"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed as he pulled the young warlock into an embrace. "Or are you still Rowan?" he asked, glancing back and forth between the two.

"No, unfortunately for you, it's really me."

Gaius whirled around to face Rowan. "You're alive! How…"

"It was all Merlin's doing. He saved me. I owe my life to him," Rowan said as he cast a grateful look toward Merlin.

Merlin shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "It was nothing…just a transportation spell."

"Just a transportation spell? Those are extremely difficult!" Gaius looked genuinely impressed. "How did you do it?"

"Once I changed back into myself, I slipped around the back where no one could see me so I could use magic. Even though I was enchanted, I could remember bits and pieces from our conversation, so I knew Rowan was at the stake. It was incredible, Gaius. I had never tried this spell before, but it came to me…it was like it was in my head all along. Suddenly, Rowan was right in front of me."

"Remarkable!" Gaius said, pride in his voice. "But where did you go afterwards?"

"Here…to hide. I think we may have a tricky situation now," Merlin said, scratching his head.

Gaius furrowed his brow. "Yes…yes, I believe we do."

"How's Morgana?" Merlin suddenly asked.

"Morgana? Merlin, don't you know…" Gaius let his words hang.

"Don't I know what?"

"Morgana revealed herself and tried to use magic in front of the entire kingdom when she thought you were being executed. Now even Uther knows her secret."

Merlin turned to Rowan. "Did you know this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Must have slipped my mind when I was…oh, I don't know…being burnt alive," Rowan shot back.

"Where is she? Tell me where she is, Gaius!"

"I don't know. She disappeared into thin air. She lost control of her powers…I've never seen anything like it. I believe she was trying to save you."

Merlin collapsed onto the steps leading to his room, head in his hands. "No…this can't be. I won't let her suffer because of me."

"Merlin, she made her choice to reveal herself."

"But where is she? She could be anywhere…lost and confused! I have to find her."

"Are you out of your mind? There was no body found in the pyre, and every guard in Camelot has been ordered to kill you on site."

"Then I'll disguise myself…or transport myself out of Camelot. Now I know it can be done."

"Merlin, no," said Rowan, firmly.

"Look, I know you're both concerned for my safety, but I'll be fine, alright? Morgana is out there, unprotected, thinking that I'm dead."

"She's no concern to you anymore. You need to let her go," Rowan advised, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin quickly brushed it off.

"Let her go? I'm not giving up on her!"

"Merlin, I warned you about her from the beginning. She's the reason you ended up in this mess. You shouldn't trust her."

"None of this was her fault," Merlin snapped. "I trust Morgana completely."

"Don't let your infatuation blind you, Merlin. You're meant for greater things. Trust me on this…let her be."

"I think you should listen to Rowan for now," Gaius advised. "At least remain in hiding until Arthur speaks to his father on your behalf. Please? This old man can't bear to lose you again."

Merlin nodded slowly, barely looking in Rowan's direction. "I'll stay here for now…but I'm still going after her when everything's calmed down."

Gaius seemed somewhat relieved. "Good…good. I think we all need to get some sleep. We'll discuss this further in the morning. Goodnight."

"G'night," Merlin murmured as he turned and walked listlessly into his room. Rowan followed.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I didn't mean for my words to sound so harsh. But I'm concerned for you. Morgana is putting you at risk."

"Right…goodnight," Merlin said curtly as he jumped into bed without undressing, clearly ending the conversation.

Rowan sighed and settled on the floor with some blankets. His mind wandered restlessly throughout the night. He was alive. He had been fully prepared to die, but here he was. When he had seen himself burning on that pyre in one of his dreams, he had been so certain that it had meant he would have to sacrifice himself for Merlin. And he had…but thankfully his ending was better than he had anticipated. But Merlin…he was going to continue to endanger himself by helping Morgana. He loved her, that much was obvious, but this love for her was going to be his ruin.

Rowan could see that his work was not done…not yet.

Morgana shivered as she hugged her bare arms and huddled underneath the roots of an enormous oak tree. She still had no clue where she was, but she also hadn't attempted to scout the area. She could be right outside Camelot for all she knew. But she had a suspicious feeling that she wasn't. She must be deep in the forest. It was eerily quiet…with no sign of a patrol anywhere.

She had woken up about an hour ago to the darkness of the forest, after crying herself to sleep. She couldn't really tell how long she had been asleep, but she still felt exhausted. She was wide awake now, her thoughts running wild. Had she really revealed herself in front of the entirety of Camelot? Was Merlin really…dead? It all felt like a bad dream, one she hoped she would wake out of soon.

Morgana jumped when she heard the sound of something hissing right next to her. Her eyes widened when she laid eyes on it…it was a scorpion, and it closely resembled the creature she had seen on her way to the Druids. This one was still small…for now. Common sense told her to run as fast as she could, but she felt different now. She was different. Summoning up a spell she wasn't even quite comfortable with, she felt the power rise within her and watched as the scorpion backed away from her with a screech.

She smiled briefly…for once, she had kept her magic under control. It had worked, and she had Merlin to thank for that. Merlin…the thought of him brought back all the pain she had felt earlier. Utterly drained, she sobbed herself to sleep once again.

Morgana was jolted awake by the firm clamp of a hand against her mouth. All she knew before she was forced to breath in the heady scent of valerian was that she tried to fight the person…or persons…off as best as she could. And then she was vaguely aware of being carried away before drifting off into yet another dreamless sleep.

Sometimes I read my comments from you guys and end up liking your ideas way more than mine. ;) One reviewer said that it would have been funny if Rowan had been a girl (Rowena? lol) and Morgana could have gotten jealous. Even though that wasn't my intention with introducing the character, I thought it was still funny. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter...thanks for sticking with the story!