Things are finally started to pick up, I hope. This is turning out so much longer than I wanted it to. Thank you to everybody who is still reading!

Enjoy!

~Ra1n

Previously...

No sooner had he started to follow them, however, when he heard a familiar whinny come from behind. Rolling his eyes, he spun towards the clearing-

Only to come face-to-face with a band of hooded strangers.

Gwaine stood, frozen, the rain coming down in sheets. Somehow, the strangers seemed untouched by the rain; the droplets falling around them but not touching them, their dark cloaks not even dampened by the storm. Gwaine immediately sensed magic, and he forced himself to stay calm. Wasn't this what he had been looking for?

"Sir Gwaine," the tallest of the hooded figures stepped forward, the rest remaining behind.

Gwaine's mouth fell open. The hooded figure chuckled and brought his hands up to remove his hood, revealing a lined face and a shock of curly gray hair. In response, the rest of the group did the same, and Gwaine was shocked to see that half of the group, maybe five or six people in total, possessed the glowing eyes of a sorcerer. Gwaine took a moment to wonder at what kind of spell they were casting, but quickly moved his attention back to the leader. Without any introduction, Gwaine knew precisely who it was he was addressing.

"Iseldir."

The Druid smiled and inclined his head. Gwaine, not knowing what, exactly, he should do in the presence of such a powerful leader, bowed slightly. The leader shook his head.

"Do not bow to me, Sir Gwaine, for we have more pressing matters at hand."

Gwaine straightened. Obviously, this was going better than he had hoped. Better get right to it, then. "Merlin-"

"-is in trouble," Iseldir finished, and the group of druids shifted uncomfortably, "We know. We can sense it."

"Then you will help?" Gwaine's voice cracked; this was appearing to be infinitely easier than he had hoped.

Iseldir put his hands up, his smile disappearing. "We cannot deny Emrys in his time of need," he said, "but I must ensure my people's safety first."

"Yes, yes!" Gwaine burst, "of course! You are all welcome to Camelot. The king himself sent me-"

Iseldir cut him off. "It is not the king I am worried about. As I understand, there are greater threats to Camelot than a single king's stupidity."

Gwaine shook his head. "I don't understand."

Iseldir turned to look at the band of druids behind him. With urgency, one took a step forward, a young woman with pale green eyes. Her brown hair tumbled down her back, bone dry. Gwaine surveyed her warily.

"Morgana-" she said quietly. Her wide eyes flashed gold and she seemed to stare straight through Gwaine as she spoke, "Her troops grow tired."

Iseldir nodded and placed his hands on the young woman's shoulders. "This is Linona. She is our most powerful Seer."

Gwaine looked at her, enchanted by her beauty and wide, staring eyes. "What does she see?"

Iseldir tightened his grip on her shoulders before releasing them suddenly.

"I see Morgana," she said, blinking the dazed look away from her pupils, "And I see Emrys." She leaned in close, her eyes inches from his face, "And I see you."

Iseldir took over. "Thank you, Linona," he said, ushering her to the back of the group, where her eyes began to glow again. He then turned towards Gwaine:

"Linona can do the magic of a scryer without an object. She has been watching Camelot for weeks now. She is how I knew where to find Arthur, and how I knew to look for you. And she is how I know that Morgana is on her way to Camelot, intent on stealing the crown."

Gwaine paled.

"Do not worry, Sir Gwaine. We have stalled her for now. Long enough to see Emrys, at the very least. But I need your solemn oath that no harm will befall my people if we are to enter Camelot, and that any magic we practice will go unpunished."

Gwaine nodded. "Of course, sir. There will be no retributions for the magic you practice within Camelot's walls. I swear to it."

"Then we shall come."

Gwaine couldn't hide his relieved smile. There was, however, something that was still bugging him. "May I ask you a question, then, sir? Before we begin our trip back?" At Iseldir's nod, Gwaine continued, "How did such a small group of you manage to stall an entire army?"

The group of Druids whose eyes were still glowing each cracked a smile. Iseldir gave them a knowing glance and laid his hands, palm-up, to catch some of the rain that was still steadily falling around them. Not a single drop touched his skin.

"Never underestimate the power of bad weather," he said, as Gwaine's horse trotted into the clearing.

The moment Gwaine had joined the Druids, the rain stopped. Or, at least it stopped falling on him, which was a blessing in and of itself. His clothes were still a little damp, but even most of that problem had been solved by the druids. Plodding along with his horse in tow, Gwaine wondered what it must be like to have so much power. He started to think about the amount of convenience it must have been for Merlin, but stopped himself when he realized what it had ultimately lead to. Instead, he marvelled at how much prettier the rain was when it wasn't in his eyes and dripping down his face.

They walked in silence for the better part of half an hour before Iseldir finally broke it.

"Sir Gwaine," he said, walking slightly ahead of the group. Gwaine hummed in response, still in awe of the situation he had found himself in.

