Author's Note: So close now! This one might be a tear-jerker. I had to take a few mental breaks when writing this.

-111-

"Ryll! Ryll!" Merlin chased after Ryll as she ran from the council chamber. She hadn't been able to stand there any longer. Sarrum was coming for her. All along she'd thought her vision had been about Morgana or Arthur, but she was the one bringing the danger here. "Where are you going? What's wrong?"

"It's me," Ryll said, stopping and whirling around to face Merlin. "I'm the one he's after."

"But you…what do you mean?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"I wish I knew. All I know is that I'm the key to all of this. I can't let anyone get hurt because of me." She turned and started walking again.

"What are you doing? Are you planning on just giving yourself up or something?" Merlin asked. There was frustration in his voice now.

"If that's what it takes to protect the ones I love."

"What about you? Who will protect you?" Merlin asked angrily.

"One of you dies during the battle."

"What battle?" he asked.

"Sarrum will come for me," Ryll told him. "He has two sorcerers there and they send out this surge of magic. I don't know who it hits. I don't know why he has two sorcerers working for him. All I know is that I need to stop him before that happens. I've seen it over and over."

"And you've never thought to mention it? I don't get how you know that he means you."

Ryll slowed her pace. "A Sidhe once told me that I was destined to die for Arthur, that only I had that power."

Merlin was silent, then, "I'm not going to let that happen. You're not going to die."

"I'm not making you choose between Arthur and me. Maybe it won't even happen. Maybe I can stop Sarrum before."

"You don't know what's going to happen. You said you didn't see who the magic hits. It wouldn't be strong enough to kill Morgana."

"Then it's meant for Arthur."

"We can stop it together," Merlin insisted. "Now that we know what's coming."

"You need to look after Arthur. This is something I need to do."

"Ryll, stop!" Merlin grabbed her arm and swung her around so that she was facing him. "Stop this. I thought we were done with this self-sacrifice, go it alone attitude. We're getting married in two days. We're going to be partners. We can't do that if you don't trust me."

"I do trust you. Of course I do," she said though she knew he had every reason to doubt that.

"Then why am I hearing about some of this for the first time? How long have you known this? When did you hear this from the Sidhe?" Ryll looked down, unable to answer his questions. "See what I mean?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I've only kept the truth from you to protect you."

"It's always about protecting someone else. What about protecting you? You're so ready to throw your own life away one might think you don't want to keep living."

"I want to live! Of course I want to live. I'm not throwing anything away. I'm going to stop Sarrum before this battle comes to pass. You have to trust me."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not." Ryll gritted her teeth. Why did Merlin have to be so pig-headed about this?

"Try and stop me," Merlin challenged. "Why can't you let me help you for once? I'm not weak. I've been practicing magic long before you even knew you had it. We can stop him together."

Ryll stared up at Merlin. His blue eyes were filled with determination and frustration and, somehow even after all she'd put him through, love. "Okay. Okay, you can help me," she said finally. "It would hardly help to start dueling right here and now."

A tiny smile quirked Merlin's lips. "That might lead to some awkward questions. We need a plan first. We can't just go running in. Let's talk to the scouts Arthur sent out when they return. He sent them to see if Sarrum had any more men close by."

"He does. He has a small army," Ryll said bitterly.

"We'll make our plan from there," Merlin said. "Please."

"I promise. You don't have to let me out of your sight. I'm done arguing."

"Good." They went back to the council chamber, and Ryll apologized for her sudden departure.

"He's the one who was keeping Morgana captive," she repeated. "I'm frightened of what he can do."

"We won't let him anywhere near the castle," Arthur assured her. "And I won't let him hurt you."

The scouts hadn't returned yet, so they waited as time ticked on and Sarrum came closer. Ryll noticed that Byron had vanished, but she didn't think much of it at the time. Finally a small group returned to report. "Sarrum has an army," one of them said, echoing Ryll's vision. "Small, but enough to cause a stir. They're camped three miles west of the city. They look like they mean to march on our land tomorrow."

"Then we'll go out to meet them," Arthur said, "and to let them know they're not welcome to trample over our land chasing rumors. Be ready at first light."

"We go tonight," Ryll said to Merlin as they left the room.

