Author's Note: Why does life always have a way of keeping you from writing? I'm already part way through the next chapter though, so hopefully that will go faster!

-84-

"She should have been back by now," Merlin said, looking toward the front gates of Camelot as he and Gaius made some rounds in the lower town. He distractedly held Gaius's medic kit while the physician examined a young boy with the shivers. "She's been gone a long time." Noon had passed long ago and evening was coming on quickly and still no sign of Lancelot and Ryll. Gaius looked up at him, grey brow furrowed in what looked like annoyance.

"Ryll can look after herself. And Lancelot is with her. I need you to concentrate or we'll never finish before dark." Fever had been breaking out across the city – nothing serious, but something that needed to be treated. Merlin knew Gaius was right. Lancelot and Ryll would be fine. Merlin worried far too much, but could anyone really blame him? He knew Gaius cared a great deal for her as well, and if he wasn't worried then perhaps Merlin really was overreacting. Something at the edge of his mind was still bothering him though, a feeling he couldn't quite shake. He felt like Ryll was keeping something from him. He didn't know what or if it was even important, but he also knew Ryll had a tendency to keep things to herself when she didn't want other people worrying about her. In the last few years she'd let Merlin in a little bit more until he could see her finally opening up and trusting him whole-heartedly. But she still had moments where she held back. He knew it wasn't because she didn't trust him. Even though he could take care of himself too, she was always looking out for him. He just got the feeling that sometimes she was trying to protect him from herself for whatever reason.

"Merlin!" Gaius's voice rang through Merlin's thoughts, and he jerked his attention back to what he was doing, realizing that he'd been holding Gaius's medical kit out of reach. He forced himself to concentrate as they worked their way through the lower town, his eyes darting to the city gates constantly. Just as the evening patrol made their way out the gates, two horses appeared on the horizon.

"Gaius," he said, handing back the medical kit and motioning toward the horses.

"Very well, we're done here. I told you they would be fine," Gaius said. He took the kit and made to return to the physician's quarters.

"Something's not right," Merlin said. Gaius turned to give him a questioning look. "There are two people on one horse. Ryll's horse doesn't have a rider." His heart was beating violently in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm as the riders came closer. Finally he could make out Lancelot's dark hair and Ryll's golden hair. Lancelot had Ryll in front of him, one arm across her chest to keep her on the horse. As they rode through the gates, Merlin ran forward to meet them.

"What happened?" he asked as Lancelot pulled his black horse to a halt. Owl tossed her head and then reached up to nuzzle Ryll's slack hand.

"A beast poisoned her. I have a sample of its blood," Lancelot said, turning to Gaius as the physician walked up. He handed him a small vial of blood. "Can you make an antidote?"

"I can try." Gaius took the vial. "How long has she been like this?"

"Since early this morning. I think the magic or the Sidhe blood has been keeping her alive, but we don't have much time left," he spoke softly so that he wasn't overheard.

"Bring her to the physician's quarters. I'll see what I can do." Gaius hurried ahead of them as Lancelot pulled Ryll off of his horse and cradled her in his arms. Her face was deathly pale, and Merlin could hardly see her breathing.

"What happened?" he asked as two stable hands led the horses away. Lancelot followed him toward the castle. "She said you were investigating something…" It frustrated him that he knew so little about their abrupt quest.

"Just a rumor. She wanted to follow up on it," Lancelot said, his tone careful as if he wanted to say just the right thing. Merlin glanced over at his friend, but Lancelot's face was shrouded in worry for Ryll. "The beast set on us and nearly killed us, but Ryll used magic to fend it off. Not before it scratched her though. It had poison in its claws."

"Did you kill it?"

"No…I cut off its tail, but it has regenerative powers. I didn't want to go after it when Ryll was hurt."

"Of course not." Merlin felt frustration that Lancelot had let her walk into such danger, but he knew it wasn't Lancelot's fault. Once Ryll's mind was made up, no one could change it. He doubted either of them knew how dangerous the rumor would turn out to be. Lancelot would never knowingly lead Ryll into danger.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. I never meant for her to get hurt," Lancelot said as if sensing Merlin's thoughts.

"It's not your fault."

"I feel like it is."

"We'd both do anything to protect her," Merlin replied. "I know you did the best you could."

