Merlin 1. Chapter 1

**So here is the sequel, as promised. I had trouble finding a cut off point so sorry about the length. I just didn't want to jump into all the action just yet. Hope you enjoy!**

Merlin was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face. The sun was high in the sky and beating down on his back. It was time to shift to the next lesson, but first he needed to finish this fight.

"Wow Merlin, you are really getting good at this." Arthur said.

"I know," he replied with a laugh. "I didn't think that it was possible either." He swung the sword at Arthur again. Arthur moved to parry the attack but Merlin changed the angle of his sword and brought it to Arthur's neck. He was ecstatic; after all it was the first time since his training had begun a month ago that he had managed to do it. Arthur however just looked irritated.

Merlin sheathed the sword and backed up. "What's the matter?"

Arthur shook his head. "You used magic."  
>"No I didn't!" The whole point of this training was that Merlin would be able to handle a sword without the use of magic.<p>

Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Merlin, your eyes glowed."  
>"Oh." He thought back, trying to figure out what he had unconsciously done. "I think I might have slowed down time."<p>

"Whatever, it's okay." Arthur said. "You can clearly handle yourself, even if you can't quite beat me yet.

"I never thought you would say those words about me with a sword." Merlin said, laughing.

Arthur chuckled. "I never thought I would either."

"It's your turn." Merlin said, glancing at the sun again for the time of day.

Arthur groaned. "Do I have to?" despite his words, he was smiling.

"Now Arthur, I know you don't like it but you must study your magic." Merlin, chastised, waging a finger at the king. He too was smiling though. Arthur loved the lessons Merlin was giving him on magic. He smiled a bit wider. _He is going to love today's lesson._ "Go saddle your horse Arthur. We are going into the forest today."

At this news Arthur's smile faded. "Not another lesson on herbs!"

Merlin scowled. "Do I look like Gaius to you? You will enjoy this, I promise."

Arthur perked up at this. "Good."

They walked to the stables to find two horses already prepared for the outing. Merlin had asked a servant to get them ready earlier but hadn't really expected it to be done. It had been a month since Camelot had found out who and what he was but he wasn't yet used to his increased stature and power.

They mounted the horses and rode out of the city. Merlin was half surprised that they were allowed to leave-the new king accompanied only by a powerful sorcerer. He found it hard to believe that he was trusted so, but Arthur had made sure that he was treated with respect.

Merlin led the way and ignored Arthur's questions about what they were going to do. Finally they reached the clearing he was looking for. "We're here," he announced.

Arthur glanced around than said "Wait, this is…"

He was cut off by the roar of words that came from Merlin's throat. He jumped in surprise and his skin crawled. Merlin finished and smiled at him.

"What…was that?"

"Today you will be learning about dragons and dragonlords." Merlin explained, still smiling.

"Than that was…"

"Me calling the dragon? Yes."

"That was creepy." Arthur said with a nervous smile.

Merlin looked sheepish. "Sorry."

There was a loud flapping of wings and the pair looked up to see the dragon approach and land in the clearing.

"Hello young warlock, young Pendragon." The dragon said in greeting.

Arthur had to resist the childish urge to jump up and down shouting "You can talk! You can talk!" _You already knew that from last time. _He reminded himself.

"It's good to see you Kilgarah, especially with how short our meeting was last time." Merlin smiled at the memory.

Kilgarah chuckled as well. "The looks on the witches' faces were quite humorous." He now turned his attention to Arthur. "So my king, are you ready to learn all about my kind?"

Arthur couldn't speak so he settled upon a nod.

"You had both best sit down. This will be a long story."

…

It was hours later when Kilgarah had decided they had heard enough for one day. "Before I leave do you have any questions young Pendragon?"

Arthur, who during the entire story had sat speechless in amazement, was staring at the ground like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. "I don't have any questions. However I do have a request…of both of you."

Merlin was curious. "What is it Arthur?"

"It's just…" he hesitated, "I have never seen a fight where both sides have magic. What happened a month ago with the attack on Camelot could hardly be called a fight, since you were so much stronger. I was wondering if you, if you don't mind, could fight so I could watch?"

Merlin smiled broadly. "I'm fine with it. It would give me some much needed practice. Kilgarah?"

In answer he stood up and breathed fire at Merlin. Merlin swung up a barrier just in time and jumped to the side to avoid the flames. He gave a smirk that on some level terrified Arthur, though he shoved the feeling down. "Now it's on!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to Hurricane Irene this may be my last update for a little while. I will try to get another in before we lose power but I'm not sure I will finish it in time. Also just a warning this chapter is a complete turn around in feel from the last one. I hope it's not too sudden. Enjoy.**

**Warning: Merlin may completely lose his marbles in this chapter so expect him to be ooc.**

Merlin put a barrier around Arthur and said, "Stay there." He turned back to face Kilgarah and smirked eerily again. He held up his hand and a bolt of lightening shot out of it directly at Kilgarah. The dragon jumped into the air and just barely managed to dodge it. Arthur couldn't believe how fast the giant creature had moved.

As Merlin attacked again, a storm began to form above them, the black clouds boiling and churning with an almost conscious ferocity. Merlin set the ground below the dragon alight with white hot flames, forcing Kilgarah to fly higher and closer to the storm. He looked up at the sinister clouds in fear, making it clear to Arthur who the one creating them was. The dragon landed at the edge of the clearing to avoid the flames as well as the lightening that was now cracking and ripping through the clouds. He winced as he was forced to nock down several trees to land. Merlin created a path through the flames to get to Kilgarah His blue eyes were chips of ice as he drew his sword. _Why aren't they gold?_ Arthur wondered. _The amount of magic he is using must be extraordinary._ The golden magic may not have been behind his eyes but it was perfectly visible. The gold swirled across the surface of his skin, visible wherever his skin was.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Kilgarah questioned, the fear creeping into even his voice.

Merlin did not reply. He was still smiling that creepy smile though. That smile was so completely unlike Merlin that Arthur almost didn't recognize his friend.

The man's eyes glowed gold, and not just his irises like normal, but his entire eye. "Bregdan anwield gafeluec." He said, and his sword burst with blue energy.

Arthur recognized it as the spell Merlin said had been used to kill the griffin during his first year in Camelot. _What is he doing? _All Arthur knew for sure was that Kilgarah looked absolutely terrified. "Merlin stop!" he shouted as loud as he could, trying to make himself heard over the roar of flames and the crash of lightening.

Merlin turned to face Arthur, who was still protected by the barrier he himself had put up… and then Merlin stopped. The flames died down, the sword went back to normal, the clouds began to dissipate, no longer producing lightening, and the barrier around Arthur disappeared. The gold faded from Merlin's eyes and skin. He now looked like the Merlin Arthur knew, but he was clearly dazed and confused.

He shook his head as if trying to clear it. Arthur stood and began approaching Merlin slowly. Half of him was terrified of this sorcerer and the other half was concerned about the well being of his closest friend. Kilgarah too looked concerned now that the danger was apparently passed. He walked out of the trees and closer to Merlin, to a more comfortable position.

Arthur was now close enough to touch Merlin. He reached out his hand, but the man flinched away from him, terror in his eyes. Arthur dropped his hand, unsure of what to do.

Merlin sat heavily on the ground, clutching his head, his eyes closed. "What just happened?"

Arthur was almost happy that he didn't remember because it meant that it hadn't really been him. "You were having a mock fight with…"

Merlin cut Arthur off with a glare. "I don't need an instant replay Arthur. I don't need to live through it again. What was I thinking, why did I do that?"

The colour drained from Arthur's face. He did remember, it was Merlin who had done all that. Arthur was left with the same question Merlin had. "Why?"

Merlin shook his head again, trying to think. "It was like…I had all the power in the world, like I could bring an entire kingdom to its knees." He glanced shamefaced at Kilgarah. "I knew that I could kill even the Great Dragon with hardly a thought." Now the creepy smile came back to his face and an insane light glinted in his eyes. "I wanted to do that. Don't you see? I could destroy our enemies with ease, you and I could rule over everything, Arthur…" Arthur didn't know what else to do so he punched him, knocking him unconscious. He caught Merlin as he fell back and laid him gently onto the ground.

Arthur looked to Kilgarah, who looked as fearful as he felt. "What is wrong with him Kilgarah?

"I have no idea. He seemed fine when you first arrived. The change was so sudden." He looked deeply saddened. "There is nothing in any of the prophesies that speaks of anything like his happening. Have you noticed any changes in him, any signs that his powers might be growing or he might have less control of them?"

Arthur thought about this carefully before replying. "He said that his power has been growing steadily for a while now and as for losing control, the only indications of that have been a nightmare he had last week-when he woke up he broke the window- and today in training he used magic without realizing it."

Kilgarah frowned. "I'm not sure what to think about this. We must keep a close eye on him. I fear that his magic may be controlling him instead of the other way around. It has always been a concern really. It has happened to sorcerers with far less raw power than he."

"How is that possible? He has always been fine in the past. Are you sure it isn't a spell, someone controlling him?" Arthur questioned. He had trouble believing that this was his friend's own doing.

Kilgarah looked doubtful. "It is possible, but it would have to be an extremely powerful spell. The way he is acting, coming in and out of it and remembering everything in-between, it is inconsistent with any spell I have ever heard of."

Merlin emitted a groan and shifted. Arthur glanced down at him in worry but Kilgarah's voice made him look back up.

"But there is something that does give me hope. He was holding back. I could sense multitudes of power boiling inside him, but he didn't access it. He managed to keep some control of himself."

"No, I didn't." Merlin said, pushing himself up. "I held nothing back against you Kilgarah. I wasn't even able to try."

Kilgarah looked saddened and confused. "But I could sense it. There were volumes of magic that you didn't even touch."

Merlin pointedly ignored him and addressed Arthur. "You knocked me out."

Arthur hardened in preparation for Merlin losing it once again. "You deserved it."

Merlin didn't appear angry, but intensely focused. "Thank you." He said.

