-8-

The runes on Ryll's ring had been bothering Merlin all day. After having spent most of the afternoon as Arthur's moving target, he was sore, irritable, and frustrated. He picked listlessly at his dinner, not even noticing what it was that Gaius had served.

"If the food isn't to your liking, I can always fix you something else," Gaius said archly.

Merlin looked up. "What?"

"Perhaps your cold porridge from this morning would suit you better?" Gaius asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry." Merlin took a bite of food and then continued to talk, mouth full. "I'm just worried about Ryll," he said.

"Why would you be worried about her?" Gaius asked.

"It's just…." Merlin hesitated. He didn't want to betray Ryll's trust, but he knew Gaius would never tell anyone else of her ring or the possibility that she possessed magic. "That ring she has – the one she wears around her neck – it has healing powers. Ryll didn't know about it until she started noticing how quickly she healed."

"Yes, I noticed that as well. That arrow wound was deadly. I knew that magic had to be involved somehow."

"I didn't heal her. The ring healed her. I don't think she's aware of possessing magic herself if she does possess it. The ring of hers though, it had symbols on it that I couldn't understand."

"Do you remember what they looked like?"

Merlin nodded. "I could draw them out." He grabbed a quill and spare piece of parchment from a nearby table. He quickly etched out the symbols he had seen on the ring. Gaius leaned over the parchment.

"These are very old. They are markings of the Old Religion."

"Can you understand them?" Merlin asked eagerly.

"I might have a book that will help us with that," Gaius said in reply, reaching for a heavy looking tome. He set it on the table, sending out a spurt of dust. He flipped through it until he came to a page that bore the same symbols as on the ring. "Here. They spell out an ancient enchantment that gives whatever it is bestowed upon the power of healing. It is a long and complicated spell. It not only gives an object or person that power, but the power lasts. Most spells are temporary, but this one will hold as long as this ring exists.

"The ring worked on me as well. I tried healing a cut. Will it work on anyone who wears it?"

"I believe so. Such rings are rare, so their properties are not fully known. How did she come to possess such a ring, do you know?"

"It was her mother's. I don't know much more than that."

"Merlin, this ring in the hands of the wrong person could be very dangerous. If one can heal any wound, it would make him or her invincible."

"I'll make sure she's careful."

"Be sure that you do."

"I feel like there's more to her story. She told me of a sickness that wiped out her village when she was a child. She'd blocked it from her memory, but it's coming back to her in her dreams. Her mother gave her the ring to protect her, but everyone else died. I think Ryll blames herself. But it wasn't her fault. She was only a child."

"I wonder what wiped out her entire village. Perhaps there's more to that as well. Did she say where she was from?"

"Hithar," Merlin replied, remembering Ryll's words.

"I remember something like that happening. A phantom disease spread throughout the village and killed everyone down to the last chicken. It was said that a black sorcerer conjured an evil to wipe out everyone. It was never known why he did this but there were rumors of a powerful sorcerer in the village, one who would stand up to this dark conjurer and defeat him."

"Do you think Ryll possesses magic?" Merlin asked.

"I'm not sure. If she does, she doesn't know it, like you said. Unless she's a very good liar."

"No, I'm sure she's not lying."

"You can't be too sure, Merlin," Gaius warned him.

"Not Ryll. I'm sure she hasn't lied to me. I want to talk to her. Ask her more about her memories." Merlin got up, leaving his half-eaten meal.

"Be careful what memories you bring up. Some things are best kept hidden away."

Gaius's words followed Merlin to Ryll's room. He knocked but no one answered. Impatient, he tried the door and found the room empty. He decided just to wait for her, seating himself on the edge of her bed. Night fell, but he did not get up to light a candle. Then the door opened. He got to speak with Ryll but realized his mistake as she caught sight of his shadow and grabbed her sword. He caught her arm.

"It's me. It's Merlin. Sorry!" he said quickly. Ryll relaxed under his grip, dropping her sword onto the bed and swinging around to face him. The room was still very dark, but the moon had risen so that he could make out Ryll's expression. She did not look happy.

"Merlin, why are you waiting in my room in the dark?" she asked suspiciously. He could hear a touch of laughter behind her words and knew she wasn't really angry, just annoyed for having been caught off guard.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said. He realized that he was still gripping her arm. She looked down at his hand and back up at him, her expression unreadable.

"Sorry." He let go and took a step back, conscious suddenly of how close they were.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Ryll asked, turning to the mantle of the fireplace and lighting the candles there. As the flames flickered to life, the room grew lighter, warmed by the orange glow. He noticed that she was dressed in a long gown the color of honey and that her hair was loose, flowing over her shoulders in long golden waves. It suddenly occurred to him that she was very beautiful. He felt himself hesitate, losing his thoughts.

"Uh, just about your memories," he recovered, tearing his gaze away from her and blushing.

"Oh." Ryll studied him, her eyes impossible to read. "Why?"

"Just…" He shrugged. "I'm just curious is all. You're a puzzle, and I think your past is the key to solving the puzzle."

"Why do you want to solve the puzzle?" Ryll asked him.

"Don't you want to understand that ring and why your mother gave it to you?" Merlin asked softly.

