I don't know why I keep giving Hermione all these animals, but I want to so I am. So, here's the next chapter and I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it!

Note: Please also know that whenever Hermione is alone with Merlin and/or Gaius or just alone, her eyes switch back to red and when people are around, they turn back to their whiskey brown. I just wanted to clear that up incase you visualize characters like I do!

ENJOY!

"Italics are sign language."

"Bold Italics are Parseltongue."

"Regular bold is mind talk" (clue?)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin! (Repeating this is getting annoying!)

Chapter 12

Hermione was having a good morning for once. She was just wandering through the shops when she heard it. The sound of guards chasing someone. That wasn't the only thing though. If she were to focus, she could feel the presence of two magical beings. Both were equal in power, but the one was matured. Hermione knew the guards must be trying to capture them and Hermione was determined to help. She tore off after the guards and grabbed one aside. The king had given her the right to look over all guards, Knights and other fighters. She was to be given information to help any of their tasks because she could not be formally given any title.

"What's going on?"

The guard quickly told her, "A vendor tipped us off about a Druid man and boy coming today to buy items from him. We are chasing them now." Hermione thanked him and ran towards the castle. She heard a boy scream and followed. They were in the middle of trying to get to the drawbridge and Hermione knew the man wasn't going to make it. He blasted a guard back and used his magic to slam the doors shut. Not until after the boy slipped through though. Hermione quickly disillusioned herself and grabbed the man's cloak, apparating away. They ended up in the Darkling woods and the man looked around frightened.

"What happened?" Hermione turned to the man who had questioned her.

She told him quickly, "Go ba-ack to where you ca-ame. I will he-elp the boy."

Before she could leave, the man grabbed her hand and said with the highest respect and thankfulness, "Thank you…..Nyx." Hermione held her breath and realized that her red eyes had been glowing the entire time. She nodded and disappeared from sight. Once she appeared back in the shadows of the castle, she heard it.

"Help!" It was the cry of the little boy in her mind.

She said back in her mind with the most comforting tone, "Where are you?" She just heard him cry out for help once more. So, she followed the magic. She ran into Merlin and found that he had heard the same voice.

They found the boy, clutching his arm, hiding by a cart. He was so small and frail. His eyes were as blue as Nimueh's and his hair was as black as coal. His skin was pale and held freckles. He was scared. He sent out another cry for help and Hermione went into action.

She signed to Merlin, "Distract the guards. I'll get the boy inside." Merlin nodded and ran towards the guards, pointing them in a different direction than the boy.

Hermione quickly ran to the boy and rasped, "Can you walk?" He nodded and stood up. She grabbed his hand and they ran to a servant's passage way. Merlin must have been an awful distraction because the guards spotted the boy. Hermione handed him off to Merlin and the two ran. Meanwhile she distracted the guards and went on the search with them. She was trying to lead them anywhere away from their magical signatures which she had felt move to Morgana's room.

She finally got away from the bumbling idiots and snuck to Morgana's chambers. She made sure she was not seen and then quickly knocked on the door.

She heard a loud, "Hide him!" She rolled her eyes. They were all a bunch of buffoons! She slammed open the door and everyone stopped in their tracks. Morgana and Gwen were trying to act natural and it was obvious that Merlin and the boy were behind the curtain.

She sighed and said shouted, "Merlin! I kno-ow you're behind the dra-apes!" He still didn't move. So, she pulled back the curtain hesitantly and saw him on the ground, holding the boy who obviously had a lot of blood loss. She gasped and knelt down beside him. She took the boy from Merlin and sat him on her lap. He wasn't that small, but he needed to be close for her to examine his wound without him falling over.

She looked at his bloodied arm and saw the sword wound. She winced. It was a deep slice. She looked into his frightened eyes and tried something she hadn't in a long time. Legilimency. She softly said the spell and entered the boy's mind. It was a complete mess, like most children's. Since he had the ability to talk in the mind, maybe she could try and open a temporary connection.

She heard his frightened voice, "How are you here?"

She looked around his mind and sighed. "I want to help. You need to let me."

"You were helping the guards earlier."

"I also saved the man you traveled with."

"He…...won't be executed?"

"No. You are Druid?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to break the connection. I want you to let us help you. Your wound will hurt so you need to work with us."

"I will."