"Come along," Arthur coaxed, worried that anything might set Merlin off. "We should probably head back to Camelot and I am sure that Kilgarah could use some time to recover."

Merlin nodded and allowed himself to be led back to the horses. He hopped agilely into the saddle and waited for Arthur to mount his horse. They rode side by side as they headed back to Camelot.

"Do you want to explain what happened to you back there?" Arthur asked gently.

"I'm not entirely sure myself Arthur. It's just _the power_." That insane glint came into his eyes and Arthur worried that he might have to incapacitate him again but the man shook his head, trying to clear it and brought himself back. "This has never happened to me before Arthur and I'm scared." He admitted. "All my life I have had magic. I have never been without it. In recent years I have come to realize how much stronger I am than most but I never really gave it much thought- the prophesies, after all, predict it." He shook his head. "Recently though it is as if some part of me I didn't even know existed has realized that power inside me." Arthur could see tears threatening in his friend's eyes. "It has been whispering to me, urging me to use that power. It is getting harder and harder to ignore it Arthur. It is feeling less and less like a foreign part of me and more like I am denying myself. Then back there I let it take over. I couldn't stop it, it just happened, and _I liked it_." He pressed his hand to his forehead and took a deep breath, clearly trying to keep control of himself. "I feel like I'm going insane Arthur. I think I am losing my mind."

Arthur reached over to him and rested his hand on Merlin's, the most he could really do while they were both riding horses. "Don't worry Merlin, we will figure this out. Just try to hold on until we do."

Merlin nodded but was silent for the remainder of the ride. It was well past dark by the time they reentered Camelot. After putting the horses back into the stables and making sure they were fed Arthur escorted Merlin back to his room in Gaius' chambers. He hoped to talk to Gaius about Merlin once the man went to sleep. He did not want to trigger any more incidents that night, especially not within the city. The people were still wary of magic and the last thing that was needed was the most trusted warlock in the kingdom losing his mind and burning the place to the ground.

Arthur opened the door to Gaius' rooms and led Merlin inside. The court physician was sitting in a chair facing the door. As soon as they entered he stood up and walked over to Merlin. "Merlin, you know better than to be out so late, what were you thinking?"

Arthur could see Merlin already fighting to hold on. He tried to signal to Gaius to stop but the man clearly didn't see him.

"I expected more from you Merlin. You have great responsibilities now. You should have seen how worried everyone was when you and Arthur weren't back by sundown."

"Gaius stop!" Arthur shouted before he ran forward and wrapped Merlin in a bear hug to stop him from physically assaulting his guardian and mentor. However Arthur's move didn't stop Merlin's magic from lashing out. Merlin's eyes glowed briefly and a red line appeared across Gaius' face. It began bleeding almost immediately.

The smile was back on Merlin's face and Gaius' stepped back in fear, realizing this was not the boy he knew. "I could destroy you with naught but a thought old man," he sneered, "and you dare to chastise _me_?"

Arthur released him and began rubbing Merlin's back as he might when trying to calm down a toddler having a temper tantrum. "Merlin, stop. I need you to focus for me okay? This is Gaius. He is like a father to you. You don't want to hurt him, do you?"

Merlin grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. Arthur was able to tell when the Merlin he knew came back to him because he relaxed noticeably to the hand that was still on his back. He had an expression of intense focus and pain on his face as he reopened his eyes.

"Would you like to go to bed now?" Arthur asked gently.

Merlin nodded so Arthur slowly led him up the stairs into his own small room and helped him lay down. He pulled the sheet over him since Merlin didn't much look like he could do it himself.

"We will figure this out okay? I promise. Now you just get some rest so you will be ready for tomorrow.

Merlin nodded again so Arthur quietly left the room and shut his door. As soon as he was down the stairs Gaius grabbed his arm and led him outside of his chambers.

"You need to tell me what is wrong with Merlin," he said.

Arthur sighed heavily. "Of course Gaius, but I believe that there are others who need to hear it as well."


	3. Chapter 3

"I realize that many of you are curious as to why I called you all here, especially at such an hour." Arthur said to those gathered for this meeting.

"I'm wondering what could be so bloody important that you dragged me in from the tavern." Gwaine complained. He had his head in his hands but Arthur could tell that he had yet to have anything to drink. Perhaps that was why he was so irritable.

"It_ is_ important." Arthur said. He looked at each of them in turn; Gwaine, Lancelot, Gwen, Gaius, Percival, Leon, and Elyan. He prayed that they might understand. "It is about Merlin."

Gwaine did a complete turn-around. "What is going on with Merlin?" He leapt out of his seat, nearly knocking over the heavy wooden chair in the process. "Did something happen while you were in the forest?"

"Well sort of," Arthur hedged, "but it wasn't as if we were attacked," he added, seeing some of the looks he was receiving. "It was something that Merlin did."

Now it was Lancelot who burst out of his seat. "Arthur, I thought you were long past the fact that Merlin had magic, if this is…"

"If you would all stop interrupting and listen to the full story then you would understand." Arthur shouted, clearly at the end of his rope.

Gwaine and Lancelot returned to their seats and waited for Arthur to continue. It had always surprised Arthur how deeply loyal so many people were to Merlin. His own knights would occasionally choose the young warlock over their own king.

"This afternoon Merlin took me to Kilgarah for my magic lessons. They took a couple of hours and during the entire time Merlin seemed fine. At the end I asked Merlin and Kilgarah to hold a mock fight for me to watch." At the questioning glances he blushed a deep red and added, "I wanted to see a real magic fight." Before continuing, "The sheer amount of power Merlin has is breathtaking, but that is beside the point. I won't go into exact details but he was about to _kill_ Kilgarah when I shouted for him to stop" Everyone looked a bit disturbed while Arthur took a deep breath to calm himself before going into what Merlin had said to him.

"And what did he do?" Gaius questioned.

Arthur sighed deeply. "He stopped, but then…"

"Could it just have been a heat of the moment kind of thing?" Lancelot asked.

Arthur glared at him for cutting him off again. Lancelot only looked mildly apologetic. Arthur decided to pretend he didn't notice and continued. "Merlin seemed confused at first, unsure of why he had acted in such a way. And then he got this look on his face…it was terrifying. He told me that he could bring a kingdom to its knees, that he and I could rule everything together." Arthur left out the part where he had knocked Merlin out. "On the way back he was more like himself. He told me that a part of him had been whispering in his mind, telling him to do things. He told me he was fighting it but losing. And…he told me that he _liked_ it, that he _wanted_ to listen." The terror was clear in Arthur's voice; he was no longer able to hide it. It was that more than his words that terrified those in the room. "He said he thinks that he is going insane," he whispered, "And I think he is right."

Lancelot was still disbelieving. What if someone had tricked Arthur into believing this? It seemed just the sort of thing Morgana would try to pull. "Did anyone else see him behaving this way?"

"Well, Kilgarah obviously… and Gaius saw it as well."

Everyone's gazes focused on the old man for the first time that evening.

"Gaius, what happened to your face?" Leon questioned, seeing the cut.

Gaius refused to meet anyone's gaze. "He really isn't acting like himself," was his only explanation.

No one met another's eyes as they tried to make sense of what they had heard. Merlin was one of the kindest most good hearted people any of them knew and the idea that he attacked a man he considered a father to him was absolutely unthinkable.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen asked, looking at Arthur.

"We are going to find out what is wrong with him and fix it, but for now, I have a plan. I want one of us to be with Merlin at all times to help keep him calm and in control."

"Wouldn't having a guard be more likely to set him off?" Elyan asked.

Arthur had thought of this as well and already knew the answer. "It is a risk we will have to take. It is also the reason I am speaking with the lot of you instead of with the guards."

"And what are we to do if he does get out of control?" Percival asked.

"Try to keep the damage to a minimum and send for me. For the time being it seems I can calm him down, though I am unsure of how long even that will last."

The others nodded in nervousness but acceptance of his plan. "Do you have any idea what could be causing this?" Gwen asked, "Could it be a spell of some kind?"

"Kilgarah seemed pretty certain that it was his powers getting the better of him. I didn't want to believe that at first myself, but after talking to him… I think that we all need to realize how amazing Merlin really is. He is the most powerful sorcerer who has ever been and will ever be born. He has been able to use magic since before he could talk and prior to now he has never once shown himself to want to use it for his own ends, and even now he is fighting that urge." His words were passionate and spoken directly from his heart. He knew in that moment that he would defend his friend to the death. Gwen rushed over and laid her hand atop his to calm him. It worked until they heard the warning bells sound.

All of them ran out of the room, fearing the worst. They pounded their way into the courtyard with Arthur in the lead, still holding Guinevere's hand. What they found there could have come straight out of Arthur's nightmares.


	4. Chapter 4

Morgana had begun tracking Arthur and his pet as soon as they had left the city, looking for the perfect time to attack. As had been the usual over the last month it hadn't come. Merlin had stayed close by Arthur's side the entire time and Morgana knew that she was not strong enough to take on Emrys…at least not yet. So she had watched and waited. She now had confirmation that Merlin was a dragonlord; she and Morgause had suspected as much after the embarrassment that had been last time. It explained how the dragon was alive in the first place instead of dead as the people of Camelot had been informed. Many mysteries were explained by the fact that Merlin had magic. He had been more of an interference to their plans than either of the sisters really wanted to admit.

Morgana went about cleaning the cave that was now home while the dragon spoke. _How incredibly dull. _But when Arthur made the request for the fight she rushed back over to the bowl, as excited to see as Arthur was. It was when Merlin cast the spell on his sword that she called Morgause over. The pair watched everything that followed with ever increasing glee. It wasn't until Arthur put Merlin to bed that they finally peeled their eyes away.

"This is our opportunity sister." Morgause said. "Emrys wants to use his power. All we have to do now is convince him to come to our side."

"We should go to him now while he is still unguarded by Arthur and his pesky knights." Morgana said.

