-3-

The sense of sorrow that washed over Ryll was unquenchable. She shifted in her sleep, her lips formed in a frown, her long, golden tresses tangled across her face. She was remembering. It was always when the barriers around her mind broke down and let in the waves of sleep that she remembered. But these were no good memories. They were best forgotten and kept locked away deep inside of her. Images of her parents flickered through her mind. They were ill, dying. She couldn't do anything to help them. The pestilence within her village was out of control, raging throughout households and wiping out entire families. But it wouldn't touch Ryll. She watched while everyone died around her, leaving her alone. She remembered walking through the village, tears running down her dirty cheeks, looking around at the broken down doors and smelling the stench of death. Her feet carried her out of the village, away from all she had known. Away from what had taken everything she had ever known away from her.

She came to a forest that wanted to swallow her whole. The blackness crept forward, trying to crush the very life from her. She felt her heartbeat quicken. A sudden wind blew her hair back, bringing with it the sound of screaming. Ryll stumbled backwards away from the forest, but the trees were already around her, grabbing her hair and pulling and scratching her from every which way. Ryll screamed and screamed, but they wouldn't let go.

"Ryll, Amaryllis!" She heard her name being called from somewhere beyond. The darkness lifted, and she awoke to find two scared faces watching her.

Ryll awoke to find both Merlin and Morgana looking at her with utmost worry. Morgana sat on the edge of her bed, a robe pulled over her nightgown. Her blue eyes were clouded with worry, her face pale. Merlin hovered behind her, his face dark in thought.

"You were screaming in your sleep," Morgana told her.

"I'm sorry to have woken you," Ryll said, embarrassed.

"Not at all," Morgana said. "I have nightmares all the time, so I know how you feel."

"I was just passing by," Merlin put in. "Gaius can fix something for you to help stop the nightmares."

"That's alright. I don't want to be a bother to anyone," Ryll said absently, her thoughts still twisted around the nightmare. "I just can't stop dreaming about my parents dying," she whispered, embarrassed by the sudden tears that had sprung into her eyes. She felt Morgana take her hand and squeeze it.

"It's alright," she said softly. "You're safe, and it's all just a bad memory."

Ryll felt a sob working its way up her throat. "I'm sorry," she choked, looking from Morgana to Merlin. Merlin stepped forward, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said.

Despite her tears, Ryll smiled. "I'm lucky to have found such friends," she said.

"Will you be alright?" Morgana asked. "I could stay for awhile if you'd like."

"No, don't worry. You should get some sleep."

Morgana nodded. "If you're alright."

"I'll be fine." Morgana smiled reassuringly before heading back to her own room. Merlin stood as well, but Ryll called him back. "Merlin." He stopped, turning back to her.

"Yes?"

"Just…." Ryll hesitated. "Nothing, just thank you." For now she knew she should keep her nightmares to herself. She didn't understand what they meant. She knew they were memories, but how accurate they were, she did not know. In her waking state, it was as if her childhood memories had been wiped clean, but in her dreams, everything started to come back to her as if she had tucked the memories so far down in her subconscious that they could be reached no other way.

"You're welcome. Let me know if you change your mind about the sleep tonic."

"I will, thank you, Merlin." She smiled at him as he left, shutting her door behind him.

Ryll lay back down, shutting her eyes and letting sleep wash over her once more. Her dreams did not plague her mind again, and she slept until the sun rose in the eastern sky, setting the sky ablaze. She heard movement and sat up to see Gwen delivering a new dress for her to wear.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't wake you," she said apologetically.

"Of course not, Gwen."

"I've brought you another dress. Morgana doesn't wear it much anymore. She thought you might like it and offered to buy you new dresses so you don't have to wear her old ones."

"Oh, no, these are beautiful. I don't need anything nicer than this." Ryll got out of bed to admire the silky light green dress.

"Would you like me to help you dress?" Gwen asked.

