"Welcome to the Darklands" Bedivere tells Arthur as their boat makes sail towards the land. Arthur glances back to the dark skinned man before looking at Merlyn. They hold each others gaze for a moment before Arthur looks back forward.

"That's the Darklands?" Arthur questions.

"That's the entrance" Merlyn informs him moving closer to stand by his side.

"That's what all the fuss is about?" Arthur questions doubtfully.

"Don't judge on it's appearance" Merlyn warns grabbing his hand. His eyes return to hers as she squeezes his hand slightly before letting him go. He instantly misses her touch but doesn't reach out for her.

"Don't worry, you'll soon understand what the fuss is about" Bedivere reassures him with a small smirk.

"You're not sending me to my death, are you?" Arthur asks Merlyn with a small grin. Merlyn gives him a wink.

"If you were easy to kill, you wouldn't be standing here right now" Merlyn tells him. He smirks feeling a slight ego boost. "I will never give you or put you through more than you can handle, have more faith in yourself"

"Goody" Arthur mutters under his breath. Bedivere grins deeply, easily entertained by the two of them. When they reached land, Merlyn lead the two men towards the entrance.

Arthur walked behind her with the sword slung over his shoulder. He looks around at the forest surrounding them. It still didn't look like much but he took Merlyn's words to heart when she advised not to judge by appearance. 

When they arrived by the tall, standing stones Arthur stood in the middle. Bedivere stood off to the side as Merlyn slowly circled around Arthur dropping crushed stones around him as she whispers a spell. The Earth that the crushed stones land on arches as shes walks by.

"You must touch the sword to the altar stone" Merlyn orders Arthur. "Are you scared?" She questions tilting her head slightly.

"I think I can manage" Arthur says confidently. Merlyn smirks slightly knowing Arthur had no idea what he was getting into. She also knew he would survive and be different when he arrived on the other side.

"You're going to encounter very monstrous creatures on your journey" Merlyn tells him. "It's going to be a nightmare"

"Sounds like a good time to me" He grins slightly. She smiles back at him.

"Just remember to keep moving forward and to watch your back" She tells him. He nods taking in her advise. "I'll see you when you're through" She says stepping back. She whispers the end of the spell, her eyes flashing gold as the magic flows through her and around Arthur. He looks up at the rain pours on him and him alone.

"You're gonna miss me" Arthur shouts over the rain making her smirk at him. She wouldn't admit it but he did look exceedingly handsome with his hair sticking to his forehead from the rain and his head peaking out from under his hood.

"Good luck" She says before he enters to forest. She watches him until he's completely out of sight.

"We should get going" Bedivere advises. Merlyn nods in agreement following him from the entrance. "When will we know he's done?" Bedivere wonders.

"I will know" Merlyn assures him. Bedivere nods trusting her instincts. The two return to the boat and wait for Arthur to finish his journey. It took a few days for Arthur to reach the altar but once he had, Merlyn could feel the magic radiating off of Excalibur.

When morning came after feeling Excalibur, Bedivere and Merlyn traveled towards Arthur. Merlyn kept Bedivere close and knew the safest path towards the altar. When they found the future king of Camelot, he was laying on the ground unconscious. 

Merlyn kneels beside him, her heart in her throat as she searches for a pulse. She smiles and relaxes she she finds it. He groans and shifts on the ground as he senses her presence.

"Sh, easy" She whispers to him placing her hand on his forehead. "Rest, Arthur, I have you"

With Bedivere's help, the pair of them manage to get Arthur back to the boat. Not long after they set him down Arthur begins to awake. Bedivere stands back as Merlyn tends to Arthur's wounds.

"Did you see everything you needed to see?" She asks him. He looks at her, his eyes memorizing the sight of her face. He grabs her hands and holds them within his. It forced her to stop helping him but he needed her, the simple act of holding her hands kept him grounded.

"I saw enough" Arthur tells him as she willingly allows him to keep a hold of her hands. To Arthur this felt like a dream after the last few days he's had without her. "The Mage Tower. It's the same as the one in Camelot"

"The higher Vortigern builds it, the more powerful he becomes" Merlyn explains. "And when it's finished, he will have the same power of Mordred. That's why the sword has revealed itself now. Where there's poison, there's a remedy"

"What happened to your people?" Arthur questions.

"They were murdered by your uncle" Merlyn tells him. 

"It was Vortigern who has started the wars." Bedivere began gaining Arthur's attention. "He was jealous of your father's throne. So, he made a deal with Mordred that they would share power once he defeated your father. Mordred murdered the Mage King and took his staff to their sacred tower where he unlocked the dark forces of their union"

"But what they didn't account for was the sword" Merlyn speaks up. 

Arthur's gaze shifts from Bedivere to Merlyn. His eyebrows frowned slightly at the look on her face. It was obvious that this was difficult for her.

"I stole the staff. I forged Excalibur and destroyed the ancient tower. I gave it to the Lady of the Lake. She bound it to the Pendragon bloodline," Merlyn's gaze finally meets Arthur's. "Now, the sword is yours" She whispers softly. "And there's no one I would trust more with it"

Arthur holds her gaze for a moment before looking at Bedivere. Getting the silent message Bedivere walks to another part of the boat leaving the two to themselves.

"The mage king, Zacharias, took me under his wing when I was a little girl. My magic was becoming too much, too much for my parents to handle. I traveled with him for years. Learning from him, trying to impress him and become a better sorcerer. When he died, I took it very hard. When I found out he had died at the hands of a very good friend of mine, I felt betrayed"

"You were close with Mordred?" Arthur questions. Merlyn nods.

"Zacharias trained me, took me under his wing. I trained Mordred, took him under mine" Merlyn explained. "Zacharias could see the darkness in his head but I couldn't, not until it was too late. The darkness didn't just corrupt Mordred but many other mages that Zacharias and I had taught. Many people I considered friends, family. I've lost much since the death of Zacharias."

"Just because I am apart of the Pendragon bloodline doesn't mean I'm who you need me to be" Arthur says gently. "I don't want to let you down"

"You won't" Merlyn tells him confidently. "The Pendragon bloodline is the reason the sword chose you but your bloodline is not the reason you will succeed" Merlyn explains. "Your heart, your drive, your compassion and your stubbornness is how you're going to succeed"

Arthur doesn't say anything. He simply takes in the information she's told him. Merlyn felt relieved that he didn't seem to think anything less of her as he learns more about her past and her relation to Mordred.

Giving him the time to think, Merlyn wordlessly lifts his hands to her lips. The action brings him from his thoughts, his focus turning to her. She presses her lips to his hands and closes her eyes. 

Arthur watches her curiously feeling a warmth within his chest as her hands tightened around his. She pressed his hands together as if he were praying and blew on them gently.

Slowly, he could feel the fatigue leaving his body and his strength returning to him. He felt the pain leave him. His cuts healed, the swelling on his head died down.

"What kind of spell was that?" He asks her. She smiled and kisses his finger tips lightly.

"It wasn't a spell" She tells him. "Get some rest, I'll find you some food." She stands up and walks away from him. His eyes follow her for a moment before he take the bandage off his head and looks at his hands.

"Huh, that's pretty handy" He mutters to himself. He stands up and walks to the bow of the boat. Merlyn rejoins him and hands him some bread and water. "You said winning Camelot is only one step in regaining order"

"I did" Merlyn nods. "I will help you take on your uncle and regain your throne," She tells him. "And then I will take on Mordred and his allies"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" He asks her. She smiles at him.

"One step at a time" She says patting his arm. "Focus on becoming king, let me worry about the rest" She tells him. He simply hums keeping his eye on her as he bit into the bread.