Author's note: I can't believe I'm on chapter 30 already! I have 215 pages in my word document. It's longer than the book I've been working on for three years. Good grief. (Of course I do the whole new line rather than indenting thing in this, but still.) Thank you for reading! I always appreciate your comments!

-30-

Merlin needed a book on fore dreams. Morgana had been coming to Gaius more regularly for her sleeping draught, and he had overheard her telling him about a dream that had come true. She was on edge lately, jumping at the smallest noises and keeping to herself much more often than usual. Gaius had assured her that her dreams were just dreams and that anything that had come true was simply a coincidence. Merlin knew that Morgana only accepted this explanation because she wanted to. She didn't want to have magic. Not when Uther was her adoptive father.

He scanned the shelves for the book he was looking for, running a finger down the spines of the thick tomes. As he searched, he heard the librarian muttering to himself. "Quite odd, quite odd," he said. Merlin glanced around the edge of the bookshelf. The librarian was bent over an old book. Merlin wondered what he was looking at. "I must tell the king," the librarian said, hurriedly leaving the library. Now he had Merlin's curiosity piqued. He knew he shouldn't, but Merlin snuck up to the desk, peering around it to see what book the librarian had been reading. It was a genealogy book outlining the noble families of Camelot. He was on the A section and seemed to be checking a certain person. A name was scrawled on a piece of parchment next to the book. Merlin didn't recognize the name, but something in the book had been important enough to run off to tell the king. Merlin ran a finger down the listing of names. Then, toward the bottom of the page, a name caught his eye.

Amaryllis.

There was only one Amaryllis he knew. She was listed under Sir Thomas d'Andreli and Lady Violet d'Chateau. But instead of it showing just her name, it read Lady Amaryllis d'Andreli. Ryll was the daughter of a Lord. She was of noble blood.

That didn't matter to Merlin, of course, but that might change things with Uther. Curious as to what the king would say, he sped off in the direction the librarian had gone, skidding to a halt outside of the throne room. Uther was just inside, listening to the librarian speak. Arthur stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable. Merlin waited outside, listening with baited breath.

"Are you sure of this?" Uther was asking.

"Yes, yes," the librarian insisted. "Unless you know someone else by that name."

"I'm very familiar with the d'Andreli family. They were wealthy landowners on the border of Camelot to the southwest. Sir Thomas served as a knight of Camelot in his younger days. Their estate was taken by Saxons nearly seventeen years ago. When I heard word of this, I sent my knights down to drive the Saxons off their land, but the d'Andreli's had fled. I knew that they had a young daughter, the same age as Morgana. Are you telling me the Amaryllis we know is their daughter?"

"It seems likely."

"She said her family was from Hithar and that they had died when she was very young," Arthur put in. "They must have fled there to make a new life."

"This doesn't change anything. She still broke the law, she's still sentenced to exile," Uther said. Merlin's heart sank though he hadn't expected any different.

"Surely a girl who has grown up with no parents – who saw her parents murdered – deserves a second chance?" Arthur argued.

"As I recall, the d'Andreli family was good friends with the Lady Morgana's late parents. The girls used to play together as children though I'm sure they don't remember that now," the librarian put in.

"Yes, they were honorable people."

"Morgana is very fond of Ryll. She needs more girls her age to spend time with," Arthur insisted. "She's been lonely lately. She spends all her time alone or out riding. I know she misses Ryll."

Uther seemed to contemplate this. "I cannot ignore her crimes."

"No, but you can pardon her. The people would see that you show mercy to those who deserve it. She didn't do anything wrong. She broke laws to save people. You forget that she saved my life and Morgana's as well as the people of Camelot."

Uther was silent for a long moment, and Merlin forgot to breathe. Was there a chance Uther would allow Ryll back? He could hardly bring himself to hope. "I will take it under consideration. Perhaps if she were to prove that she could live here without causing trouble, she could stay. First you must find her, and you cannot afford to ride all around looking for her."

"Actually father, I think I know where she is," Arthur said. "She's living in a small village across the border of Mercia."

"And how do you know this?" Uther's tone was dangerous.

"She wrote Morgana a letter," Arthur replied. "And told her where she was."

"I wasn't aware they were in contact."

"It was just a letter."

"Fine, you have my permission to send word to her. She may return to Camelot on the condition that she stays out of trouble. I do this for Morgana and for the memory of two good friends."

"I'll write straight away." Arthur headed to the door.

Merlin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ryll was allowed back in Camelot. Her exile was over! When Arthur came into the hall, he found Merlin grinning ear to ear.

"I suppose you heard every word of that," Arthur said, sounding only slightly annoyed.

"I can go to Meldoran and tell her myself," Merlin offered.

"And what will I do without you for a week?" Arthur asked.

