Chapter Text

𝕬𝖈𝖙 𝟏 - 𝖙𝖔 𝖗𝖚𝖓 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖙

𝕱𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖜 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖔 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝕴

Chapter Text

The wind howled at her back, but it was not the freezing temperatures nor ice cold snow beneath her feet that chilled her. Thea had been used to unfavorable conditions most of her life; caves and abandoned camps became favorable conditions. Once upon a blue moon she would come across an abandoned house and would be able to stay there for a night or two. She had been used to living with people who would 'accidentally' brush too close against her or people who took her for nothing more than dead weight.

All that is to say she could have withstood the snow and the wind and the cold. She could have even gone on walking for longer than the hours she already had been with no complaints. But right now, it was apparent that those problems were the least of her concern. What, or who, was concerning her was the people surrounding her and kicking her forward whenever they needed to express their endless hatred for their lives. As if they, with their furs and their salaries, thought they had it bad.

Bounty hunters had never been a profession she was fond of. Even before she became the prey to their predator she had always thought of how cruel it was to hunt someone down for a bag of coins. Despite this, she had learned how to deal with them very quickly back when she first became something to kill.

They had days to go before they reached the next major pitstop on this trek and she was already longing for the time when things were simpler, when she had a home

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Merlin had never hated foraging like he had some other chores for Gaius. Even so, he was relieved when he found that he had acquired all that he needed. Holding the herbs in his hands, Merlin began to make his way back to the castle.

This was a fairly unused path, so it surprised him when he heard voices sounding from up behind. "Keep up, girl!" The last word was said with such ferocity that he knew whoever said it could not have good intentions. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a grunt and then a thud. Slowly and quietly, Merlin stalked closer to where the sounds were coming from.

Peering from behind a tree, he could now clearly see the scene in front of him. There was a girl, she looked to be about his age, who had been pushed to the ground by a group of men. Her dark brown hair fell in front of her face and clouded her rich brown eyes from his view. Despite her beauty, it was very clear from the ropes on her wrists and the difference in her clothing compared to theirs that she was their prisoner. The girl seemed used to this, which only troubled Merlin further, and she pushed herself back to her feet and continued walking.

Then, like a complete idiot, Merlin stepped forward onto a twig. The twig gave a rather obnoxiously loud crunch, and all the men turned in his direction. He ducked behind the tree just in time to stay out of sight, but it did not stop them. Each one of them unsheathed their sword and began in his direction. One of them dragged the poor girl along with him as they inched closer to Merlin.

Merlin knew that he would be easily overheard if attempted to perform a spell, but there was no way he could take on all of the men. And even if he had a chance at running, which he didn't, he did not want to leave the girl behind. Then it occurred to him: the reason this path was so rarely used was that there was a pack of wild boars that lived not far from the trail. Gaius had only sent him because he needed these herbs desperately and knew that Merlin could use magic if need be.

It was a risky gambit, but it was the only one he had. Gathering his courage, Merlin stepped out from behind the tree and, sparing the men a glace, took off running at top speed. He heard them shout and the subsequent footsteps that meant they were following him. He hoped that the girl was amongst them; that would make it easier for him to help her. The whiz of a spear sounded as it flew right by his head, missing his ear by an inch.

"Don't hurt him!" He heard a voice he presumed to be the girl yell. He then heard her scream as they pulled her along with them. He picked up his pace.

At the speed he had been going it wasn't a huge surprise that he reached the boars in mere minutes. The animals turned to him first, angry eyes boring into his skull. "Hello..." he prayed that the men would get here soon, or this would have all been for nothing. The spear he had to dodge alerted him to their presence. Bursting out of the trees they had just crossed through, all the men stared at him. Then they noticed their other companions. Fear was only present for a moment before one of them threw yet another spear at one of the boars.

The noise of the boars, combined with all of the heavy breathing allowed Merlin a cover. "Culter, ic þe healte" The spear that should have pierced the boar's heart now just grazed its side, succeeding in making it thoroughly angry at the men. The group of boars let out a thunderous roar before they began stampeding at the men.

It was clear to see they were not prepared for it, as they took off running immediately. The one who had been holding the girl dropped her to the ground and, luckily for her, she was able to scurry away in time to not get run over.

Merlin let out something between a laugh and a scoff when he realized his trick had worked. He was silenced by a choked sob coming from the maiden on the ground. His eyes widened as he took in her disheveled state. Cautiously, he approached her; her eyes whirled to face him within moments. "It's alright," he told her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The sob he had heard earlier seemed to be from shock, seeing as she looked at him clearly. "Did you plan that?" she wondered.

"Erm, yes." Merlin admitted.

She let out a shocked laugh. "That was brilliant."

Merlin blushed slightly at the sudden praise. "Oh! Um, thank you."

She pushed herself up to her feet and took a deep breath. Once she was standing, the girl pushed her hair from her face. Merlin was slightly taken aback by her beauty. The joy that seemed to overcome her due to his ploy vanished quickly. It was replaced by a more apprehensive and, well, terrified expression. "They'll be coming for me." She muttered. "I need to go."

"Wait!" Merlin called out, causing her to stop slightly. "Who are you?"

"No one of importance," was the reply he got back.

"I doubt that," He told her and couldn't help but smile at the blush it brought to her cheeks.

"Nevertheless, I must be going." She repeated.

Merlin could feel his magic drumming beneath his skin and for some inexplicable reason it was telling him not to let her go. It wasn't a bad feeling; in fact, it was almost telling him to keep her safe. He truly must have lost his mind by now if he thought his magic was communicating with him.

"Where are you to go?" He asked her. She faltered for a minute at that question, and it occurred to him that she might not know.

"Somewhere." She answered plainly.

Merlin thought furiously as she began to walk away. He could not explain what he was feeling but he knew she was important. "I could provide you with shelter." The words left his mouth before he could comprehend what he was saying.

She whirled her head to face him, eyes wide with shock. "You do not even know me,"

"I know you are in trouble," He reasoned. "Let me help you."

"I-I could not possibly ask you to give shelter to someone you just met."

"You didn't ask."

The girl smiled and, rather hesitantly, took Merlin's outstretched hand.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Even with her head down, Merlin could clearly see the wonder in the girl's eyes as she took in Camelot. He understood her emotions; it had certainly been a lot for him when he first arrived.

He still didn't know what had possessed him to invite her to stay with him. He knew that having an extra person around would make things infinitely more difficult if there was ever a magic problem. Despite being sure that this had been a very bad decision, he did not regret it. Perhaps it was the gentle and callused hand on his that was swaying his mind.

"I'm Thea, by the way," She spoke up, distracting Merlin from his musings. "I figure you should know my name given all you're doing for me." A small smile played on her lips.

"It's good to meet you, Thea. I'm Merlin." He told her.

"So, Merlin, where are we off to?" She finally lifted her head to look at him and for a moment he forgot how to breathe.

"The castle." He said, finding his breath again.

"You live in the castle?" She asked, apprehension and wonder mixed in her face.

"Yes. But it's not like that." He informed her, realizing what that must sound like. "I am the ward of the court physician."

"Oh," She sighed in what seemed to be relief. Why she would be relieved that he was not a prince, he had no idea. Despite his confusion he continued to lead her through the path and onward towards the palace.

The walls towered over them as they made their way to Gaius's chambers. Thea looked at everything with such amazement that it made Merlin want to take it in as well. It was a rather beautiful castle. They came to a stop just before the entrance to the physician's chambers. "Are you sure he won't mind?" Thea wondered. Merlin paused for a moment; he hadn't thought about that.

"He won't." Merlin assured her. "I hope." Thea looked at him with wide yet unamused eyes, letting him know that she had caught that last part. He cautiously pushed the door open and led Thea in. "Gaius?"

"Merlin, at last," Gaius exclaimed, hurrying forward and taking the herbs from Merlin's hands.

"Uh, Gaius?" Merlin asked again. Gaius looked up from his work this time and finally realized that there was a third among them.

"Merlin, who's this?"

"I'm Thea, sir." Thea inclined her head in a show of respect. "You must be the court physician."

"If you are in need of help, I am deeply sorry to say that I am extremely occupied at this point in time. The Lady Morgana has fallen into a coma."

Thea gasped and looked to Merlin who had just remembered why he had been collecting the herbs in the first place. "I require no medical assistance." She told him and made her way to the door, thinking better of accepting Merlin's offer. Merlin, on the other hand, had no intentions of giving up that easily.

"I invited Thea to stay with us." He said rather bluntly. Gaius's head snapped up from where he had been crushing the herbs.

"I beg your pardon?" The question sounded more like a demand and it caused Merlin to swallow audibly.

"Merlin saved me from my captors," Thea began; Merlin sighed in appreciation for her picking up the conversation. "He invited me to stay here, but I have no intention to impose. I shall make leave."

She turned and made her way to the door once again. Merlin sent Gaius a pleading look, begging him to let her stay. She had been all alone and needed help, he couldn't possibly send her back out into danger. "How long are you seeking shelter?" Gaius finally asked.

Thea, who had just made it to the door, looked at him with a shocked expression. "Um, only around a week or so. Until they believe they have lost my trail." She informed him, gathering her courage.

"Alright. But I am very busy so do your best to keep to yourself for the time being."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She expressed, inclining her head again. Gaius nodded and made his way out of the room.

As soon as he had left Merlin sighed in relief; that went better than he had expected. The breath was knocked out of him but a moment after when Thea wrapped him in a hug. She pulled back as soon as she had done it, though, as if she had just realized what she had done. Merlin only smiled when she lifted her head to look at him. He saw the relief in her eyes that she hadn't messed up.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea quickly found that Gaius spoke the truth when he said he was busy. The next day found her alone in the room as Gaius spoke with the king and Merlin busied around the castle. She did not know what jobs he had to attend to but she did as she was told and stayed out of their way.

It was... strange. She had been constantly on the run for so long that she had nearly forgotten how to sit still. Nevertheless, she did her best, not wanting to upset the people who had so graciously offered her a place to stay.

In all her years, Thea had never met someone as kind as Merlin. To open his home to a complete stranger simply because he thought she was in trouble was something she had never expected.

Just as she was thinking of him, Merlin popped his head into the room where Thea had been gazing out the window. "Thea?"

She turned to face him. "Yes?"

"I feel terrible asking but..." Thea subconsciously sucked in a breath; she should have known this was coming. Even someone as kind as Merlin appeared to be would reach their limits. "There is a physician coming to treat Lady Morgana and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me carry his stuff?"

"Oh! Of course," Thea quickly rushed over to where Merlin was waiting for her. The two hurried down the halls and began lifting the physician's equipment into one of Uther's guest chambers. It took her all of her might not to let it show that she was struggling with the task. She had done labor before, but all this time without proper nourishment was proving detrimental.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked, his eyes kind as he watched her shake her arms out from the strain. Thea smiled dazzlingly, and it made Merlin want to do whatever it took to keep that smile on her face.

"Oh, yes, I'm just fine," She told him, touched by his concern. She stepped out from behind the equipment she had set down and made her way over to grab more. As she did so, her hand brushed against Merlin's and she faced him, both of them blushing before Merlin cleared his throat and returned to the task at hand.

It wasn't long after the two had set up the room, that the physician came into the room and started setting up. Thea and Merlin watched in fascination as he did all sorts of wonderful things with the materials in front of him. "Yes," Edwin said, noting their wonder. "It was all originally designed for alchemy."

"Making gold?" Merlin asked.

"You have an interest in science?" The physician asked.

"Science is knowledge," Merlin quoted, making Thea look up.

"It has the answers to everything," Edwin agreed.

"Maybe," Thea said, causing the men in the room to look at her, "I have never seen a science for love,"

"So, you are in love?" He asked. And damn her, she glanced at Merlin, who met her eyes before they both quickly turned away. Edwin smirked slightly, as if he saw something they were ignoring.

"Feelings, emotions," Merlin provided.

"You two seem to bright just to be servants,"

"Don't be fooled, I'm not that bright," Merlin downplayed. Thea paused at that, remembering the trick he had played with the boars. Merlin, it appeared, was also incredibly humble. He turned back to the equipment, observing it, and lifted up a box from where Thea swore she heard a buzzing come from. Edwin's eyes snapped up to the box and he almost instantly took it from Merlin's hands.

"Yes, we will need that," He informed them. "Now, we must hurry to the Lady Morgana, before it is too late,"

They began to hurry out the door and, after a moment of contemplation and an expectant look from Merlin, Thea joined them in hurrying out of the room. They crossed the courtyard in order to arrive at the chambers of the king's ward. It was once they approached the door, though, that Thea opted to stay outside. She had no intention to irritate the king by being an unknown in his ward's chambers.

It was not long after that the whole party exited the room and made their way downstairs. Although hesitant to be near the king, Thea followed the group down the stairs.

Shortly after that, the physician came down the stairs. "Great news, your majesty. You will be glad to hear it was not an inflammation of the brain."

"What is it then?" The king asked.

"It is cerebral hemorrhage"

"Hemorrhage?" Gaius asked, "I don't think so,"

Edwin gave him a look that Thea couldn't decipher before he procured a cloth stained with blood. "I found this trace of blood in her ear,"

The king looked outright horrified, and Thea couldn't help but agree. The thought of something so horrible happening with no one the wiser made her stomach turn uneasily. "God in heaven," The king exclaimed. Thea didn't miss the look exchanged between Merlin and Gaius.

"The severity depends on the site and volume of the bleed. If not treated, it can lead to coma, and eventually death." Edwin explained. From the way he was describing the severity of the affliction, it made Thea wonder how he could have cured it so quickly. Then again, she had absolutely no medical knowledge.

"How could you have missed this?" The king demanded of Gaius.

"I didn't see any blood," Gaius stated. His tone of voice did not sound like someone who had made a mistake, though. It sounded suspicious and cold.

"Please. Just thank the fates that you didn't administer more rosemary to stimulate the circulation. Can you imagine what that might have done?" Thea decided that she didn't like the way this man was speaking.

She kept quiet, of course, staying subdued and drawing little attention to herself. Merlin also seemed displeased with Edwin's tone, but he also remained silent. The king and the prince turned their heads to face their court physician who, at this point, looked a little ashamed. "It may have increased the bleed."

The king's gaze turned steely in the direction of Gaius before he looked back at Edwin. "Is there a cure?"

"See for yourself,"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"You seem troubled," Thea deduced as she sat on a bench, looking over at Merlin. He had come into the room a little while ago, a very conflicted expression on his face.

Since Lady Morgana had been cured, it wasn't hard for Thea to tell that both Gaius and Merlin were on edge. She knew better than to pry, but this time Merlin seemed to be buzzing with nerves. "Oh, no, it's nothing," Merlin insisted, looking over at her with a slight smile. She eyed him for a moment.

"Alright," He was lying and they both knew it, but neither one of them said anything more on the topic for the night.

Dawn came far too soon, Thea decided as she collected her bearings. She had slept on a chair in Merlin's room, despite his insistence that she take the bed. Merlin had then discovered that she could be all too stubborn when she wanted to be.

"Are you going to collect things for Gaius," she asked as the two made their way down the stairs.

"Oh, no, Edwin asked me to gather some items for him,"

"That's awfully nice of you, Merlin," Thea told him. She would admit that she thought it odd how he seemed to have suddenly become trusting of Edwin despite his earlier suspicions. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

Merlin startled, looking up at her in surprise. "You don't have to do that," He insisted.

"I know, but I wish to help. Besides, you make pleasant company."

She didn't realize how that sounded until she saw Merlin blush. She didn't take it back, though; denying the unsaid message would be a lie

"Thank you, Thea. I'd love for you to join me" She nodded and gave him a small smile just when they reached the main chambers. Gaius was already there, sitting over a book in contemplation. "Have you been up all night?" Merlin asked his mentor.

"Yes, but it was worth it," he confirmed. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, I told Edwin I'd be up at dawn to collect some supplies and Thea offered to help." Merlin explained. Gaius smiled mildly at the two of them.

"Well, you better get a move on then,"

They bid him a nod in farewell before both of them hurried out the door and made their way into the town. "It's gorgeous here," Thea expressed as the two of them made their way through the market.

"Yes, it is rather beautiful, isn't it?" Merlin agreed, looking over at her as he spoke. Thea continued to marvel at the sight of the city as she and Merlin began collecting the supplies Edwin had requested. Merlin had happily taken to explaining everything he noticed that her eyes lingered on. Thea didn't want to admit it, but she was quickly catching feelings for Merlin.

Once they had collected the materials, the two made their way back into the palace. As they were nearing the entrance, a brunette with kind eyes made her way over to them. "Merlin!" She called with a smile on her face.

Merlin turned to face her and Thea quickly followed suit. "Gwen!" he exclaimed happily.

"I was just with my father and I happened to see you," She explained. It was then that her eyes trailed over to Thea and she smiled brightly.

"Oh!" Merlin exclaimed, realizing that the two girls hadn't met yet. "Thea, this is Gwen. Gwen, this is Thea,"

"It's wonderful to meet you," Gwen told her.

"You, as well," Thea told her. Her demeanor was kind and no one could tell, but jealousy was simmering in her gut as she watched Merlin and Gwen interact. They seemed rather close. She really needed to reign in these coming emotions. But, as it often was, her heart spoke first and she snaked her hand into Merlin's. "Shall we?" She asked as if she hadn't done anything.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Merlin agreed. He waved to Gwen and then the two made their way back into the castle. Neither one of them saw the knowing grin that enveloped Gwen's face.

Her hand was still intertwined with Merlin's when they arrived back at the doors leading to Edwin's guest chambers. She had seen Merlin glance down at the connection a few times, but he didn't do anything to cut it off; in fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it.

Merlin pushed the door to the chambers open and the two made their way inside. "We've got you provisions." He announced.

"Oh, thank you both," Edwin expressed. "Gaius was just reminiscing about old times, weren't you. Gaius?"

Gaius looked at Merlin steadily, making Merlin frown a bit. The physician's eyes then trailed down to Merlin and Thea's intertwined hands. The younger ones in the room looked down at their joint hands when they felt Gaius's gaze on them. Both seemed to have a moment of contemplation before Merlin squeezed Thea's hand in his, and she smiled brightly. "Yes." Gaius confirmed, looking rather pleased at their connection.

"But now," Edwin stated, patting Merlin on the shoulder, "I must get back to work,"

They took that as their que and the three left the room. Once they were in the hallway, Thea smiled lightly and let go of Merlin's hand. "I'd better get on with my errands."

"Yes, of course, you must," Gaius agreed. Something in his tone must have sounded off to Merlin for he turned around to look at the older man.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine," He told Merlin. "Just do what Edwin asks,"

Merlin smiled and nodded before walking off. Thea looked back at Gaius's troubled expression. She wanted to say something, but he smiled at her and walked in the opposite direction before she had the chance.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea watched carefully as Gaius packed up his belongings. He had said very little beyond the fact that he would be leaving. There was quite obviously something troubling him beyond his forced retirement.

"I do not mean to impose, but are you sure this is best?" Thea asked carefully. He turned a stormy gaze to her, but Thea could tell his emotions were not directed at her.

"I must do this,"

"And what of Merlin?" Thea asked gently, staring at the old man. "He thinks of you like a father,"

"He said that to you?" Gaius asked, surprised. Thea couldn't tell whether his surprise was at the idea of him opening up to her so soon, or the fact that Merlin thought that.

"He didn't need to,"

Gaius smiled for the first time since he had come into the room. He looked at her with a calculative yet still warm expression. "Take care of him for me, would you?"

"It would be my honor," Thea told him

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea wandered along the gravel road, eyes scanning the city. "Thea!"

She startled and turned to face the source of the voice and found Gwen smiling at her. She smiled back and, despite her earlier jealousy, found herself heading over to meet the curly haired woman. "Gwen, it's wonderful to see you. Is there something you need?"

"I wanted to talk to you," she told Thea who felt her eyebrows raise.

"Oh?"

"I wanted to let you know that Merlin and I are just friends," Thea was sure her eyebrows were at her forehead now. She hadn't realized that Gwen was that perceptive.

"Was it that obvious?" She asked, feeling a little bit ashamed.

"I'm afraid so," Thea sighed at Gwen's words, but the other woman only smiled softly. "He was quite obviously interested in you, as well."

Thea grinned at the thought despite herself. She looked back at Gwen, at her kind eyes and soft smile. She had let her jealousy cloud her judgment of the other woman. It was now clear to her that Gwen was a wonderful young woman. "You seem like such a lovely person, Gwen. Would you mind if I accompanied you on whatever has you out and about?"

"I would love that," Gwen said genuinely, offering her arm to Thea, who took it gladly.

The two girls seemed to strike up a conversation rather easily and quickly found themselves becoming enwrapped in conversation. Thea smiled as Gwen told her about her father's work as a blacksmith. It had been so long since she'd had an actual friend. It was then that it occurred to her how quickly she was becoming attached to Camelot.

Then the girls' eyes found Gaius leading a horse through the lower town. Gwen placed the fruit she was inspecting and hurried over to the physician. "Gaius? You're leaving?"

"Yes." Gaius confirmed. "I'm sorry I didn't come and say goodbye,"

"I don't want you to go." Gwen expressed. "I don't trust Edwin. There was no blood in Morgana's ear. He put it there. He did something to her, I know he did,"

"Besides, how can he possibly cure an illness he only just discovered in such a short time. Nothing adds up," Thea added on, causing Gwen to nod.

"You both need to be careful who you say that to," Gaius warned, his face severe and his tone lowered.

"We're saying it to you because you can do something about it," Gwen insisted, her eyes pleading.

"I can't," Gaius insisted. Thea felt like this was tied into his retirement. As if Edwin had done something to sway the king's decision

"But you think the same, don't you? He's evil," Thea pushed, remembering the suspicious way the young physician had acted.

Gaius looked troubled, as if he was unsure what to say. "It's not that simple

"So, you're just going to turn your back on us?" Gwen asked. Thea blinked at Gwen's words. They weren't incorrect, but Thea couldn't deny that they were harsh. Then again, perhaps harshness was warranted in a situation like this.

"I have no choice. I'm sorry, Gwen."

"In life you always have a choice. Sometimes it's easier to think that you don't," Gwen's words were wise and they shook Thea a bit.

"Well, then, my choice is to leave," Gaius declared, looking very regretful.

"Then I'll miss you." Gwen told him, resigning from the argument. She took a step forward and kissed Gaius on the cheek. "Goodbye, Gaius,"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"Are you alright?" Thea asked Merlin as the two descended the spiral staircase. Merlin looked up from where he had been staring at the blankets in his arms and nodded absently. Thea went to say something more when Prince Arthur appeared, rushing to Merlin with urgency.

"Merlin! My father has Morgana's illness. We must find Edwin." he was off before either of them could get a word in. Merlin exchanged a glance with Thea before he dropped the blankets and the both of them rushed in the direction of Edwin's chambers.

What they arrived to what was something Thea never thought she would see. Gaius stood, his back against a pillar, a circle of flames surrounding him. Merlin seemed just as shocked as Thea and his stare immediately went to Edwin. It clicked then, why Edwin could so easily cure Lady Morgana's illness; he was a sorcerer. "What are you doing?" Merlin demanded.

"He was trying to kill the king. I couldn't let him," Gaius stressed.

"I can rule the kingdom now," Edwin told Merlin. "And with you by my side we can be all powerful,"

Thea furrowed her brow in slight confusion before it occurred to her what Edwin was saying. Merlin must be a sorcerer too. Her eyes blew wide at the thought. When she was younger, her father had warned her of the power sorcerers possessed. He had never said they were evil like some others believed, all he said was that they were dangerous. He made sure she knew that there was a difference.

By the time Thea had snapped out of her own head, she saw an axe magically heading Merlin's way. She didn't think; she just acted. Right as the prince burst through the door, Thea grabbed an axe from the wall and threw it at Edwin with all her might. It quickly found itself embedded in Edwin's chest and instantly, the flames surrounding Gaius vanished and the axe dropped from where it had been inched from Merlin's face.

"Gaius!" The prince exclaimed, his own eyes darting around the room. "Edwin was a sorcerer?"

Gaius and Merlin exchanged a glance before the elder one spoke up. "I'm afraid so, Sire. it seems that he afflicted both Morgana and your father with a magical ailment."

Horror overtook Arthur's features when he realized what that meant. "Can you heal my father?"

"I can try,"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The next morning, Thea sat wordlessly in the physicians chambers as Merlin and Gaius both paced before her. "I know you must be confused about what you saw last night," Gaius began.

"Not really," Thea admitted sheepishly. It all seemed rather clear to her. "It was sorcery, wasn't it?"

Merlin and his uncle shared another alarmed look before Merlin spoke up. "Yes, Edwin was a sorcerer." He opened his mouth to speak but Thea spoke before he had the chance.

"You mistake for a fool," She said smoothly, no bite to her words, just simple assertiveness. The two men grew even more panicked at that and Thea felt the need to explain herself. "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to go running my mouth and spilling your deepest secrets,"

"But magic is illegal," Merlin reminded her.

"If I'm not mistaken, the very king who outlawed it would be dead if not for your magic," Thea told him.

"You don't fear magic?" Gaius queried.

"No more than I fear a sword," Thea said sagely. Merlin couldn't help the grin that overtook him at her words. He had wished to hear someone speak of magic like she did for longer than he could remember. To realize that magic was neither good nor bad, it simply was. "Besides, it's not like I will be around much longer,"

Gaius watched her for a moment and was then struck with Merlin's pleading gaze. "Stay."

"I beg your pardon?" Thea questioned.

"You have proven yourself a kind and reliable young woman. You also already know and accept the secret we conceal. It would be a pleasure to offer you a home."

Thea couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes. "I don't know what to say." She said, sputtering a little. "What will the king say?"

Before anyone had the chance to answer, Prince Arthur opened the door to the chambers and all three occupants turned to face him. His eyes crinkled in confusion as he looked directly at Thea. "Thea, is it?"

"Yes, Sire," The confirmed curtsying in respect.

"My father wishes to see you. Right now,"

The felt terror building in her gut but she managed to put on a slightly strained smile and followed after the prince, clutching her necklace tight for comfort. She followed him to the throne room with a pounding heart, awaiting whatever would come with fear. When they arrived at the doors, two guards silently opened the doors and allowed for the two to enter.

The king's eyes fell upon her in an unwavering expression. Immediately, Thea curtseyed low and inclined her head in respect. "Your Majesty,"

"It seems I owe you a debt," The king told her. Thea tentatively looked up to meet his eyes. "My son informed me of how you killed the sorcerer that invaded Camelot,"

"Yes, Sire," Thea said quickly and calmly, despite feeling nothing of the sort.

"And it seems that the death of the sorcerer is what allowed my life to be saved." Thea wanted to ask how he knew that before she realized that must have been the cover story that Gaius provided.

"I am glad for that," was what Thea settled on saying.

The king looked at her contemplatively. "I am not one to let debts go unpaid. Name a reward,"

Thea couldn't help that she gawked for a moment before she gathered herself. "Um... the court physician has so kindly offered me shelter. All I ask is for your approval on the matter,"

"Then you shall have it," Thea smiled shyly at the king's approval.

"In fact, why don't I do you one better," The prince spoke up, causing both Thea and his father to turn their heads to him. "Merlin could always use an extra hand with the chores. How would you feel about joining him as my maidservant?" He looked to his father momentarily and got a small nod of approval. After that, he turned his gaze back to the young maiden in front of him, who was rather shocked at the events unfolding before her.

"It would be my honor," She said once she had gathered herself. The royals in the room nodded at her and then she was dismissed.

She sat with Gaius and Merlin that evening, discussing her new role and beginning her new life.

Chapter Text

Thea stalked next to Merlin, keeping her eyes trained on Arthur’s figure. Her first week as his servant had gone pretty well. She and Merlin had made much quicker work of the chores than Merlin did when it was only him. She was a fast learner, Arthur had pointed out when she started becoming more efficient than Merlin at certain tasks.

“You do know that running into the prince just as he’s about to hunt will not improve your reputation as a buffoon?” Thea whispered to Merlin, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. Over the past week it had become apparent to almost everyone besides her and Merlin that this specific light only occurred when she looked at Merlin.  

“Would you rather I watch as he kills an animal in their home?” Merlin asked playfully, keeping up the banter she had initiated. Thea admired how caring Merlin was for defenseless animals, but surely he must realize that this was not going to earn him anything. Thea had always loved animals, but she knew very well that men with pointy objects would always find something to point said objects at. Without giving Thea a chance to reply, Merlin rushed forward and rammed into Arthur. “What is it?”

“You really are a total buffoon, aren’t you, Merlin?” Arthur demanded angrily, facing Merlin harshly. Thea managed to smirk at Merlin due to Arthur’s choice of words before Merlin turned back to the prince.

“I was just asking?” He defended himself.

“Who, me or the deer?” Arthur said, his voice still harsh. “We’re supposed to be hunting. It requires speed, strength, and an agile mind.”

“So you’re able to get by on two out of three, then?” Merlin jested as an afterthought. 

“You boys are ridiculous,” Thea informed them as she stepped quietly out of the bushes. In the past week she had also managed to begin to feel somewhat comfortable with Arthur. They weren’t quite at the same level that Arthur was with Merlin, but Thea had a suspicion that they would get there in time.

Before either man could say anything, a woman’s scream echoed through the woods. “What was that?” Merlin asked.

