A/N: Thank you GuestM, pallysAramisRios, Buckhunter, and SnidgetHex for reviewing!


Chapter 3

Lancelot stood in his room, trying to decide what he should pack to go back to Lily's island. How fate had reversed their roles in so short a time. Before, it had been Lily standing over a small knapsack and deciding what meager belongings she would keep on this one-way journey. And Lancelot had bared his heart and soul to her in that moment, love giving her the fortitude to see her course through.

Love would give him the strength to do the same now.

He would leave behind his knight's uniform, even the chainmail, he thought. There was no need of a knight on the Isle of Asteron. He would have to learn a new trade or some other way to contribute. It would be a challenge, but no less so than what Lily faced when she came to Camelot.

There was little to pack and no reason to do so yet, so Lancelot merely made a mental list of what he would bring when it was time to leave.

He went in search of Lily, trying to ignore the looks and whispers from the servants he passed. News of her magic was a private matter, and so all anyone else in the castle knew was that the wedding had been stalled, and no doubt they were having a heyday with speculation and gossip.

Lily wasn't in her chambers, so Lancelot went down to the small patch of courtyard where her garden was located. She was there, perched on her knees and one hand pressed into the dirt as though desperately trying to reconnect with the song beneath the soil where the network of roots pulsed with the heart of the plants. By the despondent expression on her face, Lancelot could tell it wasn't working.

She looked up as his approach blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the garden. He felt the metaphor with a pang in his heart.

"The ship is on its way to the harbor," he told her. "We can leave in a week."

Lily nodded mutely.

Lancelot didn't know whether to stay or give her privacy, so after a few moments of continued silence, he started to turn away.

"What about the wedding ceremony?" Lily spoke up.

He paused. "It's up to you. I didn't think you would be feeling up to it right now."

Her expression pinched with regret. "Everyone went to so much trouble, and it looked so beautiful."

"Arthur and Guinevere understand."

Lily pursed her mouth in deep thought. "I would like to have one more good memory with our friends to take with us."

Lancelot smiled softly. "I'd like that too."

He moved closer to give her a hand up, then turned back to the castle. But no sooner had Lily taken a step that she staggered, shooting her hands out to grab Lancelot's arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I…" Lily's eyes suddenly rolled back and she collapsed.

Lancelot caught her in his arms. "Lily!" He cupped the side of her face, but she was unresponsive and completely limp. He scooped her up and carried her back into the castle at an urgent pace, bursting into Gaius's chambers with a shout for help. Fortunately, the court physician was in.

"What happened?" he asked as Lancelot carried Lily over to the cot and laid her down.

"I don't know. We were talking, and then she just fainted."

Gaius kindly but firmly nudged Lancelot out of the way so he could examine her. Lancelot backed up a few steps, chest tightening with every second that passed.

"No fever," Gaius said aloud. "Did she have any other symptoms or mention feeling unwell?"

"No."

Gaius hummed to himself and went over to his many shelves. He came back with a small vial that he uncapped and held under Lily's nose. If it was supposed to rouse her, it didn't work. Gaius's brows knitted together at that.

"What's wrong with her?" Lancelot anxiously asked.

"I don't know," Gaius replied. "Let me try a few more things."

Lancelot inched his way back to the cot, crouching down at the head so he could be close to Lily but still out of Gaius's way as the physician tried a few more ways to wake her, but all of them failed.

Gaius sat on the stool and held her wrist for several long moments, mouth moving soundlessly as he counted. "Her pulse is very weak," he concluded.

"What does that mean?"

Gaius leveled a serious look at him. "She's ill, but I don't know with what just yet." He reached out to clasp Lancelot on the shoulder. "I will do my best to help her," he assured.

Lancelot nodded; he knew Gaius would. "It's not the same thing that happened to Gwen, is it?" he asked. There was only one cure for that.

Gaius furrowed his brows in contemplation. "I don't believe so, but I'll find Merlin."

He stood up and left, and Lancelot carded his fingers through Lily's hair, hoping she could sense he was there with her. Why was this happening? First losing her magic, and now this?

It wasn't long before Gaius returned with Merlin, who looked as worried as Lancelot felt.

"Can you help her?" Lancelot asked, begged.

Merlin hurried over and squinted in concentration as he studied Lily. He stretched out a hand toward her and uttered a spell in words Lancelot didn't understand. There was a flash of gold in his eyes, and then nothing.

Merlin's mouth tightened and he tried again, and again. But Lily didn't wake. Merlin finally sagged where he sat. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

A spiky lump swelled in Lancelot's throat, preventing him from even trying to find words. He had never felt such devastation, like his chest was going to implode in on itself from the force of it.

"Is it a curse?" he finally rasped.

"I don't know. I checked under Lily's bed for the type of enchanted object that blocks one's magic, but nothing was there."