Hermione exited his mind and took a deep breath. He looked more awake and conscious now. Hermione sighed and began working on the wound. She tore off part of her left sleeve and ultimately revealed her most depressing scar. She wrapped his wound after secretly cleaning it. His eyes didn't leave her scarred arm. Once that was done, she removed his cloak and folded it on the ground as a pillow. They would get more blankets later.

She gently laid him down and whispered in his mind, "Can I take your shirt to mend?" He nodded and she carefully took his shirt off. She saw the Druid mark on his chest and sighed. They were such peaceful people and Uther was an idiot. Three black curls that met in the center. She took his shirt and swiped off his sweat. After smoothing down his hair, she told him to rest and she would get him some pain relievers.

Hermione turned around to face two woman with large eyes and slack jaws. She knew they didn't see the scar. So what were they staring at?

She blinked and asked, "What?" Neither of them spoke up, but Merlin did.

"You and him just stared at eachother for a full five minutes and now seem to understand each other." Hermione gave them a hesitant look and threw his shirt to Gwen.

"Mend and wash, thanks." Then, she got up and quickly left the room. She realized that she didn't even ask the little boys name. Huh.

Hermione smiled and went to Gaius's chambers. She gathered some ingredients and began to brew a pain relieving potion for the Druid boy. Entering her world of potion brewing, she began to chop and slice ingredients. She mixed and boiled and ended up making more than necessary. Bottling it up, she tied instructions to it and let Karma off her arm.

She handed the serpent the bottle and hissed, "Give this to Merlin. Discretely please. Do not be seen." Karma nodded and went off in his task. Hermione needed to do something important. She needed to think of a way to get the boy out of Camelot. He was a sitting duck out there. Merlin was surely to go to the dragon in the caves for guidance on this one. Oh, he tried to hide it, but she knew he went to the beast when she was not fast enough on guidance. Yeah, the dragon gave good advice in many things, but she could see selfishness spark in his eyes. Selfishness and revenge were awful traits to let simmer under the surface. It would always come back and bite you. He wasn't troublesome now though, so she would let him slide.

Hermione came up with no ideas on how to get the boy out of the castle and back to the Druids. Karma had come back and she let him be free of her arm. They were just heading to the Cave. Hermione decided to go and play in the forest with Nimbus. The poor dear still didn't know how to fly. She didn't quite know how she would teach him, but maybe she could find a spell to grow some temporary wings. That sounded like a good way to clear her mind.

She lead Karma to the floo and hissed to him, "You sure you want to ride separate?" The snake seemed to scoff at her and she shrugged.

She grabbed some floo powder and said clearly, "The Cave of Dreams" and was transported in a flash of green flames. She watched in amusement as Karma tumbled out of the flames. She picked him up and untangled him.

He slithered around her neck and hissed into her ear, "I'm riding with you from now on." She nodded and stroked his head.

Suddenly, she was bowled over by a speeding ball of feathers. She was knocked to the ground and found a hyper Gryphon hopping on her stomach. She held him above her and sighed. "You are a handful!" He head bumped her and she laughed. Oh, she loved Nimbus' exciting energy. She put him aside and got up. Karma was hanging on for dear life and she smirked. He was just a big sissy.

Crooks sauntered up to her with dignity and sat in front of her. She rolled her eyes and lifted him up.

"You are su-uch a queen." He just bumped her hand, demanding attention. She gave it to him while Nimbus ran around the room. She already had to make furniture repairs due to his running around. She shot out a blast of warning magic and Nimbus stopped. She pointed to the door and he hopped up and down excitedly. She opened the door and he sped out. With her carrying her two pets firmly, she walked after the excited Gryphon. They reached the entrance and Hermione breathed in deeply. It was so much better air here. Maybe it was the lack of idiotic kings. She snorted and they walked out of her magically crafted forest.

They were far enough away from anywhere so Nimbus could flutter around. Hermione set down Crookshanks and unwrapped Karma from her neck. She told them both to go hunt and enjoy the fresh air. The two went off in opposite directions and Hermione faced Nimbus.

"You need to fly." He looked at her strangely and she looked around. The only way to teach him how to fly was to set an example! She didn't have wings though. That would just be another pain in her ass! Hermione sat on the ground and tried to think. Nimbus seemed to shrug in a way and run off.