"Can't you get someone else to dress you for a week?"

Arthur frowned. "I suppose I could make do for a week. This is important, after all."

"I'll leave tomorrow at dawn."

"You know this means Lancelot will still have to be in exile. But without Ryll, he'll be alone," Arthur said.

Merlin hadn't even thought of that. What kind of friend was he? "Ultimately it's Ryll's decision. She might decide to stay there." Maybe she'd already fallen in love with Lancelot.

"Then let it be her decision. I know she cares for Morgana like a sister, but she's become close to Lancelot as well. I won't begrudge her if she decides not to come back."

"I guess we'll find out."

"Let's keep this to ourselves for now. If Morgana were to get her hopes up and Ryll decides to stay…"

"Of course." Was it so wrong that Merlin wanted Ryll to come back? He missed her company, her laughter, the way she looked at him as if he were someone special and not just a servant. And he always wondered what would have happened if she hadn't left. It was a chance that had slipped away, and he couldn't stand it if he never knew where it would take them. He'd tried to get her out of his head, but it hadn't worked. No matter what, she was always still there.

As he made his way back to the physician's quarters, Merlin ran into Morgana. She looked frightened, her black hair loose around her shoulders, her eyes wide.

"Morgana, is something wrong?" he asked.

She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Oh, Merlin, I've had an awful dream. I dozed off, and I dreamt of Ryll."

Merlin's blood froze. "What happened?" he asked, forgetting to pretend Morgana's dreams were nothing to worry about.

"She was in this dark castle – it looked abandoned from the outside, but inside there was a huge cage where people fought for the entertainment of those around them. She was there, in the cage. She held a sword and was fighting a man twice her size. She was bleeding. It was awful."

Merlin's heart was now pounding. If Morgana really did have the gift of fore dreams then what she had seen was going to come to pass – if it hadn't already. Ryll might be one of the best fighters in the land, but without her healing ring, she was mortal just like everyone else. He forced himself to calm down and keep his face passive. "I'm sure it was just a nightmare, Morgana. You're worried about your friend. She did nearly die recently, but that's over now."

"But I saw that happen too," Morgana insisted, her voice rising in her hysteria. Merlin looked around to make sure they were alone. "I've been denying it all this time, but I can't ignore the truth any longer."

"Have you ever thought about having a possible connection to Ryll? You're like sisters, so maybe when she's in danger you can sense it. Like intuition."

"But I've had other dreams come true in the past. I've seen people I didn't even know existedand then see them in real life." She stopped abruptly. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked.

"Of course not. Your secret is safe with me."

"I've got to warn Ryll," Morgana said. "I saved her before, I can do it again if I act now."

"You can't just run off to Mercia. What if I go?"

"You? Arthur won't let you leave."

"He will. Just trust me. Can you do that?" He looked Morgana in the eye. She still looked frightened, but she nodded.

"I trust you. Keep her safe."

"You should go do something fun for a change. You've been locked away in your room so often lately. Take Gwen with you for a ride in the forest. The cooks can fix you up a picnic to take."

Morgana smiled, the worry easing from her face ever so slightly. "That's a good idea, Merlin. I have been feeling stressed lately. Thank you."

After she left him, Merlin hurried on to the physician's quarters where he filled Gaius in on what had happened. He paused before mentioning Morgana's latest dream. He knew Gaius could be trusted, but he'd promised Morgana he'd keep it a secret. Besides, there wasn't anything Gaius could do about it. He'd given her the sleeping draft, but the dreams kept coming.

"I'm surprised that the king changed his mind, but if he really did know Ryll's parents, then it would be unjust to keep their daughter in exile."

"Uther said she could stay if she could keep herself out of trouble. He acts as if she asks for it."

"Trouble does rather follow her around."

"But that's not her fault."

"Of course not. I'm on her side, Merlin. I just think Ryll will have to get into Uther's good graces somehow if she wishes to remain in Camelot. He will not be lenient again. He rarely offers second chances and never offers third chances."

"I know."

"Get some sleep. You've got a long journey ahead of you," Gaius told him.

Merlin went off to bed but he couldn't seem to get to sleep. He kept thinking about Morgana's dreams, wondering what else that meant for her. And Ryll. Was she really in danger? Morgana had foreseen her death in Meldoran, but they had only just gotten there in time. Merlin was a five-day's ride from the town. If she was in danger now, then he wasn't going to get there in time. With this thought in his mind, he couldn't sleep. Finally, he got up, dressing quickly and packing supplies for the trip. Gaius was fast asleep, and so Merlin slipped out of the room quietly, heading down to the stables. He found his favorite horse and saddled him quickly. The moon was still in full reign over the sky when he galloped out of Camelot and north toward Mercia.