In a very confusing sequence of events, Arthur and Merlin ended up following Ismene's car to her home. The house was small and in obvious need of repair. The garden in the front was very overgrown and the windows were quite dirty. Inside, the furniture was old and scratched up. The place smelled like a mix of rose perfume and something rotting. Ismene led them into the kitchen and had them sit down at the table. Arthur noticed the collection of dirty dishes overflowing from the kitchen sink onto the counters and a few dished were even left on the floor. Ismene turned on the overhead light which flickered and cast a dim yellow glow down onto their faces.

Ismene smiled brightly, "Sorry for the mess."

Arthur looked over at Merlin, who didn't seem the least bit surprised or bothered by the disgusting state of his fake niece's home. Arthur jumped when he felt something in his lap. He looked down to a see an old, grumpy black and white cat glaring up at him. He stared back at it, "Uhhhh …"

Ismene walked over and scooped the cat up in her arms, "Gwendolen, that's no way to greet royalty. You must curtsy." Ismene attempted a very poor curtsy while holding the unamused cat in her arms.

Arthur spoke awkwardly, "Um, that's really not necessary."

Ismene smiled at him. She looked at Merlin, "Uncle Emrys, I think you've been lying to me. This King Arthur of yours is very much unlike a prat."

Merlin smirked, "Oh he's a prat alright. Just wait till you get to know him better."

Arthur retorted, "Shut up, Merlin."

Ismene put the cat down and sat down next to Arthur. She stared at him intently and this made Arthur rather uncomfortable. Her eyes were so green, so much like Morgana's. It made him shiver.

Ismene suddenly banged her hands down on the table, "Tea! I've forgotten the tea! I'm always forgetting something."

She went to stand up, but Merlin stopped her with a hand on her forearm. "Ismene, I need to ask a favor of you."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You can't walk in here after five years looking for favors. That's not fair."

Merlin took her hand in his and looked at her seriously, "It's for Arthur. Please, Ismene."

Ismene looked over at Arthur and smiled, "Oh, alright. One little favor then."

Arthur had no idea how this Morgana-look-alike was supposed to help him. He started to ask, "What's going- ?"

Suddenly Ismene grabbed his hand. She turned it around, so his palm faced up. She stared at it intently, running a finger over the lines. She spoke quietly, "Woooow. You've been through shit."

Arthur gave Merlin a panicked, confused look which he hoped communicated: SOS. Merlin ignored him though, and focused on Ismene. "Anything about his future?"

Ismene shook her head, "A palm can only hold the information of one lifetime. The lines all lead to Avalon. I don't see his return." She let go of Arthur's hand much to his relief. Ismene thought for a moment, "It might be written somewhere else. I could check on his foot?"

Arthur did not relish the thought of this woman examining his foot. He was already freaked out from the palm reading and Ismene seemed far too enthusiastic about the entire scenario. He gave Merlin another pleading look. Merlin tapped a finger on his chin and seemed to be thinking. "Arthur, will you lift your shirt up?"

Arthur started, "What?"

Merlin looked at him, "I think it's your scar."

Ismene's whole face brightened with excitement. "Oh yes! Brilliant! That's gotta be it!" Without any warning, she suddenly went to grab the hem of Arthur's shirt.

He fell back in his chair trying to avoid it and tumbled onto ground. He grunted, "Hold on a minute! I didn't agree to this!"

Merlin crouched down beside and helped him get back up into his chair. He squeezed Arthur's shoulder and looked at him pleadingly, "Arthur, I'm out of ideas. I know she's a little …" he hesitated, aware that Ismene was right there, "… forward, but she might be able to tell us something. I trust Ismene. Please, let her see it."

Arthur braced himself, "Okay, fine." Slowly, he lifted his shirt to reveal his scar. It was dark red and ugly, with red lines branching out from the center of it. Arthur had become wary of it after all the pain it had caused him. It reminded him of death, and he hated to look on it. He felt vulnerable sitting at the kitchen table with Morgana's green eyes looking him over. He was going to have to remember to ask Merlin about Ismene and why she looked so much like his dead sister. For now, he tried to make himself comfortable.

Ismene stared at the scar with awe, as though it were a great tome of knowledge. She leaned in, "It's uh … it's a lot."

Merlin spoke, "What can you see?"

"Well right off the bat I recognize the same mumbo-jumbo about 'two sides of the same coin' that was also on his palm. But there's a lot of material here. It's dense and complicated. I'll need to study it closely and reference my grimoire. This could take me all week to decipher."

Merlin asked, "Do you see anything about the wound itself?"

"It's magic."

Merlin tapped his fingers on his knee impatiently, "Yes and?"

"It's very red."

Merlin rolled his eyes, "Yes, Ismene, we can all see that it's red."

Ismene shook her head, "No, not the color. It's more than that …" Ismene slowly reached for the scar and very lightly brushed her finger against it.

Arthur tensed. Red.

Ismene gasped. They locked eyes. Arthur nodded his consent.

Ismene touched the scar again, this time with more pressure. Pendragon red.

Ismene pulled her hand back, "Are you seeing this?"

Arthur nodded, "Yes. I saw it before, too. At the lake."

Merlin started, "Saw what? What are you talking about? You didn't tell me about this."

Ismene pressed her whole hand against the length of Arthur's scar and held it there.

Red.

Pendragon red.

Pendragon.

Dragon.

DRAGON.

Ismene pulled her hand back again. Arthur and Ismene stared at each other, both panting and sweating. The shock of it was overwhelming. Ismene's hands trembled. Arthur clenched his fists.

Merlin stood up, "Someone tell me what's going on! What did you see?"

Ismene and Arthur held eye contact and replied together, "Dragon."