A/N: I probably really should have read this one more time before posting, but I thought I kept you all waiting long enough! I'm so sorry this took me so long. As compensation, you can see that this chapter is double the size of the last few chapters. This chapter is a bit of a filler though, there isn't much action; hence why I had to rewrite at least three times to get the conversations right. Even now I'm a bit queasy about this chapter. Please be sure to give me some constructive criticism so I can go back and fix this later.

By the way... HOLY AFADHASDJKSAFAKSFDNAS! 15 Reviews? You guys will give me a heart attack! Thank you to all those who are following and favorite this story too! You guys are the best!

Disclaimer: If owned Merlin, the secret would have been revealed season 4 and Freya would still be alive!

Chapter 5

Merlin followed her blindly, feeling like he was trapped in a dream. It just seemed too good to be true. Well, minus the whole desert coming to life and trying to eat them alive part. Freya, his Freya was alive. She was standing right in front of him, desperately trying to pull the knights and the king out of the quicksand. She was sweating profusely from the amount of concentration she was putting into this spell.

He had so much he wanted to ask her. How was she still alive? Why hadn't she come to him before today? Why did she save Gwen? How did they escape from Morgana? Who was Queen Mab? But most importantly he wanted to know about her and well…where their relationship stood.

Merlin cursed himself for allowing his brain to take him down that path, Freya's struggling gasps snapped him out of it. He frowned, wondering if there was any way to help her. He closed his eyes and tried to project his thoughts to her, just as he did with the druids.

It's alright. You're doing fine, don't push yourself…He whispered calmingly. Freya stiffened in surprise, feeling his magic intrude her almost immediately. She looked like she wanted to tell him something, but settled for smiling and mouthing the words "Thank you." Merlin squeezed her hand in response.

"We must hurry. Please run faster your Highness." Freya asked, or rather told, the king as they ran. Though reluctant to follow her orders, the group considerably picked up their pace. It was awkward running across the shifting desert with their hands linked together like a chain, but they managed.

The more they ran the further away the edge of the forest seemed and having the hot sun and shifting sand under their feet only served to tire the knights down faster as they were practically being cooked in their armor. Guinevere, Merlin noted, happened to be, by far, in the worst condition of the lot. Her eyes were dull and the humidity and fatigue seemed to be making her eyes spin. His heart went out to his friend, but stopping simply wasn't an option.

They ran in silence with a sense of impending doom hanging over them, preventing them from talking (they were breathing too heavily for that anyway). When they finally reached the edge, they dropped hands and collapsed on the cracked earth. Merlin watched in wonder is the desert stormed like a typhoon and then in seconds reduced to a dead calm. Brilliant, the whole mess was just for them!

He sank down next to Arthur and Gwen and passed the queen his water skin.

"Thank you Merlin." Gwen said sweetly, taking a drink and passing the water skin around.

"We must keep moving," Freya reminded gently, her eyes momentarily flicking to meet Merlin's and then back to Arthur. The King was still sporting an awful scowl, much to her chagrin.

"We are not moving from this spot till you answer our questions." He growled, unsuccessfully keeping the venom out of his voice, the exhaustion finally testing Arthur's patience. Guinevere was quick to stand the druid's defense.

"Stop it Arthur. Can't you see your scaring her?"Gwen chided, taking Freya's hand. Merlin frowned, was it just his imagination or did Gwen seeming to be treating Freya like…like a puppy. Freya wore a similarly baffled expression, her cheeks turning slightly rosy.

"I'm fine my Lady," Freya said meekly, patting Guinevere's hand. Arthur looked like he was about to tear his hair out. Gwen however smiled back at Freya, purposefully ignoring her husband.

"I think we have to right to know whether or not we can trust her Gwen." Arthur said through gritted teeth, running his calloused hands through his damp dirty blond hair. Merlin could sense another argument coming. He sighed, wishing Arthur would let it go. Freya was right, the forest, the desert, the tower; they were all giving Merlin a really bad feeling, like there was something darker lurking behind it all.

Suddenly the feeling of imminent danger spiked and Merlin snapped his head around searching for the source. The malicious magic he'd sensed from the tower earlier disappeared when it crumbled. But the feeling had returned and this time it was much too close for comfort.

Merlin learned the hard way to never mistrust his instincts, and his instincts were screaming that something really really bad was about to happen. If he could just pinpoint where it…there!

"FREYA!" Merlin roared and tackled the sorceress and the queen both to ground just as a wall of flames blazed in the spot where they had stood. Within seconds the wall danced along the forest floor, slithering and gliding in a grotesque pattern, fleeing directionless until Merlin realized what was going on. "Arthur get closer!" He shouted.

The knights seemed to come to the same conclusion as Merlin did. They quickly pulled Gwen and Freya into the center, and Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon all circled the ladies, shielding them from the flames as they trapped the lot into a tiny circle of space. The flames blazed twenty feet high and burned hotter than the desert sun. Merlin felt sweat pouring down his back by the buckets; the knights seemed to frying in their armors as the metal caught heat rapidly.