"I just hope it's enough."

"She's not dying," Merlin said flatly. That was out of the question. After all they'd been through, she wasn't dying because of some beast that came out of some rumor that she shouldn't have followed up in the first place.

They reached the physician's quarters, and Lancelot gently placed Ryll down on the empty cot in the room. Her head rolled to the side. Merlin reached forward to push a strand of golden hair off her cheek, letting his finger rest on her soft skin for a moment. Lancelot watched the gesture. "We won't let her die," he assured Merlin, eyes glowing with determination.

"I've come up with an antidote," Gaius said, coming forward. "Let's hope it works." He tipped a vial of green liquid into Ryll's mouth, holding her head straight so that none of the liquid ran out. She swallowed and then started coughing an instant later. Her blue eyes opened, and she stared up at their worried faces.

"Are you trying to poison me?" she finally choked out.

Merlin's face split into a grin. "No more than you were before," he said. Ryll grinned up at him.

"That worked well. I feel better."

"Lucky for you Lancelot thought to bring some of the poison," Gaius said.

"At my request," Ryll told him, sounding slightly affronted, but she said it with a smile. "Thank you. All of you." She was still pale, but Merlin knew that she was going to be all right. He helped her sit up and drink a cup of water.

"Where did the beast scratch you?" Gaius asked. "We should make sure the wound isn't infected. There might still be some poison residue left."

"My leg." She rolled up her pant leg and showed them the red gashes below her knee. The skin was red and puffy. Ryll winced. "Now that I'm conscious that hurts a bit – a lot." Merlin could tell she was close to passing out as the pain set in.

"Do you have something for the pain?" Lancelot asked Gaius.

"I'll get it." Merlin threw himself into finding a painkiller, nearly knocking over bottles in the process. He finally found the one he was looking for and brought it to Ryll, helping her down it.

"Thank you," she said weakly. Gaius pressed a damp cloth to her leg to clean the wound, and Ryll let out a sharp hiss of pain. She lay back down on the cot, eyes closing. Her fingers grasped Merlin's hand.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked Gaius. Perhaps the danger hadn't yet passed.

"She will be once this wound is cleaned. It will sting a lot. It might be better if she isn't conscious." He continued to clean until the redness had died down a little. He prepared and applied a poultice to ease the pain and cleanse the wound, bandaging the herbs onto her leg. "There. She needs plenty of rest, but she should be all right by tomorrow morning. She won't be walking anywhere on that leg for a while. No more quests." He aimed this at Lancelot who nodded.

"You have my word," he said. "This whole thing was a mistake. I should report to Arthur. I'll come back later to check on her." He left, giving Ryll a backwards glance. Merlin could see regret and pain in his eyes and knew Lancelot blamed himself for what had happened. Merlin sat on the edge of the cot, Ryll's hand firmly clasped in his.

"What on earth were they doing?" Gaius asked. "Did they say what sort of beast it was?"

"No."

"Well, she was lucky. Another few hours and she would have been beyond our help." He moved away to clean up his workstation. His words sunk in, and Merlin realized that holding onto Ryll was like trying to keep a dandelion whole in a windstorm. Every reckless thing she did sent her off into danger that he couldn't always protect her from. It wasn't always her recklessness, but there was always something to harm her. She might have outrun death numerous times, but Merlin was afraid that one day she wouldn't be able to outrun it. He was determined never to let that happen. A thought occurred to him then. It was his fate, his destiny, to help Arthur. What if it came down to saving Arthur or saving Ryll and he could only choose one? Who would he save? Arthur was the once and future king, bound to Merlin by some sort of invisible string that kept their fates irrevocably woven together, but Ryll was the love of his life. Seeing her die, not being able to save her, that would kill him. He shut his eyes realizing that he couldn't choose. He knew Ryll would tell him to save Arthur, and as much of a clot-pole as Arthur was, the prince did love to try to sacrifice himself for others. Merlin would just have to hope that he would never be put in a situation where he had to choose. For now he held Ryll's hand, taking comfort in the steady beating of her heart and the soft breathing that came from her lips. She was alive, and right now that was all that mattered.

