Hey everyone, I know it's been a month since my last update. The reason why of my tardiness is because my community theater just finished their last show of "The Little Mermaid" and I am still working at my teaching job. And again sadly, updates will take its time for my stories "My Magical Wish" and "Red Rose Nightmare." I would ask you all, my faithful readers, to please have patience with me. I swear on my life that I will NEVER abandon my stories. But my Phantom readers, you will be happy to know that I am hoping to update the next chapter of Red Rose Nightmare really soon!

Anyways, don't forget to review and check out my Polyvore page to see what Sam is wearing for the chapter. Anyways, here's the chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it!

I don't own anything except my OC Sam.

3rd POV

Arthur was determined to save Sam as he continued to ride his stead through the mountains. He shook his head as a memory of Sam's pale face came to his mind. He had to focus to find the antidote and return to Camelot to restore her. He halted as he reached the top of the hill, looking around for the caves. Unbeknownst to him, Nimueh was watching Arthur's reflection from her stone basin. She smirked at the sight of the prince drawing near and pulled her cloak's hood over her head and left the cave.

While Arthur's search pressed on, Sam's condition worsened. Her breathing had become shallow as her skin sweated off the increasing fever. Soon, her body would be shaking uncontrollably. Merlin did his best to soothe her, dabbing her forehead with a cold towel, but it wasn't helping. Without magic, he felt so useless and feared Sam would leave him alone in the world.

As Gaius used his magnifying glass to inspect Sam's rash, both Gaius and Merlin looked up to see Gwen rushing into the room. "What happened? Did you find her?" Merlin asked immediately.

Gwen took a deep breath and shook her head, reporting, "No one has seen her since the banquet. Who is she?"

"Not who she claims to be," explained Gaius.

Merlin and Gwen shared a look before Merlin stared right into his guardian's eyes. "But you know who she is, don't you Gaius?"

Gaius took am moment and sighed, "Cara. Though, that's not her name. Not her real name, anyway."

Gwen became nervous as she slowly asked, "Then who is she?"

"A powerful sorceress."

As Merlin's world tumbled down, he dropped the towel and ran his hands through his dark brown hair, pacing around the bed. "Oh my god, how could I have been so stupid! I wasn't thinking straight when I was around her and Sam knew something was wrong… and now my sister is paying the price!" exclaimed Merlin.

Gaius placed a comforting hand on the young wizard's shoulder to stop his pacing. "It's not your fault, Merlin. You did not know Cara was tricking you." Merlin nodded his head, but there was no belief in his eyes.

"Well, we should tell Uther. Maybe he could send riders out after her," Gwen suggested.

Gaius dismissed the idea and said, "No, she'll be long gone. It's impossible to know where, though." Gaius looked down, before he realized something. "Oh, no."

Gwen looked at the older man with a confused look. "What?"

Gaius turned with a grave look and said, "She knows the only place an antidote can be found is the Forest of Balor. Arthur could be walking into a trap."

Merlin's eyes widened as he yelled, "What? I need to go!"

Before Merlin could rush out the room, Gwen grabbed his arm to stop him. "Merlin, where are you going?"

Merlin looked into her eyes and said, "I have to find Arthur. He's is danger."

Gaius stood up from his seat and said to Merlin, "It's too late. Arthur's been gone for too long and you won't be able to catch up to him."

Before anyone could say anything, their ears perked up when they heard someone mumbling, "Arthur… Arthur…"

They turned to see it was Sam tossing and turning in the bed. Merlin rushed over to his sister and asked in a calm voice, "Sam, what is it? What's wrong?"

All Sam murmured was, "Arthur… Trap… Witch…"

After several long and tiring hours, Arthur was close to his destination in the dark narrow forest. His boots slowly crunched underneath dead leaves and sticks. As he continued to lead his horse down through the trees, Arthur was unaware that a Cockatrice was stalking him under a fallen tree. The Cockatrice softly hissed before it slowly snuck away. Arthur paused when fog began to roll in from all sides. Then he heard a soft cry in the distance. He looked to his right to see a young girl, with brown hair and a rose color dress. She was sitting on a log, tears staining her cheeks. Arthur tried the rains of his horse and walked closer to the girl and noticed there was a tender bruise on her right arm.