"Do not let the flames touch you! We must protect the queen." Arthur ordered. Merlin briefly paused to appreciate Arthur's ability to just go with a situation rather than react to it. "This is clearly the work of magic, whoever you are, SHOW YOURSELF!" The king demanded.

The fire crackled strangely, almost sounding like laughter. Then, right before Merlin, the flames conformed erratically and turned into a face.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried, the knights all turned to his direction and saw a woman's face. The woman had pixie like features, the blood red flames made up her eyes and lips.

"Mab…"A dark whisper came from within the circle. Merlin's eyes flickered to Freya and back to Arthur. The king tossed Merlin a sword.

"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Arthur demanded with his sword poised to attack. The woman's face twisted into a wicked smirk and a taunting cackle followed. Her laugh bellowed causing the flames to rise higher, and nearly encasing them in a suffocating flame dome.

"Oh what a delight! Lady Freya, Guardian of the Gates of Avalon, High Priestess in training and apprentice to the dryads, otherwise known as the elusive Lady of the Lake…I must admit my lady, I'd never have presumed you'd be responsible for Lady Morgana's state of indisposition," The face in the fire sneered delicately, her voice cold like dorocha's touch.

Merlin felt his magic surging and throbbing under his skin, restlessly reacting to the dark magic seeping out of the woman. This…this creature of magic whoever she was, was incredibly strong—strong enough to shake Merlin's magical core. The woman's golden eyes flickered amusedly between Merlin and Freya as if she was saying I know your little secret.

Freya suddenly broke out of the circle and placed herself between Arthur, Merlin and the face.

"You appear to have underestimated me Queen Mab." Freya replied evenly, her head held high as authority seemed to ooze from her stature. Merlin had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing a mini Arthur. He noticed that Arthur had stiffened, it wasn't hard to ascertain why.

Freya had just initiated a battle of wills. Merlin knew that Arthur had been in a similar situation countless times, when he dealt with rampaging sorceresses or narrow minded nobles—it was a battle of wit and mental tenacity where one wrong word would mean game over.

"I hardly think not child. Take care to remember whose domain you stand in." Mab replied amusedly, only thinly veiling the threat in her words. Freya raised an eyebrow in response, not at all looking perturbed by Mab's challenge.

"I'm perfectly aware of where I stand your Highness. Do not presume you can manipulate me, I am not one of your pawns." Freya responded, a challenge evident in her voice. A precarious silence settled around them so that even the drop of pebble would shatter the thinly veiled mask of enmity between the two. Queen Mab scrutinized Freya's face, as if she could sense the bluff in her voice but needed to see it for herself in her eyes. She smirked when she found what she was looking for.

"Very well little priestess. I shall do your elders a favor of testing you myself." Mab responded in sing-song voice full of pomp. "Henceforth, I shall set three trails for you to overcome. You may use whatever weapon you possess in your arsenal." Merlin immediately tensed; there was no doubt in his mind that Mab had recognized that he was Emrys. "However, should even one of these metal rats die on your watch…you will be banished from the Lake of Avalon forever."

Though it lasted less than a fraction of a second, there was unmistakable look of terror on Freya's face. But it was gone as soon as it had come, and she glanced at Arthur. Will you trust me with your lives? She pleaded with her eyes. Startled as Arthur was by her reaction, he took her plea seriously. His calculating eyes darted between Freya and Mab. Knowing Arthur, he was probably deciding who was the lesser of the two evils. It seems he chose Freya.

"I accept your challenge your Highness, I will not let a single one of these men die." She finally replied. Mab smiled smugly knowing that she had lured Freya into her trap, her eyes glinted molten gold and Merlin's instincts screamed for them to RUN!

"Freya!" Merlin cried and pulled her back with a harsh tug. Mab's face dissolved in the fire and flames finally consumed them in a massive dome.

"Shit." Gwaine cried.

"That's an understatement mate." Percival muttered, stripping off his cloak and draping it over Freya and Guinevere. Poor Gwen looked like she was about to faint. Leon quickly wrapped his cloak around the queen as well, protectively shielding her from the smoke.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered urgently.

"Not now Merlin, I need to figure out how to get us all out of here." The blonde didn't even bother turning. Merlin swallowed nervously, he knew the only way to break magic this powerful was with magic. But he couldn't do it. His eyes flickered to Freya…it was the only way.

Merlin pulled Freya close to him in the panic. "Freya…you need to stop the flames." He whispered. Freya looked to him with startled expression.

"I-I can't. Mab's magic is too powerful for me!" I don't even have a spell for this, the last part she told him telepathically.

"What?" Elyan cried, being the closest to the pair. "Are you telling me that you bet our lives with th-that witch without the power to defeat her?" He sputtered incredulously. Freya cringed into Merlin's arms, while Elyan loomed threateningly over her. Arthur quickly placed an arm on his knight, shooting him a sympathetic look; Elyan calmed down almost immediately.

