Arthur awoke from a dream breathing heavily and in a cold sweat. As his body began to wake properly, the details of the dream became sketchy and started to fade. Arthur ran a hand over his face, climbed out of his bed and pulled a robe around his frame. Arthur stood before an open window and let the night air blow over his face. In the courtyard below people had gathered to see the execution of an alleged sorcerer. A stage had been erected and guards stood around it in a tight formation. The king, Uther, had been worried that someone would attempt to stop the execution from taking place as the man was well known in Camelot and none of the people believed that he had done any magic. The evidence against him, however, was undeniable. Books of magic had been found in the man's home and he had admitted to practicing magic.
Arthur turned away from the window, shuddering from the cold, and sat down in his chair. The man had placed a spell on Arthur, which forced him to physically fight with his father. Uther had been forced to draw Arthur's blood in order to end the enchantment. The man had gladly taken the blame and Uther had ordered his death. A cry rose from the people in the courtyard and Arthur went back to the window. The man had been brought up from the dungeons and was being led to the stage. Arthur could see his father and several knights standing on a balcony over looking the scene. Several women in the crowd were sobbing and wailing and many of the men were calling out various things to both Uther and the man. Arthur watched with dismay as the man looked around at the crowd and nodded at them silently.
"I thought you had to rest." Arthur turned to see Merlin standing in his doorway.
"I am resting, Merlin. I'm not doing anything strenuous." Arthur turned back to the window and felt Merlin join him. Down below the people had fallen silent so as to hear Uther proclaim why the man had to die. When he finished Uther asked the man if he had anything to say before he was killed. The man turned his face up towards Uther, allowing everyone to see that the man was smiling.
"Before the end of the week, your son, Prince Arthur will disappear. He will be forced to take a test. If he fails, Camelot will cease to exist. If he passes, you, Uther Pendragon, will die." The crowd fell back from the stage. Uther stared down at the man. Merlin faced his master. Arthur didn't react. He merely stood still and silent as Uther gave the word to execute the man. The man, still smiling, knelt before the chopping block and waited patiently. As the executioner swung down his axe Arthur turned away from the spectacle and winced as a dull thud reached his ears.
"Arthur?"
"What is it now, Merlin?" Arthur turned to see his manservant giving him a worried look. "You're taking him seriously are you?"
"He was a sorcerer. Don't you think that you should take him seriously?" Arthur rolled his eyes. And turned his back on Merlin. "I'll leave you to rest then, shall I?"
"Yes… thank you." Merlin remained for another second, watching Arthur closely. When Merlin did finally leave Arthur slumped down into his chair and rested his head on the table in front of him. Arthur knew that he couldn't ignore the man's warning but he could at least pretend not to be worried. He did it often enough and so he had gotten used to it. He had also gotten used to ignoring Merlin's worried looks whenever someone so much as thought about threatening his well being. Arthur slammed his hand down on the table and forced him self to stand up and go back to the window. The man's body was being cleared away but the people remained. Many of them were looking up at his window while the others were looking up at Uther as he addressed them. Even from so high up Arthur could still the worry and grief on their faces.
*
The next morning, Uther called the court together, including Merlin and Gaius. Arthur sat beside his father and remained quiet throughout the proceedings. Merlin stood at Arthur's side with a worried look on his face. Merlin's face hadn't changed much since the night before after the execution and it didn't seem likely to change. The people gathered in the hall looked worried and grief stricken, despite Uther's attempts to calm their nerves. It was clear to all that Uther was also worried about the warning given by the sorcerer but that he was trying to put on a show. Uther's voice wavered slightly and he cleared his throat in an attempt to cover it. The people looked away from their king and Arthur knew that they had lost faith in him. It was clear that some of them, Morgana included, were hoping that the man's warning came to bear. That Uther died and Arthur became king.
"The warning is not to be taken seriously. They were the words of a dead man who hoped that by making threats his life would be spared. He was wrong. Arthur is not going anywhere. No one is disappearing and no one is going to be tested. There is absolutely no need to worry." The people in the room began to mutter amongst themselves. Arthur felt most of their eyes flicking towards him and he could sense Merlin beginning to lean in to him. Before he had the chance to, Arthur turned to his father.