Hermione sat thinking for hours. Until she finally got an idea. She had done it once when she was little and forgotten all about it. She was scared of the dark at one time and got so scared from looking in a dark corner, that she wanted the shadows to be less scary. So, she imagined them in the form of a cat and voila! A cat shadow to snuggle with. That moment stopped her fear of the dark. Maybe she could make the shape of wings and connect them to her back? It was worth a try.

Hermione looked to her left and then right and saw that all the trees cast a shadow and focused on one of them. Nothing happened. She tried again and felt her magic flicker to the shadow, but it didn't catch. She tried maybe five more times and was getting a headache. She groaned and little Nimbus pounced on her lap. She grunted and stroked his feathers. That was when she got the idea.

She studied his wings a bit further. She looked at the structure and how they were made and the feel of them. Think of the wings. She looked at the shadow and decided to try something easier. A single feather. She felt her magic spark as she pictured a softly floating feather. Her magic formed the feather and she dipped her hand in the shadow. She was extremely amazed when she felt the tip of a feather.

She grabbed it and whisked it out. She gasped at it. It was absolutely enchanting. She ran her hand up the black feather that looked to be almost ghost like. It just looked like a feather shaped shadow, but she could feel it! It was real, tangible, it even smelled like a feather. She held it out to Nimbus and he sniffed it. Then, he tried to bite it, but his beak just went through it!

She could only say one thing and that was, "Amazing!" Nimbus chirped and kept trying to get a hold on the feather. She threw it up in the air and Nimbus went after it. She controlled the feather and watched in amusement as Nimbus chased it. Night fell upon them and soon, she let the shadow form fall. Nimbus plunked down in her lap in a tired heap and she chuckled.

She cooed to him, "Finally used tha-at energy?" He just stayed in her lap, ready for bed. Hermione got up and looked around. Beside her came Crookshanks and she smiled. He alway knew when he was needed. Next, Karma came slithering up to her and she lifted him to her neck. If there was room, she bet Crookshanks would have her hold him too. They were all just a bunch of freeloaders! She smiled and began to walk back to the Cave.

Hermione absolutely loved her creation. It was a dream to sleep in and just an experience over all. Maybe, if Merlin allowed it, she would take Lily here. She could never replace the little Merlin that was near and dear to her heart and she didn't feel a connection with Lily as she did with Merlin, but the little girl still held her heart. Hermione just felt like she was replacing Merlin. Ever since they had come to Camelot, they had been spending more and more time apart and it was honestly hurting her a bit. She wanted Merlin to stay close to her forever. She wanted him to be her little boy, but he would not. He would move on without her and she would be alone with her snake, half-kneazle, and Gryphon. What a life.

Hermione had reached the living space by then and felt a soft feathery touch on her cheek. It was Nimbus, looking at her with worry. She sniffled and wiped her cheek. There, was a tear. She had been crying? She just pet Nimbus and placed him on the floor. She needed to be close to Merlin. Karma was inserted back into her arm and she hugged Nimbus and Crookshanks goodnight. Then, she left through the floo. Hermione looked at the quiet surroundings and sighed. They were asleep. She tiptoed up up to Merlin's room and quietly slipped off her gloves, boots and scarf. She quietly slipped into Merlin's bed and he shifted to hold her.

He whispered drowsily, "why are you here?"

She sniffled and said just a bit brokenly, "I'm scared."

He held her closer and whispered, "Of what?"

"Being left behind."

Merlin took hold of her hand and whispered, "I won't leave you behind." Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep with that promise settling her thoughts.

Gaius awoke the next morning, a bit annoyed actually. He was woken in the middle of the night by a strange sound and had a hard time falling back asleep. Plus, these stupid guards kept checking his room for the Druid boy! Why on earth would he have the boy hidden away? He was the court Physician and visited by people every day. He would have no time to care for the boy. Well, he cared for Merlin, but that was different because he had Hermione here to help.

Speaking of Hermione, where was she? She usually woke him up with her early morning brewing. He wasn't annoyed by her waking him up because he had woken up late today. There was a knock on his door and he opened it to reveal an annoyed looking Prince Arthur.

"Yes, Arthur?"

He looked at Gaius and said, "My Manservant decided not to show up today. Do you know where he is?" Gaius nodded and lead the Prince in.

"I fear that may be my fault, sire. Hermione was not here to wake me, which means that I was not early enough to wake Merlin. I'll go get him now." Arthur shook his head and strode up to Merlin's room.

