-4-

"The guards reported unusual sounds coming from the forest," Arthur said to Merlin as the two headed toward the courtyard. Just a few moments ago, Uther had given the request that Arthur take some of the knights of Camelot to investigate the sound. Merlin stumbled after him, carrying Arthur's sword and shield.

"Well take your time," Arthur said impatiently, throwing Merlin an exasperated look.

"Coming." Merlin resituated the sword, dropping the shield in the process. It rolled a few feet before coming to a wobbling halt on its side. "Got it." Merlin grabbed the shield.

"You are completely hopeless," Arthur put in, pulling the sword out of Merlin's grasp and buckling it around his waist over his chain mail. His horse was already saddled along with another for Merlin. Arthur mounted swiftly, reaching down to take the shield from Merlin. Merlin scrambled onto his own horse, feeling unprepared next to the knights with their billowing red capes and long broadswords. Well, not entirely unprepared, but he would save his magic for a last resort and when no one was watching.

They set off, leaving Camelot behind and riding out into the sun. It felt hot and itchy against the back of Merlin's head, and he tugged at the scarf tied loosely around his neck.

"What exactly did the guards hear?" he asked Arthur, pushing his horse to catch up to the prince.

"It was a sort of screaming, but definitely animal. They didn't know what to make of it."

"So possibly dangerous?"

"Probably," Arthur replied grimly.

"But it won't stand a chance against you," Merlin said. "I mean, you're the best knight Camelot's got. Whatever it is, you'll either kill it or scare it away."

"Merlin, will you shut up?" Arthur said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, I was just trying to look on the bright side." Merlin frowned, watching as Arthur bit back a retort. It looked as if he was having trouble not yelling at Merlin.

Before Arthur could think up a response, however, they entered the forest, following the pathway. The forest was very still, Merlin noticed. Under the hoof beats, he could hear no birds singing. The silence was split suddenly by an unearthly screaming. It sounded part animal, part human. "What is that?" Merlin asked, eyes widening.

"Don't be a coward, Merlin," Arthur told him, rolling his eyes and drawing his sword. Then they heard screaming, this time human. "Come on!" Arthur pushed his horse into a gallop, wielding his sword in his right hand. The screaming continued and was met with thundering hooves. Four guards and Morgana appeared, riding hard. They came to a halt when they saw Arthur. Morgana looked around, her skin pale, and her mouth opened slightly in terror.

"Where's Ryll?" she asked breathlessly. "She was right behind me!"

Merlin heard a scream from down the path. "Go get help!" Arthur told her before kicking his horse into a gallop. Merlin followed close behind. They pulled their horses to a halt when they saw the beast before them. It was nothing like anything Merlin had ever seen. It had the head of a bull, long, deadly looking horns and all, and the body of a lion as well as the talons of what looked like a vulture. It turned piercing red eyes on them, and Merlin looked down to see a small huddled figure, half buried under the creature's powerful paw. Claws had drawn blood, he could see.

"Ryll."

Arthur vaulted off the horse, brandishing his sword. He swung at the beast, who promptly let go of Ryll. Merlin rushed forward to drag the girl out of harms way. The creature batted a huge paw at Arthur who ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow. He managed to slice a line down the creature's thick front leg, but this only angered it. It lashed out, catching Arthur hard in the chest and sending him flying backwards into a tree. Ryll scrambled to her feet, shaking perceivably, but standing tall. Arthur lay unconscious, and Merlin saw that Ryll's bow lay out of reach. The beast turned its red eyes onto Ryll and him. Before he could act, the other knights stormed into the clearing, charging the beast. It screamed and lashed out, knocking several knights off their horses. Two landed in front of Merlin and Ryll, their eyes dead, their necks broken. Ryll gasped, clutching at Merlin's arm. Then she leaned forward and picked up one of the swords, brandishing it with a shaking hand. She handed the other to Merlin.

"Can you fight?" she asked, her blue eyes catching his. He gulped.

"Sort of."

"That will have to be good enough," she said softly, sounding much calmer than he felt. Three more knights were down leaving four. Ryll ran forward, sword aimed straight for the beast. It was distracted by the knights and did not see her coming. With a tremendous jab, Ryll pushed the sword into the beast's chest. It screamed, throwing up its head and knocking the knights back with its horns. They fell, unconscious, leaving Ryll alone to face it. Merlin looked around, hoping that help would come. But Morgana would not make it back to the castle in time. Merlin stepped forward. The sword had penetrated the beast, but he was still very much alive. Ryll stepped back, searching for a weapon. Taking advantage of the distraction, Merlin reached a hand forward uttering a spell under his breath. The sword twisted deeper into the beast until it staggered forward and fell, dead.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked Ryll. She spun around.

