Author's note: Completely unrelated to my other Merlin fanfics, not sure how far it'll go yet, but I was bored nd have started rewatching it again, so I figured I'd write another Merlin fanfic. Sorry this chap finishes in the middle of an episode... well, not even middle, but it's still longer than I usually write. I do not own Merlin or any of it's characters, only Dwyn and other OC's. Hope you enjoy!

It was quite early in the morning, the sun only just starting to rise above the horizon, the birds starting to sing, farmers only just starting to think about getting out of bed. The guards did their usual rounds, the castle, the town, the storage, everywhere pretty much. And that's when they found her. Fast asleep on a sack of grain was a youngish girl, possibly early teens, but maybe not quite. She had rust red hair and was fairly pale, not moving when the guards discovered her. They shared a look, then walked up to her and shook her awake.

"You can't be here." One of them explained when the girl struggled to wake up, forcing her heavy eyelids to open, revealing pale green eyes. She looked at them, confused, then around at the bags of grain surrounding her. She didn't say anything.

"Kid, you can't be in here. If you don't leave now we'll be forced to take you before the king."

"The king..." The girl mumbled, obviously trying to put things together but not managing it, "Who? Where am I?" She asked eventually. She had an accent, revealing her as a foreigner. The guards shared another look, worry and confusion in their eyes. They silently agreed that the best course of action was to take her to see the court physician, get his opinion on the matter. She didn't seem to be doing any harm. From where they were standing it seemed like she had just been looking for a dry place to sleep, which was understandable considering what the weather had been like recently. The first guard once again looked around at the girl, crouching down beside her.

"It's gonna be OK. We're going to take you to the physician, he's nice. What's your name?" He asked.

"My name..." She paused, then frowned as though she didn't understand the question, "My name?"

"Yes, what do people call you?" The second guard asked.

"I don't... I don't understand," The girl admitted.

"Well, when people are talking to you, what do they call you? I'm Gwilim," The first guard introduced himself, then motioned to his friend, "This is Andras," Then he once again looked at the girl, "Now it's your turn." He smiled. The girl shook her head, still looking confused.

"I don't know. I don't think I have a... a name." The word tasted funny on her tongue, as though she still didn't understand the meaning of the word. Gwilim looked shocked and Andras frowned. Something was very much not right here.

"We should get her to Gaius." He muttered. Gwilim nodded.

"Can you walk?" He asked the young girl. She shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Can you try for me?" The girl nodded and inched her way forwards, placing her bare feet on the ground. They were filthy, and under the layer of mud Gwilim could just make out cuts and scrapes on them, feeling slightly sick. What had this kid been through? She tried to take a couple of steps, but her legs just couldn't hold her up and she promptly fell over, getting caught by Gwilim and then scooped up in his arms. She looked slightly shocked by this change in events and for a moment it seemed like she isn't try to wriggle away, but Gwilim just smiled at her.

"It's OK," He said, "I'll just carry you there. Don't want you getting any more hurt, now do we?" After a moment the girl nodded, still seeming a little too frightened to say or do anything, not even show any look of relief or anything like that.

"I'll finished our rounds." Andras said, and Gwilim nodded, then left the store room and headed off to find Gaius. He'd know what to do.

"So do we know what's wrong with her?" Gwilim asked Gaius once the girl was in a warm bath, her feet mostly cleaned when she'd gotten in. There was no sign of any physical trauma aside from her cut and bruised feet and a graze on the side of her head, just under the hairline. Gaius glanced up at the girl, who had her back towards them.

"She suffers from amnesia, though who knows why. Probably something to do with that graze on her head."

"Will she ever get her memories back?"

"It's hard to say for certain. Maybe she will with time, but it's also possible that she never will." There was something he was hiding, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. Not even to Gwilim, though he was a good man. It was to protect him as much as anything. The guard chewed his lower lip, clearly worried for the girl.

"Could someone have done this to her?" He asked eventually.

"It's possible, though there's no physical evidence of that."

"She has a graze on her head!" He exploded, the girl flinching slightly and glancing around. He threw her an apologetic look, then looked back at Gaius, who had gone back to grinding up herbs for some concoction or another.

"How could she have gotten that graze unless someone did it to her?"

"She could have fallen over while playing, could have gotten lost in a forest, there are a number of possibilities that could have caused her to get that graze. There is nothing to say that the graze is the cause of her amnesia or not. All we can do is wait and see if she remembers anything. Then maybe she can tell us what happened." Gwilim sighed, not happy with the answer but knowing that Gaius was probably right.