"No, thank you," Ryll said, smiling at the girl. She'd never been asked that before, but she could manage on her own and didn't want to waste Gwen's time.

"Morgana said she'd meet you outside her room for breakfast in ten minutes," Gwen told her before turning to leave. "She said your meeting with Uther went well."

"He was very cordial to me. I've heard of his reputation for being a difficult king though. I just hope I can stay on his good side."

"Uther is quick to judge and even quicker to punish, but he is a good king. I don't think you could ever do anything to upset him."

"You're right, of course." Her words felt false, but she smiled at Gwen until the girl shut the door behind her. Hurrying to dress, Ryll met Morgana outside of her room a few minutes later.

"How are you this morning?" Morgana asked, leading Ryll down to the dining hall.

"Every day I feel better," Ryll replied. "It's wonderful waking up and feeling safe. I haven't felt that way in a long time."

Morgana frowned. "I'm sorry for that. You're welcome here as long as you want to stay."

"Thank you." Ryll thought back to her long journey to Camelot. She'd never imagined being welcomed as a personal guest as the king. So far everything about the kingdom far surpassed her expectations.

The dining hall was empty, and Morgana explained that Uther usually ate in his room and Arthur was off taking care of some business in the lower town. "Would you care to take a ride this afternoon and get out of the castle for a little while? I've asked some guards to accompany us."

"I'd like that. I can bring my bow just in case."

"Your horse is in the stables," Morgana told her as they started in on breakfast. "Arthur assures me that Merlin has been taking good care of her."

"I thought Merlin was Arthur's servant. Is he a stable boy too?" Ryll cocked an eyebrow, her annoyance for Arthur growing.

"Merlin does everything for Arthur. Arthur can't be bothered to do anything for himself." Ryll could hear the derision in Morgana's words.

"He does seem to like bossing people around."

"He and Uther both. Arthur's like a well-trained dog around his father. Always following orders whether he believes it to be right or not."

"You don't agree with them then?"

"Not usually. Uther would have everyone with magic executed. But I don't believe all sorcerers are evil. There is some good force behind magic. I do not believe that all those who possess it are evil. Uther will not see this though. Right before you came here, I had an argument with him about a woman he had arrested for witchcraft. She didn't do anything, but just because she was under suspicion, he had her executed."

"That does seem harsh."

"He thinks if he doesn't enforce his laws so harshly, people will disobey him. He puts them in their place with fear. I know Arthur doesn't always agree with his father, but he doesn't have the backbone to say so."

"I suppose he does what he thinks is right and that is to follow his father's orders." Ryll decided she would be cautious around both Arthur and Uther. It would do no good to cast any suspicion upon herself whether she was guilty for anything or not.

"Enough of this talk, let's get some fresh air. Sometimes I feel so stifled in this castle."

Morgana waited for Ryll to retrieve her bow and then led her out to the stables where a stable boy saddled their horses. Four guards awaited them at the gates, two leading and two following behind them, giving the two girls a little space. They rode at a slow canter, Ryll enjoying the feel of wind on her face and in her hair, breathing in deeply. The sight of the forest was a welcome sight. Where the castle felt both enormous and stifling, the forest felt safe and open. The dew still clung in tiny droplets to the tips of leaves, brushing against her face as they rode into the calm forest. Morgana spoke a little of her upbringing, mentioning that her father had been killed in battle and that her mother had died when she was young. She had been Uther's ward for some time, and though she sometimes despised him for his actions, he treated her well and like a daughter.

"You're lucky to have him," Ryll told her. "Despite his faults, he's still there."

"That's true. I'm sorry that your parents died. How terrible to grow up without them."

"It was difficult, but I've learned how to survive on my own."

"It's important to know how to take care of yourself," Morgana agreed. "I've been trained to handle a sword. You never know in Camelot when your life is going to be threatened. Speaking of which, how is your wound?"

"Much better." Ryll put a hand to where the bandage was wound around her middle. "I can barely feel any pain." She hated to lie to Morgana, but she could see no good coming from telling her the miraculous truth about her wound.