"Father, I wish to leave the court. I want to go and practise with my sword for a time before I set out with the men on a hunt." Uther nodded his consent and Arthur stood up. The people in the room turned towards him and bowed slightly to him. As Arthur began to walk towards the doors he felt his feet growing heavier with every step he took. The edges of his vision began to blacken and his eyelids began to fall. Arthur stumbled and he felt Merlin rush forward and grab onto his arm. Arthur slumped to the floor and the last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Merlin's face, looking down at him…
*
Merlin hurried along behind as Arthur's lifeless form was carried to his bedchamber and laid down on the bed. Gaius moved closer to Arthur and began to check him for any obvious signs of injury but Merlin knew that there wouldn't be any. Merlin knew that this was Arthur "disappearing".
"It hadn't been a literal statement, had it, Gaius?" Gaius glanced at him and shook his head.
"I don't think so. I think he meant that Arthur's spirit would disappear from his body." Uther stepped into the room and Merlin quickly bowed to him. Gaius, however, stood up straight and looked the king right in the eye. "My Lord, I believe that…"
"I heard you," Uther was trying to look anywhere but at his son, lying prone on the bed. "Leave me with him." Once Merlin and Gaius had left Uther sat down next to Arthur's bed and took hold of the prince's hand.
"Pass the test, Arthur. Pass the test."
*
Arthur slowly became aware that he was lying on a patch of grass. Arthur could smell the sea air and could hear birds above him. The wind was blowing through his hair and Arthur very slowly opened his eyes. Above him was a blue sky without a cloud in sight. To his left was the ocean and on his right was a lush field of grass as far as the eye could see. Arthur very slowly sat up and looked at his surroundings more closely. Everything appeared to be real but he knew that it was an enchantment. As far as he could tell he was entirely alone. Arthur looked down at himself and found that he was only wearing his breeches. Arthur sighed and sat back down on the grass to wait for someone to turn up.
*
Merlin sat by Arthur's side after Uther left. It had been four hours since Arthur had collapsed and there were no signs of improvement. But at the same time he wasn't getting any worse either. Merlin watched Arthur's face closely and thought about the man's warning. It had been vague and yet so clear that it was infuriating. Merlin pressed a moist cloth to Arthur's brow, even though there was no fever. For all intents and purposes Arthur appeared to be asleep. The only sign that Arthur's spirit wasn't in his body was that Arthur was pale and his breaths were shallow and few, his heart beat was slow and there were at least minutes gaps between each beat. Gaius had warned him not to use magic to help Arthur for fear that it would simply make things worse. And so, Merlin kept his mouth closed and his magic deep down inside him. He wasn't going to make things worse for Arthur but he had to find a way to help him. It was his destiny.
*
Arthur had just begun to drift off to sleep when he saw a figure approaching him from the left. Arthur stood and watched as the figure became more distinct with each step. Arthur very quickly realised that it was a woman coming towards him. The woman was of average height and had a slight build. She had long blonde hair, which she wore loose, and piercing blue eyes. She wore a simple white dress and moved with an air of grace and power. Arthur knew immediately that this was not a woman to be trifled with. From the way she moved and held herself, Arthur had no doubt that she was powerful and was probably a sorceress. The woman stopped walking and looked at him. Arthur felt himself being drawn in by her eyes and he didn't particularly want to look way. The woman blinked and the spell was broken.
"Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot, you were sent here to undergo a test of great importance. Should you fail the test you will die. Should you pass the test your father will die." The woman's voice was soft but carried with it a feeling of power, beauty and destruction all rolled into one.
"What kind of test?" The woman smiled at him then, and Arthur almost fell over. Despite being at her will, he could not deny that she was stunningly beautiful.
"It is very simple. You must decide who dies." The woman motioned towards the field of grass. Arthur turned to look and saw three people coming towards him. A man and two women. "You must decide who, out of these three, must die. Choose wisely and you pass, make the wrong choice and you die."
The man was the first that Arthur recognized. 'Man' may have been the wrong word, 'idiot' was probably a better description, as Merlin stepped out of the mist that come up and stood several feet away from Arthur. The next to appear from the mist was Morgana, who may as well be classified as his sister. The third to step from the mist made Arthur close his eyes and want to run: Gwen.
"You cannot make me choose which of my friends must die so that I might live." Arthur faced the woman, who smiled again. This time, however, the smile was far from friendly, it was sinister.
"You must choose, Arthur. It is your destiny to be king," Arthur rolled his eyes. He already knew that. "And you must choose. One of them will help you to become the greatest king that has ever, or will ever, live. One will become your companion but will betray you for a friend and a fellow knight. The last will become skilled in the art of magic and an adversary to you and your knights. Choose the one who you believe will be your adversary and you will pass. Choose either of the others and you will die."