While there was always something interesting happening in Camelot, Krysia would rarely have said that there was something of note quite like the efforts Uther was making to excavate an old tomb. There were riches to be found, to be sure, but Krysia's experience had taught her that the dead were best left to lie. But try telling anything to Uther.

Gaius seemed to share Krysia's concern, and he obsessively researched the details from the tomb for the king. Krysia was sitting with her aunt's book, flipping through pages more than reading them while Gaius worked. Then Merlin entered in a huff.

"What's wrong?" Gaius said.

"I saved Arthur's life," Merlin said. "Someone else got the credit. Just the usual. What are you doing?"

Gaius showed Merlin what he was looking at under a magnifying glass, which was a scepter from the tomb.

"I found this inscription on the scepter."

"What language is that?" Merlin said.

"That's the next big question," Krysia said, continuing to flip through her book without looking up.

Gaius said, "Sigan would have known many languages."

"Sigan?" Merlin said.

"It's his tomb."

"Who's he?"

Krysia laughed and said, "Merlin, Cornelius Sigan was the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth."

"Really?"

Gaius seemed to hear the excitement in Merlin's voice as well, and he took a sterner tone.

"You did not grow up in Camelot," he said, "but Cornelius Sigan was a figure of nightmare."

"Why?"

"Sigan's Pass. He could change day into night. Turn the tides, and legend has it, his spells helped to build Camelot itself."

"The trouble with all that power," Krysia said, closing her book and looking up at both men, "is that it becomes a threat to those with political power. Maybe he did something that would have seized power from the crown, legend doesn't specify."

"The king at that time ordered his execution," Gaius said.

"If he's dead," Merlin said, "why are you so worried?"

"Sigan could not bear the thought that his wealth would die with him, so he became obsessed with finding a way to defeat death itself."

"You think he could have succeeded?" Merlin whispered.

Krysia and Gaius exchanged a look, and Krysia pricked her thumb to open her book again, to keep looking for possible answers.

"I really hope not," Krysia said.

/-/

For several days, Krysia looked for possible answers in her book, as Gaius directed, but she did not feel remotely prepared. Before Merlin or Gaius could find a way to stop Sigan, somehow Merlin was in the cells and Krysia feared there was nothing to be done.

She was attending the king when Arthur came to report the crisis, that strange creatures were attacking the city.

"I want to know what this creature is, where it's come from," Uther demanded.

"There's more than one, Father," Arthur said. "We've had several reports. There's panic in the lower town. People are fleeing the city."

"Then you must hunt the creatures down and kill them."

Arthur and Krysia shared a look, and Arthur said, "Yes, sire."

She felt her breath stick in her throat. There was nothing she could do to help, she'd not found a solution, but Arthur must have realized he was going to his death. If she could just find a way to sneak out to free Merlin…

Gaius came to them before she could find a solution. He was stern and bold, almost like he himself had prepared for battle.

"Have you seen what's happening?" Uther said.

"It is as I warned you, sire," Gaius said.

"This cannot be Sigan."

"It's his revenge. He's coming back from the dead."

"Then he will die again," Uther said.

"You do not understand, sire," Gaius said. "You cannot kill a man who has conquered mortality."

Something about the phrase resonated with Krysia. Mastering life and death, mirroring life and death…. She had read in her book that no mortal weapon could kill a High Priest or Priestess. Only magic could show their end. Krysia wondered if that covered her, as Gaius seemed to think, or if she would need to go through a particular rite of passage to truly be considered a Priestess. She'd not read that far yet.

"Do not tell me what cannot be done," Uther snapped. "Camelot will not fall to a sorcerer while I am king."

/-/

As casualties began to pour in, Gaius requested Krysia's assistance in setting up their improvised ward for the wounded. Gwen and Krysia both assisted in treating the wounded, and Krysia continued to look for opportunities to go down to the dungeons, but there were just too many people injured.

Arthur was led in by Gwen at one point, and Krysia grabbed several patches of cloth and held them over his wound to stop the bleeding. Uther arrived, obviously having heard where his son was, and his concern was evident.

"Arthur," Uther said.

"It's nothing," Arthur insisted, all while Krysia continued to apply pressure.

"Have we driven the creatures out?" Uther said.

"They have control of the lower town. The market has been all but destroyed."

Krysia said, "The dead and dying are filling all available beds."

"Too many to number," Arthur said with a nod.

"I'm sealing the citadel," Uther said.

"You cannot!"

"I have no choice. I have to protect those who have a chance. If I do not, we will all fall."

Arthur pushed Krysia off and drew his sword.

"Where are you going?" Uther demanded.

"At least let me tie it off," Krysia said, but Arthur wasn't listening.

"There are people trapped on the drawbridge," Arthur said. "I'm not leaving them to die."

"It's suicide!" Uther cried.

"It's my duty to Camelot, and to myself."