Iseldir continued, "We are aware that Emrys is in trouble, but given the nature of his magic and his no doubt declining health, we have been unable to contact him further. What are the extent of his injuries? Are you aware of his current condition?"

Gwaine looked sharply at Iseldir, his wonderment gone. This was the part he had dreaded.

"He's, uh…" he took a moment to run his hand through his wet hair, trying to find the words, "He ain't doing too great."

He looked Iseldir in the eye. The Druid looked worried and a little sad at the revelation, but not surprised.

"That was to be expected. From Linona's descriptions and what I could gather, we weren't expecting him to be in good condition."

"Then why didn't you come sooner?"

"We did not want to approach the castle. We feared in doing so, we may worsen the situation even further."

Gwaine nodded, staring straight ahead. They were closer to Camelot now.

"It's the collar."

Iseldir raised his eyebrows. "The collar?"

Gwaine winced and nodded. "We've tried everything, but we can't get it off. Not even the jewelsmith knew how."

Iseldir's mouth was a grim line. "I see. And this is a magic suppressing collar, I imagine?"

Gwaine nodded silently. Iseldir looked at the sky for a moment, as if searching for something. "Then we must get there quickly. A creature of magic cannot survive with a collar like that on it for very long, and I fear we may already be too late to remove it."

Gwaine didn't respond. He was too busy picturing Merlin, living the rest of his life with a piece of iron around his neck. What would that do to his mental state, being forced to show the mark of a prisoner for the rest of his days? How would he cope, if he survived at all? He didn't want to think about it.

The group continued their slow walk, the rain falling around them.

Their pace was so slow, in fact, that Gwaine worried it would take them days to reach the castle. How long could a little rain hold off Morgana? And how long could a collar stay around a warlock's neck before it was too late to take it off? Shouldn't they be moving faster? He was about to voice his opinion when a shout from the back of the druid group caught his attention. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he followed their line of sight until his eyes came to rest on the tower of Camelot's castle rising from the tree line.

"How-?" He began, but stopped when he saw Iseldir's amusement. It was magic, of course. The same magic that was keeping them dry and making their eyes burn gold had must have moved their pace to an impossible speed. Shaking his head, Gwaine lead the small group towards Camelot's gates.

As they arrived, the guards stopped them, glancing suspiciously at the Druid's glowing eyes.

"They are not allowed within the castle," one spoke. The other nodded behind him. Gwaine's brow furrowed.

"Now listen here," he said, leaning in close to the guards, "I am to escort these people into the castle by orders of the king himself, and to defy me is to defy king Arthur."

The guards didn't seem convinced.

"And how do we know you are following the king's orders?"

Gwaine rolled his eyes. "Ask him!"

"We cannot leave our post."

Gwaine threw his hands up into the air. The druids looked at him apologetically.

"Gwaine?!"

The knight turned at the sound of his name to see Owain approaching, lapong from the wall he had apparently been sitting on. He let out a breath of relief.

"Sir Owain," he said, nodding. The head guard nodded back.

"What is the problem?"

Gwaine nodded towards the guards, then to the druids at his back. "I need to have passage into the castle."

Owain looked at the druids. Then, in a whisper:

"Does this have anything to do with the kid?"

Gwaine nodded gravely. Owain took a step back. "Let them through!" He announced, ushering the guards back. They let out a few muted protests, but didn't stop them as Gwaine and the group walked into the castle.

They arrived at Gaius's quarters to a scene of chaos.

"Gaius?!" Gwen's voice rang out, echoing off of the vials of potions and books on the shelves around her. Before her, Merlin was on the cot, thrashing against his blankets, tearing the bandages around his arms and torso in a feverish fit. "Gaius, come quickly!"

The old physician shuffled down the stairs, took one look at Merlin, and immediately grabbed the boy's shoulders, forcing them back onto the bed with surprising strength. "Get his legs," he said, "so that he doesn't injure himself further. We'll just wait this one out."

Gwen did as she was told, and within moments he had calmed again, his breathing slightly fast but not erratic. They released him and sat back down.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Gwen said. Gaius shook his head.

"Me neither."

It was at that moment that Gwaine decided to make their presence in the doorway known.

Both Gwen and Gaius's heads snapped up as the entire group entered the room, filling the space silently.

"You found him," Gaius breathed. Gwaine nodded.

"We have come to aid with the collar," Iseldir said, taking a step into the center of the room.

"Yes," Gaius said, "Yes, thank you. Thank you."

Iseldir held up his hand. "May I see Emrys?"

Gaius stood up immediately, as did Gwen. "Yes, of course," the physician said, moving away from the cot.

Iseldir approached the cot and looked at the warlock for a moment.

"How long has he been awake?" The druidian leader asked.

Gwen shook her head. "He hasn't."

Iseldir looked at her and smiled a little.

"Well, he is now."