"I'd better get back to work," He turned and headed for the door, stopping briefly as he stepped out into the hall, "Thanks Gaius." He said. Gaius nodded and then Gwilim was gone, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he went. Then Gaius once again turned to the young girl.

"How are you feeling?" He asked gently.

"Tired."

"It's not wonder. A sack of grain isn't exactly the most comfortable thing to sleep on," Gaius smiled, I'll go find some clean clothes for you. There's a towel on the chair of you want to get out." She turned around in the tub, clutching onto the rim so tightly her knuckles went white. Gaius struggled to ignore the druid symbol on the left side of her chest, just by the shoulder.

"Don't leave me alone." She begged. Gaius smiled kindly.

"I'll be back before you know it," He said in his best soothing physician voice, then left the room, "Oh, and try to keep that mark hidden." He told her just before he left, motioning to where it would be if it was on him. The girl looked down at it, confused, obviously not having noticed it, then nodded and sunk lower into the tub, once again turning so her back was to the door. Once he was gone the girl looked around the room, trying to get her bearings, but not really understanding anything. She didn't know who she was, where she was, or even what she was. Clearly the mark on her chest wasn't good, something that was to be feared. But if that was the case, then why wasn't the old man scared? Just... cautious. She hardly even noticed when she started crying, giving in to the feeling of loneliness and abandonment, the hopelessness. What was going to happen to her if she didn't even know who she was? And her feet hurt. She was tired, she had a headache, and she was alone in a strange place. The only up side to the situation was that she couldn't see how things could get worse.

Seven years passed and that girl got a job in the kitchens, having a surprising aptitude for cooking and seeming to enjoy the more mundane tasks, such as sewing and knitting, though she wasn't very good at it. Gwilim kept an eye on her, but already had a family to look after so couldn't take her in, though he would have liked to. As it was, Gaius took over for her care for a few months until someone in the kitchens found her a room and agreed to watch her, make sure everything went alright. Over time she earned the name 'Dwynwyn', usually just called Dwyn for short, and though she didn't seem very keen to say much at first, she slowly became more comfortable in the environment of the castle. Then she started exploring, somehow finding her way into passages in the castle walls that it seemed no one before her had found, if the number of cobwebs were anything to go by. And she loved it, even though she did get very lost to start with. Which was how she met the lady Morgana for the first time, a few months after she had come to Camelot, and soon after that the young prince Arthur, and she became friends with the two of them. Unfortunately the friendship was fairly short lived, for Uther found out about it and banned his ward and son from seeing the girl any more. Not that Morgana listened, but Arthur didn't have much choice in the matter, being the prince and all.

Dwyn looked up from kneading the bread she was working on, smearing flour across her cheek without realising it. She was a mess, a tired, overheated mess. It was too hot in the kitchens, and she didn't like it. She glanced over at her boss, the head of the kitchen staff, a bossy, roundish woman who seemed to get far too stressed far too quick, then glanced back down at the dough with a heavy sigh and got back to work. Kneading bread was one thing she hated, she'd never quite gotten the hang of it and it always got stuck to her fingers.

"I think that's good enough, Dwyn." A young man said, walking over to her. He smiled when Dwyn jumped slightly, looking up in surprise.

"Ah... I haven't been... It's not..." Her voice trailed off and the man shook his head.

"You've been here how long today? And how long yesterday? You need a rest, you work far too hard. Go on, get out of here. I'll do that."

"Um... you sure? I'd feel bad about it..."

"I'm offering. Now go, before bossy boots sees us switching."

"Thanks, Haul."

"Go." He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, pushing her towards the door. Dwyn shook her head, smiling slightly, and took off her apron, hanging it on a peg by the door before escaping down the halls and slipping out into the sunshine, stopping briefly to wash the dough off her hands and wipe her face, then took off her hair scarf and quickly untied her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders and down her back. It had grown a lot since she had first woken up in Camelot. She smiled as the cool wind went passed her, but the relief was only short lived. Her smile changed to a frown as she headed towards the crowd gathered in the castle courtyard, realising exactly what was going on. She'd heard from idle gossip that there was supposed to be an execution today, another so – called sorcerer. He was just standing there, the executioner by his side, an almost defiant look in his eye. But he was scared. Who wouldn't be in his position? It was one of the things that scared Dwyn, the fate that awaited her if anyone saw the mark on her chest, the one that she had learnt from Gaius marked her as a druid.

