Author's Note: Finally we start part five (the final part to this story)! I will try to keep updating as quickly as possible, but I'm working on two other stories and this is all I've written so far, but I will do my best! Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing and favoriting - you guys are the best!

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The hills fairly rumbled with the sound of hooves as dawn broke over the horizon like a new era. Birds took to the sky in a frantic flapping of wings, startled out of their search for insects in the long prairie grass. Wind hummed along Owl's neck as Ryll crouched down low over her mane. Laughter bubbled up inside her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see how far behind the others were. Lancelot and Gwaine were closest with Leon and Percival trailing them. Ever since Ryll had become a knight, competitions like this had become a daily occurrence. Anything to show up the boys. Fortunately for her, they didn't mind. Outside her small group of friends, she'd had her fair share of difficulties. Though no nobler knights could be found than the knights of Camelot, she had not gone without the occasional catcall or whisper behind her back. She knew the ladies of Camelot were talking, but she didn't care. Let them talk. She was happy and where she belonged. She caught herself wishing every once in awhile that Morgana was still there so she could give these doubters a piece of her mind. The old Morgana would have been proud of Ryll.

No one had heard anything from Morgana since her disappearance from Camelot. Ryll knew she was still alive, out there somewhere with only her sister for company. Ryll had grown very bitter toward Morgause over the last few months. She often thought that if Morgause had never come to Camelot then Morgana would still be there but in her heart she knew Morgana never would have stayed. Not after so many years of living in Uther's cruel shadow, not knowing that he was her real father and Arthur her brother. And now she knew Ryll had betrayed her too. Ryll had known all along that it was inevitable but the realization that she could never go back had struck her hard. Instead of wallowing in her sorrows though, she had thrown herself into the duty of being a knight.

After their moment at the Round Table and the subsequent battle, she had been sure Arthur was going to dissolve her position as a knight but to her surprise he'd kept all of them on as knights insisting that Ryll had earned her place. Ryll hadn't argued. Both her and Lancelot's dreams had been answered. Arthur himself had more or less taken over the throne of Camelot and though he insisted his father would return to his duties soon, the truth of the matter was that Uther would never recover after Morgana's betrayal. Ryll knew that something inside of him had broken beyond repair the moment his daughter had taken over the throne and told him how much she hated him. He truly had loved her even after all the things she'd said during her short and bloody reign of Camelot. If this wasn't Arthur's time to rise and be king, Ryll didn't know when was. Arthur kept insisting that there was so much more he needed to learn but in Ryll's eyes he was ready. She knew she wasn't alone in thinking that. All the other knights already looked up to him in reverence, and things had been much more peaceful around the city since Uther had locked himself away in his room. Arthur would learn through experience. No one ascended to the throne knowing everything. Camelot was ready for a new era. Ryll just hoped Morgana would accept Arthur's rule. Camelot wasn't going to change overnight but with some encouragement, Ryll knew Arthur could one day break down the boundaries between the world of magic and the world that feared magic.

There were many times when Ryll considered telling Arthur of her powers. Not now, not while Uther was still king, but if Arthur were king…would things be different enough that she could reveal her secret to him? He was her friend, like a brother to her, and she hated keeping things from him but he had been raised to believe that all magic was evil. Though he had doubted this many times over the years Ryll had known him, every so often something happened to turn him against magic fully once more. She hated keeping things from him because it felt like a betrayal, and she never wanted to betray Arthur like Morgana had. She wanted him to know her for who she really was. Merlin always insisted that it was too soon whenever she mentioned it to him. She understood his caution but it also frustrated her. Arthur was her friend, Merlin's friend. Surely he wouldn't turn against them for something they couldn't help and after how many times Merlin had saved his life. But, as Merlin reminded her, Arthur had been raised to think people like them were evil. After all the times Merlin had kept his powers from Arthur, he thought that Arthur would see that as the biggest betrayal of all.

Ryll was startled from her thoughts when Gwaine's horse pulled up level to Owl. He gave her a lopsided grin. "Getting slow, Ryll," he teased as his horse pulled ahead.

"Not on your life." Ryll took the challenge, urging Owl on faster. Gwaine's stallion Gallant ran neck-to-neck with the smaller mare. The tree they were racing to up ahead was within view, and Ryll leaned further forward until she was nearly flat against Owl's neck. The small mare flicked her ears as a silent message passed between the horse and rider. She started to draw ahead of Gallant, and Ryll could hear Gwaine cursing rather un-gallantly as she and Owl passed him up. Ryll didn't dare look back until they had passed the tree. She whistled, and Owl slowed. Ryll sat back in the saddle and looked to see how far behind the other knights were. Gwaine was closest with Lancelot's white horse working his long legs to catch up. Leon and Percival were a ways back their horses looking a bit slow today. Elyan was on the morning guard otherwise he would have joined them but usually it was a contest between Ryll and Gwaine. Everything was a contest between them.