“Quiet,” Arthur ordered, straightening up, grabbing his sword from Merlin, and running in the direction of the scream as faint cries for help continued. The scene they arrived at looked to be like a bandit attack. Thea startled and tried to stay out of sight to the best of her ability. There was a man and woman who seemed to be the targets of this attack. 

Arthur drew his crossbow and fired an arrow into one of the bandits. Once the man had fallen, the other three charged at Arthur, who swung his sword around as he rushed at them. The men traded strikes as Arthur fought to subdue him. Thea stared on, unsure of what to do. Merlin, on the other hand, rushed forward, eyes darting around the tree tops. He mumbled a spell that Thea didn’t understand and soon enough a large branch fell on top of the man approaching Arthur from behind.

“Stroke of luck,” the prince commented about the tree once he had killed the one bandit and the other had raced off. Thea withheld a sigh; she wished that the prince could somehow see how many times Merlin had saved him.

“And let that be a lesson to you!” Merlin yelled at the retreating bandit. Thea and Arthur both turned to face him in slight exasperation. “What? I was covering your back.”

“Are you alright?” Arthur asked the father and daughter who had been watching in shock. “They didn’t hurt you?”

The young woman removed her hood and turned to the prince, who seemed dazzled at her beauty. “No… thanks to you. I’m Sophia. This is my father,”

“Arthur Pendragon,” The prince introduced himself. He took hold of Sophia’s hand and brought it up to kiss softly. “At your service,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Sophia and her father stood in front of the court later that day. Once they had arrived at the palace, Arthur had presented the duo to his father and the court. The prince was now leaning against a pillar, unable to tear his eyes away from Sophia. 

“My name is Aulfric, heir to Teir-Mor.” He introduced himself. “This is my daughter, Sophia,"

Thea looked to Sophia, who was standing beside her father with big eyes, taking in the throne room. “You’re a long way from home. What brings you to Camelot?” The king asked, looking upon his visitors.

“Our home was sacked by raiders.” Aulfric explained. “We barely escaped with what few possessions we could carry.”

“These are dangerous times,” Uther expressed. “What will you do?”

“We travel west to Caerleon where we have family and, I hope, a new life” Thea continued to stare at the man, unsure of what to think of him and his motives. 

“You must stay here awhile, break your journey” The king decided. Thea, glancing over at Arthur could not help but notice how relieved he looked at his father’s proclamation. It appeared that he was smitten with the new arrival. “A noble family like yours is always welcome in Camelot,”

They bowed in gratitude before they left the hall. Sophia’s figure was traced by Arthur every step she took. The young woman turned her head and smiled softly at Arthur as she left the council chamber. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“Make sure you put her in a decent room,” Arthur ordered as Thea and Merlin followed him into his own room.

“The one next door’s empty,” Merlin said, smirking. Thea grinned at his plan, also having picked up on Arthur’s feeling for the young noble. 

“The one next door’s fine,” Arthur confirmed, smiling slightly at the thought. “Excellent, in fact” The prince turned around and saw the look on Merlin’s face, a look that Thea shared. “Shut up, both of you,” 

“We didn’t say anything,” Thea said innocently, shrugging her shoulders and smiling at Merlin. 

“You didn’t have to.” The prince reminded them, shrugging on his jacket. “I want to make it clear that my intentions toward Sophia are completely honorable. Put her in the room on the other side of the castle. It’s warmer, more comfortable.” The disappointment in the prince’s tone was easily detectable. 

“Of course,” Thea confirmed, still smiling.

“She, er, is very beautiful,” Merlin mentioned. Thea knew that he was only attempting to convince the prince to go after her, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed at hearing him call someone else beautiful. God, she needed to do something about this.

“Yes, she is,” Arthur agreed, sounding taken simply by the thought of her. 

“And if your intentions are honorable…” Merlin continued.

“Oh, they are. Most definitely,” Arthur succeeded in convincing no one. 

“Then what’s the problem with her staying in the room next door?” 

Arthur thought for a moment before he spoke up. “There isn’t one. You’ve convinced me. Put her in the room next door,” He stared at the smiling Merlin for a moment more before making his way out of the room.

“Well, I should make my way to their guest rooms,”

“Let me,” Thea assured him, forcing a smile. She wanted to keep Merlin away from Sophia if she was being honest. Deep down, she wanted his eyes to be on her and only her. 

Merlin, oblivious to the thoughts plaguing Thea’s mind, smiled and handed her the blankets for the guest rooms. Thea smiled back and made her way out of the room, heading in the direction of the guests. 

She curtsied to the guests when she arrived and quickly set up the room. Finally, she handed Sophia a bundle of blankets and said, “if you need anything, let me know,” 

“Thank you,” She nodded at Thea and turned back into the room.

As soon as the doors shut behind the maiden, another young woman approached. “Lady Morgana,” Thea exclaimed, bowing as was customary.

“Who was that?” The lady demanded, a fierce horror in her eyes. 

Thea frowned slightly at Lady Morgana’s tone before she spoke. “Sophia Tir Mor. We rescued her in the woods. Well, Arthur did most of the rescuing ,” She added as an afterthought. 

“She can’t stay here,” Lady Morgana’s tone was firm and determined, but it possessed a clear undertone of fear.

“Well, the king said that she and her father are welcome in Camelot.” Thea explained, but that only seemed to enhance Lady Morgana’s terror. Not sure why this girl would bring such horror to the king’s ward, Thea asked, “is everything okay?”

Just like that, Lady Morgana’s eyes became impassive and her face returned to a neutral state. “Yes. Thank you,” she turned away from Thea and began walking towards the hall, still looking slightly troubled. 

Thea frowned herself and, for some reason, found herself making chase after the young maiden. “Lady Morgana?” She called, causing the woman to turn around and face her. “I know that you don’t know me, but if something is troubling you I want you to know that I am always here to listen.”

The lady’s eyes softened slightly at Thea’s words and she gave a small, genuine smile. “Thank you… Thea,” 

Thea smiled, curtsied and made her way back to the prince’s chambers to continue on with her duties.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea and Merlin dutifully made the prince’s bed as he talked. “I’m taking Sophia out for a ride today. You know, show her around.” 

“We play into this, how?” Thea asked, taking the opposite end of the blanket and stretching it over the mattress. 

“Well, I’m supposed to be on patrol with the guard and my father this morning, so I need you to cover for me.” He looked slightly sheepish, but Arthur still looked confident in his decision to surely get one of them tossed into the stocks.

“What, and lie to the king?” Merlin questioned. “No. No way. He’ll see right through me. He’ll have me in the stocks quicker than you can say ‘rotten tomatoes,’” 

“I need you to do this for me,” Arthur insisted. 

“I’m far too new to lie to the king and get away with it,” Thea insisted; while the king might send Merlin to the stocks for that, there was a chance he would fire Thea for messing up so early in the job.

Unable to deny Thea’s claim, the prince turned to Merlin.

“I am a terrible liar,” Merlin insisted. “I start sweating, my–my vision blurs, my–my brain stops working,” 

“Well, no change there, then,” Arthur said before he straightened up. “Look, I promised Sophia I’d take her out and if I don’t turn up it’ll blow my chances,”

“You like her then?” Thea asked, smiling both at Arthur admitting his feelings and at the idea of Merlin not being tempted by her.

“Yeah,” Arthur said with a scoff. “What’s not to like? I want to spend some more time with her, but I need to get my father off my back.” At this, Thea couldn’t help but frown. While it was possible to become besotted with someone so quickly, it was unlike Arthur to blow off his father and his duties for someone he had only just met. The prince also didn’t seem like the type to fall for the whole love at first sight thing. “I can’t order you to lie to the king, but you’ll be a friend for life if you do.” 

Merlin hesitated for a moment before he smiled very softly. “Go on, then, you don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Arthur grinned and patted Merlin on the shoulder. “Thanks, Merlin, I won’t forget it,”

Thea watched the price go off with a grin on his face, causing her to frown even more. This just seemed so odd. Merlin smiled at his retreating figure, though. He turned to her and began to speak. “Do you mind covering the rest of this while I speak to the king?” 

“No, of course not,” Thea said, tearing her eyes away from where Arthur had been standing moments earlier. “But I must deliver something to the Lady Morgana’s chambers first,” 

Merlin nodded and Thea made her way down the halls. She arrived at the intended chambers momentarily, turning her head to check if anyone was watching before she knocked lightly on the door. “Enter!” 

Thea pushed the door open and walked in to see both Gwen and Lady Morgana standing by the window. “My lady,” She curtsied and caught their attention. Gwen smiled brightly upon sight of her friend.

“Thea,” Gwen said happily, “What brings you by?” 

Thea looked down sheepishly for a moment before she lifted her head and fixed a steady gaze onto her face. “I am aware that this improper, but I was hoping I could have a word with you, My lady,”

Lady Morgana only smiled kindly. “Please, just call me Morgana. Now what is it you wish to discuss?”

Taking in a deep breath, Thea opened her mouth to speak carefully. “I have… concerns about the new arrivals,” She saw Morgana’s eyes widen and watched as she and Gwen exchanged a look. “And, however assumptious it is, I got the impression that you shared my concerns”

Morgana hesitated before she spoke, assessing Thea’s mannerisms. “I admit that something about her bothers me,”

Thea sighed in relief and was ushered over to sit with the other two women. “It simply appears strange how quickly he is giving her his heart.” She explained.

“We saw him ride off with her,” Gwen spoke up, worried tone in her voice.

“May I tell you something in absolute secrecy?” Morgana asked, her voice pleading and her eyes scared.

“Of course,” Thea confirmed. 

“I had a dream where she killed Arthur,” Thea’s eyes blew wide as she took in that information. She had certainly felt something off when she took in Sophia but she had never fathomed something like this. Her mind began to search for some sort of reasonable explanation. “I had this dream before she arrived in Camelot.” 

And reasonable flew out the window. “Oh.” Thea could hardly manage anything beyond that. Briefly, her mind flashed back to brown locks, bright blue eyes, and a blazing forest fire.

“This– this was a mistake,” Morgana fretted and Gwen rose to try and calm her employer. “I shouldn’t have said anything!” 

“Morgana!” Thea said firmly. “You needn’t fear that I’ll tell anyone. You can trust me,” 

Morgana stopped pacing and turned to look Thea in the eyes. She stared for a moment before she seemed to see the sincerity in Thea’s eyes and calmed down somewhat, giving the maid a shaky smile. “Thank you,”

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea returned to Gaius’s chambers as he was talking with Merlin, who was now covered in food bits. She gave a fond sigh and made her way inside. “But they’ve only just met,” Gaius was saying.

“Sophia?” Thea asked in concern, making her presence known to the men. Gaius nodded and Merlin smiled at her as he washed food out from his hair.

“Yes, it appears they’ve fallen victim to love at first sight,” Merlin said, grinning at the idea. Thea, however, only fell deeper into concern.

“I don’t believe in love at first sight,” She stated, moving to the wash to help Merlin. “I believe in attraction at first sight, but love cannot be won by something as simple as seeing someone. Love has to be earned, nurtured, and pure,” She reached up and picked a piece of tomato out of Merlin’s hair, dropping it into the dirty water. 

Her hand grazed Merlin’s face as she did so and the air became undeniably thick with tension. Merlin took a gentle hold on Thea’s wrist and his eyes held such emotion that Thea couldn’t deny it any longer. 

She took an unwilling step forward and found Merlin doing the same. Their faces were now only inches apart and the rest of the world had faded around them. Before either of them could stop, their lips met in a subtle display of passion. 

The kiss was everything Thea wanted it to be and more. For the first time in a long time, Thea felt right; undeniably, inexplicably right. She wanted to freeze time, to keep that moment precious and immortal. They pulled apart, both staring into each other’s eyes, feeling both lost and found at the same time.

“Well, that didn’t take long, did it?” Gaius said, smirking at the two of them. They jumped apart in shock, completely having forgotten that Gaius had been there. 

“Gaius, I–” Merlin began

“uh, we were just–” Thea stuttered.  

Gaius only chuckled and gave them both a look. Pleased that he had no quarrel with them, Thea and Merlin both grinned at each other. “I should get on with my chores,” Thea told them, smiling at Merlin as she slipped out the door.

Thea couldn’t keep the grin off of her face as she made her way down the stairs. She was so distracted by her joy that she nearly rammed into Gwen, who was carrying some laundry that fell to the floor. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–” 

“It’s no trouble, Thea,” Gwen told her, smiling up at her. It took Gwen not even a second to realize how elated Thea looked. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” 

Thea looked around the corridor as if she was worried she would get in trouble for this. Then again, rumors spread fast through the palace staff and she didn’t want the entirety of them to know. She did have a feeling some suspected already, and she had no doubt it would become known in time. For now, though, she wanted to hold it close to her chest. “I kissed Merlin!” She whispered to Gwen, grinning brightly. 

Gwen’s eyes blew wide and she smiled as well, happy for the two of them. “Thea, that’s amazing,”

“It is, isn’t it?” She gushed, blushing at the thought.

Gwen and Thea quickly collected the spilled garments before Gwen began leading Thea to Morgana’s chambers. “Oh, you have to tell Morgana,” 

“What?” Thea questioned amused shock overcoming her. 

“I mean, you don’t have to, but wouldn’t it be ever so fun to talk about boys with some friends?” Gwen proposed, smiling happily. Thea smiled back at her and nodded, following Gwen down the hall.

They were very quickly welcomed into Morgana’s chambers. The lady barely had the chance to ask why they were there before Gwen blurted, “Thea kissed Merlin!” Thea gave Gwen a look, to which the other woman simply shrugged. 

Morgana looked both shocked and delighted at this news. “Tell me everything.”

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The next morning, Thea and Merlin were both treading delicately, exchanging looks and soft touches when alone. As Thea polished Arthur’s armour one last time for good measure, her mind flashed back to the previous evening.

The door creaked open as Thea walked in, her eyes scanning the area for Merlin. After her talk with Morgana and Gwen, she decided that she should sit down with Merlin and talk about what happened. 

She found him pacing in the corner of the chambers, Gaius having gone to run some errand. “Merlin?” He swiveled to face her and she watched as a flurry of emotions passed over his face. Finally, it settled on muted joy. Thea carefully made her way over to the corner where he remained. “I was hoping we could talk,” 

Brief fear flashed across Merlin’s face before he nodded and guided her over to the bench. “Of course,” he waited for a moment once they were sitting, in order to allow Thea to find the words.

“About earlier,” She began cautiously. “I don’t want my departure to make it seem as though it didn’t mean something to me, because it did.” 

Merlin gave a small, hopeful smile. “It meant something to me too,” 

“I really don’t know what to say. I mean, I could go on and on, but, I guess what I want to say is this: would you, Merlin, like to… to be with me. Romantically, that is,” Thea asked, wincing at her gracelessness.

“I would like that very much,” Merlin confirmed, smiling brightly.

“Good. That–that’s good,” She confirmed, and, before she could stop herself, kissed him again.

She snapped back to reality at the sound of Arthur entering the room. “You’re dressed!” Merlin pointed out upon sight of the prince. 

“Nothing gets past you, does it, Merlin?” Arthur questioned rhetorically.

“What Merlin is trying to point out is that you’re supposed to be wearing armor,” Thea reminded him, holding up the silver metal for good measure. “Your father is bestowing knighthood on one of your men today,”

“I’m giving it a miss,” Arthur said, turning his head to the two servants.

“Won’t the king mind?” Merlin asked.

“Not if you, uh, cover for me again. By the way, thanks for yesterday. I heard you ended up in the stocks–bad luck,” The prince exclaimed. Thea was becoming more and more discontent with this new attitude of Arthur’s. Not only was he shrinking on his duties, but he was letting Merlin take the blame for it.

“They were throwing potatoes at me. It's only supposed to be rotten fruit.” Merlin pointed out.

“I’m not sure there’s any hard and fast rules, but if it’s any consolation, I think it was worth it,” Arthur told them, being the one who hadn’t had potatoes thrown at him. 

“What?” Merlin asked, stepping closer to Arthur. “It went well?”

“Great, fantastic,” Arthur confirmed, entering an almost trance-like state that only made Thea worry more. “She’s incredible.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get you out of it,” Merlin assured him, smiling. Thea was unsure of what to say. She couldn’t make Merlin betray his friendship to the prince nor was it her place to reveal what she had learned of the girl. 

“Just make sure you don’t end up in the stocks this time,” Arthur requested. 

“I won’t. I think I’m starting to get a hand of this whole deception lark,” 

Spoiler alert: he was not

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea managed to make her way through the chores whilst Merlin was busy having fruits thrown at him. She fraternized with Gwen a bit and even managed to become acquainted with some other palace staff. 

When she finally retired from her chores, she managed to make it back to the chambers at the same time as Merlin did. She gave him a look at the sight of the fruit he was covered in. “Not again, Merlin, surely?” Gaius asked.

“You would think the appeal of pummeling the same person with fruit would wear off after a while, but, oh, no!” Merlin mused.

“I heard Arthur wasn’t at the knighting ceremony,” Gaius prompted. Merlin hesitated for a second before he spoke and Thea took that as her opening. 

“Really!” She said in over exaggerated shock, “Merlin, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?” Merlin gave Thea an exasperated, yet fond, look and Gaius chuckled at the young woman’s words.

“He wanted to make the most of his time left with Sophia,” Merlin explained while pouring water into a basin.

“So, you helped him?” Gaius asked, his voice already showing what he thought of that.

“I’m his servant, I had to,” Merlin defended himself.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Merlin,” Gaius warned him, sounding severe. Thea and Merlin both turned to look at the physician. “I fear Sophia may not be all that she seems.”

“What do you mean by that?” Thea asked, walking closer.

“What do you know about seers?” Gaius asked and Thea immediately knew that he must also know of Morgana’s dream. For a split second she was unsure of how to act. Then she decided it was better not to reveal the information that she had been trusted with.

“Not much.” Merlin admitted. “They’re supposed to be able to see the future, like prophets,”

“It’s said to be an innate ability. Those who have it are born that way,” Gaius explained, making Thea feel even more sympathy for Morgana. To be born with such a heavy burden that she didn’t even understand must be exhausting. “Some aren’t even aware that what they see is the future. It comes to them in their dreams.”

“What’s this got to do with Sophia?” Merlin asked.

“The night before she and Aulfric came to Camelot, Morgana had a dream,” Gaius said gravely. “Sophia was in it,” 

Thea made a conscious effort to act surprised. “Before she came to Camelot?” Merlin asked. 

“I’ve been watching Morgana since she was very young.” Gaius explained, causing Merlin and Thea to come closer to the bench he was sitting on. “And though I’ve tried to persuade myself otherwise, I realized that some of the things she said she dreamt have come to pass. I kept it a secret from Uther, of course. The gift of prophecy is too close to the work of magic.”

“You think Morgana is a seer?” Thea asked tentatively.

“I don’t think it. I fear it. Morgana said she dreamt that Sophia killed Arthur.” Thea felt her lips part in shock. It now made sense why she had such a bad feeling about the girl. It also clarified why Morgana was so terrified. 

“Couldn’t that have just been a dream,” Merlin wondered, sounding slightly desperate. “Maybe the woman Morgana saw just looked like Sophia,”

“That’s what I hoped,” Gaius admitted. “But, Aulfric caught me in Sophia’s room and, in a flash of anger, his eyes turned red.” 

Fear was beginning to pool in Thea’s gut. “Who are they?” Merlin asked softly. 

“It’s not who they are that worries me, it’s what they want with Arthur.”

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When Merlin returned hours later, Gaius was working with his medicines and Thea was subtly searching for books on seers. Merlin quickly regaled the two with what he had seen. Thea was unsure of what to do, but Gaius seemed fascinated by Merlin’s words. “Avalon. What you saw at the lake, it’s Avalon, it must be.”

“What’s…” Merlin began.

“The land of eternal youth. Mortals are only supposed to glimpse it the moment before death.” 

“Well, I’ve seen it and I’m still here,” Merlin pointed out. 

“Extraordinary. What did it look like?” Gaius questioned.

“Besides that, what do they want with Arthur?” Thea pushed, discreetly tucking a book under some papers. 

“They want to sacrifice him. And I don’t even know who ‘they’ are,” Merlin panicked. Quickly, Thea made her way over to him and rested her hand on his forearm.

“It doesn’t matter what they want, they’re not going to get it. You’re gonna save him, Merlin,” She assured him, voice soft and soothing. Merlin smiled slightly at her, light shining in his eyes. 

“We know who they are, as well,” Gaius informed them, breaking them from their gaze and walking over to one of his tables, Thea and Merlin following. “I found writing like this at the top of Aulfric’s staff. It’s Ogham– an ancient script.” He told them, proceeding to talk in what Thea assumed was Ogham. “‘To hold life and death in your hands,’” Gaius recited. “From the writing on this staff to what you saw at the lake, I’m afraid I’m now certain. We’re dealing with the Sidhe.”

“I don’t know what that is, but it cannot be good,” Thea expressed. 

“They’re masters of enchantment,” 

“You think Arthur’s been enchanted?” Merlin asked.

“Almost certainly,” Gaius nodded. “I’m afraid Morgana’s dream is coming true,”

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea waited in the physician’s chambers for what felt like far too long. After Arthur’s disastrous attempt to get permission to marry Sophia, Merlin had gone after him. Thea had wanted to go along but Merlin convinced her that an enchanted Arthur was a dangerous one. “Don’t you think they should be back by now?” Thea asked Gaius as she paced the room. 

“He’s gone.” A frantic Morgana declared as she rushed into the room. “Arthur’s gone with her. She’s taken him,” 

“Slow down,” Gaius said, somehow remaining calm. Thea, on the other hand, knew that Merlin would never let that happen. Not unless he was incapacitated. She met Morgana’s panicked eyes with a pair of her own. 

“I know you don’t believe me, but I’m so sure it’s going to happen. My dream’s going to come true,” 

“I do believe you,” Gaius said comfortingly, his hands hovering over Morgana’s shoulders. 

“I’ve got to tell Uther,” Morgana declared, looking around wildly while also seeming faint. 

“You can’t.” Gaius insisted.

“I’ve got to do something. If I don’t Arthur will die.”

“You can’t tell Uther about your dream. If Uther believes you have the seer’s power, he’ll charge you with witchcraft.” Gaius said firmly. 

“I don’t have a choice. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I’d let him die,” 

“Wait,” Gaius said soothingly as Thea poured a mug of hot water, sprinkling in herbs for the taste. “We’ve known each other a long time. You trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes, you know I do,” Morgana assured him. Thea, on the other hand, simply wished that Gaius could put a fraction of the trust Morgana had in him, in her. 

“Then trust me on this. Stay here and don’t say a word to anyone about this.”

“But, Arthur–”

“I’ll take care of it,” Gaius told them.

“Where are you going?” Thea said, unable to keep the question from falling from her lips.

“To find someone who can help,” Gaius said simply, knowing that Thea knew who that meant. Gaius motioned for the two women to stay and made his way out of the room. 

Thea smiled softly and walked over to Morgana, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. The lady startled and turned, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized it was only Thea. “Here,” Thea said, passing a mug to Morgana, who took it and gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Thea,” Morgana expressed, causing Thea’s heart to crack. “I don’t know why I feel this way or what is happening to me,” 

“Morgana?” Thea asked gently. Her friend turned her head to face Thea. “I believe I might have an idea,” 

“What?” Morgana said, unable to keep the hope from her voice. “What do you mean?”

“Many years ago, I met someone with abilities like yours,” 

“Abilities?” 

“Magic, Morgana.” Thea said, smiling comfortingly. Despite her calm and trustworthy demeanor, Thea’s words sent Morgana deeper into panic.

“Magic?! No, no I don’t have magic! I–I can’t have magic.” She was pacing now, having abandoned the drink. “That-that’s preposterous.” 

Her eyes were wide and terrified when she dared to look at Thea. “Why?”  

“Why?! What do you mean why?” Morgana continued. “It’s illegal!” 

“Laws are not always fair, Morgana,” Thea said calmly. 

Morgana stopped her pacing long enough to look into the sincerity in Thea’s eyes. “You… you don’t believe magic is evil?” Her voice was tentative, and it gave Thea the impression Morgana had long since suspected what Thea had just told her.

“I don’t think magic is anything. It simply is.” Morgana gulped but still smiled at her friend's words. “The only thing that defines magic is the person who wields it. And you, Morgana, are anything but evil,” 

Morgana hesitated for a moment, before she rushed forward and pulled Thea into a strong hug. Thea chuckled a little and returned the hug with just as much force. When the two women finally pulled away, they were both smiling, despite the tears in Morgana’s eyes. “Why are you telling me this? It seems risky to tell me,” 

“Perhaps it is,” Thea agreed. “But I didn’t want for you to as if you were feel alone. Besides, how will I help you control your magic if you don’t know you have it?” 

“What?” Morgana asked, looking shocked but undeniably hopeful. 

“Gaius has many books. While I don’t know the inner workings of magic myself, I can provide you with what you need to learn,” Thea walked over to the book she had hidden and opened it to the page on seers. “Like this,”

Morgana hurried over to the table, eyes scanning the pages, full of wonder. “A seer,” She proclaimed. “I’m a seer.” She gave a soft smile. 

“Maybe more,” Thea suggested softly. She then motioned for Morgana to follow as she procured one of the few scraps of paper that contained spells. Gaius had hidden them in between books but Thea, who was an avid reader, had found a few. She handed the paper to Morgana 

“A spell for fire,” Morgana whispered. The lady hesitated for a moment before she turned to Thea. “Gaius… does he know that you’re telling me this?” 

“No.” Thea told her. “He implied that I shouldn't, to an extent.” 

“But you did,” Morgana stated. “Why?” 

“Gaius is a wise man, but he does not understand what it is like to be a young woman who has never been able to truly be herself. Who has to hide from the world,” Thea explained. Morgana looked at her and smiled at the vulnerability she saw. “Go on, try it,” 

Morgana took a deep breath and looked at the candle that rested on the table. “ Bærn ,” Thea and Morgana watched with delight as a small flame graced the candle. “I did it. I actually did it,” Morgana exclaimed with shock and joy in her voice. 

“Of course you did,” Thea told her, smiling reassuringly. Morgana, this time without hesitation, wrapped Thea in a hug

“Thank you,”

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“You seem happy,” Merlin commented as Thea handed him a new shirt. She was; she was truly happy with her decision to tell Morgana the truth. 

“Amused, maybe,” Thea suggested, covering up her true reason for joy. She and Morgana had decided together to keep it a secret that Thea had told her about her magic. “Seeing as this is the third time you’ve found yourself in the stocks in just as many days,” 

“Hey!” Merlin protested. 

Thea laughed and came closer. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. The stocks seem to lead us to wonderful revelations,” 

“Oh, yeah? Like what?” Merlin challenged, despite knowing exactly what she was talking about.

“Like this,” Thea told him. And then she kissed him. 

Chapter Text

Thea and Merling walked along the corridor, chatting a bit when Merlin whipped his head around. “Merlin?” Thea asked. “What is it?”

“I just heard a scream… like, inside my head,”

“That’s odd,” Thea admitted. “Where did it come from?”

“Uh, the lower town,” Merlin said, stumbling over his words. “I think– I think it was someone with magic. They’re in trouble,”

Worry began to take over Thea’s mind. She didn’t know who this person would be but she didn’t want to see anyone fall for the crime of simply possessing magic.

In the time since she had begun helping Morgana, a few things had changed. The first was that Thea had taken to bringing Morgana whatever information on magic she could sneak away without Gaius or Merlin noticing. Morgana had improved greatly and so had the bond between the two girls. The second change was that Thea now had a strong dislike for Uther Pendragon.

“No time to waste, then,” She said. With that, they took off in the direction of the lower town.

By the time they had made it to the lower town, whoever had screamed was long gone. Both of them decided to keep looking. When they reached the courtyard was when Merlin’s grip on Thea’s hand tightened, alerting the girl that he must have heard more.

Thea searched the courtyard with her eyes until she caught sight of a young boy, hiding behind a pillar. “Merlin,” he turned his head and locked eyes with the boy just as guards began to enter the pavilion.

The lovers then looked around and found an empty passageway. Nodding at Merlin, Thea made her way over there and stared at the boy, discreetly beckoning him to come. Merlin joined her and must have telepathically said something to the boy, for he now raced over to them.

The trio ran quickly through the passageway and hurried into a corridor, racing up stairs. The guard’s voices echoed through the hall and Thea looked around wildly before noticing Morgana’s door.

They burst in to see Morgana and Gwen talking, both of whom looked shocked and slightly appalled at their arrival. “Have you forgotten how to knock?!”

“The guards were after him, this was the first place I thought of,” Thea said knowingly, eyes boring into Morgana’s when the guards came knocking.

Morgana hesitated out of shock for a moment before she spoke. “In there,” She beckoned them, moving to greet the impatient guards.

As they were talking though, the young boy fell into Thea’s arms. Morgana hurried over to them, looking more terrified than ever when she caught sight of the young boy, passed out.

It took some time, but eventually, the four of them got him into the bed. When he woke, unfortunately, it was to the drumming of an execution. Thea stood with Morgana as the two women and Merlin watched from the window.

As Uther droned on, Thea closed her eyes and made her way from the window to the boy’s side. Morgana joined her just as the order was given and the sound of an axe falling was heard. Out of nowhere, the mirror shattered on Morgana’s wall.