"What's going on?" A young man asked. He had dark hair and was almost scrawny looking, a pack on his back. Dwyn glanced up at him, then looked back at the man who was about to lose his head.

"Execution. He's been accused and found guilty of magic." She muttered as an explanation. She didn't want to be here, but it was too late to leave now. The newcomer didn't say anything else, just looked up as the king started addressing the crowd.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass." Dwyn looked away from Uther, looking at the ground in front of her. Magic wasn't always bad. Some people only used it to help those around them. Some people, though they had it, didn't use it at all. She didn't watch as the man's head was chopped off, choosing to close her eyes instead.

"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm." Uther's voice was dark and foreboding, but took on a lighter tone as he made his next announcement, "So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." Some people started clapping, but Dwyn didn't take part, and neither did the slightly confused and mildly horrified young man beside her. He didn't actually look that much older than her, or younger. Probably a similar age, though it was hard to tell, considering Dwyn didn't know her own age. Then a horrible wailing filled the air and Dwyn once again looked up, frowning slightly. People stopped moving, others making way for the grieving mother to confront Uther from her place on the ground.

"There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance!" The hint of hatred in her voice turned to utter despair and Dwyn felt her heart go out to the poor old woman, "You took my son!" She sobbed, then her voice changed once more to a threatening hiss, "And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son." The last word came out as a sob and Dwyn couldn't help but feel torn between her loyalty to Arthur and her pity for this woman. Uther, on the other hand, didn't have such a worry.

"Seize her!" He yelled, pointing to her. The woman screeched out a spell and Dwyn took half a step back, the crowds pushing against her in their fear. The woman vanished as though she was being torn to pieces, the rags flying upwards before simply disappearing in a whirl of wind and smoke. For a moment Dwyn and the young man just stared at where she had been, then, without taking her eyes from where the woman had been, Dwyn addressed him again.

"Welcome to Camelot, where the weird and magical is outlawed but still somehow finds a way to happen. I'm Dwyn."

"Merlin." He half turned, holding his hand out for Dwyn to shake. She looked at him for a moment, then at his hand before cautiously taking it and giving it a brief shake, only long enough to be polite.

"Well, Merlin, you chose a great day to come to Camelot." Merlin laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah..." He paused for a moment, "Hey, do you know where I can find Gaius, the court physician?" He asked. Dwyn nodded.

"Head up those steps. There should be guards on standby for you to get more directions, but all you really have to do is head up the stairs and there are arrows the rest of the way. It's hard to get lost."

"Thanks," He smiled, "It was nice meeting you, Dwyn."

"Same to you." She smiled back, watching for a moment as Merlin walked away. Strange boy. Strange, but not bad. Though why he wanted Gaius, she didn't know. She hadn't seen him before, and judging from the pack he was carrying he was new to Camelot, probably just got in that day. She turned and walked off, calmly replacing her head scarf and heading for the market. She figured she may as well have a look around, even if she couldn't really afford to buy anything.

The next day Dwyn went to help Gaius with his rounds, having been given the day off by her boss. It was a nice thought, though originally she had turned down the offer. She needed all the work she could get, if she was going to be honest. She only earned enough to just get by, sometimes she wanted a little extra so she could buy something nice for a change. She slipped into the room and smiled at Gaius.

"Hey." She greeted, rather quietly. Gaius looked up from what he was doing and smiled at her.

"Dwyn," He replied, walking over to her and pulling her into a quick hug, "What brings you here at this time of day?" He asked, letting go of her.

"Do I need a reason to see my friend?" She smiled, looking over at what Gaius was making and pulling a face, "I see you still can't cook." Gaius shook his head.

"If you're only here to insult my cooking – "

"Actually, I came to see if there was anything I could help out with. Hardly have anything better to do." She shrugged. Gaius thought for a moment, then looked around as the door to the other room in his quarters opened and Merlin stepped out. Dwyn blinked a couple of times, slightly taken back, but recovered quickly. Gaius stepped around and picked up a bucket as Merlin sat down at the table, seeming to have almost completely forgotten about Dwyn.

"I got you water. You didn't wash last night." He said as he placed the water on the end of the table next to Merlin.

