There was a knock on the door and Arthur groaned. He kept his eyes shut, hoping whoever it was would just go away.

The knock game again. Gwen sleepily prodded him in the side.

"All right. All right! I'm coming!" He dragged himself out of bed and glanced towards the window. He frowned. The sun was only just starting to rise. Whoever it was had better have a darn good reason. He opened the door and rolled his eyes. "Merlin. Of course it would be you."

"Sorry. It's important."

"It's barely dawn."

"I know."

Arthur sighed. "Fine. Just wait while I get dressed." He grabbed a shirt off a chair. Gwen yawned and looked up from her pillow. She'd had another bout of nausea last night and still looked a little queasy.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I just got to go help Merlin deal with something. It's fine. Go back to sleep." He pulled the shirt over his head, bucked his belt, and met Merlin back out in the hall. "This had better be very important," he repeated.

"This way." Merlin lead him down several hallways towards an emptier area of the castle and then into an old storage room. Lancelot was already there, waiting.

"What's he doing here?" asked Arthur.

"I asked him here. And," added Merlin, "he complained a lot less about it when I woke him up."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "All right. What's all this about Merlin?"

"It's…about poison." Quickly, he explained about the soup. By the time he had done talking, Arthur was wide awake.

"You're sure the poison was magical?" asked Lancelot.

"Absolutely. Gaius's test confirmed that beyond question."

"But the druids wouldn't do that."

"The only other two people with magic in the castle are Morgana and me. And neither of us would have a reason to do it either."

"What if there's someone else at the castle who has magic? Someone you don't know about?" asked Lancelot.

"How come I haven't run into them before now? And besides, these peace talks would still be in their best interests."

Lancelot began to pace. "It's in everyone's. Why would any of the druids try this?"

"Revenge?" asked Arthur quietly. "Hate spreads like a disease. And there has been a lot of hate for a very long time."

Merlin nodded. "Uther wants to move on from the past. Maybe someone else doesn't want to let him. How well do you know all the druids here?"

Lancelot sighed. "Iseldir and Elaine I know quite well. The others, to be fair, not quite as much. They each represent a large group of druids. They're come to Iseldir's camp a few times, but I haven't spoken to them much. They're all leaders…I suppose, setting my personal feelings as a friend to the druids aside… I couldn't vouch for them. But…Merlin you don't know what it's like. I know you've had to be careful here in Camelot, keeping your secret right under the nose of the king, but the feelings in those camps, the dread. They're not hiding, they're hunted. It's different. There's a terror they live with every day. To risk the potential of ending that, once and for all, to be free again, I can't imagine any of them doing it. Not for revenge."

"Someone's risked it," said Arthur. "What are we going to do?"

"You know we can't tell Uther," said Merlin, glancing towards Arthur, who nodded his agreement. "Not until we know exactly what's happening. He'd just give up on the talks. But between the three of us we should be able to keep an eye on everyone. The poison was close. We can't it happen again."

"What about Guinevere?" asked Lancelot. "She could help."

A flash of memory of Gwen sick and tired from the night before flashed across Arthur's mind. "No," he said firmly. "She has enough going on without adding worry."

It was well and truly morning now. Arthur hadn't come back and Gwen, more fully awake now, was wondering why not. What had Merlin wanted?

She dressed and brushed her hair. They'd offered her a maid servant to wait on her, but she hadn't been able to picture herself being waited on as she once waited on Morgana.

There was a knock on the door. She turned towards the sound. "Arthur is that- oh, your Majesty."

Uther glanced around the room. "Where's Arthur?"

She hesitated. "He's with Merlin somewhere. I'm not sure exactly where.

"Oh…" Uther frowned and then nodded. An awkward silence filled the room as the two stood there looking at each other. Gwen raised her head silently, refusing to appear uncertain before Uther.

"Your Majesty, if there is any assistance I can provide during the next week…"

"I'd appreciate you sending Arthur to the great hall on time. We due to start in half an hour."

Gwen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was pretty sure you didn't roll your eyes at a king, even when he was your father in law. "I think Merlin will make sure he does," said Gwen.

Uther nodded, gave a small jerk of his head to say good bye, and left.

"Well that went well," she muttered. She sunk down onto a chair and leaned her forehead against the palm of her hand. A month and things hadn't gotten any better with Uther, and she doubted she'd be able to hide her pregnancy much longer. He saw her only as an unfortunate side effect of the year he lost his son. He didn't blame her. But he could not accept her either.

"So," said Merlin, "It seems we have a plan… of sorts."

"Yes." Lancelot nodded. "I keep a special eye on the druids while Arthur watches the lords and Uther."

"I'll try and keep them safe."

"Or look for any underhanded actions on their part," said Lancelot.