Merlin stared for a moment. “I’m going to go to Gaius, see if I can get him to tell me anything without revealing that we know where he is,” Morgana nodded frantically. “You coming?” Merlin asked Thea.

“I think I’ll stay here,” She said, not taking her eyes off of the boy in the bed.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea remained by the young boy’s side even once he fell asleep. She could not explain it, but she didn’t want to leave his side for anything. “I wish there was something we could do,” Morgana expressed. “I-I have these abilities yet I can’t do any good with them,”

“Don’t think that for even a second,” Thea said softly. “Maybe Gaius has a spell we can use,”

Before Morgana could reply and soft knock on the door alerted them to Merlin’s arrival. The lady got up and opened the door for him. “How is he?” Merlin immediately asked.

“He’s sleeping. He’s very pale. We worry he may have lost a lot of blood,”

Merlin came into sight and Thea attempted to smile at him. Merlin, judging from his own worried look, clearly didn’t find her attempt successful. “Has he said anything at all?”

“Nothing,” Thea said. “He won’t even tell us his name,” Thea leaned back and stroked the boy's hair, making a sad smile come to Merlin’s lips.

“You know, for a moment there, earlier, I-I thought you were going to hand us over to the guards.” Merlin admitted and Thea shot him a look.

“I’m glad you have so much faith in me, Merlin,” Morgana snipped, causing Thea to give Merlin another look.

‘“No, no, sorry. Umm, I meant, you’re the king’s ward, you’re taking a huge risk helping the boy,” Merlin pointed out, smiling softly.

“I won’t see an innocent child executed. What harm has he ever done anyone?”

“Uther believes he has magic, and that makes him guilty.” Merlin stated in disappointment.

“Uther’s wrong,” Morgana declared. In that instant, Thea felt her fondness towards Morgana grow along with her dislike for Uther. To see an innocent child executed for the crime of existing was horrible.

“You believe that?” Merlin asked in slight surprise.

“What is magic isn’t something you chose. What if it chooses you?” The two women watched as Merlin stared at Morgana in surprised joy. Thea wouldn’t admit how jealous it made her feel. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing,” Merlin quickly denied.

“Why are you helping him?” Morgana asked the both of them curiously, despite knowing Thea’s opinion on magic.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” Merlin said.

“I won’t allow anyone to perish for the crime of existing if I can help it,” Thea declared, earning a smile from Merlin that made butterflies appear in her gut. “What do you think we should do with him? He can’t stay here,”

“We have to find a way to get him back to his people,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea had been forced to retreat to the room she and Merlin shared when nightfall came. Everything in her, though, wanted to stay with the boy. She had skipped breakfast that morning, making Merlin worry, and had taken off to Morgana’s chambers the first chance she got.

“He’s burning up,” Merlin said after feeling his forehead. “How long has he been like this?”

“Since early this morning,” Morgana informed them. “I think his wound may be infected. We need Gaius before it gets any worse.”

Thea nodded frantically but Merlin shook his head slightly.

“No. We can't involve Gaius. It's too dangerous. Besides, if he finds out about this, he'll execute me himself.” Merlin protested.

“Isn’t the threat of a young boy’s death even more dangerous?” Thea demanded. “He needs to get out of Camelot and to do that he needs a physician.

“I’ll treat him,” Merlin declared.

“Merlin, you know I trust you,” Thea began. “Your skills for treating infected wounds, however…”

“I’m a fast learner,” Merlin said.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the door and a knock was heard. Quickly, Thea pulled the curtain shut and Morgana hurried to the door.

Morgana and Arthur began to talk but Thea kept her entire focus on the boy she had brought into her arms. She could not explain the deep, protective feeling she had towards him but it was there nonetheless.

Once the prince left, Merlin hurried to the physician’s chambers and left the girls alone with the boy. “Morgana?” Thea asked. “I don’t think Merlin can fix this,”

“Nor do I,” Morgana agreed. “What other choice do we have? You wouldn’t have happened to find a spell that could heal him?” Her voice was tentatively hopeful.

Sadly, Thea shook her head in denial. “If Gaius does possess such a spell, it’s hidden better than the others I’ve brought you,”

Morgana sighed sadly, and came to perch beside Thea and the boy on the bed. She looked at him with just as much care as Thea felt herself. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you nearly enough,” Morgana expressed, gently caressing the boy’s cheek

“What do you mean?”

“You telling me of my magic has lifted such a weight from my shoulders,” The lady said, causing Thea to smile slightly, despite all her worries for the young boy she was yet to learn the name of. “It feels so nice to be able to be open with someone. To have such a trusted friend.”

Thea felt her smile become bigger at that proclamation. “You make a pretty amazing friend, yourself,”

Merlin took far too long gathering what he needed, in Thea and Morgana’s opinion. When he finally did return to the chambers of the king’s ward, darkness had already fallen. “What took you so long?” Morgana demanded.

“Sorry. Once Gaius starts talking about anatomy, there’s no stopping him,” Merlin informed them. He came over to Thea and Morgana, the former having to leave the young boy’s side. He had previously been sleeping, resting his head against Thea’s torso. He gave her a small, pained smile as she rose from the bed and joined Morgana in watching Merlin work.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Morgana asked.

“I’m doing my best,” Merlin replied.

“I’ll get you some more water,” Morgana said, rising to retrieve the water. Thea remained by Merlin’s side watching as he had what Thea assumed was a telepathic conversation. She didn’t know what they were saying but she rested her hand on Merlin’s shoulder, relishing the way he leaned into her touch.

“Speak to me,” Merlin requested as the boy’s eyes began to flutter.

“I don’t know if he can’t speak,” Morgana said, approaching with the water in hand. “Or… he’s just too scared to,"

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Merlin came back from the dragon’s cave looking most definitely puzzled. He had informed her of the dragon just as he was leaving, not wanting to make her worried as to where he was.

As soon as they got the chance, Thea and Merlin made their way towards Morgana’s chambers. “How is he?” Thea asked instantly.

“He’s getting weaker,” Morgana told them, making Thea’s heart sink. The lady then turned to Merlin. “Whatever you did yesterday, it didn’t work. We need to ask Gaius for help,” Merlin hesitated for a moment before Morgana and Thea both turned their desperate eyes to him. “After all you've done, you can't give up now! Please! If he doesn't receive treatment, he'll die!”

“Okay,” Merlin gave in.

Gaius arrived some time after that and began to examine the young boy. “I will treat the boy, but as soon as he's well, you must get him out of Camelot. And woe betide anyone caught helping him. Well, one thing we know for certain.”

“What’s that?” Merlin asked.

“You’re no physician,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea, Merlin, and Morgana found themselves in the lower town while Gwen watched over the now recovering boy. “The guards are searching everyone leaving the town.” Thea reminded them.

“There’s another way out,” Merlin told them. “There’s a secret door in the armoury. It leads to the lower town. I’ll take the boy out,” Thea’s eyes widened in fear of Merlin getting caught. The king would no doubt execute him and she couldn’t stand even the thought of that happening to Merlin.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Morgana said. “I’ll do it,”

Thea turned to Morgana in shock, as did Merlin. “But, I– I’m good with secret doors and stuff,” Merlin said, attempting to convince them to let him do it, probably because he believed his magic would make it easier.

“If you are caught, Uther will execute you,” Morgana pointed out. “The boy is my responsibility. I’ll smuggle him out,”

“You’ll need a key for the door,” Merlin told her, giving up on arguing.

“Who has it,” Morgana wondered.

“Arthur,”

It was later that night that the opportunity to seize the keys arose. Thea placed the soup down in front of the prince while Merlin stayed in the corner of the room. As Arthur began to eat, Merlin muttered some sort of incantation and Thea watched the keys float off of their hoop and above Arthur’s head.

“Is there any bread?” The prince asked, turning to face his two servants. As soon as he looked in the direction of the keys, they floated beyond his line of sight. “What was that?”

“What?” Merlin asked in response.

“There was a sound,” Arthur said.

“Was there?” Thea questioned, playing the oblivious role perfectly. Arthur rose from his seat and turned his head to search for the cause of the sound. As he did so, Merlin wordlessly made the keys hang just out of his sight.

“What is that? Can’t you hear that?!” Arthur demanded.

“I can’t hear anything,” Merlin lied.

“Are you deaf?” The prince wondered, bringing a hand up to gesture for the sound. “It’s like a jangling sound.”

“There,” Merlin declared, pointing behind him when Arthur began to approach him.

“What?” Arthur asked, turning to look in the direction Merlin had pointed.

“I thought I saw something,” Merlin said quickly.

Arthur quickly moved in that direction, giving Merlin the perfect opportunity to drop the keys into the soup. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Thea said innocently.

“A different sound. Like a… like a splash,” Arthur explained.

“Bread?” Thea suggested, holding up a piece of bread to the prince. Arthur just developed a frustrated expression and pushed past the two servants, checking his hearing as he left. “A job well done, I’d say,” Thea complimented after she fished the keys out from the soup, relishing in the way it made Merlin blush.

She handed him the keys and smiled softly. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re quite incredible?” Her voice was soft with affection and it made Merlin blush and kiss her gently.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea approached the door to Morgana’s chambers, Merlin not far behind her and knocked. “It’s us,” she announced. The door was opened by Gwen, who wore a nervous, yet soft smile.

“Are you ready?” Merlin asked as they approached the bed. The boy looked better, but still undeniably ill.

Morgana nodded and turned to Merlin. “Did you get the keys?”

“Yeah,” Merlin confirmed, handing the keys to Morgana. “Er, the door is behind the shield at the far end of the armoury,”

“I’ll pack you some food and water for the journey.” Gwen assured Morgana. “Be careful.”

Thea kneeled down next to the bed. “I have something for you,” she declared, gaining stares from all of the rooms’ occupants. “Well, Morgana will be the one carrying it, but it’s undeniably for you,” She said, smiling and holding out a small book. “It’s a copy of one of the stories I used to read as a child. Now, it’s just from my memory, so it might not be completely accurate, but I hope it provides some comfort on your journey–” Thea was cut off by the little boy wrapping his arms around her neck. She smiled and returned the embrace.

Regretfully, Morgana and the boy had to make their way out of the chambers, causing the three servants to retreat to Gwen’s house. Thea could feel the curious stare of Gwen and the slightly proud one of Merlin. “I hope they're okay,” Thea expressed.

“I’ve never seen Morgana like this. You both seem to care so much for the child,” Gwen said.

Thea went to answer, but Merlin beat her to it. “It’s just a show of your compassionate souls.” He informed them, his eyes trailing to meet Thea’s own brown ones. “Your… unwavering ability to care for others, no matter the circumstances.”

Thea felt herself blush wildly, even more so when Merlin took her hands into his own. “Merlin,” Thea hissed, looking at Gwen.

Her friend, however, only chuckled playfully. “Oh, don’t let me stop you,”

Thea still felt sheepish but pressed a fleeting kiss to Merlin’s lips nonetheless.

The warning bells sounded only seconds later. “They’re coming.” Merlin announced from where he was watching. The two entered the house in a rush.

“There’s enough food for three days,” Gwen said as soon as she saw Morgana.

“Your horse is fed and watered. I’ll take you to her,” Thea declared.

“No.” Morgana immediately denied. “There’s no point in all of us risking our lives,”

“What about you?” Merlin asked.

“I’m the king's ward, I’ll take my chances.”

“Morgana!” Gwen scolded.

“I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to any of you.” Morgana explained. “We must go,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

By the time that they had managed to find an excuse to see Morgana, she was a wreck. “I promised that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen,” She sounded just as heartbroken as Thea felt.

“As did I,” Thea said, her voice mirroring Morgana’s.

“You cannot blame yourselves. You tried your best.” Merlin attempted to reassure the two women.

“It’s not enough!” Morgana and Thea said simultaneously, surprising Merlin and themselves.

“He’s in jail now. There’s nothing more we can do,” Merlin said.

“We are not to let him die!” Morgana expressed with passion in her tone. Thea looked at Morgana and then at Merlin. “Can I count on your help?”

“Absolutely,” Thea confirmed and Merlin nodded

“Thank you,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“This is sickening,” Thea told Merlin, managing to push past the nausea she felt building in her gut. The sight of the axe being sharpened was enough to pull her between tears and the urge to vomit.

“I know,” Merlin agreed, grabbing her hand and all but pulling her away from the sight.

Thea felt as though she was walking on unsolid ground. She managed to put one foot in front of the other long enough to make it to Arthur’s chambers. Merlin pushed the door open, once again not bothering to knock. They found both Morgana and Arthur in the room, sitting and talking. “Sorry,” he said. “Are we interrupting something?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourselves with,” Arthur assured them. “Go make yourselves useful. Muck out my horses.”

Merlin and Thea made to leave but Morgana spoke up before they could. “I trust Merlin and Thea,”

Arthur hesitated for a split second, eyes glancing between the three of them, before he beckoned them in the room. “We’re going to break the druid boy out of the dungeon,” Arthur informed them and Thea felt a rush of gratefulness towards Arthur.

“You can't do that,” Merlin said and this time Thea found herself being slightly irritated with Merlin.

“We have to. Uther’s going to execute him at dawn.” Morgana said instantly.

“I mean… It's too dangerous. You’ve already been caught once, and if the king catches you a second time, he’ll never forgive you,” Merlin said, but Thea could tell that there was some other reason he possessed for not wanting to rescue the boy.

“I’m not worried for myself,” Morgana expressed.

“Merlin’s right,” Arthur said, surprising everyone. “When my father finds out the boy’s escaped, he will suspect you being involved.”

“It’s suicide,” Merlin agreed, looking all to relieved, in Thea’s opinion.

“You must go to my father and apologize.” Arthur instructed Morgana. “Dine with him, he cannot hold you responsible if you’re with him when the boy escapes.”

“You need me if this plans’ to work. You can’t do this on your own,” Morgana said.

“Merlin and I will take you place,” Thea spoke up for the first time.

“Us?”

“I'm going to take the boy out through the burial vaults.” Arthur told them, immediately accepting Thea’s change in the plan. “There's a tunnel that leads beyond the city walls. Get my horse from the stables and meet me there. There's a grate that covers the entrance to the tunnel. Bring a rope and a grappling hook to pull it off.”

“Thea, we– we can’t,”

“In fact, I have a better idea,” Thea went on, feeling slightly guilty for disregarding Merlin but continuing to speak anyway. “When we bring the horse, Arthur and I will switch places and I’ll return the boy to his people,”

Merlin’s eyes blew wide but Arthur spoke before he had the chance. “Absolutely not. I will be the one to do this,”

“You have a more important task, Arthur,” Thea implored him.

“What is that task?” Morgana asked.

“Leading the guards in the exact opposite direction,”

Arthur and Merlin both looked like they wanted to protest. Morgana looked pained as she spoke but she spoke anyway. “She has a point,”

“Alright,” Arthur gave in. Thea nodded and managed to remove Merlin from the scene before he disagreed.

“What are you thinking?!” Merlin demanded as soon as they were in a safe place to talk. “You could get yourself killed!”

“I won’t,” Thea said confidently.

“Bu–”

“Merlin,” Thea spoke, her voice calm and reassuring. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his face. “I will be perfectly fine.”

He sighed in disappointment before he continued. “When I went to see the dragon, he said I shouldn’t help the boy,”

Thea frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“He didn’t say,”

“Why don’t we find out?”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The lovers made their way through the caves onto the ledge. Thea blinked when she saw the dragon. Yes, Merlin had told her about the dragon but this was an actual dragon. “I need to know why you told me not to protect the boy,” Merlin demanded, holding up the torch so that he and Thea could see the dragon clearly.

“You seek my counsel yet you choose to ignore it,” The dragon mused.

“Just tell me why,” Merlin demanded.

“If the boy lives,” The dragon started and Thea decided then and there that she didn’t much like this dragon. “You cannot fulfill your destiny,”

“What’s he got to do with my destiny? You said it’s my destiny to protect Arthur,” Merlin pointed out.

“Then you have the answer you seek,”

“You’re not seriously saying that little boy is going to kill Arthur?” Thea demanded, making her presence known to the creature. Said creature observed her for a moment, tilting his head as he stared.

“It seems that is up to the both of you, child,”

Thea resisted the urge to point out that she had come of age a while ago. She supposed that everyone was a child to someone as old as she was told this dragon was. “No. You can’t know that for certain,” Merlin objected.

“You have it in your power to prevent a great evil,” The dragon proclaimed.

“There must be another way.” Merlin insisted. “The future isn’t set in stone!”

“You must let the boy die,” The dragon said gravely.

“Has anyone ever told you that you give horrible advice?” Thea asked before she turned and promptly made her way out of the cave.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea stared at Merlin as they all had dinner. “I assume it's the plight of the Druid boy that's causing your forehead to wrinkle like a lizard's elbow.” Gaius said.

Merlin was quiet for a long moment before he spoke in a quiet tone. “Would you let something terrible happen if it meant you’d stop something even worse happening in the future?”

Thea’s eyes blew wide with disbelief. There was no way Merlin was actually considering letting a child die at the word of some overgrown lizard. “I suppose it depends on what the terrible and even worse things were,” Gaius advised.

“One of them’s bad, really bad. And the other, it’s… unthinkable,”

“It sounds as if you’ve already made your decision,” Gaius pointed out and Thea wanted to smack the both of them. “You can only do what you believe to be right, Merlin. I just hope it doesn't involve you putting yourself in terrible danger.”

Merlin opened his mouth to speak but Thea promptly stood from her place at the table. She took hold of Merlin’s arm and pulled him up, ignoring his protests. “We should talk, shouldn’t we?” Thea proposed, her expression and tone of voice just daring Merlin to deny her.

He nodded hastily and followed Thea up the stairs to their shared quarters. “Thea–”

“Tell me right now that I’m making an unfair assumption and you have every intention of helping that poor boy,” She demanded. Merlin did not do as she said, simply rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I can’t let Arthur die,” He defended.

“How are you so sure that this boy will be his downfall?”

“The dragon, who knows the prophecy of Arthur, said he would,” Merlin said and Thea took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Merlin,” She began, calmer this time. “When I was a child, I would often hear stories where prophecies were the prompting event for all the actions that followed. And in every one of those stories, the prophecy came into fruition based on the character’s actions to prevent it,”

Merlin looked at her, seemingly lost in thought at the wisdom she had just imparted. “Thea, the risk of Arthur’s life is one I cannot take,”

Merlin sounded near desperation and Thea wanted to be gentle, she really did, but harsh times call for harsh measures. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed. “Do you realize who you sound like? Uther. You sound like Uther,”

Merlin’s eyes blew wide and his face was somewhere in between shock and offence. “I would never be like him!”

“You are letting an innocent child die for crimes you have already decided he is going to commit. Who does that remind you of, if not Uther?” Thea regretted the pained look on Merlin’s face but she didn’t take her words back.

Merlin swallowed. “I suppose we have to meet Arthur, don’t we?”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea and Merlin were undeniably tense while they waited at the end of the tunnel. Arthur paid it little mind, though, simply helping Thea and the boy onto the horse and going off to meet the guards.

Thea looked at Merlin just before she left and was relieved at the small smile he sent her. They had decided that their cover story would be that she was out foraging for Gaius, if it was needed. Thea doubted that the king would notice her departure, though. “Hey,” Merlin said right before she took off. “Thank you,”

“For offending you?” Thea questioned.

Merlin only smiled. “For telling me what I needed to hear. And also for, you know, being incredible.” Thea smiled dazzlingly at Merlin before she took off into the night.

They rode for hours, the little boy leading her in the right direction. Finally, he told her to stop and she hopped off the horse, helping him off once she had landed on the soft ground.

In moments, the druids revealed themselves and Thea took the boy’s hand, guiding him back to his people. The young boy ran into the embrace of the man who seemed to be the leader. “Mordred, welcome home,” One of the others said.

“That’s a pretty name,” Thea complimented, smiling softly at Mordred.

“Thanks!” He said, sounding like someone who was finally home.

Calmly, the leader nodded at Mordred and allowed him to walk to the other members of the druids. Then the older man approached Thea with kind and knowing eyes. “We are forever indebted to you.” He then placed a small charm in Thea’s hands, causing the girl to look up at him in confusion. “When the time comes, and you are ready, burn this charm and we will come to aid you in assuming the role you are destined for,”

Thea paled. “I have no idea what you speak of,”

He only looked at her with a deep knowledge in his features. “Yes, you do.”

Chapter Text

Thea stood with Gwen, Merlin and the other servants as they watched the ceremony from the sidelines. Today was Arthur’s 21st birthday and as such, he was now officially of age. That meant that he could become the official heir to the throne. He had always been heir, being Uther’s only son, but now it was official that he had the full support in gaining the throne upon the king’s passing.

The ceremony had been going on for quite some time now, but it was finally coming to an end. Thea, unlike some of the other servants, had managed to stay attentive during the entire ordeal. Despite this, she was rather looking forward to retreating into the bed she shared with Merlin.

They had previously been sleeping separately but their affections for each other were growing with each passing day and Gaius had eventually traded the two beds for a larger one. Merlin and Thea had been quite surprised to arrive back from their chores to a double bed and a smirking Gaius.

“Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and its dominions according to the statutes, customs and laws laid down by your forebears?” Uther said, his voice holding all of the regality fit for a king.

In Thea’s opinion he was not nearly half as good of a king as he pretended to be. That was apparent by the fact that he persecuted a good portion of his citizens for the crime of existing. “I do, Sire,” Arthur said, and Thea knew that the regality in his voice was well earned. Despite him being a prat, of course.

“Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgments?” Now those words from Uther made her want to laugh. She caught Morgana’s eye and they both visibly had to stifle their amusement. It wasn’t all that amusing in the grand scheme of things, but if you can’t find hilarity in hypocrisy, what can you do?

“I do, Sire,”

“And do you swear allegiance to Camelot, now and for as long as you shall live?” Uther held out the staff for Arthur.

“I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service and to the protection of the kingdom and its peoples.” Arthur said, grasping the staff.

Uther smiled proudly and turned to grab the crown to place on Arthur’s head. “Now being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth, you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot.”

The crowd applauded and Arthur stood, even Uther grinning and clapping. Morgana, too, looked proud of the man she had always considered her brother. Thea would admit, to a certain degree, that she was proud of Arthur as well.

“So, how does it feel to be the servant of the Crown Prince of Camelot?” Gwen asked, smiling playfully.

“Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege,” Merlin said even though both of the women at his side knew he was proud of the prince.

“You’re proud of him, really. Even though you complain about him constantly.” Gwen pointed out.

“I am not,” Merlin denied.

“You are. I can see it in your face,” Gwen pointed out.

“Well, I’m proud.” Thea admitted offhandedly. “He’s earned that crown, despite it not nearly being big enough for his head,” Gwen and Merlin laughed at that.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything more, the stained glass of the window shattered as a knight in black rode through on a horse. Everyone gasped and leapt away in shock and fear. “What in the devil’s name?” Uther demanded, staring up at the intruder.

The knight only approached Arthur and the other knights, all of whom had their swords out. For a moment he was still before he removed his gauntlet and threw it to the ground. It was a sure sign of a challenge. Arthur, who the challenge clearly directed at, sheathed his sword and went to pick up the gauntlet.

Before he could, another knight reached down and grabbed the gauntlet from the floor. “I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge.”

The knight turned his stare to Owain. “Single combat. Noon tomorrow. To the death,” He instructed. After his statement was made, the knight turned and left from the very same window he had entered from.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea stood with Merlin, both of them leaning against the arch that led to their quarters. Thea was puzzled greatly by the appearance of this black night. There was no way that he was anything natural. He had burst through a window, for god’s sake!

What confused her more, though, was the reactions of the people. This knight had stormed into a window that was quite high above the ground and demanded a challenge that was intended for the crown prince. Surely some people had to have common sense and realize that this was absolutely insane.

“Have you ever seen this black knight before?” Merlin asked Gaius curiously.

“I don’t believe so,” Gaius replied. Thea couldn’t help the feeling that he had. Or at the very least, he knew more than she and Merlin did.

“You didn’t recognize his crest?” Thea asked, remembering the way his gaze had lingered on the shield.

“Crest?” Gaius parroted.

“Which house is it?” Thea pushed.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t see it that clearly,” Gaius told them, which was an absolute lie. He had been staring at the crest more than he had the figure who jumped through a window.

“Yeah, but he’s not someone you would forget in a hurry, is he?” Merlin asked, picking up Thea’s train of thought.

“No,” Gaius denied, moving from the pot he had been stirring.

“So you don’t think he’s from around here?” Merlin continued.

“That wouldn’t seem likely,” Gaius agreed. Thea noticed how artfully he was answering the onslaught of questions they were throwing at him.

“Then what’s he doing here?”

“Merlin, Thea, your faith in my all seeing knowledge is both touching and wholly misplaced.” Gaius told them. “Maybe if you’ve finished your work, you could go to bed and leave me to finish mine.”

“Alright, if you insist,” Thea said, snaking her hand into Merlin’s and beginning to lead him up the steps.

“Gaius?” Merlin asked, stopping in his place.

“Merlin,” Gaius was clearly getting tired of them.

“Do you think Owain can beat him?”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” The way Gaius said that made Thea very uneasy and she could tell that Merlin felt about the same.

After a moment of contemplation, Merlin nodded at Thea and allowed her to practically drag him into the bed. Thea smiled when they finally arrived, pulling Merlin down with her. She hummed with pleasure as she snuggled closer into Merlin and he draped his arm around her.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“Mmm, no” Thea complained as the warmth that Merlin’s body provided slipped away when he rose. Despite it having been a shock when Gaius first did it, Thea was infinitely grateful to the man for the double bed. Sleeping next to Merlin provided a sense of safety that she had not had in a very long time.

“Yes,” Merlin declared, much to her chagrin. “Arthur is expecting us,”

“How rude of him,” Thea muttered, despite making her way out of bed. After the two of them had gone and gotten ready, they began making their way to Arthur’s chambers. Thea felt Merlin’s gaze on her as they walked towards the doors. “What?”

“Oh! Uh, nothing,” Merlin said, startled that he had been caught staring.

“What?” Thea asked again, playful undertones in her voice.

“You just– you look very pretty today,” Merlin, sounding sheepish at his confession. Thea grinned and pulled Melin into a soft kiss just before they entered. Arthur was already there, standing with Owain while the two knights awaited the servants’ arrival.

Arthur seemed to notice the blush that both his servants shared for he made a sound of disgust. “Don’t tell me that dalliance is what kept us waiting,” He demanded, seeming disgusted just at the words coming out of his mouth.

“Well, uh… “ Merlin began to stutter.

“If you must know about the inner workings of our personal lives, I would be happy to tell you all about it in explicit detail.” Thea said teasingly, cocking an eyebrow at Arthur and making Merlin blush harder. She and Merlin hadn’t actually participated in any sexual intercourse, but that's none of Arthur’s business.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Arthur muttered, waving the servants over to Owain, who was visibly fighting back a laugh at Thea’s words. The two of them quickly began applying Owain’s armour. Arthur seemed to have gotten over his disgust by then, seeing as he walked over to Owain to give advice. “You’ve never fought in mortal combat before. It’s different. It’s not like the training I’ve been giving you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Owain said, sounding more confident than Thea expected.

“Listen to me,” Arthur said meaningfully, grabbing the other knight by the shoulder and turning him to face the prince. “The problem is, we’ve never seen him fight. You have to quickly get the measure of him.”

“But I have the same advantage,” Owain pointed out. “He’s never seen me fight,”

“True,” Arthur confirmed reluctantly.

“You’ve watched me,”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And I know no one braver,” Arthur said. Thea couldn’t help but feel like he was saying goodbye to Owain. Like he knew in his gut that the knight would not survive this battle. “Remember, all it takes to kill a man in one well aimed blow,”

The door opened and Gwen entered, nodding to Thea and Merlin and curtsying to Owain. “The Lady Morgana asked me to give you this token,” Gwen told him. “She wishes you to wear it for luck,”

“You can thank her,” Owain said, taking the token. “And tell her I shall wear it with pride. But I won’t need luck.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The sound of the drums filled her ears as Thea stood with Merlin and Gaius off to the side of the arena. It wasn’t hard to tell that everyone was buzzing with nervous tension. There had surely been challenges like this before, but this one was undeniably… different.

Everyone sat as Owain appeared with Arthur. Thea, who had been watching the carefully stoic positioning that the King’s face was in, felt Morgana’s gaze on her. When she looked at her friend, the lady’s eyes snapped to the black night, a silent question in them. Thea shrugged, honestly not knowing if this particular threat was magical.

She could see why Morgana thought it might be. Nothing about this stranger was normal and it honestly surprised Thea that the king hadn’t already cried sorcery. “The fight shall be to the knight’s rules. And to the death,” Arthur announced, standing at the front of the arena for a moment before he went to join his father in the stands. “Let battle commence!”

The battle began as soon as those words were spoken. The blows were traded with impeccable speed and talent, but the black knight was quickly gaining the upper hand. In a stroke of luck, Owain’s sword pierced through the stranger’s body, causing Thea to sigh in relief. “Yes!” Merlin said from beside her.

The relief vanished even quicker than it had first arrived. The knight kept fighting, entirely unaffected by what should have been a fatal blow. Finally, the stranger managed to knock Owain to the ground and swiftly impale and kill him. He then turned from the body of one of Camelot’s own and faced the crowd, once again throwing down his gauntlet. “Who will take up my challenge?”