"Sorry." The boy muttered. Dwyn didn't move. Gaius wasn't mentioning her presence, so she wasn't about to bring it up. It wasn't her way of doing things.

"Help yourself to breakfast." Gaius said and Merlin looked at a bowl of porridge placed in front of him, playing with it a bit, obviously not very keen on trying the lumpy goop. Gaius watched for a moment, then knocked the water off the table and Dwyn just managed to stop herself from jumping, then looked on curiously as Merlin leapt to his feet, holding out his hand and stopping the water from falling, freezing it in time. Then he let it go and watched as it fell on the floor with a splash. Dwyn felt her hands clench into fists by her side. This boy needed help. If Uther found out about him being magic, he was as good as dead.

"How did you do that?" She asked quietly and Merlin looked around, suddenly afraid.

"I – I didn't."

"Well, it wasn't Gaius, and it certainly wasn't me. So that leaves you." Dwyn reasoned.

"Did you incant a spell in your mind?" Gaius challenged, peering closely at the boy.

"I don't know any spells." Dwyn frowned at Merlin's answer. Clearly he had a lot of power in him, which was dangerous. A powerful sorcerer that couldn't control his powers. Recipe for disaster.

"So what did you do? There must be something."

"It just happens." Merlin was obviously trying to keep calm about all this. He went over and grabbed a mop and Gaius and Dwyn shared a look. Gaius didn't have to say anything, Dwyn knew what he was asking. Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head, horrified at the thought of telling anyone her secret. That would just mean more questions, questions she couldn't answer. Gaius didn't take his eyes off Dwyn as he addressed Merlin.

"Well, we better keep you out of trouble," Now he looked away from Dwyn to Merlin, taking the mop off the boy, "You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here," He placed a small sack and a bottle on the table, "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival," He motioned to the small sack, "And this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once." Talking about the small vial full of a yellow liquid. Merlin nodded in understanding.

"Okay."

"And here," Gaius passed Merlin a sandwich and smiled at the boy, Merlin smiling back at him, "Off you go," Merlin started walking off, but Gaius called out to him again, making him pause, "And Merlin, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed." Merlin nodded in understanding, then looked at Dwyn imploringly.

"Um... you won't tell anyone about..." He motioned towards the wet floor and Dwyn shook her head.

"No. I won't." Merlin smiled in relief and stepped past her, heading out to deliver the parcels from Gaius. Once she was sure he was gone, Dwyn turned to Gaius with a look of horror in her eyes.

"You want me to tell him about... about everything? About the... you know..." She hissed. Gaius sighed.

"I can't think of any better way to teach him." He admitted.

"And you think I can? Gaius, I'm a kitchen maid! I work from dawn 'til dusk most days, hardly earning enough to survive, and I can't remember anything about my past. If I told him about me being a druid or whatever, then he'd start asking questions. Questions that I can't answer. Besides, how could I teach him anything? I don't even remember learning to control my powers, I was already able to do it when I came here. How am I supposed to help him if I don't remember learning it myself?" Gaius gave her a pitying look then walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders.

"I know it scares you, but he's here on his own in a strange place. And he has magic. He's right under Uther's nose. I can't think of anyone who would understand that better than you do." Dwyn took a deep breath, but the fear was still evident in her eyes. She shook her head.

"Maybe someday, but not until I know that he won't look at me the same way everyone else here does when they learn about my past," Gaius frowned in confusion, "Pity. I get sick of all the pity everyone gives me, Gaius, and I don't want it from him." She picked up the mop finished what Merlin had started.

Later in the day, once Dwyn left Gaius to his own devices, she went out to the courtyard to watch some of the men train, wishing she could join in herself. It was one of the few times she felt whole. When she had a weapon in her hand and was fighting. It was one of the few things she could remember how to do, even if she didn't know how. She'd always been able to fight. Arthur was there, as usual, a set of knives in his hands. His servant, a nice boy called Morris, was moving around a target for him. Dwyn sighed. She knew what was coming. The blond haired, blue eyed, rather (though she hated to admit it) attractive prince had always been a bit of a pompous brat.

"There, sir?" Morris asked. Arthur motioned to it.

"It's into the sun."

"But... It's not that bright."

"A bit like you then." Dwyn scowled at Arthur's proud look, wanting nothing more than to teach him a lesson as he and his cronies started laughing. She shook her head, tempted to stick up for poor Morris.

