"Why do I always get landed with all the donkey work?" Merlin grumbled.

Gaius chuckled at the boy's scowling, shaking his head as he called after him as he trudged past, "You're a servant, Merlin, it's what you do."

Merlin turned back to the old man, dropping the basket of clothes with a loud thud. "My arms will be a foot longer by the time I get this lot inside."

"It's character building. As the old proverb says, hard work breeds..." the old man trailed off, forgetting came next. Merlin raised his eyebrows, waiting until he remembered.

"A harder soul." Gaius nodded, trying to seem confident.

Merlin looked at him skeptically. "There's no way that's a proverb. You just made that up."

"I didn't," Gaius protested just as a servant girl tripped and fell between them.

Lily, who had been following behind with a basket of dirty clothes, stopped short and raised an eyebrow. She was certain that the girl had only pretended to fall. She watched in silence as the girl apologised and Merlin bent to help her. Her eyes narrowed, something about the girl was putting her off. And she really didn't like the way Merlin and the girl were now looking at each other.

"Hi." Merlin smiled as they straightened back up, making Lily scoff.

Her grip on her basket tightened and unknown to herself, she was glaring holes into the girl's head, absolutely disgusted with the bashful smile she returned him.

"I'm Merlin." He extended a hand.

She took it, smiling wider. "Kara."

"Typical. Show a man a pretty face..." Lily continued to mutter darkly under her breath, coming up with a few colourful analogies that Gaius could have lived without hearing. The old man watched his ward with amusement.

"You're Arthur's servant." She recognised. "It must be such an honour."

"She's pretending. She already knew who he was, the little simpering-"

"Lily," Gaius warned. Both turned to look at Merlin in surprise as he stuttered out,

"Uh, yeah, it is. Well, someone's gotta keep the place running." Lily scoffed again, lips pulling up in a jealous sneer as she marched past, purposefully checking Merlin's shoulder as she went.

She didn't trust herself to look back as Merlin yelped in surprise, which was quickly followed by his bashful laughter as he gave Kara back the clothes she was carrying.

Once she was in the laundry chamber, she stopped short, wondering at herself for feeling so angry. Then, it was swiftly followed up with more anger and resentment when she realised Merlin hadn't even caught up to her like he usually would when they were heading in the same direction.

"Men and their stupid fancies. Dense, the whole bloody lot of them," she grumbled as she dumped the clothes into the tub, ready to wash them.

"Who's being dense?" Gwen's merry voice asked amusedly as she set down her basket next to Lily.

"No one," Lily lied, ears turning slightly red.

"Oh, come on Lily, I've known you since we were kids, I know when you're lying. Come on, out with it. Who are you grumbling about?" Gwen crossed her arms, making Lily sigh.

"Well, there's this guy..." she trailed off uncertainly. Gwen nodded for her to go on.

"And, well, we've only known each other for a few months, and well, lately I keep getting irritated when he doesn't pay attention to me or when other girls start flirting with him... and there are times when I just find him so utterly adorable that I umm..."

"That you want to kiss him?" Gwen grinned, making Lily yelp and frantically whisper at her to shut up.

"Well, do you?" Gwen insisted.

"I-I don't know," Lily admitted.

"But you get annoyed when Merlin looks at other girls or when other girls look at him?" Gwen asked to confirm.

"Yeah," Lily nodded immediately before her eyes widened. "Wait, I mean- I wasn't talking about Merlin-"

"Weren't you?" She smiled knowingly, causing Lily's shoulders to slump in defeat.

"How did you guess?"

"Oh darling, it's plain as day. I've never seen you talk so animatedly with anyone as you do with Merlin. And for someone who is very stubborn, you give in easily to anything Merlin asks of you."

"I do not-"

"He even got you to help him clean the stables."