"What about the curse that Gwen was under? Could this be…revenge for Lily breaking it?"

Merlin frowned. "We never did find who was behind that."

"Let's not discount the fact that Lily lost her magic right before," Gaius put in. "Perhaps the loss of such an integral part of her led to a physical malady."

Lancelot shook his head. "That isn't how it worked on the island. She told me of some clans whose magic had died out from lack of use, but she didn't mention any illness going along with it."

Merlin stood up. "Gaius and I will keep looking. I'll try more healing spells. We'll figure this out," he promised, just as he had promised last night. And Lancelot wanted to believe him. Merlin had certainly pulled off the impossible before. But even a great and powerful warlock like himself had his limits.

Lancelot moved to the stool Merlin had vacated to sit by Lily's side while Merlin and Gaius set about going through their many books. If this was the same curse that had afflicted Gwen, then there was only one cure to be found in all the earth—the star lily on the Isle of Asteron. And so still the only way to save Lily would be to take her home. But could she travel in this condition? Did they have a choice?

He was so caught up in his tumultuous thoughts that when Lily shifted, he startled violently. Her eyelids cracked open as she lolled her head a fraction toward him.

"Hey," he breathed, voice breaking with relief as he reached out to stroke her hair. So she wasn't cursed into an eternal sleep. And yet it was clear she was still very ill with something.

Lily's brow scrunched up. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered.

Lancelot's heart clenched. "You're sick," he said. "But Gaius and Merlin are working on a way to make you better."

Her eyes crinkled. "I don't feel sick. I feel…" She trailed off, eyes sliding closed again.

"Lily?" Lancelot called urgently.

Her eyelids fluttered open again. "Tired," she murmured.

Gaius came over, a small cup in hand. "I know, my dear, but I'd like you to drink this." He slipped a hand beneath her head to lift it enough for her to sip at the liquid.

Her eyes closed before she'd finished, and when Gaius laid her head back down on the pillow, she seemed unconscious again.

He went back to his research with Merlin, and Lancelot stayed by Lily's side, watching for every shallow breath to make sure she wasn't slipping away. Hours passed, and whatever medicine Gaius had given her didn't seem to be having any effect.

Eventually evening fell, but Lancelot couldn't bring himself to leave Lily's side, even though he was intruding on Gaius's space. Not that the old physician seemed ready to call it a night, and neither did Merlin. The two of them worked well into the night before finally falling asleep over their books. Lancelot didn't wake them. They were doing all they could, pushing themselves hard; they needed some rest.

Lancelot, for his part, didn't sleep at all.

And when dawn broke, there was no improvement. In fact, Lily seemed even more pale and wan, her chest barely moving with the shallowest of breaths. Lancelot wrapped his hand around her wrist, pressing his fingers against the pulse point there. It was so faint.

"She's dying, isn't she?" he asked hoarsely after Gaius had examined her again. The look the physician shared with Merlin was answer enough. And when the two of them stepped outside, Lancelot wondered whether they were at least speaking it aloud to each other.

But they later returned and resumed their tireless research. Gaius attempted a couple more remedies, but Lily was too weak to take anything anymore, and they couldn't get her to wake again. Lancelot had never seen someone decline so rapidly. It seemed that she wouldn't last long enough to even make it to the harbor at this point.

Some time later, Gaius's door creaked open and Gwen and Arthur entered, expressions solemn.

"How is she?" Gwen asked, gaze going to Lily.

Lancelot shook his head, unable to say the words.

"It's not good," Gaius admitted grimly. "But I am still doing everything I can."

"We know you are, Gaius," Arthur replied.

Gwen came over and put a hand on Lancelot's arm. "When's the last time you slept or ate?"

"I can't think of that right now," he answered.

"You have to look after yourself," Gwen insisted. "I'll sit with Lily for a while."

Lancelot started to shake his head again, unable to bear the thought that she could slip away while he was gone.

"Lancelot," Arthur interjected with kingly authority, but also the kindness of a friend. "I remember you doing the same for me not so long ago. So come on. I'll have some food brought to the private dining room."

Lancelot cast another regretful look at Lily, even as he found it difficult to refuse his lord's command. He knew Arthur and Gwen were only trying to help. So he reluctantly tore himself away from his beloved's side and let Arthur drag him upstairs to the king's private dining chamber. Arthur had an entire helping of bread, cheese, and meat brought up, though Lancelot wasn't feeling very hungry. He picked half-heartedly at the meal nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," Arthur spoke softly after several minutes.

Lancelot hung his head, feeling so defeated by the cruelty of fate. "We didn't even get to marry before it all ended," he whispered hoarsely.

"Don't give up hope just yet," Arthur said ardently. "We've come through situations like this before. Even when things seemed hopeless, there was always a way. You said the very same thing to me in this room when our places were reversed. You believed it then."