Arthur, who was obviously torn between grief and anger, tried to bolt over the barrier to accept the challenge. Thea’s eyes widened when she saw it, but just as she worried for Arthur’s fate, his father grabbed his arm and held him back long enough for another knight to pick up the gauntlet. “I, Sir Pellinor, take up the challenge.”

“So be it,” The knight said, his voice still threatening, sounding angry. He spared no one a glance or a thought, only nodding and leaving the arena.

“Should we tend to his wounds?” Merlin asked. “He took a hit,”

“Owain didn’t land a blow,”

“No, I saw it. The sword definitely pierced him,” Merlin said.

“Are you sure?” Gaius asked.

“I saw it too,” Thea confirmed. “He should be dead.”

“Perhaps he already is,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The fact that they ended up heading to the burial grounds shouldn’t have surprised Thea as much as it did. Gaius had said that this man was probably dead and even though Thea could not understand what logic fueled that conclusion, she should’ve guessed that the place to start looking for a dead person would be in a crypt. That is, even though this dead person was very clearly not in a crypt. She was making her own head hurt trying to understand this.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Merlin asked.

“You’re not scared, are you?” Gaius asked.

“No, I love old crypts. I wouldn’t be seen dead anywhere else.” Merlin jested.

“That was one of the worst jokes I’ve ever heard,” Thea declared, earning an indignant noise from Merlin, to which she just smiled at him.

Before he could protest any further, the door behind them slammed shut. “Must have been a gust of wind,” Gaius deduced.

“This isn’t creepy at all,” Thea mumbled sarcastically.

“We should have brought a torch,” Merlin mused. He turned his head to one of the torches on the wall. “Leohtbora,” The torch was instantly alight with flames.

“Huh. Handy,” Gaius exclaimed.

“Yes,”

Thea nodded and began to walk past the men, making her way further into the crypt. She was quite ready to be done with his whole debacle. She was quickly followed by the others and they soon made their way to where the bodies were kept in their graves. “What are we looking for?” Thea asked, hoping to soothe at least some of her growing confusion.

“Bring your torch over here,” Gaius instructed Merlin, not answering Thea’s question in the slightest. He and Thea, who had been standing right beside him and the torch, rushed over to where Gaius was standing.

“We’re breaking into someone’s grave?” Merlin questioned. Thea wanted to comment on how disrespectful that was, but by the time she saw the grave they were looking for, being disrespectful was the least of her concerns.

“We’re too late. It appears someone’s already broken out,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Gaius led his two wards through their chambers, candles providing the only light. “Tristan de Bois was the brother of Ygraine, Uther’s wife,”

“Arthur’s mother?” Merlin asked.

“Ygraine died in childbirth. He blamed Uther and came to the gates of Camelot and challenged him,” Gaius explained. Thea wondered how clouded with grief one’s mind had to be in order to blame someone for another’s natural death.

“To single combat,” Merlin deduced.

“Uther won,” Gaius stated despite them all having figured that out. “But with his dying breath, Tristan cursed Camelot to one day suffer his return. I thought it was the ramblings of a dying man,”

“Anger, however strong, is still not capable of resurrection.” Thea pointed out.

“It’s my guess we’re dealing with a wraith,” Gaius suspected, opening a heavy looking book.

“A wraith?” Thea asked.

“The spirit of a dead man conjured from the grave,” Gaius explained.

“So, this is the work of a sorcerer?” Merlin wondered.

“Powerful magic can harness the grief and rage of a tormented soul and make it live again.” Gaius explained.

“Not really though, right?” Thea wondered. “If it were really alive, then it could die,”

“But if it can’t die, then how can it be stopped?” Merlin asked, seeming concerned.

“It can’t. As Thea said, it’s already dead, as such no mortal weapon can kill it,” Gaius said gravely.

“Surely there must be something?”

“Nothing can stop it until it has achieved what it came for.” Gaius explained.

“And what’s that?” Merlin asked.

“Revenge.”

“Revenge on Camelot, or revenge on Uther?” Thea asked. Those two things could mean very different outcomes. But, either way, Thea had a feeling it meant getting revenge on Uther via Arthur.

“Either way, what does that mean for Sir Pellinor?” Merlin asked.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t look good,” Gaius deduced.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The next day saw them at the battle grounds once again, watching the two warriors fight. This time Sir Pellinor seemed to be doing better than his opponent. He managed to get several good moves in and the crowd cheered.

“Maybe you were wrong,” Merlin hoped. Thea didn’t allow herself the privilege of hoping.

“I hope so,” Gaius agreed. This time, everyone watched as Sir Pellinor clearly ran his sword through the other knight. And everyone watched as the other knight was completely unaffected. Capitalizing on his opponent's shock, Tristan ran Sir Pellinor through, and this time the blow was fatal.

What happened next seemed like it was happening in slow motion. Arthur, ever brave and ever stupid, threw his own gauntlet up in the air. It landed feet in front of Tristan, who snapped his head up to look at Arthur. “I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you,”

“So be it,”

“Single combat. Noon. Tomorrow.” Arthur declared.

“You were right.” Merlin told Gaius as soon as they returned to the physician’s chambers.

“I wish I wasn’t,”

“If Arthur fights that thing, he’ll die,” Merlin panicked.

“He is Camelot’s strongest warrior. If anyone can defeat it, he can,” Gaius said, all of them knowing it to be a lie.

Thea leaned against the wall, contemplating this thoroughly. “You said yourself,” Merlin pointed out. “No mortal weapon can kill it. Which means we have to find a way to defeat the wraith ourselves.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Thea asked, speaking up for the first time.

“If no mortal sword will kill it... then I will.” Merlin declared before rushing up the stairs to their chambers and returning with his spell book. “With mortal magic.”

“What if you need something beyond the mortal realm to defeat it?” Thea asked, staring at Merlin.

“I have to try,”

Merlin began flipping through the pages and Gaius watched with a disapproving frown. “I can’t really help with this dilemma so I should get started with our chores,” Thea told them, giving Merlin a small smile before she left. She neglected to mention that she had finished most of the chores already.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea glanced around the corridor as she made her way to Morgana’s chambers. She raised her fist and knocked three times on the door. “Enter,” Thea pushed open the door to find Morgana and Gwen both looking extremely worried.

“I have to tell you both something,” Thea said quickly.

“What is it?” Gwen asked, her and Morgana rushing to come to Thea.

“Firstly, I should say that I’m not technically supposed to be telling you this.” Morgana and Gwen both looked at her questioningly, prompting her to say more. “But Gaius figured out why this knight can’t be killed.”

“What? Why?” Gwen immediately asked.

“It’s already dead,”

Both girls looked shocked at Thea’s words. “I’m sorry, what?!” Morgana demanded.

“Ridiculously long story short, it's a spirit that’s been brought back from the dead. And because it’s technically still dead, no mortal weapon can kill it.” Once Thea had finished, all three girls were thoroughly freaked out.

“Oh god, Arthur!” Morgana panicked. Gwen’s face fell in horror, too, making Thea wonder about their relationship. The thoughts didn’t last long, seeing as they were quickly brought back to the problem at hand. “There has to be something we can do!”

“I have a working theory.”

“And?” Gwen prompted.

“I think that it needs to be killed on both planes. That of the dead and that of the living,” Thea explained. “What I mean by that, is I think it needs to be killed with a mortal weapon as a base and some sort of immortal component, like, like… I don’t know,”

“Like magic?” Morgana asked, her voice suddenly vulnerable.

“Maybe.” Thea admitted. “But it would have to be some pretty powerful magic,” She said, eyeing Morgana. The lady sighed, knowing that she was not at that level.

Gwen had, by then, picked up on the fact that she was missing something. “What is it?” Thea looked to Morgana who took a deep breath and nodded, walking closer to Gwen. “My lady, is everything alright?” Gwen asked, beginning to be afraid.

“Gwen… I have magic,” Morgana’s voice trembled and shock overtook Gwen’s face.

“Oh–”

“Thea’s the one who told me and I wanted to tell you, really I did, but–” Gwen cut her off by wrapping her in a hug. Thea smiled at the sight.

“I always knew you were beyond the ordinary.” Morgana gave a teary sounding laugh and then pulled Thea into their embrace.

“Touching moment aside, my magic is surely not enough to create this sword.” Morgana admitted as the three women pulled apart.

“You know, when I was a child, my father would tell me about all these legendary swords,” Gwen began, starting to pace as she spoke. “It was really more for his pleasure than it was mine, but I remember one story that said a sword being forged by an immortal creature could kill anything.”

“Gwen, you’re a genius!” Thea exclaimed, immediately thinking of the grouchy old lizard beneath the palace halls. “I know of such a creature,”

“What is it?” Morgana asked.

“I’m afraid if I tell you that, Gaius might actually kill me,” Thea said, dead serious.

“No matter,” Morgana waved off. “Now all we need is a sword.”

All eyes went to Gwen, her being the blacksmith’s daughter and all. “I have one.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea had somehow managed to explain to Merlin her discovery and acquisition of the sword without revealing that she had told Morgana and Gwen. Thea felt extraordinarily guilty about telling her friends almost everything she had been instructed not to. She reasoned that she wasn't revealing Merlin’s secret, which is what she actually promised in the first place, but the implications that came with it slipped away.

As guilty as she felt, though, she would not change it. Her friends, Morgana especially, had a right to know what actually happened in this castle.

Thea soon found herself watching Uther fight with the very blade that was intended for Arthur. She watched from the side as the two fighters exchanged blows. After a moment, Uther knocked off the helmet, revealing the mummified face below. Everyone recoiled with shock. Not too long after, Tristan managed to get Uther to lose the sword and began relentlessly striking the king’s shield.

Somehow, Tristan's sword found itself stuck in Uther’s shield. Uther kicked the shield, sending the wraith backward. Quickly, he grabbed the dragon’s blade and rammed through the creature, causing it to disintegrate with a scream.

The wraith vanished and Uther began to rise from the ground and Thea scanned the arena with her eyes, taking in the crowds' reactions. It was as she did that that her eyes landed on a face that she never thought she’d see again.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw a woman in a purple cloak, possessing the dazzling blue eyes that Thea remembered so fondly. She shook her head and watched at the woman’s face twisted into a scowl and she departed. It couldn’t be possible, Thea thought, that fire had stretched on for miles. Thea had only escaped unscathed because she had jumped into the river and swam as fast as she could. “Thea?” Merlin said cheerily. “Thea?” He asked again, noticing how shaken she looked.

“I have to go,” She said and raced off in chase of the retreating figure, not paying any attention to anything else.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea chased after the figure for as long as she could, until it left her sight. Then, she asked everyone around her if they had seen someone in a purple cloak coming by. Finally, an old shopkeeper pointed her in the direction of the forest.

Rushing into the woods, Thea found a scrap of purple material that had gotten stuck in a tree. Her heart leapt into her throat when she turned her head and saw someone she swore she had lost. “Nimueh?” Her voice was tentative and nervous.

The sorceress's head snapped in her direction, her blue eyes staring into Thea. “Who are you?”

The voice was exactly the same, colder and more steely than Thea had ever heard, but still the same. “Oh, my god. How are you alive?” She asked, disregarding Nimueh’s question. She was only stared at in response. “I was so sure you died in that fire,”

Recognition passed over Nimueh’s features and they softened unbelievably. “Althea?”

“Yeah,” Thea breathed out, ignoring her usage of the name she had long since abandoned. “Yeah, it’s me,”

Nimueh gave a soft laugh as Thea walked closer to the woman. “Oh, look how you’ve grown,”

Thea chuckled softly. “You look exactly the same,”

“The benefits of magic,” Nimueh said with a smile.

Then, the events of the past few days caught up with Thea and puzzle pieces began clicking in her mind. “Did.. did you summon that wraith?” Nimueh looked sad for a moment and she nodded, causing terror to overtake Thea. “What? Why?” She stuttered. “This…this was a mistake.”

She turned to leave when she was called out to. “Wait! Allow me to explain, please,” The desperation in Nimueh’s voice got through to Thea and she turned to face the older woman. “There is a lot I withheld when I met you.”

“I can see that,” Thea said, her voice shaking.

“Sit,” Nimueh beckoned. “I’ll explain everything.” Thea hesitated. She felt betrayed, but her mind flashed back to the spell that Nimueh had cast on that cold night where she had sent small orbs of warmth to surround Thea as she slept, to make her feel safe. And those thoughts made it so that she couldn’t find it in herself to say no.

She sat on the soft forest ground and watched as Nimueh did the same. “What did Uther do to you that made you do this,”

Nimueh smiled sadly. “Why don’t I start from the beginning?”

The conversation that followed nearly shocked Thea to the point of passing out. Nimueh’s role in court, Arthur’s birth, Uther’s absolute hypocrisy. If she had disliked Uther before, now she truly hated him. “Woah. I knew Uther was horrible, but that..”

“Uther has gone to great lengths to make me the villain in this story,” Nimueh said. “And I admit that I have played that part very well.”

“Heh,” Thea chuckled wetly before another thought came to her. “Uther set that fire, didn’t he?”

“Yes, my songbird, he did.” Thea looked at the other woman with heartbreak in her eyes. “When I met you, I was overcome with rage. It was the anniversary of the day that Uther had burned by son,”

“What?” Thea asked in horror.

Nimueh only nodded sadly. “I saw you. You looked half starved but there you were feeding the birds and humming a lovely melody. I couldn’t help but think that the triple goddess had sent you to me. In the year that we traveled together, I somehow rediscovered a tenderness I had long since abandoned. Then, the fire came and I felt myself lose what I loved again.”

“You loved me?” Thea asked in a small voice.

“Like the daughter I never had. Since that day, all I have known is hate and grief. But, now I see you here, sitting before me and…”

“I missed you.” Thea admitted. “You were the first person who made me feel safe and loved after my family’s death.” It was an understatement by far; after Taerunok had forced Thea out of her home at such a young age, and she had been running for so long, she had clung to Nimueh like a lifeline. “But I’ll admit that, however much I understand why, it still bothers me that you want to hurt innocents to get back at Uther,”

Nimueh’s eyes softened in sadness. “For so long, my rage has caused me to lose so many of my morals.”

“Could they be found again?” Thea asked, daring to hope.

“All that’s lost can be found, my songbird,” Nimueh smiled and, not bothering to stop herself, Thea threw herself into the sorceress’s arms, taking comfort in the way they held her tight.

Chapter Text

Thea was over the moon in the following weeks. After so long, she had rediscovered someone she thought she had lost. That night in the forest, when Nimueh had told her everything, it was like going through the stages of grief all over again. 

She would freely admit that she was upset when she learned that Nimueh had tried to kill Merlin and poisoned the well. But something in the woman’s eyes when she promised her that she would do better made Thea know she was telling the truth. Nimueh had said that, as much as it would pain her to do so, if Thea didn’t want innocent people to die, she would hold back for her sake. 

Thea had, of course, made no requests about Uther. It wasn’t just that she knew it would be cruel to ask, but now she had a dark wish to see Uther die as well. The nefarious thoughts probably should have alarmed her more than they did. But she felt Nimueh’s pain as acutely as she could, and she knew that there had been many times when she wished for her family to receive justice. 

When they finally had to part, for fear of people assuming Thea had gone missing, Nimueh had gifted her with a diary. She told Thea that she had a matching one and that what one of them wrote down in their diary would appear in the other one. She had hidden it in a loose floorboard that she was confident no one would find and they had taken to writing back and forth almost every night. 

Thea felt Merlin’s hand graze her own and she smiled, locking eyes with her lover as they continued to gather water. If she was speaking of things that were making her happy, Merlin would be tied for the top place. “You look lost in thought,” Merlin commented.

“I was just thinking about how happy I am to have found you,” Thea told him, eliciting a smile from Merlin and placing a hand on his chest and kissing him soundly. As they pulled apart, Merlin’s attention was drawn from Thea to an older woman that was staring at the young couple. 

Thea’s eyebrows furrowed in concern of why they were being watched but Merlin looked elated. “Mother?” The woman came rushing over to them and Thea smiled as the mother and son went to embrace. 

“Merlin!” However, when Merlin pulled her close to him he noticed a bruise just beneath her eye. 

“What happened? Who did this to you?” 

  ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“I assume you’re going to join him?” Morgana asked as Thea explained the situation in her chambers. Hunith had come to Camelot in order to seek help in dealing with a ruthless group of bandits. Arthur had managed to get them an audience with the king, but Uther, being Uther, had turned away their request for help. 

“Yes. I feel this obligation, I suppose. He helped me when I had nowhere to go. I owe him everything and even if I didn’t, I would always go to the aid of someone who I care for as much as I do Merlin,” Thea explained, her voice solemn. She knew that she would be back, but she hadn’t been on the move in months. Not since she first came to Camelot. It seemed almost peculiar to return to traveling, especially now that she had a home to return to. “Besides that, I despise men like this Kanen. The ones who come to a place where they don’t belong and ruin the lives of those who have called it home for so long.”

Thea hadn’t meant to sound that bitter, but she had. She knew all too well the damage that conquerors could do. "Then I’m coming with you,” Morgana declared, already moving to gather the clothes she would need. Thea could tell that this was one of those things that Morgana had already made up her mind about. And when Morgana made up her mind about something, there was no talking her out of it. 

Thea tried anyway. “Morgana, you can’t!” 

“Oh, I can and I will,” Morgana declared. Thea opened her mouth to protest further, but Morgana came closer and spoke before she had the chance. “Thea, you said that you owe Merlin everything; well, I owe you everything,”

“What do you mean?” 

“Thea, I haven’t had nightmares like I used to in months, not since you started helping me control my abilities. Since you went against Gaius’s wishes in order to help your friend feel not so alone.” Morgana told her, gripping her hands. “If this is important to you, then I will help,”

“Thank you, Morgana,”

After Morgana had loaned Thea some of her armor and then put on her own, they made their way to Gwen’s hut. Gwen had already decided to come along, so there was no point in doing anything else. “You won’t have to,” Morgana declared as she entered the hut. “We’re coming with you,”

“What do you mean?” Merlin asked, his eyes snapping to the two women who had entered the house.

“You’re going to need all the help you can get.” Gwen pointed out. “I can mend armor and sharpen swords.”

“And I know how to fight.” Morgana stated.

“And I happen to make excellent moral support,” Thea said cheekily. 

“But you can’t. I mean, why would you?” Merlin asked, sounding thoroughly shocked.

“If it was the other way around, you’d help us,” Thea reminded him. “You already have. You saved my life, Merlin,”

“Both of our lives,” Gwen interjected. 

“And you helped me get the druid boy out of Camelot.” Morgana said, not sharing the fact that the primary reason she was going was because Thea was. “We owe it to you. All of us,”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea waited with Morgana and Gwen whilst Merlin went to talk with Gaius. He had offered for her to come with him to go see Gaius, but Thea had politely declined. “You seem upset with Gaius. Both of you,” Gwen realized.

Morgana scoffed. “He suppressed my abilities with drugs and made me feel as if I was going insane when what I really needed was the truth,” she said, frustration and anger in her tone. Both Gwen and Thea knew that both of those emotions were justified. 

Morgana and Gwen then turned to look at Thea, wondering why she was so upset with the physician. Thea sighed before she began to talk. “I recently learned some new details about what Gaius did during the purge,” She admitted, remembering how angry she had been at the older man when Nimueh told her of how the two used to be friends.

“What did he do?” Gwen asked, sounding apprehensive. 

“Nothing. He did nothing. I simply can’t get over how many innocents he let die while residing in the court of the man who ordered all of those executions.” Thea let out a short breath. “I know that he was only trying to stay alive but I just feel as if he knew he could have done more and chose not to.” 

They all fell into a contemplative silence after that, taking in what Thea had said. Merlin came to meet them with his mother not long after that and they took off in the direction of Ealdor. Thea would admit that it made her anxious to be so close to Merlin’s mother. She desperately wanted the woman to approve of the relationship Thea had with her son.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Hunith sat with her son as they spoke of his secret. “No one can find out about you,” 

Merlin looked down sheepishly, not wanting to admit that someone already had. He didn’t have a problem with Thea knowing about him, but he suspected that his mother would have a different opinion. “About that…” 

“Merlin!” Hunith scolded. 

“You don’t need to worry, Mother. My secret is safe,” His attempt to soothe her panic was not particularly successful. She simply continued to stare at him, appalled at his carelessness. “Thea would never tell anyone. I trust her.” 

“Thea,” His mother said, testing out the name on her tongue. “Which one is she?” Merlin looked over to the bedrolls that the three women were laying on and motioned to the one where Thea slept. “Her? The girl you were kissing?” 

“Yes,” Merlin admitted bashfully. “She found out on her own,” He pointed out, not wanting his mother to think that he had told the first girl he liked his deepest secret.

“You like her that much?” Hunith asked, smiling at her son and bumping his shoulder softly. 

“I do. I really do,” Merlin confirmed. “I… I think that one day, I might love her,”

“Get some rest,” Hunith said, smiling at her son’s admission.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When the girls awoke, they were now joined by Arthur who had come to help. That seemed both surprising and entirely predictable to Thea. On the one hand, he was a prince with a rather prattish attitude. But on the other hand, try as he might to deny it, he cared for Merlin. He cared for Thea too, but he was here for Merlin.

So the small group continued on their way to Ealdor. When they did finally arrive, the bandits that Hunith had mentioned were already in the process of ravaging the small town. Kanen, the man they had been told was the leader, was just about to strike down a village member when Arthur fired a spear into the post beside him. It was a clear warning not to mess with them and Thea knew, as Arthur dismounted with his sword, that the warning was not hollow. 

The bandits had no regard for the warning shot that Arthur had thrown and began to fight the new arrivals. “Kill them!” Kanen shouted as the two sides began to exchange blows. They fought and Arthur and Morgana, both very skilled, cut down the bandits. Gwen, Thea and Hunith watched as they fought, Thea noticing the sword in the hands of Merlin’s opponent glowing. From time to time, Thea had wondered how she was the only one in Camelot who knew of Merlin’s magic. He wasn’t all that subtle about using it.

“You’ll pay for this with your lives! All of you!” Kanen declared when he and his remaining men mounted their horses and rode away. For a single second that lasted far too long, Thea was reminded of the clash of metal reverberating through large, echoing, chambers. She blinked hard and was back in the village.

Merlin embraced another villager and talked with him before Arthur began handing out orders. “Merlin! Gather the villagers, I need to talk to them,”

“In a minute. I’m just talking–”

“Now, Merlin. There isn’t much time,”

“Thea, tend to the horses,” Arthur commanded. Thea nodded, leading the horses away while Merlin gathered the villagers. “I know Kanen's kind. He'll be back. And when he is, you must be ready for him. First of all, we have to prepare for–” 

“Am I the only one wondering who the hell this is?” The man Merlin had embraced asked. 

“I’m Prince Arthur of Camelot,” Arthur informed them, straightening to look at the crowd.

“Yeah, and I’m Prince William of Ealdor,” William said with a scoff, obviously being sarcastic. 

“Keep quiet, he’s here to help us,” Hunith scolded the boy. 

“He’s made things worse,” William said. “Kanen will be back, and when he is, he'll be looking for revenge. You've just signed our death warrants,”

“From where I’m standing it looks as though he prevented a death,” Thea said pointedly from where she was standing by the prince. She wasn’t one to critique the company others kept but this William seemed like an arse.

“It’s alright, Thea.” Arthur assured her. “This is his village. What would you have us do?”

“We can’t fight against Kanen. He has too many men,” 

“So, what’s the alternative?” Arthur asked.

“Give him what he wants,” William said, making many villagers shake their heads. 

“Then what?” Arthur challenged. “Those of you who don’t starve to death will face him next harvest. And the harvest after that.”

“We’ll manage. We’ll survive.” William said, not convincing anyone.

“How?” Multiple villagers spoke up.

“The only way he can be stopped is if you stand up to him,” The prince pointed out. 

“No. You just want the honor and glory of battle! That's what drives men like you! Look, if you want to fight, then go home and risk the lives of your own people, not ours!” Thea subtly nodded her head, agreeing in her judgment that Merlin’s friend was quite the arse. 

He then turned and stormed off, Merlin following him. “Will!” 

Thea stood taller and faced the villagers. “This is your home. It should be your duty and your honor to protect it and those you hold dear within it,” 

The villagers seemed touched by Thea’s words and she earned a surprised, yet proud, look from Arthur. “I’ll follow them,” Hunith spoke up. “If I’m to die, then I want to go out fighting.”

“That goes for me too,” The man who Arthur had saved said.  

After them, many other villagers began chiming in their agreement. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The night fell quickly and, while the others were sleeping, Thea snuck out of the small hut. She stood in the tall grass that surrounded the structure, staring up at the sky and letting a few tears leak from her eyes. “Thea?” 

Thea turned to find Gwen looking at her in concern. “Gwen, I thought you were asleep.” Thea said, quickly wiping her tears. Unfortunately for her, Gwen caught them before she had the chance to pretend they were never there. 

“Thea, what’s wrong?” Gwen asked, even more concerned now that she saw Thea’s tears glistening in the moonlight. 

Thea hesitated for a second, biting her lip and closing her eyes. “I’m a hypocrite, Gwen.” 

Gwen tilted her head in confusion. “You’re nothing of the kind,” She tried to assure her friend. 

“Yes, I am. I am a horrible, lying, hypocrite,” She gave a sad, self-deprecating scoff. “That speech,” she spat. “I had no right to say those words, not after…” 

And then her face crumpled and she couldn’t help the sob that escaped her throat. Gwen had many questions as to what Thea was talking about, but the girl was obviously in no state to answer them, so she just pulled her friend into a hug and held her close. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When the morning came, Thea could feel Gwen’s worried stare on her back. She hadn’t meant to be that exposed the prior night, but something about the village air and the threat of impending doom made her open up. 

She felt more in control of herself than she had then, but it didn’t change what she had said. She meant every word she said to Gwen, even the ones she hadn’t dared to speak out loud. 

Breakfast had passed quickly, Arthur barely touching his food. Thea shook her head a bit as the sight. Not too long ago, before she came to Camelot, eating something like this would be a luxury. She knew he was a prince but she somehow expected him to be more in touch with the peasants. 

“You still not learned how to dress yourself?” Morgana teased when she saw Merlin helping Arthur put on his jacket. Thea smiled at the comment from where she was helping Hunith with the food. 

“You don’t have a dog and fetch the stick yourself.” Arthur reasoned. “No offence, Merlin,”

“None taken,”

“Prince Arthur, you didn’t finish your breakfast,” Hunith said, taking the bowl to Arthur, sounding genuinely concerned. 

“Didn’t I?” 

“Come on, eat up,” Morgana teased. Arthur did no such thing. He simply brought the spoon of porridge up to his mouth until Hunith turned and he made a sound of faked pleasure and shoved the bowl into Gwen’s hands. 

“Right, let’s get going,” The prince said. “We need wood and lots of it,”

Gwen was quite obviously peeved at his actions, judging by her expression. She finished the bowl herself and then handed it to Hunith before following the others out the door. 

While Arthur went to train the men of the village and sent Merlin to gather wood. Thea, Gwen and Morgana took to sharpening the swords. “There’s no way they’re going to be able to hold Kanen off,” Morgana said correctly. 

“Men aren’t the only ones who can fight,” Gwen pointed out. 

“Try telling them that,” Thea said somewhat bitterly. 

“Oh, I plan to,” Morgana said with a smile, eliciting a giggle from her friends. 

They continued to watch as Arthur trained the men with what little skill and numbers they had. Thea wished that there was something they could do. She had always wanted to be a skilled fighter when she was little. Her father had promised to teach her when she was older, but by the time older came around it was too late. She wasn’t completely helpless. She could handle herself with a shiv and knew a bit about hand to hand combat; that much was necessary for a life in the wild as a young girl.

Eventually, Arthur called for a rest and came over to get some water. The three women approached the prince. “Looks like the battle’s already fought and lost.” Morgana said, looking over at the men.

“They’ll toughen up,” Arthur insisted.

“They need to,” Thea agreed quietly.

“How are we doing for weapons?” Arthur asked.

“There isn't much, but we should be able to scrape together what you need.” Morgana informed him. 

Gwen looked to the other women beside her before she faced the prince again. “It's not the weapons that worry us. It's having enough people to use them.” She hesitated for a moment but said, “We think the women should be allowed to fight.”

Arthur shook his head, immediately going to disagree. “You haven't enough men. If they were trained soldiers, maybe you'd stand a chance, but they're not.” Morgana pointed out.

“It’s too dangerous,” Arthur declared and then turned to the awaiting men.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The next morning came with no lack of drama. The man who had been delegated to patrol duty had come back dead. Merlin’s friend, William, was quite adamant in the fact that they were fighting a losing battle. All his speech achieved was that of making Arthur attempt to get the women out of the village. 

“Tomorrow morning, the women and children should gather what belongings they can carry and go to the woods.” Arthur instructed that night as they all gathered around the firepit.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Gwen insisted. 

“I know you want to help. The women can't stay here. It's too dangerous.” The prince tried to insist.

“This town is home to more than just men. The women have just as much of a right to defend it as the men do!” Thea insisted, hating herself more with every word that came out of her mouth

“But none of you know how to fight,” Arthur pointed out.