"What's the plan?" he asked, hurrying to keep up with her.

"We might need some help," Ryll said. "Some fire-breathing help."

Merlin's eyes widened. "You want to set Kilgharrah on them?" he asked.

"It's no less than he deserves," Ryll said viciously.

"Ryll, right now you're not thinking clearly. Let's go back to your room and talk this through."

"We don't have time for that!"

"Yes, we do. If it means the difference between succeeding or becoming another one of Sarrum's victims, then yes, we do," he said insistently.

Ryll took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just that I thought this would happen years in the future or at least months. Not today, not tomorrow. I'm not ready for this."

"Hey, it's going to be all right." Merlin touched her cheek. "Everyone is going to get through this because we have the advantage."

"Even you know that's not true. Seeing the future doesn't always give us the advantage. Sometimes even then we still can't change it."

"That was then, this is now. There are two of us against him. Tell me everything you saw in your vision, it might help us make our plan."

"Okay. We were standing on a plain. Now I realize it's right outside of Camelot. Arthur was there with you and a group of his knights. I think maybe there were more behind them, but it was hazy. Then there was Morgana and Mordred-"

"Mordred?" Merlin furrowed his brow.

"I saw him," Ryll admitted.

"When?"

"He was searching for Morgana with a group of slavers working for Sarrum," Ryll told him steadily, watching for his reaction.

"How do you know he was looking for Morgana?" Merlin asked slowly.

"Because I was too. Only I found her."

"You found Morgana. When was this exactly?" She couldn't read the emotion in his eyes but she expected nothing less than hurt and betrayal.

"It was when I decided I was tired of seeing Arthur die in my visions. It was when I remembered that I still needed to fight for Morgana despite everything she's done. I know I should have told you, but I wasn't sure you were ready to see Morgana for anything more than a villain."

Merlin was silent for the longest few seconds. Ryll waited for the anger and betrayal, but it didn't come. "You're right," he said. "I wasn't ready to look past what she's done, but right now we have bigger things to worry about. Sarrum is hunting Morgana too, and if Mordred is with them then that makes it even worse."

"I don't think Mordred is with them," Ryll said. "Not allegiance wise anyway. He'd join Morgana in a second – he was at her side in my vision not against her. Everything is changing. My visions are changing. I don't think Mordred is someone to worry about right now."

Merlin didn't look convinced, but he moved on. "What else did you see in your vision?"

Ryll let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Sarrum was sitting astride a warhorse and he had two sorcerers by his side. They threw some sort of spell at us – toward Arthur and Morgana. I was in the middle, but Sarrum wasn't looking at me. I don't think I was the target. He doesn't know who I am."

"But he hates magic, why would he employ sorcerers?"

"I think it's not so much a hatred for it rather than a jealousy that there are some out there more powerful than him. If he eradicates magic then he doesn't have to worry about that. What's the difference if he uses magic to get what he wants? I don't think morals come into play here."

"So if we take out the sorcerers then he loses his weapons," Merlin said. They had reached Ryll's room and they entered now.

"Right. I-" Ryll paused. There was a note lying on her bed and she went over to read it. Her eyes widened as she read, and she felt as if the floor had dropped out from under her feet.

"What is it?" Merlin asked her.

"It's Byron," Ryll said, her voice small. "He's gone and done something stupid."

…

Merlin and Ryll stole out of the castle geared for battle as quickly as their feet could carry them. They mounted their horses and thundered off toward where Sarrum's army was waiting. The words on Byron's note were burned on the backs of Ryll's eyelids as they rode through the night and her heart was all she could hear, pounding viciously in her head. All my fault, she told herself over and over like a mantra. All my fault.

Byron had gone after Sarrum. He'd told Ryll that it didn't always need to be her making the sacrifice, that he'd take care of the sorcerers and tomorrow Ryll would have a clear shot at Sarrum. He must have overheard Ryll and Merlin arguing. Byron was strong, but Sarrum had an army ready to protect their assets. Why hadn't he waited? With Merlin and Ryll by his side, they could have easily taken down the sorcerers. Then Ryll recognized her own stubbornness. Byron was just doing the same exact thing she had been threatening to do at the time. He was doing it to protect her.

