Hey all, sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've started a new semester at a new college, and my schedule is way more demanding than it was last time, so I don't know when I'll have time to write. I'll just have to beg you once again to be patient.

On the other side of the castle, Merlin's eyes snapped open. A wave of violently destructive magic had just erupted somewhere in the palace, and its sheer power had woken him like a slap to the face. As he scrambled out of bed and ran to investigate, he wondered whether he should alert someone else...but who? Will would be no help against a sorcerer or sorceress who could unleash this sort of magic, and Balinor's chambers were too far away for him to get there in time. So was the wing where the knights had their quarters. Merlin did however know a formidable warrior who didn't sleep in the knights' wing, so that was the person he reached out to.

Two corridors over, he met a shirtless, irate Arthur. "I was trying to sleep, and next thing I knew I heard your voice in my head yelling at me to get up and get my sword. What's the matter with you, Merlin?"

"Someone just used magic inside the castle."

"So? Dozens of people use magic in this castle."

Merlin was shaking his head before Arthur even finished speaking. "This was different from anything I've ever felt before, and it was so powerful it woke me out of a dead sleep."

Realizing that his friend was truly worried, Arthur set aside his annoyance and prepared himself to face a possible threat. "Are we under attack?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough."

"And how are we going to do that, Merlin?"

"My magic can guide me to the source of whatever I sensed, so shut up and follow me."

Arthur did, but before they had gone far Gwen barreled around a corner and crashed into the warlock. He instinctively grabbed her, noticing as he did that her hair was in disarray, her face was streaked with tears, and a strong smoky odor clung to her. "Gwen, what's wrong?"

"There's a fire in Morgana's bedchamber!"

Merlin's steadying grip on Gwen's arms tightened. "Where is she!"

The maid let out a hysterical sob. "Sh-she's trapped... I couldn't get to her. Please, you must help her!"

She was immediately thrust aside as Merlin charged off toward Morgana's chambers. When she tried to follow him, Arthur caught her and held her back. "Guinevere, no! There's nothing you can do here! Go and...summon the guards, or fetch some water or something." Then he ran after Merlin. Gwen hesitated only a second before following; she didn't know where any of the guards were, and fetching enough water to douse the fire would take a long time. She had to know if her friend was safe first.

###

Merlin plunged into Morgana's chambers with the spell to extinguish fire on the tip of his tongue, but the smoke inside was so thick it almost stifled him before he could get the words out. "Fl- Flammae deflatagllate!" The flames were smothered instantly, but he couldn't see Morgana anywhere. Cold dread gripped Merlin. Was he too late? Had she already burned or suffocated? "Morgana! Morgana, where are you?"

"I last saw her on her bed," Gwen offered from the doorway. "I think that's where the fire started."

Merlin ripped away the burnt hangings from the right side of the bed and discovered Morgana huddled in the center of the mattress, miraculously still alive. "Morgana, thank the gods!"

She slowly lowered her arms, which were covering her head, and looked up. "Merlin?"

"Yes, I'm here. The fire's out. You're safe now."

The next thing he knew she was kneeling on the bed's edge with her arms around him, sobbing into his neck. "Oh, Merlin, I was so scared! The fire was everywhere and there was no way out; I thought I was going to die!"

"I would never let that happen. You're safe," he repeated.

"Wh-why do these things keep happening to me? What have I done to deserve this?"

He lifted her from the charred ruin of her bed. "Nothing. Nobody deserves to go through what you have, you least of all."

"Maybe I'm cursed," she sniffled.

"Don't start thinking like that. Just because you've nearly died twice in one week doesn't mean there's a curse at work," Arthur said bracingly. "It might simply be bad luck. Could the bed have been set alight by a candle?"

"No, sire, I blew them all out," Gwen told him.

Still carrying Morgana, Merlin circled the bed and saw no evidence of any candles nearby. "She's right, it couldn't have been a candle."

"It was magic," Morgana mumbled without lifting her head from Merlin's shoulder. "I should have smelled the smoke and awakened in time to escape, but when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by the flames, as if they had sprung up everywhere at once. It wasn't natural."