"Ha!" Ryll shouted as he pulled up looking dismayed.

"Rub it in, why don't you," he said, shaking his dark hair out of his face.

"Like you're ever modest about anything," she shot back. They were both smiling though. "Like that time last week when you won the sword tournament against the other knights – a tournament you made up on the spot, might I add."

"They looked like they needed some practice," he said with a shrug.

"And then there was that time you nearly lost a week's wage gambling at The Rising Sun."

"I won though."

"Only because the other man was drunker than you."

"What's your point?"

"You're a sore loser, that's my point."

"Well you're not much better yourself!"

"But I have something to prove."

"What do you have to prove?" Lancelot had finally reached them, pulling up his white horse who huffed and bent his head to graze.

"That she's better than any other knight in Camelot," Gwaine volunteered.

"Not true!" Ryll objected. "Just that I can be a knight even though I'm a girl."

"You don't have to prove that to anyone. They can see it for themselves," Lancelot told her.

"You have to say that. You're my best friend," she said.

"Don't say that, now Gwaine will be competing with me for that title," Lancelot teased, dark eyes playful. "And anyway I don't have to say that. It's true. You're as good a swordsperson as any other knight and a better horseperson than most."

"Your taste in men is questionable though," Gwaine said, giving her a wink.

"You only say that because I never fell for that silver tongue of yours."

"It is a shame," Gwaine lamented. "It usually works. Nine out of ten girls fall for it."

"And then they really get to know you."

"Know who?" Percival and Leon rode up neither looking too concerned about having lost the race. Leon tended not to join them, but they'd insisted today. Percival despite his outward appearance was too kind-hearted to be competitive.

"Gwaine. We're discussing his romantic pursuits. He thinks he's quite the lady's man."

Leon cracked a smile, and Percival chuckled. "Why is everyone laughing?" Gwaine asked, looking affronted.

"If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand," Ryll told him. He huffed.

"We should head back before Arthur notices half his knights are missing," Lancelot said. "I've got to be back for the noon patrol."

"I'm having lunch with Merlin," Ryll said beaming.

"Lunch?" Gwaine cocked an eyebrow. "I swear you two are the most boring couple in history. I caught them sitting in the library reading one afternoon."

"So?" Ryll frowned.

"So? Reading? Never mind."

"Just because we're not all over each other doesn't mean we don't care about each other," Ryll retorted. "We're happy the way things are."

"Leave it alone," Lancelot told Gwaine as the knight opened his mouth to say something more.

"I was just going to wish her a lovely lunch," Gwaine said, crossing his arms.

"Right." Ryll rolled her eyes, turning Owl back toward Camelot. Lancelot rode alongside her on the way back, the others chatting behind them.

"I think I might have found something," Lancelot said in an undertone when they'd drawn ahead of the others.

Ryll looked over at him. "You did?" She tried not to let herself get hopeful. Everything had been a dead end so far; why should this be any different? "What did you find?"

"There's a creature that lives in the White Mountains. It's supposed to have regenerative powers. If one manages to pass its tests then it will pass on that gift. So the legend goes."

"Where did you hear this one?" Ryll asked.

"A traveling merchant," Lancelot admitted. "I know it's not much to go on but it's got to be worth a shot."

Ryll sighed. She hadn't intended on telling anyone about her fate other than Byron but after a mission with the knights and Arthur where Ryll had been absolutely sure the prince was going to die, Lancelot had gotten the truth out of her. Besides Merlin, Lancelot knew her better than anyone. Hiding things from him didn't work. So she'd told him of her fate. How the Sidhe king had told her she would give her life to save Arthur's one day. She didn't know when or how, but she knew that fates had a way of coming true in Camelot. Lancelot refused to believe that she would have to die, however. He'd begun searching for something that would help her both save Arthur and herself. Ryll hadn't begun to let herself hope that there was a way they could both live. Lancelot kept an open mind insisting that just because she had the power to save Arthur didn't mean she would have to – right now the kingdom was in peace though Morgana was still out there somewhere. Ryll also hadn't heard from Byron since he'd led his people against Uther. She had a feeling he still bore a grudge, and she couldn't really blame him. Uther had hurt a lot of people, but in the end Morgana had hurt him enough to break him.

"We can go tonight," Lancelot suggested. "If we ride hard we'd be back before afternoon tomorrow."

Ryll knew he meant well, knew he was trying hard to keep her hope up. She thought about saying no, forget it, but she couldn't stand to see the look on his face if she gave up. They had been following myths and rumors around Camelot for months and nothing had gotten them any closer to an answer. They'd even tried speaking to the Sidhe but Avalon had been silent still and no one had answered her. She didn't want to give up but she didn't know what she could do. She didn't know when and if Arthur was going to die. She was more than willing to give her life for her king, but in all honesty she didn't want to die. It had become a nagging sort of fear that festered at the back of her mind. For all she knew Arthur would live to a ripe old age, and she would spend her whole life anticipating death.