“The more of us there are, the better chance we stand!” Gwen said with passion. The women, fully believing in what Gwen and Thea were saying, stepped forward confidently. 

Arthur nodded. “This is your home. If you want to fight to defend it, that's your choice. I'd be honored to stand alongside you. Kanen attacks tomorrow. Kanen's brutal. He fights only to kill, which is why he will never defeat us. Look around. In this circle, we're all equals. You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to, you're fighting for so much more than that. You fight for your homes. You fight for your family. You fight for your friends. You fight for the right to grow crops in peace. And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes: fighting for your very right to survive! And when you're old and grey, you'll look back on this day, and you'll know you earned the right to live every day in between! So you fight! For your family! For your friends! For Ealdor!”

They all smiled at Arthur’s speech, raising their swords and everyone joining in for the chanting.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Morning came quicker than expected and nerves were flying free. Thea stood watch with Morgana and Gwen, waiting for Kanen and his men to approach. “Morgana,” Thea said, gaining the lady’s attention. “For the trap, do you think you can light it with magic?” 

Morgana’s eyes widened and she looked undoubtedly nervous. Then she straightened up and nodded, developing a more confident expression. “Of course,” 

“You’re doing so good with that,” Thea told her, smiling slightly. Morgana grinned at her friends. 

“Thea?” Gwen began cautiously and Thea instantly knew what this was going to be about. She had been hoping that Gwen would disregard her moment of weakness. In retrospect, she saw that Gwen was far too compassionate to do that. “What was that about, earlier?” 

“Now’s really not a good time,” Thea attempted to divert, motioning to the river they were waiting for the bandits to cross. 

“We could die today, you know. We might as well know the truth,” Morgana pointed out. Thea had expected Gwen to tell Morgana, so she wasn’t at all surprised by her knowledge. 

Thea sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “There is little I keep from the two of you, as you’ve seen. But this… this is one secret that I can’t tell,”

Gwen and Morgana looked at each other before they looked back at Thea. “Alright. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, you don’t have to,” Gwen assured her.

“Thank you.” Before any more could be said, Morgana spotted the bandits making their way across the river and raced off to warn Arthur and Merlin.

Arthur and Merlin joined where everyone had lined up and Arthur began talking with the villagers. “Are you frightened?” He asked Gwen, holding onto her hand for a little longer than what would be considered a hand shake.

“Not in the slightest.”

They all took their places and watched as Kanen’s men, a lot of them, began charging toward the village on horseback, drawing their swords. “Hold,” Arthur instructed. “No one moves until I give the signal.” The men who had been ransacking the village stopped when they saw how empty the place was. “Hold”

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Kanen taunted.

Then the gates they had crafted to hold the men rose, trapping the bandits. Morgana leaned down and struck the flint, but Thea saw her mutter something just as the flames erupted. The riders soon found themselves confined. A good number of them saw the flames and turned around, heading in the direction they had come from. 

“Now!” Arthur yelled and the villagers came rushing out with a battle cry. They began to fight, everyone trying to do what they could. Despite that, the men Kanen had brought were far too plentiful and they started to overpower the villagers. 

Out of nowhere, a wind storm appeared, throwing everyone back and allowing the villagers to regain control of the fight. Thea smiled as the bandits fled and she shared a hug with Gwen and Morgana. The grin disappeared from her face quickly when she saw Arthur turning to Merlin and William angrily. 

“Pendragon!” Kanen yelled, causing Arthur to turn from where he had been glaring at the two. The bandit shrugged off his cloak and turned to face Arthur. He marched toward the prince and the two began exchanging blows and strikes. Eventually, Arthur overpowered Kanen and drove his sword through the man’s gut.

The fight did not allow him to take his mind off of the fact that magic had just happened. “Who did that?” 

“What?” Merlin asked, attempting to play it off. 

“Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it. One of you made that happen.” The prince deduced. 

They both hesitated for a moment and Thea held her breath in anticipation. “Arthur…”

“Look out!” William yelled, pushing Arthur aside as Kanen fired an arrow from a crossbow. The arrow intended for the prince ended up hitting William in the chest.

“WILL!” Merlin yelled, rushing to his friend’s side.

“You just saved my life,” Arthur stated from where he was kneeling with Merlin. 

“Yeah. Don’t know what I was thinking,” 

“Come on! Get him inside!” Arthur yelled and people quickly rushed to them. 

William was quickly carried inside by Merlin, Arthur and a couple village men. Thea hurried after them, wanting to be there for Merlin when the inevitable happened. “That’s twice I’ve saved you,” William ground out and Thea felt a rush of gratitude for him, realizing what he was about to do.

“Twice?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah, it was me. I’m the one who used the magic.” Thea closed her eyes, grateful that William was doing this for Merlin.

“Will, don’t” Merlin said, causing Arthur to stare at him.

“It's alright, Merlin. I won't be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me.” William assured him before turning back to the prince. “I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming and I had to do something.”

“You’re a sorcerer?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah. What are you gonna do? Kill me?” He said in a pain filled voice.

“No. Of course not” Arthur said solemnly and then turned to Merlin. “Do what you can for him,” 

After that, Arthur led the women out and despite wanting to be there for him, Thea knew he needed to say goodbye himself. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

A funeral pyre was lit soon after. Thea had stood by Merlin’s side, her hand in his to ground him and remind him that she was there. She had retreated to join Gwen and Morgana once the prince had come to their side. Then she and the two other women watched as Arthur had what looked like too stiff of a conversation with Merlin. He made his way back to them not long after. 

For the first time in all her years of traveling, if that’s what you want to call it, Thea had somewhere to return to. And despite her sorrow for Merlin, she felt good knowing that she would be back within the walls of her home soon.

Chapter Text

Thea had never understood the joy men got from hunting. If it was to eat, then sure, but she did not see the point of shooting a harmless animal for the purpose of entertainment. But, unlike Merlin, she had long since accepted that there was little she could do to prevent it.

Thea and Merlin were currently accompanied by Arthur and his hunting party. It was quite a pain in the ass, if she was telling the truth. She and Merlin had been up since dawn on purpose, hoping to enjoy some alone time together, but were then required to change for the hunt. Arthur had required her to come but he had also required her to wear a dress. Now, she had nothing against wearing dresses, but it got annoying when the fabric was continuously getting stuck on branches.

A branch snapped and Arthur motioned for two of his men to stalk out from another direction. “Merlin. Thea,” He whispered, causing the two servants to come forward. 

“What is it?” Thea asked.

“I don’t know,” Arthur admitted. “We’ll surround it. I want you two to go in there and flush it out”

“You want us to go in there?” Merlin questioned in the same whispered tone. “You just said you don’t know what it is. It could be dangerous.”

“Let’s hope so. Now go,”  Arthur said, pushing them forward. 

The two began to stalk forward and listen carefully for any noise. A rustling sound became apparent and they continued, wincing at the branches that snapped under their feet. Merlin bent down and grabbed a large stick as they walked closer to where the sound was coming from. 

When they found the animal, they were both surprised to see a unicorn standing before them. Thea resisted the childish urge to squeal in excitement. When she was little, she had always wanted a unicorn for a pet; she still did, if she was being honest. 

The twigs snapping reminded the two that this gorgeous creature was in grave danger. “Go, go,” Merlin urged. “Please go,”

“They’re gonna kill you,” Thea whispered, reaching her hand out to the side in order to signal that the unicorn should go.

“Please, go!” Merlin turned his head to see Arthur pointing a crossbow at the unicorn. “Arthur, no!” 

Arthur, of course, pulled the trigger and shot an arrow into the unicorn. The being let out a sound of pain as it flailed and landed on its side on the forest floor. Thea rushed quickly to its side and gently petted the mare’s head. “I’m sorry. So sorry,” 

“Ha ha! A unicorn,” Arthur cheered as he approached the being. 

“What have you done?” Merlin asked as Thea continued to stroke the unicorn’s head. 

“Don’t be such girls,” Arthur chastised.

Thea glared at the prince. “I don’t know if it has escaped your attention, but I am a girl,” 

Arthur shrugged as if he had forgotten that particular detail. He probably had, actually. Not because she didn’t look or dress the part; Thea was the perfect picture of a maiden. But she spent so much of her time around Arthur, doing the same things that Merlin did, that he had just never looked at her that way.

Merlin was staring off behind the men and Arthur noticed his gaze and turned his head. “What are you looking at?” But by the time that everyone else turned to look, whatever Merlin saw was gone.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

A disgruntled Merlin and Thea were approaching the door to Uther’s hall, a unicorn horn in hand. The guards pushed open the doors and allowed everyone to enter. “Father! A unicorn’s horn to grace the walls of Camelot,” Arthur declared when they approached the court,

“Magnificent,” Uther declared, putting down the papers he was holding in order to approach the horn. “It’s the first one I’ve seen.” He lifted the horn off of its pillow and turned to the fellow members of the room. “Gaius, look at this,”

Gaius looked with apprehension as he took in the horn, very clearly concerned about something. “It is very impressive, My Lord.

Uther could also feel the worry around Gaius. “What is it, Gaius? Speak your mind,”

“Unicorns are rare and mystical creatures.” Gaius explained. “There is a legend that says that bad fortune will come to anyone who slays one.”

“Nonsense,” Uther said, brushing off Gaius’s concerns as if they were dust. “We will be the envy of every kingdom.”

Thea wanted very much to roll her eyes. She detested even being in the same room as Uther Pendragon. “I’m pleased you like it,” Arthur said. Thea could momentarily overcome her frustration at Arthur to notice how desperately he craved his father’s approval. That also only made her hate Uther more.

The meeting was dismissed quickly and Thea found herself walking through the town square with Gaius and Merlin. Gaius in of himself was another problem for Thea. She owed him greatly, but ever since reuniting with Nimueh, she couldn’t help the bitterness directed at the physician. She was doing a rather good job at hiding it, in front of Merlin and Gaius, that is.

Gwen and Morgana had heard her rants a few times by now. She hadn’t revealed what she had learned or who she had learned it from but she gave enough information for them to nod their heads once in a while.

“I don’t understand how Arthur can have taken any pleasure from killing the unicorn,” Merlin was saying.

“Arthur’s a hunter. It’s in his blood,” Gaius rationalized and Thea did agree that killing innocent creatures was, in fact, in Arthur’s blood. “Whereas you are something entirely different.”

“It was gorgeous,” Thea admitted. 

“The second most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” Merlin stated.

“Second?” Gaius asked. “And what would the first be?” 

“Thea, of course,” Merlin said as if it was obvious and made Thea blush wildly. “I wish you would’ve been there,” He continued when Thea interlaced her fingers with his.

“It’s a rare privilege. Alas, there are very few unicorns still alive,” Gaius explained.

“You try telling that to Arthur,” Thea spoke.

“I can imagine it’d be difficult,”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Arthur had absolutely no regrets about killing the unicorn. “My horse threw a shoe. Take it to the blacksmith. Make sure he does a good job. And when you’ve done that, you can polish my s…saddle” That was when the prince realized that neither of his servants seemed to be paying attention to what he was saying. “Merlin, Thea? Have either of you listened to a word I’ve said?” Merlin nodded but Thea just shook her head. “You’ve looked like wounded bears ever since we got back from that hunting trip. Don’t tell me you’re still upset about the unicorn?”

“I don’t think you should’ve killed it,” Merlin said, moving from the window.

“Oh, really. And why is that?” Arthur’s tone was condescending while he pulled on his boots.

“It was doing no harm.” Merlin rationalized. “What purpose did you serve by killing it?” 

“We were hunting,” Arthur said, as if that explained everything. Once again they had returned to the topic of men and their desire to point sharp objects at others. “That’s what you do. Would you have me bring it home as a pet?” 

“That was an option?!” Thea practically screeched. 

Arthur only gave her an exasperated look and turned to put on his boots. “Look at this,”

“What?” Merlin asked, walking over to where Arthur was staring.

“Do you know what that is?” He demanded, taking Merlin and practically forcing him into a position where he could see whatever was on the ground.

“No.” Merlin replied.

“Rat droppings. My chambers are infested. You need to spend less time worrying about unicorns and more time worrying about rats,” Before either servant could reply, a knock sounded on the door. “Enter,” Arthur called. 

“My Lord,” the guard who had entered began. “The king requests your service as a matter of urgency.” 

Arthur turned to the guard and then back to Thea and Merlin. “Find that rat!”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea reclined against the wall of her and Merlin’s shared bedroom. Morgana was with Gwen, going around to the villagers, seeing what she could do to help. Thea had offered to come with them but Morgana had asked her to see if there were any spells she could find in Gaius’s chambers that might help.

When she asked Merlin if he knew of any he said that he didn’t, not on this scale anyway. Gaius had arrived shortly after with samples to test for a disease that could cause this. Thea, in an effort to avoid him, had entered the other room and began tidying up. She had finished quicker than expected and still had no desire to join the men in the other room.

Boredom had come rather fast. In search of something to do, Thea pulled back the floorboard that revealed the diary she kept and took it out. She quickly found a quill and sat back against the wall. Just as she was about to write, Nimueh’s own cursive appeared on the page.

Is it true what I’m hearing, that all the crops in Camelot have died?

Yes, we still don’t know why. Thea wrote back. Do you have any idea?

There are not a lot of things that could do this much damage in this little time. Has anything odd occurred before it all started?

Arthur killed a unicorn, if that means anything?

No, he did not! Oh, that idiot! 

Nimueh? Is that what’s causing this? 

I believe so.

Is there any way to fix it? Like with magic?

No magic any mortal possesses could undo this, not even I. Arthur will have to somehow fix it himself. Something about being pure of heart?

So, we’re screwed?

I’m afraid so.

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea made her way across the city grounds, walking alongside Merlin. They both watched as people were scrambling and fighting for what food they could get. “Merlin, Thea?” Turning, the couple saw Gwen smiling at them from where she stood by the well on the outer wall. “Is it true what they’re saying about the crops? They’re all dead?”

“Afraid so,” Merlin confirmed. “Think we might have to start tightening our belts,”

“I’m sure Arthur will think of something,” Gwen told them. Thea narrowed her eyes, starting to get suspicious of the relationship Gwen was forming with Arthur. Not that there was anything wrong with that, just that she hadn’t heard anything. 

“Well, and if he doesn’t, I will,” Merlin said.

Gwen and Thea laughed as Merlin turned the corner, Thea quickly following after him. Before they got very far, Gwen called out and they both rushed back to see sand coming from the well. 

Merlin quickly rushed off to get Gaius, and Morgana joined shortly after hearing about it. When she found Gwen and Thea, the lady quickly ushered the two women into an alcove and looked at Thea. “Did you find anything?” 

“Yes and no.” Thea explained. “I know why it’s happening but there’s nothing we can do about it,”

“What does that mean?” Gwen wondered. 

“This is all happening because Arthur killed the unicorn, unleashing a curse,” Thea explained, causing Gwen to gasp and Morgana to scowl at the thought. “But no mortal magic is strong enough to undo any of this,” 

They all sighed synchronously after that. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea watched in exasperation as Merlin once again attempted to change the sand back to water. She couldn’t exactly tell him how she knew that all of his trying was pointless. But she desperately wanted to. Not just because she wanted to spare him of the effort but also because she was becoming quite vexed at the sight. 

“Merlin, you’ve been at this for an hour. Surely you can see it’s going nowhere?” Thea asked, rising from where she had been sitting beside him. 

“I can’t do nothing. And surely there’s something to be done.” 

“Who said you were doing nothing?” Thea asked, smiling cheekily. She took Merlin’s chin in a delicate hold and turned his head to face her. He smiled as she pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. She continued with the action, placing some gentle and some passionate kisses against him. 

“This is bad of us,” Merlin said, despite the grin on his face.

“Yes, it is,” Thea agreed and then proceeded to kiss him again.

“Thea,” He chastised, reminding her that he had to return to his fruitless attempts at fixing this problem. 

“I know,” She said in a resigned voice. 

Finally, they pried themselves away from each other and Merlin turned back to the bucket of sand. “ Gréot gecymen, lecan. Gecymen gé drýe wæter. ”

Gaius appeared behind them, approaching quietly and startling them both. “I was… uh, I was just–”

“I was hoping you might be trying to turn it back into water,” Gaius said, moving past Merlin and Thea to take a seat. “I know I’ve cautioned against using magic but if ever there was a time to use your tablets, it’s now,” 

Merlin sighed. “I wish I knew how. I’ve tried everything. If it is magic it’s more powerful magic than I possess,” 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“We should not be doing this,” Thea whispered to Merlin as they made their way down the stairs. Merlin had, somehow, talked Thea into looking for the person who cast this curse. He had told her about the white cloaked man he had seen in the forest.

“It’ll be fine,” Merlin assured her 

As if on cue, Arthur’s voice rang out. “Merlin. Thea. You do realize there’s a curfew?”

Thea shared a quick glance with Merlin that, luckily, went unnoticed by Arthur. “Yeah, we were in your chambers,” Thea said, thinking of a lie as quickly as she could. “Hunting for the rat,”

“Did you find it?” Arthur queried , walking over to the two of them.

“No,” Merlin told him, going along with Thea’s lie.

“So you have been outwitted by a rat?” Arthur proposed.

“They do say rats are very intelligent,” Merlin pointed out in their defense. They didn’t actually need a defense for not finding the rat seeing as they hadn’t actually been looking for the rat. 

“More intelligent than the both of you, it would seem.” the prince muttered. “Go home. It would be embarrassing to have to lock up my own servants for breaking curfew.” Arthur turned his head in exasperation, but as he was doing so, something seemed to catch his eye. “What was that?” 

“What?” Merlin asked, turning his head in the direction Arthur was looking. Arthur didn’t say anything, only looking at his servants meaningfully and rushing off in that direction, the two of them following him.

They followed as he leaped over the ledge of the corridor and continued running after the figure. After running down a flight of stairs and hurrying through the iron wrought stairway, they ended up in the burial grounds. By the time they got there, the figure they had seen was nowhere in sight. 

Arthur made a sign to the servants that Thea interpreted to mean they should go the other way. Merlin did not understand Arthur’s signal and followed after the prince. “That means you go the other way and cut him off,” 

“Okay,” Merlin said and followed Arthur’s instructions, running after Thea. They all ran in the right direction and found themselves back at the stairway, not having seen anyone. Then, a silhouette passed through the fall, illuminated under the night lights. Once again, Merlin and Thea were instructed to go in the opposite direction. And once again, they all arrived back at the staircase with nothing new. 

“Where is he?” Arthur asked. 

“We didn’t see anyone,” Merlin told him.

“He was right here. Don’t tell me you let him get past you.” 

“Arthur, no one passed us,” Thea insisted. 

“Are you blind?!” the prince demanded. 

Before anyone could say anything more, a new voice joined the conversation. “Are you looking for me?” The trio turned to see the very same white cloaked man that had apparently been stalking around in the woods and in the castle. “I am Anhora, keeper of the unicorns,”

“Camelot is under curfew,” Arthur said, sounding very authoritative. “What is your business here?”

“I have come to deliver a message,” Anhora replied.

“And who is this message for?” Arthur asked.

“It is for you, Arthur Pendragon,” Anhora declared. 

“Is it you who’s responsible for killing our crops, turning our water to sand?” Arthur pushed.

“You alone are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen Camelot,” Thea already knew this, but she also knew that this Anhora had no idea what Arthur was like. The prat was far too proud to accept blame for something like that. Especially when it involved magic.

“Me?!” And, like clockwork, Arthur was beyond offended. “You think I’d bring drought and famine upon my own people?”

Anhora did not seem fazed by Arthur’s anger. He only inclined his head and continued with his message. “When you killed the unicorn, you unleashed a curse. For this, Camelot will suffer greatly.”

“If you have placed a curse on Camelot, you will lift it, or you will pay with your life,” Arthur threatened. 

“The curse was not my doing,” Anhora said, not afraid of Arthur’s threats in the slightest.

“Undo the curse, or face execution,” At times, Thea seriously questioned Arthur’s hearing. He had just been told point blank that he had unleashed the curse, but it was as if it went in one ear and out the other.

“Only you can do that. You will be tested.”

Once again, the prince ignored Anhora’s words. “You’re under arrest.” When Arthur went to reach for him, Anhora vanished into thin air. Arthur stumbled when he didn’t grab onto anything. Anhora reappeared at the top of the iron staircase, looking down on the three of them. 

“Until you have proven yourself, and made amends for killing the unicorn, the curse will not be lifted. If you fail any of these tests, Camelot will be damned for all eternity.”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Merlin and Thea had gone to tell Gaius what Anhora had told them that morning as they ate. “And you believe what this Anhora said about the curse to be true?” Gaius questioned, standing by the food he was preparing.

“Well, you said there's a legend that misfortune comes to anyone who slays a unicorn.” Merlin reminded him. “It makes sense.”

“To us, at least,” Thea said bitterly, sitting down at the table.

Gaius nodded, looking grim as he set down a bowl of oatmeal for each of them. It was definitely much less than they usually ate but it was still food and Thea was grateful for it. “Not much for breakfast, I’m afraid. We’re down to our last few scraps of food.”

“Where did you get the water to make tea?” Merlin asked, holding up the mug before bringing it to his lips as Thea did the same.

“Fortunately for all of us, you forgot to empty your bath yesterday.” Gaius told Merlin. Merlin paused his drinking with a shocked face and let the water he had almost drunk fall from his mouth back into the mug. 

Thea rolled her eyes and actually swallowed her tea. “It’s not so bad,” She told the two men who were looking at her. “Soapy perhaps, but it’s still water,” 

Gaius looked slightly impressed and Merlin sighed deeply. “What does Arthur think about the curse?” Gaius asked, bringing them back to the more pressing issue.

Thea and Merlin let out a simultaneous scoff. “He doesn’t believe it’s his fault. He’s convinced Anhora’s responsible for it,” Merlin explained.

“If you do not wish to drink bath water, you’d better make sure Arthur sees sense,” Gaius warned.

“We’d have a greater chance of draining the ocean with a bowl,” Thea informed him exasperatedly. Merlin and Gaius nodded, agreeing with her about the odds of their mission being successful. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Despite the near impossibility of their task, the couple decided to give it a try and began waiting for the right time to bring it up. “That… rat!” Arthur exclaimed as he was putting on his boots. “It’s eaten through my boot. Look at it,” The prince demanded as he marched up to where his two servants were folding linens. 

“I guess the rat must be as hungry as the rest of us,” Merlin jested. 

“You think this is funny?” 

“Moderately,” Thea said mildly in response to Arthur’s question. It wasn't all too funny but it was annoying Arthur and that was enough for Thea.

Arthur responded by tossing the boot into Merlin’s hands. “Get it mended. And find that rat!” 

Merlin glanced at Thea and then at Arthur, walking across the room with the blankets. He was delicate as he broached the topic on all of their minds. “Have you given any more thought to what Anhora said last night?”

Arthur didn’t seem as disturbed by Anhora’s words as both his servants were. It was almost as if the idea of his kingdom being stripped of its resources was less daunting now that he had a sorcerer to blame for its misfortune. Personally, Thea thought that even if she didn’t believe that Anhora had no foul intentions, the prospect of a sorcerer being pissed at an entire kingdom was about as scary as the situation being natural. 

“Well, he may have escaped last night, but we at least now know who we’re searching for.” Arthur said as he stood by his table. “I told my father I’ll find this Anhora and put an end to it,”

This time it was Thea who looked over at Merlin, the two engaging in a silent battle of wills to determine who would say what needed to be said. Thea, surprisingly, lost this specific battle and went to speak. “What if he was telling the truth about the curse?” 

“You think I’m responsible for bringing suffering upon my own people?” Arthur demanded, appalled by the very idea.

“Not deliberately,” Thea said, shrugging.

Arthur only stared at her in shock for a moment before Merlin spoke up. “When you killed the unicorn, I saw Anhora in the forest,” 

Arthur swiveled his head to look at Merlin. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked incredulously. 

Merlin seemed caught off guard for a moment before he explained himself. “It was just for a second, and then he disappeared. I didn't even...well, I-I thought I was seeing things. But he was definitely there.”

“That doesn’t actually prove anything,” Arthur countered stubbornly. 

“Doesn’t it make you think he might be telling the truth?” Merlin tried again, hoping to get through to him. 

“Because he was skulking about in the forest? That makes me trust him even less,” The prince insisted, pulling on his uneaten boots. 

“Why would Anhora appear in Camelot, and then lie to you?” 

Arthur seemed to not understand the logic Merlin’s question was proposing. His mind, naturally, went to its unreasonable, magic hating response. “We had him cornered. He was trying to talk his way out of it by blaming me,”

“And that statement is supported by the fact that he disappeared into thin air mere seconds later, is it?” Thea asked, leveling a stare at Arthur. “He clearly didn’t need to talk himself out of anything.”

“My father has warned me about sorcerers like him.” Arthur went on, allowing his prejudice to cloud the logic that had been presented. “They will not rest until our kingdom is destroyed.”

“Well,” Merlin began. “I believe he’s telling the truth,”

“Then you're a fool. You cannot trust a single word a sorcerer says.” Thea sent Merlin a sympathetic look at the words that surely must have hurt him. “You'd do well to remember that. Now, I think I've figured out what Anhora's next move is going to be, and when he makes it, we're going to be waiting.”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea leaned back against the wall where they were waiting for Anhora. Merlin was sitting on a ledge, also leaning his head back whilst waiting for the alleged intruder. He was also, quite obnoxiously, smacking his lips. 

Arthur entered the corridor where his servants were positioned. He rolled his eyes at the sight of them and gave Thea a displeased look, seeing as she was the one with her eyes open. Thea only gave him a sardonic look and rolled her eyes. Arthur went over and grabbed a broom then promptly smacked Merlin over the head with it.

Merlin jutted awake and turned to look at Arthur who spoke in a condescending tone, “Don't you worry about keeping watch, Merlin. You just make yourself comfortable.”

Merlin and Thea both sighed and, as Arthur turned around to leave, Merlin closed his eyes and smacked his lips again. “Stop smacking your lips,” the prince instructed. “It’s annoying.”

“I’m thirsty,” Merlin complained and caused Thea to grimace in displeasure. 

“Everyone is thirsty, Merlin,” Thea reminded him. “And everyone must find a way to make it through,”

Merlin tutted at his lover’s words but didn’t deny the truth in them. He only got up from his seat and joined the other two in stalking through the corridors. As they were turning the corner, Arthur called the two servants over. “Psst! Someone’s coming,” He informed them, making them both quietly rush to follow him. 

Arthur drew his sword as he approached the illuminated corridor. An intruder's silhouette flickered across the stone and Arthur silently instructed them to come around the other way.

As the sword was pointed toward the intruder and Arthur spoke his threat, Merlin and Thea came in holding the weapons they had found on the walls. “Who are you?” Arthur asked as a shorter man holding a bag of grain and a shovel came around the corner. 

“My name is… my name is…” The man stuttered. 

“Speak up,” Arthur commanded. 

“My name is Evan, my lord.”

“I see you think you can help yourself to our grain reserves. My father has ordered that looters be executed.” Thea gulped at those words from the prince. She knew how terrifying the threat of starvation could be. 

“Please, My Lord. I- I do not steal for myself. I have three children; they have not eaten for two days. They are hungry.” Evan’s words tumbled from his mouth, scared and desperate. 

“It’s the same for everyone,” Arthur reminded him.

“I... I know that it is wrong to steal. I couldn't bear to see them starve.” That made Thea’s sympathy racket up a notch. She could only imagine the pain of losing your child to such a slow acting curse. 

“And could you bear for your children to see you be executed?” This question had Evan shaking his head, his face crumpling. 

Arthur paused for a long moment before his next words had them all breathing a sigh of relief. “Then you should go home.” He told Even, who looked up, surprised. “If you are caught stealing again I will not spare you.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Evan said with a grateful smile, placing the grain and shovel down on the floor. “Thank you.”

“Wait,” Arthur said as Evan began to leave. The other man turned around and was shocked as the prince picked up the bag of grain and tossed it to him. “Use it sparingly. It might be the last food you and your family get for some time.” 

Thea and Merlin both smiled proudly at Arthur.

“You have shown yourself to be kind and merciful, My Lord.” Evan said. “This will bring its own reward. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The words that Evan had spoken the previous night proved true in the morning. They all awoke to the news that water had returned to the kingdom. Everyone was delighted and, as was demonstrated by Merlin and Arthur, relished in the water that they had been blessed with.

Unlike the rest of the kingdom, Thea had chosen not to gulp down all of the water provided. She drank the majority of what was given and stored just a little in a metal bucket. Though the water being back was probably permanent, she wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I never knew water could taste so good,” Arthur exclaimed, slightly out of breath from the huge gulps of water he had been taking. 

Thea bit her tongue with great difficulty.

“My throat was so dry I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk,” Merlin informed them. Thea was sure her tongue was bleeding from how hard she was holding back her words, by now.

“Well, at least some good would have come from the drought, then.” Arthur declared.

Merlin fixed him with a flat look before speaking. “More?” 

Arthur motioned for the jug to be filled again. As the water cascaded into the prince’s mug, Thea knew she needed to remove herself from the situation. 

“As delightful as watching you two bicker is, I have chores to attend to,” Thea said, gaining Arthur’s nod of approval to leave. She gave Merlin as sincere a smile as she could manage and then left the room. 