They walked back over to the scrying pool and Morgause used the image to wake Merlin up and project her voice into his mind. "Emrys, meet us in the courtyard. We have a proposition for you."

Merlin, having just been asleep, was unable to keep the power hungry side of himself from taking over. It was that part of him that got out of bed and headed for the courtyard.

"It's time to go sister." Morgause said. The two witches linked hands and teleported into the heart of Camelot, as bold as ever.

…

The others now understood Arthur's words as they entered the courtyard and were faced with the same expression on Merlin's face as Arthur had met earlier that day. It was that expression that made Arthur question whether or not it was a good thing that the two women who made up the other half of this nightmare come true were magically immobilized and pressed up against the castle walls.

The sisters did not notice the appearance of their worst enemies. They were much too focused on Merlin to notice much of anything else. "Emrys, join us. You could do anything; take what someone with your power deserves. You could make people bow to you." Morgause said.

Arthur's blood turned to ice at her words. What would he do? Merlin had already admitted that he wished to do such things. In his current state of mind, what was to stop him from joining them?

Merlin laughed in response to her words and the sound chilled Arthur as much as they had. "And why, pray tell, would I want to join you to do as you suggest?" Merlin questioned.

Morgause looked about to answer but with a hard glare and a flash of gold Merlin muted her. "I have no desire to hear any more from you. I will tell you why your offer is so ridiculous so you will not be foolish enough to bother me again. The pair of you are weak. I could do as you suggest as easily without you as I could with you. On top of it you hate me for trying to kill you," he said to Morgana. He turned to Morgause. "And therefore you hate me by extension. Besides, I already have someone in mind for a partner."

Arthur hoped that he was the only one who realized that Merlin was talking about him. He got a strange thrill at the idea but quickly fought down the feeling. Was whatever was wrong with Merlin affecting him now as well?

"Now," Merlin growled, "Get out of my sight." He teleported them away from Camelot and back to their cave. He turned to face the people he would normally consider his friends. He met Arthur's eyes and Arthur saw the struggle in them. Merlin was still fighting and that knowledge spurred Arthur into action.

"Merlin, you need to fight it, you can do this, I know you can." He encouraged.

For several tense moments no one breathed while they watched Merlin struggle with himself. A look of absolute terror came into his eyes.

"Help," he pleaded, and then he collapsed into a heap.


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin was writhing violently as Arthur and Percival laid him on his bed. Arthur had wanted to carry him by himself but the man had simply been moving too much. Arthur wanted to stay by Merlin's side but was practically dragged by the others into the main room.

"We should come up with a schedule of who will stay with him and when." Leon said, ever practical. "Who will stay with him tonight to start off?"

"Gwen and I, of course," Arthur said immediately. He realized he had volunteered Gwen without speaking to her first but when he glanced at her she nodded her assent to his statement.

Arthur stood in silence for a few moments, thinking on the situation before reaching a decision. "We should move Merlin to my chambers. He can use my bed tonight."

"Might I ask why, sire?" Gaius said.

"If someone comes in for your help tonight you wouldn't want them to hear that." He said, gesturing towards Merlin's room. "Questions will arise that none of us are prepared to answer." They listened in silence to the muttering and moans they had all been trying to ignore.

"Come on Arthur," Percival said when he could no longer stand it, "We had best move him."

…

Arthur and Gwen sat on opposite sides of the bed, their hands clasped together above Merlin's stomach.

"Thank you for watching him with me," Arthur said.

Gwen started at his words as they had both been silent for some time. "I am not doing it for you," she said gently, "Merlin is my friend too."

They were silent awhile longer. This time it was Gwen who broke it. "What if he is only pretending to fight it? What if it is the other him all the time and he is only pretending to come back to us?" she asked, finally voicing her fears.

"Don't even suggest that," Arthur said angrily, "If that is true there is no hope."

"Dark, so dark." The two focused back on Merlin. "It is so dark," he whimpered. He whispered some words too quietly for them to hear and a ball of swirling blue light appeared over their heads.

Arthur stared at the familiar looking orb for a few seconds before it hit him where he had seen it before. "It was him!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"What?" Gwen asked, confused by his sudden outburst.

"Do you remember when Merlin was poisoned by drinking from that chalice?" Arthur asked.

Gwen nodded in mild surprise. That had been so long ago…

"When I was in the cave trying to get the cure, an orb of light guided me to safety. That one." He pointed at the orb hovering above them.

"We still aren't sure of everything he has done for us." Gwen said. "There are so many incidents that we probably barely even remember where he saved us all."

Arthur nodded in agreement. Merlin had thus far refused to tell them about everything he had done for them over the years. Sure, he explained when a particular incident came up in conversation, but he refused to tell them every single incident. It was infuriating.

"So dark," Merlin whimpered again. Gwen and Arthur each grabbed one of his hands. "Please, help." His grip tightened around their hands to a painful level. Gwen tried to pull hers away but was unable to. Merlin's eyes opened. They were glowing a brilliant gold and Arthur and Gwen both found that they couldn't look away from his gaze. Arthur began to get a headache and he suddenly became very dizzy. The room began to fall away around him and suddenly he was falling through darkness, both Merlin and Guinevere gone. His body struck stone _hard._ He looked down, expecting to see the floor of his chambers but instead saw nothing but inky blackness below him. He flailed his arms uselessly, worried that he would suddenly start falling again. After a few moments he stopped and felt the ground around him. Although he still couldn't see it, it was solid and perfectly smooth, impossibly smooth. He tried to stand up, something that isn't easy to do when you can't see anything but darkness. Your mind realizes your eyes are open so it tries to balance based on them. It simply doesn't work, you are almost better off closing your eyes.

"Gwen?" he called out, hoping his betrothed was somewhere nearby. Perhaps he was blind and that was why everything was darkness, but no, he could see himself, his hands and his feet were as clear to his eyes as if he were standing in full daylight.

"Arthur?" Gwen's voice called from the darkness.

"Gwen!" Arthur shouted excitedly. Suddenly she was there, with him in the darkness and just as easy to see. He rushed over to her and they embraced. There were tears on her cheeks, but she was putting on a brave face.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I don't know. The last thing I remember we were in the room with…Merlin!" he shouted, spotting the warlock. The man was facing away from them, sitting on the there-but-not-there-ground with his arms wrapped around his knees. Gwen and Arthur hurried over to him. "Merlin?" Arthur said, but the man gave no sign of hearing him. Arthur circled around him, Gwen close at his heels, and knelt before him. "Merlin?" he said again.

Merlin opened his eyes and looked at Gwen and Arthur. "What are you doing here?" He sounded almost angry.

"I think you brought us here." Gwen said.

Merlin sighed heavily and looked as if he didn't believe her but wasn't in the mood for argument. He stood up and they followed. He was silent for a long while and finally Arthur couldn't stand it any more. "What is this place?" he asked.

"This," Merlin said as though it should be obvious, "is my darkness."


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you mean it's your darkness?" Arthur asked. Merlin was not making any sense and he looked, well, different than normal. Not in the crazy way but in a way that was oddly familiar. Arthur just couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"I mean," Merlin said, sounding mildly exasperated, "that it is the darkness that exists in everyone's mind between the waking and the dreaming state. Normally you pass through this seamlessly and in seconds. For a reason I would rather not explain we are currently stuck here. Thus, as I said before, this is my darkness."

While he explained, Arthur realized what looked different about him. It was his eyes. The eyes themselves were the same, but they looked old, wise. They looked the way they sometimes did when Merlin was telling him something very crucial or giving him very good advice. It was when he looked like this that Arthur had no trouble believing that he was the most powerful warlock in the land. Arthur also realized something else. Since he was in Merlin's mind, what he was looking at was the true, purest form of Merlin. It scared Arthur, because he saw almost nothing of the goofy manservant he had known all these years in this man. Was so much of what everyone saw of him really just an act?

"Is something the matter Arthur?" Merlin asked, tilting his head to one side.

"What? No, no I'm fine. Everything is fine."

Once again Merlin didn't seem to have the desire to question something he clearly knew was off. "You should leave." He said abruptly.

"What?" Gwen asked.

"You should leave before _it_ comes back."

"Before what comes back, Merlin?" Arthur asked gently.

He ignored his question. "The fact that we are trapped in the darkness means that _it_ will be coming soon. It is…unpleasant to see. You should leave."

"We aren't leaving you, Merlin." Gwen said resolutely.

Merlin didn't respond to this as seconds later his eyes, which had up to this point been hard, betraying no emotion whatsoever, were filled with an awful terror, the kind of real fear that you see only rarely and once you do hope you will never see again. "_It_'s almost here," he said, half to himself. "You must leave _now_!"

Arthur set his jaw. "No."

"Then I am sorry for what is about to happen," he said simply.

It was then that it came. Arthur felt it when it arrived. Merlin had said that a voice was speaking to him. Arthur knew now why he had said it that way. There was no other way to describe it that he would have understood at the time, but what came to them then, it was more than just a voice. It was emotions, ideas, and it was also whispers, scents, feelings, tastes. It was everything and it was nothing. Arthur felt the same thrill as he had earlier in the courtyard except stronger this time, undeniable. He now knew exactly how Merlin felt. The voice was telling him to do things he would normally never consider, but the way it _felt_! He wanted to listen. He had to listen.

…

Gwen didn't know what to do. She had felt something _other_ enter the darkness with them and then something had happened to Arthur and Merlin. _It_ terrified her. Arthur and Merlin had seemed normal-at least as normal as these past few hours had allowed-one minute, with Merlin looking terrified and Arthur concerned, but then…_it_ had started speaking. She could hear _it,_ alright, but _it_ wasn't speaking to her. _It_ was speaking to her best friend and to the love of her life and _it_ was changing them.

Both of them wore that same expression Merlin had had on earlier in the courtyard, but it was worse even then that. It was worse because under the insanity in their eyes, she could see…nothing. There was no fight, no disgust at what they were hearing, not even a ghost of the men she knew so well. She had to do something.

