Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone for the favorites and follows and reviews! I am so grateful to all of you for reading. I can't believe I've been working on this story for three years, maybe going on four. The end is in sight, though I still have a ways to go. I don't think I ever meant for it to turn out this long, but here we are. I'm a third done with the sequel (which I randomly started writing about half a year ago) and am so excited to post that after this story is done. It will give all the characters the ending they deserve.

-90-

Merlin was taking an inventory of herbs that afternoon when Ryll hurried into the physician's quarters looking terrified. She'd been resting in her room, exhausted after the sleepless night before. Now she was wide awake, her hair a tangled mess. She hadn't even changed out of her nightgown, just pulled a dressing gown on over it.

"Ryll, what's wrong?" he asked, reaching out his arms to her. She went to him, burying her face in his shoulder and letting him encircle her with his arms. She was trembling, and he tightened his grip on her. "It's okay, you're safe," he said, leaning his head against hers.

She took several deep breaths and pulled back a little. He led her to a bench where they both sat down, Merlin keeping an arm around her. Ryll gripped his free hand. "It was a dream," she said. "A dream where Morgana forced me to tell her who Emrys was. I didn't want to, I fought it, but in the end I told her. I told her who you were." Her eyes were wide and frightened.

"It was just a dream."

"But you know that sometimes I dreams aren't just dreams," Ryll insisted.

"You would never tell her."

"Not because I want to. In my dream it was as if I was compelled to tell her. I couldn't stop myself from speaking. What if she does something to me? Enchants me to tell her who you are? I can't put you in danger like that."

Merlin wouldn't put it past Morgana to try to enchant Ryll. He frowned wishing he could stop her from hurting his friends. He had once called her a friend but now she was hurting the people he cared about. She had already kidnapped Ryll once. He didn't underestimate Ryll's ability to protect herself, but he also didn't underestimate Morgana's cunning.

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," he assured her.

"There's only way to make sure that doesn't happen," she said. "You need to perform the same spell I did on Byron to make him forget that you have magic. I need you to take the knowledge of who Emrys is from me. I need you to make me forget you have magic."

Merlin was silent, shocked by what Ryll had said. Could he really take that away from her – it was part of what connected them. Ryll had felt so alone before Merlin had revealed his magic to her. With Morgana gone, Ryll would truly be alone.

"Please," she pleaded with him. "I couldn't live with myself if I somehow told her the truth. You have to do this."

"But then you'll be alone," he said his thoughts aloud.

"I'll never be alone as long as you're here," Ryll said. "Some day, when this is all over, you can reveal it to me again."

Sometimes Merlin wondered if it would ever be over. Would Morgana ever stop pursing the throne of Camelot? He knew she would keep fighting as long as she had breath in her lungs. He knew she feared Emrys, but he wasn't going to use his powers to kill her. Not unless he had absolutely no choice.

"Merlin, you have to see this is the only way." He knew Ryll was right. He trusted her with his life and knew that she would survive torture before she'd give him away, but he didn't want someone to torture the information out of her. He didn't want Morgana to enchant the truth out of her. He knew would never forgive herself if that happened.

"Alright," he said, his voice breaking. "I'll do it."

Ryll smiled. "Thank you." She pulled a wrinkled piece of parchment from the pocket of her dressing gown. "This is the spell. All you have to do is speak the words and focus on what you want me to forget. Speak it aloud, precisely what you want me to forget, and it will happen."

"Alright." Merlin took the parchment, hesitating. He had never used magic on Ryll like this. It felt like an intrusion, like he was hurting her.

"You know I'll still love you even if I forget you have magic," she told him. "Remember I fell in love with you a long time before I knew that."

"Yeah, I'm not sure why." He forced a smile which she returned. "Okay, I'm ready if you are."

"I am. It's too much of a risk. Now she can do anything to me, and I won't tell her."

"I will not let that happen. She's not hurting you to find me," Merlin said. Ryll nodded but they both knew there was always a chance Morgana would find a way to hurt both of them.

Merlin laid the parchment on the table and read over the words once before turning to face Ryll. "Are you ready?" She nodded. He started the enchantment, and Ryll kept eye contact the entire time. "You will forget that I have magic. You will forget that I am Emrys. You have only heard the name, you do not know who Emrys is." He saw the knowledge fading from her eyes like little lights blinking out. It hurt to watch. When he had finished the spell, Ryll shook her head, looking confused. Finally she looked back up at him.

"Merlin. Why did I come down here in my nightclothes?" She smiled, looking a little dazed.

"You had a nightmare. You just needed someone to talk to," he told her.

She nodded slowly. "I vaguely remember a dream. Morgana was there. She wanted something from me, but I don't remember what."

"I'm sure it was just a dream," he told her. "You should go back to sleep. We had a long day."

"You're right. I'm sorry for bothering you." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek before getting up and leaving the room. Merlin watched her go, a little patch of emptiness forming inside of him. With Lancelot gone and Ryll enchanted to forget, only Gaius knew Merlin had magic. Thank goodness for Gaius. What he would do without the physician, he had no idea. He felt a rage against Morgana growing. This needed to end but what he would end up sacrificing before the end frightened him more than he could say.