When she finally made it to Gaius’s chambers, she was relieved to see that the physician was not there. What was there, however, was a small wooden crate with her name written on the slip of paper hanging from it. 

She hurried over to the box and picked up the slip of paper, hurrying to read it. It seemed blank at first, save for her name, but once she touched it, Nimueh’s cursive appeared on the parchment. 

My songbird,

This was all I could gather from neighboring kingdoms without it seeming suspicious. Use it wisely. 

–Nimueh

Thea smiled brightly as she pried open the box and found it filled with apples and dates. She grinned brighter and quickly tucked the box under her arm, making sure to cover it with her cloak. With a look in both directions, Thea headed down the pathway to the lower town.

She met up with Gwen and Morgana, who looked to her desperately. “Did you manage to find anything?” Morgana asked. Thea glanced around subtly and pulled back the cloth she had been using to cover up the fruits. 

“Where did you get that?” Gwen wondered, both her and Morgana looked at Thea in shock.

“A friend from a neighboring kingdom.” Morgana raised an eyebrow and Thea looked around them again, “I will explain when we are no longer in public,”

“Share it out among the children and old people,” Morgana instructed. “Make it go as far as you can,”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

That evening, when Thea and Merlin were serving Arthur his dinner, the prince seemed to have finally accepted that he was responsible for the curse. “I’ve lost my appetite,” Arthur said once Merlin had poured the meat stew into his bowl.

“You have to eat something,” Merlin insisted. Thea was glad he spoke, for she feared what would come out of her mouth if she did so.

“I can’t. Not while my people are starving.” Thea grit her teeth tightly to stop herself from snapping. “Do you really believe I’m responsible for the curse?” Arthur asked at last.

“Yes.” Thea said shortly. She ignored the look that Merlin sent her, telling her to be polite. 

Arthur was too in his head to comment on her tone. “We're going to the forest, first thing in the morning. Maybe we can pick up Anhora's trail,” Merlin grinned at the prince, clearly proud of his change in mindset. “Whatever it takes,”

“Okay, but you have to eat. You won't be able to help anyone if you're too weak to pass the test.” Merlin pointed out. 

Arthur finally seemed to agree and dipped his spoon into the stew, bringing it up to his mouth. Thea couldn’t help but notice that Merlin kept glancing at Arthur in anticipation. Once the prince had taken a bite of the stew and chewed it, his face scrunched up in disgust. “What kind of meat is this? It has a very strange texture,”

Thea was desperately trying to rein in her anger. “It’s pork,” Merlin replied. 

“This isn't pork.” Arthur declared. “It's far too stringy. What is it? It's, erm…” He seemed to come to a realization that made him so disgusted that he put the spoon back down. “It’s rat, isn’t it?”

“Try not to think about it.” Merlin said with a nod of confirmation.

Arthur took a sip of his water while Merlin walked closer to the table. Thea didn’t trust herself enough to be around either one of them. “Look at me. I’m being rude,” Arthur announced. “Here I am, stuffing my face with this delicious stew when you're hungry, too.” He rose from his seat and patted it, urging one of them to come forward. “Come on. Take a seat.” 

Seeing as Merlin was closest, he grabbed the servant’s shoulder and pushed him into the seat. “Eat,” Arthur ordered. Making a sound as Merlin brought the spoon to his lips. 

“It’s actually pretty tasty,” Merlin said hesitantly and despite his obvious disgust, causing the smallest bit of Thea’s rage to recede. 

“Mm. Well, I'm glad you like it. Because–” Arthur went to fetch the pot of stew and placed it in front of Merlin. “There’s plenty more.” Arthur’s glaring at Merlin was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Enter,” The prince said. “Morgana!” 

Thea turned to see Morgana enter the room partially and give her a small smile. “I hate to ask but I was wondering if you had anything to eat?” 

Merlin and Arthur both looked at the stew and smirked. Thea inhaled sharply and grabbed the pot of stew from the table, earning a look of confusion from the two men. “It’s rat stew. It might not be what you’re used to but–” 

“Nonsense, it’s food,” Morgana said appreciatively. She smiled at them all and took the pot from Thea’s hands before making her exit. Thea exhaled slightly, at least someone she cared about was grateful for what they had.

Thea turned back to the others. “She does not know what she’s in for,” Arthur mumbled.

Thea felt a fire light in her gut and anger licked her insides. “What is wrong with you two?” Her voice was soft but carried undeniable notes of danger.

“Thea, that was disgusting!” Arthur insisted as if that was a good defense. 

“Yeah, not good.” Merlin agreed. 

“Disgusting?” She repeated incredulously, her eyes blazing with a fire that caused the men to exchange a somewhat terrified look. “You know what’s disgusting? Drinking my own urine out of a desperate wish not to die of thirst is disgusting!” She spat. 

“Thea…” Arthur trailed off in a quieter tone, guilt evident in his tone. In fact, both men in the room seemed to have developed equally pity-filled and guilt-filled looks. Thea scoffed and shook her head, leaving the room without another word. 

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea did not end up accompanying Arthur and Merlin into the forest in order to search for Anhora. Nor did either of them even try to ask her. They seemed to know that trying to talk to her would be a lost cause. She had been stiff as a board that night in bed, and Merlin, wisely, did not reach out to her or attempt to plead his case. 

She spent her day going about the town to help people as best as she could while finishing her chores in her spare time. For a brief fifteen minutes, she had written back and forth with Nimueh, telling her of the previous night.

Nimueh had advised her to take space for as long as she needed but to eventually give them a chance to repent. Thea was, admittedly, at a loss. She did want to give them a chance to repent, as Nimueh had said, but when she thought of their callous words, she was overcome with such anger. 

It wasn’t until late the next night that she could no longer avoid the situation. She had been brooding, frankly, and simply sitting on the floor of her room. There was a knock on the door, which was odd because Merlin had never learned to knock. 

“Yes?” Thea replied, wondering if it was Morgana or Gwen. But, instead Gaius poked his head through the door and entered a moment later. Thea managed to push down her disappointment and slight irritation. She rose from where she had been sitting on the floor and smiled politely at the physician. “Gaius? Can I do something for you?”

Gaius smiled mildly and walked further into the room. “I was simply hoping to have a chat,”

The last thing Thea wanted to do was chat with Gaius, but it wasn’t like she could just turn him away. “Of course,” She agreed, walking over to the bed and motioning for him to sit beside her. He did so and looked deeply at her face once they were both sitting on the mattress. 

Gaius sighed before he began to speak. “Merlin told me what happened,” Gaius began and this time, Thea couldn’t withhold her urge to sigh. Gaius chuckled a little bit at her outward displeasure before he sobered up again. “I’m sure you’re aware that both he and Prince Arthur feel terrible, so I won’t point that out,” 

Thea eyed Gaius with a hint of respect. “Then what will you do?”

“Well, I hope I can give an explanation for their callous behavior,” Thea knew that he was simply dressing up the words ‘plead their case’ but she nodded slightly and allowed him to continue. “I can only imagine what struggles you must have faced in the years before you came to Camelot. More fortunate people have a tendency to be oblivious to the struggles of the unlucky. That doesn’t always mean that they are trying to be rude, it is simply saying that they don’t understand. Merlin and Arthur, unlike so many others, are willing to learn.”

Thea looked steadily at the wall in front of her, deep in contemplation of the wisdom Gaius had just imparted. She thought long and hard for a moment before she accepted what she had been told. Gaius waited. “I suppose I could give them a chance to improve,” Thea sighed before she chose to continue speaking. “By the time I had been forced to do that, I had been on my own, running in the wild for four years. In that time, I’d often thought of all the things I had taken for granted when I was younger. 

Gaius smiled gently. “You are a resilient young woman, Thea. I hope you are aware of that,”

Thea felt a touched smile form on her face and some of the ire she had been feeling for Gaius began to melt away. “Thank you, Gaius,”

 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When Thea woke the next morning, it was to happy cheers and full harvests. Thea grinned as she made her way down the steps from the physician’s quarters. Gaius was already out distributing food and advising people to pace their eating. 

Just as she arrived at the courtyard gates, she was confronted by the two people she had been looking for. Merlin and Arthur were both smiling widely as they watched the harvest come in. She met their eyes rather quickly and watched them both tense a little. Whether it was with guilt or fear of another tongue lashing, Thea didn’t know. 

She walked over and stopped right before them. “Thea, we both–” Merlin said, sparing a glance at Arthur. “–wish to say sorry for… being negligent to the hardships you, and many others, must have gone through in the past.” 

“Seconded,” Arthur agreed. 

Thea smiled at their apology and softened her eyes. “It’s all right. Gaius helped me realize that you meant no harm and that you’re trying. I forgive you both,”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged a pleased look. Arthur quickly filled her in on what they were about to do and went to fetch the unicorn horn.

As soon as he was gone, Thea faced Merlin fully and, both of them smiling, pulled him into a soft kiss

Chapter Text

Thea snuggled closer to Merlin, relishing in the warmth and comfort his body brought her. She’d had quite a chaotic few weeks. After the whole debacle with the unicorn, she had accidentally put herself in a position where she had to trust others with the knowledge of her relationship with Nimueh. She had not managed to find a way out of Gwen and Morgana’s questions about the apples. She had panicked for a day and then, finally, went to Nimueh and explained the situation.

Three Weeks Ago (flashback begins)

Thea couldn’t help the panicked tone that her voice had taken on as she stood in the clearing. She was pacing before the woman she had found a mother in and she was terrified. She had risked their bond to get apples to people. Apples.

“You can stop panicking, my songbird,” Nimueh said, her voice somewhat tense but also smooth at the same time.

Thea whirled around, forcing the tears out of her eyes. She knew that she was reading too deeply into the tone that the high priestess’s voice carried, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m so sorry. I just– I wasn’t thinking and now– now I might have ruined everything and–”

“Althea, breath,” Nimueh instructed, using the name that Thea had allowed only her to use. At least, use when no one was around. She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes as she exhaled.

“Okay,” She said with a nod.

“I won’t lie; I don’t like this situation,” Thea nodded but didn’t say anything. “But I trust your judgment.”

Tilting her head, Thea wondered aloud, “what does that mean?”

The sorceress smiled softly. “Do you trust Gwen and Morgana?”

“With my life.”

“Then tell them.” Thea openly gaped at the older woman.

“Thank you,”

(flashback ends)

She hummed in pleasure at the dream she was having, relishing in her time asleep. But, unfortunately, Merlin shot up in the bed with a gasp, pulling Thea from her slumber. “Merlin?” She asked, her throat dry from sleep. “Is everything all right?”

“I just felt magic. Strong magic.” Merlin informed her.

Much to Thea’s displeasure, that meant that they were going down the stairs to see Gaius. Instead of staying cozy in their bed. As soon as they were reaching the bottom of the stairs, Gaius noticed their presence. “Can’t sleep?”

“Something woke me,” Merlin admitted.

“What?” Gaius wondered.

“I don't know. A feeling,” Merlin said.

“What kind of feeling?” Gaius asked curiously

“Powerful magic, here, in Camelot,” Thea scrunched up her brow. Now that she wasn’t half asleep she could recognize how powerful this magic must have been to wake Merlin of all people.

Before any of them could say any more, the door to the physicians chambers burst open and Gwen came rushing in. “Gwen! What’s wrong?” Merlin asked once he saw the sight of her.

“My father’s been arrested.” She exclaimed worriedly.

“Arrested?” Merlin questioned. “What for?”

“They say he was making weapons for a sorcerer! They’re charging him with treason!”

“That’s insane!” Thea exclaimed.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea stood, pacing beside Merlin and Gaius, as they waited for Gwen to finish speaking with her father. Thea didn’t know what was going to happen, but considering the amount of debating they’d had to do just to allow Gwen a moment with him, she knew this was severe.

Eventually, her feet got tired with all the walking back and forth that she had been doing and she settled for standing tall and tapping her foot impatiently. Not too long after Thea had halted her furious pacing, Gwen emerged from the dungeons. Instantly, all three of them turned to face her, hoping that a reasonable explanation had been revealed.

“What did he say?” Merlin questioned once their friend came into view.

“He said Tauren came to him at the forge, offered to pay him a fortune for his help, not to make weapons, for an experiment or something.” Gwen explained. Thea thought hard for a moment, wondering what experiment he could have needed a forge for.

Merlin asked the question they were all wondering. “What kind of experiment?”

“Tauren didn't say. But he used some kind of stone… some kind of magic…” Gwen trailed off. It was in that moment that Thea realized just how dire the situation was. The odds were very much not in Tom’s favor.

Soon after that, they took Gwen back to their chambers and settled her in Thea and Merlin’s room. Thea looked back at her friend mournfully. Her heart ached for Gwean, the pain of losing family was nothing a woman such as Gwen should have to experience.

“She’s sleeping, finally,” Thea told the men as soon as she exited the room.

“I don't understand it. What would a sorcerer want with Tom?” Merlin wondered aloud, hoping Gaius would have an explanation.

“His forge, Merlin. It’s the finest in the kingdom.”

“You think Tom was lying?” Merlin questioned. “You think he really was making weapons?”

“That’s insanity. He would never!” Thea insisted.

“I agree.” Gaius told them. “I don’t think he was making weapons.”

Thea tilted her head, this situation was just going around in circles. “Then what?” She asked.

“When Tom was arrested, they found gold on him.” Gaius explained.

“So?” Merlin pushed.

“And from what Gwen was saying, Tauren's experiment bears all the hallmarks of alchemy.” Gaius said. Thea knew very little about alchemy. She had asked Merlin about it when he had first mentioned it with Edwin Murien. Other than what he had told her though, she knew nothing.

“But alchemy's impossible, isn't it?” Merlin asked, disbelieving.

“To change the very nature of one thing to another has defeated all who have tried. But if you used magic…” Gaius trailed off and both his wards could easily figure out what had happened.

“Do you think that’s what woke me?” Merlin wondered.

“It is possible, I suppose,” Gaius confirmed.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Later, when the couple sat on the floor near Gwen, who was still sleeping, Merlin tensed. Thea withheld a groan as she lifted her head from his shoulder. “This stone is really getting in the way of our cuddling time,” She said.

Merlin offered her a small smile but was clearly too distracted to focus on anything but the current problem.

The door to the room opened quietly just then, and Morgana made herself known. “Merlin. Thea.” They both rose to approach her. “How is she,”

“She’s alright for now.” Thea said. “She finally fell asleep,”

Morgana stared at Gwen’s sleeping figure before she nodded slightly to herself. “We should let her rest.”

They all exited the room in order to give Gwen some space. Thea already knew the answer to her question, but she asked it anyway. “Morgana, have you spoken to Uther? He must realise this is a mistake. Whatever Tom was doing, it wasn't plotting against the King.”

“I know that. Of course I do. But Uther…” Morgana trailed off, struggling to speak. “Uther only sees enemies.”

“But Tom is one of the most gentle souls I’ve ever met,” Merlin reasoned.

“But he was seen with Tauren, and that makes him an enemy,” Morgana seemed to no longer be able to participate in the conversation, so she turned and walked back in the direction of the door.

“Then…” Merlin began, causing the women to face him. “There is little hope?”

“There’s no hope, Merlin,” Morgana answered gravely.

Thea couldn’t help the words that slipped from her mouth. “None at all,” She mumbled.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“They're to be executed?” Merlin asked as the prince and his servants watched the palace guards take away the innkeepers of where Tauren had stayed.

“Yes, Merlin.” Arthur replied seriously.

“By order of the king?” Merlin said tensely.

“They committed a serious crime,” The way Arthur said it made it sound like he fully believed that their sentence was fair. Thea could only hope he was simply putting on a good show.

“Giving a man a bed for a night?” Merlin challenged.

“Not a man.” Arthur attempted to counter. “A sorcerer.”

Merlin looked as if he wanted to reply but Thea gave him a subtle look and he nodded, silently letting her take the reins. “What did he look like, this sorcerer?” She began.

“What does it matter?” Arthur asked dismissively.

“Well, I am simply wondering what inhuman features I should be on the look out for when I might encounter a sorcerer.” She stated and could practically feel Merlin’s pride. Arthur, on the other hand, looked peeved as he turned to face her fully.

“It is not for you, or anyone,” Arthur added, noticing the people watching the interaction carefully. “to question the king’s orders, is that understood?”

“I did not mean to question the king's orders, Sire.” Thea plowed on, disregarding the warning signs Arthur was displaying. “I was simply looking to better follow the laws he has made.”

Arthur’s jaw tensed and he became visibly indignant. She had put him between a rock and a hard place and everyone could tell. He couldn’t say that she was insinuating the king was being unfair, because she hadn’t said anything that made it sound like that. But he couldn’t answer her question because the truth of the matter was that sorcerers were simply normal people with special abilities.

“Perhaps if you spent this much care on your chores, we might have the time to have this conversation,” Arthur told her snippily.

“I shall get on that right away.” She smiled and inclined her head, in a way that only she, Arthur, and Merlin knew was mocking, and went off to do the chores that she had long since finished for Arthur.

Despite being the one to leave the conversation first, it was clear as day that she had finished with the upper hand. She had exposed an injustice in the kingdom without doing or saying anything incriminating.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It seemed as though every time Thea thought she couldn’t hate Uther Pendragon any more, she was proven wrong.

Using the key that Morgana had provided, Tom was able to escape from the cell. Unfortunately, a guard had noticed his absence rather quickly and had sounded the warning bells. That had led to the king giving the order for him to be killed on sight.

And so, as soon as the guards had found him, despite his immediate surrender they drove their swords through his heart. The sound of Gwen’s wails echoed in Thea’s ears. The heart wrenching grief in her voice was a sound that no person should make.

That horrible, awful man that Camelot was forced to call king had risen to the second place on the list of people Thea despised. He was topped only by the man who had taken Thea’s own family from her. With every passing day, her anger at the two men was rising. She wanted nothing more than to shout at the both of them, screaming about how empty and soulless they must be.

Thea sat on the bed next to Gwen, who was staring blankly ahead. When she had heard the sounds that Gwen had made upon seeing her father’s body be carted out of the city, Thea had raced down the stairs. She had taken the other girl into her arms and ushered her up to the physician’s chambers.

Gwen had clung to Thea until her tears had dried up and her grief had rendered her near catatonia. “How are you doing?” Merlin asked, opening the door softly to approach the two women.

Gwen shook her head, looking up at Merlin from where she had been staring. “I just don’t understand. Why did he try to escape? His trial was this morning,”

Thea knew that Tom had tried to escape because he knew the truth: that Uther was a madman who wouldn’t give him a chance even to try and plead his case. But Thea chose not to say that, knowing that it wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Another soft knock came and soon after, Arthur opened the door and entered quietly. “Sire,” Gwen said respectfully, rising from the bed to face the prince.

Arthur’s eyes were softer and kinder than Thea had ever seen and she knew that it sprung from his feelings for Gwen. “Guinevere, I...want you to know that your job is safe. And that your home is yours for life. I guarantee you that. I know that under the circumstances it's not much but, erm, anything you want, anything you need, all you have to do is ask,” Arthur started to turn around in order to leave but then faced Gwen once more. “I’m sorry,”

“Thank you, Sire,” Gwen said, her voice touched.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Once Gwen had departed, Gaius summoned Merlin and Thea to research with him. “The mage stone?” Merlin questioned, reading from the page that Gaius had shown them.

“Wonder of the ancients,” Gaius explained. “Lost for a thousand years or more,”

“What does it do?” Thea asked.

“Theoretically,” Gaius began, “it could give the bearer the power of transformation,”

“Gold,” Merlin realized. “The power of alchemy.”

“Exactly. I believe it was the Mage Stone you sensed on the night of Tom's arrest.” Gaius theorized.

“Of course!” Merlin exclaimed. “Gwen said that Tauren had some kind of stone.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It wasn’t until hours later that Thea found a chance to escape into the woods.

She peaked her head around bushes and trees in search of Nimueh, who had asked her to meet her. A bird sang from above and Thea smiled as others joined in the music. “I’m here, my songbird,”

Thea whirled around and grinned upon sight of the sorceress. She had not gotten a chance to see Nimueh since they had met about Morgana and Gwen weeks ago. Nimueh smiled just as bright, easily accepting the hug that Thea wrapped her in. Once they had sat down on the forest floor, Thea asked, “What did you want to meet about?”

“The mage stone.” Thea’s eyes widened at those words. Had Nimueh felt its magic along with Merlin? “I assume, by the look on your face, Merlin sensed its magic too.”

“Yes, he did,” Thea confirmed. “Some sorcerer hired Gwen’s father in order to use his forge for the mage stone.”

“Did this man succeed in his task?” Nimueh asked and Thea couldn’t tell if it was curiosity or eagerness she heard in the woman’s voice.

“No.” She said solemnly. “He escaped when the guards came for him, leaving Tom to be executed.”

Nimueh closed her eyes in acknowledgment of how horrible that was. She hesitated for a moment before revealing the deeper cause of the meeting she had caused. “I’m afraid that I have a favor to ask, Althea,”

Thea cocked her head to the side, wondering about what this could be about. She was slightly concerned about the serious tone of voice that had been used along with her full name. “What kind of favor?”

Nimueh sighed. “I know the sorcerer who hired your friend’s father,” she admitted.

“What?” Thea asked quietly. “How?”

“His father was once well acquainted with the priestesses of the old religion.” Nimueh explained. “Their family was the keeper of the mage stone. When Tauren’s father was killed, he became obsessed with finding a way to take down Uther. Unfortunately, assasination plots are not his specialty. I got wind that he wants to use alchemy to buy his way into the king’s chambers,"

“What? That’s a horrible plan!” Thea exclaimed.

“Which is why we’re meeting here,” she was told. “I know that this is a lot to ask, but I need you to find a way to meet with him and convince him to take another path.”

“You know that I support a friend of yours not being an idiot, but how could I possibly convince him to release his desire for revenge?” Thea asked, genuinely curious.

“That is why this is such a tall order,” Nimueh said sympathetically. “Uther has found a way to ensure that every guard knows who I am without revealing his sins; clever bastard. Because of this, I wouldn’t have enough time to reason with Tauren before someone finds us. So, I beg of you, Althea, to help me save another soul who has been wronged by Uther Pendragon.”

“Okay. I'll do it.” Thea agreed. She couldn’t help but relish in the way relief washed over Nimueh’s body. Thea owed Nimueh so much, she was glad she had a chance to start paying back the debt. Not that Nimueh had shown her kindness expecting anything but fondness and pseudo familial love, but Thea still wanted to do it. “I just don’t know what I can say. I mean, it is not like I can offer to overthrow the king.”

“Tauren is not unique in how he has approached the situation.” Nimueh began. “He is of a surprisingly common mindset that he cares more for the freedom of his people than the downfall of Uther. But one of those things cannot exist without the other.”

“Well, it’s not like I can just go and legalize magic. I’m no monarch…” Thea gulped at the sentence, trailing off in a long overdue epiphany. She noticed her mother figure watching her with gentle eyes and a caring gaze. “Did you always know?” She asked quietly.

“No.” Nimueh told her. “I realized who you were a few months into our travels, when whispers of the princess of Kalamour first reached my ears. It didn’t take too long after that to put the pieces together.”

The fact that Nimueh had taken care of her despite not knowing who she really was was somewhat comforting, but Thea’s heart was still beating wildly. “It’s been so long since I have thought about myself like that.”

“I know better than most how terrifying a title can be, but sometimes they aren’t all that bad. Just as I am the high priestess of the old religion, you are the rightful queen of Kalamour.”

Thea sucked in a shuddering breath. Hearing Nimueh say it out loud made it so much more real. “Alfie was supposed to rule,” was all Thea could manage to whisper.

“Fate is terribly cruel, my songbird,” Nimueh said. “But I see in you all the makings of a phenomenal monarch.”

That brought the smallest of smiles to Thea’s face. “You really believe I could do that?”

“With all of my soul,”

“If I became queen,” Thea began gently. “The first new law I would make would be to legalize fair use of magic,”

“Lead with that,” Nimueh advised. “And I guarantee you that you will find an abundance of magic wielders willing to fight for the home you will provide them with.”

“It’s still a huge risk, revealing myself to someone who has the ability to turn around and tell Taerunok everything.” She admitted.

“Leave that to me,” Nimueh told her.

Thea couldn’t believe what was happening. After so many years of running and hiding, she had just made the choice to take back her kingdom. She knew it would be an uphill battle but hopefully, it would be worth it in the end.

Little did she know, the vow she made there and then was already shaking the heavens and rewriting the fate of the future.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea was walking back from her meeting with Nimueh, her mind still in shock of what she had decided to do, when she saw Morgana strutting down the hall. There was a fire that burned in her eyes and Thea instantly knew that she was furious for some reason.

“Morgana!” Thea called out. The lady startled and turned to face her, the defensive stance melting away once she realized it was Thea who had spoken.

“Thea, you startled me,”

“Sorry,” Thea apologized then took a closer look at Morgana’s body language. “Is something wrong?”

Morgana seemed to struggle on whether or not to tell Thea what was going on. Eventually, though, she nodded and beckoned the other girl into an alcove. Quickly, she explained what Gwen had told her. “Wow,” Thea exclaimed. “Morgana, I know this seems unreasonable to ask, but I’m begging you, don’t go to the guards.”

Morgana gave a dark look and said, “I had never planned on going to them in the first place.”

Thea furrowed her brow in confusion. “Then what did you plan on doing?” She asked.

Morgana looked down, avoiding her gaze and biting her lip. “I… I planned to go see Tauren myself,”

“What?” Thea asked in shock. She didn’t think that Morgana was so naive as to believe that Tauren wasn’t going to seize the opportunity that the king’s ward would present. “Morgana, have you any idea how dangerous that is? What if Tauren kills you on sight?”

Morgana stood up a little taller before she pulled something from within her dress. “He won’t,” She whispered. Thea nearly gasped at the sight of the mage stone in her friend’s hand.

“Are you trying to make a deal with him or something?” Thea asked in a low whisper. When Morgana didn’t meet her gaze, Thea realized what this deal would be about. “You are, aren’t you? Because you want him to kill Uther for you.”

Morgana straightened and nodded. “Yes,”

“Morgana, you can’t,” Thea implored.

“Of course I can!” Morgana said in a sharp yet lowered voice. “After everything he has done to my kin can you honestly tell me that you don’t think he deserves to die?”

“I agree, Morgana, I do. But his death does not guarantee the safety of your kind,” Thea said. “However… I know of another option that will,”

Morgana’s eyes grew curious, and quickly Thea ushered her into another, empty room. The room was an empty chamber reserved for guests. Morgana had instantly sensed the urgency and secrecy of whatever matter they were about to discuss and with a muttered spell, she locked the door from any intruders. “What is it?”

Thea looked up at Morgana’s question and sighed, beginning to pace. “What if…” Thea began. “What if there was a place… a kingdom, where magic was legal?”

“What do you mean?” Morgana asked, questioning Thea’s intentions.

“I just think that– that it would be far better for the magical community to go about their safety by seeking out a new home, rather than trying to kill a heavily guarded and paranoid king.” Thea said in a rush.

“I mean, yes, that would be wonderful and far more pleasant than killing Uther but there is no such kingdom. Every kingdom in Albion outlawed magic after Uther started the purge.” Morgana reminded Thea, growing more and more confused as to where Thea was going with this.

Thea finally stopped pacing and turned to face Morgana fully, her eyes bright with equal parts fear and passion. “What do you know of the kingdom, Kalamour?”

Morgana pursed her lips as she thought. “For one, I know that magic is outlawed there too.”

“Other than that,” Thea said urgently.

Morgana was becoming visibly more worried about her friend’s state. Nevertheless, she answered the question to the best of her ability. “I know the land is abundant in resources but the king has taken most of the resources for himself and those who are loyal to him. Everything I’ve heard says that he’s ruthless to anyone who even looks at him the wrong way. I also know that he gained his throne by invading the castle and killing the royal family.”

Thea closed her eyes tight for a moment in recognition of the last fact Morgana had stated. “Not the whole family.” She whispered.

“Thea?” Morgana said cautiously.

“Althea, actually,” She said with a shaking voice.

“Althea as in Althea Rasanda?” Morgana asked in shock. Thea nodded with teary eyes. “It was widely known that the princess’s body was the only one not found. Now I see why…”

“I… I should have made this decision long ago, but I want to take back my kingdom,” Her voice steadied at the end but the tears in her eyes remained. “And when I do, no magic user will ever be prosecuted for an ability they didn’t ask for. They will be as free as any other person who will reside within the walls of my kingdom.”

Morgana didn’t say anything for a long moment. It was, Thea supposed, a lot to process in such a short time. Finally, the lady gathered her courage and spoke. “That sounds… incredible.” Morgana’s eyes were full of wonder and she smiled up at her friend. “You are everything a queen would need to be.”

Thea smiled brightly at those words, but she still had more to say. “There’s more than that,” She spoke up, and Morgana looked back at Thea with curious eyes. “I haven’t participated in governance in years, I know very little beyond what my tutors taught me at a young age.”

“What are you saying?” Morgana asked, a little bit of eagerness in her tone.

“I’m saying… that I would really like your help in building this kingdom.”

Morgana smiled widely. “It would be my honor,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When night fell, just as planned, Morgana took the stone and began her journey to the woods. And, just as Thea had predicted, Merlin was jolted from his sleep when Morgana began to take the stone from the castle.