Owl couldn't seem to run fast enough that night though Ryll kept pushing her. Finally, when they saw campfires and heard the sounds of an army lying in wait, did they pull up and dismount. They crept through the night, trying to keep silent though Ryll's instincts screamed at her to run. Then there was a commotion up ahead. She saw fire flair up and then heard a scream. Another scream followed. Ryll panicked. She bolted forward, Merlin chasing after her. She could see the outlines of people up ahead near the great fire. Two men lay on the ground, seemingly dead. Then she saw Byron. He stood across the fire from Sarrum, a smile set on his face.

Sarrum looked down at the two dead sorcerers, his lips turned down slightly. "Pity," he said. "The might have been of use tomorrow. Still, it saves me the time killing them after. My acolytes are willing to die if they think it will purge them of the curse they've been given. They believe they're monsters, you see. Just like you."

"You're the monster," Byron said calmly. "You're the curse upon this land." Sarrum just chuckled. "I won't let you near Camelot," Byron said. "That city is protected and your army is not welcome on these lands."

"Did King Arthur send a boy out to do a man's job?" Sarrum's men chuckled behind him.

"I'm more than a match for you."

"Oh, I'm sure you are but I'm not in the mood to fight right now." There was a click, and Ryll's breath caught. "Say your goodbyes, druid, because you won't be seeing the end of this battle." Something shot through the air, and Byron threw up a shield the moment before a heavy bolt sliced through the air. Instead of stopping the bolt, his shield wavered. Byron fell backwards onto the ground, a thick arrow protruding from his chest.

Time slowed as he fell, and Ryll watched the motion with no concept of what was happening. Her mind was blank. The fire crackled and fizzed where the arrow had sliced through it. The night was suddenly quiet, but that was because her ears were ringing with her own screams now.

"NO!" Ryll screamed aloud and lunged forward, the spell broken. She was aware of Merlin catching her around the waist and trying to haul her back. Ryll sent him flying away from her with a surge of magic. She screamed again and Sarrum's men collapsed around the king as she sent out a vicious stab of magic. She didn't care how many of them died. She wanted Sarrum. The king couldn't see her yet through the darkness, but he raised the bow again. The menacing click pierced the night like a knife. Ryll didn't care. She sent a rush of power at the great fire and suddenly the camp was burning and men were screaming. Sarrum stood still though, untouched by her attempts to kill him.

"Go." The word was weak, and Ryll wasn't sure how she'd heard it. "Go!" It persisted, and she looked down to see that Byron was still alive. He grew blurry as thick tears filled her eyes. "I did this for you. Don't you get killed too."

"No, no no!" she knelt down and cradled his head in her lap. She put a hand to his chest, and warm blood seeped into her skin. She sent out a healing spell, but nothing seemed to work. She cried in frustration. Why couldn't she heal him? "It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

"You have the chance to change it," Byron told her softly. "In the future. Everyone will have a second chance at happiness. Maybe this life was always too far-gone. You'll understand soon. I can see it already." His eyes were staring straight up. The camp had gone silent and it was as if Ryll and Byron were in their own world far apart from Sarrum and his army. She looked up and saw a light shining brightly, opening wider like a crack. "We'll meet again," Byron told Ryll. "You might not remember me at first, but we'll meet again." His eyes reflected the brightness above as Ryll looked down at him. They were suddenly glassy though a smile still touched his lips. He'd stopped breathing. Ryll started sobbing, burying her face in his hair. Then she felt hands pulling her away.

"Byron!" She tried to reach him again, but Merlin had her in his grasp again. He dragged her back as she screamed Byron's name over and over. Sarrum sent a group of men at them, but Merlin fended them off with his magic, sending them reeling backwards. They didn't get up again. Merlin dragged Ryll onto his horse with her, calling for Owl to follow. Ryll was sobbing uncontrollably now. She felt as if her heart had been wretched out of her chest and doused in dragon's flames. Why hadn't they called the dragon? Why hadn't she kept her mouth shut so she could have done this herself? Byron was dead because of her. This was her fault.

Her sobs lessened and her vision went red with anger. "Tomorrow he dies," she hissed. "Tomorrow I'm going to kill him."

Merlin didn't say anything, and she took that as a silent agreement.