-75-

The next few weeks, Ryll found herself on alert, waiting for any signs of Byron or the retribution he had promised. All was quiet though. She had had her nightmare about a battle again though. She woke up at the same time as the first and she still had no idea how it ended. She hadn't told Merlin about her reoccurring nightmare past the first time it had happened. She didn't want him to worry any more than he already was. While she worried about Byron, he worried about Morgana. Ryll had noticed Uther's ward drifting further away from her. She wondered if she had given up after Ryll hadn't reacted to Theor's death. In truth, Ryll had been much too worried about Byron to keep up the pretense of hating Uther. Since her confession in the dungeons to Morgana, she hadn't spoken to her about Uther.

The weeks turned into a month bringing with it a tournament where Gwaine made a reappearance, testing Merlin's patience as he flirted shamelessly with Ryll. Ryll had trouble staying quiet when she learned that Uther had banished Gwaine just as he had banished Lancelot. She clenched her fists and stayed silent. It was after this that Morgana finally approached Ryll again.

"He's never going to stop," she told Ryll coming up behind her as Ryll watched Gwaine ride away from the city. "He's going to keep banishing and executing everyone who has only ever broken one of his rules. Merlin might be next."

"He wouldn't…not after Merlin saved Arthur's life. Multiple times." Ryll turned to look at Morgana. The dark-haired girl gazed back at her with sympathetic eyes.

"Who knows," she said. "Who knows how far he would go? He doesn't care about peoples' feelings. He doesn't care if someone is innocent as long as he persecutes magic wherever he sees it. I have a plan though."

Ryll kept her expression emotionless. "A plan?" she asked.

"A plan that, if luck is with me, will not fail," Morgana said. "Do I have your allegiance? Are you finally read to put a stop to this genocide?"

Ryll pretended to contemplate this for a moment. A part of her wanted to follow Morgana into this plan full-heartedly. She was right; it was only a matter of time before Uther caught Merlin using magic and had him executed. With Uther gone, Merlin would no longer have to hide who he was. Nor would Ryll or Byron or any of the other sorcerers, druids, or creatures of magic that Uther persecuted. How was that not better? Then she thought of Arthur and how he would react to his father's death. If he too turned against magic, what would stop Morgana from extending her plan to include him? One day Uther would no longer be king, but no one had a right to force this by taking his life.

"You have my allegiance," Ryll told Morgana, her heart straining at the joy that danced in Morgana's eyes.

"I'm so glad," she said, pulling Ryll into a tight hug. "It means the world to know that you're on my side." She pulled away. "Everything is going to be so much better. We won't have to live in fear."

"What can I do?"

"Just wait for now. I'll speak to you again when I know more. And Ryll, don't tell any of this to Merlin. He's too loyal to Arthur to ever condone plotting against Uther."

"I won't. I haven't told him anything," Ryll swore, feeling guilty for lying.

"Good." Morgana gave her a smile before leaving.

It was another three weeks before Morgana approached Ryll again about her plan. She found Ryll standing on the parapet that overlooked the front gates of Camelot. Merlin and Arthur were away on some quest, and Ryll had been feeling lonely the last few days. She had been watching the road leading into Camelot hoping to catch a glimpse of the two, but the roads were empty.

"I've spoken to Morgause," she told Ryll. "She trusts you enough to let you in on our plan. Next time I meet with her, you can come as well." It struck Ryll how much Morgana revered her half-sister by the way she spoke of her. Despite the fact that Ryll was faking her allegiance to Morgana and Morgause, she felt a trill of excitement that came with being accepted into something secret. All the better to spy. The regret she felt at spying on Morgana surprised her. She no more wanted to betray Morgana than she did Merlin or Arthur. She had to keep telling herself that she was doing the right thing. Morgana's way was not the right course of action. Where would this end though? Uther's death? Morgana's execution? She felt a surge of panic at the thought of Morgana's fate. She would not stop until Uther was dead. She would end up thrown in jail or killed for her magic and treachery if she was found out. Ryll was spying on Morgana to keep her from killing Uther, but she realized she was also terrified of Morgana being found out. She would do anything to protect her even if that meant covering up her attempts on Uther's life.