"I-"

"Lily, admit it, you never say no to Merlin. And the two of you are practically attached at the hip most of the time. To be honest, I don't even blame you, Merlin's cute, thoughtful, kind, and most importantly," she put her hands on Lily's shoulders, squeezing gently, "he understands you. I'm willing to wager that he probably knows more about you than even I do and I've known you longer."

"Gwen, I don't like Merlin that way," Lily insisted, but her protests sounded weak to her own ears.

"No? Then where is all this possessiveness coming from? You've always been possessive of things that are special to you."

"I'm not possessive of you." Lily pointed out.

Gwen smiled, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "I'm not as special to you as Merlin is, am I? No, don't refute it, you know it to be true." She took Lily's hands in hers. "It's okay if you're confused. There's plenty of time to figure things out. But you can't keep denying what you really feel."

Gwen hugged her reassuringly before stepping out to take care of her own chores. Lily just stared in front of her in a daze, hands moving the clothes against the washing board in pure muscle memory and reflex. She didn't even notice that Merlin had finally joined her.

"Did I do something to make you mad?" He asked her tentatively, bringing her out of her trance.

"What? Oh." she shook her head, smiling at him assuringly. "It's nothing you did. I was just a little frustrated with something. Well, and with myself."

"What's wrong?" His brows immediately furrowed with worry and concern, looking around as if someone might overhear them.

"It's nothing serious, Merlin." She chuckled, her eyes finally sparkling with her usual amusement. Something tugged at her heart when some of the worry left his face but the concern still remained, waiting for her to elaborate. This was why she was confused, when he behaved like this. He was still a bit overprotective after the whole thing with her taking Gwen's place for execution, which only begged the question, why was he protective at all?

She could suppose that it was something like a sibling kind of caring, but a brother wouldn't look at her the way he looks at her... right? Because that look in his eyes is the one that's been making her trip over her own feet the past few months. But it was only mere minutes ago that he was making heart eyes at another girl.

But he didn't look at her the way he looks at you, the annoying voice in her head argued irrefutably. No, he didn't. Why did he look at her like that, at Lily - who all her life had been told by people that with her character, no man would ever see her as anything but a sister like friend - like she was the only thing he could see? Why did he behave, when she had been dragged to the dungeons, as if he couldn't live without her by his side even for a minute? Why was it that Arthur had told her the fight he had put up with the guards while the King had questioned her?

And why, for the life of her, couldn't she sort her feelings? Did she like him or was she simply attracted to him? Did she genuinely like him for him or was it simply because he was like her in a few special regards? Well, one thing was for certain, it was too early to tell and she wasn't quite sure she was ready to acknowledge the truth herself.

"It's nothing," she told him, smiling at his frown. "It's really nothing, Merlin, don't worry about it." But her mouth betrayed her once again by blurting out, "I'd be careful about Kara, there's something off about her."

Merlin raised his eyebrows, his hands going behind his back to fidget with each other as he let out a halting 'Oh?'

"I can't tell what exactly is off about her," Lily explained hastily. "But something doesn't feel quite right." Like the fact that her face is too pretty to be real.

She hadn't realised she'd muttered that but under her breath until she heard Merlin chuckle and say, "I don't think you need to compete with her on that, you're prettier."

It was obvious he hadn't meant to say the last part, by his alarmed stare when he realises what he had said. He made to explain quickly, "What I meant was that I'm simply stating a fact, not that I - umm, I mean I meant that as encouragement, I didn't want you to feel insecure-"

He thought she was prettier. She smiled despite herself. Whether he meant it as a supportive friend or not, she'd worry about it later. Right now, those words were making her feel happy and that was all she needed. To save the poor boy from his plight, she stopped his ranting and smirked mischievously.

"It's okay, Merlin. I know I'm pretty irresistible." She winked at him.

He blinked, seeming stunned. She wondered if she broke him. But then the next words brought a laugh out of her.

"I take it back, you look like a troll."

"But a pretty troll, right?" She grinned, splashing some of the dirty water from the washtub on him, making him yelp as he leaped out of range.