They watched him, leave, and Uther turned to Krysia looking slightly dazed.

"How could he do this?" Uther said.

Krysia took the king's arm gently and said, "I'm sure he felt it was the right thing, sire. Please, we need to find somewhere more secure for you."

"No, no," he said. "No, Zosia, I'm fine."

"Krysia, sire," she said, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

"Hmm?"

"Krysia."

Uther looked at her for a moment with confusion, and then he shook his head and said, "Yes, apologies. That's what I…. Who is with Arthur now?"

"I believe he has Sir Geraint and Sir Brennis with him, sire. Sir Leon guards the main doors."

Uther said something she couldn't understand and wandered away. To the next room. Krysia looked after him for a moment, then hurried back to the wounded.

/-/

The doors to the hospital burst open, and knights poured in. Leon and Geraint let as many through as possible, and then Geraint called for the doors to be sealed. Krysia watched in horror as Uther pushed through.

"Where is Arthur?" he demanded of Geraint, who did not answer. "Where is he? You cannot leave him out there, he'll be torn apart."

Geraint, to his credit, held back the king.

"You cannot go out there, sire! If you open that door, you will die, we will all die."

"No!" Uther cried, but Geraint and Leon held him back.

"Krysia!" Geraint said as Uther continued to push through.

She dropped the cloth she was dampening and hurried to the aid, gently taking the king's arm as he struggled against Geraint and Leon.

"Sire," she said as calmly as she could. "Sire, please, what shall we do with the newly injured?"

"What?" Uther said. "Arthur is—"

"There aren't enough beds for the injured, sire," she said, feeling him relax under her hand. It was almost as if she'd said a spell, it was so quick, but she had done nothing. "Please, sire, what would you have us do?"

Uther looked around at her, clearly still in some agony but trying to focus on the request. It was so ingrained in him that he needed to hear the pleas of others that he had to consider her request, no matter what he was focused on.

"The throne room," he said. "For now."

Krysia turned to Leon, who nodded and hurried to inform Gwen and Gaius.

Once Krysia and Geraint had calmed Uther, she led him back away from the door, just in case Arthur really was doomed. Krysia had to hope that Merlin would find a way, even without her help, but she focused on finding a glass of wine for the king and helping him be more comfortable in the council chambers.

Leon knocked on the door once Uther was settled, and he announced that the wounded were still incoming, but that the creature was destroyed and Arthur had been recovered, alive.

"Good," Uther said. "Good. I should go to him. Zosia, send Gaius up to see Arthur immediately."

"Sire?" Krysia said, again, nervous. Leon had heard him this time, and he looked confused.

"Gaius," Uther said. "Send up Gaius. To Arthur's chambers. Is that unclear, Krysia?"

"No, it's…it's clear, sire," she said, trying to ignore the pulse in her throat and the curious look Leon was giving her.

/-/

As soon as he had a moment spare, Leon returned to his chambers and lit several candles. In his searches, he'd had very little luck, digging through for every mention of a Krysia and trying to compare details. Nothing every lined up just right. Most were either too young or significantly older than her. Some were from much further away or were already dead.

Zosia, though, that was a name he only recalled seeing with one family line. He opened one of the thinnest books Geoffrey had loaned him and flipped through until he found the line of the house of Andor. The last lord had been Lord Inthorn, long since deceased, but he had been the father of two daughters, Lady Marzena and Lady Zosia. The younger of the two, Lady Zosia, would have been roughly the age of the king, so it was just a question of finding what became of the daughters.

Leon could not find a record of death or marriage for Marzena, but he did find a record of marriage to Sir Marcial, who had become lord of a small holding in Powys under Gorlois upon his father's death, and who apparently had taken the line of Andor through his wife, Lady Zosia.

The list of children was extensive, but the eldest, and unmistakably of correct age, was listed as Krysia. Leon could feel his hands shake as he read through the listings. They had two fortresses, one the former home of Lord Inthorn and the other, smaller holding in Powys that belonged to Sir Marcial's family.

Krysia was noble, he realized, and based on her mother's line, not merely noble, but an incredibly high noble. The house of Andor had been the only rivals to that of Pendragon for the control of the kingdom. So what had become of them?

As he continued to scan for information, he began to dare to imagine a life with her again, although he knew it was impossible. Even if this were revealed, she would be far too important, far too powerful to marry someone like Leon. He appreciated the irony that he could not have her either way: either she was only a servant or she was practically royalty, and he was caught between.

Then he found it, a record of death. The holding in Powys, where the family had resided, was burned down on suspicion of sorcery in the family. It was right about the time Krysia was found, but she was found in Ascetir, which was perhaps near enough to Andor, but much too far from Powys for her to have wandered into the woods and been found. Unless…unless she had been deliberately placed in the woods.

Leon closed the book and looked at the candle, trying to process the information. Suspicion of magic.