"I should have word tomorrow," Morgana told her. "After the celebrations."

Ryll vaguely remembered that tomorrow was Morgana's birthday. In the past, she would have been planning ahead for this occasion, but this year she hadn't even thought about it. "I look forward to the celebration tomorrow." She forced a smile. "Hopefully we'll have more than your birthday to celebrate."

…

When Merlin returned later that afternoon with Arthur, Ryll raced down to greet them. As they dismounted, Ryll could immediately tell that something was wrong. The look on Merlin's face told her that something had upset him.

"Ah, Amaryllis, maybe you can figure out what's wrong with him," Arthur told her, coming up to greet her. If Arthur had noticed then something was seriously wrong. "He's been as grumpy as a badger since this morning."

"At least I'm not a toad," Merlin threw at the prince. Arthur gave him an incredulous look. Finally he shook his head and walked away without another word.

"A toad?" Ryll asked as the stable hand led the horses away. "Did you two have an argument?"

"I'll tell you later," Merlin told her. "When we're alone." He led her to a deserted corridor before turning and pacing.

"Merlin, I've never seen you this upset. What happened?"

"I found the Crystal Caves," he told her, pausing in his pacing.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?" she asked.

"It's as the name implies. The crystals are powerful though. They hold the future within them and people like me, like us, can see the future within them."

"You looked into them."

"I didn't want to. I met a man, a sorcerer. He healed Arthur after he received an arrow wound. I couldn't heal him myself… As Arthur slept, this man, Talieson, led me to the caves. I saw things…terrible things."

"What did you see? Can you speak of it?" she asked gently. "Merlin?" He stopped pacing and turned to her.

"I saw a plot against Uther. I saw Morgana with a knife. I saw her kill him."

Ryll put a hand to her mouth. She hadn't imagined Morgana taking a knife to Uther herself. "Do you know when this will happen?"

Merlin shook his head. "Today, tomorrow, a year from now? I don't know."

"Do you remember the details? Would you know if it was coming true?"

"Yes, I remember," Merlin said, rubbing his eyes. "I can't get it out of my head." Ryll could tell how much the visions had upset him. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned and buried his head in her own shoulder. "Why is it always me who sees these things, who knows something, who has to stop something?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Because you are the one person who can do something," she told him gently, putting a hand on the back of his neck and trying to comfort him. "No one else has your abilities, your destiny."

He gave a wry laugh. "Destiny…I hear that all the time. Emrys, destined to be the greatest warlock ever, destined to unite Albion, destined to help Arthur to the throne. No one ever seems to consider that I might not be able to do all that."

"It's a lot for one person to aspire to, but if anyone can do it, it's you, Merlin," Ryll told him. "But you're not alone. You are never alone."

For a moment she had forgotten her conversation with Morgana but then it came crashing back to her and she pulled away from Merlin. He gave her a confused look. "I have to tell you something. Not here." She pulled him toward one of the guest bedrooms she knew would be empty. She couldn't risk Morgana overhearing her, and she had no idea where Uther's ward was at that moment.

"While you were gone, Morgana approached me. I told her that I'd give her my allegiance. She thought that after Uther banished Gwaine and executed Theor, I would turn against him." She took a deep breath. "Much as I hate what he did, I'm not going to be responsible for his death. Arthur means too much to me to do that to him. She is going to meet Morgause sometime soon, and I'm coming. She says they have a plan. I just wonder if this has anything to do with your vision."

Merlin looked frightened. "It might," he said. "What if it's happening already?"

"We don't know that. Morgana meets up with Morgause all the time. Let's not jump to conclusions, but we should be on our guard. I'll be with her, so I can keep an eye on her."

"What happens if it all comes down to you facing Morgana and Morgause as they try to kill Uther? You can't overcome both of them. I should come too. I'll shadow you."

"She might see you. She's caught you before," Ryll told him. "She might think I told you and then I'd never keep her trust."

Merlin frowned, and she could tell how much he hated the idea of her going off alone with Morgana and Morgause. "I don't like it," he said. "But you do have a point."

"I'll be alright. Just keep your eyes open and tell me if you see any signs of your vision coming true."

"I will."