She had to do something, but what. How could she bring them back? Which one should she try first? _Merlin, _she decided, _I'll try to bring Merlin back. He has been fighting this off for weeks so he's probably more likely to break free than Arthur._ Hesitantly, she walked over to Merlin. With each step closer the urge to turn on her heels and run as far away as possible grew stronger. She had to remind herself just how much the two of them meant to her just to keep herself moving.

That was when the darkness disappeared. All of a sudden they were standing outside a castle. She didn't recognize it, but then King Caerleon walked out of the castle. He had visited Camelot several months ago and she recognized him. _This must be his kingdom. _She realized. Arthur and Merlin appeared and began stalking menacingly towards the king, hate in their eyes. It wasn't the real Arthur and Merlin, neither of them had moved and they were watching the scene, just as she was.

"Arthur! Merlin! How nice of you to pay my kingdom a visit!" the king sounded nervous, scared even.

Arthur drew his sword and Gwen recognized it. It wasn't the one he usually carried. Her father had made it and Merlin had taken it for something years ago. Magic was crackling around Merlin's fingers as Arthur addressed the king. "You are unfit to rule. We are removing you from power," Arthur said. "This kingdom is now part of Camelot."

Soldiers ran forward to battle Arthur and Merlin but the pair cut through them with a terrifying ease. Soon Caerleon was dead and the castle was burning. The scene moved on to another kingdom where the same was repeated and so on.

Gwen couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. Why were Arthur and Merlin attacking another kingdom? Why were they seeking more power, something that, prior to today, neither of them really seemed to want? What, if anything, had Caerleon done to deserve this?

She tried to ignore the scenes unfolding around her while she went back to trying to bring the two men back to themselves. She placed her hand on Merlin's shoulder but he showed no signs of noticing it. "Merlin!" she said loudly, trying to make herself heard over the voice. "Merlin, this isn't you. You would never do something like this. You are a good person and you try to help people. Merlin, listen to me, talk to me, come back to me." Her voice cracked at the end, but she only received a flicker of recognition before he was gone again.

With a defeated sigh she turned her back on Merlin and tried Arthur. "Arthur, please come back to me. You can fight this, I know you can." Nothing. She changed tactic. "Arthur, I love you." There was a definite flicker and a small amount of fight before he went back to the crazed expression. She had to gather her courage before she used the last thing she had up her sleeve. He didn't look anything like the man she knew and that made it hard, but it might be the only way to bring him back.

She kissed him. It was hard to say just how excited she was when he kissed her back. They fell over onto the ground, Arthur cushioning her fall. "I love you," he whispered. When she looked into his eyes she could tell that he was back. "I'm sorry," he breathed.

"You need to tell me what the heck is going one here," she said. She glanced at Merlin. "But first you need to bring Merlin back."

He gave a quick nod and helped her to her feet. "Merlin," he said, "we must bide our time. Don't worry, they will pay."

There was barely contained rage in his eyes and the fear that had briefly retreated reentered Gwen's heart like a knife. Despite Arthur's terrifying expression, he did manage to bring Merlin back.

"I'm sorry Gwen, but I did warn you," Merlin's words were cold, without a hint of remorse.

Arthur and Merlin turned away from her to watch the new scene that was unfolding around them. It was the same as the ones previous, but Gwen didn't recognize the king or kingdom this time around. Arthur and Merlin watched in silence. Arthur's mouth turned up into a smirk as the castle began burning. It was then that Gwen knew that the two people in front of her were complete strangers. They were not Arthur and Merlin. However, the real men might be in there somewhere. She had to try. She couldn't just give up.

"Why do you enjoy this? It is wrong to punish these people for no sensible reason other than your own enjoyment." she said, her voice breaking.

The fury came back into Arthur's eyes. "After everything they did, after all the pain they caused Camelot, how could you possibly defend them Gwen?"

"What, what did they do?" Gwen asked. She had no idea what was going on. Maybe there was a reason for all of this. If she could just get them to explain…

"They didn't send help. After everything that had happened they refused to send even a single soldier to help our cause." Arthur said.

Could Merlin and Arthur have been tricked into believing something that never even happened? Is that what was causing all this? "What happened? What was our cause?"

Arthur and Merlin both looked confused. "But I…I know that…why can't I…why can't I remember?" Merlin stuttered out.

Gwen seized her opportunity. "Neither of you would ever do that. You would never hurt anyone unless it was in defense of Camelot. Think about all the times you have protected Camelot."

The two still looked confused, but more like their usual selves. She kept going with it. "Merlin, just think of everything you have done for Camelot over the years. Most of it no one even knows about."

The scene around them changed. Gwen was happy it did. The battles had really been scaring her more than she wanted to admit. When the next scene began unfolding for them though, she gasped in surprise and joy. Finally she might get to see it…


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I took so long updating. Things have been a bit hectic since school began. My updates will be sporadic but they will come, promise. Thank you to all those who are reading this. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Lo and behold, chapter seven!**

They were standing in Gaius' chambers and if Arthur's memory was serving him well it was around five and a half years ago, right about the time Merlin had first arrived in Camelot. Gaius was standing on a platform looking at books when Merlin-five years younger than the one standing next to him- walked into the room. Gaius turned and fell through the rail and Arthur and Gwen watched in fascination as Merlin saved him with magic, moving a bed to catch him. The scene continued on as Gaius questioned Merlin.

"You saved Gaius' life the first time you met him?" Arthur asked, chuckling in disbelief.

Merlin's eyes were scrunched closed as if he didn't want to watch, didn't want to relive the past. "Um, yeah, yeah I did." he muttered.

The scene spun to a new one. It was Merlin's fight in the market with Arthur. "Wait a minute, I remember this!" Arthur said. He watched as the scene unfolded. "You used magic during that?"

Merlin nodded, eyes still closed. "I've used magic quite a bit. It has been over five years after all." It was clear he did not wish to say more.

Arthur and Gwen watched the scenes change over and over, showing every time Merlin had used magic since coming to Camelot. It took a long time to get through them all. Arthur had frequently wanted to comment but Gwen would squeeze his hand in reminder and he would hold his tongue. Obviously Merlin did not want to see many of these memories again. It wasn't until they got farther in and saw things like Merlin poisoning Morgana, freeing Kilgarah, and losing Freya and Balinor that Arthur began to understand. Merlin had a lot of dark and painful memories that he kept bottled up and hidden away.

The memories finally ended with Merlin stopping the cup that Uther had thrown at him in midair. They knew everything that had happened after that already.

Gwen had tears rolling down her cheeks as she turned to face Merlin. He opened his eyes to look at them now that they had seen, well everything. He looked nervous but Gwen wasn't sure why. "Merlin, you have done so much for us, all of us, everyone in Camelot, even while the very people you were helping would have killed you. You are amazing."

The shock was clear on Merlin's face. "You don't hate me?"

"Why would we hate you, Merlin?" Arthur asked honestly.

One immediately came to mind. "Morgana," he said.

Arthur sighed heavily. He had to admit that that memory had indeed disturbed him, but still… "You only did what you thought was necessary to protect Camelot."

"Perhaps but still…" he gasped in surprise and suddenly they were all back in Arthur's chambers. Gwaine had his hand on Merlin's shoulder from shaking him awake.

Gwaine pulled back and stiffened. "Okay that was freaky."

Late morning sunshine was spilling in the room through the open window and the coals of the fire had long since darkened to black. Much time had passed since they had entered Merlin's dream and everyone was probably wondering where they were. It certainly explained why Gwaine had come to wake them up.

"What were you all doing?" Gwaine asked. He had been unable to wake either Arthur or Gwen when he had come into the room. They had both been completely limp. He hadn't had much hope when he shook Merlin. He had been genuinely worried that something might have happened to them. However, when he had shook Merlin he had awakened, and so had Arthur and Gwen all at the same time. He wasn't used to this magic thing yet but it could do some cool stuff when it wasn't trying to kill them or destroy Camelot.

"Am I needed somewhere?" Arthur asked, dodging the question. It didn't bother Gwaine as he would probably find out later if it was important.

"No, I had merely come to see if Merlin wanted to come to the training fields with me. You may have gotten a chance to fight him, my lord, but I haven't had a go at him yet."

Arthur knew the true meaning of this statement. Gwaine had come to relieve him of Merlin watching duties. Unfortunately for them both, Merlin was no fool. He knew exactly what was going on. "I don't need a guard." His words were harsh and cold. It wasn't as bad as the day prior but still wasn't exactly Merlin.

"We just want to make sure there is someone there to help you stay calm." Arthur explained gently.

The meaning of Merlin's look was clear. It said, "If I need a guard then so do you."

Arthur's look was just as clear, "Perhaps," it said, "but I'm not the one with magic. I can go on a rampage with a sword. You could tear the entire castle down with a thought."

Gwen watched this exchange with an ever increasing worry. They were better than they had been, but they weren't okay yet and they both knew it. Gwaine wasn't sure what to make of what was going on. Clearly something had happened, but what?

"Gwen, do you mind staying with me today?" Arthur asked, his gaze not breaking from Merlin's.

"Of course," she answered so quickly that Gwaine raised an eyebrow. Clearly she was in on it too. Not a surprise really, but now he felt worse about being left out of whatever was going on.

Merlin continued to hold Arthur's gaze as he said, "Come Gwaine, I think we should go a round together. Maybe it will help me blow off some steam."

Gwaine didn't comment as Merlin and Arthur finally looked away from each other. Merlin got up and washed his face in a bowl of lukewarm water that was still sitting on the table from the previous night, having gone unused with everything that was happening. Merlin pulled on the mail shirt that someone had thought to bring to the room when they had carried him there and put on his sword belt. Gwen wasn't sure it was a sight she would ever get used to.

Merlin had become more and more of a warrior since his magic had been revealed. Finally being able to fight in the open, he had quickly become a valued warrior and had begun being trained as such. Gwen however still remembered the servant who had stood up to Arthur on his first day in Camelot, who had been her friend and her confident all these years. It seemed somehow wrong to see him in armour, and yet it somehow fit him.