Merlin agreed. "Since Arthur and I were coming this way when we ran into Gwen, I think the spell that started the fire was probably what woke me."

Morgana finally raised her head to peer up at his face. "It woke you? Why?"

"It was powerful magic."

"Do you know who cast it?" Gwen asked.

"Obviously not," Arthur answered for Merlin, "else we'd be arresting them right now."

Morgana trembled and curled closer to her fiancé. "It was likely someone who bears a grudge against Uther just as Edwin did - and there must be hundreds of people here with cause to hate him! If they've all got the same idea of how to exact revenge I'll be lucky to live out the week."

Gwen marched over to where Merlin stood, slipped a hand under Morgana's chin, and forced her head up. "Don't say that. Arthur and Merlin will find whoever's responsible - won't you, my lords?"

Arthur assured her that they would. "We'll begin searching for them at first light tomorrow."

"Sure you don't want to eat breakfast first?" Merlin asked tauntingly. "I know you'd hate to miss a meal."

"So you're just going to let the person who tried to kill me go free until after breakfast?" Morgana demanded.

"Merlin and I saw no one on our way here; the perpetrator will be long gone by now, so unless you want us to wake up the whole castle and search under everyone's beds, we might as well get some sleep so we can start fresh."

"How do you expect me to sleep knowing they might come back? Even if I could, I don't have a bed anymore."

"I can fix that. Hold on..." Merlin took his arm from around her lower back, stretched out his hand, and cast a spell that repaired the damage done by the flames and smoke. Within seconds, it was impossible to tell there had ever been a fire at all.

He tried to put Morgana down on her restored bed, but she wouldn't let go of him. "They could still come back! Please don't leave me."

Gwen stepped forward and gently pried Morgana's hands off Merlin's nightshirt. "I'll stay with you."

Her offer failed to comfort the distraught lady. "And if a murderous sorcerer bursts in here what are you going to do? You can't protect me from magic, Gwen." She looked up at Merlin. "I'm beginning to think I'm only safe with you."

"He can't spend the night in your chambers, Morgana," Arthur chided. "Merlin, tell her that's out of the question."

Merlin glanced from Arthur to Morgana and back, feeling torn. Arthur was right; he and Morgana were engaged but not yet married, so staying the night with her would shatter the bounds of propriety and go against everything he'd ever been taught about how a prince should act...yet as her future husband, it was also his duty to keep her safe. How could he walk away from her when she was terrified and upset to the point of tears? Discord between Merlin's head and his heart was rare, but he was certainly experiencing it now. In the end he complied with Arthur's demands, but not before linking his mind with Morgana's. If you need anything, call me, he instructed her.

How should I do that? she wondered.

Just think it - I'll hear your thoughts the same as if you were speaking out loud.

Then he walked away, but Morgana discovered that even with Merlin out of her sight she still felt his presence. Although it wasn't the same as having him with her in the flesh, it was reassuring to know he could still watch over her, if only from a distance.

###

Merlin!

He frowned and stirred restlessly in response to the feeling of another mind intruding on his. Morgana? He thought he remembered severing his connection with her once she was asleep, before going to bed himself - such links were used for communication over long distances and worked best when the parties involved directed specific thoughts to one another, so maintaining one between two people who were both in a state of suspended consciousness was fairly pointless - but perhaps his magic had reacted to his anxiety over her safety and emotional wellbeing by reaching out to her again while he slept. Or maybe he was only dreaming.

This is no dream, young warlock, and I am not Morgana.

Kilgharrah, Merlin sighed, relaxing as his visitor identified himself.

Yes, Merlin, it is I. Come to me when you wake, for I must speak with you.

You are speaking with me.

Merlin sensed the annoyed switching of Kilgharrah's tail. This is a matter I would prefer not to discuss from a distance whilst you sleep. You will therefore come to the mountains so we may speak face to face.

I have other business to attend-

Would you prefer I fly to the palace and carry you off like a disobedient hatchling?

Merlin decided he would not like that at all, so he told his friends at breakfast that he was going to visit the dragons. Morgana was not happy. "Are you forgetting that the person who tried to murder me last night is still out there? How can you catch them if you go gallivanting off to talk with dragons?"