“I have to go,” Merlin said, swinging the blankets off and rising from bed. Thea rose too, remembering all of her skills in persuasion in order to pull this off.

“Merlin, you need to sleep,” she insisted.

“Thea, if Tauren gets his hands on the mage stone, we don’t know what he could do.” Merlin said, explaining it as if she didn’t know anything about the situation.

“Why don’t you let me go, then?” She suggested.

“What?” Merlin asked, baffled. “If you go alone I can’t protect you,”

Thea smiled sweetly at his concern. “Merlin, I am quite capable of handling myself. And you won’t be of any help if you’re half asleep.”

Merlin bit his lip. He very clearly was against this plan. “Thea, you are far too important to me to risk your life.” He pleaded.

“And you need sleep to be able to protect me and yourself. I often worry that you’ll suddenly collapse from exhaustion.” Thea said. That part she wasn’t even saying to convince Merlin not to go; she had been worried about how little sleep he had been getting as of late. “Merlin, I’ll be fine, I promise.” She said, walking closer to him. He must have seen the determination in her eyes because he finally sighed in resignation.

“Okay, but I want you to take something,” Thea’s brow furrowed in confusion and Merlin walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a small bracelet. “I made this for you a few weeks ago. It will alert me if you’re in any danger.”

Thea smiled softly and felt tears come in her eyes at the sweetness of the gesture. “It… it’s perfect,” She said softly, looking at the wooden bracelet that she had slipped onto her wrist. “Thank you,”

She placed a hand on his cheek and their lips met in a soft kiss.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea and Morgana met up just before the palace gates, Morgana’s status allowing them an easy exit from the kingdom. They walked for a long while, until the sky began to lighten in color and they arrived in the Darkling woods.

Finally, when they had arrived at a small clearing, other men made themselves known. In an instant, there was a sword placed in the direction of each girls’ heart. They shared a look before their attention was drawn to the one not holding a sword, who Thea assumed must be Tauren. “Where’s the blacksmith’s daughter?”

“We’ve come in her place,” Morgana answered in response to Tauren’s question.

Tauren looked at Thea for a moment before he nodded at one of his men and she found herself locked in his hold. “Kill her,” Tauren told the other men in regards to Morgana.

“No! Wait! We brought the stone!” Morgana announced, holding her hands up in a show of surrender.

“And what else have you brought, the knights of Camelot?”

“It’s only us, I swear it,” Thea declared, pausing the struggling she had been doing in an attempt to escape her captor's hold.

“Give me the stone,” Tauren commanded.

“I will need to use my limbs to do that,” Thea said with a bite to her tone.

Tauren eyed her for a moment, and Thea could have sworn she saw something like amusement flicker in his eyes. He nodded at the man holding her and then she was released. She gave the man a glare for good measure and then pulled the stone out of her cloak and passed it to Tauren. “You were foolish to come here, Lady Morgana.” Tauren told her. “I had no quarrel with your maid, or your friend beside you for that matter. But you, my lady Morgana, are Uther’s ward.”

“If you kill her, you’ll regret it,” Thea said quickly. Tauren looked at her curiously, not lowering the sword he had just pointed in Morgana’s direction.

“Why is that?”

“Because I care for her,” Thea said proudly, earning a small smile from her friend.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Tauren asked tauntingly.

“No.” Thea told him. “But it means something to Nimueh,” At the name of the high priestess, all the men surrounding them tensed, torn between suspicion and respect. Thea reached into her cloak and pulled out the potion Nimueh had given her. She held it out to Tauren, who took it cautiously.

“What is this?” He asked, inspecting the flask.

“Look closely,” Thea instructed.

Despite seeming apprehensive, Tauren did as he was told. Thea saw his eyes widen and she knew he had found Nimueh’s mark on the bottle. The thing about the mark of the high priestess is that it can only be made by the high priestess herself. And the men around her knew then that she was trusted by Nimueh, even cared for. She couldn’t have taken something like that without being in such a position; no one steals from Nimueh and makes it out unscathed.

Tauren eyed her with a newfound respect. He gave her a nod and placed the bottle back in her hand. “How do you know the high priestess?”

“I met her when I had been chased out of my home as a child. I suppose she saw something in me, for she took me under her wing and helped me survive.” Morgana was standing up straighter now and all the men began to sheath their swords. “I have no magic, but I have her trust and I have her affection.”

“Then I am honored that you came and… I apologize for my earlier harshness.” Tauren said.

“Thank you.” Thea said, inclining her head in respect. “Nimueh informed me of the plan you have constructed. And she asked me to do what I could to convince you of the following: your plan will not work as you wish it to,”

“It is the only one we have,” Tauren said. “I don’t suppose you know of a better one?”

“I do, actually,” Thea declared.

“Which is?” Tauren asked curiously.

Thea looked around at the three men Tauren had brought with him and nodded to herself. “Before I tell you, there is something you must do.” They all looked at her curiously and she took the potion out again. “The information that this plan entails is as valuable as it is dangerous. When I told Nimueh that couldn’t risk this information falling into the wrong hands, she gave me this potion. She said that it will ensure that the information we share with each other is kept between us. It will burn your mouth if you have malicious intent. And if you try to share it with anyone at all, you will find that the words simply won’t come.”

Everyone, including Morgana, looked around a bit uncertainly. To prove that it was not poison, Thea uncorked the bottle, and took a sip of the contents. She looked expectantly around at them and then Tauren put his hand out and Thea placed the flask in it. He eyed her as he took a sip but drank an adequate amount nonetheless. After they watched their leader drink it, the three others straightened and each took their share. To Thea’s immense relief, no one cried out in pain from a burned tongue. Finally, when Morgana drank it and nothing bad happened, one of the men spoke up.

“Your potion must be messed up if it sees The Lady Morgana as someone to be trusted,” Thea frowned at the accusation in his words.

“Ivan,” Tauren chided.

“It’s alright.” Morgana said before either Thea or Tauren could say anything else. “I understand why you might be wary of me. Let this prove my allegiance.” They all looked at her in suspense and Thea smiled proudly, already suspecting what Morgana was about to do. “Bærn”

Thea was almost tempted to laugh at the way all of their mouths fell open and eyes widened at this sight. “Uther’s ward is a witch. I’ll be damned,” Tauren said almost gleefully.

Once they had all recovered from their shock, the man to the right of Tauren spoke up. “Now that we have proven ourselves to be trustworthy, what is this plan you speak of?”

Thea swallowed anxiously and Morgana gave her a comforting look. “I told you all that I had been chased out of my home. What I didn’t say, is that I my home is the kingdom, Kalamour, and I was chased out because my uncle wanted to kill me for having a claim to the throne,” Before anyone could contradict her or burst out laughing, Thea pulled her necklace over her head and showed them all the small emblem etched into a gold charm. It sat side by side with the charm that the druid leader had given her and she wore them both proudly, now.

“The mark of The House Rasanda,” Ivan breathed out.

“I mean to take back my throne.” Thea declared. “And when I do, no magic user will ever be punished for their abilities. I know that this is a tall order, but I implore you all to relinquish your quest for revenge when, instead, you have the option of ensuring a safe home for you and your kind.”

There was a moment where everyone was holding their breath, and Thea clutched Morgana’s hand tightly, the only outward display of her nerves. Other than that, her head was held high, her eyes were fierce with passion, and her voice didn’t tremble at all.

Then, all together, the men surrounding the two women each got down on one knee and bowed their heads in the direction of Althea. “We would be honored to fight for your cause,” Tauren said, and the whole display made Thea smile proudly and straighten up even more.

“Your highness.”

Chapter Text

Hunting. Why were they always hunting? The only upside to traipsing through the woods in the name of killing animals was that it gave Thea a better knowledge of the forest layout.

In the time since she had taken the first steps in the long and grueling process of reclaiming her kingdom, it had become more and more useful to know such geography. It provided an advantage when she could tell people where meeting would be the most advantageous; such as a rarely used path or a hill overlooking some of the woods.

The more time went on, the more places to meet became necessary. She had spent many a day looking over maps of the kingdom in order to pinpoint places like these. Places that would be a safe meeting spot for her and her allies. She had also been researching where she might find said allies; Iseldir and Nimueh had been helpful in advising how magic wielders traveled. With the help of the high priestess and the druid leader, she had managed to contact many communities and make allies out of them.

Speaking of allies, she glanced over at the prince, who was talking to Merlin in a hushed voice. The prince, who was her friend, who would one day lead the kingdom that went against everything Althea’s kingdom would stand for.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on that, for he was already handing out instructions. There was a growling up above and Thea couldn’t help but pale a little at how menacing it sounded. Arthur noticed her expression and his face softened the smallest bit. “It’s probably more scared of you than you are of it.”

The growling sounded again and made Thea sincerely doubt Arthur’s words. Arthur began silently giving his knights directions on how to hunt down the creature. But as he was doing so, the growl became a roar and the terrifying form of the creature they were hunting emerged. When everyone saw said creature, they all became as scared as Thea had been and a collective and silent agreement was made. Everybody ran.

They ran with all the force that they could. Merlin, though, tripped and fell, causing Arthur and Sir Bedivere to help him up before they resumed running. Once they stopped a good distance away, they all looked around. “Have we lost it?” Merlin asked, looking around.

“Who’s missing?” Arthur asked, eyes scanning the people around him.

“Where’s Sir Bedivere?” Thea asked, cursing the fear in her voice.

As if on cue, an agonized scream rang through the forest.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

After hearing the king’s orders in the council chambers, Thea was understandably worried about what this escapade might hold. Merlin, on the other hand, simply went on polishing Arthur’s sword as if the glint of the metal would help them against a fanged creature. “This is no ordinary beast,” Gaius warned his two wards, walking towards them with a book in hand.

“Don’t worry,” Merlin said calmly, not possessing a reasonable amount of fear of what he had just seen. Thea, on the other hand, was scared out of her mind, something that could be noticed due to the stiffness of her features. But Merlin was an incredibly powerful warlock and Thea was human.

“No, listen to me, you don't understand. Uther may not respect the Old Religion, but it is very real.” Thea didn’t need to be told that by Gaius. She knew from Nimueh just how real the old religion was. “To face a beast such as this, you must understand where it came from.”

“Where did it come from, Gaius?” Thea asked, coming closer to the book that Gaius was holding. She had a feeling that it had to be something deep within the old religion for Gaius to be this worried. He didn’t display it obviously, but the severity in his words could not be missed.

“At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die, and there is no cure,” Thea and Merlin both stiffened with a new sense of terror.

Before Gaius could tell them anything like good news, the door to the physicians chambers was opened and Arthur walked in. They all shared a surprised look at the prince’s sudden arrival. “Arthur, is something wrong?” Merlin asked, his brow creasing in confusion.

Arthur sighed and came closer. “I came to talk to you, Thea,”

Thea looked around the room and then back at him. “Me? What for?”

Whatever Arthur was about to say, he clearly anticipated a negative response. “I am barring you from the hunt,”

“What? Why?” Thea demanded before it occurred to her. “If this is about my being a woman–”

“It’s too dangerous for a lady to be in such a situation,” He said patronizingly.

“How is that even remotely–” Before Thea could continue to chew the prince out, Gaius spoke up.

“I do believe the prince is right. You would be at a terrible risk if you were to go with the party,” Thea turned her glare to Gaius who had the decency to look ashamed when she met his gaze. She wanted to point out that Merlin was going but, even if the prince didn’t know about it, Merlin had a different type of skill set to keep him safe.

She was very tempted to push further but then her mind flashed back to the warning Gaius had given them. If she was bit by this creature, she would die, without a doubt. And if she did, she would doom everyone who was counting on her. “Fine,”

Arthur nodded. “Good,” and with that, he left.

When Arthur left and Gaius became preoccupied, Thea turned to her lover with a concerned expression. Merlin seemed to think that she was upset about not being able to go. “Thea, it’ll be safer for you to stay here, you know that.”

Thea sighed and grabbed Merlin’s hands. “I am not worried for my own safety. I am worried for yours,”

Merlin smiled faintly. “I’ll be fine Thea, I promise,” Thea bit her lip as a show that she didn't fully believe his promise. “I have some talents that might come in handy, remember?”

Thea sighed and nodded. “I know that, despite what everyone in this castle seems to think, you are quite capable. But that doesn’t make me worry any less. This creature, you don’t know what it could do. Merlin, I have a bad feeling about this.” She told him, staring up at him with emotion filled eyes. She always worried about Merlin, but she did have confidence that he would be alright in most scenarios. Despite this, she knew that Merlin would go to great lengths to protect Arthur, and she didn’t like where those lengths might lead.

“You needn’t worry, I’ll be safe,”

“I know, I just– I don’t want you to get hurt, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, someone I care so deeply for,” Merlin removed one of his hands from Thea’s grasp and placed it on her cheek. He kissed her soundly.

“You’re not going to lose me. And I’m not going to let you lose anyone else either.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea could hear Arthur rallying the knights when Gwen came to get her. Gwen had explained that Morgana had witnessed a terrible fate in her dream. Knowing that Morgana was a seer, Gwen had rushed to get Thea, hoping that she could do or know something that would help.

“Morgana?” Thea asked as she pushed open the door to the lady’s chambers. Morgana was sitting up in bed, her hair frazzled and tears running down her face. Thea had never been there for any of Morgana’s nightmares, but even Gwen, who’d been there for almost all of them, seemed bothered by this. Especially considering that, with the help of all the books Thea had temporarily stolen from Gaius, Morgana hadn’t had a dream so severe since she had started learning.

Morgana looked at Thea desperately, her eyes wide with panic. “Thea… please,” She began,
“Arthur cannot face the beast– he can’t!”

Thea bit her lip, unsure of what to say. “What did you see?”

Morgana began to describe the horror that she had seen in her nightmare. Thea and Gwen were both understandably worried, knowing what they did about Morgana’s abilities. Thea did the best that she could. “Merlin will keep him from doing anything stupid, I promise,”

Gwen gave Thea a look, telling her how horrible of a lie that was. While it might seem that way to Gwen, Thea knew that Merlin was very capable of protecting Arthur; he’d done it who knows how many times before.

“He’ll be okay,” Gwen said comfortingly and Thea knew that it was more of a plea than a reassurance. By now, it was almost impossible for anyone close to them to not see that Arthur and Gwen were falling for each other. “He always is,”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

But as soon as the hunting party returned, Gwen and Thea were proven horribly wrong. Thea had been sitting in Gaius’s chambers with the physician, buried in a book. She had told him that she wanted to know more about Camelot’s history, saying that she was tired of never knowing what a conversation was about. That hadn’t been a lie, it just wasn’t the full truth either. She needed to study patterns, kingdom strategies, and policies that rulers of the past had used. Across more than just Camelot

Her reading was interrupted by Merlin and a handful of guards rushing into the physician's chambers. Thea slammed the book shut out of surprise and watched as Merlin cleared the objects of the main table with a single swoop. Their place on the table was quickly taken up by a stretcher on which Arthur lay.

Thea stood up, watching in horror as the guards placed him down and Gaius came rushing in. “What’s happened?” Gaius asked, coming to approach the injured man. Thea watched the horror overtake Gaius’s face as he inspected the prince. “He’s been bitten.”

“I tried to save him,” Merlin said desperately, his voice torn.

Gaius only looked back at the guards around them. “You must tell the king,” the guards nodded and all left to go find the king. Thea turned to Merlin who was watching in deep distress.

“There must be something you can do,” Thea begged, coming closer to the table. She didn’t want to watch her friend die either.

“I wish there was,” Gaius said gravely.

“I’ll find a cure,” Merlin declared, his breath heavy in desperation.

Thea’s brow creased in despair at Merlin’s words. She knew that Merlin wouldn’t be able to accept that there was nothing he could do to save his best friend. She desperately wished he could, though. She didn’t want Arthur to die by any means, but she knew that denial would do Merlin no good. “Merlin…” Thea said mournfully, tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend.

Merlin didn’t acknowledge her, he only raced up the stairs and into their quarters. “Merlin!” Gaius called out after him before turning back to the prince. “Can you hear me, Sire?”

“Here!” Merlin declared, racing back down the stairs and placing his spellbook on a different table.

Thea’s eyes widened at Merlin’s blatant use of the magic that could get him killed if the king saw. “Merlin, the king will be here any second,” Thea whispered, walking closer to him.

“He can't die. It is my destiny to protect him.” Merlin insisted, flipping the book open. “We haven’t done all the things we’re meant to do,”

“That is a lament of all men,” Gaius told his nephew solemnly.

“Gaius, he’s my friend,” Merlin implored.

Gaius looked down at Arthur for a split second before he looked back up at Merlin. “Then save him.”

Merlin nodded and flipped through the pages of the book with his magic. Settling on a page, he performed one of the spells in the book. Nothing happened. He desperately flipped to another page and performed another spell. Nothing happened. “Maybe the spells need time to take effect?” Merlin suggested, his voice weak as he walked closer to Arthur.

Merlin’s desperate attempt to deny the situation somehow made Thea’s grief even more pronounced. She didn’t know if she would survive losing anyone else, especially a friend. But she would rather find out in an instant than hold onto hope that this would get better.

“The bite of the questing beast is a death sentence that no magic can overturn,” Gaius said sadly.

“Where is my son?!” The agonized voice of the king rang through the room as he entered the physicians chambers. “Arthur!” The terror and misery in Uther’s voice was almost enough for Thea to feel sorry for the king. “Do something, Gaius!”

“I am trying, Your Majesty," Gaius informed the king, who was holding Arthur’s head and staring at his prone form.

“Gaius will find a cure,” Merlin declared. “He will not let him die,”

“I will do everything in my power,” Gaius said, shooting Merlin a look. Thea placed her hands in front of her face, knowing what those words from Gaius meant. There was nothing he could do.

“I’ll bear him to his chamber,” Uther said, picking up his son in a desperate hold. Gaius followed after the distressed king as his two wards stood by, watching in horror.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Merlin had still refused to give up on Arthur and as such, he had raced down to see the dragon, Thea following closely behind. As soon as they reached the cavern, the dragon was there, sitting on the stone and waiting for them. “I have failed Arthur.” Merlin declared once he saw the dragon. “I have failed my destiny.”

The dragon tilted his head curiously. “And yet, you would not be here if that were true.”

“He was bitten by the Questing Beast. He's going to die.” Merlin said, his voice torn between misery and a desperate hope.

“What is the saying?” The dragon wondered aloud, making Merlin and Thea look at him in shock. This could not be the time for cliches. “When one door closes, another will open,”

“What does that even mean?” Thea wondered, staring at the dragon.

“Destiny has shifted.” The dragon declared.

Thea’s eyes widened and she looked at Merlin, whose face fell even further. “What?” He asked, his voice soft.

“The golden age will come, and you, young warlock, will aid in its arrival, that alone has remained true. But Arthur Pendragon, is no longer the one who will bring the golden age,” Thea’s hand rose to her mouth in horror. She had held on to the smallest bit of hope that the dragon might have a way to save Arthur.

“No,” Merlin said softly, not wanting to believe that there was nothing he could do. “No!”

“Merlin,” Thea said softly, attempting to reach out. But Merlin only shook his head, tears running down his face as he raced up the stairs. “Merlin,” Thea exclaimed, going to follow him. But at the last minute, she turned back to the dragon.

“You have questions,” It was a statement not a guess.

“You said that Arthur is no longer the one to bring the golden age. But you never told us who will be the one,”

The dragon smirked, if that was possible for a dragon, and looked at Thea with a deep knowledge. “Merlin was not ready to know. And you, young monarch, you already know, deep in your heart.”

Thea sucked in a deep breath. “You can’t possibly think that I will bring the golden age.”

“To think is one thing. To know is another,” And with that, the dragon took off, flying deeper into the cave.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea had wanted to scream into the depths of that cavern and demand more information from the dragon, but she knew that she needed to be with Merlin. When she arrived at the door to their chambers, she knocked lightly. Technically, she didn’t need to knock, seeing as she lived there too, but she didn’t want to invade.

“Thea?” Merlin’s voice was thick with his grief and it made the ache in Thea’s chest deepen.

She pushed the door open to see Merlin, sitting on their bed, his eyes puffy and red as more tears ran down his face. “Yeah. It's me.”

She came closer and sat beside Merlin. She wanted to say something comforting, something to ease his pain. But she knew that lies would do no good in this situation. So she said the only thing she could. “Let it out,”

And he did. She let him cry like that for as long as he needed, her presence a steady reminder that he wasn’t alone. That he never would be.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea had finally convinced Merlin to rest for the smallest bit of time, while she attended to some duties. As she walked through the courtyard, Thea could see the grief that the whole kingdom bore.

For a second, she felt as though she would break down crying as well. Before she had the chance, though, a bird flew past her vision and landed on a light post. Thea looked and saw what it meant. It was a songbird.

So she followed the bird through the streets and out into the woods to meet with Nimueh. When the small bird finally stopped on a rock, Thea turned and found Nimueh pacing back and forth across the forest floor. As soon as she saw her ,though, the high priestess halted her pacing and rushed forward, bringing the young queen into a tight embrace. “Oh, thank the goddess.”

“Nimueh? What’s wrong?”

Nimueh pulled back and placed her hands to cup Thea’s face. Thea looked at her in alarm, still confused. “I felt that the questing beast bit someone; I was worried it was you.”

Thea shook her head, her throat tightening at the thought of who had actually been bit. “No. No, it wasn’t me,”

Nimueh raised an eyebrow at her. “Then who was it? It is clearly someone who matters to you.”

Thea nodded. “It… it was Arthur.”

Nimueh closed her eyes and nodded. She seemed to be waiting for Thea to say something more, but the young woman couldn’t find it in herself to say anything. After a moment of silence, Nimueh pulled her pseudo-daughter into another embrace, allowing her to let her tears flow.

It took a few minutes, but Thea managed to gather herself. She pulled away from Nimueh in order to wipe her eyes. She eyed the high priestess, who was still watching her skeptically. “What is it?” She asked.

“You have not asked me if there was anything I could do,” Nimueh said.

“Well, I figured that if Merlin couldn’t do anything then…” She trailed off.

“Merlin may hold more powerful magic than I do, but he does not hold a higher rank in the old religion.” Nimueh inspected her for another moment. “But that’s not the only reason, is it?”

Thea pursed her lips together. “It would be cruel of me to ask you to save the son of the man who murdered yours,”

Nimueh ran a gentle hand down Thea’s face. “And it is because your heart is so pure as to not request that, my songbird, that I will offer my aid in healing Arthur.”

Thea’s eyes widened significantly as she looked at Nimueh in shock. “Really?”

“Yes.” Nimueh confirmed. “But I cannot do it alone,”

“O-okay,” Thea stuttered. She had always loved Nimueh and knew how good of a soul she had, but in this moment, she saw just how much the woman’s light shone. “What do you need?”

“There is a ritual that can be performed. It allows one person to enter a realm where they can speak to The Triple Goddess, herself.” Nimueh explained. “While it requires a great amount of power, the hardest part about it is who must perform the ritual.”

“What do you mean?” Thea asked. She thought that Nimueh, as the high priestess, would be able to perform whatever ritual was provided.

“The high priest or priestess must be the main caster, but it also requires two other priests or priestesses.” Thea sighed. She doubted there was anybody left to hold such a role. “There is one other priestess who remains,” Nimueh continued. “But we lack a third.”

Thea thought long and hard to find a solution. “How does someone become a priestess of the old religion?” She asked, an idea forming in her mind.

Nimueh raised a brow but answered despite her confusion. “The only necessity is for the current high priestess to bestow the title upon another witch or warlock. Do you know of someone who would be willing?”

“Yes. Morgana.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When Thea returned to the castle, she headed to Morgana’s chambers as soon as she could. She knocked quickly on the door. “It’s Thea,”

“Come in,” Thea pushed the door open to find where Morgana was sitting up in bed. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked thoroughly miserable. Thea walked closer to her friend, who turned to face her with a weak smile.

“Morgana,” Thea began. “I have something to tell you,”

The lady nodded and wiped at her eyes. “What is it?” Her voice was thick and congested, making Thea realize how long she had been sitting in her grief for.

“I– I may have found a way to save Arthur,”

Instantly, Morgana’s figure shot up and her eyes widened, suddenly becoming alert. “What is it?”

“A ritual, of sorts.” Thea explained, Morgana nodding, already ready to do whatever it took to save the man she considered her brother. “It must be performed by three practitioners of the old religion.”

Morgana looked at her in confusion and Thea sighed before she went on. She explained what she had been told about the ritual and what it did. Morgana’s face began to fall a little. “We don’t have anyone who holds those titles,”

“Actually, we do.” Thea told her. “I know the high priestess and she knows of another priestess who she offered to persuade to help us.”

“But we lack a third,” Morgana reminded her.

“That’s where you come in.” Thea said cautiously. “The high priestess said that she could make you a priestess, if you are willing.”

“Yes, of course. If it’ll save Arthur I’ll do it.” Morgana said, a passion burning behind her eyes.

“Good. I’ll take you to meet the high priestess and have her perform the ceremony.” Thea told her. The two women nodded at each other, holding onto a hope they thought was lost.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It had been rather easy to sneak out of the castle, all things considered. The entire kingdom was mourning, so everyone’s guard was down. They made it to the clearing where Nimueh had directed them to in record time.

When they arrived, there were already two women waiting for them in the center of the clearing. Thea recognized the brunette as Nimueh and grinned, dismounting from her horse and tying the lead to a tree. The other woman was blonde and was eyeing them curiously. Morgana hopped off her horse mere moments after Thea did, following her lead in securing the animal.

The two girls quickly strode forward and in the direction of the two sorceresses. Nimueh turned to face Thea, giving her a brief hug before turning to the blonde woman. “Is this the young queen you have told me about?” The blonde asked curiously.

“Yes, it is.” Nimueh confirmed. “Althea, this is Morgause, a priestess of the old religion. Morgause, this is Althea, the woman who will bring freedom to our people.”

Thea inclined her head in respect and gratitude for the other woman. “It’s an honor,” She raised her head and saw Morgause staring at her before she inclined her own head the smallest bit.

Thea turned her head to where Morgana was watching the interaction carefully. She smiled at her friend and nodded, ushering the lady over to join them. “This is Lady Morgana.” Morgana smiled and Thea couldn’t help but notice how amazed Morgause seemed at the sight of Morgana. “Now, I assume that the high priestess told you that she’s on her side but I will reiterate it if needed.”

“There is no need, I assure you,” Morgause said breathily. Morgana stared at Morgause just as deeply as the other woman looked at her, both seeming to be in an odd sort of trance.

“Shall we get on with it?” Nimueh asked, bringing them all back to the scene. Morgause cleared her throat and nodded, Morgana turning to face Nimueh determinedly. “The process is relatively simple. All you will have to do is kneel before my figure during the incantation.

“Alright.” Morgana said, the faintest bit of nerves showing through. Morgana did as she was instructed and Morgause and Thea both held their breath.

"Ic cige þā þrēowendan gydenne: forgyfa þissere gyngran drycræftigan micel wuldor. Nime hīe in ēower gemǣnnesse and lǣta hīe þurhgytan þæt līf gydenes."

There was a moment of silence where it seemed that not even an animal was making a sound. Then Morgana gasped loudly and the silence was broken. Thea looked at Nimueh with wide eyes. “Did it work?”

Nimueh looked down at Morgana who was pushing herself to her feet. The younger witch grinned in joy, her smile radiating confidence. “I feel… incredible.” Morgana said, moving her hands around. “Like I could do anything.”

“It worked,” Morgause confirmed.

“Well, I suppose that means we can get on with it, then,” Nimueh declared. Morgana nodded eagerly, desperate to find a way to save Arthur. All three witches came together in a circle, Morgana quickly picking up on what she was to do. “This part will require your help, my songbird.”

Thea was confused at how she could help but she nodded in agreement and walked closer and into the circle of witches she was being ushered into. “What do I have to do?” She asked.

“You will be the one who travels into the realm of The Triple Goddess and communes with her,” Morgause told her. “All you have to do is stand in our circle and wait until you are transported there.”

Thea nodded and walked into the center. Once she was in, all three witches surrounding her linked hands. Nimueh and Morgause walked Morgana through the incantation she would have to say. Once she had a handle on it, the ritual began. Thea didn’t know what to expect so she stood silently while they chanted.

Then, for a single moment there was a blinding white light and the world around her flashed away.

When she opened her eyes, which she had closed due to the brightness, she was somewhere entirely different. She wasn’t altogether sure where she was but it could not be anywhere in the mortal realm. She couldn’t see where she was so much as she could feel the aura this realm emanated.

A voice sounded and Thea, despite never hearing it before, instantly knew who– or what– was talking. “So long has it been since a human has been allowed to glimpse upon our form” Crone. One part of the Triple Goddess was speaking to her. “So small she is.”

“Be kind,” Maiden instructed her.

“Why are you here, mortal?” Mother spoke, her voice commanding, making Thea snap out of her silent shock.

Quickly, she gathered her courage. “I come seeking a cure for the bite of a Questing Beast,”

There was a tutting sound that Crone produced. “The Questing Beast is a death sentence. No mortal cure exists,”

“But you are not mortal, are you?” Althea challenged.