Gwaine and Merlin walked out of the room together and through the busy corridors outside to the training fields. Merlin had been unusually quiet the entire time and Gwaine was beginning to find it eerie. Normally Merlin was full of energy. He was happy, gleeful, chatty, at the very least mildly irritable and sarcastic, but today he wasn't any of those things. Gwaine almost didn't recognize this cold and silent man walking next to him. He only hoped that the normal Merlin would soon be back. As far as he could tell, Merlin was at least better than yesterday. He could only hope that the progress would continue.

Several of the knights were there and they stopped what they were doing to watch in interest as Gwaine and Merlin drew their swords and faced each other.

Gwaine attacked first, trying to test the waters. Merlin easily parried and set in on a furious attack that Gwaine struggled to block. As they exchanged blows Merlin's somber mood seemed to lift and he smiled, looking more and more like his usual self. It was this happiness in Merlin's eyes that Gwaine would later blame for his own stupidity. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and operating on a rush of adrenaline generated by the intense fight. Riding on this energy he said, "Wow, Merlin, I can't believe Arthur couldn't beat you. Who taught you to fight, your mother?"

The change in Merlin was instantaneous. He happy eyes darkened to an impossible level and his face twisted in rage. He angled his sword to flash the midday light directly into Gwaine's eyes, blinding him and leaving him open to attack. He slashed down with the sword and cut a long, deep slice from Gwaine left shoulder to his elbow. Gwaine cried out in surprise and pain as the wound began spurting bright crimson. Merlin came back to as senses as quickly as they had gone and dropped his sword, rushing forward to grab Gwaine's arm.

The other knights quickly surrounded them and tried to pull Merlin away but he said the words of the spell as fast as he could and the wound slowly began to knit itself closed. Seeing that he intended Gwaine no more harm, the knights let him go so that he could continue healing his friend in relative peace.

He finished the job quickly, but he still hadn't fully recovered from his fight with Kilgarah yesterday or dragging Arthur and Gwen into his dream last night so the effort exhausted him. He knelt down before the knight and stared resolutely at the ground. Gwaine knelt down so they were eye level. The bright sunlight was glinting off of Merlin's raven hair, but his eyes lacked their usual spark. The two blue stones were dark and troubled. Looking into those eyes made Gwaine want to do nothing more than offer comfort to Merlin.

"Are you okay Merlin?" His question received no reply. "Thank you for healing my arm." Merlin's expression was clear. He didn't deserve thanks when he had caused the injury in the first place. Gwaine sighed heavily, struck by how confusing and illogical the whole situation was. "We will find a way to fix this Merlin."

Merlin's eyes said that he didn't believe him, but he didn't argue. He had no doubt they would try, especially once they realized their king was in the same situation. They were his friends and they would go to the ends of the earth to try to find a solution, but Merlin simply doubted that one existed.

There was something he wanted to do however and he had best do it when he and Arthur were both in full control. Since he had awoken the voice had been easier to keep at bay but he didn't know how long it would last. He didn't even know why he had suddenly attacked Gwaine so viciously. However, as he thought about what he and Arthur were going to do he smiled a real, genuine smile. "Let's go find Arthur, he and I will be going on a short journey outside the castle."

Gwaine gave him a look that said he didn't think it was a good idea, but he walked with Merlin back into the castle to find Arthur without a word of argument.


	8. Chapter 8

"So are you going to tell me where the heck we are going?" Arthur asked. They were riding through the early afternoon forest about a mile outside of Camelot. The bright sunlight barely made it through the layers of leaves so they were both covered in heavy shadows. Something about this path looked familiar to Arthur but he couldn't quite place it. They never rode this way on patrols so he wasn't very familiar with the area.

"Nope," Merlin answered. That was the most he had said since they had left the castle, but he seemed to be in a good mood so Arthur let it slide.

Arthur sighed heavily. At least out here in the forest he wasn't receiving worried glances from Gwen every few seconds. He couldn't deny that she had reason to worry, but it was still irritating.

Merlin suddenly pulled on his horse's reins, bringing the beast to a halt. "We're here."

Arthur stopped and took in the scene around him. They were on the shore of a large lake and mountains were visible in the distance. Arthur vaguely recognized it, more from Merlin's memories than his own. "Isn't this where those shi tried to kill me?" he asked.

Merlin nodded and dismounted from his horse, tying its reins to a tree limb.

"And where you hid Excalibur the first time?" he asked.

Merlin nodded again and walked towards the lake's shore. He walked into the water up to his mid shin.

"And where you burned the body of…"

A woman rose from the lake and began walking towards Merlin along its surface. Merlin said her name on a breath. "Freya…" Her dark hair blew around her in a non-existent wind and she wore a red dress. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and despite having come out of the lake she was bone-dry.

"Merlin," she said. He picked her up and spun her around. Arthur could see the tears glistening on his cheeks.

"I never thought I would see you again, at least not until…" Merlin said into her hair. His chin was resting on her shoulder and they were holding each other close. Arthur felt like an intruder on the tender moment. After holding her awhile Merlin loosened the embrace and said, "Freya, I want you to finally properly meet someone." He turned slightly to look at Arthur.

"Pendragon," was all Freya said to address him.

Arthur felt extremely uncomfortable, knowing it had been him who killed her, but put on his best face. She was important to Merlin so he would make an honest effort. "Freya, it is a pleasure to meet you. I understand you are very special to Merlin."

Freya broke into a grin. "There is no need to be so formal Arthur. I know you are a good man and I know you care about Merlin, so as far as I am concerned there should be no problems between us, no matter what happened in the past."

Merlin smiled, happy that things were settled between the two of them. Freya turned to hug Merlin again but after holding him for a time she pulled back with a strange expression. It was somewhere between confused and concerned.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, why?" Merlin asked confused. He actually felt the best he had in weeks, aside from the fact that he was exhausted. The voice was buried deep and well under control.

"Your magic…"

Merlin laughed. "Oh, that. I am exhausted. I got into a fight with the Great Dragon, fought with and teleported away two witches, and then accidentally pulled two people into my dreams. I should be fine in a few days."

Now Freya looked concerned. "Merlin you have plenty of magic. I can feel it bubbling just beneath your skin. Your entire being is vibrating with it."

"What are you talking about? I am exhausted and I certainly know my own magic."

Freya looked to Arthur for support. "Kilgarah said the same thing about your magic," he reminded him.

Merlin winced suddenly and wobbled a bit before saying. "I honestly don't know what you are referring to, Freya. I don't feel this magic that you are talking about at all."

He winced again and put a hand to his head. "Are you okay?" Freya asked, unsure of what was going on now.

"It's…" Merlin grimaced and closed his eyes, sucking in a breath between his teeth.

Sudden understanding flashed in Freya's eyes. "Arthur, come over here. Be ready to catch him."

Within moments Merlin collapsed and Arthur broke his fall. After laying his friend gently on the ground he asked Freya, "What is going on with him now?"

Freya ignored the implication of the question and answered simply, "He is having a premonition of the future."

"He can see the future?" Arthur asked. What Arthur didn't know was that Merlin's journey into the crystal cave was not among the memories that he had seen. He was aware of what transpired before and after but not of Merlin seeing the future itself.

"He never told you?" Freya asked, clearly surprised at his lack of knowledge.

Arthur shook his head and looked down at Merlin in concern. "He doesn't like to talk about his powers." Was it normal for him to be in so much pain when he had these visions?

Suddenly Merlin opened his eyes. "Oh thank goodness…" Arthur began, but before he could even finish his statement Merlin said "I'm sorry Freya, but we have to go," and dragged Arthur back over to the horses. Merlin teleported them back to Camelot; two people and two horses. Arthur was impressed that Merlin didn't collapse when they appeared in the middle of the training grounds. Without hesitation Merlin ran over to where many of the knights were (luckily) standing and grabbed Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, and Leon. He dragged them all over to the nearby stables and grabbed horses for them all, ignoring every question thrown at him as he did. Finally he gathered them all around him and when Arthur realized what he was going to do he tried to stop him. "Merlin, don't! You will kill yourself!" Merlin ignored him, a determined light shining in his eyes, and did what Arthur had most feared; he teleported all of them- seven men and seven horses.

Arthur was glad to see that when they arrived at their destination Merlin was still alive and, even more impossibly, still standing. _He should be dead. Even powerful sorcerers can rarely transport more than one other person with them, and he just managed thirteen besides himself._

"Merlin, what is going on?" Arthur asked.

Merlin was already running away from them towards a small village visible just beyond the edge of the trees. He called behind him, his voice almost lost on the wind, "My mother, Arthur. Morgana is going to take my mother."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it took so long to get this up. School has been a bit crazy of late. Hopefully it is some consolation that this is the longest chapter yet. I apologize in advance if the writing gets a bit weird. I have been reading a lot of puritan speeches in school and it has been messing with the way I write. I am hoping to update more often but unfortunately I can make no promises. Thank you to all those who alerted/favored/reviewed (especially princessmalia, Curly Wurly Me, and RubyAB who I didn't get the chance to respond to). Also Merlin starts October 1!, I'm not sure I can wait another 4 months for it to play in the US. :(**

**Okay, obnoxiously long author's note over. On with the fic!**

Arthur ran after Merlin, now understanding his friend's distress. He had to run at a sprint just to keep up with him. Arthur saw no one as he ran into the small village but he could hear the sounds of a fight in the distance. It wasn't until he and Merlin turned onto the narrow dirt road that ran through the center of town that they saw what was happening.

There were a number of villagers trying to hold off a number of exhausted looking mercenaries. Merlin ran forward and drew his sword. With a shout he beheaded one of the mercenaries.

Arthur pushed down his shock and kept moving, trying to get into a position where he might help, but that didn't stop his mind from spinning. Merlin had just killed someone without a moment of hesitation. Sure, Merlin had killed before, but not like that- sneaking up from behind so that the person couldn't even defend themselves.