"Hello? Are you all right?" Arthur asked. She looked at the prince with a confused and timid look. Then she saw something behind him and screamed. Arthur jumped and looked behind him to see a Cockatrice threateningly crawl over to them. Arthur strongly stood and ordered, "Stay back."

He slowly walked over to the Cockatrice as he unsheathed his sword. Unknowing to Arthur, the girl softly smiled as she watched the battle. The beast lunged at Arthur, but he rolled underneath the Cockatrice just when it was about to catch him in its paws. Arthur quickly turned around and threw his sword at the Cockatrice. The sword was implanted into the beast's chest, killing it instantly. Arthur looked back at the girl to see her standing up and backed away from him. She was shaking in fear, terror in the surface of her eyes.

"It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you," Arthur explained and raised his hand to try to calm her. He looked at her bruise and asked her, "Who did that to you?"

The girl looked down at the wound before replying, "My master. I ran away from him, but then I got lost." She looked back at the prince and pleaded to him, "Please don't leave me."

"I won't. I'm not going to," Arthur promised her.

The girl was hopeful as she asked, "You can take me away from here?"

Arthur shook his head and said to her, "Not yet. There's something I have to do first."

The girl looked where Arthur was staring at and her eyes gleamed at the sight of the cave. "Why have you come to the caves?" she asked.

Arthur started to untie the rains of his horse and answered, "I'm looking for something. It can only be found here."

The girl slowly walked over to him. "What is it? I know this place; I could help you."

Arthur thought a moment. He mustn't tell her everything, but he might need the help; especially since Sam's life was at stake. "It's a type of flower that only grows inside the cave. It's very rare."

The girl's eye lit up when she knew what he was implying. "The Mortaeus flower? I know where they are. I'll show you."

She smiled before walking to the cave. Arthur stared at the girl for a moment before following her. They entered with lit torches, illuminating a massive cavern with yet no flowers to be seen, but behind Arthur was a witch granted him the most beautiful of evil grins.

Things were going from bad to worse in the Physician's chambers. Sam's breath was beginning to falter as the rash on her arm spread and beads of sweat now rolled down her now deathly cold skin. Gwen sat beside Merlin while Gaius sat down on the other side of Sam. Gwen kept looking back and forth between Merlin and his sister. She could see the fear and desperation on Merlin's face. She was tempted to reach over and comfort him, but she restrained herself from embarrassment and not being proper. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Sam softly murmured, "Arthur, it...it's a trap. Run… please."

Gwen sighed before asking, "Her fever's getting worse, isn't it?"

"It's never been this high. It's like she's been sitting in boiling water, every time I touch her forehead she feels like ice," said Merlin as he continued to dab his sister's head. He remembered his sister having influenza and having a few stomach viruses when she was younger, but he never seen her this sick before in his life.

"The poison's setting in," explained the physician.

"eft gewunigen wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume."

Merlin and Gaius shared a nervous look, hoping Gwen won't either hear or know what Sam was saying. They assumed Sam was trying to fight the poison by saying some magic, but if Gwen found out Sam was a witch, she and Merlin could be in danger. However, Merlin glanced at Gwen and believed she wouldn't tell Uther because they were close friends… If she found out.

Gaius placed his hand on Sam's arm to comfort her. "Shh, you need to try to relax, Samantha." He looked at Gwen and asked, "Could you fetch me some more Wolfsbane?"

Gwen nodded her head. "Yes, of course."

As Gwen stood up and walked to the cabinet to find the herb, Gaius slowly leaned over and whispered, "Samantha, you must fight it."

Merlin grabbed his sister's hand and silently prayed that Arthur would find the flower soon.

While Sam was continuing to battle for her life, back in the caves, Arthur and the girl turned around the corner where she pointed at something. "There they are," she said excitedly.

Arthur's eyes landed on a small yellow flower that was hanging on the large cave walls. Arthur slowly walked forward, but stopped when he realized that the flowers were across a large gap with a very narrow ledge. The prince looked down to see what appeared to be a bottomless cavern.

Arthur's boot tapped one of the pebbles off the edge to see it fall all the way down. He turned to the girl to see she was a little worried. "Keep back from the edge. Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon."

He turned back and slowly stepped forward onto the thin ledge. However, what he did not notice was the witch giving him a triumphant smirk as she hissed, "Eorthe, lyft, fyr, waeter, hiersumie me." Arthur looked up to see the cave was starting to shake. "Eorthe ac stanas hiersumie me. Ic can stanas tobrytan-"

The prince stared right at the girl, shocked to see she was the source of the magic. "What are you doing?"

