On the evening after the coronation two days later, Gaius knocked upon the door that lead to Arthur's chambers. Within his gnarled hands was a book and an amulet. A worried expression was upon his face. This had been the first time Arthur had seen Gaius since Uther's death. Arthur couldn't blame Gaius for not coming around. He had, after all, banished Merlin.

"Come in," muttered Arthur as he looked up from the paperwork on his desk. "Gaius…" He looked back down. The new King found he couldn't look the old man in the eye. Arthur couldn't look at himself when he passed a mirror. His face made him sick. Although he hadn't admitted out loud, Arthur knew banishing Merlin had been a terrible mistake. His pride was preventing him from confessing this (even to himself.

"Sire," said Gaius. His voice low and tinged with worry. He didn't move from the doorframe. The physician just stood there, as if waiting for a better invitation to come in.

"Are you coming in, Gaius? I am quite busy," grumbled Arthur as he stifled a yawn.

"Of course," said the older man. Slowly, he came into the room. When he reached the desk, he lay a medallion on the table.

"What is that," the King asked as he stared at it. "Why have you brought it to me?"

"So, you've never seen this before," demanded the doctor. His tone both filled with worry and tinged with sharpness.

Arthur shook his head. "Of course not! Why would I ask you what it was if I had? That does not make any sense. Where did you find it?"

"I was reexamining your father and I noticed the pendent on him."

"So, what's the big deal? My father had a necklace that I happened to not recognize, so what? He has many things I don't recognize. It doesn't mean anything."

"I suppose not, however, it's design looked familiar. I began looking through my books and I found this," Gaius said. He laid the book on the table and pointed to a drawing that looked exactly like the pendant lying next to the tome.

"They look identical. What is it, Gaius? Is it magic?"

Sadly, the old man nodded. "It is," Gaius whispered. "It's an amulet forged with dark magic. It is used to counteract a healing spell and then make things ten times worse."

"Who would've done that?"

"Who do you think?"

"Morgana…" Arthur whispered, to which Gaius nodded. "But, why? And, does that mean that Merlin's spell should've worked?"

"Only Morgana knows why she does what she does. And yes, it does mean it should've worked," Gaius concurred. His voice was filled with even more worry.

"What does that mean for Merlin? Have I made a terrible mistake?"

"I'm afraid you may have, sire. You see, with magic there's a balance. One person dies to let another live…"

"And he would've been the one to die, correct?"

"Perhaps Merlin might've."

Arthur stood. "I need to find him! If he's hurt…" the King said, but he trailed off. Grabbing his sword and cloak, Arthur left his room and hurried to the stables.

Without even saddling his horse, he rode from the building and out of Camelot. Arthur pressed his mare hard and did not stop (or even slow) until he reached Ealdor in the middle of the next day. That was the only place Arthur could think that Merlin would go. It made sense to him. Arthur just hoped his hunch was true.

He took a moment to compose himself before walking up to Hunith's home. He raised a fist and knocked on the door. Arthur stepped back and waited. After a minute, there was no answer. He raised his hand again and knocked a second time. Moments later, Hunith came to the door. In her arms was a basket of wet laundry.

"Arthur, sire, what a surprise! Is everything all right? Is Merlin with you," she asked.

The King's mouth went dry. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "You mean, Merlin isn't here," asked Arthur. "I thought that he might be."

"Why? What has happened?"

"It's a long story."

Hunith frowned at the man. "Is he in trouble?"

"Perhaps and it's all my fault."

"I'm sure you're not to blame," said Hunith in a soft voice. "You're his best friend. You wouldn't let anything happen to him and he wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"But it is. I sent him away. I banished him."

Hunith took a step back. She dropped the laundry on the floor. "You what? Why?"

"I banished him. He attempted to heal my father. It didn't work. My father's died," whispered Arthur.

"I see," said Hunith. Her lips were pressed into a tight line. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find him and beg for forgiveness. What I did was wrong."

"Yes," Hunith agreed with a nod. "Sire, please, find my Merlin and make sure he's safe and sound."

"Don't worry, I will. I had better go," Arthur whispered. He turned on his heel and headed away from the home. Arthur mounted and began to ride back to Camelot just as hard and fast as he had going to Ealdor. He felt his face drain of color as he pondered the what if's. What if Merlin was dead? What if he lay on the side of the road, injured? What if he'd been captured? None of those circumstances sat well with him. He hoped none of them were true. However, Arthur had a feeling one of them was.

"Arthur," called someone in head of Arthur. It was a soft and feminine voice. "Arthur, come to me. I can help."

The voice made Arthur pull on the reins of the horse. "Hello? Who are you? Where are you," demanded the King as he dismounted the sweating beast.

"Arthur, come to me. I can help," she said gently.

"Where are you?" Arthur asked. "Who are you? I don't see you!"

"Follow my voice. Come to me, Arthur and you will see," the woman said in an alluring voice. "There is little time. Come to me. Please. Or your friend will not make it."

Arthur's felt his face drain even more. Taking a deep breath, he headed to the lake. He had no idea what he'd face and that scared him.