She was too busy laughing to catch his star struck expression as he watched her.

~~~~

She couldn't know. Not yet. She couldn't know that when Kara had tripped before him, when he had bent down to help her, when she had smiled, as radiant as it had been, he found himself comparing it to Lily's, and he found that Kara's sweet smile paled in comparison to Lily's playful one. To rid himself of the image, he had forced out a greeting, a smile and an introduction.

She had smiled at him bashfully, but he found himself wanting to see Lily's cheeky smile as she laughed at herself for being clumsy. He wasn't an idiot, he could tell the girl in front of him was attracted to him, but he found himself wishing it was Lily who looked at him like that.

When Kara had recognised him, he had boasted about running the place in hopes of getting an amused snort out of Lily at the very least, having noticed that she was glaring very obviously at Kara. But all he got was another scoff and a murderous look on her face. He had watched as she purposely bumped into his shoulder as she stalked past. He wanted to follow but he was more scared of the look on her face. So he gave it a long while before he carefully stepped into the laundry room.

But watching her now, laughing at him, the sunlight hit her hair just right, making her glow as she chuckled. He knew he should return to Arthur's chambers soon, but he couldn't resist staying longer, falling into their usual banter until she finished washing up all the clothes. But the little piece of happiness he found in delaying his master, came back to bite him later when he wound up wearing one of the most ridiculous costumes he'd ever seen, that night.

Gwen and Lily did their best not to laugh, but failed miserably.

"Nice hat," Gwen choked out as Lily looked away in an attempt to regain composure. She didn't succeed.

"Thanks," Merlin grumbled. Even Arthur kept looking back to smirk at the misery he'd bestowed on him. The other guests and their servants kept glancing at him curiously. Especially Kara, though he didn't care much for her as Lily seemed to think.

"Best remove the hat if you don't want her to think you're some sort of exotic bird than the man who keeps the place running," she whispered into his ear with a smirk.

As if he'd been waiting for her permission, he snatched the ridiculous headpiece off his head.

Gwen noticed his staring at Kara, then looked at her friend who was starting to seem a little out off by his gaze towards the handmaiden.

"She's pretty isn't she?" Gwen smiled. "For a handmaiden?"

"She's pretty for a princess, let alone a handmaiden." Merlin blurted out. She hummed, grinning a little as she pieced two and two together. Somehow, the way Merlin shifted his gaze to Lily as he said it, made Gwen think that it wasn't Kara he was talking about.

As the final king signed the treaty, everyone stood up to applaud. Lily silently slipped away to stand beside Gaius, her gaze fluctuating between glaring at Kara and Merlin and frustrated misery. She heard none of the grand speech, too absorbed in her thoughts.

But she most certainly did not miss Kara dragging Merlin away, sending a chill down her spine. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. She followed them silently, heart hammering.

"It wasn't until I saw him give the goblet to Arthur that I realised-" she heard Kara say.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Start from the beginning." Merlin instructed.

"Two days ago, I was bringing Bayard his evening meal. I was supposed to knock, he didn't expect me to walk in-"

"So what are you trying to say?" Merlin asked, cutting her off. But Lily was beginning to realise-

It wasn't until I saw him give the goblet to Arthur that I realised-

That goblet was either poisoned or cursed. She had to warn Arthur, she had to-

She felt something hit her, not something physical, but something magical and her world faded into darkness.

Merlin found her when he turned around the corner, bending down immediately, calling her name.

"Lily? Lily! What-"

"There's no time, you must stop Arthur from drinking from that goblet. I will tend to her." Kara shooed him, smiling to herself when he hesitated momentarily but in the end, went after Arthur.

Bending down over Lily, Kara gently brushed away the unconscious girl's hair from her face. "Beautiful, intelligent and magical. No wonder he likes you so much. Too bad your powers still leave much to be desired."

She left the prone figure behind, not noticing her fingers twitching as the magic began to lose its hold. Not powerful enough indeed. Lily groaned as she pushed herself off the floor, muttering, "Arthur- must warn- Merlin- help-"