"Alright. I'll just have to make up some excuse to Merlin otherwise he'll worry."

"You still haven't told him."

Ryll knew Lancelot disapproved of her hiding this from Merlin but she didn't want to drag Merlin into this. He had enough to worry about as it was. She wasn't the only one with a destiny to protect Arthur. "I will, but not now. He's got enough going on as it is."

"Ryll, he loves you. He would want to know."

"But maybe we'll find some sort of solution and not even have to tell him. Maybe none of this will even come to pass. I don't want him to worry too. He worries enough about me as it is." When Lancelot didn't speak, Ryll added, "I'm trying to do the right thing here. I know you don't agree, but I can't tell him yet."

"I'm not going to tell him," Lancelot told her.

"I know."

He sighed. "Just don't feel like you have to do this alone. You have friends."

"I know that too." She smiled at him. "Even though you had to pry it out of me, I'm glad you know."

They had reached the gates of Camelot, and Ryll left Lancelot at the stables. She ran to her room to change and wash up before meeting Merlin in the Physician's quarters. The familiar room smelled of something burning today, and Ryll held back as Gaius and Merlin dunked a steaming beaker into a water barrel.

"Is Merlin playing at alchemist again?" she asked lifting an eyebrow.

Merlin and Gaius looked over at her, Gaius looking stern as usual and Merlin's face breaking out into a grin. "I was just…I accidently put the wrong thing into it," Merlin said. "I was only trying to help Gaius."

"Yes, well I think you'd be more help to me somewhere else. Go on," Gaius said, shooing Merlin toward Ryll. Merlin didn't complain.

"Ready?" he asked Ryll, eyes shining brightly. Ryll felt herself smiling despite her worry and guilt.

"Of course. I've been looking forward to this all morning. I'm famished."

"See you later Gaius," Merlin called back as he and Ryll left the room.

"Gwaine was making fun of us again. He says we're boring," Ryll told Merlin as they headed toward the kitchens to pack a picnic.

He frowned, but she knew he wasn't angry. "Do you think we're boring?" he asked.

"Hardly. A sorcerer and a female knight. We're not exactly normal."

"We've got to keep up appearances though."

"Right. I guess we're doing a good job of that." They both gave each other a sly grin and started laughing. "We'll keep our adventures to ourselves then." Now that Ryll had a way to channel her power through the pendant Byron had found for her, she had been using her magic more often. Merlin had been a great help to her, and around him she never had to be afraid to use it. Of course they practiced deep in the forest far away from prying eyes. Only Lancelot and Gaius knew they had magic. Knowing that Lancelot was aware of their powers and yet did not judge them or think any less of them made Ryll even more thankful that she had him as a friend. He had always been kind to Merlin as well having befriended him before Ryll and Lancelot had even met.

"Gwaine's just jealous," Merlin put in a moment later.

"Jealous?" Ryll turned back to him, pushing her thoughts aside.

"Yeah, I've seen the way he looks at you," Merlin said, cheeks coloring slightly.

"What?" Now he had Ryll's full attention.

"He likes you."

"Gwaine likes anyone who is A is a girl, B has all her teeth, and C isn't interested." Merlin looked doubtful. "He respects you, and he knows I love you. He's just a flirt. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about you," he said hastily.

"And don't worry about Gwaine. He knows his boundaries."

"He also knows how to step over them." But he was smiling now.

"That's what makes him Gwaine."

They reached the kitchen and set to making lunch. The cooks smiled at them. Usually they shouted at Merlin when he tried to take food, but Ryll had managed to sweet talk them into letting them pack picnic lunches every once in awhile. Ever since it had become public knowledge that she was a lady with noble blood, the fact that she was in a relationship with Arthur's manservant had caused all the help around the castle to look more favorably on her. Ryll always forgot that Merlin was looked upon as a servant. She knew just how powerful he was and just how many times he had saved Arthur's life. To her he would always be Arthur's equal.

Lunch packed, they headed out to the stables to retrieve their horses. Owl nickered in greeting even though she'd seen Ryll a few minutes before. "Did you beat everyone again this morning?" Merlin asked. He found the fact that she liked to race horses with the other knights amusing.

"Yes I did. You should have seen the look on Gwaine's face. He's a sore loser."

Merlin chuckled, tightening the cinch on his horse's saddle. "I can imagine."

They left the city, traveling at a walk. The air was warm and the birds were humming in the forest. They found a sunny glen and set up, letting the horses loose to graze. Merlin spread a blanket out on the ground and sat down to unpack the lunch. Ryll sat next to him, and he draped an arm around her waist. She leaned into him and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"This is perfect," she said. And she meant it. When she was with Merlin she could usually forget her fate, forget Morgana's betrayal, forget her fear for Arthur. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it couldn't last, but for now she was happy, and that was what mattered.