He recalled when Krysia had first arrived, perhaps only a week after she'd begun to play with other children. They had been playing a game of hiding, and Leon had been out of sight. She was still looking for a place to hide, and he saw her find an injured cat. It was lame in one leg. She had sat and petted the cat, and after several minutes of speaking softly to the creature, she let it go, and it had leapt away as if the leg had never been lame.

There were many things, and through the years, Leon had always suspected that Krysia might harbor secrets. He'd even strongly suspected that magic was one of those secrets, although he'd never dared let himself think on it.

If it were true, if Krysia was this child, someone had deliberately saved her life, someone who knew she had magic. She had been living in Camelot with full knowledge of both her heritage and her power, and Gaius must know as well. Why else hold the child of such an important family under the king's nose if for the protection that Gaius could provide? Small wonder that she wanted to save the Druid child. She must have seen herself in him.

But Uther seemed to be recalling Lady Zosia and seemed to be recalling more and more. Could Leon protect her? How far would he go, should she fall into danger? He couldn't let her die, but…

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter," he said.

Geraint opened the door and frowned at the stack of books beside Leon.

"What's all that?"

"Just satisfying curiosity," Leon said. "Is everything secure?"

"Yes, and Arthur's well," Geraint said. "The knighting for tomorrow is going ahead as scheduled." He closed the door behind him. "That stack of books wouldn't have anything to do with Krysia, would it?"

Leon forced a laugh and said, "Why would it?"

Geraint smiled and said, "For as long as I've known you, Leon, I don't think I've seen you take initiative on anything that wasn't somehow about Krysia. Does she know how you feel?"

"No," Leon said. He turned away to look at the battered town through his window. "And she can't know."

"Why not?"

He couldn't explain what he knew, he couldn't explain everything that was spinning through his head. The safest thing for Krysia was for her to be as far away from Camelot as possible if he could ever convince her to leave.

"It wouldn't be proper," he whispered.

"Knights have married commoners, you know. If you were Arthur that would be one thing, but you're a second son of a minor family. You could marry her if she agreed."

But he couldn't. Even if somehow Krysia didn't know who she was (which Leon increasingly doubted), he knew. He knew that he could never be good enough for her. All he could possibly hope was to keep her safe so that someday, either as a commoner or as the lady she was born to be, she would be happy with someone.

"It doesn't matter," Leon said with a forced smile.

Geraint certainly wanted to say something else, but instead he bid Leon goodnight, and Leon sat alone with his candles and his books, wondering what he should do.

/-/

Krysia couldn't sleep, even with the potion, so she got up and sat at Gaius's table, flipping through her book. Gaius, who was still getting work done after a very long night, sat across from her.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm…afraid, I suppose."

She told him of how Uther had called her by her mother's name twice more.

"It seems to be tied to moments of great stress," Gaius said. "He may not even be consciously aware of the resemblance in his daily life. But this is not new. What else is troubling you?"

Krysia closed the book and said, "Can I die?"

Gaius hesitated, then said, "Those who have conquered the power of life and death can only be destroyed by magic, as you killed Nimueh."

"So how did the other High Priests die?" she said, tracing her hand over the book. "How did Aunt Marzena die?"

"I don't know for sure," Gaius said. "There were magical weapons at the time that were used against many of them. Most have been lost over time. But why are you concerned?"

"If there were some accident," she whispered, "and I didn't die, would Uther be suspicious?"

Gaius seemed to realize what she meant, and they sat in silence for a long time, each staring at her book without seeing it. Somehow, in trying to save Gaius, she had unlocked even more dangerous territory than she ever had before.

"We must simply hope," Gaius said. "There are too many ways now that you can be discovered. All we can do is continue to be cautious and to hope."

"I can't leave. The dragon said my destiny is here, and unfortunately he's been right about everything so far. But…how am I supposed to do what I need to do if I'm discovered?"

Gaius gave her a sad smile and said, "I wish I had the answers, Krysia. I truly do. We must wait and see what comes. And perhaps keep yourself out of situations where you might be stabbed."

"I'll try," she said, trying not to laugh.

She went to bed after that and let herself sink into her mattress, staring at the book, now closed and sealed beside her. She closed her eyes and she could see Leon looking at her in the council room, that curious expression on his face. She felt her throat tighten, and she opened her eyes again, feeling a kind of fear she'd hadn't felt in a long time. Suddenly she felt like the little girl in the woods again. She knew only exhaustion would bring her sleep tonight, and she was pleased, for the first time since she'd begun to take it again, that Gaius had given her the potion.

A/N:

To fantasy.92:

Gwaine did indeed meet Hunith, and you'll just have to wait and see what she says! He'll still be in Ealdor when we see him next.

I wish I could say that Leon would stop looking and Uther would stop remembering, but there's got to be a story! And now Leon has pieced together enough to know who she is, and to guess that she knows. So the question is, what is he willing to do to protect her?

-C