The girl ignored him as she continued to chant, "hiersumie me." Arthur looked down to the stone bridge underneath him begin to crack. He dropped the torch, letting it fall into the dark pit, and jumped to the rock wall on the other side. He grunted as his hands held on the crevasse and his feet were struggling to find the same. Arthur watched in horror as the ledge he was previously standing on snapped into two and fell into the darkness. Arthur looked over his shoulder to see the girl glaring at him as she stated in a dark voice, "I expected so much more."

"Who are you?" shouted Arthur as he tried to lift himself.

She slowly removed her hood so that Arthur could get a better look of her face. "The last face you'll ever see."

Arthur did not know that the girl was really Nimueh. He sneered at her, but stopped when he heard a hissing sound. His eyes widened when he spotted a giant spider slowly entering the caves.

Nimueh smirked as she said, "It seems we have a visitor."

Arthur knew he had to survive. He moved away from the spider, but it continued to pursue him. When the spider was coming closer, Arthur drew his sword and swung the blade at the giant arachnid. It was too fast, so Arthur waited a few moments and just when the spider jumped at him, he swung his sword, cutting the spider as it fell to its death.

"Very good," exclaimed the witch. Arthur used some of his strength to toss his sword on top of the ledge and used his right hand to grab onto the rock again. "But he won't be the last. I'll let his friends finish you off, Arthur Pendragon. It's not your destiny to die at my hand."

Nimueh gave the prince one last look before she left with her torch in hand. Arthur was left in the dark, dangling for his life. It was a trap and he had fallen right into it, just to save Sam.

"Who are you!?"

Merlin could hear his sister mumbling a spell. He leaned over, placing his ear near her mouth to hear her soft words, "Fromum feohgiftum…" He gasped upon recognizing the incantation. He quickly glanced around to see if Gwen had returned from retrieving more water and immediately raced to his bedroom when there was no sign of her. Merlin removed a flap of carpet and said, "Finr na dosta," to make a small door appear on the floor. Merlin pulled the trap door open and took out the magic book Gaius gave to him and Sam. He rushed back to Sam's side and began flipping through the pages.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Gaius asked.

Without looking up, Merlin said, "Sam was muttering a spell and I know I've heard it before." After a few more pages, he finally found the incantation. "Here it is! Sam's been trying to cast a light location spell."

Gaius looked confused as he asked, "Why would she say that spell?"

"I'm not sure. It says that this spell helps the sorcerer, or whomever the spell was sent for, to find their way out of the dark. Sam wouldn't need this spell, unless…" Merlin stopped as his eyes widened. "Unless Arthur was in trouble."

Sam's breath quivered as she softly cried, "Arthur. It's too dark. Too dark."

Instinctively, her hand reached out for Merlin's. He looked down and laced his fingers with hers. Closing his eyes, they both said together, "Fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme. Fromum feohgiftum."

Gaius soon noticed something glowing in Sam's other hand. He slowly removed the blanket to see her holding a ball of light. Upon seeing such magic, Gaius hoped that Merlin and Sam knew what they were doing.

'I don't think I can hold much longer,' Arthur thought as he tried to readjust his grip on the crevasse. His fingers began to shake as sweat moistened the inside of his gloves. However, the resilient prince looked to his right side to see a small bright blue ball of light floating up to him. It appeared to be a droplet of water with swirls of starlight, but Arthur did not know if it was there to aid him or kill him. 'If I am to die, I will die with honor,' he thought.

"Come on, then! What are you waiting for? Finish me off!" Arthur cried out.

He gasped and ducked his head as much as he could when the light floated above his head. In a blink of a moment, Arthur thought he saw a glimpse of Sam's face in swirls of blue and white. He looked again to find there was nothing, but it did not matter. The young prince was reminded of his mission and strength returned to his weakening body. He finally pulled himself onto the ledge and laid on his back, trying to catch his breath. Arthur raised his sword to sheath it as the glowing ball rose higher into the darkness. Ignoring the illuminated path, he turned his attention back to the Mortaeus flower.

"Leave the flower, Arthur!" Sam cried from her bed in Camelot.