Arthur's sharp gaze then fell on Freya. "You'd better have a plan to get us out of here… the flames will be upon us any moment now." Freya gulped softly, and Merlin felt her trembling against him. It was unnoticeable to the others, but having Freya in his arms he could practically feel the nervous tension rolling off her in waves.

Hush, calm down Freya.

I-I'm sorry Merlin…I shouldn't have gotten the King involved.

You did what you had to save us without exposing me. I'm grateful you know?

W-what do we do? She asked anxiously, her wide, pleading eyes searching his own for an answer. Merlin bit his inner cheek. He had an idea in mind but the question was would Freya be able to execute it? He could feel the lively magic thrum under Freya's soft skin, much more powerful and honed than it had been several years ago but still…there was something off about her magic. He shook his head, now wasn't the time to be thinking all this. He just had to put his faith in her magic.

First, you need to calm down and take a deep breath. Begin focusing as much magic as you can to the palms of your hands. When I give you the spell, you need to use your imagination to guide your magic. Don't worry…I know you can do this, my Lady of the Lake.

O-okay. Freya closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She held her a palm out to the flames. Merlin knew the others were watching her in a panic, shooting questioning looks at him, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He held her close, his arms weaving around her waist. When he saw enough magic gather in her hands he quickly whispered the spell in her ears.

Freya's eyes snapped open, revealing the liquid gold shade that showed she was about to use powerful magic. She turned to Arthur. "I'm going to create an opening for us, the spell will only hold off the flames for about ten seconds. Please get yourselves to safety your highnesses."

The knights looked concerned, obliviously the idea of being saved by sorceress didn't appeal to them, but these men were survivors; they knew when they had to take risks to survive. It was Arthur who gave the final nod, and Merlin felt his heart soar for a fraction of a second. He nodded at Freya who was more than ready to begin the spell.

She took a deep breath and the magic of the earth began to flow into her. "Ic her accigie ænne windraes! Færblæd waw! Windræs ungetermed: ge hier! Ic de bebeod mid ealle strangesse daet du geblawest ond syrmest strange! Stalic na lasracha!"** A gale of powerful wind pushed forth from Freya's hand and spun into a towering column just as Freya picture it in her mind. At first, the wind only aggravated the fire and nearly collapsed upon them –Merlin realized the she hadn't put enough power into it and quickly put his hand over hers—their magic flowed together, sparking and crackling explosively until they melted together as one.

Their power was overwhelming. The gale broke through the flames like the parting of a sea. Arthur and the Knights didn't hesitate to jump the moment the flames cleared, pulling Guinevere along with them. Freya ended the spell and the flames began to spread back into its former shape, Merlin knew that he and Freya only had one chance to—

"Jump!"They leapt into the air and soared over the ring of fire below them. They landed on their sides just as the flames finally collapsed where they stood. The flames blazed hotly and then completely died out leaving a blackened, charred earth in its place.

They panted and gasped for fresh air, and helped each other rise to their feet. A prickling sensation went up Merlin's neck, like he was being watched. He spun around abruptly but there was nothing but trees and foliage behind him. Merlin frowned. He was certain there was something there.

"You felt it as well?" Arthur asked, coming to his side, and discretely checking his servant for any sign of burn marks.

"She must be watching us from somewhere nearby." Merlin responded. He drew his eyes away from the woods and quickly scanned the knights and Arthur for injuries. They were fine, but Guinevere was degrading fast. His friend looked desperate for a night of sleep. But they weren't safe her, not as long as this Mab figure was nearby.

"The tower." Freya answered from beside Merlin, having finally caught her breath. "She must be using the tower as medium to magnify her magic." Like my staff, Merlin thought to her dryly. Freya's lips twitched to fight a smile.

"Didn't the tower collapse? How can she make anything happen with that rubble?" Gwaine asked, the first of the knight's to truly address Freya. No surprise there, Gwaine was too damn curious for his own good. So of course he would be take initiative to talk to perhaps the only sorcerer to willing help the King of Camelot.

Her eyes widened for a moment but she quickly caught herself. "You saw her power Sir Gwaine. She moved the desert, creating the illusion of the tower's collapse is child play for Queen Mab." Freya shook her head. She then pursed her lip and quickly scanned her surroundings. "If my predictions are correct, every tree, twig and rock within the seven league radius is under her control. We cannot stay here for long."

Arthur curled his fist around his sword, clearly irritated because he had a lot to say. But it wasn't the time. They needed to get to safety first.

"Let's go."

Hehe, so as I said not much action in this one, and I know a lot of you are waiting to find about Morgana, or Arthur questioning Merlin and Freya's relationship and such, don't worry, we're getting there! The next chapter will be action packed, but the one after that we will get to seem some Freylin action! I also hope to bring in some interaction from the knights as well.

Concept 4: The whole druids can communicate telepathically thing is so cool! I really wanted to see more of this in the show but oh well, that's what I have fanfictions for!

** Spell used by Merlin in 4x06 A Servant of Two Masters in his fight with Morgana. I've been planning this scene for a while now too!

By the way, this fic is self-Betaed so I apologize for any glaring mistakes.

Review, review, review!

Kiki1770