…

That night Arthur invited the Knights of the Round Table to join him for dinner. As Ryll entered the room she saw Merlin serving. She threw him a smile, feeling a bit guilty for joining the other knights while he and a few other servants waited on them. She sat down in the empty seat between Leon and, to her dismay, Agravaine. Agravaine sent Ryll a friendly smile which she hesitantly returned.

"I think we should call for a toast," he said, standing. He motioned for the servants to pour the wine, raising his own goblet. "To our new king," he said, turning to Arthur. "To his young reign, may it be filled with peace and prosper."

"To Arthur!" the knights echoed, raising their goblets and drinking.

As Ryll set her wine goblet aside, she turned to speak with Leon, hoping to deter any conversation with Agravaine. The curly-haired knight was more than happy to chat, and soon they had a friendly debate going over training techniques. She was vaguely aware of someone refilling her wine glass, and she took another sip, the sweet liquid tasting quite good tonight. She'd been unsettled by the nightmare she couldn't quite remember. Maybe the wine would help her forget it completely.

After the meal, Ryll was feeling especially sleepy. She had slept through most of the afternoon, but she had to be up early for a patrol so perhaps going to bed early was a good idea. She excused herself from the table, saying goodnight to the knights and Arthur. She gave Merlin a smile before heading up to her room. Her fingers felt numb as she undressed, and she stumbled into bed. Perhaps she'd drunk too much wine. As soon as she had collapsed onto the bed, pulling a blanket over her, she was fast asleep, her sleep unclouded by dreams.

…

Agravaine slipped into Ryll's room after night had fallen. She was fast asleep, her hair splayed out on the pillow behind her. He approached, giving her shoulder an experimental nudge. When she didn't stir, he unclasped the necklace from her neck, holding it up in the moonlight before slipping it into his pocket and leaving the room. He took a horse from the stables, slipping out of Camelot and riding hard for Morgana's home. She was sitting awake at her table when he entered. She looked up at him, eyes accusatory as if she didn't believe he could have gotten the necklace so soon. He pulled it out of his pocket and set it before her.

"Amaryllis's necklace, as requested," he said, smiling at his own success.

"Very good." Morgana's lips rose in a satisfied smile. She held the necklace up and began to chant a spell. A greenish light glowed around the stone before fading. "There, now she will be under my command. Just put the necklace back around her neck. She will not suspect a thing."

"How does the spell work?" Agravaine asked.

"She will come when summoned and do as I ask without question. Otherwise she will continue on like normal. But when I ask her to join me, she will not say no this time." She smiled, handing the necklace back to Agravaine. He could see the satisfaction on her face.

"She will be a valuable weapon against Arthur," he said.

"Yes," Morgana replied. "More than you can ever imagine."

…

Ryll awoke the next morning with a headache. She didn't realize she'd drunk that much, but she was certainly feeling it today. She sat up, rubbing her temples as the pain began to fade. She had to be dressed for the patrol at dawn, and she could see the first reaches of the sun already. She swung her legs off the bed and shivered at the early morning cold. It took a little longer than usual to get dressed, but she managed it, heading down to the armory to add some mail and her sword. She joined the others at the stables. Owl was already saddled for her, waiting next to the others.

"We thought you'd slept in," Gwaine said, giving her a grin.

"Almost. I think I had a little too much to drink last night. I'm turning into you." She grimaced before throwing him a smile and mounting Owl. They took off with the other knights riding along Camelot's northern roads. It was a beautiful morning, but Ryll felt distracted as if some pressing matter was tugging at her mind. She couldn't shake it all throughout the patrol and feared she'd miss an entire army crossing the borders for how she felt. Gwaine seemed to notice.

"Are you with us? You look miles away," he said.

"I feel miles away," she replied. "I don't know. I just feel off today. Not ill, just faraway like I left my mind in some distant dream."

"Maybe a ride in the woods will do you good. I know how much you like going off with that horse of yours." He winked at her. "I'll cover for you."

"I don't want to leave the patrol."

"Looks like you already have."

She laughed at this. "Yeah, maybe."

"Go on, Arthur will never know," Gwaine encouraged.

"Alright." She relented. Normally she would never think to abandon her duties but today she felt a draw she couldn't seem to shake. She and Gwaine were at the back of the patrol, and she slipped away into the woods without notice. Owl perked up as they left the main trail, cutting into the woods. Ryll had no idea where she was going, only that she wasn't letting Owl have her head. There was a very certain place she needed to go though she could not say where. She found herself deep in the woods in a place that seemed familiar though she didn't think she had ever been there. Dead leaves were strewn across the ground even though spring was now turning into summer. There was something cold about her surroundings, and she shivered. She stopped Owl in surprise as she came across a door that led into a small hovel. The hovel was built into the rocks, and she realized with a jolt why it looked familiar.

"Hello again Ryll," came a voice from behind her. She turned in the saddle to see Morgana standing there. In that moment she felt nothing, no suspicion, no happiness, no worry, no fear. It was as if her mind was washed anew. "Come here," Morgana requested, and she dismounted, dropping Owl's reins and walking up to Morgana. The sorceress looked at her for a long moment. "Now then," she finally said. "Are you ready to join me?"

Ryll looked at the girl she'd once called sister and could not remember why they were no longer friends. Morgana had always stood for everything Ryll believed in. Why shouldn't she join her? They could do great things together after all.

"Yes," Ryll replied, ignoring the tiny tugging on the back of her mind. "I'm ready to join you, sister."