“Hmm.” Mother hummed. “You have strength, mortal. So rarely do we see such courage in one lacking hubris,”

Althea smiled slightly, allowing those words to wash over her but keeping them from making her insensitive. She still had to mind her tongue and speak carefully if she wanted this to go well. “We do possess a cure,” Maiden informed her, her voice light. “Why we should give it to you is another thing,”

“You must know that such a gift would come at a cost,” Mother told her.

“I am aware that there is much I will have to offer,” Althea confirmed. “But I will not give one life for another,”

“Such pride. She lacks respect. What could this child possibly offer us?” Crone asked.

“I believe we should hear her out,” Maiden said.

“You have a chance to state your proposal. Do so.” Mother told her.

Thea might have nodded but she was unsure if her body was really here or not. “I offer you what Uther Pendragon has all but robbed you of. A place to be worshiped, a people who respect you. Help me save Arthur, and I swear, my kingdom will welcome the old religion with all that it has.”

There was something like a collective humming that rang in Althea’s ears before Mother spoke again. “You hold great promise, mortal. Do not lose sight of what you have sworn to us,”

The white light returned and Thea was suddenly back in the clearing, now holding a decorative canteen in her hands. She looked around at the other women who were watching her in shock, staring at the item she was holding. “It worked.” Thea said.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“What will we tell Uther?” Thea asked once they had all gotten their bearings.

“We can say it’s some kind of ancient remedy or something,” Morgana said, gathering her stuff and heading back towards the horses. “He’d fall for that.”

“Gaius will not be so easily fooled.” Thea reminded her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Thea saw Morgause having a silent conversation with Nimueh. The high priestess nodded and the blonde witch turned to them. “If I may?” She began. “I have a solution.”

Thea and Morgana exchanged a glance of their own before Morgana spoke up. “What do you have in mind?”

“We can tell the king that you acquired the flower used for this antidote from someone in another kingdom. Once he hears who it’s from, Gaius will believe it.” Morgause said confidently.

“And who would this someone be?” Thea asked, looking curiously at Morgause.

“Me.”

Morgana furrowed her brow, still confused by what Morgause was suggesting. Thea was too; there were a lot of issues with that plan. “Why would Uther or Gaius believe that someone they don’t know would have a cure that they would part with so willingly?” Morgana asked.

Morgause took in a deep breath and walked closer to Morgana, who looked around in confusion. “Because… I’m your sister, Morgana,”

“What?” Morgana exclaimed in shock.

“Your mother, Lady Vivian, had an affair from which I was born. In order to protect me from Uther’s wrath, I was sent to the isle of the blessed to grow up learning magic.” Morgause explained. “I learned of you a while ago, and since then, I have wanted nothing more than to meet you. To have the chance to be your sister.”

Morgana looked pale from the shock that came with that information. She struggled to speak for a moment before managing to find her words. “I– I would very much like that as well,”

Morgause smiled in relief and joy. Thea stepped closer to Nimueh, who put a soft hand on her shoulder in affection as they both looked upon the family reunion. Once the new sisters had shared their moment, they all agreed to Morgause’s plan.

Thea gave Nimueh a tight parting hug which was happily returned before she, Morgana, and Morgause took off in the direction of Camelot.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When they returned to the castle, Uther hadn’t even noticed their absence, having been at Arthur’s side the whole time. Merlin and Gaius, however, had realized Thea’s absence. “Where have you been?” Gaius demanded as soon as he saw her, his voice tight.

“I was with Morgana.” Thea told them. “We found someone with a cure,”

Merlin’s eyes shot wide open. “Truly?” He asked breathlessly.

“Thea, there is no cure to the bite of the questing beast. I fear you have been lied to.” Gaius reiterated.

Thea wasn’t completely confident in her ability to convince Gaius of the cover story but she needed to try. “I suspected so at first, but not anymore. Morgana is waiting for us in the council room with the cure and the one she got it from, the one who reached out to her.”

Gaius and Merlin exchanged a look but Thea pushed forward anyway. “Gaius, we have to try,” Merlin said, his voice still heavy from his grief.

Gaius looked between his two wards, Thea having stepped closer to Merlin to provide silent comfort. “I will inform the king,”

Thea and Merlin walked in silence to the council room. It wasn’t a particularly positive silence, due to the grief they both were still affected by, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. When they arrived, the two sisters looked over at them and Thea noticed the way Morgause’s eyes widened when Merlin walked closer. The young queen wondered if the priestess could feel that Merlin was Emrys, much like how Mordred could.

Gaius entered with Uther not a moment later. Uther looked horrible, if Thea was being honest, but there was a hint of hope in the way he carried himself towards the women. “You possess a cure?” He asked Morgause, who nodded.

“I do, my lord,” She said, and there was barely concealed bitterness when she used his title. Luckily, Uther didn’t seem to pick up on it.

“You are willing to give it to us?” Uther said, desperation clear as day.

“I am,” Morgause admitted.

Gaius frowned and went to speak. “I don’t mean to offend, but I can’t help but wonder why you would do such a thing?”

Uther shot him a look, as did Merlin, but the three women firmed up a bit, ready to move to the next stage. “It’s alright.” Morgause assured the physician. “I am doing it in the hopes of forming a relationship… with my sister.”

The men seemed even more confused and Morgana came to speak up. “My Lord, when Morgause contacted me with word of the cure, she revealed a startling truth. She and I share a blood relation, seeing as she is also my mother’s child,”

Gaius and Merlin’s jaws both fell to the floor. Uther looked at Morgana in shock.

“I have never had much of a family,” Morgause continued. “So when I learned of Morgana’s existence, I knew I needed to find her. And if this cure proves to you that I only mean to form a bond with the only family I have, then you must take it,”

Uther hesitated for barely a second before he spoke up. “Thank you, Morgause,” he said. “I am deeply indebted to you, and I can tell that Morgana will benefit greatly from having you in her life.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Hours later, Arthur woke up for a small time, cured of the poison and on the road to recovery. He was still sleeping, so Thea and Merlin found a bit of time to share between just the two of them.

It was Merlin who spoke up first. “Thank you,”

Thea turned to him in confusion, lifting her head from where she had rested it on his shoulder. “What for?”

“For helping Morgana. For helping Arthur.” He told her, staring at her with an emotion filled gaze.

“Of course. Even if he wasn’t my friend, I know what Arthur means to you, Merlin,” Thea said softly, ignoring the curling pit of jealousy in her gut. She would deny it, but she did sometimes wonder if Merlin cared for her as much as he did for Arthur.

Merlin grabbed a gentle hold of her chin and tilted towards him, bringing them into a kiss. Thea hummed with pleasure, and felt herself smile against his lips. Love was only a little bit further down to fall.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The fire danced before Althea’s eyes and she laughed with joy at the young children causing it. She adored how their eyes dazzled as the flames flew around them at their very will. There was something so pure about a child’s joy. One of the children, Maria, bounded up to her with a small smile. “Can I show you something, your highness?” She asked hesitantly, tucking her hands behind her back.

“Of course, you can, Maria,” Thea said with a grin. Maria smiled, encouraged by the fact that Thea knew who she was, and put her hands on the log that Thea was sitting on. The moss that rested on the wood shimmered a little with the glow of magic before a beautiful gardenia emerged from the greenery. Thea gasped in joy and amazement, partially for Maria’s own joy and partially because she would never get over the beauty of magic. “Oh, it’s perfect,”

“You like it?” Maria asked shyly.

“I love it!” Thea assured her.

“I’m not good with fire,” Maria said, looking over at her friends with their flames. “But I love plants!”

“You have a gift with them, Maria. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.” Maria nodded and plucked the flower off the log before handing it to Althea. She smiled brightly as Thea took the flower with joy, touched by the small gesture.

Maria grinned brighter at Thea’s own smile and then she skipped off to join her father in the tree covered area. Feren, Maria’s father, bent down and listened as his daughter recalled her tale. When she finished, he hoisted her into his arms and looked over at Althea. He did the best bow he could with a child in his hands, showing his appreciation and respect for the young queen.

Thea tucked the flower behind her ear and smiled brightly. “I see that Merlin might have some competition.” Thea whipped her head around at the sound of Nimueh’s voice. The high priestess was watching with a fond smile and opened her arms once Thea saw her. Thea grinned and hopped up from her seat, completing the hug.

“When did you get here?” She asked joyfully, not having noticed her appearance.

“I’m always here, my songbird.” Nimueh told her. Thea shook her head fondly at the small smirk that Nimueh wore. She loved the woman but, goddess, could she be cryptic. Nimueh surveyed the small area where everyone was gathered. It wasn’t everyone on their side, not even close, but they had decided that they would rotate where they held and who came to these nights. “Tonight’s gathering seems particularly astounding.”

“It is lovely,” Thea agreed. “I’ll never be able to thank Morgana enough.” As of a little while ago, Morgana and Thea had come up with some sort of an arrangement. Once a month, they would find out where and when Camelot’s patrol took place and then, in an easily accessible but not obvious location, they would invite comrades to join them for a night of celebration. Morgana didn’t go often, seeing as she was usually the one who watched over the knights through scrying.

Morgause had taught her sister how to scry, providing an easy way for them to keep everyone safe from a surprise attack. It was mainly used for nights like these, along with planning sessions and battle training. Whenever any decently sized group of future Kalamour citizens gathered, either Nimueh, Morgause, or Morgana would stay back and scry to make sure that they were never caught unaware.

“I’m glad you’re here. Nimueh," Thea said. “There is something I wish to discuss with you,”

Nimueh guided Thea back to the seat and asked, “What is it?”

“I wish to gain the great dragon’s aid in my forces,” Thea declared, bracing herself for the shock.

And the shock came; Nimueh’s mouth all but fell open and her eyes widened. “That is rather ambitious, my songbird.” Nimueh finally managed to say. “I do not know the dragon personally but from what I do know, he is perceived as somewhat… narrowminded.”

“Is that your way of saying he’s a judgmental old lizard who has a one track mind?” Thea asked bluntly.

Nimueh chuckled despite herself. “Yes, I believe it is,”

“Merlin often goes to the dragon for help. With each passing occurrence I can tell he gets more fed up. I aim to acquire his aid in exchange for his freedom before he demands his freedom in exchange for his aid.” Thea explained, her hands moving slightly to amplify her words.

“Althea, that dragon had been held captive by Uther Pendragon for 20 years, it should be obvious that he’ll tell any lie to get out of there. If you promise his freedom, you can’t know for certain what he will do with it, no matter what you have asked,” Nimueh said severely. “You would need a way of controlling his actions,”

“Does that mean you know of one?” Thea asked, her eyes boring into those of her pseudo-mother.

“I do.” Nimueh confirmed. “You must find a dragonlord.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea lay back on Morgana’s plush bed as the lady and her sister sat at the vanity. “Any luck?” Thea finally asked.

“None,” Morgana said with a groan. “We’ve been at this for hours and there is still no trace of any dragonlord.”

“It is quite possible that Uther killed all of them,” Morgause said, still looking at her own bowl of water. She had been working with Morgana on finding a dragonlord but, despite her skill with scrying, she was having just as little luck as her less experienced sister. “This may be a fruitless effort, Althea.”

“At the very least we need to know if one exists,” Thea pushed.

“And Nimueh doesn’t know of a dragonlord? She was, after all, the only one of us alive during the purge,” Morgause added, rising from her seat to stand by Morgana.

“She said that all the dragonlords she knew were rounded up and killed,” Thea told them with a sigh. As much as she hated it, she was starting to agree with the idea that there were no remaining dragonlords.

“Would the great dragon know if one existed?” Morgana asked, coming to sit on the bed next to Thea. By now, both she and her sister had abandoned their attempts to scry for a dragonlord.

“I doubt it,” Thea said. “And if he did, it seems very unlikely that he would give us the name of the man who has complete control over what he does with his freedom.”

All three women sat in a frustrated silence for a long moment, struggling to think of what they could do. Morgause hesitated for a moment before she spoke up. “Perhaps Gaius would know?” She suggested. “He did reside in Uther’s court during the purge,”

Morgana turned to Thea, knowing she would have to be the one to get that information out of the physician. “Even if he does know, how would I go about getting him to tell me?”

Morgana smiled slyly and Thea got a bad feeling in her gut. That was the smile Morgana wore when she was about to tell her something equal parts amusing and aggravating. She had seen it many times when Morgana was educating her on the poise she would have to carry when she rose to her role as queen. “Do you remember what I taught you to do when you need someone to do something they won’t want to do?”

“You said it depends on the person. That everyone has their ticks, you just have to find them,”

“Exactly,” Morgana confirmed. “And after all the practicing we’ve been doing I think you know how to exploit Gaius’s specific tick. After all, you’re asking him to help you free someone imprisoned by Uther.”

Morgana’s smirk became wider and even Morgause began to smile somewhat evilly. Thea grinned a bit herself, knowing what she had to do.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The best course of action was to wait for the subject to be brought up before Thea made her opening move. It took a few days but, finally Merlin brought up the topic of the great dragon, having been to see him recently.

The two hadn’t actually communed much in the months since the questing beast incident. Merlin was, admittedly, a bit angry at the dragon for not providing the cure for Arthur. Of course, he didn’t know that the cure came from The Triple Goddess herself.

But, it appeared that recently, he had gone to see the dragon once again. “Merlin, you look like you’re writing one of Arthur’s speeches .” Thea commented over dinner, eating at her food.

“What?” Merlin asked, snapping out of his daze.

“You’ve got the same look on your face as you do whenever you come to me needing help with Arthur’s speeches. That confused look where you’re convinced that the answer is impossible to find even though you know what you have to do it’s just an inconvenience.”

“Hey!” Merlin protested, causing Gaius to chuckle over his soup.

“It’s not a bad thing!” Thea defended. “You look rather handsome when you’re focused.”

Merlin blushed and ducked his head at Thea’s compliment. Thea smiled too; she adored the way that Merlin’s face would somehow lengthen and scrunch up at the same time when he was doing something like that.

“However lovely that sentiment is, Thea does have a point, Merlin. You seem rather far away tonight.” Gaius said.

Merlin sighed, putting his spoon down into the bowl of soup before he looked at the other two at the table. “I went to see the dragon again.” He told them. It took some effort for Thea to keep her face neutral and she was thankful for all her years of concealing her identity and, as such, her emotions about certain things.

“Oh?” Gaius prompted.

“I went to ask him about Arthur.” Thea ignored the way her heart clenched at that. Merlin cared for her, she had to remember that whenever she feared for their relationship. “He’s been acting less pratish lately; he made some comment about druids not being a terrible enemy. I asked the dragon if that meant he was becoming closer to being the once and future king.”

“And what did the dragon say?” Thea asked. She had assumed that once Arthur was healed from the questing beast injury destiny would go back to the way it was. Despite that, she knew in her heart that she would be building a safe place for magic, destiny or not.

“He said that Arthur isn’t the once and future king,”

“What?” Gaius exclaimed in confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Do you both remember what the dragon said about destiny shifting when Arthur was bitten?” Merlin asked.

Thea nodded, her heart beating quickly. “I do.” Gaius confirmed. “But Arthur was healed, so I believed that meant that nothing changed.”

“As did I,” Merlin continued. “But the dragon said the same thing he did all those months ago. That Arthur is no longer prophesied to bring the golden age. That someone else will do it.”

“Did he mention who this someone else will be?” Gaius asked, looking at Merlin curiously.

“No.” Merlin denied.

Thea gathered her courage and pieced her words together in her mind, deciding to change courses from her original plan on getting information. “Merlin, if the dragon no longer believes that Arthur is the once and future king, does that mean he will refuse to aid him?”

Merlin and Gaius both shared a scared look at her words, not having thought about that. “Thea brings up a good point. The dragon only helps you because it’s for the good of the golden age.” Gaius said.

“And who knows how many magical threats are out there that we would need his aid for,” Thea said gravely.

“I tried to convince him that he must be wrong but he insisted that Arthur no longer matters to the prophecy.” Merlin muttered. “Shit.”

Thea paused for a moment, pretending to think. “I have… an odd suggestion.”

Both men in the room turned to look at her. “Which is?” Gaius asked.

“I am aware this will sound insane, but what if we grant him his freedom?”

“What!?” Merlin all but yelled.

“Thea, that would only lead to death and destruction,” Gaius told her. “If the great dragon was freed, he would go after Camelot, without a doubt.”

“I know that.” Thea said. “But you both know as well as I do that sooner or later he will demand his freedom. If we wish for his aid, then perhaps we focus our efforts on finding a way to appeal to him?”

Merlin was still stunned into silence but Gaius continued to speak. “I doubt that the great dragon would answer to anyone, no matter the debt he owed them.”

“He must have followed someone’s requests to come to Camelot when he was initially locked up,” Thea reasoned and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gaius pale the smallest bit. “I sincerely doubt a creature that old and untrusting would fly into Uther’s kingdom of his own volition.”

Merlin had stopped staring at Thea and was now staring at Gaius, eyeing him curiously. “You know something.” He told his uncle, not even pretending like he wasn’t sure. “You know why he came, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.” Gaius confirmed, his voice heavy. “But I swore never to speak of those events.”

“Gaius…” Thea began, treading carefully, “if you know something that could help us and Arthur, then surely you can trust we would only use such information to do exactly that. Uther would never even know that you told us.”

Gaius looked long and hard at Thea.

When Morgause first arrived in Camelot, Gaius and Merlin had sat Thea down and asked why she went with Morgana. Thea had told them that she went for support and because Morgana trusted that she would do whatever it took. That had transitioned into Thea telling them that she had told Morgana the truth about her magic. At first, Gaius had been furious, saying that what she did was reckless. Still, she had insisted that Morgana was better off knowing and controlling what she could do rather than fearing it. Merlin, on the other hand, had told her that he loved that she did that. He told her that it was just further proof of how kind she was; proof that she would always be there for those who needed her.

The point was that it had taken some time, but Gaius had eventually seen that too. He knew that she truly wanted to help Arthur, and he probably suspected that she also wished to help the dragon. He wouldn’t be wrong about that. “It is not Uther who swore me to secrecy.” Gaius confessed, causing both of his wards to develop confused expressions. He looked at Merlin. “It was your mother.”

“My mother?” Merlin said, completely befuddled. “Why would my mother even know such things?”

Gaius took in a deep breath. “There is one dragonlord that remains. I know this because I helped him escape.”

“Gaius,” Merlin said proudly, and Thea smiled happily as well.

“His name is Balinor and… and he is your father, Merlin.” All amusement vanished from the room in an instant and Merlin's face grew equal parts shocked and betrayed.

“My father was a dragonlord? Why did no one ever tell me?!” Merlin demanded and Thea closed her eyes in sympathy for Merlin.

“I wanted to.” Gaius insisted. “Your mother feared it would be too dangerous.”

“I had a right to know.” Merlin said.

“She wanted to protect you,” Gaius told him.

“No. I had a right to know.” Merlin repeated. He then got up and stormed up to their quarters.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea had decided to be the one to go talk to Merlin after dinner. She knocked lightly before creaking the door open. Merlin was sitting on the bed, just staring at the sheets with his jaw clenched. “Hey,” She said gently.

Merlin didn’t reply so Thea just walked closer and sat next to him on the bed. They sat like that for a long moment before Merlin spoke up. “I’m sorry,”

“Merlin, it’s fine.” Thea assured him. “I can’t imagine how shocking that revelation must have been. I’m the one who’s sorry.” And she was. This was not how she had expected or wanted her search for a dragonlord to go.

“You? You have nothing to be sorry for.” Thea swallowed back her own guilt and simply listened as Merlin continued “I think… I think that I might like to find my father.” Merlin admitted, causing Thea’s eyes to widen in shock. Merlin hesitated for a second before he spoke again. “Would you come with me?”

Thea’s heart warmed at the fact that Merlin would want her with him for such an emotional experience. “It would be my honor.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“We could…” Thea began. “Yeah, I got nothing,” She said with a sigh.

She, Merlin and Gaius were currently trying– and failing –to come up with a reasonable way to allow Merlin and Thea to sneak away and find Merlin’s father.

“There must be some way that you two could take leave for a time,” Gaius said. But it was proving a difficult task to find a way.

Thea looked over at Merlin from where she was leaning against a wall. Her lover was pacing across the room, his expression uncharacteristically serious. Thea eyed him for a moment. At first had been rambling about how there had to be some way to do it but now he had fallen quiet. She wondered if that meant he was wrestling with an idea.

“I have an idea,” Merlin said hesitantly, proving Thea’s theory correct.

“I assume, by your tone, that it’s not an idea you’re in favor of?” Gaius said.

Merlin sighed at that and nodded before going to speak. “There’s no way we could tell Arthur, but… there is someone in the castle who would understand.”

Thea’s eyes widened in understanding. “Are you referring to the lady Morgana?” Gaius asked. Merlin nodded hesitantly, seeming troubled by the idea, himself. Thea, on the other hand, was gladdened by the idea that Merlin and Morgana would begin to trust each other.

“I know that it sounds careless, but she already knows about her own magic and…” Merlin trailed off.

“Merlin, only to make sure I have this straight, but you are talking about revealing your magic to Morgana, are you not?” Thea asked.

Merlin only nodded, clearly conflicted. “Merlin, I must caution against it.” Gaius advised, and Thea felt a lick of irritation. This was a great opportunity for both Morgana and Merlin. She understood that Gaius was only speaking out of concern, but Morgana was to be trusted. Thea didn’t know why Gaius couldn’t see that.

“I know that it's risky but hasn’t Morgana proven to be an ally to us already?” Thea asked, hoping that Gaius would see sense.

Gaius only sighed. “I cannot stop you from reaching out to her, I only hope you proceed with caution.”

“We will,” Merlin assured him, slipping his hand into Thea’s.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Telling Morgana the truth had gone reasonably well, all things considered. She was understandably bothered that Merlin had known what it was like to have magic in Camelot and let her go on in denial. But once he apologized and explained his reasoning, she softened up. With a meaningful look in Thea’s direction, she had agreed to help them search for the dragonlord.

The three sat in Morgana’s chambers as she explained the plan. “So, we make leave for my father’s grave as soon as dawn arises tomorrow. Uther will, without a doubt, send knights to accompany us.”

“Well how do we get around them?” Merlin asked. “It’s not like we can tell them what we’re doing.”

“We don’t need to tell them what we’re doing, all we need is to get separated from them.” Morgana explained, running a comb through her hair absentmindedly.

“How do you plan to do that?” Thea asked curiously. She was sure Morgana had a plan in mind; the lady had a way of getting away from Uther’s watchful eye.

“I’ve spoken with Morgause– don’t worry I didn’t tell her anything,” Morgana assured them when Merlin opened his mouth to interject. “All she knows is I want to get away from Uther’s eye with the two of you. As such, she has organized a few men to pose as bandits in order to separate us from the rest of the group.”

“That’s brilliant!” Merlin said. “It gives us a chance to find Balinor while the knights are looking for us.”

“Indeed,” Morgana confirmed.

The three grinned at each other.

Before they could celebrate the plan any longer, a pounding on the door was heard. Thea yelped a bit at the loud noise, to which Merlin gave her a gentle teasing look. “Enter,” Morgana called out, placing her hair brush down on the vanity.

The doors opened to reveal a peeved looking Arthur. Morgana stood to face him, not shrinking in the face of his agitated expression. “What is this I hear you’re taking my servants with you?” He demanded.

Thea and Merlin exchanged an amused look when Morgana only smiled. “That’s right.” She said nonchalantly.

Arthur scoffed in indignation. “Morgana!”

Morgana let out a long sigh but the amusement in her tone was clear as she continued. “Well, I thought it would be nice for me to spend more time with Thea and Merlin, seeing as they’re always so busy running after you. But I suppose if you object I can tell Gwen to come with me instead of attending to you–”

“No!” Arthur interjected rather suddenly, causing Merlin and Thea to share another look. “Uh, no, it’s fine. I could do with a competent servant for a change, anyway”

This time it was Thea who scoffed but Arthur had turned to leave before she could get a word in. “Well played, Morgana.” Thea congratulated.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea giggled as she and Merlin trotted ahead to keep up with Morgana, who was farther ahead than them. “This is not fair!” Merlin protested when the couple caught up with Morgana. “You’ve had a horse since long before Thea or I had even arrived in Camelot.”

Morgana turned her head over her shoulder and faced him with a smirk. “Now, Merlin, there’s no reason to be a sore loser. You might put Arthur out of a job,”

Merlin gasped dramatically in faux offence. “Why, I would never–!”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you!” Morgana exclaimed, pushing her horse to trot faster and leave the two servants in her dust.

Merlin scoffed loudly again, mostly for dramatic effect, and then looked over at Thea. She was clearly trying– and failing –to contain her giggles at the appalled look on Merlin’s face. “This is not funny!” Merlin protested. But Thea’s giggles were so full of light that Merlin couldn’t help joining in her laughter.

“Well?” She asked. “Are you going to let her get away with that?”

She grinned and began to push her horse into a faster pace but Merlin stopped her. “Actually, I was hoping we could talk. Just the two of us?”

Thea smiled softly, already knowing what Merlin wanted to discuss. “Of course, Merlin.”

He sighed and nodded, knowing that he was being rather transparent. “I’m nervous. My mouth is dry,” he admitted.

Thea nodded. “That makes perfect sense. You’re about to meet your father; I’d be more surprised if you weren’t nervous.”

“Yeah,” Merlin said breathlessly. “I don’t really know what to expect. What if he’s not a good person?”

Thea shook her head a bit. “Well, first of all, going in without expectations will serve you well. And second of all, if your mother fell in love with him, I sincerely doubt that he’s a bad person. Your mother is wonderful, as are you.”

Merlin smiled and blushed a bit at her compliment but was still clearly in his head. “What about you?” He asked softly.

“What about me?” Thea asked, worry and suspicion forming in her gut.

“Well, you’re met my mother and you’re about to meet my father, but since I’ve known you I’ve never heard you mention your parents.” Thea paused for a moment, considering what to say. Merlin waited.

“It’s not exactly a topic I’m fond of revisiting,” Thea said softly.

Merlin watched her with kind eyes, but it was as if he was waiting for her to say more. When she didn’t, he continued. “Did something happen?” It was obvious that something must have happened, considering her dislike for the topic and the fact that he had found her alone in the woods when they first met. The question was more of a courtesy, an opportunity for her to shut down the topic.

“Yes, something did happen.” She hesitated before continuing; Merlin’s gaze was patient and kind but Thea felt the weight of it anyway. She glanced at him. Merlin had been there for her when no one else was, had made her feel happier than she had felt in the years before meeting him, he had trusted her and leaned on her and let her lean on him; the least she could do was trust him with her pain.

“I… was eleven.” She began. “It was late and I was jolted awake by a loud noise and went to investigate; I found my parents dead on the floor” She heard Merlin’s sharp intake of breath and tried her best not to let it bother her. “I ran towards my brother’s room and he told me to run while he held off the attackers. I’m sure you can figure out what happened to him. And ever since then it was just me.”

She turned to see Merlin looking at her with a sympathetic expression, his eyes saddened by the horror of Thea’s tale. “I’m so sorry, Thea,” Thea only shrugged. “I know it probably doesn’t help, but I hope you know that it’s not just you anymore; that you’re not alone.”

Thea’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “It does help, Merlin; more than you could ever know.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thea could feel Merlin’s gaze as they both trotted forward to keep up with Morgana. It was less worried and inquisitive than it had been when she first finished telling him of her past.

They were nearing the border of Cenred’s kingdom, something that was clearly making the guards uneasy. The treaty that had once stood between Uther and Cenred was no longer, making this a very risky gambit. Morgana had purposefully talked the knights into taking the long way, the one that got them closer to Engred, the town where Gaius had last heard of Balinor.

Morgana slowed her pace in order to be closer to Merlin and Thea but farther from the guards. “Be ready. It’s almost time,” She whispered, earring two nods.

As if on cue, men burst from the surrounding trees, slashing and swinging swords at all of the guards. Thea would freely admit that Morgause had outdone herself; there were far more ‘bandits’ than Thea had expected.

The guards leaped from their horses, ready to fight the group. Just as they had hoped, the guards were outnumbered and completely occupied with the fight. A stray ‘bandit’ charged towards Thea, coming rather close for someone who was only faking it. A sword was quickly thrown in that direction, hitting the man in the shoulder and causing him to stumble and fall. “Run, My Lady!” The guard who had thrown it cried out.

So, everything going according to plan, the three friends took off, hopping onto their horses and galloping away. They waited until they had a good distance between them and the soldiers before they all laughed with joy at their success. “Alright; I know a spell that will guide us to Balinor,” Merlin announced.

“Really?” Morgana questioned, sounding rather interested and eager.

“Yeah, it allows the sorcerer to use their blood to lead them to someone who shares that blood; a relative,” Merlin explained.

The information itself was enough to make Thea’s head hurt, which was weird; she was usually better at following these things. “That’s fascinating," Morgana admitted.

“I could teach you, if you’d like?” Merlin offered. Thea grinned at the friendship she saw developing between her lover and the woman who had become like a sister to her. “Though, I reckon Morgause would be far more knowledgeable about such things.”

Morgana tilted her head– or, it looked like she did. Everything was spinning in Thea’s vision and she thought she heard Morgana reply but it was all garbled words. “Thea?” Merlin had certainly said her name, but it all sounded underwater as she belatedly recognized the feeling of blood seeping from a wound in her side. The adrenaline from their ride must have allowed her to miss the fact that the man who charged at her had made his mark.

That was the last thing she realized before the world tilted and went black.