"I'll put the target on the other end, shall I, sir?" He asked. He started moving the target over to the wall. Dwyn didn't take her eyes off Arthur as he turned to his friends, said something, then threw a knife at the target. It hit the bull's-eye with a dull thud and Morris looked at it, surprised.

"Hey, hang on!" He sounded a bit shaken, and no wonder.

"Don't stop!" Arthur laughed.

"Here?" Morris asked again after taking a few steps back.

"I told you to keep moving." Arthur threw another knife and Dwyn scowled grew deeper as Morris was now forced to keep moving around.

"Come on! Run!" Arthur yelled at the poor servant. Dwyn had had enough. She stepped forwards and headed over to the prince.

"That's enough." She muttered.

"You can't tell me what to do, Dwyn." Arthur muttered, then threw another knife at Morris.

"How do you expect to be respected by the people if this is how you treat your servants?" He just ignored her. Then Morris dropped the target and it rolled away, Merlin stopping it with his foot. Arthur looked slightly disappointed at his fun being over, but was also laughing at Morris scrambling the try and grab the target, obviously fearing for his very life.

"Hey, come on, that's enough." Merlin said, looking at Arthur, who looked surprised. Dwyn looked at Merlin and shook her head, trying to tell him silently that this wasn't a good idea.

"What?" Arthur asked, rather incredulously.

"Arthur – " Dwyn tried to start reasoning with him, but Merlin had to go and open his mouth again.

"You've had your fun, my friend."

"Do I know you?" He started walking towards Merlin, rudely shoving past Dwyn.

"Ah, I'm Merlin." He held out his hand to Arthur.

"So I don't know you."

"No."

"And yet you called me 'friend'." Dwyn shot a look at Merlin, moving her hand across her throat to mime her slitting his throat if he didn't shut up, but he paid no attention.

"That was my mistake." He sounded like he was apologising, but somehow Dwyn doubted that. She swallowed, apprehensive of what was about to happen.

"Yes, I think so."

"I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass."

"Merlin, shut up. Just shut up, and walk away, right now. Before you get in more trouble." Dwyn snapped, marching over to them and glaring at the boy. Arthur was just smiling slightly. He was liking this too much.

"Or I one who could be so stupid," Arthur called out as Merlin and Dwyn started walking away, "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?" Merlin stopped and looked around at Arthur again.

"No."

"Would you like me to help you?" Arthur asked. Dwyn rubbed her face, not liking this at all.

"Merlin..." She warned.

"I wouldn't if I were you."

"Why?" Arthur chuckled, "What are you going to do to me?"

"You have no idea."

"Be my guest!" Arthur was grinning. He knew that Merlin couldn't beat him, Dwyn knew Merlin could beat him... but only with magic. One on one unarmed combat and Merlin was screwed. There was no way he could beat Arthur. But the prince wasn't going to leave well enough alone.

"Come on!" Merlin still didn't look convinced, "Come on!" Arthur held his arms out to the side and leaned forward slightly, Dwyn shaking her head, "Come oooooon." He goaded, and this time Merlin took a swing at him. Arthur neatly caught the blow and twisted Merlin's arm around behind his back.

"Enough of this, both of you! You're being utter idiots!" Dwyn snapped, surprising herself a bit. Neither of them seemed to pay her any attention.

"I'll have you thrown in the dungeon for that." Arthur said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"What, who do you think you are? The king?" Merlin snapped right back.

"No, I'm his son. Arthur." Then the prince neatly kicked Merlin in the back of the knees, sending him sprawling to the ground. Dwyn moved forwards and glared at Arthur as Merlin was taken away.

"That was completely unnecessary, Arthur." She snapped.

"You can hardly tell me what to do." He hissed back.

"Merlin is new here! He doesn't know who anyone is, you could have let him off the hook this once!"

"What, and have him insult my honour again? Yeah, right."

"You Pendragon's never change, do you?" Dwyn shook her head, "You're both stuck up idiots with no respect for the lower classes, who without you wouldn't have a kingdom. The sooner you learn that the better." She turned and started walking away, but Arthur wasn't finished with her.

"Who do you think you are, Dwyn?" He challenged, "A lady? A noble? Because not even they would get away with talking to me like that. And you're no one. Don't even know your real name." Dwyn froze, her shoulders tensing.

"Once upon a time, I was your friend. Though you don't seem to care about that. Why have friends when you have servants you can bully?" Then she walked off, ignoring the insults that Arthur threw at her as she walked away.