Children aren't meant to climb castle walls."

Krysia smirked a little. She'd hardly been climbing castle walls, but Leon always worried about her, more than he needed to. Even now, she was certain she would be fine if she fell, despite being three stories up. But then, Leon did not know she could soften her fall with magic.

"Did you watch the execution?" he asked.

She closed her eyes, a strand of her hair falling from the knot she had it in. She did not want to think of executions.

"No," she said. "But I'm sure you knew that."

His rough, warm fingers brushed her neck as he took the loose strand in his hand and attempted to tuck it back into the knot. He only succeeded in undoing the whole knot and she laughed.

"I am sorry," he said nervously. "I used to be able to do that."

"Your fingers have grown clumsy without practice," she teased, and was surprised that his fingers continued to brush her neck as he took her loose hair in her hands. It was dangerous to have her hair loose during the day, where Uther might see her and recognize her, but at night, with only Leon as company, there was something liberating in it.

"Let us see how much they remember," he said, and she felt him braid her hair with clumsy, halting motions, and she tried not to giggle, knowing it would only distract him. She simply closed her eyes again, feeling the cold night air on her face as his fingers worked.

"There," he finally said. She opened her eyes, patting her hair experimentally before turning to look up at him, thinking how beautiful his eyes were in moonlight.

"Well, how does it look?" she asked. "It feels adequate."

"You look," he said slowly, frowning. "You…."

Krysia frowned, confused. Leon's hesitation could have nothing to do with her mother, but still, there was something about the way he looked at her that had recognition in it, something that made her feel uneasy and a little bit anxious.

"That bad?" she teased weakly.

This seemed to snap him back to his senses and he blinked, taking a step back.

"I apologize, Krysia," he said, almost formally. "You look...lovely, as always. I simply… I have to continue the search, and I must insist that I escort you back to your quarters."

She sighed.

"Very well," she said, taking the hand he offered her and swinging her legs quickly back into the castle corridor. They walked in silence back to the physician's quarters and she wished that whatever had made him look at her like that were something they could simply talk about.

But no matter how close they were, she was still a servant, and he was still a knight, and if she was lucky that would never change.

/-/

Merlin and Krysia agreed to check on the Druid boy early in the morning, after they had performed necessary duties for Uther and Arthur. Morgana was watching the boy when they entered.

"How is he?" Merlin asked as Krysia crossed with her medicine kit.

"He's sleeping," Morgana said, looking between Merlin and Krysia sadly. "He's very pale. I worry he may have lost a lot of blood."

Krysia was concerned that Morgana was correct. He had been pale when she first met him, but it seemed to become more pronounced.

"Has he said anything at all?" Merlin asked.

Krysia cleared her throat and asked, "Merlin, can you pour some water from that pitcher onto one of these cloths?"

Merlin hurried to comply as Morgana answered him.

"Nothing," she said. "He won't even tell me his name."

Merlin gave Krysia the damp cloth and the three of them were silent as Krysia positioned it on his forehead, checking his pulse.

"You know, er, for a moment there earlier," Merlin said nervously, "I - I thought you were going to hand us over to the guards."

Morgana raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm glad you have so much faith in me, Merlin."

Krysia actually laughed and the other two startled, looking at her with surprise. She shook her head and said, "Sorry, no, his pulse is weak but manageable. No, Morgana, what he's saying is that it's a very big risk for you to defy Uther on something like this, even being a Lady. Perhaps especially as the King's ward."

"I wouldn't see an innocent child executed," Morgana said, sitting down beside the boy. "What harm has he ever done anyone?"

Biting her tongue, Krysia thought that even if he had done someone harm they wouldn't know about it, but she understood and agreed with Morgana's point. True guilt should be proven before punishment could be executed.

"Uther believes he has magic," Merlin said, "and that makes him guilty."

"Uther's wrong," Morgana said firmly.

Krysia frowned and said, "Are you certain?"

"What if magic isn't something you choose?" Morgana asked, frowning down at the pale face of the Druid boy. "What if it chooses you?" She looked up to see Merlin and Krysia looking at her, and Krysia wasn't sure what expression was on her own face, but Merlin looked a little too surprised and pleased. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"Why are you helping him?" she asked, looking back down at the boy.

"Merlin and I specialize in hard luck cases," Krysia said dryly. "The question is, what are we going to do now? Sooner or later we're going to have to find some other place or something. We can't keep him in your bedchamber forever."

Morgana frowned, touching the boy's hair just above where Krysia had placed the damp cloth. Her gentle fingers trembled slightly as she said, "We have to find a way to get him back to his people."