"Is it dead?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"I think so." Merlin prodded it with his boot.

"Did you kill it?" Ryll asked, wide-eyed.

"No, you did that." Ryll narrowed her eyes but seemed to accept that explanation. "You're brave, you know that?"

"You're not so bad yourself." She smiled at him.

"Well, I didn't really do anything."

"You didn't run." She looked around at the fallen guards. "It took its toll," she said softly.

"Arthur!" Merlin remembered the prince, running over to where he had fallen, Ryll at his side. The girl knelt down beside him, touching Arthur's shoulder. He stirred.

"Merlin." He opened his eyes, looking quite groggy at first and then alert as he remembered the battle he had been fighting before losing consciousness. "The beast?" He sat up, wincing and putting a hand to his head.

"Dead," Merlin told him. "Ryll killed it."

Arthur looked over at the girl. She looked scared and bedraggled, her left arm soaked in blood from a deep cut. "You did?" he sounded half astonished, half admiring.

"I guess so," Ryll said modestly. "It killed a lot of your knights though. I'm sorry for that."

Arthur rose with the help of Merlin, and looked at the devastation. The beast lay in the center of it, a sword protruding from its chest. Three of the knights stirred, but the others lay still. An expression of pain washed over Arthur's face, but he turned to Ryll. "Thank you. More lives could have been taken if not for your bravery."

Ryll bowed her head. "I could not stand by and watch it kill you or your knights." She swayed slightly on her feet, and Merlin caught her by the arm.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"The blood…." she whispered. "I've lost too much blood." Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell slack. Merlin caught her.

"We need to get her back to Gaius," he told Arthur.

"I'll carry her. You ride back and tell the king what has happened."

Merlin nodded, mounting his horse and riding back toward Camelot.

…

Ryll blinked her eyes open, unsure of where she was. The first thing she was aware of was that the room she lay in was dim, lit by candles. The second thing she noticed was the intense pain on her left arm. She cried out, putting her right hand gingerly on her left arm and feeling a bandage.

"You might not want to move just yet," came a familiar voice. Ryll tried to piece together everything. She remembered the beast and fighting it off and then losing consciousness from loss of blood and falling – oh no – into Merlin's arms. The voice belonged to Arthur, and she would bet her life that he carried her back to the castle. Embarrassment rushed up to her cheeks.

"I passed out, didn't I?" she asked. She turned her head and saw that Arthur was sitting next to her, still in his armor and looking both bruised and battered. His hands were covered in her blood though she could tell he had tried to wash some of it off.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed. You lost a lot of blood, and you saved my life. You did kill a giant beast after all."

Ryll cracked a smile. "True. I guess that counts for something."

Arthur smiled crookedly at her, his blue eyes curious as they surveyed her. "I've never met a girl who was willing to jump into battle with a giant beast without much thought to her own life."

"Well, I can honestly say this was a first – I mean, I've never come across a beast like that before. The scariest I've fought is rats in a cellar." She grimaced at her own joke.

"Merlin told me how brave you were."

"I didn't think I'd killed it, but I guess I had." Ryll frowned, thinking back. She had stabbed it, yes, but it had been coming back at her. She had been searching for some weapon. Merlin had been there. Had he really done something and let her take the credit? She didn't know what to think.

"Gaius says your wound should be healed soon. It wasn't as deep as it looked."

Ryll looked down at her arm. Already the pain was beginning to subside. She had a feeling it would be completely healed by tomorrow. "Let's hope so," she said. "Where is Gaius? And Merlin?" she asked, noticing their absence.

"Gaius is tending to the knights who were injured. Merlin's helping. I said I'd watch you until you woke up."

"You didn't have to do that." Ryll blushed.

"I wanted to. You saved my life. Making sure you were alright was the least I could do."

Ryll looked over at him, her initial opinion of him swiftly changing. He might come off as arrogant and ungrateful on the outside, but on the inside, he was honorable, and he obviously cared deeply for the lives of others.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me," she said softly.

"I guess I should go speak with my father. He'll want to know the whole story." Arthur stood.