Merlin turned on the man who had been fighting the mercenary and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Where is Hunith?"

The man was too shocked to formulate an answer.

"Where is Hunith? Where is my mother?" he demanded, a madness tinted rage glinting in his blue eyes.

Recognition came to the villager. "Merlin…" Merlin's grip tightened and the madness grew stronger. Arthur prepared to step in and stop him before he hurt the man, but it was unnecessary as the man saw the madness too. "She was taken… by a woman who called herself Morgana."

Merlin let out a cry of rage and made as if to attack all the remaining mercenaries who were now gathering together to defend themselves en masse, and possibly the villagers and knights while he was at it. Luckily for everyone the other knights had finally caught up. Percival grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. It was lucky that it was Percival who seized him, for even he had trouble keeping hold of Merlin amid his frantic thrashing. Soon Leon and Elyan were forced to seize him as well.

Arthur and Lancelot leapt forward to dispatch the mercenaries by flashing swords, a way that was likely far more kind than what Merlin had intended. Arthur heard the low hiss of foreign words as Merlin began to spin an enchantment. Forgetting all of his training in the sudden panic of what Merlin was going to do, he turned his back on the enemy to look at Merlin.

Gwaine, thinking quickly, clamped his hand around Merlin's mouth and hoped against hope that it was a complicated enough spell that Merlin couldn't do it without the incantation.

"Youch!" Gwaine cried out.

"What's wrong?" Percival grunted, still struggling to hold the surprisingly strong warlock in place.

"He bit me!" The expression on his face would have been funny under any other circumstances.

Arthur had to choke down the insane laugh that had been about to escape his lips. He didn't know what to do or how to react to what was going on. He was terrified. He was enraged. He wanted to kiss Gwen and comfort Merlin. He wanted to flay Morgana and bathe in her blood. He wanted to cry himself into oblivion and he wanted to scream so the heavens could hear it. He felt like he was about to explode. He felt like the world was falling apart around him. He felt…pain. He felt real tangible pain.

In a sort of confused haze he looked down at his arm. Blood was oozing rapidly from the long, straight slice in his flesh. The wound was very deep and would need attention quite soon. Without really registering it he saw Lancelot move in on the mercenary who had attacked him.

Seeing the crimson flow on his friend's arm, Merlin struggled all the harder against the vise like hold the knights had on him but was still unable to break free. His eyes flashed a brilliant gold. Seeing this, Gwaine's eyes widened in surprise. It was the only warning Percival, Elyan, and Leon received before the four of them went flying through the air and hit the hard packed dirt with loud thumps and pained groans.

Merlin ran to Arthur and began to examine the wound. "Foolish King, you know better than to turn your back on an enemy."

The words were ordinary but his voice was strained with the pain of his mother being kidnapped, by Morgana no less, the woman who had once defied the king to save this very village.

"Behind you!" Arthur warned.

Without hesitation, and with astonishing speed, Merlin's eyes glowed gold, he drew his sword, and drove it behind him straight through his would be assailant's stomach. A bubbling, gurgling sound escaped the mercenary's throat as he struggled for breath. He crumpled to the ground and died quickly.

"How did you do that?" Arthur asked in a mix of awe and fear at was his friend was quickly becoming.

"Slowed down time," was the extent of his response. His shoulders were slumped slightly, but his eyes were determined.

A cry broke the odd silence that had developed once Merlin had killed the mercenary. Arthur and Merlin turned and saw the sword being pulled out of Gwaine's lower back, slick with his blood. The sword had gone clean through him, leaving the wound open on his front as well. Gwaine fell face first into the blood soaked dirt and the expressionless mercenary moved in for the kill.

The mercenary who injured Gwaine and all the others who were still alive suddenly stiffened and straightened. Arthur looked to Merlin in surprise. The warlock's eyes were again glowing and his hand was outstretched, curled into a fist. Despite this show of power Arthur could tell that the man was exhausted. He was hiding it pretty well behind the rush of adrenaline and spinning emotions from his mother's kidnapping that he was running on, but he could still see it. It was hidden in the slump of the man's shoulders, in the glaze over his eyes, it was in the heavy breathing and the occasional tremble running through his body. It was well hidden, but it was there.

…

Merlin was ready to drop. His magic was essentially used up; something that should have happened ages ago. He couldn't give up though, he had to keep fighting for the others, for Gwaine who was even now bleeding to death on the ground. He already had the mercenaries under his control. All he had to do was finish them. He took a deep breath and gathered together as much of his remaining magic as he could. With a flick of his wrist all of their heads snapped sharply to the side with loud cracks. They crumpled to the ground as one and lay completely still. They had been dead before they hit the ground. Merlin glanced only briefly at Arthur before stumbling over to Gwaine, but he could see that Arthur was disturbed by him killing nearly a dozen defenseless men. He didn't have time for that now though. First, he had to take care of Gwaine.

He fell to his knees next to the injured knight, his legs no longer having the strength to support him. He was quickly growing numb and could not even feel the hard ground against his knees. It was a struggle just to fight off the black spots that were threatening to completely darken his vision.

He held his hand out over the wound and searched himself for anything, anything at all that he could use to help Gwaine.

"Merlin, stop!" He heard the shout only faintly so he was able to easily ignore it. He continued to search for power, any power, to fuel the healing spell.

"Merlin!" He was pulled half around to face Arthur. Arthur's hand was still on his shoulder, but he couldn't feel it there. "Merlin, don't do this," Arthur pleaded.

"If I don't, he will die," he replied in a monotone. He was so numb, he could barely focus.

"But if you do, _you_ will," Arthur said.

Merlin turned back to Gwaine, closed his eyes, and focused. That was when he felt it. The magic was boiling and rolling inside him. How could he have not felt it before? The power was immense. All he had to do was figure out how to access it…

…

Arthur didn't know what to do. Merlin was going to sacrifice himself for Gwaine. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but when faced with the choice of which man he wanted to live, he knew what his choice would be without hesitation. At the same time though, he couldn't really do anything about it. It was Merlin's choice, whether he agreed with it or not.

"Arthur," there was an excitement in his voice, a sense of awe that Arthur didn't understand. "Arthur, I can feel it."

"Feel what Merlin?" he asked, praying that the answer wouldn't be something like 'death' or 'the end'.

"The magic. The magic that Kilgarah and Freya were talking about, I can feel it. I just have to…" Arthur watched in awe as Merlin's eyes glowed a brighter gold than he had ever seen. A golden energy began swirling across his skin as it had during his fight with Kilgarah. He reached his hand over Gwaine's still bleeding wound. His hand was shaking and he was grimacing with the struggle to control the vast amount of magic he had not even known existed until mere moments ago. The wound began to slowly knit itself back together but suddenly Merlin froze. It was as if he was a statue.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, uncertain of what was wrong.

Merlin screamed in pain and the next thing Arthur knew he had slammed his back into the wall of a house. After he stopped seeing stars he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. All the knights and villagers who had been standing or squatting around Gwaine's prone form had been thrown through the air until they had hit any number of hard objects as had happened to Arthur. Merlin was still next to Gwaine, but he was lying on the ground, not moving a muscle.

With a shock Arthur realized that the wild emotions that had been reeking havoc mere moments before were for the most part gone. He must have been siphoning them off from Merlin, perhaps because of last night?

Arthur slowly got to his feet, his entire body protesting at the movement, and walked over to Merlin and Gwaine. He knelt once more by Merlin's side and sighed in relief when he saw the man was still breathing. Next he turned to Gwaine. He hoped that Merlin had healed the knight enough to get him back to Camelot to be treated. When he looked at Gwaine's back though he became confused. The bleeding seemed to have stopped entirely. As carefully as he could manage, he pulled back the blood soaked fabric from the wound to find…smooth skin. The wound was entirely healed. He rolled over Gwaine so that the man was lying on his back. And found that the spot where the sword had exited was just the same. He suddenly realized that the pain in his own arm was gone as well. He looked down at it to find that it too completely healed, just the same as Gwaine's.

Most of the others who had been thrown were now getting up with moans and groans and beginning to wander over. Arthur gestured to Percival for him to hurry. "Could you please pick Gwaine up? We need to get him and Merlin back to Camelot as soon as possible." Gwaine's wound may have been healed, but he likely had a concussion from the fall which was why he had yet to awaken. Percival nodded, carefully lifted Gwaine, and began carrying him back to where they had left the horses.

Arthur looked back down at Merlin. The man still hadn't moved. The only sign that he was still alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest. As gently as humanly possible, Arthur put his arms under Merlin and picked that man up. He head flopped backwards and Arthur froze for a moment before rising to his feet. He turned away from the village and began to follow Percival back to the horses.

"Get that damned sorcerer out of this village and keep him out!" one of the villagers called after him.

With a gentleness that shouldn't have been possible through the sudden burning rage that Arthur felt, he handed Merlin to Elyan and turned slowly to face the villagers. "What did you just say?"

A man stepped forward from the small crowd. "We don't want no sorcerers in Ealdor, nothing but a lot of trouble they are!"

Arthur laughed. "He just saved your village!"

"That bastard is the reason we were all attacked in the first place. Hunith's son," he spit of the ground, "we shoulda known that bastard was a blasted sorcerer. If we'da realized it when your father was king we coulda gotten a pretty penny for turnin 'im in."

Arthur rushed the man and knocked him onto the ground. He held his sword to the man's throat. The man gulped and his eyes went wide with fear. Arthur pressed the sword just a little harder and drew a trickle of blood. He wanted to kill the man but that bit of sanity he had developed to combat the voice told him not to. "I should kill you for saying such a thing," he hissed. "And if I ever hear a report of prejudice against sorcerers from this village again, I will." He got off the man and re-sheathed his sword. "Merlin is the best man I have ever known and he has only ever protected this kingdom. The reason his mother was taken was because he saved all of you from the witch Morgana in the first place."