"Don't bother. I'll just get him." Arthur stepped up the stairs and slammed the door open as hard as he possibly could. He heard the strangest noise though. A feminine shriek and then a thump. The door had closed back on him from the force and he slowly opened the door again. There on the floor was a very annoyed Hermione.

She was pulling on her scarf and Arthur was a bit surprised that she'd done it so fast. Maybe those neck scars really were that bad. That wasn't the point at the moment. The point was that there were two nineteen year old siblings, sharing a bed. It was completely inappropriate!

"Hermione?" She looked at him extremely annoyed and Merlin was still laying down, but with his pillow shoved over his head. Arthur strided up to Merlin and grabbed the pillow and smacked Merlin with it.

"You were supposed to be up for duty an hour ago!"

Merlin groaned and said while getting up, "Was I?"

Hermione answered, now standing up with her gloves on, "Yes." Merlin groaned and put on his regular shirt, belt and jacket. Then he sat down and shoved on his boots. Hermione pushed Arthur out of the way and stood in front of Merlin. She tied on his neckerchief and Merlin smiled at her. He stood up and him and Hermione walked out of the room while Arthur was still left staring. That was…...odd.

Arthur stepped out of the room and saw Hermione holding out a sandwich to Merlin and he took it gratefully. When had she done that? There was only about ten seconds where he hadn't been watching!

Merlin kissed Hermione on the cheek and said with a goofy smile, "You're the best. See you later! Come on Arthur, you said I had work to do." Then, Merlin strode out of the room. Arthur slowly looked at Hermione and she smirked at him. She made a shooing motion with her hands and Arthur grudgingly left. Those two were just too weird! It was like they functioned with the same brain they were so coordinated. And to be completely honest, he was a bit envious.

Hermione smirked as they left and got out another sandwich. She loved sandwiches. So easy to make. Oh! There was one person who needed breakfast! The Druid boy was probably hungry. Hermione packed up a sandwich and said goodbye to Gaius after snatching one of her already made Pain relieving potions from the table.

He stopped her before she left and asked her suspiciously, "What do you need the potion for?"

Hermione said smoothly, "Would yo-ou really want to kno-ow that?" Gaius seemed to think about it for a second and then nodded.

"Carry on." Hermione turned around swiftly and snickered. Oh, how she loved Gaius! But, for a paranoid guy, he was pretty easy to manipulate.

Hermione walked through the halls and knocked on Morgana's door. Instead of waiting for a response, she just walked in after. Morgana looked like a deer caught in headlights. The boy was out in the open and Morgana was not expecting someone to enter without her consent. Idiots.

Morgana said a bit outraged, "You must wait for my consent to enter!"

Hermione just scoffed and said, "No I don't." Morgana huffed and she could hear the boy snicker. Hermione smirked down at him and sat next to him.

"Let's see your arm" she spoke to him in his mind. He showed her his bandaged arm and she unwrapped it. It was healing nicely. She took some gauze out of her pocket and after smearing some of the pain relief on it, she re-wrapped it. Then, she made him drink the rest of the potion and gave him the sandwich.

He looked into her eyes and spoke softly into her mind, "Thank you…...Nyx." Hermione paused and looked up. Morgana had gone to get ready for the day and Hermione was thankful for that now.

"You know my name?"

"It was the Druids who foretold of you coming."

"I didn't even know I was coming."

"Well, you're here. Have you heard your own stories?"

"No, but I'm guessing there are ones about my brother, Emrys."

"There is. Your stories are intertwined."

"I guessed that. Unlike Merlin I am more open to the fact that I am a different person as well as this one."

They were snapped out of their conversation by a knock on the door. Hermione quickly pulled the screen closed.

She hid the boy in the corner and told him, "This will feel strange. Just don't move." He nodded and she placed a disillusion and notice-me-not charm over him. There, he was virtually unseeable. She did the same to herself and messed up his bed of blankets to look like a messy laundry pile. Then, she opened the window that was behind the screen and sat the boy on her lap. All they had to do was wait. She had grabbed the boy's boots and things and transfigured them into hairpins that she was wearing. After years of war, she had learned to be prepared. Then, she heard the one voice she did not expect. The voice of Prince Arthur fighting with Morgana about checking the room.