Ryll gazed at him for a moment, her blue eyes shining in the candlelight as if tears were threatening to fall. She blinked and the moment passed. "Yes, I do." She looked at him, her eyes almost pleading now. She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Do you know something more?" she asked him. "About my ring? About me?" There was hope in her voice, and he wished he knew more. He pulled a chair up to sit across from her. She sat, hands folded in her lap. The ring hung around her neck, glinting in the candlelight.

"I know what the symbols mean," Merlin told her.

"What?" she asked eagerly.

"They're an incantation from the Old Religion giving power to the ring to heal. It's a difficult spell and one that lasts forever – as long as the object it is given to remains intact."

"So basically it makes whoever holds it invincible. I mean, they couldn't die, could they?"

"Exactly. Which is why, in the wrong hands, it could be dangerous."

"Merlin, I'm not going to tell anyone else about it. Even Arthur. Especially Arthur."

Merlin looked closer at her at the mention of the prince. She looked off into the distance but seemed to realize herself and looked back at Merlin. He could have been mistaken, but her cheeks seemed to redden slightly at her mention of Arthur.

"What is the Old Religion?" she asked. "I assume it's something to do with incantations and magic."

"Yes, it's the way of magic as practiced by the High Priestesses."

"It's everything that Uther hates."

"Yes, exactly." Merlin frowned. That was exactly it. Exactly why he could never truly be himself while Uther was still king.

"Which is why I'm in danger if he ever finds out I have this ring."

Merlin nodded. "You have to be careful. Even Arthur. I know he's different from his father, but he's lived under Uther's ideals for his entire life."

"I know. Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything foolish." On impulse, it seemed, she reached out to take his hands. He blinked at her, surprised by her action. She seemed surprised too. "Thank you for being the one person I can trust. I feel like I don't have to hide who I am around you."

Merlin felt an intense need to tell her his secret, but something held him back. He looked down for a moment, and Ryll peered at him curiously. Then he looked at her and smiled to hide his hesitation. "I'm glad. You shouldn't ever have to be anyone else."

"No, you're right. But I'm afraid that's what I must be around Arthur… and anyone else."

"It's getting late," Merlin said after a moment. "I should go."

"Didn't you want to know more about my past?" she asked him.

"Do you remember more?"

She shut her eyes for a moment. "I remember a dark shadow – a man, I think. He came into the village. He was looking for someone." Her eyes darkened as if the shadow lurked behind them. "I think he was looking for me." Her voice trembled as she spoke, no louder than a whisper.

"You don't have to remember if you don't want to."

"It's alright. I need to remember." She took a deep breath. "My mother gave me the ring. She said it would keep me safe. That's all I remember for now, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Get some rest. If you have any nightmares, Gaius can fix you something to help you to sleep."

Ryll nodded. "Thank you." Something in her expression told Merlin that she would not be coming for a potion. She wanted to remember, even if her memories were dark. "Goodnight."

…

When Merlin returned to the physician's quarters, he was surprised to see Gaius still up, studying the symbols Merlin had drawn for him.

"Merlin," Gaius said when Merlin entered the room. "I've found something else."

"What is it?" Merlin sat across from him.

"Have a look at these symbols. I missed a part of the translation. You see, these two symbols here, they speak of a binding spell. Not binding magic to the ring but binding magic by wearing the ring."

"You mean the ring can restrict someone's magic?"

"Not everyone's. I believe it was meant for one person – the bearer of this ring."

"To keep magic trapped? Do you think it was meant for Ryll. To keep her safe?"

"It was created to keep something contained. Something that might harm others."

"What do you mean?"

"Merlin, I believe this ring was created to keep a dark magic in balance, in control. It was imbued with healing powers to counteract that magic."

"Are you saying that Ryll has dark magic that would harm others if she didn't wear the ring?" He was already shaking his head. "No, I can't believe that. She wouldn't harm anyone."

"Maybe not on purpose."

"Is it possible to have dark magic without meaning to? She would have a choice, wouldn't she?"

"I'm not sure. I've heard of some magic that is more a curse. It is unleashed when a person is very angry or very afraid. It lets off negative emotions and can hurt people around it. That would explain the village and the sudden death."

"You're not saying that Ryll caused the death of her parents and everyone else."

"Not intentionally, no."

Merlin felt anger rising. "I don't care what the runes say. Ryll would never do that."

"Merlin, she might not be able to control her powers."

"We don't even know that the ring was meant for her!" Merlin stood.

"It seems very unlikely that it was meant for anyone else."

Merlin refused to listen to his reasoning. He stormed toward his room, tuning out Gaius's voice. Once alone, he sat on his bed, trying to keep the pieces from falling into place in his head. It did make sense, but it couldn't. Ryll wasn't evil. He couldn't believe that there was something evil inside of her that she couldn't control. If it was true though, she had her ring. Her power was contained. He had nothing to worry about.

With that thought in mind, Merlin lay down on his bed, shutting his eyes though sleep wouldn't claim him. His mind was filled with dark shadows, and when he did finally drift off, Ryll haunted his dreams, the ring glowing brightly around her neck. Then she tore it off and black shadows leapt up around her. A dark light grew from her hands and her blue eyes turned black. All around her lay bodies, their faces pale and drained of life. Ryll stood amidst them wreathed in a misty black dress that turned into shadows until all he could see was her eyes, glinting out at him from the shadows.

"No!" he cried out. "Ryll!"