Arthur frowned. "I highly doubt my father is using magic to get out of these peace talks."

"It's easier to believe the druids are?"

"Hey!" jumped Merlin. "Let's not argue, all right? We're all on the same side here."

The two looked at him and then Lancelot sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry Arthur. I just…these are my friends. I've been through a lot with the druids."

"I understand that. We all just…have to keep an open mind right now. In every way."

"You're right."

Merlin coughed. "Well now that that's settled: I'll keep an eye out for any magic being used. Between the three of us we should hopefully be able to stop anything from happening."

"And we'll meet again this evening," said Arthur, "We'll need to keep a watch out at night as well."

"Right."

Arthur turned towards the door of the chamber and started towards it. A few feet away a sound reached his ears. Frowning, he ran the rest of the distance to the door and pulled it open. Looking down the empty hallway, he frowned.

"What is it?" asked Lancelot, coming up beside him.

"I thought I heard someone… but I don't see anything." He swore. "Look, we have to go. The talks will be about to start."

The heat in the room felt oppressive and tensions were running high. Relveer was thumping his fist on the table angrily and all but shouting at Mathias. "You cannot begin to place our actions on the same level as yours!"

"Camelot has been attacked by magic on many occasions!"

"Relveer, perhaps-," attempted Iseldir, but the man ignored him.

"The actions of a handful of magic users, pushed beyond endurance by the oppression inflicted by Camelot cannot be held against an entire group of people who have as a whole always striven for nothing but to live in peace and be left alone!"

"Camelot had every right to protect herself against forces both dangerous and unpredictable!"

"Please, this is getting us nowhere," interrupted Gaius. "The past should be left where it is. It is the future we should be arguing about."

"But how can we ever trust Camelot?" demanded Relveer. "The original purge against magic was unprovoked and brutal. Many innocents died during that time, woman and children. How can we ever truly trust it will not happen again?"

"Unprovoked! Magic has always sown discord and-" Mathias began, but Uther raised his hand, cutting him off.

"Only time can prove good intentions," said Uther, speaking for the first time since the arguing had started. "I understand the reluctance of everyone. But only time can prove good faith. Camelot asks only to be allowed that time."

"Uther has no reason to lie," said Elaine. "He would have acted last night when we arrived, had his intentions been ill. There would be no need for a charade of peace talks. In fact," she added, a hint of laughter in her dark eyes. "It probably would have spared him the headache, you two are giving everyone."

"Oh, because he decided not to kill us last night is why we should trust him today?" snapped Relveer. "Such comforting words."

"I for one," broke in Iseldir. "Would like to know what Emrys thinks." There was a long pause as all the druids turned to Merlin and everyone else looked confused.

"What?" Merlin blinked, "Me?"

"Yes," nodded Iseldir. "You. Our people know how important a part you play in these times. You have been a friend to our kind but also a friend to Camelot. So I ask you; do you believe there can be peace between Uther's Camelot and magic?"

Merlin shifted in his seat and glanced towards Gaius. The man nodded at him encouragingly.

Trying to ignore Uther's and Arthur's questioning looks, and focusing his mind on the dragon's warnings, Merlin began, choosing his words carefully. "I think there can. I believe we could find peace but I think it will be hard. And I think we all have to want it and work for it. Because if we fail now, we won't have a second chance." Looking carefully at each druid in turn, he added: "And if it does fail, you won't be able to simply blame Uther. We will all be responsible."

There was a heavy silence after these words. Iseldir frowned at the last part and looked questioningly towards Merlin. Druid Ernald shifted uncomfortably and Sybil's bangles jingled merrily as she shifted in her seat.

"Perhaps," said Uther, pushing back his chair and rising to his feet, "we should take a break."

As the group broke up, Merlin felt a vice like grip around on his arm and found him himself being pulled out of the room.

He was alone, out in an empty hallway, with Uther. The king stared down at him intently as if trying to read inside his mind.

"You have some explaining to do," snapped Uther. "How do the druids know you? And what did Iseldir mean about the part you have to play in these times?"

"It's complicated."

"Explain it to me," he hissed.

"They think I am….well, it's…they think I'm Emrys. It's some prophecy they believe in about the coming of a powerful warlock. It's just…a belief." he gestured vaguely.

"And how powerful are you exactly Merlin?" demanded Uther. "Since I've found out about you, you have been vague at best. Now I demand an answer."

Merlin coughed. "Well let's put it this way. Every magical threat Camelot has come under in the past few years. I stopped them."

Uther nodded. "And should it come down to it, whose side are you on? Ours? Or magic's?"

"Arthur's," said Merlin without hesitation. "And that's the best I can offer you."

Whether it was good enough or not, Merlin didn't know, for Uther simply nodded and with a whish of his cloak he returned to the meeting hall.