Krysia did try to think of solutions to their problem, but she knew the boy was still weak, and no smuggling the boy out of Camelot could be successful if the boy died on the way to his people. They would be lucky to even make it that far, given his current condition.

A day went by with no discovery of the boy, and Merlin and Krysia returned to Morgana to check in on the child.

"He's burning up," Merlin said, a hand on the boy's brow as Krysia wet down a cloth. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since early this morning," Morgana said urgently. "I think his wound may be infected. We need Gaius before it gets any worse."

"No," Krysia said quickly, turning around. "No, we can't pull Gaius into this too, not with the ultimatum Uther issued. Besides, I can't imagine he'd be pleased with us, getting involved."

More like she couldn't imagine just how utterly displeased he would be.

"We need to get him out of Camelot," Morgana argued., "and we can't do that while he's sick. We need a physician."

Merlin shrugged and said, "I'll treat him."

"Merlin, do you know how to treat an infected wound?" Morgana demanded.

"He doesn't," Krysia said, "but I do, sort...sort of."

She was wishing she had paid closer attention to all those lessons when she heard approaching footsteps. Morgana closed the curtain over Merlin and Krysia quickly ran to the corner and picked up some mending she had brought with her after adjusting the screen in front of the Druid boy.

Morgana opened the door and Krysia's breath caught.

"Arthur!" Morgana said brightly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Don't get all excited," Arthur said, a little weary, a little annoyed as he nodded to Krysia, who simply gave him a weak smile. "It's not a social call. I'm looking for the Druid boy. I'm afraid I'm going to have to search your chambers."

"You're not searching my chambers," Morgana said, and Krysia held her breath. If only Krysia could speak to Arthur that way, but she was simply a servant.

Arthur was clearly annoyed as he said, "Don't take it personally. I have to search the entire castle. Only take a few minutes."

"Gwen takes great pains to keep this room clean, Arthur," Krysia said softly in her corner. "I would rather you didn't make a mess of things."

"I'm not interested in your things," he said, irritated. "I'm just looking for any evidence that the Druid boy's in the castle."

It was then that Krysia glanced at the curtain to see Merlin peeking through, and she saw what had caught his gaze: the boy's boots were right there, right in plain sight. Her chest tightened as she tried to think of what to do.

"Perhaps the Druid boy's hiding in your chambers," Morgana snarled. "They're usually such a mess, you'd never know."

Krysia gave a weak laugh and said, "Yes, I apologize for Merlin. He can't manage to keep his own space clean, either.

She could barely hear Merlin whisper an incantation, but could not hear the words. She watched the boots tiptoeing towards Merlin out of the corner of her eye.

"If you can't even find your own servant," Morgana said harshly, "what hope you have of finding the boy?"

Another incantation, and the boots paused behind a column. Krysia's heart froze as she waited for the boy to be discovered, all their efforts to naught.

"Be kind, Morgana," Krysia said softly, trying not to look at the column.

Arthur rolled his eyes and said, "Really, I'm touched by the confidence you have in my abilities. And as much as I'd love to stay and talk, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished."

Krysia held her breath as Merlin whispered a further incantation, causing the boots to join him behind the curtain, finally hidden as Arthur entered the room. Krysia and Morgana exchanged looks that were just short of nervous.

"Well, I'll save you the trouble," Morgana said, in a bold voice that Krysia knew to be her bluff.

"Now, really, Morgana," Krysia said, "don't you think you've given Arthur a hard enough time? He's doing his best."

"The Druid boy's hiding behind the screen," Morgana said, forcing her smirk. "I'm sure your father would love to know how you wasted your time by rifling through my things," she pressed on, confidently. "Go on."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, looking between Krysia and Morgana.

"So you can have the satisfaction of making me look a fool?"

"In my experience, you don't need any help looking like a fool," she snorted. "What are you waiting for? Take a look."

"Arthur," Krysia said gently, "perhaps your time would be better served elsewhere. Surely there are places you can search rather than standing here arguing with Morgana."

Her mouth felt painfully dry as they waited for his response.

"Why don't you go back to brushing your hair," he said caustically, "or whatever it is that you do all day?"

"Bye, Arthur," Morgana said, grinning triumphantly as he went away down the corridor. "Good luck with the search!"

Krysia let out a long sigh of relief and shook her head as Morgana closed the door, and the curtains moved to reveal a disgruntled Merlin.

They needed a better hiding place for the boy, or a way to get him out of Camelot.