"I'll leave the investigation in the hands of the guards; they're more than capable-" Merlin broke off as he remembered he was talking about the same guards who were nowhere to be found while his fiancée's life was in danger and had done nothing to help. "Well, surely they couldn't muck everything up if I left them on their own for one day...and put Lancelot in charge." Morgana still looked unsatisfied. "Hey, why don't you come with me? It'll be good for you to get outside, take your mind off things."

Morgana didn't see how an excursion to the dragons' nesting grounds could be good for her, but it couldn't be worse than sitting in her chambers all day, afraid to venture out alone in case her attacker was lying in wait. At least she would be safe with Merlin. "Very well."

"I'll come along too," Arthur declared. "Merlin, let's go ready the horses."

"Don't you mean send Cedric to ready our horses, dear brother?" Morgana asked sweetly.

Arthur rolled his eyes at her. "Morgana, I think I'm capable of saddling my own horse. Fetch your riding gloves and cloak and meet us in the courtyard in fifteen minutes."

"What's gotten into Arthur?" she asked Gwen once he and Merlin left. "Next he'll be telling me he can do up his own bootstraps."

Gwen giggled. "I told you last night, my lady, he's improving. He's not... Well, he's less of a prat than he used to be. Speaking of boots, you should probably change into some."

Morgana looked down at her green satin slippers with silver embellishments that matched the edging around the neckline of her emerald dress. Merlin would definitely disapprove, and he'd be right - they weren't suited for the rugged terrain of a mountain. "I suppose I should - I don't want another lecture from Merlin on inappropriate footwear."

"Well, what does he know?" Gwen handed over a pair of sturdy brown leather boots. "Here you are - he can't complain about these. And I've got your cloak and gloves. Should I fetch mine as well?"

"No, Gwen, I don't need you to accompany me today. You may stay here and assist Sir Lancelot with his investigation. Perhaps you can assist him with other things as well," Morgana added suggestively.

Gwen looked scandalized. "Morgana! Things aren't like that between us."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's not like we're having some salacious affair."

"That's good to know." To Morgana's knowledge, Gwen had never done anything remotely salacious in her life, and Morgana thought she might die of shock if she did.

Gwen brushed off Morgana's satin slippers, placed them in the bottom of the wardrobe, and turned to face her mistress, hands on her hips. "Morgana, you know where I am nearly every hour of every day. I simply don't have much time to spend with Lancelot."

"I'm sorry. Shall I lighten your workload? Now that I have Freya I could get by-"

"That's kind," Gwen cut her off firmly, "but you don't have to do that. You are the reason I left the home I shared with my father, all my friends, and everything else I've ever known. I came here for you, Morgana, not to flirt with knights."

"I know you did, Gwen - believe me, not a day goes by when I'm not grateful to have a friend who willingly gave up so much for me. I don't wish to stand in the way of you finding love."

"Love?" Gwen blinked rapidly. "I don't know that I exactly love Lancelot-"

"Then I think you should find out." Morgana finished tying her bootlaces and stood up. "I shall see you this afternoon, and when I return I do not want to hear that you've been working all day." She fastened her green cloak around her shoulders, pulled on her gloves, and swept out.

"Yes, my lady," Gwen muttered to the empty room. She went over to the window in time to see Morgana emerge into the courtyard, where Arthur and Merlin were waiting with the horses. Morgana looked better than Gwen had ever seen her after an especially bad night, and last night was indisputably the worst she'd ever had. Thanks to Merlin. I've never been able to calm Morgana the way he did; all I could ever do was give her another sleeping draft.

A smile crossed the maid's face as she watched Merlin help Morgana mount her horse; was it just her imagination, Gwen wondered, or did they hold onto one another's hands longer than was strictly necessary? Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to sort out her feelings.

Next up: Arthur and Morgana meet the dragons! And yes, Aithusa will be there. Also, Kilgharrah makes one of his famous speeches about destiny and doom and Morgana turning evil. The question is, will Merlin listen to him?