He turned his back on the stunned villagers and walked back over to where his knights were waiting. Without a word he took Merlin from Elyan and walked out of the village. The most important thing now was to get Merlin to Gaius.


	10. Chapter 10

**As per usual thank you to all who alert/favorite/review. Seeing them in my inbox always makes me smile.**

With Elyan's help, Arthur managed to get Merlin onto his horse without too much jostling. He carefully tied the man's legs to the saddle to keep him from falling off. He released Merlin and took a step back, inspecting his work. He saw with some apprehension the way Merlin's limp body flopped when he wasn't supporting it, so just to be safe he tied Merlin's hands to the saddle as well. He tied Merlin's horse to his own and then mounted himself. He did not have to wait long for the others to get ready so soon they were off.

They rode as fast as they could on their nearly fresh horses and they were making good time. They were anyway, until Arthur heard Merlin gasp. When asked later how he had heard the small sound over the pounding of the horses' hooves, he would be unable to answer, but he definitely heard it.

It was lucky he did hear it, because it was the only warning they would get of what would soon happen. Arthur pulled both his horse and Merlin's to a sudden stop. "Get down!" he yelled to the knights who obeyed him without question and pulled Gwaine down as well. Arthur leapt from his horse and cut the cords holding Merlin's legs to the saddle. He tried to pull the man down quickly only to be stopped by his own bright idea of tying down Merlin's hands.

In a panic he pulled out the knot and yanked Merlin off the horse, no longer bothering to be gentle. He laid Merlin on the ground a ways away from the horse and then lay on the ground himself, his head just high enough for him to keep an eye on Merlin.

Merlin tensed and then his back arched. The magic began to swirl around him again. Arthur looked around to make sure the knights were all on the ground in case Merlin's magic exploded outwards a second time.

Merlin sat up with a start. His eyes were wide open and gold, but he saw nothing. A ghostly image of a pyre appeared between them and Arthur realized that Merlin was having a nightmare. In a way he was slightly hurt that Merlin would still fear being burned alive after all Arthur had done to change things but he understood that years of fear didn't disappear in a month. He knew that he should go and try to wake Merlin up or at least do_ something_ to get rid of the nightmare, but how could he when getting up could mean Merlin accidentally killing him?

Eventually the image slowly faded away and Merlin lay back down and returned to his former limp and unmoving state. Arthur got up and signaled the others to follow suit. "I am going to take Merlin with me on my horse so that I can keep him on without having to tie him down. I want you all to take his horse with you and ride ahead to Camelot."

They all started protesting at once but he cut them off. "It is for your own safety," he said, then added before they could begin protesting again, "It is not a suggestion, it is an order, now go!"

No one else in Camelot would have dared to give him the glares that his men gave him then, but none of them voiced another word of protest as they got Gwaine onto his horse, remounted their own, and rode off towards Camelot.

"Now Merlin," Arthur said to himself, "time to get you to Gaius so we can figure what the hell is wrong with you."

With some difficulty Arthur got Merlin onto the horse and mounted after him. Twice more they had to stop so he could avoid Merlin's out of control magic. When night fell, he continued riding. Merlin's condition was too uncertain for him to risk making camp for the night. It was several hours past sunset when they arrived back in Camelot, but they had a small entourage waiting for them.

A pair of guards helped get Merlin off the horse and onto the stretcher Gaius had waiting. Arthur hopped off the horse and handed the reins off to a waiting servant. "Any idea what is wrong with him Gaius?"

Gaius shook his head. "Based off what the knights told me, I have no idea. Do you have anything you can add?"

Arthur shook his head. "I doubt there is anything they didn't already tell you."

Gaius turned to the guards. "We will take him to my chambers now."

Arthur began to follow but saw Gwen crouching behind a cart and motioning to him. "I will be there in a few minutes," Arthur told Gaius, but the man was too busy fussing over Merlin to do more than mumble a response.

Arthur turned away and walked to where Gwen was hiding. As soon as he was close enough she pulled him behind the cart with her and kissed him fiercely. Once she broke it off he was left to gather his now scattered thoughts.

"Why are you hiding back here?" he asked on a breath.

"Gaius ordered me to bed but I…I had to be sure…I mean, Elyan said…but I…I had to see for myself." She said uncertainly, not entirely sure of how to explain.

Arthur understood exactly why she was there. "You felt them too didn't you, you felt his emotions?"

She nodded. "And then they stopped. I was worried that…" her sentence tapered off. "Don't worry," Arthur told her. "He is still alive, merely unconscious. Gaius will take care of him." She nodded. She was still worried but her greatest fears were muted. "You should really do as Gaius instructed," he told her.

She nodded, gave him another quick kiss, and then began the walk home to the small house she and Elyan shared.

Arthur watched her go longingly. They still hadn't announced their betrothal. There were only so many changes the people of Camelot could process at once, so they had put it off until the cacophony over Arthur legalizing magic had gone down.

With a sigh he turned on his heel and walked through the dimly lit and nearly deserted streets and corridors on the short journey that would ultimately lead him to Gaius' chambers.

He entered the room to find Merlin lying motionless on the cot. He looked more like he was sleeping now than earlier when he had simply looked dead. Gaius was rapidly flipping through a book with a desperate look on his face.

"Anything?" Arthur asked, already knowing the answer.

Gaius slammed the book shut and leaned against the back of his chair. "Nothing at all. There is nothing in these books that describes anything like this."

Arthur sat in a chair next to Merlin. "Could it be because he is Emrys?" he asked cautiously.

"It very well could be, but if so we are on our own as to what to do about it."

"Why?" Arthur asked.

Gaius gave him a withering look. "There is no one else like him. He is completely unique and if that uniqueness is what is causing the problem than no one has ever had to deal with it before."

Arthur felt foolish, but he was tired so it was excusable. "Right. Of course." He looked down at Merlin. The man did look notably better than he had before. That had to be a good sign. "So what do we know?" he asked.

"Nothing that give us answers, only more mysteries."

"Such as?"

"Well, he is in perfect health." Gaius said with a shrug.

Arthur was confused. "Why wouldn't he be?"

Gaius shook his head. "I mean that there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. I can't even find the reason he is unconscious. We should be able to wake him, but nothing I have tried has worked so far."

Arthur, attempting to lighten the heavy mood since there was clearly nothing to be done at present said, "Let me try something." He leaned over and said loudly in Merlin's ear. "Merlin, you idiot, you're late!"

To both of their surprise Merlin sat up immediately, eyes wide open and awake. Arthur was knocked backwards out of his chair by another wave of magic, but luckily Gaius was far enough away to not be affected.

Arthur was trying to disentangle his feet from the chair legs when he heard Gaius gasp. Jumping up quickly and barely keeping from falling over again in the process, he saw what had surprised Gaius. Merlin's eyes were again that brilliant gold of when he was casting a spell instead of their normal clear blue and the colour was not fading away.

"Merlin, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," he replied, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Arthur could think of quite a few reasons of why Merlin should definitely not be all right, but he knew better than to voice them aloud.

"Merlin," Gaius said, "Are you using magic right now?"

"Right at this moment? No, I'm not, why?"

Arthur and Gaius shared a glance. Neither of them knew what was going on, but whatever it was, they didn't like it. Arthur laid a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Perhaps you should get some sleep," he said gently.

Merlin flinched away from his touch. His eyes hardened and his face twisted in pain. Arthur felt those spinning emotions again, but this time he knew for sure that they were Merlin's and not his own. Merlin had remembered what had happened.

Items began flying around the room and the fire flared and did not go down. Gaius was trying to dodge what he could but couldn't move anywhere near fast enough to avoid most of the magically propelled objects. Arthur saw the book case tip over and realized it was going to land right on Gaius. Arthur leapt out of his chair and dived at Gaius, knocking him off his chair and out of the path of the falling bookcase. He hoped he hadn't hurt the man, but there hadn't been time to do anything else.

Arthur jumped up and tried to avoid flying potion bottles and candle sticks and get back to Merlin. He grabbed Merlin by both shoulders and shook him until the man's still eerily gold eyes met his own. "Merlin, I know you're hurt, but we will get her back. We will get your mother back and we will punish the witches who did this, I promise, but this isn't helping!"

Merlin's eyes faded to their normal blue for the first time since he had tried to heal Gwaine in Ealdor and he began to cry.

Arthur glanced over to the now standing Gaius who understood Arthur's unsaid words perfectly. He grabbed a potion out of a closed cabinet whose contents had been spared Merlin's magic thanks to its sturdy doors and handed the bottle to Arthur. Arthur uncorked it and placed it in Merlin's hand then helped him lift the bottle to his lips so he would gulp it down. A few minutes later Merlin was sound asleep, but there was still a problem. The occasional item was still flying across the room, not all of them small or easy to dodge.

While Gaius attempted to straighten the bulk of the mess out, Arthur righted the bookcase then went up the stairs to Merlin's small room and began taking every item in the room downstairs. He wished he didn't have to do it alone but he couldn't risk what was happening to Merlin becoming known around the castle. After working at it for some time he looked around the room that was now empty of all but Merlin's bed. He allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at the job well done. Suddenly he remembered something that Merlin had once mentioned to him in passing. He knelt down beside the bed and lifted up the loose floorboard. He lifted out the items hidden in there, smiling to himself at Merlin's less than creative hiding spot, and removed them as well.

Carefully, so as not to wake him, Arthur lifted Merlin from the cot in the main room, brought him up the narrow staircase, and laid him on his own bed. He pulled the man's boots off and pulled the blanket over him. He ruffled Merlin's black hair before leaving the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Gaius was again flipping through a book, looking more determined to find an answer than ever. Arthur noticed it was one of the few magic books that had been spared the pyre in the great purge and locked away in a vault in Camelot's library. He had given Gaius permission to take them for his own use. He only hoped they would now be of some good. Arthur sat in a chair across the small table from him but said nothing.

After a few minutes Gaius glanced up from the book. "You should get some sleep Arthur."

"Not until Merlin is better," Arthur said stubbornly.