"I need to go find a present for Morgana. She'll suspect something if I forget to celebrate her birthday. You'd better go talk to Arthur. Don't make him think there's something to be suspicious of. We need to handle this ourselves."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Merlin? You should probably apologize for calling him a toad."

…

The next afternoon was the next time Ryll noticed Merlin's discontent. She was mounting Owl to take a ride with Morgana when her white stallion reared up, startled by the sound of something clattering to the ground in the stables. Morgana reached up to calm the horse, and as she did, Ryll caught sight of Merlin staring at her across the courtyard with wide and terrified eyes. He caught Ryll's eye and gave her a small nod. It was happening. Ryll felt her heart galloping all over her chest as she and Morgana headed out of the city, and she could hardly concentrate on what Morgana was saying. She nodded and replied to keep Morgana from getting suspicious, but she was terrified. She didn't know if she could control fate, change destiny, and suddenly she knew exactly how Merlin felt.

The ride went smoothly though, and Ryll realized the next sequence might not even happen that day. Anyway, Morgana would hardly murder Uther at her birthday feast. She tried to relax as she handed Morgana her gift upon reentering Camelot. She had bought her a new cloak made of a silvery material that shimmered as it moved. It was lined with fur and the edges were finished off with a delicate strip of fabric stitched with flowers. The brooch that was sewn onto the neck was a circular silver pendant.

"It's lovely!" Morgana said and, for the first time in a long time, Ryll could hear a sincerity to her voice that she had forgotten could exist. Morgana reached out to embrace her, and Ryll could pretend for a moment that this was the old Morgana, her first friend.

"I thought it might match that lovely silver dress of yours," Ryll said, smiling. It was the first time she hadn't had to force a smile in the last few months when speaking to Morgana.

"It will, and it will be so warm in the winter! Perfect for riding."

"Well, I'd better get ready for the feast."

"See you there." Morgana smiled, cradling the cloak as they parted ways.

Ryll was halfway to her room when someone grabbed her hand and pulled her around a corner. She barely had the chance to register that it was Merlin before he kissed her. "What was that for?" she asked when he pulled away grinning. She gave him a confused look. His demeanor had completely changed from that morning.

"I saw Arthur's birthday present for Morgana, and it's nothing like the knife I saw in my vision."

"You saw him giving her a knife?"

"I saw her holding a knife. It was nothing like the one he got her though so that means the vision can't be coming true!" He sounded ecstatic, but Ryll was less willing to push aside what he had seen in the caves. Still, she didn't want to ruin his mood so she forced a smile.

"That's great!" she told him. "You can enjoy the feast tonight."

"I plan to!"

"I'm just going to change. I'll see you there, okay?" He nodded before leaving her. Ryll stood for a moment trying to get a grasp on the situation. Merlin had seen Morgana with a knife. He had seen the one Arthur was getting Morgana for her birthday and it hadn't been the same one. Was it possible there was a different knife? She was sure Morgana owned a knife, and she certain had access to one. There were too many possibilities which was why she wasn't going to write this off just yet. She knew what it felt like to want to believe something so badly that you could convince yourself that it wasn't going to happen, blind yourself to the truth. She couldn't afford to do that.

She went to her room and changed before heading down to the feast. She was given a seat on Morgana's left at the table perpendicular to the Pendragon table. She caught Merlin's eyes across the room and gave him a smile. He grinned back. After the feast had commenced and a toast had been made in the Lady Morgana's honor, Uther presented her with a beautiful necklace. Morgana smiled and allowed Uther to clasp the necklace around her neck. Her face was all happiness, and Ryll could see none of the bitterness she sometimes caught lingering on Morgana's face after speaking with Uther. Then Arthur's gift was presented. Morgana lifted the lid of the wooden box and pulled out a beautiful dagger in an ornate sheath. Ryll could tell how much she loved it by the way she held it and smiled. She drew the silver blade and held it up to her face to examine it. That's when Ryll caught sight of Merlin's face. He had paled as if he'd seen a ghost. He turned his eyes to Ryll and without words, Ryll knew that this was the blade he had seen. Somehow Arthur's present had changed from the plain blade Merlin had seen earlier to the one he had seen in the Crystal Caves.

The vision was still coming true.