But by the time she entered the great hall, it was too late. She had been out too long. She saw Merlin placing the goblet to his lips, tossing his head back to take a huge gulp.

She heard screaming. She felt her her throat going raw and realised it was her who was screaming.

"No!"

For a minute, nothing happened. Uther was going to hand him over to be punished. But then he began grunting, clutching his throat. Lily ran to him faster than light, catching him before he fell to the ground. Laying him down gently with his head in her lap, calling his name desperately. She looked up just in time to see Kara smile to herself and slink away.

"I told you, you idiot. I told you to be careful. I told you not to trust her." She choked out through tears.

Arthur joined her side, Gaius pushing him aside to get to the warlock.

"Merlin, do you hear me?" No response from him, made the physician turn to Gwen and Arthur. "We have to get him to my chambers. Bring the goblet, we need to identify the poison." He ordered as Arthur sprang into action to help Lily.

Lily was trembling, not from fear or grief, but pure, simmering, bloodthirsty rage. This was Kara's plan, she knew it. The girl was not who she had seemed, she had dared hurt Merlin, had dared to make him drink poison. If that girl ever fell into Lily's grasp, Lily had no doubt that she would kill the girl without a second thought, but for now, she had to take care of Merlin.

"Lay him on the bed, quickly. He's struggling to breathe," Gaius said as they rushed into his chambers.

"Gwen, fetch some water and a towel," Lily instructed, her voice tight and commanding.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"He's burning up."

"You can heal him, can't you, Gaius?"

"I won't know until I can identify the poison, pass me the goblet."

There was a ringing in Lily's ears as everything seemed to be happening too quickly. The ground threatened to sweep away her feet, but her iron will kept her feet glued to the ground. She barely noticed as Gaius found a flower petal stuck to the inside of the goblet, too focused on keeping Merlin cool, pressing the damp cloth to his brow over and over again.

She didn't even hear Gaius as he called her name to get her to put in some input. She just became... empty, unable to process anything that didn't require her to heal Merlin. But she did notice Arthur and Gaius looked grave. Something snapped in her as she sensed something leave the palace. Something strong, something magical.

"Kara," she snarled, before handing off the wet towel to Gwen and rushing out of the chambers. She was fastening her cloak when she overheard the king and Arthur arguing.

"I can't have you risking your life for the sake of some serving boy."

"Because his life is worthless?" Arthur demanded incredulously.

"No, because it's worth less than yours."

"I can save him. Let me take some men," he insisted.

"No."

Having heard enough, she rushed down to the stables, anger and wrath simmering in her veins once more. As she followed Kara's magic trail, she felt Merlin's own life ebbing away. But as she got close to the cave that held the antidote to save Merlin's life, she saw within it before she entered, but the vision cost her dearly.

Sensing an unwelcome pair of eyes witnessing her attempted murder of the prince, Nimueh snarled softly.

"Here already? Well, well, well. Don't think that you can possibly save your Prince, strong though you may be, you lack training and refining. Here's a gift for you as you wait, though."

"Don't you bloody dare," she snarled, flinging out her magic, eyes flashing a bright, molten gold. Whatever it did, seem to surprise Nimueh, but it was only momentary, before she cast her spell again, this time, evading Lily's blast.

The next thing she knew, her world turned black once more.

"Lilian."

She groaned, twisting against her thick bonds.

"Lilian."

Eyes reluctantly opened to reveal pain ridden brown eyes, void of any of the usual mischief that once shone in it. Tied to a pillar, she saw her parents tied to a stake together, a wane smile on both their faces as they looked at their daughter.

"Lilian, you must stay strong." Her mothers lips moved. Lips whose shape Lily had inherited as much as her mother's eyes.

"Don't let them douse that fire, my little star." Her father, whose face and expressions showed which side of the family she really took after.

"Mum... Dad..." she sobbed, tugging against her restraints, even as agony tore through her body. And then she was on fire, as were her parents.