"Arthur that could be days or even weeks from now and it most certainly will not be within the next twenty-four hours. You need sleep. I will keep looking for answers." Arthur made no response, nor showed any sign of leaving for his own chambers. After a while Gaius sighed and closed the book. "How are you Arthur? Has the voice quieted down?"

Arthur's eyes widened a degree in surprise before he realized what had happened. "Gwen told you about last night, didn't she?"

Gaius nodded. "She was very concerned about both you and Merlin."  
>"I'm fine. I've figured out a way to sort of muffle it. Merlin seemed to be doing better before all this happened as well."<p>

"So it's still there?" Gaius asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Arthur said, furrowing his brow, "But what it is saying makes a lot more sense now."

Gaius looked not only surprised but somewhat fearful. His voice however, was unwavering. "What do you mean?"

Arthur closed his eyes. "It has been telling me to go after Morgana and Morgause, to kill them for what they had done. I hadn't known what they had done at the time, but now I do and I agree with the voice, they should pay for it." He reopened his eyes. "It is as if the voice knew exactly what was going to happen."

Gaius appeared thoughtful. "Interesting, very interesting," he muttered. Then he seemed to realize that Arthur was still there. "You really should get to bed. There is no way Merlin is going to be better by tomorrow with the way things are going."

This time Arthur took the physician's advice. He rose from the table to find he was still sore from his earlier encounter with the wall, and left the room to his own chambers to get some much needed sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this took so long to upload. Enjoy!**

Arthur woke up late the next morning and was very glad that he had nowhere to be in a hurry. He dragged himself out of bed, padded across the cold, stone floor and pulled apart the heavy curtains covering the window, allowing a beam of bright late morning sunshine to enter the room. The dust motes caught the light and swirled in the air around him. With a groan he turned away from the window and went about preparing himself for the day without the help of Merlin.

He smiled fondly to himself as he recalled how Merlin had managed to keep himself on as his manservant. When Merlin had returned to Camelot and defeated Morgana and Morgause, Arthur had within hours named him a court advisor, much to the man's discomfort. That was why when Merlin had shown up in his chambers the next morning to wake him up after his three month absence he had been more than a little surprised.

"You don't have to do this any more," Arthur had told him.

"I want to," Merlin had said as he crouched to pick something up off the floor.

"In that case I order you to go do something else and stop performing your duties as my manservant for god's sake."

Merlin had stood and smirked at him. "If you do that you won't have a manservant at all. I think we both know how that would go."

Arthur had shivered at the thought. "What about Henry? He took over while you were gone." In fact it had been strange that he hadn't been there already seeing as Merlin was late, as usual.

"I believe you will find that he no longer has any desire to work for you. In fact, I have a strong feeling that you will not be able to find anyone who is interested in becoming your manservant."

"Merlin, what did you do?"

The man had grinned at him. "I made sure that not everything about my life will change."

Back in the present, Arthur was ready to go and face the day. He glanced around the room and was a bit surprised at just how messy it was. He had been so tired when he finally got in last knight that he had just let things fall where they may. With a heavy sigh he stooped to pick up at least some of the mess for himself.

The door opened with a click and creak. Arthur didn't bother looking up to see who it was. The only people who were allowed into his room without announcing themselves were Merlin and Guinevere. The two guards posted outside his door at all hours made sure that the rule was strictly enforced.

"Hello Guinevere, I'll be with you in a moment. I am just trying to tidy things up."

He heard a tray set down on the table, then Merlin said with a great deal of amusement, "If you are going to call me a girl you could certainly choose an example that is more insulting than Gwen. The fact that you would compare me to her is almost flattering."

Arthur shot up. "Merlin!"

Merlin picked an apple up from the tray and tossed it to him. "I thought you might like some breakfast…well at this hour it's really lunch."

Arthur deftly caught the apple and absentmindedly took a bite out of it. "Gaius said there was no way you would be better by today." He was happy the physician had been wrong.

Merlin turned away from him and began picking up Arthur's mess. "Well here I am, right as rain."

Arthur picked up a pair of pants and threw it at the back of Merlin's head. He didn't anticipate that the cloth would pass _through_ Merlin and land on the ground in front of the man.

Merlin stood up and spun around. He fixed Arthur with a hard glare.

"What on Earth?" Arthur breathed.

"Okay, so I am not exactly better yet."

"It passed_ through_ you!" Arthur's voice cracked. He was glad no one heard it but Merlin.

"Yes," Merlin said, trying to hide a smile, "It did."

Arthur shook his head to clear it. "You should still be in your room, recovering."

"I _am_ in my room."

_Great, _Arthur thought, _now I have to worry about his sanity and his solidity._ "No. You are in my room."

"No. I am not." A sound began to fade into hearing as though starting out far away and quickly coming closer until it could clearly be identified. Someone was knocking on the door.

"Merlin," Gaius said, "Open the door."

Arthur, still very confused, walked around Merlin to the door. The man made no move to stop him. He pulled it open to find…no one. No one was there. Impossibly, the knocking sounded again. Arthur turned on Merlin. What was going on?

"Merlin!" he heard Gaius call again.

"I'm not coming out Gaius, and it is too dangerous for you to come in," Merlin called loudly.

"Let me help you, my boy," Gaius pleaded.

"You can't help. I'm busy right now."

The sounds faded away into oblivion.

"Merlin," Arthur said slowly, "what is going on?"

Merlin sat down, except he wasn't actually sitting on anything. His body position made it clear that he was sitting on something solid, but there simply was nothing there. Merlin seemed to notice Arthur's stare and he disappeared and reappeared a few feet from his original position, now sitting on Arthur's bed.

"Well to start, what I told Gaius about it being too dangerous for him to come into my room to see me was true. It is far too dangerous for me to be around anyone right now. I'm not completely sure how long that will be the case."

"But you are with me right now," Arthur insisted.

Merlin shook his head. "No, this is just a projection. I'm in my room. This is just an image of what I am doing in there."

"But you are talking to me." It was easier for Arthur to believe Merlin insane than accept some of the things he could do.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can see and hear what is going on around the projection, otherwise what would be the point of it?"

"But you touched things, picked them up."

"Magic," Merlin said. Even Arthur had to admit he should have figured that one out on his own. "The projection had no mass to it. It is just light."

Arthur opened the door again and said to one of the guards standing there. "Can you please find Guinevere and bring her here?" The man rushed off to do as he had been asked and Arthur closed the door once more and sat down. He wanted Gwen there when he talked to Merlin about the most important thing they had to do at the moment- find where Morgana had taken Hunith and get her back.

Merlin and Arthur sat in an awkward stretch of silence for a few minutes. Finally unable to sit still any longer, Arthur got up and started trying, once again, to do some cleaning. Merlin sighed and waved a hand. All the clutter made its own way back to where it belonged. Arthur sat back down and the uncomfortable silence returned. Neither of the men thought they had ever been more happy to see Guinevere than the moment when she finally walked into that room.

She was clearly surprised to see Merlin but she didn't say anything about it. "You wanted me sire?"

"Come on Guinevere, it's just Merlin. He knows everything anyway," Arthur said, smiling.

Gwen smiled in return and sat on his lap. Merlin gave them both his small sad smile in return and got a faraway look in his eyes. Arthur remembered once more what had happened to him with Freya, how the two of them had been with each other yesterday…was it really only yesterday?...he felt bad that he and Gwen got to have each other and Merlin had lost the only person he had really loved in that way. The very least he could do was get Merlin back the person that it was within his power to retrieve- his mother.

"I am going to send out scouts all across the kingdom as well as messengers to the surrounding lands to see if anyone has spotted Morgana," Arthur said.

"That won't be needed," Merlin said. His blue eyes were hard with determination. "I will whip up a tracking spell as soon as I am able."

"Still," Arthur insisted, "I will send them out, just to be on the safe side."

Merlin nodded but didn't say anything. He was staring off into space looking fearful and worried. Gwen made to get up to go over to Merlin and comfort him but Arthur held her back. There was no need to go through the projection discussion again, especially under current circumstances.

"We will get her back," Gwen said, "You can be sure of it."

Merlin frowned. "I know," he said, "It's what they will do to her in the mean time that worries me."

There were some unintelligible shouts in the hallway and then the door to the room burst open to reveal Elyan.

"Sire, Merlin, Gwen," he said, "You all need to get to the council room. _Now._"

Arthur rose, still holding Guinevere. "What happened?" _As though things aren't already bad enough._

"It's the witches sire. They have…" Elyan swallowed audibly. His eyes were wide and he was pale under his dark colouring. "They have taken the children sire… all of them. Every child under the age of twelve has vanished."

Arthur's eyes were as wide as they could go. "Thank you, Elyan," he said in a monotone. "We will be there as soon as we can. You may go."

Elyan left the room and the door swung closed behind him. Merlin said something very un-Merlin-like and jumped off the bed. The only problem was that his feet were not touching the floor.

"Merlin," Arthur said, pointing.

"Damn, your bed is taller than mine," he said, more to himself than to Arthur or Guinevere, and placed himself back on the floor.

To Gwen's credit she once again made no comment. She was far too worried about the children to be concerned by Merlin's sudden hovering. "Come on, we need to get going."

They walked out of the room together and headed towards the council chambers. Merlin had the fun of walking in circles around his small room to make his stride appear continuous as they rushed down the oddly empty halls.

The first servant they passed Arthur stopped. "I need you to go to Gaius and tell him to come to the council meeting immediately. Also I need you to give him a message with these exact words. Ready?" The servant nodded. "Arthur is perfectly aware of what is going on with Merlin, but it is far more important that you come to the meeting immediately. Got it?" The servant nodded and shot an odd glance to Merlin before rushing off to relay the message.

"I don't think I have ever dreaded a council meeting more in my life than I do right now," Arthur said.

"That's good," Merlin said.

"How is that _good_?" Gwen asked incredulously.

"Because if he had dreaded another one more than this I would probably have to sock him."


End file.

Merlin, Angst, Friendship