…

Ryll awoke in the physician's quarters. She must have passed out because it was dark in the room. All the candles had burned out, and she had only a spot of moonlight by which to see. Merlin had fallen asleep in a chair next to her, head lolling back, mouth slightly open as a small snore slipped out. He held her hand in his, and his skin was warm and rough against hers. She had seen the worry in his eyes earlier. She hadn't wanted to do that to him. First she had lied, then she had nearly gotten herself killed. She knew if she told him the true purpose of her mission then he would refuse to let her go on any more. Had it been worth it? Gaius had created an antidote from its poison. Could that poison be someone turned into a regenerative serum? Ryll felt a stab of frustration. Again she had no idea how or even if Arthur was going to die. What good was a little reptile poison when she had no idea what fate awaited the future king? All in all it had been a failed quest. They hadn't even killed the beast. Instead she'd gotten hurt, and Lancelot had had to carry her home. She'd worried Merlin too, something she'd been trying to avoid. She'd made a mess of things as usual.

She felt Merlin shift beside her, and he opened his eyes. Seeing that she was awake, he gave her a smile that both melted her insides and made her feel even guiltier for what she had put him through. "Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked.

How was she feeling? She pushed aside the guilt and frustration on the inside and focused on her leg. It still stung, but the poultice Gaius had applied was soothing, and she could feel the pain slowly fading. "I'll be fine. Gaius knows what he's doing."

Merlin nodded, falling silent. Ryll could tell that he was deep in thought. "Do you know who gave you the tip about the creature?" he asked.

"Lancelot said it was a travelling merchant," Ryll replied cautiously. "Why?"

"I just wondered if maybe it was a trap," he replied.

"Oh, I don't think so," she said hastily. "He was concerned about it, that's all."

"I wouldn't put it past Morgause to arrange something like that," Merlin said. Morgana went unmentioned.

"I don't think so. We haven't heard anything of Morgause since she took Morgana and vanished," Ryll said. It had been over a year since she'd seen them. She had difficulty believing they would never see the sisters again, but she feared what would happen if they reappeared.

"Well no more misadventures without me," Merlin told her. "You had me really worried."

"I know. I'm sorry." Ryll squeezed his hand. "I admit, it was probably a bad idea. I seem to be full of those."

"I'm just glad you brought Lancelot with you," Merlin said. Ryll could hear the disappointment on his tone that she hadn't asked him to come, but she knew he was truly grateful for Lancelot's friendship with her. She was much less likely to go off on her own when she had both Merlin and Lancelot as friends.

"He takes good care of me despite all my failings," Ryll said with a smile.

"Well you won't be going anywhere on that leg for awhile. You're lucky the claws didn't go deeper."

Ryll grimaced. "I know. I jostled it a bit when I fell too. Don't worry. I'll stay out of trouble."

"Good." The sun was beginning to rise outside, and Merlin groaned. "I need to get ready for Arthur," he said.

"Go. I'll be fine. I'm sure Gaius will get me some breakfast when he wakes."

Merlin leaned over to kiss her before getting up to leave. Ryll watched him go and then turned her attention to the rising sun. Fall was coming on fast, and she knew the warm days would not last. Something stirred right then, something that disturbed the very fabric of the air though she was shut away from its touch. Something was happening. She shut her eyes and focused on her elemental magic. Something was different this morning though she hadn't noticed it before.

…

It remained a mystery until Merlin came back into the physician's quarters hours later. His eyes were wide, and Ryll sat up straight somehow knowing just what he was about to say.

"Morgana," she started.

"She's back," Merlin finished. "Elyan and Leon came across her pulling a cart. Morgause was there too in the cart. Morgana killed the two knights with them with her magic. She's gotten stronger. She was headed toward the Isle of the Blessed."

"Why? Why now after so much time?" Ryll asked.

"I don't know." Merlin sat down, looking exhausted.

Ryll reached out and took his hands. "We'll figure this out together. Maybe she was just passing through."

She knew that neither of them believed that, but it was a comforting thought for the moment. "I need to get ready for the banquet tonight," Merlin said. "They're sending out a patrol at first light."

"I wish I could go," Ryll said. She needed to be there.

"No," Merlin said, giving her a stern look. "You're not going anywhere on that leg."

"I know."

"Promise me."

"I promise," she said with a sigh. "We need to all be on our guard because something is about to change."