The fires engulfed them whole, burning and burning. Her parents did not scream, but she did. She didn't know how long time extended in that hell. And she screamed and screamed and-

What was that blue light? Burning flesh stung her nose and pain like none she had known wrecked every inch of her body. But she still heard his voice, recognises it.

"Lily, I'm here."

"Merlin?"

"Wake up, Lily."

The ball of light touched her brow and for a second, she could have sworn she felt his warm embrace, seen his laughing face-

"Lily! Lillian!"

With a gasp, she shot up, swinging the knife she'd pocketed from the kitchen into Arthur's face. Or nearly would have done, had he not caught her wrist in time.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, concern and worry warring across his features. She seemed so thin and frail to him, though she had been laughing and healthy only that morning. Arthur took in her pale, wane face, wondering what exactly that witch had done to her.

But seeing the guilt on his face only made Lily feel worse. She had been useless, so utterly useless. She didn't stop Merlin from getting poisoned and instead of helping Arthur get the antidote or exacting revenge on that dastardly girl, she had wound up under her spell, dreaming a nightmare and screaming helplessly, being nothing but a burden.

"Merlin. The antidote." Was all she could rasp out.

Arthur nodded, helping her up onto her own horse, her shutting down his insistent offers of letting her ride with him on his. As she followed him back, feeling the life fade from her best friend, she kept berating herself over and over.

Useless. Pathetic. Burden.

He'd fought tooth and nail to save her from the stake, and succeeded. And yet she could not repay that favour, had failed so miserably that she dared not raise her head for shame.

But they had worse things to think about when king Uther threw both of them in jail. At least Arthur had been given food. For assisting the Prince in endangering his own life, she was to be kept there for an undetermined amount of time, without food or water unless decreed permissible from the king.

Something in her snapped when she overheard what happened in Arthur's cell, knew that the king had very well doomed Merlin. And the rage from before, that unbridled wrath consumed her, threatening to escape and burn. But she soothed those flames over the next hour, telling them, one day, Uther will receive his punishment, not from her, but from fate.

She delved into her powers, bringing forth her vision. And what she saw both made her want to laugh and devastated her. Merlin was looking worse with every passing second and Gaius, having distracted Gwen, was attempting to create a potion with magic. Whatever the old man was capable of years ago, even if he had possessed magic, she was certain he did not possess it anymore.

She did not know how she did it, but desperation and determination were her torch and guide as she cast the spell herself, exhausting herself so much she was pulled out of the vision abruptly.

Merlin would drink the antidote. He would be safe. That was all that mattered. She let out a huge sigh of relief, before the entire events of the day came down crashing on her and she began to sob and sob and sob.

The first word that left Merlin's mouth after his sarcastic comment was, "Lily!"

He looked between Gaius and Gwen expectantly as if he thought they would procure her from some hiding place.

Panic and realisation lit the pair's eyes. They had been so caught up with trying to save Merlin, that they had forgotten that the brunette had vanished.

"Where is she?!" Merlin demanded.

Gwen tried to force a smile. "She's coming. Why don't you rest, I promise I'll make sure she's here when you wake up."

But Merlin wasn't fooled. He knew something was wrong, he felt it, deep inside him. She was in pain, she was afraid-

He jumped out of bed, stumbling towards the door. "Where's Arthur? She followed him, he should know."

And so they ran down to the dungeons, finding Arthur being released and the Prince sprinting towards the cell in the far corner. The look on Merlin's face as he realised who was in the cell could be described as nothing but devastation. He marched through the cell doors the second it was open, hurrying over to Lily's small, shivering figure.

"Lily. Oh god, Lily," he whispered, taking in her ruined clothes and her pale, thin form.

At the touch of his hand against her forehead, she opened her heavy eyes, a wane smile lifting her lips as she took in the colour that was slowly returning to his face.