"And your nightmare? Did it return?"

"No, thankfully."

"If you have more nightmares, you really should see Gaius. His remedies don't always work, but they can chase away the nightmares and help you to sleep."

"You suffer from nightmares too then?"

"Yes, I have for as long as I can remember. Sometimes-" she hesitated for a moment before going on, her words coming out quickly as if she needed to get them out in the open. "Sometimes it seems as if what I dream comes true."

"Like a prediction?"

"Yes," Morgana breathed, her eyes darting to the guards.

"Have you spoken to anyone about this?"

"I've told Gaius, but he just tells me that they're nightmares, nothing more. I'm not so sure though. But if Uther were to find out…." The rest of her words were left unspoken, but Ryll didn't need to ask what she meant.

"Then you'd best keep it to yourself," she said quietly. She felt the need to tell her own secret. But she had so many. "You can trust me with your secret," was all she said though.

"It feels so good to confide in someone," Morgana said, her tone thankful.

"It must be hard keeping that to yourself. But I wouldn't worry. It could be coincidence. Or even if you do have strong intuition, that doesn't make it magic."

"That's true, but would Uther see it that way?"

Ryll frowned. "Perhaps not."

"That is why I keep my nightmares a secret." Morgana glanced cautiously at the surrounding guards, her voice hushed in the quiet forest.

They fell silent as they continued to ride, each lost to her own thoughts. Ryll suddenly realized it was too quiet like it had been the day she rescued Morgana. They had ridden deep into the forest by now, and the horses grew restless. Ryll's own chestnut mare was well-trained and could sense danger from a distance. She now tossed her head, ears flicking in every direction as if she heard something the others could not.

"Maybe we should-" Ryll had been about to say 'turn back,' but her words were cut off when an inhuman scream came from somewhere within the woods. Ryll's horse threw up her head, her hooves skidding on the ground, as she stopped short.

"What is it?" Morgana asked.

As if in answer, an animal came charging through the trees, stopping short a few yards away. It had the head of a bull, the body of a lion, and the talons of a bird. Ryll had never seen such a beast before. It threw up its head, snorting angrily. Ryll's eyes widened, and her horse backed away. The guards had drawn their swords, but they looked as frightened as Ryll felt. The beast let out another scream, pawing at the ground with its lion paw. His horns looked lethal as it aimed them straight toward the small party of riders.

Ryll notched an arrow to her bow. "We need to get out of here," she said quietly, trying not to anger the beast anymore. She aimed the arrow at the beast, waiting for it to make a move. Before anyone could do anything though, the beast charged, coming straight at them. Ryll's arrow sped through the air, embedding itself in the beast's chest. It staggered, but did not stop. Ryll notched two more arrows, releasing both within a second. The beast tripped, but kept coming.

"Run!" Ryll screamed. They turned their horses, sending them galloping back down the pathway. Ryll could feel the ground vibrating beneath the creature's paws. Her horse had its ears laid flat against its head, her sides heaving with the effort of running so quickly. It seemed like ages passed until Ryll could finally see a spot of light up ahead where the forest ended. She looked back to see that the ferocious beast was still after them, blood seeping from around the arrows embedded in its chest. Morgana and the guards had moved ahead of her, and Ryll turned back to catch up to them. A low hanging branch caught her by surprise, catching her in the head and throwing her backwards off her horse. She hit the ground hard, stars bursting before her eyes. Something in her screamed at her to get up, but she lay dazed. When her vision finally cleared, she saw a lion's paw reach toward her, clawing at her side and pulling her toward it. Two deep red eyes peered angrily down at her from the bull's head. The horns looked deadly. The claws pierced her skin, and Ryll screamed, unable to bite back the pain. For a moment she thought she was dead. The creature raised a paw, claws unsheathed, and readied itself to take a strike at Ryll. She shut her eyes and waited for the pain to come.