She heard Morgana say, "Fine then. I'm hiding the boy behind the screen. Go on. Go see." Oh, that was smart! Reverse psychology!

Well, she was impressed until Arthur said, "Well, maybe I will!" Hermione held her breath as Arthur pulled back the screen. To the eyes of Arthur and Morgana, there was only a pile of blankets and clothes that Arthur had moved to see if anyone was underneath it. Morgana was dumbstruck and Arthur was a bit embarrassed. Behind everyone, Hermione could see Merlin looking straight at her. She smirked at him and he had to stop himself from smiling. He knew Hermione would have it covered. Now, all she needed to do was explain to Morgana how they disappeared! Knowing Hermione, she would think of something.

The Prince left with his manservant and guards after closing the screen and apologizing. Hermione made the two visible again and Morgana pulled back the screen.

"How did you do that?" She looked at Hermione with suspicion and Hermione put on her best amazed face.

"I didn't do anything! I was su-ure he would find us, but I guess his ma-agic reacted and ma-ade us invisible." Hermione coughed, her throat stung after that long sentence. Maybe she could just be mad all the time. She could talk perfectly well when her emotions were high. Even if her throat was killing her after, she wasn't word butchering.

Morgana looked to the boy in amazement and smiled. Phew! Hermione was so glad that worked.

Her and Morgana placed the boy back on his remade bed and Morgana looked to her and said, "We need to get him back to his people." Hermione nodded and sat silently. This boy needed to go back to his people soon. The king would be getting restless and set out more and more searchers. His revenge and spite for all things magical was just too strong.

Hermione didn't know the secret ins and outs of the castle yet. When Merlin came after his shift, he would know a way to smuggle the Druid boy out. For now, he was taken care of and falling asleep. Hermione would go and have more flying lessons with Nimbus. That would take her mind off things.

So, she said goodbye to Morgana and a mental goodbye to the boy and left. As soon as the door closed behind her, she remembered that she forgot to ask the boy's name again! Ugh! She really wanted to know! Hermione just shook her head and walked away. Before she had left, she made sure to put the boy's stuff back to its rightful form instead of a hair clip. So, if they decided on an escape attempt anytime soon, he would have proper footwear!

Hermione got to Gaius's chambers and surprise, Gaius was there. He smiled and said a greeting while she smoothly walked past him to the fireplace. It was so hard to lie to Gaius! It almost felt as if she were lying to Dumbledore, which was a strange comparison because Gaius was nothing like Dumbledore! The dragon in the basement was more like the old coot! Maybe it was just a mix of them. The dragon had the riddles for answers and Gaius' elderly wisdom kind of presence. Her mind was just an odd place.

Hermione reached the Cave and was attacked by the fast flying Nimbus. She caught him and he snuggled her mercilessly. It was like he knew that she was going to take him out. Hermione put Nimbus down with a smile and Hermione couldn't see Crookshanks anywhere. Oh, well he could get in and out of the cave anytime he wanted. She trusted her orange companion. She decided not to let Karma off her arm until they reached the outdoors. It would be easier for her not to trip on him. He had a habit of slithering under her feet and tripping her. She was starting to believe that the snake was doing it on purpose. Which wouldn't surprise her because it's a Slytherin Snake quality.

Hermione had reached the outdoors and smiled. It was really nice weather. Like, a cool breeze with just the right amount of warmth. It made the air feel clearer in a sense. Enough about the weather though! She looked around and spotted Nimbus twittering around like the little spaz he was. Karma's magic was urging her to let him off her arm and she could have smacked herself for forgetting. She sent out a small twitch of apologetic magic and let him slip off of her arm. He nipped at her and then slithered off. Temperamental serpent.

All she needed to do was find another dark shadowy spot. She perfected making a feather the other day. How about making a line of connecting feathers? That may work. Hermione spotted the perfect shadowy spot underneath a large tree. She walked over to the spot and sat. From then went hours of concentration and frustration. She finally got the whispy dark shadow form of feathers to connect. She jumped in joy and sent the feathers out through the forest.

She could see Nimbus jump after one and try to nip at it. Crookshanks had turned up a while ago and was now jumping at the feathers. Hermione smiled and made the feathers disappear. It was almost dawn actually. Did it take her the whole day? She didn't even notice it getting dark! Nimbus must have been freezing! Hermione called Karma to her with a wave of magic and he showed up after a few minutes. He slithered up to her neck and curled around it. She stroked his head and began walking back to the cave for some sleep. She was dead tired! The group reached the cave and walked through.