"You're alright," she whispered. "That's good. I... managed to... help... after all." Her eyes drooped shut once more, her breathing becoming shallow.

"Lily!" Merlin didn't know where his strength came from, especially given his current state, but Lily also seemed lighter than she should be, something that worried him deeply.

He carried her to the bed he had lain in, protesting when Gaius insisted on his resting while the physician treated her. He stayed dutifully by her side, refusing to leave or let go of her hand. But Gaius seemed to have an easier task healing her than he had had with Merlin.

It wasn't until well into the afternoon that Lily woke up to Merlin dozed off in his stool, head resting on her bed. As if feeling her piercing stare, he woke up, meeting her eyes tiredly. She placed a hand against his cheek, staring at him as if she couldn't quite believe he was there.

"You're alive," she muttered.

Merlin chuckled. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me- oof, careful!" He was forced to warn as she pounced on him with a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry." Her voice trembled, muffled by her burying her head in his chest. "I should have done something, anything, to stop this. I was so stupid, so useless-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. You can't actually be blaming yourself for this?" When he didn't receive an answer, he pulled her back, grasping her face firmly in his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Lily, this is not your fault. You couldn't have known this would happen and if it wasn't me, it would have been Arthur. In any case, you did end up saving me, so I think it's stupid that you're beating yourself up about this."

"I didn't save you. All I did was be a bigger burden! I nearly killed you by holding Arthur at the cave! I could have been useful here-"

"You weren't being a burden to anyone," Merlin snapped, tone sharp and firm. "And do you really think I don't know it was your spell that completed Gaius's potion? Yes, made a few rash decisions, and yes, you nearly got yourself killed with the stunt you pulled, but we're here now and we're both fine. So... just let it go."

Lily's only response was to hug him once more, her grip on him tight as if she were afraid he would vanish.

When Arthur came down to check in on Merlin and Lily, the two of them were huddled in blankets, eating dinner.

"Still alive, then?" Arthur said loudly, by way of greeting.

Merlin turned to him, a nervous chuckle escaping him as he replied, "Oh, yes. Just about. I understand I have you to thank for that."

Arthur shrugged it off. "Yeah, well, it was nothing. A half decent servant is hard to come by." Merlin huffed a laugh at that.

"I was only dropping by to make sure you're alright. Check you would be back to work tomorrow."

Mirth filled Lily's eyes as she called out to Arthur, "I'm fine too, thanks for asking."

"Oh yeah. Bright and early." Merlin nodded, shooting a smile at Lily, relieved to see a positive reaction from her.

"Oh, and Arthur." Merlin called as Arthur stepped out the door. "Thank you."

Arthur hesitated before answering. "You too. Get some rest."

"Arthur may give you a hard time, but at heart, he's a man of honour." Gaius told Merlin once Arthur had left. "There aren't many who would've risked what he did for a servant."

"And a half decent one at that," Lily teased, her crooked smile lighting up her face once more. Some of her colour had returned to her face and she seemed to have regained some of her weight as well. She refused to tell Gaius and Merlin what had happened to her, shutting them down harshly whenever they asked.

"It would've all been for nothing if you didn't know how to make the antidote. Or if Lily hadn't cast the final spell."

"Eat your dinner."

Merlin hastened to obey, but he still had one burning question. "I still don't understand why she went to all the trouble of framing Bayard, she could have just kept quiet and killed Arthur."

"Destroying Arthur and Camelot wasn't all she was after. She knew you would be forced to drink that wine. It was you, she wanted to kill."

Merlin paled slightly as Lily took his hand in hers reassuringly.

"Seems someone else knows you're destined for great things, Merlin."

"Yes, like mucking out the stables." Lily's comment broke the air of seriousness and chuckles and protests filled the room.

Something had changed in Lily, Merlin could sense it. But who she was, what she stood for and her principles, remained the same. She was far from recovering from whatever had happened to her, but he was determined to stay beside her every step of the way.