Arthur glanced up at the light as though he heard her voice. It was waiting for him...and would have to wait a little longer. He reached for the lifesaving flower, but a screech forced his arm to recoil from the crevasse next over. Once more, many enormous spiders crawled up the wall in attempt to swarm and devour the prince.

"Get out of there! Save yourself! Follow the light!" Sam tossed and turned in the bed, watching the arachnids close in. Arthur shook his head and grabbed the ledge to climb up to the flowers. "No," Sam hissed. "Forget about me and save your sorry butt!" Arthur didn't stop. He had come too far, just to abandon the only thing that could save her. He was now so close to the flowers that he stretched as far as he could. Arthur tried to grab them but to no avail. He looked down to see the spiders were almost on him. Finally, Arthur pushed himself out just enough to grab the yellow plant and placed it in the pouch on his belt. He looked down to see the spiders were seconds away from his position. The prince immediately started to climb, but slipped along the way as the foothold were small and far between.

"Faster, Arthur! Follow the light! Move! Climb! Climb, you idiot!"

Arthur grunted before he stared up at the light and shouted, "I am not an idiot!"

The light floated out of the cave and disappeared into the night. He finally made it to the top and out of the cave, forcing the hundreds of spiders back down where they belonged. He took a deep breath and briefly looked for the glowing guide before returning to his horse and riding through the night to Camelot.

Arthur rode to the drawbridge soon after daybreak, but had to pull the reins to a halt when the Guards of Camelot stood in his path.

Tired and irritated, he demanded, "What are you doing? Let me pass."

One of the guards drew his sword and replied, "I'm sorry, Sire. You're under arrest, by order of the King."

Arthur closed his eyes, knowing he would have to answer for and explain to his father what happened and quickly. After leading the prince to the dungeon, Arthur waited in his cell for too many precious moments. He looked up from the bed when he heard footsteps walking down the stone floor. Then, standing in front of the barred door, was a livid King Uther.

After the guard unlocked the cell, Uther marched in and stated, "You disobeyed me."

Rolling his eyes, Arthur looked at his father and retorted, "Of course I did, a girl's life is at stake." Uther shook his head and huffed at his son's naivety. There was no place for a prince to put his own life at stake for a girl, let alone a serving girl. "Do not let Sam die because of something I did."

"Why do you care so much? The girl is just a servant," Uther interrogated.

"She knew the danger she was putting herself in, and she knew what would happen if she drank from that goblet, but she did it anyway. She not only saved my life, but her brother's as well," explained Arthur, but the king turned away. Arthur knew he needed more to convince his father, and he remembered one particular person. "There's more. There was a woman at the mountain. She knew I was there for the flower. I don't think it was Bayard who tried to poison me."

Uther scoffed at the statement, dismissing the idea. "Of course it was."

Arthur glared at his father upon realizing that his narrow mind would not listen. He opened the pouch, pulled out the yellow flower, and held it up to Uther. "Gaius knows what to do with it." Uther looked at the yellow petals, before he slowly took it from his son. "Put me in the stocks for a week, a month even, I don't care. Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you. Sam doesn't deserve to die."

Arthur stared at his father, silently pleading him to save his servant, his friend. He knew if Sam did not receive the antidote in time, she would not live to see the noon day sun...and he could not bear that.

Uther returned the look of his son with nothing more than apathy as his gloved hand crushed the flower. Arthur rushed forward in fear and screamed, "NO! Father, what have you done?"

"You have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're let out in a week." As Uther walked out of the cell, Arthur's breath was as desperate as his eyes glanced at his father's fist. Uther stopped to give his son one last look and said, "Then you will have only one servant, as I see now it should have been. Losing one servant, especially a female, should not make a difference to you."

Just as the guard locked the cell door, Uther dropped the remains of the crushed flower. Arthur watched them depart and the moment they were out of sight, he laid on his stomach and tried to reach between the bars for the broken stem. However, the flower was just out of his reach, taunting him that Sam would never awaken. Arthur grunted as he scraped his shoulder against the iron. With what little hope where was, he would grab the flower and save Sam…before time ran out.

And there you have it! Another chapter down! Will Merlin and Arthur save Sam in time? The next chapter is the final chapter for this episode. Again, sadly it will be a while before the update. However, I will try my hardest to update soon. Please be patient with me. Please favorite, follow, review, and until then…

Grapejuice101