A bluebell flame was lit absentmindedly and she continued walking on the rocky ground. They reached the inner door and opened that one. Hermione breathed a sigh as she closed the door behind her. She trudged to her bed after lighting the fireplace with the bluebell flames. Karma slithered to her leg as she belly flopped on to her bed. Crookshanks snuggled up on the top of her pillow while Nimbus just flopped over her back. His elbow was digging into her back! She growled softly and he moved to a better position while nipping at her hair. She chuckled and brought her hand back to stroke his feathers. He did a sort of purring sound and snuggled back up. Soon, she drifted to dreamland. There were no dreams actually, just the feeling of sweet relaxation. The last thing that went through her mind was 'I hope Merlin can get on without me.'

When Hermione woke up, she was in a completely different position. She was laying on her back with her leg hanging off the bed. Her blankets were twisted around her torso and there seemed to be an orange fluffy ball of half-kneazle resting on her face. There was a pressure on her chest where she guessed Nimbus was sleeping and she could feel scales coiling around her arm. She huffed and growled at Crookshanks. He just purred and ignored her. The grumpy old thing.

She ended up pushing him off after freeing her arm that wasn't being hugged by a snake, from under Nimbus and pushing the cat off. She heard the fireplace flare and wanted to chuckle. That was most likely Merlin. She had taught him how to use the floo and he despised it. She didn't blame him. It took her far too long to not end up flying out the other end. She heard the crash of a table and a small swear. Ugh, Merlin the clutz! Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and placed him back over her face. She wanted to sleep longer. Maybe if he saw that she was asleep then he would go away.

Her dreams were crushed when her door was open and light bathed her room. She wondered what time it was. Couldn't be too late in the day. Hermione heard Merlin softly walk to her bed and then stand still. She wondered what happened until Crookshanks was lifted off her face. Hermione then looked into the amused eyes of Merlin.

He set Crookshanks back down on the bed and then said quietly, "Can I join you?" Hermione nodded and Merlin went over to the other side of the bed and laid down beside her. Nimbus chirped and went to go sniff Merlin out. The two haven't really had too much time to bond, but they were friends enough. Merlin stroked the Gryphon's feathers and smiled. Nimbus chattered and head butted Merlin's hand.

Karma slithered up to Hermione's stomach and curled up there. He hissed and seemed to go back to sleep. Merlin chuckled and watched as Nimbus curled back up to Hermione's side, pressed up against Crookshanks. Merlin snorted and Hermione gave him narrowed eyes.

"You look ridiculous, you know that right?" Hermione flicked his nose and smirked when he gave a small Yelp. He rubbed his nose and sighed.

"I actually did come here for a reason." Hermione gave him a curious look and he looked at her.

"What if…..what if I could change the future with one action, but I don't know if what I am doing will make the future better or worse?" Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. She had asked herself the same question so many times. She was from the future! Hermione winced. She had almost forgotten about that. Dammit.

Hermione just looked at him straight in the eyes and signed, "We will never know what the future has in store for us. All you can do is what you think is right and hope for the best. Not even that pesky dragon can for tell the future. It is an ever changing thing that will never be clear." Merlin looked at her and slowly nodded. He looked back up to her ceiling and seemed to be pondering something frustrating. Hermione just smiled at him and closed her eyes. She didn't expect to fall asleep again, but she did. She woke next when she heard Merlin enter her chambers through the fireplace again. This time, she got up to greet him. Karma coiled around her neck and Nimbus sprinted out of the room. Crookshanks just stayed on her bed completely ready for another nap.

Merlin stood in front of her with a relieved look. He almost looked as if the weight that was usually resting on his shoulders had been removed and it made her smile.

She signed to him, "What has you so happy?"

Merlin shuffled his feet and said, "I helped the Druid boy escape. Arthur is taking him to his people now." Hermione smiled brightly and hugged her brother. He hugged her back and they released after a second. She took his hand and sat him down. They sat across from one another and just enjoyed the silence. Nimbus curled up by the fire and Karma was still curled around her neck.

She looked to Merlin with pride and signed, "You did good." Merlin smiled and their night continued on.