Yes, he had. But Lancelot wondered how many miracles they could be granted in a single lifetime. …If he'd used up his.

He would trade his life now, if it would save Lily's.

He forced himself to finish his plate so he could return to Gaius's chambers that much faster. Arthur didn't comment any further, but his presence at Lancelot's side was comforting as they traversed the oddly quiet halls. Lancelot's heart skipped a beat in fear as he opened Gaius's door, expecting to be met with tragedy.

But Merlin and Gaius were still poring over their books and Gwen was sitting by the cot, holding Lily's hand. Lancelot wordlessly exchanged places with her, and neither she nor Arthur said any more before leaving.

The heavy food in Lancelot's stomach was making him sleepy, and he ended up pillowing his head on his arm on the side of the cot and finally slipping into a restless slumber.

He woke to Lily violently jerking on the cot, though no sounds escaped her mouth. "Gaius!" he shouted, bolting upright.

Gaius and Merlin rushed over, only to pull up short and gape in stupefaction. Lily's arms and shoulders were suddenly covered in thorns that had burst right up through her skin. Blood weeped from the split slashes and trickled onto the blankets.

"What is this?" Lancelot asked in horror.

Merlin's eyes were dark as he responded. "Magic."


Merlin and Gaius stood in the king's council chambers, filling in Arthur, Gwen, and the other knights of the inner circle about the latest development. Lily wasn't sick with some mysterious illness; someone had targeted her with magic.

"Who would do this?" Gwen asked, distressed by the news. "And why Lily?"

"We can't know that unless we find who's behind it," Gaius answered.

"Curses usually use some kind of physical focusing item, right?" Arthur said. "If they're activated from a distance, that is. And no one's approached Lily to magically attack her."

Merlin shared a subtle look with Gaius. Arthur had apparently been paying attention to magic related things.

"That is correct, Sire," Gaius said.

Arthur nodded. "Search her room. We need to find what caused this and maybe destroying it will break the enchantment."

Merlin's brows rose sharply in response. Arthur had been paying a lot more attention. Merlin would have to wonder later whether that was a good thing for him or not. Right now, he headed to Lily's room with the other knights to search every inch of it. Merlin had only checked under the bed for a poppet—and he looked again, just to be sure he hadn't missed anything.

"This feels wrong," Elyan said as he opened each drawer and rifled through its contents. "Lily isn't a criminal."

"We're trying to help her," Leon replied, though he also looked discomfited as he opened the armoire.

"How are we supposed to know if something's enchanted?" Gwaine put in. "What if it looks like an ordinary object?"

"Well, it'd have to be something new, something that wasn't here before," Merlin said.

"And how are we supposed to know the difference?"

Merlin pursed his mouth. Gwaine had a point, but given the severity of this curse, Merlin figured he'd be able to sense a cursed object when he came upon it.

The thing was, there wasn't anything that stood out.

"There's nothing here," Elyan finally declared after they'd thoroughly searched everything. "Now what?"

Merlin's chest tightened. If he couldn't find the source of the curse, he wouldn't be able to stop it from continuing to drain Lily's life away or potentially mutilating her body more.

"These aren't her only things," Percival said, straightening sharply. "She has her garden outside."

Merlin perked up at that. Of course.

He made a beeline for the door, the rest of the knights hurrying behind him.

The garden looked perfectly normal as well…except for one thorny weed that was all shriveled up. And Merlin could definitely feel malignant waves wafting off of it.

He crouched down and reached for the plant, grimacing as the touch of evil made contact with his palm. He cautiously ripped the weed up by its roots, relieved when nothing seemingly disastrous happened, though now he had the urgent need to get back to Lily.

The knights followed, all of them crowding into Gaius's chambers where Arthur and Gwen already were with Lancelot and Lily. Merlin immediately showed the dead plant to Gaius, who scrutinized it with studious intensity.

"Did anything else in the garden look like this?"

Merlin shook his head. "Nothing was even wilted."

"That's it then, right?" Percival spoke up. "The thing making Lily sick?"

Gaius pursed his mouth. "It's possible, though I'm not sure how exactly it would have affected her and not anyone else."

Gwen suddenly made a distressed sound. "Two days ago Lily was tending the garden and pricked her finger on one of the plants."

"Was it this one?" Gaius asked.

Gwen's face scrunched up in anguish. "I don't know. It was so minor, and I whisked her away for her dress fitting…"

"You couldn't have known," Arthur consoled her.

Lancelot cleared his throat. "Does this help us?"

"Our only course at present is to destroy the weed," Gaius replied and strode toward the fireplace. He tossed the plant inside where it was instantly consumed by the flames and turned to ash.

Everyone's eyes shifted to Lily in expectation. But after several long moments of tense waiting, nothing happened.

The grisly thorns didn't disappear, and Lily didn't wake up.