"Yes, of course. Thanks again, Arthur, for everything." He nodded, sparing one last glance at her before leaving. Ryll closed her eyes again, letting weariness wash over her. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, she heard voices.

"Do you know what kind of beast that was?" It was Merlin, and Ryll supposed he was speaking to Gaius.

"I think I know. I've been looking in all my books and came across something that looks like what you described." There was a shuffling of pages. "A humbata has the head of a bull, the body of a lion, and the talons of a vulture," Gaius told him. "It's a mythological creature that is fierce and independent. It will try to defend its territory at all costs. There are a few accounts of sightings, but no one has ever had such a close encounter. Usually they live deep within forests out of sight. They do sometimes travel in pairs. You didn't see another one did you?"

"No, there was definitely just one," Merlin replied.

"It is said that only magic can kill them," Gaius continued, his voice lowering at these words.

"I think the legend is wrong because Ryll definitely killed it. With a sword. I didn't have anything to do with it. No one did."

There was a pause. "You don't think she-"

"I'm not sure," Gaius replied. Ryll's heart jolted. Were they suggesting that she had used magic? Surely not! All she had done was force the sword into the beast's chest. "It's probably nothing."

"I'm sure it is. All she did was stab it," Merlin's voice edged on panic though he tried to disguise it. Ryll could picture Gaius giving him a stern look. They fell silent, and Ryll thought it safe to pretend to wake up. She stirred, opening her eyes and trying to sit up. She felt hands on her back, and Merlin was there, helping her to sit up. Ryll looked up at him gratefully, finding that it hurt too much to put pressure on her left arm.

"Thank you."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. Arthur told me he spoke to you earlier. He was pretty impressed with you." His smile spread into a grin.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryll asked.

"Just that. I wasn't implying anything. He's just, you know, impressed with how brave you were."

Ryll refused to tell him just how happy that suddenly made her, but she couldn't hold back the blush that colored her cheeks. This made Merlin grin even more. Ryll shoved him with her good arm. "You are implying something." Merlin just grinned, stepping out of her range. "Is Morgana alright?" Ryll asked, changing the subject.

Merlin nodded. "She went back to the castle for help. She tried to ride back with the knights, but Uther refused for her own safety. She was livid. She wanted to make sure you were alright. She was in earlier when you were unconscious."

"I've got to go into town for awhile to tend a family. Fever has broken out in their household again," Gaius said, interrupting their conversation. "Merlin, check to make sure the wound isn't infected," he nodded toward Ryll's arm.

"I will." Merlin waited until Gaius was gone before beginning to carefully unwind Ryll's bandage. Before he could uncover the wound, Ryll caught his hand, pressing her own over his. He looked up at her, confused.

"Wait. What if it's like the last one?" she asked, frightened at the possibility. "What if it's already healed?"

"I guess we'll find out. Don't worry; you're safe. I would never tell anyone," Merlin reassured her. Ryll nodded, releasing his hand and allowing him to continue unwinding the bandage. She breathed in sharply at what she saw. Three deep wounds ran down her arm. They had been stitched up, but her arm was red and covered in dry blood. It wasn't healed in the least. She felt woozy at the sight and looked away. "It's not healed at all," she said.

"Maybe last time was just a fluke," Merlin suggested.

"Do you really believe that?"

"What else could it be?" Merlin looked up, frowning for a minute and looking at her neck. "What happened to your necklace?" he asked. Ryll put her right hand up to her neck. The silver chain holding the ring was gone.

"It must have fallen off in the forest. It was my mother's." She felt a stab of sorrow. "I can't believe it's gone."

"I'll find it," Merlin promised.

"I want to come with you." Ryll started to get out of bed, but Merlin put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

"You need to rest," he told her.

"I've been resting all day. I can't sit still any longer," she pleaded with him. "Just rebandage my wound, and I'll be fine."

Merlin deliberated for a moment. "Alright, but Gaius will kill me if anything happens to aggravate your wound. We don't have much sunlight left. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, it might be really lost by then." Ryll knew she was being unreasonable, but something told her she needed to find the necklace and soon. She didn't know how to explain it to Merlin, but he didn't question her further. He cleaned her wound, throwing Ryll a sympathetic look when she cringed in pain. He changed the bandage, tying it off and standing to wash her blood off his hands. Ryll stood, swaying a little. Merlin caught her, steadying her before letting go.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Ryll smiled forcibly. "Let's go."